I'm Trying Not To Be Bitter

Last week the website was put up for Obama's new Making Home Affordable plan. For many people, this could mean a way to save their homes. Which is wonderful. Truly. I've been close to homeless before and it's a scary prospect. It's an awful feeling to have a $10 water bill that you can't pay because you have $2.91 in your checking account and it has to last two weeks until payday. It's frustrating and scary and makes you feel like a failure. I know, believe me.

I also know that a lot of people could benefit from this new plan. The way the programs are structured (from what I can tell - it's early in the game yet) people are going to get a help up, not a handout. Well..for the most part.

There are two types of programs available right now. One is a refinance program for responsible homeowners. This program will help people who have a high interest rate or adjustable rate mortgages refinance into a fixed rate loan with a fairly low interest rate (last I checked mortgage rates were in the 5.5% range - though they may be less now).

For those of you who purchased your homes with a high interest rate or on an interest only product and can still afford your payments might benefit from this program. The purpose behind it is to get people out of "bad" loans and into a solid fixed rate loan with a low interest rate.

Right now many people can't refinance out of "bad" loans because they no longer have any equity in their homes. If the value of your house is currently less than what you owe on it a bank isn't going to lend on it. This program offers a chance for people in that situation a shot at a "good" loan.

The other program is called a loan modification. This is for people who have had a significant increase in their monthly mortgage payment due to an interest rate increase or a serious reduction in their income due to extenuating circumstances (loss of job, major illness, divorce, etc). For those who have fallen behind on payments or are struggling to keep them current, this program could save you from foreclosure.

Basically you'll need to prove your hardship at which time your lender will "modify" your loan. Generally this will mean lowering your interest rate so your payment goes down. According to the website, lenders have been authorized to adjust rates to as low as 2%. This isn't a permanent rate, it's only fixed for 5 years at which time you'll be reassessed or your interest rate will increase a percent a year until it reaches the agreed upon cap (when you sign up for this program the terms and conditions will be explained in full).

If lowering your interest rate still doesn't allow you to afford your mortgage payment, lenders have several other options available to them. The first is what's called a "Principle Forbearance" which basically just means they'll knock off part of your balance and hold it against you for later. (Don't think this is a handout, either. You will be required to pay this money back at a later date, though it will probably be held back without interest, which will help)

Example: If you have a $200,000 loan at 7% interest your monthly payment is going to be approximately $1300 ( not including taxes and insurance). If you knock $20,000 off that your new balance is $180,000. At 7% interest your new payment would be just over $1100. That's a savings of $200 a month. Now, if they do that AND give a rate reduction (no idea if they actually will or not - the website doesn't say) you could end up with a MUCH lower mortgage payment.

$180,000 @ 2% interest = about $650 a month, less than half of your original payment.

Of course your original balance of $200,000 @ 2% interest = just over $700 a month, still a significant savings.

This is, obviously, going to be a godsend for many people.

So why am I trying not to be bitter? Well, it's because we're the "good" borrowers in this case. We've lived within our means (for the most part) and have made our mortgage payments on time every month. Although we've had to tighten our belts quite a bit since I got laid off, we're still able to pay all of our bills and even have extra left over each month (once we got creative with our budget and made major cutbacks, that is).

Side Note: Yes, I realize how lucky we are. As I mentioned above, I've been on the verge of homeless before, and it's not fun. Especially when you have 2 children. If MM and I weren't together - if we hadn't of moved in together and gotten married when we did - I very likely would be homeless with two children right now. And that scares the shit out of me. :End Side Note

We did everything right - except for buying our house at the top of the market, that is. As it stands right now, we owe almost $200,000 more on our house than it's worth (and isn't hindsight a complete and total bitch?). Which makes me sick to my stomach if I think about it. So now we're in a tough position - we're stuck. We can't sell our house and we can't rent it out, because we couldn't get enough to cover our mortgage payment.

