Yay!!

Kyle and I had our “single” parties a couple weekends ago. Kyle went on some bourbon tours and then things didn’t go exactly as planned. He might write about it later. They’re going to try again in January and go skiing all night one night. My party was a lot of fun, though I was nervous going into it.

I went to Lexington and met up with Holly at the mall. We went to MAC and I got a makeover, with fake eyelashes. The guy made me quite pale, so afterward, we added some bronzer. Rita came during the makeover, and then we went shopping for a bit. We found a red dress on sale that we got for me to wear that night. Holly had told me it was a black and white party, but forgot to mention that we were having red accents. So I had no red. So instead, all the girls were black and white and I was red with my new dress. We all headed back to Holly and Alyx’s house to get ready, including me putting on a tiara with a veil attached and a sash that said bachelorette and all of us putting big flowers in our hair. Melissa showed up, so it was just five of us, which turned out to be the perfect number.

After getting ready and drinking some champagne, we were picked up by a taxi van and went to Baker’s 360, a restaurant on the top of the Chase Building downtown. We had a very nice dinner, getting to sit at table in the middle of the restaurant that was higher up than the other tables. My feet didn’t touch the floor from my chair! The place was set up with a restaurant on one side and club/bar on the other side, so after dinner we went over to the bar. It turned out there had been a national cross-country race that morning, and all the runners were at the club celebrating. It was great because most of them were married (no threat to me and not creepy), and a lot of them even had their wives with them. They were really nice and danced and hung out with us. I was the only bachelorette there, so I drew a bit of attention.

I think a lot of people thought I was much younger than I was. One woman said congratulations, then later came back up to me and said she and her friend decided I shouldn’t do it. I said, “I shouldn’t get married?” And she said yes, and asked how old I was. I said 25. And then she said, “Oh, well okay, then it’s okay if you get married.” And I got asked many other times how old I was with the same reaction to me saying 25: “Oh, well that’s okay then.” The other girls also got asked and got the same reaction. We all apparently look much younger than 25 and too young to be getting married. There was a little stage in the club that only girls could get up on. And the woman pulled all of us up there so we could dance. Later, another woman pulled me up there, and there was no one else up there. So it was just me and an old lady dancing on this stage. Finally, the rest of the girls came up and rescued me.

Basically we danced the whole night and tried to accomplish a list of things for a bachelorette party, which included getting asked for ID (which all of us accomplished quite quickly), asking a guy to marry you, dancing with 10 guys, and wearing a toilet paper veil, among other things. Melissa said the list was quite tame compared to some she had seen, which I was thankful for. We got all but two accomplished for me (so I won).

After a while, we went to another club called Two Keys. There weren’t very many people there, so it was pretty much just us on the dance floor, though two runners did follow us over there. We stayed out until 1:45 a.m. (pretty impressive for me). And then we got a taxi back to Holly and Alyx’s house. We stayed up and chatted a bit, and then all went to bed. It was a lot of fun, dancing and laughing and just spending time with some of my best girl friends. Thanks so much for putting it all together, girls!!

The weekend before Thanksgiving, I had my fifth and final shower.  It was our family shower.  Since there are so many aunts and cousins, we always have a shower with the family.  Kyle’s mom (Dana) and grandma (Myrna) also got to come and meet a lot of the family.

My aunt Janet (and everyone who helped) really outdid herself in the decorations and the food.  We had tables with white tablecloths, china, and glasses.  Each table had its own napkin holders.  The dining room table was special with gold-rimmed glasses and gold-tipped silverware.  There were pretty flower arrangements of white and green, and we got to take home a couple of those.  The whole kitchen counter was also covered in white with lots of different delicious food.  I got a little bit of each thing, so I could try it all.  Aunt Janet also got us a cake, with a beautiful top part, and then lots of little individual ones with different flavors, chocolate, raspberry, and lemon.  We’ll have to put pictures up because everything was so beautiful.

After eating and drinking and socializing, we had a couple fun things that Holly and Rita put together.  First, Rita had a video of the girl (gril) cousins on one of our girls nights when she had just gotten her new video camera.  It also happened soon after Kyle had asked me to prom, and our relationship was just starting, so there was lots of talk of Kyle.  At one point, I even said, “Wouldn’t it be funny if I ended up marrying Kyle and we had all of this on tape?”  There were quite a few embarrassing moments, and Dana and Myrna now know a little more about me.  I hope they still want me for a daughter/granddaughter-in-law.  Though embarrassing, the video was a lot of fun and brought back great memories.  Kyle will get to watch it later, too.

Then Holly had e-mailed Kyle a few questions, trying to not make them the typical shower game questions, and Kyle answered.  Then I sort of tried to guess the answers, but some were quite long answers, so Holly just read Kyle’s answers.  They were sweet and funny.

