One Year going on Fifty...

I thought we were in New England

...and that we could stop worrying about being impacted by hurricanes!

Irene wouldn't bother us one bit except for the fact that Hunt and I are supposed to travel to Atlanta this weekend for not one, but two weddings of dear friends. And while I am very happy that the bride with the outdoor wedding on Saturday no longer needs to worry about being pummeled by wind and rain, it does appear that the eye wall of Hurricane Irene is passing very close to Boston Sunday evening...right when we are due to be flying into Logan airport.

It doesn't really impact me since I am able to work from any location as long as I have an internet connection. It greatly impacts Hunt since for some reason he can't perform long-distance emergency interventions in the cath lab. (I've asked him to look into it, but it appears without some kind of meta-physics miracle, it's not going to happen) So, I may have to attend solo. Which stinks. Along with many of my girlfriends who have husbands with jobs that cause them to travel or be restricted to certain locations, going solo to weddings is something of a norm in our lives. I wouldn't care so much if it weren't for the fact that my husband is so unbelievably fun. He brings a lot of humor to just about any situation and, to top it off, he's a great dancer. All in all, a fantastic wedding date.

So, Irene, woman-to-woman here, could you just keep moving further east please?

The Wedding Recap

You thought this would be about Will and Kate didn't you? Nope, just us commoners, Dr. and Mrs. Anderson. Many, many thanks to the wonderfully talented Kaye Woods at White Dress Media.

Though as Christ followers we are children of the Risen King...

Wedding Bells

I had the most wonderful time watching the Royal wedding this morning. It was so beautiful and sweet - and made me go back just six short months ago and think about that moment before the doors opened and my father and I walked down the aisle. I can't even begin to imagine what Kate must have been feeling when she stepped out of the car at Westminster Abbey.

I loved their genuine smiles and obvious emotion, and can't help but be joyful and hope for the best for the newlyweds.

Of course it has caused me, like so many other women worldwide, to have weddings on the brain all the rest of day. And reminds me to be so thankful that our wedding was exactly what we wished it to be - a wonderful celebration of what our Lord and Savior created between Hunt and me.

Precious Memories on Film...or, er, Pixels

I have been waiting for our wedding pictures like a child waiting for Santa on Christmas Eve. Dan and Anne Almasy were our photographers and they were the first vendor we arranged for when it came to planning our wedding. I trusted they would be amazing, but I'm finding it hard to put into words how ecstatic I am over the moments that Dan and Anne captured.

Here are Dan & Anne's highlight photos of our wedding day.

And I knew that there would be many, many goofy shots of Hunt and I since we danced like maniacs at the reception and are generally pretty silly with one another. Point in case:

Rocking out to Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'!"

I can't wait to see all the rest, we love every single one! Thank you Dan and Anne, we are indebted to you for preserving these moments for us and our families!

And We're Back!

We've somehow managed to survive ten fabulous days in the islands of Hawaii and are back to start our normal routines as Mr and Mrs!

But first, loading up the rental truck with my furniture and wedding presents and driving up to D.C. with Dad! Thank goodness for Daddies that save up for their daughter's dream wedding, are willing to help move their adult-age child and do it all with a smile.

Back to D.C. soon!

Today I Become Mrs. Anderson

The other night as I was driving I was listening to an old favorite of mine - Nichole Nordeman's "Someday." And it brought me to tears. To go back and recount all the little and big ways that God has been faithful to bring me to this day. All of the hilltops and valleys - and he wove them together in a perfect symphony. I remembered that many years ago I would sing along with this song during one of the hardest, most painful seasons of my life, and resolved to trust in my Lord that someday would come. And I know that there will be many more somedays in our future, but this particular someday has arrived!

Someday

I believe in the rest of the story

I believe there’s still ink in the pen

I have wasted my very last day

Trying to change what happened way back when

I believe it’s the human condition

We all need to have answers to why

More than ever, I’m ready to say that I

Will still sleep peacefully

With answers out of reach from me until?

