Puny Mommy

I caught whatever the kids had. Hubby is in Ohio until Friday. Please pray for me, that God gives me the grace and strength to take care of the girls today. I know He will, but I'll feel better knowing that I've got a few prayers going up, too.

Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God's love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light, to guard, to rule, and to guide.

Saint Peter, patron saint against fevers, pray for me!

Saint Monica, patron saint of mothers, pray for me!

Blessed Virgin, my mother, pray for me!

Lord Jesus, please grant me the strength to care for my girls today and tomorrow. If it be Your divine will, please allow me to recover quickly.

Little Girl's Big News

Little Girl has been complaining on and off for months that she's having trouble seeing things. Then, she told my parents that she can't see her books very well. Since she hasn't stopped reading, and seemed to do okay, I didn't think much of it.

But when she complained of headaches when we did a lot of reading-intensive schoolwork, I worried.

Turns out she's far-sighted, which is actually kind of good (if you have to be near- or far-sighted) because she might outgrow it in a few years. Unfortunately, she also has a stigmatism, which complicates things. But, ah, well! We knew that our kids' eyes would be doomed because Hubby and I didn't make it out of elementary school without glasses.

Today we picked up her glasses, and she kept hugging me and telling me that she's so glad to have them. When we got the call this evening, I hurried the girls through dinner so we could get them tonight, before Pearle Vision closed at 7.

Later, at the grocery store on the way home, Little Girl hugged me tight and said, "Thank you for getting my glasses tonight, Mommy!"

Happiness in Action

"When the first baby laughed for the first time, the laugh broke into a thousand pieces and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies."

-J.M. Barrie

Hat tip to Ma Beck for both of those.

Grace

You know God's graces are working on you after Confession when you read comments on WaiterRant and don't want to punch the jerk who calls kids f***ers and tells you not to leave the house with them.

Ah, the wonders of sanctifying grace!

Happy Birthday to the Best. Husband. Ever.

I love you and I always will!

This post at Mary Meets Dolly, what with all the Christian denominations that want to use unborn human beings as fodder for research, made me want to send the people in charge of those denominations a bunch of these:

My CafePress store, where you can purchase the above design on shirts and mugs, is found here. At that site, there are also different designs for bumper stickers with the same message. (I am trying to figure out how to get the design above onto a bumper sticker. Give me time, and I'm sure I'll figure it out.) I also have a health and beauty storefront here, with everything from high-quality, all-natural nutritional suppliments to cosmetics to health foods.

Thanks for looking. :)

I Gotta Fever of a Hundred and Three

Actually, I don't but the girls did. They were both getting more and more listless during dinner, but I was waiting a bit to give them more Motrin stuff (acetamenophine) because I wanted them to have it nearer to bedtime. I took their temperatures after dinner (ears) and got more than 104 for Big Girl and more than 103 for Little Girl.

OH. MY. GOD.

I called my sister as I poured out their doses of acetamenophine, and I asked her what to do.

She said, "Get them into a tepid bath to cool them down some. Give them cold compresses. And do you know about febrile seizures?"

As she explained about them (I wasn't freaked out by the possibility, but I did want to be informed as to what they might look like), I stripped the girls and started a tepid bath. It was probably about 75 or 80 degrees at the most. The girls felt like they were being dumped into an ice bath. Scapulars on, they cried the entire time they were in the tub, where I made them lie down for ten to twenty seconds at a time and poured water all over their bodies. Once they were out, I put the cool compresses on their heads. Right now, their fevers are down to 100 and 101, and they are eating pretzels and watching Story Keepers. Once this episode is over, I'll put them to bed, but I'll be waking them up in an hour to dose them with ibuprofin (Tylenol equivalent). And I'll check their temperatures again later, and possibly wake them up again for more acetamenaphine. Maybe I'll sleep on the couch. Please pray for them. And me, if you please.

Saint Peter, please pray for my girls! Guardian Angels, please watch over them! Saint Monica, pray for me!

