I vow to have better vows at our renewal ceremony

I'll just start by saying that I am in a much better place than I was when I wrote that last post. It was a rough holiday to get through, but now it is a new year and I have a renewed sense of vigor. The restaurant reopened to the excited return of all their customers. They were packed those first two days. Really incredible how much people love going there.

So things are returning to normal. The routine is back to normal and that's good on it's own. I got a lot of writing done and am now beginning to work with an editor to get it ready to publish. (cross em if you got em)

But none of that is really why you're here, is it? Well, okay then, let's talk about the wedding. This week I dusted off the little white book and we started going over what we want to do with the plans we made. Nothing much should change. The venue has been secured, which I'll reveal where later, and now both the ceremony and reception will be in the same place!

Unfortunately, our singer who was going to accompany us down the aisle has moved away, another casualty of the restaurant fire. We have been considering short songs, but nothing definite there yet. Chef has decided the menu will be a dinner instead of finger foods. He says it's easier and can be made weeks in advance (kidding) You guys are in for a treat!

Another good thing is all the items I chose are still in my Amazon wish list. I totally forgot about some of it, which is fun because I'm getting excited for the first time again about things. We did lose our bus tickets. That was my bad. So we will start from scratch for the honeymoon. As far as I know it's still New Orleans. I'm back to shooting blanks when it comes to vows. Maybe if I pretend I'm writing a wedding scene.

Lastly, it occurred to me just the other day that I have a great opportunity since we postponed the wedding. Now I have time to lose a little weight, maybe tone up a little. The moisturizing MUST begin. I have time to play with hair styles. Get a new tattoo so it'll be all nice and healed. Train the cats to carry the hems of our wedding capes.

Move over Bride/Groomzillas. The Wedding Kraken is back for the reboot. Crushing everything in his way, and he's perfectly willing to destroy everything to get what he wants.

To get married. That's what he wants, to get married.

The Wedding Kraken is me.
Ready to destroy.

Ready, Set, Go!

The time is here. At this moment, Scott and I were scheduled to walk down the aisle. The problem is our first attempt was made without allowing ourselves enough time. The temptation is there to run to the court house, but we really want our friends and supportive family there to share in the joy.

If you were following along here on my blog, you know there were some stressful times, which is the reason things have been so quiet since the postponement. After discussing it and looking over the year to come, we are officially taking the nuptials off of pause and beginning the preparations again, with a mighty good head start at that.

I left clues on Facebook about the big announcement today, so let me share some of those and what they mean...

In 2016, the 22nd of October is our 9th anniversary of being together, but more than that it will fall on a Saturday. So this is the date, mark your calendars now.

The planning starts today, so I have some emails to send to ensure some of our original ideas can still be done. There is, I feel sure, plenty of time now to organize this without my becoming a train wreck.

Our honeymoon plans are still to travel to new Orleans by Megabus, but the difference is that this time we will be there the week leading up to Halloween instead of the week after. This will give us the opportunity to attend the Vampire's Ball if we choose.

I'll try and do a recap this weekend, unless you feel like going back and refreshing yourself with our plans thus far. Bottom line, though...

SCOTT AND SHERIDAN ARE GETTING MARRIED!!!

I'll throw this in for free-We need to come up with a name. Most of you know I have no qualms in changing my name. Sheridan David Layman-Lowe isn't bad, but Sheridan David Lowe-Layman sounds like playing the name game. The other option is to come up with our own name. Something like Loehmann, Song  or Corleone, but we could go with something a bit out of the ordinary, like Yum-Yumm, Gallifrey, or 3.333

Stay tuned, it's all beginning again. Well, hopefully not the groomzillaing.

***Side Note***
Yes, to all my OCD friends. I am aware of how well this plays in with my number, which is three. 10/22/16 adds up to twelve (which adds up to three), and of course nine is my uber three. Adding the nine to either the twelve or three brings you back to three. This is in no way strange. Move along now.

Not to mention Long Awaited

Halloween

Bubbles to Smithereens

Today is Scott's birthday. He just pulled two overnight doubles in a row so it is also catch up on sleep day. I'm finally back to work on the bubbles. Trying to find the right formula of paint to get the look I want. I have my two test subjects on the balcony drying right now. Once I decide what looks best I can finish all of them at once.

The cake debate rages, but both of us are leaning towards cupcakes. A bakery cake is out of the question, and Publix bakery uses some whipped frosting instead of butter cream. We will probably have a small cake, if we do this, to cut at the reception. It's still in talks, so I'll let you know. Oh, we haven't even discussed whether or not to smash cake into each other's faces. Scott isn't keen on things like having a drink thrown in his face, although who is? But he would know it's coming. Or will he? Mwuhahaha.

Wedding favors have recently come up, which is a tough one. We tossed around the idea of making the favors Halloweeny. Maybe while I'm working on the bubble bottles I can shop around for both favors and wedding party gifts. I remember at one of one of my brother's weddings he gave the groomsmen engraved razors. Having always been in the groom's family, I've never known what the girls get. Perhaps a call to my friend Donna is in order. She's been through this a couple of times, and more importantly, like Niecezilla and my friend Stacie, she has her finger on the party pulse. Good ideas for good times. I'll make time to call all three. Wait, I can't ask Donna and Andrea, they're part of it so I'd be asking them what they want me to get them. Stacie it is.



Scott's awake... Back to work

See There

Everything is still status quo with the wedding plans. Nothing additional in the past two days so I started looking up places I would like to see in New Orleans to add to Scott's list. Last night I got the Kindle out to look at the three books I bought. For some reason, I got three walking tour books, which is good, but so far my list is mostly houses to admire.

