As we return to our regularly scheduled programming, Joey and I have just returned from DHS with family in tow, and are getting ready for our welcome party. When we arrive at POP, two of our guests, Randy and Martha were waiting by the pool bar. The party wasnt for another hour and a half, but they wanted to see us early and head to EPCOT for the evening.
*Before you go thinking that they are rude guests or something like that, a little background is in order. As well as being a flight instructor in NC, Joey was also a co-owner of a company that was basically an Ebay/
Amazon for airplanes. He met Randy through the company when Randy bought one of Joeys airplanes. The relationship continued further when Randy became one of Joeys flight students and then they became really good friends. As Joey would say, You cant spend hours cooped up with someone in the cockpit of a Cessna 172 and not come out of it either best friends or worst enemies. Lucky for both of them, they became best of friends and Randy became somewhat of a mentor to Joey. I dont want to get too far off track, but Randy is a VERY wealthy, former CEO of a big Corporation and is a big hearted, kind, and amazing man! He paid for Joey to go back to school, so that he could get this amazing job at Embry Riddle Aeronautical, is planning on buying Joey an airplane when he graduates!
(well, not just any airplane...THIS airplane!):
...And he paid for our wedding. When he found out that wed been engaged for almost 6 years, and the only reason we werent married was because of the money, he said, Heres $10,000. Go get married.
That man is ridiculous!
Randy is very humble and hush hush about the money. He laid low the whole wedding week, I think because he didnt want a big deal made over him. He kept saying, this is for family, we arent going to intrude. We kept insisting that he WAS family, but he wouldnt budge. Ok, so back to the TR.
We ran up to our room to grab their welcome bags and came back to visit and make sure they didnt have questions about the wedding day the next morning.
Those lovely people sat there with us and went through EVERY single thing in that welcome bag, graciously excited and oohing and ahhing over all the little DIY and dollar tree trinkets in their bag. It was SO nice to see my work appreciated like that, and it meant a lot. We finally said goodbye to Randy and Martha, and raced upstairs to get everything ready for our other guests.
We decided in the beginning of the planning process that we were going to do a very informal low key, low stress get together the night before, basically just to get the welcome bags and info out and make sure that we got to see all of our guests for at least a few minutes without crazy hectic wedding madness! We were just going to grab a bunch of pizzas, slap em on a paper Mickey plate, and relax. Best laid plans right?
We sent my dad out for the pizzas and Katie Sue volunteered to go with him. Thank goodness for her! She saved my dads day for sure. Dad decided to go to a different Little Caesars than the one we saved for him in the GPS. That LC was closed. So now, hes lost on the Florida Turnpike trying to find another LC, fight traffic, and figure out where he is. KS is an angel and I will be forever grateful to her. She kept my dad calm, worked the GPS, her phones GPS, found a Little Caesars and got them back to POP all in one piece! While dealing with the pizza fiasco and answering the phone a million times, Joey and I are trying to load all the bags, GM and BM gifts, sodas, plates, snacks, etc onto a luggage cart to take down to the pool area.
We also had to make sure that we had Steffis BMs dress for her to try on and get steamed for in the morning. If youll remember, Steffi never met up with Deana to pick up her dress. So out of COMPLETE anger and frustration I basically said, Forget it (Well, it might have been more colorful than that!) And asked Deana just to hold on to it and bring it down, and if it didnt fit, oh well.
So, Im trying to rummage through the fifty million boxes and bags and tubs of stuff in our room, trying to find the dress. I cant find it anywhere. So I have Joey call Deana while I tear the room apart trying to find it. She swears that it was in the stuff she brought over on Tuesday, when she dropped me off to meet my parents. So I go through it again, nothing. Run over to my parents room and tear their room apart. Joey and Deana unloaded everything while I was visiting with mom and dad that day, so I have no idea what happened with all that stuff. I do NOT remember seeing the dress when I packed her car up that morning, but I thought that it was already in her car. Joey doesnt remember seeing the dress, I dont remember seeing the dress, and Deana SWEARS that she remembers it was with my stuff that morning.
The dress is still MIA.
So Deana, convinced that the dress is somewhere in my room leaves Bonnet Creek with Q, Noelle and Ayla and heads over to POP. During all this, Joyell and Hillarie have arrived at the hotel, and come over to visit with us, and I fill them in on the current drama. By now, its time for the welcome party to start and everyone is running around trying to find Steffis BM dress without letting her know that its missing. Deana arrives and comes up to the room and finally agrees that maybe she DIDNT pack the dress with my stuff. Uh, really? You think?! So Joey goes down stairs to let everyone know that we are running late. Deana and Q call the Evil Aunt to see if shell look for them around their suite. Shes not in her room, but will be shortly. Dad finally arrives almost an hour late for the party, so, not wanting to let everyone wait, we head down to have the party and pretend that everything is ok.
