Wedding Festivities Begin

We fly north in a couple short hours! I’m actually pretty much ready to go right now, just finishing up breakfast and waiting for hubby to finish packing. He’s been working like crazy lately and last night I dragged him to dinner with a former colleague, so it ended up being a late night starting to pack last night for him, and now a very busy morning. I’m hoping to leave for the airport by 6:30 or so.

Today after we land, I am going to have to spend most of the day working remotely (again, that whole “used all my vacation days for Italy in the spring” thing). Hopefully though my nieces and nephew will either come by the house or we’ll be able to go visit them at some point. No idea what the plan is for tonight for dinner, probably will involve my next youngest brother and his family though. And I really want to go out for dessert – my favorite frozen custard place in the world is in Milwaukee. Supposedly it’s the place that served as the inspiration for the place in Happy Days, but I don’t really get it – this place doesn’t have any interior space open to the public, just short lines for custard, then everyone hangs around the parking lot eating. There are even lines most of the time in the winter. It’s just crazy, but it’s so good. When you’re ordering, the choices are vanilla, chocolate or the flavor of the day, but they have more choices if you buy a pint to take home, but I’ve actually never done that. I’m an old school “4 dips in a cone” kind of gal when it comes to Leon’s custard. I’ve done 5 dips occasionally, but I have to be honest with myself – I got to visit this place for custard just over a month ago. I am trying to reserve 5 dips for times when it’s been more than 6 months since I’ve had any. Haha.

Tomorrow is hubby’s bday, so I’m using a personal day at work (the veep I report to approved this, he just said I’d better hope I don’t get sick!). Assuming the weather is good, this is our plan (I hope he doesn’t suddenly decide to start reading the blog today!): we’ll get up and run locally – I’d love to run to my grandpa’s house again. Then we’ll drive to Chicago after morning rush hour should be dying down. Then we’re going to take one of the architectural boat tours on the river. Then I’m planning a pizza lunch but not sure where yet. Pizza is hubby’s favorite food, but he likes traditional Italian style pizza. Not exactly Chicago-style. I keep thinking he just hasn’t tried the right Chicago pizza yet, but he just might be old enough to actually know what he likes. Anyway, my primary choices are Lou Malnati’s or Gino’s East. After lunch, I’d like to go to Millennium Park b/c hubby has never actually seen the bean as far as I know. From there, we’ll head to Navy Pier for their Oktoberfest celebration, then we’ll drive back to Milwaukee. Hopefully we’ll be on the road heading north by 4:00 and we won’t hit too much traffic.

That’s going to be a very busy day, but the evening will be busy too. We’re going to the wedding charity event that night – they have arranged for all of the wedding party, family, out of town guests who have arrived, etc., to do a meal-packing thing. The goal is to pack 216 meals in 90 minutes, and then the meals are sent to Haiti. After the meal-packing, we’re going to dinner at a famous Milwaukee restaurant that serves Serbian food. Hubby has never been there, and I haven’t been since after my aunt’s funeral in 2002, so I’m really looking forward to it. We have reservations for 12, which will be quite the crowd. Some brothers with their wives/fiancées, folks, bride’s parents, bride’s brother, etc. I’m excited for hubby to open what I got him. Besides the two things he really wanted (running sunglasses and an audio book), I made him a photo book from our second anniversary trip in the spring (Boston, Italy, Paris). I think he’ll love it.

Friday is going to be interesting – lots of wedding events, but I’ve only taken 2 hours of personal time. So I’m going to have to get up early and get cracking! I’m planning to go for a morning run with the bride, then work for a few hours, then I’m meeting the bride and all the other bridesmaids for pedicures at 11, then we’re going to lunch. Then I guess I’m going to try to work for a couple more hours, and then the rehearsal is at 4:15. Yikes! Rehearsal dinner afterward of course, which will be wonderful since that will be the first chance for me to see some of my uncles, aunts, cousins, etc.

Saturday morning I’m hoping to get one more run in, then I’ll head to the hotel for hair and make-up and to get dressed. I tried on my dress last weekend and it still fit, so that’s a relief. It is strapless (navy blue with like a crepe layer over it), and it has a built-in bra, but I didn’t feel too secure in it, so I had my favorite strapless bra sewn into the dress and then I’ll be able to carefully rip out the stitches afterward so I still have the same bra for the next time I wear something strapless (pretty much never). The wedding is at 2, then pictures, then the reception.

Sunday we’re going to brunch with my family I think, then there’s an open house for the newlyweds at a historical society home, which should be really nice. Then we’ll fly back to Dallas around 5:00, and likely won’t be seeing my family again until Christmas.

I’m so excited for this wedding, and I’m very nervous that I’m going to be too emotional. I am probably closer to this brother than to any of my other brothers, and I know his fiancée better than I’ve known my sisters-in-law, so this wedding has been a long time coming. I want them to be happy forever, and I’m just so excited for them!!

Okay, time to go nag hubby. I want to leave in about 20 minutes!!

Sorry, had this all written and tried to post this morning, but not sure it worked.  It was early...