Interrupting our honeymoon to say…

Facebook is a really  marvelous invention.

Sometimes.

Its great when you are on your honeymoon and you know that you can use the resorts computers to check your email and Facebook accounts to see who emailed or posted pictures from your wedding, since ya know…it will be weeks before you get them from the photographer.

Facebook also kind of sucks when thats how you find out that your company  made huge cuts in its staff. 

I logged in earlier to look at pics from our wedding and one of my coworkers posted a status update mentioning the cuts.  No names, just a general statement.  And now Im left wondering if my job is safe.

Surely they wouldnt cut me when Im on my honeymoon.

Also, I hate this keyboard.  I cant find a question mark or an apostrophe.  Goddammitalltohell.

I emailed my boss from my personal email.  Im awaiting her response.

But enough with the sad, anxious news.  Can I just tell you, our wedding was beautiful and fun and everything I wanted it to be!  I had such a good time and the sun was lit up with sunshine and the most amazing sunset later on.  Our photographer showed us a few pics during the night, and I am amazed.  Our venue said they were going to use our photos for their promo stand at the bridal shows.  Yes, it was a gorgeous affair.

Ill do a recap when I get back.  In the meantime, pray for me that I still have a job to return to.

 

T-3 days, or: holy shit, I’m almost a Mrs.

So yeah.  I’m getting married in 3 days.

Yet, it still doesn’t feel quite real.  Hmmm…

Not to mention the fact that we’re in the middle of a period of heavy rain.  It’s supposed to stop by Saturday, leaving the forecast for the actual wedding day one of mostly cloudy, but 65 degrees.  That much, I can handle.  Unfortunately, it seems as though our rehearsal might be rained out.  We’ll still attend, but who knows how it’s going to work with 12 people trying to rehearse a ceremony in a different location.  Oy.  I can’t worry about it though, because I’m too stinkin’ happy to worry about anything!

Today is my last day of work until the 23rd.  Which basically means that, aside from a few tweets (follow me @StaceyParadise), I likely won’t blog until I get back from our honeymoon. 

On the agenda for tomorrow:  lunch with my MOHs, setting up for my rehearsal dinner, cooking, then mani/pedis. 

Friday will be filled with the arrival of family, the rehearsal, the rehearsal dinner, then trying my hardest to get some sleep.  I’m staying at home, in my own bed with B the night before.  Surely not everyone would make the same choice, but we both felt that we’d like to be in our own home, with our dogs and each other, before the craziness ensues.

On Saturday morning, one of my MOHs will pick me up at 7:00 a.m. to start the day.  I have a hair appointment at 9:00, makeup at 11:30, then brunch with my bridesmaids.  Afterwards, we’ll head to the venue to get me hitched.

Words cannot express how happy I am to be marrying my best friend.  B has been an absolute doll.  He sat at the dining room table with me for 2 hours last night, working on the escort cards and perfecting the seating chart.  And when my back started to hurt?  He gave me a massage.  Friends, I think he’s a keeper.

I asked him last night if he was nervous.

He grinned, then said “a little.”

“Why?  What’s there to be nervous about?”

“I don’t know, just standing there, everyone’s eyes on me.  It’s nerve-wracking.” 

So I did what any girl in my shoes would do.  I explained “honey, everyone will be way more concerned about what my dress looks like.  If anyone should be nervous about being the center of attention, it should be me.”  Then I smiled and ruffled his hair.

It’s hard to believe that after all this time, 10 years later, we’re standing here on the precipice of our future together.  I never would have imagined, back in 1999, that the boy who was assigned to be my desk partner in Algebra would end up as my husband.  And when I think back to all the other boys – the ones who toyed with my emotions, the ones who broke my heart, the ones who played games over the course of the last 26 years of my life, I am so grateful.  For if they hadn’t all been complete assholes, I might never have ended up right here.  Where I belong.

