After Scientist first asked me to marry him last year, I promised myself that I would not a) have a complicated wedding and b) become one of those women (or one half of one of those couples) who expects people to spend a lot of money/time/energy on my wedding. So far, I've been successful at avoiding both of the things I feared.....or so I thought.
Having a low maintenance wedding and being a low maintenance bride is extremely difficult. Scientist and I are having only one person each in our wedding parties--both of whom, incidentally, are men (my friend Brian, who put up with me throughout my rough Peace Corps service, is my 'honor attendant', and Scientist's childhood friend, Ice Cream Man, is his best man). We're getting married at noon, not in the late afternoon or evening. We're not having a band or giving our guests little mementos of our wedding which would eventually end up gathering dust in someone's cupboard for the next several decades.
And yet, I am overwhelmed with crap to do for the next 2 1/2 weeks I'm back in Iowa. I have to meet with hair stylists because my stylist backed out on me after I made an appointment right after we got engaged (very professional--she's not getting my business or my mom's business any more, no matter how long we've known her), make-up people, the florist, the caterers.....I'm astounded at how complicated my 50 person wedding has gotten. I shiver to think at what would have happened had I not bitten the bullet and hired a wedding planner to help me plan all this. Grad school, work and planning an out-of-town wedding would have driven me crazy and we would have eloped, I'm sure of it. In fact, eloping doesn't sound like to bad of an idea right now.
Showing posts with label Iowa City. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iowa City. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Our Arrival
Because yesterday marked our one month "anniversary" in Morgantown, and I still have yet to publish anything about it, I'll refrain from a blow by blow rehashing of our fourteen hour plus trip. Instead I'll just hit on the highlights, along with the things we learned on the way:
1. As I mentioned before I was sick when we left CR. Then, I was still sick for a week and a half after we arrived. It sucked. A lot.
2. It is really expensive to move...
3....But buying new stuff if you (kind of) have the money is fun!
4. I found out that my application sat on someone's desk for two fucking weeks because this certain someone had a "sick" child. This person was not apologetic at all and made up a bunch of excuses and then had the gall to LIE to me about when I would find out about my acceptance just so I would leave her alone. Nevermind that I didn't find out that I'd been accepted until a day before classes started and it screwed up my financial aid, or that I still have no idea how to get an ID or, say, insurance.
5. Scientist got to see me honestly and truly flip out and start yelling upon this happening. He said it scared him and he considered hiding under the bed in hotel we were staying in when it happened.
6. I felt a little ashamed of myself for getting so angry. But, hello! Who doesn't ask their colleagues to take over for them if they are going to be out for a week. And besides, this person said they'd been "in and out" of the office all week, not that they'd been absent completely. Thus, they were just being plain old lazy and dodging any accountability whatsoever.
7. Morgantown is beautiful!
8. Morgantownians are super super nice.
9. The undergraduate population at U of Iowa is way cuter than the undergrad pop here. Sorry, but it's true.
10. The School of Public Health at West Virginia is much higher quality than the one at Iowa. It pains me to say that because I love Iowa so much, but, again, it is absolutely true.
11. Professors actually want to train their students to become knowledgeable, thoughtful practitioners of public health, not just promote their own research agenda or advance their career.
12. A professor actually told me that they wanted to mold their program into a research based program exactly like the one at Iowa.
13. I found out that the person who said that they had a sick kid and thus ended up totally delaying my acceptance (which led to me almost being fined $40 because my financial aid application was accepted super late and I barely paid my tuition on time) gave at least two other people the same song and dance two different semesters when they were in the process of applying. Apparently this person lies to everyone! Isn't that comforting. I guess incompetent people keep their jobs everywhere.
13. We got a new couch and chaise! They're cinnamon red.
14. Better yet, we got a washer and dryer. The best inventions ever.
15. We went to Pittsburgh.
16. We went to D.C.
That pretty much sums up everything that has happened since mid August.
1. As I mentioned before I was sick when we left CR. Then, I was still sick for a week and a half after we arrived. It sucked. A lot.
2. It is really expensive to move...
3....But buying new stuff if you (kind of) have the money is fun!
4. I found out that my application sat on someone's desk for two fucking weeks because this certain someone had a "sick" child. This person was not apologetic at all and made up a bunch of excuses and then had the gall to LIE to me about when I would find out about my acceptance just so I would leave her alone. Nevermind that I didn't find out that I'd been accepted until a day before classes started and it screwed up my financial aid, or that I still have no idea how to get an ID or, say, insurance.
5. Scientist got to see me honestly and truly flip out and start yelling upon this happening. He said it scared him and he considered hiding under the bed in hotel we were staying in when it happened.
6. I felt a little ashamed of myself for getting so angry. But, hello! Who doesn't ask their colleagues to take over for them if they are going to be out for a week. And besides, this person said they'd been "in and out" of the office all week, not that they'd been absent completely. Thus, they were just being plain old lazy and dodging any accountability whatsoever.
