Oh My Lord! What Have We Done?!?

Here's a picture of the ring I picked out. His family got to see it for the first time this weekend. Everyone seems genuinely happy for us, but then they started asking questions. Are you going to get married up here or in Malden? What church are you thinking about? Sacred Heart (Kenny's home parish), Borgia (our parish), St. Ann's (my parish in Malden)? How big is the wedding party going to be? Who's going to be your attendants? What about a reception? Have you started looking for a dress? What about catering?

And that's when it hit me. This is really happening, and I have absolutely no idea what I want, what I should do first, where to go for the dress, anything! Honestly, I never thought I'd get married. I watched all of my friends go through it, but I never really put myself in this position. I guess I didn't realize that I was starting to freak out until this morning at approximately 1:00 AM. I was STILL awake watching a marathon of "Say Yes to the Dress" on TLC. Kenny comes in and says, "Are you still up?", to which I sort of wail, "There is not one dress on this show that I would wear and I've been watching it all night!" The only dress I would feel comfortable even considering was the one picked out by an Orthodox Jewish rabbi's daughter. One dress out of 6 hours of watching this show! First of all, all the brides are sticks (in case you've forgotten, I'm not), and apparently none of them have any thought to modesty. There was this one dress that several of the brides chose. It cost $6,600 and the top of it was shaped like a corset. While the part that covers the breasts had a lining, the rest of the top didn't, so you could see their skin through the dress. I compare it to Madonna's attire in the "Like a Virgin" video. I don't want strapless, I don't want a ballgown, I want sleeves. Are sleeves too much to ask? What I really want is Paula Deen's wedding dress from when she recently got married. It was simple, but pretty and it looked comfortable. But, she's Paula Deen, I'm not, and I'm sure I couldn't even afford it.

So, if there are any suggestions from all of you former brides out there, I'd appreciate it. Right now, eloping to Vegas and getting it blessed when we get home is starting to sound much less complicated. I could handle getting married by Elvis!

Merry Christmas

I'm in Malden at my parents' house for the holidays! The insanity has already started and the living room is full of presents. Every year we say we are going to limit what we buy for each other, and honestly, we don't buy that much in the way with gifts, but as the family is expanding, so is the amount of gifts brought to the folks' at Christmas.

Speaking of the family expanding, I have some news that many of you may be a little shocked to hear. I'm engaged! Kenny has asked, and I've accepted. It happened a while back, but we agreed to keep it quiet until all of his family was told. I picked out a non-traditional engagement ring. Instead of diamonds, I chose sapphires. While picking out your ring may not be romantic to some, Kenny wanted me to choose my ring because as he said, "You're going to be wearing it from here on out, so you need to get what you want." I did some research and found out that it's only been recently that engagement rings were only thought of to be diamonds. Sapphires were a traditional choice due to the symbolism of the stone, namely fidelty and honesty, both essential qualities of a good marriage. Kenny is spending his first Christmas with my family and is in the living room doubling as a jungle gym for my niece. "You're funny Kenny!" was the quote from Mellissa, so he's fitting right in.

I hope all of you have a blessed Christmas. Enjoy the time with family and friends and keep safe.