Showered with Love

Okay, so I've completely fallen off the face of Blogger. BUT I'm back! The past week has been so busy, but in a very good and fun way. First, I want to update you on Connor's robotic patient lesson. Connor was the leader, so after his team made many efforts to help resuscitate the cardiac patient, he had to say that he would have no other choice than to pronounce the patient dead. HEAVY stuff, right? Well, that was the whole purpose of the situation--to teach the students how to tell a patient's family member that he or she did not make it. Connor said he was very caring and took his time listening to the family member express her concerns. As he was telling me the store, I keep thinking how well this profession suits Connor (and NOT me!). I don't think I would be able to handle such things, but that is why I'm a teacher, not a doctor!

So anyway, now to the more FUN news! This past Sunday was my amazing, super incredible and
wonderfully girly BRIDAL SHOWER! My shower was not a "surprise"...I knew the day and time. However, the whole party blew my mind. The decorations, the food, all the people who came, and all the gifts left me speechless. It was all so beautiful and special. The entire time I kept telling myself how lucky I am to have such an amazing family. My mother-in-law was the host of my shower and she really went above and beyond to make every detail count. Everything was so pink that I just could not get enough of it. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a true girly girl, so everything was out of a dream for me.

So grateful for all of the amazing gifts that I received. I got lots of cool things for the house; Connor and I are having a blast looking at everything and putting them in special places in our little home. Now I can't wait to have a real house, so I don't have to store so many of my pretty things away! lol. In time, I know! We have a long way to go still, but it's something to look forward to!

This week is AP testing, so I'm proctoring... which translates into "I'm having a crummy work week." I hope everyone else is having a better one! But I'm getting through it with a smile on my face because Saturday is my BIG FITTING DAY! I cannot wait to see my glorious white dress hanging in that fitting room. I am going to probably scream and cry simultaneously. I can't wait to tell all of you how it goes.

Also, Connor and I met our new priest yesterday. Our original priest became really ill and we were devastated to hear the news that he wouldn't be able to do our ceremony (and that he was even going through such a difficult situation). We grew close to him during our time at MC and knew that he would be able to speak of our love personally. Thankfully, our new priest is so kind and jovial. I have faith that he will make our ceremony just as loving as we hoped it to be. After meeting with our priest, we visited Manhattan College to speak with the music director about ceremony music. The meeting went well and before we left campus, we walked to the chapel just to imagine the ceremony that will be taking place in 39 days!! It was so emotional. All of the memories that we have in that chapel when we went to school there and when we met just came flooding back to me and I felt so happy! Love is such a wonderful thing and can make you feel as though anything is possible. I'm so grateful I found that and can go back to where it all began and make it official!

I hope all of you have a week with some kind of magic in it. Look really hard for it! Finding those little moments can make mundane weeks so much better.

Love,
Mandy <3

May is for Mothers

Hi guys! Hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day filled with love. This weekend, I was so lucky because I was able to see both of my moms (mom & mom-in-law). So, my weekend was filled with motherly love and I was so grateful. There is truly nothing like the love of a mother to make you feel cared for and special. Thank you to all the mommies in the world that fill our world with plenty of nurturing love and affection! I am personally such a mama's girl. My mom is my best friend and wouldn't want it any other way! It has been that way since I was (an even tinier) munchkin. And if one day, I am blessed with a cutesy baby girl, I would hope we would have the same relationship. So, for my mom: Thank you for being so wonderful! <3

On Saturday, my mom visited and during her visit, we went to her first dress fitting. We hadn't seen the dress since February, so we were so excited. When my mom had first tried it on, it was in black. But we ordered it in a steely purple color. Just knowing we were going to see it in a different color made us really anxious. Thankfully, it was a beautiful color! Perfect for summer. It was such a happy, beautiful dress. And my mom looked GORGEOUS in it. I really couldn't be happier. We had to send it to get altered, so it will only get better!

The next day, Connor and I visited his family out east. We had a lovely, relaxing day filled with sunshine, flowers, and really good food. Momma D is a really great gardener and cook, so it was a beautifully delicious day! The patio was decked out with flowers and we ate filet mignon, grilled chicken, roasted potatoes, green beans, a cabbage & kale salad, and portobello mushrooms! Yummmm. We were lucky and brought home some leftovers (which Connor and I already devoured).

Tomorrow Connor has his second robotics lesson, which I am just as excited about. I wish I could be there to see what those robotic patients look like!! My imagination gets carried away thinking about it. The robot will be an emergency room patient with a cardiac problem and Connor is the team leader! :) Last time, he was the one intubating the patient (he was in charge of airway management). It was very stressful because they make it as realistic as possible. So the pressure is certainly on. If I remember correctly, the team leader just watches and makes sure everything goes smoothly. So, this encounter might be a little easier for him. But I will certainly keep you posted!

So far, the end of the year craziness hasn't hit yet for Connor. Maybe by next week it will. It'd be nice if it never does and we just roll on out of the semester! Wishful thinking, right? For me, just 20 more school days before regents exams!! WOOO. I can't wait to say bye-bye to this school year.

Oh and (before I forget to mention it) the florist appointment went really well! The sample centerpiece was beautiful and everything I hoped it would be! I'm so excited to see the effect of 13 of them filling our reception room.

Hope you all have an easy, breezy work week! :)

Love,
Mandy

Cinco de Mayo Festivities

Happy Cinco de Mayo!! Hope all of you had a beautiful day and perhaps celebrated with chips & salsa.. maybe even a margarita?! Connor and I celebrated our one year of being engaged by going to the Planting Fields Arboretum. It was so much fun and we took plenty of pictures! It was so nice to have some time out of the house together and enjoy the gorgeous weather. I can't  believe we've been engaged for ONE WHOLE YEAR. It really has flown by! I guess that's a good thing. :)

Yesterday, my mom and niece visited, which was nice. I was happy that Connor got to see them because he hadn't seen them in awhile and Bri always misses him! We had our own little pizza party in the house and watched Twilight Breaking Dawn part 2 haha. Thankfully Connor was (and, really, always is!) a trooper and joined us in watching it.

May is finally here, so the countdown to the end of Connor's first year officially BEGINS! There are only 20 more days left until it's over! We are both looking forward to it. Today we bought paint for our living room, but probably won't get to it until after Connor finishes up this month. Soon, he will inundated with end of the year exams and other overwhelming responsibilities. Last Thursday, he had his presentation and he was very happy with how it went.

I was so proud of him for handling it so well. While he was getting dressed up in his dapper suit the day of the presentation, I was quickly eating breakfast before heading out to work and I asked him how many people would be watching. He told me (in a completely unshaken voice) that all of the DPC students are there, and sometimes the dean shows up. Now, if it were me, I probably would've been throwing up all morning, shaking, unable to eat anything. Connor, on the other hand, was absolutely cool and calm. He jovially ate his nice, big breakfast, smiling the entire time. That is a quality that I would pay good money to acquire!!!

This Thursday will be a big day for wedding planning. We're going to the reception hall to decide on the menu, visiting the rehearsal dinner restaurant to also decide on the food, AND going to the florist to see samples. AHH I'm so excited I could scream. I just want to see peonies! Lots and lots of them! I'll probably be squealing the entire time :X

Oh and how could I forget to tell you! I had my first hair consultation and loved it! My hair stylist was incredible. So I booked the salon and can officially cross that off my to-do list. Phew.

16 more days till my first dress fitting! The anticipation is seriously killing me!

Love,
Mandy