Pictures: And a Story

There are so many things I want to blog about and have been meaning to blog about. Instead I'm going to tell you about my camera. I bought Red Camera last April, just in time for a few trips. (Side note: with all of the other things I name, you'd think I'd have given the camera a better one. But "Red Camera" just seemed to fit.)
I got really attached to Red Camera. It went with me to Disneyland the first time, and it continued to document all kind of glorious things like food challenges, the first picture with D-Rew, vampire baseball and my hair. Fast forward to this past August and Red Camera faithfully documented our honeymoon and came away from the sandy beaches unscathed.

Then, just a few days later, we went to Thanksgiving Point's Museum of Ancient Life, where I soon spotted a giant dinosaur bone. I pulled out Red Camera, turned it on and...what? The screen was just a messed up, static-y...thing. I couldn't see a thing out of it except for slight little bit in the very upper left corner. But when it was turned off, I could see this on the screen:
I have no idea what happened or when it happened, but it was tragic. Red Camera has no view finder so it was basically useless, although I did manage to take a few pictures now and then. It was always a surprise to see how they turned out on the computer. I e-mailed the local Nikon repair people and they estimated about $110 altogether (about 20 less than I paid for it). Heck no.

Anyway, so I pestered Drew a bit about Christmas presents, and just before Black Friday he told me to figure out what camera I wanted. So I researched for hours and got flustered and indecisive. Really I just wanted Red Camera because it's still new and it worked, aside from the screen. I finally googled the problem and LO, there are replacement screens! You just buy them! Like socks or sponges! Kind of. I found several on eBay for very reasonable prices, and one seller (a camera store) offered to install them for free. So I passed the information along and rubbed my hands with glee.

Tuesday was our four month anniversary and I got an early Christmas present. I couldn't take a picture of it because it was Red Camera, faithfully restored. Drew put in the screen himself and it is as good as new. This was the first picture I took.
It was thrilling to see it come up on the screen and hear the familiar whirring and beep. Ah. Then I took a picture of these, which came with Red Camera. Aren't they so lovely and festive and washed out in this picture?
And then we went to get pho, and it was so delicious. I think we get some just about every month. Good thing it's inexpensive and you get tons of it.
Well, I got pho and he got the sesame chicken. Look how cute.
So that is the story of Red Camera. It lives again, as good as new, thanks to some research from me and some stealthy repair work from the Mister. Score.

This Quiz: It's for You aka The Disney Experience, Pt. 1

So, after 107 days, we have finished watching all the Disney movies and are now all set to see The Princess and the Frog tonight. I can't believe it took us that long to watch those 44 movies, but I'm more surprised that we've been married more than 100 days. My how the time does fly.

Anyway, my next post will be more about the winners and losers in the bunch. This post is, as stated, quiz oriented. Let me tell you a story: At a certain point in the marathon, one of the movies had the strangest character names. Sometimes I need to see a word to get my head around it and this was, I suppose, one of these instances. Since I couldn't remember or pronounce their names, I made them up. This started a trend of name garbling for the rest of the movies, off and on (depending on my familiarity with them).

Below you will find a list of the names I made up, along with a list of the movies they came from. Can you figure out the movie each of these name garbled characters came from? Even better, you can figure out what the real names are on your own? At the end of this post you can find all the real character names if you need some hints (some will quickly become obvious). I would encourage you to try to figure them out yourselves before looking at the list. Also, internet-aided victories do not count as much! Good luck!


You know, I had to look up most of these real names because I still don't know them (or at least how to spell them). I've left off any titles or last names. In the next post I'll list all the answers and a few explanations for some of them, although most of them just popped into my head.

This Stuff: It's Pretty

I just finished updating my Amazon wishlist (Persuasion and Northanger Abbey, DREW) and it got me thinking about some things I've had my eye on lately that aren't on Amazon. I don't generally like to do online shopping for clothing because I like to feel things and try them on. It seems like the chance for un/intentional deception is greater and plus I just like the mall. Anyway, here are some things I've found recently in the stores and online that make me say "Hey! That's cool."

