To those who shop for the holidays…

Here’s an open letter I found to everyone that goes to an actual physical store to do their shopping for the holiday season. Amen.

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You don’t know me, and you probably don’t care. I’m the person that is standing in the store, trying to help you with your purchases for your friends and family. I’m the one that smiles at you when you walk in, points out the item that you were looking for, and checks you out. I am usually standing on my feet for eight or more hours each day, picking up the messes that get left behind when you rummage through that rack of clothes or pile of towels and then decide they aren’t worth your time. You ask me to double check the prices on twenty different items, which I happily do, only to have you tell me that even with the coupons and sales prices, we’re charging too much for our goods. I smile politely instead of cringing when you return twenty pairs of shoes that you bought three hours previously in our Black Friday sale, because you didn’t check the sizes and are now wanting all of them in different sizes and why don’t we have more of them?

I’ve been here all day, trying to smile, to be helpful, and do the best job that I can, while you belittle me, destroy our store, and treat myself and the other customers with contempt and rudeness. While you got to spend your Thanksgiving with your friends and family, i got to spend twelve hours with mine, only to go to bed in the middle of the afternoon so that I can be there to open the store at midnight for our sale so you could save $5 on a portable DVD player. Lucky me, I get to do it on Christmas as well.

Honestly, I do like helping people. I try my hardest, and I realize the holidays are rough for everyone. The stress, the pressure, the money; I totally understand why you might be a little tense right now. But I am here to help you with your purchases, not to be your verbal punching bag or therapist. Honestly, right now, I would settle for a bit of civility and polite behavior from everyone. If I acted a little grumpy for a moment, I’m sorry, but that was after your children went through the store and knocked over two mannequins and three tables of sweaters only to have you tell me you wanted an extra discount off an item because your children broke it. I work hard, and being treated as someone’s servant is not actually in my job description. I checked.

So please, the next time that you walk into a store to buy gifts for this holiday season, please remember something: the person checking you out or helping you with your purchase is a person just like yourself: tired, frazzled, and trying to do the best job they can in a trying time of the year. A little kindness and patience will go a long way and trust me, you’ll have us happily bending over backwards to help you, because you were The Nice Person. Sadly, that makes you a rarity in shopping these days.

To everyone working retail, hang in there. Just a few more weeks, and we can all breathe a little easier. Here’s hoping that you all have more Nice People in your lines than mean ones, all your returns have receipts, and that your managers spring for hot cocoa or coffee as needed to keep us all going that extra hour or so.

Is 2011 over yet?

Yeah, another fall off the planet moment. I blame work. No, really, I do. It’s still insane, as is most retail this time of year, and has been insane since the end of October. A few weeks ago, I managed to end up at the local urgent care from doing something messed up to my knee. a week of crutches later, plus pain killers, anti-inflammatories, and a trip to the orthopedic doc later, and I had a diagnosis of Pes Anserinus Bursitis – aka “your inner knee hurts a damned lot, so quit doing all that stuff for a while.” Well, there’s more to it, but that’s about what it ended up as. One week with the crutches, one week of being banned from stairs and ladders, and two weeks of physical therapy (I start my second week of therapy tomorrow). The therapy is helping, but I have a feeling that it’s not going to completely go away until I stop what I’m doing at work, which means getting a different job. Yeahhhh, fun times. :/

With everything that’s going on (Jared still looking for a new job, Mom having her own issues), it’s going to be a slim Christmas for us here. We’ve set a monetary limit on gifts for each of us this year for the first time in a really long time. If you’d asked me at the beginning of the year, with full knowledge of everything that would be coming out in the next 12 months, here’s what my list would have looked like:

1. Apple iPad 2, black, 16g, wi-fi only
2. Apple iPhone 4S, 16g for AT&T
3. Knit1 Oxford Gift Certificate (the local yarn shop in town that is awesome)
4. New cat tree for the kitties
5. Clothes, clothes, clothes!
6. Diablo 3 Collector’s Edition

I finally got around to making my list today, and for about 20 minutes only had one thing on the list: the gift certificate to Knit1 Oxford. It took me another 30 minutes to add on 4 books and a DVD set, and I still feel meh about adding them. Like I told my Mom when she was sighing at me, I -want- a lot of things, but they’re so improbable at this point, there’s no point in adding them to the list. What do I -want-? Everything on the first list, plus ethernet cables run through the old section of the house to get better wi-fi reception (old house walls made with chicken wire to hold the plaster = leaky Faraday cages). I also want a phone call from some place that I talked to back in October to say “let’s go on Round 2, you know, nm, let’s just have you start tomorrow, k?” I want no more stress from friends and family over money, cos they all have jobs that they love (or at least like) that they’re being appropriately recompensed for. I want time. Dammit, I want to be happy for more than 15 minutes out of a week, cos I’m tired of everyone around me having a crap existence right now.

