Craziness

I feel like there are a million things I want to blog about right now. I never got around to saying anything about our trip to Canada and now there's all this stuff that happened post-wedding I wouldn't mind writing about either...

Anyway, I think the first thing I want to say before I get to anything else is that I'm really happy about how our wedding turned out. It was a lot of fun and quite memorable (although stressful). I was really surprised and touched by the generosity and the well-wishes from many people. I feel incredibly lucky to have such great friends and family. I'm really happy I got to spend some time in Madison and it was a great reminder of what a fantastic city it is, filled with friendly and intelligent people.

Well, I've been doing a lot of blogging this morning, so I want to take a break. Hopefully, I'll be able to get around to writing about some of the other non-wedding stuff I want to get to sometime soon...

The Top Ten Things to Consider When Having a Wedding.

1. Think about getting a wedding planner.

I originally thought this was probably a waste of money. However, on the day of the wedding, I really felt that I wanted someone else to be there to field everyone's questions and concerns. I wanted someone else to be in charge so I could just enjoy myself and not have a million worries. People kept asking, "What's happening with ...?" "When are we doing...?" "Are we going to...?" Most of the time my answer was, "I don't know..."

Maria, I want to take this opportunity to tell you that I love you. You stepped it up at the end of the night. Way to get on the people at the Union so that we could get a cart for our gifts and way to tell that boy working there exactly how to wrap up that leftover cake. You rock. I was so tired of flagging down people to explain things and straighten things out at that point...you are a savior. Okay, maybe you don't need a wedding planner per se, but you need to have a go-to person that isn't you...

2. Skip having anything religious, if possible.

Really, if you can get the vows down to: "Do you?" "Yes" "Do you?" "Yes", it would be ideal. I didn't need all this junk about how I needed to submit to Jake like the church submits to Christ or whatever. Also, I feel that religion is a major factor causing hatred and divisiveness in the world. It's definitely the reason certain people did not show up to our wedding ceremony. Yes, I said people...although I know everyone is probably thinking of a certain person in our wedding party...

I wonder how it would have worked out if I would have just gone with a justice of the peace. I think my mom would have eventually dealt with it. Oh well...too late now.

On a somewhat related sidenote: I was digging around in some boxes while I was at home in Princeton and I found this workbook from a class I took in 7th or 8th grade while at the Lutheran school called "Faith Shakers". I decided that I had to take it back to Virginia with me because it is just far too amusing...the book gives a little history and some idea of the teaching of various "cults" and then suggests Bible passages to look up in order to refute their teachings. It also includes a checklist of "Telltale Signs" that a religion is a cult. I think it's hilarious that the only "Telltale Sign" that Humanism (basically a belief in science...what I'd consider myself to follow right now...) is a cult is that it "Claims a written authority besides the Bible." Hahaha. Another favorite part of the book for me is a little list of points to keep in mind when responding to members of "cults". A key point is: "Don't argue. Logic will never work in explaining a faith." Yup... just hold onto your illogical beliefs and be proud in deluding yourself that you're "right".

3. Don't register for a punch bowl.

While we were registering for stuff, a punch bowl sounded like such a fun thing. Like, "Yeah...we could have a party with punch! It'll be fun!" We opened it in front of our parents and my mom was like, "The punch bowl that I have always gets in the way and I never know what to do with it." Now that we have the punch bowl at home, I can see what she means. There really isn't a compact and practical place for us to store it in our apartment...and I have a feeling it's not going to get a lot of use. Currently, it's on top of a shelving unit we put into the kitchen and all of our bottles of alcohol are stacked on top of it. The alcohol nearly touches the ceiling. Now I definitely have to get something to stand on if I'm going to pour myself a drink. Sorry, Jake's high school friends who bought us the punch bowl...it is just a large, impractical thing.

