Tell me baby, what's your story?

Sometime this week (cross ALL your fingers for it) my baby cousin is having a baby. She's not technically my BABY cousin...she's only 6 years younger than me...but I BABYsat her so I mean, baby.

She is smart (minus her questionable taste in music - YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, E) and funny and is definitely the cutest little pregnant woman I have ever seen. I am so stoked that she's going to have a kid, and while it won't be all sweetness and rainbows, I do know that she is going to make an amazing mother.

I threw her a baby shower in early January. She and her mom drove to Houston because I'm selfish like that a lot of her really good friends and sorority sisters live here. We had food and cake and mimosas - no shower is complete without champagne, I am convinced - and played the gross, "Guess the Baby Poop" chocolate diaper game. That game is really sick, by the way. I don't want babies, but I am so terrified that, after seeing that game played at so many showers, if I ever DO have a child, I am going to wake up to the thing crying in the middle of the night, walk to it's bedroom in a state of exhausted delerium, start changing the poopy diaper and suddenly shove my face in it, because HEY! Last time I did this it was Snickers!

If you know me, you know showers just ain't my thang (I battled with my mom about having a wedding shower...I lost), but I was SO PUMPED to throw this one for my cuz. I went all out - totally cleaned my toilets with the fancy cleaner - which also means I MADE the gift I gave her. Yeah, I KNOW. Wild.

The baby's name is Madelynn Ann, and this is what she got from her second cousin, but will definitely call me AUNT Cheryl:

That's right. I made that. Thank you, Internet, for the inspiration. I was really pleased with how it came out and E has hung it up near Maddy's crib, so that's awesome ;)

Maddy is now officially 2 days late, and E is uncomfortable and anxious and kind of pissed, but I am appluading Baby M already for blowing off the cliche of being a Valentine's Day babe. She's clearly stubborn like her momma, and if this "wait-out" is any indication of what kind of child she's going to be, I anticipate liking this little girl very, very much.

The proposal story

We thought it'd be more convenient to have our guests RSVP to a wedding website rather than via return cards, so I found a template online and set it up (you would think someone who worked for a company who builds websites would be more creative, no?) and there are all these pages of STUFF to fill in, like an "About Us" page, which - really? Like someone who knows absolutely nothing about me is going to be at our wedding. And even if there is an aunt or uncle on the other side of the family who doesn't know a whole lot about me save for the fact that I am marrying their nephew, really they're going to want to read a cheesy bio? Is there a quiz later?

What I am trying to say is that the pre-made sites are kind of lame and we did the best we could with what we had. We tried to make the words on the pages sound as if we were talking to our guests and I think we did a decent job of making our voices evident. See if you can tell what SK is like by his written words...

____________________________

The story of the proposal does not begin with a romantic, moonlit meal on the coast of Jamaica. It actually begins several weeks previous on what was supposed to be a standard, mid-week meal with Cheryl's parents at the Saltgrass Steakhouse sometime shortly after Thanksgiving. Standard. Tommy and KJ. Cheryl and me. Food and drink.

Dinner went as usual with the women electing to entertain with the news and social judgments of the day, and the men choosing fewer words than sips of bourbon or whiskey. When dinner ended, the women left to go shopping and I figured I'd be on my way home until Tommy invited me to have another drink at the bar. My response was cool and in the affirmative, but my heart raced. Though I had planned on doing it later, now was the perfect time to ask Tommy for his approval to propose to Cheryl. Not that I'm a fan of tradition-- which will be evident from the horseshoes and ping pong that will be at the wedding--but asking the father's approval seems to be a great way to fool everyone into believing that I'm a great guy. Which I am to be sure.

The prospect of asking Tommy's approval to propose marriage to his daughter filled me with a trepidation verging on paralysis. Fortunately, I didn't have much time to think about it once we were sitting in the bar and, of course, I was swimming in the bravado afforded me a couple whiskeys. What exactly was my fear? Was it a fear of physical violence? Would Tommy literally beat me mercilessly for even thinking I could marry his daughter? The thought may seem ridiculous, but a person can only hear so many samurai sword jokes before the myth becomes truth. Was it fear of rejection? That too might seem ridiculous as I had been, in a sense, a part of the family already for some time (a fact evinced by the booby mug given to me one Christmas-- a rich family tradition), but there is a significant disparity between the tacit appreciation Tommy and I had for one another and the vulnerability inherent in explicitly asking for his approval-- his acceptance. Either I'm cool or I'm not. No getting out of there without the answer.

