What a weekend!

And I am home again.  After a very long time away, I made it home safe and sound.

The entire weekend was really awesome.  It started on Friday with helping Joni decorate her reception hall.  It went pretty quickly and turned out beautiful.  I got to meet a bunch of her husband's family and friends as we set up tables, put out table clothes and did a bunch of other wedding stuff to get ready for the next day.

Friday evening after the rehearsal ceremony, we all headed to Aunt Diana and Uncle Ivan's home for a party.  That was also really fun.  There was a lot of good food and company and it was really fun to spend that time with Joni and friends as they prepared for their wedding day.

And then it was Saturday.  And what a day that was!  I was awoken when my sister texted me at 7 to ask when the wedding started.  Of all the people in the world to text that question, she chose the one person who was involved in the wedding and therefore would be busy all day... and she woke me up.  It wasn't a big deal only because I was already struggling to stay asleep.  I just found it interesting and a little funny now that it's a few days later.

I ate some breakfast and my mom drove me to the hair salon.  All of us girls got our hair done and I loved how my hair turned out.  I think it looked really awesome and I'm glad about that.  After leaving the salon, we went back to Joni's parents home to spend some time getting ready and eating some food while we waited for the right time to get dressed.  I had been trying on my dress for the whole time I was home to make sure it would still fit.  I didn't get it altered at all and that concerned me a little because I had no idea how much Baby J would grow by the time the wedding day got here.  But, while my belly had grown a fair amount, my ribs have not and the style of dress allowed me to still fit into it.  We all looked so good too.  With the hair and the dresses, we were ready to party.  Ranita's dress had a few malfunctions throughout the day.  When she first put it on, one of the straps broke.  That wasn't a huge deal because Christine just sewed it right back on and the problem was fixed.

Joni got into her dress, which was a big production of trying to get it tight enough while keeping her vail out of the way while all of us surrounded her to help.  It was fun and she looked amazing!  Her dress was so awesome and perfect.

After we were all dressed it was a matter of waiting out the clock until we could leave for the church.  People drank champagne and we laughed and had a really good time.

Once at the church, we secluded ourselves in the basement so no one could see us.  And as Ranita sat down, her strap broke again.  This time it was a bit of a problem because we didn't have any thread to sew it back up.  Luckily, my mom had suggested I put a safety pin on my dress somewhere out of sight in case my baby belly busted the zipper or a seam somewhere.  So, we put her dress back together and it worked like magic.

The ceremony was similar to pretty much every wedding ceremony so there's not too much to report on that part of the day.  It was really fun to see her devote her life to her new husband.  They are so cute together so although there is little variations in most wedding ceremonies, it was still special because it was Joni getting married.  It brought tears to my eyes, it was so beautiful.

After the receiving line and family photos, all of the bridal party went to a few places to take pictures.  It did start to rain a few times but that didn't dampen our spirits at all.  It was such a fun day to spend with friends and have our pictures taken while meeting all these new people.  We also had a picnic and since all of us girls were apparently super hungry, we probably made fools of ourselves as we porked out on candy and pringles and beef jerky and whatever else was there.  It's like we had never seen food before.

And then there was the reception.  That was also really fun.  The whole evening was just perfectly amazing.  Everyone really enjoyed themselves.  The food was also really good.  I wasn't that hungry because I had eaten so much during the day but for some reason, I took a full plate of meat, mashed potatoes, salad and I thought I would be able to finish it.  I was so wrong.  I didn't really touch any of it because I suddenly realized I was full and my dress felt tighter and I was uncomfortable.  I felt bad because the food was really good but I took way too much.

As we were sitting there, Ranita's other strap broke off.  We had to be creative with how we were going to fix it this time because we only had one safety pin.  We managed to make it look acceptable but I'm pretty sure that dress may need some serious help if it will be worn again.

Once all the formal reception part ended, it was time to break out some dance moves.  The dance floor was full pretty much the whole dance which is pretty unusual so that was good to see.  It was just super fun to be with family and friends at this happy occasion.

Joni and Jordan left and although the dance continued, people did start to clean up the hall.  My flight was leaving early the next morning, so I didn't do much helping taking down the hall.  I did get to talk with my aunts and Oma for a while while saying goodbye.

