Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Say CHEESE!!!

We have a photographer for our wedding!

It is official! I hope you are all ready to pose for the fantastic Renny Rhanor, our talented photographer. Thank you Lydia for hooking us up with Renny.. you win the bridesmaid of the month trophy for sure (don't worry ladies, there are 6 more months to take this prized position)! Renny was raised in Illinois but lives in California, so she represents the mid-west & Cali peeps! Renny is going to try to attend the bachelor/bachelorette party as well as a way to capture you all in a shameful state of beligerence.
Below: a few samples from Renny Rhanor Photography:
(you will recognize the red head- Lydia, and Mike -bridesmaid & groomsmen-below)

<---Renny, herself!!!!


Monday, February 23, 2009

Klingon to this...

Sarah drives a pink valiant, she did hit a fire hydrant when she was a new driver at 16, she calls all liquids "juice" including booze! She DOES NOT have Melissa's favorite animal tattooed on her because she is a lousy best friend.

Ryan is addicted to Nick's Italian Ice and will drive 5 1/2 hours to get it. He actually does wear a size 15 shoe. He was a tmnt for halloween...I believe it was Leonardo. He never got into Barbies, just My Pretty Pony...JK :)

Lydia is polish royalty! She is getting her PHD right now and she was born in Louisiana! Yeehaw! She makes Mike Dye her hair red evey six weeks or so...Oh Marriage!!!

Buck was a BMX superstar, he drinks the shit out of Bells, he owns his own carpentry business. Buck hates spoons.

more trivia to come.....





P.s. New wedding theme idea that we are considering:

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Done...and done.

We decided to stick to what we know: being old. This is our engagement party costumes. Get ready to bite your fist, hide the kitten in the shower and blame Larry, because the Ropers are coming!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

additionally....


So many warnings here!
1. Just because the bride is tipsy, you may NOT suggest elaborate escape plans for the groom.
2. Just because the groom is tipsy (and incredibly good looking), you may not whisper sweet nothings in the grroms ear.
3. Michael: Just because the bride looks a little drunk and like a sorta slutty muppet, you may not plan an escape or be persuaded to take our hoopty vehicle on an all groomsmen escape to Mexico.

also,


I live in Chicago now, so dont expect to see me dabbling with a few hors d' ouerves.

und!


Groomsmen: Please know that even though there are 7 of you and 1 of me, I am mighty and my feet are large. Let's just say you better not wear pleat front pants..

annnnd...


We may hire a "chicken spy" to keep an eye on you guys. You can expect to see yellow feathers in your purses, underwear and in your drinks..all areas that the "fowl agent" is bound to be investigating.

And...


Bridesmaids: Please know that you may have to shave my armpits for me as I may be too wasted (moments before heading down the isle) on red wine to be trusted with a razor.

Things you will need to be prepared for:









1. Bridesmaids: You need to know how to tighten a bumper. The Saturn is getting old & Limo's are expensive, so who knows what kind of hoopty we will ride up to the ceremony in. Bring your wrenches.


Monday, February 16, 2009

Sunday, February 15, 2009

New Surveys about YOU!

Every day this week we will be posting a quiz about each one of the wedding party members. There may be a test at the wedding so pay attention.
Love,
M & M
They are posted over there------------------------->

And the Survey Says......

We want to let you all know the truth. Thank you all for voting on the latest surveys. Some of you are smarter than others.
Answers:

Melissa's first job was at good old Mickey D's. Thats right, I was fifteen. What can I say, I have been a classy lady my whole life. My collueages didnt speak english so I got to work the register by default. What did I learn, you ask:
1. Senior citizens want their discount on their coffee and Mc Pancakes.
2. According to Sarah, I will never live down the teal visor and apron. (she took pics!! you will NEVER see them!!!)

Michael does NOT have a rose tattoo on his butt (not yet). I do have some hair and perhaps a mole or two, but no tattoo. All of the groomsmen are getting their bridesmaid counterpart's name tattooed on their butts as part of the bachelor party...I will be getting a portrait of Melissa in a McDonalds uniform.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Check it out ladies......

These first 2 are possibilities for the Bridesmaids, they could pick either style (pencil skirt or full skirt) in the Teal color...... B-maids: What do you think?







And this one is a possibility for ME! I like it a lot but it is a little more than I want to pay because its Semi-custom.






If you want to visit the website where I found all these beauties...

Michael's Perspective

Ryan: Here I am waiting for girls to develop breasts in 5th grade when I get pulled out of school to go to the hospital. My mom's friend at the time brought me to the hospital and to the room that my mom was staying at. They dressed me in a gown, and brought me into the labor room. My mom was ready to give birth and I was standing behind the doctor and for the first time in my life I was excited to see a penis. My first and only brother was born that day....and who I am proud to call my best man. I made it my mission to teach him to be better than me at every possible game that we could play...And it worked. Thanks for be humble at winning, you punk.