4. Tell your friends to clearly identify which cards and gifts are from them.

A lot of cards and stuff got shuffled around and some bagged gifts were dumped together when people helped us load the gifts from the Union and transport them to the hotel room. I'm still working out a bit of confusion over this. Elizabeth Baker, you are a genius. Good job attaching a swatch of the wrapping paper you used on the vacuum to the front of the envelope for your card. I'm totally using this idea the next time I go to a wedding.

5. Tip people off to let them know what stuff on your registry you actually want.

I caught wind that my brother was thinking about buying Jake and me more kitchen stuff. I knew that we already had a lot of kitchen stuff coming already and that it was going to be a tight squeeze in our cupboards, so I told Cory camping stuff would be more ideal. So, Cory was the only person to get us camping stuff. Good job, Cory. I really did want a tent and that picnic set you got us.

6. Invite all your random fun friends.

Matt T kept that dance floor hopping all night long. Matt VL brought along fake mustaches. It's stuff like that that makes a wedding actually fun.

7. Serve alcohol.

Oh, alcohol. The magic it can work on a crowd and the memories it can create. My brother got up and danced with Matt T, which I don't think I could have paid him to do sober. Jake's brother went over and drunkenly asked his mom, "Is Cory, like, Candy's sister?" Yup, the things alcohol can make people say and do...

8. Get someone you like and get along with to take photographs.

This is a person that will be pulling you aside all day long and you will have to spend a considerable amount of time with. Don't bother with someone who tells corny jokes and with whom you have next to nothing in common with... I was so relieved when the photographer told me he was leaving for the evening. I felt freed in a way. I think we will end up with some nice pictures, but I sort of wish that the person taking the pictures was someone I felt was on the same wavelength as me...

9. Remember you have on a huge, crazy dress.

I temporarily forgot that I was wearing something that would make me look out of place when I suggested that we go find a seat on the Terrace and wait for our photographer to meet up with us. We walked in front of everyone out there and a got a round of applause from a few hundred people. Wow, I wasn't prepared in my head for that to happen... So, you have to be prepared to be a celebrity for a day. It can be a bit of an ego boost. You have people randomly coming up to you wanting to have their picture taken with you. You have things happen like a crowd of random drunk girls yelling at you, "Woo! You are a sexy, sexy bride! We love you!"

10. Skip the huge, crazy dress if possible.

It's a pain. It's hot. It's itchy. It's uncomfortable. It's an invitation for all sorts of people to come up and touch you all day long. The bustle on my dress kept falling and people came to drag me off the dance floor a couple of times. I ripped that dress off my body before Jake could come back into our hotel room after saying goodbye to his parents in the parking lot and thanking them for helping us get the gifts to the hotel...I just could not stand to be in that thing any longer.

Cha...cha..cha...changes

I'm changing my name soon. That will be weird. I have to get used to signing my name differently...I haven't practiced or anything.

Boy, this could wind up being a pain in the ass. How do I change all of this stuff? The name that comes up when I email? The name on my loans? my credit cards? my library card? driver's license? Passport? I feel like it's going to take forever to get that stuff changed.

Jake and I had a conversation one day and he said he didn't envy me at all about getting my name changed. I joked that we should be one of those couples that comes up with a new last name for both of us that combines our old last names.

Our favorites:
Mantranek (doesn't that sound like a tech company or something?)
Manpet
Petman

Haha... it'd be awesome if Jake's new name was Jacob Manpet.

Keeping Up with the Joneses.

I added some more stuff to our wedding registry this morning due to pressure from people to do it. I don't want people to buy us a bunch of fancy crap. If you buy me a piece of china, it will sit in a closet. DO NOT BUY IT FOR ME. I didn't register for china, so I hope no one takes it upon themselves to buy it for me.

One of Jake's aunts gave us all these pages torn out of catalogs with "ideas" of things she could give us for the wedding. Apparently nothing on our registries were crazy fancy enough for her. Argh.

