This weekend I'm getting together with my high school besties (many of whom were in my wedding party). I am so excited to see them - I haven't seen most of them since our wedding, and the others I haven't seen since a year ago! Wow! Friday night the plan is to go to the Hotel Hershey for jazz on the veranda. Then on Saturday we're having a big brunch with all our moms and kids (except, unfortunately, for my mom, who is away for a work conference - boo!).
We've all been friends since high school, which means that our moms have watched us all grow up, go to college, get jobs, get married, have kids...all that good stuff. They've supported us and loved us and laughed with us and cried with us. But - how do I put this delicatly - some of them have done that better than others.
6 years ago, when our friend Abriel got married, my parents and our friend Tina's parents were invited to her wedding. Our friend Mel's parents weren't. It caused a little bit of tension, but everyone kind of got over it. There's a lot of history there, that I don't really want to get into. Nonetheless, for our wedding, we invited Abriel's mom and stepdad and Tina's parents. Mel's parents were not invited.
So imagine my surprise when we were dismissing our guests after the wedding ceremony, and I was suddenly face-to-face with Mel's mom. I didn't even know what to say to her. I almost couldn't even face her. I mean, I get it - technically, a wedding is a church service and open to the public. Any stranger off the street could walk in and attend. That's not the point. The point is, she knew she wasn't invited, she probably knew that at least Abriel's were, and yet she showed up anyway. I had to hug her and say thanks for coming. It was awkward. At the moment, I was too distracted and busy to really bother with feeling anything about it, but afterwards, I was pissed. Who does that? She had to know it would make me feel bad.
Anyway, she will obviously be there on Saturday and I'm a little anxious about it. The best thing, I know, is to just ignore it and pretend it never happened. But I have never liked this woman, and this makes me like her less. I know it's awful to say that, but, like I said, there's a lot of history there, both in the way she's treated Mel and the way she's treated me. It's hard for me to blow this off. Thoughts?
New last name. Same old Emma.
Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
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.
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.
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.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
My BFF is Awesome
So, probably, by the "standards" of the general public, I have a pretty unconventional best friend. Why? Well, he's my ex-boyfriend. People don't really seem to get the whole thing. And that's ok. We totally understand why it's weird for people. I mean, doesn't everyone, at the end of some relationship say, "I hope we can still be friends?" It might not last long, or it might not happen at all, but I feel like everyone at some point has uttered those words mid-break-up-discussion. For Justin and I, it worked. And it has continued to work for us. It hasn't always been easy, like right after we broke up and I was devastated, or when he had a girlfriend who hated me (I think she hated the idea of me, actually, because she never even bothered to get to know me). And things have gotten confusing, like when he invited me to go to Maui with his family and we got, um, swept away by the romance of it all (I mean, hello, we're on Maui, on the beach, with those sunsets....?). But we've pushed through it and managed to figure it out and every time we come out on top, close as ever.
He's married now, to a girl who I absolutely adore. She's the perfect match for him and I see how truly happy he is, which makes me like her even more. Her mother was just diagnosed with breast cancer and is starting chemo. So Justin, being the awesome kind of guy he is, shaved his head.
You have to understand. When I first met him, his hair was long (I tried to find a picture but have been unsuccessful so far). Like, almost to his shoulders. It was long and thick and wavy and beautiful, and when we were dating, I was obsessed with it. One day, he cut it, and I actually cried. He's kept it short since (which was 11 years ago now). Until this week, when he shaved it to show solidarity with his new mother-in-law. He is seriously 7 shades of awesome, and I just love him.
 |
| Here we are, 6 years ago, in Maui |
You have to understand. When I first met him, his hair was long (I tried to find a picture but have been unsuccessful so far). Like, almost to his shoulders. It was long and thick and wavy and beautiful, and when we were dating, I was obsessed with it. One day, he cut it, and I actually cried. He's kept it short since (which was 11 years ago now). Until this week, when he shaved it to show solidarity with his new mother-in-law. He is seriously 7 shades of awesome, and I just love him.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
30 Days of Truth - Day 10
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 10 → Someone you need to let go, or wish you didn’t know.