Puny Girls

Both girls are sick today. We started out with only Little Girl feeling "puny," and she was running a fever of about 100 when we took off for Wal Mart to pick up a few things to get us through 'til Saturday, when Hubby will be home all day. We got back, and the girls, who had both been complaining of feeling lousy at the store, started feeling better. Big Girl took her spelling test for the week (toughest word: diocese), Little Girl started back in on math (place value - she is breezing through it), and I made a light lunch, since neither of them ate all of breakfast.

We sat down to watch Narnia and eat lunch. I figured we were done with school since they were both coughing and feeling crummy. Both girls registered fevers of 100. Nothing to take medicine for, but they are still not up to par today.

Little Girl took two nibbles out of her sandwich, Big Girl had none. I put them both in bags in the fridge for later consumption (I'm nothing if not optimistic), and the girls lay on the couches to watch the rest of the movie. We all kind of drift off, and at the end of the movie, both girls look as if they've been hit by a truck. Plus, now they are both quite flushed.

Over 101. Both of them. Little Girl's actually registered at near 102.

Okay, so they've just had cough syrup, but now out comes the Motrin stuff (well, Wal Mart's version of it). Both get a dose and head off to bed for a good nap. Big Girl woke up about 15 minutes ago, still looking flushed, but it's been an hour and a half since I left her in bed. Little Girl is still out. I've found that while they will both rest well when they are sick, Little Girl likes to really sleep off an illness. When she's feeling puny, she is just completely out of it.

If this isn't better by morning, we won't be going to co-op. Ah, well. Such is life.

[picture credit]

"...Appropriate and Effective Programmes of Support for New Life..."

For someone who rambles, I have been a bit quiet lately. Things have been kind of busy, now that I have responsibilities aside from my family. Twice a week I teach a sign language class for hearing babies and their mothers, I'm heading up the Respect Life Committee at my parish, and I'm still teaching an apologetics class for middle schoolers at my homeschool co-op. In addition, for the last two Wednesdays I've been going to something our parish does called "Coffee with Jesus." (We get together at a local restaurant and talk about the readings for that day.) Then there's just the normal stuff of life: homeschooling, doctor's appointments (Little Girl is getting glasses), storytime at the library, ballet for Little Girl (Big Girl starts soccer during Easter Week), and the general things that go with being a wife and mother.

But trust me, I'm not complaining. The only thing I question is the signing class because it ties me down more than anything else that I do. But I enjoy the class, and I really like the results. (Not much is cuter than watching the tiny hands of a one year old while she's signing.)

Probably the best thing lately is the new directions for the Respect Life Committee at our parish. It's been kind of inactive for a while, mostly due to the busy, busy lives of the two wonderful women who were heading it up. I had big plans, but the meetings we've started to have monthly have resulted in even bigger ones. Thanks be to God for the wonderful members of the committee! I could do none of what is being done without them (and especially without God's graces)! One of the most amazing things about my being the chair of the committee is that I am not a natural leader. I am really much more comfortable to follow someone else's lead, and so this whole business of being in charge of something aside from my family is quite new. Anything I do right (or successfully) is absolutely because of God's graces. There is no other explanation for it. I've also taken to praying for Blessed Teresa of Calcutta's intercessions.

I wrote the following article for our parish newsletter, and I wanted to share it here since I said I'd be updating my four readers with what's been going on with the group. I removed the names of anyone to protect privacy, but the rest is essentially what I'm submitting to the newsletter.

*************************

Building a Culture of Life

by Christine

The Gospel of life is at the heart of Jesus' message. Lovingly received day after day by the Church, it is to be preached with dauntless fidelity as "good news" to the people of every age and culture.

-Pope John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae (1)

Recently, the Respect Life Committee of [our parish] has undergone some changes. First, A***, who has led the group for some time, stepped down as chair. I stepped up in her place, though A*** has been kind enough to give me guidance on how to proceed as chair. Next, we began meeting on the second Monday of each month. It might seem like that’s too often, but I what we have envisioned for our group to do requires meetings on a regular basis. What I’d like to do for you here is outline what we’ve been up to, as well as what we are planning on doing in the future.