Buck: Circa 1993; I started high school (sophmore for K-town Killas) and knew a kid named Chudly-C from another school who had a brother Buck that was a senior. I saw Buck in the commons sporting a rat tail, Charlotte Hornets pullover and a fat chain with an uzi on it...I knew that this was the guy I wanted to hang with. I introduced myself and we have been tight ever since. I lived with him, his brother, his other brother momentarily, and his dad, Herms.


Scooter: At the age of 18, I decide to get a real job and contacted a family member for a hookup (like most do), I showed up early on my first day (the only time I ever did) and heard a rumble down the street. I looked out the window and saw a bad ass biker roll in. I was intrigued. He was introduced to me as Scooter (Scott) and we worked side by side. After a few weeks, we decided to have cocktails after work. Scooter introduced me to a lot of great people, we drank, I smoked, and he taught me some lessons.




Derick: Speaking of great people that Scooter introduced me to...I can't forget Derick. The first time that I hung out with Derick I knew that he was going to be a long term friend. It wasnt long before Derick was working with us and we fell into a routine. We would wake up, ride to work on our bikes, work all day and go to the bar...and then do it all over again... for a year. Derick has always been there for me, hence the reason why I am glad to have him in our wedding.




Leann: She is the one of the most talented, funny, caring women I have ever met. She helped raise 2 boys (Max & Zach) who I often watched over and spoiled with candy and video games. Leann will tell you how it is and usually be right. She can also hook you up with a leather G-string.




Rick: I met Rick when he was peddling some electronic shit as a vendor of ours. I persuaded him to join the team at the company we currently work for. He invited me to a Rock Band party in Indiana; smoke machine and all. We smoked, drank Glenlivet and I made more friends. I was at his house when I had an 8 hour phone conversation with Melissa, from drunk to sober, from night to morning, and he then made me move his family's estate the entire next day...thats a true friend.




Shannon: I met Shannon when I was 0. She used me, abused me, and made me believe in things that didnt exist. She used to hold "Animal" (Muppet) over the staircase and make me watch as she threw him to his death... and laughed. AND she told me that if I swallowed a watermelon seed it would grow in my stomach. Shannon always had my back and is a great big sister.




Erin: I was just getting used to being the baby of the family when my Mom decided to get pregnant (again). Damn Catholics. Erin was born with a full head of hair that looked like my dad's wig. Picture Donald Trump with jet black hair. One day as the family was basking in my greatness, Erin cried from upstairs and I said " I'll get her". So I went upstairs, wrapped her in a blanket and proceded downstairs. I tripped and strategically fell on my back all the way down the stairs. Erin cried along side me. You are welcome Erin.




Sarah: Two words that I associate with Santa Cruz: Sarah's house. I heard of this place where alcohol flows, cigarettes burn and large amounts of food is digested. I thought Melissa was having an acid flashback when she described it, but it does exist. Outside of having a great husband, a cute daughter and a love for hot dogs, Sarah has helped my future wife become who she is today. Also, she is the only one who liked my potatoes.




Lydia: Lydia knew that I was coming to town as Melissa's boyfriend, but when I arrived I was introduced as her fiance... Lydia proceded to get hammered. The next morning, when she awoke from the bathroom/hallway she said to me " Hi, I am Lydia, do you have any cheeseburgers?". Just kidding, via telephone, Lydia has stopped me from puking on jewelers due to stress and vodka as I shopped for engagement rings.




Mike: What can I say, you had me at Jack & water. I will never hear the end of it from "The Punisher"... I would have seen it if it weren't for Axl's heroin addiction. Love the truck, love the bike, love the meatloaf.




Josh: I never liked any of the guys that my sister has dated, but there's something about Josh that...who am I kidding, they were alright. I forsee many great endeavors for us folks. Josh is a friend of Melissa and now a friend of mine. Keep the Atheist's strong.




Joan: This Chick is hot. Not only did Joan let us stay in her paradise pad, but when she met us the next day for drinks, she was something to look at. She is feisty, single and perfect for my brother Ryan. Melissa has told me so many stories about Joan "the bone" and I welcome her to the family.




Tiffany: I havent spent much time with the lady... but based on what I hear from Melissa, I think we will have some laughs for sure.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Bridesmaid accessory ideas from Tiffany


Tiff has great taste.....

Thank you for being a friend (think Golden Girls theme song)

I NEED HELP!


