Married!

WOW. My wedding was the most magical day of my life!
I married Andi on Friday and couldn't be happier. What a lucky girl I am!

I'll post photos as soon as I have them (our photographer promised to send us an online sampler within the next few days) ... but until then, I'll tell you how the weekend unfolded:

THURSDAY, July 30
I worked in the morning and spent the afternoon running around for the wedding - went to tan, picked up a birthday cake for my sister (she spend the better part of her birthday driving to Minnesota for our wedding!) and last-minute cleaning of our house for arriving company. My parents arrived around 5pm. We cracked open the liquor cabinent and sat in the backyard discussing all things wedding. Everyone kept asking me questions about what to expect and all I could say is "didn't you receive my agenda?!"

All kidding aside, we assigned special responsibilities to each person in our family and everyone wanted to be sure they knew exactly what to do during the wedding day. My sister Ashley read a scripture passage during the ceremony; my brother Adam signed the marriage license on my behalf; Andi's sister Lindsay was my personal attendant and also signed the marriage license on Andi's behalf.

My sister and her boyfriend Jason arrived in from Nebraska around 8:30pm that night and we ordered pizza, sat by the firepit and shared shories. It was the perfect pre-nuptual dinner!

FRIDAY, July 31
Wedding day! The boys woke up early to head to Lake Minnetonka for wakeboarding. Andi, Jason and Adam went along. My dad stayed back at the house to watch my little neice Brookie. Meanwhile, the ladies sat around the house, drank mimosas and organized for the rest of the day. Lindsay and I pulled together the last pieces of my wedding gift to Andi (nothing like waiting until the last minute)!

At Noon, we went to 526 Salon to get our hair done. On the car ride there, my sister popped in the "25 Greatest Wedding Hits" ... why she had this in her car, I have no clue ... and I had to make her turn it off! Listening to Here Comes the Bride was making my stomach flip! The nerves started to set in ...

After our hair appointments, we came back to my house and got dressed. Whoops! My iced coffee diet the last few weeks was a little too effective ... I lost a few pounds and was having a hard time keeping my dress up! Didn't exactly think about that when I was planning for a thin wedding day waist! Luckily my dress still fit ... I just had to hike it up a few more times than I would have liked during the day.

We left my house around 2:45pm and drove down to the Minneapolis Stone Arch bridge area. Andi and I planned for a special moment at the Guthrie Theatre. There's a big hill next to it and we each walked up the North and South sides of the hill - meeting at the top. As soon as I saw Andi I lost it. He looked amazing in his grey suit. I am seriously the luckiest bride on Earth!
I walked up to Andi, who had his back to me, and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and I lost my breath - this was really happening!!!

We shared a special moment on the top of the hill. Then, Andi pulled out a Red Bull Energy Shot from his pocket - YES! We chugged them down and were ready. Bring on the photos!

We took photos around the Stone Arch Bridge, Mill City Museum and Guthrie Theatre. Andi's uncle Tim brought down his old MG Midget Sports Car and we took some shots in that too. Super cute - we tied Red Bull and Diet Coke cans to the back with a Just Married sign. I cannot wait to see those photos!!

At 5pm, we drove to Noerenberg Gardens for the wedding ceremony. We snapped more photos in the garden before the wedding ceremony. A 6:52pm we were ready! Everyone got into place and the wedding began. I wondered if I'd be too weak in the knees to even get down the aisle, but I wasn't. Completely happy. Completely ready to be married to Andi.

The wedding was magical (and windy)! We said our vows, exchanged rings and Pastor announced us husband and wife. "Announcing for the first time, Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Dickson!"

Following the ceremony, we drove to NorthCoast Restaurant in downtown Wayzata. Everyone was exhaused, and hungry, so we quickly ordered drinks and appetizers. While we waited for our food, Andi and I slipped outside for a few more sunset photos on the lake. While we were on the dock outside the restaurant a guy with a $300K yacht asked us if we wanted a few photos on his boat. HECK YES! Andi climbed into the driver's seat and we snapped a few more photos - so funny!

Our dinner was fantastic at Northcoast. By far the best filet mignon I'd ever had! We said a toast, opened gifts and celebrated with our family.

The best thing about our wedding was it was exactly what Andi and I had envisioned. I couldn't help but pinch myself several times during the day. Couldn't have asked for anything better.

SATURDAY, August 1
We packed up some sandwiches and cruised back to the lake for some time on our pontoon boat. We all relaxed, drank a few cocktails and lounged on the lake. A perfect recap to a great wedding day.

Saturday evening, a few members of Andi's family came over to our house for a BBQ. We grilled hamburgers and hot dogs and made another fire in the backyard - celebrating a wonderful wedding weekend.