Thank you all for following me on this journey, even if hearing about weddings isn’t exactly your thing.  I’m so lucky to have gotten to know so many great people through this blog, people who have been a great support system, my cheerleaders even.  I wish you all could be there to see it all come to fruition.

I look forward to coming back and catching up with everyone.  In the meantime, cross your fingers and say a prayer for us that the rain holds out and that our day is as beautiful as we want it to be.

When I come back, I’ll be married.  A wife.  It’s so hard to imagine!

Reflections in the rear-view mirror

I often wonder how different my life might have been, if my parents hadn’t divorced.

My parents had three children, all four years apart.  Then I came along, 11 years after the third.  The baby of the family.  We lived in a nice house on a nice street and had nice cars.  We weren’t wealthy by any means, but both my mom and dad worked hard to provide for their family.  My father, I’ve been told, cheated on my mom throughout their marriage.  My mom, I’ve been told, turned a blind eye to his behavior and loved him anyway.  And then, 20+ years after they married, they divorced.  I was three.

I often wonder how different my life might have been, had my dad not remarried.

He met her at the bank.  She was a teller, and she was married.  Her husband was abusive and she had a baby, not even a year old.  It’s funny, when I think back to hearing about this story, never once did they say “…and then we fell in love.”  It seemed as though she left her husband for my father out of convenience.   I was six.

I often wonder how different my life might have been, had my mother not died.

She’d been a single mom for about five years.  She worked around the clock to support her children.  We lived in an apartment.  I never went without – whether it was food or toys or clothes or love.  There was always more than enough to go around.  Suddenly, and without warning, she had cancer.  She was given a month, maybe two, to live.  She died three weeks later.  I was eight.

I often wonder how different my life might have been, had I not been subjected to horrible treatment at the hands of my stepmother.

She was manipulative, judgmental, and resentful.  She didn’t like me, and she made it perfectly clear.  One day, while cleaning the house as part of my chores, I was given the task of dusting every piece of furniture in the house.  When I made my way into their bedroom, I saw her journal sitting on the bedside table.  Curious to see what she really felt, I made the mistake of opening it up and reading a page.  I’ll never forget what I saw.  “I wish it were just me, him, and [her daughter].  I wish Stacey wasn’t here.”  I was eleven.

I often wonder how different my life might have been, had my father not died.

My dad was many things – funny, whip-smart, methodical, logical, and an alcoholic.  He battled personal demons his entire life, but he was a good dad.  He made his fair share of mistakes, and we had some head-to-head battles in our relationship.  But he was always my dad.  He was always on my side, whether I was right or wrong, and he loved me fiercely.  Perhaps more than his other children, for our relationship was different.  He looked at me more as an equal, and he sought out my opinions and thoughts on a regular basis.  When he died, he took with him every facet of what “family” meant to me.  I’d never again have a parent, a confidante, unconditional love without judgment.  I was twenty two.

I’ve often wondered how different my life might have been, had all of these things not happened to me.  But they did, and I can’t go back now.  Through all of these challenges, I grew.  With every obstacle, I put into place a piece of myself, a piece of my personality, a piece of my armor against the world.  I’m a little harsher than I’d like to be, and not half as positive as I had hoped to be by this point in my life.  However, I’m a work in progress.  When I look back on all these things, I’m reflective, quiet, angry.  Why did these things have to happen to me?  Why couldn’t I have had a “normal” upbringing?  But then I see that I’ve already faced down more troubles than most people my age, and I’m far older than my peers in life experience and wisdom.  I like to think that I’m more resilient, too.

Stress. I haz it.

Something’s been “off.”  I’ve been hungrier, insatiable when it comes to food, really.  I can’t sleep.  As soon as I lay down to go to sleep, my mind races and I feel like I can’t shut it off.  And just today, I developed a stomach ache from hell that, while helpful in the fact that my appetite is now diminished, has made my ability to focus at work all but non-existant.  What’s the deal?

