Shutterfly photo books offer a variety of layouts and cover options to choose from.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Honeymoon Album!
We interrupt your not-so regularly scheduled Honeymoon recaps with an announcement that we purchased the album, and YOU can see it below.
On a slightly related note, the professional album came in a few weeks ago and it's phenomenal! Erica Ewing was a gem and we're blessed she was such a vital part of our most special day!
Thursday, October 11, 2012
The (Unabridged) Ceremony
Several people have asked for one or more parts of the wedding ceremony, and I like to please my friends and loved ones, so here is the ceremony in it's entirety; enjoy!
Welcome
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court--2003
"Marriage is a vital social institution. The exclusive commitment of two individuals to each other nurtures love and mutual support.
Civil marriage is at once a deeply personal commitment to another human being and a highly public celebration of the ideals of mutuality, companionship, intimacy, fidelity, and family. Because it fulfills yearnings for security, safe haven, and connection that express our common humanity, civil marriage is an esteemed institution and the decision whether and whom to marry is among life's momentous acts of self-definition. It is undoubtedly for these concrete reasons, as well as for its intimately personal significance, that civil marriage has long been termed a ‘civil right.’ Without the right to choose to marry one is excluded from the full range of human experience."
Apache Wedding Blessing
(this is not authentic, it was created for a book and movie, but we love the sentiment)
Now you will feel no storms,
for each of you will be shelter to the other.
Now you will feel no cold,
for each of you will be warmth to the other.
Now there is no loneliness,
for each of you is companion to the other.
You are two persons,
but there is one life before you, and one home.
Turn together to look at the road you traveled,
to reach this---the hour of your happiness.
It stretches behind you into the past.
Look to the future that lies ahead.
A long and winding, adventure-filled road,
whose every turn means discovery,
new hopes, new joys, new laughter,
and a few shared tears.
May happiness be your companion,
May beauty surround you both in the journey ahead;
And through all the years to come.
Go this day to your dwelling place
and enter into your days together.
May your days be good and long upon the earth.
Plato’s Symposium
Humans have never understood the power of Love, for if they had they would surely have built noble temples and altars and offered solemn sacrifices; but this is not done, and most certainly ought to be done, since Love is our best friend, our helper, and the healer of the ills which prevent us from being happy.
Welcome
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court--2003
"Marriage is a vital social institution. The exclusive commitment of two individuals to each other nurtures love and mutual support.
Civil marriage is at once a deeply personal commitment to another human being and a highly public celebration of the ideals of mutuality, companionship, intimacy, fidelity, and family. Because it fulfills yearnings for security, safe haven, and connection that express our common humanity, civil marriage is an esteemed institution and the decision whether and whom to marry is among life's momentous acts of self-definition. It is undoubtedly for these concrete reasons, as well as for its intimately personal significance, that civil marriage has long been termed a ‘civil right.’ Without the right to choose to marry one is excluded from the full range of human experience."
Apache Wedding Blessing
(this is not authentic, it was created for a book and movie, but we love the sentiment)
Now you will feel no storms,
for each of you will be shelter to the other.
Now you will feel no cold,
for each of you will be warmth to the other.
Now there is no loneliness,
for each of you is companion to the other.
You are two persons,
but there is one life before you, and one home.
Turn together to look at the road you traveled,
to reach this---the hour of your happiness.
It stretches behind you into the past.
Look to the future that lies ahead.
A long and winding, adventure-filled road,
whose every turn means discovery,
new hopes, new joys, new laughter,
and a few shared tears.
May happiness be your companion,
May beauty surround you both in the journey ahead;
And through all the years to come.
Go this day to your dwelling place
and enter into your days together.
May your days be good and long upon the earth.
Plato’s Symposium
Humans have never understood the power of Love, for if they had they would surely have built noble temples and altars and offered solemn sacrifices; but this is not done, and most certainly ought to be done, since Love is our best friend, our helper, and the healer of the ills which prevent us from being happy.
To understand the power of Love, we must understand that our original human nature was not like it is now, but different. Human beings each had two sets of arms, two sets of legs, and two faces looking in opposite directions. There were three genders then: one comprised of two men called the children of the Sun, one made of two women called the children of the Earth, and a third made of a man and a woman, called the children of the Moon. Due to the power and might of these original humans, the Gods began to fear that their reign might be threatened. They sought for a way to end the humans’ insolence without destroying them.
It was at this point that Zeus divided the humans in half. After the division, the two parts of each desiring their other half came together, and throwing their arms about one another, entwined in mutual embraces, longing to grow into one. So ancient is the desire of one another which is implanted in us, reuniting our original nature, making one of two, and healing the state of humankind.
Each of us when separated, having one side only, is but the indenture of a person, and we are always looking for our other half. Those whose original nature lies with the children of the Sun are men who are drawn to other men, those from the children of the Earth are women who love other women, and those from the children of the Moon are men and women drawn to one another. And when one of us meets our other half, we are lost in an amazement of love and friendship and intimacy, and would not be out of the other’s sight even for a moment. We pass our whole lives together, desiring that we should be melted into one, to spend our lives as one person instead of two, and so that after our death there will be one departed soul instead of two; this is the very expression of our ancient need. And the reason is that human nature was originally one and we were a whole, and the desire and pursuit of the whole is called Love.
