A Very HOT Rehearsal Dinner

We had our rehearsal dinner on the Wednesday before the wedding. Typically, they have them the night before but for me, I envisioned the day before being full of happiness, relaxation and calm. That is not what happened, but thats for another post!!

When the day finally came, I couldn't believe it. Sixteen months had gone by and here I was two days before getting married, where did it come from? Back in January 2010 it seemed like it would take forever to get to our wedding day. It was a time frame I enjoyed because I felt I had a good amount of time to get everything accomplished. Then BAM, here it is!

In the morning, my mother and I went to go get my dress. It hadn't been finished the last time we went to  my "final fitting". The length was too long and it wasn't bustled right. I wasn't in the mood to try it on for a 5th time so I just hoped it was perfect. (I should of tried it on, but again, for another post!)

The rest of the day was spent doing errands and trying to remain relaxed. I got ready, gave myself plenty of time to feel comfortable with how I looked for the big rehearsal day, and off we went!

The rehearsal went well, but when it was done I had no idea what our officiant said to us. I didn't remember what I was suppose to do with my hands, when it was my cue to speak or what I was suppose to do after we kissed as husband and wife. It was just too HOT!

MOH Job: Blotting sweat from bride's face

Trying to pay attention, it just didn't work

After we were done "rehearsing" it was time to go to Carmen Anthony's for our dinner! It would only be  my luck though, that when we went to get into our car, we didn't have the keys. One of my bridesmaids had been given the bag with our keys in it! So after that mishap, we were on our way to spend time with family and friends before our big day!

 A few beautiful people in my family

 Our best friends & wedding party

 My Grandmother

 Mom, Dad, Sister & Andrea

 One of my favorite couples!

 Pretty girls

 Bridal Party

The bride & groom....

It was a beautiful night before an absolutely beautiful wedding! Can't wait to finally recap my favorite day!!!

Much love,

Bachelorette Festivities

If you know me, I would let you say that I may be a control freak who hates surprises. At the same time, I am also one who ruins her surprises due to my fabulous observational skills. I hate to admit it, but yes I am the girl who says "No surprises please" but gets sad when none happen. I annoy myself.

I had told my sister that the Mr. and I didn't need to have that last party separately as unmarried folk. We had been together long enough to have our fun and that we could just have a big get together with everyone. I was perfectly content with that decision. That is what I thought we were doing. I was mistaken.

As I've been told since my last final outing as an unmarried lady, I am a difficult being. One of my bridesmaids told my sister she felt like she was being interrogated by the police. What? I'm a nosy person who likes to know what's going on! It may or may not be one of my very few flaws!

So the plan was a very casual evening going to see the movie Bridesmaids with a few of my own! I was actually really pumped for this movie, and can't wait to see it since the night did not include a movie. While I was getting ready I decided to put on a skirt to feel like a girl, which is very unlike me and my typical casual attire. Maybe subconsciously I thought something was going to happen? No, I really didn't. 


One of my bridesmaids and best friend, Lauren picked me and told me that we had to stop at her sister's job to pick up something for her mother. I waited patiently in the car until she returned with a box covered in tin foil. She placed it into her trunk, laughed and then we were on our way. Hrm, think I was suspicious? Nope!

We were meeting at my sister's boyfriends brother's house, so when we pulled up and my sister was wearing a dress, one would have thought I would have figured out that maybe we weren't going to a movie. I still didn't. I laugh at myself for not seeing the obvious signs, but my mind was completely preoccupied and the girls did good! So as I was walking in the house, I saw my other bridesmaids and knew I had been tricked!

As I mentioned earlier, I hate surprises. So it took me a few minutes to feel comfortable in the situation. I was that awkward girl looking around, playing with my hair, taking deep breathes and trying not to feel self conscious that all eyes were on me. Eventually, the real Melissa came out!

We played some dirty bachelorette games that I should not mention on this blog, keeping it PG but it was fun! I received some scandalous gifts, all of which I love and find hilarious.

Then, in came the cake. Remember that box my friend put in her trunk? Well that was a cake made especially for me in the shape of a boy's nether region. They tried to make it as life like to my now husband, which at the time made me feel dirty. That's all I'm going to say because besides that we dominated the yummy cake!

Our night then took us to a local bar where we proceeded to play games, drink and have a great time. We ended up at another bar where we could get our dance on, and boy did we! It's been a long time since I've visited that scene, and I loved it! Shots, dancing, and laughing....pretty much sums up our night.

The men in our lives chilled together at the first bar we graced our presence with until we were ready. Then like our own personal chauffeurs, they came to our rescue when we were good and done (some more than others....like this girl!) to take us home.

The Mr., my other best Kayte and I found our way to Denny's, where we continued to order food and this girl passed out on the table. I'm such a champ. Since I didn't eat my food, I've been craving french toast for 3 weeks now!

But the next day, I was a rock star because I woke up bright eyed and ready to go. Until later.

It was a great night that I will always remember. My friends were able to surprise me and the Mr. was able to keep a secret as well. It's amazing how many people will buy you shots when they know you are getting married, makes you feel special. You may not know them, and they may not care later but a free shot is a free shot!

