My Wife

Well, we just got back from our honeymoon late lastnight. It seems impossible that so much has happened in a week - for goodness sakes, we just got married last Saturday! Wow. Time does fly.

My sister made the best comment on the phone to me yesterday when she said that she was also exhausted from the wedding - and she also wanted to go on a honeymoon. I couldn't agree more. Having been in many weddings, and helping to pur your heart and soul into the planning and set up and pick up - I could have used a break after all of them too!

So, I can't say enough thank yous to all of the people who "Sold their soul to our wedding"...it was the most amazing out pour of love I have ever experienced. Gratitude and love will never be enough for all that you did. All the time that you spent. And all of the joy we celebrated. :) Thanks. I wish you could have had a honeymoon too...because we loved it!

And, I decided to keep blogging. :) I mean, I may have the last name Berry now, but we are still figuring out what it means to 'Become Berry' together. We also plan to spend the rest of our lives trying to figure it out.

I had a lot of favorite moments on the honeymoon trip to Savannah. We decided to drive down to save money so we left early Monday morning, and returned home last last night (Friday). One of my favorite moments came early at our first rest stop. After a stretch of the legs, AHB returned to the car and said
AHB: "Look what I found." He held my Millikin ID card in his hand.
Me: "Where did you get that? Did you take that from the car? To trick me?"
(I am constantly loosing my ID card. Constantly.)
AHB: "No, a woman came up to me in the rest stop and asked if I knew who it belonged to."
Me: "Liar. That did not happen."
AHB: "Yes it did. She came up to me and asked if I knew who this was. I guess I looked like I was in college or something..."
Me: "And what did you say?" (Still convinced he was making it up.)
AHB: "I said, Well yes ma'am, that is my wife's ID."

My wife. It was the first time I had heard him use the word in reference to me. What a great title.

Well, we would highly reccommend Savannah to anyone. Especially in November when the weather is sunny and 70s. Skip the humidity and heat in the summer! It would just be too oppressive. The city really does look like something from out of this world. So dreamy and old. Very walkable. Full of history and ghost stories! I feel like we stepped out of the car into a different time period because the houses in the historic district re so well kept and lovely. Savannah burnt to the ground 3 times dring its early formation, so you can tell by where you are in the city based on what the houses look like how old they are.
(For instance, after a few fires many houses started to build with fire proof materials - a great idea. So, some look like they are old wooden structures - and are actually made of all iron and painted to look wooden.)

A few photos:

I couldn't get enough of the spanish moss on the trees! But don't touch it, they are full of chiggars! (Very pesky biting bugs!)

The first day in the city we ate lunch at Mrs. Wilke's boarding house. It is only open for lunch 11am-2pm and a line formes out side of the door as early as 8am daily. They serve family style 10 people to a table and you just pay a flat rate for lunch. It. Was. Amazing.

We did many tours. On a trolley. On a horse drawn carriage. And a guided walking tour. We learned a lot - and liked them each. But the walking tour was especially facinating, and really fun. Except for the last 20 minutes when our guide took us into a historic house illegally, and we almost got run out. Ha! It was sooo uncomfortable! But, we learned a lot! :)

A variety of other great moments:

Oh, and did I forget to mention that Fergie's (my 2010 Ford Fusion) transmission died in the Chatanooga Mountains on the way home yesterday???
After a 2 hour detour to Chatanooga, we have a rental car, and are headed back down to TN on Friday to pick her up. :) Extended honeymoon. Haha.
(And thank the Lord she is under warrenty!)

Love, The Berrys

This week

Well, we are getting married this week.
I can't wait.

But, I am having a hard time sleeping too. Who would have thought that every night would feel like Christmas eve as a child - and I couldn't wait for the next day. I am just so excited, I don't want to actually fall asleep.

My parents arrived last night (which makes the whole thing even more real).
The flowers arrived yesterday in a bulk order that just need assembling.
My sisters, college roommate, aunt and uncle, and Dan and Kel arrive today.

