Set....

The past few days have been a bit hectic. On Wednesday we packed the Expedition with all our wedding junk and the honeymoon stuff. We folded the rear seats down and stuffed it completely. I didn't realize we had so much stuff to bring down here. We picked up my wedding dress and hung in on the middle seat. I'm glad we had a car this big otherwise I don't know how we would have transported all that.

At 3:30 pm or so we checked into the hotel, unloaded the car and headed for the airport to pick Matt's parents up. We had to wait over an hour for them because the immigration lines were so long. We went out for a meal at night before leaving them to rest.

On Thursday we got up around 8:00 am, had breakfast and took Matt's parents to the rental car place where they had booked a car. We left them there and headed off to run some more wedding errands. We dropped off the cake stand and topper at the bakery, went to the Rusty Pelican to make our final payment and final arrangements and then to the linen place where we ended up renting 9 table cloths to match the sashes on the chairs. At 7:00 pm we met up with the day of coordinator to give her all the wedding stuff to set up and went over some things with her. She's been great to so far. After that we took Matt's parents and brother to Versailles, a very well known Cuban restaurant on 8th street. They liked the food, thankfully.

On Friday we went to Dolphin Mall so I could get a pedicure. We walked around the mall, I got my pedicure and Matt got a manicure. We had lunch at Johnny Rockets and headed back to the hotel so I could go to my 2nd hair trial. I drove all the way up to Pembroke Pines to the salon where my make up and hair for the wedding day lady works. We tried a different updo this time and I really liked it, it was exactly what I wanted.

Today we went in search of hair pins since the ones I ordered online haven't arrived. I am not wearing a tiara but I want some sort of hair accessory so pins are the best way to go. We found them in the first store we stopped at. They are very pretty, if not exactly cheap. We came back to the hotel so we could pack, tidy up, iron our clothes for tomorrow, etc. I had bought a dress for the rehearsal that I liked, I tried it on today and I didn't like how it fit, it seems the dress has shrunk (wink wink). So, after deciding I couldn't wear that dress, Matt and I went shopping for something for me to wear. We walked up and down the mall, I tried on lots of outfits, but in the end, we didn't buy anything. I am just too fat and nothing fits, nothing looks good on me. I tried this one dress on that I actually liked and fit fine but the stupid zipper was broken. After a very disappointing, stressful and downright depressing afternoon at the mall, I came back to the hotel empty handed and with very low spirits.

It was about dinner time and I didn't really wanna eat since I'd been having all these fat issues today but I was dragged out because a couple of friends of ours arrived today from Maryland and Pennsylvania for the wedding and wanted to meet for dinner. We went to yet another Cuban restaurant and as usual, I ended up eating more that I should have. I have concluded that I am a masochist. Every night after I eat I say I'm never eating like that again and then I do the next night and the cycle repeats itself. It's frustrating. I am now freaking out that I won't be able to fit into my wedding dress or stay in it all night. I was able to lose all this weight and now I don't know what happened to my self control.

On the way to the mall we drove by my high school. I hadn't been there since I graduated in 1999. I couldn't believe how much it's changed! They've added fences, benches, outdoor sitting areas, etc. It just looked so different, its not the same school I remember. Even then, I got very nostalgic. All those high school memories flooded my head. My friends, my teachers, classrooms. It was very weird. I never thought I was the nostalgic type but age really does change you. I have found that as I get older I find myself appreciating more the things I had or experienced in the past, like all of a sudden they have some hidden meaning that I never saw before. It made me realize that I am not a kid anymore, I am getting older, maybe even wiser. It just hit me..... "Crap, my 10 year reunion is in just 3 years!" I can't believe it it has been that long since I graduated. I think it was a good idea to have driven there today as I get ready to get married in just 2 days. It's good to reminisce every now and then, specially so close to such a life changing event. It reassures us of who we are and where we can from, how we developed our personalities and characters, which in returns helps us see where are headed and appreciate our accomplishments. Maybe in 3 years I will return to Miami Springs Senior High, the Home of the Golden Hawks for our 10 year reunion, maybe I won't, but what I do know is that it will always have a place in my heart.