Father-Daughter Dance: Dad's Picks

When I got home from visiting B, the lil sis (who had waited up for me - what a doll) told me that my dad had spent the last several nights going through their iTunes library in search of a good father-daughter dance.  How adorable is that?!  Sure enough, when I saw him the next day, he told me he had a few songs in mind, and sat down at the computer to play them for me.

His choices definitely have an old-school country flavor to them, and listening to them brought a smile to my face.  While it's not really a musical genre I listen to regularly, they're the kinds of songs my parents played when I was growing up, so the nostalgia factor is huge.

Jerry Jeff Walker - She Knows Her Daddy Sings



This is a really sweet song, although I have to nominate it as one of the most awkward music videos of all time.  Regardless, I'll probably always associate Jerry Jeff Walker with my parents since I think they own every one of his albums, and I can definitely imagine dancing with my dad to this song.

Taken Over by the Fear

I've been a quiet blogger lately.  Partly because I've been out visiting B for the past week and was low on down-time, but also partly because I'm super stressed about what our life will hold post-wedding, and I've been having a hard time putting my fears into words.

As I've mentioned, B is a classical singer and is currently getting his Masters at the University of Michigan.  He will graduate at the end of this month, and I'm incredibly proud of him.  He works so hard at what he does, and he deserves every honor and accolade that comes his way.  The next stage of his career will involve a post-graduate certification for performers, essentially like a finishing program that will prepare him for the performance world, and the screening process has involved auditions at various programs around the country.

My Muffin Top is All That...

...whole grain, low fat!

There's a lot of pressure out there for brides to look their best on their wedding day.  All you have to do is change your relationship status to Engaged on facebook to notice.  The targeted advertisements that used to say things like "Date Night Hotspots" have suddenly been replaced with "How to Lose 27 Pounds with Acai Berry."  It's like an attack on your self-esteem every time you refresh the page.

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Offensive much?

But it doesn't stop there.  Weight loss companies have booths at bridal shows, offering discounted memberships and supplements.  Wedding magazines have monthly features on how to lose inches from your "problem areas."  When ordering your dress, bridal consultants ask how much weight you're planning to lose.  Everywhere you turn, society seems to be telling brides that the way we look isn't good enough.  And sadly, we buy into it - myself included.

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Erin go Bragh

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It probably doesn't surprise you to learn that I've got some Irish blood running through my veins.  People seem to think that the red hair and pale skin is a dead giveaway.  The funny thing is, both of those traits come from my dad's side of the family, and the Irish heritage is actually on my mom's side.  (Don't ask me how genetics work.  Life sciences were never my strong suit.)  We're from the Moran Clan, or the "Clan o' Moran" depending on who you're talking to.

So this St. Patty's Day, in light of my family's heritage, I decided to take a look at a few Irish wedding customs to see there were any we could incorporate into our own wedding day:

Tell me what ya see!

It's been a stressful few weeks for B and myself.  Sunday was the five month mark - our wedding date is looming and there's still so much to do.  Faced with an endless to-do list, we've found ourselves struggling to balance the wedding tasks with our everyday lives.  There's just so, so much going on!

B has finally hit the homestretch and will complete his Masters degree in a few short weeks.  But in the meantime, he has rehearsal for the opera every night, and the show opens at the end of March.  Then there's three concerts that he performs in the week after that, and his Masters Recital is on April 9th. Needless to say, he has a lot to do before graduation day arrives and hasn't had a lot of free time.

Meanwhile, I've had a lot on my plate at work lately, and both of us are struggling with the fact that it's the longest we've gone without seeing each other.  Christmas seems like an eternity ago.  We're both in desperate need of some quality cuddle time!

Sometimes I just feel like I've hit a wall, and apathy kicks in.

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The Wonders of Google Docs

I honestly don't know how people planned weddings before computers.  Mail merge, budget calculators, online shopping, and galleries full of inspiration photos -- I would be lost without them.

One tool that has proved invaluable while B and I have been apart is Google Docs.  I have a serious spreadsheet addiction (probably stemming from the nature of my job) and there are countless documents on my computer devoted to the wedding.  Budgets, checklists, guest lists (yes, all plural - I have more than one version of each), the list goes on and on.  B, on the other hand, doesn't even have Excel on his computer (how does he survive??!).  But with Google Docs, that doesn't matter.  We can share access to all of these files, and each or us are able to edit them without emailing the altered drafts back and forth to one another.  Like I said, invaluable in a long-distance relationship!

But my favorite feature by FAR is the live updates. Both of us can view a document at the same time, and whenever either one of us highlights a cell or makes a change, the other sees it in real time.  (The first time this happened my jaw hit the floor).  I know it sounds cheesy, but it made me feel like he was right there in the room with me and we were planning our wedding together like a normal couple!