The Hathcocks

I haven't said this all too much, but I am REALLY looking forward to the honeymoon.

Please don't read that and think that I've put myself on the level of perversion or male-inspired 'expectation'. I don't just mean intimacy with Brian. I am looking forward to relaxing completely. I am looking forward to not having a single care in the world for just a little while. My family has always been a stone's throw from some sort of beach, but I can't remember the last time I spent an entire week just lounging and NOT doing a million things so that everyone can see/do/try the things they want. This whole wedding preparation thing has been fun. I don't mean to sound crass, and the truth is that I really have enjoyed getting everything set and planning and lists, etc. It has even been fun this week, even though stress is the name of the game. I just know how big a sigh of relief we will both share as we drive away from the church and smile at the accomplishments that have been completed. We tried relaxation this morning as the girls and I went and "got our nails did". It should have been a stress-free time, but I received at least three stressful phone calls while sitting in the pedicure chair. Needless to say, the massage chair seemed nothing short of annoying and I just couldn't relax to save my life. I had way too much on my mind, and could barely sit still. I did have fun with my friends, but it was not even close to 'relaxing'.

We are going to be at the beach for almost a week. We will eat pizza and seafood and watch movies and go to the beach and lay on the hammock and much more. But it won't be rushed. It won't be timed, or planned, or from a list. I just cannot wait. Cannot, cannot wait.

Posted by Lindsey at 11:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today we found out that there will be no dancing at my church. Today, in an e-mail, we were informed that there are people in the church who have serious problems concerning any sort of dancing, fast or slow. Apparently, there had been a wedding four years back that included some mild dancing, and even that disturbed the masses (or a select few). So we were informed, this morning, that there can be no dancing at our reception. This was all taking place a little before noon today.

By 1:15pm, my familiy had bought a dance floor, set up an appointment with another reception hall, and informed the powers that be how upset they are. Talk about quick moving! I hold no grudges against my church. I Love PBC so much, and do not want to give out the idea that I am hateful for these things and wish bad things upon its members.

In fact, I don't really have a problem with the fact that they don't allow dancing, as many churches have such rules or abide by such standards. My only issue was that it all happened...today.

Posted by Lindsey at 11:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This was the most amazing weekend. Ever.

Laura and I went home for Easter early, on Thursday. CLAY was performing on Sunday, and we were both excited and ready to get together with the girls. We've been looking forward to this dance for a long time, and the girls seemed pumped as well.

Friday was a day of getting things done. I got my new glasses (eh-they're acceptable), and went shopping with mom. She and I hung out a lot, and it was really nice. I worked out at Gammy's "gym" and wished B could be there with me. He loves that little gym. heh.

Friday night (at midnight), my family and I painted eggs! I love this tradition at my house, and don't care that it is considered 'pagan'. Dad made his 'ugly' egg, and accidentally put one in his milk without noticing. I love them so much. Saturday was going to be busy, so I got a fair amount of sleep on Friday in anticipation. I had no clue as to how badly I would be needing it.

We had practice at church at 10 to prepare for Sunday. Gammy was throwing me a family shower at 12:30, so mom came and picked me up from church to head over to Yorktown. When I arrived at Gammy's, I went to the back room to put my cardigan away. Someone tapped me from behind, so I turned around...It was Brian. He surprised me! I was completely shocked. I had no idea he was coming to the shower! I hadn't recovered from that initial shock when in walked his mother, father, and brother. They all came for it! I'm using more exclamation points than normal. Take that as a sign.

The shower was so nice. There were many cousins and great-aunts and distant relatives (some of which I didn't know very well, I will admit). It was so great to have B there.

After the shower, I had to get ready for my dress alterations appointment. I can't believe its so close to the wedding day! :-D

After the appointment, we decided that we'd go to Victor's for dinner, so that Brian's family could see what the rehearsal dinner site is like. They have never been to Victor's, and while it is not a really fancy-shmancy place, I am looking forward to our rehearsal dinner there. B and I were getting ready to go, when Laura called. She was in a panic. She said that the stage had been moved, and that we'd have to re-do our formations for the dance. This had happened before, so I could tell that she was really upset, and needed my help. She was at the church; could I come there? Heh--I laugh now.

