Meet the Parents

We have had an extremely productive weekend!  Let's start with Friday.  After work, Joey and I headed over to the Jared Galleria of Jewelry which is practically across the street from our apartment.  We were going just to look at wedding bands to get an idea of what we liked, but knowing our impulsive nature I should've realized we'd be walking out with our wedding bands purchased!  We tried on alot of rings, some that were just ridiculously blingy, but it was so much fun!  The nice lady even cleaned my engagement ring for me. Who knew how dirty it could get in 7 months! It looks like a whole new ring!  I won't post the pictures of our rings on this blog... you'll have to wait til the wedding day to see!

Saturday morning we woke up bright and early.  Joey's parents (Joe and Diane) arrived at our apartment at 9am.  After a quick tour, we all (including Doc) jumped into the car for the 3 hour ride to Paoli.  We got to my parent's house around lunchtime, and Dakota came right out to greet us. It was time for the BIG meeting! This was the first time our parents had ever met each other! Of course they got along great.  Our Dads were scheming which color of camo to wear to the wedding and our Moms were making fun of me for being such a worrywart about Doc.  I got to visit with my MOH/Little Sis Laura, and we went upstairs to check out THE DRESS. It was the first time I'd seen it in person and it is still so beautiful.

After visiting and letting the doggies play, it was time to head over to the Desmond for our tasting!  We gave Diane and Joe a tour of the cocktail area, ballroom, and wedding gazebo before we all sat down to a huge meal.  Here's a pic of one of the dishes we tried:

After being STUFFED with delicious entrees and desserts, we packed up and headed over to the General Warren Inne to work on some Rehearsal Dinner things.  We got to choose the room (Admiral Vernon Room!) and chatted about the menu. We grabbed Doc from my parent's house and headed back to VA, arriving around 9pm. It was a LONG day!

Today (Sunday) I stopped by Jared to pick up our wedding bands, but since it didn't open until 12 I had some time to kill!  I grabbed some coffee and stopped at Petsmart, Walmart and Bed, Bath, and Beyond where I got some new drapes and throw pillows for the living room. I feel like such an old lady for being so excited about this... Here's a pic of our new swag plus a sleeping puppy.  And YES, his shirt says "Size Doesn't Matter".  Whatever...Joey said I could.

Well, it's been an extremely long weekend.  The apartment is clean due to the (future) in-law's visit, so what's a girl to do? Looks like I'll be snuggling with my pup and sipping that merlot I grabbed on sale at Walmart.  Well folks, my job here is done.  Stay tuned in a few more days for a more solid update as we reach the *gasp* 4 MONTH MARK!!!!!!!!

126 Days to Go!

Love,
Sarah

Until the Rum is Gone...

So the other night I had a crazy dream that I was getting dressed on my wedding day and my dress was covered in black lace and very sexual looking, with red and white stripes underneath the skirt part.... sort of like a pirate wedding dress... (I scoured the internet for a picture of what I dreamed about but alas there was nothing in real life that matched what my brain concocted on it's own.) My Dad was telling me that I would regret this choice of attire in a couple years and I was thinking 'no way!'.  Then I woke up feeling slightly guilty and thinking maybe I should've listened to my Dad.  THEN I remembered what my dress actually  looks like and that it is hanging in my closet in PA and that it is NOT black lace with red/white stripes.  THANK GOODNESS.

Whilst in my search for the perfect pirate wedding dress photograph, I came across some wedding vows that well, my fiance would not allow at ALL.  But I enjoyed reading them and thus will pass them along to you.

Groom: I, Mad Dog Joey take ye, Saucy Sarah as me Heart, me Soul, me Good Wench with a stout right hook, the bright dawn of each new day and the soft bed of each day's night. I promise to love ye and honor ye; to make ye laugh when yer feelin' out of sorts and pretend to listen to ye when ye babble on and on about nothin' in particular. I will protect you from the elements and the elephants should we ever encounter them as it is my understanding that they can be very large and unpredictable. I will love thee through scurvy and through fire, in wealth or poverty whether ye be near or far. And when I speak of treasure, as I am wont to do, everyone within the sound of me voice will know that what I am really speaking about is you. All of this will I undertake until there are no horizons left to chase and the rum is gone.

