A Wedding Story

One of the qualities I love about my best friend is her ability to spin the most stressful of situations into an amusing story and tell it like it's no big deal.

She find the good in everything, or at the very least, the punchline...

I also love that she is one of the few girls I know who isn't drama. She has no need to make things any more complicated or emotional than they need to be.

Naturally, one would imagine that planning a wedding in a foreign country and in a language with its very own alphabet would have shaken that.

After all, my traditional and in town wedding was horrendous enough to plan, but that's because I'm related to crazies...

Even when their wedding date had to be postponed (a few times), international travel had to be arranged, and the reception venue fell through at the last minute, my best friend kept her cool and good nature through it all.

Talking to her, you'd never know all the hoops that they had to jump through to get their marriage recognized and certified in both the US and Greece.

Being the Greek-speaking one of the couple, her fiancé sorted a lot of the details, and as if that wasn't enough work, he was still concerned about our plans--making sure that our hotel was on the up and up, that we were getting good fares , and that we enjoyed ourselves.

Of course, how could we NOT enjoy ourselves. I mean, just look at where we were...

Unfailingly gracious, both of them (and their families) kept thanking for coming "all the way to Greece" for their wedding and telling us how much it meant to them that we were there especially considering that our life is in a complete upheaval at the moment...

Like we would have missed the biggest day in our best friends' lives for anything. Their wedding could have been over a trough in a barn in Kansas and Hubby and I still would have been happy... nay, THRILLED to be there.

Fortunately for us it was on a balcony overlooking the Mediterranean at sunset and it was gorgeous.

The bride was completely radiant and the groom was so handsome as their spoke the vows they had written in English, then again in Greek.

My best friend was a bridesmaid at my wedding and my roommate at the time. She witnessed the whole fiasco front and center from the arguments over the length of my veil to my mother and mother-in-law competing for "biggest pain in the ass".

Still my best friend's only recollection of that entire process was how I looked the day I got married- the expression on my face when when I walked down the aisle and the quiet, nervous moments she and I shared before.

She and her fiancé ended up catching the garter and bouquet at our wedding, which was extra funny since they actually met the same night Hubby and I did. It makes for a great story at dinner parties, but it's hardly ever the one that she tells.

Instead she tells everyone to story of how happy and amazed and excited she was for me that day. She says that she'd never seen me that calm and peaceful before and she was completely moved by it. Of course, I always took it as more of her good nature.

I've been a guest at my fair share of weddings. I've cried. I've gushed. I've forgotten all about it the next day, but this wedding was different.

I never really understood what she was always fussing about until I saw the expression on her face as they exchanged their vows. I'll never forget how that felt. It was the joy of seeing two people you really, really love so happy and so in love on the most special day of their life...

It was something I'll probably never stop gushing about either.

I love you, "Beppie" and "Ricki", and I wish you all the best and happily ever after.

Fishing Boat Wanted

About two years ago, my best friend since high school got engaged while vacationing in Puerto Rico.

Then, as if THAT wasn't exciting enough, she and her fiancé decided to get married in Greece, where the groom is from, but not just Greece. Oh no! They decided to get married on Santorini...

So, you know that image you get of when you think of Greece?

Amazing sunsets. White-washed buildings with bright blue roofs. All of it set against an even brighter and bluer sea and sky... That's Santorini.

When they first told us about their wedding plans, Hubby and I were brand new parents at the time. I had just decided to quit my job and money was really tight but, we decided go anyway. In fact, we planned to spend an entire week in Greece with the wedding finishing off our vacation.

"Why not?" we thought, "Who knows when we'll be able to get back to Europe again..." HA! Okay, so we all know the punchline to that joke...

Incidentally, our week-long vacation had to be reduced to a weekend since Hubby couldn't take that much time off from his new job... which was fine, since I had a house to sell and a house to find.

Having made our flight and hotel arrangements well in advance, it took some doing to rearrange everything. That's a whole other post in itself, by the way...

The earliest we could leave London was Thursday night after Hubby got off work, which meant a 3 AM layover in Athens and arriving in Santorini at the crack of dawn.

We were crazy delirious and seriously sleep-deprived, but it was ALL worth it.

Santorini was even more breathtaking that I ever imagined. If my son wasn't waiting for me back home, I never would have come back.

