I've Got Another Confession To Make...

My name is Stephanie, and I am a registry stalker.

It started out simple enough.  Matt and I started our first registry about nine months ago last November.  A little early, but I am incredibly picky and change my mind about every ten seconds.  I wanted time to pick what I loved, then pick something else, then pick something else, and finally go back to what I originally loved.  I needed time, space and options.  I gave myself all three.

And then my first shower arrived.  All of my friends came, my family was there, there was food, there was booze, what more could you want?  It started a new crazy in me that I had no idea was there.  For months when I checked the registry it was to tweak it.  Delete what was no longer in season, what I no longer liked, what I felt I no longer needed, and what I couldn't wait any longer for and had already bought myself.

But then June arrived and there were things on there that we no longer needed because someone else had bought them!  I was getting presents!  (Correction: we were getting presents.  Hard to remember sometimes.)  People were actually buying what I had asked them to.  (Again, what we had asked them to.)  I loved it. 

You would think that it would make the shower boring knowing what I was getting ahead of time, but you would be wrong.  The reasoning is two-fold:
1. I hide my stalking from my future husband.  He has no idea that I check it regularly so in the hopes of hiding this from him, I did not tell him that I already knew everything that we were getting.  This caused him to be very surprised and excited about each thing we opened.  While excited, I was not exactly surprised.  So Matt covered the surprise aspect I was missing.

2. Knowing everything ahead of time, but not who bought what, created a whole new element to gift opening.  It was fun to figure out who picked out which gift for us.

Up until this month I thought this was normal and did not think twice about it.  By my stalking has reached almost unreasonable levels.  I check it everyday now.  And I'm still making changes. 

Every once in awhile, I get on there and that beautiful number under the already has column goes up one.  And I rejoice.  The fact that I won't get to use these gifts for another couple of months doesn't matter to me.  The fact that someone has already bought us the beautiful stainless steel Cuisinart blender that we picked out has gotten me through the last hour at work.  I can imagine what it will be like to be needing a little blender and to be able to pull that beautiful piece of art out of the cabinet.  And I will rejoice then too.  For now, the thought of my future kitchen is enough to get me through.  I don't need the real thing.  Yet.

One final reason I need to be a stalker (or, one more justification for doing it):
I was looking at our Crate and Barrel registry today and realized that almost ten different things we had picked out are no longer available.  These include, but are not limited to the beautiful paisley placemats that I was so excited to convince Matt to put on the registry.  In all seriousness, I teared up when I realized that they are no longer available on-line or in any store near anyone I know well enough to call up like a crazy person and ask them to go pick up for me.  They're gone.  I am devastated. 

And had I not been stalking, the wedding might have come and gone with those placemats still on the registry, tricking anyone who dare attempt to buy them for us.  You are welcome.

Wedding Update - For Real Yo

This is what is happening this week in Wedding Land:

1. I Now Pronounce You...
     Last week we went and applied for a marriage license and yesterday Matt went and picked it up so we are well on our way to being legal.  I was a little surprised that it cost eighty big ones, but I guess I've never gotten any other license (besides driver's) so maybe they all cost that much. 

My other, more likely, theory is that the state of Kansas has wisely figured out a way to take more money from it's residents by increasing the price of a marriage license.  Some wise-guy probably figured out that weddings are increasing exponentially (at least among my friends, so I can only assume that this trend resonates everywhere) so why not jack up the price?  Most people aren't going to do a whole lot about it because by the time you go apply for one, most likely you already have the venue picked out and if its in the state of Kansas you don't have a whole lot of options.  Or, maybe it's just Johnson County that is doing this because we all know everything in Johnson County is more expensive. 

Or I just need to shut up about it and be excited about the fact that we are one step closer to being married!

2. You're Invited
     Invitations are glue dotted, folded, stuffed and ready to go once we get the addressed envelopes back.  And get postage.  And take them to the post office.  Okay, so they're not quite ready, but if you have any idea how much time it takes to put together an invite with backgrounds and inserts and tabs (oh my!) you will know that the fact that they are almost ready to go is a huge accomplishment.

