The Big Day!

The big day was a lot of fun, and I have so many special memories that it's hard to narrow it down to blog post... but I'll try! ;)

The tables, chairs, linen, china and silverware all arrived in the morning of the big day, and we had our close friends here on hand to help get the last few bits & pieces done... we were expecting perhaps a little sprinkle of rain, so we set up everything except the linens, and a friend of ours was going to put them out right at the last minute before we arrived back from the ceremony.

Mum & I headed to the salon to get our hair done leaving everyone buzzing around getting things done. Once we got back Mum and a good friend Tara got working on the flowers for Anna and I, and I went round to have a quick squizz and make sure everything was right and in place.

As soon as everything was finished Cory & Andrew headed to the farm - they needed to double check a few things up there and were also getting suited and booted up there!

Excitement had started to set in... I could feel the butterflies in my stomach!

Once they left I started to get ready. Anna was already dressed and looking gorgeous, and I hadn't even tried my dress on yet from the last amendments the dress maker had made! So, as I did my make up I hoped the dress would be ok...

With make up done, I enlisted the help of Anna and my Mum to do up the lacing at the back of my dress... It fit... we were in luck! (There was one small flaw on the dress, right under the zip at the back, but my Mum decided that it was best to not point it out until much later in the day, in fact, I think she told me about 9pm or 10pm that evening when I said I thought I'd ripped it!

Right on time John & Janet came and knocked on the door for us. John had decorated the 41 Chevy beautifully, and they were ready for Anna and I.

Dave took my Mum and the boys in our truck and drove behind us to the farm! Oooooh, I was getting excited (and I was very glad that the weather wasn't too hot yet).

We arrived at the farm, just a few minutes late and everything was perfectly laid out there. The boys had done a good job on all the last minute arrangements. I was so glad I wouldn't have to worry or run around changing things right before the guests arrived.

I went into the house and Cory's Mammaw was there. She gave me an Irish linen handkerchief and a sixpence. She had bought the Irish linen years before when she was on a trip to Ireland with the plan to give it to Cory's bride on her wedding day, and the same with the sixpence. It was very sweet. I promptly put the sixpence in my shoe (it's not the most comfortable place, but it's traditional) and I hid the handkerchief in a flower arrangement next to where we would stand during the ceremony (just in case I needed it).

With the sixpence in place I realised that I had all the traditional items except for "something blue".... As I was wondering what I should do I rummaged through my handbag.... nothing!
hummm.... but then I had an idea.

I grabbed the blue ball point pen from my purse and thought for a brief second... I knew exactly what I would be my "something blue". I wrote on the outside of my right calf "Cory's Mary". It was what Cory's niece called me and subsequently had turned into my nickname. It was perfect!

A few moments later Mike told Anna to come get me - He was done taking the photos of the men getting ready and he wanted me up there next.

YIKES!

So, I went up there, asked Mike if he would usher everyone else downstairs and I was ready to see my groom! I was excited to see him! This was our special moment.

I remember that moment clearly. Mike gave me the sign and I opened the door. Cory was standing with his back to me, looking out the window at the garden below that was set up for our ceremony. As I started walking towards him he turned around and I could see in his face right there at that moment that he was filled with pride to have me there as his wife.We checked out each others outfits and Mike snapped shots. I almost didn't want to go back downstairs where I suspected it might be a little frantic... If not frantic, it certainly wouldn't be as calm and peaceful as it was right there where we were!

The next while was dedicated to photos... lots of them... then our guests started arriving and I knew it was almost time!The ceremony was just beautiful. Danny and Doug (Cory's Dad) did the readings for us, and Andrew played a song while Cory and I poured the unity sand. We did have a little sprinkle of rain right as Gerald was giving his talk, but it was just a sprinkle and we survived without having to retreat to the house or send people in search of umbrellas - phew!

After the ceremony we had a cookie and punch reception there at the house. It was a good time for guests to visit with each other, and it also meant they didn't have to just stand around 'watching' as the rest of the photos were being taken.

Then it was time to head to the reception...