Hearth Lighting
In ancient Greece, the hearth was the center of the home. To symbolize this in the modern home, Jessi and Ellie have had an oil lamp created.
Vows
Ellie
I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where,
I love you simply, without problems or pride
I love you in this way because I don’t know any other way of loving than this
So, Share each day with me, each night, each morning
Love me, that’s all I ask of you
We have each other for the ups and downs
And for the days of doubt
And when we have lost our way
There are no words left to say.
I’ll be there and I’ll cover you
It may be quite simple, but now that it’s done
I hope you don’t mind that I put down in words
How Wonderful life is while you’re in the world.
Ring Exchange
I take you to be part of my superhero league to fight crime,
One schizophrenic and college student at a time.
Together we’re stronger than either one alone.
Our powers combined will never allow
Harmful villains into our home.
Let this ring serve as a reminder of our vow.
It was at this point that Zeus divided the humans in half. After the division, the two parts of each desiring their other half came together, and throwing their arms about one another, entwined in mutual embraces, longing to grow into one. So ancient is the desire of one another which is implanted in us, reuniting our original nature, making one of two, and healing the state of humankind.
Each of us when separated, having one side only, is but the indenture of a person, and we are always looking for our other half. Those whose original nature lies with the children of the Sun are men who are drawn to other men, those from the children of the Earth are women who love other women, and those from the children of the Moon are men and women drawn to one another. And when one of us meets our other half, we are lost in an amazement of love and friendship and intimacy, and would not be out of the other’s sight even for a moment. We pass our whole lives together, desiring that we should be melted into one, to spend our lives as one person instead of two, and so that after our death there will be one departed soul instead of two; this is the very expression of our ancient need. And the reason is that human nature was originally one and we were a whole, and the desire and pursuit of the whole is called Love.
Hearth Lighting
In ancient Greece, the hearth was the center of the home. To symbolize this in the modern home, Jessi and Ellie have had an oil lamp created.
Carrie & Karina carried lanterns in place of the torches traditionally carried by the bride and groom’s mothers. I would like to ask them to light the oil lamp from their candles to represent Jessi and Ellie’s lives joining together into a single home.
Vows
Ellie
I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where,
I love you simply, without problems or pride
I love you in this way because I don’t know any other way of loving than this
So, Share each day with me, each night, each morning
Love me, that’s all I ask of you
We have each other for the ups and downs
And for the days of doubt
And when we have lost our way
There are no words left to say.
I’ll be there and I’ll cover you
It may be quite simple, but now that it’s done
I hope you don’t mind that I put down in words
How Wonderful life is while you’re in the world.
Jessi
I sometimes have a feeling with regard to you--especially when you are near me, as now: it is as if I had a string somewhere under my left ribs, tightly and inextricably knotted to a similar string situated in the corresponding quarter of your frame.
I sometimes have a feeling with regard to you--especially when you are near me, as now: it is as if I had a string somewhere under my left ribs, tightly and inextricably knotted to a similar string situated in the corresponding quarter of your frame.
I have for the first time found what I can truly love – I have found you. You are my sympathy – my better self — my good angel — I am bound to you with a strong attachment. I think you good, gifted, lovely: a fervent, a solemn passion is conceived in my heart; it leans to you, draws you to my center and spring of life, wraps my existence about you—and, kindling in pure, powerful flame, fuses you and me in one.
Jane Eyre—Charlotte Bronte
Jane Eyre—Charlotte Bronte
Ring Exchange
I take you to be part of my superhero league to fight crime,
One schizophrenic and college student at a time.
Together we’re stronger than either one alone.
Our powers combined will never allow
Harmful villains into our home.
Let this ring serve as a reminder of our vow.
Celtic Wedding Blessing
May you both be blessed with the strength of heaven,
The light of the sun and the radiance of the moon
The splendor of fire, the speed of lightning,
The swiftness of wind, the depth of the sea,
The stability of Earth and the firmness of rock.
May you both be blessed with the strength of heaven,
The light of the sun and the radiance of the moon
The splendor of fire, the speed of lightning,
The swiftness of wind, the depth of the sea,
The stability of Earth and the firmness of rock.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Honeymoon Day 3: Glowworms and New Friends Oh My!
*this series is back-dated, so is written as though we are in Turks & Caicos*
This morning, we woke to the Excursion Desk cancelling the Glowworm Cruise for tonight, but they were looking into getting us onto another boat. It's like we'd barely hung up (but maybe we just fell back asleep) before they were calling back with a company name and time to meet them on the beach!
Ellie made pancakes and coffee, which we enjoyed on the balcony as we planned our day. We decided to keep it quiet as we waited for the cruise.
We walked down to the beach, stopping at the Excursion Desk (I think we're going to either become their best friends or mortal enemies!) where we booked our Pony Ride and (wait for it...) Full-Day Cruise/Snorkel/BBQ Excursion for Thursday and Tuesday.
The water is gorgeous; a color blue you only see in pictures--or when you go to a tropical island. We basically hung out, alternating between lounging in the water on pool noddles or lounging on the beach. Rain came through a couple times, but it wasn't intolerable, and each bout went by quickly. At lunchtime, we just went back to the room and made quesadillas as we got ready for the cruise.