Really, they've been done for like two weeks but I've been bacheloretting it up in Vegas and working overtime for extra cash money (both in Vegas and at my job) so I haven't had a chance to share any of this glorious news.  And I do have some sweet pics from Vegas but as Time Warner has so very nicely left us without internet for the past week, I have not been able to add any.

3. Hairspray
     I finalized hair plans with Susan so I think we will all be getting our hair did up real nice.  Cindy reccomended her because she did their hair, so I'm not worried at all about having a stranger do everyone's hair.  Okay, really I am but I am seriously at the point of not caring anymore.  I jumped off of the cliff of giving a damn about two months ago and three miles back.  I'm now in the wonderful field of flowers and who cares?  What kind of shoes should the bridesmaids wear?  Who cares!  Ask me another question, I can't wait to shout who cares at you!


* Disclaimer:  Although I feel like who gives a damn right now, I will probably care next week or next month or at some point before the wedding.  So take my who cares with a grain of salt, smile at me, and then give me some time to think about it. 

I realized the other day I am getting so stressed (only ten weeks away!) that I am just a boiling pot of emotion, with happiness, sadness, and craziness all simmering at the surface waiting to erupt on an unsuspecting bystander.  And to add insult to some serious injury, Matt decides that he really wants to move before the wedding!  Perfect, one more thing to worry about.  I had agreed a couple of months ago, but the closer I get to D Day the more I think he is insane and I must have been drinking the Kool-Aid that day.

Wedding Update

My sister makes fun of me that I started this to track wedding plans and have something to look back on when we are married and the stress of a wedding is gone, and laugh at how silly and frantic I was, and then I don't write about our wedding.  At all. 

I tend to assume that most people don't want to hear about other people's wedding plans.  When my old roommate got married, she used to tell me over and over again that she didn't want to overwhelm me with her wedding plans so she never talked about it.  I used to literally pry information out of her to help.

I guess I should take a step back and let out what I consider to be a dirty little secret.  Not much of a secret because most people know this, but still fairly dirty because I am not exactly proud of this piece of information.  I love weddings.  I love everything about them.  I love monogrammed matchbooks, wedding dresses, guest books, ring bearer tuxes, shoes, hairstyles, gift registries, flower girl dresses, favor boxes, and millions of other things associated with weddings. 

Television shows about weddings are always in style.  My new favorite is Say Yes to the Dress on TLC.  Love it.  They had a clip show on a couple of weeks ago that was the ten most memorable brides.  I can't even begin to describe how hilarious and at points heartbreaking that episode was.

Even though most of the time my mind can be clouded with a hazy cloud of wedding paraphernalia, I am not so eager to talk about it that I will just start throwing out all of my plans and ideas to any passerby.  And then I realized that by not just throwing it out there I am missing out on an opportunity to document what it is like the days leading up to our wedding.

So here it is.  Stop reading if you don't want to hear about my plans, all three people that are reading this.  Go watch Big Brother.  It's decent this season, but I'm definitely missing Jeff and Jordan.

Where to start, where to start

So I haven't written much lately.  Partly because I'm boring, and partly because most of the time I think if I can get through the day without screaming at someone or losing my mind I am coming out on top.  Wedding planning is stressful!  In order to take my mind off of that for five seconds, here are some of the things that have been going on in the last month (in no particular order):

Father's Day was fun this year.  There was croquet, there was ice cream cake, and most importantly there was Toy Story 3!

This was when I found out we were going to see Toy Story 3!  (Not really, but I was very excited.  And in 3D!)

Then came Bo's birthday extravaganza weekend!  Well, she likes to think of it as an extravaganza.  First there was dinner at Applebee's with plenty of singing involved.

Aren't they cute??  

Then came her trip to see the man, the myth, the Michael Buble.  I happened to be downtown for Suzanne's bachelorette party, so the Thibaults graced us with their presence for some after concert drinks and general merriment.

Bo felt the need to keep flashing to everyone how old she was turning.

Her finger is cut off, she's actually 25 now (although you would never guess it....)

We had tons of fun that night with good friends, and hope to do it again sometime!  (Maybe not too soon, I definitely paid for it the next day).  Exhibit A:

Nativity Reunion!!