Holy crap, I'm getting married a week from today!!

And I actually feel pretty calm and collected - how did that happen? I am a little worried about getting sick. There's a cold or something going around the office, so I have quarntined myself at home, working here for three days (boo) and am loading up on Airbourne and vitamin c.

This past week has been a bit crazy, tracking down last minute stuff for the wedding, making programs and placecards, going for my final dress fitting. Tonight we're going shopping to make sure we have everything for Greece (including a case for my new ipod nano!!).

Tomorrow is Karin and Chris's engagement party. I think I'm going to pick up my wedding dress  in the morning beforehand and then we're staying at my parents' saturday night to do laundry and organize all the wedding suff and make out of town boxes for the hotel on Sunday. Working Monday and Tuesday and then it's full time wedding crap.

I seriously thought this would never actually get this close. Like the first halfff of this year moved in slow motion and now it's all rushing past me to catch up. I'm so excited for the wedding and Greece, but I have to admit it's going to be nice to get my regular life back...

Ugh. So tired today. I feel like I got hit by a truck.

But totally worth it

Saturday was my bachelorette party. Jelli picked me up at my house and drove me to NJ to meet up with the rest of the girls at Karin's house, where we played cheesey games, ate way too much food (mm...snickers cake and brownie martini), did a few rounds of tequilla, beer, and jello shots and headed out to the Phillies game. Chris was wonderful enough to drive us in the very masculine decorated car that was covered in pink signs, including my personal favorite: "on the prowl." He's a good sport.

Had a few more jello shots and a beer and headed into the game. My outfit attracted quite a bit of attention (see pictures below), so we got lots of calls of, "congrats," "don't do it," and "are you sure?"

Watched some of the game (got on the fan-o-vision - hell yes!) and then headed into McFadden's. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:

"Prom" Picture before we left:

Entourage making our way into the park:

Shirt detail:

Happy Bride with Crab Fries:

Looking over my "tasks" for the night:

Distracting the Bull Pen:

Me and the best Maid of Honor ever:

Jelli !!

This could end badly...

Being serenaded Top Gun style:

Meeting up with a bachelor party (note: his shirt says "it's OK to have tiny genitals").

Random guy: "Take a picture with the big man!" Me: "Ok!"

Yeah, we were those girls...

And done.

Well, almost done, anyway, but the pictures from the van home are not for public consumption, haha.

My parents have two little girls who live next door to them that like to come over and play with my mom (there aren't too many kids thier age in the neighborhood and my parents are lonely empty nesters haha). The girls really liked to play with Bean and take her for walks and stuff.

Both girls suffer from anxiety issues, so thier parents decided not to tell them right away (or possibly at all) that Bean died. For now, they think Bean is just very sick and moved in with my grandmother so she wouldn't be alone during the day. The girls are pretty smart and I'm sure will figure it out, but this way they get to deal with it in thier own time.

Randomly, one of them brought over a book they had written about Bean for school a few months ago to show my parents just the other day called "My Neighbor's Dog."

My two favorite pages:

Well, it's been a busy and exciting couple of days. Let's start with Thursday.

So, Thursday afternoon, I started getting hungry for lunch at my normal time (12 on the dot - you could set a watch by my stomach) and looked around to see who was going to eat with me. Funny thing was, ALL of my coworkers had disappeared. Hmm....

Here comes Jelli from around the corner, just getting off her cell phone. "Ready for lunch?" Is there ever any doubt? Well, oddly enough, she leads me in the opposite direction from the lunchroom. "Where are we going?" I ask. She blushes and mutters something about a change of scenery. Mmmhmm, sure...

She leads me into a conference room filled with my coworkers, tons of food, and lots of pink and orange and hands me pink and white leis. Yay, surprise shower! The group of us sat around and stuffed  ourselves with veggie pizza and taco dip (both made by jelli), fruit salad, little dessert things, and carrot cake (made by misscroissant) and told funny wedding stories. The group also gave me a really cute polka dot "grown up" travel bag and some Euros to use in Greece. My coworkers rock!

After the shower, none of us really felt like working, so we started packing for our move into our next temporary location while they are renovating our future permanent space. Went home and straightened up so Katie and Ron could come over. Walked to Iron Hill and sat outside to eat dinner and then headed back to the apartment for ice cream cake and MarioKart.

Friday was my birthday! Got to work, worked, finished packing, etc and then got sent home early when the movers arrived around 3:30ish. Headed home and got ready to meet TJ for my birthday surprise.

Long story (and long drive to the middle of nowhere) short, he took me on a hot air balloon ride! It was so awesome - seriously, best birthday present EVER (although a puppy would be nice, too). We were on the balloon with 6 other people and our pilot who looked like Bob Barker. I thought I'd be scared, but I really wasn't. The only time I got nervous was when I saw the HUGE flame and then again right before we landed. But the ride was so smooth and not scary at all (although I jumped every time he used the flame - that thing is effing loud) .

Some pictures:

TJ "helping"

Inside the balloon while it was filling up (very windy - I had to hold my shirt down, haha)

Almost ready...

Ready for take-off! Notice Bob Barker in the background.