SUNDAY, August 2
We're off to Thailand today!!! We depart at 3pm today. Have to run now to finish up my packing. Be sure to check my blog over the next 2 weeks. I'll try my best to update as we travel throughout Thailand...wherever the wind may take us!

THANK YOU to all our family and friends who made our wedding a truly magical experience. I'm gonna love being the new Mrs. Andrew Dickson!

We Made the News!

Life-long goal achieved.We made the "On the Spot" forecast! Check out http://wcco.com/video/?cid=20 and click on the 6 o'clock weather forecast (skip to 2.00 sec if you don't care about yesterday's weather in Minneapolis).

Isn't that fantastic?!?

After watching the WCCO weather everyday, I decided to send in our photo, and news of our special day, to put Chris Schaffer "on the spot" about our wedding day. And he's forecasting a beautiful one -- 80 degrees and sunny. What a perfect day for a wedding!

Free Willie ... and Wedding Countdown

Wedding Countdown: 3 days (whoot whoot)!

With so little time left, there's plenty to do this week.
Last night (Monday), Lindsay came over and helped clean my house for the wedding weekend. Strict orders to Andi to keep everything picked up for the next few days (he sounded a little suprised like he was shocked I'd say such a thing!). I couldn't have accomplished everything without Lindsay last night! I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off and she calming checked item after item off the list.

While we were cleaning last night, I realized I hadn't seen Chloe in a while. I went to the backyard and called her name. No answer (not like she can really answer, she's a dog. But I digress...). I found Chloe under the deck pouncing on a nest of leaves. Then ... a little baby bunny ran out and tried to scurry away from Chloe as fast as he could. I shouted for Lindsay to help wrangle Chloe the Pest while saving the bunny's life. By this point, the bunny has crawled half-way across the yard. Lindsay and I decided to scoop the bunny into a dust pan and carry him back to his nest so his mom could find him again.

Here's a photo of little baby bunny, we kindly coined "Willie"

It seemed Willie enjoyed the little resting place on the dust pan. This is where he stayed for most of the evening.

This morning, Willie was gone. I'm hoping his mommy came back to rescue him.

List

Sweep (check)

Mop (check)

Clean bathroom (check)

Save a bunny (check)

All in a night's work!

Tonight, Janie, Lindsay and I are going grocery shopping for the weekend. Should be fun! Tomorrow, working late and then Thursday -- my family arrives! The wedding will be here before I know it :)

QT, Birthdays & Last Weekend as a Bachelorette

Obvious from my previous posting, I get a little testy when I'm missing my honey. I need quality time together or I start to feel neglected. So on Friday, I decided to book massages for Andi and I to reconnect after a long summer of working and wedding planning.

Getting a massage is one of my favorite things in the world, and something Andi and I like to do together. Today we went to Ivy Spa in downtown Minneapolis - one of the premier luxury spas in the Cities. It's soooo nice! Ivy Spa not only delivers quality massages and other services, but has extensive spa facilities like a steam room, sauna, whirlpool and relaxation area to utilize while you're there. During today's visit, my massuse did Trigger Point Therapy on my back, neck and shoulders to relieve some of the stress and tension I've experienced from work / wedding stress. It was amazing - by far the best massage I've ever had. The next massage I'll get will be a Thai massage on our Thailand trip ... and I have a feeling that will be a completely different experience!

After our massages, Andi and I met up with his mom (Janie) and sister (Lindsay) to celebrate Janie's birthday. We walked to an art fair taking place at St. Caterine's University down the street from our house. It was fun to spend some time together for Janie's birthday.

Tonight, to celebrate my last weekend as a bachelorette, a few girlfriends and I got together to have a glass of wine and gossip about the latest and greatest. As I sat around the bar with the girls, I thought of how lucky I am to have such great people in my life. A fulfilling life is all about sharing memories, thoughts and experiences with those we love. I'm a lucky girl, I am!

The 5 Love Languages

Not very often does a book, phrase or experience come into your life and completely change it. I think it happens to some of us when we get married, have a baby or even attend a meaningful conference where a keynote speaker communicates a message that speaks to a moment of life in which we're standing. For me, I recently read The Five Love Languages which opened my eyes to the way couples communicate with one another.

The author's message is a simple one. There are 5 love languages in life, and we all speak at least one of them. The 5 languages include:

Words of Affirmation - verbal appreciation
Acts of Service - simple actions that show you care
Quality Time - devoted time / focus to one another
Physical Touch - this one speaks for itself :)
Receiving Gifts - visual symbols of love

While you may speak one primary love language, your partner may speak another. It's important for you to identify your love language ... and your partner's ... so you can effectively communicate and show love toward each other.