Those people who were irresponsible, who bought more than they could afford - or refinanced a billion times and took equity from their homes to pay for extras like motorcycles, boats, and other luxuries - are now eligible for the "modification" program. They might reduce their monthly payments by as much as HALF. While we'll still be making our regular payments, living in our house that isn't worth shit.

But that isn't even what bothers me. I know a lot of people are struggling for honest reasons, not just because they were living outside their means and got caught with their pants down.

What bothers me, what I just can't stomach, is the 3rd option available to those who are in foreclosure or having trouble making their mortgage payments:

Principal Balance Reduction

Do you know what that means? It means if the lender so chooses, they can reduce the principle balance of the loan - for good. Which means that $200,000 loan might get reduced down to $150,000. Granted, that is entirely up to their lender - but it's possible. For them. But not for me.

So yeah, I'm trying real hard not to be bitter.

For more information about the Making Home Affordable program, visit the website here. You can find out if you're eligible for either program on the site and read up about both of them.

http://www.makinghomeaffordable.gov/index.html

Best Invention Ever?

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Holy Cow I just climbed out from under my rock and realised I have not updated this since they let me out!... You would not believe the amount of people that are totally stalking me. I hope they bring chocolate!.

I am flat out like a lizard drinking with sleeping my way to the top, a ticking crocodile, just generally being a delightful mistress to my local police, my day sprawls from my partner kicking me out of bed to I see my darling's 10000 text messages. I am secretly pregnant. deal with it.

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Isn't that a thing of beauty?

A special thanks to Ann Aguirre via Twitter for sharing.

Ask MM

Recently there has been this "Ask the Kids Meme" going around. Last night I did it with my kids and then shared the answers with MM. Then I thought, "Hey, why not ask MM and see what his answers are?", so that's what I did.

I changed the questions to make them appropriate for him.

1. What is something I always say to you?
You're wrong.

2. What makes me happy?
Free books


3. What makes me sad?
When we have to punish the kids


4. How do I make you laugh?
You do a lot of stuff that makes me laugh. Tell jokes, little phrases. Write down everything I say on your blog.

5. What was I like as a child?
Free spirited
(This is actually pretty accurate)

6. How old am I?
That's not a question that I'm willing to answer.
(smart man)

7. How tall am I?
MM - 5'4" or 5'3"

8. What is my favorite thing to do?
Curl up with a good book in peace and quiet

9. What do I do when you’re not around?
I'm not sure - Housework and read and blog.

10. If I become famous, what will it be for?
MM - Writing a book - except no, because you'll never write a fucking book.
(For the record, MM has been trying to talk me into writing a book since we met. His confidence in me is sweet, but I kind of don't think I'd be a good writer)

11. What am I really good at?
Writing

12. What am I not very good at?
Having confidence in yourself
(he says this because I won't write a book)

13. What do I do for my job?
Keep the house together

14. What is my favorite food?
Peanut Butter
(he cheated..I told him that like 2 second ago)

15. What makes you proud of me?
Lots of things. Ummm...
(at this point he got sucked into the t.v.)

16. If I were a cartoon character, who would I be?
Olive Oil
I said: Isn't she kind of an idiot?
He said: Because she put up with Popeye's shit and he's a bigger idiot.
(awww)


17.What do we do together?
We do a lot of things together.

18. How are we the same?
We agree on a lot of things.
(I said: That's kind of a cop-out answer.
He said: Yes. I don't know why I'm being asked these questions)

19. How are we different?
Boys have Penis', girls have vagina's.
(He's bored now. Can you tell?)

20. How do you know I love you?
Cause you haven't left with my shit yet.
(Oh yeah, he's beyond bored now)

21. Where is my favorite place to go?
Into a book
(good answer!)

Ok, he's a jerkyface, but he's my jerkyface. And he does know me well.

All About MM

Since today is our anniversary I thought I'd do this "Husband Meme" that's been making the rounds (I think I saw it first on Facebook). Can you believe that as of about 12:40 p.m. today MM and I became husband and wife (my stomach still does a nasty flip/wave thing when I hear the "W" word)? I can't. It's still very surreal. Even after a year I still get a jolt when I see MM's ring (no idea why, but his ring always throws me).

