Flower Girl Practice

When Miss Ryann accepted the role of flower girl for our wedding, we knew she would take the responsibility very seriously.  We gave Ryann a classic Radio Flyer tricycle for her 1st birthday with a sign that said "Flower Girl in Training" in hopes that she would eventually grow in to the trike and possibly ride it at the wedding. 

Ryann loves to practice riding on her trike, although her little legs are still too short so she enjoys a push around the house.

Another important task for Ryann will be shaking her tailfeathers at the reception dance party.  She has been practicing her best dance moves to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  I caught some of these on tape during my recovery.  I can't even take how adorable she is!

Bye Bye Bunny

*** Caution!  This post contains graphic material that may not be loved by all viewers! ***

One of the first times Nate and I hung out was after one of my softball games with the work league I played in.  I whipped off my shoes and socks and he asked what in God's name was on my foot.  At that point we were just starting to get to know each other, and I did not want him to know that it was a bunion and a permanent fixture in my life.  I told him I got hit with a grounder at softball that night.

A few months later, when my "softball injury" didn't get better, the truth came out.  I had a bunion and it wasn't going anywhere.  My bunion fondly became known as Bunny and unfortunately she only got worse and worse.  In this year's Jimmy Fund Walk, the pain got to be so bad that I swore up and down I would see a foot doctor as soon as possibly..

That very next week I was sitting in the exam room with the Chief of Podiatry at Brigham & Women's Hospital discussing my options.  I had tried various types of shoes, inserts, and remedies to ease the pain that Bunny caused, but because nothing had worked, and I was becoming so limited with what physical activity I could do, surgery was the last option.

So, last week I went under the knife to have Bunny removed. The "bunionectomy" was done at Faulkner Hospital, and it was a complete success!  I spent just about all of last week on either my parents' couch or my own with lovely family members taking care of me.  This week, and the next few weeks, I will be working from home.  I can't drive yet and I need to have my foot elevated because it swells like a balloon if its not elevated.

Here are some fun pics of my week:

Pretty view of Boston from Faulkner

The doctor's markings

My needs

Dottie loved the extra attention all week

The Flower Girl and I just checking our email

Before and After

 

 

It's beginning to look a lot like...

Christmas!!!  The most wonder time of the year!  It puts a big smile on my freckled face, partly because everyone is in a better mood than usual, but largely because I just like to smile, smiling is my favorite!

I am having foot surgery next week, so this was the only full weekend that we could jazz up the house for Christmas because Nate is working next weekend.  I thought our plan would be something like making snow angels for a two hours, then ice skating, then eating a whole roll of Tollhouse Cookiedough as fast as we can, and then snuggling, but shopping needed to be done.  He put a smile on his sweet little face and carted us around to Target (twice!), Homegoods, Christmas Tree Shop, K-Mart, and BJs. We live in an amazing location right on the tax-free, Salem, NH border, and all of the shops are within a mile of each other.

After a few magical hours browsing stores to decorate both the inside and outside of the casa, we headed through the seven levels of the Candy Cane forest, through the sea of swirly twirly gum drops, and then  across the street to the tree farm with my mom to cut down a Christmas Tree. We got a 10+ footer that fits just right in our living room! 

Today we tackled the lights outside!  I can finally appreciate how annoyed my Dad got putting up lights on bushes/trees... not easy.  We ended up with some LED-blueish lights and some other white lights, but I like how they are meshing together.  My mom is the Christmas-Critic and we passed her light test when she stopped over tonight.

  

Not to forget about Miss Dot!  She absolutely loved the collar I slipped in to the Target carriage when Nate wasn't looking! 

Psyche.  Can you say angry elf?!

Oh well, can't please 'em all!  Right now we are all sitting together, enjoying our tree and some Sunday Night Football.  Hope you all enjoy the pre-holiday festivities!

Also, watch ELF.  Its the best.

Happy Thanksgiving!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS!

We hope everyone had a happy and safe Thanksgiving with lots of delicious food and dessert and wine!

