Goodbye Earl!

Dear Hurricane Earl,

We would appreciate it if you would not attend our wedding. We did not invite you; you didn't RSVP; you didn't even send a gift. While we would have been entertained by the presence of your compatriots (Hurricane Danielle and the as yet unnamed Hurricane Eric), you leave us cold and rainy on the inside of our sunny happy souls.

We would also appreciate it if you had a chat with the good folks over at the Weather Channel to explain your upcoming travels. They are clearly confused, as they are simultaneously reporting a hurricane on Saturday morning and sunny weather with a high of 77 degrees.

We hope you enjoy your as yet uncharted trip out to the Atlantic, far away from our happy wedding. Perhaps you and Hurricane Danielle will find--out on the blue, tumultuous seas--the same joy that we have here on dry, sunny land.

Thank you and goodbye!

Sincerely yours,
D&E

Mike and Gail arrive!

Yesterday we greeted Mike and Gail (Eric's parents) here in Watertown! They drove all the way from Iowa and wanting to make sure our place was a calm, relaxing respite after the long drive, we both were cleaning non-stop! I made chicken glazed with real Vermont maple syrup and Dijon mustard that was topped with roasted apples. Then I made penne with my dad's cheese sauce, added a little nutmeg, and lots of broccoli and peas, and yum! A meal! We topped it off with some homemade ice cream and a Vicar of Dibley episode about when the Vixter first meets her husband. Oh, and Gail and Mike helped us take pictures of us with our eyebrows at the same height for the New York Times submission I sent in four weeks too late! Of course, none of us believe it'll actually get in since I missed the deadline, but you should have seen Mike going, "Okay Danielle, about an inch up; oh no, Eric, now you have to go up too! Wait, now, Eric, slouch a little." It was pretty awesome and well-worth the laugh even though the photo won't be appearing in public anytime soon!

Last Date Night!

Last night, after picking up Eric's ring, we went out to dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. After sitting down and scouring the menu for something reasonably priced and healthy (so we will look beautiful in our gown and tux), we realized that we had reached a huge milestone: our last date night before marriage!

That changed everything. We ordered an appetizer that was full of fat. We ordered whatever we wanted--even if it was the priciest thing on the menu, which neither of ours was. We even let ourselves order drinks in souvenir cups (but it turned out that neither of us wanted them, so we skipped that part).

We were seated next to this mist-creating vent, so romantic wisps of white air kept whooshing around us! What a send-off to married life!

A&E Wedding Consultants, Inc. Update

As many of you know, A&E Wedding Consultants, Inc. have been an integral part of our wedding planning process, and as always, their customer service is impeccable! Recently, they traveled up to Boston to take care of some last minute responsibilities. Here they are making a home visit:



CEO Aidan taking our mystery first dance CD to the DJ.



President and Founder Elle helping me pick out a post-wedding breakfast dress. "You have to make sure it's mature yet relaxed" was her mantra.



CEO Aidan with the proof of the bulletin, "I'm glad to see that you made those changes I suggested."



President and Founder Elle off to the printers. "We need 200 copies, stat!"



A&E Wedding Consultants, Inc. know how to keep their customers happy. They make sure to comp a meal for all their clients:



And also to sneak in a round of golf or pool time!



In fact, so committed to their clients are they that they hire a rising middle management official to chauffeur their vehicle, so as to allow them more time for important business matters.



And they take their in-house butler with them on out of town trips to pack their belongings and bring them drinks.

Self-Made Wedding Cake

When we first started planning, before I found the perfect wedding cake, I thought several times about baking my own. Dissuaded by many, I did not attempt it, but now that NPR did a report on self-made wedding cakes, I might just give it a shot for our, uh, six month anniversary or something! Here's the link!

Trader Reverend Joe, the Officiant!

Our Trader Joe's newsletter came today, and on the back was a picture of a bride and groom getting married with the minister saying this to them: "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may combine shopping lists and share a cart."

We're officially grocery wed!

Hurricane Danielle

I'll have to talk to my hurricane to let it know not to swing by on our wedding day!

Translating Genesis

Yesterday, my friend Alexis and I got together to relive our time studying biblical Hebrew in Israel and to do a little translating. The task: translate the first reading for our wedding from Hebrew into English. The text we were looking at was the beginning of Genesis 29, where Jacob first sees Rachel, and we quickly noticed some differences between traditional translations and the Hebrew in front of us.

