Brr. It is freezing in my room! Perhaps not quite as cold as the 35 degree temps this morning at Race for the Cure, but still, I'm sleeping in the socks tonight.
And yes, I already know that at this point because I have indeed donned my pjs and retainers and am currently sitting in bed waiting to watch some SNL and turn in early. The alarm rang at approximately 7 a.m. this morning and it has been non-stop since then.
I think this morning was my most enjoyable Race for the Cure to date. I always love the celebratory atmosphere and huge turn-out, but today I had fun people to run with and it just went by so fast! Likely that was because we were so entertained by the constant weaving . But anyway, despite my red nose and numb fingers, I had a really great time.
I met mom and Ma for lunch at the Apple Cake Tea Room before taking on wedding dress shopping experience #4. And it was a SUCCESS!!! My wedding dress is in my possession, currently hanging from a door in my living room at home. That. is. CRAZY! But so exciting. I love it and wish I could put a picture up, but I guess I have to stick to tradition and conceal all glimpses from the Benjamin. Therefore the reveal will have to be postponed for 7 more months.
We got a ridiculous deal. As in both of my prom dresses cost more than my wedding dress. You'd never know, though! We just got lucky. Finally we score one against the wedding. Woo!
Tonight the fiance and I had a little impromptu date night. We had planned on going downtown to see the band that is playing at the wedding, but then we decided that was way too cool for us, so we opted for dinner and a movie instead. Typical. Our meal at Bonefish made it worth it though. People, you need to try the Swordfish and Pumpkin Ravioli special. It was ingenious. One of my top dishes of all time I'd say. Yum! (The chocolate creme brulee was pretty awesome as well...) Then we went to see the Wall Street sequel. Eh. You could skip it. Especially if you're like me and have no idea how the finance world works. I was pretty darn confused for most of the time.
Alright, I'm gonna go watch Rhianna perform and go to sleep at a decent hour. I apologize for the lack of pictures, maybe I'll have an answer to that soon. Happy weekend! :)
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Afternoon in the Basement
I can recall only two times in my life that I have had to take serious precautions due to the threat of a tornado. The first occurred in the middle of some random night, when a torrential storm sent my family to the downstairs closet to wait out the possible twister. It never came and we went back to bed.
The second time was a little more traumatic. We were on our way to Lexington, Kentucky when we hit a horrible storm. My dad, who had been listening to the radio and learned that an actual tornado was somewhere between the exit we had just passed and the upcoming one, pulled off into a hotel parking lot and we went inside the lobby. Even my mom was crying. I was scarred for life.
Well, today I added a third basement trip to my memory. Only this time, I was at the preschool when it happened, and the adventure included 20-something small children (who were actually surprisingly calm and chipper through the whole event). The threat was rather minimal and we were out unscathed in less than an hour, but still, I'll admit my legs shook the whole time and I checked my phone for the updated radar every 2-3 minutes.
I've been a weather-worrier all my life. I have gotten considerably better since I hit puberty, but I still get butterflies at the sound of thunder. I'm already concerned for my own future children and just really hope they don't share my outlook, because let's face it, mommy won't be much comfort when severe thunderstorm warnings roll across the screen.
At some point during childhood, my worry was somehow supplemented by my love for the weather. I literally watched nothing but The Weather Channel. Ever. Seriously. I knew every person's face and name and could probably even tell you their weekly shift schedule. Jim Cantore was (and remains) my all-time favorite, and it brings me a strange joy to know that the station rewarded him with his own show.
I used to put the tv on my favorite channel, mute it, and then stand next to it and put on my own performance. And I'm not even gonna lie, I was darn good at it too. I was especially stoked when we got our new, huge (at the time) 48" tv for the upstairs bonus room because my maps would be closer to actual size.
Wow. Loser. I know.
Anyways, my certain future as a meteorologist unfortunately died when I realized how much I hated science (and when mom informed me that Todd Howell really didn't make that much money despite his local channel fame), but my obsession with all things weather (especially those that were televised) still offers several swell childhood memories and at least served me well in terms of learning my states and capitals.
I consider myself fortunate to live just east of a plateau that pretty much destroys any form of severe weather that comes its way, meaning I rarely have to fear what is coming from the sky. However, the general East Tennessee population must not quite understand that, because this area responds to bad weather like it is literally the most dangerous threat on this earth. The bread and milk shelves of grocery stores are completely bare when even a flurry is in the forecast. Schools are closed if six inches of road are iced or flooded. Oh, and tonight, a whole slew of college classes and other events were canceled because we were under a tornado watch. It's really rather hysterical in my opinion.
