Here Comes the Bride, Again, and Again, and Again…

20May

Categories: Husbands, Marriage, Marriage Confessions, Money, Vacation, Weddings

‘Tis the season of bridal showers, three-tiered cakes, and crying flower girls.  Last week alone we received four invitations to weddings and one invitation to a shower.  Now, I love weddings.  Any excuse to get all dolled up, cry in public, and eat bacon wrapped scallops and cake is fine by me.  But, come on brides!  Lets get our schedules together here!

The bad thing is that all of these weddings are people that we really can’t say no to.  One is Chris’ old college roommate, one is one of my oldest friends and former bridesmaid, one is a current classmate of Chris’, and one is a former co-worker who I adore.  And every single one of these brides could take me out in a street fight in under 2 minutes.  We must attend.

There are several problems with this situation.  First is the basic logistical nightmare.  Chris and I will both have to take a week off to move into our new house (pause to think happy thoughts about the new house…!!) AND Chris will be starting a new job.  We both are worried about our days off of work.  Which brings us to the second problem.  Only one of the four weddings are actually in the state of Connecticut.  And two of them are in Florida!  So we have to figure in travel time, air fare, and hotels…  Which brings us to the third problem.  Traveling during the summer is really expensive!  Let’s say we manage to get ourselves together and both of us can take the time off of work (doubtful, but let’s pretend).  We still have to fork out airfare for two people to Florida – twice! – and then hotels to put us up while we are there.  And there’s rental cars, food, a new pair of shoes once I realize I have packed the wrong pair.  And of course, there’s the gift.  Which brings us to the final problem in this situation – I adore wedding presents!

I think it is because I know the wonderful feeling I had when people were so randomly generous for my own wedding, but I just love to give big wedding presents!  I love it!  The entire cookware set – check!  An entire place setting, including china and silver – check!  Large, random appliances – double check!  Let me tell you, I am an awesome wedding guest.  This is all in spite of Chris, who thinks we send a waffle maker to everyone.  He doesn’t know, and as far as I’m concerned he doesn’t need to know of this habit.  If he wants to take the time to go online, find the registry, pick out the gift, then fine.  He can know what we’re giving.  But until then, he has no say in this.  Wedding presents are so much fun!  But when we’re talking four weddings (and possibly my funeral if Chris finds out about the gift situation), it is going to get expensive.  The cost of homeownership is marginal compared to wedding season.

But what can you do except put on your prettiest dress, grab some tissues, and practice your best chicken dance?  Hold on to your hankies – it’s wedding season!

4  comments   |   posted in Husbands, Marriage, Marriage Confessions, Money, Vacation, Weddings   |   tags: bridesmaids, friendships, gift giving, Marriage, Relationships, Weddings

Camp Killed My Dogs

25Mar

Categories: Lucy, Marriage, Marriage Confessions, Molly, Vacation

I think we killed our dogs. As you all know, we had to put our two precious doggies in a kennel for a week while we lived it up in Houston for Chris’ conference. All things considered, the kennel was great. They got to stay together. They had a doggie door in their “suite” that let them go out into a private fenced in yard anytime of day they wanted. They had frozen peanut butter stuffed Kongs. They were in heaven. Chris and I called it Camp. It just sounds more fun than kennel.

When we picked them up, their camp counselors (a.k.a. the vet techs) told us that they had done really well. Molly barked a lot when Lucy went out to have a pedicure (a.k.a. her nails clipped) one day and Lucy had stolen all the pillows and blankets, but other than that they were like little peas and carrots. In fact, when it was time to leave and she went to get the dogs, Lucy had to be shaken out of her blanket where she was burrowed for her morning nap.

They were so happy to see us. Lucy (the little one) used to have a little “piddle problem” whenever she got excited. But she has really outgrown that and doesn’t do it anymore. Yesterday though she would come running up to us, jumping all over, and then she’d stop and turn around to make sure she hadn’t piddled. Then she’d go right back to jumping. She was so darn excited to be home she thought she’d wet her pants! Molly (the big one) was happy, too, but she was happy in the way a potted plant is happy. She basically just needs some sunshine, water, and food and she’s happy anywhere. I don’t even think she noticed we’d been gone.

