I slept good last night. We slept with the balcony open and apparently it started thundering and storming so Don got up and shut it. I never heard any of this happen. We got up around 730 am so we could go on our snorkeling trip. First we went to breakfast at the hotel. It was not so good but it was free. I was getting a little worried because it was very cool outside and it looked like rain. I couldn’t imagine getting in the water but we went for it anyway. A person from the dive shop came and picked us up around 9 am. On the way she asked us if we wanted to try diving instead of snorkeling. I’ve always wanted to do diving but I have never done it so the thought of doing it today made me a little scared. After thinking a little bit we decided just to do it.
It was 85 euros a piece. I was feeling really nervous but excited also. When we got to the dive shop we filled out the paperwork, paid and got our wetsuits, boots, and flippers. Then we got in a van and drove to the port. The port was a lot smaller than the main one on Santorini. The boat was a small speedboat and it was freaking rough. I was bouncing up and down. We got out to the first dive spot and the experienced divers went out. We stayed on the boat with our instructor. He gave us a brief talk about diving. I couldn’t really focus on it because the boat was rocking and I was feeling very seasick and nervous. Finally we got up and Don got in first. We went to the back of the boat and put weights on our waist, our flippers on, mask on and then the instructor helped us put the tank on. Once the tank was on he hoisted us up and we stepped off the boat.
The first time I was in the water with all this gear on it was very awkward and I felt panicked. I felt like I couldn’t control my body very well because it kept pushing my body up. We went underwater for a little bit just to see what it was like. Then Don went with one instructor and I went with the other one, Costca. He was very easy to work with. We followed the chain from the boat anchor down. My ears hurt a little from the pressure but not that much. The first dive was awesome. We saw a few fish and saw the drop off. It was pretty amazing.
When we got back on the boat we had some water and a little croissant thing. I couldn’t really eat. I didn’t feel that sick anymore but I just couldn’t eat. So we boated to the next dive spot. It was by the island of Therassia, where we ate the day before. When I first got in the water I felt a little better about it. I felt I could control my body a little easier. Then we started to go down. This time I didn’t go with Costca; I went with the other instructor. We started to go down and my ears hurt bad. It was really giving my problems. So we would go back up a little, but I felt like he wouldn’t listen to me. It was really hurting and he told me maybe I was focusing on trying to regulate them too much. This was probably true. They started to feel a little better, in my mind I was like maybe they are just feeling better because they have burst! We went down and I saw a black sponge and a few fish. Then my goggles started giving me problems. At first I tried to ignore it but then they came off. I started panicking. My instructor brought me up and I was done. That was okay because it was the end of the dive anyway.
I want to try diving again but with gear that fits me well and lessons. The first dive was amazing, second one not so much but I want to do it again. When we got back to the dive shop we took pictures with the crew and exchanged some names for Facebook. It was a really cool experience. Costca gave us a ride back to the hotel.
Here’s some pictures from the boat ride back.
Once we got back we showered and got ready for dinner. It was early but we didn’t have lunch. We had some pizza, it was really good! We watched some dogs while at the restaurant. One of them was really territorial and wouldn’t let one of other ones into its area. But one of the other ones was okay to go in its area. It was entertaining. After dinner we went down to the beach and laid for a little bit. It got chilly so we walked back. Then it rained a little. The rest of the night we just chilled, packed, and got ready to leave for Mykonos in the morning.
I slept really good last night, probably from all the traveling. I woke up at 350 am and thought it should be 7 am already. I tried falling back asleep, but I don’t know how well that went. Later I woke up to all kinds of birds and a rooster. I opened the balcony doors to find a cat wandering below our room and the sun rising over the sea.
We decided to eat at an English bar for breakfast instead of the complimentary breakfast. I enjoyed a nice Greece Dr. Pepper during breakfast.
Breakfast was good. We hung out by the beach for a bit then we came back for a meeting with costa, one of the tour guides.
After the meeting we took at taxi to the port for the volcano cruise. We walked up the volcano; it was very cool but tiring. On the way down I rolled my ankle, it was bad but kept going. It will probably hurt tomorrow. Here are some pictures from the Volcano Tour.
After the volcano we got back on the boat and went over to the hot springs. The hot springs are not very hot just warmer water created by the amounts of sulfur in the water from the volcano. The boat anchored and we had to do about a 5 minute swim to get to the hot springs. When I got back in the boat there were a lot of waves and I started to feel sick. It was bad.
We stopped at the island of Therassia and I was feeling pretty bad. I got a coke at the first restaurant we were shuffled into. After looking at the menu and seeing some of the other restaurants we left to go to a different one. The coke made me feel better. We ate at the last restaurant on the waterfront. It had a cat and we saw an octopus in the water.
