Chasing Cars - Family and Friends

Once we ushered all our guests out of the church and over to the museum, it was time to (hopefully) breeze through our family and bridal party portraits.  When we met with our photographer, we told her we wanted very few formal portraits taken.  Just the bare necessities: us with my parents, us with my dad, us with Matt's parents, and us with our party.  We preferred more informal, fun pictures.  We wanted to hurry through them so that we'd get over to the museum to enjoy at least a few minutes of the cocktail hour.  We...sort of got what we asked for.  We ended up taking way more time at the church, but I don't think it was anyone's fault.  We just underestimated how long things would take.  That, or we were way too optimistic. 

First, though, we had to get a picture with Pastor Cindy.  She did such a great job with the ceremony, and we really felt we got a lot out of our premarital counseling with her.  She kept it short and sweet but it brought up some things that we needed to talk about.

Then, it was time for my family.

Us with Mom and Jeff

Us with Dad, Sister Callie, and BIL Anthony

Then, Matt's family joined us.

Us with John and Nancy

L-R: Brother Mike, Pop Lou, John, Nancy, us, Brother Dan

A few portraits of us.

Our bridal party.  We decided to do just the entire bridal party.  None of me with the boys or him with the girls.  Now I kind of wish we'd taken them, but...oh well.

Then we headed outside to take some fun pictures of the bridal party.  It was October 23, which in Central PA, is typically in the upper 50s.  On our wedding day, it was 72 degrees.  And sunny.  Absolutely perfect.  Anyway, when we stepped outside of the church, our bridal party surprised us with a champagne toast!

I love these people.

We headed over to the other side of the trolley to take some pictures.  We had so much fun with these.

Look at the ridiculous height of GM Matt

My husband, ladies and gentleman!

Once we'd finished taking pictures, the bridal party got on the trolley.  Then waited for me and Matt while we took a few more portraits.  These are some of our favorite pictures, and we blew one of them up to hang over our mantle.

This is the one we blew up

One of my favorites!

We stepped up and settled in for the ride over to the museum...

*All photos courtesy of Everlasting Images

30 Days of Truth - Day 25

Day 01 → Something you hate about yourself.
Day 02 → Something you love about yourself.
Day 03 → Something you have to forgive yourself for.
Day 04 → Something you have to forgive someone for.
Day 05 → Something you hope to do in your life.
Day 06 → Something you hope you never have to do.
Day 07 → Someone who has made your life worth living for.
Day 08 → Someone who made your life hell, or treated you like shit.
Day 09 → Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted.
Day 10 → Someone you need to let go, or wish you didn’t know.
Day 11 → Something people seem to compliment you the most on.
Day 12 → Something you never get compliments on.
Day 13 → A band or artist that has gotten you through some tough ass days. (write a letter.)
Day 14 → A hero that has let you down. (letter)
Day 15 → Something or someone you couldn’t live without, because you’ve tried living without it.
Day 16 → Someone or something you definitely could live without.
Day 17 → A book you’ve read that changed your views on something.
Day 18 → Your views on gay marriage.
Day 19 → What do you think of religion? Or what do you think of politics?
Day 20 → Your views on drugs and alcohol.
Day 21 → (scenario) Your best friend is in a car accident and you two got into a fight an hour before. What do you do?
Day 22 → Something you wish you hadn’t done in your life.
Day 23 → Something you wish you had done in your life.
Day 24 → Make a playlist to someone, and explain why you chose all the songs. (Just post the titles and artists and letter)
Day 25 → The reason you believe you’re still alive today.
Day 26 → Have you ever thought about giving up on life? If so, when and why?
Day 27 → What’s the best thing going for you right now?
Day 28 → What if you were pregnant or got someone pregnant, what would you do?
Day 29 → Something you hope to change about yourself. And why.
Day 30 → A letter to yourself, tell yourself EVERYTHING you love about yourself

First off, let me apologize for not posting this yesterday.  We recently found out that the hospital will be "closely monitoring" our internet usage at work, so all non-essential web-surfing has to be curtailed.  And I didn't get a chance to post when I got home because I didn't get home till 1am.  Last night, I crossed something off my bucket list.  Matt and I went to see Sir Elton John in concert!  The man, the legend...it was awesome.  Although I do have to admit that I was a little disappointed.  I guess he just recently put out a new album with another music legend, Leon Russell.  And apparently, last night Leon was in the area so he came to perform with Elton.  Had I been expecting it, it would  have been super-awesome.  But I wasn't, and I didn't know any of the new songs, and they played an 8-song set from the new album.  Needless to say, I was almost asleep by the end of the set.  And it was hard for me to get back into the Elton stuff when Leon left the stage.  But, I did, and I still managed to have a great time at the show.  I mean, it's Elton...how can you not?