Much love,

Pre-Wedding BBQ

There has been many moments in my life where I wish I could turn back time to when we were a family. A complete family consisting of mom, dad, big sister and me. I am one to always try to live for the moment, no regrets, no looking back but when things happen in your life to alter that "perfect family", sometimes you may reminisce.

I've had moments where I've missed my father, been mad at my father and been disappointed. Through all these feelings, I've moved along trying to see the positive side to the situation such as I've always had this beautiful woman. Who has by far been my rock, my entire life.

The beautiful ladies in my life, mother & sister

That doesn't take away those feelings though. Especially when the most important day of your life is right around the corner and you want everything to be alright.

My family felt the same way as I did, so we decided to do a BBQ at our house to get everyone together to ease the awkwardness that we were ultimately trying to avoid for our big day!


It worked. Over a wide variety of foods and desserts, the family talked, laughed and broke through that ice we all thought needed to be thawed.

We enjoyed the usual BBQ feast consisting of hamburgers, hotdogs, salads, pulled pork, chicken...oh the list could go on. The food was tasty, the atmosphere warm and most importantly, the company was amazing.

We even got this beautiful lady to enjoy some shots with us!

We got to spend time with this adorable tot!

And we ended the night on a great note..... Reece's Peanut Butter Klondike Bars. Enough said! I wish I had taken more photos that day, but I guess I didn't. That's alright though because the next few posts with have lots!!


Much love,

The Best Time in my Life

As the countdown to the wedding has elapsed and we are now at +5 days of a happy marriage, I find myself smiling more and more. Not just at the wedding, but everything that led up to that one very perfect day.

Through the stress of planning a wedding, my mother always reminded me "it's all going to work out and come together perfectly" and it did!

I found myself in the last few months before the wedding having no time to write but I've missed sharing small tidbits of my life with whatever readers I may have, even if its just one. I've missed having this avenue to get my thoughts out and express myself, even if it's just for myself.

Now I have A LOT to blog about and catch up on....

• The Surprise Bachelorette
• The Pre-Wedding BBQ
• The Rehearsal Dinner
• The Day Before
• Wedding Day
• Post Wedding BBQ
• The Honeymoon

All these shenanigans will be blogged about when I'm back home from this beautiful honeymoon in Antigua! I just couldn't wait any longer to write something because I was getting antsy! That and my lovely husband is taking a cat nap! Hope everyone is well and I'll leave you with this......

Much love,

Bridal Meltdown

I suppose it was bound to happen at some point. Up until today, I had displayed the easy going, pleasant non-bridezilla. Then, sh*t happened. (Excuse the language, but there is no other way to put it).

Again, it is raining. When mother nature decides to stop urinating on us all, let me know. Until then, I'm in a fight.

I almost got run off the highway by a man who was illegally talking on his cell phone. I think he should eat it, and poop it out whole.

I got stuck in traffic on the Merrit because someone unfortunately got in an accident. I changed my route and ended up sitting in traffic with nasty women who kept flipping each other off for 2 hours. It was amusing until I got the finger for no apparent reason except I was there.

I arrived to pick up my wedding dress for a fitting, to find the woman not there. I sat in my car for 1 1/2 hours waiting while it down poured. As I waited I became more angry and thats when my eyes started to have issues. Clearly I was not crying, my contacts were bothering me. Clearly.

When she finally arrived, I didn't say what I had been ranting at my mother and sister. Instead I just asked for my dress. She cried and of course I had to make her feel better. Wasn't I the one that was forgotten, again?

The seamstress told me to get a new dress, 24 days before my wedding. That my dress has two much material in the back. Maybe it's that my ass is too big? She says no. I bawled my eyes out. I wanted my mommy at the age of 28.

I cried the whole hour to my eye appointment, that I was late for. When I got there I didn't even need the appointment. I paid a copay to have the doctor tell me my eyes are white. Really?

I sat through a work meeting trying to tune out the voices of women complaining. To me, it sounds worse than nails on a chalkboard. If that is me, I vow never to speak again.

But, all is well in the world. My dog's bowel movements are not waking me up every 3 hours.

That my friends, is positivity.

Jack n' Jill

I have a question, do you know what a Jack n' Jill is?

It seems as though many people do not know what a jack n' jill entails. This being said, I have had a lot of questions and negativity in regards to MY decision for MY wedding to have one. In the bigger picture, this does not really matter, but it has at times placed a "cloud" over this special time for us. It all goes away though when I remember the great time that I had with my family and friends, who came to support us and show us unconditional love.

I chose the jack n' jill over the traditional shower because I HATE being the center of attention. I also don't particularly like having a bunch of women in the same room doting over me. I wanted a party with fun, excitement, alcohol and testosterone. It was just what I wanted, isn't this what your wedding should be about, you?

Our jack n' jill was on April 30th at The Elks Lodge. It was a fantastic time with great people, great food, great raffle prizes, lots of alcohol, and did I mention it was great?

 It's getting close!