I think I’m officially stressed out.  Stress is something we’re all used to.  Often, we say “God, I’m so stressed out!”  But how often is really STRESS, and not just an irritating situation?

In case you were wondering, here are the top ten stressful life situations, courtesy of HelpGuide.org:

***

Top Ten Stressful Life Events

1. Spouse’s death
2. Divorce
3. Marriage separation
4. Jail term
5. Death of a close relative
6. Injury or illness
7. Marriage  <————- Oh, why hello!
8. Fired from job
9. Marriage reconciliation
10. Retirement

***

Yes, my friends, I believe I’m suffering from a bout of actual, physical and emotional STRESS.  I’m not pandering for sympathy.  I just thought maybe all of us could use this information at some time. 

Stress Warning Signs and Symptoms
Cognitive Symptoms	Emotional Symptoms
Memory problems (CHECK!) Inability to concentrate (CHECK!) Poor judgment Seeing only the negative (CHECK!) Anxious or racing thoughts (CHECK!) Constant worrying (CHECK!)	Moodiness (CHECK! CHECK!) Irritability or short temper (CHECK!) Agitation, inability to relax (CHECK!) Feeling overwhelmed (CHECK! CHECK! CHECK!) Sense of loneliness and isolation Depression or general unhappiness
Physical Symptoms	Behavioral Symptoms
Aches and pains (CHECK!) Diarrhea or constipation (CHECK! Also? TMI.  Sorry.) Nausea, dizziness Chest pain, rapid heartbeat Loss of sex drive Frequent colds	Eating more or less (CHECK!!!!!!!!!  HELP!) Sleeping too much or too little (CHECK!) Isolating yourself from others Procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities (OMG, CHECK!) Using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, pacing)

***

So, what do I do?  Well, now that I understand the reasons behind my persistent back and neck pain, inability to relax my shoulders, stomach pains, insatiable appetite, moodiness, avoidance of social situations and general unwillingness to DO ANYTHING, I think I need to find a way to manage my stress and fucking relax, already.

Oh, hi.  I’m getting married in 9 days.  Does everyone feel this way 9 days before their wedding?  It’s almost unthinkable to me that in 9 days I have to put on my wedding dress, walk myself down the aisle, and interact with 60 of my nearest and dearest.  But, it has to be done.  Nay, I’m looking forward to it, as long as I survive until next Saturday and not too many things go wrong.  However, it’s almost unreal the amount of things I have to do before then.  I’m paying my final bill today (hallelujah!  We paid for this baby ENTIRELY BY OURSELVES!  I hear a “how to pay for your wedding by yourself when your family SUCKS” post coming on, post-honeymoon!), and then it’s all about making sure I’ve got everything packed and ready to go.  But there’s the terrifying task of dealing with our families in the next few days to figure out and attend to.

So I beg you, please tell me what you do to relax!

The Bride? Oh, wait…that’s me.

I survived my bachelorette party!

Suffice it to say, there was penis cake, penis whistles, penis straws, penis utensils, a sex toy party, 80s accessories (including fingerless gloves AND hair mascara!), my red snakeskin heels, a very cute purple clutch, and lots and lots of wine.

There was also dinner at a waterfront seafood restaurant, and traipsing through downtown Richmond.  There was tequila and soco and lime and vodka-cranberries.  I totally re-lived my earlier 20s by dancing to Britney Spears AND falling down on the sidewalk.  Hey, you only live once, right?

All in all, it was a glorious time, and even though I had the Headache From Hell the next day, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. 

I had several moments where I had to make myself remember that this was about me.  For example, when the waitress asked “so who is the blushing bride?”  I sat there quietly, then thought “oh!”  And then I had this moment on Sunday when I realized “Holy shit, that’s it.  All the pre-wedding stuff is done.  Now it’s time for the wedding.”  As in, I’m getting married soon.  REALLY soon.

18 days.