Like I’ve said, it’s not the frostbite that gets you, it’s the frost-nibble, and dammit, I’ve been just about nibbled to death. :/

Bweh. Okay, off that. Something happy… Oh! So a good thing recently? I got to beta SWTOR, fell in love with the Sith Inquisitor like I thought I would, and before everything went to hell in a hand basket, paid for Jared and I’d Collector’s Editions in full. They asked me at the store “Why now?” My response: “We have the money now, and I’m terrified that if we waited til release day, it wouldn’t be there.” In hindsight, I was right and I rule. So come December 20th, Jared and I will have our CE keys and have been playing early access for 5 days and having a blast. Yey us. ^^; Hey, at least it’s something.

Passing

Back in 1988, I started my freshman year at university. I knew what I wanted to do: graphic design. I’d looked at how people were doing it and I was fascinated with how computers were really starting to take off as a design tool. All the glossy, highly expensive design magazines were showing pictures of studios with people surrounding their brand new Macintosh computers and raving about how wonderful they were. I’d played around with PCs and the differences between those and this Mac thing were night and day to me. Then I saw my first Mac on campus and promptly fell in love.

A few years later, I was graduating from the art college I’d moved on to, and my graduation present ended up being my very own Mac: a brand-new, just released PowerMac 7100/66, with a color monitor. I added a modem and hooked into the beginnings of popular online use. (I had a 5 letter AOL name. It was an actual name, no numbers. How’s that for early adoption?) Most of my fellow students were insanely jealous, and while yes, I worked on grad school homework, I also met friends from around the country, played endless hours of Prince of Persia and Myst, and lost my heart to a program called Photoshop.

That computer got me through my first job, freelance work, and quite a few more games (including something called Warcraft) before I decided it needed to be retired from hard use. Right about then, my mom was deciding that she needed to look at getting one for herself for light use and trying this email thing out, so I bought one of the second generation iMacs, Indigo in color. She got my old PowerMac and modem, and I got blown away at how much I could do with this new machine.

A few years later and I was working at an advertising company and getting very nice tax refunds every year. I decided the Indigo iMac needed to be updated, and hey, our company had a discount with Apple as an employee perk. Soon, a “sunflower” iMac, one with the monitor on an adjustable arm, was sitting on my desk, and I’d installed my old Indigo iMac at my mom’s. The old PowerMac came back home with me and went into storage under a bed.

A couple of years later, the “sunflower” iMac was living at my mom’s, while I was playing World of Warcraft on an iBook G4 – my first laptop. Another couple of years, and a new desktop iMac, the first line of Intel-based iMacs, was sitting on my desk, with the laptop next to it, usually open to strat guilds, guild websites, or running Vent while I was in raid. That iMac got me through a long-distance relationship, freelance work, and random fun and silliness with people I’m friends with and still have yet to meet face to face. Oh and lots of games. That iMac helped me propose to my husband, plan a wedding, and was at the wedding playing all the music for the ceremony and afterwards. I have pictures going back to 2002 on it, including some of the last pictures of my cat that I lost to old age in 2006, that still make me tear up from missing her. I have an iPhone that I’m looking at replacing as soon as we can afford it (and the 4GS is released), and I lust after the iPad in probably an entirely unreasonable fashion. (“Dear Santa, I swear that I’ve tried to be very, very good. Please give me one iPad for Christmas. That is all. Kthx. (Oh and make Lucas release the original trilogy WITHOUT ALL THE BLASTED CHANGES AND EDITS onto BluRay. Love ya.)”) I have a white Apple sticker on the bumper of my car, right next to my “Geek” sticker. Yes, they’re there together on purpose.

