"AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER..."

And so, the wedding weekend is over now.  I'm sort of sad...I miss wearing the "princess dress" and the "Cinderella shoes" that everyone went ga-ga over.  They hurt like hell...but I would've worn them for hours longer just because they made me feel a little more important...beautiful...  I should have taken a pic of the shoes, because seriously, they deserved a round of applause all on their own.  Who knew, right?  So let me start from the beginning...Friday, October 16, 2009: Rehearsal  5:30 pm.  We arrive at BVM and much to my surprise their was only a couple other people there before us.  We got into the church which was FREEZING COLD!!!  First, Father sat us all down for his customary speech about the couple to be betrothed, and for us to pray and send good wishes to them.  Then it was on with the actual rehearsal. It went pretty smoothly.  Pat and I are the first to walk through the door, which is a little nerve racking, but at the same time exhilierating.  We ran through everything just once, so you had better been paying attention.  Rehearsal dinner was at the groom's parent's house.  Pat and Mark asked "if" I wanted to go...well OF COURSE I DO!!  But they were concerned because it was being held outside and they thought I would get cold.  As soon as we got there, I had no worries of becoming cold!  First of all, I got a really comfy chair in front of the fire...

I apologize for the "small pics"...they are from my BlackBerry.  This wasn't the hugest fire I've ever seen, but it may have very well been the HOTTEST!  I literally had to keep turning from side to side, like I was toasting myself like a marshmallow! And! When I first got there, Kraig's brother had his golden retriever puppy "Kalli" there and so of course, Mark went and got her for me! I held her as long as I could...cradled her like a baby and let her smoosh her nose into mine! She still had the "Cheerios" baby puppy smell...oh how I miss that smell!!  She was sooo soft and so cuddly....good thing Pat forwarned me that he had better not find her in the backseat of the car when we left!  We didn't stay long, I needed to get home and get my rest for the big day!

Saturday, October 17, 2009.  6:30 am.  I'm up.  Jumping in the shower and getting ready to take off for the day.  First stop, Elements. And for Brenda to work her "wizardree" on my hair!  This woman is a saint.  Really.  Here are the resuts:

Pretty hot right?  I knew Pat was a fan right away.  He likes it when I have the headband on.  I did it for his sister's wedding that way and he raved about it.  Today was no different.  Let's see: Hair: Check  Make up: kind of Check.  I wasn't crazy about how the chick did my make up, so I knew I'd be touching it up when I got to Pat's.

Back at the Ignarski ranch, I gathered up everything I needed to take to the church with me, my make up arsenal, glitter for hair and body, jewelry and the Cinderella shoes among the most important things.  My dress was already there, so I didn't have to worry about that.

 

Mary Jo agreed to come to the church with me and help me get ready.  Thank goodness she did.  We were the first 2 there, and the others didn't stroll in until I was fully dressed and ready to rumble!  Marky showed up and asked if I would do his hair. LOL  Which I did.  It was nothing more than smearing a bunch of "waxy" pomade into his hair and giving him a bit of the "bed head" look.  It turned out good.

So now everyone's here, it's getting chaotic, me and 2 other maids, Laura and Nikki, went up into the church to decorate the pews, and amazingly enough, I didn't fall down the stairs in church!  They are uuber steep and scary and even a little twisty and given that I wear heels an average of once every 3 years, my 4" heels scared the crap out of me.  But I did it! WOOT! 

Before we knew it, it was 1:00 and "go time".  We all met upstairs outside the church doors and lined up for the processional.  Father Pat told us the night before to look straight ahead, smile, and not to walk too quickly.

 Ya...have you ever walked next to Pat when he's nervous because there are flash bulbs going off every second??? Yuh...let's just say I'm lucky I was able to keep up.  Whew, the longest walk: conquered.  The rest of the ceremony went well...and much to my surprise, QUICKLY.  The worst part was the temperature of the place! SO COLD!  My hands were like ice, I was covered in goose bumps.  Which I don't think is very attractive when one is wearing a strapless dress!

The walk out is one of sheer relief.  The hard part is over and now it's time to start having fun!  Kraig and Kendall did a dove release right after the ceremony which was really cool.  Funny because the doves didn't want to come out...Kendall had to reach in and grab each one.  She handed one to Kraig, and one to the man who brought them and she held one herself, and then they released them into the sunny blue sky and they made a wide loop and were out of sight.  Very cool.

Tina was able to get a couple pics of Pat and I before we left the church as well:

I think we look pretty HAWT!

After the rest of the pics were taken at the church, we headed out to bar hop.  Pat and I had my car, because, we didn't want to be "trapped" with the wedding party in the limo in the event that something might happen with me.  But Mark offered Clifford as our alternate ride and I was soooo happy because Clifford has heated leather seats and dual climate control and plus...it's just a SWEET ASS RIDE!