Earlier this year, our parish was contacted by a woman whose teenaged daughter had just discovered she was pregnant. The girl had already been to Planned Parenthood, where she was advised to have an abortion. Thank God, she did not go through with it, but her mother explained that there wasn’t enough money for the family to get some of the basic necessities to provide for the child. Would we be able to help out with getting some of the most expensive items – namely a crib and some maternity clothes? Through some very generous donations, we were able to purchase a crib and a gift certificate to Motherhood (a store specializing in maternity clothes). We also made suggestions on where to go for further help with baby clothes and more. As I type this, the young girl and her boyfriend are driving back home with the crib. The family is extremely grateful, and has even promised to donate the crib back to the parish once it is no longer needed.

And this brings us to what the Respect Life Committee would like to be able to do in the future.

Our committee has come up with the idea to be on the ready to assist women who might find themselves in a crisis pregnancy. Maybe the woman in question is unmarried. Maybe she is married, but she and her husband are having financial trouble and aren’t sure how they’ll make it when the baby comes along. Whatever the problem, it is part of our call as Catholic Christians to do what we can to help her. Pope John Paul II, writing in Evangelium Vitae, said:

Every Christian community, with a renewed sense of responsibility, must continue to write this history [of charity] through various kinds of pastoral and social activity. To this end, appropriate and effective programmes of support for new life must be implemented, with special closeness to mothers who, even without the help of the father, are not afraid to bring their child into the world and to raise it. (87)

For the past year, we have been giving assistance to Commonwealth Catholic Charities by having quarterly baby showers. This important program assists Catholic Charities in supplying baby clothes and diapers to women in crisis pregnancy as well as to some of their foster children. This program won’t be ending, but we’ve felt called to do more to assist families in need. To this end, Respect Life is planning on building up and maintaining a regular supply of layettes and cribs to be loaned out to those in need. The plan is to include in the layettes diapers and clothes – in graduating sizes from newborn up for both boys and girls – and to have sets for winter and summer in order to meet the needs of someone no matter what the season. The only request we would make is for the clothes and cribs to be gently used so that they might be returned to the parish and used again by a new family.

This idea is an exciting one, but it’s also one that is not able to be done without funds. Our parish’s budget simply does not have the funds to complete this kind of program. And so, the Respect Life Committee will be conducting various fundraisers in order to build up this program for assisting families. Our first fundraiser will be for Mother’s Day; we’re having a tea for mothers and daughters that will finish up with a May crowning. This is something we’re hoping to be able to do on an annual basis, so as to make a new tradition for the women in our parish. Men, don’t feel left out! We’re looking to do something special for fathers and sons near Saint Joseph’s feast day next year!

This is only one of the many wonderful ideas our members have come up with. Watch the bulletin for information on more of the upcoming events for Respect Life at [our parish]. And, as always, feel free to come to a meeting! They are open to everyone, and we’d be glad to have you!

Catholic Carnival

To Jesus Through Mary is hosting this week's Catholic Carnival. Get thee over there to read about Something Positive to Do for Lent, how images of Pope John Paul II touched someone, and even a post about overzealous converts.

Homeschooling = Physical and Sexual Abuse?

Maureen Wittmann had a post up about a homeschooling mother of seven who is being harrassed by a judge. No, it's not another family in Germany (where you can go to jail for homeschooling your children, thanks to Hitler's law that has remained on the books), it's in New Jersey!

Seems that the father, who is recently estranged from his wife, has decided that he wants the kids in parochial school, and the judge is willing to break the law by putting new requirements on the mother. But the thing that really takes the cake is this beaut:

The judge criticized the NJ law and lamented the fact that it upholds the rights of parents to home-school their children without interference from the government. Implying that children being educated by their parents are unsupervised, the judge stated, "This is shocking to the court. In this day and age where we seek to protect children from harm and sexual predators, so many children are left unsupervised."