Someday all that’s crazy

All that’s unexplained

Will fall into place

Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com

And someday all that’s hazy

Through a clouded glass

Will be clear at last

And sometimes we’re just waiting

For someday

We are born with a lingering hunger

We are born to be unsatisfied

We are strangers who can’t help but wander

And dream about the other side of?

Every puzzle’s missing piece

Every unsolved mystery

More than half of every whole

Rests in the Hands that hold you for someday.

I love you Hunt - I can't wait to become your wife later today!!

The Wedding Disconnect: Stick with Me

Oh friends. Life is so very busy, and it's rushing by at a thousand miles a minute. While I can't wait to be Hunt's wife, I just want it all to slow down a little. I want to cherish and savor and fully experience.

As a result of this time-warp phase of life, my brief blogging streak has come to a screeching halt. I had no time to send thank you notes much less create witty entries about life in DC, as a future bride, as a southerner with suggestions - but please stick with me.

I want to keep our friends and family updated on our adventures, and plan to, but currently, there a few hours in the day that I'm not working, planning, calling or sleeping. Oh, and eating!

See you soon!

love,

a content, thrilled, and over-scheduled bride.

The Wedding Disconnect: Simplifying Your Life

While managing one of the biggest projects of my life, I've been learning the ins and outs of how to simplify processes and take advantage of wedding deals. One of those ins and outs? The fact that the option that is supposed to make your life easier is not necessarily going to turn out that way.

When it came to ordering our wedding invitations I went with Paper Affair in Atlanta since they offer 20% off of your total order during the month of July! And since everything seems to have a hidden up charge of 30% when you mention the word "wedding," I jumped on the discount. And the plus of ordering from DC meant that I got "drop shipping" which resulted in no sales tax and delivery straight to my door!

Few things concerning this whole planning process have been delivered into my hands, cutting out one more thing to do, so this sounded awesome to me.

On the day that I received our invites one of the worst thunderstorms of the summer rumbled across northern Virginia and DC. The wind speeds reached up to 75 miles per hour - similar in strength to a tornado, except that the winds moved in a sheering motion, toppling trees and power lines and creating a complete white out at times. The highways were shut down and it took commuters hours to get home from the city.

And this was what I came home to find...

This resulted in screams from me that I'm guessing only dogs could hear - and me frantically ripping into the box and pulling out each box of invites, envelopes and response sets. Other than a few damp inner boxes, no damage was done. Though I think it shaved a day or two off of my life to realize that the little stacks of paper, which I had spent a healthy amount of money on, might have sat at my doorstep slowly turning back into pulp.

And considering that the invites that were sent weren't actually correct, I've since evaluated completely simplifying and sending out an Evite at this point. It would make my grandmother pass out in horror, but at least it couldn't be ruined by the forces of nature!

2 Months Until and Three Years Since

To the wonderful man that will be my husband (husband!) two months from this day I want to say, Happy Anniversary!

Three years ago you took me out to a lovely dinner at Atmosphere restaurant in Atlanta. You held open all of my doors, stood when I stood, entertained me with stories, made me laugh at your quick sense of humor and dazzled me with an amazing view from the 11th story of the Eclipse building. You were irresistible. And have remained that way.

I love you and I can't wait to spend 3 more years together. And then three more after that. And then three more...and...you get the drift.

This is our last dating anniversary as it has been decided that once we are married that the wedding anniversary trumps all others and the rest are retired...Hunt's lucky that we are getting married less than one year after getting engaged, otherwise he would have had the triple doozie of my birthday, Valentine's and the anniversary of our engagement all hitting in the same month!

Why the "Disconnect?"

You may have noticed that I'm naming my posts concerning wedding stuff - "The Wedding Disconnect: yadda yadda yadda"

And I've been questioned as to why that is. I have found that there is a serious break between reality and the wedding world. You may even call is a psychotic break. No, not that I've suffered one...yet...rather that you can get completely sucked into the vortex of planning, over-researching things like monogrammed bags of candies, and thinking that it's completely normal to spend on a one-day event what you could plunk down to drive off the lot with a seriously nice car. Most of the time, I find this break and disconnect with the normal world funny.

