Secret Lives Of Bees: The Joey Edition

Um HI!  I was a blogger here a long, LONG time ago.  Well, it feels like that anyway.  I was thinking about things people may not know about me that were crazy and exciting, but I couldn’t really think of that ONE BIG THING so I decided to share a few smaller things.

• I don’t really like cheesecake, doughnuts or frosting.  I know.  I know.  I can’t explain it.  Actually, I can explain the doughnuts.  I had a doughnut a few hours before I got really “sick” and the taste coming up really stuck with me.  Sorry TMI.

 

• One of my favorite snacks is feta with tortilla chips.  I don’t know how I came up with that.  Now Mr. Joey likes it too.

 

• I was mock charged by an elephant.  It’s a long story but I rounded a corner and there is was.  It scared me, I scared it and it did the ears flapping – feet stomping thing they do before the charge.  I turned around and took off and apparently it did the same.  The owner of the property I was staying at saw the whole thing and thought it was the funniest thing ever.  That will teach me to stay at a lodge on an elephant corridor. 

I wonder which of these guys mocked charged me.  Sorry, it’s not a particularly flattering picture.

• I honestly think I should have been a spy.  I can blend in just about anywhere a spy would be needed.  I’ve been mistaken for someone who is : Indian, Bengali, Thai, Fijian, Mexican, Portuguese, Ethiopian, Chechen, Armenian, Turkish, Costa Rican, Nicaraguan, Mongolian, Pakistani, Zambian (not ethnically), and Cuban.  I also blend in in most of Europe, Africa, Canada and South Africa.  I’m telling you, I could have been a spy or something like that.  Actually, I think the reason I get to travel so much for work is because of my ability to blend in. 

 

• I’ve been involved in a few international incidents that are definitely spy worthy in a very comical way.  Let’s just say someone thought I was WAY more important than I was and I got assigned someone to tail me.  This “tailer” used let me know he had been in my apartment by leaving the TV on (after I’d unplugged it in the morning) to the Cartoon Network.  He also helped himself to an afternoon cup of tea pretty regularly.  I used to leave him chocolate once in awhile.  It was my way of letting me know I knew he was “visiting” but I didn’t mind.  I like to think that it wasn’t a mistake that someone was assigned to tail me but more that I was practice for someone way more important in the future.

6 Months Later

Hi Hive! I know I said was taking a break but then I realized today was our 6 month anniversary and that I had something to share.

Yes, if you can believe it, Mr. Joey and I were married 6 months ago today. Some days I feel like we got married yesterday, and some days I feel like it's been years since we walked down the aisle.

Now that I've had time to step back from the wedding and let the rest of my life (or rather our house) take over, I can really appreciate the wedding.

Immediately after the wedding, all I could think about were all the things that went wrong and all the things I’d change (part 1, part 2, part 3). I regretted parts of it, wished I invested more and asked for more help.

The funny thing is that I don't feel that way about it now. I couldn't remember most of what disappointed me about the wedding when I sat down to write this post. I actually had to read over my Heartbreaker post to revive my memory.

Heartbreak #1 : the first dance song. Something happened with the PA system and the singer sounded like a frog. I was made and sad about but thinking back on it now, we just laugh. All I can remember is giggling with Mr. Joey about it while we danced and catching a glimpse of our friend Larry, the guitarist, trying not to bust out laughing. When I hear the song now, I don't think about how the singer sounded, I think about what a funny but lovely memory the dance is.

Heartbreak #2 : The wedding no shows. Yes, that was lame. We had 10 guests who didn't show but did RSVP for the wedding. We checked with a few of them, and they did have genuine family emergencies. Those who didn't show up? Who cares. Seriously. They missed awesome food and great people. Lake Union Cafe packed up their portions of the food and Mr. Joey and I enjoyed it the day after and it was yummy. I honestly can't remember who didn't show.

There were a few things I wished we'd did like hire a DJ or expand on photography.

I don't care that we didn't hire a DJ and that our wedding wasn't an all night dance party. When I think about it. I remember how fun the money dance was and how much fun I had dancing with 4 or 5 of my friends. Sure we we're the only ones out there for a couple of songs, but we tore it up!  And our father-daughter / mother-son dance more than made up for the general lack of dancing.

The photography? I still think an engagement session would have been useful but then I look at our pictures, and they came out just fine. We have way more pictures than we know what to do with. We still haven’t had a single one printed. I'm bad, but I'm going to get on it. The shots we have, we love. We'll probably only display a few pictures from the wedding in our house, and we have about 100 options.

One picture related wish we had was to have a complete family picture taken with my parents, MOH Joey and BIL Joey. BIL Joey was in training for his deployment, so he couldn't come to the wedding. A few months after the wedding, we had Kat (AKA Mrs. Cherry Pie) of Persimmon Images take some family portraits and take care of that little wish. They came out great.  Here are some of my favorites

I’ve seen a lot of threads and posts from disappointed brides about their wedding lately and want to tell those ladies that you’ll love your wedding soon enough and forget about all the things that went wrong.  I still get compliments on my dress, the stationary, the food and the overall look of the venue, and you know what?  Those are the things I adored about our wedding and those are the things the guests remember 6 months later.

For those still planning, I just want to remind you all to take some time to relax.  You might have a few minor mishaps, but it will all be fine.  Trust me.

OK, I’m done preaching.  I’ll see everyone in 6 months.  :)