Once we got back on the boat to go to Oia, we sat in the top back. I had a fear I was going to get sick so I balled up a plastic bag in my fist. I didn’t get sick luckily and it wasn’t that bad of ride. We got off at Oia, the famous part of Santorini with all the white buildings, it was awesome and beautiful. It was probably the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. The only way to get to the city from the port is to walk up the stairs or take a donkey. We decided to take a donkey. It was crazy! When I got on the donkey I thought it would be a nice leisurely ride and I could take pictures, NO! When I first got on the donkey charged up the stairs. It was very fast and rough, but awesome. I had to hang on tight. My donkey would go between two other donkeys or get up close to the wall; I scraped my leg on the wall.
Once we got to the top we took a lot of pictures. We walked around the city and looked for a restaurant to watch the sunset. The sunsets in Santorini are very famous. We found a restaurant and we saw people staying at our hotel. We watched the sunset, had some drinks and had some food. The sunset was very pretty, except clouds were on the horizon so we didn’t get the full effect.
After dinner I got cold. We walked around a little bit more then decided to take a cab to the capital city of Fira. We split a cab with another couple who was staying in Fira. They were from Minnesota. When we got to Fira I bought a sweatshirt. We also stopped at an internet café to check in with our parents. From Fira we took the bus home to Kamari. We were both falling asleep and I was just lucky enough to hear the bus driver say Kamari. I shot up and said “we’re here!”
We arrived at the Athens airport at 1020 am. We found our tour guide with the Gate 1 sign and she gave us instructions about our next flight to Santorini. Our flight to Santorini wasn’t until 3 pm so we had a lot of time. It was so boring. I was also getting so cranky. I was tired of traveling and I wanted a shower. We got a sandwich and shared it and waited until we could go to the gate.
We finally went to our gate around 2 and our flight was delayed by a half hour. It was horrible. I was so tired. We were sleeping in the chairs. We used the internet. They had free internet for one hour in the airport. So not as good as Canada….but hey at least you got some free time. We finally got on the plane and we sat on the plane without moving for a long while. When we took off we both fell asleep. We arrived in Santorini around 445 pm.
We took a bus to our hotel and got our travel documents for Santorini. It had a map and a list of excursions we could do and other things we could do on our own. We decided one of the excursions we wanted to do was snorkeling. Once we got checked in we showered. The shower felt so good after all the traveling. Here’s some pictures of Hotel Hermes.
Then we left the hotel to find food. We saw a little field with 2 goats and an old woman just sitting there. The walk to the beach and main street from our hotel was about 5 minutes. The beach was black rock and pebbles instead of sand. I think because Santorini is a volcano.
We walked around trying to find a place to eat and there were so many choices. We decided on a place that had a bunch of cats hanging around at it. The cats were cute. Our first meal in Greece was a mixed grill for two that included potatoes, pork on a stick, meatballs, sausage, chicken and lamb.
It was soooo good. We walked around more after dinner to pick up some water since we can only drink bottled water. I found a Dr Pepper that I plan on having for breakfast tomorrow!!
On the walk back to the hotel we took a different way and ended up getting lost. We had to ask another hotel how to get to ours. Luckily we were not too far away and we made it back. I think the reason we made it was because of this church…it was our landmark.
Today I woke up and ate some more catering left overs. Then we left for Ohare around 9 am. We checked in and talked to the parents about how great the wedding was.
Our flight was on time to Montreal. The plane was so freaken small to Montreal that our carry ons wouldn’t fit above our seats! I made “friends” with an old couple from nearby Lake Geneva. They were going to Rome.
When we arrived in Montreal we had a snack and used their free wi-fi. Why does Canada have all this free stuff?! Our flight to Athens was also on time! It left around 3 pm and was an overnight flight. We noticed when they were boarding basically no one was getting up to get on the plane. The flight was freaken empty! It was awesome. We could lay down in the middle row and sleep.
We had a dinner, it wasn’t very good. So then I laid down and watched the movie that was on, Unknown. I fell asleep towards the end and woke up and the new Yogi Bear movie was on. I watched some of it but was so tired and fell asleep again and woke up to something about electronics on. This was boring and I fell asleep again and woke up and No Strings Attached was on but it was towards the end. So I fell asleep again and was woken up by a huge bump. I sat straight up and was kind of freaken out. It was bumpy and I started feeling queasy. The rest of the ride sucked and they fed us some breakfast but I couldn’t really eat. And it was bumpy. I was so happy to be on land in Athens. I was also surprised to see how desert-like Athens looked near the airport. Can’t wait to get our honeymoon started!!