Hoooooooooooooooooooly Fuck.  I can’t wait!

I think my brain just exploded.

Today’s my Friday.

Why, you ask?

Oh, well you see, there’s this little matter I have to take care of tomorrow.  Ahem, a marriage license, to be exact!  Yes, shoot me, because I’ve managed to find my excitement again.  Hallelujah!  It could have something to do with the shooting star I saw last night – only the very first shooting star I’ve ever seen in my life!  Or it might be how, on my drive home, I happened to catch two of my neighbors, elderly ones at that, standing in their driveway, looking up at the stars together.  They had their arms around each other’s waists and then they kissed.  It was enough to make even this Grinch’s heart swell three times its normal size!

But enough about that sap.

Something to blow your mind:  After last week’s plea for advice concerning an email I received from a friend, I let it sit for a day while I composed my thoughts.  Then I responded in a calm, adult and very business-like manner, wherein I explained how I saw things and asked her why she decided to email me now, six months later.  I suggested that if she really felt the way she claimed to feel, that perhaps the four of us (me, B, her, her boyfriend) should get together and have an honest face-to-face discussion.

And then she didn’t respond.

Thinking it was done and over with (and also congratulating myself for spotting her insincerity a mile away) I washed my hands of it and moved on.  Only today, she responded.  ONE WEEK AFTER I RESPONDED.  It was enough to make me want to throw up.  Sure, you may say “but she’s persistant!”  HOWEVER, you’d think slightly differently if you could see the text of the email itself.  It starts off rather bitchy, then she apologizes, but then she gets bitchy again.  And then, ultimately?  She leaves the ball in my court.  Says “maybe we should go to dinner or something.” 

And as for me?  Well, my brain exploded.  Pardon my liberal use of dramatics here, but I have no other ways to describe just how much I wanted to remove my brain from my skull and lob it across the room.  Because you see, she’s playing mind games with me.  And I don’t feel like participating.  So I decided to do what any sane, rational girl in my shoes would do. 

IGNORE IT.

At least, until Monday.  Because you see, I have a lot of things to do this weekend:  Get our marriage license.  Pick up the programs, table numbers, and menus.  Pick out groomsmen gifts (because yes, B has zero ideas).  And oh, the fabulous matter of ATTEND MY BACHELORETTE PARTY! 

Oh, you’d like to see what I’m wearing, would you?  Thanks to our good friends at Polyvore, you can: I was going for sexy, yet not slutty.  Sophisticated, but playful.  My tank is more grey than black, but you get the picture.  And my shoes and clutch are a nod to my wedding colors, plum and red. 

Here’s to hoping I can keep my head held high, and well away from heaving into the toilet.

I regret it, and it hasn’t even happened yet.

When it comes to this wedding (which is, ahem, 25 days from now) everything that could have gone wrong HAS.  Seriously.  It’s been one big giant headache and I’m having a really hard time seeing through the stress to find the joy in it.  This is supposed to be a celebration of our love.  This is supposed to be about starting our new life together.  But somehow it’s become one long, unending battle of us versus them.  Them being everyone:  our friends, our families, and everyone in between.  To sum it all up, here’s what has pissed us off:

1.  B’s best man decided to drop out without so much as a word.  He no longer speaks to B because of the incident in the previous entry. 

2.  One of my bridesmaids has been a total shit-starter for MONTHS.  From not replying to important emails, complaining about the dress, not getting measured in time, ordering the wrong size, not picking it up on time, not showing up to things, not helping with the pre-wedding events, you name it – she’s done it.

3.  B’s mother has been a complete pain in my ass.  She’s argued with us about the guest list.  She wanted to bring all of her natural children (she has 11).  When we explained that we couldn’t afford it, she chose to ask us how much we’re spending on the wedding.  Then, when we told her, she told us to cancel it and have it at her house so she could have all her welfare babies present.  She still hasn’t sent her RSVP because she’s holding out hope that she’ll be able to bring them all.  (read: this is the woman who had him at 18, gave him away 10 months later, and…that’s it.  He was raised by another relative.)