Rehersal Dinner (now with pics)

The rehearsal dinner was planned for the Friday evening, at the farm, and we were having Wallerys pizza - our favourite!

After spending the day working on stuff for the reception and trying to get everything done, and run all the errands we headed to the farm. We had three in the front of the truck and three in the back but I still needed to make a quick stop... I needed to pick up my dress from the dress maker!
I sure hoped it was perfect, because I didn't have time to try it on again. I dashed into the house, leaving everyone in the truck, picked up the dress, thanked Judy and ran back out again. I just "hoped" it would be OK when the time came to out it on!

Pastor Gerald arrived just after us and we had a quick run through of how things would go, and where everyone would be situated throughout the ceremony. Julia was our flower girl, but they hadn't arrived so instead, Danny Roe stepped in for her! I must say, he did a wonderful job as a "flower girl"! hahaha

Thankfully everything went smoothly, everything seemed very straight forward enough... so, we headed inside to grab a bite to eat.

It was a lot of fun having everyone together, and I loved how relaxed the evening was. Whoever said rehearsal dinners had to be stuffy!?!?! :)

After dinner and visiting with everyone for a while we headed back to our place to do the absolute last minute things for the next day... I hadn't gotten used to one of the medications my Dr had prescribed me on the Monday, and it made me so sleepy that instead of taking one every 4-6 hours I was taking one half of a pill, once a day in the evening. I made the mistake of taking my pill not long after we got back from the farm, and within about a half hour I was out cold. I had fallen asleep on the couch and would not go to bed. I guess in the back of my mind I knew I had a ton of stuff I still wanted to do, but my body wouldn't co-operate, it wouldn't play ball...

Cory & Andrew worked hard getting the garden ready. They worked til about 11.30pm, and they had Dave, Danny, Steve, Anna, Mikko & my Mum helping too. I was so proud of the work everyone had put in, but I felt a little hint of guilt that I hadn't been able to do my part. Why on earth did I have to be sick now, why couldn't it just wait til after the wedding, and after everyone had gone back home... I was more than frustrated with myself.

As promised, here are the photos...

Danny made a wonderful "flowergirl"
Umm yeah, I don't know what we were doing with our arms...

"Mary, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
Hummmmmm - Let me think.... Aren't we already married?!?!?!

I added this one because I think the face Erik is pulling is hilarious!

Hen & Stag night...

So, Thursday was to be our Hen & Stag night. The plan was for the 'boys' were to head to Salem and party it up there, and for us girls to have a "girls night" with wine, dinner and whatever...

Well, late afternoon that plan kind of hit the fan.

Everyone was in our garden getting the dance floor and lighting situated and I was inside with Mum. I was working on the programs that I was supposed to send the files to print that afternoon. I just couldn't seem to be able to concentrate (a classic GD symptom) enough to get them done, and my pulse was high and I felt light headed. I kept thinking it was just to do with the heat and the stress of the wedding being in 2 days....

I decided to go for a walk. Not the smartest thing I had ever done, but in my head at that moment it seemed like a good idea. My pulse was 143 bpm and I thought if I could just get away and relax for a few mins it would all feel better... little did I know.

After just a few minutes into the walk my breathing became a struggle and I started to get very light headed... Thankfully, my Mum knew me better than I knew myself and she had gone and told Cory that I'd headed for a walk and that he should go with me... he caught up to me and realised I wasn't doing very well at all.

So he made me sit down in the shade in the park and try to rest and get my breath back. He was worried and wanted to call Andrew to come get us to take us to the dr/hospital, but I didn't want a fuss, I didn't want everyone to know I was having any issues so I made him promise he wouldn't do that.

Eventually, after much persuasion he got me to head home with him. That walk home was the longest ever, and I was worried that people would see me and start to panic. I didn't want people to panic, and I certainly didn't want people to see me in that state.

After struggling to get home, I headed to the basement to lay down. Cory gave me some of the pills the dr's had prescribed and they helped me to sleep, and slowly my pulse started to ease off a little and my breathing became more regulated. I felt bad for him and my Mum who were worried about what was happening, but I couldn't control what my body was doing and all I wanted to do was hide it from everyone else.

