Wedding Festivus

Post-DADT, I've actually gotten UNSOLICITED information! Yay!! My sister-in-law isn't really a wedding person so she's not having a big ceremony, just a family dinner in mid-June. She actually said "If you can make it" and "it's no big deal." Ma'am! We will be there! First, I'm looking for any excuse to go to Savannah! I mean what I meant to say was we want to help you celebrate! No really. How could we possibly miss that??? Not a chance! She insinuated cooking will be involved so I asked if she wants me to cook anything. She said probably and she'll let me know. I was like, "Cool!" Then I remembered Christmas 2010 and this past Thanksgiving where SIL and MIL both forgot the things I asked them to help with... and I whimpered a little. I'm not gonna know even a category to cook or bake in until the day before am I? DADT shall not reign here! I will ask again in a month. (It will torture me to wait that long.)

I immediately wanted to do something impressive since I will likely only be responsible for one thing versus the spread I try to do at holidays. My first thought? CROQUEMBOUCHE!! It took me hours to remember she's a vegan and that recipe calls for eggs, butter AND milk. :( It would be perfect for a wedding AND perfect for an occasion such as this where I can dedicate hours (4) of intricate work to one dish. I WILL make that one day. That day will likely not be in June. I have a few vegan recipes saved up but if you see something, shout me a holler, please.

SIL also added, "No, I'm not pregnant." Ugh. That again (number 7) (really pick just about any post leading up to our wedding)? We still haven't stopped asking women if they're pregnant (at any occasion where she's not crowning)? Please let grown people get married in less than 6 months without asking them if they're pregnant. Please! You know wedding planning doesn't HAVE to take 3 years, right? It CAN but it's not a necessity.

My mom loves adopting families. Her being from Mississippi but making a home in North Carolina means she got her family fix when and where she could. That didn't mean traipsing into the deep south multiple times per year. When we were growing up, there were always multiple families inviting us to birthdays, cookouts, holidays, you name it! If there was a cause to celebrate, adopted Aunt Ellen is there, kids in tow. Thanksgiving we house hopped and it was AWESOME! I hated turkey growing up (dry) so the thought of having one in the house for days and days after the holiday was beyond repugnant to me. House hopping eliminated that. Our adopted families all wanted us there so we would hit one house, eat, hang out, rinse and repeat at least two times. A.MA.ZING!! And the best part? To-go plates were insisted upon and of course only consisted of the best of the best! No taking home the gross, dried out anything! Only all-star leftovers!

My parents have been divorced over a decade but my mom still attends at least twice as many family functions on my dad's side as my dad. Part of this is because he's extraordinarily far from his own family. He's in Pittsburgh, the majority of them are in Charlotte. He also has a lot of female nieces with a string of women-centric events (baby & bridal showers) to which he wouldn't be invited anyway!

If there's a family, my mom is IN THERE. Seeing facebook pictures of everyone makes her feel like a part of my new family as well. So of course when I tell her about SIL's dinner my mom says, "I wanna go!" And so you shall! Roll out!

And one last bit of DADT news: Rashan does have a little history of breaking DADT. This 16-year family tradition was thrown out 2 weeks after we started dating. He told his family about me and asked them if they would like to meet me! This despite over a decade of dating lesser women (LOL) with his family none the wiser. He didn't know why he was breaking DADT but he did. Awwww! :)

Solicitation

Please don't arrest me!  I'm soliciting!  One day only!!  (Okay two days...)  I'm looking for some DIY stuff that costs less than $10 to decorate a ceremony or reception site or just general wedding stuff.  Yep.  I said that.  Less than $10.  Total.  Not per table.  Total.  The theme is peacock but don't get too crazy.  I don't want it to look like a peacock exploded.  The colors are turquoise, magenta, royal purple.  Basically colors of a peacock and that would complement a peacock.  I want it bright and beautiful!  I don't need it to look like we went to the country either.  (Even though the ceremony is in the country.)  And I promise I'll talk about something else on Monday! LOL

Before you go, though, from the some people don't know how to act files: one of my mom's friends.  I knew there was gonna be a problem with some church folk who have known me for almost 20 years.  If I can't invite my family (some of them, gladly), I can't invite you.  It's not necessarily (depending on the person) that I don't want you there and don't care about you, it's that I am not having a big wedding.  I really want people to get out of their feelings on this.  I really, really do.  Or at least stop making it clear that you are so put out that you, along with at least 100 other people I know, weren't invited.

The point.  One of mom's friends does flowers.  Mom said, "I'll ask her if you want me to."  I said, "I don't feel comfortable since she's not invited."  She says, "I think she would want to do it."  I say, "I don't know..."  She says, "I really think it will be okay."  So I finally agree to let her ask.  Mmhm.  You already know.  My mother is a lot less skeptical of people.  As is Rashan's mom.  Rashan and I are both far more cautious of people, him sometimes to an extreme, in other circumstances, I'm the more cautious party.  But anyway, the friend after asking why we're getting married so soon, to which my mom replies, "She's not pregnant." Mom... SMH.  You really don't need to throw that out there if it's not offered. Friend: I wasn't even thinking that.  Me (in my head): See? But NOW SHE IS!  I've really got to focus... this is like my blog posts used to be in the good old days.  I can't believe September makes 6 years since I started blogging.  That's insane to me.