The judge continued, "In today's threatening world, where we seek to protect children from abuse, not just physical, but also educational abuse, how can we not monitor the educational welfare of all our children?" He then gave the case of a recently found starving child locked "in a putrid bedroom" as an example of what happens when home-schooled children are not "registered and supervised."

[full story here]

[Justice Zampino's full ruling here]

Pardon me, but did this man just make a blanket statement comparing homeschoolers to sexual predators and child abusers? Did he really just say that??

Pray for this family, please, and while you're at it pray for the judge. Obviously, the guy has some issues. Plus, he doesn't seem to understand his role in government, which is to uphold the actual law, not manipulate the law to create one he likes better.

Detraction

I had this post from Dappled Things saved from last month, and I've finally gotten around to reading it. Excellent! Don Jim links to some sources that discuss detraction. It's a wise thing to read it and be careful not to fall into it, no matter how justified you might feel. I know I have a tendancy to do so, and I've really got to watch myself and be careful of even what I read so as to avoid the occasion of this particular sin.

Head on over and read what the good father has to say.

What a Splendid Idea!

Esther points out a cool new program she read about here. Apparently, a pastor in Norwalk, Connecticut, decided that it was better to have altar boys only, in order to encourage vocations to the priesthood. Girls who have been serving as altar servers may continue, but there is now a new group for girls at this parish.

"Although most area Catholic churches follow the modern practice of using altar girls, a Norwalk parish recently reverted to a traditional boys-only policy and started a program for girls teaching them to sew, cook and arrange flowers for the altar.

The Rev. Greg Markey, pastor of St. Mary Church in Norwalk for three years, said he made the change to help deal with the shortage of priests. Girls who were altar servers before the change was announced last year were permitted to continue.

More than 20 girls have signed up for the Handmaids of the Altar since the program began in October. They help with the sacristy, creating baptism robes and altar linen. For their first project, the girls raised $175 selling cookies they baked".

Oh, how wonderful! It would be wonderful if this was immitated all over the place. God certainly calls each of us to serve Him in some way, but our gifts and talents are different, and the call to boys (and men) is going to be different than the call to girls (and women). As the good pastor said himself, "Certainly the spirit of the society in which we live will not accept this. Yet this has nothing to do with equal rights. Men and women are equal in the eyes of God, and each has different gifts which should be allowed to develop in their proper environment."

The full article, complete with complaints from FutureChurch and feminists, can be found here.

[photo credit]

I just spent a little time updating some of my products at my CafePress site. I also noticed that I'd had some shoppers. Thank you to everyone who purchased something!!!

I have a new design on a few items, and I thought I'd share it with you. I am having trouble getting the design to work properly on T-shirts, but I'll figure that out later, I guess. In the meantime, here's the new design.

And here's a link to go check out the new items at the shop.

Please check out my CafePress store.

Carnival Time

The Catholic Carnival is up!

Devotion

Found at Mark Shea's blog.



[CONTENT WARNING: THIS CONTAINS CLIPS FROM THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST!!]

You Know You're Catholic When... (UPDATED)

UPDATE: I posted a picture of Hubby's sculptures below. Plankton is hard to see, but he's in front of SpongeBob, who is sitting on the play-dough container.

Hubby and the girls were making play-dough Sponge Bob characters. They'd run out of people to make except for Sandy Squirrel, and Hubby said he didn't remember if her tail was in or out of the space suit. So, since breakfast was nearly ready anyway, and I needed the table cleared off, we snapped a picture or two of the clay crew (posted below) and the girls went in the living room to do research. In other words, they turned on Sponge Bob Squarepants.

During one of the episodes they squeezed in before breakfast, the announcer said, "We will have a special collection for Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy."



What Hubby heard was, "We will have a special intention for Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy."

