Hooray!

I had an awesome weekend. My bridal shower and bachelorette party were Sunday. I had the most amazing lunch buffet at The Sentor inn and spa. I didn't know Augusta even had a place with food that good! Lots of people were there (minus my aunt's family, as they had a birthday party to attend), and I got two of the things I've been hoping for - an electric mixer and an electric skillet! Okay I realize it's not that exciting sounding, but kitchen gadgets are something of an obscession with me.

After that my friend Caity J brought me back to her house, where the bachelorette party was. We had a great time with the consultant from Passion Parties. It turns out that I am the most sexually experienced of my friends - by about 100 times! I was a bit embarassed that I was the only person in the room who knew what Ben-Wa balls are and already has a rabbit. I overcame it, though, and bought three new things to add to my (somewhat vast) collection. I won't be able to get them beore the honeymoon, which kind of sucks, but I'll live.

Bear and Snake worked hard and y parents' house again, landscaping and doing general clean up. It seems like there is still a lot to be done before Saturday. I try to remind myself that everything will work out, that I need to have faith. I'm trying. We are headed back down there on Wednesday night, and will stay for the duration.

Hmm, let me see... what else is going on? Oh, I got my hair highlighted - it looks awesome! I got a lot of the dead ends cut off, too, and she straightened my hair before I left. It took almsot three and a half hours, but it was totally worth it. My grays are still there, but they are much less visible. I will try to get a picture today if I get a chance. I also decide against the mani/pedi due to time and financial reasons, but I did buy some good quality press-on nails. Did you know they make press on nails for your TOES? I didn't, but when I saw them, I had to buy them. I also bought some subtle false eyelashes to make my eyes pop in pictures. They aren't the all the way across ones, but the individual ones you can put where you want.

In other news, Snake broke up with his girlfriend! Many of you will remember Blondie, and how at times (okay, most of the time), I can't STAND her. Well Snake finally got sick of dealing with her crap and dumped her. Am I relieved? Absolutely. Do I now have to deal with the drama of whether or not Blondie can/will/should come to the wedding? Yup. She asked me what I thought, and I kind of danced around the issue. I personally don't care if she comes, but Snake is the best man and I don't want drama to upset him. An upset Snake is an upset Bear and I DON'T NEED THAT on our wedding day. Does that make sense?

Today is Tuesday and I am in charge of downloading all the songs I want played at the wedding and getting the music in some kind of order. Any idea what should play when Bear dances with his older sisters? His mom has passed away, so this is taking the place of the groom&his mom dance. I have to say I'm out of ideas.

~Amalia~

Happy Birthday ...

... to me! I'm 26 today. Usually my birthday is a huge deal - I have a party and cake, presents, the whole nine yards. This year I'm not, because the wedding is taking up so much energy from so many people. Bear got me two perfect gifts, though - a new pair of Columbia hiking boots and a battery-operated air mattress pump, so I don't have to pump it up by hand any more. I'm as excited by that as I am the hiking boots! I had never been camping before I met Bear, and since he introduced me to it I've come to love it. There's something so peaceful about "living" outside, even for a few days. You can almost feel the rythm of your body change, slow down, relax. I think more people should go camping, really.

Oh, and don't forget the S'mores!

There's not much else going on today... I'm going to buy stuff to make a cake when I get out of here so that I can celebrate both my birthday and the official start to my summer vacation. The weekend will be spent at my parents', Sunday is my bridal shower & bachelorette party, Monday I get my hair highlighted and trimmed (I can't WAIT for that!), and then I wait for Friday and Saturday's festivities. I will try to post as I get a chance. Wish me luck!

~Amalia~

10 Days to go (or so)

Monday I clicked on our wedding web page hosted by theknot.com. It looks like theknot had updated their website and made some major changes. As a consequence, I couldn't access my specific page. Less than two weeks from my wedding, and my page wouldn't load! It had all the directions for how to get to the site, important information on what to bring with you and even a place for people to RSVP. And I couldn't open it!! I was livid. I immediately shot them a nasty email telling them that the problem needed to be fixed immediately. It's probably as close to becomming a Bridezilla as I've come. It must have worked, though, because today it's back up. If you haven't seen it yet, check it out!

