The Honeymoon

Bluch, we had kind of a mediocre weekend. I think that we are suffering a bit from the blues of having a regular person life instead of a people-who-are-planning-a-wedding-and-honeymoon life. Paul asked me to marry him on March 29, 2005 and so for the next two years exactly we planned and schemed and filled out immigration forms and then in one fell swoop it was all over. Of course, there is still a lot to do, immigration wise (more on that later) and that one fell swoop got us what we wanted, ultimately, but we still have a bit of sadness.

So, before all of our trip drifts away on wisps of memory let me tell you about it. On Wednesday (the 28th) after Paul got home from work we packed up the puppies and brought them over to Josh and Gibby's then came home and packed up our massive quantites of stuff and headed out for the 3 1/2 hour drive to Pigeon Forge. We were sleepy but enjoyed the drive and made it in quick time. We had booked the Holiday Inn that is on the same lot as our little chapel so we got our first glimpse of it and it was CUTE! The Holiday Inn was very nice and they knew it was our wedding day the next day so they had put a bunch of helium balloons in our room along with a bottle of sparkling cider and a shot glass that says 'we spent our honeymoon in the Smoky Mountains'. Two side notes though - one, I can't find that damn shot glass which ticks me off cause I remember packing it. And two, if you ever go to sleep in a room with helium balloons you should make sure that they are anchored somewhere because air currents move them around. I woke up to go the bathroom and opened my eyes to see this big dark shadow hovering over me, bouncing and moving around. I nearly pooped myself. The next morning the balloons were over on the other side of the room held in place by Paul's shoe...they had scared him too. Also, re the ballons - one of them had words on it and the message was 'Good Luck'. Don't you find that a bit of an odd sentiment for a couple about to embark on marriage?

Anyway, the next day we went out for breakfast with my mom and sisters and then Paul and I headed over to pick up our marriage licence. At the county clerk's office they barely glanced at our ID and then handed over the licence and said we were done. Paul couldn't believe it and said 'don't we pay you or anything?' I laughed and explained to Paul, again, that I had pre-ordered and prepaid the licence online. I asked him if he understood YET how much time and effort I had put into making sure this was all perfect and ran smoothly. After that we headed to the salon where we were each scheduled for a manicure and I was supposed to get my hair and makeup done. I shan't go into details except to say that all four SUCKED. The woman was terrible; my nails were bubbly, my hair was in poodle tight curls and my makeup was crooked and weird. I didn't quite realize til afterward though just how terrible it was and besides I didn't want to get too upset just before the wedding, so we paid anyway. I did email her when I got home though and indicated exactly how displeased I was. She did all four of our services in an hour and five minutes though so I had time to run back to the hotel and fix everything up so that in the end only my nails were bad and that probably won't show in the pictures.

So I fixed everything to my liking and we both got dressed and walked over to the chapel just a few steps away. The chapel was perfect and the minister and photographer were very nice and accomodating. The flowers we had asked for were just right...it was all just right. We walked down the short aisle together to the song I told you about - Sheep May Safely Graze played on the mandolin and then the minister gave a short talk. He then asked us to repeat our vows, which I managed to do despite my hiccuping sobs, and then exchange rings. Paul was...so handsome standing across from me looking at me with such love and tears in his eyes. It was wonderful.

After that we did an endless stream of pictures (which they post online so we can select, what a great idea). We went back to the hotel then and relaxed for an hour or so before heading to the restaurant. I had asked my parents-in-law to head there before us and put down the little favors we had purchased (notebooks with our names and the date on them and little heart shaped tins with red heart chocolates in them) and they had done that and ensured that we got a lovely table right beside the fireplace. Around the table were my sisters and mom and Paul's parents and aunt and uncle and a family friend. We had great food and great service and got some lovely gifts and cards too. I had purchased a large guest book frame for the guests to sign (since we only had ten people or so there was no point in getting a book for them to sign so I ordered a picture frame with room for a picture of us and then a huge mat around it for people to sign) and we put that on a nearby table so people could get up and write down their wishes for us.

When dinner was over Paul and I nearly fell into bed, exhausted, and slept like the dead til late the next morning. (Thankfully we slept better than the last night when we had the balloon scare as well as a lack of air conditioning. The hotel fixed our a/c while we were out getting married - they rock). For lunch we met my family and then drove the short way out to Gatlinburg (Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville are all very, very close together) and rode the SkyLift! (Dammit, we have a picture of us taken on the SkyLift and Blogger won't let me post it cause its in a tif format. Anyone know how to fix that? But, it was cool, basically a T-Bar style ski lift that carries you up the mountain where you can see stunning views like the one in the pictures that were supposed to post here but didn't because Blogger sucks. I guess I'll have to post the pictures separately. *irritated*)

