Honeymoon in Vegas!!!

Figuring out where you want to go on your honeymoon can be a very tough choice. Jeremy and I hemmed and hawed for months. I really wanted to go somewhere tropical and warm like Hawaii. I researched and met with a travel agent, but things were too expensive and we didn't have a full week off to enjoy it. Somehow Las Vegas was mentioned and we really started thinking about it. I had never been before and what better time to experience it for the first time then with your new husband!
We planned it out so we didn't fly out until 6:30pm the next night after the wedding so we could relax and not rush around trying to get to an early flight. It was great looking out the window of the plane and seeing the Strip all lit up. We finally arrived at our hotel, The Mirage and got checked in. It was 10:30pm but that's when the Vegas night life begins!!! We dropped our bags off, freshened up and decided to go out on the town.
Before I forget, something that was really cool was that Karen, one of my bridesmaids had given us a $150 gift card to use at the Mirage. We could use it at restaurants and any stores within the hotel. Every morning we slept in and woke up too late to have breakfast. We did decide to make getting coffee from Starbucks a priority! There was a Starbucks in our hotel and so using our card made it that much nicer. We even treated ourselves to a very fancy and expensive dinner with our card.

We went to two shows while we were there, The Blue Man group and The Beatles Love, a Cirque de Soleil show. The Beatles show was in our hotel and we saw that monday night. We had a great view though we both thought it would have been even better closer to the stage. The acrobatics were astounding and we found ourselves singing along to the music the whole time. We actually bought the tickets for the Blue Man group on our flight to Vegas. That show was held at the Venetian and was awesome! I laughed hysterically and the show was very audience interactive. I would have loved to go to another show called The Reve at the Wynn but maybe next time.

Most every night we were out until 2am walking, looking at the sights, people watching or doing some gambling. In the time we were there, we walked from one end of the strip to the other. We went down to the Luxor and walked around inside and then decided to go to the Body Exhibit they were holding there. We ate at Margaritaville where Jeremy ordered a huge thing of ribs and we had delicious drinks. The atmosphere was really fun inside and they had great music playing. We walked through the M&M store and were overwhelmed with all the things and didn't even make it through all four floors. We walked through numerous casinos/hotels that included Caesar's Palace, the Wynn, the Venetian, the Palazzo, the MGM Grand, the Luxor, New York, New York, Paris, Treasure Island, the Riviera, the Flamingo, the Bellagio and Excalibur.

We discovered our favorite gambling machine, Wheel of Fortune at the Wynn. We had a blast sitting there together playing. At one point we had our money up quite a bit and then we decided to take chances and lost it. We didn't care because we were having a good time. We went back to this same machine 3 or 4 times during our week there.

My two favorite things we did were riding in the gondola at the Venetian and going up in the Eiffel Tower at Paris. The Venetian is so fun to walk through because they have made it look like there is blue sky and clouds above you and you are walking outside, all while inside. The atmosphere is amazing and the music floating through makes you really feel like you are walking down the streets in Italy. The gondolas were very romantic especially when your boatman sang a song in Italian for you as you lazily floated down the river. My next favorite thing was going up in the Eiffel Tower. We went up while it was still light but the sunlight started to fade while we were up there. The best part aside from the view was watching the fountains at the Bellagio dance to music. We got some great pictures! Then to top it off after coming down we went over to the fountains and watched them again and got a completely different experience.

We had a wonderful time but didn't even come close to seeing everything that Vegas had to offer. We will make plans in the future to go back for more!

My Wedding!!!

The minute I woke up, I immediately started getting excited! Today was my wedding day, the day I have looked forward to forever!

The morning was very laid back and we took our time getting showers done and getting everything ready to take with us. We had to make sure that nothing was forgotten. Jenny and I were a little late getting to our hair appointment and both Karen and Andrea met us there. My hair dresser Becky and a fellow worker were all ready to work on our hair and make us beautiful.

Becky started working on my hair first so she could spend her time getting it perfect. Since Jeremy loves my hair long and straight we decided to leave most of it down with just the sides up. She came up with the idea to tease my hair on top and create a bump that the veil comb could go in so it would stay. It's amazing how much you can get hair to do what you want with tons of hair gel and hairspray. She twisted several bunches of hair back on either side and secured them with bobby pins. The veil fit perfectly and looked great.