As we waited for the beach, we started chatting with Pete & Barb, another couple who seemed just as lost as were felt. They were a little older than us, and are enjoying his parents' timeshare. They'd been here once before 8 years ago and remembered enjoying the Glow Worm cruise then, so decided to go again. It was nice to hear from real people that the cruise was a good--can't always trust those website reviews!! Another couple was waiting for the same trip, but they weren't friendly at all.
Turns out we were put on a party boat--lots of really loud music and if the crew wasn't totally loaded, they were drinking vicariously through us since they were practically begging everyone to drink the rum punch! We kept ourselves at just a few cups though, didn't want to get sloppy in the middle of the water :D The glow worms were actually pretty cool--the females left glowing egg trails, and the males were glowing bursts. Unfortunately, they were too quick to catch on the camera, but we DID catch a couple on video, so we're counting that as a definite win! Barb compared them to fireflies in the water, which is really apt.
Oddly, we weren't brought back to our hotel beaches as we'd been lead to believe by the Excursion Desk. The crew suddenly docked at a seemingly lonely building and herded us into taxis. Honestly, we were all a little nervous as the boat was docking, and didn't REALLY trust it until people started getting dropped off...and then the fear only mildly eased LOL. As we approached the Grace Bay Club (another hotel), Barb and Pete suddenly invited us for drinks at Infiniti Bar. Of course we accepted. Infiniti Bar is both the longest bar in the Caribbean AND the first infinity-edge bar in the world. It's pretty cool, solid black bar with blue light strings set in the middle. We all chatted and joked for about an hour; it was nice to have actual conversations with people other than each other after 3 days.
I started to talk about Fluffy & the growing popularity of hedgies when all of a sudden, Pete realized he didn't have his wallet, and they were absolutely without any cash!! It was actually a super funny situation, he hadn't thought he'd need his wallet on the cruise, so Ellie graciously paid because it was just such a hilarious situation, and what else could we have done (although in all seriousness, we could have just stood up and walked off into the night of the beach and never looked back; but that's not how we roll)? The poor things were incredibly embarrassed, which I KNOW we'd have felt the same way. It was sweet how profusely they apologized. We used "honeymoon money" as a means of making them feel better.
We walked back along the beach, which was beautiful and moonlit; the kind people post about in their online dating profiles. When we arrived back at The Sands, Barb & Pete invited us for a nightcap at Hemingway's to pay us back since they didn't need cash there ;). We're glad we met them, they're a nice couple. And they've given us a hilarious story for when we get home!
This morning, we woke to the Excursion Desk cancelling the Glowworm Cruise for tonight, but they were looking into getting us onto another boat. It's like we'd barely hung up (but maybe we just fell back asleep) before they were calling back with a company name and time to meet them on the beach!
Ellie made pancakes and coffee, which we enjoyed on the balcony as we planned our day. We decided to keep it quiet as we waited for the cruise.
We walked down to the beach, stopping at the Excursion Desk (I think we're going to either become their best friends or mortal enemies!) where we booked our Pony Ride and (wait for it...) Full-Day Cruise/Snorkel/BBQ Excursion for Thursday and Tuesday.
The water is gorgeous; a color blue you only see in pictures--or when you go to a tropical island. We basically hung out, alternating between lounging in the water on pool noddles or lounging on the beach. Rain came through a couple times, but it wasn't intolerable, and each bout went by quickly. At lunchtime, we just went back to the room and made quesadillas as we got ready for the cruise.
As we waited for the beach, we started chatting with Pete & Barb, another couple who seemed just as lost as were felt. They were a little older than us, and are enjoying his parents' timeshare. They'd been here once before 8 years ago and remembered enjoying the Glow Worm cruise then, so decided to go again. It was nice to hear from real people that the cruise was a good--can't always trust those website reviews!! Another couple was waiting for the same trip, but they weren't friendly at all.
Turns out we were put on a party boat--lots of really loud music and if the crew wasn't totally loaded, they were drinking vicariously through us since they were practically begging everyone to drink the rum punch! We kept ourselves at just a few cups though, didn't want to get sloppy in the middle of the water :D The glow worms were actually pretty cool--the females left glowing egg trails, and the males were glowing bursts. Unfortunately, they were too quick to catch on the camera, but we DID catch a couple on video, so we're counting that as a definite win! Barb compared them to fireflies in the water, which is really apt.
Oddly, we weren't brought back to our hotel beaches as we'd been lead to believe by the Excursion Desk. The crew suddenly docked at a seemingly lonely building and herded us into taxis. Honestly, we were all a little nervous as the boat was docking, and didn't REALLY trust it until people started getting dropped off...and then the fear only mildly eased LOL. As we approached the Grace Bay Club (another hotel), Barb and Pete suddenly invited us for drinks at Infiniti Bar. Of course we accepted. Infiniti Bar is both the longest bar in the Caribbean AND the first infinity-edge bar in the world. It's pretty cool, solid black bar with blue light strings set in the middle. We all chatted and joked for about an hour; it was nice to have actual conversations with people other than each other after 3 days.