Then I opened gifts.  It was around the clock, so I opened them by time of day, starting in the morning.  I got lots of great gifts that Kyle and I are very excited about.  Everyone wrapped their presents in paper rather than bags (after an e-mail reminder from Rita) so that they would have plenty of paper to make the traditional wrapping paper wedding dress with ribbon and bow bouquet (which will be used at the rehearsal).  We think this was the poofiest dress yet.  I’ll have to put up pictures at some point.  We were trying to remember when this tradition started, but we’re not sure.  We know we did it for Aunt Janet.  Kyle was coming to pick me up, so he had arrived, so we had the first unwrapping of the bride.  It was pretty hot in there, so after pictures were taken, Kyle got to unwrap his present of me. 🙂

The shower was a lot of fun.  It was great to spend time with family, and have Kyle’s mom and grandma get to meet a lot of my family.  Thanks to my wonderful family for throwing it!

Everyone should have received invitations by now, we hope.  We just wanted to put up a friendly reminder to please RSVP by Monday, December 14, a week from today.  We’re not assuming anyone is coming, so please RSVP in some form or fashion so that we can get an accurate headcount for our caterer.  If the online RSVP doesn’t work for you, please e-mail us at kyleandcaitlan@gmail.com.

Also, if you don’t live around here, and you want to take advantage of the group rate at the downtown Hampton Inn in Louisville for New Year’s Eve (or the day before or the day after), you need to make your reservations by tomorrow, Tuesday, December 8.  That is the last day they said they could hold a block of rooms for us.  The number is 502-585-2200, and you just say you’re with the Adkins-Miller wedding.  All the info is also on the Wedding Details page of this website.

Please let us know if you have any questions about anything.  We check our e-mail a lot, or you can call either one of us.  Thanks!

Two weekends ago, Kyle’s mom’s (Dana) friends had a shower for us in Richmond at the Telford house, and Kyle came to it too.  Since he knew all the people that would be there (and I didn’t), it made sense for him to come.  He introduced me to a lot of women who have been and are important to him in his life, especially when he was younger.  It was nice to match faces to names of people I’ve always heard him talk about.

The house was decorated with pictures of Kyle and me when we were younger and then the two of us together when we got older.  Some of the pictures were grouped with us doing the same things separately when we were younger: both of us playing the piano and in lifejackets in a boat.  It was fun to see young pictures of each other, and a neat way to decorate.

We also had wonderful food.  Dana’s friends made four different kinds of soup, including taco soup, chili, vegetable soup, and pumpkin chicken soup.  They were all very good.  I had a small bowl of each because I couldn’t decide between them.  There was also little snacky things like cheeseballs and crackers.  Then there were desserts, mini brownies and two different kinds of cookies.

We got to sit around and eat and chat with the people there, which was really nice.  We also got some really nice gifts, some sentimental and some very useful.  We’re very excited about them, though we haven’t found a place to put them away yet.  We will get to get rid of a lot of old stuff to make room though.  Kyle’s very happy about that.

Our Latin teachers, Mrs. Bayer and Bari, both came.  They were two of the only people I knew before the shower, so it was great to see them and catch up and chat.  The shower was really relaxed, and I really enjoyed it.  It was fun to have Kyle be at one of the showers and help open gifts too.  Thanks so much to everyone who helped host it!

A couple weekends ago, I had my first shower in Louisville and third shower overall.  Dana Fuchs had a personal shower for me, and kept the embarrassment to a minimum.  It was a lot of fun.  There was a boob cake, fondue, fleur-de-lis shaped chocolates, and lots of other goodies.  Dana bought my favorite (and possibly only I like) wine, and she had punch and jello shots with whiskey.  And yes, I actually had one of the jello shots.  It burned in my chest.  So obviously the food and drink made an impression on  me.

I can’t really talk about my gifts, but I got a lot of fun stuff, sexy and comfy.  And now it’s all hidden in my trousseau until the honeymoon.

We also played games.  Kyle and I came up with statements about ourselves that people had to guess which one of us it was about.  My friends learned that I love comic books and graphic novels and Kyle has beautiful hands.  Kyle comprehends time zones better than me, and I get too emotionally attached during UofL sporting events.  And lots of other fun stuff.  Then everyone wrote stories/conversations about/between Kyle and me using different foods, such as Yoohoo.  Those, along with little notes from everyone, went into a jar that Dana sealed that Kyle and I aren’t allowed to open until our one-year anniversary.  The last game was Dana asking me questions about Kyle that he had answered earlier.  Each time I got one wrong, I had to put a piece of gum in my mouth.  I got 6 wrong, but 7 right.  I knew that Kyle would save his computer if he had to choose one thing to save from a fire (besides me).  But I didn’t know know he would take his iPhone (since he doesn’t have one) on a deserted island (again excluding me as a choice).