As my postcards read:

We're trading in the station wagon for a fishing boat. We plan to spend the rest of our days sailing from island to island, eating whatever we catch along the way.

Please don't bother forwarding our mail. We just don't care anymore...

(To be continued...)

Is it too late to bring back the steam engine?

So, my internet lovelies, it seems I managed to slip away from you unnoticed last week. Hehe...

I've just returned from house-hunting and Hubby-visiting in London, followed by a weekend together in the Greek islands celebrating our best friends' gorgeous sunset wedding. Ooopah!

Yeah... It's not a bad life, I know, but more on that (and pictures) later. I still need a few more days to sort everything out and, of course, handle more details of our move...

In the meantime, I'll just tell you my dreadful tale of what it took to get back to Dallas. I will preface this with, "I hate the airline industry. ALL OF IT" and I'm saying this having worked for a travel company (and loved it)...

On my one of my flights, I overheard an older lady reminiscing on what flying was like twenty years ago...

"These young people don't know any different," she told her companion, "but if they only knew how simple it used to be... without all of these security hassles, actually getting on the flight you booked... they would be APPALLED at how it is today."

Well, I didn't have much experience with international travel when I was... umm, eight, so I have no idea what it was like to fly back then, but I am certainly just as appalled, I'm sure.

First of all, my flight booking was lost... twice. After patiently drumming my fingernails on the ticketing counter for a good half hour, my reservation was eventually found. However, I was informed that I still wouldn't be guaranteed a seat on the flight...

"Huh? But I paid for this seat... like MONTHS upon MONTH ago..."

"Yeah, but the plane is overbooked and we can't say whether or not you can get on it."

"Oh okay... well, what happens if I can't get on this flight?"

"I don't know. I guess you just have to wait and see... By the way, it's been delayed for two hours, so you're going to miss your connecting flight, too. Sorry."

"That's it? Sorry? Can you tell me when the next flight departs? Or book me on another connecting flight?"

"Nope."

"Isn't that your JOB to get me on a flight home?"

After rolling his eyes and sighing dramatically, he pounded his keyboard for a while and re-routed me to three extra cities, with absolutely no guarantee that I would get on any of those flights. Also, I would get home at 3 am, as opposed to 8 PM, as I had previously planned, but he assured me that was the best he could do for me...

He handed me my boarding passes with a less than sincere, "Good luck getting home."

On the way to my gate, I just happened to notice there was a flight headed directly to Dallas (same airlines). They were in the middle of boarding the flight, but I walked up to the counter anyway. I explained my situation and sweetly asked the gate agent if I could fly stand-by. I was the second person they called and that is precisely how I got home.

Best he could do, my ass...

Frankly, I don't know another other profession where you can basically refuse to do you JOB by telling you customers, "Tough! Sucks to be you. ha-ha". Do you?

Victory Is Mine

I'm back in the town where I grew up, living at my parents' house with my son like the unwed mother that I appear to be these days...

I had my reservation about moving back home. For one, I had sworn up and down that I would rather live in a pizza box under a bridge than live with my parents ever again. It was simply a matter a pride...

How quickly pride gives way to pragmatism when in a bind like suddenly having to sell your house and move overseas?

Well, that and my son is way too precious to live under a bridge.

Then there was the other night, when I was out past NINE and my dad called my cell to ask where I was, who I was with, and when was I coming home... It was just like being in high school all over again... except this time I have a kid, a Roth IRA, and unfortunately, a mortgage.

Turns out Dad was just making conversation rather than imposing a curfew... not that I ever minded the one I had in high school anyway.

So here I was feeling all secure in my adulthood, when blast from the past, I run into my old clique... at SuperTarget, of all places.

I rounded a corner with my son and I came face to face with the meanest, pettiest, bitchiest girls I've ever known in my entire life-- my lunch table crowd from high school.

They haven't changed one bit. In fact, they are all still hanging out together... just without me. In the intervening TEN years since high school, I must have missed the memo 'cuz apparently, we had a falling out which I was not only completely unaware of, but had not even noticed had occurred.

I guess that just goes to show how much fun they were to be around... even when we were the closest of "friends".

Still, I was genuinely happy to see them again, thinking that whatever went on in HIGH SCHOOL would be long forgotten as we connect over shared adult experiences and laugh at how silly we used to be...