Bunnies and Sheep

I've been thinking about the book The Runaway Bunny since my two posts on the topic earlier this week, and it occurred to me that we are all very much like the little bunny in the story.

When we are small, we don't mind our parents taking care of us, but as we get older, we want to go out into the world without them. It's very often the same way with God. When we are small, we relish His protection. We trust Him implicitly. We do not question Him or His love for us.

But as we get older, we seem to know better. We want to get away from His guidelines, His commandments. We try to get away.

We are exactly like the little bunny in The Runaway Bunny. We think of more and more inventive ways to run away from God. "I will become a fish in a stream."

God answers us just like the mother bunny. "I will become a fishman, and I will catch you."

"I will become a rock high on a mountain."

"I will become a mountain climber, and I will climb up to you."

"I will become a flower hidden in a garden."

"I will become a gardener, and I will find you."

This story reminds me so much of the parable of the lost sheep. No matter where the sheep has gone, the shepherd goes to find him. And we are the lost sheep. We wander all over, stubbornly refusing to obey, refusing to follow our Shepherd. He calls us, but we ignore Him. He looks high and low for us, but we continually go off and hide.

"I will become a bird and fly away from you."

"I will become a tree that you come home to."

No matter where we go, no matter what we do, God seeks us out. And, no matter what we might think about it, our souls will always long for Him. We were made, not for this world, but for Heaven. It's our real home. Ask any child who has studied the Balitmore Catechism why God made him, and he will answer, "God made me to know, love, and serve Him in this life, and to be happy with Him in Heaven in the next life."

We were made for Heaven. We were made for God. We were created with a longing for Him deep in our souls. And yet we still run away.

"I will become a sailboat and sail away from you."

"I will become the wind and blow you back home."

What we need to do, and what is so very difficult for us all, is to surrender our lives to God. Every little tiny bit of them. Surrender our will. Surrender our desires. Give it all to the One who made us. He knows our needs, He knows our desires - the very deepest desires of our hearts - and He loves us beyond all comprehension.

He will come for us.

And we need to become like the little bunny. In the end, he realizes that no matter where he goes, his mother will come to find him. He can do nothing to escape her love. And he accepts that.

"Shucks," he tells her, "I might as well stay where I am and be your little bunny."

We might as well stay where we are and be His little bunnies, too.

"If you are a gardener and find me," said the little bunny, "I will be a bird and fly away from you."

If you become a bird and fly away from me," said his mother, "I will be a tree that you come home to."

The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown

Pictures by Clement Hurd

Photos from Daytona Beach, Florida

I took LOTS of pictures on vacation, mostly of Kennedy Space Center, but I had a few shots of other parts of the vacation. Our room was really nice - 18th floor of a 19 floor tower, ocean view.


These two are the views from our unit (two bedroom, two baths, living/dining area, full kitchen).

This is the view of the pools from our balcony.

From the pool area, our room is way up there! Ours was the second floor from the top, third balcony over. Keep in mind that the purple wall separates one balcony from the next, so ours was in the second set of balconies, left side.

One afternoon, some bozo a couple of floors down decided it would be a neat idea if he and the family (kids included) fed the seagulls. I'm sure future guests will be thrilled that people were doing this. However, we took the opportunity to get some neat shots of the gulls hovering on the wind.

Early morning at Daytona was quiet while we were there. It was still cool at this hour, and the lifeguard had just set up shop after the tide went down. Despite the low water temperatures, there were plenty of people swimming in the ocean during the week.

Big Girl and Little Girl with their cousin, watching a movie on the TV's on the tour bus at KSC. Little Girl is sitting with Big Cousin.

The Space Shuttle was still on the launchpad. It will be taken in sometime this week for repairs for the damage caused by the hailstorm late in February. (The hail you say!)

The first time I was at the KSC, the old "worm" NASA symbol was still on the building.

This one was taken to show the size of the VAB. Notice the water tower between the two grey doors.

