It's too late to ditch me!

I thought being six weeks away from the wedding was stressful. But I was in for an unpleasant surprise. Being six weeks away from the wedding and getting a call from your band telling you that they accidentally double booked your wedding night and want to break the contract with you is much MORE stressful.

Tom and I went to a date night for Gamma Phi Beta on Feb 23, 2007, at which we heard Psuedo (also sometimes playing as Parrothead Paradise), a band that can play a wide variety of music. Everyone had a great time, they played a variety of music, they are talented, and we loved it. So we booked them by June. Since then I've been going through their song lists to pick the best songs, sending them burned cds with the songs we need them to know, emailing back and forth, etc. It's been fine; I've been in touch with Will, a band member, and he's a nice guy who has been really helpful. He felt awful calling and telling me that. Not nearly as bad as it felt to me to hear it, but still, pretty bad.

Apparently their band leader wrote down 5-04 instead of 4-05 for our wedding night and thought they were free that night. So their talent agency, Crescent Moon Talent, booked them for that night with a repeat customer two months ago. When I asked who this customer was that they were given preferential treatment, I found out it was a sorority. A Sorority.

Now I have nothing against sororities as I was in one for the last four years, but I think that gives me license to say that to them, this is just another party, formal, or datenight. But for me and Tom, this is our wedding. We will remember this and how good our musicians were. To let them out of the contract, we are going to have to have another band that is just as good or better. There are few bands I have heard at Crescent Moon I am willing to switch for, and of them only one is available for that night, and that's if something they have in the works doesn't happen. And then, they are $700 more than what Psuedo was. We shouldn't have to pay $700 more just to be happy with our band when we already had one booked, so basically what I've told Chip, who works at cmtalent and has been trying to do damage control, is that someone other than us (read: Psuedo or CMTalent) is going to have to absorb the difference. Either that or Psuedo will have to honor their contract to us.

I just don't know what else to do. I mean the wedding is 6 weeks away, and I should NOT have to deal with this right now. I don't want them to be playing for our wedding all angry and disgruntled, but we booked them first and shouldn't even have to feel worried about that. Tom was pretty upset too, though his reaction was more to get angry when I told him, whereas I burst into tears when Will called me. Ahhh guys and girls. His opinion on the whole thing is that they should have just called the sorority, apologized, canceled, and we should never have been any the wiser. Of course, that didn't happen, so we are trying to regroup and go from there.

I also had to make calls about it because other friends have booked Psuedo for their wedding based on my recommendation, and I want to make sure that this doesn't happen to them. I would hate for anyone else to deal with this stress. I just am glad we have a contract.

Please pray that this will work out for the best and that our wedding reception will have a good band that everyone enjoys!

~Meghan

I literally don't know what I'm doing.

Ok, well maybe that should be in past tense and a little more specific. I literally didn't know what my body was doing. Last night, I woke up in the middle of the night in horrible pain. My upper abs were completely clenched, kind of the way if you curl your toes really tightly they get stuck that way because the muscle cramps up and sticks and it really hurts. My abs were doing that. And it was SEVERELY painful. I was dreaming about how much it hurt then woke up from the pain. It was basically so bad I thought I would throw up. After about 5-10 minutes of this, my muscles just kind of relaxed and I was able to lay back down. Today I was talking to dad about it (I'm still sore), and we figured out that it was due to working on chairs.

Saturday afternoon, Tom and I were hanging out at my house trying to strip the paint off of some old chairs we bought at a good price but need to repaint. It took a lot more time and work than I expected. And the paint stipper was so strong that it dissolved the plastic container I had poured it into, it melted the laytex gloves I was wearing, and it burned my skin when I came into contact with it. Yeah. And even with that stuff on the chairs, we couldn't get all the paint off the thing. I was scraping it forever, and somehow being bent over a chair and working that physically hard did something to my muscles that caused my body to freak out in the middle of sleep. Not cool. We have 5 more chairs to go.