Anyway, in honor of our anniversary, I thought I'd tell you all about MM in the form of this delightful Meme. I kind of wonder how well I really know my husband. Let's find out...

1. He’s sitting in front of the TV. What is on the screen?

Cops. Or Ace of Cakes (heh). Or one of the reality shows on True T.V.

2. You’re out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad?

Depends. He likes different kinds, but probably a raspberry vinegarette or ranch.

3. What’s one food he doesn’t like?

Miracle Whip. Gumbo. Cornedbeef Hash.

4. You go out to eat and have a drink. What does he order?

A beer. Rarely the same kind twice.

5. Where did he go to high school?

So. Cal. Down by the beach. The bastard.

6. What size shoe does he wear?

Hmm...11?

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be?

There isn't really one thing he'd collect. MM is..well, how do I put this delicately? He doesn't have a long attention span. He becomes obsessed with things and then moves on. Currently his obsession is hiking so he's collecting hiking books.

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich?!

PB&J

9. What would this person eat every day if he could?

Anything sweet. Mostly Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookie ice cream

10. What is his favorite cereal?

Lucky Charms

11. What would he never wear?

I'd say Skinny Jeans, but his bike pants kind of resemble them, so...a Speedo. If there is a God anyway.

12. What is his favorite sports team?

He's not really big into sports, so he doesn't have a "favorite", but he's a Chargers fan.

13. Who did he vote for?

Actually..he didn't.

14. Who is his best friend?

Me. And Alf is his BFF from childhood. He has two other BFF's, though. A new guy he works with and Jack, Casee's husband (of course me and Casee had nothing to do with that..heh)

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn’t do?

How much time you got?

16. What is his heritage?

Swedish.

17. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake?

Something with chocolate, probably.

18. Did he play sports in high school?

He played football. And he clogged. (snicker)

19. What could he spend hours doing?

Doing Google searches for random words/phrases and then looking at the images they produce.

20. What is one unique talent he has?

Uh, is that something I can talk about on here? This isn't really an X-rated blog. Oh, you didn't mean like that? Mah bad.

MM has an amazing talent for driving me absolutely batshit crazy. It's amazing, really.

We'll be out of town until sometime tomorrow, so you'll have to wait to find out what MM says about my answers. But trust me, I know I'm right. :)

So..how well do you know your husband/significant other?

Diary Redeux: Saturday March 8, 2008

The big day!! I've never been so nervous/calm in my entire life. In the end it turned out to be the most natural thing in the world, but it was scary for awhile.

___________

6:15 a.m.
My alarm goes off and I stare at the ceiling, nervous and excited at the same time. I think, "Today is the day"

6:16 a.m.
I roll over and go back to sleep.

7:00 a.m.
I finally get out of bed and go out on the patio to stare at the river. Yikes. Just Yikes.

7:15 a.m.
My sister knocks on the door. I open it and she screams "It's your big day!" and then snaps a picture of the two of us. I scowl at her, because hello, I just woke up! She laughs and says, "I have this disposable camera and we're going to use it this morning, while you're getting ready!" I called her a dirty name and went to get in the shower.

7:30 a.m.
My sister brings me coffee as I get dressed and I thank her and apologize for calling her a dirty name. She responds by taking my picture again. I hate my sister.

7:45
We leave and head towards Harrah's, where I'm having my makeup done at 9. My hope is that if we get there early I can get to my hair appointment early and have more time to get dressed. (we'd cut it short on time because the only appt the spa had for makeup was at 9 or 11. 11 was too late, so we pushed my hair appt back to 10 and made the makeup appt for 9. Yes, I realize you should do hair then makeup, but we didn't have a choice).

8:15
Got to the spa and were informed it didn't open until 9 and we couldn't get in early. Bastards.