Right before the gum fell out of my mouth (oops)

Our shadow!

In the air

After the ride, we landed in a cul de sac in a cute little neighborhood and all these kids ran out of thier houses. The crew met us in the chase car and, with the help of the neighborhood kids, packed away the balloon and then drove us back in the van. They gave us champagne and cheese and crackers back at the launch site (we even got to keep the glasses) and then we left on our way.

Realizing we were close to Sonic, we decided to try to find it for dinner with the GPS. Well, the GPS screwed up, but our inner cheeseburger compasses won out and we had cheeseburger toasters and tator tots at Sonic for dinner. Went home and pretty much passed out.

All in all, pretty amazing birthday. I'm pretty damn lucky to have someone that would spoil me this badly

Saturday, my parents came down so that my mom and I could go to a wedding shower for an old neighbor in Delaware and then later on we could all go out to dinner to celebrate Father's Day and my birthday. So, we left my dad at the house with the remote and his newspaper and headed to the shower. It was really nice - food was awesome and it was good to see some old friends.

We meet the men back at the apartment and open gifts (Phillies shirt and B52s CD for Daddy, Teapot and sugarbowl for me), play a few quick rounds of MarioKart, and then off to our next eating adventure. For dinner, we had reservations at The Melting Pot. My parents had never been there, but TJ and I are big fans. We drive down (quick Trader Joe's pit stop on the way) and start to figure out the menu, put in our order and get some drinks when the lights go out in the restaurant. This could make things difficult...

We keep drinking our drinks and the waiter brings us our salad and some of the stuff we would dip in our cheese fondue (bread, apples, etc) to snack on so we don't starve and we waited to see what would happen. After sitting in candle light for 30 minutes or so, getting hotter by the second without the AC, the manager tells us the power won't be back until 10 and gives us some gift cards. Screw that. We pay for our drinks and salads and head out. We end up at Outback a few miles up the road - they were smart and had a generator

Sunday was more relaxing - we slept in, read in bed for awhile and then did some laundry and straightening up. Celebrated Father's Day with an impromtu BBQ at TJ's parent's house with his siblings (but oddly enough, not his parents as they are out of town) and had yet another ice cream cake for me and TJ's sister (we share the same birthday).

I think we are officially done celebrating my birth for this year.

Although, I did get one last surprise this morning that I'm pretty sure was pure accident, but I'll call it a birthday miracle - I ended up with a huge window (whole wall of my cube) in my new office space with a view of several trees and the road that leads to our building. I get to watch squirells, people coming into work late or leaving early, AND get to play weather girl for our group. They're going to have to tear me away kicking and screaming from this cube when it's time to move again.

Anthony is Not Funny: An Essay

This past Friday was a very important day for me for two reasons: 1.) it was my 25th birthday and 2.) it was the RSVP deadline for the wedding. Both events made getting the mail on Friday very exciting.

Before I could even get the mail, I saw a large, white cardboard envelope propped up outside the door to our building. A closer look revealed that it had my name on it. Hooray!

I gather up the rest of the mail and run inside. I take stock: two pink envelopes (RSVPs) and two larger card envelopes (birthday cards). Deciding to keep the most mysterious envelope for last I plow through the birthday cards and RSVPs. Setting some boring looking envelopes aside (bills), I tear into the big white envelope and.... it's empty! Oh, wait, not really. A closer look reveals a tiny bit of pink hidden in the bottom left corner. What the... hmm, an RSVP. Odd.

I open it - Mr. Anthony ______  will PROBABLY attend. I don't remember there being a write in option on our RSVP...

Anthony is coming and I am now revoking his pink dress and bridesmaid status to demote him to groomsman.

And one more from dear old Dad:

From: Rob _____
Sent: Friday, June 13, 2008 10:18 AM
To: _______, Lauren
Subject: Re: HAPPY BIRTHDAY - MORE (but you probably read this already)

The Curse of Friday the 13th

Plus, a round-up of our favorite superstitions.

By Tatyana Mishel

It's Friday the 13th—should you have even gotten out of bed?

Yes, most of us will rally today. But even the most pragmatic may put off doing anything like flying, getting married or signing important documents until tomorrow. Admit it: To see Friday, June 13, on the calendar is very different than seeing, say, Friday, June 16. And has there ever been a movie called "Thursday the 27th"?

Today's ill-fated date may be the most widely held superstition among Americans. Just look at the fact that many U.S. buildings are without a 13th floor. Other common superstitions include walking under a ladder (don't violate the Holy Trinity), throwing salt (do, especially after spilling some) and a black cat crossing your path (considered bad luck in much of the West; good luck in Japan).

Of course, many superstitions are centuries old, so their exact origins are often hard to pin down, even debatable. But most superstitions have a popular reference, which is what we looked for in our Web searches.

So: What sort of superstitions do people search for online? The top categories include: animal superstitions (bird superstitions in particular, especially around owls); wedding superstitions (something borrowed, something blue); theater superstitions (don't say "Macbeth" in a theater; call it “the Scottish play” instead); and sports superstitions (the "Madden curse").

