24 weeks down, 16 weeks to go! What YOU can expect while I'M expecting

So there are a million books out there about what I can expect each week/month of my pregnancy. Many are informative possible symptoms, size/development of the baby, tests available or suggested, eat this, don't eat that, sleep this way and so on and so forth. In some books they even tell husbands/partners what to expect while their wives/partners are growing their next generation. In this blog post I am going to tell you what to expect from me as someone who interacts with me from time to time.

1.) Baby Bump Pictures- you can expect me to NOT take or post any pictures showing you my growing belly. Don't get me wrong, these pictures are adorable...if you didn't spend most of your life already looking huge! Quite frankly I don't see baby bump when I look at myself from the side, I just see the same old overweight person I have always been. When I am standing I can see that my upper abdomen has puffed out and gotten firmer and when I lay on my back I can feel a large hard bump where my baby is growing. Perhaps, depending on what I look like by then, I will take a picture or two at the baby shower or the day I go into labor? Who knows, but just know, I am not secretly storing bump pictures, I am just not even taking them.

2.) Worrying- Something that may not seem too out of character for most pregnant women is constant worrying and you can expect me to follow the pack on that one. Can you blame me though? I have an amazing niece who was born with with CHD and spent a very long time fighting for her life when she was born, I personally was born too early that I spent months in the hospital as my lungs tried to develop not to mention all of the horror stories I have heard/read/witnessed with miscarriages, still-births and birth defects. So needless to say, I am going to worry all the time that something is going to go wrong. I was assured at about 11 weeks or so that we were doing great, the doctor heard a strong heartbeat which they were surprised at so early and said that chance of miscarriage goes down greatly once a strong heartbeat is heard. We also had our Anatomy Scan and got to hear how our little boy is developing perfectly, and all organs and such exist and look great. Still, I am going to worry. I try not to let the worrying weigh me down or cause me distress, I try to think positively like Dusty who reminds me constantly that we have no reason to think there is a problem, but it will always be at the back of my mind. And if all THAT worrying wasn't enough don't even get me started on the "which bottle will Oliver like" thought process. 12 different types of bottles and we have no way to know which he will end up using??

3.) Breast Feeding- You don't need to tell me the million and one reasons every woman in the world should breast feed. I've heard them all. I am still not going to do it. I have nothing against breast feeding as it is great for providing antibodies and nutrients FOR FREE for your child and a great opportunity for bonding, I am not opting out because I don't see these benefits, I am opting out because there are other factors I need to consider. First of all, I am on blood thinners due to my history of DVT and while no one will say that there isn't a danger to the child, studies DO show that the blood thinners can affect the time it takes for the baby's blood to clot and I do not want to put my baby at risk. Another reason I vote no is because I have anxiety issues and a history of depression and the medicine that will work best cannot be taken while breast feeding and even worse if I develop PPD I will be less likely to ask for help if I am holding myself responsible to provide my child's food. I have been depression free for quite a while but I have struggled with my anxiety for a while and having to be medication free during this pregnancy has been hard. I can only imagine how bad my anxiety will be as I am adjusting to life with a baby. So whether you agree or approve I don't care. This is what I feel is best and that is what matters.

4.) Nerd Baby- Haaaaave you met me and my husband? If you have then you can understand that our child will have Superhero themed stuff, lots of books, onsies referencing comic books, Harry Potter, StarWars, etc. Thanks to sites like Cafe Press and Etsy these things are more attainable than ever which is good because something else you should know is I hate all that baby boy stuff with mustaches on them or with camo or with really inappropriate things that while are funny for a second they are not appropriate for a baby's onesies.

5.) Baby Bottle Gift Cards- As stated earlier registering for bottles is a major source of stress. Overall I think we are aiming for Ollie to like Avent or Dr. Brown's bottles but I can't just CHOOSE one because Ollie may not like them and cause us to have to return lots of them. I am thankful that my sister in law is giving us some Dr. Browns, Mam's, and Tommie Tippie to try out if we need to and we registered for one small pack of Avent and one of the Nuk orthopedic ones. Long story short if you are wanting to contribute to our bottle or even paci needs a great idea is to get just ONE bottle and a gift card that we will use on our first family outing to get the choice bottle of Oliver Haynes.

I am sure there will be a whole lot more that I (we) encounter during this exciting time but this is all I can think of right now.

4 months to go! Baby Haynes update!

I'm sorry if I have been out of touch these days. Most of the time it has been the same routine, wake up, work, dinner, sleep, repeat. I haven't been in much of a blogging mood from being tired so much but today I woke up extremely anxious and thought maybe just typing would help.

The biggest thing that has happened recently is that we got to see our little boy on ultrasound!

We got to see him wave and jump (literally) and turn and put his feet over his head and it was amazing. His heart and head and organs looked good, the doctor explained that the Ultrasound techs have a checklist of things to look into at the Anatomy scan and our little boy looked perfect! Oh, and if you didn't already know we we found out he is a BOY! Little Oliver Holden Haynes measured exactly 18 weeks and 3 days on the day he was estimated to be this far along and surprised many people at our gender reveal party with his y chromosome!

