let's get ready to WEDDING!

So it's been a week since the first wedding of the season and I think I've recovered. ;)

Do I really hate weddings? Ehhh...I guess not. Do I find them entertaining? No, not really. At least not the wedding ceremony. We all know this blogger loves her some wedding receptions however. Unless you open the bar up pre-ceremony (my hero if you do). But when it's the friend who introduced you to Mr. Wookie some seven-plus years ago, you definitely set plans to be there on his day.

So come 2pm last Sunday, we were ready for a wedding. The venue couldn't have been better, the weather held off the whole time (despite dropping in temperature a couple degrees), and the bride showed up (just kidding!). My only complaint...it didn't start on time. Tsk tsk.

The boys were mostly ready for their important role of the day: Don't knife the bride. Don't trip the bride. Do try and talk the Groom out of it (just kidding!). Good luck.

The bride looked radiant. Sidenote: I'm not the biggest fan of overdone trends, like the strapless dress. However, this bride pulled it off. She looked fantastic!

Nay to the officiant – she was full of bullshit with sayings like, “Look into her soul.” Gag.

Bride and Groom

Good work boys, with one swift slap on the ass she was "welcomed to the Navy."

Hey, who are those good-looking people? [Again, my hair...not playing well TODAY!] Okay, well either way, I was looking pale while Mr. Wookie was rockin' his Whites. I will say that tall people have weird issues with their neck when taking pictures. #guilty


But let's get to some Yays and Nays to the day!

Nay to the “old people” music at the Reception. There should be a point in the reception where all “air pirates” aka old people just leave and let the young people have their time with the dance floor. Instead, this didn't happen. It took pulling teeth to get Journey played. That should be a crime.

Yay to dancing with Mr. Wookie. Beverages in hand. To the good music.

  

Yay to the cake being DELICIOUS. This is a MUST for the Wookies. In fact, we stole took two extra pieces to indulge later on. And by later on, I mean breakfast the next morning.

Nay to not planning ahead to post-reception need for food/beverages. What do 4 people do who can’t drive without facing DUI charges? "Umm, hi, we'd like to order a pizza." Sadly that restaurant that I ate at Friday night isn't open on Sundays. #liverfailure

Yay to dancing barefoot all night long. I was slightly afraid that I would be considered a little redneck as I kicked my wedges off. Thank goodness the Bridesmaids followed suit.

  

Yay to scoring centerpieces at the bride’s request. Actually two...because I'm a klepto and can't say 'no' to free vases. And it was relatively easy traveling with them too!

Nay to the mahi-mahi in the dinner buffet being SEVERELY overcooked and resembling chicken. And Mr. Wookie's chicken resembled overcooked mahi-mahi.

Yay to a heaping salad serving at the Reception. I got the foliage I enjoy, with plenty of variation of accouterments to begin my meal. Yay, hippiness!

Yay to tweeting with ToTheNth and Sespi throughout the Reception despite focusing on having a ruckusy good time. I have priorities. While enjoying wedding receptions is one of them, discussing home brewing is also. I wish ToTheNth loads of luck in her journey!

Nay to people (no, not the bride and groom) we know ‘disappearing” for roughly 30 minutes mid-reception. Hmmm…. ;)

Yay to having a sweet suite at the BOQ for the weekend. I was able to get up at the crack of dawn like I like, go for a short run, enjoy my first breakfast of the day, while letting Mr. Wookie rot away like an old, abandoned corpse of yesteryear.

Yay to having a 30-yard “walk” from Reception site to room. Yes, stairs were navigated successfully, no drinks were spilled, and we promptly changed into jeans and shirts and debated our next move.

Nay to having to leave this beautiful place known as Monterey. We ARE planning a trip back because we didn't get to tackle what we wanted to off the "to do" list!

  

Nay to the Dress Whites being made of wool. That stuff gets warm for the poor boys.

Yay to not being accosted about “our time being next.”

Yay to our gift. Not to sound stuffy, but ours was a romantic night in with registered wine glasses to which we added our favorite vineyard’s specialty merlot and chocolates. If that doesn't make a baby, it'll at least provide great practice.

Yay to being invited to the rehearsal dinner. I’ve had a previous experience where the bride was…a…umm…bitch and didn’t invite me because Mr. Wookie and I weren’t engaged or already married. This happened to our mutual friends too. So we two ladies (girlfriends of groomsmen) made reservations at the exact same restaurant in the exact same room and we had dinner with just ourselves. We ordered wine, we laughed, we had a better time than the rehearsal dinner so much that the boys wanted to sit with us but Bridezilla forced them not to. That bride could suck my big toe...but I won't go there.