And then I was allowed to be super excited for coming home.  I feel like since I have had the wedding to look forward to, being excited for coming home had to take a back burner the whole time.  But, when Joni and Jordan left, I let myself just get super excited and pumped for coming back home to Bella Bella.

Once my mom and dad and I got home, we talked for a bit about the day and then I went downstairs to cram all my clothes into the suitcase.  I also tried to talk with Tyler but he got called into work so that ended our conversation.

After 5 and a half hours of sleep, I woke up ready to go on Sunday morning.  Mom and Dad drove me to the airport.  After 4 weeks of living at their house, I'm sure they were ready to get rid of me and I was expecting them to slow down a bit so I could jump out of the vehicle and they would be gone.  But, they did stop the car so we could hug goodbye.

Thank goodness each flight I was on went smoothly with nothing really happening because I was ready to be home.  I was also having a hard time keeping my eyes open throughout the trip home.  I had my book so that kept me awake.  I also had the hope of cookies and juice that I didn't want to miss out on so I stayed awake.  I could hardly contain myself as we flew over Bella Bella.  I saw that our orange car wasn't parked outside our apartment so I knew Tyler was already waiting for me.  That's when I kind of lost it.  My eyes teared up and I just got so excited.

I was expecting Tyler to be waiting by our baggage claim area but when I walked through the airport doors, he was sitting there waiting.  That's when all 3 weeks of waiting caught up to me and I burst into tears while giving him the biggest hug.  It was so great to see him again and to be in his arms again.  3 weeks is way too long and I vow never to be apart from him for that long again.

We collected my bags and drove home where we were greeted by little Miss Kitty.  She was too good for me so my snuggles didn't last long. And then I was home.  And it felt amazing.  We unpacked my bags and started on laundry and then just spent the rest of the day with each other.  We talked about everything and it was so great to be with Tyler again.

And one of the best things about being home was that Tyler got to feel his baby kicking and moving around for the first time.  He had a funny reaction when he first felt it.  He wasn't sure he even felt it because to him, it just felt like his hand twitched.  I reassured him that it was his baby and he wasn't too sure what to think.  I love it but maybe he just has to get use to it like I did.

Since I only got 5 and a half hours of sleep the night before, it was tough to keep my eyes open for long once I got home.  I didn't take a nap because I wanted to sleep last night so we didn't do much that evening.  Once in bed, I fell asleep probably within seconds of laying down.  And apparently I still talk in my sleep because Tyler said I woke him up by saying, "Hello!" in a very irritated way.  I still think it's pretty funny that I talk so much in my sleep but he doesn't find it as funny as I do.

And today is business as usual.  Tyler went to work and I stayed in bed to keep catching up on sleep.  Kitten joined me for a while.  Baby was kicking and maybe didn't like Kitten laying on my belly so I moved her over.  Once out of bed, I did the few dishes from the day before and waited for Tyler to come home for lunch.  When he came, he said, "clear the bed" and looked like he was on a mission.  It kind of freaked me out a little because I assumed he was told we have bed bugs or some horrible mattress disease because it is so old and gross.  But it turns out, we are getting a new bed frame, mattress, sheets, pillows, everything to do with a new bed.  FINALLY!!!  That makes me so happy because our bed really is no good.  And, as we torn apart our bed, we saw even more evidence of how much we need a new bed.  The box spring has a blue tarp on the bottom of it.  It looks like they had a problem with it and just put a tarp over it and thought that was a good way to solve the problem.  Also, the bed frame is falling apart and isn't screwed together very well.

So now, my hall way has a mattress and box spring waiting to get replaced by something better.  And on top of the mattresses, which are up on their side is one silly Kitten, sleeping away.  She spider-maned her way up the side and hasn't come down since.

I'm just waiting now for the maintenance guys to come and get rid of this horrible bed so we can have a new one.  I'm also currently pretty hungry so I'll be searching for some food as well.

I was going to blog last night about my adventures but our internet was not working and I couldn't see straight.

Baby J is doing just fine as well.  Stilling kicking away and growing nicely.  Tyler surprised me by having the drawers of the dresser filled with the smallest diapers, clothes that we have been given and toys.  We are using that dresser as a changing table of sorts.  It used to be what I put my clothes on and in but it's about the right height to use for Baby J.  It also has a big mirror on it so maybe Baby J will like that.  I am getting so excited about all of this.  I have a doctors appointment tomorrow where I will get to hear that little heartbeat again.

Sonja