The conversation was pleasant as we spoke about family, focusing most of our attention on our admiration and hopes for Cheryl's younger brother Kevin who is in the Air Force and will most likely be deployed to Afghanistan in the coming months (the justification for such a hastily planned wedding--gotta make sure Kevin can be there). I'm sure there were other topics of conversation, but they don't exist in any part of my memory as at the time my sole focus was to find some witty segue into my primary concern of the evening.

Something to be understood: Heroes have the ability to fight against the inertia caused by fear in the face of various conflicts. The hero maintains the acute ability to act appropriately and effectively, but, more importantly, to think quickly in order to triumph over myriad adversaries.

As it turns out, I am no hero.

I could think of no witty transition and ended up settling on something quite the opposite of clever, "Well, enough about (whatever we were talking about), I need to talk to you about something." Yep. Brilliant. No time to turn back now.

I laid forth the plan for the proposal and Tommy listened with what seemed to be amused solemnity. Here's me at the tail end of explaining my plan, "... and that's when I'll ask her to marry me, but I wanted to get your approval first."

Tommy responded immediately with a tension-easing, jocular, "Do you know what you're getting yourself into?"

I laughed, relieved by his humorous response.

"No. Really. Do you know what you're getting yourself into?"

Oh. Not a joke. Less relieved.

The conversation turned into a rational discussion between a father who truly loved his daughter and wanted to be sure she'd be cared for and the man who would be doing so. It caught me off guard, but it was perfect. All topics were up for discussion. He asked questions about children and family and Cheryl's disposition which can be, at times, cantankerous (to be polite). (As a side note, Angry Cheryl will be perfectly manageable as I've learned several coping strategies for such behavior by watching Tommy deal with Angry KJ. In short, I am to shut up my mouth, nod my head in compliance, and let the storm blow itself out.)

My answers were apparently sufficient as immediately after the interview Tommy shook my hand firmly, smiled slightly, and said he would be pleased with the marriage. I was so filled with euphoria that I didn't even have the common sense enough to ask Tommy if he wanted to have another drink to celebrate. Oops. There'll be plenty of time for that though. I was out the restaurant shortly after, filled with confidence and sure that no other part of the proposal would be tough. Asking Cheryl would be no task. And it wasn't.

Fast forward to New Years Eve Eve and Cheryl and me in Jamaica. After a frustrating 12 hours of traveling we were still dressed in our stinkin' travel clothes, but at least at our resort sitting in an outdoor restaurant right on the water. The moon was bright and full. The breeze was cool and soothing. The water smelled clean and tumbled in lightly. She had no idea. I asked. She said yes with tears in her eyes.

We spent the rest of the evening making phone calls to family and friends. By "we" I mean she because while she called, I watched college bowl games. It seemed a fitting beginning to the engagement; we often enjoy each others' company while doing completely different things. It's cool. And though I was watching the games, I really just enjoyed listening to Cheryl laugh as she spread the news of the proposal.

Was I nervous when I asked? My hand was shaking a bit and my heart was beating fast, but I'm sure I wasn't nervous. It was one of the easiest things I've ever done in my life. I have no fears for this relationship as the thought of Cheryl always fills me with the most profound sense of happiness and contentment.

____________________________

~Swoon~

It's been a while...

Hello, lovies. It's been a while - a looooong while - since I have posted anything of substance on this thang. Life has officially gotten in the way.

Between wedding planning, work and WORKING OUT (Jillian Michaels, you are an evil hag and I love to hate you) SK and I haven't had much time for anything else and, woo-hoo, was it starting to take it's toll. So this past weekend we didn't do much; stayed indoors and recharged. It was necessary.

February 9th marked 4 years together for me and the Husband-To-Be, so we celebrated with a downtown date on Friday night. Ya'll, this is A BIG DEAL. We rarely venture downtown anymore - more because the 40-minute drive home is kind of perilous and irresponsible after a few drinks, and less because we're boring and so so so suburban now...or at least, that's what I tell myself.

