I avoid Steve and Jimmy

To be properly attired for my brother's wedding I needed silver, strappy shoes. And I do not like shoe shopping. And September and October are not silver, strappy shoe season in the stores. And did I mention I don't like shoe shopping?

I don't remember when the dislike started. Shoes just never seem to fit me quite right. I'm not quite a narrow, but some shoes are too wide. I am too picky about style and color. I don't like to spend money on shoes that I don't know I'll wear on some consistent basis.

The exception being my Adidas that I don't wear often but will never get rid of.

To give you an idea, my senior year I bought a pair of tan Vans. The ones with a thick sole and rubber across the toe (I'd get a picture, but can't find one). I wore those things for two years straight. They were my comfort shoes during my first year of college. I loved those shoes and when the tread was gone, my mom tried to find a replacement pair. Unfortunately, fashion moved forward and she had to get a different brand that were not the same thing.

But I digress.

I tried to shop for shoes, but the few I found and that fit cost $50+ which I didn't want to fork over.

I found a friend had been in many weddings and thought she had some. Unfortunately, they were a closed, pointed toe and half of a size too small.

So I packed up Xander and made one last effort to find a pair. Off to DSW and I actually found two pairs that worked and had to weigh the pros and cons and actually decide on one pair.

The first pair were these strappy reptile sandals. They were the first shoes I spotted after walking into the store, so I felt like it was meant to be. Pros: price, wearable with jeans. Cons: huge heel.

After meandering around I found these slingbacks in silver tucked away in clearance. They were ok. Pros: better price, lower heal. Cons: don't stay on as well, not really wearable with anything else I own.

So I wandered around some more and let Xander bop in his stroller to the new age-techno music they had going. I tried on these boots for fun and am still tempted to go back for them. And I finally decided to get the reptile sandals. I felt so cool buying them, I never make a purchase like that! And at the wedding, my sister was totally jealous. Of course my feet killed me by the end of the ceremony, but at least I looked good!

Another day, another dress

My brother is married! Wow, it's weird to say he has a wife. I'm sure my siblings thought the same thing when I got married though.

We headed home early on Friday so I could attend a surprise baby shower for my cousin's wife. My cousin and his wife live in Florida, so I gave them burp cloths I made (easy to pack) and pitched in for a gift card.

We went to our hotel and got set up there. It is weird to stay in a hotel in my hometown, but we figured if Xander stayed up screaming then at least we'd only keep up strangers. Lo and behold, our neighbors were my other brother and his girlfriend.

We moseyed over to the church for rehearsal. That and the dinner went smoothly. It was just huge, since the wedding party was huge and everyone's significant other and everyone involved came. Afterward a lot of people went out to the bar, but I headed back to the room with Xander. Chris stayed out late and I can't tell you how many people mentioned how he was the life of the party. Apparently Mark (the brother getting married) had to sneak out while Chris was in the bathroom.

Saturday dawned bright and early and I was off to get my hair done. All of the other girls had lots of curls, but I had more of a slicked back thing done since Xander is a hair puller. Then off to the church to get dressed. And I will be writing another post about my shoes.

The ceremony was sweet and went well. Of course this is where I make my first Bridesmaid Flub. Our dresses were strapless and had a small train and a sash that trailed. Trisha was sure to make sure she wasn't standing on my train when we started the recession, but I didn't do that with the bridesmaid in front of me. Fortunately she just tugged on it a little and made a face (I've heard of strapless dresses coming off when stepped on, yowza). I apologized so profusely afterward.

We all headed out to the party bus to get more pictures taken. The bus was pretty cool, it had seats turned around with tables between. Unfortunately I couldn't enjoy it because of my second Bridesmaid Flub of getting a migraine. I tried not to be a needy, attention hog but I ran off the the bathroom when people where getting pictures and kept standing out in the cold. Then I realized I'd committed another Bridesmaid Flub and lost my bouquet. Ack!

We headed to the reception on the party bus (nausea, nausea, nausea). I kept it together long enough for the introductions, but missed some of my favorite parts of the reception like first dance and cake cutting and food. But I didn't want to leave my brother's wedding reception. I mean, really, it's not something to miss. So I stuck it out and took a few walks out in the cold air. Fortunately, the migraine subsided and I was able to enjoy visiting with relatives I don't see often and some dancing.

By the end of the night I had committed two more Bridesmaid Flubs by breaking the strap of my dress (I added them at the reception) and Xander broke the necklace I was given to wear. I was a little worried he swallowed part of it, but I found it later. Fortunately my new sister-in-law was in no way a bridezilla, so I don't think I caused any issues with all of my problems.

Sunday we woke up and packed up the room and went to brunch at Mark's house to watch him and his bride open gifts. I'd hoped to get some more time in with my aunt's family but we had to head home after that.

Overall, a busy but fun weekend. I'll post a few pictures on Xander's site in a while.

Up in the Sky!

Your results:
You are Superman

Superman 85% Spider-Man 60% Wonder Woman 60% Robin 60% Supergirl 50% Iron Man 50% Green Lantern 45% The Flash 40% Batman 35% Hulk 35% Catwoman 30%

You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.

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All the king's horses and all the king's men

After I complained about it, the rash and the elbow miraculously healed themselves.

As for the foot and knee, I went to the doctor. He says the knee is actually iliotibial band syndrome. Which sounds about right. He gave me a list of stretches and exercises to help, but no running or weight lifting.

The doctor thought my foot was a stress fracture and sent me in for x-rays. That was last Monday. I finally heard from him on Thursday at about 6 pm. No sign of a fracture, so it was probably a contusion. I'm supposed to ice my foot several times a day and not repeat whatever I did in the first place (which I still don't know what has caused this).

I'm still limping, but now it's more of a stiff, achy feeling rather than the blinding shot of pain. Doc said to give it about three weeks and call again if it's still hurting. Just in time for me to limp down the aisle at my brother's wedding.