One in five U.S. adults say they're somewhat superstitious, according to an Associated Press/Ispos poll. Urbanites are twice as likely to be superstitious as country dwellers. And single men are more superstitious than unmarried women—however, women are more suspicious about, say, the groom seeing the bride the morning of the wedding.

Some superstitions are so enmeshed in our daily habits, we might be oblivious about their untraditional origins.

For example, saying "God bless you" after someone sneezes isn't something Miss Manners created. It's been linked to an old superstition that says a bit of your spirit leaves your body after a sneeze. And how often do you end a good luck story with "knock on wood"? Have you ever told someone to "break a leg" before a performance or event? And how many girls have been given a charm bracelet? All are rooted in superstitions.

But what exactly is a superstition?

According to several online dictionaries found via search, superstitions are a set of irrational beliefs in the supernatural that are based in the fear of the unknown, born from ignorance or exist due to contrary proof. (Harsh words, but there's no sentimentality in a dictionary.) Despite the association with paganism and witchcraft, many superstitions originate from Christianity, as well as folklore and mythology. Some believe "knock on wood" comes from knocking on a wooden cross.

And take Friday the 13th. How did that day and date combination become foreboding? Many historians tie it to the Last Supper (13 men, a betrayal and a final Good Friday crucifixion). Another theory rests on the downfall of the Knights Templar (hundreds of religious knights executed in France on Friday, Oct. 13, 1307).

And "13," all by itself, has its own particular bad juju. It's not just those with triskaidekaphobia who accept the fact that it's best to be without a floor numbered "13." Incidentally, some Asian cultures fear the number four, while Italians don't like 17.

But on this Friday the 13th: For those suffering from paraskevidekatriaphobia, if you can haul yourself out of bed, search for good luck charms. Or make up your own, like wearing a favorite-colored shirt. Eat a good-luck breakfast of marshmallows on toast. Or brush your teeth with exactly 99 brush strokes. Wait—let's not confuse a good old-fashioned superstition with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Tatyana Mishel is an editor at MSN.

Emails from Daddy:

From: Rob _______

Sent: Friday, June 13, 2008 8:41 AM
To: _________, Lauren
Subject: HAPPY BIRTHDAY

But don't forget poet Yeats

My favorite (besides LLB) Malcolm McDowell and his droogs

# 1985 Ashley Olsen (actress, music, fashion)

# 1985 Raz-B (rapper)

# 1970 Rivers Cuomo (singer)

# 1969 Jamie Walters (singer, actor, guitarist)

# 1962 Ally (Alexandra) Sheedy (actress)

# 1954 Tim Allen (actor)

# 1951 Richard Thomas (actor)

# 1943 Malcolm McDowell (actor)

# 1940 Bobby Freeman (singer)

# 1926 Paul Lynde (comedian)

# 1916 Mary Wickes (Wickenhauser) (actress)

# 1915 Don Budge (tennis)June 13, 1986 Ashley Olsen, twin actress, Michelle-Full House

June 13, 1986 Mary Kate Olsen, twin actress, Michelle-Full House

June 13, 1983 Lauren Lee _______, America's Sweetheart

June 13, 1978 Allison Dickey, Miss Iowa Teen USA 1996

June 13, 1977 Alexei Kariozhny, NHL forward, Team Belarus, 1998 Olympics

June 13, 1975 Dave Roche, Lindsay, NHL left wing for the Pittsburgh Penguins

June 13, 1974 Elli Overton, born in Canada, Australian swimmer, Olympics-5th-92, 96

June 13, 1974 Harvey Esajas, Suriname/Dutch soccer player, Feyenoord

June 13, 1974 Valeri Bure, born in Moscow, Russia, NHL right wing, Montreal Canadiens, Oly-S-98

June 13, 1974 Brande Roderick, American Model

June 13, 1973 Ines Gorrochategui, born in Cordoba Arg, tennis star, 1991 Futures-Brindisi

June 13, 1973 Kano Hills, tackle for the New Orleans Saints

June 13, 1973 Sam Adams, NFL defensive tackle for the Seattle Seahawks

June 13, 1972 Sale Isaia, OL for the Baltimore Ravens

June 13, 1971 David Mendenhall, actor, Over the Top, Space Raiders, Witchfire

June 13, 1971 Lauri Marie Gapp, Miss USA-North Dakota 1997

June 13, 1970 Chris Cairns, cricketer, son of Lance, NZ all-rounder

June 13, 1970 Lance Ringnald, born in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. gymnist 1992 Olympics

June 13, 1970 Shaun Young, cricketer, Tasmanian all-rounder, Young Aust 1995

June 13, 1969 Jamie Walters, actor/singer, Heights, Beverly Hills 90210, Shout

June 13, 1969 Robert Harris, NFL defensive end for the New York Giants

June 13, 1968 Bruce Beaton, CFL corner, Montreal Alouettes

June 13, 1968 Deniece Peterson, rocker, 5 Star-Silk and Steel

June 13, 1967 Darren Baker, born in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, cyclist 1996 Olympics

June 13, 1966 Thyme Lewis, born in San Francisco, California, actor, Jonah-Days of our Lives

June 13, 1965 Maninder Singh, cricketer, Indian leftarm spinner in 35 Tests 1982-93

