Mrp and Salty

Where Are They Now?

2008-07-31T10:43:00.001-07:00

If you want to read what mrp and I are up to these days, check out my other blog here. Thanks for visiting!

Wedding Photo Diary

2007-12-10T10:01:00.000-08:00

So around 2:00 PM on November 10, 2007 mrp and I got hitched. Below is a little chronicle of the day from a little before the ceremony to hours into our dance-a-thon. All the photos, unless otherwise noted, were taken by our fabulous photographer Ken Blaze. Almost all the photos are unposed and just snapshots of what was really going on. There are a few posed ones in the middle but I think they're pretty obvious. We really love Ken's photojournalistic style and feel he did a fabulous job capturing the essence of our day. He likes to post what he feels is the story of the wedding day of the couples he photographs on his website. Here's his take on ours. And below is ours.

Here's our program to kick this off.

A Little Last Minute Detailing

2007-12-10T10:00:00.000-08:00

I arrived at the church about an hour before the ceremony. I hid away in the montessori school in the basement, where I got dressed and then hung out with my bridal party who helped me have a little fun and forget to be nervous!

My sister fixing our flower girl's bow just so.

The two of them fixing my train.

Our other flower girl and her mom, mrp's sister.

My best friend checking out my ring as my sister and mom look on.

What's Going on Upstairs

2007-12-10T09:59:00.000-08:00

While I was down in the basement bunker of the church...

My mom made sure everyone had their flowers, including my sweet little grandma and...

Mrp's best man was helping to keep him nice and relaxed and...

His other best man was busy ushering the mrp's parents and...

Then mine.

Dum Dum Da Dum

2007-12-10T09:58:00.000-08:00

I had no idea what time it was down in my basement montessori hideaway, so we ended up being a bit late to start the processional.

First, the little ones with their little baskets of lady apples. They were picture perfect and followed instructions just right!

They were followed by my best friend *B* and mrp's friend *C*. Notice the garish purple in the flowers. I suppose that's the downside for scrimping on a good florist. Heh.

My sister ended up taking off too early, but that's ok. Wasn't she gorgeous?!

Mrp waiting for me trying not to cry. Probably wondering why I didn't wait for my processional music. Since my sister took off early I got confused and thought it was weird to stand back there so long so I took off early too. Oops!

I'm on my way...

Dearly Beloved Part

2007-12-10T09:57:00.000-08:00

I finally made it to mrp and as soon as I got there, the tears started streaming down his face and then mine. As we walked up to the alter we were both doing our best to stop the water works. Our priest said we looked so nervous, but it was really just the pain from biting on the inside of our cheeks!

At first we were both so stoic and stiff sitting up there, not knowing what to do. Then I decided we could relax. I think I'm eyeballing mrp's hand and raring up to grab it and hold on!

We had the crying thing all under control--well, at least until the vows. Mrp went first and was crying his little eyes out! So, by the time it was my turn, I could hardly talk. I just squeaked out my vows under all the sniffles and tears :)

Our priest gave us permission to practice our end-of-the-ceremony kiss after our vows.

Mrp's niece and our flower girl looks on. I wonder what her little 4 year old brain makes of all this!

The Peanut Gallery

2007-12-10T09:56:00.000-08:00

From the looks of this picture we had a lot of people in the audience. However, we had a pretty small wedding. At the ceremony I would estimate we had about 40 people.

Our bridal party made up 20% of that! Here they are looking on--lovingly, of course!

My mom and stepfather also looking: concerned? bored? overjoyed?

My poor little grandma is just praying her little heart out. I've given her knees a workout over the years!

Mrp's brother-in-law and nephew behaving like a dream! I was referring to the little one!

Mid-ceremony Visits

2007-12-10T09:55:00.000-08:00

After our vows we went down from the alter and visited briefly with our parents and grandparents in the first row during the peace offering.

Then we visited the Virgin Mary.

And then we returned to the alter to be blessed one more time before we were official official :)

Mr. and Mrs. Mrp and Salty

2007-12-10T09:54:00.000-08:00

Before the ceremony, mrp and I discussed what kind of final kiss we wanted. Did we want the demure church peck or the full on make-out session?

In the end we went for the passionate closed mouth with slight dip to great effect! I love this picture. It's the real kiss--not posed!

We decided to walk out to the traditional dum dum da dum dum dum dum da da da dum music and I just remember feeling so blissed out holding mrp's hand and trying not to smile too big that I looked psychotic in the pictures. Heh.

Greetings from the Mrps

2007-12-10T09:53:00.000-08:00

After the ceremony we had a bit of a receiving line in the church lobby. Since we had such a small crowd we didn't have to stand there for a million years smiling until our cheeks hurt. Instead, since everyone there was either family or very close friends we actually spent a few quality minutes with everyone.

My grandma again! Isn't she the cutest?!

Mrp being a fine host. I think a lot of people never thought mrp would break down and get married and I think his sister's mother-in-law was one of them ;)

Me and my aunty! The sinceretyof the happiness that most of our guests had for us was probably the second best thing about the day (second to how happy we were!)

One of my bestest friends drove all the way from NYC. I hadn't seen him in two years and I didn't recognize him at first with that hair! Gorgeous!

My new nephew! I love being an aunt, can't you tell?

Cowbells in Action

2007-12-10T09:52:00.000-08:00

After the meet and greets it was time for our grand exit from the church. As you know, at the last minute mrp and I frantically tried to figure out what to have our guests do upon our exit from the church. Impulsively, I purchased two dozen cowbells. So on their way out from the church, the guests picked up one of these:

Or my sister handed them as in the case of my uncle here.

Once all cowbells were in place we made a walk for it...

to the sweet cacophony of cowbells!

Isn't it cute how I am so expressive and mrp is so contained? I never realized how differently we express our feelings until I got our wedding pictures!

A Zany Antic Interlude

2007-12-10T09:51:00.000-08:00

Normally, the party starts at the reception. However, for our guests it started right after the ceremony.

My uncles hanging out with J.C.

A little flower cow.

Hey, those aren't for eating!

It's like she's a Charlie's Angel ready to take down the bad guy with a mum.

The side-effects of (faux) fur--people treat you like an animal!

I Think We're Alone Now

2007-12-10T09:50:00.000-08:00

I think one thing you don't realize when you're planning a wedding is how little time you get to spend with your betrothed at all, let alone all by yourselves! After the intensity of the ceremony and overwhelming emotions it was awesome to finally have a private moment to bask in it all together.

