My Best Friends Wedding... Not the Movie Pt II

Well later friday the BF arrives and right away we head to a restaurant in town that is owned my some family friends and my sister waitresses at to meet the bridal party. Well the bridal party was fairly rude to our waitress which just happened to be the daughter of the owner, my sister's best friend, and my adopted little sister so I just felt awful and it was just not helpful in an already stressful day, plus being rude to the wait-staff is probably my biggest pet peeve. So we all stayed up very late decorating the reception hall. After two trips to Wal-Mart (this was a slightly unorganized wedding, strangely it was fine for the bride but somewhat stressful for me...) and 3 bags of balloons we were finally done a bit after midnight. So the BF and I went home and took a quick dip in the pool and went to bed. 8:00 rolled around way too soon and I found myself decorating the gazebo where the nuptials were to take place with the BF inpouring rain. After that we had to rush back to my house and get ready. Well eventually I made it to the bride's mom's house where she was getting ready only to be told that the electricity at the gazebo had broken down (assumedly due to the torrential downpour earlier that morning) and the boom box that they had been planning on using to play the music as she walked down the aisle didn't take batteries. So I ran home and grabbed my boom box and batteries and as I was running down the stairs at my house I tripped and fell down about half the steps. Very unfortunate and very embarrassing, it happened literally in front of the BF. And even worse, I ripped my bridesmaid dress in the process! Luckily it was only the overlay to the dress so it wasn't terribly noticeable. However my skinned shins were pretty noticeable. Anyway after that the ceremony went off without a hitch as far as I can recall. Then the bridal party went off to the reception where we waited outside for the newlyweds to join us so we could walk in together. Well in the 10 minutes that we waited for them 2 small catastrophes occurred. First, the BF texted me (he was inside with my family) and told me that there were ashtrays out and people were smoking. Well the brides family does smoke, but she made it blatantly clear that there would be no smoking at the reception because she hates it and it gives her a terrible headache. Luckily right after I got the text the groom's mom came out to talk to us and I sent her right back in to gather up all the ashtrays and open the doors so that the smoke would dissipate. Crisis averted. Then I remembered the candles. I texted the BF, "Are the candles lit????" "Nope" This time I sent the bride's stepfather in to fix it, but he proved pretty worthless so once again the BF came to the rescue by lighting them all with a little matchbook (I got sooo many compliments on him this weekend btw). Then just to top it all off the groom's brother/best man informs me that my hair looks like a big frizz ball. It took all I had not to make a nasty comment about how he had recently failed to graduate high school and casually mention that he bore a very strong resemblance to a rat (which he does), but I kept my mouth shut, besides, my hair was pretty frizzy. And so, that was the wedding. The bride never found out about the ashtrays and candles and the rude best man, and as she doesn't read my blog I assume it will stay that way. They had an absolutely wonderful wedding and even thought it's weird that two people I went to school with (the groom since 3rd grade, the bride since 7th) are married it was so wonderful to see the love they shared and I just know that they're marriage will be very successful. I love them both so much and I was so happy to be part of their wedding. Well they spent this past week at a Sandals resort in Jamaica and actually the bride and I have been playing phone tag for the better part of today. Hopefully I get ahold of her tomorrow and then I'll fill you in on the honeymoon!

BTW anytime you see bridesmaids, I'm the short one in the middle...

My Best Friends Wedding... Not the Movie Pt I

So July 19th my best friend got married. Which is happy and sad, mostly happy, but sad because I'm no longer her best friend, someone else is, and it's a boy. But regardless, I must fill you in on the details of the happy day and the stressful days leading up to it. Well I had come up with the brilliant idea of making her a scrapbook for her wedding. I worked for a very long time getting ahold of all of her family and our friends from high school and I had them give me a message or advice from them to her and her new husband and each person got a page in the scrapbook and it was all very cutesy. So the reason this is relevant is so that you know that for the whole week before the wedding I was up until 2 every night making this scrapbook. I was exhausted. So Friday comes, the day before the wedding. Well I had been on my pink eye drops for over a week, my eyes were crystal clear and they had been gunk free for 3 mornings so with my doctor's blessing I decided to try my contacts. All seemed well so I went about my business getting ready for work when I noticed my eye itched, so I scratched it. Big surprise there, I know. Well it kept itching so I looked in the mirror and it was red, like American flag red, like worse than any pink eye has ever been in the history of the world. So I go to the bathroom and take out my contacts, pretty bummed. Well as I'm taking them out I notice that there's a lump in my eye! It was about the diameter of a dime and looks like a bubble. Ok so a bump on your eye is never good. I start crying pretty much immediately, I mean it's early and I'm exhausted because I was up so late and the kids had been sooo bad that week, plus I just so needed my eyes to be healthy, I was so tired of having abnormal eyes. So I run downstairs and wake my mom up to look at it but she can't see it so I run and find my dad. Now my dad is probably the calmest person you'd ever hope to meet but as soon as he sees my eye tumor he says "You have to go to the doctor, now." Yikes! So I called in sick for work which was a hassle in and of itself but whatever. So my dad calls my md, but he says I should go to an eye doctor. So he calls my eye doctor, but he says that he's just an optometrist and that I need an ophthalmologist, which let me tell you, are not easy to find early in the morning. Finally he gets me an appointment and we rush to LaPorte. I fill out the paperwok and soon a nurse took me into a room and asked me what my problem was so I told her I had a bump on my eye (and of course I started crying again) to which she replied "Ooooooh" in a very very deep and concerned voice that really said "Oh you poor girl, you definitely have cancer and will be blind in a few days." Finally the doctor comes in and tells me that I had just had a really bad case of pink eye and some leftover infection had caused some sort of irritation that made my eye swell up (who knew your eye swells up in sections) and he gave me some drops and told me I'd be fine within a week and although he advised me against using contacts the next day at the wedding I did anyway and it turned out fine. However I really really dislike the mother that sent her kid to camp with pink eye because she cost me 2 days of work, 2 doctors visits, 2 prescriptions, and millions of dollars in emotional distress. Grrrrrrr.

