Missers Gets Hitched

So it's official:  Missy and Sean (finally!) tied the knot!  Don't worry, I'm allowed to say "finally," because I've been along for the whole journey.  All of it.  Since they got together in 2002.  And I've actually known Sean almost as long as I've known Missy.  Missy and I met on our first day of college, and I met Sean just a couple of months later, because they were friends throughout high school and he came to visit her at DePauw.  There are no words to express how happy I am that these two FINALLY got their "happily ever after."  They're two of the kindest-hearted, generous, supportive, fun-loving friends a girl could ask for.  When they asked me to be a part of their wedding day I couldn't say yes fast enough...even if Missy DIDN'T go for my idea of choosing bridesmaid dresses in a color I already had hanging in my closet!

So last Thursday (a little over a week ago) I packed my bags and drove to St. Louis for the wedding festivities.  It's a 10-hour drive and I had a few things I had to take care of at home before I could leave, so I didn't get in until about 12:30, but since I had just been there for her bridal shower three weeks before we could skip the house tour and get right down to the important stuff--namely me seeing their new Nintendo Wii and their Mii's and creating a Mii that looked exactly like me.  (Side note: Does anyone actually choose the head that looks like a piece of toast??)  Anyways, we were up until about 3:30 a.m. doing important things like that, and then we finally crashed.

Friday was a busy day, but we checked a lot of items off of Missy's To Do List.  Besides running errands for things like ringbearer gifts and pantyhose, finishing decorating the reception hall, and getting nails done, Missy took her mom, sister, niece, and me out to lunch at this great tearoom in Godfrey called Josephine's.  Lunch was delicious, but more importantly it was the first event of the weekend honoring Missy and her nuptials!  Oh, and she got her photo taken with some guys in some pretty spectacular hats while we were there, too.


Friday night was the rehearsal, which went exceptionally well.  The priest was a perfectionist and didn't love the YouTube spoof my walking partner and I tried out on our way down the aisle, so we weren't allowed to go to the rehearsal dinner until we'd all walked silently down the aisle as if it were the real thing.  The dinner was delicious, and Friday night Missy and I slumber-partied with her family at her parents' house.  I was really touched that she asked me to stay with them.

Saturday morning we were up early to get hair and make-up done.  Missy's wonderful friend Sarah came to the house to do Missy's make-up, then followed us to the salon and did the bridesmaids' make-up as we finished up with hair.  After a quick trip home for some photos and some sloppy joe's courtesy of Sharon (Missy's mom) we were headed to the church!


Aside from a Snow White incident where a bird got into our dressing room and Missy caught it and released it back into the wild, everything went wonderfully.  Missy looked absolutely gorgeous in her dress, and Sean looked very handsome.  The ceremony was beautiful, and when it was over we packed up our things and boarded the bridal party bus and headed out around town to take photos (which we can't wait to see!).  Highlights of the bus included figuring out how to open a beer without a bottle opener, Missy re-applying deodorant in her bridal gown and stopping to pose for a photo, photos at the ampitheatre where Sean proposed, photos at Robert Wadlow's (the world's tallest man's) chair, and discovering a hearse advertising ghost tours in front of the reception site.


The reception was fantastic.  It was so much fun to see so many old friends, and the dance floor was hoppin' all night long.  The Delta Gamma's toasted Missy and Sean, and when Sean played a special Delta Gama song for us I pulled him onto the dance floor to breakdance in the middle of our circle.  At the end of the night Joe (Missy's dad) got on the dance floor and sang "My Way" (No, not the song by Usher.  The song by Frank Sinatra.), which was beautiful.

After the reception the DG's did what anyone would do after a wedding reception: We went to a drag show.  It was the first for many of us, and it was a great time, though we were surprised to find out that there were only three or four drag queens there.  One of the queens was especially fond of Becky, and Jeff (Lily's hubby) eventually had to move into a corner of the room, not because the drag queens were hitting on him, but because other patrons couldn't seem to keep their hands off.


