"Hey, you're the newlyweds, right!?"

Our honeymoon...

what can I say about our honeymoon? Well, it wasn't exactly what I expected.

We started the four hour drive to Fort Lauterdale pretty early. Dustin's best man volunteered for the trip down and then watched the critters for us while we were away. We kept entertained with general banter, books, ABC games, and finally 20 questions; where I learned how UNeducated my husband is in animal knowledge.

The line to get onto the ship was attrocious to say the least. We arrived an hour or so ahead of our scheduled boarding time and didn't get on until almost an hour after. Thank goodness for our inner patience. Instead of getting frustrated we continued through the lines in a generally positive mood, making up stories of the people around us. I found it interesting that every official we came across kept saying 'No need to stress, this will be over soon'. Do I LOOK like I'm stressing people?? I'm smiling and bubbly and asking you how YOUR day is going, YOU chillax... Goodness. By the end of it I WAS starting to stress.

When we finally made it to our room, it wasn't exactly prepared for us. There were some left over pedals from the last tenants but the room itself was absolutely beautiful. We had a suite with a balcony. The closet was large enough to walk in. The bathroom was tiled with a tub big enough for two (long ways). There was a couch and a chair and a nice size bed. On the balcony facing the dock were two lounge chairs and two upright chairs. I deemed that if I were to tan at all, it would not be on a crowed deck on display with strangers. It would be here. Naked.  

  

  

 

We took a few minutes to settle in and then started touring the ship. The promenade alone was spectacular. there were spiraling staircases, glass elevators, fixtures dangling from the ceiling and a 'Rainbow bridge'. It looked like a fancy pants mall on the inside.

The deck was huge! The only other cruise I went on was a Carnival ship back in May. The only pool on that deck was something you could only dip your body into and hope to be close to an edge. This ships had multiple pools, and H2O Zone for the kids, two HUGE hottub spas on either side, plus other hot tubs on the deck near the HUGE big screen (which generally played sports).

On top of that, the Liberty of the Seas is one of few Royal Caribean Cruises with a Flowrider (which my husband took full advantage of every day). There's also a mini golf course, volleyball and basket ball court, rock climbing wall, ect. Absolutely amazing.

One of the first tours we went on was the spa tour. We got to veiw all the different treatments, the salon, and the gym (Which we'd be getting around to at some point - I DID pack accordingly, so the thought was there). Afterwards we signed up for a couples massage on the 4th day and I was to go to a beauty appointment the next day.

Food, Friday, and Fun

Every year Dustin says how he can't stand going from place to place on holidays. In my family, it's just not an option to stay home. My many sides converge at different Central Florida locations and I do my best to appease most member. This year my husband finally accepted the inevitable.

We started out Thanksgiving around 7am. Fed the horse and headed to Tampa. My in law's were all there celebrating Dustin's sister's first holiday in her new home. She did a fabulous job cooking for eight of us. Downside? We've been nominated to host the next Thanksgiving meal. Looks like I'll be preparing dishes all year... any volunteers?

Around the house things are starting to come together. We got our bedroom set in, which allowed me to unpack all of our clothes. Which showed me just how much i DON'T wear. Time to stop by Goodwill and then SHOP!

Yesterday was my 3rd Black Friday working. Though I was sure I started off my day getting my beautiful new bag!

It wasn't so bad, the crowds were really less than we anticipated. But my co-workers and I made sure we enjoyed ourselves and kept things light to get through the day.

Today, we begin our honeymoon :) We are driving four hours to Fort Lauterdale to board the ship. Our best man, Greg has generously agreed to drop us off and then watch our critters while we're gone. I'm thoroughly excited to start this adventure! We have horseback riding scheduled and I know we'll be snorkling (Dustin's mask and fins are packed...). I can't wait!

The kitten and I have had a lot of 'bonding' time this week. What I have learned:

• Arya loves car rides (and walking around every surface to see outside)
• Arya has never been outside before (evidence when she treats the ground she steps on like hot coals)
• Arya does NOT like other cats (yet ANOTHER pet or ours who dispises their own species)
• Arya prefers dog food to science diet (so we're introducing a 'tastier' meal)
• Arya likes balls (i have a FETCH CAT!)
• Arya has NO preditary instinct (I release the gerbil and she just watches...)
• Arya does not care for the shower (no matter how much she begs to come in, she REALLY doesn't mean it)
• Arya loves my hair (in which she entangles her self in at every opportunity. I also work up to a head massage <3)
• Arya does NOT sleep through the night (she rather prefers pouncing on her bedmates until we are forced to appease her)

Currently she is preventing me from typing as she is busy attacking the mouse on the screen.

