The story of a boy and a girl

Fifteen years ago today a 21 year old girl married a 22 year old boy. They were both still in college, working part time at the mall and had no idea what the future would bring. All they knew was that they wanted to find out together. Four months after the wedding, the girl graduated college but the boy didn't because money was tight. A year and 3 days after getting married, the boy left for Army Basic Training. Life was difficult and the Army seemed the right move for the young couple. It guaranteed a pay check and medical coverage. They would see how it went. The boy, now 23 came back a man. Life got better. They moved. Moved again. Moved to Europe, traveled around and then moved back to America. They moved a few more times. The boy advanced in rank, life continued to get better and 7 years after the wedding, a baby boy came along. Life was good. Money was tight at times, but they managed to get by and were generally happy. War came and the boy went. The girl and the baby, and a couple of dogs picked up through the years stayed behind and waited. The baby grew. The boy came home. Different, but still they endured. The baby grew some more, the boy got promoted, the dogs slept and the girl held it all together. They moved a few more times. The boy went to war again. The second time was worse than the first. The boy had nightmares, anger, flashbacks. The girl was sometimes afraid, but they moved on, worked through it and life got better. They moved again. They grew older and wiser. They fought. They laughed. The baby grew into a little boy who charmed and amazed them. The boy got promoted. They moved. The boy went away every now and then and the girl and the little boy waited. Life was sometimes stressful, sometimes fun, sometimes crazy. The boy went to officer school and they moved yet again. The dogs still slept, and the little boy still amazed them and brought more joy than they could ever have imagined. The boy and the girl were no longer the boy and the girl that got married. They had changed along the way. Grown apart at times and back together. Fought and loved. Laughed and cried. Life was not what the boy and girl expected that day fifteen years ago. The boy did not tour with his band. The girl did not write the great American novel. Those dreams fell to the wayside somewhere along the journey. The boy and the girl came to realize that they didn't mind. The boy and the girl were amazed at how far they came in those 15 years.
Today the boy is spending yet another anniversary away thanks to the Army and the girl and the little boy are staying behind and waiting. The dogs are sleeping. Life continues to get better.

Happy Anniversary Mr. HH.

Parisian wedding dresses

When we went to Paris just before Christmas, I picked our hotel based on price (Mr. HH is ridiculously cheap-I don’t know how he ended up with me).  I didn’t go for super cheap (cause those can be scary), but we certainly weren’t going to stay next to the Louvre or off the Champs Elysee.  We stayed near the Gare du Nord and Gare de l’Est (North and East train stations, which are just a few block from each other).  Apparently, this is the wedding district.  Almost every shop was dedicated to le beau mariage.  I got so many responses and emails about the wedding dress photos I took in Strasbourg  (Interestingly I was sick then too—seeing a pattern?), I thought you might like to see some from the Parisian shops.  I have to say, the prices weren’t nearly as bad as I thought they would be, but again, these were not the pricey boutiques on the Champs Elysee.

I’m not so sure about the green flowery, poofy things on the dress in the first photo, but I like the use of color and the different whites.

 

They seem to be big into detail work.  The last one though, you have to be really confident, in great shape and have an understanding fiancé to pull off.

 

 

The above photos were taken at night, but the next day, I took some from a few other shops.  The night photos are better IMO because they have few reflections in them, but in a few of them, you get an idea of the area from the reflection. 

This first gown I liked so much I took a close up of the detail.  Isn’t that pretty?  And look only 349 Euro!  With the exchange rate today, that’s just under $500.  That’s a bargain!

                   

The mannequin on the far right of the first photo looks like she’s been celebrating too much.   I’m not sure about the dress in the far right of the second photo.  It looks kind of like birds attacked it.  The dress in the far left of the second photo though, I think is lovely.

 

They seem to be really into the whole layering thing.  Let me tell you how thrilled Mr. HH, Indy and my dad were that I kept making them stop to look at wedding dresses. 

    

Layering, frou-frou and beading!  Oh, my!

I’m assuming this first gown is either a MOB dress or a dress for a second wedding.  It seems a bit matronly, but still, it’s lovely.  The one next to it, however is anything but matronly.  Down right scandalous!  Again, you have to be really confident and in really good shape to wear that.

                          

 

And finally, because I could, hello!  Shoes!  I thought the glittery starry shoes would be perfect for a NY Eve party.  The boys wouldn’t let me stop to try them on (probably because Mr. HH knew they’d somehow end up in my luggage).  I need to go to Paris with girls.  Stupid boys. 

I hope you enjoyed a little peek at the wedding district.  Until next time, bon appetite!  Oh, no wait, that’s Julia Childs’ line, isn’t it?  Well then, merci d'être passé sur.  Or something like that.

Flight delays, a wedding and a birthday

What a weekend we had! One of my high school BFF's got married on July 25. That also happens to be C's birthday. He was super duper excited to get to spend his b-day in Chicago. The boy loves Chicago. I took him for the first time this past Thanksgiving (M was in a military school and we couldn't be together) and he fell in love. Background: I went to high school just north of Chicago and have tons of friends who live there. I try to go back as often as possible. When B told me she was getting married (and on C's bday) I knew we'd be there.