I don't remember the exact day that I knew for sure I was feeling him kick and move but  I think the first time I felt him was the Sunday after the wedding, I felt like a bubbly popped in my belly, it only happened once and I didn't feel anything again for a while, at least not that I noticed but now I feel him moving every day when I start to relax. Dusty has been able to feel him move too! I can't imagine how much stronger his movements are going to get because at 22 weeks 3 days he can kick really strong!

Another exciting thing we got do do was register for baby stuff! I have to admit it was quite overwhelming and very tiring! Of course when you go to a baby store or a baby section what stands out most? Baby clothes! What is one thing you don't need to register for? Baby clothes! We did what we could to register for the basics a crib, stroller/carseat travel system, pack and play, swing, high chair and much much more! I think the hardest part of it is the fact that you can't tell what kind of bottles or pacifiers he will like, what kind of diapers or wipes will work best for him. We are going to need to make a babies r us or target or walmart run on the way home from the hospital after testing a few bottles to stock up on such things! I think I am going to eventually make a blog post about some of the things on the registry just to share the digs our little man will be in once he moves out of his studio apartment and into the real world!

I am excited that Noah is interested in the baby. He always asks me if he is here yet, to which I remind him that he will be 4 before Baby Ollie makes his appearance. When we read stories in the morning I asked him if he would help me read to Ollie when he is here and he says he will, he'll read the Prince book since he can read that all by himself. We always let him know what kind of things he can help with like holding Ollie, maybe feeding him, teaching him letters and numbers and one day how to poop on the potty! He takes his job as a big brother very seriously. He is getting lots of practice with his little sister too. When his mom came to pick him up yesterday she brought the baby up and he points at her and says "I love her." It melted my heart. He then brought Dusty over to where her car seat was and told him to look at her little face. He was very proud and it makes me excited for when his brother is here.

Unfortunately my anxiety is still here, full force, so I am going to call it a day for now. Hope you enjoyed the update!

Wedding Day Re-Cap!

Hello! I am writing to you for the first time as Mrs. Dianna Haynes! That is so exciting! I still sit and marvel that I am married. I look at Dusty and am like , "you are my HUSBAND" and he smiles and says, 'and you are my wife." It is crazy, it always felt like the wedding was forever away and now it is 5 days past us! I am surprised to report that I did not cry at the wedding. I predicted that the excitement and hormones would have made me a blubbering baby but rather the happiness that I was finally becoming Dusty's wife kept a smile on my face all evening, that whole day I had not a worry in the world (well...I was worried that a child would trip and get hurt when they were running around but that is every adult's fear when kids run...right?).  If you were unable to make it to the big event or even if you were there let me re-cap for you.

1.) What was the date and time of your wedding? April 11, 2014 at 5:00pm

2.) What was the weather like? The weather was gorgeous. High of 75, partly cloudy, not a rain drop to be seen but a nice breeze to keep us cool! LOTS of pollen though, just ask Dusty's Tux!

3.) What kind of food/beverages did you serve? During cocktail hour we had a cheese and cracker assortment (I stole some cheese cubes while waiting to make our grand entrance because I was STARVING!), drink options were water, sweet tea or lemonade (apparently the best lemonade in the entire world according to everyone who told me about it AFTER the fact!), Dinner was a bacon wrapped turkey tenderloin with a whisky glaze, red skinned mashed potatoes with bacon and cheese on the side as mix ins, macaroni and cheese, grilled vegetables (they gave me my own side of just asparagus) and yeast rolls. It was all amazing! Best wedding food ever in my opinion!

4.) What kind of cake did you have and who made it? We had a 3 layer hexagonal cake from Dewey's bakery, the top and bottom layers were chocolate and the middle was red velvet all with white icing and decorated to match our cinema theme. The cake was fresh, moist and delicious, not to mention the fact that it looked amazing. Dewey's did a great job!

5.) Did everyone who RSVP attend? No, we had a few no-shows but it happens, it did lead to lots of left over delicious food!! We did have some FAR away out of town guests make it in from New York (Lauren and John,) Gabby and Joe), New Hampshire (Alex), Colorado (Katie), Massachusetts (Sam and Mike).

6.) Did your ceremony run smoothly? For the most part, our processional got a little out of sorts when my nephews forgot to push mom down the aisle in her wheel chair so she came in right before me and dad, our flower girl and ring bearer walked down the aisle with our best man and matron of honor (which was absolutely adorable by the way!), I forgot to switch my engagement ring to my right hand before the ceremony so I (probably not so subtly) moved it right before getting my wedding ring, and Noah yawned very loudly after we said our vows which cracked everyone up. All in all it was wonderful.

