It is finished....

That's right folks--here I am mailing the last wedding invitations. We had most of them mailed and then had to correct a couple of addresses and send some out today for the last time! Do I hear the heavens rejoicing? Now if anyone ever suggests that they want to make their own wedding invitations, quickly throw their bodies to the floor, splash them with a bucket of water, force them to stay awake for four days straight and then convince them that there is no way that they want to do that!!!!
We saved a load of money, but there comes a time when you wonder was it worth the time and energy? The funny part was printing of the envelopes because my regular printer would not take these envelopes. Neither would our other two HP printers at home. Neither would my HP printer at work or the HP printer I got back that I had loaned out to someone else (who I might add at this point returned it unusable....but that can go on another blog one day!!!). It was a little Dell printer that Mary Beth had given to Steve that was top loading that decided it liked these slick paper envelopes and would not eat them, fold them, mutilate them or jam them beyond recognition if we fed them into it.

They are finished. Vellum. Reply cards. Ribbons...Ribbon punches...postage....numbers on the back of reply cards in case someone sends theirs back without their names.....

Ahhhhhhh.......now for today's list: napkins (will they really cost over $100 just for napkins???), will Mary Beth find her expensive bridal shoes that she thinks she left at her last fitting of her gown????, book the room for my mom and dad, rent the van for the bachelorette party on Saturday night, why have the cake people NOT called me back in days???, need to get the stuff for bridesmaid luncheon invitations that need to go out ASAP (isn't EVERYTHING ASAP at this point????) , think think think , out of town family bags for their hotel rooms, the kitchen remodeling....is Eddie there working today...will it be finished in time? got to finish making the guest book, is Dancing with the Stars premiere tonight????, finish tying ribbons on the programs (I'm on 28 out of 200--will 200 programs be enough???), don't forget to pick up disposable cameras for the tables, and what are those things the girls said that a girl has to have to go under a dress....spanx????? MUST get some of those.....and oh yes......get back to work! Who can work and focus on work with a wedding just a few weeks away!!!!

Twenty seven days and counting.....

Here's a funny photo of Zoie....with so much of our house upside down with the kitchen remodel, she decided to plant herself on top of the piano today and watch everything from that vantage point.

Here's a view of what used to be the open cabinets where we had our microwave and pantry and a ton of other "junk." How cool is this going to be with two HUGE drawers at the bottom to hold more JUNK????

Here's Steve trying to figure out what to tackle next on his to do list. He's been doing an awesome job. I think he's beginning to hurry up now...not because the wedding is around the corner but because he is tired of take out food!!!

Thought I would post a few photos of the kitchen. We have actually added the granite counter, copper backsplash and black sink now....but I don't have the photos of those yet and am too tired to go snap them and upload them. I am really and truly totally exhausted today. Wonder why???

It is now under 4 weeks until the wedding. I'm so excited and worried all at the same time. My sister in law today reminded me to please take time to enjoy this some. I need to do that. I think I just keep digging in to get everything done because when I slow down and think about it, the lump in my throat grows so big that I can't stand it. It's a funny thing about your children. How can you be ready to let them go and still want to hold onto them at the same time? So many thoughts have crossed my mind lately about Mary Beth and her childhood. Of course it brings in the memories of Rachel and Greg as well because where one was the other two were never far away. I guess it is normal for moms to go through sentimental times before and during wedding preparations...if so, then I'm all over it.

Rachel is coming in on Thursday night and THAT will help me out tremendously. I think I just need another shot of Rachel hugs to get me over the hump until the wedding week. Then I get an entire week of Rachel AND Chris!!! We are so pumped up about that!!! I hope we don't drive him crazy!! Too bad it's not a home game week for the Razorbacks, but then we wouldn't be having the wedding would we??

Rachel is coming in for Mary Beth's bachelorette party. I'm going to be around for the early part of it and to help out where I can, decorating, etc. Should be fun. Oh yeah, there'll be photos!!!

If you have seen the movie with Meryl Streep, "Mamma Mia", you will remember the song in it that she sings to her daugher called "Slipping through my fingers." They, like us, were getting ready for her daughter's wedding....here are the words. I just wanted to add them tonight.

"Schoolbag in hand

She leaves home in the early morning

Waving goodbye

With an absent-minded smile

I watch her go

With a surge of that well-known sadness

And I have to sit down for a while

The feeling that I'm losing her forever

And without really entering her world

I'm glad whenever I can share her laughter

That funny little girl

Slipping through my fingers all the time

I try to capture every minute

The feeling in it

Slipping through my fingers all the time

Do I really see what's in her mind

Each time I think I'm close to knowing

She keeps on growing

Slipping through my fingers all the time

Sleep in our eyes

Her and me at the breakfast table

Barely awake I let precious time go by

Then when she's gone

There's that odd melancholy feeling

And a sense of guilt I can't deny

What happened to the wonderful adventures

The places I had planned for us to go

Well some of that we did

But most we didn't

And why I just don't know

Slipping through my fingers all the time

I try to capture every minute

The feeling in it

Slipping through my fingers all the time

Do I really see what's in her mind

Each time I think I'm close to knowing

She keeps on growing

Slipping through my fingers all the time

Sometimes I wish that I could freeze the picture

And save it from the funny tricks of time

Slipping through my fingers -

(and even in the midst of wedding planning and fun and excitement, all I can think about is wanting to freeze time just like this song says....it is just flying by...)

Lots of catching up to do!

