Whirlwind Weeks
It is now 11 days until I get married. IT IS NOW 11 DAYS UNTIL I GET MARRIED! Holy crap!
And really, I think most everything is finished and ready to go! Final payments have mostly been made, confirmations are set and the sorry little shell of a man who almost messed with my hotel bookings will burn in hell for eternity. All is good to go!
On top of this whole wedding-planning business, I’ve also been running a few weekend volunteer events for my office, hosting various friends and family members for entire
My life.
weekends, training for the new Tattoo exhibit at The Field Museum, attending fancy parties also at The Field Museum, volunteering at the food pantry, watching actor Bryan Cranston give a talk about celebrity, acting and life in general, watching in disgust at the debates and current state of American politics, attending two book clubs, cheering for the Cubs as the go to the WORLD FREAKING SERIES and trying to get bits of sleep when I can. Oh and that list is just from the past few weeks. In fact, this coming weekend is the first one I don’t have booked completely solid since September 3rd. So I’m going to take it easy, wrap up some wedding stuff and hopefully catch up on some sleep because oh yeah, next weekend I’m getting married!
I’d like to write individual posts for many of the events I mentioned above and maybe one day I’ll get around to it. Suffice to say, most everything I’ve been doing is good and/or fun so I don’t have too many complaints, other than I do this to myself. What’s up with that? Oh well, as my momma always says, “I can sleep when I’m dead”
GO CUBS!!
Life Finds a Way
So yes, I’m getting married soon. And between that, my grandpa passing away, volunteer commitments and work stuff I’ve been spread pretty thin. But that didn’t stop me from having a great time with a bunch of friends a week ago when we had my bachelorette party!
Yes, it was Halloween/Jeff Goldblum-themed. We’re that awesome.
My girlfriends from college came in town to meet up with my Chicago ladies and we enjoyed the stereotypical bachelorette party full of penis cupcakes, games involving inflatable genitalia, drag shows and pole dancing (because we have to get exercise somehow). I know how lucky I am in that I have enough silly, crazy friends to help me celebrate my upcoming wedding with as much ridiculousness and hilarity as possible!
Wedding Rant
Okay so this is one of those crazy stream-of-consciousness type posts that I sometimes have to hammer out with minimal punctuation and grammar checks because I’m full of piss and vinegar and don’t know what else to do. Now. To be honest this entire wedding planning thing has been easier than I ever thought possible so I guess it’s fair I’m dealing with something like this but HOLY CRAP we’re like THREE WEEKS out from the wedding and something semi-hugely important is falling apart. The hotel that I booked freaking months ago to use for our wedding is pissing me off because apparently it’s run by someone who has a death wish because they are crossing me at a very inopportune time.
Basically – the renovations they promised me would be finished are not. And won’t be by the time my wedding rolls around. Which means that the lobby is under construction, there’s no space to hang out outside of rooms and the hot breakfast I was promised consists of cereal. So what to do? Move to the other hotel on my list but forego the shuttle to and from the venue while also making guests pay slightly more in fees and Uber charges? Or stay put in a place that I now loathe (and I may not have been my most pleasant on the phone with the manager either)? UGH. I knew things were going too smoothly for my own good!
I think I’m going to have everyone switch. Then burn this hotel with social media for the rest of my life. My future husband can help!
More Work Perks
Returning to work this week was made easier when a group of coworkers and I went to the United Center for a Blackhawks hockey game on Tuesday evening. Our firm has a box there and every so often some of us are able to use it for a night, complete with all of the food, drinks and most importantly, the dessert cart.
I’ll freely admit that I’d never been to a live hockey game before this week, though I have watched a few on TV. It was loud and hectic! And really hard to keep track of the puck. I also didn’t see any fights but perhaps next time I’ll luck out in that department. I actually didn’t stay for the entire game though so some violence could have happened after I left, but it was a late game on a work night and I turn into a pumpkin after a certain time. That said, I absolutely took advantage of what I could while I was there!
How sweet it is…to work where I do!
Of course, it took me a while to actually get there. My dumb ass thought it would be a good idea to make a run to Target during my lunch break to stock up on wine and champagne for the bachelorette party I’m having this weekend, because I knew I’d be taking a cab home from the game and wouldn’t have to lug everything on the train. Well. That didn’t exactly work like I planned because the minute I arrived at the United Center it occurred to me that they weren’t going to let me in there with unopened bottles of booze. And they didn’t. So I cabbed it back to the office and dropped it off then took another cab back and my plan to simplify things ended up being ten times more complicated instead. Oh well, there was an entertaining hockey match, good company, free food, an open bar and that dessert cart awaiting me when I returned!
Have I mentioned how much I love desserts? Especially when they’re free? And oh yeah something something hockey. They won that night so Go Hawks! Thanks for being a team so I could enjoy such a fun night out!
RIP Papaw
Last week, I lost my first grandparent. He was 88 years old and though he had been sick for a while he was still mentally with it up until nearly the night he passed away in his sleep. I know how lucky I am that all four of my grandparents lived until I was in my 30’s and I’m even luckier because they were all in generally good health (for nearing 100 years old, that is). I’m close with all of my grandparents but moreso with my mom’s mom and dad, as I grew up near them and spent many, many afternoons and evenings at their house. Up until the last few years, we had every holiday and family birthday party at their place and even after I moved away I would still visit as often as I could. Over the last few years, I actually developed a habit of calling them almost every night to check in and say hello and even if we only spoke for a few minutes, my nights weren’t complete without that phone call. I spoke to Papaw the day before he passed and he told me he loved me and I know how true that was.
He and my Memaw had told me years ago that they both wanted me to do the eulogy for their funeral and I kind of hoped they had forgotten about that but nope – I wrote and read my first eulogy last week, too. Talk about a week of firsts. I didn’t cry too hard and while I’d like to think it was because I’m strong and composed, the half Xanax my aunt slipped me that morning may have helped. Either way, we all sent my grandfather off in style and I think he would have been pleased with how many people came out to pay their respects and tell stories about such a silly old man. He even had a military burial as he was a veteran and I know he would have appreciated that.
He and my grandma were married over 66 years and had six children, nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Family has always been very important to my grandparents and they raised a whole group of people who care for one another. Even if distance puts miles between us, I know we’re all there for each other when the going gets tough and that’s something my Papaw would have been proud of.
I’m going to miss hearing from Papaw every day but I’ve got memories, pictures, video and even voicemails to hold me over until we meet again. RIP, Papaw – you were one of a kind and the best grandpa a girl could ask for!
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