7.) Did your reception run smoothly? It got a little out of sorts, we didn't have a set order of events which got a little hectic, I didn't bustle my train right away so it got in the way of our first dance and tripped a lot of people during the reception (no one got hurt), no one really danced except Dusty and I with our parents but since we aren't big on the whole dancing thing it worked for us and the kids had the whole front outdoor space to play and run and I can't be sure that I spent enough time with EVERYONE because I kept moving around or being pulled aside for a question or something, hopefully no one felt neglected!

8.) Did you get all of the pictures you wanted? Who knows?? Our photographer was amazing, she came and shot our wedding even though she doesn't do photography anymore and did an awesome job. She had 5 photos to me THAT NIGHT and all of them were amazing. Dusty and I had made signs to use in the photos but realized that we left them in the room so we only used one of them and figured we could add the quotes digitally after the fact. I believe that the rest of the pictures will turn out amazing as well and lots of people have shared their pictures with us on Facebook.

9.) What was your first dance song? Everything Else Disappears by Sister Hazel

10.)What song did you dance with your dad to? I Loved her First by Heartland

11.)What song did the groom and his mother dance to? My Wish by Rascal Flatts

12.) What was your last dance song? We didn't have one, no big deal though.

13.) Who caught the bouquet? Lily McLean

14.) Who caught the garter? We didn't do that.

15.) What were your favors? We had boxes of popcorn and little clapboard picture holders

16.) What did you do for your send off? We didn't have one, we took a picture holding a sign that said "to be continued" in the hall where our room was.

17.) Where did you spend your wedding night? We stayed in the Johnson Room right at the Manor House. The room was right down the hall from our reception and it was beautiful!! The bed was comfy, Lauren, Anita, Brittany and Katie decorated our room before we retired for the night which was awesome, and breakfast the next morning was AMAZING!! Best breakfast ever of fresh Blueberry scones, eggs, bacon, fruit, toast, and orange juice!!

18.) Did anyone decorate your car? Yes! Our car had been written on apparently NOT by David & Sierra with Noah's help! Noah kept claiming that it was some woman with black hair that had him draw on the windows, we named people and he just said no until he said that David and Sierra let him draw on it. He was tickled that he got to draw on the trunk (the back windshield), and the sides "but not the front" and he apparently drew potatoes.

19. Did you take a honeymoon? Yes, we went to Wilmington, NC and are currently still ON our honeymoon. Note the water at the beach is flippin COLD in April!

20. Would you do anything different? While sitting in a movie theater yesterday we thought it would have been cool to have random movie trivia while people were waiting for the ceremony to begin but besides that nope because our wedding was awesome.

70 day's left! Oh Baaaaby!

As you may have heard, Dusty and I are expecting our first baby together (second in general) at the end of this coming September. We are very excited but of course have our concerns and worries as every expecting parent would. I thought I would spend some of my quiet time while Noah is sleeping to answer some of the questions I have been asked since the news came out:

1. Did you plan this? No, but this is a welcomed surprise. Before the end of the year we are going to have a baby!!

2. Are you going to move up the wedding? Nope, our wedding is set, we moved it more than I already would have liked and it is just a couple months away now. I may have to get my dress let out a little before the wedding to accommodate the newly showing baby bump but hey, it is one guest I don't have to pay for, right?

3. Are you hoping for a girl or a boy? Honestly, I don't know so it is a good think it is not up to me! I can't wait to find out!! And yes, we will find out as soon as we can!

4. Any names picked out? Yes, if it is a boy right now we are planning Oliver and if it is a girl it will be Mara.

5. Are you going to change your wedding registry for baby stuff? No, our wedding is an amazing, important, life changing event that will be celebrated on it's own. No baby stuff allowed on the big day, that is why we will not make our babies r us registry until after the wedding even though we have some things picked out already

6. When are you due? Estimated Due Date is September 26th.

7. What about Noah? What about him? Noah knows that there is a baby in my belly that is very tiny right now. He is not unfamiliar with babies in bellies as his mom is having a little girl in April! He is exited to meet his baby sister and he requested that we get him a baby brother.

8. Why did you announce it so early, don't you know you can still lose it? Probably my least favorite intrusion question. We announced our baby to the world after many home tests and confirmation by our doctor. I am well aware that many people in the world have lost babies early in their pregnancy and often wait but I also know that some people lose babies as late as their delivery date. Instead of focusing on the bad we are staying positive. We are not naive and will deal with the heartbreak should it happen but for now we are planning how to re-arrange our bedroom to fit the baby stuff, how we are going to decorate and what the best way to make a superhero nursery is (my idea not Dusty's, btw). So while I appreciate your concern, I don't need to know how your sister's friend's aunt miscarried right after telling someone, trust me...I know.


That's all for now, if you have any other questions please feel free to ask.  My little 6 weeks along Pea and I are going to prepare for some scooter and remote control car time with Noah before we watch Monster's University for the millionth time.