Today was one week before the wedding. I was starting to feel a little nervous about the wedding, but more nervous about everyone from out of town getting here on time and safely. We were getting ready to pick up Don’s dad, Danny, from O’hare when I noticed a crazy rash on Don’s arm. He said it was really itchy. It looked horrible, but I didn’t think too much of it.
So we went out to the suburbs by O’hare to do some last minute shopping for the wedding and to buy Lina a new litter box. I was so excited to put Lina’s litterbox in the closet instead of in the bathroom….and she liked it too I think.
Then we went to O’hare and failed to check the status of his dad’s flight. So we spent a couple of hours waiting for him because it was delayed. We passed the time by talking about the 9/11 ten year anniversary, which was a little awkward being in an airport. As we were at the airport the rash on Don’s arm was getting worse.
Once we picked up Danny we drove him by Wrigley Field and then we just came back to the apartment to chill.
Sunday September 11 2011
Don’s dad slept in until about 10 am, I think he was jetlagged. Don and I watched some of the 9/11 memorial on tv. It was so sad. Once Danny woke up we walked to the lake to show him where the tennis courts were. The weather was so nice and he enjoyed seeing the lake.
On the walk home we ate at the Grove Restaurant on Diversey. Then we got in the car and drove to Men’s Wearhouse to make sure all Don’s and Danny’s measurements were correct. After that we went and saw the movie Contagion.
Monday September 12 2011
Today I woke up and had to go to work. On the way to work I stopped by Panera and sat outside to eat a bagel. While we were both at work Danny walked around the neighborhood and shopped. Don found out he has poison ivy on his arm. We are not sure how he got it exactly. Maybe it was on his jacket from his bachelor party.
Tuesday September 13 2011
Today was our last day of work before the wedding and honeymoon. I finished packing everything up for the wedding weekend. Don made a good dinner of chicken. We are excited.
Wednesday September 14 2011
Today we woke up and went to pick up Miguel at O’hare. We stopped by a party store to get some last minute things for the reception. Then we ate at a diner. Then we came back to the apartment to pick up Don’s dad. We went to Men’s Wearhouse again to pick up Miguel’s tux.
After that we found an indoor tennis court for Miguel and Danny to play at. Don’s dad loves tennis and was very excited to play with Miguel because he’s a tennis instructor in Long Island. While we watched them play tennis I felt nervous and upset about the weather. The weather had turned so cold and rainy and gross.
Later in the evening, Don, Miguel and I went to Dukes of Perth for some drinks and we played some Zombie Flux and a game called Fingers. Afterwards we came home and watched Deadliest Warrior: Zombies vs. Vampires. It was disappointing but entertaining enough. We were all pretty tired.
Thursday September 15 2011
This morning I woke up eary, got Lina packed up and headed to Paxton. It was absolutely freezing out for September….my worries about the wedding weather have increased. Don stayed behind in Chicago to pick up more of his groomsmen.
I arrived in Paxton about 9:30 am. My mom and I worked on packing things up for the reception and organizing as much as we could. Around 1130 my dad came home and we all went up to the pool hall for lunch. The special was chicken fried steak so I was happy.
After lunch my mom and I went to Wal-mart to pick up some last minute things. Then I spent the afternoon sending emails and replying to wedding vendors.
Around 5 pm we went back to the pool hall to have dinner with Doug Tucker. The special was wings and 50 cent drafts. We ended up going through 2 pitchers of bud light. Then we came home to do some more drinking. My mom wanted to do my nails so I let her. Then Marty and Diane came over to look over the stuff we needed to bring for the wedding. Kathryn also came over and we all just had fun talking.
Friday September 16 2011
Last night I slept horribly. Couldn’t get to sleep and woke up a lot. Then my parents woke up at 6 am! I tried to get back to sleep but couldn’t really and got up around 730. We went to breakfast at Country Gardens and talked to our favorite waitress Lisa about the wedding.
After breakfast we went out to Timber Creek Bed and Breakfast to see the people who were already there. We saw Judy and Steve and Don’s mom Estelle and her two friends Agnes and Connie. My mom was kind of upset because the reception tent was not being set up yet. So we went back home to start packing up stuff in the cars.
I brought all of my stuff to Timber Creek and checked into our room. Then I helped my mom put bows on all the light posts on the drive way. Then my parents left to go get more stuff and Steve and I sat on the patio and hung out with the 3 little kittens that live at the b&b. Judy and Sam had went to Bloomington to pick up Michael and Teresa.
