The First Auntie Em of the Season and Part of Our Wedding Memories

It's the first tornado warning of the season here in the Deep South. So of course I need to blog about it...and the vision I have of DH and myself...and the cats....in one bathroom....without any power...and a hysterical me....and an exasperated DH....and two hyper cats... Well, you get the gist of it.

Instead of that visual imagery, let's talk about my wedding. My beautiful perfect wonderful wedding! Well, almost perfect. There were a few very important people that weren't able to make it for our day due to new babies and graduation and just life that tends to intervene, but they were there in thought...or at least I think they were! Beyond that, the day was wonderful.

Let me back-up though. My parents and grandparents came in a week ahead to help with details and crafting and final plans. My momma did a ton of the planning and we executed everything once they were in town. It was glitter and punches and craft paper and a million and one trips to Jo-Ann's, Michael's and Hobby Lobby. Colors were much debated and at one point I was left wondering why I didn't just go with blush and bashful. Surely that would have been easier than matching specific shades of turquoise and coral.

My bridal party starting alighting on my house like birds coming home to rest, along with out of town guests as the week went on, including my godmother. It was so relieving to have loved friends and family around us as the stress of getting everything done grew. There is no way that our wedding would have been half as beautiful without them! We were all covered in turquoise tinsel glitter by the end of the week. I'm still finding glitter around the house despite the multiple vacuumings since coming home from the honeymoon.

The rehearsal went off without a hitch, as did the dinner which we held at a local BBQ restaurant. We wanted laid back and fun for our guests! After dinner DH and I wanted to be sure we spent even a few minutes with our out of town guests. Y'all, I have never been so amazed as I was by the friends that traveled for our wedding! I had friends from every part of my life, birth through today, who were there! Our great idea was to invite everyone for drinks to BDubs. I felt like I was being pulled in 40 different directions but it was a fun time. One of our friends said that it was great because at the wedding reception the next day they felt like they already knew people and it wasn't just a bunch of strangers. Whew!

I wish I had pictures to share but they are all residing in various cameras and phones...none of which I actually possess. I'll write more about the actual wedding day but if I put it all in here it would be a loooong post!

On a side note, I'm glad to be back writing. I'm even more glad that my DH is content to do his thing while I do mine. Hmmm...maybe it's time to switch from Dark Horse to Hubby. I'll think on that.

A Weekend Update

DH and I attempted our first Mod Podge centerpiece. It turned out good, as far as the Mod Podge goes. The rest of it wasn't as good as we had hoped. But have no fear, there are ideas a-brewing in my and Momma A's minds.

We watched The Godfather this weekend. DH had never seen it. I had the pleasure of introducing Don Corleone and family, going to the mattresses, leave the gun and take the cannoli, and Maunday, Tuesday, Thursday, Wednesday to DH. 

We went to the gym, as usual. I finally gave in and weighed and measured myself after 6 weeks of Advocare. I've lost 5 pounds and a half inch everywhere! I was a little terrified to look at the numbers since I'm so influenced by what I see and not how I feel. 

I was on my way home tonight, talking to my momma and noticed some fierce lightening in the distance. I had an aha moment a couple years ago when I was standing on my balcony watching a storm roll through. It reminded me, at the time, that God is always around me always. The storm those years ago underscored in a physical way how He surrounds me. He was everywhere tonight then!

First the rain came, then the power flickered again and again and again. Then the wind hit. Puppy was whining and Henry was acting weird. The wind was so strong that the house was shaking. It wasn't the train's a coming tornado sound, but it was awful. Literal shaking of the walls. At that point I grabbed the cell phone, the quilt, pillow and animals. We all spent the next 20 minutes in the bathroom, Puppy and I in the tub shaking. Me trying to stay calm, she trying to not pee on me. Henry ran around like an orange loon and attacked the toilet, leaped into the sink and then bit Puppy on the nose. Right about then the lights went out and stayed out. I called DH in a panic and prayed that we didn't have a freak tornado or a cat-dog fight.

All in all, after the rain passed and the sun came out, I was once again reminded that God is all around me. In the rain, the wind and the sun. I can only pray that I listen more closely in the future and He doesn't need to remind me quite so loudly.

After the fact, I found the wine in the fridge. Why didn't I think to grab it along with everything else? If it wasn't so wet it would have been a nice night to sit outside. I guess the 25 degree drop to 72 degrees was the silver lining of the storm.

I hope y'alls day was less eventful than mine was!

Cowering in a Bathtub

I have a few huge fears in life, like anyone I suppose. I fear drowning because I can't swim. I fear my closet because of the Jabberwocky. Don't ask. It's embarrassing and I've already discussed it HERE. I fear tornadoes.

Soooo....my living close to the Texas - Oklahoma border makes tons of sense then, right? This is the one thing that makes me wonder if I made a mistake 3 years ago when I moved here. My first month here I called home in tears wondering if I could actually live here. I remember saying to my mom "Either I'm over-reacting here or everyone who lives here is nuts! I'm ready to hide and they're all heading out into the storm." A neighbor took me out that night to watch hockey at a local bar after we lost power. I think he may have saved me from moving back home.

Last year we had a heck of a storm system move through here one evening. My roomie at the time was a Texas born and bred girl. A girl who could stand outside and tell whether the winds were straight line or rotational. A girl who looked at the sky outside our apartment and said "Ok, so we're gonna get the pillows and you into the bathtub" while she stood by the window exclaiming over the forming funnel cloud, tornado sirens went off and I was near hysterical on the phone with my mom. Terrified did not even begin to describe what I felt. Helpless and terrified is a little closer, but still a long way away. 

Yesterday was our first run of remotely bad weather in an earlier than necessary tornado season. And I was a hot mess. The Puppy and I were home and neither of us was very thrilled. I was anxious and sweaty and felt like there was not enough wine in the house to calm me down. I even dried out the bathtub in case we needed to go hide. Luckily we did not. Puppy is a nervous pee-er and I'm pretty sure even if the roof had not blown off, I would have been wet.

I don't know if I will ever be comfortable when bad weather is headed where I am. I need a bigger bathtub. Preferably one that is full of gin (Sorry, Mom).

Thanks, Shell, as always for letting me pour my heart out.

Love to the Midwest and South

I'm sending my deepest sympathy to those who lost loved ones in these storms. I am rejoicing with those who lived through much worse than I did tonight and remained safe. I thought I was tough after 2 years in Texas. That was until there was "upward rotation" approximately 1/2 mile from my apartment window.

We might have one more storm tonight. Verizon is so stinking busy that I can't get a text or call out to DH who is on vacation.

Frustrated but so very grateful for my safety and God's provision.