8:30
My sister tried to talk me into eating something but my stomach revolted. Decided maybe it was better to just wait it out.

9:05
Finally got in for my makeup appt. She did a good job, but I was nervous about my eyes.

9:55
Left spa and headed to salon to get my hair done. Met The Girl and my mom there. I love this hair stylist. I wish I could kidnap her and take her with me.


11:15
Drove back to the hotel to get dressed. Almost puked on the way back. Managed not to.

11:55
All dolled up, I headed down to the boat. Met the wedding coordinator and she took me on board, then hid me below deck.


12:15
Wondered if MM had shown up yet. Almost cried. Managed not to because The Girl said my mascara would run if I did. Almost puked but remembered I had nothing in my stomach but coffee and that wouldn't taste good.

12:20
Was informed MM was aboard. Had a wedgie. Snuck into the bathroom to fix it. Almost cried. Didn't. Almost puked. Didn't. Stared at my dad and almost fainted. He laughed.

12:30
Wedding coordinator said it was time to go up. Captain of the boat told me I looked wonderful and asked if I could make it up the stairs. Since my legs were jello I wasn't sure, but said I could manage.

12:32
Headed up the stairs to the top deck behind my dad. Wondered if I'd actually make it. Saw him standing there and focussed on him, so I didn't trip up the stairs.

12:32 and 30 seconds
Got to the top of the stairs and saw MM waiting for me at the front of the ship. Didn't see anything else.

12:32 and 45 seconds
Realized MM was wearing his sun glasses and told my dad to tell him to take them off.


12:33
Dad tells MM to take his glasses off, which MM ignores. I realize MM is wearing black sandals instead of his rented shoes and think about pushing him overboard. Then decide I'm just glad he's there.

12:33 and 30 seconds
Dad walks away and the minister says, "Ehem! Who gives this bride away?" and dad says, "Oh, shit. I guess I do" and pulls me forward. MM is still wearing his sunglasses.

12:33 and 45 seconds
MM and I face each other and I tell him to take his glasses off. He ignores me. I tell him again and he rolls his eyes but does it.

12:38
The minister says, "MM, repeat after me. Holly, I take you" and MM says, "What?" then the minister says, "MM, repeat after me. Holly," and MM looks at me. The minister says, "Holly" and MM looks at me like, "Hello, answer her" and I roll my eyes. The minister says, "MM! REPEAT AFTER ME!!! HOLLY!" and MM says, "OH! That's my line." and everyone laughs.

12:39
I repeat my vows.

12:40
She announces us as husband and wife. Tells MM he can kiss me.



12:40 and 15 seconds
He does. Everyone claps. The minister says, "Everyone, Mr.and Mrs. MM" and everyone says "Aww!" I lean into MM and say, "Is it just me, or did that seem rather anti-climatic?" he says, "I was just thinking that". We both smile for the camera.


12:41 - 3:30
We pose for pictures and wander around talking to people. We cut the cake and sign the marriage license. We wander around some more and pose for more pictures. I don't really remember much of this. You should ask someone else for better details.

4:00
We head up to our suite with the kids to have dinner and relax before the reception at 7 p.m. We all fall asleep.

5:30
I wake up and my dress is a sad, wrinkled mess. Wake Little Man up and tell him to put his tux back on.

6:00
Alf knocks on the door and asks if he can wear his shorts to our reception. I tell him I don't care, he looks fine. He mentions he's going to In-N-Out with his parents and asks if we'd like to join him. I laughed. MM said "Yes! That sounds so good" I laughed again until I realized he was serious.

6:30
I tried to smile when the girl behind the counter at In-N-Out asked if we'd just gotten married, but I'm pretty sure I didn't pull it off. MM proudly proclaimed that yes, we had. She smiled. I almost cried but managed to stop myself.

6:55
We got to the hotel for our reception. EC met me at the door and said my family (mom, dad, sister, her boyfriend, uncle, uncle, uncle, cousin, brother, his girlfriend) were MIA. Tried to get them on the phone. Didn't succeed.

