Day 84 of 365: White Queen

Had my final dress fitting this evening. Nevermind my crappy hair. It's been weird lately because it's desperate for a trim (which will happen this coming Saturday).

The dress was a tent before, and now it fits light a glove. I've never had anything fit me so perfectly before.

The woman that did my alterations, Lisa, was SO excited to see me when I arrived. She said "I've been waiting for this day!" since she basically had to reconstruct my entire dress. She said "I felt like a dress maker again!" She gushed more than my Mom did when she saw me in the dress....lol.

But yeah, Lisa was afraid I had lost more weight (she said I looked thinner), and she was also afraid I didn't have enough boobage to fill out the top, but it all worked out.

So now it's hanging in my room in the new garment back which is WAY too big for my dress. My veil is pressed and looking lovely.

Now all I need is my groom arrive tomorrow and to break in my shoes a bit more...lol.

Hopefully I get some sleep tonight! We're still very worried that Ian won't get in tomorrow. *sighs*

Day 83 of 365: In My Life....

My brother Michael and I brought the boxes down that I've packed thus far from my room this evening.

Some of the stuff isn't organized, but some is.

And that's just the start of packing up my American life for England.

Two more days until Ian arrives (hopefully)!!

Day 82 of 365: Everybody's Workin' For the Weekend....

But I'm working towards Thursday.

The vacuum was my best friend this evening. I swept as much as I could all over the main floor here in the house.

Ian arrives on Thursday (hopefully)!!!

Day 81 of 365: Although I Laugh And I Act Like a Clown....

Hangover from last night was terrible today, so I basically just hung out with Ashes all day today, trying not to throw up any more.

Bah.

Day 80 of 365: Oh Yes, It's Ladies Night!

Tonight was my Hen Night.

And that's the penis brownie my friend Stephanie and her Mom made for me.

It was one delicious penis...lol.

Day 79 of 365: They Call It Mellow Yellow

I bought that jacket yesterday at Target and I absolutely LOVE IT!

And I know, it's dangerous taking a photo while driving, but I was actually at a stop light when I took this.

Plus, it was a warmer, sunny day in the Cleveland area, so that was worthy of documenting as well.

Day 78 of 365: Strawberry Fields Forever

Mmmm...yum.

So the theme for the week didn't last very long. It's just easier to take pictures of something done during the day than to seek out things I would miss. Oh well, atleast I tried...lol.

So, strawberries. One of my FAVORITE fruits. Hopefully I'll eat both batches fast enough before they go bad. I find that they go bad easily for me. Hmmm....

THEME OF THE WEEK: Things I WON'T Miss In England: Day 77 of 365

This is the KISS-FM channel in Cleveland.

I won't miss it, even though I listen to it all the time.

Why won't I miss it, you ask? Because they play the same 10 songs ALL day.

And I've worked in radio before. There really is no reason as to why a station hast to be limited to 10 songs a day!

*shakes head*

Hopefully BBC1 will be better...lol.

THEME OF THE WEEK: Things I WON'T Miss in England: Day 76 of 365

First of all, Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Now...let's get to the photo, shall we?

So what won't I miss today, you ask?



Rude Americans.

I mean, seriously. You can obviously SEE I'm shorter than you, WHY must you feel the need to stand in front of me during a parade?! Between you two, the woman with the crazy teased hair, and the big Guido guy (who obviously ISN'T Irish.....and I can say that because at least I have English heritage in my blood), I couldn't see or didn't pay much attention to the parade downtown. I had always wanted to go, but never had the day off work and never skipped school when I was younger. My first and last year going, and every single tall person (except for my friend Sonya's fiance, Tom) stood in front of me. *sighs*

I'm sure the English can be rude. But at least it'll be candy coated for awhile for me because I'll be in awe of the accent. :p

Now, I must go to sleep because I'm ill with a terrible cold yet AGAIN. Ian scolded me because I went out today, then complained to him about not feeling well.

And, before I go:



Today is the anniversary of my father-in-law's death. He passed away four years ago from cancer. I may have never met him, but I wish I could have. I know he's looking down on Ian and feeling incredibly proud of him. I know Ian lives his life still trying to make his Dad proud. And I'm sure Ian got a lot of his qualities from his Dad.

Everyone misses you, Dad......even ones that haven't met you. R.I.P., John.

THEME OF THE WEEK: Things I WON'T Miss in England: Day 75 of 365

Chuckholes. Potholes. Whatever you like to call them. I never really saw them when I was in England. I'm sure they exist, but what I don't think you can do in them is take a bath like you can in the ones here in Ohio.

