Bubbles

When it gets to be over 60, the Forrest men love to be outside. Bryan puts on shorts and flip flops, and it is go time. When the boys got home from school today, they wanted to play with bubbles. Ah, the simple joys of being a kid. Soapy water and a wand. Torrin had a very hard time understanding the concept of not blowing with all his might. It took him awhile but he eventually got a few bubbles. I have no pictures of Camden because the neighborhood kids came out and he wanted to play with them.

Torrin took a minute to say "Wassup peeps"

He kept trying to get the bubbles to work and was eventually successful.

Then Daddy got to try:

That bubble toy is pretty cool. It is much easier than the wand that comes with the bubbles. Torrin was much better when he used that:

Then we tried together. Obviously, this was not going to work but he thought it was fun:

While he was next to me, I went in for a kiss. In this picture it looks like he is thinking no way Dani, but he did kiss me. Bryan just did not catch it.

He then went back to the wand and trying far too hard:

He had such a great time. I love his picture of him. Pure happiness:

Love that kiddo!

It is Gone....

I did not shed a tear. I am sure the water works will come eventually, but I was strong. I took a few pictures and off it went. Here are the last shots of me and the Mazdarati. This is me turning the key one last time. The last place it went was the gym. I feel horrible. It should have gone someplace cool with me, like Little Caesars, or Hobby Lobby. Not the place of evilness and pain....

Then we brought it home. Here are some more pictures:

Holding onto it for dear life. It looks a little scandalous. Normally I would NEVER post, or keep, a picture of my backside, but this one did not make me look too much like a heffer, so I posted it. Now the plateless pic:

It looks so naked. And now the final pic with the car:

Bryan was so excited about the money that he had to take a picture of me. Here I am, smiling on the outside, missing the Mazdarati on the inside:

I love Bryan, I do, but pay attention to the windows when taking a picture. It is so bright. Plus it looks like we only got $800 for the car with the way I am holding it.

I don't think reality has set in. I will miss my car. Sure, I love the BMW, but the Mazdarati was with me for a long time. RIP-September 28th, 2002-April 14th, 2010. I know it did not die, but it left me, so I have to be a little dramatic.

On a happier note, my oldest nephew is 15 today. Where the heck did that time go?! I was a freshman in college when I got the phone call that Denise was in labor. Now he is 15. Seriously?  I wish I had digital images of him but I would have to scan some of his birth, and well, I just don't feel like it right now. So I will put a picture of the two of us on our road trip last summer:

We jokingly say he is my son because we have so much in common. We pretend that I was just too young to take care of him, so I gave him to my sister. We order the same things at restaurants. I love this kid. I have so many memories of him. He was a huge part of my college years-I was so thankful they lived 5 miles away. I got to see him all the time. My favorite story was when my parents came up to visit and after they left I went find my keys, and they were nowhere to be found. Quinn had just started talking so I went and said, "Quinn, where are Tanta's keys?" He looked at me and said, "In Nana puuuurse." So cute, but I did not believe him. He repeatedly told me they were in Nana's purse. Remind you, this was back before cell phones, so I had to wait until my parents got home 2 hours later and ask them if my keys were in my mom's purse. Sure enough, Quinn was telling the truth. I could not get into my apartment and I had to wait until my parent's mailed me the keys. Awww, kids. I miss those days! Happy Birthday Quinn! I love you!

Saying Goodbye....

Today is the day I did not think would come. I mean, I knew it would, but I wasn't planning on it happening so quick. When Bryan and I got engaged, there were talks of me needing a bigger car. I said I was fine, the two car seats fit, and we don't have another kid yet, so we are fine. Plus my car is paid for. It was idle chatter, but then Bryan decided to get rid of his baby-the Camaro, and he traded it in for his new baby, the Audi (or as the kids call it, the Owie) This was his car he was going to drive all the time, unlike the Camaro that sat in the garage. When he got the Audi, this left the BMW SUV available, which we decided would become mine. No, it is not a ton bigger, but it is nicer. It has heated seats and a heated steering wheel which is pretty cool. We agreed upon it and put my car up for sale on Craig's List. Here is a picture. I feel bad it is kind of dirty.