Bride: I, Saucy Sarah take ye, Mad Dog Joey as me Heart, me Soul, me Salty Jack with a crooked smile, the foggy haze of each new day and the lumpy (but familiar) mattress of each day's night. I promise to love ye and honor ye; to make ye laugh so hard the rum comes out yer nose and pretend to listen to ye when ye babble on about nothin' in particular. I will protect you from my wrath and from giraffes which I understand are very tall and will sometimes step on people because they are not looking where they are stepping. I will love thee through scurvy and through fire, in wealth or poverty whether ye be near or far. And when I speak of treasure, as I am wont to do, everyone within the sound of me voice will know that I am day dreaming again. All of this will I undertake until there are no horizons left to chase and the rum is gone.

So what do you think?? I think Joey will DEFINITELY go for it.  Get excited because our TASTING is this weekend and I will definitely be doing a write-up about that!!

Love,
Sarah
PS: ONLY 131 DAYS LEFT!

The Dress is IN!

I just wanted to post quickly because MY WEDDING DRESS CAME IN TODAY!!! AHHH!! And I'm really excited about it in case you couldn't tell!!!

OK OK OK that is NOT my dress..... but if you want some cheap entertainment check out http://www.uglydress.com to see some fabulously ugly wedding and bridesmaid dresses, as well as some tacky ceremonies...

Also I have been a wedding machine in the past week! We have visited Men's Warehouse, booked our tasting with the caterer AND the GTKY photo session with our photographer, and I've ordered some goodies for my bridesmaids and for the wedding day! I'm having so much fun! Next up: Buying the wedding rings... dun dun dunnnnn!

That's all for now! Only 144 days to go!
Love,
Sarah

5 Months to go!!

So, what has been happening in the world of the Gish Wedding? Lots of random things, but nothing too crazy! Doc has settled in very nicely. A little too nicely, in fact. His little attitude is really starting to show, and sometimes it’s really hard not to laugh when punishing him for his misdeeds, cause his little facial expressions are priceless. It’s like he knows exactly what he’s doing and that he can get away with it cause he’s cute…

I’ll admit I’ve been slacking in the wedding department. It’s just not fun when you don’t have oodles of money floating around… BUT you are currently witnessing my vow to get back on the horse this month and really knock some of the things off my “To Do List”!

Other fun happenings in April:
• Bridesmaid Gage helped create our wedding invitations
• My Mom and I went on a crazy trek to collect as many pieces of a very rare paper design/type as possible for the table centerpieces
• My bridesmaids have started ordering their dresses!!
• My wedding shoes are in!

My “To Do List” for May:
• Go to Men’s Warehouse with Joey to pick out Tuxes!!
• Wedding ring shopping!
• Food tasting with the caterer
• Getting to know you session with our photographer
• Finalizing the Ceremony with our Officiant

Looks like it’s going to be a fun filled month! I am getting more and more excited as the wedding gets closer. Also many of my friends have gotten married recently and looking at their photos makes me excited for our day! Only 153 days to go!

Love,
Sarah

Stop, Drop and Roll!

Having a brother who's a firefighter is a pretty cool deal.  Let's take for example the summer when he um...didn't have his license... and I got to drive him to fire calls! With the blue lights on and everything!  It's also cool when his department gets called to a fire at the 265 year old restaurant where your rehearsal dinner is taking place... what?!

Luckily, my Mom sent me the article from Main Line Media News and it appears the fire was small and things should be back to normal pretty quickly.  Phew! Crisis averted!

Check out the article and watch the video here.  I'm thankful that nobody was hurt, including the building structure.  For more information on the General Warren Inne visit www.generalwarren.com.

I'll be back in a few days with our 5-months-to-go update!

Love,
Sarah

Invitation Procrastination

So there’s an issue that’s been weighing on my mind for a while so I figured I’d just put it all out there on this blog, in hopes that my “readers” would understand… (not that I think I have loyal followers, but hey, one can hope!)