The last few pictures are on our last night in Daytona. It was a pretty clear night, and the moon was full. The following night, we'd be blessed to watch a lunar eclipse on our way home. Our last hour's drive was directly towards the eclipse! Too bad I couldn't get a decent picture of it.

Well, Yes...

We were playing Pictionary Junior with the girls over the weekend. One of the biggest differences between the kids' game and the grown-ups' game is that there is a category on each card. For beginners, you read the category before drawing. This helps the children focus on what they should be looking for in the picture.

One of the categories we got was "At the Ocean." I asked for it to be repeated so that I was sure I understood it (Little Girl isn't always perfectly clear when she speaks), so Little Girl clarified it for me, saying, "At the Ocean. Like Japan."

Sweet Stuff

My girls are such sweethearts, and their love for me is humbling.

A couple of weeks ago, we were in Wal Mart. It was time to nominate the Teacher of the Year. The girls saw the display and got very excited about it. Big Girl ran over and got a nomination slip. They read the rules and were dismayed that I can't be nominated because we homeschool. "You deserve to be nominated, Mommy!" they both insisted.

A couple of months ago, I was downloading pictures from my camera. I discovered the picture below, which is from The Runaway Bunny.

I really love the book because of it's beautiful, yet simple, pictures. Besides that, the story itself is a touching reminder of how deep a mother's love runs.

My favorite part of the book is actually a two-page picture (each section has one). In the pages before it, the little bunny tells his mother he will turn into a bird and fly away.

"If you turn into a bird and fly away, I will be the tree that you come home to."

The picture is beautiful. The baby bunny has wings and is flying towards a big, beautiful tree, shaped just like the mother bunny. She is the tree he comes home to. *sigh*

I have been saying that I'd love to copy the pictures on my scanner and print them off for framing. I even know just where I can hang them. But I've been saying this for years without actually doing it. Big Girl, unbeknownst to me, took a picture of the page for me so I'd have it to print off. It's one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me.

I love my girls!

I Read, I Saw, I Snagged

The Marriage Meme! Being married to Hubby is one of my favorite things about my life, so when I read this at R.C. Mommy, I snagged it up to play along.



Marriage Meme



1. Where/How did you meet? We met when we worked together at Maison Blanche, a department store. He worked in electronics, and I worked as a "floater," which basically meant that I was in whatever department needed help that day. I worked one shift with him, during which he insisted on calling me "honey" in spite of my repeated requests that he not do so. (I had a boyfriend.) When he wouldn't remember, I, in my oh-so-nice ways that I had at the time, threatened his ability to have children in the future. Wisely, he stopped. To this day he does not call my honey. (ha!)



I left that job after a short time, and we didn't catch up again until we took a physics class together (God's idea - I didn't know about the sign language class that was offered at the same time). He approached me after the second class and re-introduced himself. Not necessary. I remembered him, commented on his new glasses, etc. We became best friends (though his motives were not the same as mine - he wanted to marry me, and I still had the boyfriend in NJ), we hung out all the time, we went out to eat and to see movies several times a week. Always Dutch, mind you. Eventually, God put down my usual 2x4 and picked up the 6x6. I realized that I was in love with this guy. I broke up with the boyfriend, analyzed myself nearly to death, and accepted Hubby's offer for him to "take better care of me than J*** does." (First, though, I made him suffer for nearly a week.) Within about four days, I knew that his idea about marrying each other was a good one. :)



2. How long have you known each other? This August it will be 18 years. Is that right? Wow. Almost half my life. *happy sigh*



3. How long after you met did you start dating? 15 months. Unless you count all of those non-dates that suspiciously looked like dates. Then it's only a year.



4. How long did you date before you were engaged? 2 years. As a matter of fact, he proposed for our anniversary. But we'd been unofficially engaged for about a month or two. I had the dress, we'd booked the hall for the reception, and we'd already reserved the church.



5. How long was your engagement? 9 months. My grandmother said something about having a baby in between. It was a really strange comment. LOL!