Overall the weekend was a huge success.  Missy and Sean are happily married, and everyone had a wonderful time.  It's hard to believe that they're actually married now, but I went ahead and changed her name in my phone so I can start getting used to her new last name.  Lots of love to Missy and Sean, and thanks for an incredibly fun weekend!

Top 10 Reasons I Know I'm Minnesotan Now

10. I no longer make casseroles.  I make "hot dishes."  I correct people who say "casserole" and my entire family has now taken to saying "hot dish" in honor of my new home.
9. Friends are starting to call me out on my accent.  And not just when I say "Minn-e-soooo-ta."  Gone are the days when I'm called out for saying "caw-fee."
8. Until the temperatures reach negative numbers I'll be running errands in a down vest.  It's just a little chilly.  I'll wear a winter coat when it gets cold out.
7. I say "spendy" instead of "expensive" and I don't even realize it.
6. I own a dozen scarves but not a single pair of shorts.  And I think I need more scarves.
5. I have a recipe for tater tot hot dish.  I make it.  And I love it.  I even gave it to a friend at her bridal shower recently and it wasn't as a joke.  I really thought she needed to have the recipe.
4. I attended a wedding where the guests were asked to respond to the officiant with a "You betcha!"
3. It's 48 degrees and I have every window and sliding door in my condo open.  You know, to cool the place down a little.
2. I gave up my Chicago phone number of 6 years and got a local number.  (Don't forget to update your phone accordingly!)
1. I have a Minnesota driver's license!  I finally went to the DMV today, and I'm proud to report that I passed my written test with flying colors (despite the fact that I apparently don't know how fast tractors go.  I'm not too upset about that.).  So yeah, it's official.  I'm Minnesotan now!

Zoey's Field Trip

Before Julia and Jon left for their honeymoon I promised Zoey a field trip.  She did really well in the car when I brought her to my condo on Friday, so on Saturday I thought she was ready for a major outing.  It had been raining for days and we even had snow here last week, so since it was sunny and mid-50's I thought we'd do something Fall-ish and festive.  We went to the pumpkin patch!

Now Zoey and Auntie Trish didn't keep all the fun to ourselves.  Auntie Kristin came too!  Zoey was SO excited to see Kristin Saturday afternoon, and she loved sitting in Kristin's lap (all harnessed in for safety, of course!) all the way to the pumpkin patch.  When we got there we let her run between the rows of pumpkins, but she kept getting distracted by apples that had falled off the trees.  Apples are one of her favorite snacks (along with carrots and obviously doggie treats), but we hadn't thought about that little distraction!  She was incredibly patient with us as we paraded her around, made her pose for photos, and kept her from enjoying a tasty apple snack.  The kids in the patch loved her too, and she even let one little girl pet her.  It might have been because she was holding an apple, though...

Once we finished Zoey's photo shoot Kristin got Zoey an apple sample while I took some family photos for a woman who ohsodiscretely said, "I really want to get someone to take a family photo for us by those hay bales over there."  "Um...would you like me to take a family photo for you by those hay bales over there?"  So after I'd taken a Christmas-card-worthy family photo and narrowly escaped a dead camera battery our Fall adventure came to an end.

When we got back to the house Kristin and I watched a few episodes of How I Met Your Mother (including one of my favorite episodes--"Swarley") while the Zomonster sacked out on the couch and recovered from her exciting day.  Julia and Jon came home on Sunday so my Zoey duties are over for now.  Several times today I've caught myself looking around for her when it's too quiet.  I'm so glad that I got to watch her while they were gone.  It definitely fueled my I-Want-A-Puppy fire, but I know that now's not the right time, so in case you're wondering--no, I'm not getting a dog.  At least not quite yet...

Adventures in Zoey-Sitting

Meet Zoey.  She's a one-year-old Schnoodle.  She enjoys playing fetch, chasing bunnies, showing off tricks in exchange for treats, and apparently long rides in the car.

