Ray Ray's Wedding

When you enter your mid-twenties a phenomenon happens. You go to weddings. Not one or two weddings here and there, but 900 weddings in the span of 4 years. Those of you who are past this stage in your life, you know what I mean. Those of you who are not, start saving now!! At any rate, this weekend was my best friend Ryan's wedding. Part of me wondered if by the time we got to this, I'd be too weddinged out, detached, and unemotional. Given that I literally have been to 16 weddings in the past 3 and a half years, I just wondered if I might be over it. But when she put on that dress and turned around to look at her admirers I completely broke down.

Let me back up a bit and give you a sense of why, maybe more than most, this wedding really got me.

Ryan and were not terribly close early in college although we played rugby together and had many mutual friends. Our junior year we started hanging out quite a bit, mostly because we were dating guys who were also good friends and roomed together. It wasn't until the year after college though, that Ryan and I became best friends. We were both single, her college boyfriend having broke her heart, and Ryan lived in Boston while I was up in Maine. Every weekend and even some weeknights I'd travel down to Boston, stay with Ray (Ryan's nickname), and we'd hit up the town, meeting new people, becoming not just bigger Red Sox fans, but experts that year, and lamenting that we'd never meet the perfect guy. We were attached at the hip, and people thought we were sisters. We chatted on the phone sometimes for hours, and called each other in a panic before we went on one of many blind dates. We even took a 2.5 day road trip to Tennessee to surprise a good friend. We were inseparable.

Then Ryan met Shawn. I remember the night she met him. It was a blind date, and she called me from the parking lot, like she always would, freaking out about her nerves. It was different this time though. I think Ryan knew before she even met Shawn, that she was going to marry him. Obviously the date went well, and they started becoming very serious.

Oh, have I mentioned, this date was over 5 years ago.

Ryan and I have stayed close, but have naturally found a distance that most friends do as they get serious and begin to settle down. The road that she and Shawn were on was a rocky one for a bit. He had just gotten out of a relationship that about destroyed him, and because of it, it was hard for him to be close to Ryan. I can't tell you how many times I told her to just move on. But she didn't. And he didn't propose. And he didn't propose. And he didn't propose. Ryan was in our friend Meg's wedding, and then mine, but as the classic saying goes, she was always the bridesmaid never the bride. Until last fall. He finally proposed, and Ryan finally got to be the bride. This weekend at their wedding I realized that what I had always hoped would be the reason he took so long to marry her would be true. When he knew 110%, with no doubt in his mind that this would be his wife, he asked her, but not a moment sooner. I have so much respect for someone who knows themself well enough to wait, and even more for the woman who waited for him. When she walked down the aisle Saturday afternoon to greet her groom, and that strong willed Boston boy started to cry, not a single person in the room doubted that it was worth every second they waited to get to this day. They are so in love, and my best friend has found her best husband.

I feel the need to add that I have been beyond thrilled for all of my friends who have gotten married over the past few years. Each of them have found a partner who gives them a joy that we always hoped we would find. I think with Ray, it just got me a little more because I know how much she has waited for this day with Shawn.

Ok, enough blabbing. Time for some pictures!! Ryan's photographer was a friend of mine, who I met as she photograped many weddings of my friends from the Knot. Her name is Clare, and she is fantastic. She's posted a teaser on her blog and I'll let you all know when she posts more, as she always does. In the meantime, here are a few of my very very nonprofessional but favorite pics from the day.

What a night at the ballpark!!

So, my friend Kristen and I are both pretty big Red Sox fan, yet for some reason we'd never been to a game together. Being the awesome friend she is, she sent me this shirt as a congratulatory gift when I got my new job, so I said, we need to get to a game!! So, knowing my travel schedule would be keeping me in Mass and NH quite a bit, I got online and picked a night to go. Little did I know, this would be the night the Sox would clinch the playoffs!! The game was a blast. It was the first time I've been to a night game in quite awhile, and I forgot how exciting it was! It was a close one and of course Papelbon came through and won it for the Sox in the 9th inning. We stayed around for quite awhile afterwards to get some pictures of a few of our favorites!!

Wake and Timlin

Yooooooook!

Me and Kristen

Beckett

Coco and His Family

Papi!

Let the Travel Begin!