Love you all
FMH

101 days left!!- End of Year Recap (stolen from Hannah Callaway)

1. What did you do in 2013 that you'd never done before? I got the flu shot and planned 3 weddings, lol.

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions and will you make more for next year? I don't think I made any resolutions last year but our first year of marriage to do list may start early for a group resolution type thing.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? My sister did! Little Ryan Patrick Dunne was born and I became a godmother :)

4. Did anyone close to you die? My dog Belle died :(

5. What countries did you visit? I didn't leave this one.

6. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013? I would like to finally have my wedding! Which I will, only 101 days away!

7. What date(s) from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? None, it has been a year of waiting with no specific dates in mind.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? I lost 30 pounds, I gained 10 back because I fell off the wagon hard but I am still proud of my 20 lbs lost!

9. What was your biggest failure? Allowing the little things to get to me, forgetting at times that what matters at the end of the day is that you have your family.

10. Did you suffer any illness or injury? I had Pneumonia for a month straight and I dislocated my thumb.

11. What was the best thing you bought? My wedding dress, though I didn't technically buy it, my mommy did.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? I will say mine and Dusty's because we have been thrown some rough curve balls, had to re=plan our wedding twice with most details changing costing us to lose many deposits and we still pushed through, heads high, jumping back on the horse and making new plans. We have also been complimented many times this year for taking the high road when many others would not and making very mature decisions.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Society in general, through there have been a few rays of hope society as a whole has shown its dark, hateful side and it makes me sad how horrible people can be.

14. Where did most of your money go? Wedding plans that fell through, food and rent.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? I was engaged and was planning my wedding!

16. What song will always remind you of 2013? None, I am not big into music.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. Happier or sadder? I will have to say sadder only because this time last year I had JUST gotten engaged. I am however extremely happy.
ii. Thinner or fatter? Let's go with thinner, though after the wedding I plan on trying to lose some more weight.
iii. Richer or poorer? Definitely poorer, but that is life.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Saving money.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Stressing. Poor Dusty has to deal with stressed out Dianna quite often.

20. How did you spend Christmas? We woke up around 5:30 am and laid in bed for a little bit, around 6 we started a fire and woke up Noah as it was our year to have him Christmas morning, watched him open his gifts, ate some breakfast, gave him a bath and watched a movie and played with new toys until Noah's mom picked him up at 9am. Got dressed and went to Dusty's parents' house for lunch and presents where Noah's mom dropped him off so he could partake, went to my brother's house for presents and dinner, stopped at Dusty's mom's house again for a couple of presents we forgot to give Noah then brought Noah to his MawMaw and PawPaw's house, went home too tired to clean and fell asleep super fast.

21. Did you fall in love in 2013? Yes. While I was already in love with Dusty I would, at times, find myself looking at him sometimes and feel that feeling of falling in love with him all over again. He would ask me what was wrong and I would say, "nothing, I just love you."

22. What was your favorite tv program? Hmm...I was big on HGTV this year watching shows like Love It or List It (NOT LOVE IT OR LIST IT TOO), Property Brothers, Property Virgins and House Hunters.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? I don't think I HATE anyone. At work I often say that I hate people in general for being so petty and hateful but I don't literally HATE them.

24. What was your greatest musical discovery? "First Day of my Life" by Bright Eyes- OK so I am not actually not positive as to when I first hear this song but it was on a Zillow commercial and now it will be played at our wedding :)

25. What did you want and get? A big TV to make our love of movies more exiting at home!

26. What did you want and not get? A house

27. What was your favorite film of the year? Either The Conjuring or Catching Fire

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I worked, will probably do the same thing this coming year, I turned 25

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Buying a house rather than moving into an apartment, though I do LOVE my apartment (minus my downstairs neighbor)

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013? Um, I wouldn't.

31. What kept you sane? Dusty Haynes (and he is a who, not a what)

32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? No idea- Jennifer Lawrence maybe because she is really down to earth and seems like a really good person.

33. Who did you miss? I miss abby doodles as she doesn't live with  me since I moved. 

34. Who was the best new person you met? Dusty's friend Katie, she is pretty awesome.

35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013: Plans need to be changed sometimes, get over it, make the best of it and remember what is important.

36. Quote a song lyric movie quote that sums up your year: "When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."

114 days left! Meet the Cast Double Feature: David and Lauren

Cast Member: David Cox
Role in Wedding: Best Man
Relationship: friend of the groom
How we met: Dusty met Dave on the bus Dusty's sophmore year of high school.
How he got the gig:  Dave is Dusty's best friend, any other questions?

Cast Member:  Lauren Dunne
Role in Wedding: Matron of Honor
Relationship: Sister of the Bride
How we met: Lauren is Dianna's big sister!
How she got the gig:  Being Dianna's big sister, Lauren was Dianna's first friend and she was the only one to fit the role :)

115 Days left!- Meet the Cast Double Feature- Brad and Brittany

Cast Member: Bradley Leonard
Role in Wedding:Groomsman
Relationship: friend of the groom
How we met: Dusty went to school with Brad and they became close friends in middle school.
How he got the gig:  It was a no brainer! Brad is one of Dusty's oldest friends!