Yes, I think it's funny that we have traditions that include finding out the middle names of all of your friends and family just so that you can put it on an envelope that they will throw away as soon as they receive it. And it's pretty great that it's completely accepted that you will go and pick out your gifts and expect that people will comply with your wishes.

Rest assured, I'm completely connected with the fact that I'm getting married in a little over two months (though while typing that sentence a sense of the surreal washed over me) and can't wait to be Dr. and Mrs!

The Wedding Disconnect: Showers of Attention

Having never been a bride before, but having hosted many bridal showers, it's a switch to be the one that is the center of all the hoopla.

And you know what?

Turns out I love it.

I love gathering with girlfriends and family and going on and on about our wedding details.

I love eating miniature versions of food.

I love dressing up and being super-girlie.

I love shopping for the perfect gifts to give my hostesses.

And I always love a party with a theme.

The funny thing is, many of my girlfriends have been uncomfortable by all the attention, especially when they are opening up their registry gifts.

Me? Turns out that I sound like a bad imitation of Oprah when opening up my first ever piece of Calphalon cookware.

Yes, I realize that we picked out all of our gifts with the aid of a nifty scanner and there's probably not many surprises to be had at these moments. BUT, I love to cook, nest, clean, bake, decorate, play hostess, and I've always known that I would register for china and crystal since I was a little girl.

When I rip the paper off and see that Hunt and I received the Calphalon Wok that we carefully picked out at Williams-Sonoma, it seems very natural to me that I shout with glee, "iiiiiiiit's Caaaaaaalphaaaaloooooooon!" Except it's not an episode of Oprah's favorite things and maybe, just maybe, it's not normal to shout at your own shower.

I may have teared up when I realized that we now had our first pieces of china, crystal and silver that Hunt and I will use in our home when we host family dinners, birthday celebrations and Christmas Eves.

And the moment that I realized that I have been gifted with a Cuisinart Food Processor, I may have let it go to my head that I am now the owner of such a wondrous cooking tool and lifted it up in the air in sheer jubilation, much like a Super Bowl victor holding their trophy up high.

Maybe it would be more appropriate if I had a measure of modesty and seemed slightly uncomfortable at being watched while I opened gifts.

Hmmm.

Nope. It's just too much darn fun.

Mom and me with one of the fabulous hostesses, Susanne, at my Buckhead Church shower.

At the Mother & Daughters Shower with my mom, my aunts and cousins. So special!

The Wedding Disconnect: Creating the Wedding Website

Less than 90 days to go and I'm just now announcing our wedding website! Time is FLYING by, and it seems like there's always something that has to be done RIGHT NOW that gets in the way of the fun wedding stuff that I would actually want to do. Like...packing and moving, starting a new job, having surgery, etc. So, late or not, it's up!

You can visit the Hunt and Melissa website extravaganza and see all the plethora of awesome photos from Dan & Anne Almasy. Enjoy!

The Wedding Disconnect: Focus

In the midst of wedding plans, preparing for a new job, my upcoming move to DC and figuring out when in the heck I'm going to get it all done (oh, and sleep too!) there are bright spots that grab my attention and make me focus in on what this is all about and what is truly important.

Like tonight - I had just finished sending a looooong email about calendaring dates for upcoming trips back to Atlanta, when I closed out gmail and I saw on my desktop a wonderful reminder that focused me in, back from the land of crazy-bride. Hunt and I share our calendars and have a program for our Macs that shows us upcoming events on our desktop. And tonight I saw Hunt's event "Melissa Arrives!" scheduled for two weeks from now.

It made me focus like a laser-beam and forget briefly how I can't yet figure out how I'm going to wrap up my life here and get up there in 14 days. It's all good stuff. I get to be in the same town as Hunt after two years. We'll get to go on dates in the middle of the week! We'll watch TV and eat dinner together and get to say "goodnight" in person! We won't have to rely on AT&T's (spotty) network to talk to each other!