The Show

I love this song. I heard it on a commercial for Ugly Betty and I said to myself, "Self, you love this song. Find it. Now." So I did. 

I'm trying to find a way to embed it, but youtube disabled it for this particular video...

Oh and a very long blog to follow about the following topics, my best friend's wedding (not the movie, my actual best friend's real wedding), Batman, Chicago, and the Cubs. 

A Funny

About a month ago I was visiting the BF and we were watching Vh1 Top 20 Countdown when the New Kids on the Block comeback single, "Summertime" came on. I mentioned how I thought it was silly, a bunch of grown men acting like kids again and the BF started laughing and said "Well Char, it's just a joke! I mean look at it, it's exactly like the Backstreet Boys, white suits and all! They aren't serious, it's like a parody." I looked at him and realized that he really did think that NKOTB was making fun of the boy band thing and not seriously doing it. Awwwwww...

 "Um no, they're totally serious..." 

"No way. Really?"

Ranunculus AKA Buttercups

This year my dad planted some Buttercups in the front yard for the very first time ever. Well they just recently bloomed and they are my new favorite flower. I love them oh so much. I wish I could take a picture that really showed just how many petals there really are and how soft they are, alas, you're just going to have to take my word for it...  

Forever 21 Stirs Up Deep Questions...

So I have this biiiig hang up on buying things online. I'm not scared someone is going to steal my identity or anything, I think what really gets me is the shipping and handling. It just seems so expensive sometimes! Like, I wanted these earrings, they were $3.80, what a deal! Well S&H was $6.50! Not worth it! Well, while browsing my favorite website (www.forever21.com...) I noticed their side banner: Free Shipping With Purchase Over $75. What? Yes!! So for the last 4 days I have been pouring over what my $75 purchase will include. It took me ages, you have no idea. My family is sooo tired of me asking them which shirt they like better, or if they think blue or purple will look better on me. They are so over it. Which is why this evening when I was sitting in the living room with my mom and had my pretty lil PowerBook on my lap she was just as excited as I was when I announced that I was done and that I was about to start the buying process. (FYI for $82 I was getting 5 shirts, 1 pair of shorts, 2 sets of earrings, 1 necklace, and 1 cardigan... I KNOW!) So just as I was about to hit enter it hit me, the one topic I hate more than any other: Money. Ugh I don't even like that word, it's so gruesome. I felt like before I made a decently large purchase I needed to sit down and get my money in order. Now if this was an ordinary summer I would be set, but it's not. There are two important parts of this summer. Number 1: I have a roommate this year and since my second semester will include 18 credts, a presidential position on RHA, and a coveted job as being my fav Professors student assistant, I really want to save up to have my own room for that spring. Well that's $700. Number 2: My parents are allowing me to fulfill my dream of going to Europe and allowing me to go to Germany for Jan-Term (yay!!). Luckily most of it's being paid by student loans, however I still need to get a passport, luggage, and all sorts of other things. Plus since the payments already started and as I can't get the loan money until August 20-something I have to shell out the occasional $150 check. Hmmm... Now the guilt starts setting in. I should not make these lovely Forever 21 purchases. I should not. But it's not that much... No! You should not!... Yeah you're right! I'm strong, I can do it! Biggest problem here however is that I actually have zero willpower. I was thinking about that earlier today as I watched some TV show where the main character went to these extreme lengths to lose weight, she wouldn't even go near chocolate! I couldn't do that. Nope. I hope my metabolism always stays as fast as it is now. Or that at least my husband digs a little extra junk in the trunk because I refuse to give up chocolate cake and bacon! But anyway, I will learn a few things this week and after I get them straightened out I think I will be able to make my purchase, but for now it's on pause. Ugh I'm lusting after these earrings so hard...

BTW If anyones looking for some extra help let me know! All I can really do is teach you how to use a Mac or do a pirouette or chase 5 year olds, but I'm willing!

Pink

So on Tuesday a little girl sat next to Buzz and I on the way to camp and told us how she had pink eye and that she had just started her eye drops that morning. Fast forward to this morning. I wake up with crusty eyes. I soooo dislike that girl's mother. Oh the dangers of being a camp counselor. 

Doctor's appointment at 3:00. 

Happy Late Fourth!

I always forget just how much I love the fourth of July until it hits and the same goes for a local 4th Parade. I whine and complain about how hot it's going to be and how I am going to burn my skin off (my dad's family is notoriously pale, ruddy, and freckly and although I'm not ruddy I got the other two, not that I'm complaining, I've come to love my pale freckly skin). But I usually cave and complain the whole way to whichever locale my dad sectioned off the night before (it's a big parade!) and continue to complain as we sit there and wait for the flyover (the signal of the beginning) but as soon as that first jet breaks the sound barrier over my head I shut up. I loooove the parade. I dont't know why I always forget. The flyover and all the military men/women are my favorite part. My family has a really long military history (go Navy!) and I just respect it beyond words. My dad was in the Navy during Vietnam, his goal in life was to be a fighter pilot for the Air Force but his vision was too bad, he looks so sad when the planes fly over... But regardless, my respect for the military and passion for history combines on the fourth to form this super American that stands for every single flag and tears up when the vets walk by. 

Oh and the second best part of the parade? Mitch Daniels float. He got booed. We hate him in our little section of the state, do NOT sell our toll roads and expect a warm reception!