Nope!

The chattiest of the bunch cooed over my son and quizzed me on "life in general", while the other two hung back and sized me up. Standing defensively with arms folded and offering little more than guarded, one-word responses, I could tell that they've been rehearsing this moment in their heads for the past ten years. They probably even practiced the cutting remarks they would say to me if ever they saw me again. Yet, they seemed caught completely off guard. I was too until they asked what I was up to...

"Oh I'm back living my parents," I offered unabashedly with a smile. I detected a slight smirk shared between them so I continued, "Well, for now... My husband recently took a job in LONDON. He's working there now, so I moved in with my parents while our house is on the market. I figured it will sell better without my toddler running around and me having to keep it clean by myself, you know. Haha! We'll be joining my husband there in a few weeks. He's looking for a house for us right now."

"Will you be working in London, too?" one asked.

"Oh my, No. I don't have to work. I plan to just hang out with this little guy and just enjoy living in London..." (Okay, that I totally didn't mean to say how it came out, but I was quite pleased anyway)

Floored, they quickly changed the subject and inquired about my best friend. They had heard she got married.

"Oh no. Not yet," I corrected, "not for another two weeks. Their wedding is going to be on an island in GREECE."

"Oh, I guess you won't be able to make it, huh?" another one sneered in fake sympathy.

"Oh no, I'm going to the wedding. Are you kidding? I won't miss that for the world!" I said realizing that I never even thought to invite them to mine...

"Well, look at you, Ms. Fancy-Pants World Traveler... London and Greece? That's so cool, but I guess that means probably won't be flying back for our class reunion this fall, huh?"

"Uhh.... No."

And, do you want to know what the best part was???

Getting to come home and tell my parents all about it...

We interrupt this regular suburban life to bring you....

So, I've done a lot of whining (and not much else around here) this past week, but only because I couldn't write about all the stuff that's really been happening...

Stuff that I was sitting on because things weren't quite finalized until now, but I've been incredibly pre-occupied with nonetheless...

Stuff that, as much as I really, really, really wanted to blog about it, I just didn't think I should until I had a chance to tell my "real life" peeps (because you know how I am about that) and I didn't want to tell anyone until things were set and well...

Okay, here goes...

Hubby just accepted a job in London and we're moving!!!

(Yeah! I know, right?)

Oh my goodness, where to begin?

First of all, it's a job with a visual effects company that's been courting Hubby for a while. They would call and send him e-mails every so often to see how he's doing... see if he wanted to pick up everything, hop "across the pond", and take a job with them...

Of course, he was always gainfully employed at the time, not to mention comfortably well established with a house, two cars, friends and family in the Dallas 'burbs.

Each time they contacted him, we would throw our heads back and laugh, saying, "Oh ha-ha, wouldn't it be CRAZY and RIDICULOUS and FUN to just pick up and live in London for a while" ...and never mean it.

Well, when they found out Hubby was on the market again, they did not hesitate in grabbing him up quickly. They gave us about a day to consider their offer, but we had already made up our minds at that point...

High tea and the Queen, it is!

I know it’s a little nuts, but it’s simply an opportunity he just could NOT pass up. Not only will he be doing the work that he’s always wanted, this new position will give him a chance to work with world-class artists and advance in his field… and not to mention a fabulous ADVENTURE for our family.

He doesn't start work until his visa clears, which should take about a month. My son and I plan to follow as soon as the house sells.

In the meantime, we're in the process of downsizing and figuring out what to take/store/sell. Not an easy process as Hubby and I both like to hoard and are apparently highly sentimental about stuff the other one views as junk... (Oops, did I just type that?)

As you can imagine, our house looks like a giant rummage sale at the moment, and their hasn't been a decent meal cooked since this all went down. I'm not even sure if my son has been taking his daily Flintstones vitamin or wearing matching socks anymore.

It's as if wild and irresponsible people suddenly took over the running of my household.

One Trip,Two Nights, and Three Crazy Friends

The fun part of vacationing with your friends is getting learn all about their likes, dislikes, and idiosyncrasies. The annoying part of vacationing with your friends is getting learn all about their likes, dislikes, and idiosyncrasies... and you can quote me on that!

With barely a chance to unpack the dirty laundry from the last girls' getaway, I went on another one this weekend with a different group of friends...