I went to the church "on the way to dinner" to find that there was a shower awaiting me! I could barely take it--another surprise! It made a little more sense as to why Brian's whole family came up for the shower once I knew that there would be two in one day. The ladies of the church were so great. They made great food, and had games. Diane Shearn (Morgan's mom) made the cake, and even learned how to make sugar Calla Lillies for me! I have never felt so honored.

The gifts seemed endless, and I can't express my gratitude to those involved in the showers. Such wonderful company, gifts that I don't feel I deserve, and just good clean fun. I was all smiles. I can't thank everyone enough.

Brian and family had to leave Sunday morning, and it was a very good thing that they brought two cars. Each was stuffed to the brim as they headed out early, and I prepared for church.

The dance went really well! The girls did such an amazing job, and I could tell that everyone was having such a good time. My Easter concluded with dinner with my family and a great ride back to school with Laura. (Next to Brian, she is my favorite person to be with in the car.)

I could say a million more things about the weekend, but the main idea goes something like: I can't believe God is blessing us in this way, and love the people in my life more than they could ever know.

Thank you, Lord.

Posted by Lindsey at 07:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Our Sunday was amazing. Brian and I went to church, and the minister talked about God needing something in each of us.

We spent a lazy hour on a blanket, since it was so beautiful outside. I thought about Gig—today he would have been 17.

We left for the church around 1:40. Before we left, I received a message from my mom, saying she loves me, "have a great shower," etc. I grabbed my phone on the way out of the door, thinking she might call during the shower.

When I walked in, I almost fell over from shock. I couldn't believe they came. I almost cried.

The gifts were endless, and God-sent. Everyone was so nice, and the ladies at the church did such a good job. We had food (good food), decorations, and a king and queen-esque bench to open our gifts upon. That last part seemed a little strange, but I liked having him so close.

All of the cousins stopped by, along with many people I don't know yet. So generous; so caring.

After we could nab the camera from Gary (he's almost as bad as his son), we took more pictures and loaded up dad's truck. It was then that the ladies came out and produced a corsage for me. Heh. They had forgotten about it until around 3:52. I felt really bad, because the woman had made the arrangement herself, after a big issue with gathering the flowers. (I think they were stolen, or something. Cool.) I wore the thing for about fifteen minutes, until I changed clothes at Brian's house.

One of the best parts of the whole day was when I realized that my parents could come by and see the house. They love it almost as much as we do.

Brian and I signed the lease, the group of us jiggled the storm door, and Brian and my mother took a video of the house on her Kodak digital camera. As we were leaving, we spotted a baby squirrel that had most likely been orphaned a few days prior. Brian took him home in a box to nurse it to health.

My parents drove me back to school, and I miss my baby-animal-hero all too much.

Posted by Lindsey at 12:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This weekend, as was the last and will all those yet to come, is a very busy one. The house is ours; I payed the first month and the security deposit. Lindsey and I stopped by for a late night visit after attending The Shadow Box (a thoughtful play about life, death, humanity, all that jazz) at Pfeiffer Friday evening. At the house, we imagined chairs, beds, and appliances in different places, and checked the windows and doors. After scaring Lindsey a few times, we went home to sleep.

Saturday comprised a trip to Wal-Mart for a few house things (lightswitch covers, new toilet seat, etc.), and a second trip to drop off some things in our house and let my dad have a look inside. We then returned home, readied ourselves, and went for a walk in the park. The ducks and kingfisher kept us entertained, as did the -tink- of aluminum baseball bats from the adjacent ballpark.

That night we continued our long, difficult task of gathering songs for the reception. We have about eight hours of time invested so far, and we're about halfway done. Selecting music for our wedding is proving to be the biggest challenge of all. However, one minor victory for me so far has been to ensure The Cars a place in the reception.

Posted by Brian at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today is our first shower. It also happens to be Gig's birthday. He would have been 17 today. We miss you, Gig.

