it's official

after 9 months of planning, picking out flowers, dresses, ties, music, party favors, the set up...i'm a married woman!

after 9 months of planning, picking out flowers, dresses, ties, music, party favors, the set up....almost nothing went as planned!

the cute ties

koozies

the day began beautifully!  sunny, warm and gorgeous.  all was right and i was so ready for it.

my flowers from joe with a card that read
"the beginning of your first day as Mrs. Harl! I love you"
SWOON

 after getting ready and having lots of champagne, the girls and i headed to the venue.  running a little late (of course) but on our way.  and as we got closer...clouds.  dammit.  after getting dressed, we ventured out for some pictures.  it was humid and a bit cloudy, but overall, still a pretty day.

the boys

joe's ring

 then it was time.  i finally got nervous.  not sure why, i was more than confident in the fact that i was marrying my best friend, i knew he would be up there and not running for the hills.   but, i was nervous.  i think it was all the people.  and the fact that they would all be looking at me.  YIKES!  get me up there to teach sex ed, and i would be cool as a cucumber.  this, me walking in a white dress down the aisle, however, terrified me.  oh well...here we go!

my dad and me.  he did so good!!!

the ceremony was PERFECT!  everyone did a fabulous job.  big thank you to brendan, our friend and officiant, on performing an awesome ceremony.  his first!  it is all kind of a blurr because i just kept chatting with joe.  i thanked him for my flowers and my hanger.  (he surprised me and my dress was hanging on a "Mrs. Harl" hanger) i asked how his golf game was, what else he did during the day....  anything to keep me from crying or getting shaky.  :)

then.....WE WERE MARRIED!!  MR. & MRS. HARL!  WOOHOO

it was over and i was thrilled.  and happy.  beyond happy.  we rushed to take pictures before the light was gone.  as we are standing there, smiling and posing, we heard it.  thunder in the distance.  i was still hopeful at this point.  i mean, it IS oklahoma and we can have thunder and no rain.  happens all the time.  but....despite all my positive thoughts, it came.  ugh....rain!  we hadn't really planned for this.  i mean we had, we could have had a tent set up.  but there had only been a 30% chance of rain.  no biggie.  no tent.

after having a private dinner, we were hopeful that it would pass.  and it did... just long enough for us to run out and be introduced, say a few words and go cut the cake.  and then, then the clouds just let loose and it was a for real deal storm.

sh*t.


after the beautiful set up, and my visions of what our reception would be, it was nothing like that.  our photo booth was ruined, the music equipment was drenched, everything that was to be outside, was done.  people had high-tailed it out of there when the rain came.  i can't blame them, there wasn't a whole lot of room for cover.  the whole time planning, i had looked at this event as a huge party and wanted it to be fun and amazing for all of our guests.  yes, it was our wedding, but i really looked at it as an event for our friends and family.  but the rain put it all in perspective for me.  yes, it was a party.  it was for everyone else, but more specifically, it was for us.  and as much as i hope everyone had fun, the most important part of the night was the fact that we were married.   so, even though we danced to an i-pod, lost many of our guests, and were crammed in a small room, it was the most wonderful night of my life!


i honestly believed that getting married would be fun, but that it wouldn't really be any different.  what difference was a piece of paper going to make?

turns out.....it's a HUGE difference.  i absolutely adore being the wife of Joe Harl!

ever been in a room where people probably die?

because i can now say that i have!  morbid-sounding opening, but the following won't be as bad.  i promise. 

last thursday my sister calls me asking if i've talked to mom.  no...i hadn't, why?  this leads to her telling me that she called mom's phone, some lady answered (obviously not mom) and said that she was taking our mom to the ER  because she was having horrible pain and couldn't move.  i'm sorry, what?  where is she going?  what is wrong with her?  where is the pain?  keithley did not have a lot of answers to these questions, but said she would call me when she found out more.  well...after hanging up, what do i do?  immediately call my mom's phone.  i was pretty much told the same things, they were at the hospital, filling out paperwork (just what people in HORRIBLE pain want to do, right?) and that she would call when they figured something out.  i talk to dad, and then to keithley again and we decide to webmd it.  in our professional opinions, we ruled out appendicitis, but couldn't pinpoint the exact problem!

After a bit, my mom has to get a CAT scan, my dad is out of town on work, and so i head to the hospital.  lovely establishment.  upon my arrival i told them who i was there for and they told me i could wait until she got back from her scan.  umm...okay b*tch.  seriously?  so i wait in the waiting room, which is where they put all the sick people too rather than finding rooms or beds or something for them.  my mom comes out, her friend leaves and after about 10 minutes they take us back to a room scary, scary place.  now this is where dead people come into the story.  and i mean no disrespect here, but i feel i should be honest.  they take us past all the glass-walled rooms, (guessing privacy isn't a big issue here?!) which are all full, and down to the last door.  emergency room 16.  ugh.  avoid at all costs.  now, my reason for thinking this might be a final stop for some.

Number one- it is TILE all around...floor and walls. easy clean up?

number two-  it has a door to the outside.  ambulance pulls up and they go right in.  which...i kept worrying was going to happen as we sat there. 

number 3- there is a hand-held shower on the wall.  maybe to spray the blood away?! 

this is where my mind is going as we are stuck in there for over an hour.  i finally ask one of the 236 people that came in and out of there with questions and needles and directions and he dissappointingly told me it's for poison/chemical patients.  DAMN!  my thoughts were so much cooler and more first 48ish (reference to one of my favorite shows)! 


(seriously....i'm not trying to make light of tragic events, but, well....i find it interesting)

my mom ended up having to have surgery that evening for a hernia.  it was causing other problems and if just left untreated would come back, so they said they needed to go ahead and fix it.  the surgery went great, the recovery a little more interesting.  she was cussing up a storm in her room, which is fine by me, but considering the religious affiliation of this hospital, it may not be the most christian-like behavior.  i personally don't think god minds though.  he has other things besides words to worry about!  after a lot of f-words and enduring a brag-a-doshish nurse, my mom got to go home in the wee hours of the morning.  she has been resting and is doing good.  my dad on the other hand, is a bit lost.  i had to go help with laundry because he didn't know how to work the machines!  you think his mom and my mom have spoiled him a bit?!  but that's okay, give the man a lawn to mow or a car to wash and he's as happy as can be!

all of that said, there is something about waiting or hospitals that is just exhausting.  i woke up on friday feeling like i went on a charlie sheen bender!  rough! 

p.s.  that guy is a total whack job!

next time....mcalester, usa