Questions...

My mom and stepfather and uncle are here for pre-Christmas. This was the first time I've seen any of them since Gary and I got engaged. It was the first time they saw my engagement ring. I showed them my dress (but did not try it on. Not enough time playing wii boxing, hitting the heavy bag or doing Hip Hop Abs to let anyone see me in it yet...) We went to Dreamland for lunch (because there ain't nothin' like them nowhere) - where we hope to do some kind of dinner while everyone's here. Then I took them to Vulcan, even though they've all been there before. I wanted to show them where we plan to have the ceremony, see if anyone had thoughts on set up and that kind of thing. My mother thought it would be cool to have us face the guests rather than our backs to you. She also suggested we find a, um, smaller officiant. Like someone you could see over and wouldn't block your view of us. I'm not sure she still feels that way about having a smaller person do our wedding - I made her watch Bad Santa tonight. LOL. One of the funniest Christmas movies ever, but not for the faint at heart. Anyway - so later my uncle and I were talking about the reception and I mentioned those conversation starter card things and he then told me that when he used to have parties, he would have guests do sort of a Q&A with each other - kind of like a scavenger hunt only with people. You know, like you have to find a person who owns a boat, and one who has 3 kids and one who has a dog or something... only then, as we drank more wine, we started coming up with the most ridiculous questions - in fact, I'll not even repeat them because they were that raunchy. It reminded me though of when my mom and my sister and I took my niece to the American Girl place in NYC. They had those little cards at our table at lunch to ask each other questions. My sister and I both got one something like, tell the others something you can do that they may not know about. My sister said she was good with vacuum cleaner attachments. I said I could tie a cherry stem with my tongue. My mother insists my sister really is good with vacuum cleaner attachments. I think it was code for other things. So anyway, you see how this could be a fun thing for you all to do while you have cocktails when you're waiting for Gary and I to arrive at the reception. What better way to get to know each other quickly? We're only inviting people we know and love - and we think you'll all have a great time together - we just want to help you break the ice and get that party started! Have ideas for questions for this little game? Bring 'em on. Reply here, email me at mariesawoodring@hotmail.com, or write me on my Facebook page. C'mon - this is going to be so much fun!!!

You ARE reading this! :)

...just a little shout out to Randi because we know at least *she's* reading this... The Christmas card from she and Chad said, "as I am writing this card you have 272 days 7 hours 11 minutes & 40 seconds or 6,535 hours or 392,111 minutes or 23,526,650 seconds until your wedding." Gary and I both laughed out loud. Really.

More about the marriage than the wedding...

So, in getting ready for the family to come for the holidays, there were a lot of things that needed to be done - as usual. One big thing - we needed a new futon frame. For as long as I can remember, we've had to prop the weight bench under the futon to keep it from flipping over when anyone sleeps on it because the little bar thingy was missing. A few weeks ago the frames were on sale at Big Lots so I went and bought one because it's near my office. Of course then realize there was no way this thing was going to fit in my car. The following weekend, while I was working at Bath & Body, Gary took his much, much bigger vehicle and picked it up and brought it home. We had to get that thing up before anyone got here. On Sunday afternoon, we grabbed the tool box and headed up to the Barbie Room (that's the guest room to those of you who've not yet been here). It only took about 10 seconds to realize we didn't have the right allen wrench. Thinking perhaps the new frame came with an allen wrench, I opened up the enormous box and inside I found two. Armed with those and a set of needle-nosed pliers, Gary took the old futon apart. With just a box cutter and some really bad instructions, I got all the pieces and parts of the new one out. I spread them all over the floor and tried my best to follow the directions. A football game was on the TV, and the dog wedged his fat butt between us on the futon mattress. We had exactly zero space in which to work. Had to squat down and lean because there was no room even to sit on the floor. Gary loosened and wiggled screws and bolts. Having no clear path to the door, he handed sections of the old futon frame to me and I stacked them in the hallway. I took screws and nuts and bolts and washers and springs and lined up what went with what and where. I assembled what could be done ahead of time. When he was done, we moved the new pieces in. We put things together and then he tightened and tightened. Then I realized I had put a big piece on backwards, and we loosened and wiggled and flipped, and screwed (lol - I had to say that) and bolted and tightened again. Piece by piece, part by part, we took the old one apart and put the new one together for close to 2 hours. We dragged the old parts and boxes and plastic protector thingies out to the garbage. We got Bartlet's big doggie butt off of the mattress and put it back on the futon (the mattress, not the butt). And then we moved on to something else.
So, what, you're asking yourself, was the point of that? We do really, really well with DIY projects together. We always have. The first was an enormous glass entertainment center thing - and when we got through that with ease, I knew we'd be good together - and I was right. With the futon frame, even not having the right tools and having no room to work, and a big butted beagle hogging up what little space we had, there were no problems. No griping and whining and cussing at each other. No muttering or bickering or bitching. He did what he was good at, I did what I am good at - without even needing to discuss it. We both jumped in - full speed ahead - with a clear vision of where we needed to be, and what we needed to do to get there. We know ourselves well enough to tackle the task, and know - and trust - each other well enough to not hover or question what the other was doing. We help each other. We complement one another. We work well together. Actually, we always have. And I think that's a wonderful thing to bring into our marriage...

