to have and to hold

The wedding is less than two weeks away. Thank goodness it isn't mine, as I would be the next "runaway bride." But my sister, she is so ready, so excited and always put together. After the engagement, December 23, 2010, I was beside myself. Ecstatic for my sister and the reality of finally having a "brother." After being home for the holidays, I made my way back tot he city on December 31. Shortly after, I began writing my Maid of Honor speech. Yet almost every week I have opened the word doc and deleted something, rewrote something, changed a number of things, etc. Now, as you can tell, time is quickly becoming nonexistent.

I'll only be a Maid of Honor once, and in my heart I know like mother like daughter, my sister will have only one wedding. She will be married till the end of time. So clearly there is pressure on this "speech." I'm known for being sarcastic and funny and poke fun at the most inappropriate times, but not here, not with this event. I get one chance and I don't want to screw it up. Can we talk about PRESSURE?

Goodness gracious, I hope I don't get tongue tied, lose my words, or make a fool of myself. The good news is, I'm steering clear of inside jokes, embarrassing memories and well, I'm totally taking my sensitive side through the ringer. More so than not, seems that there are no words to describe the love I have for my sister and that I could not be happier that she has found her soul mate. What says more than love?

Our family might be changing, as we add a little more testosterone to the mix, but the memories of our childhood, of our sisterhood and of the "four of us" will never disappear. There are only greater things to come and more memories to make, and if we have to add a new member to the family, I'm glad is Cory. He is an upstanding man and in two weeks, I will be very proud to call him my brother-in-law.

To the future Mr. and Mrs. Willett. xoxo

pro ipad

My top reads for August

NEW BOOK: The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins

OLD BOOK: Light in August, William Faulkner

REREAD: The Help, Kathryn Sockett

Whether it is an iPad, Nook, Kindle, Kobo Touch... probably the best technology thus far in the 21st century. I, myself have an iPad. Reason being that not only can I play a million games, check the weather, shop online, check my e-mail, but I can show my digital portfolio including more than pieces viewable on my Web site. Whereas that is a professional benefit, my favorite use of the iPad is reading. I am not a very fast reader and never have been. Mostly, because if I tried to read fast I would really miss the point. But e-readers have changed everything. I have been flying through books, novels, scripture. Making notes, highlighting, learning so much.

Top reason I like the iPad for reading. There is a free Nook app and a free Kindle app. So basically it's the best of ALL e-readers. I know this is kind of contradictory to my love of print and the amount of magazines and books I own, but my rational is if I want to read a no brainer, young adult fiction book, I can and not spend $20 on it. But I can carry around Homer's Odyssey and Iliad and not break my back. And since those are two of my favorite novels, I own them, in print and digital. There is no reason you can't have both.

Why do I bring this up now, when e-readers have been around for a few years now? Well, my head has felt like a balloon for two days, my nose is running, my eyes are itching, and it doesn't take a medical degree to know that I have a sinus infection and head cold. This in turn is a perk and the downside of working from home. I might be sick, but I can't take off work, but I can still lay in my PJs, sit in my comfy chair, drinking tea and reading on my iPad, when I'm not working on the laptop.

getaway weekend

What an amazing weekend. After planning my sister's bachelorette weekend since February, it finally happened. And everything went marvelously. The girls arrived on Thursday, four in the afternoon and one later in the evening. After having lunch at Alice's Tea Cup, we swung by my apartment so I could change into my softball clothes. Thursday was the final game of the P&G Ballbuster's season. We didn't win, but boy did we have a great time!

These gals were my best fans of the season. I played first and had a good game.

At the start of the game we were short one girl, so Mickey volunteered to play catcher until the final girl arrived. What a trooper! Mickey's favorite picture of her finance, Cory, is him playing catcher in high school, so it was only fitting that she played catcher. What a sight!

The plans were a surprise, but the hint for this was "see the best view." We ventured to the roof exhibit at the Met and had summer proscecco cocktails and frozen delights!

The line to the McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibit was at least three hours long, so we decided to head back first thing on Saturday morning. Mollie and I were first in line at 8:00 a.m. and the other three girls made it just before the doors opened at 9:30. We didn't have to wait in line at all and it is beyond words, A-mazing!

We stumbled upon a limo Friday evening and had the best driver, Fabian, who drove us to and fro both Friday and Saturday nights. Such a nice surprise!

The weekend wouldn't be complete without a Bride and Maid of Honor picture. The weekend wrapped up Saturday evening with dinner at The Stanton Social and a night of lounging as VIP and dancing the night away at Marquee. Our club days might be over now, but Mickey didn't stop smiling all night. She danced the night away!

I can't thank the girls enough who traveled to New York to celebrate with Mickey and for everyone who sent gifts for the lingerie shower. My sister has the best friends a girl could ask for. It was by far an unforgettable weekend.