I have been slacking on the blog posts again! Sorry!
I am finished babysitting Ryan and Kate, and they are headed to Arizona for the summer to spend time with their mom and family out west. I know Scott will miss them terribly while they're gone, and it will certainly take some time for me to get used to not having to pick Ryan up from school every day or running Kate to her various activities! Heather, Scott's girlfriend, has two kids about the same age as Ryan and Kate and has asked me to "nanny" for her 3 days a week for the rest of the summer. Heather is a such sweet lady who is battling cancer and has been needing extra help to entertain/watch the kids and help her out or drive her around when needed. How in the world would I have been able to say no to helping someone as nice and as deserving as her?! Her kids - Paige and CJ - joined Ryan, Kate, and I at the pool on Thursday. It was nice to get to know her kids. Paige is such a cutie - she's going into the 4th grade next year and is so innocent and shy; CJ is going into the 7th grade and is so eloquent and mature. I never would have thought that I would be nannying or babysitting to ANY extent... and ENJOYING it! This whole experience has taught me so much about what type of parent I would like to be and how I want to raise my kids. For example, the issue of letting a kid play video games has come up quite often since Ryan LOVES those darn things! I'm not a fan. I've witnessed the explicit language and violence on those things enough to know that I will not allow any video games in my house... unless they are educational or Wii games! But I also see how active and involved Kate is and I admire that she is able to do all the things she wants to pursue without being overwhelmed. She loves taking horseback riding lessons and guitar lessons... and is great at them both!
So... now what?
I am home for a week to relax and get some more wedding stuff figured out. Here are some of the latest accomplishments/things to look forward to:
- 2 MONTHS UNTIL THE BIG DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Mom and I have an appointment tomorrow with the florist to see what they can do with my brooches for my brooch bouquet. I also hope to get some ideas of what they would be able to do for boutonnieres and corsages.
- On Thursday, Mom will be picking up cupcake samples for us to try (don't worry, babe - we're freezing some so you can try when you get back!) before officially signing on with Linda Hill, or the "cake lady," as she has become known to us. Matt and I have chosen to do cupcakes in three flavors - banana cake, carrot cake, and chocolate with peanut butter filling - and a small, square tier for our personal cake to cut into (in chocolate and peanut butter, of course). He and I both decided against cream cheese icing for the carrot cake cupcakes (I have a STRONG fear and hatred of anything with cream cheese!), but realize that a lot of people enjoy it, so we may have to revisit the idea of having some with cream cheese icing and some without.
- I have found the perfect pair of shoes, strapless bra (thank GOODNESS!), and garter to add to my outfit for the day. All that needs to happen now is my dress fitting, which will take place on the 23rd. I had one last month, but wasn't prepared - I didn't have my "final" pair of shoes or strapless bra, so the seamstress refused to do the fitting. That was an awful experience...
- My bridal shower looks to be tons of fun on the 24th, but Mom, my grandmothers, and I still have to research some fun games to play.
- We have decided to do a sparkler send-off (meaning every guest will get sparklers, light them, and we will walk out - simple enough, right?!).
- I think Matt and I will see each other before the wedding. I know it goes against tradition, but I really like the idea of having time to enjoy each other privately before the hectic day ensues. Plus, it will be a great opportunity to take pictures beforehand that would otherwise eat into our reception time. They say it is "bad luck" to do this, but I would like to tell whoever "they" are to deal with it. I don't believe in bad luck when it comes to love; well, TRUE love, at least! I am very secure with Matt and I's relationship - when you're entering into marriage with someone, shouldn't you be 110% confident you will be spending eternity with this person?! Therefore, I don't think seeing each other before the wedding ceremony will really hurt our chances at having everlasting love haha
- Mom and I have sent out all the invitations! Thus far, we have received about 50 "yes" RSVPs and 10 "no" RSVPs; however, we may have over-invited people (if that's correct "wedding terminology"). I am now realizing it will be difficult to fit the estimated number of guests comfortably in the reception space. Oops! We'll just have to make it work.
- Until we get everyone's RSVPs, we are limited to what we can do. The "big things" that I'd like to accomplish soon (such as seating arrangements, the menu, favors, etc.) will have to wait. I am impatiently awaiting for the arrival of June 30th to see the final count!
Speaking of "impatiently awaiting" something...
Only 16 days until I am with Matt again! I will pick him up at the Harrisburg airport on the 26th at ~7 pm, and I. CANNOT. WAIT. I'll be honest - I have NOT been handling being away from him well at all. People keep telling me "absence makes the heart grow fonder." While I find this to be true most of the time, it is just extremely unsettling to be away from him this long! I don't know how the wives/fiancees/significant others of deployed military men do it (nor do I ever hope to find out!), but they certainly have my respect! Luckily, where he is at now he has a decent internet connection. We have been able to e-mail, use Voxer, and even Skype, but that may change when he moves to his next location. I thought I would be able to keep my mind busy babysitting the kids, but even when I'm chasing 4 kids around a community pool, making sure each one of them is above water and breathing, my mind is on Matt.