The tent was finally set up around noon or 1 and Marty, Kathryn, my dad and mom started putting up decorations. Don arrived in a huge rental car with Lorina, Khris, Miguel, and Ethan. They all got checked into their rooms.
I was starving and needed to make some phone calls so Lorina and I went to town and stopped by Hardee’s. Later around 3 Mary and I went to IGA to pick up Don’s grooms cake and 3 gallons of orange juice for the reception (for mixed drinks).
We got back to the b&b and got ready for the rehearsal. Jamie, Kat, and Kelsey arrived shortly. The rehearsal was at 430. My mom seemed like a nervous wreck. It was all starting to set in. The weather was very chilly and cloudy and I was so nervous it wasn’t going to be better by tomorrow.
At around 530 we drove to Gibson City for dinner at Bayern Stube. When we got there all the trees were tp’d around the restaurant. That was kinda cool. I had some German beer and a fantastic meal of schnitzel. I then tried a little bit of other people’s deserts. We had a lot of laughs and fun. It was so awesome to have all of our close friends and family here for the rehearsal. It really meant a lot.
After the rehearsal dinner we thought it would be a good idea to hang out somewhere for awhile since it was only like 830. We hung out at my parent’s garage. A lot of people came. I picked up some budlight…there was a ton of beer there. Everyone was just talking and chilling. Even my mom was out there. She said she couldn’t do anymore decorating til the morning. It was a nice time.
I drove back to the b&b with Mary and Kat. Then my sister showed up. We decided we wanted to use the Jacuzzi. So we got down to our bras and undies and got in. It felt good. Somehow we all four managed to get in. at once. Mary and Kat later went to Mary’s room and my sister and I started to get to sleep. We stayed up talking for a long while though so I didn’t sleep good again. It was good though because it really meant a lot to be able to spend tonight with my sister and our friends. When we will ever all be here again together?
Saturday September 17 2011
I just want to start off by saying our wedding day was completely perfect. I woke up around 8 with a bit of a headache. I went downstairs with Mary, Kat, and Kelsey for breakfast. Connie from Timber Creek had made delicious breakfast enchiladas. I tried to drink coffee. I’ve never made coffee for myself I just order it…and even that is not often. So I just drank it black, it was okay. Then I took some aleve. Most everyone was there eating with us even the guys.
My hair stylist, Heather, showed up at 9 am and we got work on the hair right away. Kat first, then Mary, Kelsey, and last me. Kat did most everyone’s makeup, including mine. She did a fantastic job.
Then the photographers showed up around 1130 so they could look around for the places to take shots. Dad ordered a ton of cheeseburgers and fries from Just Hamburgers. I think most people liked it.
Around noon I started getting my hair done and then my makeup to follow. Around 130ish mom started helping me get into my dress. And at 2 pm we started pictures with everyone. I wanted to do most pictures before the ceremony. Pictures seemed to take forever…and I can’t wait to see them. Hopefully they all turned out good. Since we won’t have access to the photographer’s pictures for a couple of weeks all of the photos in this blog are shots from our awesome friends and family. They got some really good pictures, thanks guys!
People were already starting to arrive when we were finishing up pictures. We all hung out in the tent where people couldn’t see us to wait to start walking for the ceremony. I didn’t feel really nervous but I just wanted it to be over already. A lot of our closer family and friends walked into the tent and saw me before the ceremony. Then we all lined up and started the ceremony. Our faces crack me up in this picture!
Notice the Dr Pepper on the table!
The bridesmaids and groomsmen walked down to a piano version of Hands Down by Dashboard Confessional. I started to get a bit more nervous there standing with my dad. He started talking about the weather, which by the way was perfect. It was completely perfect, it had not been nice the days before but today was around 70s and completely sunny. When I walked down the aisle I wasn’t nearly as nervous as I thought I would be. I walked down to the song Only Hope by Switchfoot.
The ceremony seemed pretty short. It went so good. Mr Jones did drop Don’s ring on the ground but that was funny. Before we knew it we were walking back down the aisle married!
Then we released each row to say hello to people. When we walked out everyone showered us with bubbles. Then we did a few more pictures with family members. The ceremony was beautiful and perfect, everything I imagined and hoped for.
We did our grand entrance to a Beastie Boys song, I don’t think it was the one we requested but it was fine. I think it was the one about a party…can’t remember the name.
I absolutely love my mom’s face in this photo. It is hard to see without zooming but she looks so excited.
Then we started dinner and signed our marriage license. While we were signing a vase broke but Steve took care of it. Our usher Steve was the absolute best, anything we needed he was on it. I received several compliments about the wedding music and the dinner music. That was nice because I picked all of the music.