We invited a bunch of people from Jake's work to the wedding and none of them can make it. However, now they all feel obligated to give us gifts and they really shouldn't. They were asking us about wedding registries on Monday while we were out for drinks. I just wanted to invite them because I thought it would be fun if any of them decided they wanted to take a vacation to Wisconsin on a whim. I just want to have a party and this whole wedding thing is so confusing to me.

Tonia (a girl that works at the patent office) is getting married in November. I just looked at her wedding registry. A single place setting off her registry costs about as much as all of our dishes combined. Holy crap.

I don't need a bunch more stuff. Really. Our place is small. We already have trouble fitting the things we have into our apartment.

This reminds me... I have a friend who works at the patent office. She's thirty and single. She owns a three bedroom home up in Maryland. She's looking to move out of it, because her commute to work is about two hours, I think (she got the house when she worked at a different job). Anyway, she was telling me that she is thinking about getting an apartment in Alexandria for the time being while she researches the housing market in VA and decides where to move. However, she said that she wants a three bedroom apartment! I said, "Why do you need a three bedroom apartment?" She said, "Because I have all this nice furniture and I need a place to keep it. I had to furnish a three bedroom house, you know." "Why don't you just get rid of the furniture so you can live in a smaller place?" "Well, it's nice furniture...it's mahogany and stuff." "Why do you need so much room?" "Umm...you know, it's for guests and stuff..." "Has anyone ever slept in your other bedrooms?" "Well, no...but my brother has come over and slept on the couch before. I have a nice sleeper sofa. I want to keep that." "Come on, just sell your stuff on Craigslist or something." "Who's going to want to buy all this used furniture?" "I'm sure someone would be willing to take it." "Take it! But this is expensive stuff! I paid good money for it!" "I think you could get a fair price for it...you can ask whatever you want for it on Craigslist." "I guess...oh...I don't know..."

Seriously, sometimes people just make me want to smack my forehead. Please someone tell me I am crazy if I ever get that attached to a bunch of stuff...

We're leaving soon!

Saturday is the big day for Jake and me to get on the road. I'm looking forward to it. It sort of feels like Christmas in July. I've been wrapping presents for people and shopping around for stuff to give people. I had no idea what to get my pastor. I wound up getting him a pen from Brookstone. I hope that's not too boring of a gift. What do most people give pastors for gifts?

It's hot here again...in the mid-90s and humid. I asked Jake if he thought it would be cooler out in Wisconsin, and he said probably not. I think it will be, though. I hope it is. I don't want to be bathed in sweat during our wedding ceremony. That'll produce some quality pictures.

People keep asking me if I'm nervous about the wedding. I don't feel nervous about it at all really. But people asking me about it all the time makes me wonder if I should be worried more about it. I guess there are a few little things I'm not looking forward to...I still feel that I don't have a clue about makeup and I really don't want to dance alone with Jake in front of a whole bunch of people. Otherwise, I think I'm okay about it. I hope there's not something that I'm not thinking of that throws me off-guard and turns me into a nervous wreck during the wedding. I think I've got things pretty well covered, though.

Another list of things to do!

I've decided that I need to come up with new goals. The 50 things before I die list is getting kind of old. I have accomplished a good chunk of those goals (considering they are supposed to be life-long...) and I've also decided that some of those goals are kind of stupid.

Anyway, I've decided to make a list of 50 shorter-term goals. I've made them all the type of goal that I are measurable and can cross off a list, though I was really tempted to write out stuff like attitude goals. I'm making my two-year wedding anniversary the cut-off date. Anyone have any feedback on how much they think I'll accomplish? Or feedback on how to go about doing anything on the list? Here's what I have to do by 07/14/09:

1. Volunteer to do a clean up activity with an environmental group (at a park, nature trail, beach, etc.)
2. Go scuba diving
3. Go camping and build a campfire
4. Write a song
5. Go canoeing
6. Visit either Mexico or the Caribbean
7. Go to the eye doctor and see if I can get Lasik surgery on my left eye
8. Bake a pie
9. Organize the files on my computer better and make sure important files are backed-up on Jake’s external hard drive
10. Donate my hair to Locks of Love
11. Get another job
12. Beat Jake playing pool
13. Take a skiing class
14. Learn to tell five more good jokes
15. Go on my honeymoon
16. Sing karaoke in a bar in the DC Metro area
17. Gain the upper body strength to do a pull-up
18. Stop being overweight and stay that way
19. Hike the trail to the biggest waterfall in Shenandoah
20. Make a homemade pizza (get the recipe from Maria again…)
21. Get a pet dog
22. Buy a house, townhouse, or condo
23. Read at least an average of a book a month (only entire books count).
24. See at least 5 new states I haven’t visited before
25. Throw a dinner party
26. See another concert at the Birchmere
27. Go hiking in Great Falls
28. Get a professional massage
29. See a show at the Kennedy Center
30. Blog at least once a month
31. Take a photography class
32. Visit Monticello
33. Write either my Congressman or Senator at least 3 times about issues I care about (using my own words, not form emails)
34. Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper or magazine
35. Go to another continent besides North America
36. Only buy fair trade coffee for the coffeemaker at home
37. Do not eat at McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, or Taco Bell
38. Buy a comfortable couch
39. Make Jake go to see a musical with me
40. Trace Jake’s and my ancestry at least back to Europe on each side to have a family tree for our children
41. Eat vegan for a week
42. Continue to watch my blood pressure and keep it down
43. Go through my cupboards and closets and donate everything I don’t use to charity
44. Check out the National Arboretum
45. Write a friendly letter to someone I’ve never met in person and mail it
46. Enter a contest
47. Go to a book signing and get a signed copy of a book
48. Have at least one good conversation that goes until the wee hours of the morning
49. Write at least 3 recipes of my own creation
50. Print off and post this list somewhere so I see it nearly everyday and can check off items by hand.

Breakin' the law

I've been telling Jake that we should get our car emissions tested. It's required by law to have emissions tested yearly in Virginia, and our emissions sticker expired back in January. He said, "That's a stupid law...our car is new enough and it's going to pass inspection. Even the lawmakers think it's a stupid law. I read they want to get that changed." Still, I worried a bit about it. People have told me that the police can see your car parked somewhere and give you a ticket if they notice that your emissions sticker is expired. I told Jake I thought it was probably worth it to pay the 15 bucks or whatever to have the car tested so we don't wind up with some big ticket to pay. He insisted that he wasn't going to do it, because he wants to protest the law that he says is "stupid".

Anyway, I was driving to my job interview yesterday when I had to go through a toll booth. There was a cop standing outside at the toll. As I stuck my hand out the window, the cop said to me, "After you pay the toll, I need you to pull over to the side of the road." I thought, "Crap, what the hell did I do? Was I speeding somewhere beforehand?"

The cop walked over to the car and said, "I stopped you because your emissions sticker has been expired for six months." I made myself look pretty clueless. I said, "Oh,um...this is my fiance's car." He said, "I need to see your license and registration." I handed him my license and started digging around in the glove box for the registration. I said, "What does the registration even look like?" He said, "It's a big white card." I really couldn't find the registration in the pile of stuff in the glove box. I found an insurance card and handed it to him saying, "Is this it?" He was like, "No..." He stood there for a while, looking at my Wisconsin driver's license and looking at how stupid I was being. I bet he was thinking I had absolutely no clue. He said, "So...fiance, eh? What does the ring look like?" I showed him my ring. He handed my license and insurance card back to me, rolled his eyes, and said, "All right...just go."

Whew. I'm lucky I'm a girl. If it was Jake going through that toll, he would have been totally nailed. I also don't think it would've worked quite as well if I said, "my husband's car" instead of "my fiance's car". Now that I told Jake this story, we're getting the emissions inspected.