Other than that, this weekend was very busy and very wedding based. I attended a bridal brunch/ladies' shower that was thrown for me at the Whitworth's house and hosted by some ladies in my church: Kara Sugg, Kathy and Natalie Whitworth, Cheryl Kurz, Margaret Mitchell, and Beth Milikin. Most of these women have known me since I was a little girl or since early high school, and four of them are also in my bible study at church. It was such a nice shower, and it was great to see so many ladies from church and Tom's family and people I had grown up knowing from the area. Everyone there seemed to enjoy getting the chance to get to catch up and also to meet Tom's mom, grandmother, aunt, and great-aunt. =)

After the shower, Tom and I had our 3rd Pre-marital counseling session with Rob (which takes about 2 hours each time), and then we went to my house to work on the chair. Then we went to Tom's house to eat with his family.

Today, after church and lunch, Mom, Tom, Mrs. Patti, Mr. Tommy, and I all went to The Vines for a Bridal Showcase. There were a bunch of vendors there, but mainly we wanted to go to taste the different foods provided by Chef Eric, who caters for them and so that Mr. Tommy could see the place for the first time. I am praying it won't rain or be cold on our wedding day. It would be great if everyone could enjoy being outside for dancing, eating, and seeing the gardens.

After that, Tom headed back to Alpharetta, and the rest of us went by the church. We showed Mr. Tommy the sanctuary and counted up where extra chairs could be added. We would be able to add enough chairs to have about 365 seated if we add on 4 more rows, which is good since we have such big families that our guest list is limited as it is and we are already going to be stuffing people in that church. Hopefully that will work out.

Alright, I'm tired and have typed myself into another day. I need to get into bed.
Love,
Meghan

Tricky T lives up to his name.

Hahaha, ok, for those of you who don't know what I'm referring to, a bunch of guys at Piedmont had made up silly "rap" nicknames in our freshman year. We called Tom "Tricky T" and it kind of stuck and got brought up again over the years. Well....last year for Valentines Day, we had decided not to do anything. So I got him a card. And then when I got to Atlanta, he made me a steak dinner, gave me a gorgeous double-stranded pearl bracelet, and took me to Cafe Intermezzo for dessert. Ummm....yeah, I didn't expect that.

Again this year, I said "Let's not do anything for Valentines Day." This time around I'm thinking he surely won't say "ok" and then do more than a card AGAIN. But he did. The doorbell rang this afternoon, and when I went to get the door, only a box from ProFlowers was there. To my (genuine) surprise, it was to me, and when I opened it the note said (please don't be embarrassed Tom, I loved it), "Roses are red, and these are for you, in a month and a half, I'll be married to you! I love you! -Tom." How sweet is that?? I melted. And then I counted out a dozen beautiful red roses and saw a cute little box of chocolates too! =)

Now, to be honest, I was trying to be tricky this year. I have a plan for his present but it won't be delivered to the apt till next week. He knows already since I confessed when I got the flowers, but I didn't tell him what the present will be, so I am not posting it here (at least till later).

That's all!
Happy Valentines Day (or as some of my friends say: Happy Singles Awareness Day)~
Meghan

HA.

"Tomorrow should be nice," I said. RIGHT. Well that's what I thought. And then I was miserable all night and day with nausea. Apparently Levaquin, the very strong antibiotic I was on for my throat being stupid, is interacting with my birth control in a way that is making me feel like a pregnant woman in her first trimester. I've had bad experiences with Levaquin before, but it was not when I was on birth control. Back then, I was on Spring Break with Mom and Kristen on a cruise. It caused me to react horribly in the sun-my skin was painful and itchy all over my body. I spent half the cruise in the room under a towel, slathered in aloe. Cruises were not made for avoiding the sun. And Levaquin is not my friend. Neither is Cefzil, another antibiotic. These just affect me badly when I try to come off of taking them, and I'm not the only person I know who has experienced this.