I started to talk about Fluffy & the growing popularity of hedgies when all of a sudden, Pete realized he didn't have his wallet, and they were absolutely without any cash!! It was actually a super funny situation, he hadn't thought he'd need his wallet on the cruise, so Ellie graciously paid because it was just such a hilarious situation, and what else could we have done (although in all seriousness, we could have just stood up and walked off into the night of the beach and never looked back; but that's not how we roll)? The poor things were incredibly embarrassed, which I KNOW we'd have felt the same way. It was sweet how profusely they apologized. We used "honeymoon money" as a means of making them feel better.
We walked back along the beach, which was beautiful and moonlit; the kind people post about in their online dating profiles. When we arrived back at The Sands, Barb & Pete invited us for a nightcap at Hemingway's to pay us back since they didn't need cash there ;). We're glad we met them, they're a nice couple. And they've given us a hilarious story for when we get home!
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Honeymoon Day 2: Exploring Providenciales
*this series is back-dated, so is written as though we are in Turks & Caicos*
We woke up this morning and had coffee, clementines and granola bars for breakfast (yup, living large!), then walked down to the Excursion Desk to get the details for our Glow Worm Cruise. Alas, it's the slow season and they didn't have enough reservations, so we're going to have to wait until Wednesday or Thursday; they're going to keep in touch.
Since we have a full kitchen and don't want to go totally overboard, we get a map of the island from the Concierge and walked to the grocery store--it was only a mile and a half, and the prices and selection were definitely better than the hotel convenience store. Don't get me wrong, the prices weren't GOOD, but when you consider a gallon of water was $2 at the grocery, and $5 at the hotel, we made the right choice. We just picked up some basics: pancake mix, some eggs, fruit, water and snacks. Something we both found really interesting was that there was a TON of gluten-free stuff, way more than I see in regular grocery stores back home. Maybe this isn't the "regular" grocery, but maybe a gourmet grocery to cater to the fancy-ass tourists?
It's HOT!! We barely went halfway before I knew I NEEDED to buy a hat. We went through a whole bottle of Gatorade on the walk down and another one on the way back; we were both covered in sweat (sexy, I know). The heat is definitely going to be difficult to live with the next 8 days.
It was awesome to get back to the air conditioned room and have leftovers from last night. After lunch, we went to the beach for a while. The sand is smooth and white, the water is clear and refreshing. As long as I don't have the crap burned out of me, I'm going to enjoy spending time here. It's like nothing I've ever seen.
Tuesday nights are the Manager's Rum Punch Party, so we went back to the room to get dressed for the party and dinner. It seemed like most of the current guests were there; the food and booze (rum punch and beer) were flowing. We think one of the employees is "family"--she complimented my rainbow earrings a little more enthusiastically than a straight person would. ;) The funniest part of the party came from another guest. This guy started yelling at one of the servers, really flipping out on the poor guy, because he "only came around this side of the pool once with conch fritters--the other side got them 3 or 4 times!! WAAAAHHHH, I'm a fat dude who can't be satisfied with only 3 fritters!!!" (okay, that last sentence might be putting words in his mouth, but it's true). The poor server was totally flustered, trying to explain that the multiple trips were because he could only carry so many plates at a time. Ellie and I tried to back him up, but Angry Dude wasn't having it. He even wound up throwing his empty plate on the trash cart as the server walked by. It was amusing, annoying, and sad.
For dinner, we went to Yoshi for sushi. (yes, the same restaurant that prompted the couple from yesterday to discover their mutual love for sushi). Their menus were on iPads, which was super cool--I think that's something more restaurants should contemplate. If we could have ordered through them, that would have been amazing! The walk back to the hotel was pretty quiet--maybe it's due to being the off-season, but everything closes early; by the time we were done at 7, everything was closed. Kind of disappointing. So we went back to the room and watched some TV and read before turning in.
We woke up this morning and had coffee, clementines and granola bars for breakfast (yup, living large!), then walked down to the Excursion Desk to get the details for our Glow Worm Cruise. Alas, it's the slow season and they didn't have enough reservations, so we're going to have to wait until Wednesday or Thursday; they're going to keep in touch.
Since we have a full kitchen and don't want to go totally overboard, we get a map of the island from the Concierge and walked to the grocery store--it was only a mile and a half, and the prices and selection were definitely better than the hotel convenience store. Don't get me wrong, the prices weren't GOOD, but when you consider a gallon of water was $2 at the grocery, and $5 at the hotel, we made the right choice. We just picked up some basics: pancake mix, some eggs, fruit, water and snacks. Something we both found really interesting was that there was a TON of gluten-free stuff, way more than I see in regular grocery stores back home. Maybe this isn't the "regular" grocery, but maybe a gourmet grocery to cater to the fancy-ass tourists?
It's HOT!! We barely went halfway before I knew I NEEDED to buy a hat. We went through a whole bottle of Gatorade on the walk down and another one on the way back; we were both covered in sweat (sexy, I know). The heat is definitely going to be difficult to live with the next 8 days.
It was awesome to get back to the air conditioned room and have leftovers from last night. After lunch, we went to the beach for a while. The sand is smooth and white, the water is clear and refreshing. As long as I don't have the crap burned out of me, I'm going to enjoy spending time here. It's like nothing I've ever seen.