We went to an awesome restaurant in the Heights called Shade (<--- check it out!!). The website says it's new, but it's been around for at least 4 years. It's where I took SK for his bday dinner the first year we were dating and HOO-BOY, let me just tell you how good that sucker had it even 3 weeks in because it was a restaurant we found by walking around his neighborhood and holy smokes was that place pricey for a gal with minimal income and a teeny-tiny credit limit. Really, the place isn't anymore expensive than a Babin's, but when I was just 6 months into my first real job ever, working on paying off debt I had racked up in college and putting money into a car I didn't take care of like I should have, I really had no business being in a place like that. It worked though - 4 years later and he's gonna marry me ;)

Aaaaanyway...dinner at Shade was uh-mazing, as usual, and then we went out to a bar to meet up with some friends who were in town for the weekend. I drank a liiittle too much and was definitely feeling it the next day.

The rest of our weekend was full of a little more of this:

and some of this:

...and this:

...aaaand this:

***So we TOTALLY fell off the wagon this weekend...I get it. But oh man, it was sooo good!***

Also, the weekend included some of this:

Some planning for this:

And a whole lot of this:

***What? You don't clean in booty shorts and stilettos? You're doing it wrong***

The wedding is only 10 weeks away (HOLY SHIT) and we still have a lot of stuff to do, which at times, stresses us both out, but overall it's been fun and easy and smooth. I am trying to keep this from becoming an in-your-face I'M GETTING MARRIED blog, but really, I don't have much time for anything else right now, so I'm about to get all up in your face! Forgive me. And if you're not interested, come back after May 1 of this year, because it's going to be all kinds of weddi-fied over here until then!

Coming tomorrow - the proposal, as told by SK himself ;) Get excited!

Wedding Inspiration 2

wedding by CherylA on Polyvore.com

I am...

...counting...

...down...

...the...

...hours...

...til...

...5.

Let's all go home!!!!!!


all images via weheartit.

Wedding Inspiration

Love by CherylA featuring Andrew Hamilton Crawford earrings

Because I've been getting death threats

SK and I went to JAMAICA! for New Year's and yes, you heard right - we came back engaged. I was floored, as I didn't at all suspect it would happen there, and I have been floating for the last week and a half.

I have a post in the works about the proposal and the trip and how we swam with dolphins and I actually napped during the day, for the first time in my life. It was an amazing 5 days, and SK and I came back with the whole wedding planned, so you KNOW there will be some updates on that, as well.

For the inquiring minds that want to know, here is a photo of the ring. My man did good ;)

It's the day before the night before Christmas!

Apparently, as a child, I sang. A lot. I don't sing now because I know better, but when I was little I sang EVERYTHING. I made up songs in the grocery store, I sang my ideal itinerary for the day, and yes, ladies and gentlemen, I even once tried to sing the Pledge of Allegiance while standing on my grandmother's hearth. Did I mention I was also dressed like a mini-Magnum PI, complete with tiny white shorts and red hawaiian-print shirt? Because I was.

So when my mom walked into the bathroom one December 23rd MANY MANY years ago, and I was singing while showering (what? bathrooms have the BEST acoustics...don't hate), she wasn't surprised at all. She did, however, totally dig what I was belting out...

"It's the DAY before the NIGHT before Christmaaaaaas!!!"

Now, every year on December 23rd, I get texts from family and close friends with that awesome reminder of my past. The calls in the high falsetto, singing it back to me, really make my day.

It's 9:32am and I have already been hit twice. This is going to be a great day.

~*~

In other, not as awesome news, our fabulous vacation is 7 days away and I am so excited I can't think about anything else. Until I see news stories like this:

Plane overruns runway in Jamaica

Oh, the Who-manity!

I have had issues getting into the Christmas spirit this year. Maybe because the weather has been so crappy in Houston (although, it did SNOW!), or maybe because SK and I have been so busy, we haven't really decorated the inside of the house, and finally just got our tree last Friday... Whatever the reason, I have just been kind of BLAH.

I realized I was really in a weird place last night when, while listening to a woman who called into the radio station talking to the DJ about how this is the first Christmas she is experiencing without her mom and how tough it is for her, I started bawling in my car. I was sobbing down Beltway 8. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME???

Today, though, the sun is out. Both SK and I have holiday parties for work tonight. It's Friday. My little brother comes home next week, and the rest of the Texas family will follow a few days later. We only have 12 days left until we go on our spectacular vacation.

I am determined to break out of this funk. Today is the day I stop worrying and stressing and being depressed about all the crap that doesn't matter. I am going to enjoy the sunshine streaming through my office window, and an evening out with my handsome man. It's about time it started looking more like Christmas!

All photos from this Flickr group

Holy crap.

Russell Crowe as Robin Hood?

Sign me the F up.

CLICK HERE for the trailer.