Meg and Justin get married Part two

Things got better.

First Cheryl at Surrey House saved the day, Kyle brought in all the decorations in record time and she said these beautiful words to me "we can take it from here" and she took care of every single centerpiece and various other things with me barely even explaining what everything was... I can't speak highly enough of these ladies - and Meg and Justin's choice of wedding venue - It was perfect even with the light rain going on. And... we didn't forget anything!

Adrenaline kicked in and Meg starting coming around, she wisely decided that she would only treat her pain with advil from there on out. My zofran kicked in and and we got ourselves prettied up. (Side note here - from 10 pm on I had tried to get Meg to take zofran for the nausea but she was too scared of medicine at that point and refused... oh well)

Too much anxiety remained for much of the typical teariness that usually ensues while helping the bride get ready, but I do have to say for the record she looked beautiful and I was overwhelmed with happiness.

At this point we were going on 24 hours of joking about the wedding scene in Sixteen candles... ya know where the tipsy bride marries the greasy bohunk? Here, this scene:

The time was drawing near and that scene was in the back of my mind, I hoped the lack of food and abundance of vomiting had not wiped Meg out completely. I had to get her down the aisle and pray she didn't throw up on Justin's shoes during the ceremony.

We stepped outside of the bridal cottage and it was gorgeous, I was afraid we had made the wrong call to move the outdoor wedding in.. We proceeded to the back of the house and just as we got on the covered deck it started to rain.  Good call after all.

We were ready.

There was a packed house and music playing. One small detail... we were missing Justin's niece, the flower girl.  Meg started to lose her temper in fantastic fashion. Intervention on back porch. Meg calms.

I proceed to tell Cora about 1000 times that yes she does have to hold her flowers after all. The exact flowers she has been begging to hold since they were delivered.

Flower Girl arrives. In we go.

And.....

It was perfect.

My two sick girls aided by children's ibuprofen walked down the aisle with total grace. Their older sister followed looking older and more beautiful than she should be allowed. My first born, handsome son stood as a groomsman at the front and Justin looked quite snazzy even though I admit to doubting the suspenders at first.

Meg followed me in and the ceremony proceeded swimmingly!

Mom gave her daughter away. (tears)

Their self written vows were amazing. (another idea I was not totally on board with... I know I know I'm opinionated and bossy) but it was very sweet and both their personalities fit in perfectly.

I loved all of it. And just like I promised Meg, it went better than the rehearsal, even considering all we went through in the previous days.

And then it was done they were officially introduced as Mr. and Mrs. Fowler and the exit march music played...

Meg and Justin headed down the aisle.  Was I supposed to follow closely behind or do I wait? I debated and as I debated Meg's heel caught in her dress and she stumbled and then instantly recovered...

But then - the day caught up to her and she felt dizzy and faint and ...

sat down at the next available chair.

I felt like a complete failure to the entire industry of bridesmaids. I didn't follow closely. I should have followed closely then I would have taken care of her train and it never would have caught.. There it was the Sixteen Candles moment we had all joked about.

Meg said "you know what? Justin take off my shoes" and he did, she composed herself and the march continued.

No big deal. I threw her shoes under a table somewhere and they were history for the rest of the day.

The rest was one fantastic party: Old friends, new friends, Hugs, pictures, good food, even better cake, dancing...

Cora and Maiya found the sofa and fell asleep, followed by PJ.

It all turned out to be a very, very lovely day, a great start to a great marriage. "making memories" for real!!

Part three will be pictures :)

Meg and Justin get married Part one.

Or as Cora would say "Aunt Meg and Gustin get marwied at the wedding..."

I know I know I haven't been blogging.  Just wasn't in the mood. But I so want to try to capture what my baby sister's wedding was like and I decided to put it in three parts because there is so much and it started off feeling somewhat akin to the fiery gates of hell. (no disrespect Meg or Justin)

Wednesday February 29th aka Leap Day: I wished for death. I came down with the flu. Bonafide flu on top of morning sickness that was starting to get slightly better. I had a fever of 103 and coughing constantly which snowballed almost each and every time into gagging then vomiting. I called Kyle home from work and called the midwife's office (side note here - I called the midwife that I wasn't sure if I wanted to hire Kathleen Mayorga because at this point we were pretty sure we were going to do this unassisted) As soon as someone answered the phone I broke down in tears. Like the ugly heaving sobbing tears. "heave... I'm sick so sick and then I got real sick on top of pregnancy sick and my sister gets married in TEN DAYS and I need to get better" She said come into tomorrow at 9 ... so I did and clicked with the midwife and got meds of the prescription variety.

And the days went on inching closer to the wedding. I worried that I wouldn't fit in my dress (I did.) On March 7th I hit 13 weeks and my mind wandered to minutes after my pregnancy test came up positive to when I checked my due date to see exactly how pregnant I'd be come the wedding. And then here I was 13 weeks... and feeling as crappy as I was afraid I'd feel.