Joyell and Hillarie took SUCH good care of me. You will be proud of me and surprised to learn that after all that crying on Tuesday, I completely held it together for this crisis. Maybe I was all cried out, or spent or in shock. But I did really well! Hillarie and Joyell helped with that Im sure. They were literally on either side of me holding me up, getting me rum drinks and distracting me.
Deana and Q left with Noelle to go back to Bonnet Creek to meet Aunt and Qs mom and keep up the dress search, and left Ayla with us to hang with Andy. We finally have to let Steffi know whats going on, (because shes not stupid) and she was surprisingly calm too. Which Im glad, because I think if shed acted upset, I probably wouldve gone off on her. This was after all, her fault in a lot of ways.
So, by now, its almost too dark to see to eat, Andy and Ayla are cranky because they want to swim, but everyone is too distracted to go watch them, and I am being watched like a hawk for signs of a meltdown.
About 15 minutes after they left, Q calls Joey to let us know that they found the dress. It was in the back of Qs moms car. WHAT?!?! How in the world did that happen? Turns out, Deana put all of her luggage, etc in their car on the way down to Orlando so that shed have room to take my stuff over. Apparently, someone left the dress in the car when they unpacked her stuff. Ok, Im not saying that the Aunt did it on purpose, but the whole thing seems kinda fishy to me. How do you miss a sparkly blingy dress? Yes, it was still wrapped up in the clear packaging, but it was very obviously wedding related. But...whatever! We found it!! So Q explains that Deana is bringing the dress over and picking up Ayla and heading back to Bonnet Creek because they are tired. Ummm....WHAT?!?!?! Oh HELL no! They ruined the welcome party, stressed me out the night before my wedding, LOST A BRIDESMAIDS dress, and they were going to skip out on the party? Because they were tired? I was beyond pissed and pretty ready to have that meltdown everyone was on the lookout for. When Joey filled me in on what the plan was, I went off. I told him to get back on the phone with Q RIGHT then and tell him how uncool it was, how upset I was, and that I had GM/MOH/Birthday presents for them, as well as their welcome bags with important information about the wedding day inside, as well as things they would need in the morning.
And God love Joey, thats exactly what he did. He didnt freak out on them, but calmly explained everything while still being calm and collected. So they decided they would all come back and almost 2 hours late, we started our casual, relaxing, kicking it by the pool welcome party. Hah.
The rest of the night was fun. No one ate very much because it was so late, and I think everyone wanted to get their goodies and hit the sack. But they were all troopers and put on happy faces for me. And I'm so thankful for that. For all the drama, I have great friends and family! Everyone LOVED their presents and welcome bags and were impressed at all that wed done for them. I was SOO happy that they liked everything. It was really important to me to let everyone know how thankful we were that they were sharing our special week with us, and how much it meant to us. So, it was the greatest feeling to know that they liked everything!
Here are some pics:
Hillarie, my MOH (with Katie Sue in the background):
Joyell, BM and college bestie:
Katie Sue and Quillon:
Daddy (with Deana, Quillon, and Noelle in the background):
Joyell, KS, and Hillarie:
Pizza:
Noelle with her birthday stuff:
I want to swim:
Joey's dad:
Awful pic, me trying to smile when I obviously don't want to, after the night from hell
And the BEST picture of the night (sums it up perfectly):
Wedding day is next!!! Whoo Hoo!!!!!
I was in a really bad wedding funk for awhile, and had to take a break. But I *think* I am ready to get this thing done! Definitely in a better place!
: Who knows? But it was SOOO cute!!!
Anyway, the GPS sucked and had us going on the FL Turnpike. Im thinking, I can get us there so much easier without having to go on the toll road. I used to live in Orlando for a short while back in college, and I am semi-familiar with the area. So we used my phones GPS and by-passed the turnpike. While we are navigating crazy Orlando traffic and trying not to be so late, MOH2 decides to call her husband and fill him in on whats been going on with his family. This is all done over the cars speakers so I am sitting there feeling mighty uncomfortable and stressed out as they have a family crisis. 
Good thing we are headed to a massage and a facial to relax us! So in the midst of the phone call, MOH2 misses our turnoff and we have to back track. When we finally get to the address that the GPS took us, we are in what seems to be a residential neighborhood filled with townhomes. We walk up to the door, but there are no signs anywhere. So we go through a side gate and try there. Nothing. MOH2 calls them and we try the front door again. Locked. So now, we are SUPER stressed out and about 20 minutes late. The girl finally answers the phone, and the door at the same time, and thank goodness, we are in the right place. I have a pounding headache by this point and all my muscles are knotted up. Thank god Im getting a massage!!! 
What program did you use to design your wedding emblem on your bags and door hangers? I'm on an iPad 2, which is the only thingi have to use. And how did you make it an iron on,purchased iron on fabric from michaels or a craft store and printed directly on it?
Glad you are following along! Now if only I could keep track of my report! haha! 