Cast Member:  Brittany Mixon
Role in Wedding: Bridesmaid
Relationship: Friend of the bride
How we met: Dianna met Brittany in college, they were in the ASU college of education together and Brittany became one of Dianna's best friends!
How she got the gig:  Brittany is an amazing lady and an inspiration to Dianna. She also may have strong-armed her way in, haha, JUST KIDDING BRITTANY!

116 days left!!! Meet the Cast Double Feature: Lyle and Lily

Cast Member: Lyle Davis
Role in Wedding:Groomsman
Relationship: Step-father of the Groom
How we met: Lyle is married to the grooms's mother.
How he got the gig:  Lyle is Dusty's step dad and it was important to Dusty that he be a part of his wedding.

Cast Member:  Lily McLean
Role in Wedding: Bridesmaid
Relationship: Friend of the bride
How we met: Dianna met Lily on the bus after moving to North Carolina her sophomore year in high school and they have been friends ever since!
How she got the gig:  Lily is on of the bride's best friends and they have been through a lot together so it made sense to heave her at the bride's side on her big day!

117 Days left! Meet the Cast: Double Feature! Michael and Heather

Cast Member: Michael Naglieri
Role in Wedding:Groomsman
Relationship: Brother of the Bride
How we met: When Dianna was born, Michael got to meet her as he is her big brother! Dianna introduced Dusty to Michael on July 4, 2012.
How he got the gig:  He is the bride's brother and she really really wanted him and Dusty's sister (below) in the wedding and to accommodate this Dianna and Dusty added 2 people to the bridal party they had already decided on!

Cast Member:  Heather Haynes
Role in Wedding: Bridesmaid
Relationship: Sister of the groom
How we met: Heather is Dusty's little sister so it is similar to the story above but backwards.
How she got the gig:  It was important to the couple that their siblings were in their wedding so the extra spots were created just for them!

150 days left!!- Extreme Makeover, Wedding Edition.

When I left you last you knew (or we thought you knew) all of our wedding vendors and we were working on introducing the wedding party. As of recently just about ALL of our vendors have changed! Due to unforeseen and uncontrollable circumstances our entire wedding has been re-planned so almost everything you thought you knew was... 

Here's a list of what stayed the same:

1. Dusty and I are still getting married.
2. Our bridal party
3. Our Officiant
4. Our Photographer
5. Our cake

Short list, eh?

Here are somethings that have changed:

Wedding date (now April 11th rather than 12th), Wedding size (much smaller venue means more intimate wedding, went from about 200 people to 50), Hotel accommodations (no special rates, book at your own risk, we booked a room AT the wedding venue location), Venue, DJ, and Caterer. There will be no alcohol at the wedding, there WILL be seating for guests during the ceremony. Our honeymoon has changed as well but you won't be invited to that anyway. 

We have all new plans in store for you so here is a compilation of our NEW Cast and Crew!

Venue- We have moved our venue to the lovely Manor House in Tanglewood Park.

Crew title: The Manor House at Tanglewood Park
Address: 4201 Manor House Circle, Clemmons, NC 27102
Phone: 336-703-6400
Role in wedding: Venue
How we met: I first heard of Tanglewood due to the lovely Festival of Lights! I had driven past the Manor House many times but never entered until the day before we booked it as our venue. What to expect: The Manor House is the former country home of William and Kate Reynolds which now serves as a B&B that is very elegant inside. We are aiming to have our ceremony outside on the front veranda then open all of the French doors to have dancing in the front relaxing in the house and food set up in the back Veranda. There are rooms that can be rented if you are planning on spending the night and Dusty and I are doing just that! Our room is booked and the old fashioned feel will make for some beautiful pictures! The Manor house is located behind the Rose Garden and in front of the arboretum so beautiful flowers will not be lacking!

DJ- My beyond awesome brother in law has decided he would be our DJ for the big day. 

Crew title: John Dunne
Address: n/a
Phone: n/a
Role in wedding: DJ and MC
How we met: John is my Brother in Law.
What to expect: Nothing short of awesome. John is a very talented musician who was originally just going to play the ceremony music for us but once he heard we were canceling our DJ stepped in and offered to make our wedding ROCK. 

Caterer- Still deciding on that one, check back another time for more info.

All for now my dears! 

181 Days Left!! Meet the Cast and Crew: DOUBLE FEATURE Noah Haynes and Karlee Naglieri

Cast Member: Noah Haynes
Role in Wedding: Ring Bearer
Relationship: Son of the Groom
How we met: Dusty was in the room when he was born. I met Noah one day when Dusty brought Noah in to the office on his day off because he forgot his phone charger.
How he got the gig:  He is awesome, fun, brave, adventurous, inquisitive, smart, polite, handsome, beautiful and all around wonderful. Oh yeah, he is also Dusty's 3 year old son and my soon to be step-son. He is going to be an very handsome ring bearer!