Brian and I are excited about the shower, since we've been worried lately about finances. Well, who doesn't worry about finances, really? I haven't been really worried about these things; we just want to know that it's going to be alright. We are trusting in God, and that isn't always easy.

God has provided. Brian received a much larger check from the government (excess from grants, scholarships, loans) than he had expected (nothing). We are so grateful.

We are getting ready for church now, as it starts at eleven.

Grandpa came by this morning and gave us a card and money since he can't make it to the shower. He gave us more than we would have guessed, as he hasn't been working as much as he used to. What a great man. Thank You, Lord.

Posted by Lindsey at 10:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I didn't stutter. No joke. 45 days until I change my name. Whoa.

Brian and I had a very full weekend. We went to Yorktown and did a million and five things, some of which were in preparation for the wedding, and some that weren't. I picked out some spectacles, which wasn't the most fun in the world. Why can't they make the ones I have NOW? Would it be all that difficult to recreate this style? Man. The ones I picked out are a tad boxier than these, but with thinner frames, sort of. That was a really bad description; I'll put up a picture someday. Maybe.

Brian Regan was hilarous, of course. We were practically touching him with the amazing seats that Brian (my brian) snagged a few minutes after going on sale. It was So great.

Brian got some clothes at Target. He has to stock up whenever we're home, since there isn't one in NC. That needs to change, by the way. I don't know how I'm going to handle not having a Target nearby. I'm trying not to focus on that at the moment.

Hm...what else...what else....

OH—we have our house now. Minor detail, I know. Brian was playing with the keys as we talked on the phone last night, and I could feel the excitement in his voice. We are going to start moving stuff in immediately. I'm making up some boxes to bring with me this weekend and we can put our stuff from our shower this Sunday in the house. We didn't really have any sort of storage space, so it's good that we've got the house already. Our House. That makes me smile too much, probably. One of those big, cheezy smiles. Yeah.

Posted by Lindsey at 08:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I received a disturbing voicemail today that began with, "Lindsey, don't freak out..." It was from Marni, and by the time I heard that opener, not freaking out wasn't an option. Apparently, there was a problem with the bridesmaids dresses (as I had promised would happen in an earlier entry), but things were fixable. After a nice and thrashing conversation with some people at the dress store (thank God I was not there to witness this scene), Mom has figured things out and the correct dresses are being sent directly to my aunt's house.

My sister needs some very important medicine that costs a lot of money, and the insurance company is refusing to pay for it. Because of that, she is on a steroid indefinitely. Steroids are not meant for long-term use, and Ashley has been dealing with many side effects from the medicine. It's really not fair for her to undergo such a terrible time, and the insurance company is ticking me off. I'm mentioning this because one of the side effects is weight gain. Ash's dress doesn't fit her now, and while I'm not the oversensitive bride who freaks out about things like this (I don't care if she wears a different dress, I'm cool with whatever), she doesn't deserve to go through this.

So right now we are praying for the insurance company to wise up (a long shot, I know) so that Ash can get better soon. I really don't care about the dress so much, but I know that gaining weight makes anyone feel insecure, especially a 16-year-old who doesn't want to upset her engaged sister. Don't worry, Ash—it will work out!

Posted by Lindsey at 10:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The day is flying toward us.

Brian and I have secured a flower girl (who already owns a slightly stained but probably fixable flower girl dress that matches my bridesmaid dresses to a tee), his half of the wedding party, and a house.

That list seems pretty short, but rather important in terms of what is in it.

The tuxedos will be set by the end of the month. We went to J. Talbert (in Albemarle) on Saturday. They've got a rather nice deal, where if there are five tuxedos bought, Brian's will be free. I gave names and stuff, and we're going by for a fitting tomorrow morning. Then, once Brian's is figured out, we can just say the colors that we want for the other guys, and they will be fitted and match each other perfectly.

The house is secured, which was quite a relief for us. We're probably going to begin moving in around the first of April. We'll be moved in, but not living there until after the wedding. We are not co-habitating. Just to make that clear.

