The Future

So, today I picked up a bottle of controls of a piece of equipment at work & noticed the expiration date is in April. I looked at the bottle in my hand & thought, "When it is time for me to toss these, I'll be married."

I know that sounds so elementary but it was a weird feeling.

In two months, my life will be completely different. So much will change.

Don't get me wrong, I am so excited about it. It is just strange...a little unsettling. I'm happy, can't wait, but it's a new adventure & even though I have complete confidence in us, in our life together, there is always a little feeling of nervousness. Not in marrying but in leaving behind what has become comfortable...not necessarily a happy place but what has become familiar.

All the same...these next couple of months couldn't come fast enough. ;)

Going Postal

Well, most of the big things are taken care of now.
Venue...check
Food...check
Cake...check
Photographer...check
My dress...ordered
Anthony's suit...ordered
Girls' dresses...ordered
Flowers...um....still waiting for one more quote deciding
Invites....hahaha...this was the most stressful of all...I will never forget the invites....story to follow

I kept thinking that when the big things were taken care of my stress would ease up a bit. Several people alluded that it wouldn't but I didn't listen. Well....they were so right.

Now, I must explain I am quite a bit of a pushover. I never get confrontational with people, much less places of business. I try to be as kind as I can, however, I have permanent foot prints on my back from being walked all over. Well, that all changed recently. I finally hit my limit. And the person/business that finally pushed Kristy over the edge? The United States Postal Service. After this, I KNOW that all the problems with the world must stem from the USPS.

The story starts last Thursday. I ran into the post office to purchase post card stamps. Easy enough task one would postulate. I walked up to the desk, told the man at the desk that I needed a roll of regular stamps, and then asked him if he had post card stamps. He reached for his drawer & then paused & asked me, "You do know the price is going up on Sunday, right?"

I said, "No."

He asked, "Do you plan on sending the out by Sunday?" I told him no. But he just kept standing there.

I then, getting a bit annoyed, said, "Are you telling me that I should wait until Monday to purchase the new stamps?" And he replied in the affirmative.

I asked him if they didn't already have some of the new ones & he said no. Irritated, I grabbed the roll of stamps & started to walk out. Then he called after me, "You owe me!"

I returned to the desk & handed him my credit card. Then, in an uncharacteristic act of myself, I placed my elbow on the counter & dropped my head into my hands...clearly distraught. I'm sure the guy thought, "Wow! She is really getting upset over some postcard stamps. I better get her out of here before she goes nuts."

Fast forward though the weekend & my small breakdown with Anthony & his mom to Monday...the day I really lost it.

On Monday, Anthony went to the Fort Worth Post Office & they informed him that they did not have any of the new postcard stamps. If he wanted them, he would have to buy the old stamps & a $0.03 stamp. The interesting part here is that the stamps only increased by $0.01. So, typical of the government, they were trying to scam us out of $0.02.

Anthony called me & let me know what happened & suggested I should call the post office first. I started with the closest, the Flower Mound Post Office. I asked them if they had the new stamps. They said no. I then told them that I had been told to come back on Monday for the new stamps. At that point she got very agitated at me & started in with "Mam, mam. No one here would have promised that to you." Her town irritated me to no end.

Now, at this point, I would normally back down & thank her for her time & hang up. But, not this day. I had hit my ceiling. So, I said, "So, you are telling me that you guys are unprepared?"

She then starts almost yelling that that is not her department. And, saying, "No one would have told you that we would have them on Monday."

To which, I said, "You wouldn't know what was said, seeing that you were not the one I spoke with."

She responded saying, "We all say the same thing. No one would tell you that. That is just not true."

Barely able to control myself, I hung up on her.

I was shaking...almost on the verge of tears. So, I called Lewisville Post Office. A guy answered who was very nice, very respectful, & very helpful. He told me they didn't have any stamps but then offered to call a couple of other places for me. He came back & said that he couldn't find any at his resources either. He suggested I call the Dallas PO or the airport PO. I asked him if I didn't have any results there what could he suggest. I asked him if they had the old postage in case I had no other choice but to double stamp them. He put me on hold & went to talk to his supervisor. He was going to transfer me to her but then when he came back to the phone he told me they had just gotten their order for the new stamps in. I was so excited.

