No more fair maiden...

Married! We did it! The entire day was like a dream...one of those dreams that you wake up from and wish you could just have one more minute of...just ONE MORE! We said our vows lakeside under red, yellow, orange and green leaves....in front of everyone we love and adore. I wasn't nervous, I have never been more certain of any moment or any decision I have ever made. I want to try and record everything....I just can't write beautifully right now because I just want to create a list of everything that happened so I can come back to it. Sooooo, might not be too interesting, but it's a stream of consciousness, more for memories sake....

We arrived Friday night to a surprise dinner with Patrick and Natasha. Patrick flew back from Iraq for us to be our best man. Starting off the weekend on the right foot. Overeating, hysterically crying, surrounded by parents, brothers and sisters. Dinner was in downtown Hurley at an old colonial home they converted into a restaurant. With tap beers, steak specials, and gourmet everything....it fit us just right. I forget what I ordered but mom forgot her glasses so I ordered for her and it was a spicy sausage pasta dish. YUM! We toasted to being together and didn't stop talking and laughing until our faces hit our pillows. I had trouble sleeping, tossing and turning. Rick and I were awake in the middle of the night listening to Bob snoring. Laughing...getting frustrated....laughing some more... I think it stopped and we fell asleep, but I didn't dream, it felt more like a quick nap...but...with no dream. =)

Saturday we headed to Hunter Mountain with Patrick, Natasha and Aiden for the Oktoberfest while our parents stayed back at the Town Park to prep for the rehearsal dinner. Met up with Jenny & Joe and Rizzy & Kelly. Shortly after Pops, Willy & Venice, and Bob arrived. We took the ski lift to the top, drank German beer ate Jamaican food...? and hung out in the mountain under the sun. On the way back down the mountain, Rick and I put the windows down and blasted Kings Of Leon singing our heads off and celebrating. Rolling tobacco, taking pictures and rushing back to the hotel to get ready for the rehearsal.

We made it! Our families were all there at the pavillion waiting for us with food and decorations set up. It was perfect. The steak and chicken, the apple sauce...it was a feast for everyone! We did a run through of the ceremony. It was hard to keep my composure but I did. We ate, drank, listened to good music...Rick played some football with the boys...the kids ran circles around the playground, our friends smoked cigarettes and told funny stories, our cousins sang and took pictures. When the sun set, Bob found the breaker for the lights so we could hang around even longer. Everyone helped out with the cleanup (except for me and Rick). My feet gave out in my heels and I decided I had to head back to the hotel for better shoes and a more comfortable outfit. Thought we might call it a night but instead, we walked the tracks to the bar (well, not really ON the tracks, but alongside them).

And then...the wedding. Walking down the aisle, seeing every person I have shared my life with, every person I love....and at the far end is the man of my dreams...the one I met and fell in love all because of fate....it was goosebumps, it was butterflies, it was a daydream, a triple scoop ice cream, an encore with your favorite song, a winning lottery ticket...it was every emotion that you can't describe...that you know everyone gets that same feeling about all over their body...the one that steals away every thing else, the background is blurry, you can only focus on one thing at a time....you almost feel drugged...that's what it was. Him, me...us and every person that means the world to us and always will. Nothing like it on earth...plus I was all dolled up!

We danced, we sang, the cousins took the spotlight to sing an old song for us...just like when I was a kid....the best men said their speeches, my dress got dirty, we took too many shots, sang til' we lost our voices. We partied. We rocked! Then...we had a bonfire into the wee hours of the morning!! Singing more, killing sherades, mowing salty popcorn, hugging, kissing, spilling....

Rick and I took advantage of the heart shaped hot tub, spent a good 2 hours pulling out bobby pins....passed out. It was tough peeling my makeup covered face off the pillow just 4 hours later for the "farewell breakfast..." not sure how we pulled that off, but we made it, ate pounds of scrambled eggs, shared some bad breathe with the troopers who spent the night....and called it a marriage!

Then...off to the Riviera Maya in Mexico!
Honeymoon photos -----> http://www.flickr.com/photos/26613558@N04/