I didn't leave the house today, but tomorrow, I have an appointment with our organist for the wedding in the morning, so I am praying to be better by then-no upset stomach or nausea making me gag and grossed out. I also rescheduled my hair cut, so hopefully I won't have to cancel again.

I really really really want to be better.
~Meghan

Negative on the Vocal Chords.

Tom and I had our first big wedding shower on Saturday night-it was at the Little's house and hosted by them, the St. Clairs, and the Parks. We had a great turn-out, WAY more than I expected, actually. It was great to have all those people there, I just wish I could have gotten to talk to more of them and to have talked more to the ones I did get to speak with. We were truly showered with gifts, and I was overwhelmed with gratitude for everyone coming and blessing us with so much beautiful stuff. We really are starting from nothing and building it all up, so we are registered for everything under the sun, it seems, and we were very blessed by all we received.

I woke up at 4:30 Saturday morning because I wasn't able to breathe hardly at all. I basically was in the middle of croup and an asthma attack, which has happened about twice before, and I can tell you, it is NO fun at all. I would rather have this than the flu or something where my whole body is messed up, but not being able to breathe...it's just scary. The first time that happened to me, I was in high school and it was before they knew I had asthma. I was completely panicked. The next time it wasn't as severe, but this time it was bad. I couldn't find my inhaler, which was stupid on my part for not keeping up with it. I stumbled through my closet, pretty dizzily, and searched through old purses until I found one. I puffed it twice then went and used a nasal spray in the bathroom. This did basically nothing, so I turned on the hot water as hot as I could and closed myself in the bathroom. Sometimes steam helps. After 40 minutes of this, I realized it wasn't helping me do much more than sweat. So then I decided to wake up Dad.

When I got to Mom and Dad's room, I woke Dad up and tried to tell him what was wrong, but could barely speak and my throat was so raw I could barely be understood. After he realized what was going on, he listened to my lungs and said they weren't really blocked, but then he listened to my throat and said air was having a hard time getting through. I think I took about 6 pills he gave me plus advair, then we both went to the basement. I had to sleep on the couch sitting up, and he wanted to sleep in the same room as me to make sure I didn't quit breathing. (We didn't want to wake up mom.) In the morning, after my alarm had gone off upstairs for 15 minutes, mom turned it off and wondered where I was. She found us downstairs and left us to sleep while she went to get ready for church. I woke up again around 12. Right now I sound like I have laryngitis.

I haven't left home since all this happened, just staying here to recover, but it's annoying because I can't talk hardly at all, and when I do, people have a very hard time understanding me or any inflection in my voice, especially over the phone. Tom is better at it than most people because (poor thing) he has probably spent what amounts to weeks of his life hearing me yak on the phone. But even he has had trouble with it, and we've narrowly escaped arguments yesterday and today caused by him thinking I was getting mad or saying something I wasn't saying due to my voice being messed up. Not his fault, but it's frustrating for both of us that I am so hard to understand.

Tomorrow should be nice though. I have another gown fitting at ten, followed by mom and I getting haircuts (I am SO happy about that) and then hopefully picking up my car. It's been in the shop since Thursday getting repairs. What a nice gift from mom and dad-I could NOT afford to get my car fixed up on my own money, and it needs a LOT of work-a new headlight (not the bulb, the actual plastic light fixture was TAPED onto my car-how embarrassing), new brakes, new tires, new hoses and belts, a tune-up, etc. My car needed some TLC.

