Back to the Grindstone
I just got back from a lovely week and a half vacation to Savannah. Donny and I met up with each other in Charlotte, NC, where we caught the same connector flight to Savannah. It was so nice to sit with him and cuddle on the plane. I don't mind traveling alone, but it's always nice to have a buddy. We got into Savannah on Thursday (06/16/2005) evening, tired and hungry. We had a lot of wedding planning to do during our visit but we were excited about being with each other again.
MELISSA AND BRIAN’S WEDDING
Saturday (06/18/2005) was Melissa and Brian’s wedding day. The ceremony was at a church down in St. Mary’s, GA followed by a reception on King’s Bay Naval base. The directions we received were flawed. After getting off the highway, the directions told us to turn left…it should have said right. We followed the directions and got completely lost. We were speeding around St. Mary’s, which is an incredibly small city right on the border between Georgia and Florida (Exit 1 on Highway 95), and finally found the church 10 minutes before the ceremony. I was just glad we weren’t late.
We were sat with the other people from UGA: JJ, April, Jens, and two other couples that I have seen before but don’t remember their names. Chuck was Brian’s best man so he was probably trying to convince Brian that he did in fact WANT to marry Melissa. Brian and the minister came out and stood at the front of the church. Brian was so nervous. The bridal party walked down the aisle followed at the end by Melissa and her dad. She, as all brides are, was beautiful.
The ceremony was nice but the reception was a blast. All the UGA people were assigned to the same table where hilarity ensued. We played with the bubbles, the little “kiss bells” and the guest cameras. The DJ was great and played a whole list of fabulous songs. Donny was such a great sport and danced with me almost whenever I asked him. He claims that he can’t dance but he does know how to hold me close and shake his booty!
At one point, I noticed that the DJ knew how to swing so I decided I wanted to show off. I asked the DJ to dance and we literally had the entire dance floor. I didn’t mean to become one of the entertainments but it was fun. His lead was a bit odd but I followed as best I could. During our dance I was quite happy with how well I was doing, until he led me into an American spin. It started out as the best spin I’ve EVER done until I wanted to stop. I rolled my left ankle and heard something go pop…in front of everybody. I recovered and finished the dance just like a good competitor/entertainer. I sat down beside Donny who made the statement, “That was good…but are you ok?” Luckily, I’d only sprained it and was able to keep the party going!
It was actually a good thing that I got to go to somebody’s wedding as I began to do some hardcore wedding planning for myself. It gave me some great ideas as to what I want and what I need to avoid. For example, Melissa and Brian had bubbles blown at them as they left. That was WAY too foofy for me! Donny and I have decided that we’re going to have birdseed (would be rice but it kills the stupid birds when they eat it). It’s more fun to go running rather than getting “non-toxic soap solution” blown at you.
WEDDING PLANNING
On Friday we went downtown to the courthouse to get our marriage license. No, this does not mean that we are legally married. You must get the marriage license, with your names and other random information before the wedding. After the ceremony, whether done by either a priest/minister/reverend or justice of the peace, the officiant must fill out the time, date, and place before signing it and returning it to the county clerk's office at the courthouse. I know it seems as though we got our license early, but I didn't want to forget it and we may not be back in Savannah for a long time. Besides, we’ll have a whole other list of things to do and plan for the impending wedding.
We had the rest of the day free so we decided to get registered. Initially, we were going to just register at Sears. They were bought out by K-Mart not too long ago and I’ve always liked their homeware items and Donny wanted some Craftsman tools. We finally got our names in the system after the computer crashed 3 times. However, it wouldn’t bring up the barcode we needed to start scanning items. Not to waste time, Donny and I wandered around Sears looking for things we needed. After a few minutes, we decided that Craig would be a big help in giving advice on cookware.
We went home, got Craig, and went to Bed, Bath, & Beyond (BB&B). We registered for all of our kitchen items. Craig was a big help, though he wanted to give me 20 minute dissertations when I wanted a five word answer to my various questions. I’m very excited about the contents of our future kitchen!
Sunday was a fairly easy going day. We returned to Sears only to find that the problem persisted. We were still unable to register because their computer system is crap. I began to get frustrated. It’s a good thing that Donny is so patient he helps me not to blow up at people. Love ya baby!