I'm very glad for that little reminder on my desktop.

Kind of makes me think that for Hunt's sake I should remove the "mental/emotional breakdown" that I have calendared about a week from now when I will be in the middle of packing...

The Wedding Disconnect: Time Flies

I'm calling these posts "The Wedding Disconnect" since it seems like weddings and the wedding-planning season are in a sphere of reality all their own.

Time is certainly affected by this different reality. At time it flies, and you can't believe that you only have 5 months until you are getting married. Other times it feels like time is going by so slowly (in reflection, this may have been more evident in the pre-wedding planning phase called pre-engagement).

One piece of great advice that we've been given by our pre-marital mentors is to spend time together reading and reflecting on Scripture to keep our hearts focused on the Lord and not the "stuff" that this time can be consumed by. They suggested that at 150 days out that we start reading daily Psalms together. Actually, the fun part is that's it's a sort of count down. At 150 days, we start at Psalm 150 and work backwards. And then at about a month before the wedding, we add in a daily Proverb starting at 31. The girl in me loved this plan. I even have a countdown so that I would be on top of when we should start. Cue disconnect in timing.

This morning Hunt called on his way into the hospital to say good morning and then told me that it was in fact day 149 and we needed to catch up. Oops. So much for being on top of things. It's a good thing that Hunt is. So we started with Psalm 150 this morning and will be reading 149 later today.

Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heaven!
Praise him for his mighty works; praise his unequaled greatness!
Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn; praise him with the lyre and harp!
Praise him with the tambourine and dancing; praise him with strings and flutes!
Praise him with a clash of cymbals; praise him with loud clanging cymbals.
Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord! Praise the Lord!

Psalm 150

Better late than never!

The Wedding Disconnect: Colors

It is very easy to get swept up in the hubbub of wedding planning. I try to avoid that, and having to focus on a job search in DC, moving up there, finding an apartment, etc. keeps my eye trained on the fast approaching future with Hunt.

But even so, I find myself sounding like Shelby from "Steel Magnolias" at times, especially when people ask me things that seem so old-fashioned like, "what are your colors?" And while I'm not responding with "Blush and Bashful!" it still feels very much like that kind of moment. (if you don't know what I'm talking about, watch the below video at around 1:10 in...)

I still feel very girly informing whoever is asking that our "colors" are eggplant and champagne. Hunt is gloriously unconcerned about this and has let me pick whatever it is I want. He has even helped me understand that when it comes to guys there is something I need to know about that specific subject. He provided a visual below. Click here for a more in-depth explanation.

So evidently, according to this, our "colors" are purple and nothing. Ah, the wonderful simplicity of men.

Engagement Photos

Our photographers for our wedding are the fantastic Dan and Anne Almasy. They have captured several of my friend's weddings and I knew in the back of my mind that I wanted them to be our photographers when the time came.

Anne and I have become breakfast buddies since we often have Friday mornings off - and I have so enjoyed getting to know her while discovering some of the best breakfast nooks in Atlanta.

Anne and Dan have such a great eye for catching sweet moments - and we are so glad that they are our wedding photographers.

Two weeks ago, Hunt and I met them at the restaurant where we had our first date to grab a few photos before moving on to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. It's a good thing that we planned on using the Orchid House at the gardens since the skies opened up while we were at Atmosphere (just like it happened on our first date).

Click here for the Almasy's blog entry to see our engagement photos.

Be forewarned: there is some smooching going on...

Our Engagement Story

It's funny how something that you've thought about and anticipated can happen and then it all becomes a blur because you are so excited and overwhelmed! That was definitely my experience with getting engaged to Hunt.

Two months ago today, my roommate Kelly threw a 30th birthday dinner for me down at Mary Mac's tea room and while the thought of celebrating an engagement with friends and family sounded fun to me, I didn't actually expect us to get engaged that weekend.