7:00
Brother calls back and says they just ordered dinner. Reception is supposed to start now and he has all the disposable cameras and guest gift boxes for the tables. I think about crying but decide it isn't worth it.

7:01
EC and Casee handle everything while I go outside with the photographer for some pictures.

7:15
MM, the kids and I walk in and are announced as the new Mr. and Mrs. I want to cry again, but don't. The Girl is giddy. I notice my family isn't there but the cameras and boxes are. I love EC and Casee.

7:30
EC and Alf make toasts. I laugh a lot at Alf and decide I hate EC. Hers was sweet and syrupy and made me cry. First time all day.

7:45
My family shows up and MM and I go onto the dance floor for our first dance. As per my instructions, the DJ says we're going to share our first dance and that the bride dedicates the first song to the groom. All is quiet and MM smiles at me. Then the first strains of Crazy Bitch by Buckcherry blare out and MM throws his head back and laughs.



7:45 and 15 seconds
MM's friend and co-worker Scotty walks up to the dance floor and hands MM $100. Apparently they had a bet about us dancing to Crazy Bitch for our first song. MM won.

7:45 and 30 seconds
The DJ cuts off Crazy Bitch and starts At Last by Etta James. MM and I dance, smiling at each other and laughing about how it all started 2 years before.

8:00 - 9:30
We dance, drink and mingle. Good times had by all.

9:35
MM and I decide to make our exit, 30 minutes later than we were supposed to. Then my grandma decides we need a family photo first. She starts rounding people up. I almost cry.

9:37
My family picture is done and MM's mom grabs my arm as I turn to say something to his grandpa. She says, "We still need to do OUR side of the family", like maybe I forgot? I said, "We stopped paying the photographer 45 minutes ago, so if you want a picture you better round everyone up." Then I turn to grandpa (MM's) and say, "I was wondering if you'd like to do a photo with your side of the family?" and grandpa smiles and says, "You are our family". I almost cried again. MM's mom rounded everyone up and we took a picture.

9:50
MM and I finally head for the door, after my aunt makes us open her gift so she can get a picture.

9:55
We run back to our hotel before we're caught by someone else.

10:15
Alone in our suite, we talk about the wedding and then....That's where my diary ends. :)

Diary Redeux: Friday March 7, 2008

I ran out of time today and didn't have a chance to finish typing out Friday and Saturday from last year. Instead I'm cheating and re-posting my diary entries for those two days. I promise when I get back I'll have more pictures for you. In the meantime, enjoy.

6:00 a.m.

MM wakes me up because he's going golfing with the boys and I need to move to his room so I can be with the kids. Scream and yell for awhile (I think maybe this was only in my head) then shuffle down the hall into MM's room.

9:00 a.m.

Curse the day I decided parenthood was a good idea as my son shakes me awake because he's hungry.

9:15 a.m.

Curse the day I decided marrying MM was a good idea as his mother pounds on the door and asks if I'll meet her breakfast.

9:30 a.m.

Cried in the shower over the sorry fate of my life. Then sucked it up and headed to breakfast with my soon to be in-laws.

11:00 a.m.

Deposited the kids with my soon to be mother-in-law (aka my new best friend) and thought about taking a nap

11:15 a.m.

Decided a nap wouldn't work and instead got ready to go to my nail appointment

12:00

Got my nails did. They turned out awesome

1:45

Rushed back to hotel from nail salon and into the spa at my hotel, where my amazing, fabulous, wonderful sister had scheduled a massage for me.

2:15

Met my mom and sister outside the spa and talked about maybe having a late lunch. Ran into the boys as they were coming back from golf and nearly killed MM when I realized he hadn't worn sunscreen and now had a bright red face and raccoon eyes where his sunglasses sat. He laughed at me and almost signed his death warrant.

3:30

After standing in the lobby chatting, we all headed up to my room to wait for my grandmother so we could catch a late lunch.

4:30

Decided a late lunch was probably out of the question and we should do an early dinner instead. Still waiting for grandma.