While I am not COMPLAINING about the chance to get away (again), even I admit that this is getting a bit excessive. At some point, I should probably try spending a weekend at home with my family, right? (hehe)

In my defense, the original plan was to have a spa day and night out IN TOWN during the summer, but somehow it morphed into a whole weekend away at a lakeside lodge in mid-November. I was hesitant about committing- partially because of the cost and partially because of the timing and partially because I wasn't sure about spending that much time with these particular women, but I would never tell them that to their faces...

They eventually wore me down and I agreed to go... provided I could push my agenda. When the four of us got together to plot our getaway several weeks ago, I told them that my "goals" for the weekend were to relax, read my book, and have a linear thought (so elusive when you have young children...) It seems that we ALL wanted something similar and one of them suggested a destination just an hour away, a quaint little lodge and marina.

It certainly wasn't a place I would have stumbled upon or even thought of on my own, so I considered it was great find. Based on the photos on their website, the lodge looked cozy, the lake looked serene, and the restaurant on property was supposed to be excellent. Perfect!

I met these women and their husbands through our church a few years ago. Hubby and I socialize with them quite a bit and over time, I've noticed certain quirks about each of them. Nothing dysfunctional or harmful to our friendship... just little personality things that are easy to ignore and fine to deal with in sparing doses. Otherwise, they're a blast!

Well, it seems spending two nights together in the middle of nowhere only makes these quirks more difficult to ignore.

For instance, I knew going into this trip that all of us are on the chatty side, but I figured we could talk while we played cards or went on hikes, but then have some downtime to enjoy the scenery.

I mean, look at this view... and that cute gazebo with its wicker bench swings. It's just begging for a conversation about feminine freshness...

For all the peace and quiet afforded by the nature and beauty surrounding us, I did not get one moment of silence on this trip. So much for having my grand "linear thought", I had to fight just to get a word in...

One of them just about drove me to madness. Feeling the need to describe everything little thing that she was either feeling or thinking, she was not unlike a toddler with absolutely no filter what so ever. It was barely tolerable (just barely) until she had a little too much to drink and started saying everything in an incoherent, pouty-faced, nasally whine. I would have smacked her if I hadn't had a drink in my hand.

This was after she and our other friend decided to SPLIT a cobb salad for lunch because neither one was "that hungry", but they couldn't agree on which ingredients to be included on it. One wanted the bleu cheese with ranch dressing on the side, but no eggs, avocado, or tomatoes. The other wanted tomatoes and avocado, but not the bleu cheese or the bacon... or something like that.

They ended up asking the waitress for a bed of lettuce with all of the other ingredients on separate plates on the side. I, on the other hand, ordered my own salad for lunch like a NORMAL person and happily munched away while they picked and chose their salad toppings. Once we had finished, the two who had split the "salad bar" decided that just wasn't enough food and ended up ordering something else anyway...

We played cards the rest of the afternoon. I thought we could gossip while we played, but apparently that slowed down the "winning". One of them insisted that we all just "concentrate on the game" or "get it moving faster". Competitive much?

A few hours into it, I suggested that I sit out the next few games to read my book for a while. Dismayed, the other three asked if I was bored... if I was feeling all right... would I rather play dominoes or a different card game instead...

"Not at all. I just really like the book I brought," I said. I appreciated them for trying to be so accommodating, but what I really wanted to say was, "I just need to get the f- away from all of you for a while..."

When I finally had a chance to settle in with my book, one of the girls followed me to the gazebo and wanted to tell me all about the book she was reading. When it starting getting dark, I told her I was heading into the lodge to read, and she followed me there, too. I never made it past the second chapter of my book.

Okay, so our trip wasn't all bad. Again, NOT COMPLAINING about being released from my recent and week-long "house arrest". Determined to relax and enjoy myself, I was able to overlook most of the "quirkiness" most of the time. I just thought I'd highlight the "gag reel" for you...


Today, I'm grateful to be home, with all it's day-to-day chaos and madness. At least, it's my madness and I get to read my book at night...


Of course, once I got back it was Hubby's turn to have the queasy stomach... Oy! I'm glad I got out while I still could.

Back to Reality

We still had a few hours before we were supposed to leave Charleston, and my friends and I were trying to soak up all that we could of the city. We were strolling through one of the beautiful downtown neighborhoods, when I realized that I hadn't heard from my family in a while...