As a result, when Hunt arrived to pick me up and take me to dinner, I had no idea what was going on when he paused on the front porch to hug me and tell me he loved me. I thought we had to get a move on to make it in time for dinner! It wasn't until he pulled a ring box out of his jacket pocket and went down on one knee that I realized what was happening. He asked me to marry him and after several moments of tears and shock I said YES! (pictures are reenactments)

Then for some reason I completely bypassed the beautiful ring being held out in front of me and got down on my knees so that I could hug him. He let me get away with that for a few moments and then gently reminded me that this was the part where I was supposed to be standing and putting the ring on my finger. Oh. Ok!

I think I floated down our front steps and somehow made it into the passenger seat of his car. I'm not sure I was forming complete sentences, but I do remember staring at Hunt and bursting out with "we're engaged!" "we're going to get married!" and "I love the ring, it's so beautiful!" All at concert-level volume I'm sure.

Hunt continued to surprise me by taking me to the restaurant where we had our first date, Atmosphere. We went inside and Hunt let the bartender know that he had just proposed and that we needed two glasses of champagne. We toasted to me "winning the Mrs. Anderson pageant" and had a few precious moments alone together. It was so weird to my ears to hear Hunt say "we just got engaged" when ordering the champagne. It all felt very surreal.

We then headed down to Mary Mac's and the waiting birthday party crowd which included my parents, aunt Karen, Hunt's parents, and many mutual and dear friends. I kept my left hand in my coat pocket until I could navigate through the crowd to stand in front of my mom. I hugged her and she asked how my night was going - it was at that point that I held my hand in front of her and told I was having a wonderful night.

It took Hunt's mom, Christy, pointing out my ring finger to my mom for her to register that I was showing her my engagement ring! She was shocked, surprised and happy. Everything after that becomes a blur...my long-time friend Tammy came over, realized our big news and announced it to everyone else by jumping up and down and screaming. I've got to tell you, that is an effective way to let 30 people that something big has occurred.

Tammy insisted that I still wear a flashing "I'm 30!" birthday pin and old-lady slippers in honor of my birthday, but did allow me to take them off eventually since it had turned into a engagement party. I've been warned that there will be no exceptions when it comes to turning 40. Since I'm the one that ended up going home with those slippers, we'll just have to see about that Tammy.

I am so happy that Hunt waited for such a fun night - it was perfect to celebrate with family and friends immediately after. We made several phone calls that night and the next few days - but it was lovely to stay in the moment and celebrate with some of the people that we love the most.

Because Tammy (now officially my Matron of Honor) is so on top of everything, she videotaped portions of that night. It was after the initial announcement, but the video starts right after we've told everyone that we got engaged. I'm so thankful that she thought to bring it with her, it captured many precious memories that I'm so happy to be able to re-live. Enjoy!

In Preparation

A good friend decided to pass on a few gems to help me prepare to be a good wife to Hunt.

Turns out they are a from a Good Housekeeping magazine article from 1955. Without further ado, here is

The Good Wife's Guide:

• Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have be thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they get home and the prospect of a good meal is part of the warm welcome needed.
• Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.
• Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.
• Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives. Run a dustcloth over the tables.
• During the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering to his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.
• Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Encourage the children to be quiet.
• Be happy to see him.
• Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.
• Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.
• Don't greet him with complaints and problems.
• Don't complain if he's late for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through at work.
• Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or lie him down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.
• Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.
• Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.
• A good wife always knows her place.

Crate and Barrel Ultimate Wedding Contest

Hopefully this will be a quick favor. I've entered Hunt and myself in the Crate and Barrel Ultimate Wedding Contest.

We're late in the game, but hey, if we get enough votes we might win a $1,000 gift card and that sounds good to me!

If you're willing, would you

a.) vote for us and

b.) pass this on and ask others to vote for us? (and facebook/twitter/blog if you're up to it!)

Here is the direct link: http://www.UltimateWeddingContest.com/entries/41051

It is literally two clicks to vote, so if you can, please vote and pass (and pass, and pass, and pass) along! The contest ends at the end of the day Wednesday, so just two more days to vote!

(Unfortunately, you cannot edit the entry after posting it. And yes, the type-A in me has noticed the extra word in the first sentence...)