And recently, it’s become more and more apparent that my aging iMac needs to be retired, once again to Mom, who will use it to play a few solitaire games, read and write email, and surf the web. Two weeks ago, a very large box showed up at my mom’s store. I was sick at home, and probably shouldn’t have left the house to go get it, but I did. By the time she got home, the brand new iMac was set up and sitting next to the old one, having my old data copied over to it. I was staring at the shiny screen, still stunned at the size of the monitor, and muttering that the old iMac’s screen looked blurry compared to the new one. Add in Lion on top of everything, and my brain was blown yet again. The old one will soon be formatted and have her info transferred to it. The “sunflower” iMac will be formatted and retired to sit next to the others.

Yesterday, when I got home from working at another store an hour away, it took a while, but then I started seeing the news filter in. A friend texted me on the iPhone first. Then I started looking at everything online. “Steve Jobs passes at age 56.” I’d figured it was coming after the announcement of his resignation in August, but it still hurt. As other people said, you may not have liked him or Apple, but he did change the way we see technology. It’s not this mysterious arcane thing that only people with multiple degrees use in controlled environments, which was the popular perception for a long time when I was growing up. He gave them personality. He gave them beauty in form and function. He gave us things that we crave without knowing why, and once we get them in our hands, we start to wonder why no one thought of this before, because it just made sense.

Apple has been a part of most of my life now. It will most likely continue to be a part of my life. I can’t wait to see what happens down the road with it, and hope that the company continues to surprise and amaze as it did under Steve.

Oh, and just one more thing…

So tired

I swear this week feels longer than it’s really been. Nothing truly awful, just a lot of nibbles and paper cuts from Life. Annoying, but not deadly. :/

The good part to this week is having more and more friends saying “okay fine, we’ll let you suck us into SWTOR.” As a result, the guild that we merged with is growing nicely. Looks like we’ll have a nice solid core to run with, with lots of others that will be there to make it fun. Is it going to be a huge guild? Doesn’t look like it, but it does look like we’ll be able to see the top-tier end game stuff. Go team!

Another good part to the week has been us finally pulling the trigger on getting the local Internet company to get out here to do the construction they need to do to get us hooked up for true high speed Internet. Hopefully next week, we can have them out there to do it, since they need to be in our area anyway. Soon… /resumes bookmarking sites to visit with Real Internet

And now, back I go to the slowest working day in history. :/ /snore

A long time ago…

So yeah, I get a new job, hit the ground running with it, then promptly fall off the blogging planet. Really, I do blame the job. Most of the time, when I get up in the morning, I’m still groggy and out of it, and have a very short time to get ready for work and out the door. When I get home, I’m immediately hitting the shower to get cleaned up, as most of my day involves me running up and down ladders or stairs, hauling mannequins or large artwork, usually with little air conditioning or hot lights overhead. After that, all I want to do is not move, while various body parts yell at me for taking the job. Then it’s an early bedtime and we start it all over again. /sigh

The job itself is somewhat physically demanding. It depends on what day it is and what needs to be done. Two weeks ago, not a whole heck of a lot other than putting up new pretty pictures in little frames. This past week? Lots of ladders, lots of hauling, lots of racing around with no where near enough time. When you add in the various office politics and personalities, things get… interesting. My stress levels kinda peaked out Friday and i had a complete meltdown at work. A couple of texts and a phone call to another store’s visual department manager later, and I was a lot calmer. I’d helped the other manager earlier in the week at their store, and he reassured me that I was not sucking, i was doing a good job, and to just do what I could do. It’s always nice when someone says “Damn, girl! I wish you were closer to our store, cos I’d steal you away in a heartbeat, cos you rock!”

Oh and three weeks ago, Jared tripped at work and broke his elbow. /facepalm He’d been hoping that the doc would tell him he could go back to work this past week, but alas, he’s still healing and must stay at home some more, since work can’t accommodate his one-armed self. At least he’s got workman’s comp. ^^;

In more pleasant news, our insanely crappy internet connection will soon be a thing of the past. I need to make a phone call tomorrow to set it up, but we’ll be having a proper high-speed connection soon. Looks like it’s going to be just in time for a couple of new games that I’ve been waiting on: Diablo 3 and Star Wars: The Old Republic. I loved, nay, adored Diablo 2. Still do. There’s just something satisfying about starting at one end of a map and working my way to the other side, leaving nothing alive in between. Everything that I see on D3 just makes me more and more excited for it.