Case in point: in the Hebrew, Jacob approaches a well with three flocks of sheep, and Rachel is quite literally introduced as "Rachel who came with the sheep," as if she was a member of the flock! Of course, that's not really what it meant--the gist is more like, "Rachel, who was traveling with the sheep." We were also quite surprised to find Rachel described as a shepherdess, a detail that gets left out of English translations.

This made Alexis exclaim, "Wow, Rachel the career woman! What a great idea for an ancient Barbie doll!"

I followed with, "Indeed--and it would totally transform the traditional Bo Peep poem. Imagine: 'Shepherdess Rachel did not lose her sheep, and knew exactly where to find them!"

This all brought us lots of laughter, and it made us nostalgic for the days when translating was our full-time gig! But it also was a great occasion for us to think about how to best translate the Hebrew into English in a way that both kept the spirit of the ancient text and also brought it to life for us today. Hope we succeeded!

Welcome (almost) to New York and our wedding!

In preparation for your travels, we put together a guide to New York City area attractions and restaurants, as well as some important times and directions for our wedding day. Those of you staying at the Yale Club will get a printout of this when you arrive, hence why all the directions to sites are from the Yale Club. I'm also including links here when possible.

Hope this is helpful, and we are so excited to see you in a few weeks!

Wedding Specific Information

Directions to the Church of the Incarnation:

Walking: Turn right out of the Yale Club and walk to the corner (44^th Street). Turn right onto 44^th Street and walk one block to Madison Avenue. Make a left onto Madison Avenue and walk 9 blocks down to 35^th Street. The church will be on the corner of 35^th and Madison. Estimated walk time: about 15 minutes; New York City blocks are not long.

Subway: Cross the street from the Yale Club and head into Grand Central. Within Grand Central is a subway stop for the 4, 5, 6, and S trains. Take the 6 subway to 33^rd Street. When you get out of the subway, you will be at 33^rd and Park. Walk two blocks north along Park Street to 35^th Street, then turn left. Walk one block to Madison Avenue and the church will be on your righthand corner.

By cab: The Yale Club valets standing outside the club can hail you a cab. When you get inside, request Madison and 35^th Street. Fare should be $5.00. It is customary to tip cab drivers (in this case 1 dollar would be fine). Also, cabs in New York do take credit cards.

In case you are running late and are wondering which mode of transportation will be fastest, depending on traffic, it will most likely be cab, subway, walking. That said, because the church isn’t too far from the Yale Club, they will all take between 10-15 minutes (or 20 if you walk slowly), so there isn’t a huge difference.

List of Planned Wedding Events:

Saturday:

3:30: Prelude music begins at the Church of the Incarnation (Madison & 35^th St.) (the choir is amazing, so definitely try to get there early to hear them!)

4:00: Wedding Ceremony. Weather permitting, following the wedding, we will be walking back to the Yale Club for the reception accompanied by a bagpiper playing Scottish tunes, to commemorate the place where we met!

6:30: Cocktail hour

7:30-11:30: Dinner and dancing!

Danielle and Eric’s Engagement Guide to New York

As many of you know, we got engaged in New York! On engagement day, Eric planned a scavenger hunt-style trip to many of Danielle’s early childhood faves. Here is a list of them in case you’d like to visit yourselves!

St. John the Divine: The first stop on our engagement day was St. John the Divine, one of the largest cathedrals in the world. We both thought the building was beautiful and haunting. It is still a work in progress, so you will see that some parts of the Cathedral still aren’t finished (there was also a fire a few years ago that damaged one of the transepts, so they are fixing that as well). It is a striking piece of architecture and a rare quiet place in the city. St. John the Divine is situated next to Columbia University, so it might be a good time to stroll through the campus there as well. Open 7-6. To get to the Cathedral, take the Shuttle from Grand Central to Times Square, then transfer to the 1 or 9 uptown. Exit at the 110^th Street stop and then walk east down 110^th Street to Amsterdam Avenue. The Cathedral will be right in front of you. If you want a quick bite to eat after your Cathedral visit, consider stopping in at Tom’s Restaurant, the place that Elaine, Kramer, and Seinfeld frequently ate on the hit show (there it was known as Monk’s Café). You’ll recognize the façade if you were fans of the show. It’s located at 112^th and Broadway.