We immediately got calls on it. A guy named Tim came by and looked at it. I felt like it was cheating on me. Someone else was driving my car. Last night someone named Mike came by. Mike bought my car. He is coming by in a few hours to pick up the car.

Last night as I lay there in bed, the wedding thoughts were overrun with thoughts of my car. I got this car on September 28th, 2002. It is a 2003 and it just hit 56,000 miles. I have never had a car this long so it has been a part of me. It was the car I drove to New Jersey when I moved. It was the car that took endless amount of trips to Boston, Philadelphia, and places all over New Jersey. It held the friends I met in New Jersey and my Colorado friends. It was the car that I would take naps in during my lunch break when I was teaching. It was the car that I went to and sobbed in the day I found out I lost my job. It holds some very good memories (and some bad ones) but it has been with me for almost 8 years and today I have to say goodbye. I am going to let Bryan deal with it as I will probably break down. We are taking it for one last drive before it leaves me forever. I will take pictures of course. Yes, I am happy to have the BMW SUV, something I always loved but I knew I would never be able to afford. Bryan has given it to me and I do love it, but I will miss my car. My "Mazdarati."

Wedding Stuff

What am I going to think about when this wedding is over? I don't sleep, I am wedding obsessed. I am Disney Weddings Message Board obsessed.

Being a planner, I love doing this, and I tend to rush to judgment on things. I immediately started looking for a dress and within 3 weeks of being engaged, I bought one. I just hope I still love it when it comes in. It has been two months now so we shall see. I stumbled upon my bridesmaid dresses accidentally. It is not the color I want but the deal was too good to pass up, the girls all love it (or they are lying), can wear it again, and it looks fabulous on them! I have our invitations narrowed down to 3 designs. I would love to look online for lots of invites but I will be overwhelmed. Thankfully there are Disney ones, so I am sticking with the three I narrowed it down to. Bryan has his favorite, I have mine so we will see.

Bryan has decided he wants to plan the rehearsal dinner. I am trying to let go of wanting to control every aspect of the wedding, so it has been passed on to him. He has the guest list, a list of suggested places, and is running with it.

I booked the photographer and videographer awhile back and now I am having MAJOR issues with it. I booked the first photographer I heard a good recommendation for and was so afraid he would be booked so I booked him. Deposit paid, deals were made in conjunction with the videographer and all was well. Then I became obsessed with the Disney wedding board and learned of all the other AMAZING photographers. Crazy expensive photographers. BUT photos (minus the groom and my family being there) are the most important thing to me so I feel I need to switch.

I am stressed about the budget. I am SO incredibly grateful for every penny my parents are giving us. I never want to ask for more then they are willing to give because they are already giving us so much. I pray I can keep it within the amount that was given to me while still having a great wedding.

There are so many things that add up. 21% service fee, cake that is $9 a slice (the cheapest and I dont even like cake), ugly chairs that I desperately want changed but don't think we can afford, 6.5% sales tax, $4 sodas, flowers, etc. There are things I really, really, really want but I don't think it is in the budget. Like the Cinderella Coach. Call me crazy, but it has been a dream of mine but I don't think $2,700 for a carriage is going to go over well with the parentals, nor is it financially feasible. Will I regret this? Will I wish I had it? I know want and need are two very different things, but I really want that.

The reception sites had to be switched because of the amount of people that plan on attending. Therefore we will have our ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion, then we move to BoardWalk, then we move to Grand Floridian for the dessert party. This stresses me out like you would not believe. People are not going to have cars so I feel we need to provide transportation which of course is lots of $$$$. Also, I don't want people driving drunk in between the reception and the dessert party. When does it end?

I have dreamed of this wedding for as long as I can remember. I want it to be everything I ever wanted but that is a lot of money and can't happen. People tell me I am nuts, as it is one day in your life, but at the time of the wedding I will be 34 and I waited a long time for Bryan and this day. I want it to be great!