ANYway.  Day 25 → The reason you believe you’re still alive today.

Just kidding.  Kind of.

I'm alive because I have people who love me and let me know every day, in some small way, that they prefer that I'm alive.  I've never been one who likes to let people down or disappoint people, so...Seriously, though, I'm alive today because I have an amazing family, incredible friends, and a wonderful husband.  All of whom make all the shitty days in my life worth getting through.  Because on the other side of those awful, stressful, getting-yelled-at-by-doctors-and-threatened-by-patients days are those people.  Their smiles, their laughter, their wine, and their hugs.  That's why I'm alive today. 

30 Days of Truth - Day 23

Day 01 → Something you hate about yourself.
Day 02 → Something you love about yourself.
Day 03 → Something you have to forgive yourself for.
Day 04 → Something you have to forgive someone for.
Day 05 → Something you hope to do in your life.
Day 06 → Something you hope you never have to do.
Day 07 → Someone who has made your life worth living for.
Day 08 → Someone who made your life hell, or treated you like shit.
Day 09 → Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted.
Day 10 → Someone you need to let go, or wish you didn’t know.
Day 11 → Something people seem to compliment you the most on.
Day 12 → Something you never get compliments on.
Day 13 → A band or artist that has gotten you through some tough ass days. (write a letter.)
Day 14 → A hero that has let you down. (letter)
Day 15 → Something or someone you couldn’t live without, because you’ve tried living without it.
Day 16 → Someone or something you definitely could live without.
Day 17 → A book you’ve read that changed your views on something.
Day 18 → Your views on gay marriage.
Day 19 → What do you think of religion? Or what do you think of politics?
Day 20 → Your views on drugs and alcohol.
Day 21 → (scenario) Your best friend is in a car accident and you two got into a fight an hour before. What do you do?
Day 22 → Something you wish you hadn’t done in your life.
Day 23 → Something you wish you had done in your life.
Day 24 → Make a playlist to someone, and explain why you chose all the songs. (Just post the titles and artists and letter)
Day 25 → The reason you believe you’re still alive today.
Day 26 → Have you ever thought about giving up on life? If so, when and why?
Day 27 → What’s the best thing going for you right now?
Day 28 → What if you were pregnant or got someone pregnant, what would you do?
Day 29 → Something you hope to change about yourself. And why.
Day 30 → A letter to yourself, tell yourself EVERYTHING you love about yourself

Day 23 → Something you wish you had done in your life.

I think my one big regret in life is that I didn't study abroad.  I mean, I love to travel.  I love to learn.  Why would I not have taken the opportunity to learn and travel, simultaneously?  Such a dummy. 

On another note, a big happy happy birthday to my little sister!  28 years old today.  I honestly can't believe it.  Love you, Sissy!!

Playing with our Care Bears.  Ages?  I'm gonna guess 7 and 3?

New Year's Eve.  Gangsta

My MOH and other BFF.

The Blessing of Family

Family has always been important to me.  And that's one of the (many) things that attracted me to Matt - his famly is very important to him.  Once we started planning our wedding, it became even more obvious to us that family is extremely important to both of us.  I mean, we'd always known that.  In fact, our biggest fights have been about holidays and where to spend them because neither of us wanted to give up our family time.  I think we've got a pretty good system down (for now, pre-baby) but it took a while to get there.  Since the wedding, though, it's become glaringly obvious that our families are very very different in how they support each other. 


When we first started talking about readers, we agreed on three readings.  And we thought we'd have someone from my side, someone from his side, and then a "mutual" person (my brother-in-law, Anthony, who is also good friends with Matt).  Matt thought about which cousin he wanted to ask for his side, but I knew immediately who I would ask.  I have always looked up to and admired my cousin, so there was no doubt that I would ask her.  But when I called her, she declined because she didn't want to have to leave her kids at home.  Even after I offered to hire a babysitter for her.  I was heartbroken, but forged ahead and ended up asking Matt's cousin's wife, with whom I've grown very close.  [We're both social workers.  It was an immediate bond]  After the wedding, I didn't hear anything from my cousin.  Not a call, not a card...not even a facebook message.  That was rough.  I mean, we'd asked her to do a reading, which clearly meant that I thought she was important part of my family, of my life.  The idea that she couldn't be bothered just....well, it sucked.