For me, I completely identify with Quality Time. When schedules are busy and I haven't had at least 10 minutes to connect with Andi w/o the distractions of TV, cell phones or computers interfering ... I feel neglected. And the feeling only deepens unless we block out some time for a meaningful conversation or activity together. The 5 Love Languages has helped me identify that feeling so I know why I sometimes feel the way I do. And, most importantly, can correct it by scheduling quality time with my honey.

This summer has been a busy one and feels like Andi and I are on completely different calendars. Throw wedding planning in and there's really been no time to spend quality time together. Our honeymoon will be the perfect solution to my QT woes ... only 10 more days until we're in utter paradise together :)

So ... in a spirit of Book It tour buses everwhere ... pick up a copy of The 5 Love Languages. I promise it won't disappoint!

Oh yea, I'm honeymooning in Thailand ...

The wedding countdown continues = 9 days.

Somehow in all the wedding anticipation, I'm forgetting we're leaving for Thailand 2 days after the wedding. THAILAND - not like we're heading up to Duluth for the weekend. So, for you math whizzes out there, that's in 11 days and I haven't even thought about what I'm bringing! I've never been so unprepared for a trip!

Andi's usually our vacation planner so I never really worry about it (just show up with my backpack and ask where my boarding pass is). But since we're not booking any reservations for this trip, we haven't really talked about it much. Crossing my fingers that he knows where we're going!

If you're like me, you might not be quite sure where Thailand is on a map (good ole' American education, right)? I know, sad. Anyway, I included a map below so you can visualize where we'll be our 2 week honeymoon: Here's our tentative schedule:

Day 1 - Saturday, Aug 2
Depart Mpls for Bangkok, Thailand (connecting through Toyko)

Total flight time = 28 hours (gasp)!
*we're staying in a hotel in Bangkok that night basically to sleep - we arrive into town at midnight and want to leave again the following AM

Bangkok is 12 hours ahead of Minnesota, by the way. So we basically lose a day in flight. As I write this, for example, it's Wednesday @ 9PM in Minnesota and Thurday @ 9AM in Bangkok.

Day 2

Depart Bangkok early AM for Karbi

*This is a island town in Southern Thailand - beautiful beaches, crystal blue waters (aka: paradise). The plan is to recoup here from jet lag / wedding craziness by relaxing on the beach, snorkeling and getting daily Thai massages on the beach for $10 a session!!

Karbi

Day 4??

Depart Krabi for Phuket

*Another island hot spot not far from Krabi in Southern Thailand. More beautiful beaches and waters. Fun fact: This is where Hollywood movies The Beach and James Bond: The Man with the Golden Gun were filmed among many others

Phuket

Day 7??

Flight North to Chiang Mai

*Chiang Mai is in Northern Thailand. This is a mountainous city with over 500 Buddist temples in the area. Chiang Mai has night bazaars where you can buy foods and crafts down the main streets, tons of massage parlors and shops, as well as small villages in nearby hillside towns.

The most famous temple in Chiang Mai - Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep

Day 11???
Depart Chiang Mai area for Bangkok
*we'll end our trip in Bangkok where we'll visit the 22nd largest city in the world (over 8 million people call Bangkok home)! I really want to visit the historic temples here and Bangkok's famous "floating markets" .... they're basically farmer's markets - but on boats down the main river

Floating Market

Day 14
Depart Bangkok for Minneapolis (28 hours on an airplane again ... ). When we arrive in Minneapolis it'll be Noon on Saturday, Aug 15. We'll have 1 day to recoup before heading back to the real world ...

Our Thailand trip is going to knock our socks off! We've never expereienced anything like this before. I'm mostly excited to be across the world with my new husband - nothing greater than exploring the world together :)

Word of the Day: WOW

10 days until the wedding.
Wow.

Today I pulled out my calendar to do a quick count of days until the wedding and about fell out of my chair - 10 days! Are you kidding me? I'm hoping someone can help me here, because I can't seem to find the time between Day 24 and Day 10. I mean, it was just the other day we were celebrating 4th of July. Now the wedding is next weekend. NEXT WEEKEND!

Today when I finally realized there's only 10 days left, I started to feel the nerves a little bit. I mean, I'm absolutely, completely sure I want to marry Andi .... but in 11 days it's a for-sure deal. I'll say it again ... wow.

I can't describe it - yesterday and today, I just don't feel like myself. It feels like I'm counting down to the first day of school (and I don't do first day of school so well - I throw up everytime). Please, God. Don't let me throw up on my wedding day!

Tell me I'm not the only one who feels like this? Did you all feel this way too???