And then there’s SWTOR. When they made the announcement for it, I looked at Jared, who is a massive Star Wars fan. He said we’d absolutely be playing it, and there was no contest: we’d be playing Sith. I sighed and started looking into what little bit of information they had and started preparing myself to play Sith (just know I’m going to be the world’s worst Sith). As more and more information starting coming to light, the more excited I started getting. At this point, I’m bouncing, eager to play, and looking forward to “seeing” friends online again. Hell, I even went and upgraded my pre-order to the Collector’s Edition. We’d started getting the old guild interested in playing, but just ended up merging those from the old guild with friends in a new guild. Everyone’s still in the “getting to know you” phase, but it looks like it’s going to work out well.

I’ve been plowing through as much information as I can, and pretty much have decided to start with a Sith Inquisitor as my first character. I’m most likely taking her through the healer tree, but the DPS caster version is also tempting. SPARKLEDEATH and all that. The second character I make will most likely be an Imperial Agent, so I can pewpew again.

At this point, I’m ready to just go to bed til SWTOR comes out. By that point, we should have a better internet connection as well and hopefully work won’t suck as hard anymore. Well, one can hope. ^^;

A year and a week, final

So there, that was our wedding. I ended up learning several things from planning our wedding. First, I still have the ability to completely surprise my family from time to time. For one thing, I’m the one that proposed to Jared, not the other way around. I even made everyone double-take when I told them that not only did I propose to him, I did it via a webcomic re-purpose but that I’d sent it to him by email (which lead to a whole other set of issues that makes for an amusing tale now, but caused me to freak out then). What can I say? We’re geeks! When we started to really get into the wedding planning, I was told several times at how “together” I was. Not that I’m a complete flake, but that I had so much taken care of that when someone would ask “What about the caterer? Have you thought about that?”, I’d be able to pull out my iPhone, pull up the relevant email thread, and rattle off whatever information they were looking for. A large chunk of my family isn’t used to seeing me in full ”operational” mode, and I think in addition to amusing them, it helped everyone be at ease that weekend. “Problems? Oh check the contingency plan list. I’m sure Amy has something on there for that problem.” And everyone around me being at ease helped me keep calm and collected. Thankfully, while there were wrinkles, no one panicked!

I also learned how much both of our families and all of our friends wanted to help. People that I hadn’t talked to in forever were contacting us to offer support, help, or a friendly ear to vent into over beers. Family kept checking with us to make sure that we -were- getting the wedding we both wanted, not something that we were “making do” with. All of the support and offers of help in a tough economy made me sit back every so often and just be amazed at the love surrounding us. It truly is one thing to say “oh our family and friends are helping” and another to faced with everyone merrily pitching in the day of to make sure you and your soon-to-be-husband are having a wonderful time.

What was surprising was how smoothly everything went, even with the delays and weather. If an issue popped up, it got handled quickly with very little fuss. People hopped on board to help, without being asked. But the most amusing surprise was how the man who rents the pastureland that surrounds my mom’s house found out about the wedding and sent a crew out to bush hog (aka “mow”) the pasture so it would “look good”.

The weather could have mattered and it didn’t. (Personally, I think it was better for being inside, and everyone had a blast.) The delays could have mattered and they didn’t. The budget mattered, and we spent less than I’d been aiming for, so that was total win. What -really- mattered though was what we wanted our day to be, which is what happened: good food, lots of love and laughter, and being surrounded by those who loved us. And in that, we succeeded fantastically.

So now it’s been a year and then some since Jared and I got married. I got asked last week if we’re still in the “honeymoon” phase. I had to think about that for a moment before replying “Yes, and no. Yes, it’s still awesome. Yes, we’re still giggly and goofy with each other. But no, because it’s just like it was before we got married, only better.” I stick by that statement. It’s not better because we went off and got married, but it’s better cos we’re in this together and we know it. In other year, it’s going to be even more awesome. And pretty much, even with the ups and downs that life tosses at us, we still find time to just be with each other, be silly and make each other laugh, mock the cats, and get on with life. I get reminded of just how awesome Jared is on pretty much a daily basis. And really, finding someone to go through this weirdness called life, someone to have your back, make you laugh, hold you when you cry, be there every step of the way, sharing in and increasing the joy while lessening the pain, isn’t that what love and marriage should be about?