Museum of Natural History: The second stop on our engagement day! Be sure to check out the dinosaurs and the giant blue whale room—those are definitely our favorite locations! The building is beautiful, the atmosphere light-hearted, and it’s a great place to learn about everything from redwood trees to fossils to human evolution. We both highly recommend it! Hours are 10-5:45 daily. To get there from the Yale Club, take the Shuttle from Grand Central to Times Square; transfer to the C to 81^st Street and Central Park West. When you get out of the subway, walk two blocks south along Central Park West to 79^th Street. There is a suggested donation of $16 for admission ($12 for students and seniors).

Central Park: After visiting the Museum of Natural History, we lunched at Tavern on the Green, but since it is currently closed, we suggest a daytime stroll in the park itself. The easiest way to get to Central Park is to take the 4, 5, or 6 from Grand Central to 59^th. You will exit at 59^th and Lexington. When you exit, walk three blocks west along 59^th Street to 5^th Avenue and voila! You will be right at the entrance! At this southern corner of Central Park, you will also see The Plaza Hotel and, if you turn left down 5^th Avenue, halfway down the block on your left is FAO Schwarz.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art: This is the place where it all started—the location where Eric proposed! This museum is well worth a full day, but if you’re strapped for time, be sure not to miss the medieval art gallery, the room is the Tiffany stained glass windows, or the Egyptian art area, especially the room with The Temple of Dendur. This is the room where Eric proposed! Plus, it’s exceedingly beautiful! To get to the Metropolitan Museum, take the 4, 5, or 6 from Grand Central to 86^th Street and walk three blocks west along 86^th to 5^th Avenue. Hours are 9:30-5:30 (Tuesday-Thursday, Saturday) and 9:30-9 (Friday and Saturday). Recommended admission is $20 for adults; $15 for seniors, and $10 for students.

Times Square: Following our engagement, we capped off the day with a visit to The View Lounge at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. The View is the only revolving restaurant in the world, and while its menu is pricy, you can go and sip a beverage in the lounge for a more reasonable price (though still above normal). The atmosphere is relaxed in the lounge and you can sit for hours as it revolves; wait staff provide napkins with a map of the New York City skyline, so you can tell what you’re looking at. The View is also a great place to go for a nightcap after seeing a Broadway show…speaking of which…TKTS offers half-price same day tickets to Broadway shows and is located right in the center of Times Square (Broadway & 47^th, to be precise, right under the red steps). Be ready to queue up early and be flexible, in case your show isn’t available. For evening performances every day except Tuesday, the hours are 3-8; on Tuesday, they are 2-8. For matinees on Wednesdays and Saturdays, hours are 10-2, for Sunday matinees, hours are 11-3. This is a great way to see a show and save some dough (hey—that rhymed)! To get to Times Square in general from the Yale Club, walk west along 42^nd Street (10 minutes) or take the Shuttle from Grand Central to Times Square.

Other Sites:

We couldn’t get to every single New York great in a day, so here are some of our other suggestions for activities!

The Empire State Building (33^rd and 5^th Avenue): Approximately a 20 minute walk from the Yale Club. Alternatively, you can take the 6 downtown from Grand Central Station to 33^rd Street. The Observation Deck is a great way to see the New York City skyline. Admission price is $18 ($16 if you’re a senior) and is located on the 82^nd floor of the building. For an additional $15, you can go to the observation deck on the 102^nd floor. Hours are 8am-2am (last elevator goes up at 1:15am). We suggest going to the observation deck at night to get the most romantic views! Plus, it will likely be less crowded than during the daytime. Located on the 2^nd floor of the Empire State Building is the New York Skyride, a virtual tour simulator (adventure tour) of New York narrated by Kevin Bacon. Tickets can be purchased alone or along with an observation deck pass. Hours for the Skyride differ slightly from the observation deck (8am-10pm). Fun fact: the lights at the top of the Empire State Building change depending on the time of year. For our wedding, lights will be red, white, and blue in honor of Labor Day.

