Same old thing, different day.

I know it has been a couple of weeks since I've posted anything new on my blog - my apologies. I've just been busy with work, and...what else? I know there was something else in there....

Oh yeah....

GETTING MARRIED!

That's right, kids. We finally tied the knot! David and I got married in Clinton on November 15. Remarkably, everything went really well. We started on time and there were no major mishaps. The only thing that was a little off was our unity candle - and that actually turned out pretty funny. When David and I went up to light the candle, the wick was so short, I knew there was no way we were going to get it to light. After five of the longest minutes of my life (and actually, it may have been less than five minutes. But, when you're standing in front of nearly 200 people, 30 seconds seems like five minutes), we still couldn't get the candle to light, so we just left it. It did make everyone laugh, though.

Luckily for us, Chuck had a knife and hacked off the top of the candle for the reception. With a longer wick, we didn't have any trouble lighting the darn thing! The reception at the church turned out wonderfully - thanks to everyone who helped to prepare food and make everything run smoothly. And, of course, we had a good time "shakin' it" at the party at the end of the night.

I can't wait to see how our professional pictures turned out. Our photographer was AWESOME! She was with us from 10 a.m. until the last guest left at midnight and she took so many candid pictures of us and our guests. In fact, David and I got so many compliments from our guests saying they appreciated her friendliness and the fact that she wanted to interact with them and spend time with us at our wedding. Of course, we haven't seen our pictures yet, but if anyone living in central Illinois is looking for a photographer, David and I would highly recommend Julie Prochnow Photography - she was fabulous!

Once we have the link for the pictures, I'll post it here so you can all take a look.

Sunday, after the wedding, David and I left for our honeymoon. We went to Edisto Island, South Carolina. It was cold while we were there, but we still had a good time. We stayed in a condo just off the shore of St. Helen's Sound and watched the dolphins from our balcony every day we were there. We also spent one day in Charleston visiting Fort Sumter, the South Carolina Aquarium and taking a walking tour of the city.

After a week off work, I have to confess, I wasn't exactly ready to come back and spend my days in front of a computer. But, it was a short week this week with Thanksgiving. Plus, we had Janell staying with us after our honeymoon. Since we were planning to come back for Thanksgiving, Janell decided to ride back to Nebraska with us and spend a few days "out West." We headed back home Wednesday night after I got of work.

Today, David and I spent the day at Grandpa and Grandma DeMent's house for Thanksgiving and then headed back to David's house to spend the evening with his parents. As usual, my family was very entertaining: no story was off limits and Ted put cheese whiz in Grandpa Don's hair.

David and I both have tomorrow off and I think we're going to try to do a little bit of internet shopping to pick up some of the things we registered for but didn't get and use a few of the gift cards we received (thanks everyone!). Then, Saturday, we're headed up to northern Illinois for the wedding of a friend of mine.

I think that's it for now - hope you all had a wonderful Turkey Day and you are staying at home tomorrow instead of battling the outrageous holiday shopping crowds!

Sometimes it's just hard.

I could spend my time tonight dazzling you all with my political commentary (and I have plenty to say about yesterday's election), but instead, I'm going to go in a different direction.

Those of you that follow my blog or know me personally know that the past few months of this year have been a little challenging. A close friend of mine lost his father this year; another friend was in a serious car accident and nearly lost her life. Sometimes, it's just hard.

Five years ago, I lost my father for no reason at all. Actually, I'm sure God had a reason. Maybe he was just being selfish. I mean, my dad was pretty cool, who wouldn't want to spend time with him? But still, it doesn't seem fair.

He's been gone five years and still, sometimes it's just hard. This past weekend, while David and I were driving home from Nebraska, I looked out the window and noticed how clear the night sky was. I looked up and saw the beautiful stars and all of the contellations and remembered my dad.

On summer nights when I was little, if the sky was clear, Dad and I would sit outside and he would say, "Do you see it? There's the big dipper and there's the little dipper. Can you point them out? Where are they, Rach?"

As I was sitting in that car, looking out the window at the stars, I couldn't stop myself from crying. I cried the rest of the way home - I just couldn't stop. Sometimes it's just hard.

But, I think that's the way it's supposed to be. We don't like it. In fact, most of the time, we resent the tough times. Instead, we should embrace them and try to learn from them. I'm guilty of it too; we look at the small picture but forget that it's only part of the big picture.

Next weekend, I'll stand before God, family and friends and say my wedding vows to a man I love very much. And, while that makes me happy when I think about it (and happier than I have been in five years), there will be one seat noticeably empty in the church. Of course, I know he'll be there, but I still don't think it's fair.

Sometimes it's just hard. Sometimes it's not fair. All of the time, that's life. And life is what you make of it.