We have a planning session booked for July 16th. We get to go to the Bridal Design area, pick what we want, customize our menu, see the location, etc. A lot will get answered then-I hope. I wish I could have everything I want, but we need to win the lotto. I guess I should start playing the lotto....

Bad Idea

Only a few people know what I have done, but now it is time to announce it to the world. Or the 5 people or so who read this.....

Those who know me, know I would never get a tattoo. I love them, I do. I think they can be beautiful and cool, but I never like the same things for very long, so I can't see putting a tattoo on me that I would love 60 years from now (if I live that long!)

One thing I do love is the look of black eyeliner, perfectly lined on someone's eyes. I have tried countless times to perfect this technique to no avail. Then I was talking to the ladies at the spa and all of them had permanent eyeliner done. Um, what is that and how do I do it? Well, essentially you get your eyes tattooed and apparently I thought this would be a good idea. I thought if I could look like this, I would feel and look much better. Although they told me I should get permanent lip liner, I said no way. I don't want to have to wear lipstick every day!

Let's flash back several months to Operation Permanent Eyeliner Try 1: I was relieved to know there is a numbing cream that is put on your eyelids so you don't feel pain when the needles go in. I wondered why tattoo parlors do not use this. Anyway, Laurie puts the cream on me and guess who has an allergic reaction to it? That would be me. I swell up like a balloon, it stings like a mo fo, and they do not understand why as I am the ONLY person they have ever had who had a reaction. I decide to live with the stinging and go on with the procedure. I laid there for 3 hours, having needles poked into my lids and then I was done. I was told I would be swollen and SOME of it would fall off but it would still look good. Of all the people I have seen who had this done-they look great. Well, not me. It fell off in flakes and chunks and I had to have it redone.

Operation Permanent Eyeliner Try 2: Laurie said touch ups within 3 weeks are usually necessary so I say ok, let me go back, deal with the stinging and burning, and put myself through hell again. Guess what? It fell off again. So what do I do? Do I give up? No, I go back for....

Operation Permanent Eyeliner Try3: May I remind you I am unemployed and can't afford to do this, but I am already partially tattooed so I feel like I HAVE to do it. I swear this is the LAST time. If it does not take, I am done. Well, it kind of takes, but parts are missing, the bottom looks like I did not wash my makeup off the night before, so I go back yesterday for....

Operation Permanent Eyeliner Try 4: I SWEAR this is the last time I am doing it. When I get there, I swell, I sting, but I hope that this works...finally. Laurie asks me if I tan. I tell her no, not at all. She tells me that is why it is probably not taking. My skin has no mellanin (spelling?) She uses different needles on me than before and all I can do is wait and see. She did it a lot thicker but that means nothing. It always looks good and dark when I am finished, but then a few days later-it leaves me. So here I sit, super swollen on the right eye, hoping this time it took. I have to wait and see but when I woke up this morning, I was not happy to see flakes of black on my cheek. I refuse to have it done again, so I am really hoping this works. Fingers crossed. One of my ultimate bad ideas.

Saying Goodbye

As I may have mentioned before, when Bryan and I went on our first date, he told me that if the weather was nice he would pick me up in his Camaro. I was a little worried as I thought he would have faded denim jeans, a concert t-shirt and possibly a mullet. He never informed me that it was the new Camaro so I was pleasantly surprised when he arrived. Sure, it is not my style but he loves that car. Love, love, loves it.

In the past he mentioned selling it when we talked about money, but I did not think it would ever happen. The other night he came to me and told me he made a decision and was going to trade it in. I repeatedly asked him if he was certain of his decision. Did I mention he loves this car? He said he was sure. The boys can't fit in it (car seats will not fit), his golf clubs won't fit, he can only drive it maybe once a week, and it costs a fortune, so he was sure this was the right thing to do. As long as he was ok with giving up something he worked so hard for, I was ok with his decision.