Here we are at that moment. We love this picture because we had no idea that moment was being captured. We're so glad it was!

And just for kicks, after mrp had me all set in the passenger seat, he's checking out the shoe!

Home Again Home Again Jiggedy Jig

2007-12-10T09:49:00.000-08:00

We love our house. Our one acre is smack dab in the middle of an apple orchard. (Hence the apples incorporated into the wedding.) We knew we wanted to have a few pictures on our wedding day at our home.

So we arrived back in mrp's '90 Cavalier Z24 and I was greeted by my bud.

Then we went to our front porch to get a little American Gothic.

While we were there a neighbor walked by and introduced herself. Our front yard is really long so we when she first waved we were trying to squint to see if we knew her. Turns out we didn't, but we do now!

In the House

2007-12-10T09:48:00.000-08:00

After our little tribute to American folk art we headed inside to kick back for a few minutes before heading to the reception.

Fortunato needed to be a part of the wedding festivities so we played with him with left over ribbon from our program baskets.

Once that cat no longer felt ignored it was time for the booze!

The little one had juice, don't worry!

I made mrp do that stupid arms crossed champagne move. He totally loved it can't you tell! Heh.

Hmmm. Maybe there was a little too much booze.

Heading Out

2007-12-10T09:47:00.000-08:00

After the champagne mrp took a break while us ladies gathered our things.

You can see the remnants of our last minute photo project. We decorated the reception space with photos of us through the years. These are duplicates or extras. We finished the project at 11:30 the night before!

Now we're off

Going to the party!

Runners

2007-12-10T09:46:00.000-08:00

We arrived at our reception locale for pre-party pictures outside. Our reception was held at a manor house built in the '20's that sits on dozens of beautiful acres of farm and natural grasslands and forest.

We went out on the grass and I immediately started to sink in my ivory satin heels. Bad! So mrp and his groomsman helped me take my shoes off.

But it was so cold and wet on the grass that my little feet froze! So, what's a good runner girl to do? I took off running and mrp joined me!

We were neck and neck for a while as you can see

But then I made my move.

Sweet victory!

Shoes and then Posing

2007-12-10T09:45:00.000-08:00

After our grueling race and the great foot freeze of 2007, I needed my shoes stat.

Super mrp to the rescue!

Ahh much better. Ken plopped us on a bench together and we posed away.

He stuck our groomsmen on an adjacent bench. They remind me of Waldorf at that other guy on the Muppet Show!

Or two stooges!

I think mrp looks so handsome in this photo!

As we were posing, our guests started arriving!

Oops! We're hurrying! We'll be in soon!

Two More Poses

2007-12-10T09:44:00.000-08:00

On our way back to the Manor House we stopped for a couple of more poses.

We took a few standing together like this one. I like this one best.

And then in front of the Manor House mrp picked me up and we took a few like this. I'll spare you the ones showing mrp straining to hold me. Heh. I love this shot. One of my absolute favorites!

Little Details Interlude: Before

2007-12-10T09:41:00.000-08:00

Before we commence the reception photos, here is a brief interlude focusing on the little details. Here are some shots before the party started.

Our incredibly gorgeous cake baked by my pastry chef cousin. It is decorated with lady apples, little pears, cranberries, mums, plum ribbon, and little picturs of us in cinnamon stick frames. The photos on the sides are of us as babies, children, then young adults in sepia. The one at the top is one of Ken's engagement shots of us.

Besides the cake and the flower girl baskets, we used lady apples as place cards. We found a leaf shaped hole punch and punched leaves in three different colors that corresponded to the guests meal choice (mrp and I both chose the salmon--yum!) Then we pinned the leaves to the top and voila!

I am so not a fan of floral centerpieces. Hate them, in fact. So, instead we put candles in various sized mason jars and clustered them in the center of the tables. For table numbers we used some of the dozens of picture frames we bought at thrift stores and closeout shops (we even found one that was a picture frame inside a squirrel figurine!) to tie in with our photo theme (cake, decorations, guest book).

We also put lady apples and the candles in mason jars around other areas of the space along with photos of us together, some family wedding shots, and us as kids.

Finally, we did the music ourselves using itunes. My Aunty MC'd. Here we are hooking things up and doing a sound check. "Check. Check."

Little Details Interlude: After

2007-12-10T09:40:00.000-08:00

So here are those same details a little later.

The cake all cut up! It was SO yummy! The butter cream was all real butter baby!

Mrp helping some guests find their place card.

Table 5 all aglow.

A little homage in honor of ourselves. Heh.

I think the guests enjoyed my playlist!

My Aunties and My Dress

2007-12-10T09:39:00.000-08:00

My dad was one of 8 children. He died when I was 11, but he thankfully has four wonderful sisters who were as close to a replacement as you could get to a lost parent.

Besides my one aunt volunteering for MC duties, the one above gave a touching self-written reading and along with the others fabulously helped us decorate the reception area. (If you look closely you can see the squirrel!)

Anyway, as soon as mrp and I walked into the reception I was acosted! Heh.

But I ate up their attention and used the opportunity to show off my dress!

I dropped some coin on that thing at a little shop called All Brides Beautiful. It was designed by a Seattle boutique designer Sally Crew. It was silk chantilly lace and swarovski crystals. It was simple and elegant yet totally decadent. I felt gorgeous, dahling! And that's the point of a wedding dress! And Aunties!

Mixin' and Minglin'

2007-12-10T09:32:00.000-08:00

I finally was able to escape from my Aunties and headed over for a cocktail. Rum Punch! Yum. Mrp and I stocked the bar ourselves, purchasing nothing but top shelf all the way! Mrp and I visited my sister when she lived in New Orleans and sat on the levee drinking rum punch we took out from the Dry Dock restaurant on the West Bank. Ever since then it's been my favorite drink! So we bought the rum punch fixin's and our bartender, Jeff made sure I was well taken care of (but thankfully not too well taken care of if you know what I mean!)

My fabulous bridesmaid also found herself a Grey Goose martini.

Mrp hung out with his guys for a couple of minutes

before moving along to my uncle as my grandparents found their place apple.

I took a moment to chat with mrp's dad.

And my sister helped someone with a big present!

Snack Time!