After I was done, I began putting my makeup on. Of course the one thing you dread is getting a zit for your wedding day. I had been fighting it for a couple of days and it wasn't quite gone. Becky gave me some special cover-up for it and you couldn't even see it on my chin. After my makeup was on I walked around talking with the girls and taking pictures as they had their hair done. As the morning wore on Jenny noticed I was getting a little bit antsy about the time. It was getting close to 1pm and we still hadn't eaten lunch. Jenny and I took off to get some sandwiches at Subway and then on to the church. I must have been quite the sight sitting in the car at Subway with my veil on waiting for Jenny. People would walk by and do a double take. Haha! I wanted to be at the church between 1 and 1:30pm so I could start getting ready and have time to take care of any last minute things.


The photographer got there around 2pm and started taking pictures of the boys getting ready. I had made sure to have so much time that I was actually getting bored and really antsy! Jeremy had decided early on that he didn't want to see me before the ceremony. This meant that we had to take individual pictures of the guys and girls and the together and family pictures after the ceremony. It was pretty funny to watch how our coordinator scouted out to make sure Jeremy was no where to be seen when it was my turn to take pictures.

When pictures were finished, the wedding party minus Jeremy got situated in our room and waited. We were able to wait in the "cry" room which has windows that are one way so we could see out but people couldn't see in. It was great to look out and see the guests arriving and knowing they couldn't see you. I was very excited and kept pacing back and forth because I wanted to get the show on the road! Everything looked so beautiful and the music was perfect. I'm even getting excited as I am writing this!

When it was just my dad and I left in the room he probably thought I was nuts. I was watching Jeremy escort my mom and his mom down the aisle to seat them. It was the first time I had seen him that day and the first time seeing him in a tux. He looked so cute and I kept jumping up and down wanting to be out there so bad! Finally it was my turn!!! Jenny, our coordinator had come up with the idea for closing the doors behind the bridal party and then opening them back up for me and giving me a grand entrance. I loved the idea and it worked out perfect. I was all smiles walking down the aisle and watching Jeremy's face and seeing his reaction.

The ceremony was beautiful and we both were able to say our lines without messing up and the rings slipped on our fingers without a hitch. I had found our vows online and loved what they said. We had my parents unity candle burning but decided to have communion instead just between Jeremy, me and Dick(the officiant).

After the ceremony we went to sign the marriage license right away. While we were finishing taking pictures, the guests headed into the reception where they were able to go through the tortilla/salsa bar and have special coffees made while waiting for us. Pictures didn't last very long and then we made our grand entrance. We got started right away on going through the buffet line and eating that yummy mexican food!
Next thing on the agenda was dancing, one of my favorite things. Jeremy and I had a great time talking and laughing during our dance. Then my dad and I got up there and had a blast dancing to Creedence Clearwater Revival. Jeremy and his mom also danced and had to stop early because Carla, his mom started tearing up.

The cake and toasts were next and I wasn't sure how we would do the cake feeding since we hadn't talked about it yet. When it was time, Jeremy surprised me and smeared it all over my face! It was pretty funny and he did help me clean it off. My dad and Jeremy both said a little something and thanked everyone for coming. My sister started crying part way through and had to turn around facing the other direction to finish. Ron, Jeremy's best man made up a rhyming poem that was awesome.
After that Jeremy and I walked around to the different tables saying hi and thanking people for coming. Then we got our groove on and started dancing and letting loose. Jeremy had said he might not dance much because it wasn't his thing, however I was very surprised and impressed how often he came out to dance with me. I had a blast doing the Cotton Eyed Joe song and even the YMCA.
As time passed, I started getting excited about what we were leaving the reception in. My family had been very secretive and wouldn't tell us at all. Both of us left to change clothes and get our bags together. When it was time, the guests who were left had sparklers for us to run through and waiting for us was a 1930's vintage limo. Our driver had champagne and old love songs playing for us. The car was great and really fun to ride in. He drove us to our hotel, the Hampton Inn where we were staying the night.

The room was great with a see through fireplace and a jacuzzi tub. The first thing I noticed after walking in was the most gorgeous bouquet of red roses for me! Jeremy had ordered them the day before and made sure they were in the room for me to find. We had a relaxing night of watching tv, opening up cards and....ok I think that is about all you are going to hear about the rest of the night!
It was a wonderful day and everything went exactly as planned. One of the best days of my life!!!

Bachelorette party

As it got closer to my wedding, my sister planned for me and my bridesmaids to get together and have dinner at Olive Garden. Of course I love that place and couldn't wait. Then afterwards we would head to Karen's house, one of my bridesmaids to watch movies and spend the night.