A year and a week ago, part 5

Finally it was time. I was shuffled into the other end of the house, and my stepmother loaned me a handkerchief from her family. I had my something old, new, borrowed, and blue. I even had the silver sixpence for the shoe. (Yes, I went and found one on eBay. I’m that dorky. And yes, it was old enough it was silver.) Everyone lined up in the hallway that I used to traipse up and down while visiting my great-grandmother. This time we were going down the hallway into a former bedroom, now library, into a brand new living room to see Jared and I get married. I took Dad’s arm, Karen grinned at me, and off we went.

I remember looking up, seeing Jared, and promptly not making eye contact. It wasn’t nerves. It wasn’t me suddenly freaking out. I’d hit the point where I was either going to start screaming in joy, laughing hysterically in joy, or burst into tears from sheer happiness overload, and I was terribly afraid it was going to be tears if I looked at him. I didn’t dare look at Robin either, although I could sense pleased contentment coming from him and Karen both. Dad gave me over to Jared, and the ceremony, the one we’d not rehearsed at all, just talked over with the JP separately 10 minutes before the wedding, got underway.

Next thing I know, we’re kissing, and heading out the way I came in while everyone is clapping. We stopped mid-hallway, looked at each other, and started grinning like lunatics. More kissing, and I heard two things: clicking from one end of the hall, and giggling “whoops!” from the other. It hit me finally that the giggling was from Karen and Robin following us, seeing us stop, and then them turning around and blocking anyone else from coming down the hall. The clicking got sorted out a minute later when I recognized Brandall, our photographer, fussing at us to quit kissing in the hallway already and come out where she had better light. More laughter from everyone and we obeyed Brandall, heading into the old living room where she was frantically taking pictures.

While Jared and I were off having photos taken, Jim had kicked into Logistics mode again, shuffled everyone out of the new living room and was setting up tables everywhere there was space. By the time Jared and I got back inside from taking pictures with both our families, the house was again transformed. Everyone was busy chatting away with each other, people that had never met were introducing themselves, and there was so much of a good time being had, I had to ask Barbaree, who has hosted many a gathering, if she could point out to people that we had food. Barbaree giggled and rounded everyone up to get them to start in on the food.

Jared and I finally got a plate of food and were able to sit down and eat. Beth, our caterer, did an amazing job, and everyone raved about the food. I was just happy I managed to snag one of the last red velvet cheesecake bites on the table. (Oh man, those are sooo good.) Somewhere in there, we cut the cake and made toasts. Robin’s toast was sweet and loving. Karen’s almost made me burst into tears. (Damn you, wench!) After Karen’s toast, I stood up and read my thank you to everyone, which was actually posted here on our wedding day. I’d thought I could make it through it without crying, but got choked up at one point, before struggling on. I’ve always been one to deal with things by wanting people to laugh, so my thank you to all of the technology and online areas of our lives I figured would get giggles. I wasn’t expecting the room to fall over dying laughing, and I have to admit, I was pleased at the reaction. (Yes, Robin, you could have left in the geeky parts in your toast. ) Jared stood up and for the first time ever, I heard him get choked up. That’s when I almost completely lost it.

After a while, Jared and I looked at each other and agreed it was time for us to leave. Everyone headed outside, birdseed in hand, and a few minutes later, Jared and I braved the gauntlet, being pelted the whole way. We laughed, got birdseed in uncomfortable places, and raced to the car to head to the hotel. Once in our room, Jared found out that while I might have been coated with birdseed and he didn’t look that bad, at least mine was stuck to hairspray on my head. On his head, it went straight to his scalp, which caused him to swear and me to giggle. Showers were taken, relaxing was had, and just before room service shut down, food was ordered. The day had finally caught up to us late that night and we both found ourselves starving, even though we’d both made efforts to eat that day. Room Service at Inn at Ole Miss? We so love you.

The next day, we met anyone that wanted to come at the Inn’s Sunday brunch buffet. We’d heard it was good, but had no idea until we walked in there how massive it was. You could literally eat your way from cereal and toast, through pancakes and omelets (made to order), into prime rib, catfish, and mounds of fried chicken and everything in between. Just an amazing amount and variety of food. And don’t even get me started on the desserts. My god, the eclairs were killer. I had 3 and really wished that I’d been able to walk out with a dozen more.