Last night we went to look at cars. Originally, he wanted another BMW but they would not work with him so we went to look at Audi's last night and he found one he liked. He made his decision, and today he is on his way to get the Audi and to say goodbye to the Camaro. Before he left, the boys went for one last ride. We took pictures of course:

Yes, they hugged it goodbye. I am proud of Bryan for making this decision. It had to be a hard one but I think he really likes the new car. It is fast (even if it is a 4 door) and he said it is a lot of fun to drive. I am a little sad that the car we went on our first date is no longer with us though :(

Confession

I love Bryan, I really do. I think he is amazing, and super foxy. Does this mean I can't drool over people I will never ever meet? Why am I bringing this up? Two words: Michael Buble...

Last night my mom and I went to his concert. I only know a few songs, but I went anyway. Two hours of staring at hotness is worth it in my book. He is adorable, he can sing, and did I mention he is adorable? I did wonder if he ever gets tired of wearing suits. It is like Barney on How I Met Your Mother-always wearing suits. From what I see, he wears a black suit with a black tie. Makes for easy planning and packing I would assume.

When looking for pictures of him for this post, I came across this photo:

My first thought was wow, he must not sleep in suits. My second thought was hey, it looks like he is saying, "Dani, come here. Let's spoon." I of course blush knowing we are both engaged to other people, but ponder spooning. After all, he is Michael Buble. Hubba Hubba (not as foxy as Bryan of course.) Oh how adorable this man is.

The concert began with a group called Naturally Seven. I thought, WHO?! Little did I know, I was about to be amazed. It is an all acapella group that uses their voices to sing and make the sounds of instruments. A-MA-ZING. They did Phil Collins In the Air of the Night song and with his voice, one of the guys did that awesome drum solo. Unreal. I could have listened to them all night. They received a standing ovation and said they would be in Section 104 after the show. I planned on going over there. Of course I forgot my camera. WHAT?! Yes, I, Danielle, forgot my camera. I was one of those people I hate who use their cell phones to take pictures (come on, get a real camera people). When we arrived at the concert, there was a cardboard cut out of MB and I really wanted to get my picture taken with him. My mom said to "get outta here" and kept on walking. I took that as a no. Anyway, back to the group. Bottom line is they were fantastic. Extremely talented. They finished and then MB came on at 9. Did I mention he is adorable? He talked about how he is now engaged, talked to the crowd, was surprisingly funny and incredibly charming (Are you sensing my mad crush on him). He asked if we liked the opening act. Everyone clapped and said, "Good, but that sh*t is expensive. Start passing around the collection plate." Pretty funny. When there was a pause, one woman yelled out, "I want to have your baby!" Another person said, "I LOVE YOU!" to which he replied, "I love you too, stranger."  He was very humble and seems genuinely appreciative and surprised that people come to see him. He said he wishes he could let everyone feel what he gets to feel when he is on stage. This of course got me thinking about singing. As many of you know (or all 4 of you who read this blog)-I do not sing. Ever. I may mouth words but I don't sing. This often makes me wonder, what if I am a really good singer?  What if I missed my calling (people often tell me I should have acted. Should I have?) This kind of thinking often gets me into funks. Did I really follow my dreams? Is my life what I want it to be or will I have regrets? What if I could have easily blown away the American Idol judges when I was young enough to do so, and right now, I could be on stages all over the world performing for people? These thoughts get my mind racing. Thankfully I had his Royal Hotness to distract me.

I thought it was cool that people were dancing in the aisles. I missed Bryan, and wished he were there so we could do that, but then I realized wait, he does not dance. Of course there were the annoying people, those who would not take their seat and just sat there in the aisle with their drinks, waiting to sit. MOVE IT PEOPLE! There was the one majorly drunk guy flailing (aka dancing) in his seat. Everyone else was sitting. There was the woman in the third room who yelled when NYC was mentioned. She also obnoxiously stood up on her chair several times trying to get Michael's attention (yes, I will call him Michael) as if he is going to stop singing and say oh hey older lady. Let me ditch my fiance and we will get out of here.

My mom was not that impressed with our seats. I don't think she realizes how much concerts cost. There are TV screens that show him perfectly (thank you HD TV) For a concert they were decent. Sure, not fabulous, but do you really need to spend $250 to sit right in front of him? This was the first concert I have ever been to where 95% of the time, people are sitting down. Odd.