The Boss

When she is not being the sassy-I’m-gonna-let-you-know-I’m-pissed-you-left-me-for-an-hour beabull puppy...

...Dottie is the best dog ever.

Look at her mad skills:

 

Honeymoon Booked!

Last week we booked the honeymoon of our dreams  in the French Polynesian islands of Moorea and Bora Bora!

Old Maid of Honor Tryouts

Way back in the day when my sister Kaitlin got engaged, I started to tell all her friends that I would be the Maid of Honor.  Kate thought it was a little presumptuous, so she announced she would be having tryouts for who would get the honor of the second most important role in her wedding.  I was the only one who tried out and it was a fun night.

A few months after I started dating Nate, Kate decided to hold Boyfriend Tryouts for him.  Again, it was a fun night of games and good company.

What's that old saying... Payback's a bitch?!  It was finally our turn to return the try-out favor and give Kate (and her hubby Dan) a taste of their own medicine.  Nate and I wanted to have Dan be a part of our wedding day as a groomsman, so it was the perfect forum to ask the old man.

Without further adieu... here were the events!

The Packing Game

"With all of the bags being packed on top of the car for the road trip wedding extravaganza, somehow by the time she got to Jay Peak, Kacey realized that her suitcase was missing!  She calls Kate in a panic to pack her a bag.  Kate—you have 2 minutes to pack a bag of things Kacey will need for her wedding weekend."

Kate packed all the necessities for a weekend away: bathing suit, tampons, perfume, make-up, dress, clean undies, and boat shoes.

Double Dare (Kate vs. Dan)

-  Challenge to start the game:  60 seconds to write down all the places K&N have traveled together. Winner has first crack at questions and 50 points (Kate won this so she got first crack at the questions)

-  K&N Trivia: 10 questions about us.  Answer on first try: 25 pts.  Answer on a dare: 50 pts.  Answer on a Double Dare: 75 pts.  Physical Challenge: 100 pts. The physical challenges were "Minute to Win it" games.  (trivia answers at end of post)

• What street did Nate take Kacey biking down on their first official date? Kacey claimed if she could bike on ______, she could bike anywhere.
• How many months older is Nate than Kacey
• Who was the first person on Kacey’s side to know K&N were engaged?
• What are Kacey & Nate’s nicknames for each other?
• What famous athlete bought his wife an “I’m sorry I was caught in a cheating scandal necklace” from the jeweler that Nate bought Kacey’s ring from?
• What is Nate’s middle name?
• What date did Kacey and Nate celebrate their negative-one anniversary on
• What date and where did Nate propose to Kacey?
• What is the flower that Kacey’s ring is made to resemble?
• When will the save-the-dates be done?

After trivia was done, there was a challenging obstacle course that Kate, Dan, Nate, and I all did.  Here are some pics from that:

The Flower Girl Walk
Our FG Ryann is quite the sassy little chickie, and it is super important that she successfully walk down that aisle.  As the potential matron-of-honor, it would be Kate's responsibility to make sure that girl gets down that aisle!  Kate had one minute to coerce Ryann down our sidewalk without being able to pick her up or hold her hand.  Kate used our solar walkway lights to tease Ry down the sidewalk.

   

The Nate-Over

"Uh oh!  Kacey and Nate budgeted incorrectly!  After many sleepless nights of punching numbers to make it all work, they decided that their liquor budget was more important than a visit to the salon on the wedding day.  As MOH, Kate, makeup will now be your responsibility.  Kate-- please take 5 minutes to give the groom a Nate-over—complete with nails, hair, and makeup."

Then it was Dan's turn to give his sister-in-law a makeover.  While Kate took normal measures to make Nate look good, Dan thought I could use something a little more drastic... so he grabbed a non-washable Crayola and worked his magic.