Cast Member:  Karlee Naglieri
Role in Wedding: Flower Girl

Relationship: Niece of the Bride
How we met: Dianna met Karlee in a delivery room at Forsyth Medical Center the night she was born right before she was taken to Brenners to begin her long journey with CHD. Dusty met Karlee on July 4th 2012 when he met the rest of the Naglieri crew.
How she got the gig:  Karlee is an amazing miracle baby! She is the strongest little girl I know and given her adorableness plus the fact that she is the youngest little girl in the Naglieri/Dunne/Haynes clan, she was the perfect fit!

201 Days Left!!!- Meet the Cast: Perry Hardison

So you are planning a wedding, you have the dress, the venue, someone to marry, what else do you need? How about someone to make it official? Cue our next cast member, our officiant.

Crew title: Perry Hardison 
Address: PO Box 374, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27515
Phone: 919.618.3359
Role in wedding: Officiant
How we met: The internet. Since neither Dusty or I attend a church regularly we did not have anyone in mind when it came to someone performing our ceremony. We used wedding venue websites to check out our options for an officiant who would suit our needs and once we found Perry we knew we were on the right track. We met up with Perry in Chapel Hill at a Starbucks, talked it over and booked him to marry us.

What to expect: Perry Hardison is an ordained Baptist minister who will custom write our ceremony to fit our personality and wishes. Perry is a good guy and we are blessed to have him as part of or ceremony.

247 Days Left! - New Series: Meet the Cast and Crew

Picture this: You are going to this wedding of a friend or family member and you spend a good chunk of time looking at the bride, groom and the select people they decided to have participate in the ceremony and you think to yourself...WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?!  You have never seen most of them before in your life and you can guess who is who but you may really want to know which bridesmaid was once kidnapped by real pirates and which groomsman used to date Kiera Knightly (briefly of course).

To make it a bit easier, for the next 21 weeks I am going to have a series starting next week entitled: "Meet the Cast and Crew" where I will tell you who is who, how I (or we) met this person, a little info about them and what role they will be performing in the wedding. Please note that just because someone is not featured in this series does not mean they are any less important, in the same way as just because you may not be a bridesmaid does not mean you are not an important person in my life.  I may also introduce you to some vendors we are using, you never know when that information may come in handy!

So sit back, relax, and enjoy the road ahead!

292 Days Left!! - What to Expect: Theme

When you hear that a wedding has a "theme," what comes to mind? For some a scene from 27 Dresses pops in their head where she has tried on all her "Gone With the Wind" dresses;

 for others it may be princess, beach or country that comes to mind. Sometimes the thought of a themed wedding is scary because it can be way, way, WAY over the top. I am willing to admit our wedding has a theme, but not one that should be feared.

Background:
When Dusty and I got engaged, or maybe even in the months before, we had discussed ideas for our wedding. We didn't specifically discuss a "theme" at first but as we considered, and reconsidered one kind of fell into place. Now I had considered many ideas for my wedding over the last 25 years including fairytale, Tim Burton, The Nightmare Before Christmas,

Dr. Seuss, and Disney, but none of these really fit for Dusty and I when it came down to it. They were fun to think about pre-engagement but when realistically picturing this incredible event, they didn't work. I think this is true about a lot of pre-relationship wedding ideas because when you plan before a relationship you are only thinking about you, when you actually plan for real you have to take into account what the other person likes and what will represent you and your partner. Now if you watch Bridezillas or some of these other wedding shows, they may not have quite that same bearing.

What to Expect:

If you know me and or Dusty, you know that we love movies and going to the movies. Some people have a misguided idea of our wedding theme. Many people think it is "movie," like you would be able to see a story line (boy waits at alter, girl walks down alter, evil genius has secretly kidnapped the officiant and is planning on using his love-me-not-inator to make everyone in the tri-state area be unable to love, Platypus in a fedora saves the day, the bride and groom get married, the end),

or scenes/quotes that are from beloved movies (To have and to hold, and I'll never let go Jack, I'll never let go). That isn't the case. Rather than movie, think the movies, that's right, think the cinema, the experience you have going to the Grand, Regal, AMC or Wynsong, and watching magic unfold before your eyes because that is the experience we want you to have when you leave. You just came to a showing of a never before seen movie, you laughed, you cried and you felt, if only for a few hours, that the rest of the world didn't exist, you only existed in that room and got to experience something truly amazing.  While we won't be going too over the top (I don't think), you will see nods to the movie going experience throughout our wedding and wedding process.