But overall, she IS a lap kitty and my husband ADORES her. So she's very welcome to our family.

What's in a name?

I was awakened this morning around 6:20 am to a pathetic little cry. A meow of sorts that I, not my husband, could here. The new kitty had found her way into the closet, and couldn't find her way back out. Precious... after waking me up around 2:00 am eating some dog food (which my dog Maya was not thrilled about) and then again around 2:30 am to be taken to her litter box across the house. Then 3:00 am to play a little since 'Daddy' was asleep, I was reluctant to get up.

BUT it's a big day today for Dustin! My husband goes for his State Firefighter Exam! I'm sure he'll do well, but he was definitely nervous. I think he's just anxious to get things done, but he'll tell you he's worried about preparing mentally for all the physical application testing.

Getting the cat came at a perfect time. We picked up 'Lucy' after her surgery yesterday afternoon. The adoption lady asked if we'd decided on a new name for her. To be honest we hadn't really thought about it, so she left the name on the sheet blank.

Driving home 'Lucy' watched the windows and the road, tried to explore the car and then just ended up curled up in Dustin's jacket on my lap (his idea). Instead of using the new carrier we got for her 'comfort', I got to carry her upstairs to our place like a new born wrapped in blankets. I took our dog Maya for a walk to ease her excitement a little and left the other two at home to bond.

When we came back, the kitty already had her bed on the couch and was watching everything from outside of it. Our dog, frustrated with the attention, lapped around the couch several times, anxious to meet the kitty inside the bed. Dustin and I got to work on dinner while the two observed each other.

Our dog is VERY good with cats, she's just big, and a little intimidating for a cat on pain meds. She still wants to groom the kitty but she's respecting her boundaries and 'Lucy' is comfortable keeping her distance to a point. She'll warm up to Maya. They all do.

Last night while Dustin was reading to ease his mind, we discussed name ideas. He wanted to name her something ethereal and pretty, something we wouldn't pick for our own child. So I prompted him to pick a name out of his book. He liked the name 'Arya', the name of an elf from his Eragon series 'Inheritance'. I immediately approved (I had spotted the name in his book days ago...).

For a middle name, I had to do a little research. 'Lucy' was born June 8th. The birthstone for June is a pearl. The irony of certain circumstances surrounding this cat continue... Dustin's first gift to me when we were dating was a pearl. They were well featured throughout our wedding to showcase this. The meaning behind pearls is 'beauty', so Dustin chimmed in 'Belle'. The name seemed appropriate, she's beautiful, and we'd just finished watching 'Beauty and the Beast' that evening after dinner.

So, 'Lucy' is hereforth to be known as 'Arya Belle Hamzehloui'. God help us when we have kids...

Expanding our little family

It's been one week since we've got married, and what have I learned?

• never go shopping without a list (made one and totally forgot it! did pretty good but missed one ingredient to just about every meal planned for this week)
• strainers are important (sink spaghetti was a fail i never anticipated...)
• wifely duties will seem like a chore (scheduling times to love my husband are already in place)
• oversleeping is a dangerous thing. (i NEVER want to leave our bed, or i get back to it early)
• (in relation to the previous statement) if a nap is longer than an hour, it is sleep, NOT a NAP (4 hr 'Sleep' today makes for two drowsy people)
• neighborhood watch is your friend (Our neighbor Butch sits out in his garage everyday. almost as good as our watchdog)
• keeping busy and socializing is key to sanity (I can only do so much singing while cleaning before I need real people to talk to)
• Animals really do lower your blood pressure (and keep you happy. I spent an afternoon with my horse and dog and suddenly felt like myself again)

Which brings me to my next tale. For over a year now I've been looking into expanding our little family. And not in the sense of children. Not YET that is. Today we took a trip to the local humane society. We had been looking into an older cat, calm in nature, friendly with dogs, and a nice personality. 

The first time I ever took Dustin to the SPCA he fell in love with a pretty grey cat named Lucy. He thought about her often and seriously considered adopting her. We found her picture online and Internet stalked her for about a month. When he finally decided to adopt her we went in, and she was gone. Dustin never thought he'd find another Lucy and every grey cat we saw was 'Lucy' to him. 