Folks. A wedding is going to happen. :)

We have a busy day today - actually, all week has been pretty packed.
So, I can't type long...just know that we are both so excited to see you. We hope that you have a great time celebrating with us!

The Best Damn Dinner Ever

Here is a conversation that played out last night:

AHB: "Well that was just the best damn dinner we have had in weeks."
(We decided to make chili. He took over the process and made Grandma Jean's chili, and we also had grilled cheese on this awesome dill bread we bought from the Great Pumpkin Patch. Also his idea.)

Me: "That was very good."

Me: "But, are you implying that every dinner I have made in the last two weeks do not add up to this dinner you prepared?"

AHB: "What."

Me: "You said that was the best damn dinner we have had in Weeks. I do most of the food prep, but you think this one is the best? Implying that mine have not been worth it."

AHB: "When you get $100,000 every day for weeks, and then one day you get $1,000,000 you are really thankful for the $1,000,000 but you still love the $100,000, right? The $100,000 is still awesome."

Me: "Touche."


Thank you Jesus, for your parable.

That is why we are getting married.







Annnnnd, it was the best damn dinner we have had in weeks. ;o)

mmp

Little Man

This is "Little Man". (Also pictured is "Little Girl") They are TINY. Maybe a few centimeters.

This little guy lives in my pajama pant pocket. The right one. He has been there for a few months now. For no particular reason except he kept falling out of this little bag he came in, and one day I picked him up and put him in my pocket and there he has stayed. He came as a part of this little gift from my boss after AHB and I got engaged. I think it is a game you play with your bridesmaids at a shower or sometime before the wedding. You place these little people in a cake, and it has similar qualities of a Mardi Gras King Cake. Anyhow, "Little Man" is a metal groom who lives in my pocket.

I realize this is bizarre.

Moving on....

AHB and I are getting married. Really soon. I have such a flood of emotions running around in my head that I can't type enough to keep up. I feel like every last minute is planned and organized by whom we need to meet with, what check we need to write, or what we still need to create. And we have to work at our professional jobs, too. ;o)

Yesterday we celebrated the fact that it was still 70 degrees in late October, and we headed to the Great Pumpkin Patch with friends. We explored quite a bit.

We bought a few mums for the front window of our apartment, and in the process of putting the mums in, we had to get rid of the flowers we planted as we moved in. And, then I got to thinking about how fast time has flown since we planted these flowers.

This was when we first moved in early June. We were still 5 months away from the wedding, and we didn't even know if these plants would take in this crappy soil that had gone untouched for a very long time. (Who plans flowers in a university owned apartment complex!?)

And although it looks over grown, look how big these plants are! They were much prettier when they were all in bloom. :)
Amazing what 5 months can do.

Rewind to last night.
We pack up to go to bed, and I turn the lights off and reach into my right pocket. No Little Man. This has happened before. Sometimes, as one would imagine, the little metal groom gets lost in the change of pants process.

Me: "Little Man" is gone.
AHB: "Oh, God. Well, you need to take better care of him."
Me: "I know. But he likes it in my pocket."
AHB: "You know this is going to keep happening."

This morning "Little Man" is not on the floor of the bathroom, nor does he catch my eye anywhere else.

Me: "Did you find "Little Man?"
AHB: "No."

Tonight I came home, and am feeling so excited and full of joy. I give AHB a huge hug, and as he is folding laundry I get ready to make dinner. I put on my pajama pants, and realize "Little Man" is still missing.

Me: "Have you seen Little Man?"
AHB: "No, you have to take better care of him."
Me: "He's got to be here somewhere."
AHB: "He isn't in the bathroom. I don't know why you keep him in your pocket."
Me: "He's a groom, and I am keeping him safe."

AHB came over to help me reach a roasting dish for dinner off the top shelf, and when I went to pick it up I looked down and there was "Little Man" on the kitchen counter.

Me: "You DID find him! You ALWAYS find him!"
AHB: "Because I picked up your blanket you were covered with on the couch last night, (That you didn't pick up) and he was buried under it almost getting lost in the couch."
Me: "I knew you would find him."