Tuesday nights are the Manager's Rum Punch Party, so we went back to the room to get dressed for the party and dinner. It seemed like most of the current guests were there; the food and booze (rum punch and beer) were flowing. We think one of the employees is "family"--she complimented my rainbow earrings a little more enthusiastically than a straight person would. ;) The funniest part of the party came from another guest. This guy started yelling at one of the servers, really flipping out on the poor guy, because he "only came around this side of the pool once with conch fritters--the other side got them 3 or 4 times!! WAAAAHHHH, I'm a fat dude who can't be satisfied with only 3 fritters!!!" (okay, that last sentence might be putting words in his mouth, but it's true). The poor server was totally flustered, trying to explain that the multiple trips were because he could only carry so many plates at a time. Ellie and I tried to back him up, but Angry Dude wasn't having it. He even wound up throwing his empty plate on the trash cart as the server walked by. It was amusing, annoying, and sad.
For dinner, we went to Yoshi for sushi. (yes, the same restaurant that prompted the couple from yesterday to discover their mutual love for sushi). Their menus were on iPads, which was super cool--I think that's something more restaurants should contemplate. If we could have ordered through them, that would have been amazing! The walk back to the hotel was pretty quiet--maybe it's due to being the off-season, but everything closes early; by the time we were done at 7, everything was closed. Kind of disappointing. So we went back to the room and watched some TV and read before turning in.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Honeymoon Day 1: We Arrive
*this series is back-dated, so is written as though we are in Turks & Caicos*
Waking early, before the MBTA began running this morning, we were fortunate enough to get a ride from a friend. The flight to Miami was pretty turbulent, but not terrible. With a 2-hour layover, we went to Jose Cuervo Taquileria for tacos and our first official drinks of the honeymoon: Dos Equis.
The flight to TCI was short and easy. Providenciales is literally the smallest airport I've ever seen! Not only do you walk off the plane using stairs (which I've done once before in Iceland), but they only have one baggage claim carousel. We didn't have to crowd around the carousel because some of the employees were pulling bags off of it & grouping them around the claim area; made the process a little easier.
Customs wasn't too bad, and became the source of one of the best stories from the trip. We stood behind a couple who weren't talking all that much. As we are wont to do, we speculated what they were doing in TCI: honeymoon? vacation? wedding? We realized they hadn't been together too long when, as the giant advertisement boards flipped to ads for the one sushi restaurant in the country, the guy piped up with, "Oh, that looks good, I love sushi." "Really? I love sushi too! We should go!" Not long after, they were reviewing their Customs forms & Ellie noticed, on the "Why are you here" line, they had listed Honeymoon. *blinkblink* You are on your honeymoon and had no idea that your partner liked sushi? We really wished we ran into them during the trip.
We took a van to the hotel; even after spending time in England, I'm not sure I'll ever get used to being on the wrong side of the road! It is a little more humid than I had hoped; October is the tail end of summer there, so even the breezes are sticky.
The Sands at Grace Bay is where we are making out home for the next 10 days. It's nice, and our room is amazing, with an awesome ocean view. When we got in, we napped for about 2 hours before putting away our things and headed to dinner at Hemingway's, that hotel restaurant. On the way, we explored the grounds some; I can't wait to see it in the daylight. For dinner, we dived right into one of the most common foods on the islands--conch, in the form of conch fritters, followed by ahi tuna and mahi mahi; washed down with Turks Head beer--Ellie had the lager & I had the amber; I see many more in the future! For dessert, rum cake that was so soaked in rum that we felt a little tipsy after!
We knew about the potcakes, but weren't expecting stray cats! One little grey beauty hung around our table all through dinner. Ellie named her Snowflake, and she seemed to like it because she followed us all the way back to our room. She hung outside of our room for a bit, so we went out to pet her a little more; she was super friendly from many interactions with other guests; it was hard leaving her.
We called it an early night and spent the evening reading through the various tourist guides and relaxing before bed.
Waking early, before the MBTA began running this morning, we were fortunate enough to get a ride from a friend. The flight to Miami was pretty turbulent, but not terrible. With a 2-hour layover, we went to Jose Cuervo Taquileria for tacos and our first official drinks of the honeymoon: Dos Equis.
The flight to TCI was short and easy. Providenciales is literally the smallest airport I've ever seen! Not only do you walk off the plane using stairs (which I've done once before in Iceland), but they only have one baggage claim carousel. We didn't have to crowd around the carousel because some of the employees were pulling bags off of it & grouping them around the claim area; made the process a little easier.
Customs wasn't too bad, and became the source of one of the best stories from the trip. We stood behind a couple who weren't talking all that much. As we are wont to do, we speculated what they were doing in TCI: honeymoon? vacation? wedding? We realized they hadn't been together too long when, as the giant advertisement boards flipped to ads for the one sushi restaurant in the country, the guy piped up with, "Oh, that looks good, I love sushi." "Really? I love sushi too! We should go!" Not long after, they were reviewing their Customs forms & Ellie noticed, on the "Why are you here" line, they had listed Honeymoon. *blinkblink* You are on your honeymoon and had no idea that your partner liked sushi? We really wished we ran into them during the trip.