After his encore, the show was over and we were headed out. I wanted to go see the opening act so I made my way to Section 104. Surprisingly the line was shorter than I have seen it for Mickey Mouse at Disney World. I got in line, excited to take pictures (on my lame phone) with them-you know, just in case they make it big and I can say yeah, we used to hang back in the day. I made my way through and I turned around to hand my mom the phone only to realize, she was not with me. I got out of line to see her hanging by the trash can. I guess she was not interested. So no picture with cardboard MB, and no pictures with Naturally Seven. Oh well. Dreams often get shattered ;)

The concert was over at 11 and we headed home. I was looking forward to sleep, but Torrin had a high fever and was up all night. He got out of bed at 5:00 and had been up ever since. He told me at 11:30 that he was ready for bed. I put him down and he came down at 12:30. I don't think so. I put him back to bed and I am hoping he stays asleep. The phone just rang so I doubt he will stay asleep.

On another completely random note, Bryan has new neighbors who I believe are Indian. Forgive me if that is politically incorrect terminology. She wears the full dress and has jewels on right now. The weird thing is, every day she is on her deck with her kids, who are always in their pajamas no matter what time of day it is. I would hate to have to get that dressed up while the kids are able to have jammie day all day.

Well, I am exhausted so I am signing off for now. I hope to write more soon about the wedding plans.

Justin Turns 8

About three weeks ago (yes, I am a bit behind) my third oldest nephew turned 8. Where did the time go?  I remember being on recess duty getting the call that my sister in law was in labor. I rushed to the hospital and made it just in time for him to arrive. He did not have a name for awhile because my brother and sister in law could not agree on a name. Eventually they decided on Justin Patrick. When he was born, he had dark skin, and black hair. I did not think he was a Diak. Eventually his hair fell out, went blond and now it is back to being dark. Before I moved to NJ, he was my buddy. When I moved it hurt to be away from him, but he talked to me on the phone, sent me pictures, and was so excited to see me when I came back to visit. Now that he is older, his Tanta (me) is not exciting to him. He does not talk to me all that much, and Legos, Bakugan and the computer have replaced me. It makes me sad and I miss the days of snuggling, the kisses and him saying, "You came all the way from New Jesus to see me?!" Now he is in 2nd grade!

For his birthday we had a sort of Mario themed party. Here are some pictures from his family party!

Noelle made a cake, which Torrin really enjoyed:

After the party, we went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. Let me just say I am thrilled that Camden and Torrin love their soon to be cousins. Torrin adores Ethan, and they genuinely adore my other nephews and niece. Torrin calls Kaya his girlfriend. I guess this is ok because they are not blood related but still, they will be step cousins. Torrin is always trying to make a move on Kaya. Usually is starts with a hug:

Sometimes, a belly bump:

Then he usually goes for the kisses:

She looks like she is telling him Um, I don't think so. She lets him down easy:

They have such a good time together, and they are super cute and funny when they get around each other.

One of my favorite photos from that night is this picture:

Is it not because it is a good picture, but because after we took it, I had to look at it, and I noticed my brother jumped into it to be funny. It made me laugh.

Justin was sang to and of course he was embarrassed. At least he posed for a pic! Have a great year monkey! I love you so much!

We Registered!

After many people asking where we were registered and not having an answer, we decided to go on Friday night and register. We started at Bed Bath and Beyond. Bryan was hoping for a gun, but we got a low battery scanner. Not that exciting. Something about Bed Bath and Beyond stresses me out. I think it is how much stuff is crammed into a very small store. Regardless, we went about our way and scanned the things we need. Being in our 30's we have most everything we need, and since it is tacky to say Hey, we just want cash, we scanned quite a bit of things. I had to later go back and remove some items because no one needs to get us a margarita machine ($240 bucks), a beach towel that looks like a big tattoo (Bryan's doing) or Bumpits. Although I am intrigued by Bumpits, I do not need someone else getting it for us.  We found bedding we liked, but it was partially white, and we fear it will be destroyed by a little messy child also known as Torrin. We decided to wait on shower curtains, bedding and possible dishes. There was nothing that excited us all that much. Plus it was a tad bit overwhelming. Pictures had to be taken, of course:

Bryan scanning our first item. Cereal containers. I know, we are wild and crazy like that!

