One May Day

I've been meaning to blog about Mandy and Paul's wedding last Saturday, but things have been so incredibly hectic that I haven't had much time to write out the whole story. I still fully intend on doing that (if time allows, which it probably won't), but for now I thought I'd share some photos.

I took all the getting ready photos, and there are some good ones in that bunch. I didn't get to take a lot of photos at the reception (because I was concentrating on getting my drink on) or at the ceremony (because I was in the wedding), but I know Mandy and Paul will have great pictures from their professional photographer.

Let's start with the pictures of me. I had two gigantic zits that day, one of which you can see in this first photo.




But Mandy's hair and makeup gal fixed me up really nicely, as you can see. I really loved my hair. I alternated between loving my makeup and feeling like a tranny. I'm still undecided.







Mandy looked so beautiful!




Posing was necessary.






And then Mandy put on her dress.








And then she went to go meet Paul.




Paul was really happy to see his beautiful bride.




My husband looked so cute that day, as he does everyday.




And Jake (my brother-in-law) cleaned up nicely as well.



And that's all I got.

Full recap hopefully coming soon!

Mandy and Paul are married!

Mandy and Paul's wedding was gorgeous, and I got totally blitzed. I came home to find pictures in my inbox from our friend Julie, but I'm just going to share one right now.



I have entirely too much to say about this wedding, and I'm exhausted. So I'll leave you with the text of my HOH toast, which I delivered successfully (albeit a little shakily):

Hi, everyone! I’m Leslie, Mandy’s hausfrau of honor. I know most of you, but for those I don’t know, here’s a short introduction. I’m married to her brother Roy, which technically makes me Mandy’s sister-in-law, but Mandy and I have gotten to be so close that I consider her my long-lost-but-now-found sister.

I remember the exact date I met Mandy. It was March 16, 2005. Roy brought me over to the duplex that he and Mandy shared, and I remember him introducing me to her. He said, “What do your friends call you?” And she said, “Mandy.” Looking back on it, it seems like that little piece of conversation foreshadowed the bond that was to eventually form.

Like me, Mandy is a big ball of complications and contradictions. She’s messy and disorganized, but she’s very centered and calm. She’s assertive and maybe even bossy, but she’s tender and dependable. She’s funny, smart, and a whole lot of fun. She is always the first to engage with me when I am being extremely silly and the first to laugh at my jokes and antics. When someone enables me in that way, they're pretty much stuck with me forever. Which means that I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. (Sorry, Paul.)

From the beginning, I have admired Mandy's fierce independence and her stoic commitment to doing things her way and not settling for less. She sticks to her convictions and doesn't let anyone tell her what to do. Mandy is definitely not a doormat. She’s a perfect example of a strong woman. In the first year that I knew her, she didn't seem to need or even want a boyfriend.

And then along came Paul. I heard about him several months before actually meeting him. Mandy first described her feelings about him as a “little crush,” and I was immediately intrigued. I had a feeling that she was downplaying her feelings for him, because Mandy just doesn’t do little crushes. They did that little dance around each other for awhile. You know, the one where they both know what’s going on but neither one is ready to admit it yet? I noticed Mandy was getting a little anxious about Paul not calling her, so I gave her a few helpful instructions from that now famous book, He’s Just Not That Into You.

Obviously, it turns out Paul was very into Mandy! My first impressions of Paul were that he was just this all-around great guy: funny, friendly, and just really in tune with the needs and feelings of others. My first impression of their relationship was that it was going to last. Mandy and Paul seemed very comfortable with each other from the start. I mean, their relationship has always been so natural that they probably started playing their fake tree game on their first date and continued on with it just to drive everyone else crazy. If you have never been in a car when Mandy and Paul are playing the fake tree game, count yourself lucky.

