Year In Review - 2011

The year is winding down, breathing it's last breaths as we begin to venture into the new year. And of course, no 2012 blog would be complete without a mention of the doomsday prophecies. However I am happy to inform my readers that I will be updating my year in review for 2012 bright and early on December 30th. I don't buy any of the hooplah. But I digress, I'm here to review this past year. So here we go!

In January we visited Pittsburgh to scope out wedding locales. I probably don't handle the shopping around part as well. By the end of it I was having a difficult time not just handing over the deposit and saying "Please. For the love of god just take it. I don't need to figure out if this carpet matches my dress or if the dias is too tall." Matt handled everything much more smoothly.

It was only at the very end, and I believe on a whim that we decided to check out the Holiday Inn Airport. "Yeah right," I'm thinking. "Like an airport hotel could ever have a decent place for a reception." On walking into their ballroom I stood corrected. The ceiling was a deep purple, the walls mirrored and the carpet smelled of cinnamon carpet cleaner. It was like finding a hidden gem in a pile of plastic jewels.

With the venues picked out, February and March cruised on by. Life didn't change too much beyond picking out a dress and gossiping with the girls about styles. Due to the stigma of bridesmaids hating what the bride chooses for them, I gave the style choices to my sister. All said and done we picked the perfect little black dresses, pin up hair styles and Chuck Taylor style sneakers. I couldn't have been a more loved bride if I'd paid them.

It's funny though, that when you ask a girl to be a bridesmaid and then give her a good deal of creative input into her outfit, just how confused she becomes. I must have received a dozen texts of "Is this ok?" and "I know you said I can choose my own flair but what does this mean??"

Everyone eventually settled into their styles and time crept on. As we entered May, Matt and I began considering gifts for the wedding party. Of course being me, I had to have a large wedding party. Call me crazy but it's just too hard to choose. Even with the choices I made I still found there were people I wished had been in the party but were not. I suppose I'll just have to do another one in five years as a vow renewal and make the party even bigger! We eventually agreed to six on each side. A good mix of school friends, Pittsburgh peeps and Boston friends with a couple of people added in from random gaming experiences. Plus two ushers...

Where was I? Oh yes. So June arrived and I don't think I've been excited for a whole month in my entire life. We packed up the kitties, drove to Pittsburgh and got ready for one of the biggest events of our lives. We'd decided on Dave & Busters co-ed bachelor/ette party. Given that I didn't have a lot of people coming in from out of town and the second stigma of the stag night, we just decided to have a big bonding night so those in the wedding party had a chance to say hello.

The following day was the rehearsal. By then everyone had arrived and we spent a lot of good time eating, doing the mock-up wedding and hanging out. Then Matt and I parted ways per tradition and I headed back to the hotel for some well deserved hot tub time.

This is the part where I sing the praises of my 'maids. From this point on, every little tiny thing I may have needed was handled quickly. Jenn Giddings for braving the fearsome unknown, men with a lust to impregnate her and the treacherous thunderstorm to find hose for my legs the following day. Mary Beth for bringing the energy and camera to document our morning together. Laura for being the tried and true friend as always, there with me as she always should be. Krystal who provided the witty morning banter that put us all into a good mood. Katie, who braved the den of not-well-known ladies to help me out when a friend had a crisis and could not make it. And my sister, who stepped up to the plate to represent my family when they were unable to attend. She did it all from giving me away to our dance. There's not one single person who could have done it better.

Ah, the morning of, when the girls came to my room, along with Janet and Allura, and we all got ready. I know I was nervous about some things but on the whole I was enveloped in a sense of peace. I had amazing girls there helping me to get ready, and every single one of them would have averted disaster if it had even tried to rear it's ugly head. With the gracious help of Matt's aunts we all headed to the chapel where, after a quick dive to escape seeing Matt, we got to the ready room. Here we lounged, prepped, posed and hugged as the big moment finally geared up fully. Some of the moments in that room will stay with me forever.

I recall the steps leading up as we lined up. I recall half laughing and half crying, and the comfort of my sister right next to me. The aisle, the vows, the sand, that was all well documented. I stayed pretty controlled until I had to talk. And of course seeing Dino over Matt's shoulder wiping his eyes often caused my throat to get a lump. I recall, as we stood there at one point, thinking that we were exceptionally blessed to have such great people with us.

And then it was off to the party bus! First stop was the McDonald's in Downtown Pittsburgh! We walked in owning the place and from that point on, the compliments became a steady stream. Nobody expects a wedding party! As we stood on the street for the smokers to grab a puff and the bus to come around, people stopped and snapped photos with us. They congratulated us everywhere we went. One lady who happened to stop and pose for a photo ended up being a friend of a friend of a boss, or something like that. She found us on facebook. And that's not even the cool part! Turns out she's an extra in the upcoming Batman movie as a nurse. Freakin awesome!

