Fun surprises...

Lately, trips to the mailbox have been very exciting and surprising. We're starting to receive our response cards back and every day it's a guess as to how many we will receive and then how many of those are yes or no. So far, we've received 39 yes and 2 no. It seems like a such a simple thing, but it makes everything seem more real and much closer than before.

This reminds me of the simple suprises that make us happy in life. Having an unexpected great workout, walking outside and it finally being warm, kind words, gestures, out of the blue phone calls, warm hugs, being asked to marry the love of your life...

Yesterday, I got a not so nice surprise...my mom called with good news and bad news. The bad news? My wedding dress was at the store in north jersey for different touch-ups where it was destroyed by the bad flooding. My mom was choked up trying to tell me which in turn choked me up. My mom and my sister's dresses were also there for alterations. My parents didn't tell me when they found out because they wanted to try to solve the problem before worrying me. The problem was that my dress was discontinued shortly after I had bought it, so they were fearful I wasn't going to be able to have that style dress.

Great surprise? My wonderful parents, especially my dad, spent two days on the phone with David's Bridal Headquarters trying to figure out what could be done, and if there was any possiblity of getting my same style back again. Fortunately they found the dress somewhere in a warehouse in the United States and will be shipped to me in the next 3 weeks.

I've been thinking about this since my mom called and while I would have been upset at first, and very disappointed if I had to look for a new dress, I have plenty of time. I felt that dress was the one and I love it, however, things could be worse. I feel bad for the brides whose dresses were there waiting for pick-up for this weekend or this month who didn't have as much time as myself to look for a new dress. I was also fortunate that my dress fit me perfectly without needing alterations, but what about those getting married now that fell in between sizes and need alterations in addition to a new dress on very short notice??

So while we are often caught off guard with the fun and great suprises, every now and then, a bad one creeps in. Fortunately I have an amazing mom and dad who would spare me the stress and tears of finding a new one by spending days tracking down my same wedding dress for me, even though it had been discontinued. For that I am truly grateful...

More on the tragedy...

I have tried to stay away from much of the news surrounding the Virginia Tech tragedy; mostly, because I feel there is only SO much one can take. I have kept up through the newspaper, but other than that, it's been pretty limited.

Today, I picked up the newspaper on our front walkway to find the faces of the victims and it suddenly became VERY real to me. I immediately got the chills. It's hard to look at the faces and think of all they have left to accomplish. Granted, there are people dying everyday in scenarios that are similar and very different. However, most of them are not sitting in what is supposed to be one of the safest places you can be...your school classroom.

The scariest picture of them all is the one where Cho is pointing the gun at the camera. I can only sit back and imagine what it was like to really see that and have that fear tearing through you in your final moments.

As with other tragedies, this is going to take a long time for the public to feel comfortable and safe again. It is going to take a very long time for the students of Virginia Tech to feel safe where they are.

...again, I say my prayers to all of the people surrounding that terrible tragedy...

Tragic, horrible, incredibly sad...

By now I'm sure everyone is aware of the tragedy that occurred yesterday at Virginia Tech. There are a lot of things I have been thinking about since it occurred that I'd like to just get out there...

First of all, I think back to all those times that I had classes in college. All of my major classes were relatively small, and even the larger ones, you start to establish relationships with those people at the very least, during those class times. The thought of being in a room where 95% of the students are chosen at random to be killed is a horrible thought. I watched one of the students be interviewed who was injured, but survived with one or two other students. Even though he obvious consented to doing the interview, I can't IMAGINE speaking on national television after I was just part of an ordeal like that.

There's a lot of questioning that is going on regarding the way the university handled the first events that first occurred. At first when I was listening to the president being interviewed and interrogated regarding the way they handled the first shooting, I felt bad. However, the more I listened to information provided, the more I couldn't believe that they didn't do SOMETHING after the first shooting, ESPECIALLY since they were not sure who the suspect was and if he was still out there. We all realize that mistakes happen, but this seems like a pretty tragic mistake to myself.

I consider myself to have gone through a pretty difficult event during college. However, it is hard to fathom the immensity of this tragedy and to be a student there at Virginia Tech. I can't imagine how you even begin to deal with a tragedy of this proportion, this late in the school year...with only several weeks to go.

...I pray for all of those students, faculty, and staff, and the families who are devastatingly affected by this tragedy...

Freaky...

The recent weather findings have had me feeling a tad bit nervous. A friend of mine listened to information from a forum about the weather (being very general) now and into the future. It was held by scientists from different countries throughout the world. From what my friend has said, the future looks grim when it comes to coastal living and major storms.

Today is April 16, and it was SNOWING!!

All this freaky weather stuff has left me wondering what the future really WILL be like!

Thankful...

Due to a recent post, it is known that I have an obsession these days with watching the seasons of Sex and the City...

...the more I watch, the more I feel those four girls parallel my friendship with my three best friends.

In reality, watching just makes me more thankful that I DO have that kind of friendship to be able to compare. The four of us came together early on in high school when we were on the same athletic team. Slowly but surely, we merged to become one powerful quad of friends. When we were going away to college, I remember being scared as to what would happen...wondering if our friendship would survive. During that time period, one of the biggest things that I learned was this quote...

...one of the most important things you will learn in a friendship is that you can grow separately without growing apart...

Our friendship is stronger today than it ever was.

There are stretches of time that go by that I don't get to see them that often, and we all live pretty closely relatively speaking. It is hard to get our schedules to mesh and get together, but when we do...it's such a great feeling to be in their company.

It's fun to go through our life events together...and share it with each other.