Not only are they totally comfortable together, but it's completely obvious to me and the whole rest of the world that Mandy and Paul are crazy about each other. I've seen Mandy change and soften as a result of Paul's presence in her life. I've seen Paul drop everything and put Mandy's needs first. I've witnessed them just having a great time no matter what they're doing. They know how to have fun, and that's such an important component of a relationship. They also know how to really love each other and how to give themselves over to that love and respect. They have faith in their relationship. Judging by the turnout today, I'd say that everyone else does too.

And so I'd like us to raise our glasses today in honor of Mandy and Paul, because, as cliché as it sounds, when they found each other, they found a missing piece of themselves. I love you, guys.

Many congrats and lots and lots of love to Mandy and Paul!

Happy May Day!

It's May! Summer is on its way, along with oppressive heat, no rain in sight, and hopefully a lot of downtime for yours truly.

But before the downtime come the challenges. May is going to be full of them.

I am going to give my HOH toast in front of 100+ people in a little more than a week. I am a little nervous about doing this, but I'm also happy for the challenge (and I am totally stoked to show Mandy my love). It's just one thing to add to my list of "things I've accomplished that I was scared shitless to do at first."

I am going to give a presentation in my fairy tales class. This is really no big deal. I have to give presentations in each of my classes. And each time I get anxious. So here I am, being anxious again.

I will be teaching a full class period at the end of this month. That's about 1 hour and 40 minutes of teaching. Me, in front of the class, showing off my mad teaching skills. This is the biggie. I am so nervous about this. I am so afraid of being revealed to be a fraud, even though I know logically I am not a fraud.

I have been putting off finishing my thesis proposal and annotated bibliography, so May is the month to complete both of those and submit them to the graduate committee.

By the time June rolls around, I think I will have learned many new things about myself based on the above experiences.

So, yeah.

Afternoon Delight

My class for this evening was cancelled today, so I took advantage of my free time and walked down to Mandy's house. I love our neighborhood, especially right now because of everything that's blooming.








I took more photos of Cerby for Mandy's reception table numbers.








I am really excited about Mandy's upcoming wedding. Less than two weeks to go! I am going to take her getting ready pictures as well as a ton more at the wedding itself.

Another thing I can't wait for? Summer! I really miss having tons of free time.

Cerby's taking over the world!

Back when I took Mandy and Paul's engagement pictures, I also took pictures of their dog Cerby for their table numbers at their wedding. I finally got around to editing them this evening. I had to do some creative cropping, but I still think the finished product is really cute. Here are some of my favorites:

Adventures of a HOH, Part Three: Mandy in Wonderland

Wow, I really lost track of time! It's time to conclude the story of Mandy's shower. Click here for part one and here for part two.

The morning of Mandy's shower (March 29) dawned cloudy and chilly. I woke up at 7 AM and immediately went to work making CDs and finishing up last-minute details. I dragged Roy out of bed around 8:30 so he could walk down to his mom's house and get her ice chest. He was intercepted by our crackhead (but cool) neighbor (I'm using the term "crackhead" loosely), who wanted to borrow Roy's keyboard since the "k" key on his keyboard wasn't working for something he absolutely had to do online right that instant. Once Roy returned, we packed everything up and drove over to Melinda's house. We got there around 10:30 or so. Roy left me there to work on my projects and left to get us some ice and breakfast.

When he got back, Roy and I began setting up the backyard while Melinda made scones. We put different types of tea and playing cards on each table. We hung up the ghetto-fabulous signs that Melinda, Angelina, Kim, and I had made. I cursed continuously at the fabric I was using to cover the tables, because it kept blowing away. I got a little stressed out because time got away from us, and I didn't feel like we would ever have everything ready. Before I knew it, it was 1:00 PM, and the shower was ready to begin. I was also a sweaty pig and ran to the bathroom to change my shirt just as people began arriving. Mostly everyone was right on time (which shocked me), no doubt aided by this, which was hanging in a tree in Melinda's front yard:



Before long, all of the guests (much less than I anticipated) had arrived, and they were exclaiming over the setup, the food, and the details.

















Everyone loved the teapot fountain in particular. Thanks for letting me borrow it, Angelina!