Yay to not having a bouquet toss or garter toss. Bride and Groom thought it unnecessary since most guests are in committed relationships (whether married or Wookie-style) and to nix them both. Sweet.

[Our only iPhone proof of the Reception]

So there you have it. One great weekend watching more people jump into matrimony while indulging ourselves with their fantastic receptions post-ring swap. I've already friended the Bride (per the Groom's request) and am itching to get back to Monterey for another weekend that doesn't involve white dresses and Dress Whites. She's in turn invited us back up to stay with them as they'd love to host such great guests.

Oh...."Hi, doggy hotel?...We have Sweet Pea, Party of Dog-Aggressive One."

The wedding season has BEGUN!

This morning the plan was to finish packing, clean up the house, and hit the road. Instead...(because travel can never be that easy)...I lounged around and read some blogs, I played with Sweet Pea, then decided to move my ass in the right direction.

It didn't really matter. Mr. Wookie got hung up at work despite having leave authorized for a half day. Uncle Sam gets what he needs. Always.

This weekend has taken us North in California to the bustling village of Monterey, California, where Naval Postgraduate School is located. It's. freakin'. adorable. here.

I love it. And I've been here less than 4 hours.

Mr. Wookie could come here possibly after his second sea tour, but that would be making the decision to "career it" in the Navy vs. hang up the flight suit and work in the real world. That's his decision to make when that time comes. I wouldn't complain at all.

And you may be thinking, "Where's my sweet English bulldog??"

Gulp. Puppy hotel. My first. And a slightly emotional experience. We were recommended a great place that also had the resources to put her in her own private yard (a yard!) since she's not dog friendly. She was all wags on the car ride, but once there you could sense the jig was up. What the fuck, woman? What did I do to deserve this? Nothing my dear girl. We'll be back Monday to get your slobbering self and have you back home. Trust us. You can't get rid of us that easy. We sought you out...we're keeping your cute ass.

After dropping her off and coming home, it confirmed that I don't like the quiet house anymore. I love the squeaker ball noise, the ferocious barks when the gardeners are outside (really dog? We live a floor up.), her ability to sleep through doorbells, and avid crop-dusting through the house.

Yes, her anti-dog behavior can be a massive pain in the ass. But we're giving her the best home she could ever imagine. Plus she's a cute ass piece of shit. Cute I tell ya!

So now I'm lounging in the BOQ (Bachelor Officer Quarters) at NPS watching Dual Survival. Where's Mr. Wookie? At the Bachelor Party. Yup. I was ditched for dinner and drinks. Yup. I'm on base. Yup. I can't leave. Yup. I got take-out from the small semi-Officer's Club that's attached to the BOQ. Yup. I'm having a beer now (I pack for trips with hydration in mind). Yup, the pizza was meh but the "side salad" was fantastic. It was huge and cheap. That's what she said. Just the way I like it.

We were really set up this time at the BOQ. The groom blocked out some sweet suites that we'll be housing this weekend. We're a 30-yard "stumble" from the Reception site (awesome), we're on the end of the floor, and we have a great kitchen to make breakfast the next morning (I packed soy-gurt, cereal, and fruit for my first breakfast of the day. My second breakfast will come when Mr. Wookie rises later.).

And thank goodness I didn't pack a bottle opener. Because I would have never found these three openers in the drawer. I don't know whether to be proud of this place or worried? I'm going with proud. For now. The Navy does know how to get things done.


That and so do I. I'll be setting out ibuprofen and a glass of water on Mr. Wookie's nightstand should festivities get a little out of hand tonight.

where mrs. wookie organizes the chaos

Technically. Although this bed has seen better days where it actually has sheets and a blanket made up and not piles of laundry. You see, we're on the brink of Wedding Season for the Wookie & Co. crowd so the laundry is a busy stream of production.


Mr. Wookie's been gone so the bed usually falls into disarray because he's not home to care. I give myself free license to DO WHATEVER. Keeping the "home fires" lived in.


But now he's home. He's added a pile of dirty clothes to the pile and the remaining stinky boxers, blue shirts, and flight suits. And there's packing for this next trip that's on the horizon.


That horizon is tomorrow.