My first time scanning. A bundt pan...

After we were finished at Bed Bath and Beyond we went to Target. It was snowing so we thought about skipping it but we needed to get Easter candy (for the Easter Bunny of course. We are his helpers.) Target was where we planned on getting the fun things. Board games (we have none unless it is a child's), Wii games, and several other things. Bryan was so excited because at Target, they have "guns" as their scanners. He was ready to rock:

What did Bryan want to register for? 

Yes, a 35 dart Nerf gun. Sure, it isn't practical but he wants it. Later on we thought we should go back and register for 3 more so we can have a family Nerf fight. Something to think about.

On the other hand, I was a tad bit more practical. I want a small photo printer. Not likely something someone would buy, but hey, why not register and see what happens.

I would love to register other places, but I don't want to go overboard. We wanted to do a honeymoon registry but we have no idea when and where we are going to go. For most registries, you need to have the hotel picked, activities, flights, etc and we are nowhere near that point. We also looked into doing a "wishing well" where people can contribute to a house, honeymoon, etc. fund. Sure, it sounds great, but whoever contributes is charged a 7.5% fee. No thanks. We will just pray for cash :)

We had a lot of fun registering and maybe we will register somewhere else just so we can do it again!

Spring Snow!

I might just be the only person on the planet who adores snow. Love, love, love it. Sure, warm weather is nice but it stresses me out. I don't like to be hot (temperature wise of course), I hate being pasty white and never ever tan, I do not "do" shorts, and I am just not a warm weather kind of gal unless it is on vacation. Even then, I need a breeze. I am a HUGE grump in warm weather. Especially in humidity. We are headed to New Jersey and Philly this summer....in June. Am I excited to see Bryan's grandparents, where they live, go on vacation with my fiance and future step kids? Yes. Am I giddy at the thought of Dunkin Donuts, Gibbles Cheese Puffs, Italian Ice and the Philadelphia Soft Pretzel Factory? Yes. Am I dreading the humidity? Yes. I lay awake at night wondering what I am going to wear during this hot time. I also think about what am I going to wear to our planning session at Disney in July. I keep wondering how our engagement pictures are going to turn out in the blistering heat. Yes, I am assuming it will be blistering hot. I like worrying about things I have no control over.

Back to the original point-it is snowing like crazy here. Love it. My Facebook friends keep posting "enough with the snow." Um, this is only the 3rd snow or so we have had this entire fall/winter. Be thankful if you hate it so much. Another weird thing that happens when there is snow, is I get ridiculously jealous of my friends who are teachers that get school canceled because of the snow. WHY? I no longer work so I technically stay home every day. Yet, I get bummed when I see schools are closed. Perhaps I am missing the memory of waking up learning I did not have to go to work that day (rare, but it happened). Those days were glorious. Going back to bed knowing you were getting paid to stay inside. I do hope it keeps snowing so my sister gets a day off (although she was just in Cozumel for 7 days and has only been back in school for 2 days) but snow days are few and far between so I am doing my snow dance for her.

Bring on the snow!

Mary Poppins

A few years ago, some of my best friends came to visit me in NYC. We had a great girls weekend and saw Mary Poppins. I did not LOVE Mary Poppins but I do love going to shows. When I heard it was coming to Denver, we thought about taking the kids but decided against it. We were not sure what the boys would think about the play. 

My sister in law decided to go ahead and get tickets for her family. My brother and Mikaya were going to stay home and Noelle's mom was going to go but she had to have an unplanned procedure on March 3rd. I went in her place. I was looking forward to spending time with my two youngest nephews since I don't see them all that much anymore.

I rarely get to go nice places (they cost money) but I love to get dressed up. I was excited to wear a dress, but as I put it on I realized the broken foot boot might not be such a good fashion statement. I decided I did not care and went ahead, put the dress on, a black boot, and my Aircast. Check out the hotness.