Up, up and away!

So, because I really should be dealing with things like laundry, holiday shopping, putting up the tree, getting cards in the mail -- blah, blah, blah -- instead today seemed like a good day to look up flight information for some of you.

First, you'll be flying into Birmingham (AL) -Shuttlesworth International Airport - BHM. I specify AL because it will ask you when you book it if you want UK or AL. I just thought I'd give you a heads up/reminder that we're in the south, not across the pond. This airport is relatively easy to get in and out of. The biggest problem I've had there (several times) is the automated things where you pay to get out of the parking garage aren't working. Security usually only takes about 10 minutes to get through, but there was some flight we took this year - an early morning one - that the line was about 45 minutes long. We were a little surprised, but being that the airport is so small, once you get through security, there's not a lot of walking to do at all. On a slow day you could probably holler from the x-ray machine and someone would hear you at the furthest gate.

I checked on flights from some specific cities and here's what I found:

From Honolulu (HNL)- bring a really long book and a pillow. I couldn't find a single flight that wasn't an overnight one. Of course, if you're going to spend that much time in a plane, you might as well sleep through it. Here's a weird thing - I found one flight that has a layover in Atlanta, and then a layover in Memphis before coming to Birmingham. That's like having a layover in Norfolk and then Newport News before flying into Richmond.

And speaking of Southeast Virginia -- coming from Norfolk/Virginia Beach is a little easier. From ORF -- wow! -- these are the cheapest flights I've seen lately for anything. Not CHEAP mind you, but everything we've been looking at lately has been close to a grand. Anyway, looks like USAir will get you here in about 3 hours with one quick stop in Charlotte. (Remember, we're on Central Time. It looks like 2 hours, but it's 3.) United is a bit more time and money, but it will get you here. I think we almost always fly Southwest when we go to VB. That flight makes a quick stop in Baltimore, but those tickets can be pretty inexpensive if you book at the right time. (That time is not right now. Southwest won't let you book more than about 6 months in advance.)

Next stop, Newark (EWR). USAir seems to offer the most flights at the more reasonable prices. Continental appears to be cheaper right now, but makes 2 stops instead of just one on USAir. I checked to see which ones are the most kid-friendly, and it doesn't look like anything coming from NJ to AL is on that list. Of course Jordan and Jayden are both so charming, anyone on any flight is going to be sweet to them. :)

Philly (PHL) gets the cheap flight of the day award. This is the least expensive I've seen on any airline from any of your cities -- on Continental it's only $216 right now. The one stop it makes is in Newark though, which defeats the purpose I think. I was trying to find those of you in the NJ/PA area an alternative - this doesn't seem to be any easier than just flying out of Newark. Except it's cheaper. Northwest offers quite a selection at a slightly higher rate, but will still get you here in a little more than 4 hours.

From Akron (CAK), USAir and Northwest seem to be the best bets for least amount of time traveling and for cost. USAir offers more flights, and with only one stop in Charlotte, will get you here in just about 4 hours.

Cleveland-Hopkins (CLE) offers a Southwest flight that's pretty easy. There's one that stops in Baltimore, one in Chicago and one in Nashville. This is a great stop if you have a lot of time to look at all the trinkets honoring a billion musicians, including every country singer ever alive.

From Charleston, WV (CRW), again, it looks like USAir may be the way to go. It offers the most selection, at reasonable prices, and can get you here in 3 to 4 hours depending. Most of these stop in Charlotte, but the layover isn't long enough to enjoy the airport's mall or cute little rocking chairs.

For the two of you coming from California - I think you can pretty easily fly out of Ontario or Los Angeles. From ONT, Continental and American are about the same rates, but American offers a lot more selection. When I was out there a few months ago, I flew Southwest. The rates weren't bad, and it was relatively easy, but, as you may recall because I talked to you on my layover, nobody reminded me that NO ONE WINS on the slot machines at the airport in Las Vegas. That was an expensive lesson. If you want to fly from LAX here are your options - (but first - I'm sure Gary is one of the only people in the world other than me who sees "LAX" and has a mental image of Heather Locklear and Blair Underwood in his head, and hearing that catchy little theme song that I don't know the name of... and that's just one of the million reasons I love him) - the cost looks to be about the same as ONT, but the flights look like they take longer. Check United, Northwest and Continental. Seems though for the headache of getting into LAX, might just be easier (and the same cost) to fly out of Ontario, but that's just my opinion. BTW - I think the song may be called "Brand New Day."

