So my big surprise for my family was me flying home for Christmas and my parent's wedding. My mom knew and she had to tell my sister but I did manage to surprise a few people. This of course meant a very long flight on Christmas though I thankfully didn't have to get up early. Getting to the airport was easy and, as always, I was there early. I had only taken a backpack and my purse because I had short layovers and I didn't want to risk missing anything. So the first part of the flight was 12 hours and I sat by a Korean lady who actually worked in Maryland. It was ironic because I happen to be from around that area myself. We talked a lot and, though I tried to sleep, I was too excited to get any rest. The second part of the flight was only an hour but there were some delays to deice the plane before we take off. I don't mind safety delays though I definitely was ready to get off the plane. I sat next to a nice family and a lot of people let me go earlier so I could rush to see my family.
So my mom told my sister earlier than necessary and spoiled the surprise for her but for the most part people were enjoying the surprise. Nancy's family knew because someone had to stay with Fred while they went to get me. We got lost on the way back because mom kept talking to me and missing the turns. We finally got there and I was running on only 30 minutes of sleep in the last 27 hours (by the time I went to bed anyway). We had Fred close his eyes and I snuck in and said, "Merry Christmas, Dad." His eyes flew open and he started crying. I knew he would. ^.^ Let's just say he easily forgave my mom for being late. We stayed for a bit and had some Christmas dinner and eventually went home because I was running on pure adrenaline at that point.
Before we got home we made a quick stop at the Benecewicz household to surprise them. Andrew was surprised, of course, but Pat takes the cake on that one with his "Oh My God!" To be honest, he sounded like a teenage girl which is what made it so funny to hear. We stayed a bit to take pictures as it had been a long time since the four of us, "the kids" as mom calls us, had been together all at once. It wasn't too late by the time we got home thankfully. The cats of course were mad at me and wouldn't give me the time of day. T.T I fell asleep pretty quickly once I was home.
My mother hadn't been planning on wearing a wedding dress for her wedding but my sister and I forced her to go dress shopping. She was worried about none of the dresses looking good on her and money and stuff like that. But Kate and I insisted because she always told us that her one regret was never wearing a wedding dress during her first wedding. She was always going on about how we had to wear one when we get married .... not that I expect that to be any time soon for either my sister or I. Of course my mom teared up at the first dress. All three dresses looked good on her, especially the first and the third. We had to find a smaller size, but we went with the first traditional white dress that she tried on. With a lot of help from my sister, we pulled our resources together and got the dress for her. I think at this point she really realized that she was getting married. ^.^ The dress is really nice and I hope it gets passed down to Kate (well if she wants it that is). David's Bridal was really good to us and even gave us $60 worth of free pictures for the wedding. Yay!
We went out to lunch before heading back to meet Kate's boyfriend, Phil. We went up to see Fred at some point and I got a purse as a Christmas present from Nancy which was really handy as it was bigger than my purse and I needed just a little more space to bring everything back with me. We had a second Christmas dinner with Phil. I found out the hard way that his is extremely allergic to poinsettias. Sorry Phil! T.T I seem to have been bad luck to him this week.
The next day, with Phil's help, my sister and I went up to get my grandmother's things from the nursing home. Mom hadn't been able to handle doing it herself, so we went ahead and took care of it. She had a lot more stuff than I had initially thought and we really should have taken the truck. So Kate and I were packed with two boxes on each of us and Phil could barely see. But we managed to get it all in and head home. They were nice enough to stop at Gamestop to fix my new 3DS which was just missing a sim card. Go figure it was something as simple as that.
On Saturday, we surprised Brandy and Justin. We made sure the baby was safely on the couch at this point so she didn't drop it when I came out. She cried and at this point I actually surprised myself and started tearing up as well. So I finally got to meet my niece, Payton, who I actually held despite her still being a baby. Brandy had to get a picture of it just to prove that I did in fact hold the baby. Haha, my dislike of babies is definitely well known, yet I do like kids. Go figure. Anyway, they visited a while and my mom had made homemade lasagna (yum, and that took a while which made it take 3 hours to finish a 2 hour Christmas movie the night before, haha). Andrew and Chris had come over to visit too. I managed to dig out my two manga totes for Brandy to take with her as I won't be using them for a while and someone might as well get use out of them. It would be a waste for them to sit in storage. Though I tried to get Chris to help me, I find that he had no upper body strength and Andrew had to help me carry the heavy totes up the stairs. It was kind of amusing as Chris has gotten really big since the last time I saw him.