I normally stay out of Nordstrom. It's just never really been the store for my budget. But every once in a while I take a peek in the Brass Plum section and the last time I did that I found this coat. Isn't it pretty? Okay okay, so maybe I have a few coats already. But I don't have a long coat. Or white one... Hmmm.

A recent Clean House episode reminded me of one of these next items.


I'm not really into necklaces. But who wouldn't want a divers helmet necklace? I can imagine wearing either of these and cackling to myself at how much more awesome I am than everyone else.

Of course there had to be some shoes on this list. While walking through JC Penney the other day I spotted them and then quickly dragged myself away (the more time I spend with a pair of shoes the less likely I am to leave without them). But look! So red! So shiny! Bonus: they remind me this.

Back when I first started to ponder how to do my wedding hair, I was pretty set on a white flowered headband for a long while after seeing this particular one. I liked that it was pretty, without being gigantic, and it would be the easiest way to do my hair and still make it look nice. Then I moved to Utah and saw three girls wearing white flowered headbands on the first Sunday. Ah well. I still like this one.

Maybe in another six months I'll have enough content for another post like this.

These Eggs: They're Not Joanna's

A while ago I mentioned that the Mister and I are watching all the animated Disney movies in order. No, we're not done yet--it takes a while--but we are nearing the end with less than 10 to go. Once we are done I plan to write a big review of the whole thing since there are some that I'd not seen for years or not at all. Some were better than remembered, some were worse and some were just dull. But some things just can't wait until that post (Dumbo, anyone?).

Have you seen Rescuers Down Under recently? I always really liked this one (that Jake! So dashing.) but I hadn't seen it for quite some time. How did I forget how hilarious Joanna is?



She is hysterical. These days I look for any opportunity to start making Joanna noises and faces. It goes something like "Gahhhhrrrrrrablarhblarh." There is something else Joanna-related that makes me laugh heartily but to get it, first you have to hear this song:



Hopefully you did not get an eyeful of Alan Rickman's tight gold pants. Anyway, do you see where I'm going with all this?

Hah! It makes me laugh everytime (and comes courtesy of Makani). Oh, Joanna. Gahhhhrrrrrrablarhblarh.

Volterra: There's No Place Like It

I bet you're all sick of the New Moon chatter. I guess I am a bit, but I think I'm more tired of swine flu and health care talk. But that's just me, and I am pretty much always game for pop culture talk that doesn't involve Lindsay Lohan. Just kidding, I can talk about Lohan whenever the topic comes up. She's just a basket case, am I right?

Anyway Saturday morning Marcue and I had a partial D'CALC reunion when we met to see New Moon. I'm having a little bit of trouble formulating a really solid opinion on it, and I think it's because there were no surprises with this movie. It was exactly like the book, and yes, so was Twilight but in all honesty, I think Twilight did it with more style and that made it more fun to watch. Twilight had a look and it had a sense of humor, but New Moon may as well have been made by brownies. That said, I've always had a big soft spot for the book because it has so much Jacob. The same goes for the movie, and the movie just made it even more clear why I prefer him as a character to Edward. He's likable, he's normal, he's happy and he has interests besides Bella--oh, the novelty. Plus, he doesn't sparkle and I've always been a sucker for long haired Native American boys. Of course, I've always liked werewolves better than vampires anyway. Remember that early X-Files episode about werewolves and Native Americans called "Shapes"? It's so great and spooky, and even has BSG's Dr. Cottle. Anyway.

New Moon has an unfortunate story structure (similar to Breaking Dawn) where the supposed climax is mostly talk. In the movie, the plot goes something like beginning, middle, ending, middle, a little more ending and then a bit more middle at the very end. I don't think too highly of Stephenie Meyer's plotting skills, and honestly, if I didn't like Jacob, I think I would have been bored in this movie. Even so, I was a little bored.