So I am on my first official trip for my new job. I am currently slummin' it in a less than wonderful Best Western just outside of Boston. While the hotel may not be the best thing I've experienced in awhile, the job just may be. Today I had four "mini fairs" at four different high schools. Mini fairs are a lot like the big nighttime college fairs you may remember, with tons of different colleges set up at tables, only this is only for the juniors and seniors at the school you are visiting. Its a really great opportunity for the students, and I wish we had done it when I was in high school. The crazy thing though is that the fairs are scheduled virtually back to back with only enough time for travel in between. So at the end of the fair, all the representatives pack up as quickly as possible (we're talking like a 30 second whip all of your materials in a bag), run out the door, drive to the next fair, and do a very quick set up before the students show up. You barely have time to breath. Its funny though to see 60 people with their rolling black bags flying into a school and then the line of cars driving to the next one. Its a little stressful, but exciting too, and I love the "challenge" of getting to each place. The other representatives are really friendly, and I had some great questions from students. It has literally been so long since I have loved going to work each day, and I can't explain how great it feels to be energized by my job like I did when I was teaching.

Tomorrow I have four more mini-fairs, including one at Braintree High where I last taught! I actually still have students there so I'm so excited to see them and my teacher friends!

No Time to Think!!

Life is BUSY!!!! Between a new job, planning my upcoming travel, and a new puppy in the house, I don't even have time to think, so please forgive me for slacking on the blog a bit! Rowdy is great, a handful for sure, but lots of fun. I don't think one can truly understand how difficult a puppy (especially a chocolate lab puppy) is until getting one. Jim and I knew we'd be lacking in sleep but I think we underestimated the amount of undivided attention a puppy requires. Our day looks something like this:

5:30am - Kristina gets up with Rowdy, takes him out, plays, plays, plays, with several sips of strong coffee in between puppy jumps and kisses.

6:00am - Jim gets up, and gets in the shower. Kristina attempts to make lunches while preventing the cats from attacking the puppy and the puppy from peeing on the floor.

6:20am - Kristina gets in the shower, Jim attempts to get dressed and drink his strong coffee in between puppy jumps, breakfast, and attempted poops on the floor.

7:20am - Kristina and Jim run out of the house like mad people.

Work Mornings - Busy busy busy, as both of our jobs are now requiring 100% focus all day.

12:00pm - Jim drives 20 minutes home, takes puppy to the park, and drives 20 minutes back to work.

Work Afternoon - Busy busy busy

5:00pm - Kristina gets home, gets attacked by puppy, takes puppy for walk in which he walks in front of her, in back of her, to the left of her, to the right of her, stops to smell grass, and finally poops.

5:30pm - Jim gets home to find puppy eating Kristina's pants, eating grass, eating his chuckit toy, eating anything he's not supposed to.

6-9pm - Jim and Kristina run around like insane human beings attempting to feed puppy, entertain puppy, discipline puppy, make dinner for themselves, save the cats from puppy attacks, save the floor from puppy pee attacks, and finally put puppy to bed.

You think its over right? No

11:30pm - Puppy wakes up crying. Jim takes him out

12:30am- Puppy whining

1:30am- Puppy whining

3:30am - Puppy whining

5:30am - It starts all over again.

It may sound as though I'm complaining, and I need you all to believe I'm not. Rather I'm just trying to give you an idea of our day, and sadly the outline doesn't even do it justice. I honestly think a toddler will be easier than a puppy. At least we will be prepared! We love the little guy right to death though, and don't tell him I said this, but I think Jim might love him more than he loves me! (Kidding). I'm so glad Jim will have a buddy while I travel this fall, I think it will help to keep him sane and give him good company.

Here are a few of my favorite pics of the little guy so far!

Meet Rowdy!

He's here! We finally have our puppy and we are just so in love with him!! We picked him up yesterday morning and he had a very long day of riding in the car, visiting our families, and finally arriving at his new home.

Jim and I are both amazed at how well behaved this puppy is. There were children in his previous home, so he is very used to being handled, and lets us rub his belly, touch his paws, and even put our hands in his mouth. We were expecting a very sleepless night last night but only had to get up twice to let him out, once at midnight and then again at 5:30 this morning. He barely whined in his crate, (its actually his new favorite space, he brings his toys in there to play), and we only woke up because he was moving around. We haven't had a single accident yet, and even our kitties are behaving much better than we expected. So far, this isn't too bad!

I will post more pics as the weekend goes on. We are just thrilled to have this new addition and can't wait to show him off to all of our family and friends!