So, with that still going on as the 'boys' were supposed to be getting ready to leave it kind of messed with their plans. I still really wanted them to go, but I couldn't persuade them. Cory was adamant that he wasn't leaving my side.

So, after a LONG nap and with the medicine doing it's job I was feeling better... The only way Cory was going to get his stag night was if we went too... So, Anna and I made ready and went with them. We had a joint Hen/Stag night.

It was actually a lot of fun! We went to a few clubs and pubs in Salem, and all had a really good evening. I was one of the DD's since I couldn't drink anything harder than diet Pepsi with the meds I was taking. Andrew was the other DD.

We got home around 2am, everyone grabbed a beer and about 3am I took Danny, Steve and Dave to where they were staying... I was a tired girlie and had a big day ahead of me! :)

Guests start arriving....

So,with Anna & Mikko having been here for a week already, they decided to nip up to Seattle on the Monday before the wedding so they could stay there for a day or two and still be back in time to help with the last minute wedding preparations.

My Mum, Morgan & Alfie arrived on the Tuesday, and that was great. It was wonderful to see them walking through the arrivals hall. The boys looked so excited and nervous all at once,but within a few minutes they were their usual selves! We grabbed something to eat and then headed back to McMinnville to show them the sights!

Andrew arrived on Wednesday afternoon, and we were very glad to see him. After my diagnosis of GD I wasn't really up to much, and the meds I was taking were making me very sluggish. I was trying to hang out with my Mum and the boys as much as possible, so it was nice to have Andrew there to help Cory with getting the last few things done.

Anna & Mikko headed back on Wednesday evening from Seattle, and we had already made plans to have a few friends over for drinks. It ended up being a bigger night than we thought...
Danny called about 10pm to say that he had decided to not stop overnight in a hotel and would just be coming straight to us. He'd be arriving between 11pm and midnight and would be happy to sleep on our couch! That was fine with us... We had made arrangements for him and Steve to stay with Dan, but we thought it would be too late for him to show up there at Dan's.

So, he arrived, we all had a few beers and then hit the sack.... we had a lot on the "TO DO" list for the following day.

Dave arrived the next day, so Cory & Andrew headed to PDX to pick him up from there. I dropped Mum and the boys off to the park and headed to the salon! I didn't really feel like getting my nails done, but I really needed to since the wedding was just a few days away and there was no time between now and then.... At least it gave me a few minutes to relax and think about nothing else... or at least that's what I thought. The moment the manicurist looked at my nails she asked if I had any illness or thyroid related condition... I was like "What? How do you know?"
Well, she had been diagnosed with Graves Disease about 8 years before and just recognised how bad my nails looked as being similar to hers... I remember wondering why my Doctors in the UK couldn't diagnose me after 4 years of going to them with complaint after complaint, but a nail technician could spot I had something wrong with me after just looking at my nails!

Cory, Andrew & Dave were making a couple of stops on the way back from the airport. Getting some last minute items and picking up the wine too...

Steve was also on his way and was due to arrive for the Hen and Stag night on Thursday, so it seemed like everyone who was supposed to be there would.
He pulled in mid-afternoon on the bike, and he looked like he could really do with stretching his legs. He'd ridden all the way from San Fran on that bike. YIKES

So, everyone who was supposed to be here was here...

Alex & Tara would be arriving from SLC on the Friday afternoon!

Graves Disease... WTF is Graves Disease?!?!?!

OK, so I'm really trying hard to catch up on this blog before the new year starts, so I'll be posting a few times a day over the next week or so, and hopefully my memory will be kind to me!

So, the week before the big June wedding I went to the Dr's for some routine vaccinations and a quick check up. While I was there he also listened to my heart and was not happy to see that my pulse was going crazy at 134 bpm. He asked some questions and felt my neck and glands and did a general once over. He said that he was pretty sure that I had something wrong with my thyroid and would like to do some blood tests. "OK" I thought, "that's not too bad, I can deal with that" and as he left the room I asked him "so, if it is the thyroid, then I just take a little pill every day, right?". He looked at me and just said "lets find out what the problem is first, then we'll talk about treatment".