On Monday Donny and I had our first pre-marital counseling session with Fr. Parker. It was a good session. We talked about various topics that would concern us as a married couple…many of which we had already discussed at least in part. We were assigned to read “The Marriage Journey.” It has various chapters dealing with issues between the married couple, their family, their friends, and various situations. The best part about the book is that each chapter contains discussion questions that bring up very good points and initiate great conversations. I would recommend it to any couples considering marriage or any newlyweds out there!
We attempted one last time to register at Sears. We were FINALLY successful but there was still a hang up. Most of the homeware items we scanned, i.e., towels, bathroom accessories, are discontinued. In short we registered for a beautiful comforter, tools, and a couple of kitchen appliances. We decided to get the rest of our homeware items from BB&B.
For those of you interested, you can go online to look at our list or even purchase gifts from our list at sears.com or bedbathandbeyond.com. You can search for our lists using Stephanie Hopkins or Donald McCartney. Or wedding is 05/20/2005 in Georgia. I think that is all the information you need.
Tuesday was also filled with wedding planning. We went to Flowerama, where we picked out the flowers for the bouquets, boutonnières, and corsages. They’re going to be gorgeous! I’m so excited!
Wednesday was so much fun! Amanda, my maid of honor, came into town so we could go looking for bridesmaid’s dresses. I would relate the interesting morning we had…but it will have to be an update for after the wedding. Sorry ya’ll. ;-)
We met up with Donny for lunch and they finally got to meet! We had such a fun time too. Even though we were all together for only an hour or so, they both seem to have liked each other. Of course I told Poopy-head that it didn’t REALLY matter if she liked Donny or not…I am still going to marry him.
Thursday was the last day of Donny’s vacation so we just laid low and hung out together. It was nice. Later that day we found out that Craig got the new job he’d applied for out at Gulfstream. He would be working for the company that provides the food service and catering. He was very excited and in celebration, the whole family went out for supper. Whoo hoo Craig!!
I took Donny to the airport at the ass-crack of dawn to catch his plane. I sadly let him go but I knew we would be reunited again soon…hopefully for good. The next two days were filled with randomness with my folks before I had to fly back to DC on Sunday.
Luckily, when I got back to the apartment, Bert was still alive and the plants had grown quite nicely. I’d like to publicly thank De for taking care of them for me!
Sadly, that Monday I returned to work and the grindstone…but at least I’m more relaxed and semi-stress free.
MELISSA AND BRIAN’S WEDDING
Saturday (06/18/2005) was Melissa and Brian’s wedding day. The ceremony was at a church down in St. Mary’s, GA followed by a reception on King’s Bay Naval base. The directions we received were flawed. After getting off the highway, the directions told us to turn left…it should have said right. We followed the directions and got completely lost. We were speeding around St. Mary’s, which is an incredibly small city right on the border between Georgia and Florida (Exit 1 on Highway 95), and finally found the church 10 minutes before the ceremony. I was just glad we weren’t late.
We were sat with the other people from UGA: JJ, April, Jens, and two other couples that I have seen before but don’t remember their names. Chuck was Brian’s best man so he was probably trying to convince Brian that he did in fact WANT to marry Melissa. Brian and the minister came out and stood at the front of the church. Brian was so nervous. The bridal party walked down the aisle followed at the end by Melissa and her dad. She, as all brides are, was beautiful.
The ceremony was nice but the reception was a blast. All the UGA people were assigned to the same table where hilarity ensued. We played with the bubbles, the little “kiss bells” and the guest cameras. The DJ was great and played a whole list of fabulous songs. Donny was such a great sport and danced with me almost whenever I asked him. He claims that he can’t dance but he does know how to hold me close and shake his booty!
At one point, I noticed that the DJ knew how to swing so I decided I wanted to show off. I asked the DJ to dance and we literally had the entire dance floor. I didn’t mean to become one of the entertainments but it was fun. His lead was a bit odd but I followed as best I could. During our dance I was quite happy with how well I was doing, until he led me into an American spin. It started out as the best spin I’ve EVER done until I wanted to stop. I rolled my left ankle and heard something go pop…in front of everybody. I recovered and finished the dance just like a good competitor/entertainer. I sat down beside Donny who made the statement, “That was good…but are you ok?” Luckily, I’d only sprained it and was able to keep the party going!