This week is just some last minute teacher stuff... I took down the thingd on the walls of my classroom, I'm working on curriculum stuff the rest of the week. Saturday morning we head back down to my parents' house to work on wedding stuff. I finally got a hair dresser booked to do my hair... we'll be doing a run-through on saturday. I still have to make a nail appointment, but that shouldn't be too tough. After that, I think it's mostly hurry up and wait. I can't believe the date is so close! It seems like I've been planning this damn thing forever... in a way I can't wait for it to be over. I just want the day to get here so I can stop stressing and just enjoy. Does that make sense?

Our honey moon is going to be in Bar Harbor. We're leaving right after the reception and will stay at a wonderful little bed and breakfast until the 3rd. Then we will be home for a few days, and then the weekend we are spending at Jo-Mary Campground about 15 miles away. Three days of camping, swimming, hanging out. It's going to be great. I can feel it.

~Amalia~

Wow.

Today was the last student day at school. To celebrate, there was a huge luncheon in the teachers' room. Halfway through the lunch, one of the other English teachers walked in with a money tree LOADED DOWN with cash! It had $250 on it. We also had cake that said, "Congratulations Heather! Good luck"

How sweet was that?

Everyone is probably sick of hearing how poor I am and how strapped for cash this wedding has made me. I am so overwhelmed. The people here are so generous! And to think I was considering leaving this place to teach full time in the next town. What was I thinking?! I'm totally staying here. Not forever - but when I do leave, it will be for the perfect fit. I really like the people here, and while the money is crap, at least it comes to me drama free.

So now I have some wedding money that I wasn't anticipating - I'll have to talk to Bear to see what we can do with it. Honeymoon? Scratch off tickets? Nicer gifts for the wedding party? What would you do?

I will post pics of the cake and tree when I get back from my parents' house this weekend. Snake is coming with us this time... it should be interesting!

~Amalia~

Phew.

at the end of last week, I was as stressed out as I've ever been in my life. I cried three times just at school, and that night Bear and I talked, and I said that I have reached the point where I'm not looking forward to the wedding. At all. All I want is for it to be over. Trying to figure out how to pay for the photographer has been driving us crazy! We talked about how it was going to happen at least ten times a day. It seemed everyone was freaking out about the [very] few things I really want. Bear was shocked when I told him it will cost about $100 to have my hair highlighted. Scroll down to the pictures below to see how much hair I have. I called around, and $100 is the lowest bidder. I want to have a manicure and pedicure, too. I don't feel like I should feel ashamed or guilty about it. But I did, and I felt terribuly guilty about the amount of money the photographer is costing us, too. You see, Bear and I don't have any money - our savings account has exactly 0.22 in it right now. Everything we have bought or are buying is on credit. The only thing we are paying cash for is Corrine (photographer). Bear has worked fourteen days straight, pulling fifty-five hour weeks to make extra money. I agreed to work the week school vacation starts to have an extra $400. I don't think I'll get it until after the wedding, but that money will still come in handy.

I was at the end of my rope. But then, Snake (Bear's best friend) came through for us. He is going to loan us the $800 we still need to get Corinne paid for. He's getting us the money this week! Hallelujah! We will be able to pay him back with the money we make at the wedding. But finally, after weeks and weeks of freaking out, there is a solution. Bear feels a thousand times better than he did and was able to sleep for the first time in a long time. How am I? I'm still not all starry eyed, but at least I'm not crying any more. There's a lot still to be done, but they are smaller in cost and importance. I will still be glad when it's over, but at least I'm not dreading the day like I was. Did anyone else feel this way? Last Friday I was thinking to myself, "If I could do it all over again, NO WAY would I EVER choose this route." Now I'm back on the fence about it. That's an improvement, right?

~Amalia~

It's Tuesday!

I forgot to mention two things the other day. One, I went without chocolate for almost two weeks... until I accidentaly had a glass of chocolate milk on Sunday. I say accidentally because it wasn't until I was done the glass that I realized it had chocolate in it. I was doing so well, too! Of course now my motivation to avoid chocoalate is shot, which explains why I made chocolate chip cookies last night. I forgot what the other thing was I was going to tell you. Maybe I'll think of it later.

It seems like it has been a long time since I posted quotes that my students have been amusing me with. Would you like some more? I hope so, because here are some things I have been overhearing lately:

• "I wish I knew how to say, 'I don't give a ratt's butt in English. [pause] I mean, French."
• "Dude the cops were looking for you last night. Where did you go?"
• Boy 1: Ms. Monroe likes looking at me because I'm pretty.
• Boy 2: Dude, you just called yourself pretty.
  