We took a van to the hotel; even after spending time in England, I'm not sure I'll ever get used to being on the wrong side of the road! It is a little more humid than I had hoped; October is the tail end of summer there, so even the breezes are sticky.
The Sands at Grace Bay is where we are making out home for the next 10 days. It's nice, and our room is amazing, with an awesome ocean view. When we got in, we napped for about 2 hours before putting away our things and headed to dinner at Hemingway's, that hotel restaurant. On the way, we explored the grounds some; I can't wait to see it in the daylight. For dinner, we dived right into one of the most common foods on the islands--conch, in the form of conch fritters, followed by ahi tuna and mahi mahi; washed down with Turks Head beer--Ellie had the lager & I had the amber; I see many more in the future! For dessert, rum cake that was so soaked in rum that we felt a little tipsy after!
We knew about the potcakes, but weren't expecting stray cats! One little grey beauty hung around our table all through dinner. Ellie named her Snowflake, and she seemed to like it because she followed us all the way back to our room. She hung outside of our room for a bit, so we went out to pet her a little more; she was super friendly from many interactions with other guests; it was hard leaving her.
We called it an early night and spent the evening reading through the various tourist guides and relaxing before bed.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
"it's stupid anyone wouldn't come because you are marrying a girl."
These warming words were uttered to my sister from her daughter, again reenforcing that children "get it" and are taught hate and judgment. These words were needed as I look at the upcoming weekend and some obstacles that are going on that are out of our control.
Obstacle 1. It might rain. High chance of some kind of rain off and on through the day. I will do my best to make sure this wedding takes place outdoors.
Obstacle 2. It might be in the low 60 upper 50's. Honestly the ceremony is only about 20 minutes I think we can get through this, and maybe we just have to be a little closer to other people in the crowd.
Obstacle 3. All of our nick nacks do not work perfectly. Oh well, they are just things and that's not why we are getting married.
Obstacle 4. The whole road is under construction. We were told about this in June, but was promised it would be done... new estimate end of October... grr. However, there is a detour that is pretty clearly marked but leave a little extra time if you can.
Obstacle 5. CONSTRUCTION EVERYWHERE!!! There is construction on many of the major roads this weekend although most of it is between 10pm and 10am.... traffic in the boston area is some of the WORSE! If you are traveling that day to the hotel aim to be there earlier than 4:30pm.
INFORMATION THAT MIGHT BE HELPFUL
People not from the area you are 1.5-2.5 miles from a major shopping mall there are numerous places to eat/shop/entertainment from there. The hotel is in more of an industrial park area but you are that close to civilization don't feel isolated.
On Sunday, the brides will be going out to Brunch about 5 miles from the hotel. It is very casual, anyone is welcome to attend if people want to see us before we head away and Yelp said the place was pretty good. Who knows we have never been there, we are taking a huge chance.
We are both very excited about the wedding. As I mentioned on Facebook, this is like Christmas to me and I am excited to see how it unfolds. 99 percent of the night we planned, ordered, glued, painted, constructed or designed. I hope you all have a moment where it is clear how much love Jessi and I share. And you see the love we have for all of the people we invited to this event and most importantly have fun, laugh, talk, mingle, dance badly, cry (except you Ernesto ;-) ), have an extra drink, an extra piece of cake and enjoy the beautiful people we have in our life.
Obstacle 1. It might rain. High chance of some kind of rain off and on through the day. I will do my best to make sure this wedding takes place outdoors.
Obstacle 2. It might be in the low 60 upper 50's. Honestly the ceremony is only about 20 minutes I think we can get through this, and maybe we just have to be a little closer to other people in the crowd.
Obstacle 3. All of our nick nacks do not work perfectly. Oh well, they are just things and that's not why we are getting married.
Obstacle 4. The whole road is under construction. We were told about this in June, but was promised it would be done... new estimate end of October... grr. However, there is a detour that is pretty clearly marked but leave a little extra time if you can.
Obstacle 5. CONSTRUCTION EVERYWHERE!!! There is construction on many of the major roads this weekend although most of it is between 10pm and 10am.... traffic in the boston area is some of the WORSE! If you are traveling that day to the hotel aim to be there earlier than 4:30pm.
INFORMATION THAT MIGHT BE HELPFUL
People not from the area you are 1.5-2.5 miles from a major shopping mall there are numerous places to eat/shop/entertainment from there. The hotel is in more of an industrial park area but you are that close to civilization don't feel isolated.
On Sunday, the brides will be going out to Brunch about 5 miles from the hotel. It is very casual, anyone is welcome to attend if people want to see us before we head away and Yelp said the place was pretty good. Who knows we have never been there, we are taking a huge chance.
We are both very excited about the wedding. As I mentioned on Facebook, this is like Christmas to me and I am excited to see how it unfolds. 99 percent of the night we planned, ordered, glued, painted, constructed or designed. I hope you all have a moment where it is clear how much love Jessi and I share. And you see the love we have for all of the people we invited to this event and most importantly have fun, laugh, talk, mingle, dance badly, cry (except you Ernesto ;-) ), have an extra drink, an extra piece of cake and enjoy the beautiful people we have in our life.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
I like to call it "Encouraging Mingling"
When we have spoken to people about our wedding and we report all in all most things are going smoothly. They stop, look at us blankly, giggle to themselves and say, "Have you done your seating chart yet?" When we would say no they would laugh and laugh.