Okay, instead of rambling further, I will break up the rest of my opinion into a series of memos to various characters/actors:

Edward: Quit emoing all over the place. You are such a drag. Also, why are you dressing like an old man? Please stop wearing lipstick. Painted on abs are not as good as real ones.

Alice: Your hair looks like a mushroom.

Charlie: You are much improved over book Charlie because you have some personality. I'm a bit fond of you.

Aro/Michael Sheen: You're still the best part of Underworld, and I almost look forward to you talking for the last hour of the Breaking Dawn movie. Almost.

Other Volturi head guys: Not-Anthony, you look like a couch potato. And there's a problem with your face. Anthony: What are you doing in this movie?

Jane and Felix: You bore me.

Wolf pack boys: Some of you are muffin topping out of your modest, knee-length shorts. I'm pretty sure you borrowed RPattz's ab paint.

Bella: Happy, as always, to not be in your head.

And just to get you all excited about Eclipse, here's a fanmade poster. It really captured the essence of the b--oh wait. What the heck is this?


EDIT: HOW did I not mention Jasper's hair?? It was SO bad. SO SO SO bad. Pictures can't capture it, it was just that bad.

That Tune: You Know It

Okay okay okay, I know my last post was Twilight-related, and I promise this won't last forever. It will, however, last until this weekend when I plan to give you all my thoughts on New Moon. Anyway, look at these Barbies:

I think they are awful. Especially Jacob's cut offs and water shoes. And Edward's sparkling plastic skin. BUT it is a rather dear wish of mine to do the following: Buy two tickets to New Moon at midnight. Buy all three of these dolls. Sit them in the chair beside me, complete with Barbie-sized popcorn and sodas--maybe even tiny movie tickets.

I don't know why this particular idea thrills me. Do I really want to be considered absurd by fellow movie goers? Then again, I'm sure some fans would love it and want to take pictures. Maybe I've just never outgrown the appeal of Barbie-sized items (okay, so maybe I still fawn over those miniature sleeping bags and tents at stores). Anyway, that's beside the point. And the point is that...I think doing this would be so very very funny. But since I already have my (Saturday) ticket and I have no Twilight dolls, it will never come to pass. Maybe for Eclipse...?

In a similar vein of things, Stephenie Meyer posted a big q&a and her website, and even though I only skimmed it, I got the feeling that she's a little burned out by the mania over her sparkly brainchild. I can only imagine that seeing things like this or this gets really old.

His Abs: Like a Muffin Pan

So, as you probably realized from my piece of genius "Bella Goes Grocery Shopping," I occasionally amuse myself by trying to write like Stephenie Meyer. I guess I just like the feeling that comes from writing overwrought, ridiculous descriptions and the cackling that follows (from me). My most recent efforts were for a writing contest sponsored by BYU's Daily Universe. The idea was to write, in 100 words or less, something to embody her style (described by them as "overearnest") although the entries didn't have to be Twilight related. You could submit three entries, and even though I think this was for BYU students, I entered anyway. No, I didn't win, but one of my sentences was picked for a "Favorite Sentence." So, here are my entries and you can try to figure out what that sentence was. Then you can check out the article and see if your guess was right (and read the winners).

Before school I spotted Edward's shiny Volvo as it whipped into the driveway. Sometimes that silver car reminded me of him--sleek, pale, fast, a model of aerodynamics. The hard, shiny exterior that was all softness on the inside. As Edward himself stepped out of the car with the lightness of a gazelle I tossed away the inadequate analogy. How could that dull piece of metal and leather compare to this living Adonis in my driveway? Metal was so pedestrian. Leather was just cow hides. Edward was flawless. A perfect sculpture made of some stone too beautiful for this world.*