...so yes, it IS silly that I am so obsessed with watching Sex and the City, but it's fun to watch and be reminded of the things that I am so thankful for in my own friendships...

Thoughts continued...

...I'm so tired of being COLD!!!!

Just a few thoughts...

Just a couple of things on my mind today...

...I am VERY bothered by the recent firing of the NJ Devils' head coach. I am a huge fan of the Devils, however, I think this move late in the season was very uncalled for. From what I can gather, there really is NOT legitimate reason behind it, other than the fact that the GM THINKS (based on performance), they are not in the best shape they can be in, they don't have the right attitude, etc. I'm not sure how many of you, if any, watch hockey, but the Devils have been doing very well...they've been winning! As always, there are probably things going on that we don't know about, but it seemed like a surprise to EVERYONE involved. My personal opinion, the GM wanted the glory of being back on the bench after firing a coach, and leading his team through the playoffs. Bull crap....

...Today was a monumental day in the land of wedding planning - I dropped off our wedding invitations at the post office!! It was odd, but while I was standing there online I was getting very nervous and my heart was pounding. Now don't any of you take this the wrong way because it was not nerves associated negatively with getting married....but it's just so crazy that I actually AM getting married!! Phew, that was a big weight off of our shoulders.

...Sometimes I really HATE being in a job where decision making is not in a concrete form. It makes things very stressful for myself.

...I'm actually feeling very tired today, and the last thing I want to do is be HERE right now...

Update on things...

94 days from today we will be getting MARRIED!! :)

...Things are moving along so wondefully if you ask me. I have to admit, this process has not been NEARLY as bad as everyone makes it out to be...

I think the reason for that is the attitude that the bride and groom have going into the process. I defintiely see where arguments arise because there are always things that the bride is pickier about than the groom. However, our arguments have been miniscule compared to the things that I know others argue about.

Looking back now, I think the hardest thing we had to accomplish was picking a day AND finding a reception hall that we liked, felt comfortable with, and had availability less than a year to the day we wanted to get married. Once we decided to move the date to a Sunday, everything just fell into place.

This past week, we've gotten even more accomplished...invitations are ready to be sent out, my mom and I got centerpieces for the table, my future brother and sister-in-laws were so kind to let us borrow all the picture frames from their wedding so we could borrow their idea, I'm getting my dress fitted today :)...

The types of things we still have left to accomplish are: bridal party gifts, parental gifts, wedding favors (which we are doing something special instead), figuring out the ceremony (readings, flow, music, etc.)...and I honestly can't think of anything else at the moment....

...it's so crazy to think that we are 94 days away from the most special day....

5 Years...

Friday April 6th will be 5 years to the day that a boyfriend of mine passed away. What bothers me a little bit is that the first time I thought of that was this morning, when it just popped into my head.

I had a really hard time in the beginning because it was a loss that made me feel really empty inside. When someone is so much a part of your life, and then all of a sudden they're not there anymore, it feels like you're constantly lost in search of something.

When my fiance and I first started dating, it was really important to me that he knew of that part of my life. I wanted him to understand what I had gone through. One night we went for a walk near his apartment complex and there was a big storm brewing. When we got back to his immediate parking lot, he stopped me and told me that when the time was right, he wanted to know that part of me. He reinforced with me then how special he was because I knew he wouldn't be the type of person that would ever expect me to forget....after that moment, it started to rain...

I still haven't forgotten to this day, and of course I never will. People often have a sympathetic look when I tell them a story related to him, or just tell them of that time in my life. It's hard for me because I don't want that sympathetic look. I want everyone to understand that now I am able to look back and realize that that experience with him helped to shape the person I have become. I am thankful to have been able to be there for him.

I had a dream the other night...he walked into a room looking very healthy and glowing from the "good days" that I remember and said "What's happening", his trademark phrase. He was really tall, so I remember just looking up and seeing him smiling. So, I stood up on what looked like a lockerroom bench and we just hugged for a few minutes. Then, he said to me, "So, I hear you're in love" and just smiled. With that, I woke up.

It's hard to believe that 5 years have gone by since that happened. My life has changed tremendously, but that is one thing that will always remain unchanged inside. I truly believe that I am with my fiance today because the roads of my life carried me the way they have, and I would never change them. The next few days for me will be remembering the person who taught me about love, life, and loss...

...It's better to have loved and lost...then to have never loved at all....

Obsession

Recently I was at a friend's house and she had every season of Sex and the City in her possession, unopened. Every once in awhile I will watch an episode when it's on TV, but I was never into when it was on HBO and I'm afraid of missing out on something that is not able to show on TV. So, I borrowed all of the seasons.

I am completely obsessed.

When I am at work, I can not wait to go home for 2 reasons: to see my fiance and to watch some episodes of Sex and the City. The first couple of episodes in Season 1 were ok, but the more I watched, the more into I got. I am 0bsessed because in some ways, those four women remind me much of my 3 best friends and myself (grammar?).

Even though I am enjoying the show because of the previously listed reasons, I also think that box sets of shows often do that to a person. Earlier on in our relationship, my fiance and I started watching the Sopranos on the DVD sets that he had of the seasons. I had never seen the show prior to those DVDs, and the more we watched, the more obsessed with watching them we became. There would be days where we would watch upwards of 3 episodes a day. the same thing happened when we started watching the World War II series (I'm totally blanking on the name in this moment, but I think you all know what I mean), we started watching as many as we could in a day.

You know what I'm thinking right now? I'm thinking...how many episodes am I going to be able to watch tonight??