After the football party Ron and Lori threw us, I started to think about my friends in Tri-Cities I hadn't seen. So I decided to have some of my friends join us at Olive Garden for dinner so I could visit with them. Three of my friends were able to come and we had a great time! The three who came were Erin who I went to high school with, Nicole who I had worked at Kania Clinic with and Lori who I went to x-ray school with. Andrea, another of my bridesmaids wasn't able to make it to dinner because of school but came later to Karen's.

Dinner was great as usual and all my friends got along great and conversation flowed. We sat around and talked wedding details until we were stuffed.

Then Jenny and Karen and I headed over to Karen's house. We weren't there very long and Andrea showed up earlier then expected. We immediately got into our pajamas and Karen made everyone a drink to sip on. We sat around talking and taking some pictures and then we put a movie in. We finished that and decided to head to bed because we had a busy day coming up.

I had a great night spending time with my closest friends and relaxing before the wedding.

Viking's football party

Jeremy chose his long time friend Ron to be his best man at the wedding. They had worked together at Walmart for many years and Jeremy was practically part of their family.

As the wedding got closer, Ron and his wife Lori decided to throw us a bachelor/bachelorette party! Jeremy's favorite football team are the Minnesota Vikings and it just so happened that they had a game on Monday October 5th, the week of the wedding.

So Ron and Lori got reservations at Midway, one of the local taverns in Hermiston. They posted the event as an open house on Facebook and invited lots of people that knew one of us or both Jeremy and I.

Jeremy skipped bowling that night and Ron came to pick us up. We were both wearing the jerseys that Jeremy bought for us. Ron also gave us hats that said bride and groom and mine even had a veil. We had to get pictures with our hats on before getting in the van, per Lori!

When we got to the tavern, Lori had decorated with streamers in the colors yellow and purple and put up signs all over. She even had placed a special order for cupcakes with thick frosting of yellow and purple and cupcakes in the shape of a football. It happened to be taco night at Midway and we ordered some right away. They started us with some drinks and then we just sat back as the game got started. Some people stayed the whole game and chatted while others came later and said a quick congrats before heading out.

It was a really good game and the Vikings won!! This of course made Jeremy very happy and he was having a great time. I was able to meet lots of his friends and guys that he worked with. Lori and I mostly stood around laughing and watching Ron and Jeremy together. I played pool a couple of times and had my streaks of greatness and then my streaks of nothingness.

Towards the end of the night, it was the four of us and only a couple of friends. Ron and Jeremy played numerous games of pool and it was hilarious to watch them play and their interaction especially after they both had consumed many drinks! Finally it was early in the morning and we left about the time the tavern was closing. We decided we were starving and drove through Jack and the Box for food. Then they came in and got a tour of the house before heading home.

Later Lori gave me a photo/scrapbook filled with pictures and words of advice from everyone who had been at the party. We loved it and what a great way for us to remember that night and the fun we had.

Breakdown

So here it is the middle of September and the wedding is getting closer and closer. I really tried to keep calm and collected but I started getting stressed out about making sure everything was taken care of. Jeremy kept telling me to not worry about things and just go with the flow. I tried but I got caught up in the moment and started losing it before I could stop myself.

My breakdown came at the end of two very power packed days of appts. I had to get these appts in on my days off which only left mondays and tuesdays. Monday had been crazy with my mom and I scrambling all over town to make it to four different appts. We were literally running all day long and then I rushed back to Hermiston so I could watch Jeremy bowl in his league.

Tuesday proved to be another busy day and this time Jeremy decided to make the trip with me to Tri-Cities. As the day progressed I became more and more stressed and agitated. I wasn't a very nice person and the littlest things were setting me off. The drive home to Hermiston was not good with Jeremy. He tried to talk to me and see what he could do for me but nothing seemed to be helping.

Finally I broke down with him and started crying. I apologized for how I had been acting and for letting everything get to me and being stressed. He assured me he still loved me and we would get through this together. He offered to help me with whatever I needed and suggested I hand off things to people who were more then willing to help me.

I had been trying to do it all on my own but discovered that it only made things worse. I guess I just needed someone to be stern with me and tell me that this is the way it is going to be! That very next day I wrote out a list of everything that needed to be done or checked on. I called my mom and told her I needed help. She was more then willing to step in and I gave her a list of things to work on. After getting off the phone with her, I felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I felt like now I could enjoy the rest of the planning and look forward to my wedding instead of dreading it. Haha!

Bridal Shower

My sister Jenny who was also my maid of honor, planned my bridal shower for Labor day weekend. She tried to plan it far enough in advance so that people wouldn't be gone for the holiday. The shower was held at my mom's best friends house, Laurine Carey. She was like my second mom growing up and only had boys, so she loved being able to be involved in the wedding planning process.