When I got to the PO, they told me they did not have the new stamps. I told them "That's funny because I called earlier & was told you had gotten them in this morning."

At that point she said, "Oh! I'm telling you wrong. Hold on." I think they had been told to tell everyone they didn't have them until they had used up the old ones but decided to make an exception for me. Hehe. ;)

So, I would like to officially recommend & brag on the Lewisville Post Office & criticize harshly the Flower Mound Post Office & their unprofessionalism & rudeness. (On a side note, I went to the FMPO today to drop off the invites & over heard one lady filing a complaint with the PO & another lady mumbling under her breath about something they had either done or changed. So, I don't really think that my outburst was just me, my hormones, or stress levels. I think there is something seriously wrong with that post office & their customer service.)

I guess, I can't really blame the dogs desire to chase the mailman now.

Bridesmaids Dresses...check!

Well, one of the biggest tasks that was stressing me out the most has been taken care of this weekend. Thanks to God & my little sister. Friday we searched Dallas high & low for what I had envisioned to absolute, no success. Apparently, our colors are not in style this year. It seems the colors for 2012 will be jewel tones & fluorescents.

Anyway, Saturday, Kim (my sis), Anthony, & I

went over to the chapel to sign the contract & show Kim the place. She fell in love with it immediately. It was also the first time we have had the opportunity to see it in the daylight and we were most definitely not disappointed. This place is gorgeous. Afterward, we drove to Frisco and Kim & I went into Alfred Angelo just to see what they had to offer. We found several dresses that were great. I decided each girl would wear a different style but the same color. Kim tried on several & we narrowed the choices down to 3 & Kim bought one. After dropping Kim off with her mother-in-law & saying goodbye (it was the last time I will see her until the week before the wedding), Anthony & I drove to his parents house to get his sisters to go get them measured & try on dresses. When they tried o

n the two other styles we had decided on they did not like either (& I must say, while they lo

oked adorable, there were better ones for them). It is always interesting to see how one dress can look completely different on one person vs another. However, after trying on a couple of more dresses, each of them found one that fit them perfectly. The looked beautiful.

While this was not my original idea, each of them have dresses that look great on them & we are all happy with. Whew! What a relief.

Today, Anthony & I started working on some of the decorations we are going to have at the reception. We are making bunting. I'll post a separate post about that later once I get the pics uploaded.

Now, this week is to decide on a photographer & florist.

Planning, Planning, Planning

Well, so far we have the place, the caterer, the cake, a friend designing the invitations, & my dress in the works.

We have a meeting with a photographer hopefully we will get a good feeling about and consultations with 3 florists next week.

I'm still stressing about the girls dresses but Kim & I are going to go looking tomorrow. I'm not really much of a fan of the traditional bridesmaids dresses, even the ones where they are different styles/same colors or different colors/same style. There is nothing wrong with that, it just isn't what I imagine for my wedding. I'm looking for dresses that each girl would pick for themselves but in the color scheme of we have chosen for the wedding. And, to be honest, with what I am seeing in the blogosphere, the days of the traditional dress is fading & it is becoming very popular to have dresses of different styles & different colors. It was actually fairly common during WWII for bridesmaids not to match. One reason for this is, many weddings were planned in just a matter of days during a soldier's shore leave so they just didn't really have time to shop around. Another reason was due to financial woes & rationing. Most bridesmaids would just wear the best dress they owned or one they had worn to another wedding. During this time, the wedding was more about the marriage than about the show...I like that.

Something else common to 1940's weddings was that family members donated baking goods like flour, sugar, & eggs so that the bride could bake the celebratory cake.

So, we have a few tasks left (decide on ceremony music/musicians, choose florist, choose photographer, get bridesmaids dresses, get guys outfits, etc...). Once we get the big things out of the way, I'll feel a little more relaxed, however, I'll probably get those out of the way to work on the "little tasks" only to find I've delayed time wise that now the "little" task is now a "HUGE" task. Oh well. It will all be fine. If I've learned nothing over the last couple of years it is that, "it all works out in the end." It won't really matter. I want to have a nice party, a nice time & everything to go well, but in the end, all that will matter it that I will be married to my best friend for life. :)