The next stop was the zoo where Matthew had gone to volunteer nearly every summer of his youth. What better way to kill the time? Now of course, through all of this was the phenomenal photographer Josh London, who perched himself on rails and defied death to capture some of the most awesome pictures I've seen in which I am also in the frame! Picture in a shark tube? Done. Picture in front of a scuba diver? Double done. There was nothing he couldn't do.

All through the zoo were 'Oohs' and 'awes' and congratulations yelled out. The Amish families stared unabashedly at us and I wonder if they feel like that all the time. And lets not forget Geoff and his intense Dippin Dots. But it was June after all, and the day was warm. Carrying a large dress left me ready for a nap. So it was back onto the bus.

Once again at the hotel/reception venue we parted ways to go to our rooms and whatnot. Matt and I sprawled on the bed with Laura and Jen and caught some Z's while Jenn kept the flowergirl occupied with Mary Beth and a rousing but quiet game of Panda Face.

A little freshening up and it was time for the reception. We headed to the second ready room of the day to feast on snacks and alcohol. Proper pre-gaming of course. The other wedding party also happened to be just down the hall, and got a real kick out of the kilts. They had arrived in firetrucks. I suppose it was a tie. (No way, our party kicked so much more ass).

We danced, we sang, we celebrated. Not a single dance went by with an empty dance floor. Family, friends, acquaintances... all were loved to fully that night. Rarely have I ever felt so much joy flood my heart, and felt the warmth of such amazing people.

The next morning it was off to the honeymoon, with cats in tow. We drove north to Higgins Lake, and after a bit of a rough first night, we had an amazing time. More family came up, and we spent a fantastic time bonding. One week after the official wedding, we had a beach handfasting, were everyone was barefoot (including my dad in a 3 piece suit) and had people watching from nearby docks. As we finished the ceremony int he warmth of the June sun, I looked at Matt, looked at the cool promise of the water and we both dove in!

That would have been funny as it was, but then my sister, Laura and my father all jumped in fully clothed as well and we walked back to shore grinning. It is possibly my most favorite moment out of all of it. I had to swim back out to deeper water in order to take off the water-logged gown and change into a swimsuit, as the dress was just too heavy to slog through the water below hip level. It was intense. It was amazing. It is something I will never forget.

After the honeymoon, we came home and quickly set to fixing up home. The cats became Murphys as well and many of the gifts we got were put to good use. In July our good friend Kristy came up to visit and we had a fantastic time showing her around the East Coast. Texas may be nice, but New England is the bomb diggity, yo! (Yeah I said it.)

August and September flew by, and by October the tides had shifted again. Shortly after my father went in for heart surgery, I was fired from my job at Best Buy. It was a bit of a blow, but in retrospect it's for the better. I was miserable, a scapegoat for all that was being done wrong, and there was very little joy left in it for me. I wasn't sleeping well, I wasn't feeling good and Matt and I had been fighting an amazing amount. No one should have to work in a pressure cooker.

To escape the disappointment, I went to the Ren Faire with Josh and Krystal and Matt. I never know why I doubt things will be fun. Josh is like my little brother now and Krystal can be one of the most amusing people to spend a day with. She even gave me her old chemise which is now in my wardrobe for future use.  Jen came to visit as well and before she left I'd found what I wanted to do with myself.

Come November I had a decent job again, this time as far from a place like Best Buy as you can get. Barely more than a mom and pop shop, the comic book store is no stress, fascinating and enjoyable. Who cares if you work long hours when you actually enjoy it?

Our first Thanksgiving was full of good food and togetherness. Work went well and things started looking up again. I missed a lot of my friends from work, but once the holiday hubbub settles I see us staying in close contact.As a side note, it was completely refreshing not to have to deal with Black Friday this year. They have been pushing it to extremes and I'm really rather sick of it.

Christmas for us was small but fun. An Xbox 360 with Kinect crowned our gifts this year, with plenty of cards and packages sent as well. Candles from mum and Aunt Kim, figurines and chocolate from Kristy and a few of the Wiccan items I've been lusting after for years from Matt. Plus a few small things to boot.

Good haul, happier day. Now with New Years fast approaching, it's looking like 2011 was a pretty good year overall. We lived, we laughed, we loved, and we shared it all with some of the most beautiful people I can think of. What will next year bring? Who knows. Who cares? It'll be epic no matter what it is. So thanks for staying tuned, and I hope that by my next review, I have even bigger stories to tell. Love you all so much!

~Jewel