Right there and then I had a gut feeling something was wrong. I'd been dealing with the high pulse for a long time, and more recently there seemed to be some other things that seemed "odd" but we just couldn't put our finger on it.

My Doctor had also ordered an ECG, so the lovely nurse (Michelle) came and got me and took me to the lab. She did my ECG first which was an interesting experience. Being hooked up to the machine with all those wires stuck to you, while someone takes a reading is kind of weird.

After that I went to get the bloods taken... they took lots. It seemed like my Doctor was going to check every single option so he knew what exactly was wrong with me. While I didn't really like having my blood drawn I was glad that they were so thorough and were going to find out if something was wrong with me. Ruth at the lab was wonderful too, she didn't hurt a pinch and while I was sitting there she could tell that I'd been crying and she was just so caring and sweet. I'll never forget that.

Then, after all the bloods were done Michelle came and got me again and took me back to her room so she could give me the shots I'd originally had the appointment for. I had 5 in total, and was starting to feel like a pin cushion / lab rat. I just wanted to go home!

The next morning was to be my bridal shower at the farm, so I tried my best to forget about what was going on.... my arms were hurting though, I was bruised from all the needles!

A week after that very first appointment Michelle called. She called to say my results were back and that my thyroid levels were extremely elevated and they needed to see me right away, could I come that afternoon? Well, we were just about ready to leave for the beach with Anna & Mikko (our Finnish friends), so I said I couldn't be there til Monday. She gave me the first appointment for Monday morning.

I didn't realise how long a weekend it would be.

I hung up from her and called Cory. He could tell I had been crying and didn't know what was wrong. He'd been at work that morning, but was about to leave to come home and head to the beach... The only words I could manage were "please come home now, I need you"...

I filled him in on what the Dr's had said, and he finally managed to calm me down enough that we were able to grab a bite to eat and head to the beach. It was a fun afternoon, but I kept finding myself drifting into thought about what they could have found, and what I was going to have to go through.

The next morning we were to head to Sisters as a little surprise for Anna & Mikko. We had booked tickets for the Sisters Rodeo and were planning to camp on Saturday night and return Sunday afternoon. It would give them a real taste of the USA! So, after a later start than we had hoped we hit the road. We grabbed breakfast on the way and soon enough we were entering Sisters. They had already guessed a couple of times that we were taking them to the Rodeo, but it was still fun to keep them guessing til the last minute.

The Monday before our wedding
So, on Monday morning I was diagnosed with an illness, one I'd never heard of until my Dr uttered the words "You've got Graves Disease"...
A few short moments after he said that sentence my brain stopped listening to what he was saying. I could hear the words he was saying, and I was some how able to utter an appropriate reply, or nod my head at the right time, but I'd blanked out, I was no longer understanding any of it. All I kept saying over and over in my head was "Graves Disease? WTF is Graves Disease?"

Thankfully, my Dr knew that I probably wouldn't remember any of what he had told me, and before I left his office he gave me an information booklet and my prescription and reassured me that he would be there with us every step of the way. He told me to go home and make sure I told my husband and family/friends that we were in for a long battle, and it would be 9-12 months before I was back to my 'old self'.

So... Me being me, I went home and after talking to Cory, my Mum and some friends I started my research. Boy am I glad I did. We realised a short way into the struggle with GD that knowledge would be our friend and it would see us through. We needed to learn as much as we could about the condition and treatment before we would see the Endocrinologist, because we would have some decisions to make.

The most ironic thing, and also the first thing I learned about GD is that it was discovered by an Irish Doctor - Robert James Graves. Thankfully, this is also where the illness got it's name!