Okay it wasn't quite like that but I swear it was similar. We love our friends and family but where do you sit everyone. Person A knows this person B, but dislikes this person C who likes person B. You know some crazy math problem like that. Or these 11 people are a great group, but fitting more than 9 adults at a table is tight and can you just take 2 and put them anywhere? We had two go rounds at the seating chart, Jessi made little stickies and we placed them all over imaginary tables. It gave us a clue but at that time we were missing a few RSVP. Which let me tell you can drastically change a table and it did.
So last night before heading out to our last date as legally single, we figured it out. Especially on my side I set random people together to mingle everyone will know at least one person at their table. If it's not the perfect seating situation, after you are done your dinner get out on the dance floor. The whole event runs over 5 hours (Ceremony; Cocktail hour and reception) the room is on the smaller side one eats dinner for an hour I hope people can make the best of their tables. :-) And after the food is done get up and Mingle around the room and then mingle your way on to the dance floor. :-)
Okay it wasn't quite like that but I swear it was similar. We love our friends and family but where do you sit everyone. Person A knows this person B, but dislikes this person C who likes person B. You know some crazy math problem like that. Or these 11 people are a great group, but fitting more than 9 adults at a table is tight and can you just take 2 and put them anywhere? We had two go rounds at the seating chart, Jessi made little stickies and we placed them all over imaginary tables. It gave us a clue but at that time we were missing a few RSVP. Which let me tell you can drastically change a table and it did.
So last night before heading out to our last date as legally single, we figured it out. Especially on my side I set random people together to mingle everyone will know at least one person at their table. If it's not the perfect seating situation, after you are done your dinner get out on the dance floor. The whole event runs over 5 hours (Ceremony; Cocktail hour and reception) the room is on the smaller side one eats dinner for an hour I hope people can make the best of their tables. :-) And after the food is done get up and Mingle around the room and then mingle your way on to the dance floor. :-)
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
11 Days and Counting
Or, How the Wedding is Like a Kid's Toy
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| Puzzle that took us months to actually assmble |
All of a sudden, the wedding is upon us! I have a slightly difficult time realizing that this has been two years in the planning, it seems like we've only just started!
It's not exactly panic that I'm feeling, more like overwhelmed; there are too many pieces that all look the same. The finished product is going to be beautiful, but it's a lot more complicated than I thought it would be, much like the puzzle of Neuschwanstein Castle Ellie got for Christmas a couple years ago. It took forever to put together, much longer than she thought. We had to put it away a few times, but none of those puzzle savers they sell were big enough to contain the behemoth. Anyone who has been to the apartment in the last year knows that we have stacks of boxes, and mounds of crafting supplies all over the house. It's a wonder our roommate hasn't bailed or set everything on fire. As we've been digging out the boxes that have been stored in the back entryway, things have gotten worse; you'd think we were moving!
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| Lesbian cake topper form Etsy |
I'm not even (really) worried about the stuff we still have to do. Now I'm more concerned about stupid things like
- "Why do Ellie and I BOTH have a room for two nights listed at the hotel?"
- "Did we give out all the comp rooms yet, or did I do the math wrong and we still have one?"
- "Why did the new coordinator mention an ice sculpture when we met her since we neither ordered it nor have enough room bookings to 'earn' it (and can we turn that into cost & reduce the total owed)?"
I'm also concerned about the things out of our control, like whether the cake will arrive as discussed and on time; if the DJ will actually be any good; whether guest will be springing any last-minute +1's, travel/rooming difficulties, etc on us; just general things that don't actually happen and I have no control over if they do.
That puzzle is now hanging in our living room, right when you get to the top of the stairs, huge and gorgeous, much like the wedding will be.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Well, That Wasn't So Bad...
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| They made me turn my head, but still wanted pics of the shirt. So of course Jere grabbed my ass |
I knew the night wouldn't be like that, but I wasn't sure just how much fun it would be since I'm not really a club person, and there really isn't much else to do unless you happen to be lucky enough to find a cool drag or burlesque show or something occurring at the same time.
Most of us (the usual suspects congregated at the hotel we were staying at, prepping for dinner and Spot #2. Jere had designed t-shirts for all of us, which was a really nice touch--everyone was a Wingman or a Wingwoman with a funny phrase, like "Yes, she will take a shot" (I need to get the images!!). Of course I got the typical "Single for Tonight" slogan. Ours were WAY cooler than Ellie's!! :p
Dinner was at Beer Works, and two surprise friends from Milford showed up! I honestly wasn't expecting any of the Milford peeps to show since they all live much further (most of them aren't in Milford anymore), and have lives and partners and children. As always, Beer Works was awesome, although I do hate having big groups at a table because I always feel neglectful of people since I can't pay attention to all the conversations happening! But I was so glad that so many people were able to make it. Don't we all look like were' happy and having fun?
