The title is the first sentence of the last chapter of Jane Eyre. I think it’s a great sentence, and I’ve always wanted to use it. So here it is. :-)

Well, after being Internet-less for a week, it almost drove me crazy and now I am back. “We” are back, as I explained to Melissa, because now Paul and I are a package deal. :-)

Friday, July 28th. Peruvian Independence Day. And the day before my wedding. It was fun! The bridesmaids and I went to a tea-house for lunch (highly recommended! but the service was slow, which put us late to our next appointment…). Then most of us went and got our nails done together – also fun. I love getting pedicures, I’ve decided. :-) Next was the rehersal which went well, then the rehersal dinner – so fun! We had a Mexican fiesta, and Cida who planned it all for me did an EXCELLENT job! It seemed that people enjoyed it.

Oh yes, and sometime on Friday Paul seemed to find time to sell his car! So we’re slightly richer and down to a 2-car family.

Friday night, Beth and I stayed up until 4:30 am talking. It was soo nice to be with her again. We haven’t done a “sleepover” since she got married 2 1/2 years ago – have we, Beth? So much fun! However, it didn’t seem like so much fun when 9:00 rolled around and I had to get up!

The wedding day was a blur. I packed all my stuff from Ann’s and put it in my car. We all went to the church and Bethany started on my hair. People started coming – Joanna H., Emily. Someone asked me where the garter was, and I suddenly realized I hadn’t seen it in about two years. Sweet Emily ran out to a store and got me a garter. Bethany finshed with my hair, and I was very pleased with the result! I think everyone else was impressed too. I got dressed. I tried to eat but couldn’t. My mom went to pick up the flowers, but the bouquets weren’t ready. We had to wait to take pictures because of that. (Grrr!!) Then everyone starts arriving – the ceremony is about to start! The wedding coordinator comes in saying that the wedding would be starting a little late because Paul’s grandmother hadn’t arrived yet. She seemed to think that would stress me out – but I didn’t care if we were running late! Then I was all alone in the bride’s dressing room – my dad comes. I gave him strict orders not to embarrass me by playing jokes or anything. Then it’s time. They open the doors – I can see Paul. He’s smiling. He also looks really nervous. I remember thinking the church looked beautiful with all the candles and bows. I remember tripping on my dress, which was too long for me.

I think the ceremony was my favorite part of the day. The reception was nice, too, but people left so quickly! By the time we left, there were only a handful of people to throw the flowers. It was nice, though. I wish I had had time to talk with everyone. And I wish I had gotten a chance to sit down and eat some – I was really faint and not feeling well after the wedding! I think if I did it all over again I might have pursued a seated reception more. We still probably wouldn’t have been able to afford it, but I can definitely see the benefits!

The thing that blew me away about the whole wedding weekend was how amazing our friends and family are. People stepped up and helped us every way possible. The bridesmaids made me feel so loved and special, and just seeing how many Taylor people made the long trip to come to the wedding was incredible! Thanks to all of you!!

Okay, I’m tired of writing so I will write about our honeymoon adventures later. :-) I have some name-changing to do!

By the way, if anyone has pictures I’d love to see them!