• Boy 1: Yeah, it means handsome, you know? Good lookin'.
• Boy 2: Dude, you just called yourself pretty. You're gay.
• Student: where do you want me to put this textbook?
• Ms. Monroe (pointing to the double stack of textbooks each 16 t4extbooks high): Right there.
• Student: Okay, I'm dumb. Sorry.

Speaking of students, a former student of mine (a dropout) made headlines today. Another student is nursing a biology injury - she got poked in the eyelid with a scalpel. The scalpel had a severed grashopper head on it! Can you say infection? My kids are going crazy!

When does vacation start?

~Amalia~

The Promised Pics

POW/MIA (Prisoner of Wedding, Marriage in Action)

• I know it has been over a week since I posted last. I really do MISS posting - I just haven't had more than two minutes to myself to type. Since so much has been going on, I thought I'd just post in bullet format today. To organize the events of the last eight days into any kind of order is just about imporssible. So enjoy the bullets of my life:

• Rembember the saying, "the best laid plans of mice and men..." or something like that? I think in my last post I wrote about how hectic my Friday was going to be. Well, everything went well until I got to the drive to Brownville part. I actually got to the tanning and chiropracter appointments early. I was making grat time! Then, as I was driving home, my car broke down. As in the engine konked out and would not go again. I was thirteen miles from the nearest town in a place where no cell phone gets reception. What was I to do? The only thing I could do, really. I got my purse, locked my car, and started walking. Down one of the most rural roads in Maine. In a jean skirt, heels, and dangly earrings. I think thirty cars passed before someone finally stopped and drove me into town so I could call Bear to come get me. Ugh. The irony is that later that night, when he brought me back to my car to see what was wrong with it, it worked fine. As in started right up and had no problems. As in can't take it to the garage unless you can duplicate the problem. So I'm driving it still, but I have no idea when and if it is going to break down again.
• When we finally did get to my parents' house, it was a morning of chores and then off to my aunt's house for my cousin's graduation from college party. It was great to see everyone, and even GREATER to get a list of what people are bringing to my wedding for food. Cold sandwhiches, taco salad, BBQ meatballs, bread pudding, all yummy and all FREE! I also talked to Lori, my cousin who is performing the ceremony. She is going to be great - we went over what we are going to say and she liked the vows Bear and I picked! Now Bear and I just have to memorize them...
• After the party, it was back to my parents' house for more chores. Bear painted chairs while I took the John Deere out for a three-acre spin. I mowed most of Grammie's lawns and remembered where most of the big rocks were....
• Bear and I camped out down to the pond (where the ceremony and reception will be). It was the first time in a tent all year, and we slept great. I can't wait to camp again!
• While in Gardiner, Daddy and I talked about where the canopy, porta potties, and cooking area will go. We got the float in and talked about when the gravel will be coming in to level out the ground. Bear and I will go back down as soon as the gravel is there to help out.
• The school year is almost done; I am teaching my last unit of the year. I'm trying to get everything together for finals, get papers graded and figure out what the rest of the year is going to look like. I have a ton of work still to do.
• I got the butcher paper "tablecloths" that we will be using for the wedding. I rolled the butcher paper cart into my room and cut off seventeen tables' worth of paper. I'm a thief, I know, but no one will miss it and it will really help me out.
• The poetry anthology my students created went off to the publisher on Thursday. It will be ready on the fifteenth. I can't WAIT until the kids see it! I spent hours and hours putting everything together (the table of contents, the format, etc.) and it looks great (if I do say so myself).
• Memorial day wasn't spent honoring any veterans (although I have the utmost respect and honor for them)... it was spent at AC Moore and Wal Mart and IParty getting stuff for the wedding - ribbon, balloons, toys for kids to play with (I bought crayons, squirt guns, pinwheels, a frisbee, tons of cool stuff). I made out quite well, actually.
• I tried on my dress again - it fits a little better, although I could still lose some fat around my hips to make it drape a bit better. I still have no idea what I'm doing with my hair, though. Any ideas?
• Lawns are forever needing to be mowed, I got my vegetable garden in, laundry is piled up waiting for sunny days so I can hang them out. I try to spend part of each afternoon outside working. Today was dump day - Snake brought his truck and we took two loads of stuff to the dump. It will look so much better around here once all that crap is gone! The only major thing left to do is burn the brush. Hopefully that will be done soon.

I think that's about everything. We took pictures of the wedding dress so I will post them in a few minutes. I still have to make my hair and nail appointments and find a cute outfit for the wedding night and for leaving the reception in. Any ideas about that?

~Amalia~