This Is What Happens When You Don't Know Your Place in the World

So it seems as though I posted all about the wedding and promptly disapeared from the internet, right?  Well, I guess that's true, but listen: it's not my fault!  Honestly.  Here's what happened:

About a month after the wedding my new sisters-in-law emailed my sister and I to invite us to a concert by a local band they love.  The concert was on a Saturday in September, and I had seen the band perform once before and really liked them, so I was in.  Sister-in-law bought the tickets, Jaymi and I got excited, and we waited.  When that Saturday came around, we went to a fun dinner and then headed over to the concert venue.  Once inside we got a drink, made our way toward the stage, and enjoyed a couple of the opening acts.  We noticed a few people crowdsurfing and a mosh pit forming, which is SO not my scene (I don't judge and if you're into it that's cool, but it's not for me).  Jaymi and I got a little nervous because security was totally allowing it to happen, even helping crowd surfers down and back into the crowd when they reached the stage.  At most venues I've been to security will boot you out for those kinds of shenanigans, so it was a little disconcerting to see the bouncers laugh it off.

Eventually the opening acts ended their sets and we fought through the crowd to the second or third row, center stage.  I asked nervously whether we should move so that we didn't get caught up in the moshing action, but was assured that this band's fans weren't like that.  I'd seen the band before and the crowd was really tame then, so I sorta-kinda calmed down and stayed put.  Well, at the beginning of the second song, people started to hoist other people onto their shoulders.  I turned to Jaymi and asked, "Should we move?"  She told me we'd probably be fine, and I didn't really want to act like an old married lady, so I stayed where I was and kept one eye out for flying people above me.

Then.  THEN.  I see a guy being passed through the crowd a few rows behind me.  I get nervous.  He's moved closer to us.  I point him out to Jaymi.  The (very tall) guys behind us get a hold of him.  I turn to avoid him.  The (very tall) guys behind us THROW him to us.  No one around me sees this but me and Jaymi (who is too short to reach him).  I try to catch him BY MYSELF and, predictably, fail.  The guy comes crashing down on me, hits me in the head, I fall to the ground, and my head hits the concrete floor.

I stumble to my feet to see Jaymi clutching one eye, glasses in hand, crying.  We tell sisters-in-law that we're going to the bathroom to get Jaymi cleaned up and we head out to the lobby.  Jaymi's glasses were bent and she had what looked to be the start of a black eye--apparently the guy's arm hit her on the way down, smooshing her glasses into her face.  I had a pounding, blinding headache.  We got ice for Jaymi's eye and went back inside, but my headache got worse--screamingly, horrifyingly worse--so we camped out in the lobby for the rest of the set.  When the band finished, my sisters-in-law came out to check on us, and after a  little hemming and hawing we finally left, halfway through the final band's set.

That night I went home and laid down, my head still throbbing.  When Jeff got home I joked to him that this was a sign I'm too old to be out late at night drinking and dancing.  We laughed it off and went to bed.  The next morning, I woke up with a blinding headache and nausea.  In retrospect, I probably should have gone to the emergency room, but I'm stubborn and besides, I didn't feel like getting dressed and driving myself over there.  I figured I'd be better by Monday and spent the day lying on the couch with a cool washcloth over my eyes.

Then, the next day, I got up and went to work, but I felt just as sick.  When I told my boss what had happened she ordered me to go home and rest.  That afternoon I went to the doctor and after a brief examination she told me I had probably suffered a concussion and was now dealing with a contusion (a bruise) on my brain that was causing migraines.  She gave me a list of possible symptoms, ordered a CT scan, gave me a prescription for extra-strength ibuprofen and sent me home to rest.  The CT scan was clear, so all I could do was rest and wait to feel better.  This was almost two weeks ago, and stilll--STILL!--I can't work a full day.  My head pounds nonstop, I'm constantly nauseous, I'm tired all the time, and--best of all--my muscles twitch uncontrollably, so that my arm will suddenly jerk across my body or my foot will start tapping for no good reason.  As Jeff likes to tell me, I look like a "tweaker".

So, I know this has turned into the world's-longest-excuse-for-not-blogging, but I had to put it out there.  I haven't really disappeared, I've just been in a headache-induced fog of yuckiness.  I hope I'll feel better soon and can finish blogging about the wedding and tell you all about the honeymoon, but for now I leave you with the moral of the story: If you happen to be an old married lady who has no business at rowdy teenage concerts, stay the hell away!


*This post was written under the influence of heavy medication.  Please excuse the spelling, grammar, and completely over-the-top caps locks and itallics.  Thank you.