One guy stopped me at the play and said he liked my choice of footwear. I informed him I was trying to start a new trend.

Justin and Ty got dressed up and even had their own set of binoculars. Of course more pictures had to be taken:

I was curious to see how they would like the play. During the show, Justin was in awe. He wanted to know how things appeared from her bag (I would like to know how they did that too). He loved the lights, and was flabbergasted when she flew. He wanted to know how she did that too (I do know that-it is wires). On the other hand, Tyler wanted to lay on my coat and go to sleep, which he did.

It was nice to spend time with them and do something different. Me being the dork I am, had to take this picture:

I am a bit upset I did not have an umbrella or that I did not use my purse, but I still like the picture. I wonder if I should change my name to Dani Poppins.

Weekend Stuff

For the first time in a very long time, I had made plans months ago to go downtown with my friends and their spouses. Bryan was unable to attend because it was our week with the kids, but he told me to go anyway. On Thursday it was 70. On Friday it was windy, snowing, and super cold. Carolyn had got tickets to see Dave Atell at the Comedy Works downtown and as I drove downtown, in bumper to bumper traffic, I considered turning around. I called the club to see if they would reimburse the fee and they said not for this circumstance. Uh, ok.

What normally takes me 35 minutes took 90 minutes. Slow going and nothing faster than 10 miles per hour. Ah, good times.  Eventually I made it downtown, and picked up Mike and Carolyn. We went to the restaurant and most people said they would just meet us at the show. At first it was just Carolyn, Mike and their third wheel-me. Tracy and Andy did not hit any traffic coming from the north so they were able to make it in time. Me and two couples. Carolyn, Tracy and I talked about the kids most of the time, while Mike and Andy talked about beer.

I asked for a Diet Coke and when the waitress brought it to me, it tasted delicious. I knew it could not be diet. Although I have been off the "juice" for 3.5 months now, I still crave regular soda, and man, did this taste good. The guilt of even having a sip was getting to me so I sent it back. Oh how I longed for it.

After a few Diet Cokes, I went to use the restroom. Mind you, this is kind of a swanky, downtown in a basement Italian restaurant. You feel kind of fancy and mature at this place so I found it weird that THIS was the wallpaper in the bathroom.

At first you think, hey, criss cross pattern, but then you realize, nope, frogs. Ew.

After dinner we headed across the street to the show. Lots of funny acts, very raunchy, and of course I was near hecklers, as well as the very LOUD woman whose laugh was piercing as was her two finger oh so lady like whistle. WHY do they always get sat by me? These people and the loud popcorn chewers at the movie theater!?

Of course I had to get pics of us. I love this pic!

Tracy, Kate, Me and Carolyn. Friends for 15 years now! Amazing how long ago college was.

Kate's fiance Bryan, Tracy's hubby Andy, and Carolyn's hubby Mike were there too. We made them sit behind us :)

After the show was over, Tracy and Andy headed back to Erie, but since Carolyn and Mike had babysitters they wanted to go for a drink. I said I would join them so we went to a bar called the Front Porch. It was my first time in a bar being engaged. It was weird feeling like I did not have to try and look cute for random guys. It was also weird seeing how young the people looked who came into the bar. Mike and I talked about potty training some of the time. Funny how life changes!

When I went into the restroom, I saw this:

I found it funny that there were 8 toilet paper holders for one stall and for such a tiny bar. This is what we need in our bathroom! I also found it funny that the one almost on the end is completely out. Why did people prefer to use that particular roll?

After the group started doing shots of Jager, I decided to head home. It was super icy but I made it home safely! All in all, it was a fun night!

Hopefully I will post more soon about things I have been way behind on.

Seriously?!

First the good news: I went to the foot doctor yesterday and my break has apparently healed. I am still in pain but I was instructed to wear regular shoes for a week and see how it goes. If it does not feel better, I will need an MRI to see what is going on with the tendons, and then possibly need an injection at the site.