I'm in NC for the first part of Spring Break, but spending the rest of it at home (leaving Wed.) to take care of a few things in VA. We've had some really good times so far. Weather has been spectacular, with no school to boot.

The computer lab's temperature is comparative to the inside of an igloo.

Posted by Lindsey at 12:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This entry is taken from my blog at brianhathcock.com.

This weekend was a busy one, followed by a hectic week which hasn't allowed me to really think or write very much until now. My midterms are over. After insane study, I think I did well.

Lindsey and I went house looking again on Saturday. There is a quaint little house in Albemarle that is also very cheap. We may rent it. The last place we viewed was a dump and made the modest first house seem like a palace. The first house sits among several homes owned by various members of the Burris family. That makes for a nice, quiet neighborhood. The road divides a fairly rural landscape also, dotted by cows and lined with old wooden fences. But it's only a couple of miles from downtown Albemarle (if you'd like to call it that). It isn't our dream house, but it will be our first, and so I'm accepting and happy about it.

Other than the Oscars, we watched Duke fumble at home against Carolina. That's always a treat. And to think of the preseason projections made about the "new team." We lost 91% of our scoring force, and sport a light bench full of freshmen. "Fifteen wins will be a great accomplishment for this young team." I have no idea how they'll do in the ACC Tournament or the NCAA, but I'm very happy with the year so far. It was great to see J.J. Redick virtually scoreless for half an hour. I'm heartless.

Saturday evening my family and James's met at Joel's Seafood in Ansonville. Grampa was there, as was Justin, Alexis, Nathan, Josh, and Jodi. It had been a while since we were together like that. It was a great time as usual. I asked Justin if Alexis would want to be our flower girl. I'd forgotten about her taking on that job at Josh & Jodi's wedding. He said she would. Josh, Nathan, and Justin all again confirmed their roles as groomsmen. Apparently, according to Lindsey, we're suppose to be fitted this coming weekend. I need to call Jeremy and ask if he can make it. He's the wildcard—his choice decides the fate of the rest. If he can come and is willing to be a groomsman, then Nathan will probably fall back to an usher, along with Eric and David. I asked Grampa if he'd be my best man, but the trip to Virginia is a journey for the ol' guy, and he might not feel up to it. I hope he's able to, though, because it would be great to have my last grandparent in one of the most honored positions. Not only that, but I love him and I've looked up to him throughout my life. He's one of the rare few I admit to admiring.

Who knew that a wedding would be so easy to organize? I mean, really—this is a breeze. All you have to do is search through photographers, caterers, and the like, and choose the best ones for the job. Then rent out a place for the rehearsal dinner, the wedding, and the reception. The bridesmaids dresses have to be picked out, sized, and altered. Then do the same for the guys. And make sure they match. Wait, before all that you have to spend 3 months in indecision about colors for the wedding. Then, decide on what type of flowers and decorations will highlight the church. Unity candle? Someone to sing in the wedding? Who? What time will the wedding begin? Then you have to make list after list of who to invite from each side of the deal. Choose invitations. Fill out invitations. Mail invitations. Make arrangements for showers and parties. Spend nightmarish afternoons registering at different stores. Find a place to live. Choose where to go for the honeymoon and arrange all that. Select the food to be served at the reception. Pick out dozens of songs for it, the order they go in, and the DJ to take care of it all. Are we going to have games during the reception? What, when? You have to choose a cake and the person to make it. Find the perfect cake topper. You need to call Jeremy! How is the reception hall going to be decorated? Are we video taping it? I forgot how many hours the photographer is working for us. I think we should change this, I think we should do that. We need to get a marriage license. We need to buy wedding bands. Oh yeah, we have to meet with the officiant so he can confirm our sanity and expel any demons. When are we going to move all my crap from home and school to the new house? I have to get new glasses! Did you say something about a PowerPoint presentation? I hate the way I smile. Are we having our teeth whitened? Will birth control be affected by the other medicines you take? How long can we stay in Nags Head? I have class beginning on the 22nd, so I can't stay too long. Can I stay there for a while longer and meet you back home later?