June 13, 1964 Jennifer Gillom, WNBA center and forward, Phoenix Mercury/Oly-gold-1988

June 13, 1964 Sarunas Marciulionis, NBA guard for the Sacramento Kings

June 13, 1964 Laura Kightlinger, American Comedian

June 13, 1963 Bettina Bunge, born in Switz, tennis player, Virginia Slims of California 1983

June 13, 1963 Catarina Lindqvist, born in Sweden, tennis player, Swedish Open 1986

June 13, 1963 Edward Sturing, soccer player, Vitesse

June 13, 1963 Jeff Brehaut, born in Mountain View, California, Nike golfer, 1994 NIKE Alabama-3rd

June 13, 1963 Josef Heiss, Garmisch GER, hockey goaltender, Team Germany 1998

June 13, 1963 Randy Gilhen, born in Zweibrucken, Germany, NHL center, Winnipeg Jets

June 13, 1962 Hannah Storm, sports journalist, CNN, NBC

June 13, 1962 Karen Kurreck, Urbana, Illinois, cyclist 1996 Olympics

June 13, 1962 Mark Frankel, actor, Leon the Pig Farmer

June 13, 1955 Alan Hansen, Scottish Athlete

June 13, 1954 Bo [Robert] Donaldson, rock vocalist, Billy Don't Be a Hero

June 13, 1954 Daniel Seemiller, Pitts, U.S. Olympic table tennis player 1992 Olympics

June 13, 1954 Jorge Santana, rocker, Malo

June 13, 1953 Bo Donaldson, Billy Don't Be a Hero

June 13, 1953 Tim Allen, born in Denver, Colorado, comedian, Tim-Home Improvement, Jungle2Jungle

June 13, 1951 Jonathan Hogan, born in Chicago, Illinois, actor, House on Carroll St

June 13, 1951 Liz Phillips, composer

June 13, 1951 Richard Thomas, born in New York City, John Boy-Waltons, Last Summer, Johnny Belinda

June 13, 1951 Stellan Skarsgard, Swedish actor, Breaking the Waves

June 13, 1949 Dennis Locorriere, Union City, New Jersey, rock guitarist, Dr. Hook

June 13, 1949 Simon Callow, born in London, England, actor, Good Father

June 13, 1948 Joe Roth, American Director

June 13, 1947 Daniel P. A. "Danie" Schutte, South African underminister of Justice

June 13, 1947 Jerrold Nadler, Rep-D-NY

June 13, 1946 Danny Klein, rocker

June 13, 1945 Ronald J Grabe, New York City, Col USAF/astronaut, STS 51-J, 30, 42, 57

June 13, 1945 Whitley Strieber, American Writer

June 13, 1944 Joe Amato, NHRA top fuel drag racing champion 1991

June 13, 1943 Edward Skorek, Poland, volleyball player 1976 Olympics gold

June 13, 1943 Malcolm McDowell, born in Leeds, England, actor, Clockwork Orange, Caligula

June 13, 1942 James Carr, U.S., gospel singer, To Love Somebody

June 13, 1941 Robert Forester, born in Rochester, New York, actor, Banyon, Nakia

June 13, 1941 Tom Hallick, born in Buffalo, New York, actor, Search

June 13, 1940 Bobby Freeman, rocker, Do You Want to Dance

June 13, 1939 Don "Sugarcane" Harris, rocker/actor, Soup for 1, Greeased Lightning

June 13, 1938 Carole Jo Callison, LPGA golfer

June 13, 1938 Gwynne Howell, British opera singer

June 13, 1938 Peter Michael, English electronic manufacturer, UEI, Paintbox

June 13, 1937 Eleanor Holmes Norton, born in Washington D.C., lawyer/, Rep-D-DC

June 13, 1935 Aleksandr Alekseyevich Kiselyov, Russia, cosmonaut

June 13, 1935 Christo [Javacheff], Bulgaria, artist, wrapper, Running Fence

June 13, 1935 Christo, Bulgarian Artist

June 13, 1933 Bob Litty, US

June 13, 1931 Lachlan Macleay, USAF/pilot

June 13, 1928 Jean Villain, writer

June 13, 1928 John Forbes Nash, American Mathematician

June 13, 1927 Knut Wiggen, composer

June 13, 1926 Geoffrey Finsberg, politician

June 13, 1926 Paul Lynde, Mt. Vernon, Ohio, comedian, Uncle Arthur-Bewitched

June 13, 1925 Hans Fellner, bookseller

June 13, 1924 Percy Rodrigues, born in Montreal, Quebec, actor, Brainwaves

June 13, 1920 Eiji Okada, actor, Traffic Jam, Yakuza, Ugly American

June 13, 1920 Knut Nordahl, Sweden, soccer player 1948 Olympics gold

June 13, 1919 Leif Kayser, composer

June 13, 1918 Ben Johnson, born in Foraker, Oklahoma, actor, Chisum, Battle Force, Dillinger

June 13, 1916 Mary Wickes, character actress, Sister Act

June 13, 1915 J. Donald Budge, U.S. tennis player, 1st to hold world's 4 major titles

