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Live Long and Prosper, you crazy kids!

I am so happy for them...I don't know how anyone, seeing their happy faces, can say that letting them be married is wrong.

Tired, and as happy to see our kitties as they are to see us. Lots of ups and downs during the trip...I'll update you all over the next few days. Oh, and I've got lots of pictures to share. For now, here's a teaser for you all.

( Behind the cut. )

The happy couple at the reception.

So, only three days left until I am in Florida and seeing my family! *squeeee*

Okay, so the dress saga update. I had requested express shipping on my second order, so I knew it would be delivered yesterday. Before I went to work, I wrote a note on a piece of yellow paper which said:
Hey UPS driver,
If we are not home, please do not leave the package at the office. We would prefer to pick it up at the warehouse. Thanks!

So, hubby and I get home and there's no UPS tag on the door at all. Puzzled, as I had paid over 30.00 for shipping, I pulled up my email and there was a confirmation from Roaman's that the package had indeed shipped on Wednesday along with a UPS tracking number. I c/p it onto the UPS site and what do I find?

Not only was the package delivered, it was delivered to the office.

And...no notice on the door. If Roaman's hadn't sent the shipping confirmation, I would not have known the package had been delivered because again the driver didn't leave a call tag on my door.

Fucker.

I emailed a complaint to UPS and told them about this and also about the previous incident, too. They were supposed to call me back, but I doubt if I'll hear anything from them.

Anyway. I called the office today and begged them to have our sweet maintenance guy put the package into our apartment. When we got home, there it was (thank you Marty!) So, I take the dress out and put it on and--OMG it fits! And it seems to fit properly, too. It's not extra big or baggy in the arms (like many dresses I buy which fit my hips) and hubby said it looks good on me...I'm not sure if it's not too clingy on my tummy, so I'm going to take it to work I think on Monday and try it on there in the bathroom so I can have a look.

The shoes fit, too. I do have to get a pedicure, since my toenails have grown some and are a bit uncomfortable in the shoes. But a ped will fix that. :) So, I'm going to package up the other dress and shoes and send them back on Monday. Go me!

Had a long chat with my sister tonight and basically made sure she's going to be home when we arrive...she's off for the rest of the week! Yay!! I can't wait to see everyone.

On a completely different subject, hubby and I are heading to the RenFest tomorrow...dressed in our finery. If it's cool enough, I'm going to wear my green gown--if not, blue it is! I was thinking about getting my hair fixed, but I have to color it this weekend, so I can't. :( Oh, and we're definately looking for Mother's Day gifts there.

I guess that's the latest. I'll post some pics from the RenFest when I can!

The one time I wouldn't have minded going to the UPS depot to pick up the package, the driver very kindly left it at the office.

So, I have to wait until tomorrow to pick it up. I may try it on at work, since they have a *shudder* full-length mirror in the bathroom.

Yay! My sister sent me the pictures of my daughter's bridal shower. And now, I'm going to share them with you!

The shower was held at Tea at Lily's which is a charming tea room in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Here is the table with the guests.



And here is the Guest of Honor: my beautiful daughter!



There are ten more photos behind the cut. ( Check them out! )

Only seventeen more days until we're in Florida! Woohoo!

I married the man of my dreams, my "handsome prince", the love of my life. And, things have only gotten better since that day. The card I gave him says, in part:

"With you, I've found a once-in-a-lifetime friendship
and a once-in-a-lifetime love--
You're the friend I want,
the husband I need,
the reason I have so much
to celebrate today."

And it is so true. We have become the very best of friends, and the people who meet us for the first time (like his friend's lady) can see how close we are and comment on the way we seem to be on the same wavelength--finish each other's sentences--and just adore each other.