2007-12-10T09:29:00.000-08:00

You can work up an appetite getting married, I tell you! Mrp and I painstakingly worked with our fabulous caterer, Suzy of Strawberry Hill Caterers, on the perfect menu. On the appetizer list were:

Mmm. Chicken spinach pillows dipped in mint chili sauce.

My friends, A & A liked them!

I am grabbing my favorite: the shimp sweet potato puffs! Little *P* here is a vegetarian so she was waiting for one of these:

French toasted asiago and roasted red pepper sandwiches. Yum, I could go for one now!

The Old Polaroid Guestbook Trick

2007-12-10T09:28:00.000-08:00

If you've ever considered a polaroid guest book, do it! It was so fun and mrp and I cherish our book and all the adorable and the absurd pictures our guests (and even I) took. I originally went with it because it fit in with our photo theme (framed photo decorations, the cake, the table numbers, etc.) But knowing what I know now, I'd get it no matter what just for the fun value!

Here's my sister kicking things off.

I'm taking a very cute shot of my bridesmaid and my cocktail :)

Even my 80+ year old grandparents were into it!

Here are the end results.

And if you still aren't convinced your guests can handle it, our 4 year old and 7 year old flower girls were fully capable of sending their good wishes our way!

Ave Maria

2007-12-05T08:51:00.000-08:00

Mrp and I had a Catholic wedding ceremony. We were given the option to visit the statue of the Virgin Mary to say a prayer towards the end of the ceremony. Although neither of us is very religious, we have thought it was a touching gesture at other weddings we have been to and thought it might be nice to do. I am so glad we did. It provided us a moment in the middle of the ceremony to be alone and besides wondering to each other, "how long are we supposed to stand here?" (heh) it was also a nice point of reflection on the hugeness of the day. And amazingly, it provided one of the most beautiful pictures of the day! As always, Ken Blaze amazes!

One Shoe and a Gatorade Toast

2007-12-04T14:33:00.001-08:00

Running plays a big part in mrp's and my life in that our families identify us with it and make fun of us for it. So, we thought we'd incorporate a little bit of our running lives to add a little fun to the wedding. The first thing we wanted to do was to have a bunch of our dead running shoes tied to the back of our get-away car in lieu of the tin cans. Our parents' get on our case mercilessly: "what are you going to do with all those shoes?!" So, we thought they'd get a huge kick out of it. The problem was that my bridesmaids had so many day-of responsibilities that they passed this one off to the groomsmen who of course left it to the last possible second and this is what they managed. One measly shoe. I can't help but giggle about the ridiculousness of it. At least the dinos are pretty cute (long story).

The other evidence of our supreme dorkitude is that instead of champagne we had the servers bring out gatorade in plastic champagne glasses (see picture above) for our toast. This was a huge hit and since it wasn't left to our groomsmen it went off without a hitch. (Guys, I kid!) Anyway, that concludes the dorkitude of the wedding! Well, at least the running related dorkitude, since I never did mention my air guitar obsession, did I?

No Woodchucks Were Harmed in the Making of this Wedding

2007-11-30T08:24:00.000-08:00

I was going to wait for Ken's photos before I blogged about the wedding. The few photos my mom and sister took don't capture the little details that are so fun to illustrate. But, it's been so long and the wedding was so wonderful that I have to say something about it for pete's sake!

So, I guess I'll answer the burning question I posed a while back. After hemming and hawing and wondering if what I bought on Ebay would come too big or dreadlocked or stinky or well, too dead for my taste, I decided to both fur and not fur (and unload way too much cash for the privilege!) I ended up finding a faux fur vintage looking shrug at Banana Republic of all places. It was great because it was not a dead animal and it was more likely to be a sure fit!

It was the perfect warm fuzzy thing to keep me warm while maintaining the ever-important vintagey style I was going for. It wasn't overly-bridal which was nice too. Here's the best photo I have of it on me.

The little girl I am with was our flower girl *P*. Incidentally, little *P* loved staying at our house and watching all the wildlife out our kitchen window. She especially (like her favorite friend aunty) loved the woodchucks. So, we named my shrug chuck in her honor and called it the woodchuck all night and it was just one more silly thing that made it the most funnest day ever!

Hitched!

2007-11-20T05:09:00.000-08:00

Cow Bell, the Hell?

2007-11-02T14:29:00.000-07:00

8 days to go means a panic means impulse shopping. I was on the phone with mrp and we were discussing what to have people throw at us as we left the church. We were going to give the kids bubble guns to make tons o' bubbles, but then we decided that was stupid and potentially really messy. So we though, eh, just let them all clap and cheer. Then I said I'd put my sister on the case and have her get the crowd to whoop it up like we were winning a gold medal. I then I thought, hey, what about cow bells. And mrp said, "yeah! cow bells." And now we are the proud owners of 24 of these babies.

We Know Where the Devil Is

2007-10-30T05:38:00.000-07:00

11 days and oodles left to do.

I need to get my hands on some lady apples to make my own version of these.

I ordered a giant leaf paper punch and I have a table of all the guests names ready to roll.

Now all I need to do for the placecards is to decide what 3 colors I want to go with for the paper--oh, and actually make them. Thank goodness for short guestlists!

Besides the placecards, I still need to get a guest book. I am strongly considering going with the polaroid guestbook.

We are decorating with framed photos of mrp, me, and mrp and me all over the place so we have a slight photo theme. Plus, polaroids = fun!

Other than that I am stressed out dealing with people with judgmental or bitterness problems and trying to figure out how to minimize the complaining of our older guests. It's amazing what a wedding brings out in people. Most people are thrilled and excited and just awesome and happy. But there are a few who can't pass up the opportunity to pass judgement, subtely (or not so subtley) try to pass on their own bitterness, or complain about something or everything. I know you can't please everyone, but I need to vent now so I am not a boiling kettle on my own wedding day!

More Fun Photos

2007-10-28T18:21:00.000-07:00

More engagement shots from Ken Blaze.

Those Crazy Kids

2007-10-19T12:13:00.000-07:00

Here's a little peak at our engagement photos shot by the wonderfully fun Ken Blaze.

Say it with me now: Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

Random Opinions about Wedding Things

2007-09-21T12:31:00.001-07:00

Monograms--They are everywhere! I just never liked them. The script is generally cheesy looking to me and for some reason it looks cheap even though I know it's supposed to look blue-blood preppy.

Fruits and Veggies--Love! So silly and random and fresh. And just cute!