Grand Central Terminal: Located right across the street from the Yale Club, Grand Central is one of New York’s two train stations (the other being Penn Station). In addition to transporting commuters to Westchester and Connecticut, Grand Central has a beautiful interior that is definitely worth popping in to see! The ceiling of the terminal has constellations that seem to glow in the dark at night, mirroring the night sky. In the basement of the terminal is a food court serving everything from Kosher to Indian cuisine. Though a bit pricy by food court standards, the food is usually very good, especially the gelato from Caio Bella. We strongly recommend trying the dark chocolate sorbet if it’s in (which it seems to rarely be). Also of note is the store Oliviers & Co. which is located on the main concourse of the terminal and sells high end olive oil and vinegar, which they will be happy to give you tastes of! Open 24 hours a day. Handy Fact: There is a subway station located within Grand Central Terminal. This is the closest subway stop to the Yale Club.

New York City Bus Tours: We’ve never done one in New York, but we’ve both done them in other cities and have had great experiences. There are a variety of companies with bus tours that leave from Times Square and buses leave pretty regularly throughout the day. Eric’s parents are doing a Gray Line tour; their office is at 1560 Broadway at Times Square.

Rockefeller Center (5^th Avenue between 49^th and 50^th): At Christmastime, this is the location of the famed ice skating rink and Christmas Tree. There is an observation deck located at Rockefeller Center called Top of the Rock, but we would suggest visiting the Empire State Building instead. Instead, it’s best to visit this site along with Radio City Music Hall (Avenue of the Americas and 49^th)and St. Patrick’s Cathedral (5^th Avenue and 50^th). All are about a 20 minute walk from the Yale Club.

Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) (53^rd and Avenue of the Americas): Wonderful modern art museum located near Rockefeller Center! A definite must for art and museum lovers. At the time of our wedding, there will be a special exhibit on women photographers, New York’s Waterfront, and London subway posters. Hours are 10:30-5:30 except on Thursday, when they’re open until 8:45, and Friday when they’re open until 8. Closed on Tuesdays. Admission is $20 ($16 for seniors, $12 for students with ID). Free audio tours are available at the museum.

Lincoln Center (65^th and Broadway): An architectural wonder To get there from the Yale Club, take the S (shuttle) from Grand Central to Times Square, then take the 1 uptown to Lincoln Center (66^th Street). Concerts are pretty limited at this time of year, but on the upside, there is free Wi-Fi on the plaza at Lincoln Center if you want to sit outside and people-watch!

United Nations (42^nd and 1^st Avenue, right on the East River): About a 10 minute walk from the Yale Club. Tours are conducted at the United Nations from 9:45-4:45 and last about 45 minutes. Guests have an opportunity to see the General Assembly Hall where the UN Security Council meets as well as historic objects, such as remnants from the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. Prices are $16 ($11 for students and seniors).

Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum: To be honest, neither of us has ever been here (or at least remembers going), so we don’t have much in the way of knowledge or recommendations to offer. What we can say is that the Intrepid was an aircraft carrier that has been transformed into a museum, and exhibitions include everything from old concorde jets to G-force flight simulators. It’s located right on the Hudson River. To get there, you can either walk from the Yale Club for about 25 minutes straight down 42^nd Street (you will pass Times Square along the way), or you can take the subway from Grand Central (the S or the 7) to Times Square, and then either walk for about 15 minutes down 42^nd Street to the water or take the M-42 bus (just ask someone at the subway where the bus stops). Hours are 10-5, except Saturday, Sunday, and holidays when it’s 10-6; admission is $24 for adults; $20 for students and seniors.

Chinatown/Little Italy: Chinatown has encroached upon Little Italy in recent years making it more like “Tiny Sicily” but both neighborhoods are definitely worth walking around for their cultural atmosphere. Ask at the Yale Club for directions and restaurant suggestions in these neighborhoods.

Brooklyn Bridge: No trip to New York City is complete without a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge! It was the first suspension bridge in the United States and the longest in the world until 1903; it connects Brooklyn and Manhattan and can be crossed by foot or car or bike. It’s a great walk if you have some energy! After you get back, walk a couple of blocks to Chinatown for a yummy meal to restore your energy! To get there, take the 4, 5, or 6 from the Yale Club (about 20-25 minutes) and get off at the Brooklyn Bridge stop. Open 24 hours—great activity for sunset!

Circle Line Cruises: These boats take you around Manhattan on a variety of different tours. Some leave at sunset for romantic views of the city, some go entirely around the island and show you the Brooklyn Bridge, all 5 boroughs, etc., and some focus just on the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. They range in time from 75 minutes to 3 hours and in price cost between $26-35 (senior citizens 23-30). For detailed information, ask the concierge at the Yale Club or visit their sales office at Pier 83, off of 42^nd Street. They can also be reached at 212-563-3200.