When Mandy arrived, she was averting her eyes because she knew I wanted her to be surprised about the shower theme. So of course I just had to blindfold her!



I think she was pretty happy with the way it turned out. In all honesty, the backyard looked really cute, and I think Mandy thought so too. I loved how all the chairs and teapots didn't match. It totally gave it a Mad Hatter feel.

Adding to that feel were the guests' hats! On the invitation I had requested for each person to wear her silliest hat, and to my surprise, almost everyone did.



I bought Mandy a special hat and a special tea cup. Seriously, what's not to love about a shamrock hat and a rooster mug?





Melinda and I let everyone mingle for a bit, and before everyone started eating, we began the first game. I pinned the names of literary characters to each guest's hat or shirt, and they had to guess who they were based on the answers to any "yes" or "no" questions they asked other guests.



I expected this to go on for quite some time, but Cherie, my other California mommy, guessed hers (Huckleberry Finn) rather quickly, she was awarded her prize, and everyone settled down to eat. I took that opportunity to pose for the camera, in true attention whore fashion.





(Please excuse the cell phone pocket bulge and tummy roll.)

And then it was time for our next game: Pass the Cucumber! I had never heard of this game until Angelina mentioned it the night before. It sounded like a riot, so I added it in. Plus, it was a great way to use the extra cucumber.



In case you've never heard of it, Pass the Cucumber is kind of like musical chairs. You turn on some music, and the participants have to pass a cucumber to the person nearest them. The catch? You have to hold the cucumber between your legs and pass it on that way. Whoever is holding the cucumber between their legs when the music stops is out. And it continues on until everyone but the winner is eliminated.

I was right. It was a total riot. I totally owe Angelina my firstborn for making the suggestion.





Next we did musical chairs (or in Wonderland-speak, a caucus race). It's a game that is fun and nonsensical, and I loved watching people trying to sneak around to make sure that they were in front of a chair at all times.





Once the game was over, Melinda and I began a short-lived impromptu dance game. Merlin (my nephew) had discovered (while helping Melinda with the music for musical chairs) that he loved turning the music off and on. So as Melinda and I began dancing, he would turn it off suddenly and we would freeze. We would stay frozen until he turned the music back on, and then we would begin dancing again. Merlin got a big kick out of it. So did Melinda and I.



Finally, it was time for the last game. I blindfolded Mandy and made her sit in front of everyone. Each guest had brought an item of funky clothing, so I put all these in a box and had Mandy get dressed blindfolded.







Needless to say, the end result was hilarious.

I made Mandy sit in front of everyone for the last bit. This game was called "Who Stole the Heart?', and in it, I acted the part of the judge putting Mandy on trial for stealing the heart of Paul. Each of the guests acted as a witness by revealing something they'd seen or heard Mandy and Paul doing together as a couple. (The list of things they'd experienced as a couple was made by Mandy herself, and I used that for each witness.) I gave it my best bastardized British accent, found Mandy guilty of stealing Paul's heart, and sentenced her to a lifetime of marriage. Towards the end of my sentencing, I got a little weepy, but I don't think anyone noticed. (Damn hormones!)





And then it was time for dessert! The cupcakes were so yummy (and we got to take a whole box of them home with us).





And gifts! I love how Mandy is laughing like a maniac while wielding a sharp knife, with an "Off with their heads!" sign in the background.



And favors! I loved the way the cookie favors turned out. There were a ton left over. My co-workers loved me for bringing in said leftovers.



And then the shower ended. We had a crapload of leftovers but managed to pawn a lot of them off on departing guests. Roy came back and helped us clean up. Even Mandy stayed and helped clean up - what an awesome bride she is! We packed up everything into the car and drove home. I immediately crawled into bed and laid on the heating pad for the rest of the night. I was totally exhausted but totally happy with the way the shower went.

Our living room looked like a bridal shower threw up in it.



But for Mandy, it was totally worth it.

A huge thank you to my girls for all your help! Thank you, Melinda, Kim, and Angelina!