Well, for my HUGE fan base I'm sure the wait has been extremely difficult. I just never dreamed how much time a wedding and a kitchen remodel, along with working full time could take out of a person. Heavens! Rachel commented the other day that she knew that I must really be covered up because I had really gotten to where I enjoyed writing in my blog and there had been nothing for days and days. Alas it is true.

Today marks the FOUR WEEK mark until the wedding. By this time in four weeks we should be at the reception eating, drinking and on our way to being merry! I actually feel less stress than I did a couple of months ago. There's still a lot to do, but I see the end in sight now. We have started having the showers for Mary Beth and Jon, which have been a lot more fun than we expected. Steve and I are not really social butterflies, so getting out takes a lot for us!

The first was a shower given by Jennifer Kelly and Lynn Walker. Here you see two of my dearest (and oldest -yeah, they'll kill me for that remark) friends, Tammy Statham and Connie Buckingham. I met both of them within the first few weeks of moving to Fort Smith in 1985 and we have made it through thick and thin...lots of laughs and tears for sure.

The Kelly's home is the perfect setting with a huge kitchen and they had football games going on in two different rooms, making all of the men very happy. This is a photo of Steve, Jon and his dad. Mary Beth opened so many fun gifts, which I tried to sneak into my car, but I think she was really watching me. We had so many friends come and go throughout the afternoon....even Jean and Meta who cared for her when she was a baby. I'm sure that they have some real Mary Beth stories to tell!! Here's a cute one of Mary Beth and Greg

that I took just as we arrived at the outdoor

mexican fiesta shower on Friday evening given by

several couples that are friends/neighbors of

the Williams. It was perfect weather and we

had a great turnout.

Even though Steve and I didn't know any of the

adults there, we knew most of the young people and

everyone was very friendly and made us feel very

welcome. The backyard was fabulous with great lighting and Tiki torches everywhere. I think I could have just moved in and taken over the backyard! T

They again got so many great gifts. Jon's parents even got them some bowling shoes since their newest fun thing to do is to go bowling with some other couples. Now they have their own shoes and don't have to rent them!

Some things I'm learning along the way....always plan what you are going to wear as a mother of the bride ahead of time, because at this point there are a billion errands to run on a daily basis and your time may run out!

Most important rule: NEVER, and I mean NEVER plan a kitchen remodel in the middle of planning a big church wedding. That is insanity. What were we thinking? Photos of that are on their way! Will it really get finished before Rachel and Chris arrive????? Or more importantly before Steve's mom and My Mom arrive????????

Another thing....slow down and realize that your time with your daughter as just yours is almost gone and savor it and appreciate....and sometimes you have to tell her to do the same because she is so busy that she forgets what all of us are going through as we say goodbye to life as we have known it as she moves into her new life. Love your husband. Love yourself. Love your other children. Don't forget those things. Things will go wrong. Remember your sense of humor.

Now....will someone please print this off and shove it in my face in four weeks?????

Who is that young couple?????

More gift opening.....I think it really is time for some of those to go into my car....especially those cute Razorback things!

Woooo Pigs Soooiiiiieeeee!!!!

Wow! What a great time we had on Saturday setting up our first real experience with "tailgating Razorback style." Steve had been getting his list together all week.

We had bought a special smaller grill and of course the special "Razorback" pop-up tent for special effect.

Then, of course, came the realization that we were going to have to take the XTerra because with everything we needed to take it would be totally impossible to even consider taking "Baby" my Volkswagon convertible! By the time the Xterra was packed up on Saturday morning, it was obvious that we had not a spot to spare and would need to work on cutting down before our next tailgating party.

Connie had called and said they had a spot ready for us at her niece's house very close to the stadium that would be just perfect for tailgating. She gave us the address and off we went.

We were the first ones there and it was so much fun setting up everything for the first time! Steve was obviously excited, as most guys are, to get his "grill" going. Initially it seemed that it wasn't going to light...that was not going to be good. Connie's brother, Mark, came over and together with his daughter Megan they got the thing going for the first time and we had FIRE!!!!! (almost felt like Tom Hanks on Castaway!) Out came the burgers, the hot dogs and brats (sp?) . The girls stayed busy parking cars and we had such a good time laughing and eating and watching folks go by while we listened to music and the Razorback CD at least 20 times!!! Even saw former Senator David Pryor going by...I think he was wanting to stop and party with us actually!

Sarah and her boyfriend John came by and enjoyed some of the afternoon with us. Greg even managed to come by before he went to his briefing for work with the police officers during the game. His job was to go around and take photos of them doing their job. It was great to have him join us and fun to see him, although he was tired from having just walked all the way from his apartment!! Later that night he had gone back to his apartment and passed out before 10:30, which is highly unusual for him.

He is a cutie, isn't he? Of course, I'm not at all prejudiced!!!! I think this was just before I finally sat down in one of the chairs and it broke. No comments please. haha.

Then it was time for us to leave for the game. It was supposed to be such a good game, an easy win for Arkansas, Petrino's first game on Arkansas soil. Well, I promise not to bore ya'll with photos of the field from every game, but I wanted to post a few...especially the great new Razorback hog in the middle of the field. The story Steve heard is that Houston Nutt would not allow one before because he did not like having it in the films when he would watch the films later in the week of the previous game...said the design messed him up. So, we got the Hog back and it looks great! Of course there is just nothing like the awesome band and the fog coming out when the players run on the field, the national anthem and the flyby. Of course we are up pretty high and so we have a "clear" view of the entire field.!!! We have the same seats we have last year, but we got the seats so we have backs on our seats at least! woohoo! Great fun and can't wait to do it again!!! Go Hogs!!!