Whirlwind Weekend

We flew to Ohio this weekend for my cousin Amy's wedding. It was a simple wedding and reception, but filled with elegance and sophistication. My wedding was sort of "I get to play princess for a day" and I had the poufy dress, the 5 bridesmaids, the bridal bouquet to toss, etc.

 There was nary a princess moment in site for Amy. Instead, she looked like she should be on the cover of Vogue. Amy is stunning anyway--tall, thin, long blonde hair, looks like a model. Put her in a sleeveless lace form fitting wedding dress with champagne sash, hair twisted up, and makeup that looked like Bobbi Brown herself dropped in to do it and oh-my-God. Stunning.

Ben, her husband, has a host of interesting friends. So the person who did Amy's hair has also done hair for Miss America pageants. The person filming their wedding video is an Aussie who does work for National Geographic and PBS documentaries.  The ceremony was in a beautiful church that didn't need any flowers to "dress it up" and so they had none. The rain held off until everyone was inside (it was an early evening wedding) and then a thunderstorm started so there was the distance sound of rolling thunder and rain streaked the simple stained glass windows as they said their vows and it was incredibly romantic. The rain stopped again as we all left the church and for 1 minute, right as Amy and Ben walked outside and into the car and we all tossed rose petals at them, the sky turned a blossoming cherry pink.

None of our pictures turned out--all too dark. I'm hoping the relatives come through and send me some of theirs and I'll post a few here when I'm able.

Although it was fun seeing everyone, it's good to be home.  Our flight this morning left at 7 am so for the 2nd night in a row, we got about 4 1/2 hours sleep.  We were like the walking dead at the airport. A three-hour nap has helped. 

I'm going to go shower the "airport goo" off me (Even if I just sit in a chair at an airport, I feel like I'm covered in grime by the time I get home), eat dinner, conduct a phone interview and then collapse with the cats, Blair, and a new episode of "The Amazing Race."

Hey--you relax your way and I'll relax mine.

Internal Clock

I have a strong internal clock. I can be absorbed in work and not look at the clock for hours, or out hiking in the woods all day and before looking at a clock or watch, I'll guess what time it is. I'm usually within 10 minutes of the correct time. The skill holds even at night. If I wake up in the middle of the night, I'll still be within 10 minutes of the time before I glance at my clock.

Which is why this morning was such a rude shock. I woke up and knew I hadn't beeen asleep long. It figured it was maybe going on midnight.  I almost cried when I looked at the clock and it read "4:32."  Wha--???? My alarm was going to go off in 30 minutes? No way! For those of you who have found yourself there, that is just a heartbreaking scenario.

But now I'm up and it's a full day! I have an article that HAS to be written today. It's due Monday and I'm out of town this weekend. I'm going to yoga this morning and then leaving the house and locking myself in a Starbucks or Panera until this thing is done. (I do better writing away from home--less distractions). I'm hoping I'll have it knocked out by around 2pm but I'll stay there until dark if I need to.

I will need to come home and pack though.  My beloved cousin Amy is getting married this weekend! Amy and I are nine days apart in age (FYI, she's older. Bothered me when I was younger but now I point it out every chance I get) and we grew up literally in each others households. She sent me a pdf of her wedding program and I almost cried reading it. I'm going to be a soppy mess at the wedding itself, I'm sure.

I can't wait.

Shopping in Under 30 Minutes

I am not a shopper. There are few things in life I enjoy less than trudging into a store dressing room with an armload of clothes, never sure what goes with what, how long the pants are supposed to be, or if the salesgirl  assisting me is lying when she assures me I look "really cute" in everything. I always suspect she is actually laughing behind my back with the other staff members once I head to the check-out counter. ("Can you believe she bought that skirt?? I could barely keep a straight face when I told her it was the new style and everyone would be wearing it!")

But I have a family wedding to attend this weekend in Ohio and the sad fact was that I had nothing to wear. Not nothing as in, "I'm so sick of wearing this same outfit everywhere" but nothing as in "I've worked at home for three years and I don't think my dress-up sweat pants will pass muster at this event."

But I have been slammed this month with work. I've never really caught up with my week away at Wildacres and a huge magazine project went horrible awry and I was to the point where I thought, "Well, our flight gets in at 9 AM and the wedding is at 6. I 'll just have to shop when I get to Columbus." 

But I found--literally-- one hour on Sunday where I could slip into a store between commitments. Blair was with me. I walked into Anne Taylor, explained my dilemma and time limitation and by the end of 30 minutes had 3 sales associates throwing blouses, skirts, and necklaces at me and on me. (If I ever get truly rich, the first thing I'll do is hire a personal shopper.  Then I'll never have to set foot in a mall again).  They had me outfitted and out of the store in record time. We raced into Macy's and bought a pair of black heels and now I am ready to go.  Bring on the wedding cake and Chicken Dance --I now have proper attire for both.

I just hope I'll look good. But I think I will. The sales associate at Anne Taylor assured me the skirt I was buying was the newest style and everyone would soon be wearing it.

People With Passion Radio Show

Whew! I have my first radio show under my belt. I blogged some time ago that I was going to start hosting the Community Accents program on the 4th Tuesday of each month for 1490 WLOE/1420 WMYN.  Community Accents brings different people in to host segments--the county Sheriff, Town managers, the President of Rockingham Community College and there are fun segments like a cooking show, etc.

I was given free reign to talk about what I want and I decided I would spend my 30 minutes each month interviewing people who had a passion for life. Maybe it's their work, their art, a cause they're fighting for... just something that ignites a spark in them and gets them excited.

I had a spectacular guest today - Flavel Collins who is the Community Relations Coordinator for the Hospice in our county. She's leading a multi-million dollar drive to raise money for a Hospice Home (right now our Hospice just offers in-home care).  Flavel is passionate about her work, the new home, and everything Hospice stands for. She had a family member that required the services of Hospice, which is how she became involved.  

I'm not quite brave enough to go back and listen to the tape just yet.  I'll just trust my instinct that it went well. But I'm looking forward to ferreting out people with unusual interests and hobbies and passions and having them on the air.

This is Dena Harris, on-air talent, signing off...   =)