So we get the dogs home and they immediately go right to their houses (a.k.a. their dog crates). I mean, they didn’t even stop to have their belly rubbed or to sniff our luggages full of dirty laundry. They walked right over to their houses, got in, laid down and they were out. They slept all afternoon and night. It was insane. Chris and I kept throwing little things at them and flicking their ears to make sure they were still alive, but they barely moved. Camp kicked their little doggy butts!

0  comments   |   posted in Lucy, Marriage, Marriage Confessions, Molly, Vacation   |   tags: dogs, Marriage

Stressed Like a Pair of 80s Jeans

23Mar

Categories: Marriage Confessions, Vacation


Now I realize that the things I am about to complain about are trivial compared to, say, world hunger and issues in the Middle East, but this is what stress in my life looks like right now:

1. I am three weeks late on submitting homework assignments for one of my classes this semester because my professor’s computer is not compatible with the formats I originally submitted. I got an email from him this morning that he was getting ready to “substandardize” my grade if my assignments are not submitted in a different format by this afternoon. As an added bonus, I am stuck in an airport with no access to my original files until at least 5:00 PM.

2. I just found out that for three weeks, my group in this same class has been communicating via email instead of posting to our group site. This means, I have been checking my group site everyday and seeing nothing posted, have done nothing. I logged in to check my email this week only to find weeks worth of work having been done without me. My group is pissed and the latest email they sent to me three days ago was titled, “Where the Hell Are You?”

3. My dogs are stuck in a kennel until tomorrow even though we are returning home today because it is Easter Sunday and they aren’t open to free our dogs. I can’t write more about this because I cry and I’m sitting in an airport, so that’s awkward.

4. My first day back at work tomorrow is also the first day back at work for my boss who has been traveling internationally for two weeks, so you know he’ll be ready to jump right into everything before I’ve even had time to reboot my computer. It is also the first day back for our students after a two week Spring Break, so they’ll be full of issues, too, I’m sure.

5. I am nauseous, hungry, full, and bloated all at the same time. I would wonder if I was The Big P, except that Chris has the same symptoms, so I’m fairly certain it is just my stomach revolting against all the Mexican, BBQ, and beer I’ve stuffed into it this week.

This is why I hate taking vacations. As soon as you start to wake up from the haze of sleeping late and overindulging on late night plates of nachos, you realize that, oddly, the rest of the world has not in fact been on vacation and that as your punishment for having the nerve to leave for a week, you have to try to jump on the moving ferris wheel of school, work, and fruits and vegetables.

On a lighter note, I have a tan/sunburn and my freckles are back! I actually think that’s a fair trade…

0  comments   |   posted in Marriage Confessions, Vacation   |   tags: Vacation

Mexican Princess

21Mar

Categories: Marriage Confessions, Vacation

Today I discovered my inner Mexican Princess.

Chris had to be at the conference all day doing boring theater work things so I took the opportunity to reach out to the Southwestern culture in a way that is universally recognized as unifying: shopping at Macy’s. I didn’t intentionally set out to find my inner Mexican Princess. She just showered upon me like the contents of a busted pinata.

In Connecticut, Ralph Lauren and Anne Klein dominate. Plaids, paisleys, and pastels come in more varieties than you can count, which leads you to believe you are choosing something unique. In Texas, the RL and AK sections of Macy’s were blissfully small, contained in one small corner of one of the five floors of clothes. The rest of the store was filled with more colors and prints than my mind could comprehend. I actually found myself holding three beautiful silk flowing tunics in assorted bright colors when my mom called to say hello. Hearing my Blackberry call out to me snapped me out of my brief and beautiful Hispanic calling and I was forced to admit that I could not actually pull off this look in New England. I put the tunics back and settled for a few brightly colored tailored button down blouses that will look “fresh” with a simple pair of black slacks or khakis.

While I accept that I can’t pull off the beautiful, bright silk pieces of the Latin and Hispanic cultures, I can still dream of my Mexican Princess lifestyle while I’m in Houston. And seeing all these colors has inspired me to add a little more snazz to my own wardrobe.  I mean, black, navy, and beige are great staples in any wardrobe (and a necessity in a New England ensemble), but who can’t appreciate a splash of bright orange or green every now and then?

For two more days in Houston any way, there will be a pale, freckled, redheaded Mexican Princess roaming the streets, dreaming of long, flowing skirts and bright turquoise heels.

0  comments   |   posted in Marriage Confessions, Vacation   |   tags: shopping, Vacation

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