Graves is an autoimmune disease that most commonly affects the thyroid, frequently causing it to enlarge to twice its size or more (goiter), become overactive, with related hyperthyroid symptoms such as increased heartbeat, muscle weakness, disturbed sleep, and irritability. It can also affect the eyes, causing bulging eyes and it affects other systems of the body, including the skin, heart, circulation and nervous system.

When Cory and I read through the list of symptoms I had all but one - I was a textbook case - how on earth had a Dr not diagnosed me before now. It seems like I'd probably had the illness for 3-4 years, although because it takes hold so gradually it's hard to know for sure.

A selection of our wedding photos...

Because this is what love is...

This is one of the readings we had at our wedding. It was so special to both Cory and I, and it seemed just perfect.

"Love is a temporary madness; it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides.
And when it subsides you have to make a decision.
You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part.
Because this is what love is.
Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of eternal passion.
That is just being in love, which any fool can do.
Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident.
Those that truly love have roots that grow towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms have fallen from their branches, they find that they are one tree and not two."

Excerpt from Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - by Louis Bernieres

They find that they are one tree and not two...

Our wedding day arrives... I am so excited I can hardly contain myself, but I had to go to Salem to get a few things done first so I hop in the truck first thing and head into town.

The first stop is for breakfast, if I was to make it through the day I would need something to eat and some coffee to keep me going. A quick stop at Auntie Annies for a pretzel and a stop for coffee and I'm ready to face the day.

First stop, the nail bar! I am not usually one to take the time needed to go and have my nails done, but this was my special day, so I wanted to take the extra effort to look as best as I could. After abut 45 mins later, I leave there with pretty acrylic nails... I'm not used to having these, and she did them a fair bit longer than I would have liked, but I knew I'd get used to them in a few mins.

After that I headed to the salon for my hair appointment. Again, I am not used to spending time pampering myself, but thankfully the girls there are awesome, and we had a fun morning chatting, and I was getting excited!

So, with my hair and nails done I'm about ready to get heading home. I turn the radio up, and sing along as the excitement sets in the pit of my stomach.

Cory made my beautiful bouquet and I started to get ready... It was a beautiful May afternoon and in just a few hours I would be Mrs Fast! I was overjoyed. As I got ready I went over the vows I had written in my head. I knew that there was a slim (to no) chance that I would remember them from heart when the time came, but at that moment I did, and they will forever be imprinted on my heart. I had a printed copy as a back up with me, I knew I'd be needing it.

So, it seemed like we had everything... Janet & John came over and took a couple photos of us before we left the house... The drive over to the farm was relaxed and excited at the same time. We were just talking about anything and everything... I remember that I kept looking at Cory and thinking - in an hour or so, he's going to be my Husband... Forever! I know it's cheesy, but it's what was going through my mind.

We pulled into the driveway at the farm and "whack!" Cory remembered that we had forgotten our Marriage Licence. I don't know why I didn't think about it. I had put it on the coffee table in a huge envelope so we wouldn't forget it, but in the excitement of everything we just left the house... Crap, Crap, Crap!

Cory dropped me off, and all the other stuff we needed and he headed back to our house to get it. I guess we could have just had it signed on another date or whatever, but that wouldn't have been the same. That was supposed to be our wedding day, that was when we wanted to exchange our rings and vows, and when we wanted to sign our papers.

I tried to keep busy, doing all the things I needed to, but I couldn't help but feel a little stressed. I felt like I should have gone with him to the house, but I knew he would drive safe and would be back before long. I remember at one point Cory's Dad, Doug said something to me, he was trying to be sweet, and I don't even remember what it was that he said, but that was it for me, the dam burst and I started to cry. I was mad with myself, I didn't want to cry, and I didn't want to ruin my make up either. I just wanted Cory to be back, and for him to tell me it was all going to be ok.

Well, a moment later, Mike came and found me. I guess he could tell I was feeling a little stressed, and so he decided it would be a good time to take some pictures and get me to feel a little relaxed. It worked... We started shooting a few shots, some with me and the cake, some with Cory's Mum, and then some with just me... With each click I was feeling less stressed about the whole thing, which for me is very strange - I don't usually like to have my photograph taken!