C and I flew out on Thurs. To Texas. Texas! Gah!!!! You know how I feel about Texas! To add even more fun to the whole thing, we got caught up in the remnants of Hurricane Dolly! Wooooooo! Know what that means? Oh, you got it that right: flight delays! Hours and hours and HOURS of flight delays. I can only say one thing: Bless the USO. If you don't give money to the USO, you really should. You have no idea what they do for military members and their families. We spent approximately 6 hours hanging out in the Houston USO. They were amazing. They had free snacks and drinks, comfy sofas and chairs to lounge on, a kids space with toys, books, games and movies and best of all, a small slice of sanity for tired travellers. C was happy as a clam and I was relaxed and amused myself by listening to newbie military members who have no clue. I don't mean that in a snarky way. It was just funny, because they just didn't know what they were getting into, and to hear them talk like they knew it all made me chuckle. I wasn't the only one. You could tell who the vets and vet families were. We all smiled knowingly at some of the things they said. We bonded in our silence. Those young members will smile knowingly one day at other newbies. If you want to donate to this amazing organization, please click the banner below. And thanks if you do!

We finally arrived in Chicago at 1am, long after we were due. I was never so happy to see a hotel. C was a trooper though. He slept on the flight and was so super excited to get back to the City. We had to take a taxi from O'Hare because the shuttles had stopped running and he loved it. Taxis are high on his list of favorite things. The driver laughed the whole way to the hotel. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza Metro in Greek Town and the people were fabulous. Friendly, attentive and welcoming. I thank them all.

The next morning (C's 6ht bday) we woke late and then walked to the Sears Tower. He was absolutely fascinated. He couldn't believe how high we were. I think the History Channel mini-movie you have to watch before going up about how it was built was more exciting than being up in it though. He was a little ticked off that he didn't get to push the elevator button. ;)

After the Tower, we went back to the hotel to nap before the wedding. It's a good thing we did too, because I have a little party animal on my hands. You'll see proof af that later.

The ceremony was at Old St. Pat's. B looked beautiful. K (her new hubby) looked over the moon happy and her mom cried. I did too, truth be told. The ceremoney ended and some of my other high school friends, C and I headed to the reception at the amazing University Club. C hung out the window of the car and said hello to every single person we passed. My friends were cracking up. He's pretty funny.

There was a cocktail hour in the Library and the reception itself was held in Cathedral Hall . Wow, wow, wow is all I can say. Oh, and WOW! It was gorgeous! Also, fun!!!!! You rarely get to enjoy your own wedding reception, as you are too busy talking to relatives and posing for pics, but you can totally enjoy a friend's reception. More of my friends need to get married! I'm talking to you girls! I need to dance some more! Here are some pics of the awesome party.

Us before the cocktail hour:

The first dance of the new Mr. and Mrs.:

Parents of the bride watching the first dance. I spent many an hour at their house when I was in high school. You know what? They still look exactly the same! I think there's some voodoo going on there. B is their only child. Don't they look proud? They are such wonderful people.

The cake:

This is one of the shields on the wall. I thought it was cool:

These are some of my friends from high school. Class of 1991. Left to Right: JJ,SF,SL and me (standing). We all look the same. Scratch that, we look better. :)

Us with the beautiful bride. I think the dress I wore makes me look pregnant, but believe me, I'm not. Awwww....aren't they cute? K's speech made us all weepy. He said he had found his fairy tale with B. What a guy! I heart him (Not like that! Like one of my BFF's hubby who is great and makes her happy-you pervs).

And now for my party animal. The boy has moves!

Here he is dancing with SF. He loved her. He danced with her, then me, then asked if he could go back and dance with her instead of me. Nice.

He was upset when he saw this pic because I was not supposed to smile. I was supposed to do my "serious dancing face." One of the most fascinating things for C (aside from dancing with the ladies and hanging out in the kid room) was the ice sculpture. Why? Because they had 2 luges to pour martini's through. He absloutley loved this. B's dad asked the bartender to pour some water through to clear the alcohol, then pour C a drink (water, at C's request) through it. He thought this was the coolest thing ever.

At the end of the night, the bartenders (who C had talked to endlessly) pulled the luges out and gave him one. He was thrilled. What 6 year old wouln't want an alcohol luge for his birthday? He then used it to blow out every candle in the place (we were among the last to leave, so it was cool). There were probably 100+ candles.

When we got back to the hotel, he told me it was the best birthday he'd ever had. That's saying something. We went to Disney last year! I told B's dad I really appreciated him throwing such a big bash for C's b-day. He laughed.

The day after the wedding we slept LATE and then went to the Museum of Science and Industry. C had so much fun and learned a lot, but continued to talk about the wedding all day. Oh, and every day since.

Congrats to B and K and we can't wait for your anniversary party! We love you guys!!!!!