Here's a pic of me enjoying myself in my personal limo for the day!

 So we stopped and picked up the big red truck and were off to the Rosie's for our first stop.  It was there that the real fun began.  I got Kendall to lay on the pool table for pics with Kraig and pics with the rest of the maids.  Then we were off again, this time to BB bridge where took alot of pics.  Kendall had asked me for ideas earlier and I told her what I had in mind.  All the maids did the "Charlie's Angels" pose which we RAWKED and then we did one right in front of the river, and one where we were all peeking out from behind a giant oak and one where the girls all held Teddy up and one where all the groomsmen held Kendall.  Good pics...then right before we left, I remembered one I saw a long time ago.  Kendall stood way off in the distance, while Teddy was close to the photographer, with hands cupped and held out in front of him...he looks at his hands and after the pic is taken, it looks as though he is holding Kendall lovingly in his hands.  One thing I FORGOT however, was to have kendall facing him, and looking up at him.  But it's ok...it still was very cute.  OK, with those pics in the books, we took off to the new Club 32.  The place looks stellar.  They rebuilt quickly after the fire, and it looks like a totally different place!  Everyone had a quick drink there and it was already time to head to Kelly Lake for the reception.

Once at Romy's we all hung back in the bar area and got ready for the Grand Entrance.  Matt did the intro's, and did a smashing job I must add!  He introduced Pat and I first, and of course, had to mention we are hardcore goose hunters.  Funny.  Dinner was awesome.  Katie's speech/toast was awesome, Matty kept me in great company at the end of the table and provided me with many laughs.  He's a funny guy.  I hope he and Katie stick together...they make a great couple!

There were many stories told at dinner...in order to get Kraig and Kendall to kiss.  And they were not shy about it either.  Cute.

After dinner, I managed to steal Kendall for a quick pic:

It seemed to be a really emotional day for Kendall...she was so happy and yet I saw a lot of tears flow from her eyes during the course of the night.  Lots of  "extended hugs" with friends and family.  But she was stunning. 

The deejay started a little after 8:00 and after only a few songs, it was time for the Grand March.  The guys wore hard hats and the girls wore nail aprons (mine fully equipped with ammo), and carpenter's pencils behind our ears...only...none of the girls could keep them behind their little ears so I came up with the next best idea...we stuck them in the tops of our dresses, just off to one side and Teddy loved it! So much so, that after the Grand March, he told me to leave mine there...because it "looked yummy".  LOL  And who was "I" to go against the wishes of the groom??? So after all the Grand March-ee-ness and couples dances, which was pretty awesome I must say...we danced to Aerosmith's "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing", which ironically, was the same exact Pat and I used at our wedding at exactly the same time.  Kraig's older brother was a really good dancer, much better than myself, prompting me to do the "dip-dee-dip" and spinning me around like a top.  Which was cool cause he could REALLY dance...not the jr. high "sway side to side" dance but REALLY dance.  I thought that was cool.  I danced with Kendall's little brother who was WELL on his way to drunkeness, and with Matty of course, and with Marky TWICE which was funny cause he is SO tall and at that point I was "shoeless" and he's more than a foot taller than me.  And he was drunk too, so with him bending over to accommodate for my height and with me trying to "hold him up" because he was loaded, it was sorta funny. When I finally got my turn to dance with the groom, history once again rewrote itself, just as it was for my wedding, I ran to him and he picked me up off the ground and spun me around and told me how glad he was that I was there....so sweet.  He was all smiles all night and he was a really good sport during the garter toss...he had to dance his way down to Kendall who then had to approve or disapprove of his efforts before he was allowed to go in for the garter.  Matty tried giving him some "bootay shaking" lessons and all I can say is that there were "asses in the air" and it was awesome. 

After the Grand March, the deejay started cranking up the music.  This is the time I had been waiting for alllllllllll night!  We rawked to "She's Country" and then to "Ice Ice Baby".  It was then that my MOTHER decided to completely ruin my night.  She came out to the dance floor and proceeded to YELL AT ME and tell me I was "pushing my luck".  Which, I argued I "was not." But to no avail.  At that point my night was ruined and I found Pat and told him I wanted to leave. I said goodbye to Kendall and Kraig and we were off.  I posted on FB that "Cinderella got kicked out of the ball"....that prompted alot of questions, which, whatever...it is what it is.  I WANTED to stay, but I know that if something had happened then, I would never hear the end of it and I just didn't feel it was worth it.  I regret it now.  I should have stayed.  For as long as I feel good, I should live my life the way I choose.  There are many days I can barely get out of bed, and a doctor once told me...if I feel good, do whatever it is that I want, WHILE I FEEL THAT WAY!  I mean, it's not like I'm jumping out of planes...I was DANCING...DANCING PEOPLE!!! GRRRRR!  In any case, I digress.