Affair--It's like nails on a chalkboard to hear the word affair preceeded by adjectives such as: vintage-inspired, whimsical, sophisticated or anything x yet-y.

Soiree--Such a cool and underused word!

DJ's--Mullets, You Shook Me All Night Long, cheap tuxedo vests, enough said.

Ipod--So easy and every song you want is on it! And it's cheap (if like me you already have one) and doesn't drop the Y.M.C.A. bomb on the party

Limos--They just seem so utterly cheesy and 80's to me. I just picture big blonde hair and teal taffeta when I see a white limo!

Bicycles--That would be cool to ride away on a tandem bicycle! Probably stupid with a long dress on, but cool!

Chocolate Brown--I suppose it's softer than black, but so is navy and dark any color. ENOUGH brown!! On to the next trendy color please!

Gold--I have an obsession with anything gilt. Maybe it's that I love the Great Gatsby and just have this weird gold Art Deco fantasy. I don't know. I just have this obsession with a gilded November wedding.

Favors--They almost always seem like an after thought to me. And why do we need to give people a little trinket? Isn't the party, the booze, the food, the fun and excitement enough? I do want people to feel appreciated and loved but placing some hershey's kisses, a cheap candle, or other doo-dad at their place setting really doesn't seem very appreciative to me!

Polaroid Pictures--Wouldn't it be cool to have a couple of polaroids around to let the guests go crazy to make their own souvenirs. Cheaper than a photo booth!

To Fur or Not to Fur

2007-09-19T07:04:00.001-07:00

So, I am getting married in Cleveland in November. What does this mean? Brrrrrrr. Yes, that's right. It's probably going to be pretty chilly outside. Will that deter mrp and me from running around outside for pictures in our happy orchardy paradise? Why of course not!! We both trained for the Boston marathon all last winter, doing long runs in -20 degree windchills! We are tough and the cold isn't going to put a glitch in our plans. However, that's not to say I enjoy being cold or enjoy the thought of running around in a skimpy bridal gown with my poor little shoulders all bare and exposed to the harsh elements. So, that leads me to the next point: what to wear, what to wear?

My dress has a 30's vintage vibe to it and our reception site has a similar vibe, so I'd like to stay with this theme in choosing my outerwear. What did sophisticated ladies in the 30's wear on their shoulders to keep the chill at bay? Fur! Am I excited about wearing a dead animal? No! But kind of. I don't know. I was a vegetarian for years and I love animals something fierce. I've seen the videos of the electrodes and the little minks and sables and foxes and it is heartbreaking. But at the same time if I purchase a vintage fur from E-bay from some old lady's collection that was killed before even my mother was born is this really that heartless? I mean, isn't it good to participate in a market for used things like this to reinforce recycling and the notion that we really don't need to kill any minks in the here and now? Am I being shallow and selfish? Vane, perhaps?

I am leaning heavily towards purchasing a used vintage mink stole such as the ones pictured here. When I am finished with it, I will either resell it or donate it to the goodwill to recycle it again and maybe, just maybe save a modern mink from destruction. Or am I just making excuses? Maybe I'm no better than Cruella Deville! At least I have better hair.

Free Will and a Pair of Over-Priced Shoes

2007-09-13T07:05:00.000-07:00

Bobby Brown, unbeknownst to most, is one of the great minds of our time. I have hinted to his profound influence on me before, but I'm not sure if I fully articulated his influence on my life. In his classic work, My Prerogative, he demonstrates the paramount importance of free will in humanity's quest for enlightenment. Unlike some, who believe that our destiny is predetermined, Brown argues that no, "I will do what I want to do."

Under Brown's tutelage I feel it is in the interest of humanity that I change my mind yet again. Even if I earlier said otherwise, it's my prerogative and I will do what I want to do. I will not post any pictures of me in my wedding dress until after the wedding. I know I said I would post about the dress but I just don't want to take the chance that mrp stumbles upon it. Actually, you might think it's kind of strange, but mrp doesn't really read my blogs. Every once in a while he'll sneak a peak, though, so I'd rather be safe than sorry. Plus, I want to keep it a secret.

But, getting back to that earlier post. I'll have you know I surprised myself and chose the J Crew knotted d'orsay pumps. They looked kind of yellow, but they are actually the exact same color as the lining of my dress and compliment the lace overlay very well. And they're $50 cheaper than the other shoes I was leaning toward, so yeah!

My Savior!

2007-09-12T11:59:00.000-07:00

*Yeah! The cavalry has come. My beautiful sister *Y*, has come home to help me get this wedding shiznit in order. Woohoo! Actually, she came home because she's transitioning from life in New Orleans (yes, she lived there pre and post-Katrina) to a new life in my old stomping grounds, New York City. I don't care why, though! I am just so excited to have her here so close. Yeah, I am so happy.

And oh do I need the help. Of course I've saved the most unpleasant decisions for last here. They're only unpleasant because I don't know what I'm looking for really. I hate dealing with these expensive and important decisions without knowing what I'm doing. I still need to find a salon for hair and maybe make-up and I need to figure out the flower thing. Both things are not really things I can do on my own and both are potentially very expensive and very important.

So, my brave and objective sister is the perfect person to handle the appointments and help me figure out what I want. It also helps that she knows her wedding stuff having recently planned (and thankfully abandoned said plan, a story for later) her own wedding (that again thankfully did not happen).

For the record, I would be happy just to have her so close for 2 months even if I didn't need her help. It's just doubly awesome she's coming when she is! Woohoo take two!

*I stole all the pictures from her myspace so she's not allowed to be mad at me for posting them.

Bonk

2007-09-06T07:08:00.000-07:00

I had these great intentions with this blog--I was gunning to share my vision with the world as a Wedding Bee. I get these ideas in my head and suddenly it's a goal and I MUST ACHIEVE IT! However, how many stinking goals can one woman focus on achieving at once? Enough is enough. So, instead I am writing this for my own (and your) amusement.

In marathon training parlance there is this thing called bonking. It is appropriate here because I've more or less encountered a life bonk. I am just too buried right now to keep up with EVERYTHING so things like trying to become a "famous" wedding blogger suddenly seem utterly ridiculous. Yes, my non-running time and energy is better spent doing my job and eating and sleeping and maintaining my wonderful relationship. As I said, I'll keep this thing going but I'm no longer going to care if it's informative, helpful, interesting, or spelled correctly.