5:30

Rounded up the troops and headed to the hotel next door for dinner. Got there and realized there was an hour wait and hopped in line with MM and his family, who were smart enough to get in line early. Received several glares from my family for doing this - and felt pretty good about it.

5:45

Made it through the buffet line and realized my first (fake) fiance (E, the man of my dreams) and his date were just walking in. Ran over to say hello to them and laughed for a long time when my family realized who he was and started yelling "Is this the finace? OMG! It's so nice to meet you!" Wished MM was standing there to make the whole scene perfect.

6:30

Finished dinner and then went to visit with my family - who had just been seated. Snickered under my breath at them.

7:00

Said goodbye to MM who was planning his boys nite out as he left to go to a comedy show.

7:30

Called Daphne and found out she was almost to town. YAY!

8:00

Sat with Evil Cousin for awhile talking about old times then headed back to my hotel.

8:15-10:30

Drank a margarita and stood around trying to decide if we should go out or go to bed.

10:45

Ran up to my room for something and decided to stay put. Called all the girls and told them to come up.

11:15

Finished putting together gift boxes for the reception and had some girl time. Tried on my veil, showed everyone my dress and got some racy nightwear from my mom and sister for the wedding night. That was awkward.

Saturday

12:00 a.m.

Kicked everyone out and headed to bed.

12:01 a.m.

As my sister headed out the door she warned me not to let MM in if he stopped by, since it would be back luck. I assured her I wouldn't.

12:05 a.m.

Decided I wasn't going to sleep anytime soon and started a bath. Got in to soak and tried breathing exercises to calm myself down. It didn't work.

12:15 a.m.

Still soaking in the tub when there's a knock at the door. I sigh and get out, asking who's there. It's MM. I let him in. Don't tell my sister.

12:16 a.m.

I soak in the tub while MM sits on the floor next to me and holds my hand. We talk about how we're getting married the next day. I calm down. MM's breathing returns to normal. He squeezes my hand and I smile at him.

12:20 a.m.

I get out of the tub. MM tries to cop a feel. He's drunk and wants some. I push him out of the room and go to bed, comfortable in the knowledge that all is right in my world.

New Mom Blog Post: The "P" Word

I have a new post up on the Mom Blog. Well, several, actually. Come check them out.

Not Dead Yet: The "P" Word

Hmmm

No More Mom to the Rescue

Thursday March 6, 2008

Although I would have liked to sleep in after my restless night, The Girl and I woke up around 7:30 and got dressed. We'd agreed to meet my grandparents for breakfast since they were the first of our guests to arrive in town. As it happened MM and LM's room was right next door to ours, so we met up in the hallway and headed down stairs. We ate in the buffet and relaxed, taking our time with breakfast and catching up with my grandparents. Even though they live close by we don't see them as often as we should.

After we finished eating we loaded the kids up and headed across the river to Bullhead City, AZ. A little known fact some of you may not know is that if you get married on the Colorado River you have to have an AZ marriage license. We went to the courthouse and got the license, which took no time at all. It was kind of nerve racking, standing there at the window waiting. Although it wasn't signed yet, that little piece of paper was the most important thing we'd need. That's a lot of power for a piece of paper, don't you think?

We ran to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things we'd forgotten, like toothpaste and stuff. I had a moment when we were leaving the car when I didn't know what to do with the marriage license. What if it fell out when I opened the door? What if it got damaged or lost? MM looked at me like I was crazy, but as I said, that's a pretty powerful piece of paper. Not something I wanted to screw with. After picking up the necessities we drove around Bullhead City for awhile, checking out the local real estate (something MM and I do in every city we visit..just because) until I realized I was going to be late to my pre-wedding hair appointment. I told MM to head back to the hotel so I could get my veil and tiara. It was only about 11:30 and my appointment wasn't until 1, but I had no idea where the salon was or how long it would take me to get there. I wanted to leave myself plenty of time to find it so I wasn't late.