After a few sets of photos I heard Cory's truck pull in... It was right then that I realised I'd been tense and holding my breath the whole time. I was relieved that he was here, and all that weight lifted off me when he walked in the room. We gave him a few minutes to get himself together before we took a few photos together and then we were ready to start... we were ready to get married! My heart skipped another beat!

We were standing there ready to go into the room, and the music we had chosen started. I could hardly believe it. We catch a glimpse of each other, then start walking... I will never forget that moment. My heart was beating so hard, it felt like everyone could probably see it pounding in my chest. I catch a glimpse of Dan, looking at us and smiling... and I squeeze Cory's hand so hard as we walk the few extra steps to our spots.

Doug and Frank read the passages that we had chosen, and then Cory and I exchange rings and vows. Yep, I needed the paper with my vows. There was no way I would have wanted to stumble them. Cory's vows were so special and from the heart, and will always be a true treasure to me. I am glad that we decided to write our own vows, and am also really glad that we had managed to keep them a secret from each other and everyone else until that moment. It was perfect!

So, after a wonderful "last first kiss" and our hearts still going crazy, we were announced as
Mr & Mrs Cory Fast!

Our birthday weekend...

Our birthday weekend was just a week before the wedding ceremony, so we decided it would be nice to get away... We both wanted to head to the beach, it was our most favourite place, and it seemed like the perfect get away.

It would also be a perfect opportunity to visit Yaquina Head lighthouse and cobble beach, where we'd gotten engaged earlier in the year...

That place is just so awesome to me, and every time I visit there I am reminded of that cold, wet March afternoon when Cory asked me for "Forever" and I weakly, overwhelmed with emotions let out a whimper of a "yes" as I nodded...

The rock pools were just wonderful that day, and the mussle beds were pretty amazing too. We spent ages just enjoying that wonderful, and very special place.

After that we had planned to meet some friends at the Rogue festival they were having, so we grabbed a bite to eat and headed down there. It was a really fun afternoon, and the beach was so pretty that day too!

We headed to our friends campsite with them and shared dinner and a couple of drinks. After that we went the beach for a walk before heading back to our hotel. We had an amazing view from our balcony that night - the sunset and night sky were just beautiful. I could have stayed there and watched the reflections on the calm waters forever.

Sunday was a really chilled day for us, we grabbed breakfast at a cafe not far from our hotel and we stopped at several beaches on our way back home. It was exactly the weekend we needed to have...

I will say though, that turning 29 was a lot harder than turning 28 in many ways. I had a great birthday, and I loved sharing it with Cory too, so that made it super special... but being 29, that was scary. That was almost 30, that meant I was getting on in years, I was not going to be a "twenty-something" for long...

I did promise myself that I would have a great year being 29 though... no matter what happened.... with the way this Summer panned out, that might be a harder promise to fulfil than I realised!

Slight change of plans...

So, with Cory and I engaged and our wedding planned for June 20th, we were pretty much set.
We had also decided that we would have a smaller, intimate legal ceremony before the June wedding with just family and a couple close friends with us, and we had made plans with a good family friend to perform this wedding for us on the last Friday in May.

Well... that's what we thought, until we found out that the pastor who was planned to perform it had taken ill with a stroke. We felt so bad for him and his family, and felt a bit lost as to who would now perform our wedding at late notice...

We waited a while to see if he showed any signs of being well enough to still do the wedding for us, and we had considered changing the date. But instead, we decided that he didn't need the stress of feeling like he let us down, and we started to talk to some others. It seems like we'd picked a popular weekend, the people we had shortlisted were busy.

A very dear friend and ex-teacher of Cory's was high up on the list for us, we had really wanted him to do the wedding for us, but he was going to be out of town that weekend. So, we decided that we would switch it. There was no reason we picked that date, and the weekend before was Memorial weekend, so it seemed perfect. We jumped into changing the plans we needed to, and met with Frank a few times. Our special day was going to be perfect, no matter what.