But the best part wasn’t the food, although it was awesome. It was being able to see family and friends one last time before they headed out for home. Once we said our goodbyes to everyone, we headed back to Mom’s, packed up the remainder of our stuff, and then headed for home ourselves.

A year and a week ago, part 4

After hair and makeup, it was back to the hotel for Karen and I. Mike and Heather raced off to their hotel to get ready, and I just relaxed in my room for a while. One of the guests, Barbaree, who’s a good friend of Mom’s and was her business partner for a time, had offered to do a meet and greet in her hotel suite for people before the wedding. Right around noon, I wandered down to her suite and the party got started. Guests that were coming in that day hit Barbaree’s party and I got to see some people I’d not seen in years before the wedding. People cycled in and out, snacks were munched, and everyone had a great time.

Then it was time for Karen, Robin and I to head out to the house for pictures. Jared was already there and I could see what looked like him and Brandall, our photographer, out on the front porch taking pictures already. There was a bit of hilarity as Mike and Heather went zipping up the drive ahead of us to get Jared to go hide so I could slip in unseen, then his picture taking resumed. ::grin::

Since that morning, the florist had come by and decorated the house, the cake had been set up, and The Logistics Crew had managed to make furniture vanish and set up for a wedding inside the house. I was stunned at everything they had done and amazed at how wonderful it all looked. I got shuffled into Mom’s room at the back of the house to change, and then the waiting began.

That’s the one thing I’d forgotten about weddings, having been bridesmaid for two friends of mine: the waiting. The good thing about the waiting is that I had time to relax. The bad thing about the waiting is I was ready to GET THIS DONE! Not in a “My god! Can this go on any LONGER?!” way. but a “EEEEEEE! HAPPY!” kinda way.

Once upon a bad time ago, back when Jared and I were friends and I was going through a Very Bad Breakup With Another Guy, I’d commented on a blog that I apparently had issues with commitment. That I said I wanted it, but the second it looked like I’d be staying for the rest of my life, I’d panic. And that most likely on my wedding day to whatever guy I married, I’d not be racing around in a panic over various aspects of the wedding. I’d not be impatiently standing there asking if we can get this over with already and this had better be worth it. I’d most likely be curled into a ball, rocking back and forth in a corner, going “It’s okay, you love him, you know you love him,” while various people tried to reassure me that I would live.

It turned out I was completely wrong. Well, I wouldn’t have been wrong with the prediction if it had been with Guy From Very Bad Breakup. But the prediction was completely off when faced with The Right Guy. Jared kinda blew that scenario out the water. The best I was hoping for that afternoon was to A. not fall over giggling from being insanely happy during the ceremony and B. not start randomly dancing with everyone, again from being insanely happy.

Karen made sure my veil was pinned in place, and then she got pulled out to have pictures taken with Jared and Robin. Heather was still being my own personal paparazzi, and taking pictures of me and the house. We’d managed to beg/con Mike into being an usher (“What do I do?!” “If they’re female, escort them to a chair, otherwise, stand there and smile.” “Oh, okay, I can do that!”). One of Mom’s employees had been begged/conned into hitting the pause button on the iMac’s remote for the playlist for the pre/post wedding. The caterer was running late, but coming. Same for the JP. There had been a power outage in town that was wreaking havoc with everyone’s time tables. And me? I didn’t care. I was just happy.

At one point between photos, Mom giving tours of the house, me calling various people, etc., it was just Heather and I in Mom’s room. I slipped off my shoes, and went over to the mirror in Mom’s closet and finally just looked at myself. The dress that had been made for me. The necklace Karen had made for me. The veil. The shoes nearby. The flowers. The… holy crap. It finally hit me, not unlike a wall falling and smacking me on the head. Heather made an alarmed noise and went for the tissues, while I stood there, looking stunned and trying to not cry. And at the same time, still smiling and still giddy with excitement.

A year and a week ago, part 3

The actual day of the wedding, I woke up to rain. Lots of rain. Like “Who the hell opened the skies?!” rain. My reaction? “::blinkshrug::” It simply didn’t matter. Sure we were supposed to be having an outdoor wedding that afternoon. Sure it was ripping rain. But it was okay. Something would make everything better and we’d be fine. It didn’t matter cos Jared and I would still get married and that’s all that mattered. I’d posted to Facebook somewhere that morning and Jared’s mom had commented that she and Jared’s dad had rain on their wedding day, and that it was supposed to be good luck. That she wished us the happiness that she and Jared’s dad had. I beamed at that, and went about getting ready for the third trip in three days to the salon.

