It's already Tuesday?

I can’t believe it’s already Tuesday.

We had a whirlwind weekend, and it went so fast and was so packed that before we knew it, it was Sunday morning and we were racing home for Church. We accomplished a lot for the wedding this weekend, although it didn’t feel like we did. It made the weekend seem less about enjoying and relaxing and more like an extension of the week.

Friday

Friday was a rush to escape Columbia before the severe weather hit. If you’re not from the midwest, we’ve experienced a complete drenching over the past four weeks or so. Every other day it’s been rain, or cold, or cold and rain…completely nuts and havock when you’re trying to start your garden or take care of your yard even. I took off from work at noon and got a few things done around the house including cleaning. I don’t know about you, but coming home to a clean house after a weekend away is like an extension of being away because you can relax and you aren’t inundated with a bunch of miscellaneous chores.

Bun Thit Nuong Cha Gio

We got to Springfield around 7 and met up with Rachel at Bambu. If you are from the area, it’s a definate, must-have tradition. Neil loves the PHO noodle soups and I have a staple which is Bun Thit Nuong Cha Gio with Shrimp instead of pork. If you are unfamiliar it’s shrimp and egg rolls in a vermicelli soup with carrots, cucumber, sprouts and peanuts with a fish sauce that you pour over it to sweeten. It’s so good! Neil and I both got it this time. What I love most is that it’s healthy and light. You feel full but you don’t feel “steak and potatoes” full.Their desserts are also to die for, but I’ve always abstained. Maybe next time I’ll get the Boba Tea I’ve had my eye on.

After dinner we pretty much had to wind down because we had to be up at 6AM the next morning. We laid on the couch and Neil introduced me to ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ which is a show I now love, as Larry David is very high strung, odd, and somewhat OCD (yeah, I couldn’t relate to that at all! lol.)

Saturday

Saturday we woke up and got ready and left the house around 7:30 to attend Neil’s brother Alex’s graduation from Missouri Southern State University. I don’t go to Joplin very often, but the drive from Springfield to Joplin is one of the longest and most unforgivingly boring ever. We carpooled with Neil’s other brother Ben and he and I both sacked out, leaving Neil tire dand driving (sorry honey!). After the graduation, we ate at Johnny Carino’s Italian Restaurant. Neil and I both had the Angel Hair with Artichokes in an attempt to keep it light before our engagement photos. Didn’t work, as Ben ordered spicy appetizers and there were baskets of bread and olive oil being passed around. Needless to say, we were completely stuffed and even more tired on the way home.

Rachel and Toby, what awesome friends!

We quickly showered and laid out our clothes in preparation for our engagement photos. Yes, we know it’s late, but we wanted to do it in the spring and we’ve rescheduled several times due to rainy weather. We were lucky, and the weather cleared, was nice and cool and enough sun light to appear romantic and soft. We shot photos at both Neil’s parents house and downtown. There were so many different ideas being tossed back and forth and my only regret is that maybe instead of downtown we didn’t go a few more places nearer to the house. Ah well, they are just engagement photos, however, it was around 8:30PM when we finished (started at 4:30PM). We grabbed some yummy Canton Inn cashew chicken and went over to Rachel’s to hang out and not get eaten by Toby (her GIANT Labra-doodle). Toby used to be (and still is deep down) a beautiful, cuddly dog, but last year they think he was abused by a roommate, and now is very untrusting of both men and strangers. He knows his size and so it’s just going to take some time to reaquaint and assure him that no one is going to hurt him and that he is safe. It’s really sad, and it really upset me that this happened to such a wonderful animal.

It was when we left her house around midnight that we had a bunch of missed calls and messages from friends. Knowing we had to again wake up early, we went home frustrated and dissapointed we hadn’t been able to make more happen with our weekend and our Saturday night, or organized something to get everyone together. Blegh.

Sunday

Sunday we woke up to yummy fresh pancakes, sausage and fruit. I love being at Neil’s parents house. Flowers, gardens, sunshine, it’s always like heaven there. I could stay there forever. Unfortunately we had to eat and run because we had to be back in Columbia by 2:30 for our confirmation practice. That’s right. Neil and I got confirmed into the Catholic Church Sunday. We showed up in jeans and were promptly sent home to change. Sigh. Didn’t Jesus meet with lepers and the poor? Was he really going to care that I was in jeans? Apparently he did. Our sponsors were Paul and Molly, with whom we did our pre-marriage counseling program. They are tons of fun and we really look up to them a lot in modeling our relationship and the decisions we make. We got to meet Bishop Gaydos (picture coming soon) and he was in the most brilliantly purple robe I’ve ever seen. The traditions and intricate visual pieces within the Catholic church fascinate me.

All in all, a great weekend, although it really eeked me that we weren’t able to meet up with J.D. and Samantha. We will make it happen!

List for this week:

• Begin planting wedding centerpieces
• Finish up proofs for JD’s logo (working with emotional script fonts is harder than I thought)
• Prepare the garden bed to transplant tomatoes and plant other things.
• Get clippings of a few herbs to start in my herb bed on the side of the house
• Paint light pole and railing in the front of the house.
• Prepare invites (yay!)
• Get ready for Dad’s visit (BBQ!)