All of this, and money is a part of nearly everything, too. Plus, Lindsey tells me the above is only half of it—as the boy, there are lots of things I don't even know about.

Sometimes I wish we could skip all the flowers, decorations, and other frills. Part of me thinks of it as selfish. Why spend a couple thousand dollars on things dedicated to a single day? Sure, it's our wedding day, but there so many things of greater importance. What's important to me is the actual act of marriage and the gathering of friends and family. The reception/party is important to me for those reasons. We don't need to spend several thousands, however.

"Maybe you should consider what girls like. What's important to her. A wedding is different for girls."

Maybe girls need to straighten out their priorities.

Yeah, I said it.

(I kid, people. Remember, I like sarcasm, understatement, and subtlety.)

Posted by Brian at 09:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This entry is taken from my blog at pidge.org.

Soooo

I think we should be putting things on our registry that we need. An ironing board. Lamps. Kitchenware. You know...the essentials.

Here is Brian's list:

• an iPod
  
• a computer monitor
  
• a fancy digital SLR camera that, along with lenses, will cost more than our first child
  
• a rowing machine
  
• 80 gigabytes of extra storage
  
• Burnout 4: Revenge
  
• a pool table
  
• Funyuns

The list continues as such. This is probably the most practical person I have ever met in my life, but now that we're picking out 'presents', he goes twelve-year-old on me. Granted, I would love to have exercise equipment, or a super-expensive mp3 player...

But yeah.

I would like to clarify from his post here, that I would not smoke pot. Never did I indicate that doing such a thing would be a good idea, or even an option...I only mentioned that he might be cute when disoriented in that way. Heck, I think he's cute when he's drugged (Nyquil), awake, asleep, driving, standing, smiling, breathing...you get the picture.

So no, we are not going to Amsterdam to try the goods. That goes for B, too. He has no interest in illegal stimulants, either.

I just needed to make that known.

Now to work on evaluating Piaget's theory of learning. As if I could come up with something on that and be original.

Posted by Lindsey at 08:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As everyone surely knows, the best part of any wedding is the honeymoon. You get to drive away from a bunch of crying relatives after taking their gifts and cash; leave everyone else to clean up after your party; and begin life anew with someone you (hopefully) love. (Don't worry Proctors, I love your daughter beyond words). Then, you're able to lock yourself in a house for several days and do God-knows-what.

I said house because Lindsey and I will be heading to Nags Head after we swap rings and giggle like idiots for 3-4 hours. It's the same house in which we stayed in October 2004 for a birthday-vacation, which you can read about here. This is exciting because:

1. We're staying in a very nice house not far from the water for free which usually rents for $1800 a week
2. It's a week before Memorial Day and schools aren't out yet, both of which, according to Lindsey, mean that there will be less people around (to report our God-knows-what to the police)
3. There is a hammock on the deck of the second floor
4. There's a second floor!
5. I've been wanting to go back to Nags Head ever since we went a year and a half ago
6. I've always been in love with beaches and the ocean, so I can't go there enough
7. Lindsey likes it. Maybe I should've put this a little higher on the list.

Posted by Brian at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After three hours and much deliberation, we have finished registering at Wal-Mart. I feel like collapsing now.

I mean, how can someone seriously pick out everything they're going to need without knowing what kind of space they'll have and the color they're to match things with? We have no idea what kind of cabinets we'll have. We've no clue as to what sort of laundry system that will need to be in effect. (Hamper and basket? Just one? Just the other? Good grief.) We don't know what size bed we'll have because neither of us are coming from a double sized bed of our own. We don't know how many windows there'll be or if our kitchen will call for a microwave that is hanging or sitting on the counter. I mean, sheesh.

Maybe most people do this registering thing after having figured out where they'll live. Not an option for us. It seems to be the only way to do things, but we're going to just have to be creative.

Thankfully I'm not alone in all of this; Brian is very creative. I'm just scanning things.