 The happy couple

 My beautiful mama and step-dad

My maid of honor, my sister and my future brother in law Craig

 My cousin Ally and her gorgeous daughter Veda

 One of my bridesmaids, Sage & her beau Jay

 My mama and my uncle

 My sister and my grandma

Some of the boyzzzz

 My sister, grandma and I

 Another bridesmaid & bestie, Kayte

 Bottoms up!

 Jesse and Carmello

 The family missing Craig :-(

My mama and sister

Craig and sleeping Veda

There are a lot more pictures but these are some of my favorite. There are some family and friends that escaped photos that night, so I'll be sure to get good ones at the wedding! 26 days and counting....it's just around the corner!

Two Months

Source

Two months from today, I'll be:

Getting my hair did all pretty, in hopes that it decides to stay pretty for the big event.

Hoping my waterproof mascara doesn't leave streaks down my face.

Praying that when I walk down the aisle I won't trip and break my ass.

Allowing people to take multiple pictures of me, something I despise more than cow pies.

Dishin' out lots of money for a wedding that is priceless.

Marrying my favorite person, my best friend, the man who stole my heart on date numero dos!

Two months + 1 day, I'll be:

Spending time with family and friends by my pool.

A married woman!

Two months + 2 days, I'll be:

Soaking up the sun in beautiful Antigua!!

Needless to say, I'm extremely stoked about what is happening in two months!

How We Met

Seven years ago from today I was twenty-five days away from my 21st birthday. I was two months away from finishing my sophomore year in nursing school, and I had no idea that in six months I would meet the man who would instantly steal my heart.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I first heard of him through a mutual friend. We were having lunch at Olive Garden discussing my guy problems. In the midst of my ranting, she broke the cloud of negativity to tell me about him. She told me what a wonderful guy he was and how I had to meet him. She described him as kind, caring, and a guy who knew how to treat a girl right. I was sold, though she never followed through.

Being the kind of person that I am, I decided that it was time for me to meet a nice guy. I called one of my good friends, dolled myself up and off we went to the restaurant he worked at. Our mutual friend happened to be working that night as well, so she went into the kitchen and brought out this guy.

After a few rum and diet cokes, it appeared I had my valiant pants on. I called him over by patting the chair next to me. At the same time, thoughts running through my head "Did I really just pat the chair like he is a dog?" Despite my gesture, he came over and we exchanged some typical small talk. He offered me some of his Jambalaya, which I declined, nicely. After a few more somewhat awkward words, I gave him my number and he said he would call.

A few days later, he did. After numerous times of picking up my phone to see if I had missed any calls, when I knew I hadn't, the phone rang. We made a plan to get together that Monday, dinner and a movie. I was nervous but happy.

On Monday, I drove to his apartment and we ventured out on our first date. We had dinner at Chili's and went to go see the move Shall We Dance. He allowed me to choose, so I lived it up! Afterwards we went back to his apartment, talked a little and he walked me out to my car. I didn't know how I felt about him yet, but out of nowhere decided to give him a kiss on the cheek. It was a nice night, I had had a good time.

The next day when I was getting out of class, he called. He asked if I wanted to meet at his restaurant to hang out, but I had a paper to write. I went anyways. As we talked and got to know each other, I began to notice two things. One, I could feel how kind hearted he was. It was easy to talk with him and while I was nervous, I was comfortable. Two, I found him attractive.

I ran into some friends while there and we decided to sit with them in a booth. As we were laughing together, I suddenly noticed how close he was. I could feel his arm touching mine, and as we kept giving each other short little glances, we smiled. It was then in that moment, that he ran his fingers along my hand. Instantly, chills went down my spine and my stomach did a flip. I had experienced my first butterfly moment.


It was then, at that moment that I knew, he was the one.

We ended up seeing each other a few more times, and I couldn't help my feelings. They were getting stronger and deeper. Unfortunately, he didn't want a relationship. As soon as I thought I had found the person I wanted to spend my life with, it came crashing down with the realization that he didn't want it. It
felt awful.

After shedding some tears, I tried to focus on school and my friends. Always in the back of my mind, was him. We still talked, sometimes saw each other, but he always remained clear on his intentions. It didn't make my feelings go away though. Whether he meant to or not, he always crept back into my life in some way when I was trying to move on.

But was I really trying to move on? Whenever I would go out with my friends, we would always end up at his restaurant. I would always end up spending time with him, and I would always end up drinking a little too much. There may have been a few nights that my emotions got the best of me, and things might have been said that were thoughts of a distressed psychotic girl.

Despite my words or actions, something happened between us. It was apparent that we had a connection, he just had to realize it. Eventually he did.

We began to spend more time together, and without talking about "what we were", I could tell our feelings for each other were growing.

On the day of my graduation from nursing school, he finally met my family. They had heard about him incessantly for the past 1 1/2 years, it was a very special day. He was able to spend time with my grandma, which meant so much to me. Her first words to him still ring in my ears, "It must be so nice to be such special friends." I loved her, she was an amazing woman.

That night as we lie on his bed talking, he told me that he was in love with me. It was a day I will never forget.

That was five years ago and in two months, we will be getting married!