It was actually a good thing that I got to go to somebody’s wedding as I began to do some hardcore wedding planning for myself. It gave me some great ideas as to what I want and what I need to avoid. For example, Melissa and Brian had bubbles blown at them as they left. That was WAY too foofy for me! Donny and I have decided that we’re going to have birdseed (would be rice but it kills the stupid birds when they eat it). It’s more fun to go running rather than getting “non-toxic soap solution” blown at you.
WEDDING PLANNING
On Friday we went downtown to the courthouse to get our marriage license. No, this does not mean that we are legally married. You must get the marriage license, with your names and other random information before the wedding. After the ceremony, whether done by either a priest/minister/reverend or justice of the peace, the officiant must fill out the time, date, and place before signing it and returning it to the county clerk's office at the courthouse. I know it seems as though we got our license early, but I didn't want to forget it and we may not be back in Savannah for a long time. Besides, we’ll have a whole other list of things to do and plan for the impending wedding.
We had the rest of the day free so we decided to get registered. Initially, we were going to just register at Sears. They were bought out by K-Mart not too long ago and I’ve always liked their homeware items and Donny wanted some Craftsman tools. We finally got our names in the system after the computer crashed 3 times. However, it wouldn’t bring up the barcode we needed to start scanning items. Not to waste time, Donny and I wandered around Sears looking for things we needed. After a few minutes, we decided that Craig would be a big help in giving advice on cookware.
We went home, got Craig, and went to Bed, Bath, & Beyond (BB&B). We registered for all of our kitchen items. Craig was a big help, though he wanted to give me 20 minute dissertations when I wanted a five word answer to my various questions. I’m very excited about the contents of our future kitchen!
Sunday was a fairly easy going day. We returned to Sears only to find that the problem persisted. We were still unable to register because their computer system is crap. I began to get frustrated. It’s a good thing that Donny is so patient he helps me not to blow up at people. Love ya baby!
On Monday Donny and I had our first pre-marital counseling session with Fr. Parker. It was a good session. We talked about various topics that would concern us as a married couple…many of which we had already discussed at least in part. We were assigned to read “The Marriage Journey.” It has various chapters dealing with issues between the married couple, their family, their friends, and various situations. The best part about the book is that each chapter contains discussion questions that bring up very good points and initiate great conversations. I would recommend it to any couples considering marriage or any newlyweds out there!
We attempted one last time to register at Sears. We were FINALLY successful but there was still a hang up. Most of the homeware items we scanned, i.e., towels, bathroom accessories, are discontinued. In short we registered for a beautiful comforter, tools, and a couple of kitchen appliances. We decided to get the rest of our homeware items from BB&B.
For those of you interested, you can go online to look at our list or even purchase gifts from our list at sears.com or bedbathandbeyond.com. You can search for our lists using Stephanie Hopkins or Donald McCartney. Or wedding is 05/20/2005 in Georgia. I think that is all the information you need.
Tuesday was also filled with wedding planning. We went to Flowerama, where we picked out the flowers for the bouquets, boutonnières, and corsages. They’re going to be gorgeous! I’m so excited!
Wednesday was so much fun! Amanda, my maid of honor, came into town so we could go looking for bridesmaid’s dresses. I would relate the interesting morning we had…but it will have to be an update for after the wedding. Sorry ya’ll. ;-)
We met up with Donny for lunch and they finally got to meet! We had such a fun time too. Even though we were all together for only an hour or so, they both seem to have liked each other. Of course I told Poopy-head that it didn’t REALLY matter if she liked Donny or not…I am still going to marry him.
Thursday was the last day of Donny’s vacation so we just laid low and hung out together. It was nice. Later that day we found out that Craig got the new job he’d applied for out at Gulfstream. He would be working for the company that provides the food service and catering. He was very excited and in celebration, the whole family went out for supper. Whoo hoo Craig!!
I took Donny to the airport at the ass-crack of dawn to catch his plane. I sadly let him go but I knew we would be reunited again soon…hopefully for good. The next two days were filled with randomness with my folks before I had to fly back to DC on Sunday.
Luckily, when I got back to the apartment, Bert was still alive and the plants had grown quite nicely. I’d like to publicly thank De for taking care of them for me!
Sadly, that Monday I returned to work and the grindstone…but at least I’m more relaxed and semi-stress free.