The shower was a lot of fun.  A lot of my bridesmaids got to come to this one, and all my friends in Louisville.  They all told me not to write them thank-you cards, so if you all read this, thanks for all my gifts!  And thanks so much, Dana, for throwing it!

We’ve been accomplishing a lot of little things the past few weeks, so we thought we would do one entry on all of it.

We got our honeymoon flights booked, or Roger and Becky did.  They were very generous and used their miles to get us flights to Cabo.  We’re leaving January 2 and getting back January 16.

We talked to our priest contact at the church and figured out the details on keys for the reception and when we can get into the church for pictures.

My mom came by the Rocking Horse Inn that we’re reserving for two nights, and we found out we can get some of our wedding pictures done there.

We got our program and invitation finalized, which entails getting our songs decided, time of service finalized (7:00 p.m.), order of bridesmaids and groomsmen.  They should be printed by Monday or Tuesday.

We booked a place for our rehearsal dinner and put down a deposit (Bistro 301).

We picked up our invitation envelopes.  Then Rita came over, and she and I addressed all of them that we have addresses for.

We got a price on our wedding cake.

We sent a timeline of events to our photographer.

We’re in the process of getting our online RSVPs set up.

We picked out our flower girl dresses and bought them.

We bought a tuxedo and all the accessories for Kyle (except shoes).

I went to Monica’s and tried on the dress for one last fitting, and decided on how to do the veil.  On the 20th, the dress will be done, and I’ll pick it up.  I also bought accessories for me, though we’re going to try them with the dress before we’re definitely keep them.

We talked to Fr. Pat, and e-mailed him the program to make sure everything in the service looks good.

We have our ceremony musicians (string trio and organist and soloist) booked and let them know the songs they would be playing.  We think we have our reception musicians booked too.

We talked to the liquor store we’re using, and the manager is going to send us a proposal in the next couple days.

That’s all I can think of now.  It seems as soon as we get one thing done, another thing pops up.  But now it’s 7 weeks until the wedding, and soon it will all be done, so we’re trying to enjoy every moment of it!

I have now had two wedding “nightmares” that just end up making me laugh when I wake up, but during the dream, they are very stressful.  One has to do with the wedding, the other with leaving for the honeymoon.

Number 1:

The ceremony is getting ready to start, and the string trio we’re planning on having is not at the church, which is laid out more like a banquet hall than a church.  Luckily, the organist, who we weren’t planning on having at the time (now we are), decided to show up anyway.  So the organist and the singer we’re hiring are playing and singing music, none of which Kyle and I picked out.  Then it comes time for the readings (I don’t think we ever walked up the aisle).  We’re having Kyle’s dad, Brendan, and Ian do our readings.  Ian is not there.  And apparently, Kyle and I never decided who would read which readings.  Kyle and I are sitting at separate tables (remember, it’s like a banquet hall), he with his dad and me with my mom, so through motions we decide that Kyle’s dad will do the first reading, we’ll sing the responsorial psalm (since Ian isn’t there), and Brendan will do the second reading.  We have amazing hand motions skills in this dream.  After this, I notice (only now) that Fr. Pat is not there either (he must be with Ian).  So there is no one to read the Gospel or give a homily.  So my mom and I decide that we’ll go stand in front of everyone.  To do what, I’m not sure.  Kyle stays in his seat.  Once we’re up there, I realize that I am not in my wedding dress, and I haven’t picked out my wedding shoes.  I have on a yellow nightgown that strangely resembles a comforter I own.  And I’ve got on my gray slipper socks with two different wedding shoes on.  Think Sandra Bullock in “While You Were Sleeping” with the hanger around her neck when Jack comes over.  Maybe my dream is telling me I’ve seen that movie too many times.  When I realize all this, I tell my mom, and I ask her if I should go change.  She says no.  As we continue to stand, I notice that one of my old friends from high school’s mom is standing to the side at the front, holding up posters with the names of all the bridesmaids on them and other important people – basically our program in poster form.  At this point, I realize we must not have had any programs to hand out.  And if we didn’t have programs, then we must not have had invitations, considering Uncle John and Aunt Dana are doing them both.  I’m not sure how everyone got to the wedding on time and everything without invitations.  Maybe our website is better than we think.  I tell my mom that we never sent out the invitations, which she just nods to.  Then I said, “Wait!  Yesterday it was October!  How is it already New Year’s Eve?”  As I start run out, I guess trying to find a calendar to see what day it is, my alarm goes off.

