Back Again

I may have failed in the "posting near-daily" goal, but it's been a pretty busy September, so we'll go with that as the excuse.

To sum up the last few weeks:

• September 12-20: Jeff and I traveled to Seattle on the 12th, to finish prepping for the wedding. Surprisingly, I didn't have too much to do during the week. I felt accomplished for not being too last-minute with everything. The weather was great all week. Summer held on for a bit longer for us. Some first-time Seattle visitors were there, and Jeff played tour guide. They had a good time seeing the sights. A group of us attending the Mariners vs. White Sox game on Wednesday, and it was fun to watch the Mariners win soundly.
• Jeff and I got married on Friday, the 18th. The day was perfect. It's hard to expound upon that much more. The weather was great, the flowers, music, clothing, cake, everything were great. The ceremony went off without a hitch. The reception was a blast. I was really touched by the toasts and speeches given. I got to hear from nearly all my immediate family. I loved it. Seeing old friends was fun, too, but it's hard to talk when it's a busy event.
• September 20-27: The honeymoon was in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It was phenomenal. Jeff really pulled out all the stops. We got out of the taxi at the hotel, and 30 seconds later a platter with two champagne flutes appeared before us. Jeff turned to me and said, "Oh yeah, I think I upgraded us to VIP status or something." That about summed up our treatment during the week. It was my first time at an all-inclusive resort, and it was awesome. Our room was on the top floor, with a balcony overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Oh yeah, there was a hot tub on the balcony. Did I mention the trip was awesome?
• September 27-29: Jeff and I went back to Seattle. We wrapped up a few things there, packed up gifts, took a quick trip to an ear doctor (more about that later...Jeff should fully recover his hearing, though)
• September 29-present: We returned to Chicago. The rest of the week was spent running errands, trying to change my name, buying a bed (yay!), going to Wisconsin, attending the 50th anniversary celebration for Trinity at the Navy Pier ballroom (it was a blast), and staying in an awesome hotel downtown that we got for a steal through hotwire.

We're now back at work and getting back into the swing of things. I'm looking forward to social contact tomorrow, as Kirstie (and maybe John and Elyse) is coming over to watch "The Office" (Jim and Pam are getting married!). I am also looking for hobbies. Life is slowing down. Maybe I'll head to the gym tonight and get a membership. Winter is quickly approaching - dun dun dun. Life is good.

Hard World?

Well, I got four posts in, then the start of a new week overtook me, apparently.

I feel like I made good progress on the wedding planning this week. Evidence of this is that I'm feeling a tad less stressed about all that is left to do. Although I did have a nightmare this morning that involved missing my hair/makeup appt, Jeff forgetting his ring, etc. Seems like my stomach churns for no reason sometimes. I may round off this wedding with an ulcer. woot woot.

I've got one week left of work until vacation. That's something to be excited about, for sure. Today dragged, and we didn't get the usual go-ahead to leave at 3, which is what usually happens before a holiday. Oh well, seems like everyone else left early anyway. I don't feel like I've been there long enough to do that yet, though.

Jeff lived in Kenosha this week. He had a rough week at work, and it seems as though they're giving him a hard time for taking the time off to get married. Frustrating, as it's been planned for so long, and it's a pretty major life event. Go Corporate America! Kinda makes Denmark seem like a pretty cool place. It's difficult to communicate long-distance again, too. We're both tired/busy when we try to call each other. The cool thing is realizing this is the longest we'll be apart for (hopefully) a while.

I've been feeling pretty burnt out. I got to tonight and while my brain is on, my body said "Stop." I had hoped to finish painting the bathroom, but it didn't happen. I did get some cleaning done, though, so I feel somewhat accomplished.

Tomorrow I'm heading up to K-town for a shower/lunch with Jeff (I think), his mom, and some of her friends. It should be fun, and hopefully we can relax and enjoy the celebration for a bit. I think the rest of the weekend will be spent trying to tie up loose ends. We leave next Saturday, and I'm sure the coming week will go by in a blur again.

I think I'll attempt sleep soon - it's been a tired week (I think sleep came after 1 most days since last Thursday...hmm).

And here's just a life quote, good for me to think of now:
"If you will just start with the idea that this is a hard world, it will all be much simpler. "
-Louis D. Brandeis