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island: It’s the site many of our relatives saw when they first reached this country and the historic entry point to the US. Boats leave regularly for both sites from the southern tip of Manhattan at Battery Park. To get there from the Yale Club, take the 4 or 5 Express to Bowling Green. You can walk from there to Battery Park. Plan to go between 8:30-6 (the last boat back from Ellis Island/Liberty Island is around 6). Ticket and ferry price is $12 ($10 senior); audio tours are available for an addition 8 dollars ($7 senior).

Cloisters: The Cloisters is not easy to get to by public transportation but it is well worth the trip if you have some time. Located at the northern tip of Manhattan, it houses the medieval art collection from the Metropolitan Museum. The Cloisters building itself is a piece of medieval art—five medieval European buildings were disassembled, transported across the Atlantic, and reassembled to form the current structure. The Cloisters not only houses spectacular art, it also is home a peaceful garden to some of the best views of the Hudson River. Hours are 9:30-5:15 (closed on Mondays). Admission is $20 ($15 for seniors; $10 for students). (Tickets can also be purchased jointly with a Metropolitan Museum of Art pass). To get there by public transit, take S (shuttle) from Grand Central to Times Square, then take the A uptown to 190^th St. Walk North along Margaret Corbin Drive for approximately 10 minutes and you will see the entrance to the Museum. This trip will take quite some time—probably about an hour or slightly longer—but it is definitely worth it. It’s one of the most peaceful places in the city and a favorite of the Tumminios!

Restaurants:

So, so many to recommend! Here are just a few! If you want further suggestions, feel free to ask us or the concierge at the Yale Club!

Ray’s Pizza: Mmmmm….best pizza in New York. Period. Best. Prices start at about $2.25 a slice and vary slightly based on what toppings you get. One or two slices is definitely a meal. Lcations are all over Manhattan. Ask at the Yale Club (or anywhere else you might be in Manhattan) for the nearest Ray’s! And if you want to be really New York, there’s no time for forks and knives—fold the pizza slice, pick it up, and take a bite!

H&H Bagels: Can’t do New York without a bagel, right? Many, many places in New York have amazing bagels, but this place is reputed to be the best. There are a variety of locations within New York, so ask around for what’s nearest to where you are at the moment where the bagel urge strikes! Your bagel will likely cost between $2-4 dollars, depending on what fillings you put in it.

Ollie’s: A quick Chinese restaurant that’s a high school favorite of mine (Danielle’s). I came here with my high school chorus and high school friends here. It’s a fast and reasonably priced New York restaurant. I’m a huge fan of the sesame noodles with peanut sauce and the veggie dumplings (both of which are appetizers but together constitute a meal) and the orange chicken. Pretty much everything here is delicious! Ollie’s has two locations—one at 68^th and Broadway (near Lincoln Center) and one at Times Square (42^nd St. near 9^th—the restaurant recently moved from another location, so I’m not positive that’s actually where it is, but the internet tells me that’s where it went!) Expect to spend $7-10 on entrees; appetizers are less. There is never a wait here and service is very quick, so it’s a great place to stop in for a bite without too much stress on your wallet or your time!

Max Brenner: Chocolate heaven! It’s a chocolate restaurant, and while it does have real food (everything from paninis to salads to French toast), it’s the fondues and cakes and everything else chocolate that’s amazing. We highly recommend it. To get there from the Yale Club, take the 4, 5, or 6 from the Yale Club downtown to Union Square/14^th Street. The restaurant is on Broadway between 13 and 14. Be prepared to wait at peak hours; there’s usually a line, especially on weekends. Expect to spend $12-$15 per entrée (no menu was online, but this is what we remember paying).