June 13, 1913 Ralph Edwards, born in Merino, Colorado, TV host, This is Your Life

June 13, 1912 Mary Wickes, born in St. Louis, Missouri, actress, Dennis the Menace, Julia, Doc

June 13, 1911 Albert Cleage, famous African

June 13, 1911 Aly Khan, Italian Public Servant

June 13, 1910 Mary Whitehouse, British Activist

June 13, 1905 Doc Cheatham, jazz musician

June 13, 1905 Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji, cricketer, England 1929-31

June 13, 1903 Harold "Red" Grange, "Galloping Ghost" of football, Illinois Bears

June 13, 1903 Philipp Kutev, composer

June 13, 1903 Harold Grange, American Athlete

June 13, 1901 Lode Zielens, Flemish author/journalist, Obscure Blood

June 13, 1901 Tage F Erlander, Swedish premier, 1946-69

June 13, 1900 Ian Hunter, born in Capetown South Africa, actor, Dr. Blood's Coffin, White Unicorn

June 13, 1899 Carlos Chavez, born in Mexico City, conductor and composer, Sinfonia India

June 13, 1898 Eva J C Beck, actress, Resurrection

June 13, 1897 Paavo Johannes Nurmi, born in Finland, 5K runner, Olympics gold 1920/24/28

June 13, 1894 Jacques-Henri Lartigue, born in France, photographer

June 13, 1894 Mark van Doren, born in Illinois, author, Happy Critic, Transients

June 13, 1893 Dorothy L. Sayers, British Author

June 13, 1892 Basil Rathbone, born in Johannesburg, South Africa, actor, Sherlock Holmes

June 13, 1891 Nell Craig, born in New Jersey, actress, Calling Dr. Kildare, Queen of Sheba

June 13, 1888 Fernando A Nogueira de Seabra Pessoa, Portuguese poet

June 13, 1888 Fernando Pessoa, Portuguese Author

June 13, 1887 Bruno Frank, writer

June 13, 1881 Lois Weber, 1st U.S. woman film director, What Do Men Want?

June 13, 1879 George Gunn, cricketer, elegant English batsman 1907-30

June 13, 1879 Johannes G. Geelkerken, Dutch reformed vicar

June 13, 1875 Max d' Ollone, composer

June 13, 1875 Ma Ferguson, American Politician

June 13, 1874 Leopoldo Lugones, Argentina, writer

June 13, 1869 Ede Poldini, composer

June 13, 1866 Lambertus Zijl, sculptor, Trade scholarship

June 13, 1865 William Butler Yeats, born in Ireland, poet, Wild Swans at Coole-Nobel 1923

June 13, 1864 Johan R. Kjellen, Swedish sociologist

June 13, 1863 Josef Venantius von Woss, composer

June 13, 1854 Charles Algernon Parsons, British inventor, steam turbine

June 13, 1831 James Clerk Maxwell, Scotish physicist, electromagnetic theory

June 13, 1831 James C. Maxwell, Scottish Mathematician

June 13, 1829 Antonio Zamara, composer

June 13, 1825 Benjamin Jefferson Hill, Brig General Confederate Army, died in 1880

June 13, 1824 Julius Eichberg, composer

June 13, 1823 Gustave Paul Cluseret, Brig General Union volunteers, died in 1900

June 13, 1821 Albert, duc de Broglie, France, premier, 1873-74, 1977

June 13, 1821 Navy Gustavus Vasa Fox, Assistant Secretary, Union, died in 1883

June 13, 1820 WF Hendrik, the Navigator, prince of the Netherlands/admiral

June 13, 1809 George Philip St. Cooke, Bvt Major General Union Army, died in 1895

June 13, 1806 Bernard ter Haar, Dutch vicar/poet/church historian

June 13, 1795 Thomas Arnold, English educator/historian, History of Rome

June 13, 1790 Jose Antonio Paez, president of Venezuela

June 13, 1786 Winfield Scott, army general, Union, presidential candidate

June 13, 1775 Antoni Henryk Radziwill, composer

June 13, 1773 Thomas Young, British philologist/physician, light interference

June 13, 1765 Anton Eberl, composer

June 13, 1763 Jose B de Andrada e Silva, premier of Brazil

June 13, 1761 Anton Wranitzky, composer

June 13, 1757 Christian Ludwig Dieter, composer

June 13, 1752 Fanny Burney, England, author, Camille, Evelina

June 13, 1736 Henryk Klein, composer

June 13, 1701 Angelo Antonio Caroli, composer

June 13, 1627 Fidel Molitor, composer

June 13, 1612 Karel van Croij, prince of Chimay/Duke of Aarschot

June 13, 1592 Tobias Michael, composer

June 13, 1539 Jost/Jobst/Jodocus Amman, Swiss cartoonist/graphic artist/illustrator

June 13, 823 Charles II, the Bald, King of France, 843-77, /emperor, 875-77

June 13, 40 Gnaeus Julius Agricola, Roman general; conquered Wales, No England

From: Rob __________
Sent: Friday, June 13, 2008 8:57 AM
To: __________, Lauren
Subject: BDAY

Horoscopes for Friday, June 13

Jun 13, 2008 04:30 AM

Phil Booth

Thought for the Day: Uranus forms a harsh 90-degree angle to the sun. This alignment has been building up for many days and is likely to bring some revelation, shock or perhaps even the fall of a world leader. Beware also tha financial markets are also likely to be highly volatile.