Jacob. Just the thought of his name sent conflicting emotions running through me like rampant, untamed wildfire. On one hand, Jacob was my best friend. Comforting. Warm as the fading embers of a La Push campfire. He was perfectly selfless, willing to do almost anything I could ever ask. Then there was the other Jacob. That Jacob was strong, with abs like a muffin pan, arms as thick and muscled as a python and pectorals that looked like soft, fluffy pillows. Soft, fluffy pillows made of rocks. Soft, fluffy pillows that felt like iron under my hands, my cheek...**

Alice was the kind of girl that all other girls (except Rosalie, of course) were dying to be. Her heart-shaped face--the color of cold milk--was sweet, naive and, above all else, desperately and enchantingly beautiful. Her petite size only added to the illusion that she was as harmless as an exotic butterfly. But I knew that behind that delicate facade there was the power to truculently destroy any threat.*** I sometimes wondered if her wardrobe of designer peasant tops and couture ruffled skirts was a calculated move to trick any potential enemy into underestimating her.

The prizes for the top three involved tickets to New Moon. That would have been nice since I think the best way to see a Twilight movie involves freeness, but what the heck, I have a ticket anyway (I know, I know). I'll probably be breaking out the "Team Jacob" shirt again, but should I have the wherewithal for a new Twilight shirt, I would most definitely get this one. If you have the wherewithal, I would encourage you to buy one because it is awesome and then I would have cause to shake my fist at you and your wherewithal.

*This first entry was adapted from another little short story I wrote a month ago or so. You know that Edward vs. a Velociraptor poll that is still on the sidebar? Yeah, that's what it's about.

**Credit goes to Drew for the phrase "soft, fluffy pillows."

***Drew challenged me to use the word "truculent." He just loves those "Word of the Day" e-mails.

Hallow's Eve: It's Festive

I really like Halloween. There are a lot of good elements--fall, candies, costumes, pumpkins, spooky things. Also, Nightmare Before Christmas. But the costumes are surely my favorite part. I think I have dressed up pretty much every Halloween except for one year about 6-7 years ago when it was on a Sunday and there was no where to go and nothing to do. Anywhey, for the last long while I have been Hermione every year*, and you can probably guess that D-Rew has been Harry Potter for lo, these many years. So this year, after considering Jim and Pam for a while, we decided to join our magical forces for the first time. We were extremely accurate besides blatantly ignoring canon pairings, but Ginny was not an option. No.


We went to the local Trunk or Treat and we had both the best trunk and the best costumes. And then we ate pasta and Sticky Fingers at Wingers. Then we went home and watched Edward Scissorhands. Huzzah! (If you want a more detailed look at our Halloween festivities you can check out the Mister's blog. When he posts about it. Which he will because I'm watching him type it right now. I'm going to beat him to the punch though, haha.)

Anyway, on a final note, I realized that day that instead of our old English standbys, it would have been seriously awesome if we had been these guys instead:



Penny and Captain Hammer! It would have been awesome and hilarious and moderately obscure. If you don't know what I'm talking about, kindly investigate the world of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Now we have a whole year to get ready, and look out world, next Halloween we're going to be Penny and Captain Tightpants Hammer and it will be awesome.

*Three Halloweens ago I had just chopped off my hair so I consoled myself by being a pirate. And two Halloweens ago I was also Pam. That's about all my branching out since, oh, 2002.

This Information: What Do I Do With It?

Sometimes I run across a quiz and I just can't resist finding out my results. And sometimes, the more random the quiz the more intrigued I am. How can one resist taking such a wholly irrelevant quiz like "How Sexy is Your Aura?" or "What Random Object Are You?"

I have a special place in my cold* heart for silly Twilight quizzes. I just can't resist finding out what I smell like to such a dreamboat as Edward Cullen.

*no pun intended. Of course.

A Little Mind Game

Here's a little puzzle for all you Harry Potter fans. The Mister and I were wandering about Shopko tonight before going to see The Time Traveler's Wife (Eric Bana: your hair was so bad. You know what I'm talking about.), and we spotted a new "World of Harry Potter" calendar. And then we spotted something else...