Number 2:

Kyle and I are going to the airport to fly out for our honeymoon, and I am mad at him for some reason.  When we get there, he goes to sit down, and I go to check us in.  We don’t have our seats assigned for our second flight (this is true in real life) because there were no two seats together when Roger booked the flights.  So I tell the people that we’re on our honeymoon and ask if we could sit together.  However, I don’t think I’m very convincing because I’m not very happy, so Kyle and I don’t look like newlyweds getting ready to go on their honeymoon.  But the girl at the desk says she’ll try, but she says their airline isn’t actually the one flying us on our second flight (this is not true in real life), so she’s not sure she can get us seats next to each other.  But they do have something special for honeymoon couples.  So I go to wait with Kyle, and I have my carry-on with me.  In the dream, this turns out to be the bag that I walk to work with every day, so I didn’t really pack it, I just picked it up and brought it with us.  Thus, I needed to go through it before we got on the flight.  I’m digging in the pockets, and I pull out silverware: forks, knives, and spoons.  And it’s our silverware from our apartment (and some that we already gave back to Kyle’s mom), so I can’t throw it out or anything because then we won’t have any silverware when we get back.  I just keep pulling out more and more silverware.  And I have nail clippers and tweezers, and all the sharp objects you’re not supposed to have in carry-ons.  I tell Kyle I’m just going to have to call my mom, and he looks up and says that I don’t have to.  I turn, and she’s walking toward us in the airport.  Apparently, I forgot something that she brought me.  I have no idea what it was, but I give her all my silverware, I just dump it in her bag.  Then she disappears, and it’s time for us to go on our special thing for honeymoon couples.  It turns out to be a trip through the “Admiral’s Hall” whatever that is.  We get up to go, and I have no shoes on, and I don’t know where my shoes are.  I just have socks, and as I walk, my socks keep starting to come off my feet.  I keep pulling them up, but for some reason I can’t walk in a way that they won’t come off my feet.  We get to the Admiral’s Hall, and they show us where people come for dinner and all the fancy dishes.  It’s sort of like a museum.  Then we get to this place with all this jewelry, sort of like the Jewel House at the Tower of London where the Crown Jewels are.  As we’re looking at all the pretty jewelry, I wake up.  I don’t know if we ever made it to the plane (and I got all the “weapons” out of my bag) or if Kyle and I got to sit together on our flights, nor do I know why I was mad at him or where my shoes went.  I guess I just went barefoot.

Aren’t dreams wonderful?

Last weekend, Michele McBrayer hosted a shower for me at her house.  It was the first time I got to see her new house, and it’s beautiful.  And the leaves on the trees were bright and gorgeous.  Michele was calling her shower the “old lady” shower, but there were a couple girls there besides me.  And Janet brought Juliana.  It was great to see everyone there.  A lot of the people I don’t see very often.

We had a game where teams danced their expressions of marriage, which was quite amusing.  My mom and Kyle’s mom were partners, and they won.  Michele also had a little book that everyone wrote their advice for marriage in, which was a neat idea.  I think I’m going to bring the book to my other showers to have people write in if they want.  Michele made her strawberry cake, which I had requested, my favorite.  Everyone enjoyed it.

We got a lot of good gifts too.  We got mostly kitchen stuff, but a few non-kitchen items.  We’ve already been using a lot of it.  And this weekend, we had a Halloween party, for which we used a lot of our new kitchen stuff in preparation.  We just had to find room for everything back at the apartment, although we did get to get rid of some of our old pots and pans.

Thanks to Michele for hosting the shower!  I really enjoyed it, and Kyle and I are loving our new gifts!

The last weekend in September, Kyle and I went on an engagement retreat called Engaged Encounter at Mt. St. Francis in southern Indiana.  We spent our time writing and talking and listening to the two presenting couples and a priest.  Though the majority of our relationship has been spent talking over the phone or on skype, we still learned a lot about each other over the weekend.  A lot of the weekend was very personal, so I don’t know how much I’ll be able to share, but there are few things.

We got to wander around Mt. St. Francis and we met an artist who has his studio there.  His art was great.  Michelle Dixon told us we had to have our retreat at Mt. St. Francis instead of the other place it’s held, and we’re very glad we did.  It was a beautiful place.

We had a Mass on the second night of the retreat, which was very moving.  We wrote our own prayers and shared them with the presenting couples.  The priest also had a very good homily.  We really enjoyed it.

We wrote betrothals to each other, which were letters to each other about how much we love each other and how we’re devoted to each other.  They were very touching, and mine almost made Kyle cry (which is quite a feat).  He only got teary-eyed.  We’re really happy that we have our feelings for each other on paper.

We’re very glad we did it, and we encourage any engaged couples to do it.  We’re planning on trying to volunteer with the retreat, too.