just a teaser…

of course i do not have any of the formal photographs, but here is my grandmother and i after i got ready…

she is the BEST!

and here is a picture i took of our rings…

i havent had time to write out how wonderful the evening was, class started and football is in full swing…i promise to have something substantial very shortly….

Read Full Post »

jen and the fantastic-i so dont derserve it-very good day…

i started out this morning wishing nick a happy first day of 8th grade. my 8th grade year was filled of anticipation, and i must admit a bit of dread, for high school. when he got home, things were good! here’s to a great year!!

when i got to work, i had a list of things to do, the normal things, that usually get done in a few days, but my goal was to get them done today. i have a pressing engagement on friday which requires me to not be in the office…just saying! i spent the morning entering bills, answering vendor calls, and updating budgets. i even tactfully ambushed the boss in order to get checks signed. thankfully, he has a sense of humor and, at least i think, appreciated my effort. 

my other goal of the day was to meet a good friend from school for lunch. she was to meet me at work at noon to pick up books for a class i have already taken and to go to lunch. at 11:56 my boss and i are hovering over my computer trying to fix a budget. something that needs to get done! when gillian comes in saying the big boss was in her office asking her things that she didn’t have an answer to. she needed our help. my first thought…”damn, cathy is probably in the parking lot” followed by “what on EARTH could he be asking?” i made my way to gillians office, found my friend cathy waiting in the hallway-to whom i said hi to very quickly. only to be greeted by EVERYONE i work with. all in gillians office, all there to wish me luck. there were flowers-which are gorgeous-and cupcakes, and many, many, many, well wishes!

i was speachless. and touched. and downright flabbergasted! i have to say i work with the most thoughtfull, generous, fun, people EVER! and to know that there were things going on, that i wasnt aware of…makes it all the better! i was able to hold the tears in until my former boss, the lady who brought me into such a great little world, came over to give me hug. she has just married one of her daughters off and has another to go, and when she approached me, i said she deserved a break, to which she said, “no you deserve this” and with a hug i starting to cry and blubbering ” i never thought this would happen” we totally had a moment! she is the best!

eventually i made it to lunch. i made it home. the flowers are in a vase from my engagement party and they totally look the part. and tonight i sit and think that i may not make much money, or have any prestige, but in my field…you cannot meet a better group of people.

Read Full Post »

and then there was one…

whoa! one week, seven days i would have the hours figured out, but i think that may be a bit too extreme! and kevin and i will be married. i have butterflies in my stomach every time i think about it, which turns out, seems to be all the time. and the butterflies seem to be getting bigger, maybe they are pterodactyls instead.  yesterday we went and got the marriage license, which was really unceremonious and i think i need to publicly thank the town clerk of newington for doing us a favor-at least that is how she acted. SOOOOOOO sorry that your hours are not posted on the website and we showed up ten minutes before you close. here’s a tip, try having a sense of humor! oh and you can thank me for that bald spot on the top of your head. not my fault you don’t understand that mystic is actually two towns and i swear i know what i am talking about when i say the boat is in stonington. we were describing what we were planning on doing and it got to the point where she said, and i quote, “i don’t even want to know…that is all too confusing…”  which makes me wonder, how valid is this piece of paper? we shall see!! she signed it and notarized it! and now it is filed with the REALLY important papers…in the glove compartment of my car…

Read Full Post »

what a wonderful day for a shower…

yes it rained too! in fact it poured on my way home and let me tell you…the merritt parkway? does not drain! and huge puddles at anything over 25 mph was not happening. overall my wedding shower put on my by sister who is henceforth going to be called martha, was just perfect! Mary a.k.a Martha put together a little party at grandmas house with the aunts (dad comes from a family of 8) we had brunch and mimosas:

seriously look at that cute dress martha is wearing!!! then there were presents and games…

i never expected that!!!

waterford crystal from mom and dad-the cards were priceless…

my aunt colleen told me that i was not allowed to cut any of the ribbons, i think it had something to do with luck and how many babies there would be. since i am not one to tempt fate, i did not cut any ribbons and instead wore them on my head (the baby thing is not a possibility but still…)

there was cake!

me, martha and aunt pattie…

me and rita…

my aunt colleen (who is really only a few years older than me and effortlessly bridged the age gap!)

that’s aunt jeanie, who had the COOLEST room with a Pegasus on the wall in the mansion when i was growing up…

this is Anne, who is married to johnny who refers to kevin as his ‘good friend kevin’ and when kevin first met the family the similarities between johnny and kevin were uncanny and my uncle tom turned to me and said that i would have to get permission from johnny if i ever thought kevin and i were to break up!

and that is grandma fritzen, and i know i am biased, but she is the best grandmother anyone could EVER ask for…EVER! i couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day. Thanks Mary!!!!!!

oh and here is mary in her dress for the big day!

as i drove home i thought about how fortunate i am to have such caring, loving people in my life…

Read Full Post »

this morning…

i woke up with carly simons song ‘anticipation’ in my head…coincidence??? i think knot!!

p.s thank you for the deodorant advice, i am getting off work early and heading straight to target!