Top of my list is Rosegate, the house where the witch books by Anne Rice took place. There are a couple of other houses related to her, such as her childhood home. Mainly I want to see the oldest of the buildings. Go to Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop for a drink. Some Gypsy jazz at Spotted Cat. See the statue of Joan of Arc and the French Market. Ride the cemetery streetcar. Check out the supposed haunted of the haunteds.

House of the Anne Rice Mayfair witches

Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop

Oh yes I did

Ghost of Chicken Man

I want to go to Jackson square and see St. Louis cathedral and the Presbytere. Along those lines I must see the Old Ursuline Convent, and Our Mother Of Perpetual Help Chapel. Also St. Patricks and the museum of art and Besthoff Sculpture Gardens. Then there are places like the Tennessee Williams house, William Faulkner books and the Garden District Book shop. Of course, every day must begin with (insert amount) beignet(s) at Cafe Du Monde.

St. Louis Cathedral

The Presbytere

Old Ursuline Convent

Our Mother of Perpetual Help Chapel

St. Patricks

William Faulkner Books

Tennessee Williams House

1st Breakfast

Cafe Du Monde

I'm sure we will end up having so many things on our list that we won't be able to do it all. I've only got two backup batteries for my camera, but I plan on taking a lot of pics on my phone. I might just share a peek or two of our honeymoon in progress. The outdoor stuff I mean. The public stuff I should say. Better just be safe and say the clothed stuff. 

There is a kink in the plans that has, um, kinked? We have been stymied when it comes to rings. To match or not to match. Stone or no gems. I have an idea that's obviously too crazy to consider, but I finally found something I find special and pretty, as well as Doctor Who related so the design fits me like a slipper. I'm sure Fiancee doesn't want this style, so he would have to find one, matching or not. 

Unfortunately we will have to wait to get them, most likely after the ceremony. The good thing is we have bands already that we've been wearing since Scott first proposed almost 8 years ago. We can exchange those on the day. I feel like it would be better in the long run to end up with what we really want instead of what we can really get this minute.

I promised ups and downs. Wait, did I? Whew, yes, I used those exact words. I'll let you know how it goes, and as always update you on additions to and progress on the plans. I'm leaving you with just a few of what I hear are thousands of sculptures in the Besthoff Sculpture Gardens.

Weekend Progress- part one: Beginning To Bubble

Logistically, things are coming together nicely. Besides waiting for that refund from the hotel. We will breathe easier when we get the money and still have the reservation. The list has begun of things we want to do in New Orleans. I was too wiped out yesterday to post, and I'll get to what we did today in part two.

Saturday, Niecezilla brought us over to her house to play. We stopped to get the bubbles at Party City, then some paint and cardboard paper at Walmart. The bubble bottles are going to undergo a transformation. Here is the beginning of the process with a cheeky peek at my fiancee Scott working away happily. First up is me taking a picture in the downstairs bathroom to remind myself to throw some flowers or something up in there.

I'll post the whole transition when I get them done.

It was also a great opportunity to study the rooms and figure out where all the weddingy things will happen. Some things are already ready already. Like this table in the entryway. I bet I don't have to tell you what goes there.

I also was able to get specific directions as we went. All in all it was a very good day and we are both very grateful to Andrea and Jimmy for opening up their home for our reception.

As if all that wasn't good enough, we ate at my favorite restaurant...

Up next: A walk in the park

Invitation Trek

I'm going to cut to the chase. When I made the hotel reservation I called the hotel to see their policy on taking the cost for the room. I was told they wouldn't until after 30 days before the reservation. Well, I woke up this morning and had way less than no money. The nice man I spoke to helped, confessing he didn't know why they took the money but he refunded it. It's yet to show up. Should've gotten his name.

That's not all. The adventure is happening. I called the post office and the invitations are there so screw redelivery, I'm going to pick them up this morning before my appointment. Still too frustrated to be excited.

The news so big he forgot

WE BOOKED THE HONEYMOON

We will be whisked away on the majestic Megabus with 8 hours to our destination. That should be enough time to become embroiled in a chilling murder mystery/can't stop the bus thrill ride like in Dame Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. I should be able to unveil the killer by our arrival in...

New Orleans. Where we will stay at the fairly priced for a hotel we will just sleep in Best Western Plus Landmark French Quarter. There are so many things we want to do. Besides food, though, there are tons of attractions. Plus I love to go off the beaten path. Find out where the locals eat. If it's their home, invite ourselves over. A plantation must be seen, but I promise not to look at the naughty bits. A river boat would be fun, but no gambling. Perhaps there'll be another killing on the riverboat and I''ll gather clues by listening in the windows from the deck, like in Dame Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile.

Get ready for pictures, with lots in cemeteries. I'll have to upload my pics to one of those places people go to look at other people's pictures. I feel so old when I talk about the internet now. I think my 3 year old great-nephew just created an app.

Of course, what would New Orleans be if not a witchy city. I want to see Anne Rice's house, or the one from Witching Hour if she moved. Do you voodoo? Cuz voodoo they got. You can voodoo without being voodoo. You can get voodoo variety. Personally, I have attained a few snippets of hair that I've been itching to put to use.

Scott can already taste a Hurricane. Nights will be fun, but I hope we go to a variety of places, not just the gay bars that are beginning to look more and more like nurseries to me. It will be fun to see what the gay boys are out dancing to these days. Whether or not they are paying homage to their roots. I fear I'll grow weary of their ways. Good thing is, in New Orleans, if you don't like one bar, you can literally barrel roll into another. Plus there are those basement blues clubs, all closed in and intimate. I wonder if they're still all smoky?

Time to break out the New Orleans travel books I got when we started going 2 years ago. Good thing it will be after Halloween. It might be a good idea to take sweatpants. I just remembered the beignets.

Take a looksee at our hotel...