It just so happened that Jeremy and I had driven in from Denver the day before. When we arrived at my parents, it was pouring rain and we decided to crash there for the night. Jeremy was able to go to my parents church the next day with the family. That was nice since that was where we were getting married.

Since I hadn't been home yet, I left early that afternoon for Hermiston so I could shower and change into my outfit for the bridal shower. Since Jeremy didn't have to dress up and was just going to hang with my dad, he stayed at my parents. Then my friend Tam came to pick me up so I could help her with directions and getting to Laurine's.

There was a big outcome of people and it was great to stand around and talk, especially to those I hadn't seen for awhile. As we got started, they let me know that the theme of the party was recipes. Everyone wrote out some of their favorite recipes and then included some of the ingredients and cookware needed to complete it. It was a great idea and I received lots of excellent recipes and tons of food. I also received non-food items that were more frilly, lacy and scandalous!! Hahaha!

At one point Laurine had me go inside and the ladies got into two different groups and they proceeded to use toilet paper to decorate one lady in their group to look like a bride. I was then supposed to pick my favorite but I liked them both so much that I chose them both.

For food, Laurine had made an orange punch and had nuts and peanut m&m's out to snack on. She also had everyone bring one of their recipes so I had a chance to try it out. It was a great way to see which recipes I really loved and would be making right away.

She decorated her back patio with pots of blue and orange flowers to go with my color scheme. She also made me a beautiful wall hanging with orange poppies! The weather was pleasant enough to have the whole party out on the back patio which was a good thing since Laurine said there wouldn't have been enough room inside for everyone. Haha!

Once the main eating started, I called my dad and Jeremy and had them come over and eat with us. Some of the ladies were able to meet Jeremy for the first time.

I got so many gifts that we had to cram them into several cars. We went back to my parents briefly then my sister, my parents, Jeremy, Tam and I headed to Hermiston. This way they could all help unload the gifts and see how the house unpacking was coming along.

My bridal shower turned out awesome! Thank you so much to my sister and Laurine for all the hard work!

Table decorations

I stayed pretty simple with my table decorations. I didn't want a whole bunch of things on the table that would make it hard for the guests to visit and see each other across the table. We decided to use white tablecloths that the church provided and then we rented royal blue overlays for over the tablecloths.

My mom and I had made an appointment at the place we rented everything from and we left there with a different setup then what I had pictured in my head. I knew we were going to have favor boxes and I had the idea to put them on cake plates in the middle of the tables. That way they were all centralized and it also gave some height to the table. The flowers would be placed in a vase in the middle of the plate, also adding height. So at the appointment we started playing with different ideas and setting things up so I could see it. We decided that the cake plate idea wasn't the best. One reason why was because the guests might not know that they could take the favors. The second reason being that if the favors were taken, the plate would look bare with just the vase of flowers in the middle and nothing else. So we pondered different ideas and came to the decision that we would use two different sizes of vases with three poppies and some grass in it. Even though we placed our order, I left there feeling like I had been talked into something I didn't want.

My mom and I went to a flower appointment with Chandra a week or so later and I told her about my experience. She had worked with them numerous times before and she told me to head back there and pick out what I wanted since it was my wedding. This time we just walked in instead of making an appointment which turned out to be much better. The ladies that had been there before were gone and a women let us look around the room with all their vases. She gave me suggestions but ultimately I picked what I wanted. I stayed with one of the vases and then picked an entirely different one for the second vase. I also picked out two different types of green filler to go in the bottom of the vases.

After the second time, I finally left there feeling satisfied and excited to see it all put together.

Mark and Kate's Wedding

The month of July brought another wedding in the Willer family. This time it was Mark and Kate getting married.

I was able to take off from work early. I drove straight to my parents and changed clothes and then my dad and I rode together. My sister was the wedding coordinator and my mom and her had already been at the church for most of the day helping.
The wedding and reception was held at the church in Etopia, WA. The colors Kate chose were bright and cheerful and perfect for that time of year during the summer. She chose lime green, orange and yellow and used real oranges, limes and lemons in the decorations. Mark loves this certain drink and they were able to personalize the wrapper on each bottle and every guest had one at their seat. After they were announced, everyone began to line up to go through the buffet line.

After everyone had a chance to eat, people moved outside for the reception. The weather was not too warm with a little breeze. The rest of the night was filled with tons of fun dancing and music. I was having a great time and decided to stay a little longer when the rest of my family headed home. The wedding turned out great and I'm glad I was able to go.