Read Full Post »

friday again?

it feels like it was just friday, i realize that this week was no shorter than last week, but still where did the week go? and when is the sun going to come out? seriously i am going to build an ark although it may have a few more modern accommodations than the one noah built, just saying! should be a nice relaxing weekend, maybe go and spend some time with my dad who incidentally has been sending pictures of dress to my sister-who happened to suggest a cow limo for the wedding, she has a thing for cows. and although she said she would pay for it, i told her i wouldn’t want her to spend that kind of money on me and really, cows were her thing.

she called me the other night while she was looking at them and said it was just gorgeous and what not and then mid conversation she starts laughing hysterically-tear inducing laughing. because i wasn’t in the same room with her i began to question what was so funny. after about a minute of laughing she goes “i love our dad” my response was “yeah he is a great guy” she snorted then began to describe what he had just sent her. apparently dad is savvy with photo-shop because she got a third picture of the dress only this time it was covered in cow print. that dad is a funny man! of course i find this out after i send him some sappy you’re the best fathers day card when i really wanted to send him some sarcastic ‘hey at least i am not asking for anything this time…’ type card.

and while i was on facebook the other day i got an email from my bestest friend mags in michigan. we have been friends since freshman year of college, lived together ect. she moved to kazoo after graduation for her job and i moved back a few months later, we just complimented each other perfectly, when i moved to ct she was the last person i saw in kazoo, i made it back for her wedding and finally after four years she came out here. when i picked her up at the airport i had tears in my eyes because i couldn’t believe she was really here and after all that time of not being together-it was exactly the same. i got an email from her the other night that said she didn’t realize how much she missed just hanging out-which gave me goosebumps and another tear in my eye. mags is the best and here we are after a weekend of boston, baseball games, and dave matthews:

and one of my favorite questions, one we always were asked in college and happened every time out here as well was “is this your sister?” even mary thinks there is a resemblence.

Happy Weekend!

Read Full Post »

EVERYONE should try this…

i highly recommend trying on wedding dresses for any of the following ailments; hangnail, low self-esteem, boredom, loneliness, cough due to cold, headaches, sprained ankles, allergies, hangovers, tooth aches, bad hair days, good hair days, acne breakouts, and any and every other ailment in the book! why? because it. is. fun. never in my wildest dreams did i think i would have so much fun that three hours would pass in a blink of an eye. for the longest time i had huge reservations of trying on dresses, knowing that the sizes run small making me think that i would never get a good idea of what it would really look like because they wouldn’t be able to close up the back…NOT THE CASE! there were actually dresses there that were too big, HA too big!

the first dress i tried on was the one i ultimately went with, the look on my moms face is something i will always treasure, just priceless. i didn’t cry until the fitting part of the day and then it was only a bit. i can tell you that its white, its a gown, which is so not what i planned on but they way it fits is perfect and i wouldn’t want to change that for the world and there is evening some beading…ohh beading. 

next i have to figure out how to do my hair, my mom informed me that i would NOT be wearing my hair in pigtails and whether or not i want a veil. The place is booked people have been invited and it is all really happening!!

Read Full Post »

i bucked up and beared it

and went to a bridal show this past weekend. and i am positive i do NOT want this:

 

because believe it or not, they are still out there, complete with mullets and balloon arches. needless to say i think i learned of more of what i don’t want then any ideas of what i could see us doing. next weekend, kevin and i will attempt one again. this past weekend, i went with my sister. it was an awesome experience with her and we were able to joke about all the swarmy vendors and cheesey banquet halls that just made me feel as if i needed a shower. but i did see a really neat cake, an innovative photographer and pretty sure i found bartenders. bring on the planning…

Read Full Post »

what a wonderful day!!

i cannot say how special our day was, i am not that great with words. i do have to say that it meant so much to be surrounded by friends and family in such a great place. here are a few pictures from the evening:

our really really pretty flowers, thanks mom!

the four of us…

i had that smile all night long, in fact it is days later and my cheeks are still a bit sore, but i just couldn’t help it!

so my mom did have a friend of a friend who is a professional photographer (haven’t seen anything yet for the newspaper back home…) who at one point in the evening decided to take this picture, however no one told me about it. i was startled when i felt someone tugging on my finger and quickly turned around to find my mom going “i didn’t want to interrupt you, but can we get a picture?” huh followed by sure followed closely by me seeing the photographer on the other side of the room and me with no ring on and turning to my mom going “may i have my ring back now…???…”

and because my mom is my mom and even though i made kevin promise that there would be no mention of the pending birthday;

i had a cake, everyone sing to me, boas, a crown and re-lighting candles: this is me snuffing out the candles because i do not mess around! so i had to share with mary…

and my moms excuse? “well this was the only time we would have everyone together” so i understand. our evening was capped off by going to the casino, where we lost money and my aunt the nun was pick pocketed (that guy is going to burn!) and returned to the house super late, when kevin and i realized we hadnt eaten since lunch…

Read Full Post »