That being said, I had the funniest experience with my invitation lady, Cindi. We've been going back and forth and back and forth and back and forth (ok, you get the picture) with designs, wording, fonts, you name it. We were just about finished and then mrp and I couldn't decide between a small apple or a large watermark apple design. So, I proposed to see a couple more samples and Cindi was all like (and I paraphrase), "Dude, cut this sh*t out and pick something. You're not paying me nearly enough to put up with your wishy-washy b.s." I got her message and just laughed. Heh. She's so right. Sometimes you need someone to out the hammer down and make a limit. So, the invitations are done and on there way. Here's the finished bundle.

Now, I just need to work on legible handwriting for the addresses.

My Prerogative

2007-08-31T07:27:00.000-07:00

I am offically crazy. I know I said I found the perfect flower girl dress and it was lace and tulle and bla bla bla. But I lied. I talked to one of my flower moms, my bridesmaid *B* and she said she didn't think that a lacey tulley dress would really be conducive to wearing again. And then I thought about it and I realized that a lacey tulley poof really isn't my taste anyway so I changed my mind, which is afterall my prerogative (thank you Bobby!)

Instead I'm going with this very simple silk dress.
It's much simpler than the original choice. I like the plain real tied bow. As much as I have loved my experience with the dressmaker, Pegeen, some of the styles kind of scare me. I think the simple version I (with help from mom *B*) chose is a much better option than the dress with the eighties inspired giant Cinderella McBow and it is thankfully free of all gigantic and incredibly fake looking fake flowers. The second picture is in the actual color I chose, mountain fall. This color is pretty close to my mulling spices paint color card and is another rich tone to compliment the plum/eggplant shade of the bridesmaids' dresses. I chose a gold sash which is also in the theme.

I was originally worried about having another rich color in the wedding party for fear of taking the fall theme too far and looking like some weird autumnal circus. I really don't want to beat the fall thing into people's heads--yes, it's fall and yes fall leaves are pretty but that doesn't mean we have to thrust 17 shades of orange on the guests! Anyway, it should be ok. The eggplant shade is dark and just muted enough to almost qualify as a neutral and I'm wearing ivory, of course. Also, I don't plan to use that shade anywhere else much. I will probably tie it in with the rest of the theme through pale apricot flowers mixed into bouquets and maybe pew decorations. We shall see.

Oh, that reminds me. Flowers. I have to get on that!

Reschedule an Appointment and I Will Cut You!

2007-08-28T06:21:00.000-07:00

Ahhh! I am so sick of juggling 90,012,556,546,346,043,213,713* things at once! One little change in my schedule and I'm a basket case. When we started planning our wedding I really thought since I am pretty laid back when it comes to details and since we were planning a smaller wedding that I could easily handle wedding planning, a full time professional job, and marathon training. The reality is that it's definitely not easy but with my handy-dandy calendar and a week's notice of an appointment, I can do it just fine. Oh, but when any appointment gets changed my stress level goes bonkers as I try to figure out how to get in a 14 mile run, work at least 9 hours, and make the appointment with the caterer all on the same day.

I guess I didn't realize how much I needed to rely on others keeping appointments and generally not wasting my time. I also need other aspects of my life to be predictably scheduled. I need to know my running schedule in advance as well as my work schedule, family obligations, dentist appointments, major home repairs, killer storms or forest fires necessitating evacuations, etc. Heh. Basically, while wedding planning spontaneity and flying by the seat of my pants is so not an option!!

For the most part, my vendors and others we need to meet with before the wedding have been reliable. There is one though that has rescheduled twice at the last minute because she had a grandson's birthday party to go to (the first was on a Wednesday and the second was on a Monday--and you don't know until the day before about your grandson's birthday party?!) Unfortunately, this lady is someone we need to meet with from our church and not a paid vendor. So, all I could do was bite my tongue and reschedule. We are having our appointment with her tomorrow and I had to accommodate it by switching tomorrow's 14 mile run to this afternoon, so it better be good!

How do you handle scheduling all your wedding planning appointments and how do you handle it when someone reschedules at the last minute?

*Slight exaggeration.

Choose the Shoes

2007-08-24T06:50:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted about my dress yet. That is mostly because I went alone to my first fitting and the couple of pictures I took don't exactly do it justice. But, tomorrow morning I have my second dress fitting and my mother is going with me so we should be able to take some better pictures. In the meantime, I will tell you that it is a v-neck and v-back ivory Alencon lace sheeth with a chapel train and a swarovski crystal detailing along the neck and the back and the waist. It definitely has a retro 30's vibe about it that I adore! I can't wait to be reacquainted with it tomorrow!

In anticipation of being able to see and even wear my beloved dress I purchased a couple of pairs of shoes to try out along with two pairs that my bridal salon carries. So without further ado, here are my four candidates:

The first pair is the Hadley d'orsay open-toed pump by J Crew ($185 +shipping on jcrew.com):

Pros: I love the knot over the toes. Appropriate for the oocasion--heh. They are very sophisticated looking and have a retro feel that goes with the dress. They're also pretty comfy and the heel height, 3.5 inches, is just about right for this 5'4" girl marrying a 6'2" guy.

Cons: The ivory color is a little more yellowish than I'd like. I think it might be too yellow for the dress.

The second pair is the Amy satin sandal by Anne Klein New York ($237.11 with free shipping on zappos.com):

Pros: The color, bridal white, seems perfect (I won't know for sure until tomorrow). The height is awesome, 4.5 inch heels! I love love love the ankle straps with the rhinestone buckles! These are some gorgeous shoes!!

Cons: The heel height might be too high since I wore 3.75 inch heels for my first fitting when we worked on the hem length. My feet are pretty gross from marathon training for the past two years. I'm going to have to work really hard on getting them to look decent in the three weeks I have before the wedding after my fall marathon if I'm going to wear sandals!

The third pair is the Crystal satin sandal by Grace (~$120 at my bridal salon):

Pros: They're significantly cheaper than either the J Crew or the Anne Klein shoes. They also have a nice retro style and a little sparkle that plays off the crystals on my dress nicely. They also have a nice 3.5 inch heel. I already know the color works with my dress.

Cons: It seems like so many brides have Grace shoes. They feel a little too cookie-cutter bridal for my taste.

Lastly, is the Evita satin sandal by Grace (~$120 at my bridal salon):

Pros: The price, the heel and the color are good, just like the Crystal. Also, like the Crystal, there is a nice little bit of sparkle on the knot of the bow. And, of course the bow itself is pretty adoreable.