I know who this person is in my heart, but I don't really want to go into great detail here. She and I have been friends for 15 years, and off-and-on, it's been a fairly toxic friendship. I've already let go of her once but let her back in when it seemed like her life was back on track and things would be better. The past year or so, I've realized that things are not better. She has not changed, and her attitude towards friendship hasn't changed. I've actually kind of started fading her out a bit - not answering her 4-page long text messages (yes, I still have an ancient cell phone that breaks long text messages into pages), not returning her phone calls, etc.
I hate doing this because I know it's hurting her. But her friendship was doing me no good, and was only causing me stress. Friendship shouldn't be like that. Friendship should bring happiness to your heart, not weight it down. It's time to let go and move on. Again.
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 10 → Someone you need to let go, or wish you didn’t know.
I know who this person is in my heart, but I don't really want to go into great detail here. She and I have been friends for 15 years, and off-and-on, it's been a fairly toxic friendship. I've already let go of her once but let her back in when it seemed like her life was back on track and things would be better. The past year or so, I've realized that things are not better. She has not changed, and her attitude towards friendship hasn't changed. I've actually kind of started fading her out a bit - not answering her 4-page long text messages (yes, I still have an ancient cell phone that breaks long text messages into pages), not returning her phone calls, etc.
I hate doing this because I know it's hurting her. But her friendship was doing me no good, and was only causing me stress. Friendship shouldn't be like that. Friendship should bring happiness to your heart, not weight it down. It's time to let go and move on. Again.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
30 Days of Truth - Day 9
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
Unfortunately, there are a few of these people in my life. I'm terrible at keeping in touch with people. Especially after one of us moves. I'm on the phone all day at work, so the idea of making long chatty phone calls when I get home is exhausting to me. Facebook is helping, and now that I've discovered Skype, I'm loving being able to have face-to-face chats with my besties all over the country (and their new babies!). So I'm getting better.
I'd have to say the person that I really miss and wish I hadn't let drift so far away is my friend Tara, from Pittsburgh. I met Tara in the Summer of 2003. My friend Liza had hired both of us to be counselors for her camp (Liza was in grad school with me). Liza and I were great friends, and when she hired Tara, she told me, "I really think you're going to like her." Like her I did. We worked for the travel day camp for the Jewish Community Center, which meant that we spent our days that summer at wave pools, amusement parks, mini-golf courses, and go-cart tracks. [Sidenote: best summer of my life!] We had an absolute blast together. We were together during the days, and then in the evenings we'd get together for drinks or to take walks or whatever. The three of us were basically inseparable all summer long. Fall arrived and we went back to school, but we still hung out on weekends. One of our favorite things to do was to get together to watch Sex and The City marathons and drink wine and eat chocolate chip cookie dough. That, and get pedicures. I'd never had a pedicure till I met them. I'll love them forever, if for no reason other than that.
December rolled around and I was finishing school. I needed to decide what the heck to do - stay in Pittsburgh or move back home. Pittsburgh had gotten expensive for me. I racked up enormous credit card bills. I faced facts and realized that if I stayed in Pittsburgh, I'd go into serious debt. Not. Ok. So I moved back to Hershey.
Tara and Liza and I stayed in touch, but, as usual, life happens. The phone calls tapered off. Liza and I stayed in touch through email, but Tara wasn't so good at the email thing. Then she moved to Australia, and our communication completely ended. She's back in Pittsburgh, now, and we've reconnected on facebook. But I miss her. I miss the three of us hanging out. I miss cookie dough and pedicures. I hope to get back to Pittsburgh soon for a weekend, and really hope that the three of us can get together again.
*I tried to dig up a photo of me and Tara or of the 3 of us, but my photo albums are buried in our closet. Booo.
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 09 → Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted.
Unfortunately, there are a few of these people in my life. I'm terrible at keeping in touch with people. Especially after one of us moves. I'm on the phone all day at work, so the idea of making long chatty phone calls when I get home is exhausting to me. Facebook is helping, and now that I've discovered Skype, I'm loving being able to have face-to-face chats with my besties all over the country (and their new babies!). So I'm getting better.