If today is your birthday: Now that you are so long in the tooth, your hard gained wisdom will help start a new highly satisfying era. You are as old as you think and as young as you want to be. Your biggest and best adventures are about to begin. Happy birthday to Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen, 22.

From: Rob ________
Sent: Friday, June 13, 2008 8:59 AM
To: ___________, Lauren
Subject: History

Today in History - June 13

Hey - it's the jackass guy's birthday today

By The Associated Press – 8 hours ago

Today is Friday, June 13, the 165 day of 2008. There are 201 days left in the year.

On June 13, 1966, the Supreme Court issued its landmark Miranda v. Arizona decision, ruling that criminal suspects had to be informed of their constitutional right to consult with an attorney and to remain silent before being questioned by police.

On this date:

In 1886, King Ludwig II of Bavaria drowned in Lake Starnberg.

In 1927, aviation hero Charles Lindbergh was honored with a ticker-tape parade in New York City.

In 1935, James Braddock claimed the title of world heavyweight boxing champion from Max Baer in a 15-round fight in Long Island City, N.Y.

In 1944, Germany began launching flying-bomb attacks against Britain during World War II.

In 1957, the Mayflower II, a replica of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to America in 1620, arrived at Plymouth, Mass., after a nearly two-month journey from England.

In 1967, President Johnson nominated Solicitor-General Thurgood Marshall to become the first black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 1971, The New York Times began publishing excerpts of the Pentagon Papers, a secret study of America's involvement in Vietnam.

In 1981, a scare occurred during a parade in London when a teenager fired six blank shots at Queen Elizabeth II.

In 1983, the U.S. space probe Pioneer 10, launched in 1972, became the first spacecraft to leave the solar system as it crossed the orbit of Neptune.

In 1996, the 81-day-old Freemen standoff ended as 16 remaining members of the anti-government group surrendered to the FBI and left their Montana ranch.

Ten years ago: Civil rights leaders and politicians called for an end to racial violence as hundreds of mourners gathered in Jasper, Texas, for the funeral of James Byrd Jr., a black man who was brutally killed by white supremacists. President Clinton visited Thurston High School in Springfield, Ore., where two students were killed and 22 others wounded by a student gunman the previous month.

Five years ago: U.S. forces killed 27 Iraqi fighters after the Iraqis attacked an American tank patrol north of Baghdad. Israel broadened its campaign against Palestinian militants, saying it would strike political as well as military leaders who targeted Israel with terrorism. Hundreds of pro-cleric militants and security forces in Tehran clashed with Iranians throughout the capital.

One year ago: In Beirut, Lebanon, a powerful car bombing killed Walid Eido, a prominent anti-Syrian legislator. Insurgents blew up the two minarets of a revered Shiite shrine in Samarra, Iraq, a year after the shrine's golden dome was destroyed in a bombing.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Bob McGrath is 76. Artist Christo is 73. Artist Jeanne-Claude is 73. Magician Siegfried (Siegfried & Roy) is 69. Singer Bobby Freeman is 68. Actor Malcolm McDowell is 65. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is 64. Singer Dennis Locorriere (Dr. Hook) is 59. Actor Richard Thomas is 57. Actor Jonathan Hogan is 57. Actor Stellan Skarsgard is 57. Comedian Tim Allen is 55. Actress Ally Sheedy is 46. TV anchor Hannah Storm is 46. Rock musician Paul deLisle (Smash Mouth) is 45. Singer David Gray is 40. Rhythm-and-blues singer Deniece Pearson (Five Star) is 40. Rock musician Soren Rasted (Aqua) is 39. Actor Jamie Walters is 39. Singer-musician Rivers Cuomo (Weezer) is 38. Country singer Susan Haynes is 36. Actor Steve-O ("Jackass") is 34. Actor Ethan Embry is 30. Actor Chris Evans is 27. Actress Sarah Schaub is 25. Singer Raz B is 23. Actress Kat Dennings is 22. Actress Ashley Olsen is 22. Actress Mary-Kate Olsen is 22.

Thought for Today: "Of all forms of caution, caution in love is perhaps the most fatal to true happiness." — Bertrand Russell, English mathematician and philosopher (1872-1970).

What a wierd day.

I woke up this morning to TJ's alarm clock playing the Preston and Steve show - they were talking about elephants fencing. Imagine my dreams when I drifted back to sleep.

An hour or so later TJ burts into the room and says, "well in the two years of us leaving my car at the train station and picking it up later, guess what we finally forgot to do last night."

Crap, that's right, TJ was stranded with no car while I was still in pjs. We negotiated the best course of action and I got dressed and ready for work faster than ever before, dropped him off at the train station (getting him to work an hour or so late) and drove to work (getting me there 45 minutes or so early). Oh, well, I actually needed to make up some time at work from my root canal yesterday, so it worked out ok.