The question of why so soon is irritating to me not so much because of the question but because of the implication behind the question.  There's always a real question beneath.  Does it matter why so soon?  Are you coming or not?  Our families may have looked or sounded shocked at the closeness of the date, but they've also known we were going to get married for over a year now.  It's not really a surprise.  Our next wedding (notice I said wedding, not marriage), we're inviting everyone to a big party and not telling them what it is.  If you come, you come, if not, you missed ANOTHER wedding.  LOLOL  This is to stick it to all the people who couldn't act right.  And don't think this is your warning!  Nope!  We will throw frequent parties.  :P

Friend!  So friend starts asking about all these details, what flowers (says one of them isn't in season now, she doesn't think, even though I know it is... also if one more person gives me the 1997 "tip" that flowers in season are cheaper...........................), what colors, what color ribbon do I want around my bouquet?  I'm thinking this is done.  One more thing to cross of the list.  Matter of fact I think I did cross it off.  You know what's coming, right?  My mom asks me the details she doesn't know, calls friend to report back, friend doesn't answer the phone.  Friend doesn't call for three days.  Friend finally calls to say she doesn't work with live flowers.  You know what?  If I cursed, I would be cussin you out right now.  Y'all don't have to cuss in the comments on my behalf but you're more than welcome to do so on your side of the screen.  Are you serious with that?  Really?  You knew FROM THE BEGINNING that you didn't work with live flowers.  You just want to be able to say you know something that nobody else knows so you can spread it around.

RASHAN DON'T READ THIS PART IF YOU WANT TO BE SURPRISED ABOUT MY BOUQUET.  *snicker*  Like this will make any sense in his head anyway.  So all of the internet knows as well, I'm having white peonies and roses with peacock feathers, wrapped in a purple ribbon.  Take that, friend.  Ugh.  UGH!!!  Why do people act like that?!!?  I'm not at all insinuating that she's trying to ruin my day but she is most certainly making part of it about herself.  You're all up in your feelings so much that you have to basically steal time from me?  #cmonson  That is so unnecessary!!  I am planning a wedding in 4 weeks.  Why?  So I can start my life with my husband!!!  BECAUSE I LOVE THAT MAN AND HE LOVES ME!!!  But you want to get petty.  And do silly stuff.  I could've had those flowers ordered elsewhere at least a week ago.  Now I'm two weeks from my wedding with no flowers.  But you wanted to... you know what?  I'm done.  Wait.  I'm not done.  And when we have this big surprise party wedding, you, friend, will be the only one not invited.  NOW I'm done.

Monday Mindspacing Vol. 104

1) You guys, I LOVE the outpouring of support y'all gave us!  It's so sweet!  Rashan, however, does not love you.  He was going to give me $3 to tell y'all on Friday that we broke up and we're not getting married.  WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIM!??!  I might have considered it... But I love y'all more than that!
2) I sent a request for well wishes to our Prez and I'm hoping he sends us a nice letter!  I will be SO excited!  It'll be framed with our wedding photos! :)  BUT when I did that, Rashan said, "You're just like my grandma."  .... Just what every bride wants to hear.

3) Speaking of brides... I want one of those bride tank tops that just has bride bedazzled across the chest.  Ooh! And a Mrs. MyNewLastName something or other.  Shirt, apron.  IDK.
4) My decision to hand-write our invites?  Oh my haaaaand!  Okay.  Enough wedding talk.  If there was more time, I'd start a wedding blog.  This thing is working hard to consume my life.  Raise your hand if you wouldn't mind hearing about it.  More importantly, raise your hand if you would mind.  Look at our stationery!!!
5) I love talking to people who don't like children.  I like them in small doses when they're well-behaved but I totally get people who don't like them and their conversations amuse me!
6) If I'm ever making potatoes for us, I should just make at least 8 servings because 4 is never enough.
7) Please tell me to stop using recipes that don't have amounts on them, just the ingredients!!!
8) I want some really delicious food!  That I don't have to cook.  Thank God I'm going home Thursday!  Get to work, mom!
9) I'm starting to like tomatoes.  Whaaaaa??  Like raw tomatoes w/some salt and pepper.  When I tell you I NEVER thought this would be me, I mean NEVER!  But they do remind me of these (sometimes) sweet little old ladies from my church, a now deceased mother-daughter duo, who were some of the most awesome cooks and bakers ever!!  Always served up raw tomatoes with fried chicken and homemade biscuits.  They were awesome.  Sometimes I really miss them when I go home.
10) Have you ever watched Match Game 74 on Game Show Network?  It's like the celebrities on that show are drunk!  It can be pretty funny.
11) Have I told you lately how much I love Dwight Shrute?  Watching old eps of 'The Office' from my fave season (2) is cracking me up!!!