Mom had come to get me and Karen from the hotel. Heather and Mike, more friends of ours, followed us from the hotel to the salon. Heather is a wonderful photographer and was taking pictures that the photographer we’d hired wasn’t getting, like Karen and I getting made up at the salon. I love her for slogging through the rain with us that morning, cos while I have the memories in my head, the photos she took were a wonderful reminder. And I love Mike for driving her around.

The salon was rather amused when we all showed up. Cindy got to work on my hair and Jordan started in on Karen. At some point, they asked what energy drink I was sipping from the water bottle that I kept passing over to Karen, and I grinned. “32 ounces of champaign and orange juice.” “You put 32 ounces of Mimosa into a water bottle?!” “Yep!” “That’s so AWESOME!” Yeah, there’s a reason I go to that salon, other than they do great hair.

But the big question that kept cropping up was “It’s raining cats and dogs out there. You’re having an outdoor wedding today. What on earth are you going to do?!” I smiled and shrugged and then said that Mom had said when she left the house, Jared, Gail (one of Mom’s best friends), and Jim (Mom’s general contractor for the house addition and by now a good friend) were all at the house and discussing how to rearrange the inside of the house to set up for a wedding. “The Logistics Crew has it under control. I have complete faith in them. Besides, I’m getting married to the most awesome guy today. That’s all that matters.” I was in full “bridal zen mode.” I’d planned for issues, made backups, and everything was under control. I’d drive myself insane if I tried to make it “perfect”, so to hell with it and just roll. Everything would be fine in the end.

A year and a week ago, part 2

Friday was busy. Little bits of running around, family and friends starting to roll into town, oh and we had that whole rehearsal thing and dinner too! No problem! In between all of the other stuff, I again grabbed Karen and we zipped back off to the salon. This time, it was for manicures and pedicures, my one totally unnecessary but by god scheduled girly moment. Did we need them? Nope. Did I want them? Hell yes! I don’t get to indulge the girly side of me often, but I enjoyed the hell out of it, and Karen did too. Mani/pedis done, we went back to her hotel room, got her and Robin’s stuff moved to another room (the AC was on the fritz in their room), got me checked into the hotel, and managed to make it to the rehearsal dinner only 30 minutes late. ^^;

The whole time leading up to the wedding, we’d been watching the weather forecasts. It had gone from “hot and partly cloudy” to “eh, might be rain.” But by Wednesday evening, it was “oh yeah, there’s gonna be some raiiiiiin. Oh and it’s going to start Friday!” /facepalm When Karen and I ran up the walkway to Mom’s house for the rehearsal dinner, it was starting to go from “sprinkle” to “raining”. No one in the house seemed to mind, though, cos everyone was chatting and laughing away, saying hi to people they’d not seen in years and introducing themselves to people they hadn’t met yet. Jared’s dad got a good laugh out of me introducing myself to him and asking who he was. I still blame brainfry on my part. Everyone piled on the BBQ we’d gotten for the dinner and the two pies I’d made got demolished. At some point, the Justice of the Peace called and said he’d not be able to make it to the rehearsal, due to his son getting shipped out sooner than he thought, so he was spending one last night with him before he left. We shrugged, said that’s fine, and went back to chatting with everyone. Ceremony? Eh, we’d wing it.

After everyone left, Karen, Robin, Jared, Mom and I talked about what to do about the next day if it was still raining. I still had a bunch of cards to cut out on the paper trimmer and was determined to get them done. Well, right until Karen took them out of my hands and threw me into the car to go with her and Robin to the hotel. Jared stayed at Mom’s, while I was in the suite at the hotel we’d be at the next night. I admit it: I had my superstition/tradition going on. I didn’t want him to see me before the wedding. I also knew I needed to be unplugged from the chaos at the house or I’d be a bundle of nerves. So, hotel for me. And it was good. I was able to de-stress (although I didn’t have that much stress going on, amazingly enough), kick back, and just be in the moment. And I was so relaxed, I got a full night’s sleep. It helped that bed was damned comfortable.