There are a few things I need help with:


1. Embarrasing photo's of Michael (pics of him as a kid, with some of you whom I havent met yet, random drunk ones,etc.) I want to add them to the slideshow.


2. Bridesmaids: I am posting another dress that I like, Lydia found it and I think it is perfect. tell me what you think (it is the style below, but in the teal,light blue combo):
http://www.watters.com/product.php?showid=978&coll=watters&style=4422

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Sucking Face

Look. I am nervous about the 1st kiss. What if Michael comes in, I deke and we miss? What if I chip his tooth? What if I puke?
Some of you are already married while others are just Kissing bandits. That is why I pose this question to you: How do you recommend Michael and I kiss when we hear "kiss yer bride"....??
I know Lydia , Sarah and most everybody hate it when Michael and I so openly smash faces together, but c'mon guys, its our wedding! If you are already married, Please describe what worked and what could have been apporved on in your first married kiss. If you arent married, what do you suggest we do with our hands....cause thats always awkward.
Thanks pals, You are all so wonderful and I appreciate you heavy hitters always tackling the hot topics (obviously I listen to too much conservative talk radio).
Smooches,
Melissa "Hot Lips" Penny

Monday, February 2, 2009

A little background info....

I want to dedicate this portion of the blog to talking about "memories", fond recollections of days past. In other words I am going to give you my side of the story about the people in our wedding and how I met them. If I haven't met them, I will make up the events of our future meeting. There will be one installment of this by me, and Michael will blog his fuzzy memories tomorrow. It will be his blogging debut, so get ready.



1. Sarah:

I met Sarah when I was 8 and she was 9. It was at summer school (you will notice from my grammar and spelling errors: Summer school don't work) and we were on the tan bark by the monkey bars. It was just me and her. It was a little awkward. She had "hella hair" I remember thinking. A lot has happened for us since then. I lived with Sarah's family for many years in my teens, we lived in Germany together for 2 years, we lived together in the Santa Cruz ghetto and have partied with a lot of old weirdos. Sarah is married (sorry guys) to the fantastic Mr. Jason "goulet" Hackforth, whom will be our wedding officiant. ALSO, they have a baby named Audrey who happens to be the funniest baby in all the land. Sarah is a floral design teacher at one of the fine high schools we attended. She also does a mean Cher impersonation and loves to eat meat. She is of Slavic heritage.



2. Lydia: I met Lydia back in the day (like 3 years ago). She was coming to town to attend the university in Santa Cruz. She is still going there and working on her PHD. This makes her sound very fancy, but really she is just another drunk like you and me, hence the nickname "uncle Bernie". When I first met Lydia we would cook dinners together and drink wine. It only took a few of these "fancy nights" to figure out that what we really wanted to do together was dress up like Tanya Harding & Nancy Kerrigan and roller skate to the bar. We also share a love of crafts and party planning. Lydia just Married mike (groomsman). Lydia also likes to eat meat and is of Slavic ancestry.



3. Tiffany: Tiff, Tiff, Tiff. Lets just say Tiffany and I met in Junior High in PE class. I liked to tell her things like "its fine to smoke behind the bleachers instead of run laps, we wont get busted"..And we didn't, so HA! Tiff and I also share a love of fashion, Vodka, and Joking around. I was involved in introducing her to her fine husband Slim. Tiffany is really funny but insists on wearing fur and Chanel to every event....flea market, dive bar, grocery store, you name it she is dressed like a drag queen. She is such a whitey that when you take her picture her eyes turn red, but she looks glamorous otherwise.Tiffany likes to eat petite fours.



4. Mike: I met Mike when Lydia let him move to Santa Cruz. They were dating a long time and finally got married in July of last year. Mike is in charge of "the Data Base" which means he works on computers or something. I immediately knew I liked Mike because he will laugh at everything I say and because he is a really good BF/Husband to Lydia. Mike has a sweet motorcycle, a lot of tattoos and a pretty big face. He is also good at cooking and taught me to twirl a baton around my finger. He likes to drink Miller High Life and eat cheeseburgers in the morning when he is hung over.



5. Josh: I met Josh about 4 or 5 years ago. I met him when I started playing poker and he just vowed to never play again. Here's what we do have in common: Hockey. Josh gets hammered and likes to sing Karaoke. Josh will verbally harass anybody: Babies, Grandmas, Kittens-ANYONE. Whoever walks down the isle with Josh needs to know that he is a Little pigeon toed. He plays softball, volleyball and surfs. He also does a mean Harry Caray impersonation. Josh eats a lot of Taco and Burrito type foods.