The ride home was quiet.  But once again, Clifford warmed me with the heated leather and for that much I was grateful. 

Once home, and in bed, I sat up until midnight...doing what you ask??? Ha.  Peeling off my fake nails! It hindered my abilities to text and post to FB all day and night and I couldn't bare to deal with them any longer.  LOL  I'm such a spaz. 

So I would say the weekend was a success.  A huge success.  Two people who are in love are now united as one, and it is our hope, that they, "LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER"...

PS, I hope to get more pics from Kendall and I will post them then. :o)

GOOSE MAFIA MANIA PART I

So the month of October is whizzing by...almost every day includes a goose hunt.  We've had A LOT of success this year, and much to my surprise, I've become completely addicted to the sport.

That's Brian, Keith and I out in the field (October 7, 2009).  It was a fantastic day.  We hammered the geese...Chance made an awesome retrieve on one that came back to life...the "Antichrist Goose II" .  He chased that thing FOREVER!  I did a "drive" on one in the hay field that went down, and with Chance's help, recovered that one too.  At the same time, Pat recovered one to the far south of our set as well.  Had a lot of laughs that day too.  Keith played "Love Game" by Lady Ga Ga on his goose call...and it actually sounded "good."

That's Chance pictured above.  This dog is amazing.  He lays in Keith's blind with him and if you look over at him  when the birds start to fly, you can see the blind shaking and hear Keith trying to settle him down.  He just "knows".  It's so funny.  And he doesn't hesitate on a retrieve.  Sometimes we'll all be talking and all of the sudden you'll see Chance staring off in the distance...at a flock of geese that would have otherwise gone missed.  There have been so many funny moments this season that I really regret not taking the time to at least make notes after each hunt.  Although my thoughts are scattered and random right now, I promise to keep better track from now on.  Our ultimate goal is to harvest 100 geese this year.  As of right now, we've got 63.  Pretty exciting.  I suppose I should probably take the time to talk about each of the members in our crew as well.
First there's Pat and I.  The masterminds behind this whole thing.  We've spent many hours discussing this club and it's potential over the past year.  I hope someday it becomes what we dream of. 
Keith: He's an awesome goose caller, brings us Chance--an awesome retriever, and he brings a lot of comedy to the group as well.  He's always up to something.  As you will find out as time goes on...because he's not afraid of the camera and therefore, I'll be posting a lot of his greater moments...
Mark:  He's our transportation specialist.  LOL  I say that because he owns "Clifford" and the trailer we haul our gear in.  He's put on a ton of miles for us this year.  And he got his first banded bird this year.  I will post pics of him with his leg band later.  It's part of a special hunt we did this year and it deserves its own entry. :o)

That's Mark, me and Pat.  Mark is very camera shy and so is Pat so since they were both in such a good mood on this particular morning, (October 8, 2009) I had to take full advantage.  Good pic too, I must say.

Yes, this is how The Mafia rolls...

Let's see...that brings us to Shawn.  This kid is the epitome of the word "hunter". He's only 13 but he lives to hunt...he'd do it 24-7 if you let him.  He's always upbeat and doing things to make us all laugh.  He never lets the guys get the best of him and he always has the last word.

I love this picture of him.

Kyle: he's the "butcher's kid'.  Need I say more? He's also a great caller as well. 

Gabe: He's the newest kid on the block.  Great guy.  Loves the sport and fits in with us perfectly.  We look forward to him becoming a bigger part of the club as time rolls on.  For now we are greatful to have him along on our hunts...he got his first banded bird this year...in his back yard!?!  Talk about LUCK!  He's also gotten pretty good with the calling as well....

Paul: He's our cousin and he's currently serving our country overseas.  He got a couple weeks of leave this past September and we arranged for him to hunt with us.  It was a great day and there will be a special entry for that day.

Brian: Keith's brother.  He's only been on a couple hunts with us this year.  But they were by far the funniest of them all.  We might not have slayed the birds like we had hoped those days, but we laughed from beginning to end.

I have to take off for now...I'll come back and finish this post and insert more pics tonight...

October 19, 2009

So I guess I didn't get back at this post the night I had planned to, but I am here now, and I'm going to finish it!