Last weekend, Matt's Pop Lou passed away.  He'd been sick for a while, and his body just finally gave up.  He was able to make it to the wedding, and I know that Matt is really happy about that.  While the funeral was, of course, sad, it also really spoke to me about the strength of family.  Matt's cousins and aunts and uncles have always been close.  They all grew up together and have been not just cousins but friends for their entire lives.  And on the day of Pop's funeral, they rallied around and supported each other.  It was beautiful.  It really made me realize how important it is to have famly around.  I didn't have that growing up, and seeing Matt's family like that...I'll be honest, I get a little jealous.  I'm jealous that they all know each other so well.  That they all constantly know what's happening in each other's lives.  I'm jealous that they share so many memories from childhood. 


As I sat there listening to the eulogy that Matt's brother gave, and listening to all the cousins exchanging stories, I started to wonder if me or any of my cousins could do the same at my grandfather's funeral.  Morbid thought, I know.  But the conclusion I came to is that, no, we couldn't.  I barely know my extended family.  At this point, I think it's pretty safe to say I know Matt's family better than my own.  I see my cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandfather once every other year at Thanksgiving.  It's been that way for 10 years.  Before that, we went out to Michigan every year.  Instead of getting closer, with all the technology and social networking available to us, we're drifting further apart.  And that's just one "set" of cousins.  I haven't seen my other cousins (on my mom's side) in probably 10 years.  And my cousins on my dad's side?  I've seen them 3 times.  In my entire life. 


That makes me sad.  But I'm lucky that I married into such an amazing family.  And they have all accepted me into the fold and made me feel like I belong there.  So while I don't have my own family to lean on, I have a new family to lean on.  And that's pretty freaking great. 

Grandma's Ring

Remember I mentioned I was using my Grandmother's ring on our wedding day as my Something Old? I promised I'd get back to tell you more about it. So here I am.

My Grandma and Grandpa (my mom's parents) lived in Ohio and Michigan my whole life. Before that, they both actually were born and grew up in Philadelphia. In fact, my Grandpa used to take the same train from the same train station that I did when I was living in Chestnut Hill, because they're house was just around the corner! One weekend my mom came to visit me and we spent the day driving around Chestnut Hill, Mt. Airy, and Northeast Philly, looking at all the places where my grandparents lived. It was pretty cool to see all of that.

Anyway. As I said, they lived in Ohio and Michigan for my entire life. We spent every Thanksgiving and Christmas with them. Those road trips are some of my best memories - me, Mom, Dad, and my sister, driving along the Turnpike in whatever incarnation of the VW Bus we had at the time (seriously...my family has owned Volkswagon vans since before I was born), singing songs, playing games, reading books, and torturing each other. Well, that last one might have been more me and my sister than my parents, but...you know. I used to love driving out there because it meant we were going to get to hang out with our grandparents and cousins. I miss those road trips.

Grandma passed away when I was in high school. She had Alzheimer's, and was pretty out of it by the end. Because of how far away they lived, and then because of the Alzheimer's, I really never felt like I knew her very well. Once she died, we started hearing all these great stories about her. Listening to my mom and uncles talk about her, I realized that Grandma was a social worker without being a Social Worker. I wish that I'd known her better, but, well, that's life. Grandpa is still living, at the retirement community where he'd moved Grandma when she started getting sick. He's 95 and still goes to the gym a few times a week. He's healthy as a horse, and has so many incredible stories to tell. Grandpa is a pretty cool dude.

When Grandpa and Grandma got engaged, they didn't have a lot of money. So the ring he bought her was pretty simple. A few years later, they upgraded. My sister got married first, so she got the first ring. I got the second engagement ring. When my mom gave it to me, it looked as old as it was. The diamond was cloudy, and the gold was flat. But I took it with me last week when Matt and I went to Steven Singer to shop for wedding bands, and they cleaned it for me.

The cool part of this (aside from the obvious sentimental factor) is that it's engraved. It's kind of hard to read, but it says F.H.H. to C.D.H. 7-13-40. The band also has the same engraving on it, but because of where they got bridged together, you can't read most of it.


And here's my silly attempt at a fancy photo shoot.

As you can see, I wasn't very impressed with myself and gave up after one photo. Hee hee.

I'm really touched to have this for our wedding day. Matt and I talked about re-setting the diamond some time in the future - maybe for our 5th or 10th Anniversary.

*all personal photos