Our Wedding

Unforgettable....

Honeymooning in the Maldives. Bis bald!

Egypt in Paris

The Louvre is simply amazing. Amazing. No matter how sophisticated or cultured you may be, I guarantee that in less than an hour, you will find yourself walking around with your mouth open in awe. My Mom loves all things Egyptian, so most, if not all of our photos are from the Department of of Egyptian Antiquities. We took so many photos there, that when it was time to capture the Mona Lisa, one camera was kaput (as well as our feet!) and the back up camera's battery was almost empty, meaning no flash. So we took as many shots as we could. The photo is a very dark shot, but considering the Mona Lisa is widely recognized as the most famous painting in the history of art, I'm sure you can still appreciate it's beauty.

Exhale.

Whew! The last week was insane. How can I describe it...way too much fun, exhausting, emotional, stressful, romantic...honestly, some of the most memorable events of my life. And although I'm feeling a little sad this morning - Mom's on her way home - I am thankful that I'm finally getting a chance to catch up with my friends, look at photos, organize some of our gifts, clean up the house, and SLEEP! But before I get into wedding details, here are some photos of our trip to Paris.

First, photos from below and on top of the Eiffel Tower.

Just Married!

Two lives, two hearts

joined together in friendship,

united forever in love.

Expect the Unexpected

Hey party people! Long time, no see, right? Well, we had a meeting with the "Flower Lady" on Saturday. We were supposed to choose the flowers for my bouquet and the table centerpieces for the wedding reception. I already had a certain variety and color in mind but if you know me, then you know that I'm really indecisive and horribly picky. So while this particular appointment for the average person would normally take 20 minutes, it probably would have taken me an hour to decide. Anyway, when we got there and started talking about ideas, she totally surprised us when she decided it would be better if we were able to see all of the flowers available...and I do mean ALL. She invited us to go shopping with her at her local grower. That means that we will look at a zillion different flowers and yup, choose whatever we want. And guess what? My Mom is here, so she's coming too. That's why I've been out of the blogging loop for so long - I've been hanging out with my best friend:)

Priceless

Mugger in Germany Foiled by Blind Judo Expert

BERLIN (Reuters) - A blind judo expert astounded a mugger by pinning him to the ground after he tried to steal his cigarettes, police said on Monday.

The assailant, a 17-year-old man of Asian origin, spotted the 33-year-old, who police identified only as Emil E., at a train station in the southwestern town of Gießen and thought he would be easy prey, police spokesman Rolf Wellershausen said.

But what the attacker did not know, the spokesman said, was that his victim was a world-class blind judo wrestler.

The 17-year-old threatened the blind man, then punched him in the face, at which point the martial artist flipped him and held him down until police arrived.

Third Time's a Charm

The best action movie of the year.

Alterations

Today was the third and last fitting for my wedding gown. I knew I would have to get alterations if I bought my gown in the US. I took a big risk, not even trying the gown on before buying it and then having it shipped to Germany. Too many accidents just waiting to happen, right? But, God is good. My gown made it here and luckily, my only problem was in the thigh area - I needed it taken in. Easy enough. No major alterations. Miraculously, the first Bekleidungsservice I called, turned out to be fantastic. They are extremely polite, patient, and no matter how many times I've changed my mind about my damn train, very accommodating. And they speak English. So, today something odd happened. I've heard that story about how when a bride tries on her wedding dress, instantly she knows that dress is "the one." I've never really felt that way. The first couple of times I tried my gown on, I just concentrated on fixing it and finding the right accessories. I looked at the gown, not at myself, in the gown. Well today, as I stood in front of the mirror, even with my black sweat socks peeking out from under the hem, I felt it. I felt the nervousness of my one and only wedding day approaching. I felt the pride my Mom's going to feel. And I felt beautiful, hopefully the same way G will feel when he sees me for the first time. Today, I felt like a bride.

Babies

After meeting Christina and her precious little baby, Oliver, I am even more doubtful about my "maternal instinct". Most psychiatrists agree that almost all mothers, human and animal alike, eventually have an inborn tendency to want to protect and nurture one's offspring. I understand that but what about the fear of screwing up, getting in the way of all that nurturing? Oliver is so sweet, with bright blue eyes, and he's already smiling. As I watched him, his tiny legs kicking and hands grasping, all I could think about was, "He's so...delicate." I was afraid to hold him because I thought I might squeeze him too tight, or talk too loud and scare the poor boy. Christina, who admits to never being a "baby person", is already a pro. She's totally calm, she doesn't freak out when he cries, and she held a long conversation with me, while eating her lunch, AND breastfeeding! So does that mean that because I am a "baby person" - always oohing and ahhing over complete strangers' babies - that I'm going to fail miserably? I guess only time will tell. In the meantime, G and I really need to start saving for our future white chocolate baby - did you know strollers can cost up to 1000 €?

Eine deutsche Hochzeit

G's best friend's wedding was so much fun - we are still trying to recuperate;) The ceremony and reception were beautiful. Every aspect was very romantic and heartfelt. Even their wishing well had a special meaning - they had a Hochzeitsschwein, or wedding piggy bank displayed. The gifts they received will fund their honeymoon, so the piggy bank covered in map paper was adorable. It was my first time attending a German wedding. I was excited to see the differences between German and American weddings, especially with my wedding coming up this month. But instead of finding differences, I found more similarities among the two. The bride's gown, flower girls, first dance, and cutting of the cake were the same. The toasts and the kissing on cue were also the same - except instead of the guests tapping their glasses, there was a block of ice with coins frozen inside, hoisted by a rope, directly over a pail. As the ice melted, every time a coin dropped into the pail, the couple had to kiss. Isn't that sweet?

Die Meinung der Männer

On Friday, we drove to G's home town, for his best friend's wedding. It's a four hour drive between Munich and Frankfurt and believe it or not, usually we talk all the way through. We talk about the usual stuff (friends, family, the wedding) but we also ask each other those "What if..." questions, to pass the time. Like, "If you had only 24 hours to live, what would you do?" or "If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, which song would you choose?"
Well, on Friday, I thought of a new one:

"If you were stranded on a deserted island for 6 months, who would you want to have with you? It can't be me and it has to be someone famous and of the opposite sex"

So I said:
Robbie Williams. If I had to live with one guy for that long, I don't want to get bored. Yeah, I'd want him to be cute but more importantly, interesting - maybe even a little crazy, but talented. Robbie could sing to me and we could make up some dance routines. We could talk about traveling, partying, and British vs. American culture. I could teach him to rap or he could help we with my British accent. I think he'd be fun to hang out with. What about you?

G:
I'd pick Carmen Electra.

(silence)

Me:
Ok. Well, why?

(silence)

G:
She's hot.