I'd have to say the person that I really miss and wish I hadn't let drift so far away is my friend Tara, from Pittsburgh. I met Tara in the Summer of 2003. My friend Liza had hired both of us to be counselors for her camp (Liza was in grad school with me). Liza and I were great friends, and when she hired Tara, she told me, "I really think you're going to like her." Like her I did. We worked for the travel day camp for the Jewish Community Center, which meant that we spent our days that summer at wave pools, amusement parks, mini-golf courses, and go-cart tracks. [Sidenote: best summer of my life!] We had an absolute blast together. We were together during the days, and then in the evenings we'd get together for drinks or to take walks or whatever. The three of us were basically inseparable all summer long. Fall arrived and we went back to school, but we still hung out on weekends. One of our favorite things to do was to get together to watch Sex and The City marathons and drink wine and eat chocolate chip cookie dough. That, and get pedicures. I'd never had a pedicure till I met them. I'll love them forever, if for no reason other than that.
December rolled around and I was finishing school. I needed to decide what the heck to do - stay in Pittsburgh or move back home. Pittsburgh had gotten expensive for me. I racked up enormous credit card bills. I faced facts and realized that if I stayed in Pittsburgh, I'd go into serious debt. Not. Ok. So I moved back to Hershey.
Tara and Liza and I stayed in touch, but, as usual, life happens. The phone calls tapered off. Liza and I stayed in touch through email, but Tara wasn't so good at the email thing. Then she moved to Australia, and our communication completely ended. She's back in Pittsburgh, now, and we've reconnected on facebook. But I miss her. I miss the three of us hanging out. I miss cookie dough and pedicures. I hope to get back to Pittsburgh soon for a weekend, and really hope that the three of us can get together again.
*I tried to dig up a photo of me and Tara or of the 3 of us, but my photo albums are buried in our closet. Booo.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Bachelorette Recaps
We survived! My bachelorette party this weekend was SO MUCH FUN and I'm so glad that most of my girls and some other close friends were able to come and celebrate with me! We had a blast. My sister/MOH Callie and BM Steph did a fantastic job putting the whole thing together.
We started off just hanging out at my house. Well, some of us. Others met us at the hotel in Center City Philly. But MOH Callie, BM Steph, and my college roommate Jen met at my house where we had some strawberry sangria (made by moi), some mojitos (made by Callie), and lots of yummy food (also made by Callie). Steph also brought a hoagie pita pizza (an italian hoagie inside a giant pita shaped/cut like a big pizza - it was awesome). So we feasted and sipped our cocktails before we headed into the city to meet up with the rest of the gang.
Once we got to our hotel (the fabulous Embassy Suites in Philly), we met BM Nicole, BM Tina, and other college roommate Denise. We proceeded to check into our rooms and get ready to hit the city! Again, we shared some more sangria, pita pizza, and lots of laughs to kick off the night!
After everyone was thoroughly prettified (not like that's hard for my girls!), we headed out to dinner. Steph had made reservations at El Vez, but somehow we thought it was El Rey (both Mexican restaurants, both by the same restauranteur). We walked into El Rey and then Steph realized it was the wrong place. And since it was time for our reservation, Steph called El Vez while we grabbed a couple of cabs. Or one. A van. With no air conditioning. That was a steamy 9 blocks.
But we made it to El Vez and our table was still waiting for us, so we took our seat and started looking over the menu. YUM-O. El Vez is owned by Steven Starr, who has several restaurants in the Philly area. I have eaten at and loved several of them, and after Saturday night, I can safely say the same for El Vez. We got a couple pitchers of their Pink Cadillac margarita, which had tequila and cranberry juice and some other yummyness. We also got some of their hand-smashed guacamole. It was incredible. For dinner, I ordered the chipotle chicken tacos, and they were deeee-lish! Everyone else seemed to thoroughly enjoy their meals, as once the food was in front of us, we didn't do a whole lot of talking! It was a great meal to start off the night.