But I can't laugh too much. Because I'll be the first to say it: I'm a slightly obsessed scaredy cat when it comes to the weather, and it comforts me to know someone else out there cares too.
The second time was a little more traumatic. We were on our way to Lexington, Kentucky when we hit a horrible storm. My dad, who had been listening to the radio and learned that an actual tornado was somewhere between the exit we had just passed and the upcoming one, pulled off into a hotel parking lot and we went inside the lobby. Even my mom was crying. I was scarred for life.
Well, today I added a third basement trip to my memory. Only this time, I was at the preschool when it happened, and the adventure included 20-something small children (who were actually surprisingly calm and chipper through the whole event). The threat was rather minimal and we were out unscathed in less than an hour, but still, I'll admit my legs shook the whole time and I checked my phone for the updated radar every 2-3 minutes.
I've been a weather-worrier all my life. I have gotten considerably better since I hit puberty, but I still get butterflies at the sound of thunder. I'm already concerned for my own future children and just really hope they don't share my outlook, because let's face it, mommy won't be much comfort when severe thunderstorm warnings roll across the screen.
At some point during childhood, my worry was somehow supplemented by my love for the weather. I literally watched nothing but The Weather Channel. Ever. Seriously. I knew every person's face and name and could probably even tell you their weekly shift schedule. Jim Cantore was (and remains) my all-time favorite, and it brings me a strange joy to know that the station rewarded him with his own show.
I used to put the tv on my favorite channel, mute it, and then stand next to it and put on my own performance. And I'm not even gonna lie, I was darn good at it too. I was especially stoked when we got our new, huge (at the time) 48" tv for the upstairs bonus room because my maps would be closer to actual size.Wow. Loser. I know.
Anyways, my certain future as a meteorologist unfortunately died when I realized how much I hated science (and when mom informed me that Todd Howell really didn't make that much money despite his local channel fame), but my obsession with all things weather (especially those that were televised) still offers several swell childhood memories and at least served me well in terms of learning my states and capitals.
I consider myself fortunate to live just east of a plateau that pretty much destroys any form of severe weather that comes its way, meaning I rarely have to fear what is coming from the sky. However, the general East Tennessee population must not quite understand that, because this area responds to bad weather like it is literally the most dangerous threat on this earth. The bread and milk shelves of grocery stores are completely bare when even a flurry is in the forecast. Schools are closed if six inches of road are iced or flooded. Oh, and tonight, a whole slew of college classes and other events were canceled because we were under a tornado watch. It's really rather hysterical in my opinion.
But I can't laugh too much. Because I'll be the first to say it: I'm a slightly obsessed scaredy cat when it comes to the weather, and it comforts me to know someone else out there cares too.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Playing Catch Up
Hello again blog world!
So I am completely out of practice. I believe I have sat here for nearly 30 minutes picking my brain for something to write about...and I'm not really sure how that's possible with the 327 things going on in my life right now. Oh well.
Sooo...
Let's talk wedding shall we?
After all, it is my favorite things to occupy my time with these days. And I'll admit I'm really good at clicking through Style Me Pretty albums until my eyes are glazed over. In all seriousness though, things are coming along quite nicely. Thus far, we've checked off...the church and venue, the officiant, the photographer, the band, and just today we decided on a caterer!
As of last week I thought I had confirmed the dress, but now I'm afraid the search must go on. See, weddings are expensive. Like ridiculously so. Like my poor parents could purchase a really nice brand new car and ditch my mom's sickeningly screechy brakes, but instead they have to fund an approximately 8-hour event. Dang. Kids are pricey. So anyway, after returning home from my seemingly successful dress search, I started crunching numbers and got a little hopeless. Dress A doesn't fit too well into the budget, and I'm not willing to sacrifice my guest's tummies. Those have to be full and happy! I have no doubts it will all work out, though. Just excited and anxious! :)
Well, sorry to be so short, but I've kind of been at my computer for 5 hours straight now, so I think I'll give it a break and go get some fresh air. In the meantime, I really wanted to share this excerpt from Cedar Springs' preparatory reading last Sunday. It spoke to me big time, probably because the second paragraph describes my life the past month or two. Planning a wedding is fun, but it can also easily take precedence over things it shouldn't...thus I need to hear this:
"For Christians prayer is like breathing. You don’t have to think to breathe because the atmosphere exerts pressure on your lungs and forces you to breathe. That’s why it is more difficult to hold your breath than it is to breathe. Similarly, when you’re born into the family of God, you enter into a spiritual atmosphere wherein God’s presence and grace exert pressure, or influence, on your life. Prayer is the normal response to that pressure. As believers we have all entered the divine atmosphere to breathe the air of prayer. Only then can we survive in the darkness of the world.
