Wedded Bliss

With the recent nuptials of my maid of honor, I've been spending a lot of time thinking about my own wedding and just how happy that day was. So here are some of my favorite memories, with some of the pictures to take you back to the best day of my life so far.

The day actually started the night before. If only I had a picture of THAT! Mike didn't make it to the rehearsal. Traffic, and his family. Issues. He pulled in as we got out of the way for the other wedding party of the weekend (we were Friday they were Saturday). So the first thing he does is run over to his groomsmen's motorcycle, steals the helmet, and THEN comes to greet me (wearing the helmet for protection). Good thing I'm a laid back person. It was hilarious.

Dinner was actually pizza and bowling. It was a fun night for everyone! My "brother" won all the high score awards (he was only given one, though). My oldest brother won the award for being the "most experienced" (oldest) male bowler, which I found hilarious since my mom won for "most experienced" (oldest) female bowler. My scores were decent, and the kids had fun.

That night I stayed at my maid of honor's house. It stormed like crazy!!! I actually fell asleep around midnight, but the storm woke me around 1 or so, and from then on, sleep was this mystical thing I could never reach. Mike and I actually were texting around 3 am. I honestly wish I had locked those messages. Forever lost now, though. Oh well. Point being, however, that we were both awake.

After a very LONG night, the weather cleared up and we began our preparations. First, hair.

Scary looking at the time! But it worked out for the most part. We were mostly ready after the hair, though. Nails were the day before. Everything was in line.

I got to have lunch with my girls. They had received their presents at rehearsal, but it was nice to eat with them. We all had flowers in our hair for the big day, and it was gorgeous!

Mike had some fun too, although I wasn't a part of it.

Finally the ceremony began. It was outside, with friends playing music arranged by friends, and friends recording the video, and friends performing the ceremony. It was so absolutely personal, I still am amazed at how so very blessed I am. But by far the best part of the whole ceremony was the look on Mike's face when I walked in. I doubt anyone got it on camera (because of the whole "all eyes on the bride" thing) but trust me. Everyone should have seen what I saw.

This picture doesn't even come close to be honest, but it's the closest I got. It was priceless. The wedding continued and was all I ever wanted and so much more.

The reason we chose the site was because it had a great outdoor ceremony location as well as a reception hall on site. NO DRIVING!!! It was wonderful. The dinner was amazing, although I only got a few bites. We had our toasts, and our first dance, and we ate some AMAZING cake. It was an absolute blast. I have to say, though, there were a few moments I particularly loved.

My husband sang to me. :) He sang to me. With his boys. It made me cry.

My mom danced, and my brothers danced (notice everyone is a step behind him, though). I was surrounded by everyone I know having a blast. I don't think a single person had a bad night.

Not even my new nephew (ish? Second cousin? Mike's cousin's son).

The boys sang with Mike. It's a tradition of the fraternity. Sort of a way to show support as we all move forward in life. It also made me cry. I unfortunately don't have a picture, but it was great.

My family actually got to see the real Mike. It was a new experience. Mike is rather quiet when you don't know him. Once you GET to know him, though, he's the center of the world. It was shocking to them, I must say.

Probably one of the nicest moments, however, was celebrating with our friends who had recently been married as well (within the last 7 days).

It was unforgettable. I am absolutely the most blessed woman on the planet.

Wordless Wednesday

And my first photo on this blog...

And my second post today.

What do You Want to Be?

That horrible horrible question. What do you want to be? What are you majoring in? What's your degree in? Oh, and what are you planning on doing with that (Spanish degree)?

Let me answer... I HAVE NO FREAKIN' CLUE!!!!

How frustrating. I'm 23. I have a bachelor's degree in Spanish. What do I want to be? A teacher. A nurse. A translator. A Human Resources Manager. I want to start my own business- a printshop, a daycare, a babysitting business, a nonprofit organization... I love art and I've considered photography. I have considered just managing my hubby's up and coming videography business (check it out here if your interested). I want to work for the UN with one of its humanities projects... You get the picture.

I have yet to find my calling. Except for one thing, and it's odd, because when you know something, you just know it. My relationship with Mike was that way. I had loved and lost before. But I had never felt THAT with anyone before. He just completed me. He was a part of me that I had never known I was missing. Like the way I feel about Mike, there is only one thing that I have always been 100% destined to be.

I want to be a mom. I LOVE children. They are my heart and soul. I've been a babysitter for years. YES YES YES I know it's NOWHERE near the same thing. BUT. I've been there. I was a nanny for my cousins when they were 14 months old. Yes, identical twins. Live In Nanny. 14 months old. I was 16. LOVED IT. I worked at their school FOR FUN. I helped my older brother on those long nights when his son was little and his parents just needed rest. I was their when he was colicky. I was there the night he was rushed to the ER because of his ears. So although it's not the same. I've been there. And I know my calling.

It's unfortunate, however. As nice as it would be to spend my years as a stay-at-home-mom, I don't see it in the future. Mike will have to strike it rich (or at least make enough to cover all expenses and my love of a comfy lifestyle). Currently, he and I together aren't making enough to cover our expenses!!! No worries, we're making it work and we're honestly fine. But the numbers are there, and we won't be fine forever this way. And I'm actually the main money source at the moment. And I carry our insurance. We just can't bring a baby into this situation AND have me quit my job...

In fact, at this moment we're not even sure it would be fair to bring a baby into our situation. So we're waiting (thought I was going to say I was pregnant, huh?) Which is rather sad for me. It'll come eventually, though. Patience is a virtue, right? I just wish I knew how to deal with the wait without making my hubby go CRAZY.

