Greatest Day....Part 2

After going to bed (I should say stupidly) at 3 am the night before my wedding, I ended up waking up at 7:30 the following morning, feeling a little anxious.  I left my room and walked around the hotel and ran into random family members that were waking up and getting breakfast.  "You have to be the calmest husband to be ever!" I kept hearing.

Little did they know that I could not shut my brain off.  I tried going back to bed for awhile, but that did not happen.  After breakfast, I walked around for awhile and then they guys and I went to a luxorious lunch (subway) because we didn't have a lot of time.

After lunch, it was off to the church.  The priest told us to be there at 1 for the ceremony at 2.  So of course, I was there by 10 after 1, pacing in the driveway, waiting for Timmy to show up (he stayed at the farm with the girls).  Once everyone was there, we made our way to the church to get our flowers and getting ready.  Sure enough, the priest was nowhere to be found.  Why ask me to be there by 1 if you aren't going to be there yourself?

Chris and I were hanging out in the back of the church waiting for the priest to show up until quarter til 2.  Finally, I asked Chris to go find him, because I didn't know if he forgot or if he was lost, or what.  Not to mention, family and friends were sitting in the dark because none of the church lights were on.  Chris was able to locate the priest, finally, and the moment neared closer.

When the ceremony started, I was extremely nervous.  Finally, I saw Emily coming down the aisle with her father.  She looking simply breathtaking.  That was the moment that everything washed away (the nerves, the anxiety, the worrying about money, etc) and I knew everything was going to be great.  She looked amazing. 

Throughout the ceremony, I would sneak these little glances at her because she just looked so beautiful.  Everything was great and the ceremony seemed to fly by.  I do remember during Communion, when the priest was about to serve Emily the wine, thinking "Don't spill it, Don't spill it".  I could just picture him slipping and the cup of wine going all over that beautiful dress.

Once the ceremony was over, Emily and I walked out of the church Mr. and Mrs. Laurin, with the crowd clapping the whole way.  High fives were exchanged amongst the bridal party and we finished our receiving line pretty quickly.

"Time to have some fun" we all agreed as we piled into the Hummer limo.

More to come....

Join a Gym...Really????

Ok, so Em and I recently received a coupon in the mail for a local gym for $10.00 a month....Great deal, right?  Well we decided to visit said gym today and take a look around because we wanted to see if it was a good idea to drop the money.  We are also looking to buy a house in the next couple months so money is something that is coming at a premium now. 

So we went to the gym and looked around.  One of the big things I was looking for was a basketball court, which they had.  So we got there and walked around and the first thing I noticed was that the court was being used for a dance class.  So I came to find out that the classes are always on the court, leaving little time for the pick up games that I was looking forward to.  Oh well, moving on....

The rest of the gym was nice, don't get me wrong but it seemed very tight between all the equipment.  I think I could deal with it. 

If anyone has ever been to the gym in January, you know that there are those "newbies" who made their resolution, are there to work hard, but will be gone by March.  And, they are so prone to talking on the phone or chatting with one another, it takes literally 20 minutes to do 3 sets on a bench.  I have dealt with this before, but I guess I am losing patience in my old age.

So it came down to the price.  I could deal with all these issues because I would go, put my head down and work hard then go home.  I'm not there to make friends or meet girls.  I'm good in both categories.  So the deal was $10 a month for at least 1 year.  Then there is a $20 fee for their "card".  Then, come to find out, there is a $20 lock in fee to guarantee that $10.00 for the time.  That fee is applied in January and June.  Originally, $120 bucks for 1 year.  Easy decision

Their price-120+20(card)+40(rate guarantee)=180 a year.  Still not bad, but I'll pass.  I can go down to my basement, put on loud music and bust my butt for 1 hour then walk upstairs, shower and put on my sweats.

My price=free.

The Greatest Day in my Life Part 1

I thought I would take the time and talk a little bit about our wedding day, September 18th.  The whole planning phase of the wedding was really not all that bad, but for those guy's out there who are about to be married, let me offer you some advice "Yes honey, whatever you want" is, by far, the best thing you can say to ANYTHING!!!  Forget the price, because your are going to drop a bundle anyways....

As the day approached, we did the traditional bachelor and bachelorette parties, which were fun, although I thought I might die during my golf outing, as my brother-in-law to be drove a golf ball literally feet from my head....Oh well, I will get him back.

Finally came the week of the wedding.  We made the final 50 trips to Hobby Lobby and Michaels and finally got everything we needed.  Em and I both took the Thursday and Friday off before our wedding to make sure all the final details were finished.  We went to lunch with Mel and Cliff and brought stuff to Burgandy Basin so they could prep for the big day.  On Friday, we both woke up to a crappy, rainy day with a lot of work to do. 

After hours of tedious set up for our pictures (at Em's parents, which came out great), we got ready in a hurry and went to our rehearsal at the church.  We went through the ceremony twice with the family and went to our rehearsal dinner at Delmonico's. 

All I can say is that Delmonico's was great.  They went out of their way to make that night very fun and special.  They even had a magician, which I thought was going to be lame, but ended up being pretty cool.  At the end of the night, they gave us a gift basket full of goodies, including liquor, a bottle of wine and a gift certificate.  We asked if they did this usually, and they said they only do it for those parties that they like.  What a great place!!! 

The rehearsal party was so much fun because I got to see some of my family that I haven't seen in years, including Uncle Dan and Aunt Colleen and Uncle Bob and Aunt Pat.  For some of them, this was the first time they got to meet Emily and they definently approved.  We drank, ate, told jokes and made speeches (I made speeches, everyone listened). 

After the dinner Emily and I split up for the night with one last kiss and headed in our separate directions.  She went with her mom and sisters and friends (and Tim) to her parents house for a night of drinking and laughing.  I went with my family and boys to the hotel for a debacle of a night.  We had so much fun with everyone (Aunts, Uncles, cousins, etc.) that I haven't seen in awhile.  That night, John Mc, Mike Mc, my dad, Uncle Tom and myself stayed up til 3 am drinking, laughing and telling stories.  It was perfect.  Couldn't ask for a better night.

The next day would be even more fun.  More to come......

My First Post

Ok, so this is my first blog.  Little bit about myself:  29 years old, just married (Sept), living in Buffalo NY and working for a large, local bank.  I am married to the greatest girl in the world and we have been together for a little over 5 years now.  We started dating after I was lucky enough to meet her at a country concert (my first).  From there, we hit it off and quickly fell in love.  Sure, it took me awhile to ask the question, but it was the greatest choice I have ever made. 

We were recently married in Em's home town of Caledonia with all of our family and friends.  By far, this was the greatest day of my life.  If you were lucky enough to attend, you know that party was rocking.  At one point, we had an entire bridal party from another wedding at our reception (they were "Partying" next door).  They decided our party was way better.

Em and I have been living together for 3 and 1/2 years now and we have added Peyton to our family.  Peyton is by far the toughest, meanest, most brave 13 lbs dog you will ever meet.  But he is completely awesome.  I never thought I would have bought a small dog, but he is the most loyal friend I could ask for.  Pictures will be coming in future posts.

Em and I love to spend time together, as we are not much of loaners.  We are big fans of hanging out with friends (usually in) rather than going to a bar and dropping 60.00 on 4 drinks.  We also love to work out and enjoy spending time outside, which is tough in the frigid tundra of WNY.  Soon enough though, that snow will thaw and we will be outside enjoying the sun.  This summer is gonna be tough, as we have several weddings, but we plan to work in some white water rafting for the first time and some hiking.  

Anyways, I'm out...more to come....