4.  B’s dad offered to pay for our honeymoon, then said he couldn’t.  Right when we needed to pay for it.  We managed to scrounge up some extra dough and do it ourselves, thankfully.

5.  B’s brother backed out of being a groomsman.  But not before asking if we would mind paying for his tux rental instead.  Oh, I’m sorry, we’ve paid for EVERYTHING ELSE.  So no.  Oh, and with him dropping out, now we have to pay for B’s tux, when his was supposed to be free.

6.  My oldest sister has been completely uninvolved.  As a matter of fact, MONTHS ago when I picked out the bridesmaids dresses, she said she wanted nothing to do with it.  She didn’t even want to see them.  When I asked for her help with my DIY invitations, she said she was too busy.

7.  My DIY invitations were a nightmare.  They came out OK but a little splotchy.  Only, they got mailed and smeared even more. 

8.  My crazy sister?  She was the first one to text me and tell me about the smudged invitations.  Thanks for your support, bitch.

9.  8 of the 12 invited to B’s bachelor party backed out.  Leaving them with only 4 people to split the cost of a limo.  And then they came to us wanting us to help pay for it.  Seeing as how it’s so close to the wedding, obviously we don’t have $100+ to do so, so his limo got cancelled.  Now he’s stuck having a house party.  I feel so bad for him.  He seems to be ok, however.

10.  Two of my girlfriends have yet to RSVP to my bachelorette party, even though it’s in 4 days.  They won’t reply to anyone’s emails about it, either.

The kicker?  Somehow, we’ve managed to pay for everything, and I mean everything, by ourselves.  The location, the cake, the dj, my dress, all the decorations, the food, the alcohol.  All of it.  And for what?  So a bunch of losers who are unsupportive and greedy can attend and spend our very hard earned money?

I’ve come to the conclusion that we’re surrounded by jackasses.  Our families are completely worthless.  And not just in the financial sense.  No, I can handle them not paying for it.  What I CAN’T handle is them NOT PAYING FOR IT then feeling as though they should be allowed to bring everyone they want and complain about it to us non-stop.  That’s where I have a problem.  And also, making excuses as to why they can’t attend things.

When I first started planning this wedding, I had all these lovely ideas of bringing our two families together, of everyone being happy for us.  I couldn’t wait to introduce our families to each other and to have a great night full of fun.  Now, I am having a very hard time seeing why I should go on paying for this wedding, only to have a bunch of assholes attend it.  Seriously.

I kind of just want to cancel it and get married on the beach by ourselves.  No, seriously.

The one where I need your advice

Oh, internets.  What a crazy few days it has been.  Let me just sum it all up by saying WTF I’m getting married in one month!  How the hell did it get here so fast?

When we first got engaged last June and selected this November for the wedding, it seemed like plenty of time to prepare, plan and pay for it.  And it’s been alright.  We’ve done a fantastic job of doing it all on our own without any help.  Was it hard?  Yes.  Was it impossible?  No.  Sure, I had to go without monthly pedicures.  Of course I couldn’t go shopping for new work clothes this fall.  But it’s all been worth it to plan a celebration of our relationship and pay for a trip for the two of us to go on.  Would I do it all over again?  Probably not!  I’ve said “I should have eloped!” more times than I can count.  I only hope that once it gets here, we have so much fun that I wake up the next day and say “I’m so glad we did that!”

All in all, things are coming together quite nicely, which is exactly why The Universe decided to fuck with me today.

Friends, I need your advice.  It’s gonna be a long one, but I’d appreciate any feedback!