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| The whole party getting ready to eat! |
I wound up shocking everyone (including myself) when I kicked ass at the arcade games! I admit that I pride myself on doing well with them since those were always my focus when we went to arcades as kids--I knew that I was spending money on the games, so wanted something to show for it!! But that night, I happened to get VERY lucky at the Wheel of fortune machine and hit for 500 tickets on one of my spins!
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| Look at that stack of tickets at my feet! They were still dispensing as people kept feeding me quarters! |
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| They just won't stop!!! |
Everyone was kind enough to pool their tickets to get me something fun, and Em was ballsy enough to play the "My friend is getting married and we're at her bachelorette party" card. They wound up getting me the
Back at the hotel to freshen up for our Stop #3, we played the Panty Game. I did terribly, but got some really cute panties, which is always a bonus. Alas, those pictures have been lost, probably because the gods had mercy on me and knew those were some of the most awkward photos ever taken of me.
We finished the night at Fran's Place, a club I never thought I'd set foot in after we all graduated. Luckily, it was DEAD for a Saturday night, so we could all comfortably hang out in the back and drink, play those silly bar video games, and shoot some pool. Anna also passed out some BINGO cards to get my loaded; she was successful as I had a rough night when we got back to the hotel and when I got up the next morning. I was really flattered that Liz said I looked way better than she thought I would--I'm fortunate that I pass out before I can get REALLY shattered.
With a final stop at Denny's where I couldn't finish my fried appetizer basket because I was too hungover, Anna brought me home and I slept until Ellie got home from work. I will say that I didn't drink again until Wednesday though, despite going to a bar for the girls' fantasy football draft that Tuesday.
Thanks everyone who were able to make it, it was a night I won't forget for a long time
Monday, August 27, 2012
Thank You!!
About a week before the Shower, we were out and I was all of a sudden hit by the realization that
WE HAVE TO SEND 2 THANK YOU CARDS!!
I don't know why this struck me as such a big thing. I know we'd discussed some ideas for the Wedding thank you's, but it never seemed to dawn on me that we'd have to send separate ones for the Shower (don't even ask, because I have no freaking idea...). We happened to be in Harvard Square that day and decided to look around. (Yes, Ellie TOTALLY thought I knew, considering this was one week before the shower itself).
Cards are expensive yo.
And most leave something to be desired.
In the 2 different stores, we found some that were tolerable, and some that were amazing, but none that REALLY stood out. I think one of the problems with not really having a theme is that it's difficult to gather all the pieces and make them coherent--maybe we should have just ordered everything from the same company at the same time!!
But we didn't, so have been learning as we go. And when I really stop to think about it, if we had gone that route, I wouldn't have been able to get the most amazing invitations of all time from my co-worker!! I kind of shut down while we were on our hunting excursion, so Ellie did a little CBT and came up with an amazing idea: we would make the thank you's for the Shower and re-evaluate our ambition and desire to do a little more DIY as we got closer or just after the Wedding itself. She knows me so well--this would be a perfect opportunity to get rid of at least a little of the craft stuff we have, and take a good look at our stock to maybe prompt some re-organization or donation (both of which happened).
Once Ellie got the design down, and we selected the colors/stamps/paper, it wasn't hard at all. I've only made a couple of cards in my life, but Ellie's the resident expert thanks to her Mom, so I let her lead (yes, it WAS difficult). She cut, I folded; she stamped the front, then I stamped the inside while she cut the other pieces.
Something I had never really thought of was using colored pencils to highlight the stamps (I knew Ellie and her mom enhanced their cards, but the how never really clicked). I think I did a halfway okay job with these little flowers.
We even dressed up the envelopes a little bit!
The responses to the cards was really nice, it almost makes me want to make the thank you's for the Wedding too, but I've found some nice ones online and don't know of the energy and cost to make them will outweigh the benefit of showing off our DIY talents.
In the 2 different stores, we found some that were tolerable, and some that were amazing, but none that REALLY stood out. I think one of the problems with not really having a theme is that it's difficult to gather all the pieces and make them coherent--maybe we should have just ordered everything from the same company at the same time!!
But we didn't, so have been learning as we go. And when I really stop to think about it, if we had gone that route, I wouldn't have been able to get the most amazing invitations of all time from my co-worker!! I kind of shut down while we were on our hunting excursion, so Ellie did a little CBT and came up with an amazing idea: we would make the thank you's for the Shower and re-evaluate our ambition and desire to do a little more DIY as we got closer or just after the Wedding itself. She knows me so well--this would be a perfect opportunity to get rid of at least a little of the craft stuff we have, and take a good look at our stock to maybe prompt some re-organization or donation (both of which happened).
Once Ellie got the design down, and we selected the colors/stamps/paper, it wasn't hard at all. I've only made a couple of cards in my life, but Ellie's the resident expert thanks to her Mom, so I let her lead (yes, it WAS difficult). She cut, I folded; she stamped the front, then I stamped the inside while she cut the other pieces.
Something I had never really thought of was using colored pencils to highlight the stamps (I knew Ellie and her mom enhanced their cards, but the how never really clicked). I think I did a halfway okay job with these little flowers.
The responses to the cards was really nice, it almost makes me want to make the thank you's for the Wedding too, but I've found some nice ones online and don't know of the energy and cost to make them will outweigh the benefit of showing off our DIY talents.
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