Sunday was when Austin and Liz came to visit and Liz finally gave me my nice frame with lots of pictures of us on it that was to have been my graduation present though she hadn't finished it in time. Better late than never. Dara and Jon sadly didn't make it but Dara's book did come in the mail, so I brought it back with me and will have to check it out when I get the chance. We mostly watched different types of Cinderella movies as it was a marathon on TV and talked a bit. It was kind of cold and rainy that day so I didn't want to go anywhere. Sadly they both had to work the next day so couldn't stay for too long.
So Monday was the wedding day and we had a lot to do. We went out to buy some last minute things and I finally got the hair cut I needed. Since I was there anyway, I had them style my hair a little after they trimmed the dead ends and thinned my hair out. Though it doesn't look like it, I actually have thick hair. The girl styled it in a French twist which was an interesting style. Not what I would normally choose but it worked. Both my sister and I had old black and while prom dresses that we still fit into so that's what we were wearing for the wedding. The flowers were really pretty with some earth tones and lilies which are my personal favorite. There was even some purple flowers which was nice as it suited Fred. They even through in a free boutonniere (not sure how to spell) since they had an extra flower. Dawn came over to do mom's hair which looked great.
The wedding was a small event at Nancy's house. The minister came and I liked how friendly he was and his motto that their was never enough money as it really is true. We weren't allowed to see the wedding room which Nancy and some others helped decorate so we were in charge of helping mom get dressed and she looked great. We took some pictures as we waited for Fred to finish getting ready. I don't remember what but something made me laugh and then I couldn't stop laughing. Then the wedding began and Fred began crying when he saw mom in her wedding dress. The wedding itself was short, and mom accidentally blew out the candles too soon. *shakes head* Regina and Cassidy took care of the rings and lots of people were taking pictures. Sadly a lot of pictures on my camera turned out blurry but I'm sure others got some great pictures. The only downside was they put the wrong icing on the cake, which was sad because mom had been really looking forward to that part. Kate and I were the bride's maids and Kellie was the matron of honor. Dawn was in charge of pictures.
After the ceremony, we all ate and then started packing up the car. Dawn took some time to decorate the car and though mom wasn't feeling well, it was a good night. It just figures that she gets to be sick for her wedding day. We took a bunch of stuff home for mom to figure out what she wants to keep. It was a great night. I have to be really thankful to everyone who helped make this a real wedding despite Fred being ill. Nancy got the rings, and Kim took care of the catering. My sister and I helped with the wedding dress and Nancy decorated. Eddie took care of getting Fred ready and there were a lot of other people helping in their own ways the entire time. My mom and Fred are really blessed with a great family as I never really knew how much until this wedding. Thank you everyone for making my mom and Fred's wedding a day to remember.
I feel like I just got home and I have to fly back again. Time definitely went by quickly. I basically spent both Christmas and New Year's Day on a plane. Ironically the family that had been on my flight from Detroit to Baltimore were also on my same return flight from Baltimore to Detroit. I was surprised to see them again. There was an hour delay due to deicing the plane but Megan was still at the airport to pick me up when I got back. Thanks Megan! And then I posted the pictures for my mom and *cough* may have updated her facebook while I was at it before crashing for the night. I have a lot of anime to catch up on over the weekend that I didn't watch while I was home. T.T
As a new year begins, I have to say that though bad things have happen over the year, it has been a pretty decent year so far. I still have a job which is always good, and I should have one for at least another year. I was in three different countries this year (South Korea, Japan, and America). I have a new niece who I finally got to meet. And I hear that many of my friends are doing well, too. And of course, my parents finally got married. I'm sure there will continue to be bumps along the road this next year but I'll figure them out as I get to them. Happy New Year Everyone! And thanks for reading my blog this past year.
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