Then we listened to the amazing toasts from everyone on Don’s half. Kelsey was the only who did a toast out of my girls, and she started bawling. The speeches were so good.
After the toasts we had our first dance. It was Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls. Steve later told us that right before our first dance he was just standing there looking around and happened to see Rusty, the DJ, looking a little panicked. They happened to lock eyes and Steve could tell something was wrong so he went over there. Rusty couldn’t find our first dance song anywhere, and Steve asked what it was and Rusty told him. Steve said “Hold on, be right back, I got it.” Steve came back with a cd that had Iris on it and our first dance was played from this cd. We had no idea. Steve is the best! We also already have some really great shots of our first dance!
Next Don did his dance with his mom to Mama by Boyz II Men. Everyone was impressed with their dance moves. My dad and I had our father daughter dance also. We danced to It’s A Wonderful World.
While all these dances were going on Marty and Vicki had been working on the raffle to dance with the bride. Uncle Donnie won…so I danced with him and we got a few extra bucks without doing the dollar dance.
The reception was awesome, people were constantly dancing. There were a few songs that stuck in my mind. During the Kesha song Blow, Khris had arranged to have confetti shot everywhere. It was so cool. He was proud of himself. During Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, it became like a mini mosh pit. I fell down twice and Khris tried to do some crazy flip off Don’s back. In the process Don got a busted lip and a huge scratch on his arm. My dad got down on the dance floor during Bad To The Bone. He was pretty drunk at this point. It was funny. The best song though was “Soco Amaretto Lime” by Brand New. Most of our friends know this song and they formed a circle around us and everyone was signing it. I was basically screaming it. It was such a cool moment. It was amazing. Everyone was there in that moment. “You’re just jealous cause we’re young and in love!”
Mary and I had to do a shot with my dad since that has become kind of a tradition. I didn’t really feel like doing a shot so we just had a beer and found someone to take our picture. My dad saw our beers were full and his was almost empty so he finished it. We thought he was going up to the bar to get a new one but he just turned around to his table and picked up a new one. He had a small cluster of beers for himself hahaha.
I was talking to the DJ at one point and Andy Bennett came up and said “hey play some Eminem, I like 10 mile”. I thought this was hilarious. Sure enough some Eminem was played.
At some point in the night my dad was really drunk. He just had his head on the table and my mom was also drunk leaning against him. My dad started puking outside the tent. He told someone “I’m gonna be ditch driving”, we all knew though he would not be driving. During this time there was a dinner roll fight. Rolls were flying.
Doug Tucker, Diane, Vicki and Marty then decided they should get my parent’s home. They put my dad in the front of my parent’s suv with a trash bag tied to his shirt. Diane put my mom in the back and when she was trying to put the seatbelt on her she said “that feels good”. My dad puked on the way home and by the time they were home he had puke all over his shirt. Marty helped my mom get her dress off and they got them put to bed. Crazy night, best wedding ever. We can’t be more thankful for everything everyone did for us to make this the best day. Here are some pictures from the reception.
Cutting the cake!Dad not feeling too well haha!Groom excited about his Starcraft cake!
Looking good mom! Great dancing shot!
We are married!Playing with our new camera…thanks Jonathon!
Sunday September 18 2011
Woke up and went to breakfast around 8. Then we packed our stuff and said bye to Khris and Ethan. It was sad seeing everyone go. I didn’t want the wedding weekend to be over!
My mom, Doug and her friends were in the tent cleaning and packing things up. I went over to my parent’s house and saw my dad, he was looking really rough. He had been puking all night. I asked him if he remembered telling Doug that they can watch the game together today and drink beer. He said “yeah I remember that but that’s not happening.”
Then my mom, Doug, Marty, Doug E., Vicki, Diane, and Jeff came over and we all ate some leftover food from the reception. It was so good! Doug asked if I could take him back to Bloomington on the way home. I said sure I could just take 55 up. The ride over to Bloomington with Doug was good. We talked a lot about the wedding. Then a lot more about all the stuff going on with my family. It was crazy, but good to talk to someone about it.
After I dropped Doug off I took 55 up to Chicago and it was the worst traffic! It felt like it took 6 hours to get home. I was so tired; I had to keep opening the windows even though it was rainy and crappy. When I got home Don was almost back and he was going to drop off the rental car. Then we made sure we were all packed for our honeymoon! And we opened the few gifts that we had. Most of the gifts we left at my parent’s house. We will get them when we return from Greece. I feel so blessed to have had such a great wedding day. We have wonderful family and friends and it feels great to be married to my best friend!