After we were sufficiently stuffed, we walked over to Jolly's Dueling Piano Bar. Dueling piano bars are one of my favorite things in the whole wide world. Matt and I have been to several around the country (Arizona, Myrtle Beach, etc) and we always have a fantastic time. Jolly's was pretty great, too, but WAY smaller than I expected it to be! My brother-in-law had arranged for us to have an open bar, which enabled us to basically reserve a whole "section" at the bar, rather than just a booth near the pianos. At first, we were a little disapointed, but I think it actually ended up being better - we had plenty of room to dance and do shots...
and sing like fools...
and everything else that happens at piano bars. No worries, though, we did get up to the piano and onto the piano and...well, we had a BLAST!
Once we had finished our open bar time, we headed back into the city. The girls tried to "surprise" me and take me to a male strip joint, but I foiled their plan and put the kybash on that. You know how I felt about Matt going to a strip club, so I certainly didn't want to go to one myself. Plus, I wanted to dance! I didn't want to sit there and watch guys gyrate around me! So I made the cabs turn around (might have been a little bratty!) and take us back to Noche - bar and restuarat by day, dance club by night. And dance we did!
Here, towards the end of the night, is me with sister/MOH Callie. She's the bestest.
All in all, a GREAT time was had. And, for those of you following, Matt did not go a strip club. They had planned to take him, but he told them he wasn't interested. And he also passed out at 12:30. Silly boy. I love him.
We started off just hanging out at my house. Well, some of us. Others met us at the hotel in Center City Philly. But MOH Callie, BM Steph, and my college roommate Jen met at my house where we had some strawberry sangria (made by moi), some mojitos (made by Callie), and lots of yummy food (also made by Callie). Steph also brought a hoagie pita pizza (an italian hoagie inside a giant pita shaped/cut like a big pizza - it was awesome). So we feasted and sipped our cocktails before we headed into the city to meet up with the rest of the gang.
Once we got to our hotel (the fabulous Embassy Suites in Philly), we met BM Nicole, BM Tina, and other college roommate Denise. We proceeded to check into our rooms and get ready to hit the city! Again, we shared some more sangria, pita pizza, and lots of laughs to kick off the night!
After everyone was thoroughly prettified (not like that's hard for my girls!), we headed out to dinner. Steph had made reservations at El Vez, but somehow we thought it was El Rey (both Mexican restaurants, both by the same restauranteur). We walked into El Rey and then Steph realized it was the wrong place. And since it was time for our reservation, Steph called El Vez while we grabbed a couple of cabs. Or one. A van. With no air conditioning. That was a steamy 9 blocks.
But we made it to El Vez and our table was still waiting for us, so we took our seat and started looking over the menu. YUM-O. El Vez is owned by Steven Starr, who has several restaurants in the Philly area. I have eaten at and loved several of them, and after Saturday night, I can safely say the same for El Vez. We got a couple pitchers of their Pink Cadillac margarita, which had tequila and cranberry juice and some other yummyness. We also got some of their hand-smashed guacamole. It was incredible. For dinner, I ordered the chipotle chicken tacos, and they were deeee-lish! Everyone else seemed to thoroughly enjoy their meals, as once the food was in front of us, we didn't do a whole lot of talking! It was a great meal to start off the night.
After we were sufficiently stuffed, we walked over to Jolly's Dueling Piano Bar. Dueling piano bars are one of my favorite things in the whole wide world. Matt and I have been to several around the country (Arizona, Myrtle Beach, etc) and we always have a fantastic time. Jolly's was pretty great, too, but WAY smaller than I expected it to be! My brother-in-law had arranged for us to have an open bar, which enabled us to basically reserve a whole "section" at the bar, rather than just a booth near the pianos. At first, we were a little disapointed, but I think it actually ended up being better - we had plenty of room to dance and do shots...
and sing like fools...
and everything else that happens at piano bars. No worries, though, we did get up to the piano and onto the piano and...well, we had a BLAST!