That's all for now. Everything I can't say out-loud, typed here to update you. =)
~Megs

In Augusta

Just thought I would put in a quick update. Mom and I are in Augusta. We headed up after bible study ended and we had lunch/packed. It is so fun (and so tiring) to babysit all three, so I understand why mom wanted to tag team them! haha

We have a "fun day" planned for tomorrow. Fun for them, anyway, haha. Basically, we are going to get up early (for me, not for them), have breakfast, get ready, let them watch cartoons while WE get ready, and then we are going to Monkey Joes to let them jump all their energy out. After that, we will eat out for lunch, and then it's back here for the girls' naptimes and Tyler's activities/nintendo time. Once the girls are down, I'll be leaving everyone with mom while I go to the store. I have to pick up some food and some cookie dough and sprinkles. When I get back, we will make sugar cookies with the dinosaur cookie cutters that we brought, and then they will all get to play outside until dinner time. Then they get the cookies, and then it's bath-time, followed by a movie, followed by bedtime. Now tell me that doesn't sound like a fun day to little kids? Of course, Maddie just keeps talking about going to 6 Flags. lol Lisa says she talks about it all the time.

Alrighty I better get to bed soon if I want to not be totally dead halfway through the day tomorrow!

Love,
Meghan

ps-Tom and I have our first shower on Saturday night, and I am SO excited about it!!! =)

Entertainment Center

Yay, our entertainment center is FINALLY in our apartment. After months of searching, we have a great entertainment center at a great price. And it's now in our apartment, allowing Tom and I to feel like our living room looks more grown up and home-like. =) I'm very happy with that.

I went up there today to be there when Billy and Justin (from Storefront) picked it up and brought it by for us (thanks a million for them). They even hauled our old one back to Covington. While I was there, I did laundry, did dishes, cleaned the living room, swept and mopped, and cleaned the bathroom. I also polished the entertainment center and got stuff on a few of the shelves. And I made a little calla lily arrangement for the nook near the entrance to the apt and put together a pear and apple arrangement for a dining room table centerpiece. It looks kind of silly without chairs or a tablecloth (it's a glass table), but I still like the centerpiece. I also visited with Tom. Then I drove home, and now I'm here and TIRED!

My next home improvement project is to strip, prime, and paint our dining room chairs, as well as to pad and re-cover the seats of them. I have everything but the foam and the time. And good weather. Every day that it's nice outside where I could strip the chairs, I am not around to do it. I am really excited to see how they come out. I'm a little nervous because I have an idea in my head of what I would like them to turn out to be, and I feel worried that I won't reach that goal. We'll see.

This week, I will be babysitting in Covington on Wed night, then heading to Augusta with Mom to babysit Tyler, Maddie, and Anna Kate Thurs-Sat morning. I am sure we will be really tired when we leave Augusta, but I am pretty excited to spend time with them. I haven't seen them really since Christmas time. It's Lisa's birthday on the 10th, and she and Jonathan are taking a well-earned trip to Hilton Head.

Okay, I am way too tired to type anymore. Goodnight!
~Meghan

Battle of the Buldge!

I've been trying to slim down some for the wedding...and just for me in general, since I want to get back to a weight I am happy with. On December 31st I started doing Weight Watchers, and it's pretty great. It was annoying at first to get into the routine of it, but it really really makes you aware of exactly what you are putting in your body. You start looking at things you have loved eating and start thinking...that's a lot of fat. haha Sometimes it's still annoying, but I'm sticking to it, and I try to exercise, though I admit I am not consistent the way I should be. I'm not actually a part of the weight watchers class or going to a gym. I just know the general guidelines from when mom joined, and I follow them the best I can. Despite that, so far I've lost 7 lbs! I'm pretty excited about that. Hopefully I can keep that off and lose some more. I really want to slim down and tone my body. My biggest thing I want to lose before the wedding is from the waist up. I would LOVE to lose everywhere, but my arms and waist & back and face are going to be the most obvious body parts on the wedding day. The bottom half of me I've been trying to slim down for ages, so I know it will take a while for it.

Tonight is Ben's 21st bday party, however, so I am giving myself a night off. I will be good today, but come tonight, I am going to let myself have cake, chips, cookies, and a few drinks. I mean, if you can't ever enjoy food...seriously, life just isn't the same. So tonight I indulge. Tomorrow, I start being good again. =)

~Meghan