I called home and my husband informed me in a very grave voice that he had some good news and some bad news for me... and my heart stopped.

"That maker tip our son bit off and you thought he swallowed... Well, we found it on the floor."

"Okay. What's the bad news? What happened?" I fretfully asked as my throat tightened.

So I hadn't realized that toddlers especially like bitting the tips off of markers until my son did it last week. It was a Crayola marker- washable and "nontoxic", but I still called Poison Control. They told me there was absolutely nothing to worry about unless he had an allergic reaction. He seemed fine at the time and I completely forgot about it until my husband mentioned it over the phone.

He paused for effect and I yelled, "Tell me the bad news, NOW" .

In the faction of a window of a second that it took for my husband to respond, this is was was racing through my mind?

What if the marker irritated the lining of his tiny stomach and he was having cramps? What if he fell and hit his head? Can toddlers get concussions? Maybe he had a seizure? I just heard about really young kids having unexplained seizures. My sister used to have seizures. What if it's genetic? Did he break his arm? his leg? his spine? Maybe he had an allergic reaction to something else and they were racing to the hospital. Were they in a car accident on the way? Did he choke on a grape? I warned everyone to cut them in half! Cut the stupid grapes in half! OMG! OMG! OMG!

My husband took a deep breath and said, "Our son ripped all the paper off a green crayon..."

"AND?!!!"

"Nothing. That's it. I thought you'd get a kick out off that."

"Do NOT tell me you have 'bad news' about MY son while I am HUNDREDS of miles away from him and have it be something that RETARDED."

"Oh, I just thought you'd laugh. It's pretty funny."

"No, that's just a day in the life, man. You had me thinking he was in the hospital, or in a cast, or something. You SCARED me!!!"

"oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."

"I can't even talk to you right now."

As I hung up on him, all of my overprotective mommy feelings came back in a flood and suddenly I missed my family more than I loved this charming place and this dreamy time away from it all. In being transported to a new place, I managed to recapture an old frame of mind- the liveliness of my (long forgotten) bachelorette days...

The past few days were all about hanging out with the girls, getting dressed up and going out every night, sipping cocktails in toppley glassware, eating in restaurants that didn't have highchairs, and shopping without rushing to get home in time for naps. One by one, each of my cares melted away and I no longer worried about how a new purchase would fit into the household budget, but rather when I'd get to wear it out... again.

In Charleston, I wasn't someone's wife or mommy. No one complimented me on "how well my son ate his veggies", only on my cute shoes. I was just me.

My mind snapped back to reality quickly after that phone call. My reality. I may have stolen some time to laugh, sip wine, and relax with my girlfriends, but I'm not carefree anymore. Not really. I am a wife and a mom. I plan. I worry. I nurture. I worry. I care. I worry.

My flight didn't depart for another two hours, but that's when my vacation actually ended.

Driving over the Ashley River at sunset. Just breathtaking and a little bittersweet. Bye-bye, Charleston

Nerd Alert!

It's taken a few days to let my trip to Charleston sink in, but mostly because my son and I have slipped right back into our normal routine. I've been trying desperately to hang on to my vacation buzz, er... glow, but it's no use. Life just keeps insisting that it should go on and it's been back to the ho-hum of reality.

We missed our babies and we missed our husbands, and it was time to come home, but we were dreading the disasters and ruined nap schedules that awaited us. But, as one of my travel companions reminded everyone, "...and we can't be bitchy about it either."

Somehow I don't seem to mind the tantrums, toddler high-jinx, and messy house as much as before. In spite of the rough start, everything was just peachy when I got back. My son even learned a few more tricks, like opening closed doors and climbing onto the kitchen chairs... (sigh!)

So, about my trip.

First, it should be noted that Charleston is a GORGEOUS city, filled with charm and southern hospitality and rich in history.

Being a bit of a history buff with a particular passion for the Civil War, I was THRILLED with all of the perfectly preserved homes, museums, and monuments, but only privately so.

No one likes a busybody know-it-all, especially when its on a topic that may bore them, right?