6. Ryan: I met Ryan at a bar called St. James Place (along with the rest of the Hurley clan). Ryan is a "secret comedian", Which means you may think he is quiet and shy but really he saves his jokes for key moments. One might call him "sarcastic" or a "real smarty pants". Ryan is a guitar hero genius but helps me pick on Michael when I make our band fail songs. What a gent! Ryan doesn't like buffalo wings but will put down an Italian ice and a cheese pizza.



7. Shannon: I think Shannon should have her own game show or radio show. She is one of the funnier broads I have ever met. She is a lot like Michael in that she is creative, sarcastic and very considerate. I thank her for what ever she did as a big sister to help condition my fiance into being such a sweet, sarcastic and talented fellow. She also is a great mom to Kennan, Gabby & Addison and the married to a lucky guy named Child. Shannon and I have a lot in common. We both like to type things like this for hours because we think we are really funny. Shannon likes to drink hot buttered rum.



8. Erin: Erin is Michael's baby sister. She has a great sense of humor but more importantly is a cutie (I am very shallow). She is fun to dress (like a rare brunette barbie) and so I like shopping for clothes for her at my stores. Erin and I have a lot of hanging out to do, but haven't much so far because she lives and works way up yonder in Wisconsin. Erin is involved with this years Flukiest love story: Erin has become "involved" my old buddy Josh mentioned above. I assume they are preparing to race us down the isle in September. Erin likes to eat fettucini alfredo.



9. Derick: I met this guy at a bar. He gave us beer and shots so I knew I liked him right away. Derick also works as a water conditioning expert. He has shared a lot of funny stories with me about Michael's glory days (a long time ago). Derick and Tara (GF) have promised us a double date at the sturgeon spearing thing which sounds RAD. I am not sure what Derick likes to eat.



10. Scooter: I have not met this man yet, but I have heard the legends. I assume he helped invent the Michael we know and love today so therefore I love this guy. there is a rumor that he may wear assless chaps in the wedding.



11. Leann: Leann and Scooter are a couple and they own a leather tailor business. This gets me very excited because I think I am a cow girl. Leann was also pretty involved in Michael's early days and I cant wait to hear what stories she has to tell about the infamous "slip" a.k.a Michael.



12. Buck: I haven't met Buck yet, but from what I hear he once ruled Kenosha with My main man Michael. I also like the name buck a lot, so that's a great start for our relationship.



13. Rick: Rich "Satinderpal" Chadha is one of the first people I met when I moved to Illinois. He has a lovely wife named Kelly and is rumored to have 2 kids, but i haven't met them. Rick likes the same things as Michael: Heat trace, Whiskey & Guitar Hero. Rick also is a funny fellow. Rick likes to eat spicy Cajun food.



14. Joan: I met Joan when I was 18 and was hired to babysit her toddler son Mitchell. Joan turned out to become a best friend. Joan has many talents: Cooking, Organizing, Riding elephants (used to work at Marine world Africa USA!) and making people laugh their asses off! Joan likes to eat nothing that I have cooked. She used to be stunned at some of the strange foods I would prepare for her toddler son. Joan is single, so watch out...She is a man eater.

Just the Facts


Hi Everyone! I want to post a little info about "what we know so far"... about the wedding weekend.Obviously, we don't know much but were trying to figure it out ...


1. Timeline: We would like to have as much time with everyone as possible, so call when you make your travel arrangements so we can coordinate activities for the days leading up to the wedding weekend.

-Friday September 4th: Bachelor/Bachelorette party (spouses and any other guests from out of town should obviously partake in the debauchery.)

-Saturday September 5th: Recovery day, hamburgers and a movie, Go do tourist stuff, whatever. Girls, go get manicures?

-Sunday September 6th: WEDDING DAY!!! I will post the day-of time line as we get closer.


2. Outfits:

-I haven't found a dress yet...

-Michael wants to sport a white tux jacket, black pants, black bow tie and black cumber bun...James Bond/Humphrey Bogart style.

-The dudes will be in black tuxes, not sure if the ties will be teal or white? Maybe Ryan can come to chi town and try some on soon, model a little for us Ry!

-Bridesmaids----eh-hem, a few of them held a mutiny last night (I wont name names: Sarah, Lydia and Tiff:) and voted the teal pencil dress off the island. which is fine, I want them to like their duds....So I will announce new plans for the BM dresses as soon as I decide on one. It may be neon floral taffeta though if you keep it up girls.



3. Our Honeymoon: We hope to take off the Tuesday after the wedding. We are renting an RV and driving all the way to Wyoming. We plan to visit Mount Rushmore, Deadwood, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone...etc. In otherwords we are on the fast track to a senior citizen discount.