335 Days Left- Wedding Traditions.

When planning a wedding there are certain moments that people expect to happen. Some of these long established customs or beliefs that have been passed down over the years have some obvious meanings and origins but when we were doing some planning there were just some things that were way too weird for us to incorporate in our special day. Many of these things had to do with fertility (seeing as once marriage is mentioned the only thing on anyone's mind is when you will begin popping out babies) or evil spirits and while I can understand some people doing things because it is a tradition but quite frankly, some of these things were creepy.

This is my mommy and Daddy! Aren't they cute all getting married?

Bridal Bouquet- Brides used to carry strong smelling herbs to frighten away evil spirits and to cover the awful stench they gave off because of their rotting flesh due to the plague. Think of it this way, remember how "Ring Around the Rosie," was about people dying of the plague? Well this is similar but instead of a "pocket full of posies, it was a fist full of herbs that later became fragrant flowers and now are just there to look pretty and match or accentuate a bride's wedding colors. Though some people have had ideas to use different things these days. Some brides have altered the tradition to hold a single flower, fake flowers or even books down the aisle, (I guess they are no longer worried about their stench...or maybe that is what Dove Clinical Strength is for).

Bouquet Toss- While I am on the subject of the bouquet itself, might as well get to this one. Apparently brides are considered to be super lucky on their wedding day, and I have to say, on my wedding day I will probably feel like the luckiest girl in the entire world because the most wonderful man in the world will be agreeing to spend his life with me! You can imagine that such luck would lead to a certain metaphorical green monster making itself known to some wedding guests. Pretty much what would happen is that since the bride was so lucky, guests would tear apart the bride's dress to get their own good luck charm, their wedding four leaf clover if you will. To prevent the guests from destroying such a precious article of clothing, and to get away from the large crowd that was trying to literally rip your clothes off the bride would throw her bouquet to the crowd so they could fight over that and buy her some time to run away with her groom. The person who caught the bouquet was considered to have gained the luck to be the next to marry (and in turn have a group of people try to rip your dress off).

Garter Toss- Desperate single females were not the only ones interested in ripping the bride out of her clothes, the men took part in that too! It was also tradition for the wedding party to follow the bride and groom to their bedchamber to make sure that the marriage was consummated  They wouldn't just listen at the door for a squeak in the mattress either, they would literally gather around the bed and watch, sometimes try and help remove some undergarments as well. To try and aid the bride from getting away from the mob with her dress intact and to be sure that he was the only one getting to see what his lovely bride had under her wedding clothes, the groom began to fling the garter to the crowd, much like the bride does the bouquet, to distract the men in the crowd and sneak his bride away (at least long enough to get into the hotel room and lock the door).

The Bridal Party- The bridal party was another form of protection for the bride and groom. The bridesmaids were selected to wear dresses or clothes similar to (or exactly the same as) the bride so if evil spirits or ex-lovers of the groom came to ruin the wedding, they would confuse them because they would not be able to tell the bride apart. They were pretty much a decoy or stunt double. The Maid of Honor was in charge of creating and hanging all decorations herself, with no help. The groomsmen had a similar job as far as evil spirits go but they was also there to assist the groom in fighting off the brides family in cases where the bride had been captured and was marrying against her will. The "best" man would be the best fighter and therefore most useful in case of an attack.  

Bridal Veil and Dress- Brides did not always wear a fancy white dress for their big day. Back in the day, people just wore the best clothes they owned to tie the knot. Then one day around 1840, Queen Victoria apparently made a big to-do about wearing a huge white dress at her wedding and people began thinking that it was necessary to show off your wealth with a fancy dress and it needed to be white to show purity and to ward away evil spirits. The veil is not one to be showy but rather the opposite. Back in the day, when parents picking the groom based on whatever their qualifications were at the time, there were many arranged marriages. Problem was, people then were just as shallow as people now. Give some guy a bride who has more of a "personality" than good looks and he would not go through with the wedding. The veil came into the picture as a way to prevent the groom from changing his mind based off of appearance of the bride, instead, by the time he saw her face, his vow was made, and divorce was not an option. The veil was also considered a symbol of youth, modesty, purity and of course, to ward away those pesky evil spirits.

Wedding Cake-  Wedding cakes were not originally cakes, they were loaves of bread that would be broken over the bride's head by the groom to signify her fertility (back to baby making) and his dominance over her (I guess it was better than peeing on her). People would then scramble to get crumbs from the bread because it was considered good luck, (and if the bride got away without them ripping her clothes off how will they ever get lucky?). Eventually the bread was changed to cake that was not eaten but passed to guests to put under their pillow for luck and to dream of their significant other, now a grooms cake tradition.

