Expanding My Horizons

This has easily been the year of the wedding for Dr. F and I, something I'm pretty sure I've mentioned already. However, just to recap:

Oct. 2010: wedding in Princeton, NJ

March 2011: wedding in Vermont*

May 2011: wedding in Maine*

June 2011: weddings in Virginia and New York

July 2011: wedding in DC

Sept. 2011: weddings in Delaware, Virginia, and Pennsylvania

*weddings we didn't actually go to, but still sent gifts*

This list does not include 3 baby showers (one of which I hosted) or the 3 weddings we went to in spring 2010, the July 2012 Philly wedding and Sept. 2012 Fort Lauderdale wedding (which Dr. F is officiating so we have to go)...

Needless to say, it has been a busy and expensive year(s), but wonderful to celebrate so many happy moments for our friends. It has also been super interesting to see the different ways in which people celebrate their weddings. We have been attended everything from a low-key back yard bbq wedding to a Long Island Jewish wedding, to this past weekend's Indian wedding in DC. I feel like I've been on a tour de wedding cultures which totally appeals to my anthropology background. Plus, I really treasure the moment couples say their vows and Dr. F grabs my hand and squeezes it because listening to those promises, its impossible not to reflect on your own wedding vows. It is like a mini-vow renewal each time.

This weekend was also the most different wedding I have attended. It was lavish and colorful and boy, am I glad it wasn't my wedding! There were almost 600 guests at a convention center in DC. The groom rode in on a white horse, there were saris in every color of the rainbow and fireworks over the Potomac River. I mean, the kind of fireworks that get lit from a barge and require permits, not the sparkler kind... The couple had a DJ and an MC (yes, a master of ceremony!) who was totally obnoxious, annnd they played 1 slow song. all. night. BOO :( Dr. F and I were seated at table 44, if that gives you any perspective. This was a shiny, glossy, production and in the end, it didn't feel like the day was celebrating the love of our friends, it was all about the show and left me feeling blah, but that could have just been the Indian food (they didnt serve a single non-Indian morsel despite only half the guests being Indian...a major faux pas in my opinion). Finally, I want to know whose dumb ass idea it was to have a wedding outside, in the middle of July, in DC, at 5:00 pm. One of the guests actually passed out. Oh, and they started 30 min late, so it was really 5:30. UGHH. Anway, enough of my critique... check out some pictures :)

Dr. F doing the "bowling" dance move

Serious business with a pink parasol and watermelon juice

Right before we started to sweat profusely. What a waste of a great hair day...

Ahhh finally inside for the cocktail 2 hr.

beautiful view from the 18th floor of the convention center

the bride, whose handmade sari was STUNNING

The dancers leading the groom's procession

annd he's up!

the bridal party getting down leading the guests to the ceremony

I have a problem...

I have been buying lots of maternity clothes. I am not pregnant. Yet. I just won an action on ebay. For maternity jeans.

Is it bad luck to starting beefing up my wardrobe? I sure hope not...plus this time around I'll be wearing business clothes, not my beloved layered Old Navy tank tops. Oh, and I'll be preggers (fingers crossed) in a completely different set of seasons than last time. I'm justified, right? Just smile and nod...

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There are a ton of things I've planned to write about recently, but I've been slammed and a bullet point/picture post will have to do.

1. (and this is a big one!) I got my lab results back last week and the itty bit of my thyroid that remains is functioning perfectly normally and I don't have to be on meds! This essentially means I'm healed :) I have one more round of lab work in August to verify it wasn't a fluke and I can get on with my life. My Dr. was very surprised that I a. had enough thyroid to actually function and b. that it turned back on in only 4 weeks, usually it takes at least 6 weeks for any results... TBTG!  also... I honestly havent felt so like myself in oh, 3 years... hooray! *now I need to get busy getting knocked up!*

2. We had a lovely 4th of July at home with some sparkler. LM wasn't totally sure what to make of them, but overall he was pleased (they were safety sparklers and he was heavily supervised):

3. Fanny-packs are NEVER ok. Just because Gucci makes, doesn't make it right.

GO VACATION

I've been MIA recently because we finally took a vacation! Let me tell you, it was GLORIOUS. My parents rented a beach house in OBX and invited my little brother and his gf and Dr. F, LM & me to go along. What a wonderful and relaxing way to celebrate the end of Dr. F's intern year, recoup a little more from my surgery, and take time to celebrate our anniversary. Oh, and I can't forget to mention that LM is now 99% potty trained! He is still wearing diapers at nap/nighttime, but we've been accident free during the day time for almost a week! They say a picture is worth a thousand words so I'll just leave you with these:

We enjoyed spectacular sunsets

played hard at the beach

enjoyed the sand

and took lots of self portraits.

Celebrating our anniversary with a nice dinner

Then got ice cream for dessert

and capped off the celebration with mini-golf.

Dr. F won. It was embarrassing

We took some time to go crabbing

And made sure to take plenty of time to relax

Nook vs. Kindle smackdown

Sooo, my birthday is still a few months off, but I've been kicking around the idea of asking for an ereader for quite some time. I commute every day on the train and I love the idea of an ereader. The prices keep coming down and I dont have any strong feelings about getting a color screen or particular brand, so I'm turning to you for input. I just read this review and found it pretty helpful, if not a bit outdated. I think I'm leaning toward the Kindle, but could easily be swayed... thoughts?

Nook

Kindle

Back to the real world...

Well, my convalescence was lovely and I was relaxed, productive and generally a happy girl, despite the obscene heat with no central ac. I get my stitches out tomorrow and will have more blood work in a few weeks to see how my thyroid levels are (fingers crossed, they will be normal and I wont need any meds!)

Being home from work also gave me the opportunity to visit with Mary Frances and baby E. Consequently, Aidan insists on praying for MF and her baby every night at bedtime. It is ADORABLE!

We even capped off my recovery with an awesome wedding on Long Island this past weekend. Friends of ours are both only children of two well-to-do Jewish families on Long Island (none of those words describe us!). The wedding was RIDICULOUS and loads of fun.Dr. F and I agreed that we actually liked it better than most Christian/non-denominational weddings we've been to because it just seemed so personalized to the couple. There was plenty of traditional elements to the ceremony and God was very much incorporated, but I felt like we actually learned about the couple and their relationship. Anyway, check out some pictures...if you look closely, you can see my scar, and its not so bad! Additionally, I tied Dr. F's bow-tie and it only took two tries! BOOYAH!

This is Dr. F's serious face...see a resemblance to LM? HOLY COW!

hello!

Thank you all for so many kind thoughts and prayers! I am home from the hospital and happy to report that surgery went well, my dr. was able to leave about 30-50% of my thyroid and I had no complications. I'm in some pain, but that is to be expected and so far, I dont need to be on any medication except paid meds (no hormone replacement!). Also, I may have told my mom that I can't wait to get knocked up soon while I was on heavy duty pain meds in the hospital. And yes, I used those words...umm, yeah :)