Joey and I have been so blessed with the many, many close friends we hold near and dear to us. We are both pretty outgoing people who are involved in several jobs, extra-curriculars, etc. so we are often meeting new friends and becoming close with them over a beer or two (or 10). When it comes to money, we are certainly not poor. We have a modest little apartment but we live well within our means and are extremely thankful for our ability to do so. Unfortunately, we simply can’t afford to have the rip-roarin’ 500 person wedding that we would L-O-V-E.

This has brought on the terrible task of “choosing” who to invite. How stressful! It is so difficult to keep our numbers down when combining two families and a lifetime of friends! I guess I just wanted to put it out there for all to see. We love all of our friends, and if there was a way we could extend an invitation to each and every one of you, we would certainly do it. I have been told time and time again, “they’ll see when they have to plan their own wedding”. But it’s hard to understand when you are completely new to the whole wedding scene… I’m speaking from experience here people!!

So I guess the moral of the story is that Joey and I love each and every one of you. And we would LOVE to party with you at any time. We’re only a phone call away!

Love,

Sarah

And Then There Were Three

Well, like I said, Joey and I have some big news to share!! You guessed it….

WE GOT A DOG!!!!! (What were YOU thinking?!?!) We’ve been mulling it over for quite a while now, and we finally gave in and rescued a teeny little Miniature Pinscher. He is perfect for our size apartment, and definitely makes up for his tiny stature with his fabulous personality. What’s his name? Doc. No, not as in “what’s up, Doc?” but as in “Doc Holliday” from Joey’s favorite flick, “Tombstone”.

We picked him up on Friday night from a wonderful woman named Patricia in Paris, VA. The world needs more people like her! We stopped at Target to grab a leash and a baby gate (she gave us EVERYTHING else!) and headed home. Joey passed the husband test by successfully installing the baby gate. Phew…
He also managed to spill beer on the dog within an hour of having him home…. Welp, welcome home, Doc. For your viewing pleasure, here are a few photos of Doc in his first few days as a Gish!

BIG NEWS

Coming Soon!! Stay tuned :)

A Keeper of Deer...

Saturday started my last half-year as Sarah Davis. Soon I’ll be replacing my Davis shield with a Gish family crest. What does that look like, you ask? Well it’s a good thing I’ve done my research.

According to 4crests.com, “The German surname of GISH is an occupational name for a keeper of deer or a nickname for someone who resembled a deer in some way.” I, of course, find this absolutely hilarious due to the Gishes’ penchant for hunting deer and all other 4-legged creatures. Nobody actually looks like a deer though…

As for updates from Wedding-ville, I spent Easter weekend with my family in PA. Joey couldn’t make it, which opened up some girl time! Saturday morning my sister and I awoke to “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” blaring in the living room. My Mom was up and at ‘em! We grabbed some bagels/coffee and headed out to run some wedding errands! First stop was the Desmond to drop off some things and show Laura the wedding gazebo. Spring is finally here, and the gazebo looks MUCH more inviting than it did this winter when we booked. Thank goodness! Then we stopped at the Wedding Pavilion in Paoli to visit my dress (don’t judge) and so my Mom could try on some MOB (that’s Mother of the Bride) gowns. She looked beautiful in all of them, but we learned what kind of styles and colors look good and she is going to look so elegant and classy! We finished up with a stop at the party store where I had previously seen some napkins that were matchy matchy with our wedding motif. We snatched them up and headed back home to get the house ready for Easter Sunday.

It was lovely to spend the weekend with my family (and dog). We enjoyed church with my Grandmother on Sunday and had a delicious Easter Brunch at our house afterwards with more family. As always, I wished I could stay longer. But work and NOVA were calling! I can’t believe we are 6 months away from our wedding day. I’m looking forward to it so much!

Love,
Sarah

T-6 MONTHS and Counting!

As of today, April 10th, we are officially 6 months away from the wedding! AHHH! Time to panic! To completely out myself, I had already written today's blog like a week ago, and I proceeded to leave it on my work computer. So I'll be posting that come Monday.  I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Love, Sarah