What A Wonderful World

Before long, my mom found me and told me it was time to wrap things up and make our big exit.  She asked if we wanted to keep the night going, offering to pay the crazy-expensive overtime fees for the DJ, valet, and caterer.  But Jeff and I looked at each other and knew that we were done.  It had been a wonderful, perfct day, and we were both exhausted.  We gave the ok to the DJ to announce the last song.

Our friends ran to put our overnight bags in our getaway car as Jeff and I made our way to the dance floor for the last song. As we had planned, the DJ played "What a Wonderful World," and I was surprised that nearly every guest came out to dance.  As Jeff and I swayed together, holding each other close, and our friends and family surrounded us, each dancing with their loves, the depth of the moment fully hit me.  The love surrounding us overwhelmed me, and I closed my eyes and leaned into Jeff, taking it all in.  It was absolutely surreal, and I was completely, utterly, perfectly happy.

When the song ended, all of our guests lined up at the exit, tubes of bubbles in hand.  Jeff and I held hands and made our way through clouds of bubbles, rows of smiles, and a chorus of cheers.

We reached the car, which our bridal party had decorated with the ubiquitous cans, bows, and "just married" writing, and turned to wave goodbye to everyone. 

 
I hugged my parents and sister one last time

and then Jeff lifted me into the car. 

As we drove away we rolled down the windows to wave to everyone and heard them cheering all the way down the driveway. 

I took Jeff's hand, squeezed it, and all I could say was "Wow."

If They Don't Dance Then They Ain't No Friends of Mine

Our guests rock.   Seriously, our wedding was on a Sunday afternoon, outdoors, and STILL they brought their A-game.  The DJ warned us during our first meeting with him that, though he'd do his best to get guests out of their seats, people typically don't dance outside during the day.  Well, we sure showed him!  Check out our guests in action:

Oh yes, there was dancing.  There was the YMCA, "Shout", and the electric slide.  There was a choreographed Grease medley.  And there was an awesome mix of hip-hop, country, and rockabilly music that made my musically schizophrenic heart smile.

And for those who still weren't feeling it, we had other entertainment options:

It was truly a great party, and I love our guests so much for making it what it was.  I just wish we could do it all over again!

Traditions

I had originally been pretty hesitant about including some of the more traditional aspects of a wedding in our reception.  Cutting the cake wasn't too bad, although I wasn't crazy about everyone staring at us again, but what really got to me was the bouquet and garter toss.  I didn't want to call out our uncoupled guests or have my grandparents watch Jeff reach up my dress to find the garter.  However, when I told Jeff I wanted to skip these traditions, I was met with a surprisingly strong reaction.  Apparently these things were really important to him and, as he put it, "It's not a wedding without those!".  When I shared my ideas with my mom, she sided with Jeff.  So I was outnumbered, and the traditions were in.

Actually, I'm happy we did these.  It was fun and people seemed to be waiting for them.  And they made for some really great photos.  Want to see?  I thought so.

Cutting the cake:

The cake table

We opted for fresh flowers instead of a traditional cake topper

I love this picture.  It just screams wedding

 Deciding whether to be nice or not...

I admit, I tried to get it on his nose

But he was having none of that!

I firmly believed that he was going to smash cake all over my face

But I was pleasantly surprised!

Up next were the bouquet and garter tosses:

We finished with the money dance.  This can be somewhat controversial, but hey, it helped pay for our honeymoon!  And something I hadn't foreseen was how much it meant to us to have individual time with our guests in the middle of our busy reception.  I don't know if I otherwise would have gotten a chance to dance with my grandpa, or Jeff with my mom.  And really, just check out the great pics:

In the end, I was glad we followed through with all these traditions.  They definitely helped complete the "wedding" feel, and they meant more to me than I ever thought they would.  I guess I have to give credit to Jeff and to my mom on this one: thanks, guys, for being the voice of reason and convincing me to follow through, for the sake of tradition.

Daddy's Girl

The father/daughter dance was sort of a no-brainer for us.  I'm really blessed to have such a great dad and I never had to question whether I would dance with him at the wedding.  Jeff and his mom opted not to join in, only because they both hate dancing in front of people, and I totally respect that decision.  But that wasn't going to stop me from having my moment with my dad!

This dance was less awkward than my first dance with Jeff, probably because I felt less pressure to act a certain way or become overly emotional.  We danced to "Because You Loved Me" and it was really sweet and special to have that time with my dad.  Unfortunately I forgot to change into my flip-flops first, so since my dad is the same height as me, I kind of look like a giant in the pictures.  There are really only a couple of pictures from the whole dance that either he or I like.  I'll show them anyway, because it really was a great moment:

As the song neared an end, my dad told me how much he likes Jeff and how happy he is for us.  He asked if I was having fun, and I couldn't even find the words to tell him just how happy I was.  I thanked him for the whole day, and then the song was over.  I hugged him one more time, and then the dance floor was flooded with people once again.