7. Morgantown is beautiful!
8. Morgantownians are super super nice.
9. The undergraduate population at U of Iowa is way cuter than the undergrad pop here. Sorry, but it's true.
10. The School of Public Health at West Virginia is much higher quality than the one at Iowa. It pains me to say that because I love Iowa so much, but, again, it is absolutely true.
11. Professors actually want to train their students to become knowledgeable, thoughtful practitioners of public health, not just promote their own research agenda or advance their career.
12. A professor actually told me that they wanted to mold their program into a research based program exactly like the one at Iowa.
13. I found out that the person who said that they had a sick kid and thus ended up totally delaying my acceptance (which led to me almost being fined $40 because my financial aid application was accepted super late and I barely paid my tuition on time) gave at least two other people the same song and dance two different semesters when they were in the process of applying. Apparently this person lies to everyone! Isn't that comforting. I guess incompetent people keep their jobs everywhere.
13. We got a new couch and chaise! They're cinnamon red.
14. Better yet, we got a washer and dryer. The best inventions ever.
15. We went to Pittsburgh.
16. We went to D.C.
That pretty much sums up everything that has happened since mid August.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Weekend Festivities
This weekend was pretty great. Scientist's defense went smashingly well: his presentation was very good, and his committee passed him without any trouble. Now, he just has to add/change some things to his thesis and he is totally done with that fucking thing (I feel some animosity towards Scientist's thesis, considering how much of a HUGE pain in the ass writing it has been over the last, oh, six years for him). All corrections should be finished up this week in the midst of packing and cleaning our retched apartment.
On Saturday night we had a fantastic little party at a local bar in town. I was actually really surprised at the number of people who showed up. Of course, not everyone who said they would did, but still, it felt like a real going away party. Thanks to everyone who made an appearance! I will miss get togethers like this one once we move.
I'm starting to get really nostalgic and sentimental about leaving Iowa City. I shouldn't be surprised: I knew this would happen. As a lot of you know, I've traveled and lived all over the world, but no matter what I've always come back to the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City area. I know everything here, and even if I don't feel like I've made a bunch of friends since I came back to IC from Ukraine (after I alienated a group of "friends" I had made the previous two years), I know a lot of people.
Nevertheless, at first I was a little apprehensive about leaving IC. Then, I wanted to get the fuck outta here as soon as possible. Now, I don't know. Honestly, the thing I think I'll miss the most about this area is my mom. She's my rock. I love her to pieces. I also worry she'll get lonely and bored without me; we spend a lot of time just hanging out and doing stuff together. Who is she going to do that stuff with once I'm gone?
Other than missing my mom and a handful of other people/things,ultimately, I'm ready to go. I've lived here far longer than I ever hoped and I think there are much better opportunities waiting for both of us. This is our new start together.
One of my friends kept saying what we were doing was so "romantic". I'm not looking for romance as much as I am stability; I'm not at the point in my life where adventure and constantly moving is something that appeals. It isn't that I want to settle down, get married, buy a house and grow fat and old in the hills of West Virginia, but having something other than some clothes, a bike and a bunch of public health textbooks would be nice. I would like a desk and a car that runs. I would like to continue working on my degree. I would like to be in a public health program that is not totally disorganized and does not seriously suck in some ways. These are all reasonable things to want when one is about to turn 31. Don't you think?
On Saturday night we had a fantastic little party at a local bar in town. I was actually really surprised at the number of people who showed up. Of course, not everyone who said they would did, but still, it felt like a real going away party. Thanks to everyone who made an appearance! I will miss get togethers like this one once we move.
I'm starting to get really nostalgic and sentimental about leaving Iowa City. I shouldn't be surprised: I knew this would happen. As a lot of you know, I've traveled and lived all over the world, but no matter what I've always come back to the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City area. I know everything here, and even if I don't feel like I've made a bunch of friends since I came back to IC from Ukraine (after I alienated a group of "friends" I had made the previous two years), I know a lot of people.
Nevertheless, at first I was a little apprehensive about leaving IC. Then, I wanted to get the fuck outta here as soon as possible. Now, I don't know. Honestly, the thing I think I'll miss the most about this area is my mom. She's my rock. I love her to pieces. I also worry she'll get lonely and bored without me; we spend a lot of time just hanging out and doing stuff together. Who is she going to do that stuff with once I'm gone?
Other than missing my mom and a handful of other people/things,ultimately, I'm ready to go. I've lived here far longer than I ever hoped and I think there are much better opportunities waiting for both of us. This is our new start together.
One of my friends kept saying what we were doing was so "romantic". I'm not looking for romance as much as I am stability; I'm not at the point in my life where adventure and constantly moving is something that appeals. It isn't that I want to settle down, get married, buy a house and grow fat and old in the hills of West Virginia, but having something other than some clothes, a bike and a bunch of public health textbooks would be nice. I would like a desk and a car that runs. I would like to continue working on my degree. I would like to be in a public health program that is not totally disorganized and does not seriously suck in some ways. These are all reasonable things to want when one is about to turn 31. Don't you think?
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