Can you see it? Even better, can you explain it??

Two of a Kind

Some time I ago I watched Disney's Robin Hood, and during the movie I tried to decide what each of the main characters would look like as humans. It was a fun little game and it reflected well on Disney that 1) I could do that successfully and 2) they all turned into unique peoples with a variety of traits. Soon after that I watched Land Before Time (this was done on a long plane trip with two well behaved little kiddos). I tried to do the same thing, but all my mental pictures turned into chubby, pigeon toed kids with weirdly long eyelashes and tiny ears. And then I realized who Little Foot looked like.

Yeah, that chubby whining kid in the beginning of Jurassic Park. Look at those long eyelashes, those little ears that stick out. Zoom out a bit and you'll surely notice his pudgy, little boy belly too. Heck, he could even be pigeon toed.


See what I mean? Kind of ironic, isn't it. Side note: Isn't Jurassic Park just divine?

But on a positive note, the other night as part of our ongoing Disney marathon, the Mister and I watched Robin Hood. This time I realized that Little John resembled an actual person as well.


I mean, right?? The mustache, the girth, the acting skills, the foppishness. It's all there, conveniently packaged in the illustrious Frenchiness that is Gerard Depardieu whom I love as Cyrano de Bergerac.

Next in the marathon is Winnie the Pooh. Will there be any resemblances to be found? Eeyore and Hugh Laurie? Rabbit and Patrick Stewart? Christopher Robin and Zac Efron? Only time and the TV will tell what delights await me.

Chase the Cars with your Eyes Open

One of the first things I noticed when I moved back to Utah land was UVU's billboard advertising a Snow Patrol concert in October. Of course this was in May so I didn't worry about it too much since I was too busy being unemployed. Oh, and that wedding thing. Anyway, fall came, but I still hadn't done much more about it besides squealing happily whenever we drove by the sign. (Procrastinate much? Yes.) Then our first month anniversary came along last month and it was followed shortly by this posting on our Super Secret Love Blog:

Three cheers for my thoughtful Mister who surprised me with tickets. Fast forward to this past weekend, and we headed off to the show itself. I'm not going to give you a play by play because you can probably imagine it (loud, awesome), but here are a few anecdotes in bulleted fashion.

• We pulled into the parking lot where we were stopped by an events man and his 10 year old boy. "Three dollars for parking!" the man said. We didn't have a lick of cash, and we said so. And then the boy says "Just go on through then!" The man agreed and so we went on our way without a fuss. It's too bad for all those folks who happened to have cash, hmm?
• T-shirts were $30. What a rip off that I wanted nonetheless.
• Marcue was there! And I didn't even know. Alas.
• Gary Lightbody had his long hair, which made me so glad. Also, at one point he was laying on top of the piano which amused me. Oh, Gary Lightbody, you're such a card!
  
• I was even more glad when they were good live. Phew.
• They played a new song! It made me really want a new cd, but since A Hundred Million Suns came out last fall it'll probably be a while still. Besides the new song, it was a good mix and they played all of my favorites, even the ones from Final Straw. The favorites were probably "Run", "Chasing Cars" and "The Lightning Strike."
  

And of course it was so nice to be there with the Mister, who has been working on his own Snow Patrol interest the last few months. I don't think he would have minded if I'd thrown myself at Gary Lightbody, do you? (I just want to hug him and pat his hair so much)

Anyway, it was a great night and we were only slightly deafened by the experience. As a reward for reading this post I give you my favorite Snow Patrol video (the original version! It's an important distinction). Kindly note Gary Lightbody's long hair of which I am so fond.



PS: I was going to include more videos but it's so hard to find them where embedding is enabled. So instead I will give you links so you can watch more Snow Patrol. Run from Final Straw, You're All I Have from Eyes Open and Crack the Shutters from A Hundred Million Suns.