Posted by Lindsey at 08:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A huge relief. We finally booked our photographer. It took a while, as Brian and I hadn't decided on what package we wanted, and he had never been able to meet with the guy in person. Dad and I went over break, and were very impressed...but that doesn't mean quite as much. Brian knows what to ask, he understands what he wants, he can explain things in camera terminology. I'm interested in those things, but mostly just want good looking pictures and a way to get to them. Heh. That's not too much to ask for, is it?

Another sigh of comfort came when I finally brought my dress home. Well, to Gammy's. That's the same thing.

It is mine, it is pretty, I cannot wait. *Feeling girly*

This weekend was fast, but I felt accomplished. Not only did I do the above, but I made an appointment with a woman to figure out what we'll do with my hair. That sounds as though it would be a fun time, but it's really more a stress to me right now than it probably should be. I don't know what to do about this part of the wedding. It's small, but a definite question mark. Yeah.

Posted by Lindsey at 10:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The dresses are ordered!

I'm not only speaking of Laura and Emily's. All of the dresses are ordered and on their way. Laura, Em and I went last Sunday to the David's in Roanoke. The people there weren't entirely friendly, but we got things done. Their dresses will be in on March 5th. I wasn't very pleased with the service, considering the royal treatment I had practically had in Hampton. Ashley and Mom had picked up Ash's dress the day before (Saturday) and made another payment on mine. My dress will be bought in a few weeks and arrive mid-March. Today, Marni and Stevie bought their dresses. I haven't talked to either one of them as much as I'd like, but from what I've heard, they liked them a lot. I'm glad. Theirs are due later in March.

Things will come together.

Posted by Lindsey at 07:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I had better not tell B that, or that's exactly what we'd be doing. No, I'm only half serious. It's just that there is so much involved, and I hate this time crunch thing. I didn't go back to NC with Brian because there is more that can be done if I stay here. I hated not going, but do feel as though a few things have been sorted through.

A lady at my church, Sandra, came up to me on Sunday and basically asked to cater my wedding. I really couldn't believe it, because I had been thinking of asking around about finding some extra help rather than spending money out of my nose for food that we wouldn't even pick out or really like. So we spoke about it in general terms, and yesterday met at the church to toss around ideas and whatnot. Can I just say that God is so amazing? Sandra and I have worked out a meal that will be casual, but classy. It will include meats and sides, but also be fun enough to include strawberries and chocolate, and ice cream in cute solo cups. I am so excited about the food. Interestingly enough, I'm not even sure if I'll eat a whole heck of a lot on the actual day, but I am exceedingly joyed by the selection ahead of time. Here is a rough list...

• Ham biscuits
• Lit'l Smokies (in sauce)
• Chicken tenders
• Shrimp
• Fried okra
• Green beans (with Cracker Barrel bacon)
• Veggie tray
• Fruit tray
• Cheese and crackers
• Mints
• Peanuts
• Pickle and olive tray
• Strawberries and chocolate sauce
• Ice cream (vanilla and mint chocolate chip)
  and, of course
• Cake.

I met with Sylvia Wood on Sunday to discuss the cake. She is making it for me for one dollar per slice. That's right. It will only cost us $175 for our cake. Hallelujah. Heh.

Anyhow, the food and cake aren't going to kill us in terms of price. I found out that tables are going to cost around $8 each, so that won't be too outrageous either. God is really helping us in terms of getting things done on a budget. I am very grateful.

Posted by Lindsey at 10:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today was busy, but a good busy. I made a million phone calls this morning. Okay, it was more like 22, but that is still a lot.

Catering is going to be expensive. The cheapest I found was $10 per person. I realize that such a price is probably what to expect these days, but $1600 seems outrageous. I think I might see what kind of help I can get from the ladies at church. They keep asking my mom what they can do to help, and I am not about to deny them an opportunity to contribute to the wedding. That would be just mean.