The Vow

"Oh no!  After a successful bunion surgery and newly gorgeous feet, Kacey decided she wanted to be a model.  At her first meeting with the modeling agency, they said they could not work with her until she had her nose straightened out.  Because Kacey and Nate were saving for a wedding, they decided to take the cheap route and head to Mexico for the rhinoplasty.  Big mistake!  By the time the wedding date rolled around, Kacey’s nose was more crooked than it was before the surgery, and on top of that, she was now missing a nostril!  The earliest BWH could get her in was a month after the wedding.  Because the payments were made to Jay Peak non-refundable, and there were no other dates available, the show must go on.  Kacey needs her MOH to do her vows for her, but unfortunately she has lost the card she wrote them on.  So Kate, please stand before God and these witnesses and confess Kacey’s love for Nate."

Then, it was Dan's turn!

 

All in all it was a fun night for all and I think the true winners were Nate and me, as we officially had our Matron of Honor and groomsman.  I can't wait for everyone to get their Save the Dates, which Kate worked her magic on.  They look amazing!

Trivia answers:

• What street did Nate take Kacey biking down on their first official date? Kacey claimed if she could bike on ______, she could bike anywhere. (Mass Ave)
• How many months older is Nate than Kacey? (21 months)
• Who was the first person on Kacey’s side to know K&N were engaged? (Dan—KC texted him to ask if he could put a bottle of champagne in the fridge)
• What are Kacey & Nate’s nicknames for each other? (sir and maam)
• What famous athlete bought his wife an “I’m sorry I was caught in a cheating scandal necklace” from the jeweler that Nate bought Kacey’s ring from? (Kobe Bryant)
• What is Nate’s middle name? (Haywood)
• What date did Kacey and Nate celebrate their negative-one anniversary on? (9/1/12)
• What date and where did Nate propose to Kacey? (4/1/12 in Bristol)
• What is the flower that Kacey’s ring is made to resemble? (forget-me-not)
• When will the save-the-dates be done? (now!)

Said Yes to the Dress

If any brides out there subscribe to sites like theknot.com or weddingwire.com, you know how many emails you get daily with random offers and ideas.  I usually only read them if I needed to pass time or if I was bored watching one of Nate's silly zombie shows.  One day at work one of my coworkers who is also getting married next year asked if I got the email about the sample sale at one of the bridal stores in the area.  Naturally I did not read the email, but looked in to it and thought it would be a fun, last-minute activity to do with my mom and sister.  

After religiously watching Say Yes to the Dress on TLC for years, and seeing their sample sale craziness, as well as following along with the "Running of the Brides" at Filene's Basement which sadly was not available for me to do in Boston,  I pictured the sale sale at Bella Sera Bridal in Danvers to be just like this:

www.cleveland.com

I even called ahead to see what time people typically show up to get in line for their event, and someone must have been playing with me because she said last sale brides were in line at "like 5:00am".  Well, like, that was not the case.  

Kate and I met up quite early and headed over to Danvers to get in line.  We stopped for Starbucks on the way-- Quad half-caff espresso over ice with extra carmel drizzle-- and we were the first ones there!

We were actually the only ones there for about 2.5 hours.  Not to worry, I packed a cooler with mimosas, fruit, and watermelon soaked tequila to pass the time.  My mom met us closer to 9:00 when the store opened and we set up a plan to tackle the sample sale event.  My mom would get the dressing room and Kate and I would each pick out 3 dresses to start because 6 was the max we could bring into the dressing room. 

I tried on a few dresses and quickly learned that what I thought I would want in a dress was nothing like the dress I ended up with.  When I came out in "the dress" my sister immediately started crying and when we finally got my mom's attention (she was chatting it up about seamstresses with another mom) she teared up too!  And then like clockwork, I started too!  I never thought I would find the dress of my dreams on an impromptu shopping trip, but I did!  I cannot wait to rock the frock I picked out when I said yes to the dress!

Every Penny Counts

As soon as we got engaged, my dad started saving his daily change in a "Wedding Fund" bank that he kept on his dresser.  I swear I never moved dollars in quarters over to it from his quarter jar. His savings, coupled with a jar of Nate's change, and in just over a few months we had enough for a down-payment for our photographers!