Cons: Like the Crystal these seem maybe a little too bridey for my taste. The bow also might not work with my dress.

So these are the contenders. So far just looking at the shoes on paper (or in blog post, as it were!) I think the perfect shoe would be the Anne Kleins if the front had the satin knot of the J crew shoes and the price of the Grace shoes! It might be a whole different story when paired with the dress. One pair may rise above all others. We'll find out soon. Stay tuned!

Growing Old Together

2007-08-23T09:28:00.000-07:00

When I wrote about how I pictured mrp and me in 40 years I described us sitting at our kitchen table eating breakfast and enjoying a cup of coffee as we read the paper or admire the birds eating at the feeder outside the kitchen window. I picture mrp all tall, and gray, handsome and still tan from working in his garden. In my vision, mrp at 75 is as attractive to me as he is at 33.

But something that never really entered the vision was whether we'll have a sex life when we're older. I read an article this morning in the New York times that says a surprising amount of older folks--people over 75--continue to regularly have sex. Woohoo! I hope that's us! I'm sure it depends on a lot of things--physical health mainly. But, I sincerely hope that by staying active and healthy that our sex life remains robust through our golden years.

Have you and your fiance discussed how you picture your golden years?

Under Pressure

2007-08-22T12:55:00.000-07:00

I have a problem. I am easily pressured by vendors. I hate negotiating and I hate rocking the boat. I know, I'm a lawyer. I should be a natural at doing these things, but when it comes to my personal life my professional skills are left in the office.

I first noticed this when I was at my first dress fitting. In my mind, the hips and waist needed to be taken in on my dress and I want the bottom to start flaring higher up and closer to my butt than it is. But, did I say anything as she worked on pinning the hem and the straps and left the waist and hips untouched? Of course not! I just smiled and said it was great! Gah!!!

I also noticed it just a little while ago as I was speaking with a potential flower person. In my mind I want to keep the flowers simple. I don't want floral centerpieces and I really don't think I want much traditional flower stuff in the church. I really just want bouquets, boutineires, corsages, and maybe pew decorations and tree rentals. The rest of the stuff I hope to make myself along with my bridal party. Yet, did I say anything about this as the florist insisted we meet at either the reception site or the church to discuss the possibilities? Of course not!

I still can tell the florist what I want and insist on it, of course. And I can also discuss the waist and hips of my dress at my next fitting. But will I?

I need to muster up the guts to stand up for what I want. I suppose in some ways I'm afraid to not do the right thing. I need to get confident about my vision for our wedding and insist that my vendors fall into line if they want to work for us. And doggone it, I swear I will. Dress lady, be ready to pin the middle of my dress on Saturday!

We the People of the United States of Salty and Mrp

2007-08-21T07:56:00.000-07:00

Since I mentioned it in my last post, I thought I’d dedicate a post to core-values. One thing I bring to my relationship with mrp is that I am a communication person. I love to talk, to write, and express myself creatively. I am also fascinated by interpersonal relationships. Why do some people just click and others can’t stand each other from the moment they meet? Is there such a thing as a soul mate? All of my life this has been the case. When I was a young teenager, I used to love to watch Oprah and learn about how spouses should communicate or how to be a better parent. Even a few years ago, I was in law school when Dr. Phil first came on the air. I would take a homework break and lap up Dr. Phil’s tell-it-like-it-is advice to people unable to successfully relate to those they love. Of course, I recognize that this stuff is just tv fluff, but it always gets me thinking.

One day, about a year ago, I was running and thinking about my future with mrp. I was thinking about how great things were and how happy I was at that moment but then I started to think about the fact that people and circumstances change. How can mrp and I preserve the happiness we have together even when the going gets tough? How do others resolve conflicts? This made me think of the constitution! I’m a lawyer and very interested in constitutional law. The constitution helps the country and our government to resolve problems and conflicts—why not mrp and me?

I decided that our relationship constitution should really be a document of our core values. I talked to mrp about this idea and he loved it. We also decided it would be helpful to understand how we each viewed our future. So here’s what we decided to do. We decided to individually write out what our core values were and where we saw ourselves in 1 year, 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, and 40 years. After we finished doing this individually, then we regrouped and shared what we wrote. We discussed our individual lists of values and decide between our lists what our core values were as a couple. We wrote this list in a blank book and then also wrote each of our future visions too.

Here’s our list of values:

1. Team: This is the most important. Mrp and I are a team and the health of our team is the most important thing in our lives. We always have to remember too, that the team is only as healthy as its members, so this doesn’t mean that we sacrifice ourselves for the team. We have to maintain a healthy balance between being the best individuals we can be and the best team we can be. If these ideals conflict, the team wins!

2. Honesty: This is self-explanatory! It’s not just about no lying though. It’s also about being open with each other, trusting each other, and providing each other a safe place to be ourselves.

3. Ambition: Both mrp and I love that each other is ambitious and strives to be the best people we can be. It is important to us to always strive to be the best people and the best team we can be.

4. Balance: Both mrp and I also love that each other is a balanced person. We both think it is important that we maintain three critically important parts of ourselves: our physical health, our social lives, and our intellectual pursuits.

5. Foundation: We both want to have children so this value is about maintaining our selves and our relationship as the foundation for our family. If we as people are not strong, then our relationship/team is weak. If our relationship/team is weak then our family is weak. We must provide our children with a strong foundation!

As for our respective visions of the future, we were both bawling over those! Definitely writing those out or even just discussing where you see yourselves in the future is a great way to not only make sure you both want the same things in life, but also is a time to learn a lot about your hopes, dreams, and love for each other.

What are your core values as a couple?

The Couple That Prays Together...

2007-08-20T13:55:00.000-07:00

Mrp and I were both raised Catholic and mrp's uncle is a priest who has married mrp's parents and his sister. Neither mrp nor I is religious, but we felt that the traditions of the church in which were raised and the traditions of his family were important to us. We decided to take a leap and get married in the Catholic Church.

I was surprised at how easy it has been so far. I was worried that someone would be watching us on Sunday mornings to see where we were at 10:00 or following us home from work to ensure we weren't living in sin! It really hasn't been nearly as bad as I feared.

In fact one of the "hoops" we had to jump through was actually a good experience! Our diocese (regional church) requires us to go to a pre-marital class called Pre-Cana. We had several choices. We decided against the basic marriage-is-more-than-the-wedding class for a class on learning how to communicate and solve problems together. This might also be thought of a class on how to fight.

