A day late...

I know, I've been a very bad blogger. Totally unreliable. I hope that you, the reader(s?) can forgive me. Let me preface by saying last week was INSANITY! First and foremost, Bryan and I are getting ready to put a bid in on a house. We actually had seen it on individual trips last week (Bryan, while I was at the Bridal Shower and then I went to see it on Tuesday - that house was included on looking at 10 other houses on each of those days). We are in love with this particular house in Suwanee (I know, I know, I have to be ready to walk away if things fall through), and this resulted in Saturday turning into a marathon tutoring session with an AP Biology student followed by another trip over to this house to look at and talk about every feature, every pro, every con, everything. Nevertheless during the week, aside from just house-hunting in general, was the normal rounds of tutoring and the lab has been busier than usual since we're getting ready to MOVE it - down the street. But it's been alot of packing and running around. I've been exhausted. What better way to cure exhaustion than to promise a big Mother's Day blog after a 12-hour drive?

Why a 12-hour drive, you say? Well, in addition to all the craziness last week I was also trying to prepare to leave Atlanta to come home on Sunday. While this was the original plan, I usually stop at Tami's place in North Carolina to both visit with her and break up the trip - which wouldve put me in Springfield on Monday (today). I decided, however, to try to do the whole trip on Sunday in order to attempt to surprise my Mom for Mother's Day. So I kept up the guise of "I'll be in NC on Sunday, then I'll see you Monday" My Dad and brother were in on the surprise and it worked; it was awesome! But I digress....the drive took 12 hours and was followed by a fantastic dinner cooked by Mom and Dad. My brother and Bridesmaid Melissa came over and we all got to spend time together. After dinner, I was high on allergy meds (what is going ON with your pollen count up here, people!?!) and delirious from being just plain tired. Rather than write a blog (which would've been incomprehensible but possibly entertaining), I fell asleep.

So I sincerely apologize for this Mother's Day announcement a day late.

That being said - ARE YOU READY?!?!??

Oh, and let me preface: some of you already know this news. If you already know, just realize it's the first time I'm acknowledging this on my blog. I have been waiting to divulge the information in a blog dedicated solely to this announcement.

If you've been following our cast of wedding characters (being that obviously, this blog reads like Shakespeare), you know that you've got:
Bryan and I,
the M.O.B. = Mother of the Bride, my Mom;
the future-M.I.L. = Mother-in-law, Bryan's Mom;
M.O.H. Nicole = Maid of Honor;
and Bridesmaids Lindsay G., Mrs. Smith, Melissa, Tami, and Tatum.
There are ALOT of people that are contributing to this wedding and the happiness surrounding everything, but I usually refer to them by their full names so there's no real aliases going on there (for example, Aunt Claire, my dress guru and the Zaccarellis and Zaccarelli-McMullins, Champion Fine China-gift-givers and the first ones to book their hotel rooms!).

So Bridesmaid Mrs. Smith IMed me a few months ago on g-chat and asked if we could talk, was I busy? I was about to get an ACT Science class underway so I told her I'd have to call her in a few hours, what was going on? And she told me: SHE'S EXPECTING!!! She continued that her due date is October 3rd. She will either have just given birth or will be waiting to give birth when she would've been travelling for the wedding. That being said, Mrs. Smith will not be physically at the wedding. She hoped I wasn't mad. Mad?? That is the happiest news I've ever heard!!!

Am I bummed about that fact? Sure. But I'm so much more excited about Baby Girl Smith on the way that any feelings of disappointment of not sharing my wedding day with Mrs. Smith are pretty much nil. At the end of this crazy year of everything, the wedding is a day, and an important one, of course but Baby Girl Smith is coming!!! And let's be honest, our family and friends have been making the whole YEAR a celebration which has been phenomenal; the wedding's just sort of the culmination of months of celebrating. I'm also pretty confident if we can Skype in Mrs. Smith, it will be done. So if you see 5 Bridesmaids and a chair with a computer covered with ribbon, that's Mrs. Smith watching the wedding via webcam. :-)

I will acknowledge one more thing, as well. A few people have asked if I was going to ask someone to "replace" Mrs. Smith as Bridesmaid. Truth be told, you can't replace her. So if I do make the decision to ask someone else, it is not to "replace" Mrs. Smith. Out of everyone in the wedding, excluding my brother, she has known me the longest. So she is still a Bridesmaid! She is still giving me as much direction as the day Bryan and I got engaged! And she is co-planning a Bachelorette outing among other things. So pregnant, but still an irreplaceable Bridesmaid!

I'm going to conclude this blog with a big CONGRATULATIONS to both Mr. and Mrs. Smith! I couldn't be happier or more excited for the both of them and I can't wait to meet this little one who I've been calling The Bean for some months now. I hope everyone had a fabulous Mother's Day!!!