Peanut Butter & Company: We came here with our friend Michelle on a trip to the Village, so if you want to explore Greenwich Village and then sit on a bench at Washington Square surrounded by erudite NYU students and have some luxurious peanut butter sandwiches, this is the way to do it! Though there are a few seats inside the small restaurant, it’s mostly for takeout. They have a variety of peanut butter flavors and toppings and bread types. We’re big fans of the fluffernutter, the Elvis (with bananas and honey), the sample peanut butter platter, which comes with veggies to dip in all the different peanut butter flavors, and the death by peanut butter sundae. Prices for sandwiches are about $7, but the sandwiches are large and quite filling. There are non-peanut butter options for those with nut allergies or those who (gasp) do not like the stuff! To get there from the Yale Club, walk west down 42^nd Street to the Bryant Park stop (near the intersection of 42^nd and 5^th). Take the D train downtown to W. 4 Street/Washington Square. Exit near the intersection of W. 3^rd and 6^th. Walk East along West 3^rd Street for about 3 blocks and then turn right onto Sullivan Street where the restaurant is located (240 Sullivan Street).

Some Final Tips

New York City consistently ranks as one of the top 10 safest cities in the country. That said, here are some quick safety precautionary measures:

1. Don’t flaunt your wallet or carry it in an easy to access place (i.e. inside of an open bag).
2. Keep your cell phone handy
3. Don’t travel to areas of the city that are less safe in the late evenings. Fortunately, less safe areas of the city also usually coincide with minimal tourist attraction parts of the city, so it is unlikely you will be in them. Areas to avoid include Harlem and the Bronx, both of which are north of Manhattan.
4. The subway is quite safe and a fast and convenient mode of transportation, the caveat being the occasional pickpocket—hence, #1 above.

We hope this guide will be helpful to you as you organize your time in New York. Please let us know if you have any questions and thank you so, so much for coming to our wedding!

Update

Paula is now instructing Miss Rosalynn to pour a stick of melted butter onto brown sugar and then add toffee pieces. Mr. Jimmy is cutting out pieces of high fat dough and talking about the development of the second atomic submarine.

I am still drinking my smoothie.

Eating with Paula

In an effort to be like every other bride, I am watching my meals prior to the wedding (not in the least because I plan on making Marilyn's chocolate chip cookies tonight!), so I am having a smoothie with soy nut butter, blueberries, whey protein, and cinnamon while--in the ultimate act of irony--watching Paula Deen cooking with Jimmy Carter. She has just instructed him to melt what appears to be an entire container of butter!

New York Sightseeing Pass

Just thought I'd pass this link along for out-of-towners!

Oh Darn!

D to E this evening: Oh no! My dress doesn't do this!

E to D: That's okay, babe--you've got class!

Judge for yourselves. Here's the link to the video in question.

We have a Mini-Moon Destination!

My Aunt Ronnie and Uncle Carmine encouraged us to get going on our mini-moon, and--after some encouragement from Kat and her friend Dave--we finally booked something! We're going to New Orleans and staying at the W! We can't wait to let you know how it is!

The Choir

Last week, I went out to Ivoryton, Connecticut, where the girls' choir that is singing at our wedding was at choir camp. They were spending the week rehearsing music for our wedding, and when I arrived, the girls exclaimed, "It's Danielle!"

Before we shared dinner together, they sang some of the music for me that they'd been rehearsing. The first piece they sang--The Father's Love--was the first anthem I sang with my choir growing up as a little girl. I remember coming home from that first rehearsal and singing it every day until our next rehearsal, including in the shower! So it was incredibly moving to hear a new generation of girls sing it, some of them for the first time. They made wonderful eye contact while they were singing and smiled at me, and I definitely got a little weepy! They also sang John Scott's arrangement of How Can I Keep from Singing, and I joined them to sing John Rutter's For the Beauty of the Earth; it was a real privilege for me to blend my voice to theirs, as they are incredibly disciplined, talented young ladies. It was also really special to me that the girls and their choir director had put in so much time and energy into making beautiful music for us and our friends and family. What a gift!

At dinner (which was preceded by a multi-part sung blessing), I asked the girls whether they liked the music that we'd picked and they got so excited. One girl even said, "I love the anthems so much! They are so, so...so....so....so....um....they're really so nice!" I tried to pick the music I had loved as a child, so I was glad to hear they loved it too.

Another girl asked whether I had sung with their choir as a child. I said to her, "This choir didn't exist when I was little girl. I sang with a girls' choir on Long Island." Without missing a beat, she then said, "Oh, so they were your family?"

What a very powerful comment and a true one in many ways: I didn't always get along with the other choir girls, but we had to learn to sing together, to be together three, four, sometimes six or seven times a week. And even if we didn't particularly like each other, the music seemed to bind us together and affect us all in such deep ways.

