Happy Thanksgiving!!

Hi ladies- just wanted to take a few moments and wish everyone a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving! We all have so much to be thankful for this year!

--Cara

I am a married woman!!!!!!!!!!!

We did it!! There we are right there- Mr. & Mrs. Bertrand! :)

It was such an amazing weekend. Left on Wednesday, went to my father's house, and took care of all the last minute details, plus got to have a fantastic dinner on Thursday night. Headed to Geneva on Friday and had a whirlwhind from there.... we had a crew of 7 or 8 working on putting everything together on Friday afternoon- centerpieces (Tim actually did most of them himself!- with roses from www.freshroses.com- completey 2nd Andrea's recommendation), place card trees, programs, and basically unpacking all the detail stuff- from which I got to leave and have my nails done. It took forever, so I actually got back to the hotel about the time we should have been starting the rehearsal. I got ready in a flash (although managed to cut my finger on the free, cheap bic razor I had to use from our bathroom) and we got the rehearsal done quickly. The Rehearsal Dinner was awesome. It was such a great time, and even when the musician we brought paused to have his dinner, the conversation in the dining room was still as loud as ever. That was when we knew everyone was having a blast. We were able to have our (professional) photographer come to that as well, so I cannot wait to see what he captured.

Saturday... was amazing. I don't know what else to say. It was virtually perfect. The ceremony was beautiful- our pastor said some really great things. I cried, but not too terribly, which was a real accomplishment for me. Tim almost cried- he was very nervous! Then the reception was just gorgeous. I was awed by how beautiful it looked and what a great job the staff did on setting everything up. The whole thing literally glowed with candlelight. I truly think everyone had an amazing time, and I know everyone tells the bride and groom how great it was, but we've gotten some really genuine compliments on everything that make us feel great. Being married feels pretty great too :) I can't wait to see my pictures, and be able to share them all with you gals (and see yours too!). We must make a date for, well probably in the New Year to get together and trade stories.

Thanks for all the support you girls have given me!!

Here's a bonus picture of my cake- I was completely in love with it. The baker took all of my ideas and put them together for exactly what I wanted!

How are you, Cara?

Hey Cara,

How are you doing now? Wrapping up last minute stuff? Hope you have a beautiful day this weekend!

...A wonderful day!

Hey ladies!
Thanks for all the good wishes and advice through these past few months! Chris and I had a wonderful time 2 saturday's ago. We loved our ceremony. I do wish now that we did get it taped! But maybe once I get our pictures back, I won't mind so much. The reception flew by! We went around to tables during dinner. By the time we had finished it was after 10pm! Dancing was okay, I wished more of our guests danced, but oh well, we had a good time dancing with our friends. We took our pictures before the ceremony so that we would have sunlight. We hung out with everyone at the cocktail hour. I ate 2 pieces of tomato and mozzarella crostini. I spilled tomato on my dress from the 2nd piece. I grabbed 2 bridesmaids and we used tide to go stick on it and it was fine! The flowers looked great. We spent all day on them the Friday before, 8am-4pm! http://www.freshroses.com/! One of my bridesmaids tells me hers are still alive! So thats the low down! Honeymoon was fantastic, very relaxing! Great weather in Mexico! Here's a pic that a friend took of us right before the cocktail hour...

Chin Up, Tammy

Tammy,

I'm sorry to hear about your job. I certainly sympathize as I type this in my office filled with boxes. Next Wednesday is my last day, and I have no plans for the future. (Well, at least as far as a job is concerned.) Losing your job does suck, but try not to let it get you down too much. Focus on the future, especially what you want to do with your life. Don't dwell on the past, and what you don't have (like an education. Hey, I have a graduate degree, and I'm still as unemployed as you are at the end of the day, and I anticipate that it will take me at least 6 months to find another job given the legal market.) There are options for you. Go back to school, even part-time. It's not too late. It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind. Use this opportunity to maybe change the direction of your life.

You just need to stay in the right frame of mind. You are engaged. Enjoy being engaged. Don't think about the wedding right now. You'll just drive yourself crazy. My brother and his wife were engaged for 2.5 years while they sorted out their respective futures. They've now been married for 5 years, bought a house and have a beautiful little girl. Everything will happen for you in it's own time.

Is there any way you can find something else in Fidelity? It might be easier to switch jobs while your still employed there. While this won't get you benefits right away, I would recommend temping if you don't find anything. I got my current job after temping here for a couple of months (even attorneys temp ;-) The good thing about temping is you can leave if you don't like the position.

Good luck, Jennifer!

Jennifer,

I just wanted to wish you the very best of luck for your wedding this weekend. May all of your hopes and dreams be realized, and that you and Al share a long and happy life together. I truly hope it is the happiest day of your (and Al's) life. Try not to let the whirlwind of the day overwhelm you. Enjoy every precious minute.

I can't wait to hear all about it when you get back!

Losing my job

UPDATE: Well, ironically, my boss is no longer leaving the company. However, I was informed today, when I came into work, that my job will basically end on December 8th. Happy Holidays, I'm unemployed. My company SUCKS!!! They have no regard for their employees, they waste thousands of dollars, but can't afford to keep a loyal employee? Assholes. So, while I had gotten over my depression of spending and planning for the wedding, now I feel like I'm back at square one again. I can't believe this is happening now, right before the holidays, and right after my Grandfather died. I'm really upset and can't even begin to think about my wedding right now. I need to drink.



Hate to be a downer girls, but looks like yours truly must now look for a new job. It seems the "Powers that Be" (my boss) is leaving for another department and cannot take me with him. He of course waits until today to tell me, even though he's known for months. Lovely. I'm not sure how quick I will be out of work, as I'm not sure when he actually transfers. I wasn't crazy about this position, but did kind of like the idea of paying bills and eating once in awhile. Not a good day for me at all. Thank God I decided to hold off on wedding plans, I cannot imagine dealing with this at the same time. Now, we officially will have no income! (My finace is a student). This day could just not get suckier. Thanks for letting me rant, I'm glad the rest of you are having fun with wedding festivities. I had recently started Weight Watchers, and now I just want to go and eat a ton of chocolate. I'm so not in a good mood. Sorry if I brought anyone down, just had to let it out somewhere. Thanks all!

Happy Friday Girls! Just wanted to share a picture of my god-daughter Kylie. It made my day to see this in my email this morning! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Love, Sok

update on a family drama issue

I am so excited and want to share how much closer my mom and I have become in recent weeks. I finally got up the nerve to tell her that i really disliked the rabbi my mom found for us and I held my own in arguing taht I just want a justice of the peace. She agreed and in return, I agreed to learn more about my religion and background to get better understanding of it now that I am an adult. I didn't promise that I was going to be more religious or anything, I just told her that I was going to open my mind and relearn my religion and but aside my biases from negative expereinces I had from hebrew school.
The best thing about this wedding process has been how I have been forced to redefine my relationships with my family. Anyway, that's how things are now. It's good to recognize the positive times too.

Brilliant!

Way to turn a negative into a big positive...

Rain, rain... thanks!!

Andrea- Quick Question

Hey Andrea! I know your BM dresses are a Sage green color. That's the color that my best friend chose too. Just wanted to know what kind of jewelry are the girls wearing? Best friend wants pearls- I like pearls- But I am just wondering what your girls have!

Thanks,
Sok