Tying Cans to the Get Away Car- I'll leave this as the last one as it often signifies the end of a wedding now-a-days. There are two theories that I have heard for this tradition. One is that the noise the cans would make when the couple drove away would scare away any evil spirits that tried to follow them (and I bet it would prove to dissuade any annoying drivers with fancy cars from driving behind you since once they break off they may damage not just YOUR car but the car that they decide to fist bump too). Another theory I have seen is that after the bride and groom have left to do the deed and practice baby making...err...I mean... consummate the marriage...people (mainly men) would gather outside the place that they were staying and bang pots and pans and make lots of noise. They would only be silenced if they were given lots of food. This mainly happened when a man from another town swept a local girl away from the grasp of local boys (sometimes quite literally), and they were ticked off and just wanted to prove they were sore losers. I didn't find any definitive proof, but I would think this would explain why many weddings involve lots of food and last into the wee hours many times. If the local folks are already stuffed (and probably drunk) they wouldn't remember to interrupt a wedding night right?

The Honeymoon- Ok, I lied. Just one more for my adoring readers. A honeymoon was originally when the bride would be abducted by the groom (or typically groom to be as it was done before the wedding) for a month. The groom's friends would ensure the safety of the couple and would keep their whereabouts a secret so the brides village or family could not find them. Essentially, the brides family would figure she had died and would give up. The groom would then bring her to his town and marry her (which brings us back the the possible fighting at the wedding, right? I love when things come full circle). There are a couple of theories as to how the actual term honeymoon was derived, usually the honey referred to a honey based wine/mead that the couple was given to drink for a month and the moon was typically referring to the month-length time (either by the changing of the moon or the bodily changes that happen during the cycles of the moon (gross)). Either way, back then it was a month, now it is like a week if you are lucky.

Basically what I get from all of this is that if you want to have a "Traditional Wedding" wear your nicest pair of jeans, carry some garlic down the aisle, make your bridesmaids wear exactly what you are wearing and make sure your groomsmen are skilled swordsmen, be prepared to run or have a trap door in place to avoid your wedding guests ripping off your fancy jeans because you are practically a 4 leaf clover, have a loaf of bread to break over your head, maybe plan a false wedding night room so you don't have unwanted guests or noises and take a month off of work for your honeymoon. 

Hope you learned something. Are there traditions you took part in that you now wish you didn't? Are there traditions you took part of that I didn't mention that have an interesting origin? Did you read my blog post? Either way, let me know!

FMH

350 Days left - Engagement Survey

Hello Blog world! See? I didn't forget about you. I was writing a blog entry that is looking to be SUUUUUUUPER long so I decided that in the mean time, I could post this Engagement Survey to tide you over. 

Where/How did you meet? We met at our place of employment.

When did you start dating? Officially on July 29th.

Where was your first kiss? Outside of Dianna's house.

Who's friends did you first hang out with? Both, they were our co-workers.

What was the first holiday you spent together? July 4th.

Do you remember the first time you said I love you to each other? Yes

Who said it to who? I said it first...in a text...while he I thought he would be sleeping. Imagine my surprise when he responded right away...

What does his parents think about you? I think they like me...I hope!

What do your parents think about him? They love him, he is already their son in law in their eyes.

When did you start talking about spending the rest of your lives together? Less than a month after we started dating.

When did he pop the question? December 30, 2012

How & Where did he do it? He gave me a journal while we were in the living room of his apartment. It had a really sweet note in it entitled "The Story of Us," talking about how he felt and how this was what was always meant to be, I cried and then turned the page and found there was a hole cut in the journal and an engagement ring inside asking "will you marry me?"

How old were you both when you got engaged? I was 24 he was 27

What did people think about your engagement? Everyone seemed very happy about it.

Who did you tell first?  Dusty's sister Heather.

Have you set a wedding date yet? Yes, April 12, 2014. And we have been super productive with our planning and bookings for the event!

Maid of honor? Nope, Matron of honor, Mrs. Lauren Dunne

Best Man? David Cox

Bridesmaids? Brittany Mixon, Lily McLean, Heather Haynes

Groomsmen? Brad Leonard, Steven Ward, Mike Naglieri

Flower girl? Karlee Naglieri

Ring bearer? Noah Haynes

Where will the wedding be? The Village Inn Event Center in Clemmons, NC

Where will the reception be?  Same place.

How long have you been engaged? Almost 4 months.

How long until your wedding day? 350 days

What are the colors of your wedding? Apple red, Champagne, Ivory, White, Black and Popcorn Yellow

What will you  your first dance together be? All I can say is...it will be a dance, haha

Are you registered anywhere? Yes, Amazon.com and Walmart

Are you taking a honeymoon? Yes, on a Carnival Cruise to the Caribbean.

Where will you live after you are married? In an apartment that we hope to move in to a month before the wedding.
Do you plan on having kids after the wedding? It is actually part of the reception..that is a weird question. We have one child now, Dusty's son Noah who will be almost 4 at the time of the wedding and we have discussed plans for future Haynes babies.

How many, if any? It depends. Probably two more.

Is this what you really want for the rest of your life? That is kind of a horrible question. I want this every second of every day for the rest of my life.

Who is taking who's last name? I am taking his last name, hence the name of this blog. 


That's all for now. Love you all! Thanks for reading :)

FMH