Into the Mind Behind the Blog

Lately I've been reading a lot of blogs, searching for the right community where I fit in. I have found some remarkable blogs. I have found blogs I love, blogs I hate, interesting blogs, and boring blogs. I have found a group of women that I would love to be a part of. I have found a few of those women to be admirable. I envy some of the things they have in their lives, even. But the most surprising thing that I have found in my search- myself.

Corny, isn't it?

It's true though. I still haven't found that blogging community where I fit in. I found one that I love, and at the same time I know it'll never be for me, because while there are several things I have in common with them, there are a few MAJOR differences. Finding those differences was like having an epiphany, because that's where I learned who I am.

Get to the good stuff, Lynz...

This blog is going to be about my husband and I. We have no quirky nicknames. We are simply Mike and Lynzie. We are 24 and 23, respectively, and while we can't wait for the future to come, we really want to live our lives right now. We aren't wealthy, which has been a hindrance, I'll admit. I'm pretty sure we don't even count as middle class at the moment. Mike is a videographer (freelance) and a production assistant. I'm a jr. accountant. He has found his calling where I have not.

Oh, and maybe this makes us interesting, and I'm sure it'll provide some interesting posts now and then. Mike and I are an interracial couple. Mike is biracial- Chinese and African American. I'm Caucasian. We both love culture, though. He really embraces all aspects of his heritage (even speaks some Mandarin) while I have a love for hispanic culture. My degree is in Spanish (little good that it does me). I also was supposed to get a certificate in Latin American Studies. I earned it. It just never showed up. Some day I'll question that. Haven't gotten around to it yet.

I constantly change my mind. I'm a perfectionist. I start a lot of projects and never finish them. I feel overwhelmed a LOT. So much so that I can sit all day and get nothing accomplished simply because I don't know what to do first. It's an issue. I'm working on it.

A First for Both of Us

So Mike and I both got to experience something for the first time.  He broke his finger and needed stitches (and lotsa work...) and had just a bad incident all together.

I found out what it's like to hear your husband is being taken to the ER, but I couldn't be there, or go there.

It was very traumatic, but thankfully we have a roomate, who was fortunate enough to be home to help out. She drove him to the ER. She stayed with him and kept me updated. Then, hours later (when she was late for work) she drove him to the pharmacy for pain pills, and then got him home. Without her, I would have absolutely panicked. Tuesday is my day at work that I can't miss. Period. I'm in accounting, and the payroll has to be finished by the end of Tuesday. I do the payroll. In an emergency there are others, but it's just not that simple to pass it on once I've started. Anywayssince Carrie was here to help out I wasn't needed. Therefore I stayed.

I'm sure everyone has that experience, but it was my first. It was scary. I didn't like it. Thankfully we had some pretty amazing support. My aunt was the xray tech. She knows the staff, and got a ton of help and only the best for her nephew. The docs were awesome. Carrie was awesome. My aunt was awesome. Everyone did marvelously. It really is comforting to know.

Now to get through the rest. The numbing is going to wear off here soon, and he's going to be in a lot of pain. He's been given good drugs. He also has his comfort foods- mac n cheese, soup, and apple pie. He is well bandaged, and well loved. Let's hope it's enough to get him through it, because if you've ever broken something (and I mean broken- as in, he broke all the way through the bone) you know how painful it is. Add stitches (several) and well... I won't go into the details, but you get the drift. It's going to hurt. Wish him luck.

Date Night Magic

Last night Mike and I decided we would have a date night.  We don't get these very often, mainly because of our budget being so tight.  Since he made some money with a recent freelance project need a videographer, anyone?) we decided we'd use the money threefold- buy another piece of equipment he needed, save some money, and have a nice night out.

However, we have one major obstacle with going out- me. I'm actually a little surprised by how much of a home person I have become. I've never personally liked getting ready to go out for any reason (ex. I actually wore make up to work 3 times this week, which is probably a personal record). I have discovered that I actually prefer staying home and snuggling on the couch over going out and dealing with crowds, traffic, driving, and of course the preparation. In the last few years, and especially the most recent year (after graduating from college) I have gradually just stopped going out.

So last night we decided we were going to have a real date night out. We were going to dress nicely, go to dinner, see a movie, and then maybe head over to a tavern to watch a local band play. Fun filled evening out. We got ready and we both looked so nice! We went to dinner, where I realized a little too late that our favorite restaurant is not nearly as romantic as I had wanted (loud. SO LOUD. Couldn't hear ourselves talk loud). We had a wonderful dinner. We finished dinner an hour ahead of schedule (the wait was 0 min compared to the 30 min I had planned). So what to do? We went home. Instead of going to see the new flick "The Bounty Hunter" we came home, changed into pajamas, laid out the awesome bean bag mattress, and bought an On Demand movie (Sherlock Holmes, which was fabulous).

Maybe it's just us, but I honestly think I had more fun with Mike at home than I did at dinner, or in the car to dinner. There is just something about going on an official "date" that really spooks Mike. It almost becomes awkward. Add to it the fact that I generally dislike getting dolled up and staying in a dolled up state. But the second we get home, that awkward distant feeling drops completely and we are 100% happier.

For some reason I have always felt that my "homebody" personality was a major flaw. Am I really so lazy that I don't want to find some jewelry and put on some make up to go out and have fun? Last night, however, I think I finally realized that this isn't the case. It's just who we are as a couple. It works for us. I'm just glad we have such cheap tastes (movies in are much cheaper than movies out).