*ahem*

As much as I hate to use my blog for this, I really want to go to Disneyland. So! If you want to go to Disneyland too and don't want to pay for it, you can enter contests at Sweet Life in the Valley or Out & About with the Family to win trips to Magicland Disneyland. And just to make reading this post even more worth your while, look at this pretty picture.

I want to gooooooooooo. *sigh*

Pancakes and Pancakes: A Tale of Bunnies

As most of you probably know, I like The O.C. I'm not ashamed. As some of you might also know, my husband can do a killer Ryan Atwood impersonation, but that's not actually related to this post. Anyway, so in the fourth and final season (which I only watched intermittently until the last few episodes--I was unfaithful, it's true) the following character was introduced:



Pancakes! How I love that Pancakes. I've wanted a Pancakes of my own ever since, but rabbit ownership just hasn't been in the cards (yet). Luckily I have two excellent former roommates (ferskner and Marcue) who were well aware that I wanted a Pancakes. So, part of my wedding present was a griddle and rabbit shaped cookie cutters.

Pancake Pancakes! They are geniuses. And also thoughtful.

Anyway, I finally made pancakes this past weekend, and I just had to try my hand at pancake Pancakes. Behold!



They were delicious and fluffy, just like Pancakes. But next time I will think to spray them before putting batter in there because I had to cut them out. Still good!

Books: I Like Them

Today I am doing a meme! A book meme. As a side note, let's all take a moment to be impressed with how many books I managed to creatively stuff into my bookshelf. Some of my organization had to be a (slightly) dispensed with in the interest of space, but life is about compromises, right? Hah. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed that moment of imagination since I have no pictures of said bookshelf to show you. Now, onto the meme.

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack? Sometimes, especially when I'm in for a long haul (i.e. a first read of Deathly Hallows). At those times I go for crackers.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you? No! No writing in books! I like my books to look new. I do put in little markers so I can copy out quotes that I like afterwards.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? I always have some kind of bookmark--a receipt, an actual bookmark or a catalog advertisement for an alarm clock voiced by Stephen Fry.

Laying the book flat open? Only with hardcover library books whilst I eat.

Fiction, non-fiction or both? Fiction.

Hard copy or audiobooks? Hard copy.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point? I always strive to read to a break.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away? I used to keep lists, but I rarely look things up.

What are you currently reading? Camille, Confessions of a Shopaholic and The Children of Hurin.

What is the last book you bought? A Betty Crocker cookbook...bor-ing.

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time? I usually reading two--one that I read faster and one that's more long term.

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read? I like to read laying down, preferably on my bed at any time.

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books? Both.

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over? My Cousin Rachel by Daphne DuMaurier.

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author's last name, etc.?) *Ahem* I organize roughly by genre (with young adult/juvenile separate) and then by sub-genre and author. I try to keep publishers together (I like Bantam Classics) and keep the sizes the uniform as well. I like to be precise!

PS: You should all read My Cousin Rachel.

I Got Married. Did You Know?

Well, it has been almost 4 weeks to the day since Drew and I were wed. One of these days I will do a post and tell you all about our windy, wandering path to marriage. But on this day I will tell you all about the actual wedding day. Some of you were there so you know all about it already, but some of you weren't for a variety of reasons so read on and be enlightened. There are many pictures, partly for the benefit of you non-Facebookers. Speaking of which, if any of you would like to see the pictures on Facebook but can't, let me know and I can send you the link. Anyhoo, let's get going.