Around 12:15 I left the hotel and headed to the salon after calling them to get directions. My first choice to get my hair done was the salon at the hotel, but they were booked solid and couldn't get me in. My next choice was Harrah's salon, because that's where I was having my makeup done for the wedding, but when I called to make an appointment the receptionist was a horrible bitch to me. I decided there was no way in hell I was going to leave my hair to them. After calling around I found a salon in the town proper (away from the strip where the casinos are) that had an opening. I got a good vibe from the stylist when I talked to her on the phone so I made an appointment. Since this was my wedding, however, I decided I better go in a day or two beforehand and test out different styles. I didn't want to look like a douche on my wedding day, you know?

As it happened, I really liked her. She was really sweet and new her stuff. We talked about what I wanted and after playing with my hair for a bit declared it was going to be a cinch and she'd see me Saturday morning. I headed back to the hotel and ran into MM and the kids. They'd gotten suckered into going with MM's mom and best friend sightseeing. We visited for a minute, then I ran a few errands around the hotel (talked to the wedding coordinator, met with the group coordinator for the hotel, book an additional room for MM's sister, etc). Then I headed to the spa at Harrah's at the other end of the strip for one of the first experiences of my life. A Full Body wax. Yes, full body.

Other than my eyebrows, I'd never been waxed before, but I thought it would be a good idea for the wedding since my dress had a halter-style top and my arms would be bare. Plus, MM had been rhapsodizing about what it would be like if I had a Brazilian wax and I thought I'd surprise me. Good lord, the pain. I can't even begin to describe the pain. Had it been in one concentrated place it probably wouldn't have been so bad, but I had my entire body done at once. Underarms, Brazilian, legs, all of it. Not an experience I'm in a hurry to repeat, let me tell you.

When I got back to the hotel all I wanted was a long, hot soak in the tub, but I ran into MM's grandparents in the lobby and they talked me into having a beer with them. We chatted for a little while, but to be perfectly honest I think I was in shock and wasn't very good company. I excused myself and went upstairs to soak. About 5 minutes after I settled into the bath MM came knocking on my door. I let him in then climbed back into the tub. Then hijinks ensued.

Don't look at me like that! I was vulnerable and MM attacked me (heh). It was totally his fault. Anyway, about 2 seconds after that MM's grandparents knocked on the door. Great, busted. MM left shortly after to meet his family for dinner and I, still mortified, got ready for my night out with the girls (read: mini-bachelorette party). I met Ames and Nath (who had arrived earlier in the day) at Outback and we had dinner together, visiting and getting to know each other. For those of you following along at home, Nath and Ames are bloggers I'd never met in person before. Until I invited them to my wedding. Weird, huh?

After dinner we met up with the other girls who'd made it to town - MM's sister, my brother's girlfriend, my aunt and mom, etc - at the bowling alley inside the hotel. We bellied up to the sports bar and ordered drinks, then started visiting and joking with the bartender. My sister kept telling everyone I was getting married in two days and before I knew it I'd had a bit too much to drink.

Eventually we wandered around the casino and ended up a bar on the main floor. They had a live band and the drinks kept coming. We drank and made merry. My aunt got a lapdance from some random patron of the bar and I got hit on (several times) by the lead singer of the band. I also corrupted MM's baby sister (who didn't drink at the time) with wine coolers and dirty dancing. It was great fun.

We all stumbled upstairs about 4 a.m. and I fell into bed. Once the room stopped spinning I knocked the hell out.



2 days left to go.

Yay or Nay?

Believe it or not, Sunday is our first wedding anniversary. I know! I can't believe it's been a year either!

We're leaving the kids with my parents and going back to Laughlin for the weekend. I'm really looking forward to getting away and relaxing.

I started a series of posts recapping the days leading up to the wedding, but thought maybe I'd ask if any of you care? If you remember, I did a recap when we got back from our honeymoon (I totally cheated and did it diary style), so it's not like you won't be hearing the same thing twice.