LA to NC Road Trip... Uggggggh

So, I'll try and be as brief as I can... but those of you who know me will already know that doesn't happen often!

Cory and I flew down there into Ontario, Andrew picked us up for the airport and briefly showed me around town, where his wife Brandi used to work, the town and such, and then we headed back to their place to grab a bite to eat and load up the car. Andrew's wife and daughter were going to fly over there after a couple days, so it was going to be us three adults and their little dog Elsie... in the Suburban and towing the Mazda - Hummmmm, interesting times ahead!

That road trip was both awesome, and a nightmare all at the same time... It was good times for "The Three Amigos" but I tell ya, it was one helluva drive... We were very thankful that we'd put the blow up mattress in the back of the suburban for a 'sleeping' area, and had just crammed everything into the Mazda so we didn't have a crap ton of stuff in the suburban with us... I would be more thankful for that later on than I realised.

As soon as we hit the desert I started to just feel ill... really ill. I knew that since I was a true Irish girl and wasn't too fond of the heat it probably wouldn't be my ideal environment, but I didn't ever really think it would be so terrible... I was nauseous all the time, and the only thing I could do to not have to pull over every 10 minutes was try to sleep, so Elsie and I snuggled up in the back seat of the suburban and tried to sleep as much as possible... The poor boys had to do all the driving, and I was about as much help to them as a chocolate teapot.

Anyway, long story short, we drove as far as we could in one foul swoop but decided that we would need to spend at least one night in a hotel, so we could all get a decent sleep in a bed, and could have a nice hot shower too, so we planned our stop for Amarillo...

As we got near, the sun was setting and we all wanted to see Car Henge before dark... it was close, but we managed it. Right as we pulled in the sun was fading fast, but it was so worth it, and it was really nice to just stretch our legs. After that we headed to the hotel, got washed up and went in search of dinner. So, being in Texas, we wanted to eat at a Texas Steak House... and we found the closest one... they closed just a few minutes before we got there... just our luck... So, needing food we decided that TGI Friday's would do it and headed there... So much for us being able to see a bit of the town that evening. We were all SO exhausted that we ate dinner and went back to the hotel to sleep as much as we could, since we had planned an early start in the morning.

It was so nice to sleep in a real bed, and to have a nice hot shower... I could have easily stayed another night, but we had a lot of miles still ahead of us, so we wanted to get cracking on those.

We got a quick bite to eat, filled up with petrol, got coffee's and headed out of town... it was a foggy cold morning.... We got a few miles out of town and the bonnet started smoking... Uh Oh! That's not a good sign. We pull up on the side of the road, and for sure, we're overheating... Crap!

So, we add as much water as we had on with us, and let it cool down, then get back in the car(s) and drive to the next exit in search of water or services... nothing. Just a farm house. So, we get water from there, and are told by a service guy nearby that there's a "LOVES" not too far... we head there. They don't have the parts we need, and now we're just getting frustrated because we're wasting time.... We find out there's a parts store in Claude. Where the heck is Claude? What the heck is Claude? Well, we call ahead, and they have the part, so we make our way there.... there is NOTHING ELSE in Claude! We grab the part, the boys do a makeshift repair and we get back on the road... I'm pretty sure, even though it was unsaid, we were all just hoping we wouldn't have to make any further stops or repairs...

The makeshift repair worked perfectly, and so long as we kept the water topped up we were able to keep plodding along at 60 MPH... If we were lucky we got up to 65 ish... no kidding!

I continued to sleep as much as I could, since I was still feeling pretty crappy, and we still has another 1200 miles (ish) left to go... we were thinking about the possibility of making one more overnight stop, possibly in Tennessee... but we'd see how things were going at that point. We were all very eager to just get there already, and I was kind of bummed about being ill already for the whole trip...

The further we drove, the funnier everything got... and I mean EVERYTHING... We kept finding ourselves laughing hard about things that probably wouldn't usually even make us crack a smile... Yep, we were going crazy!

