Fussing over the Groom in his Tux

And Garrett is looking very suave and debonaire.

Setting up the NYC Bridal Shower

They men folk helped set things up and then went off to do secret man stuff while the women folk enjoyed the party.

So much going on and we're neglecting the blog

14 days until the wedding and A LOT is going on. Garrett's moved and I've partially moved. Now we are finalizing details for everything! I just had a test run with my make-up and I'm really excited. A friend from church used to work for MAC and she used her techniques and make-up to create an amazing look. I can't wait to share. :)

We also are looking forward to Garrett's sister, Shauna, visiting this weekend. So may fun things...not a lot of time to post...but we are thinking about you all!

21 Days

Or three weeks until the big day. I can't believe that everything is coming together so quickly and well. Garrett and I just ordered our wedding bands and we've almost moved the big things over to our new home. I can already sense that I will have days filled with stress, joy, excitement, fatigue, and energy (all within 2 hours probably). I guess that's why they say just enjoy the engagement; it goes so quickly. They really mean you pack a lot into a short time. :) But the best part is working with all of my family to create a few special days.

Moving, moving, moving

Well, it might be a multi-stage process to move into our lovely apartment, but we'll get there. :) Garrett has officially left Brooklyn except for a table and bread and most of my stuff is over there too. There was only one casualty that can be fixed with a little wood glue. Thanks to our friends from church who helped us move!

The Rocking Chairs by Garrett

The first present we opened was the rather large bulky present covered in the sheet as shown above. I knew they did something big but had no idea what was actually under the sheet...

A few weeks earlier, when Betsy and I visited Charlottesville for a friend's wedding, my parents surprised us for breakfast. They had driven three hours from my hometown of Bassett to see us just because "we were in the same state." Something I thought was really funny, odd even, was that after breakfast my dad insisted they had to leave. I just assumed they would want to spend more time with us but he said he really needed to cut the grass. I gave up arguing and we went our separate ways.

Well, we finally learned just how sneaky my parents really are. Apparently, while in Charlottesville they went to the University of Virginia to pick up the two rocking chairs shown in the picture. OK, you need more background than this...

When I was in grad school at UVA I lived in Thomas Jefferson's original "Academical Village" in a room on what they call "The Range." It is a pretty high honor to live there. In fact, Woodrow Wilson once lived in the room next to where I lived and Edgar Allen Poe once lived a few doors down. Anyway, I had the pleasure of living on the west side of Range one year and on the east side the next year. Each room had a rocking chair... you can see the very ones I had on the Range above. My mother actually called and sweet talked officials at UVA until she could get them. When they came to surprise us for breakfast they were actually there to pick up the chairs! I guess the lawn could wait after all. ;)

And here's the sneaky family above, minus my brother Derek... I'm pretty sure he was in on it as well. In the picture is my sister, Shauna, and my parents, Steve and Judy. Oh, and we're sitting in the rocking chairs from Jefferson's village. :)

Virginia Party

I was bowled over with the love and friendship of my Virginia family. On Saturday, Judy (Garrett's mom) and her closest friends threw me a bridal shower. It was so much fun and I was able to meet the town that helped raise my sweetie.

These lovely ladies were the brains and heart behind this lovely a fair. (bottom left to right: Brenda's friend, Brenda, Sue, Wilma; Top: Norma, Judy, Betsy)

This was one of the stunning food dishes. There was also fried chicken, ham and biscuits, chocolate, cake, spinach dip, cheese roll, etc. So much good food!

People came and went throughout the afternoon, so we didn't capture everyone in this photo but pretty close to it.

For opening all the other presents I had a couple of helpers...Kristen (behind me), Bridget (photos) and Shauna (recorder). Thank you!

One of our special presents were the rocking chairs we are sitting in from Garrett's parents. The story is so special that it deserves it's own post. So come again in 2 days. :)