August 15th. It started early, at 7:00 and it was cloudy and very rainy and wet outside. Our poor tent went right down on the ground.
Drew went for a run because he is crazy, and I camped out in the downstairs bathroom to get my hair done. There were no windows around so I had no idea what was happening in the rest of the house or out in nature. So I spent the early morning chatting with Kami with a K (ie, not Drew's Sister Cami) while she did my hair. I was getting pretty antsy by the end of it, since the breakfast was getting started at 10:30 while she was still wrestling with some hair that absolutely refused to curl. The hair, in the end, did refuse to curl for longer than the next twenty minutes, but I didn't care and look at the end result! It's fantastic and has lots of bobby pins in it.
So, as I was heading towards the stairs D-Rew met me at the bottom and said "Guess who's here?" And then I said "Annnnnnnn????" and he nodded and I fairly squealed my head off running for the stairs. It was a glorious reunion! Seriously, it was one of my favorite things that day. And her nice manfriend, JM, came along with her so I didn't have to worry about her being bored since she didn't really know anyone besides my sister.
So the breakfast was great and there was tons of food and friends and family. In the meanwhile our poor tent sat forlornly on the front lawn. Finally, midway through the breakfast, the wind died down and the rain had stopped so all the menfolk went outside and put the poor thing back up (where it stayed the rest of the day). We were a little anxious about the weather, but we had a few backup plans so we didn't fret too much.
A few hours later and off we went to the temple, each with a parent in tow. By this time we were seeing some blue sky among the clouds but it was still mostly cloudy. Unfortunately Drew had forgotten something at home so after a few attempts to have it found via the telephone, he ran back himself (ran=drove). What was it? This little number, made especially to coordinate with the rest of my jewelry:
And then we got married. It was nice to look around and see a bunch of friends and family, some that traveled a ways to be there. I don't know what else to say about this part except we got married and no, I didn't cry.

So then we were all married and stuff and we headed out to greet everyone. Doesn't he look so good in his tux? I wish he owned it so I could make him put it on periodically so I could give him googly eyes. I guess I do that anyway.
So, we took lots of pictures and everyone was really good about getting in their spots when their group was up. Oh, and the weather--it was perfect! Just a few clouds hither and thither and a nice cool temperature. Everything was dry and my heels only sunk into the ground a few times. The only really sad thing was that my poor hydrangeas in my bouquet were very unhappy and they started to wilt almost immediately.
After we had a lot of pictures taken we headed back to the house where things were coming together for the reception. The cake arrived and we were happy to not worry about it melting in the unseasonably cool August weather. Isn't it pretty? It's just what I wanted and it tasted great too.
I stuck my bouquet in some water during the meantime, but alas, they just couldn't pull it together. But that's okay, they still look pretty in pictures and the ones on the tables lasted just fine. I finished packing and walked about barefoot with the lace of my dress wrapped over my shoulder like a sari.
So then we had a reception, and it was great. People had a good time and we got all manner of compliments. I don't remember the name of a single new person I met. Luckily there were lots of familiar faces too.
The only reception tradition we did was cutting the cake. I never got around to ordering a bouquet for throwing, I vetoed any dancing and we both vetoed a garter toss. In the end the line lasted so long there wasn't much time for doing other things besides taking some more pictures with friends and family and eating a single creme puff.

So, at long last, we decided it was time to head off to Salt Lake City. I changed out of my dress (*sigh*), threw around a few last directions ("Don't forget my shoes!" "Please dry my flowers!") and headed to the car, dispensing last hugs along the way. Did I mention the car? It was delightful.
And that, my friends, was the wedding day. It went off with nary a hitch and the biggest potential problem was resolved halfway through the day. And now, in bulleted fashion, here are my favorite things from the day:

• Wearing my wedding dress. Going along with this, finally revealing it to D-Rew, who had just right reaction of jaw dropping and gasping and plentiful compliments.
• Delicious foods. I always like good food.
  
• The family! Of course. It's always fun when a bunch of the family is together at once, and not just a few. This always makes me wish we lived closer.
  
• The friends! They came from near and far and made everything that much more special.
  
• Not to be predictable or anything, but marrying Mr. Graham was my very favorite and best.
  

So, the events are all over now although of course the Graham household is just beginning. Four weeks in and everything just gets better and better.

And thus concludes my wedding post. If you'd like to read about the wedding and the honeymoon from the Mister's perspective, you can check out his posts. Also, in case you were wondering, we have no plans to combine our blogs or start a new one or anything. Business continues as normal in the blog world.