Worked pretty steadily all morning even though it's sort of strange day here, too. My boss is without electricity, so she's out today and our office is moving on Friday, so everyone is trying to sort themselves out.

Took a break after lunch to catch up on some Knot message boards, only to get wrapped up reading about a woman who was supposed to get married next weekend except that her fiance passed away suddenly. I scrolled through her pictures, getting pretty choked up, but then had to stop completely when I saw that she had the same wedding dress as me. Not to make it about me, but that gave me goosebumps for a good hour.

Moving on, I got back to working.

TJ IMs me to tell me his dad called from thier family reunion trip in California to tell him that TJ's dad's cousin died last night from carbon monoxide poisening and his wife is very ill from it. TJ's ok, just a little shaken, as am I as I realize how small my world has become when my next thought was wondering if they had RSVPed to the wedding. Man, I want my normal brain back.

We didn't really know the cousin, but it's very sad news for the family. Everyone is out in CA for the reunion, so I don't know when they're going to do anything or if maybe they'll end the trip early.

It's been that kind of week I guess - life keeps giving me not-so-subtle reminders that I am not the center of the universe. It's appreciated, I guess, but couldn't life do it through good things like puppies and babies or something?

I was talking to my mom about my birthday yestersday and she started crying. She said last June was the worst month of her life - I think with the wedding so close and my birthday 2 days away and Monday being our "engagement anniversary," I forgot that there was so much else going this time last year.

We found out on my birthday last year that my uncle was dying. Seems absolutely insane that was only a year ago.

Yay early birthday present! I just reached into my purse to pull out my jury duty letter (to write my request to postpone ) and found the new Weezer CD from TJ that I stashed there last night. Yay for new music to listen to at work!

Am I over the top? Someone sort of hinted I was after I mentioned I was making rehearsal dinner invitations. Well, we do need a final headcount and we do need to get everyone the information, so...

Whatever. We made these last night (and yes, I realize they are birth announcements here, but we changed that):

And I'll be dressing sort of formal, so screw everyone else that shows up in jeans. My dress:

Anyway.

We had our last meeting with our one priest last night (the one we're doing prep with, not the one who's marrying us) and did our Pre-marital Investigation. Sounds scary right?

It wasn't so bad - just some questions like where were you babtized, do you go to mass, etc., etc. The one that made me crack up and turn bright red was something along the lines of, "Are you aware that there is a physical part of a married relationship?" This led to an interesting tangent about consumating a marriage. Then there was the "are you willing to do what you need to do physically to produce children?" question. Fun stuff to talk to a priest about, let me tell you. He also inquired about my physical and mental health and squirmed just a bit when I told him I had been in therapy lately. I blamed it on grief counseling and he relaxed, but I got the, why didn't you talk to your priest about this? vibe. Oh, well. I already admitted to not going to mass, so what do you want from me?

TJ put in our air conditioners yesterday, so I guess it's officially summer. It's funny, I realized last night that I swore up and down that we'd move somewhere with central air after that first summer in this apartment. Well, now we're going into our third summer and, although we're short on extra space, I really love it there. Which is good, considering the "confession" he laid on me over dinner - TJ applied to work for Obama's campaign. I think he expected me to be upset because we're talking major paycut, possibly him being on the road a lot, working crappy hours, and possible putting a kink in our home-buying plans if anything comes of it - but I'm actually pretty proud of him for even thinking about it. I guess we'll cross those bridges if and when we come to them.

I think I'm going to be a bad wife...

How about some pictures? Can you tell I'm unmotivated today??

 Longwood Gardens trip with Alli, Anne, and Jelli :

Some daisies:

What my banana tree could look like if she'd just put her mind to it:

Fuzzy tulips!

Ok, picture him with google eyes...

And Jelly Bean trying on my veil:

She really liked it, too. Just cuddled right into it.

TJ "working" from home and babysitting our adorable niece, Tamara:

Mike and Brooke's wedding shower over memorial day:

The lovely bride and groom with the customary bow hat on the groom (Ok, well now it's customary):

Bugs!

And more bugs!

Mom-mom was tired from all the present-opening:

Daddy was tired from all the sunshine and beer:

Mom relaxing after doing tons of work setting up:

TJ looking pretty:

Me and Bean:

And from the BBQ at TJ's dad's cousin's the next day:

Baby Tamara:

Tamara and her mommy and great-grandfather (AKA Big Papou):

I know this officially makes me the strangest person in the world, but I've always wanted to be called for jury duty. I'll have been eligible for it for almost 7 years now and have never been summoned.

Yesterday, I walk in the door and check the mail for shiny pink envelopes (wedding RSVPs) and get a record 5 in one day! Very excited, I grab the rest of the mail and run upstairs. Before I can tear into the pink envelopes, I notice a very official looking envelope saying "open immediately" in a very imposing font. I follow directions.

Three confusing papers fall out with bold letters everywhere, making my eyes zig-zag across the pages. I decipher "Chester County Courthouse," "summons," and "jury selection." Hooray! I finally get to do my civic duty!

Dancing around the apartment, it suddenly occurs to me, "oh hey, I'm getting married in a month and will then be out of the country for a week, what are the chances I can't go." So, I look at the dates: July 14-15. I'll be in Greece!