Once we had finished our open bar time, we headed back into the city. The girls tried to "surprise" me and take me to a male strip joint, but I foiled their plan and put the kybash on that. You know how I felt about Matt going to a strip club, so I certainly didn't want to go to one myself. Plus, I wanted to dance! I didn't want to sit there and watch guys gyrate around me! So I made the cabs turn around (might have been a little bratty!) and take us back to Noche - bar and restuarat by day, dance club by night. And dance we did!
Here, towards the end of the night, is me with sister/MOH Callie. She's the bestest.
All in all, a GREAT time was had. And, for those of you following, Matt did not go a strip club. They had planned to take him, but he told them he wasn't interested. And he also passed out at 12:30. Silly boy. I love him.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
It's Bachelorette Time, Baby!!
Today is my bachelorette party!! I'm so excited. My MOH/sister Callie and BM Steph have arranged quite a day/night for me, it seems. I've been left pretty much in the dark, so I can't wait to see exactly what they have in store. Better yet, though, I can't wait to see the pretty faces of all my favorite girls!! Tune in later for some recaps and - maybe - some pictures!
Monday, August 2, 2010
We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Planning...
This past week, I took a bit of a break from wedding planning to plan and execute a baby shower for one of my oldest (old meaning years known, not age) and dearest friends. And, I must say, it was a huge success!
This was the shower I thought I was throwing back in May, when I was ambushed by my MOH and BMs, who threw me a surprise bridal shower. So needless to say, the next time BM Abriel was coming home, we decided this was our chance to get all the girls together again and finally throw her a baby shower.
This is pretty much the same group of girls who are in my wedding party, plus another friend of ours and a friend of Abriel's.
We have all basically been friends since high school, and therefore all of our moms are friends, too.
My mom and I started planning, and decided that the menu would carry a Georgia theme (since Abriel and her husband now live there). We executed a super-yummy menu that included pork tenderloin, sweet Vidalia onion dip, peach salsa, salad with pears and candied pecans, cornbread, and crab gazpacho. Dessert included peach trifle and turtle cheesecake, and to drink we served sweet tea and peach sangria. Unfortunately, it seems that no one got pictures of the awesome spread, which is really sad, because it came together really well.
Everyone gathered at my mom's house and ate and drank and socialized, until finally we decided to rally the troops and play some games. I had put together two different "quizzes" for the guests to fill out. One was celebrity baby names, where I listed the baby names and the guests had to come up with the famous parent(s). This was a pretty successful game, and lots of fun to laugh at the weird names that some celebrities have come up with (Apple? Bronx Mowgli?). The second game was a baby animal game - I put a list of babies and a list of animals, and the guests had to match them. This one was kind of hard and people struggled a bit (like, did you know that a baby eel is called an elver?). But I think everyone enjoyed them and - what the heck - it's always good to learn something new, right?
After the games were done and the prizes were handed out, Abriel opened gifts. On the evite, I had reminded guests that she would be flying back to Atlanta, and asked people to bring small gifts or photos of bigger gifts. For the most part, people obliged, and I think she had a manageable amount of stuff to get back on the plane. They got some great gifts. I mean, how cute is this?
Born in 2010! The two little ones are our friend/BM Tina's little girls.
For the favors, I made Mason Jar Cupcakes - red velvet with cream cheese icing, and french vanilla with peach icing. I found the idea here and thought it was perfect. Dessert doesn't get much more Southern than red velvet cake, and they loooove their mason jars down there! I used box cake mix and a tub (or several) of Betty Crocker cream cheese icing. I made the peach icing from scratch with a recipe I found here (just the icing, not the cupcakes), but I substituted peach baby food for the fresh peach that I would've had to mash, puree, and beat to crap. Peach baby food just seemed easier, and in the end, I'm really glad I went that route. This was time-consuming and a bit complicated (it took me 4 evenings after work), but totally worth it. They were delicious. Again, it seems that no one got a photo of them, but trust me - they were adorable and really yummy. We displayed them on an antique high chair that my parents have, and encouraged each guest to take one on their way out.