6. How long have you been married? 13 1/2 years as of this last Saint Valentine's Day



7. What is your anniversary? August 14th



8. How many people came to your wedding reception? Oh, my goodness! I don't remember! I think we invited about 120.



9. What kind of cake did you serve? Chocolate cake with butter cream icing. Little daisies made of icing all over it, my bouquet and the bridesmaids' bouquets all around it on the table (more daisies). It was FABULOUS!!!



10. Where was your wedding? Wedding at Church of the Nativity, Lake Mary, FL. Reception at the American Legion in Sanford, FL.



11. What did you serve for your meal? Prime rib. I didn't get to eat much of it, though, since I hadn't eaten enough and was a bit nauseous during most of the reception.



12. How many people were in your bridal party? 3 bridesmaids, 3 groomsmen, a flower girl and a ring bearer.



13. Are you still friends with them all? No, we've lost touch with two of the groomsmen. Bridesmaids are 3-0, and the children were my cousins.



14. Did your spouse cry during the ceremony? Almost, but he was fortunately saved by his fit of laughter during our vows. (See picture below.)



15. Most special moment of your wedding day? Receiving the ring. Knowing at the end that I was finally married to Hubby. Oh, but I think the tops is the look on his face when he saw me, just before everyone stood up. He gasped, then settled into this amazing smile. I LOVE Hubby's smile!!



16. Any funny moments? Well, it's only partly funny, I guess. While I was in the bathroom trying not to throw up, Hubby's father, who was never at a loss for words, worriedly went up to my dad. "Is Christine okay?" he asked. Dad, who had actually just had someone check on me, said, "I don't know. I think it's your son's problem now. She was fine when I gave her to him a couple hours ago!" He then walked off, leaving my father-in-law speechless. I was fine eventually, and even ate a little of the prime rib. Oh, and cake. mmmmmm....chocolate cake!



17. Any big disasters? Only that bout of nausea. But it wasn't too bad, and the photographer stayed on - without charge! - until I felt better and he finished the shots he wanted to do.



18. Where did you go on your honeymoon? Montego Bay, Jamaica! (Sandals ROCKS!)



19. How long were you gone? 6 days



20. If you were to do your wedding over, what would you change? I would have eaten a peanut butter sandwich before getting dressed, even if the photographer had to wait. (He was 30 minutes earlier than he said he'd be!)



21. What side of the bed do you sleep on? As you look at the bed, I'm on the right. Though on vacations, I sometimes sleep on the opposite side. And we've switched sides since we got married, too.



22. What size is your bed? Queen



23. Greatest strength as a couple? We are best of friends. And because I started out as being just friends with Hubby, I never feel a need to put on some kind of act for him. I have never felt a tremendous need that he never see me without makeup or perfect hair, and I know that he loves me for who I am because I've never hidden the real me from him. Plus, we genuinely like to hang out together. He's so much fun, and we make each other laugh.



24. Greatest challenge as a couple? Ummm...I'll have to think about that. Maybe it's money. Like, we both kind of like spending it.



25. Who literally pays the bills? Me.



26. What is your song? "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Roberta Flack. (And I think that Celine Dion's version is AWFUL!! BLECH!)



27. What did you dance your first dance to? A slow dance? At the wedding, I think. Other dancing did occur at Pleasure Island, but I will not be sharing any more details on that.



28. Describe your wedding dress. Floor-length with big, poofy sleeves. Fitted bodice, large poofy skirt with a bow on the back. Chapel-length train, chapel-length veil. (See pictures for a better detail.)

(note: That last picture is of my Father-Daughter dance)

29. What kind of flowers did you have at your wedding? Mostly daisies, but with a few white roses in there to match the boutonnieres of the men.



30. Are your wedding bands engraved? What do they say? Nope, no engraving. We actually have channels in our bands, so there is only the back side of it. And it's a good thing we didn't, since I had my rings stretched when I gained weight after each girl, then cut back down when I lost it all.



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