Does anybody read these?

I'm home...

So, I'm back. And I didn't blog at all. I didn't check my e-mail, and currently I am procrastinating on checking my online banking because I spent way too much money last week.

(By the way, for those who wanted me to blog, I read in a poll in Glamour on the plane that blogging from vacation is very uncool. Who would I be to be uncool?)

Monday after work I rushed over to Suki's (the lady who does all my alterations) and grabbed the extra fabric from my dress so mom could make dad one of those things to tuck into his suit pocket. After that, I came home and packed and was in bed by 10 p.m. because I had to leave at 4 a.m. to get to the airport. (Damn time change!) I flew out of Chattanooga to save about $250, but I'm not sure how convenient it was. Probably next time I'll get a hotel nearby so I don't have to make that drive so early in the morning -- especially if I pulled a muscle in my back.

Florida is hotter than a mother, and I thought I lived in the South. You've never seen humidity like that before in your life. I picked up my rental car, but I was so frazzled trying to find it that I left my suitcase in the little courtyard outside the airport. Thank goodness I found it before TSA did and blew it up.

Florida is also pretty damn long. Estela decided to meet me in Miami, so I didn't have to stop in Okeechobee to pick her up. That meant a four-hour drive from Orlando. Wow, I just drove and drove. And while I was close to the ocean, I never even saw it that first day. And the traffic. Traffic in Miami is insane. And it's always insane, even at 11 p.m. Wild.

We went to the Marlins game on Tuesday, and I learned that Marlins sounds a lot like Tuesday (which it was) in Spanish. Just don't ask, "Why does he keep saying 'Martes'?" Everyone will laugh at you.

Wednesday we woke up late, and then ran wedding errands. Finally I spent two hours at the beach, which I thought was well-deserved. I didn't drive all that way to not see the ocean. Of course, that evening I met up with Rosanne on Hollywood Beach for supper and we had a great time. There was fresh seafood and Key lime pie, but no rum. The restaurant was pricy, but it was absolutely delicious.

After dinner, I drove back to Okeechobee, where I realized that there are still places in the world where my cell phone won't work. Luckily Estela met me at Family Dollar and got me to her house.

Thursday was spent running around Okeechobee with more wedding errands. We worked on the very cool wedding favors. After several delays due to weather, my parents arrived around 3 p.m. A few of the girls who were already in town went to West Palm Beach for dinner, and then we went shopping. Not that I should be spending money, but I got a Liz Claiborne top and the cutest capri jeans for $18.

Friday was more wedding errands, and then I got a little bit of "me" time. I got my nails done and spent an hour by the pool before I went to the rehearsal dinner. We had it right at the resort, and it was a lot of fun. It was nice to see many of my relatives that I hadn't seen for a while. Just about everyone was in town.

After the dinner, a whole bunch of us went to this cowboy bar called 8 Seconds. It was pretty dead, and I had to pay a cover. We all know that I don't pay covers at bars. I just don't have to. Oh well. I was having fun until it suddenly transformed into a dance club that was no longer playing honkytonk music. I was so tired from the week's excitement that I fell asleep sitting at the table while everyone else danced. But it was fun.

I crashed at the hotel, not even remembering falling asleep. The next morning, I got up at 7, had mom press my dress and headed to Estela's to get ready. It was a lot of fun, but we did have some excitement when my aunt's rental car broke down at Wal-mart. We finally found Estela's brother, Adam, who is a mechanic, and he helped us out.

The wedding was beautiful. We all looked wonderful, and it was amazing to see the blending of the two cultures. There were many times that my Spanish-language skills were tested over the week. My dancing skills were also tested, but I think I did OK. The food was amazing, although we had some blips getting everything ready for the reception, including me threatening to punch a lady who worked at the hall. I was just exhausted from the week and didn't need one more thing to go wrong. I left the reception a little early to go back to the hotel and pack because I had to leave at 4 a.m. today to get to the airport.

On the way to the airport I got a little lost and almost missed my flight. I really hope that I did the after-hours check-in for the rental car OK, because I just shoved my keys in there and ran with three bags to the check-in counter. I made it just in the nick of time, but I may have shouted "I'm coming, please let me check in" through tears across the terminal. I got there just in time to board, and then a few hours later I was home.

I took my back medicine and slept, and now here I am.

I know I'm missing so much, but I wanted to give you an update. I took a few pictures, but y'all know that I am not very good at remembering to take pictures.

It was a lot of hard work, but we've added a wonderful woman to our family. I'm so lucky to finally have a sister, and it seems like we've known each other forever. I also saw many friends that I haven't seen for so long.

Now it's back to reality, and I'm totally not ready for that. It'll be OK. I just need to stay close to home this week. I haven't seen my schedule at the Land of Misfit Toys, but I'm hoping they were really kind to me.

Not that I couldn't use the money ... I still haven't gotten the courage to look at my online banking yet...

posted by Laura at 5:04 PM