All in all, a great day, and a nice break from the wedding planning. Especially since now that we're at the 3-month mark and our weekends are so full, I'm starting to feel like we're getting to crunch time. We need to schedule our final meetings with our vendors, and given all the other stuff we have going on this summer, plus my one-weekend-a-month serving on-call for work...we're having a hard time scheduling all the meetings! These next 12 weeks are going to absolutely fly by!
(all photos courtesy of BM Tina!)
This was the shower I thought I was throwing back in May, when I was ambushed by my MOH and BMs, who threw me a surprise bridal shower. So needless to say, the next time BM Abriel was coming home, we decided this was our chance to get all the girls together again and finally throw her a baby shower.
This is pretty much the same group of girls who are in my wedding party, plus another friend of ours and a friend of Abriel's.
We have all basically been friends since high school, and therefore all of our moms are friends, too.
My mom and I started planning, and decided that the menu would carry a Georgia theme (since Abriel and her husband now live there). We executed a super-yummy menu that included pork tenderloin, sweet Vidalia onion dip, peach salsa, salad with pears and candied pecans, cornbread, and crab gazpacho. Dessert included peach trifle and turtle cheesecake, and to drink we served sweet tea and peach sangria. Unfortunately, it seems that no one got pictures of the awesome spread, which is really sad, because it came together really well.
Everyone gathered at my mom's house and ate and drank and socialized, until finally we decided to rally the troops and play some games. I had put together two different "quizzes" for the guests to fill out. One was celebrity baby names, where I listed the baby names and the guests had to come up with the famous parent(s). This was a pretty successful game, and lots of fun to laugh at the weird names that some celebrities have come up with (Apple? Bronx Mowgli?). The second game was a baby animal game - I put a list of babies and a list of animals, and the guests had to match them. This one was kind of hard and people struggled a bit (like, did you know that a baby eel is called an elver?). But I think everyone enjoyed them and - what the heck - it's always good to learn something new, right?
After the games were done and the prizes were handed out, Abriel opened gifts. On the evite, I had reminded guests that she would be flying back to Atlanta, and asked people to bring small gifts or photos of bigger gifts. For the most part, people obliged, and I think she had a manageable amount of stuff to get back on the plane. They got some great gifts. I mean, how cute is this?
Born in 2010! The two little ones are our friend/BM Tina's little girls.
For the favors, I made Mason Jar Cupcakes - red velvet with cream cheese icing, and french vanilla with peach icing. I found the idea here and thought it was perfect. Dessert doesn't get much more Southern than red velvet cake, and they loooove their mason jars down there! I used box cake mix and a tub (or several) of Betty Crocker cream cheese icing. I made the peach icing from scratch with a recipe I found here (just the icing, not the cupcakes), but I substituted peach baby food for the fresh peach that I would've had to mash, puree, and beat to crap. Peach baby food just seemed easier, and in the end, I'm really glad I went that route. This was time-consuming and a bit complicated (it took me 4 evenings after work), but totally worth it. They were delicious. Again, it seems that no one got a photo of them, but trust me - they were adorable and really yummy. We displayed them on an antique high chair that my parents have, and encouraged each guest to take one on their way out.
All in all, a great day, and a nice break from the wedding planning. Especially since now that we're at the 3-month mark and our weekends are so full, I'm starting to feel like we're getting to crunch time. We need to schedule our final meetings with our vendors, and given all the other stuff we have going on this summer, plus my one-weekend-a-month serving on-call for work...we're having a hard time scheduling all the meetings! These next 12 weeks are going to absolutely fly by!
(all photos courtesy of BM Tina!)
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
SURPRISE!
A few weeks ago, I suggested to my mom that she and I should host a baby shower for my friend/bridesmaid, Abriel. We knew she would be in town for the bridesmaid dress shopping, and all the other girls would be around, so it seemed like perfect timing. My mom and I went to work, emailing back and forth, making plans and laying out groundwork for a surprise baby shower. She spoke to Abriel's mom, who wanted to have the shower out at her house. I emailed a couple of the other girls to help us bring food. We went shopping for baby-themed paper products and ordered matching balloons. I decided I was going to supply the favors - I had found some gorgeous cake pops on bakerella.com, and wanted to replicate them as something unique and special for Abriel.