Earlier this year we met another cat named Buster who stole our hearts. He was a fat cat, with eyes that just seemed to see right through you. We visited him every day for a week, and right when we went to adopt him, he too was gone. I was crushed, not only out of disappointment but because I knew how hard it was for Dustin to think about adopting another cat after Lucy, and Buster had been the complete opposite. 

A few days ago, we happened to pop into the SPCA in downtown Orlando. Dustin had the attitude that he didn't want to be there, that animals were MY thing, not his. Of course, the first thing that happens when he sits in the cat room is getting bombarded by fur balls. Cats LOVE him. But he didn't form a connection with anyone, so we left with no intention of adopting anytime soon.

When we walked into the Sanford location today, we were ambushed with Brownies! Girl Scouts, not the dessert. This weekend had been some sort of 'volunteer at the local animal shelter' weekend since we had seen them at the other location too. We visited a couple of the adult cat rooms and then felt over crowed by children, so we said hello to the dogs before landing back in the kitten room.

Now, I've always said i'll never adopt a kitten, because they are easy to adopt out. Everyone wants a kitten. They're cute still, and are easily socialized. But then, Dustin met another Lucy. Lucy came to the SPCA on 11-12-11. Our wedding date. Her card said she was 5 months old. Looking at her I would have thought just a few weeks old. She's tiny, and quiet, and a perfect lap kitty. She laid in Dustin's lap the moment he sat down. Her coloring is unique, domestic short hair, black and brown stripping with and occasional flair of orange circles. They seemed to bond instantly, Dustin's eyes grew two sizes larger when he looked at me and asked 'can we see her card?'. I knew he was a goner. 

Next I knew we Dustin had FOUR kittens on his lap and the Girl Scouts were back. I left him in the room to 'bond' while I grabbed an adoption sheet. When I came back, Dustin was out and observing the kitten from the other side of the glass. Lucy greeted all the children sitting in the room. They roughly pet her and held her and did what kids do with cats. Then she went off to a safe place and sat and watched. It was all over by then. This was the cat that my husband wanted for his own.

After debating whether or not to get a companion for her, we filled out the rest of the paperwork for Lucy. She seemed like a cat who preferred to be on her own. Then we headed to Target where Dustin proceed to pick out all the things necessary for his cat. (It was cute really, 'I want this litter for her' 'this is the better litter box' 'I can make a better scratching post for her!'). 

Fully equipped, we get to pick Lucy up Monday after her surgery. She needs to be fixed and get her microchip before she can come home with us. Then i'm sure i'll have plenty of photos and new stories to share. 

That's one Christmas gift down for my new hubby and another new member to stay the baby game.

End of the Party, Beginning of an Adventure...



I can't begin to describe how beautiful our wedding day was. It was is the 70s, bright blue skies and breezy. The sunset over the lake created a dramatic backdrop for the ceremony and the bugs kept away. The hours of preparation and year of planning paid off with God's gift of good weather as a thumbs up. With that in mind, how bad could things go?

There were only a few issues I can think of...

• People were late, as people always are. (So we stalled the carriage and ceremony processional as long as we could)



[http://highhorsecarriagerides.com/]

• The suprise of butterflies that my mother presented us didn't want to fly. (So I picked some up and tried to blow them away or placed them on my groom's flower)

• The Pastor said the ring ceremony backwards (where I said my vows while Dustin placed the ring on MY finger and vise versa)
• My Groom developed a lisp during our vows (instead of reciting 'for better or worse' he said "For better or worth lol)



• Our pronouncement song leaving the ceremony didn't play until we got to the carriage ('My best friend' by Queen)



• The light faded extremely fast and the photographer's assistant was MIA (which made us hurry thorugh photos and get to dinner - totally cool with that)



• Our Wine glasses didn't get filled for the first toast (so we toasted with water)
• Our Ice sculpture fell (which I didn't even notice, and it didn't break!)



• My Husband stepped on my dress I don't know how many times (and broke the bussel...)