Thursday March 8th (two days till the wedding) Ella gets home from school and in the front room where the dogs reside when in their kennels ... Ella shrieks "OH MY GOSH MOM WE CAN'T HAVE THE WEDDING ITS ALL RUINED" I walk into to see that the dogs have pulled in the bag of Meg's wedding accessories and chewed up EVERY. SINGLE. personalized napkin. My mind wouldn't process it at first - I thought there had to be an extra bag with more somewhere but no. Then I saw next to the kennel a full stack and I picked them up with hope in my heart. They had every corner perfectly chewed off.
Paper Lion saved the day and agreed to a rush order that was even more rushed than ever and we had personalized beautiful napkins ready the next afternoon. ($$$$)

Thursday night Meg comes to stay here until the wedding. Says at dinner her tooth is bothering her a little bit. (thinking castaway?, yeah you should)
Maiya has a fever of 102 before bed. Everyone gets medicine and we go to bed.

4 am Friday morning (day before the wedding) Meg wakes me up in tears at the side of my bed - Her tooth is in raging pain she can't stand it AT. ALL. Should she call the emergency dentist? I talk her into waiting until office opens.  Office opens they take her in - Major abscessed tooth - too infected to treat that day she is sent away with vicodin and antibiotics.

10 am we get pedicures which would have been 1000% relaxing if not for the two women who brought crying babies to their pedicure. Cause fight on facebook over that - never said I wasn't opinionated.

1pm rehearsal. Meg's pants catch on car door and rip in the back. She cries.

At rehearsal I can tell Cora is getting sick.

After rehearsal meal, Meg starts getting violently nauseous from vicodin. I'm not feeling good either.
Mom drives her two about to vomit daughters around trying to tie up loose ends.

**At this point there is a boatload of loose ends - flowers for cake, favors to assemble, vows to write, shoes to buy, suspenders to find, water pearls to soak...

We get the flowers for the cake and call it a day. We get home and Meg starts vomiting. Kyle meanwhile has cleaned the entire house in case we get company here from any extended family (in the end no one comes over - not funny he says)

Kyle and I assemble favors and Benjamin walks downstairs to say goodnight. And tell me that his eye hurts... Raging pink eye and Cora's fever is confirmed. More meds.

The next morning (Wedding is at 11 supposed to be outside) I go to wake up Meg at 6 - I turn on the light and she looks rather zombie-ish. Says she hasn't slept a wink.  I go get ready next I find her in her underwear at my kitchen table saying she's too nauseous to move, but then does move, runs to vomit.

Here I am the place I have been praying about since finding out I'd be in morning sickness territory at my sisters wedding, and she is the one in the bathroom puking. It was surreal and terrifying.

Phone call to made to Sarah.. because she is my voice of reason when I am freaking out. Within a half hour Dylan and Kyle give Meg a priesthood blessing.

She manages to shower and Kyle and the rest of us get everything in the cars - I am sure we will have forgot something.

Pretty soon I get Meg in the car and we leave - much later than planned...

Surrey House calls to ask if we are moving the outdoor wedding in... I try to ask Meg but she is vomiting... AGAIN.

Did I mention I was terrified?

We all arrive - two sick kids, one with pink eye, a nauseous matron of honor and a vomiting bride...


to be continued...

(meg on the way to be marwied, that bwessed awanagement with no cold feet but an abcessed tooth and a bad reaction to vicodin.)

.-

Full body shivers

Let me set the stage for you ...

I am in what is one of the hardest stages and then I get the flu

Awful beyond words

But today I was on couch trying to come back to life ... In my nightgown

Ella was home from school because she didn't feel all that good but really I could use the help

The phone rings its the school nurse with Benjamin

"Benjamin has a bug" Ella yells across the room

I get on the phone

"Your son came in complaining of an earache so I checked his ear and there is a bug in it"

Not wanting to process this I said " he has a bug?"

"no it's a BUG looks like a beetle and it's alive deep in his ear canal"

I screamed into the phone

"I am not going to tell him I don't want him to freak out"

So now to make a long story short:

Nana was already on road close to school takes Benjamin to urgent care

He's told it's a bug he says yeah I thought it was a fly - only freaks about a possible finger prick at doctors

I, in the mean time call Kyle, Mom, sister, and friend in TOTAL freak out mode

Turned out to be ok

There was a bug a teeny tiny little black gnat like June buggy thing easily bubbled out with hydrogen peroxide.

Benjamin thought it was cool, uncomfortable but cool

"I could feel it trying to fly out"

I might need therapy

PS. If you were wondering it costs $155 to get a bug removed from your son's ear