And it was that moment that I realized the last 5 months weren't just good for the plants. They have been great for my soul. (And his)

I looked at that man (the one I am going to marry, not the little metal one) and thought that these are easily some of the happiest moments of my life. Even if I am not always making his life easier, I mean, for goodness sakes - I give him twice as much to clean up after! I know we are so happy together.

Me: "Right, AHB?" (I yell from the other room...)
AHB: "What?"
Me: "Isn't that right?"
AHB: "I just can't agree to that."

;o)
mmp

PS: I gave "Little Girl" to AHB tonight and told him to keep her in his pocket.

Glamor Shots of Apple and Olive: Take 563. Action.

I don't know what I was thinking.

When I mentioned to AHB that I thought it would be fun to incorporate our (his) lovely pups into the wedding in this highly fun and creative way, he should have scoffed. And knowing him, he might have. I don't honestly remember.

I remember when I mentioned it he game me the "eye-brows-raised-nodding-of-the-head" approval mark - so we were a "Go!"

Fast forward to two weeks before we get married (!!!) and we are outside on a lovely fall days trying to capture a decent picture to use at this wedding of ours and I am having serious doubts. Not about us getting married. More about this glamor shots idea. But, it is far too late to change my mind. So there we were. Kneeling on rocks. (Ouch) Well, me kneeling, him sitting. (Did I mention he threw his back out this week??) Trying to get not one, but two puppies to look at the camera at the same time.

Or, at least in the direction of the camera for .2 seconds just to I can snap it and be done. This process lasted a very long time. Or, at least it seemed that way. And then when we got about 3/4 of the way finished - my camera (Which I did not charge) died. Dead.

I look at him. He looks at me. I look at the dogs, (that have at least sat down because of pure exhaustion) and I want to throw something. Not a dog. Not my camera. Not AHB. But, maybe anything else I can get my hands on.

My sister, who works at a pre-school, has taught AHB and I a very important phrase that we now have incorporated into our vernacular: "Go rest your body." At the pre- school she works at, the teachers can not tell the students to take a "Time Out" because they were being naughty. They have to go "Rest their Body" and make better choices with their actions. Hilarious. So, AHB has told me to go "Rest my Body" a few different times this week. I think he even mumbled it under his breath as we were walking into the house (he walking/hobbling, me stomping) with the dogs in tow. We needed to charge my camera to finish the "Shoot" and be done. I mean, to put it in perspective for you, I had dirt and rock dust all over my pants from kneeling/sitting/moving on the ground. When my clean-freak fiance tried to be cute and dust off my pants (Because he was either trying to help, or trying to cause less mess on our furniture) I glared and told him "Don't touch me." Something you will never hear me utter on a normal basis - "Ms. I-love-to-be-touched."

Looking back on this, I know we had a good ending. I mean, the camera charged. We finished the photos, and we moved a long our merry way. I tell you this story because when you come to the wedding, I want you to get a kick out of these photos. I want you to appreciate the pain and time spent on these - and have a drink for us. :) I think you will laugh. We did as we went back through them. But, good God, the next time I get an idea like this - someone stop me.

:) mmp

The Unbachelorette and Unbachelor Party Weekend

My friend and colleague Danielle asked me if I was having a bachelorette party a few weeks ago.

"Sort of," I replied. "AHB and I are going up to Chicago in a few weeks with my sisters, Dan, Aaron, Rickey, and Scott. We're going to do fun things up there as a celebration of getting married."

Danielle: "You're going to have your bachelorette party with your husband-to-be?"

Me: "Well, I mean, it's not REALLY a bachelorette party. More like a very merry UN-bachelorette party."

Danielle: "Woah, Molly, you are a party animal. Don't go getting too wild."

And we both laugh, because we know that I'm not exactly one to be wild and crazy in regards to "going out".

We had a fun time in Chicago with some of the best people I know. AHB was a TROOPER.

When the Pawsey girls take Chicago, they take it by storm.