We met with the pastor yesterday. I was nervous. We weren't really sure what to expect and hadn't done any 'preparing', though I'm not really sure what exactly that would entail. Brian warmed up to John quickly, and afterward told me that he felt comfortable speaking with him. We are to meet twice more, going over a set of questions/concepts about/of life with another person. Pastor John made sure that we know that this day is about us and our future, and that we can't let anyone else make certain decisions or change our minds about certain things. Some things can be handled in a variety of ways, but it is important that we have some specific things to our liking entirely. I am really looking forward to marrying Brian. I know that our life together will not be easy at times, and that we'll go through difficulties. But I also think about our love and the indescribable joy that we experience as God brings us closer and closer together spiritually and emotionally. I have never felt more confident about a decision in my life, other than choosing Christ as my savior.

Posted by Lindsey at 10:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today was quite a day for wedding stuff. I had a doctor's appointment this morning, so Brian and I went to that first. We went back to Gammy's for a while, but later went to Target to register. Brian was like a child with that little scanner thing. We had a good time picking out some things for our home, but it was sort of frustrating because we don't know exact details. We aren't sure what size bed we'll have. We don't know how many bathrooms, windows, or how much space we'll have in the living room. We did some pretty good guessing, I suppose. It took a while to do, and we didn't even finish, but I think we both feel as though we made a great dent in preparation.

Then, on the way to our meeting with the "wedding advisor/consultant/coodinator", we went by an old friend's house to pick up a box of invitations that her mother had told me about. Apparently, this woman has been to so many weddings that she has enough invitations and programs to fill a good-sized box. I'm not complaining. We had quite a few to look through. Brian and I liked the same things, mostly. Good stuff.

At 7:30 this evening, we went to PBC to meet with Dee Forrest. I had heard that Dee was good with weddings, but had no idea what an understatement that was. This woman has phone numbers, contact e-mails, suggestions, and experience to boot. She knew at least two people to call for every aspect of the wedding. I loved how organized she is and how interested she is in helping us have the wedding of our dreams without going into debt.

One thing: she offered to do my flowers, which she had never offered to do for anyone within the church. Let me explain...Dee is a wedding planner who does weddings for couples both inside the church "family" and outside of it. She has done flowers for those outside of the church family for years, but has never done them for a member of the congregation. I'm not sure why she's chosen this route, but she told me that she has this feeling that she really wants to do mine. She once did a $15,900 rose wedding for under $400. Yes. I want her to do it. Yes yes. I will NOT be having enough flowers to add up to $15,000, by Far...but yes.

After the meeting, Brian showed off some of his basketball skills by shooting some hoops in the gym. (I love him so much). We picked up Ashley from Poquoson as per mom's request. We are now at Gammy's and getting ready to go work out at the 'gym'.

After talking with Dee, I know that everything will pan out as we would like. I know that we will have the wedding of our dreams. I know that God is in control of this wedding, and that even though weddings are roller coasters (and there is always at least one thing that goes wrong), we will have the most special day of our lives.

Posted by Lindsey at 11:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This entry is taken from my blog at brianhathcock.com.

Until Lindsey's 'blog is running again, it is my duty to post whatever she tells me. And we're not even married, yet.

A decision has been made. 4 down, 1263 to go. This is the dress for the bridesmaids, but a different color will be used. They will probably be some other green. The featured lovelies are Laura (left) and Emily. (Click on the image for a larger picture). They've obviously seen the fires of Hell.

While I'm using my own voice again, let me say that exams are awesome, especially when you take three in a twelve-hour period.

Posted by Brian at 10:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have a pianist!

A friend of mine at school is going to play piano for the wedding. She lives in Staunton, VA (approx. four hours from home), so I'm going to have to include gas and hotel arrangements in her fee. We haven't actually figured the money part out, but she and I will make a trip next semester to a music store to pick out a wedding songbook. I'm really excited about this because Catie is very talented. She is graduating in May with a degree in piano performance. I was concerned about asking her because she'll be doing her senior recital near the end of the year, and I don't want to put a lot of pressure on her to learn more music. But to be honest, I love some of the work she will be doing for her recital (I've heard a few of them) and might just have her play a few of those. It will be really nice to have live music in the ceremony, and not only that, but an established musician.

Posted by Lindsey at 05:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)