It was actually really interesting. One of the tips they gave us that we found particularly useful was the idea of the floor. They gave us a little card that is called "the floor." When one spouse has the card the other must listen and when the person with the floor is done talking, the person without the card must paraphrase what the other said. The person with the floor, on the other hand, must keep it brief to enable the other to listen and paraphrase and must talk about him or herself (I feel, I think, I want, etc.) rather than talking about the other person (You always, you think, you do, etc.) We tried it while discussing how to handle my cats who mrp hates and I love. It was fun to discuss mrp's feelings about furballs and my feelings about my cats. Even in the 5 minutes that we did this in class we actually learned quite a bit about how each other thinks that we didn't fully appreciate before. Listening is apparently something good to do. Who knew? Heh.

Another thing that the course did for us was to reinforce things we already have talked about or do. One of those things is to determine what your values are as a couple. One thing mrp and I did over the winter was to write our core values. We both work for a Fortune 500 company and one of the things that keeps the company on track is its core values. I'm also a lawyer and understand the importance of a constitution. We decided that, like core values for a company or a constitution for a state, we needed something to focus on when times are tough and we are having problems making a decision or solving a problem. I think they are so helpful that I will dedicate an entire post just to them.

Anyway, later in the afternoon another man came into give a talk on "the sacrament of marriage." In Catholicism, a sacrament is evidence of God's presence. The speaker spoke about the role of God in our marriages. Again, we aren't religious so this part was not on our wavelength to begin with. But, it really went astray. He was talking about the importance of praying together. He gave examples of what he and his wife do. He said, sometimes they just hold hands and meditate. Sometimes they pray the rosary together. He then said, sex can be praying together. He said, "I like to pray a lot." TMI, dude. TMI.

All in all, I'd say we were pleasantly surprised by a wonderful day.

Can of Flower Girl Dresses

2007-08-16T07:06:00.000-07:00

Wedding planning is full of cans of worms. Of all things, choosing flower girl dresses was one of my cans of worms. I would think this would be a very minor detail of all the wedding planning details and simple choice to make, but it really touches on many other issues than just what cute little dress I'll be sticking my little ones in.

When choosing a flower girl dress we all think of the obvious issue, which is color harmony and keeping with the theme. But even this proved more difficult than I initially imagined. I really had no problem picking out my bridesmaids dresses. Both my girls agreed on the style so that was easy, My bridesmaids, my best friend *B* and my sister *Y* are wearing this Jim Hjelm chiffon gowns:

in this color, eggplant:

I love the flowy romance of the fabric and the style and I like the deep dark color to contrast with my ivory lace dress. Simple. Easy. Done!

As for the flower girl dresses, what most people seem to do is to have either a mini bride or match the little ones to the bridesmaids. I do not want to beat one color into the ground though. I want a nice balance, so I definitely do not want the flower girls in any shade of plum/purple/eggplant and I also don't want them in ivory for the same reason (plus, I really don't like the idea of mini-brides--it creeps me out like little girls in pageants creep me out!).

So, that leaves me with something in the spice/peach, green, or gold families. I don't want it to look like the circus either, so I think the logical choice is gold. Plus, I love the idea of little girls in gold for some reason. Ok. Color done. Nice and easy.

Ugh. But style is not so simple. Again, no mini-bride or even mini-bridesmaids (kids should look like kids!), but I wanted something complimentary to both my dress and my maids. I found this divine dress from Little Flowers: It comes in gold chiffon with a gold ribbon belt. Perfect! Until I saw the price.

This brought up the second issue, which is much more important than my color scheme: interfamily/friend relations and money. My two flower girls are mrp's 4 year old niece, *K*, and *B*'s 7 year old daughter, *P*. My best friend is like me and will very happily plunk down some cash for something divine. She's style obssessed and lives in San Francisco and *P* will have several opportunities to wear the dress again. However, can I ask mrp's sister, a working mother of two who as far as I can tell has no interest in fashion and who lives in Cleveland, OH, which will be freezing cold for the remaining months *K* can fit in the dress, to plunk down $300 on a dress for *K* who will surely only wear once? I could just ask and see what she says, but in the realm of in-laws just asking may be seen as rude. Also, I wouldn't feel comfortable that she would feel comfortable saying no. And do I really care that much about a flower girl dress?

So, I embarked on a mission to find a cheaper alternative. I searched and searched and searched and finally, through the magic of the beehive, naturally, found Pegeen's. Not only are there lots of relatively inexpensive (hey, half the price of the other dress is cheap enough to me!) adoreable dresses, most of them are made from gorgeous silk fabric to boot! On top of that I found a style in that comes in gold and is made of lace and tulle which will play off the lace in my dress and the chiffon in the bridesmaid dresses. Hoorah! A win win!

What were some of your wedding planning cans of worms?

Thanks Mr. Squire

2007-08-14T06:09:00.000-07:00

I am one lucky girl! I just happened to pick a law school that gave me access to the world's greatest reception venue. Booyah! I'm glad to know thousands of dollars in student loans pays for something!

The university owns a huge plot of land in one of the most beautiful towns around. A local rich dude named Squire, donated the land back several decades ago, along with the manor house in which he lived. Squire's manor house is where we are going to have our reception!

I am certainly not into Thomas Kincade's prints, but I will admit there is some appeal to the cute little cottages in them. Check it out. Our venue looks like it's straight out of a Thomas Kincade print!

The inside is equally as fab. The foyer is simply stunning. You walk in through a beautiful door and see this! Can't you just picture the place cards or the guest book right there on that beautiful table?!

The main room is so incredible. This picture does not do it justice. This fireplace is working which will be perfect if our November date is chilly. The ceiling is very high and beamed with beautiful oak beams. The rest of the room is covered in pristine rich oak panelling. So insanely divine with ivory table cloths and candles on all the tables. My dress has a 30's vibe which goes with the architecture of the house and it has rhinestone details so I just picture myself sweeping in and full of sparkles! Can't wait!

If that's not enough the basement is set up like a lounge, complete with a pool table. Perfect for my uncles and mrp's friends to let loose and have some fun!