So I spent all day Saturday, being careful about what I said around Abriel, catching myself while talking to the other girls. At one point, Abriel mentioned "Oh, I told Sandie to bring them to the shower tomorrow..." and everyone froze and looked at me, but I just though, "Oh, bummer...Abriel knows about her surprise shower!" But, you know, no biggie. We got through the rest of the day with no other "slip-ups," and I woke up bright and early on Sunday, ready to get to Melinda's house and get set up for the shower.
My mom and I got everythign ready - packed up the bus, picked up the balloons, and headed out to Melinda's house. We were scheduled to get there around 12:30, so we had 30 minutes to set up before Melinda and Abriel were getting home from church. As we got close to the house, my mom remembered that she still had my sister's coat in the car, so she called Callie and told her that she'd call her after the shower to make plans to drop it off, but since we were almost at Melinda's, she couldn't do it now.
We pulled into the driveway and as we approached the house, I noticed a big crowd standing on the front porch. I thought to myself, "Oh no...everyone beat us here!" But as we got closer, I started noticing people who didn't belong there - most notably, my college roommates. As the reality of the situation hit me, I turned to my mom and said, "Those aren't Abriel's friends, those are my friends!" I started to laugh/cry, and my mom stopped the bus, telling me she'd drop me off at the sidewalk instead of going ahead to park the car. I got out of the car to a chorus of "Surprise!" and walked up to greet all of my closest friends and family.
Those sneaky girls had been planning for that to be my bridal shower for weeks, and when I suggested Abriel's baby shower, I gave them the perfect excuse to get me to Melinda's! As I learned of all the elaborate plans they'd made, and the multiple opportunities for them to giggle behind my back, I was shocked - they'd really pulled off a great surprise! We played some fun games, and Matt and I got some wonderful gifts. It was so great to spend the day with [almost] all of my favorite people, and I had such a fantastic time seeing everyone!
Me and my girls [minus Stephy]
So I spent all day Saturday, being careful about what I said around Abriel, catching myself while talking to the other girls. At one point, Abriel mentioned "Oh, I told Sandie to bring them to the shower tomorrow..." and everyone froze and looked at me, but I just though, "Oh, bummer...Abriel knows about her surprise shower!" But, you know, no biggie. We got through the rest of the day with no other "slip-ups," and I woke up bright and early on Sunday, ready to get to Melinda's house and get set up for the shower.
My mom and I got everythign ready - packed up the bus, picked up the balloons, and headed out to Melinda's house. We were scheduled to get there around 12:30, so we had 30 minutes to set up before Melinda and Abriel were getting home from church. As we got close to the house, my mom remembered that she still had my sister's coat in the car, so she called Callie and told her that she'd call her after the shower to make plans to drop it off, but since we were almost at Melinda's, she couldn't do it now.
We pulled into the driveway and as we approached the house, I noticed a big crowd standing on the front porch. I thought to myself, "Oh no...everyone beat us here!" But as we got closer, I started noticing people who didn't belong there - most notably, my college roommates. As the reality of the situation hit me, I turned to my mom and said, "Those aren't Abriel's friends, those are my friends!" I started to laugh/cry, and my mom stopped the bus, telling me she'd drop me off at the sidewalk instead of going ahead to park the car. I got out of the car to a chorus of "Surprise!" and walked up to greet all of my closest friends and family.
Those sneaky girls had been planning for that to be my bridal shower for weeks, and when I suggested Abriel's baby shower, I gave them the perfect excuse to get me to Melinda's! As I learned of all the elaborate plans they'd made, and the multiple opportunities for them to giggle behind my back, I was shocked - they'd really pulled off a great surprise! We played some fun games, and Matt and I got some wonderful gifts. It was so great to spend the day with [almost] all of my favorite people, and I had such a fantastic time seeing everyone!
Me and my girls [minus Stephy]Aren't they gorgeous?
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