my garmin. my friend.

I have a sense of style, common sense, and a sense of humor.

What I do not have is a sense of direction. whatsoever. none. nill. nada. zero.

I can get lost anywhere (and frequently am)! After a year of marriage and 4+ years of dating, D still does not have the common sense not to trust me when I give him directions or insist that I know the right way.

Three years ago D and I travelled to Wisconsin to meet my family and volunteer at The Great Escape church camp. We planned. Got a trip-tik from AAA. Printed directions. Reviewed the directions. We left around 7pm and were scheduled to arrive around 12am. 12 am came and left. At 5am we found ourselves in a cornfield, without cell service, alone, almost out of gas in IOWA!!!

I take full responsibility for that disaster.... because I had been to the camp before, I insisted that I recognized the road and we should turn left and not right (as the directions stated.) My poor husband believed me and we ended up in the wrong state. why!? seriously?

Well, last year my parents bought me a Garmin GPS. oh happy day! I am a changed woman. The Garmin is always and forever with me. always. I am completely dependent. If I make a wrong turn, it re-routes me. If I can't find a Target, it finds it for me. It tells me when I should arrive, which side of the four lane highway to drive on, when to turn, etc.

How in the world did I get by without this gadget?

Last week I let D borrow the Garmin for a business trip.

bad idea.

I got lost 5 times on my way from Cincinnati to Indianapolis. I called my mother screaming and crying. The only thing I could see for miles was corn. I just knew I was going to die in that corn. alone. and no one would know where to find mine. no one. The trip took 3.5 hours instead of 2. I cried alot.

I now know that I will never be able to travel without my dear friend the Garmin. She (the Garmin voice) leads me and guides me. I need her. Thank heavens I have her back.

Now Garmin and I are off to Kohls and Target and Chik-fi-la....we are re-united and it feels so good!

-h

honeymoon is over.

ha ha. Here are a few pictures of what our apartment looked like last year when we got home from our honeymoon. It's kinda like "Where's Waldo?"...... Halley-style.

-h

year 1

A few wedding photos...

http://chadmoon.com/slideshows/sullivanwedding/

enjoy.

-h

in the car again and engagement pics

Today I'm travelling to Indianapolis to spend the weekend and part of next week with D. All of this travel and last minute plans are taking their toll. I am TIRED. I am looking forward to sleeping in, reading, tv watching, eating, quietness, and possibly scrapbooking next week.

Now back to wedding stuff....

Wedding photography was one of my top priorities...and I put my money were my mouth is..or was..

I originally selected a photographer who had a well known reputation around Cincinnati. He *claimed* to be a photojournalist. D and I paid our large deposit and happily selected matching..well coordinating..outfits for our engagement pictures.

On the day of our big photoshoot, we primped, pressed, and prepared accordingly. We arrived at the studio early. We were escorted to the basement studio. Where there were backdrops....I knew in that moment that this "photojournalistic photoshoot" was going south...FAST.

The photographer was creepy and made awkward comments about hand placement and 'reasons to be smiling.'

As in, "Oh!! She smiles big when you put your hand there."

yeah. that was awkward.

We got our pictures back and they looked like they came from WalMart. I did not pay for posed, WalMart pictures. I began re-thinking my photographer and worrying about wedding pictures.

1 month before our wedding I wiggled my way out of my contract with the creepy photographer and started the search for a new, better, for-real photojournalist photographer. wowza that was a process.

I finally found a for-real photojournalist photographer. 3 weeks before my wedding.

Here are some of our for-real engagement pictures. I have to admit, painfully, that I lost the CD with all of the engagement pictures. I only have these two. I'm happy with them though.

I will tell you that I love my wedding photos. I finally felt at-ease about the photography.... however...looking back one year later....I now know that artsy, for-real photojournalistic photographers are AMAZING photographers...not businessmen. Meaning I did not get my beautiful wedding pictures until 6 months after my wedding and sometimes e-mails were not immediately returned.

There you have it.

-h

paper products!!?

I have the best best best anniversary gift for D! ha! I have been thinking and thinking and thinking of what to get him....and last night it came to me. In a moment of sheer genius. I am a genius. : )

You, of course, have to wait until Monday to find out how smart I am (after I give it to him.)

Yay for me!

-h

p.s. For all you happily wed people out there....Here is a list of the traditional anniversary gifts by year.

Year 1- Paper (good luck)

Year 2- Cotton

Year 3- Leather

Year 4- Fruit and Flowers

Year 5- Wood

Year 6- Candy

Year 7- Cooper and Wool

Year 8- Bronze

Year 9- Pottery (Barn!?)

Year 10- Tin

Year 11- Steel

Year 12- Silk

Year 13- Lace

Year 14- Ivory

Year 15- Crystal

then is skips a few years....

Year 20- China

Year 25- Silver

Year 30- Pearl

Year 35- Coral

Year 40- Ruby

Year 45- Sapphire

Year 50-Gold

Year 55-Emerald

Year 60-DIAMOND!! and eveything after that is diamond too! ha! yay!

...there ARE strings attached!

ohh!! sparkly!!On a hot July evening, in front of my parents and my future in-laws and spaghetti, I received my engagement ring.

I was so ecstatic that I forgot to breathe for a few minutes. My mind immediately filled with wedding plans. I looked at the people around me and my new fiancee and glowed.

Little did I know.....that when you receive an engagement ring...and go through with the marriage....you get a brand new sparkly ring, a new husband, AND his family. He gets a less sparkly ring (sorry D, no diamonds in your wedding band!), a new wife, a honey-do list, and YOUR family.

You see, it is true, that when you marry a man you marry his family. visa versa for the woman.

All families have their crazy traditions and oddities, but because you grew up with your family you are used to them. After marriage you get to start all over with a new family. ha ha ha.

Luckily for me I adore my in-laws. A year later, I still question some of their oddities, but I'd do anything for them and have. I am doublely blessed because when I married into D's family I didn't just "adopt" his parents, siblings, and grandparents. Oh no! I married into a mega family. I "adopted" his extended family: aunts, uncles, cousins, 2nd cousins twice removed, his cousin's cousins, etc.

yep. all of them.

The beauty and the blessing of it, is that I love them all. I consider each cousin, aunt, uncle, sibling, parent, and grandparent one of my own. truly.

D and I and our families have been through it all. A wedding (loved it but wouldn't do it again), moving away from home, visiting home, last minute party planning, gaining new family members, and losing others.

We rally around each other and get through all of it. I'm proud of that. I am proud to be an "in-law" in D's family...and extended family.

Now....had I truly understood all of D's family craziness...I would have drank more, learned to play pitch sooner, became a counselor, and learned to be a night owl....but they have to learn to deal with my oddities! ; )

-h

p.s. I am sure that D has his own blog entry to write about the CRAZINESS of my household, but that's for another day.

one year ago today.....

I was working tirelessly on these:

My wedding programs

I carefully created the template, selected the "just right" fonts, searched for the "perfect" heavy weight paper, and tied double-sided satin ribbon into tiny loopy bows.

On Sunday D and I will celebrate our first wedding anniversary. This week I will be sharing details, pictures, and reflections from our wedding and first year of marriage. I am looking forward to pulling out my pictures and video and reminiscing with you. So far it's been a great 359 days. : )

-h