Now the bad news: This morning was the first day without the boot. I get out of bed, get ready to take the kids to school and head downstairs, laundry basket in hand (the darks if you must know). I somehow fall, my foot goes in, and the pain is instant. It feels the same as the other foot did when I broke it in Washington. Please note-this is the OTHER foot. My right one this time. Seriously?

I take the kids to school and call the doctor. My doctor is in surgery all day and the only appointment is with Dr. Stone at the Lowry office which happens to be a tad bit further away. My mom drove me to the appointment and I was looking forward to meeting Dr. Stone. Anyone with the name Stone has to be cool. I looked him up online and he looked suave. Turns out he was really short and not in the best of moods. He walks in and does not say hello, just says he expected to see crutches and bandages. Uh, ok. We take X Rays, he says the outer bone looks good but the 5th metatarsal is broken. The exact same thing I broke on the other foot less than a month ago.

In my entire life I have never broken a single bone, and now I have two in one month? So here I am again, with a boot on the right foot now (I was hoping to get a new one so I could have two. One for each foot so it looked like a really ugly pair of shoes-or the moon boots of the 80's.) Pain pills that do not seem to be working at all, and the feeling of helplessness and complete stress from how much all of this is going to cost. I have not received any bills from the ER in Washington which makes me a little bit nervous. They are probably still printing it all out which happens to be taking a month. So far, without X Rays my last Ortho appointment was $150 bucks. Ick. Praying for another extension of my unemployment but not likely. Fingers crossed.

Who knew....

Wow, wedding planning is a lot of work! I am on the phone with Joe, my wedding consultant almost every day now. We have room blocks to prepare for, a wedding website to prepare, the contract to do, etc. It is a lot and the costs seem to be piling up. There might be something to eloping but this is my dream. A dream I might regret when I see the total costs, but it should be worth it.

I was not sure I wanted it recorded but everyone tells me I won't remember most of it so to record it. Videographers are expensive but is it worth it? I saw a video by this lady in Florida and it is AMAZING. It is like a movie but she is so much money. All of them are so much money. Plus with DVD's turning into Blu Rays, will we be able to watch it 30 years from now (and be wishing we still looked as good as we did on that day?) I wish they would just stop at Blu Ray. Seriously. I have been through Beta, VHS, DVD and now Blu Ray. Stick with one thing people.

I am trying to block the rooms but no one knows where they would stay. I know 9 months is a long time away for people, but I need to secure the discounted rates. I don't want people thinking they are getting a discount when no one is responding to my request of are you coming, where are you staying email. Most people want to smack me I am sure, but the ball is rolling and won't be stopping any time soon.

Then comes the bridesmaids. I wish I could have 40 but that is not feasible. I love all my friends dearly and each and every one of them has played an important role in my life. Different people are important for different reasons in my life and I want everyone to stand up there with me. Choosing the girls is SO hard. I don't want people's feelings to be hurt but Bryan thinks with how many I want, the majority of our guests will be at the altar with me. He has a point. I can also hear my mom saying I have too many. This is all so hard. At least choosing my future husband was easy. Phew. Wow, husband. I still can't believe I am getting married.

I am trying to enjoy the process and love every minute of it. Time is fleeting and this time will never come again. I can't wait to be with Bryan and the boys, and I look forward to our life together. I just want to get some of this out of the way and not regret anything. I also pray I do not give my father a heart attack with how much things cost.

On another note, I went with Kate and her parents dress shopping last night. She found the "one" and ordered it. How exciting! No more dress shopping for us gals now. We both found our dress. I want to wear it ALL the time but I don't get to see it again for 14 more weeks. I was mad they ordered the bigger size but with my foot broken, I can't work out for another 5 or so weeks. Maybe the bigger size was a good idea.

I booked our castle portraits and although I am so excited to have those pictures, I do hope I can look decent at 4 am the day after our wedding. It is Bryan's birthday so that will be nice. I pray no one spills red wine on my dress as I have to wear it the next day. Fingers crossed! Bryan says we will just stay up all night but I don't foresee that happening. Joe said our adrenaline will be pumping so the next day is a good idea. Plus we will not have the kids that night, so it will be easier in the morning.

Breathe Dani. Breathe.