Unfortunately many believers hold their spiritual breaths for long periods, thinking brief moments with God are sufficient to allow them to survive. But such restricting of their spiritual intake is caused by sinful desires. The fact is, every believer must be continually in the presence of God, constantly breathing in His truths to be fully functional." - J.F. MacArthur, Jr. in Alone with God
So I am completely out of practice. I believe I have sat here for nearly 30 minutes picking my brain for something to write about...and I'm not really sure how that's possible with the 327 things going on in my life right now. Oh well.
Sooo...
Let's talk wedding shall we?
After all, it is my favorite things to occupy my time with these days. And I'll admit I'm really good at clicking through Style Me Pretty albums until my eyes are glazed over. In all seriousness though, things are coming along quite nicely. Thus far, we've checked off...the church and venue, the officiant, the photographer, the band, and just today we decided on a caterer!
As of last week I thought I had confirmed the dress, but now I'm afraid the search must go on. See, weddings are expensive. Like ridiculously so. Like my poor parents could purchase a really nice brand new car and ditch my mom's sickeningly screechy brakes, but instead they have to fund an approximately 8-hour event. Dang. Kids are pricey. So anyway, after returning home from my seemingly successful dress search, I started crunching numbers and got a little hopeless. Dress A doesn't fit too well into the budget, and I'm not willing to sacrifice my guest's tummies. Those have to be full and happy! I have no doubts it will all work out, though. Just excited and anxious! :)
Well, sorry to be so short, but I've kind of been at my computer for 5 hours straight now, so I think I'll give it a break and go get some fresh air. In the meantime, I really wanted to share this excerpt from Cedar Springs' preparatory reading last Sunday. It spoke to me big time, probably because the second paragraph describes my life the past month or two. Planning a wedding is fun, but it can also easily take precedence over things it shouldn't...thus I need to hear this:
"For Christians prayer is like breathing. You don’t have to think to breathe because the atmosphere exerts pressure on your lungs and forces you to breathe. That’s why it is more difficult to hold your breath than it is to breathe. Similarly, when you’re born into the family of God, you enter into a spiritual atmosphere wherein God’s presence and grace exert pressure, or influence, on your life. Prayer is the normal response to that pressure. As believers we have all entered the divine atmosphere to breathe the air of prayer. Only then can we survive in the darkness of the world.
Unfortunately many believers hold their spiritual breaths for long periods, thinking brief moments with God are sufficient to allow them to survive. But such restricting of their spiritual intake is caused by sinful desires. The fact is, every believer must be continually in the presence of God, constantly breathing in His truths to be fully functional." - J.F. MacArthur, Jr. in Alone with God
Friday, October 15, 2010
Gotta Start Somewhere...
Getting back on the blog bandwagon has for some reason been such a trying task for me. However, I really am determined to start things back up as soon as time permits!
Unfortunately for this post, it is now 1:22 am in K-town and I believe I will be playing tennis in t-minus 7 hours...thus I should probably be sleeping and not attempting to perfect my first blog post in 200-some odd days.
But I've been hard at work on yet another website I'm now going to have to keep up with: the wedding website! Here's the link:
Unfortunately for this post, it is now 1:22 am in K-town and I believe I will be playing tennis in t-minus 7 hours...thus I should probably be sleeping and not attempting to perfect my first blog post in 200-some odd days.
But I've been hard at work on yet another website I'm now going to have to keep up with: the wedding website! Here's the link:
http://www.weddingwire.com/emilybealandbenhyman
It is definitely still a work in progress, but I'm so glad to finally have it up and running! Okay. I have got to get myself to bed, but maybe, just maybe, this little trinket of a post will be my motivation to write a legit one tomorrow or sometime soon!
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