Sidenote!

I went searching FOREVER tonight for a hen night outfit, AND an outfit to wear when I pick Ian up from the airport next week. I tried on lots of stuff, but nothing seemed "right."

So when I got home a half hour ago, a package from my soon to be sister-in-law was sitting on the counter for me. She said she was sending me something, didn't know what it was. But TA DA!!!!


It's the Stella McCartney designed Red Nose Day t-shirt of The Beatles! I absolutely LOVE it, and it's in the washer right now. I don't care if tomorrow is St. Paddy's Day, I'm wearing the t-shirt out...lol.

Cheryl rocks my face off.

THEME OF THE WEEK: Things I WON'T Miss in England....Day 74 of 365

I decided that since the wedding is only two weeks away, I want to reflect on my American life. This week's theme is Things I Won't Miss in England. Either because they have them there, or I just don't like them all that much here....lol.

So, first thing I won't miss is.....



Subway! Why, you ask? Because there was one built in Romsey in October of last year. So all I need to do is walk a mile or so and I can have it whenever I want. Plus, they really are all over Southern England.

Day 73 of 365: Words Of Love You Whisper Soft and True

My last Saturday at work was today. Well, this pending the approval of my visa. But I'm figuring it will DEFINITELY be my last Saturday.

Sooo.....we had a word game before church service today. The ladies came up with 125 words out of "Matrimonial Happiness."

And, those are MY ladies there. I love those ladies to bits. But, because of legal reasons, I can't show you their faces or tell you their names. Buuutt.....one in the front row went "Why are you taking a photo of the backs of our heads?!" So I explained to them this blog. They sort of understood....lol. Was cute though.

Day 72 of 365: You and Those Pussycat Eyes...

Ashes has this fascination with looking out the front window in the morning. The sun is coming up, and the birds are hopping through the yard. He likes the hopping birds. He wants to be their friend.

Day 71 of 365: I Put Some New Shoes On

Today was very uneventful. Was actually VERY tired, and dealing with stressful things (like, trying to get my younger brother to buy a half way decent outfit for the wedding..).

Soooo....the only picture worthy moment was when I took my NEW wedding shoes out of the box to put them on to start breaking them in.

The other ones, which I got in the mail, were WAY too big and I sent them back today. So I went to David's Bridal last night and purchased the ones you see above. Woot!

Day 70 of 365: God Save the Queen

I'm a huge dork. These were my findings at the library today when I wentto get things for work.

Buuuttt.....it's not just for my own pleasure. The residents want to learn about the Royal Family before I leave, so the Monday before Ian arrives I'll be doing an hour long lecture/lesson on those famous Brits. I'm sure some of the information will come in handy when I take my Life in the UK test. Also, if Fred is around I might ask him to help me out.

Annnndd.....the really big wheelchair was still at work today. Anthony and I laughed about it ALL day, and FINALLY had our photo taken with it. And yes, I look exhausted...because I am anymore..lol.

Day 69 of 365: And Empty Clothes that Fall on Empty Chairs

This may look like, possibly, a regular wheelchair. What you don't see is that it's HUGE. I sat it in, and literally two of me could've sat in it. And what I don't get is, it's for a resident that isn't as big as that chair. *shrugs*

Also, we got a new resident in this past weekend. His name is Fredrick, and he's from Birmingham, and absolutely lovely. I kept telling him I wanted to take him home with me to keep me company. He's having surgery tomorrow, so HOPEFULLY all goes well. Will go and visit him on Friday if he's back in the facility.

And I'm absolutely knackered to bits this evening. Made some biscuit pizzas for Michael and I tonight...they turned out nicely.

*yawns*

Day 68 of 365: Gonna Try With a Little Help From My Friends

We're having a food drive for a few weeks this month at work. One of my activities today was to decorate a donation box.

This is what the residents and I did.

Came out kind of cool, actually.

Day 67 of 365: Baby, You Can Drive My Car

(This is actually a sort of cheat post....but I was excited about this. :) )

Ian had been talking about needing to get a car for us.

NORMALLY he relies on his work van to get around long distances. But, with the changes at work, he's not allowed to take the van out on the weekends. Sooooo.....a car was DEFINITELY needed. Plus, once I get there, if my job is a good distance away, I'd need to drive during the week.

He took it to the brewery yesterday to clean it, detail it, etc. And there she is!