We kept driving... I-40 is one LONG ASS road, and while I am kind of fond of it after spending all that time there, I don't think I'd be too sad if I never had to drive on it again... At some point, and I can't quite remember clearly when the "aha!" moment was, but we realised that since we were not going at the max speed the whole time, our journey would actually take us a lot longer than we had estimated... Drat!

So, we decided to keep driving, so we could just get there as quickly as possible... Cory and Andrew took turns switching out driving/sleeping... Elsie and I tried to sleep as much as we could to pass the time (and keep me from being ill), and we tried to stop as little as possible... Not as easy as you might think. It didn't matter if I took a bathroom break when we stopped for petrol, I still needed to stop half way in between every other stop... I guess I was drinking all those fluids to try and avoid becoming dehydrated or something, anyway, I felt bad for everyone else, but I couldn't help it! When you gotta go, you've gotta go!

We keep passing State lines, which was awesome, it meant we were getting somewhere... Some states seemed misproportionally (is that even a word) longer than others, but we kept passing state lines and eventually the scenery started to look more green, more alive, fresher and much less desert like! YAY - I was not a fan of the desert (and it was not a fan of me either)....

I think my heart actually skipped a beat when we passed from Tennessee into North Carolina... I was so excited! The end was now in sight... The road sign said we had just 52 more miles to go... They turned out to be a LONG 52 miles!

We were all on the lookout for exit 46... and exit 46 was signposted... LOTS... it seemed like it was posted forever, and we were starting to think this exit wasn't real and we would never actually find it! Grrrrrrr

... and then, like a building rising out of the fog, it was there... Exit 46 was the next exit... we were very excited to get off I-40 and into town!!!

We follow the map and pull into Andrew's new street, and as we drive down the little road the mood lifts - we had made it, we were there... the Three Amigos had survived!We all jump out, stretch, let Elsie have a drink and then we have to unload the Mazda from the trailer...

Well, what should have been an easy task, well, wasn't... it was fairly funny to watch though! Andrew jumped into the Mazda, started her up, straightened up and tried to back off the trailer... nothing.... tried again... nothing!

Whoops, then Cory realised that they chain was still attached... so he hops under there, unhooks the chain and we try again... Andrew lines up the ramps and backs off there - Fantastico!

Here's a summary of our trip in photos, and a little video at the end too... Enjoy!


So, that's pretty much the end of our road trip... It certainly had some good times and some hard times, and I guess, now looking back I should have really realised that I was more unwell than we thought at the time. But like they say, hindsight's 20/20.

It would be less than a month before I was diagnosed, and life for us would be turned upside down...

Spring...

So, to catch everyone up, I'll go back and sum up the earlier parts of this year - it might be vague since my memory is patchy at times... but I'll do the best I can.

So, I was back in beautiful Oregon, after three weeks back home, and now I was engaged to the most amazing man in the world, my Soulmate, my Cory. I was floating on cloud nine.

Fairly soon after the engagement we set a date, so we could give people who needed to travel as much time as possible to make plans... We didn't want to catch people on the hop and make it super spendy for them to get flights booked... So, we settled on the 20th June 2009, and within no time at all we had the back bone of our wedding planned... it was going to be beautiful.

Cory and I had decided we would like to have it up at the Farm where he grew up. It seemed perfect to us, since it was such a sentimental place to us, and it is just beautiful up there too, and June would be a pretty time of year for a farm wedding... Anyway, more about the wedding coming right up... Stay in your seats boys and girls.

The begining of May, we had 'offered' to help our good friends move house (been roped in, had arms twisted... umm, I don't know which is more accurate)... It wasn't like we were moving them a couple blocks, or even to the next town, we were moving them all the way clear to the other side of the country - they were going from LA to North Carolina!

Yeah, it was going to be quite the journey... but we were up for the challenge... But I'll tell that story in another post, I have have a feeling it might be a long one...

Our 'official' engagement photos

On the news of our engagement, a good photographer friend and neighbour of ours offered to shoot our Engagement Session... So, we went over to Linfield and took our photos there on a beautiful Spring afternoon!

Here are some of our photos:

We also made a little video with all the photos on it...