I am so happy I stumbled on this venue. It wasn't on my radar screen when we first started planning. I started with the known wedding venues in town and those just seemed so not cozy and corporate or something. I knew we wanted a small countryish wedding and somehow I stumbled on the manor house. I even went to a function here while in law school but because it's not a known wedding reception place in town it just didn't spring to mind. I am just so glad I had access to it as an alumna. If you're thinking of looking for a venue a little off the beaten path, I highly suggest contacting your university. You might just have a manor house or maybe even something better available to you too!

Color!

2007-08-10T07:58:00.000-07:00

Choosing colors was probably the one thing about wedding planning that I was most excited about. Even when I was a little girl playing with my Crayola 64's, I've loved messing around with color combinations. When it came time to choose our colors though, I found it hard to find a place to compare and contrast color combinations. I wracked my brain as I sat in my desk at the corporate headquarters of one the world's largest paint companies and then it finally hit me--duh! Paint color chips!!

I headed straight for the nearest big box home store and went crazy pulling the color cards. I wanted something fallish, but not beat you over the head with fall colors fallish. Specifically, I wanted something elegant, modern, cozy, and contrasty to go with our November date. I pulled every fally cozy color I saw and brought home 3 cards of each. After dinner that night mrp and I shuffled the cards all around the table until we had a combo of: burnt plum; mulling spices; irish moss; deep green; golden satin; honeyed bronze; and starglow. These translate to: deep plum; spicy orange; light green; dark green; pale gold; muted gold; and a goldish peach.

The beauty of this idea is that I keep a set of cards in my purse to whip out any time someone asks me what our colors are. I was able to send a set to each of my brides maids who live clear across the country in opposite directions. I was also able to send a set to Cindi, my invitation lady. This was great when it came to knowing whether the materials she selected matched my scheme (there's a big difference between Barney Purple and Plum that I understand, but not necessarily everyone gets it!) So, when Cindi picked out the materials she sent me this via e-mail and I was confident she picked the right stuff!

In Search of the Happy Apple

2007-08-07T09:25:00.000-07:00

First, I want to declare my love for the brass paperclip over at Etsy. Cindi is wonderful and incredibly accomodating to people wishy-washy like me!

Anyway, I'm stuck. I need a better apple for our invitations. Mrp thinks these apples are too "dead" looking. I agree. I'm not totally happy with either of them either. I had something a little more whimsicle in mind.

However, this is kind of the style of invitations these days--to have an old-timey stamp looking image. This seems to be our only option. I just don't know what the possibilities are. I don't want to spend a fortune either, so perhaps this is the best we can do for $5/invitation?

Update! I searched around for some more public domain images and I found this lovely! Maybe?

May Our Fields Always Be Full of Buttercups

2007-08-06T05:21:00.000-07:00

It's so funny how two people kind of flit along through life and then start flitting around together and then decide one day to flit around together forever. "Even when the field isn't full of flowers we shall flit around as one!" we declare. "When there are buttercups a-plenty we shall flit around sharing in the yellowy pleasure!" Yeah!

It is especially funny when two people are as independent as mrp and I are. I was pretty happy flitting around the field by myself and mrp was happy in his. Mrp especially is not the kind of person who really needs someone else in his life to be happy. He really expected not to get married before I flitted along into the picture. I definitely wanted to be married and have a family, but I've always been happy doing other things too. One day flitting about we flitted into each other and the rest is history!

Anyway there is something so natural about coupling and the evolution of a relationship. Embarking on marriage is scary sometimes, it is a big commitment in human terms--the legal stuff, the family stuff, the money stuff--but at the same time it's really just natural.

Cute in a Jar

2007-08-04T18:55:00.000-07:00

Mrp and I are many things. We are free-spirited, yet somewhat sophisticated. We are also worldly, yet also down to earth. We are lovers of tater tots, yet we are also obsessed with fruits and vegetables. Huh? You see, we happen to live in an apple orchard, which explains the fruit, and mrp's a wannabe farmer and I'm a wannabe gourmet chef! So, we love sitting in our kitchen eating a dinner composed of our very own garden-grown veggies while ogling the beautiful blushed apples ripening on the trees. Wonderfulness!

Since our wedding is in the fall it is a perfect setting for us to throw a harvest themed wedding. This provides ample opportunities for DIY adventures! One thing I am so stoked about is our centerpieces. I am still not completely sure about the final outcome, but I know one component is going to be votives in ball mason jars on the tables. Just picture the rustic cuteness of this country staple all aglow. Precious, no?!

And you may think it's a bit over the top with the cuteness. Some cuteness is good because, yes mrp and I are cute (at least I think so!) But the cuteness of the mason jars will be well balanced by the elegance of our reception locale, my dress, and the bridesmaid dresses, and the place settings. Yes, it will be a elegant, whimsicle, and yes, cute affair that represents its hosts very well!

He Knew All Along

2007-08-03T08:37:00.000-07:00

This is me, salty, and mrp (pronounced merp). Why is mrp so happy in this picture? No, not because he's been drinking (although that may have been the case). It's because we're getting married!!

It all began when I was 15 and he was 17. While I went to Y academy, he went to X academy with my cousin. One day my uncle took my cousin and his friend, mrp, to an Indians game and invited me to tag along. Being the ever-mature adolescents we poked each other and said how annoying the other one was the whole time. Anyway, a few months later we ran into each other again, exchanged phone numbers and hung out a few times. But, mrp was so so shy and I was cooly mccool, so on the day before my 16th birthday I dumped him.

Fastforward 14 years. After many many many years in school I just started my full-time job. After work I would often go to the company gym to get a run in on the treadmill. I would finish up as the gym was closing and head to the elevators to leave. Often times there was a cute guy waiting by the elevators too. At first we didn't really talk to each other. But then we started to say hi. This eventually lead to exciting conversations about the propriety of public transportation in Cleveland among other such topics.

Occasionally, I would see the elevator guy in the gym running or stretching too. One night after finishing my run, I headed over to the mats to stretch. Elevator guy happened to be there too. I was wearing my sister's X Academy band t-shirt (she had to be a rebel and go to a different school than me). Elevator guy said hi and then asked me about the t-shirt. I explained it's origins and then asked if he went there. Why, yes he did. I then asked when he graduated. The same year as my cousin. I asked him if he knew my cousin. Why yes he did. After this exchange, I had to run to catch my bus.

A week later I saw elevator guy by the mats again. I was running late to catch my bus--surprise. But before I left, I asked him, "by the way, what's your name?" He said, "um, mrp." And I punched him in the arm as I ran out to the bus stop. And the rest is history!