Wonder what we're going to name her?

Day 66 of 365: He's a Dancin' Machine...

Tonight I went out with Jessie, Mike, and Nash to go shopping for an outfit for Jessie for the wedding. No luck in the clothing department, BUUUTTT, we DID have a good time.

(And for those of you that don't know, Jessie is my best friend, Mike is her husband, and Nash is their child/my godson)

Especially when we got back to their place and THIS happened:

Nashbutt Raving


Oh my goodness.....I seriously haven't laughed that hard in a LONG time. The whole evening was just funny.

I'm really going to miss those three while I'm gone.

Day 65 of 365: Wanna Be On Top?

Yes, I know Tyra looks like a drag queen here...

...but America's Next Top Model was on tonight (a repeat from Wednesday, thank goodness, since I missed it!). It's one of the very few shows I'm obsessed with. So Ashes and I curled up on the couch to watch.

Go Tyra! Go Tyra! Go Tyra!

Day 64 of 365: Hey You With the Wedding Dress On

Soooo....had my fitting for alterations today. Had to go on my own since everyone was busy, but that's o.k. Took a bit longer than I expected.

Wasn't going to post the dress photos, but Beth said she wants to see, so I figure why not. lol

Here's a shot of the back. I never had one taken when I initially tried dresses on.



Then, full length (remember to look at my leg there, Beth! John Lennon! :D)



The killer though was that alterations cost more than I paid for my dress because the seamstress has to take in 4 inches worth of material, plus fixing the top so she doesn't have to take in a ton on the back, AND take in the chest. *sighs* She also told me not to lose ANY more weight until after the wedding.

Oh well.....it'll all be worth it. :)

I pick the dress up for the final fitting the 25th. I COULD'VE done all that on Friday, the 27th, but decided to spare Ian the boredom of going and dealing with the girly stuff.

Can't believe it's around the corner. YIPEE!

Day 63 of 365: I Wonder How Long It'll Take Til' I'm Home Again

So, today was busy.

Woke up a bit later than I wanted to. Ordered my wedding shoes (photo #1).

Had to fast since I had to go to the hospital to have some blood work drawn. Will get results on Friday.

Then went out and FINALLY ordered the wedding cake. Woot! Then ran some more errands. Saw that furry thing advertising for Alltell (photo #2).

Then stopped and got some crickets on the way home for Gordon (photo #3).

Now just painting my toenails, listening to Lily Allen once again, and going to call Jessie here shortly so I can go to bed early. I've got a headache. And I miss Ian terribly. Bah.

Day 62 of 365: You Say Tomato...

Tuesday nights are "Patty Cooks Dinner" night usually, since my brother Michael is home.

Tonight, I tried a dish from a free cook book I picked up at Giant Eagle featuring tomatoes, which is supposed to be a "super food" according to the book.

These were Breakfast Wraps, which included black beans, tomatoes, cheese, onions, and had a bit of hot sauce in it (although it was barely spicy at all!) And they turned out lovely.

My Dad and I are trying to get Michael to give up meat...highly doubt that'll happen though.

Speaking of which, must go through a cookbook my Dad got from the library and pick out some dishes to make while Ian is here. Gotta get his bootay in gear as well and try to whip him into shape a bit. And I'm only doing it because he asked me to...lol.

Day 61 of 365: I Call Your Name

Today was a typical day at work. Although, my residents are driving me nuts lately. I can't satisfy ANYONE anymore.

Sooo...told one of my residents that they're going to help me make the calender for April since it seems like no one likes anything I put on there anymore, even though whenever I ask them "What would you like to do next month?" the answer is always "I don't know..." *sighs and rolls my eyes*

But, explination of the photo....this week is Name Appreciation Week. In the morning I gave the residents the meaning of their names, and then in the afternoon we did these name crafts. Basically I had to do about 8 of these, and had to write out all the letters for them.....only a few were able to cut out their own stuff. Oh well, they came out nicely though.

Day 60 of 365: Love and Marriage Go Together Like a Horse and Carriage

Yay! It's March!

And you know what that means!?!?!?!?!


I LOVE seeing those days on the calender. :D

Day 59 of 365: I Love the Fishes Cuz They're So Delicious

So some of you know that I'm a vegetarian.

Buuuttt...I still eat fish. Thus, really, making me a pescatarian. Yes, there IS such a thing. lol

Anywho, made some tuna salad this evening for dinner. Was delicious.