This is the only "group" picture I have of most of us.  From left to right: Gabe, Mark, Shawn, Kyle, me, Pat, and Paul.  We got our limit that day...we had a sweet set up, sitting inside standing corn where the outside rows were taken off and there was a small cove where the geese had been landing.  After gaining permission from the landowner, we decided this was definitely the spot for this special hunt.  We set this hunt up because my cousin who is serving our country overseas had a few days leave, and he really wanted to come up and hunt with us.  So we worked hard to find the perfect place to make sure he had a good time and a successful hunt.  The morning came and we set up before first light.  Soon we were sitting about 3 rows in and nobody even heard the geese approach...we all fell silent at the unmistakeable sound of "Wooo-wooo-woo", the wings flapping as the birds were landing.  So there you had it, the PERFECT addition to our decoys...the REAL THING...LIVE decoys!  The group was small, so we let them stay and feed and help draw the other birds in.  Little did we know that this was the only the beginning of a really great hunt! Flock after flock approached and out of each one, we dropped at least one bird.  I remember having to "duck and run" because one of the birds shot would have taken my head off if I hadn't.  Funny thing: Paul was on the phone talking to his son when the flock came in, so he told him to "hang on", he set the phone down and then he shot a bird and then picked up the phone to hear his son rejoicing and telling his classmates how his dad had just shot a goose while he was on the phone with him.  So funny.  And it LANDED about 6" in front of Paul (basically right at his feet) and near Pat's head because he had bent over to pick something up and "THUD" there it was!  These birds are large and when they come down from the sky, you need to be aware of them or you could be seriously injured!  Anyway, the morning hunt was over, and we were happy.  We could only hope the night hunt would be as successful and that maybe, just maybe we could fill our limit for the day.  And the afternoon came and it was much like the morning hunt.  Paul had a great time, often giggling uncontrollably...his laugh is totally contagious!  So I'm happy it went well and that HE had a good time!  He deserved it and this day was based on him cutting loose and relaxing.  We've had several good hunts.  And when I say "good" I don't mean that everyone filled their tags...I just mean we had a good time!  One particular day was filled with Keith and Pat's crazy antics and we didn't even get a bird that day, but it didn't matter.  It was freezing cold, windy, rainy and the geese didn't cooperate and yet we laughed harder and walked away happier than any other time!  Those are the hunts that stick in my mind the most of all!  Again I can't mention enough how great of a group we've got this year...we all work together...almost like we each have our own "job" when it comes time to set up or take down the decoys and when someone has an issue with ammo, their gun or anything else, we all pull together to resolve it.  When the geese take off on us, which unfortunately, sometimes they DO, we all work as a group to get it back and secure the harvest.  After doing "goose drives" through hay fields, and watching Chance run across 40 acre plots of land without ever looking back, you can tell we are all there for a common goal.   And we won't go home until we achieve it.  This is the year of the "100 goose".  What's that mean? It means our group wants to harvest at least 100 geese this year.  We are very near that goal right now....91 1/2 (why the 1/2?--because Marky killed a different breed of goose that is the size of a mallard duck and so (as a joke) we are counting it as only a 1/2 goose--LOL).  This week, maybe even tonight...will be the fall of the 100 goose.  I'm excited for it.  Extremely excited for it! I can't wait til it actually happens and I'm not quite sure how we're going to react when it actually DOES occur!  We talked about mounting the bird and passing it from member to member in the group, and to make a plaque with the member names of the Mafia on it....but probably, he/she will be harvested just like the rest, and it will be made into the jerky we eat almost every time we are in the field.  LOL  One of these days I'm going to copy all the Facebook posts I did while we were in the field....because some of them are pretty funny.  Like I mentioned earlier this was a year of "learning" for all of us, on all different levels.  Some of us became better marksmen, some of us polished up our calling skills, some of us learned decoy patterning, some of us learned how moon phases and weather affected the birds flight, some of learned about management of the group (me) and how to keep everyone's interests at heart.  I also learned I need to keep a special journal with notes from every single hunt we do.  I just started doing that for the past 2 hunts...and I wish, I WISH, I would have thought of it much sooner!  I also learned how to capture alot of the great moments in photos...the best ones I have are candid ones...ones where the subject doesn't even know I was there.  I hope to put together an album for each year that we hunt.  That means a few of the guys are going to have to get over their camera shyness fairly quickly!  Well...I've rambled on much longer than I had planned...there's alot left to do before we head out tonight.  The hunt will be challenging...but that's just the way the Mafia likes it! :o)

ALL BECAUSE TWO PEOPLE FELL IN LOVE...

Pat and I aren't like other married couples...last night as we both lay in bed moments before falling asleep, we began discussing "goose decoy patterns" and "goose-wind relationships". I mean...WHO DOES THAT? Even as I create this entry, I'm laying in my blind, in the freezing cold, in the middle of a corn field waiting for the sun to rise and the geese to fly. It would be much more comfy had I remembered either of my heating devices...a: my Gerbing's heated blind cushion or b: my "Grabber MyCoal" handwarmers. God...just the thought of those 2 things makes me wanna cry! Grrr! The boys think they have spotted the first duck of the morning flying...maybe I should finish this entry later. To be continued...