About six months ago, I had a disagreement with a very good girlfriend.  The situation was fueled by too much alcohol, as we were at a party.  To be completely honest with you, I was in the wrong.  I confronted her on something that had been bothering me, which was fair, but I did it at the wrong place and at the wrong time.  What was said needed to be said – albeit, not in that way or manner.  Realizing what had happened, I excused myself and left the party.  Three days later, after having given her time to cool down from being mad at me, I swallowed my pride and called her.  I got her voicemail, so I left a message stating that I was really sorry, and I wanted to talk to her and let her know where I was coming from in a sober fashion. 

She never did call me back.

I received a text message from her three days later, and it pretty much said “Sorry, I’ve been busy.  Don’t worry about it.  It’s over and done with.”  I was angry that she’d waited so long to respond, and on top of it, to send me a text message felt like she couldn’t care less.  There was absolutely nothing I could say to that, so I didn’t say anything at all.  I figured we’d need to take some time to cool off and hang out again in a few weeks.

A month went by and neither one of us said a word.  B, at the time, was really great friends with her boyfriend, who was also blowing B off.  We were left to assume that he was mad at B for something that I had done to his girlfriend, which didn’t make any sense.  But the end result was none of us were speaking and no one wanted to be the one to extend the olive branch first.  I can’t speak for anyone else, but I’ll say this:  The reason I didn’t want to call her again?  Well, I’d already called her.  And texted her.  I’d put myself out there and was essentially blown off.  She’s three years younger than me, so I chalked it up to different maturity levels and let it go.  I figured I’d call her when I had something to talk to her about. 

About a month after the fight, I had good reason to talk to her.   I’d run into a mutual acquaintance and immediately thought of her.  So I sent her a text message saying “you won’t believe who I just ran into!” 

And I never heard back from her.

Like an idiot, I checked my phone approximately 100 times that evening, waiting for her response.  It never came, and I felt embarrassed.

Another month goes by without a word.  B and I are out to dinner at our favorite place, when we notice my friend and her boyfriend, along with another couple, sitting at the booth behind us.  B and I looked awkwardly at each other and I said “fuck, what do we do?”  We decided to simply turn around and say hello.  The other couple talked to us, but my friend never looked up from her menu.  She was looking down at the table, looking at her menu, looking at her phone, looking anywhere but at the two of us.  Her boyfriend, B’s friend, threw his menu on the table and said rather loudly “oh no you cannot be here!”  Feeling the awkwardness grow to extreme proportions, we finished up our hellos with “it was really nice to see you”, and we paid our bill and left.

Fast forward to last week.  B gets a text message from a friend we met through them, inviting us to attend the wine festival with them.  Figuring it would be good to hang out with them for the first time in more than 5 months, we accepted.  They are a few years older than us, so they are mature and never said a word about the situation.  We caught up, had a great time, and it was really great to see them.  Apparently, my friend was there too, although I never saw her.  She saw us, hanging out with “her friends” and was apparently upset about it.  How do I know this?

Well, you see, today I got an email from her.  An excerpt:

“…I am mad at my friends…because basically they don’t give a shit how I feel and they have not been backing me up…  I am a little annoyed and hurt that you and B are hanging out with my friends, but don’t speak to us at all.  And yes, I know that you and B tried to make contact with E and I, but that was after it all happened and we weren’t ready to speak to you…  What I’m saying is that E and I both apologize for not returning your phone calls and texts.  In my book, it’s water under the bridge.  I do miss you guys and we had a lot of fun together.  I hope I talk to you soon.”

So basically, she’s mad because we hung out with “her friends” one lousy fucking time since they decided to stop speaking to us?  Really?

My thought process went something like this:

“OMFG, why is she emailing me now?  *heart pounding in my ears* What’s she saying?  That we’re not allowed to hang out with people just because she introduced us to them?  Oooook.  Wait a second, she’s apologizing?  She’s contradicting herself.  WTF do I do now?”

I texted B “I just got a huge email from S.”

He responded with “holy crap.”