I love him more today than I ever have. But not as much as tomorrow...(to quote the song by Goldfinger)

So, on Saturday morning, hubby and I got up early. We got some breakfast, finished packing and then picked up the rental car. (One free upgrade later and we were stylin' in a
Buick Century
awesome...yowza) We made sure we had our Mapquest maps (only we forgot to print out a map TO our hotel--DOH!!) and off we went.
The trip up was relaxing and uneventful. Just hubby and me chatting, singing and laughing as we always do when on a road trip. We found
Kingsport, TN without any trouble at all. The trouble came when we realized we had neglected to find out exactly WHERE in Kingsport our hotel was located.
Oops.
Well, we had directions to the Kingsport Renaissance Center" (thanks to Beth and Jack's excellent invitation!) so we went there and then backtracked to our hotel. We arrived at the hotel with just enough time to shower, change and head out to the wedding.
When we arrived at the Ren Center, we followed the other folks who were obviously wedding guests (at one point, we held the door open for a woman with a fractured ankle and her friend--who turned out to be the Maid of Honor) and soon we were in a beautiful, brick atrium which was filled with plants.
( Lovely place for a wedding. )

There was no "assigned" seating, so we found a couple of chairs which were almost dead center and settled down. The music was lovely and the atmosphere was relaxing. Before long, the groomsmen escorted Jack and Beth's parents to the places of honor. Then the celebrant, Jack and his groomsmen all walked in and took their places in the center of the atrium and the guests all became quiet and anticipatory.
I looked over to my left and spotted some activity through an arched doorway. It was the bridal party!
( Jack's beautiful daughter was a bridesmaid. )

Suddenly, there was a hush and then the processional music began to play. Jack's daughter and then Beth's sister walked in--both were wearing dresses of different shades of green. We peeked and saw the beautiful bride with her dad standing in the doorway.
( Beth saw me and gave me a huge smile. )

She walked in, escorted by her father and when she turned the corner and Jack got his first look at her--his smile lit up the entire room. The ceremony was beautiful and I'm not ashamed to say--I had tears of joy in my eyes.
( The Ceremony )

Then came to moment everyone was waiting for...The KISS!! The celebrant said,
( *Jack, you may kiss your bride.* )

Then, in a suprise move--he said:
( *Beth, you may kiss your groom!* )

That was awesome. Then they were pronounced husband and wife! Everyone applauded and then went upstairs to the reception area.
The room was lovely. There were several round tables set up and we were at lucky table 7 with some of Beth's friends from high school. Carol is a HP fan, (and a Neil Gaiman fan too, OMGWTFBBQ!11!!!) so we had lots to talk about. The room was decorated with more greenery. There was an open bar (W00T!) which everyone took advantage of. The DJ was really good and the music he played varied from Frank Sinatra to Rap to Disco to rock and roll.
( The cake was beautiful. )
( And why am I not surprised that the Groom's cake was a cookie? )

The DJ introduced the bridal party, and before the bride and groom came in they played a video that Beth's sister had put together of old pictures, home movies, etc of Beth and Jack. There was a lot of sniffling and giggling throughout. Then in came Beth and Jack for their first dance. The lyrics of the song they danced to were printed on the back of the program they handed out and just reading them made me cry. It was Rascal Flatts' Bless the Broken Road
( First Dance as husband and wife. )

After that, everyone got up to dance.
( It's boogie time! )

After some dancing and visiting, it was time to eat. OMG, the food was wonderful. There was grilled chicken and wild rice, stuffed salmon, prime rib and chicken strips for the kids. There was mashed potatoes along with the rice and broccoli, califlower and carrot mix, awesome rolls, salad-caesar and regular...oh, and there were also potato chips for the kids. (And I just have to say here that all of the children in attendence were well behaved. Jack and Beth had a room set up for them to play in, and a seperate table area they could use if they wanted to. And most of them did want to, which left the grown ups at the "big" tables. Fabulous.) There was also an ice cream bar with lots of toppings that everyone enjoyed.

After dinner, there was more dancing and visiting. Jack and Beth both made a point to come over and visit with hubby and I. ( So Cute. )
Check out the rock!
( Beth's ring. )

They were so sweet, and they made us feel like old friends rather than someone they had only met an hour before.( Jack, Beth, Hubby and Me )

The party went on for several hours. Everyone had a wonderful time. Hubby and I danced several times which was fabulous! This has to be one of the best weddings I've ever been to...it was such a great time! Thanks, Beth and Jack, for the invitation and your friendship. We are really looking forward to getting together again sometime soon!

( The happy couple )

To the happy couple, a Vulcan blessing: Live long and prosper!