• My hair kept getting caught in my necklace (which I just ended up taking off and still don't know where it is...)
• One individual (whom I didn't invite) ended up drunk and barely able to walk by the end of the night. (which isn't that bad for a party of 200)
• We couldn't play our exit song "Take Me Home Tonight" (because it was after 10pm and we were in a residential neighborhood)
• We took one lap in a limo which was not for us, but my inlaws (because the groomsmen got confused and thought is was for us so they didn't bring the decorated car to the front)
• My husband couldn't find his shirt that he had to return the next day (because the linen people accidentally packed it up when they cleared the table)
• We got lost on the way to the hotel and when we finally DID get there, the valet took FOREVERRRR (which instead of charging us $20, parked us for free)
• AND LASTLY, I forgot to pack a bathing suit for Discovery Cove [http://discoverycove.com/] (in which finding an extra small bathing suit, last minute, during the month of November is impossible...but I made due)

Other than those MINOR details, I could not have asked for a more wonderful Wedding. It was simply perfect (well, as perfect as it was going to be). The decorations were lovely, our DJ was a riot [http://www.linkedin.com/pub/john-polk/9/b9/812], the cakes turned out beautiful and the food was great! We got to eat (thank goodness) and our caterer [http://classiccateringdesign.com/] had it served to us to we didn't have to go through the buffet. I lived a relatively stressful day, didn't go Bridezilla, and partied all night with my loved one's and new husband.

 

 

Dancing down the isle :)

My Bridesmaids!

 

Cutting the Cake

[http://www.orlandocustomcakes.com/]

Line Dancing!

                     the dramatic excavation





 

When the best man SHOVED a kid for the garter...

I wasn't as nervous as I thought I was going to be. I felt very comfortable with our photographer [http://mfloresphotography.com/], whom I got to spend pretty much all day with. My hair and makeup was flawless [http://www.projectwedding.com/vendor/show/kristy-s-on-location-makeup-artistry-hair-design](until my necklace got in the way of course). I felt so beautiful that it didn't matter that all eyes were on me. Walking down the isle my mother and I recited 'Peanutbutter' over and over to keep from crying.

I was extremely touched by the Maid of Honor and Best Man's speeches. The words of the night that truely reflected the mood was;

"It's one thing when you bring the best out of each other, but when you start to bring out the best of the people you're around, it's something entirely unique and wonderful!"
My friends, my family, my loved one's, I couldn't have been more blessed to share this day with them. I can't wait for our future together...

Or the Pictures!!!

5 days... Party and Preparation

This passed weekend was the weekend of my Bachelorette party! While it didn't necessarily go drama free (we're a group of women, what do you expect?), I was surrounded by amazing friends. Me and my core group of lovely ladies went and got pedicures, had dinner at Kobe's, headed downtown for a night at Cowboys and had a sleep-over at Embassy Suites.

We enjoyed playing Kiss the Hunk, drank wine, and gabbed before dancing the night away.

I was subjected to pink bridal garb (which anyone who knows me KNOWS i hate pink...) and a veil that kept falling off all night. I also had a bell to ring when I wanted drinks, which was only answered by my mother. YES, my MOTHER joined in on all the festivities! Because she's awesome. I love my mother. She is ALSO my wedding planner. God help her.

I'm a regular to the Cowboy's scene, so I'm familiar with most of the dances. After a couple drinks, it was easy to get out on the dance floor, all decked out and endure the stares that come with it.

I also had the courage to get up on stage and do the "Rocky Mountains Contest". Which as horrifying as it sounds, really wasn't that bad. I placed fourth! WOOT! Aaaaaand when I got off stage I started shaking and teared up uncontrollably. I hope to high heavens this isn't a preview of how the wedding ceremony goes. I was up on stage for maybe 5 minutes. The ceremony is going to be at least 3 times as long. Dear Jesus!

The rest of the night I partied with my girls, posed with an old man, and had an all around great time!

Thanks to the 'fall back' time change, we all got an extra hour of sleep (which was wasted on me, since i stayed up until 4am talking with one of the girls). We had breakfast in the morning and then I got to have some time alone with just me and my bridesmaids, plotting the week and weekend to come.

TODAY has been very productive...

This morning Dustin and I went and picked up some more meds for Danny. My Aunt trimmed my hair for the wedding do. Mother and I finished our side of the table settings. I submitted the music list to the DJ and sent images to the Caterer of the Ice Sculpture we'd like him to do.

Whew! Busy bee! Now for tomorrow's chore... Finish moving everything into our new place, complete the wedding program, email the pastor the ceremony details, and send out the day's festivities to the bridal party.

Eeeek gads!