Visions of my free day off from work, walking to the courthouse only a few blocks away from home in the bright sunlight instead of driving 45 minutes to work and getting my $9 from the government to pay for my lunch dissapate as I sit down on the sofa. No $9 free lunch for me.

Seriously? No one ever wants jury duty. Except me. And I can't go.

As I told TJ, "I just want to judge people!"

From Jelli 

Rules: Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following...They MUST be real places, names, things...NOTHING made up! If you can't think of anything, skip it. Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

Your name: Lauren

1. Athlete:

2. 4 letter word: Long, love, luau, loop, land, limo, lime

3. Street name:

4. Color: Lavendar

5. Gifts/presents: lavendor scented stuff, locket

6. Vehicles: Lamborghini, Limo

7. Tropical Locations: St. Lucia

8. College Majors: Literature, Law

9. Dairy Products: Low-fat milk, light cream cheese

10. Things in a Souvenir Shop: Lighters

11. Boy Name: Lawrence, Lee

12. Girl Name: Lane, Laura, Leah

13. Movie Titles: Lawrence of Arabia

14. Alcohol: Lemondrop

15. Occupations: Lawyer

16. Flowers:  Lilac, lavendar, lily

17. Celebrities:

18. Magazines:

19. U.S. Cities: Los Angelas

20. Pro Sports Team: Lakers

Wow, I suck at that, even with using Google..

I think my brain has turned into wedding mush. Seriously, can't think (or talk) about anything other than pink and orange table clothes, margarita machines, ribbons, place cards, rsvps, tuxes, what to wear in Greece, rehearsal dinners, showers, engagement parties... I could go on forever.

I'll be getting married in 7 weeks and about 45 minutes.

My brother is getting married in August and my mom, aunt, and I are having a shower for him and his fiance next weekend. One of my best friends got engaged last month and her planning is already in full swing. From now until August second I have: a bridal shower for an old neighbor (buying a gift tomorrow); an engagement party for the aforementioned friend; the shower next weekend (prepping/cooking all this week); our rehearsal dinner, wedding, day after BBQ, and honeymoon; and my brother's wedding and all the events that go with it.

Is it a wonder my head is a pink and orange glittery mess right now?

While my anal retentiveness will pay off in the end, I'm sure, right now I can hardley get anything done (non-wedding related) without thinking, oh, I need to add so and so to the shower RSVP list, I really should make a complete list of all of our vendor's contact information, or why don't I make a nice, color-coded schedule of all of the final payments we need to make?

I really didn't want to be that girl. I wanted to still be able to talk about and do interesting things while I was wedding planning. But now I can't even remember what I used to talk to people about. I can feel myself going on and on about wedding-ness and boring everyone around me (no one really cares about tablecards, I know), but I don't know how to stop it.

There should be a support group for this.

Work is boring today. And cold - my fingers are a little purpley.

This weekend was a lot of fun, albeit busy. Friday, TJ and I went for our first dance lesson for the wedding. I was a little nervous about the whole thing, seeing as how I'm an uncordinated klutz who doesn't know her left from right, but the instructors put as at ease right away after cracking up at the duck that TJ drew on our little info sheet while we were waiting for the couple before us to finish up.

The instructor, Valerie, put on our song ("Blue Eyes" by the Carey Brothers) and lit up after she heard the tempo.

"Do you know what this is?"

Shook heads "no."

"This is a waltz!!" and then proceeded to dance around the room. So, yeah, we're waltzing for our first dance - won't everyone (everyone not reading this, anyway) be surprised.

Afterwards we walked around town for first friday and bought CDs and ice cream (mmm... West Chester Scoops) and then I fell asleep on the sofa while TJ worked on a website. All in all, a pretty good night.

Saturday was Yiayia and Papou's 50th anniversary party. It was really nice - good food, open bar, lots of fun. Highlights include Yiayia and Papou reinacting the first dance at thier wedding, every cousin getting up to give a toast and almost everyone of them incorporating food somehow, playing with baby Tamara, and watching what happens on the dance floor when you use bottles of Ouzo as centerpieces on all of the tables. Mmm and champagne and baklava - seriously, what could be better?

Sunday, TJ and I drove into Philly to eat pancakes and pick up our wedding rings. The dark chocolate chip cookie dough pancakes were AMAZING and everything I'd dreamt they'd be. My ring is beautiful and looks like this:

TJ's was too big, so they are sending it back and ordering him a smaller one. Good thing we ordered early, I guess.

On the way home, we took a little detour to Ikea to use the potty and buy a new lamp. Went home, took a nap, and then headed off to see Iron Man, which was awesome. Dinner at the diner and then home to clean because I am anal retentive and have trouble starting the week with a messy apartment.

Anyway, with less than 2 months until the wedding I think I'm allowed to officially start counting down. 60 days. We're getting our marriage license on Wednesday and then I have another dress fitting. Meet with priest thursday; dance lesson friday; meeting with reception coordinator, florist, getting boys and dads measured for tuxes, and trying out a rehearsal dinner place all next week. Can I just go to Greece NOW??