From Greenville (GSP) -- although I think you'll probably drive -- yikes! Yes, you'll want to drive. It's showing more than $500 right now. There's a bunch of USAir/United combos, but I'm not even going to bother to link them, they'll take you 9 HOURS to fly here - you can drive it in 4 for the cost of a half a tank of gas.

...and with that, I'm off to do some laundry/holiday/run/long walk the dog stuff, but I will tackle driving info next. I think it might be fun for some of you to road-trip together. It's pretty much a day drive for most of you, and it could be an enjoyable and more cost-efficient alternative to flying...

travelocity
priceline
orbitz

Bridal Overdose?

I've become a bit of a junkie. I have developed some thing with bridal magazines. I don't know what it is but I can't put them down. And like a true junkie, I don't normally peruse them in front of those I love. I try to keep them stashed away until business trips, long flights and alone time, where I get sucked in to the pages of $50,000 and $100,000 weddings where I marvel at the production of it all and wonder which 50% of these very young couples won't make it past anniversary number 5. But I guess there's more to it than that. I also find myself wondering if I, in fact, bought the right dress. Perhaps that $5000 one from some designer I've never heard of would fit me better. Maybe I do need a train that 6 people have to carry. Perhaps if I, too, wear that kind of neckline my, um, Christmas, will look that large and appealing...
A friend of ours is getting married the same weekend as Gary and me. She told me recently that she had to put down the bridal mags. They made her feel inadequate, not to mention poor, and a few other things that I won't repeat. I may, in a little while, go the same route, but I can't quite break my addiction yet. But...
Lately Gary and I have watched a few shows on what I call the Wedding Channel. I've no idea what channel it actually is, but it has shows like "Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?" and "Rich Bride Poor Bride". I have to say watching these shows has the exact opposite effect as looking at the magazines. For one thing, the brides are "normal" sized and shaped. And as I look at these couples, rather than think 'how the &*%$ did they pull together a wedding on a mountain in the rainforest for 600 of their closest friends for $1000 total and no carbon footprints?' I think, 'what the (insert your own favorite 4-letter word here) is wrong with these people?!?' Are you kidding me? They wait until they have like 7 to 10 days before their weddings for 300+ guests and they've not even ordered flowers or printed place cards? We aren't getting married until September and we have rings, Save the Dates, dress, wedding venue, reception venue, menu, pastry chef, invitations, photographers, and are working on favors (you are saving your wine corks for us, aren't you?). Our wedding isn't for 279 days. These nutbag brides are waiting until A WEEK BEFORE to worry about this stuff!!!
So, anyway, you see the difference with magazines and TV for me... magazines leave me with the feeling that I've forgotten something very important - and no doubt very expensive. TV makes me feel like the most lovely, put-together, cool, calm and collected bride in history. Hmmmm. Maybe I need to watch more TV.

287 days?

Gary has a countdown clock on his new phone. He can tell you down to the second how long before we will be married. Or at least when we'll be at Vulcan and close to being married. I should know these things, but we're still doing so many other things... there's a lot in my brain right now. Plus I just remembered it's almost Christmas.
So anyway -- we picked out our wedding bands the day we went to pick up my engagement ring. That ring, in case you are curious, is a Scott Kay, Contemporary with knife edge band, palladium. (Scott Kay is impossible to link to something specific, so if you really want to see it, let me now, I'll send you the link from his site.) It's a lovely ring on it's own - but even more beautiful because it has history. My grandfather bought the diamond around 1950 and he wore it in his Masonic ring. When he died, my grandmother had it made into a solitaire that she then wore until she remarried. My mother then had it re-set, and she wore it after she remarried. For some reason she stopped wearing it, but I'm okay with that, because now it's on my finger.
Last week, Diamonds Direct was having a sale, the kind with a lot of people and beverages and music (and cleavage, but that's another story). We went in because pretty much everything in the store was 20% off. Angela, who had been helping us each time we were there, had written down the styles, all the specifics on the bands we had picked out. As we waited for her to finish up with another customer, one thing led to another, and we ended up picking out entirely different rings. That's a good thing, though. Both are now being custom made, and they were both less expensive as well (something about the recession being a good time to buy metal). But the coolest part is that they're custom - just for us, no other ones like them in the world - kind of like us. They are both palladium bands, Gary's with a little more detail than mine, and we're having stones hammered into each of them. Two diamonds that are my grandmother's will be hammered into my band. We also bought a few other stones for mine. (More on that later... like when you see it.) Gary's band, if I remember it right, is kind of a series of squares or maybe rectangles, with one diamond hammered into the center of one. I think they're both really going to be quite pretty - I'm very excited about them. And of course, I'm very excited about the wedding and seeing all of you. But I'm even more looking forward to being Gary's wife. I guess I really should set my own clock and start counting the days...