What do you think? Want to relive the week before my wedding with me? Or would you rather just have pictures? Or a couple posts with full length stories as opposed to recaps of the entire day? Or maybe nothing at all?

I'll leave it up to all of you, b/c I honestly don't care. :P

Wednesday March 5, 2008

I had to work in the morning, but got off early. I spent the afternoon packing and running last minute errands. Because MM worked we didn't start loading the car until later in the evening, around 7, I think. Since we were going straight to Arizona afterward and not coming home we had to pack more than 2 weeks worth of clothes for ourselves, plus all the stuff we'd need for the weekend. Since the kids were staying with my parents after that for another week, we had to pack enough for two weeks for them, too. Needless to say, our car was packed.

We called MM's sister and asked if they had extra room in their car. Since they both had to drive down (his BIL couldn't get off work until Friday) they said they had plenty of room and drove over to get a load of stuff from us.

There was one thing I absolutely refused to part with. MM and I had an argument about it, but I refused to budge. He bribed, he cajoled, he yelled, but in the end, I won. I mean, really, there was no way I was leaving the fate of my wedding dress to someone else. It was riding with us and that's all there was to it. His and Little Man's tuxes were relegated to his sister's car.

Priorities, right?

Around 8:00 we finally hit the road. Since we'd been running around like chickens without heads all evening we didn't have time for dinner. We decided to stop at Burger King on the way out of town. Unfortunately my favorite thing on their menu, the chicken sandwich, doesn't agree with me. Since we were going to be stuck in the car for 2+ hours, MM said I couldn't have one because we weren't stopping again. The jerk.

Then, 5 minutes later, he pulled into a convenient store for drinks for the road. I mocked him for saying we weren't stopping again, because that's what I do. We all ate on the road and joked around, but shortly after we finished the kids knocked out, leaving MM and I alone. We made eyes at each other and talked about how how fast time had flown by and reminisced about our first date and how we met. We held hand the entire time.

Around 10:30 we arrived in Laughlin and made our way to the hotel to check in. Although MM wasn't happy about it, we agreed to get separate rooms until after the wedding. We rented an executive suite for me and The Girl to stay in and a regular room for MM to stay in. The suite was great. It featured a king sized bed, huge bathroom with a full sized jacuzzi tub and two balconies with gorgeous views. One of the river and one of the strip. The balconies were my favorite part.

Once we dumped our bags in our rooms MM took the kids downstairs to find a snack while I unpacked. Several times I found myself just staring off into space, totally lost in my own thoughts. To say I was absentminded would be a huge understatement.

Eventually MM and Little Man headed to their room and The Girl and I got ready for bed. She was giddy, giggling and super excited. After her nap in the car she was having a hard time falling asleep, so we laid there in the dark talking about our plans for the rest of the week, the family we'd get to see and the friends we had coming. Eventually she nodded off and I was left alone in the quiet of the hotel room.

I stared at the ceiling and thought back over the previous two years. Even now it amazes me how far we've come, the two of us. I never imagined finding MM, or traveling so far with him. I was content to be alone, and yet I can't imagine my life without him now. Crazy how that works, isn't it?

Eventually I, too, succumbed to sleep.

Only 3 days left to go.

Scary Movies

I adore scary movies, but lately haven't been too impressed with what's recently been released. I prefer my horror flicks to have a psychologically frightening theme rather than a gory one. Movies like the Jason and Freddy ones don't appeal to me as much as ones like the Shining do. Oh, except for this movie. I'm all about that one. Oh, and this one. Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead and Trailer Park of Terror? I can't wait!

Anyway, I was blog hopping today and saw the trailer for The Haunting in Connecticut on KB's blog. I think it looks great - right up my alley.




Looks creepy, doesn't it? I'm going to make MM take me to the theatre (or I'm going to try..he's kind of pansy about scary movies) to see it.

What about you? Do you like scary movies? Do you prefer the gory blood and guts type or the psychological thrillers? Or do you avoid them like the plague all the way around?