When they take Chicago with one Rickey Spivey, Aaron Copley and Dan Stuby...they desimate the place. AHB- whoes favorite city is NOT Chicago- said he had a good time. I do believe him. But, when he was practically falling asleep on the L-train, I knew we probabily should call it a night. :)

Friday night we droveto Lisle and had dinner and drinks at Dan's apartment. A special thanks to Katie and Anna to arrived 2 hours before AHB, Scott and I...and for CLEANING Dan's apartment better than it's been cleaned in a long while. :)

Saturday we got up early and drove into the city to meet up at Rickey's Apartment. (Half slept at Dan's half at Rickey's) We had breakfast (YUM!) at EATT and then spent the majority of the day exploring "Open House Chicago" a free self guided tour of some of the "off limits" places to the general public. We saw many great things - my favorite being the Tribune Building offices. (This is also the place that we feared Dan and Scott getting arrested because they decided to go off exploring on their own.)
We were almost the spokes people for the new FIAT car line. I don't know what it is with me and car representation. :) Rickey even said the line, "Hey, I did work for Ford, I can do work for FIAT." :)

(If you don't know, Aaron, Rickey and I were in a national competition to win a Ford Fusion in 2009.)

The night consisted of Howl at the Moon piano bar & this little sports bar somewhere in the city. Note to readers: Katie and a thimble full of alcohol do not mix. :)

Thanks to Beth, and the awesome flip-video shower gift, we were able to capture some of the better moments on film. :)

As soon as I figure out how to load them- I will! :)

Love, mmp

Love at First Growl

When Ellen (the woman who shoves dogs into celilings) and Raphaella (my supervisor) said they wanted to throw AHB and I a themed shower for both men and women I was more than worried.

It wasn't the "men and women" part that made me nervous - as previously established - I have a lot of male friends. And it would be fun for AHB to witness what a shower is like. Men just miss out on this experience!

I was more worried about the theme. They also mentioned it was nothing you would find in our registry....so a nice "bathroom essentials" theme was out.

These are the same people who are trying to urge me to have a boudoir session before we get married. Apparently this is really popular amongst today's brides. If you don't know what a boudoir session is, basically it is when you get bedroom photos taken in questionable attire for your future husband. You can google it. I mean, some of it is really lovely. But, there is no way in heaven or hell that would be something I would do. Absolutely Not. So, as you can imagine, I was a bit worried about their secret nature when planning this shower - and the theme idea about did me under.

When they showed me the invitations, the title on the front was "Love at First Growl." (They like to combine our name into BearPaw (Berry Pawsey)...growl...) The theme ended up being Savannah - where we are going on our Honeymoon! Although, it could still get a bit spicy, we were really excited.

My favorite comment came from our friend Sarah LIdy who asked me a few days before the shower:

Sarah: "So, a themed Savannah shower?"
Me: "Yep."
Sarah:"What is it with you Residence Life people and your damn themes for EVERYTHING? We're getting you a gift card."

:) That is why we love the Lidy family. :)

Thanks to Ellen and Ralph for a GREAT shower. We had so much fun - as did many of the men who had never experienced a real shower before. Food was delicious, games were REALLY fun, (AHB, Dan, Eric, and the men won...I am not sure if any women won!! They all swept their first shower experience!)
and the gifts were mostly appropriate! All in all, a good day! :)

Highlights: Kel, Scott, and Dan all pointing out the "hickey like burn" on my neck within the first few minutes of them seeing me - I swear I burned my neck getting ready for church! The BearPaw cookies on a stick, the shoe game Ellen made up, and the creative and fun gifts around the Savannah theme.
Here are some photos from the event:

Ellen put us back to back and had us answer questions by rasising shoes.
"Who will want kids first?"
"Who will clean the house?"
"Who will take out the trash?"
We each had one of our own shoes, and one of the other person's shoes. So fun.

Pictionary was divided into groups of men and women. We were neck and neck and it came down to the tie-breaker between AHB and I. First to guess correctly took the game. Sadly the men won!

:o)

Ellen's gift is the one where we are both looking quite speechless. Haha.

Also, I can't forget to say thanks to 3 of our groomsmen for coming to stay the weekend with us. It has been way to long!

Can't wait to be married!
mmp