Well, two hours and fifteen minutes into our vacation, we found ourselves in a museum meticulously maintained by the Daughters of the Confederacy. It's crazy the amount of stuff these women saved.... letters, banners, silver serving ware, bullets pulled out of loved ones, and the like

When one of my friend's questions about the significance of a certain flag was met by a round shrugs, I could no longer contain myself. Out came pouring dates, facts, and relationships to subsequent events learned many years ago in AP History. (NERD ALERT)

My friends were impressed, but asked, "And why do you know this? No, really. Why?"

I just do. I've never been good at sports. I've never been good at music. Being a busybody know-it-all on boring topics is just my special gift, I guess.
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As I mentioned before, this girls' trip was proposed because my friend was missing her hometown. She was so excited to show off her city and was a splendid tour guide. She did all the driving and knew all the right places to take us. For four days, I lived on a rich diet of creamy soups, shrimp and grits, and crab cakes from some of the finest restaurants.

She also insisted on taking us not only to a bar, but "a party and an institution" as its sign out front boasts...

A place called Wet Willie's, where you can sample (and even mix-and-match) up to twenty-three frozen mixed drinks any time of day, and here they are...

Let's just say it lives up to its reputation... Moving on.
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No trip to the coast is complete without a stroll on the beach and on Saturday afternoon, after a long morning of touring plantations and gardens, that's exactly what we did. Toes in the sand and everything!


And to think... If I had been home, I probably would have been cleaning my bathrooms or scrubbing the fridge. Who wants to read a post about that?

Thanks for hanging out with me while I reminisce a bit! Now, if you'll excuse me. It's song and dance time with my son...

Reunited, and it feels so good / Reunited, 'cause we understood
There's one perfect fit/ And, sugar, this one is it
We both are so excited /'Cause we're reunited
Hey, hey

Gotta Want It Bad

Well, I'm home now. Did you miss me?

My girls' trip to Charleston? Umm, well, you know... FABULOUS!

But more on that later. I need to tell you how I kicked off my vacation. Man, oh man, I needed this getaway... badly!!!

In the days leading up to our trip, I was experiencing a heavy dose of mommy guilt and a wee twinge of wifey guilt. I should have been spending this time with my family, not running off to be with my girlfriends for four days... yes, FOUR DAYS!

I kept asking Hubby, "Should I go?"

"Yes."

"But-"

"You deserve to go. Have fun."

"Really?"

"YES!"

"Okay."

The day before I left was a blur of last minute errands, chores, lists, schedules, and reminders. I went to the grocery store, paid the bills, returned phone calls, and did the laundry. I just wanted to make sure everything would run smoothly while I was away.

As a result, I didn't end up packing my bags until Conan O'Brian came on and it took me an hour and a half to try everything on and match it to shoes and jewelry, get it in the suitcase, etc...

I was super prepared and about 97% packed by the time I went to bed, a mere four hours before I had to be up again...

This is how the next morning was supposed to go:

5:00 am- Wake up, shower, get dressed, place toiletries in suitcase. Put sleeping child into car. Leave.

6:00 am- Breeze through security because I was a good girl and put all my liquids in 3.4 oz sized bottles and secured them in a Ziplock brand plastic baggie. Get coffee, sit, read... leisurely wait to board plane.

And, this is how my morning really went...

5:00 am- Son wakes up HUNGRY. I don't manage to get into the shower until 5:30.

6:15 am- Still throwing together the very last of my crap. Son leans over my open suitcase and VOMITS!!!

6:20 am- Switching out clothes and trying to find another suitcase as mine now smells like rancid milk...

6:24 am- Give up search for another suitcase and scrub present suitcase with Lysol wipes. Toiletries bag can't be saved. Throw contents into large ziplock bag. (classy!) Still trying to find new clothes to pack...

6:34 am- On the road. Hubby swears he knows a shortcut to the airport even though we only live 10 minutes away. Doesn't matter, early morning rush hour already started. Just drive, damnit! Son dozes off in the back.

6:47 am- Witness passenger-on-passenger smackdown in security line.

7:10 am- Arrive at gate as they are calling my name. "Final boarding. Will Passenger GHD, please report to the gate. This is your FINAL call."

7:20 am- Sitting on plane, realizing that my mommy guilt has completely faded away.

Huh?! Imagine that.

I'm still trying to catch up, but I plan to post more on my trip the rest of this week. In the meantime, I'll leave you with this photo. It's the view from the balcony of our hotel room...

Our room had two balconies, actually...