After that we wandered around Gatlinburg and bought some homemade candy and beef jerky (guess which one of those was for me). We went back to the hotel and packed up our stuff then relaxed for a bit before going out for barbecue with Paul's family and mine. We said goodbye to my family then as they were leaving early the next morning. We had stayed two nights in the expensive Holiday Inn but Paul's parents had booked us for the next two nights in a little motel that was a lot cheaper. So we went to check into that motel and I fell in love with it immediately. When we walked in the door there was another door straight across from us with a deadbolt on it. I asked Paul what that was and he told me to go open it up. I opened the door and discovered...a river! A beautiful little meandering river complete with ducks and muskrats. And then on the other side of the river a vast expanse of lawn with horses grazing on it and a big white farmhouse perched in the middle. There was a little back porch outside the door with lawnchairs on it and Paul and I had one of the highlights of our trip sitting on those chairs that night watching the ducks and fish and listening to the quiet.

The next morning we did a bit of shopping (two pairs of Skechers, black cargo pants and a t-shirt) and then headed towards Gatlinburg again. (Oh and for breakfast we went to IHOP where we were treated to a young girl puking RIGHT outside the front door. Her mom: 'Ah TOLD y'all not to eat those slim jims and then stand out in the haht sun!') We drove slowly up the mountains and then stopped at, ta-da! a British pub in the Smokies! Although my stomach was feeling a bit oocky that day, this was another hightlight of the trip. This big, cool, quiet pub in the middle of the mountains. We sat there for a long time in the silence, just listening and thinking. Then we drove around and visited some of the little arts and crafts shops in the area. Paul bought pickled eggs and pickled garlic and I bought some spices (at a shop where there was a barefoot child ON the counter where they were packing up the food). It was all just adorable. Then we drove to a more urban area and checked out a few shops there. My mom in law treated me to one of those water massages where you remain fully dressed and get in this tanning bed-like machine and the water pummels you until you are just a sack of goo. You should go do that! Then dinner again and home to relax.

The next day we headed off to Tunica, Mississippi. The drive was over seven hours long but absolutely gorgeous. We drove basically straight across Tennessee from east to west and saw, conservatively, maybe 10 billion trees. I took endless pictures out the car window and some of them are quite nice. Near the end of the trip we entered into Mississippi which was...unattractive. I'm sure that there are beautiful parts of Mississippi but not where we were. It was depressingly poor looking and just made me sad. But then suddenly we were in Tunica which, so far as I can tell is just casinos and not actually a town. Our hotel was lovely and our room was done up in dark reds which is always a favorite of mine. As we stood in the lobby waiting to check in I asked Paul what that noise was. He laughed and said 'Jenn, that's casino'. Huh! I had no idea. Casinos are LOUD! We got settled in and then headed down to gamble. Mom showed me how to play the penny slots and on my third press of a button I won $50.50. I sort of forgot momentarily that I need to tone down the insane while around my new parents in law and looked over at her and said 'I LIKE GAMBA-LING!' After a while we went and got the buffet (Paul's parents had enough credits to get it for $1 for each of us which turned out to be too expensive) which was delicious, but please take my advice and beware of buffet alfredo sauce. After a little more gambling we went to the room and had a lovely night.

The next morning we headed to another casino down the road. We had a great lunch and then began wasting money in earnest again. After a few hours though it became clear that I was going to have to go back to our hotel. We walked back and I told Paul to just go have fun for an hour or so and I would nap and then feel better but that was not the case. When Paul came back it was clear that I was going nowhere. He went and had dinner with his family and then came back to check on me. He brought me a magnet (I always get magnets when we travel cause they're a cheap memento) and a KitKat bar from the gift shop and I think when I almost puked at the sight of the KitKat was the first moment when he realized how sick I was. That night was rough but the next morning I was still alive and we headed for home.

The trip home was interesting. We cut across the corner of Mississippi, then through Alabama on to home. We needed gas and directions at one point in Mississippi so we stopped at a gas station. Paul couldn't figure out why the gas wasn't pumping so he went in and told them that it didn't seem to be working. Their response - 'we were waiting for you to come in and pay cause we don't know your face'. Wow. We also tried to ask for directions but had a bit of a tough time since you have not heard a southern accent until you have heard rural Mississippians talk. Even Paul couldn't understand them. We were then happy to leave Mississippi for gorgeous Alabama. We made it home in just over seven hours and then had to unpack the VAST quantities of our stuff. Okay, Paul had to unload it because I could barely move. Then we went and picked up some very happy dogs.

Okay, that was very long. I had intended to write it all and then split it up into two or three sections but Blogger won't let me copy and paste. I don't normally have this much trouble with Blogger so perhaps it is my fault. I'm not fully 100% well yet so let's say that's the trouble. So, sorry about the lengthiness and shortly I shall post the appropriate pictures.