Once in Every Life

So, when we decided to move the wedding from Virginia Beach to Birmingham, what I felt the most was relief. There were a few things though that bothered me - one, that we weren't getting married in the place where we met and got engaged, and that we couldn't use the photographer I was so excited and enthusiastic about.

Paula Burgoon does not only have amazingly artistic vision and talent, she's one of those people that when you meet her, you feel like you've known her your whole life. Speaking with her is both comforting and inspiring. She's just good people - and a great photographer. Trying to fill those shoes was going to break my heart.

We started looking for someone in Birmingham - started at Google, where else would you look? After looking at Web sites - some good, some dreadful - dozens of portfolios, made calls, etc., we both came up with someone on our own whose style we liked. We had both chosen the same person. We got in touch with Emanuel Neiconi only to find out that he would be out of town the weekend of The Wedding (I also later found out he used to work at Luckie). He gave us a list of people to look into and we did, but nothing really struck us the same. So I went to the next logical place -- Craig's List.

I ran across a blog there, written by a woman who was part of a husband and wife team of wedding photographers. At also in the blog, was a link to Once in Every Life Photography.

I looked at the galleries, and looked again, and looked again. I loved April Kuhlmann's style. I loved her sense of color and her sense of whimsy. She's got a nice blend of traditional and totally out there - hmmm, sound like any couple you know? I also loved that she's got a page on her site that says she will take portraits of children with terminal illnesses at no charge. She has a good heart and she gives back. So I got in touch with her.

Gary and I met with April last night. It turns out she's also fun, funny, and affordable. Gary says she reminds him of Stacey (I couldn't link this, but go to Facebook and look at Stacey Klatt Brandon in my friends). I'm not sure I picked up on that, but like Stacey, she got both of our senses of humor right off the bat. (And Stace - she understood when I told her there would be a whole lot of "Christmas" at our wedding.) We both really liked her and her work. We booked her. She'll be bringing along a second photographer to make sure they don't miss anything. She warned us not to be put off by his age. He's only 16 (maybe he'll turn 17 before the wedding?). Who cares how old he is, as long as he's got talent. And how cool for us to be able to help him build his portfolio.

So Paula, I'm still sorry you're not going to be at The Wedding -- but April, welcome to this experience that will happen only once in our lives. I'm so excited that we found you - and we're very happy to have you along for the ride.

302 Days Until September 6th...

I really didn't know that off of the top of my head, I had to look it up. But we're almost less than 300, which seems a lot closer than it did a week ago... or something.

Anyway, so the date is set, for those of you who don't already know. Sunday, September 6th. For those of you coming in from out of town, it's a holiday weekend, so you have an extra day to travel back on Monday = all the more reason to make the trip.

I will update shortly with all kinds of details and more info, specifically how to get here from just about anywhere, where to stay once you're here, what to do when you're not hanging out with us and more. If you have specific questions, please ask. There are so many things going on in my brain right now, I'm sure I'll forget a lot.

For now, here's what we know:

The Wedding (Caps used intentionally. This is a big deal, after all.) will be, as I said, Sunday, September 6th. Time TBD, but it will be early afternoon - keep that in mind when you're planning attire. It's still pretty hot here in the beginning of September. The ceremony will be on the City Overlook at Vulcan Park. (Anyone who knows Gary should not be surprised by this. We have a picture of Vulcan on our kitchen table, Vulcan's spear in our living room, and a Vulcan snow globe on our mantel. I'll save the backstory for another day.)

The reception will be at Fleming's Steakhouse and Wine Bar - again, no real surprise there. We'd eat there every day if we could afford it. Take a look and you'll see why. Well, and we're big fans of the Operating Partner, Travis GO BULLS Grappo.

The site of the after-prom is still being debated. Have ideas? Bring 'em on, but remember, it's a Sunday night in Birmingham - not a lot is open.

After the wedding, we'll be vacationing in tropical paradise - really. We're going to Sandals Regency La Toc in Saint Lucia. They say the luxury is included (no, really, they do, that's their tagline) - but we still have to pay for it. Want to make a contribution to our couples massage, day of zip-lining in the Rain Forest, or candlelit dinner on the beach? Check out our registry and see how you can help with the honeymoon. There are a couple of other things there that we might enjoy as well...

There's your info for now - a whole lot more to come. I've got to get to the gym now - the girl who will be wearing my wedding dress will need to be in much better shape than the one who bought it.