Yeah, my thoughts exactly.  I’m just burning up with things to write back.  Like how it wasn’t so “fresh” and hadn’t “just happened” one month later when I texted her.   Or when we saw them at the restaurant.  How I had no other conclusion to come to, other than she wanted nothing more to do with us, when she never made eye contact with me that night at the restaurant. 

On the one hand, yes B and I miss them and have been sad about the whole thing.  On the other hand, her boyfriend, E, was supposed to be the best man in our wedding.  And he just stopped speaking to B.  Seriously, he blew off B not once, not twice, but THREE times, both in text and in person.  He never had the common decency to say that he couldn’t be in our wedding.  We are getting married in one month and WITHOUT a best man.

Part of me wants to let bygones be bygones, but as I stated before, there were underlying reasons for why things happened.  I’d been angry and uncomfortable and trying to deal with those feelings for a year.  Yes, I made a mistake with how I handled it, but she did too.

Honestly, wtf was I supposed to think about our status as friends when she let six months go by without a word?  And I can’t help but feel that this wouldn’t all be happening if she hadn’t seen us with “her friends” at the wine festival last weekend. 

How do I respond?

On why I suck at completing my goals

Well, would you look at that.  It’s already October 7.

You know what that means?  It means that, as of October 1, my 101 in 1,001 list is officially in action!

I’ve been trying to work on a few of my goals.  Here’s the status so far.

#4 – Read 52 books in one year:  Well, that would average out to be about 1 book a week.  However, I’m already a week into this 52 week time-frame, and I’m still only on page 115 out of 833.  I’d say I have some serious reading to do tonight to stay on track.  haha, yeah…probably not gonna happen.  You see, that’s because I chose to help myself out and also combine this goal with…

#6 – Read 10 banned books:  My pick?  Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell.  I cannot even explain my love for that movie.  So I figured I should read the book.  And I can totally see why it’s on the banned books list.  The way that Mitchell writes about the slaves is well, in a word, disparaging.  From the way they talk to how they are referred to (“darkies”), it’s more than a little painful to read.  Aside from that, however, it’s amazing.  It’s just clearly, I don’t have enough time right now to devour books the way I would like to.

#15 – Become a volunteer for Susan G. Komen:  Achieved.  I had a meeting with the volunteer coordinator last Tuesday, and to say that we hit it off would be an understatement.  She asked what I was hoping to achieve by volunteering my time with the organization, and I told my story of what drives me to do it.  Today I’m attending their Young Professionals committee social to meet more people and see how I can be of service. 

#62 – Attend an Oktoberfest event:  For those of you who follow me on Twitter (@StaceyParadise), you probably saw that I attended a wine festival and Oktoberfest last weekend.  Fun was had by all.  I had more than my share of alcohol.  I danced.  I face-planted in the sidewalk.  It was a great time.  Oh, and I bought a new handbag.  The shame…

Here’s to hoping I can get more reading, and less crying, done in the coming week.  After all, I could use an escape, of any sort.

Serenity is only 45 days away

I’m sorry, but I’ve just got to say this.  I’m one bad-ass bitch!  This week I’ve managed to finish the invitations, mail the invitations, complete all of the paper goods (ie: programs, menus, table numbers), decide on centerpieces, and book our honeymoon.

Oh, that’s right.  In 43 days we’re getting married.  Yay!  BUT you what I’m REALLY EXCITED ABOUT?

This:

An ocean view room in Cozumel, Mexico!

Oh yes, yes please!

We’ve never been out of the country.  So this will be a treat for us!

Yes friends, after B and I say “I do”, we’re headed off to Cozumel for 5 days and 4 nights!  We’d have loved to have it be longer, but seeing as we’re going just before Thanksgiving, and I have a work commitment that means I have to be back immediately after, this will have to suffice. 

But you know, I think I can live with that!

On the agenda:  parasailing, snorkeling, boat riding, playing with dolphins, lots of eating and drinking…and going topless in the ocean!

I may never come back.