After returning from that evening at choir camp, I sent facebook messages and e-mails to the girls from my choir for whom I still have contact information. I told them about the music for our service, and several of them who are already married responded by telling me how they had chosen the same pieces or other ones we sang as children. Some had corralled fellow choristers from our childhood to sing; some had hired our Cathedral's choir, with its new group of girls. Some, like me, looked to other musical voices with whom we had become acquainted in our adult years. A couple even asked if they could come to the service because they never got to hear that music anymore, and they missed it.

All amazing stuff! We hope you enjoy the music from the girls choir and the adults who will be joining them! If you can, make sure to get to the church around 3:30 to hear the prelude music!

Musical Prelude

Just to foreshadow some of the beautiful tunes at our wedding, here is a youtube clip of one of the pieces we're playing! Si Te Quiero is a piece I sang in 9th grade when I was away at a New York State program for high school singers. The soloist from when I was at the program will be at the wedding and reprising his performance!

Something old, new, etc.

Today we completed the items needed for the old superstition: something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. We already had something old (my grandma's wedding ring, which I had sized to fit me), something new (my dress), and something blue (Maid of Honor Meri bought some blue items for under the dress). Remaining, however, was the something borrowed.

So after going to New York to talk with the florist and do a makeup trial run, my mom and I went to Julie's, where we went through all of her bracelets to find the perfect one for the wedding day! We settled on a beautiful opal bracelet that her mom and dad gave her one year for Christmas. It matches the dress really well, and will definitely remind me of her presence on the 4th!

In other wedding news: I had my first fitting yesterday. There wasn't much in the way of alterations--they added straps and measured for the bustle. They also had to adjust the hoop a little. We're also getting close to complete with the bulletins. Yippy!

Less than a month to go!

The Mennonites on Marriage

When I was walking along Boston Common several weeks ago, I saw a Mennonite choir singing and stopped to listen. They were dressed in old fashioned suits and long cotton dresses. They sang traditional hymns interspersed with Bible readings. While listening to them, my eye caught this pamphlet, one among many that they had set up nearby:

Thinking about Marriage

Well, I am, I thought, and took one as I was leaving. The bulletin was set up with a list of right and wrong conceptions people have about marriage, with an explanation of both. Here are some of the highlights (accompanied by personal commentary):

Wrong: You marry for what you get out of it.

Marriage does have much to offer, but sometimes people only want to get and not give. In the end, both suffer.

Right: Marriage requires love, loyalty, and sacrifice from both husband and life.

Each must seek to bring out the best in the other person. "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord" (Ephesians 5:22). "Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered" (1 Peter 3:7). All the ills of marriage can be cured by following this advice.

Commentary: All the ills of marriage? Really?

Wrong: Marriage is bondage, which only makes the grass greener on the other side of the fence.

Some people seem to think marriage puts up a fence between them and real living. So they cross the fence sometimes or wish they had the nerve to do so.

Right: Marriage protects the purity of the race.

Adultery, fornication, and cohabitation are cheap substitutes that destroy the moral fiber of society. "Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge" (Hebrews 13:4). "To avoid fornication let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband" (1 Corinthians 7:2).

Commentary: Hmm...when was the last time I've heard the word whoremongers? And was race really the right word to use in this context?

Wrong: Marriage is based on feelings of love.

This is a common misunderstanding. Certainly, love belongs in a marriage, but the sensation of love is not the glue that holds a marriage together. If it were, any marriage could fall apart at any minute.

Right: Marriage is based on legitimate commitment.

"When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed" (Ecclesiastes 5:4). The bride and the groom give their word before God to love and cherish each other, to share the joys and sorrows of life, and to keep themselves only for each other as long as they both shall live. They know that God holds them to that promise. The love of God in their hearts i the basis for that commitment and makes it work.

Commentary: Oh, well this just solves everything.

We're not Luddites anymore!

Just a quick post before our morning bootcamp because I haven't posted in awhile. We didn't have internet until yesterday, and we celebrated last night by watching cable television--which we haven't had in over a year! Eric took responsibility for the remote, flipped through the channel guide three times. We gave Ace of Cakes a shot; we tried the season premiere of 19 Kids and Counting, but it was all too overwhelming for us.

As Eric said: "Hundreds of channels, and there still isn't anything on!"

So what did we do? How I Met Your Mother DVD to the rescue!