Zoey belongs to my good friends Julia and Jon, who are currently enjoying their honeymoon in Las Vegas.  When they told me they'd booked their trip, my first question wasn't, "Have either of you been there before?," "Which hotel are you staying at?", or "Are you going to see any shows?"  Instead it was, "Who's going to watch Zoey??"  And then began the campaign for Trish to Zoeysit.  I talked about it every time I saw them and I even got other friends involved, so you can imagine my excitement the day Julia asked, "So...did you really want to watch Zoey?"  YES!!!

Julia and Jon left on Wednesday and return on Sunday, so that gives me four whole days to soak up as much Zoey as I can.  We've been having a great time together, though the weather hasn't really been cooperating.  Fortunately Zoey doesn't like being out in the rain much more than I like taking her out in it, so we've spent a lot of time fetching toys (her), digging toys out from under the ottoman (me), and working on her tricks.  I made it a personal goal to teach her a new trick and surprise Julia and Jon with it when they get back, but turns out it's pretty tough to teach a puppy to moonwalk.  (In my dreamworld I teach her to do it every time she hears Billy Jean.)  She's trying though, and to be fair this is my first attempt at training any animal, so she's being pretty patient with me.  She's incredibly smart--she can already sit, lay down, shake (with either paw), roll over, play dead, and high five.  I've been trying to think of what else I might be able to teach her while they're gone.  You know, in case the whole moonwalking thing doesn't work out.

So last week I promised Zoey that we'd go somewhere together this weekend.  We have big plans for tomorrow, but I'll save that for another post.  Today we took a trip to my condo, about 20 minutes from her house.  She has a little harness that hooks around her head and front legs, then clips into the seatbelt of the car so she's all buckled in safely.  When I started packing her bag for our little field trip and got out her harness she pretty much went nuts, racing around the house, jumping up on furniture, and shaking with excitement!  She did great in the car and when we got to my place I took her for a walk around the neighborhood to get some of the energy out.  We've played with some toys, practiced a few tricks, and now she's curled up asleep under my chair at the dining room table while I get a few things accomplished.

Despite the 5:30 wakeup calls the last two mornings (when I ran her down the hall and put her in the bathtub so she wouldn't puke on my white comforter!), my long weekend with Zoey has gone extremely well.  I think tonight we'll curl up on the couch and watch a chick flick together.  (I wonder if Must Love Dogs is on...)  We're both going to need our rest tonight.  We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow!

Bienvenidos a Minnestrella!

I lost my job yesterday.  I've been contemplating starting a blog for quite some time, but I've never felt like I had the time--probably because for the last two years my entire life has revolved around my job.  Now that I have my life back (Hello, life!), I decided I should get a hobby.  So, here I am, setting up my first blog.  (Well, sort of.  I did a roadtrip this summer with some girlfriends and we blogged from the road, but this time I can't depend on them to keep things interesting!)  I'm not going to make any promises as far as what this blog is going to be about because it's probably going to be kind of random.  You may find posts about the sighting of a new roadside attraction, a culinary adventure, Minnesota culture, or pretty much anything else that strikes me.  Since I haven't really done this before I figure I'll probably just play it by ear. 

If you're wondering what Minnestrella means, the truth is that it doesn't translate.  Because it's not a real word.  Oh well.  Here's where it came from:  The "Minnes--" is an homage to my new home state of Minnesota (which I love!).  "Estrella" is the Spanish word for "star."  When I studied in Spain in college my friends dubbed me T*Star.  The nickname followed me back to the States, and this summer the same friends translated it to Spanish.  Since then, T*Star has become interchangeable with Estrella.  So, Minnestrella (pronounced "minn-es-stray-ya") is a combination of Minnesota and the Spanish word for Star.  (Shout out to Jaime for coming up with it!)

Sooo...I think that's enough of an introduction.  Welcome to my blog!