We're Baaaack!!

Thank you to everyone who was able to make it to Key West! It was a blast...we hope it was as much fun and worthwhile as it was for us. A few of you had requested to have a copy of our vows so we thought this might be the easiest way to get them out there. If anyone duplicates them though...we want royalties!!! :P

Pictures will be to come... and if any of you have some that you would like to share with us, we would love to see them. Either copy them to disc and mail them or email them to byrd11duck@yahoo.com

Here is our whole wedding ceremony (all 5 minutes of it):

Gordon and Erin Wedding Vows

OPENING WORDS
My friends we have gathered today in the midst of verdant Spring, enveloped in new beginnings. As the lushness of the season flourishes, so does the affirmation of this persevering relationship.
This spring wedding should remind us that like the seasons and the tides, life moves in cycles. We recognize the abiding, shared hope that after every winter, spring will come again.
We are here to celebrate beginnings, and to acknowledge that love, as anything else, requires sustaining care and nurture. In making this declaration to their family and friends, Erin and Gordon express their eagerness to take up this life-long challenge by dedicating this commitment to one another.

VOWS
At this time Gordon, you may state your vows to Erin
(Gordon reads his vows)
What a journey we have taken together over the past few years and no small matter is it that we have ended up here, again, in paradise. And though we have come full circle, we have climbed many a hill and mountain, sidestepped pitfalls and hiccups in our path to reach this plateau. Through this passion and a culmination of our interests to seek knowledge and understanding, our path shall stay as one. As we are drawn by the warmth of the equator, we are drawn closer by each other’s warmth. As the wind moves us we will remain true. No peril of rain, gale, or cold, that we may face together, will separate the vigor or endurance of the dream we share. So as I humbly stand before you here, I wish to commit myself without hesitation, to your spirit, to your love, and to your beauty.
At this time Erin, you may state your vows to Gordon.
(Erin reads her vows)
I cannot possibly express what you mean to me in a few lines. There was a bond with you almost instantly that I have never had with anyone. Together we have experienced some amazing things. You are so much to me, an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on, arms to embrace, a hand to hold, eyes to guide me, but most importantly you are my best friend. I could never have imagined that I would be taking your hand in marriage back when you would make those long treks across Florida through rainstorms and flat tires to see me or when I peered at you over my mountain of nachos. Even when I broke your dishes or dropped your helmet you made me feel like the most important person in the world. I know I am not the easiest person to get along with and my sense of direction is not always the best, but it was certainly working when I found you. With you by my side I will never be lost. I love you and I always will.

RING EXCHANGE
The exchanging of rings symbolizes the sacred bond that exists between you. The circle is considered to be the most perfect form of all forms in nature. Just as the circle, your rings know no end, so may the love declared here today never end and forever be renewed.
Gordon, place the ring on Erin’s finger and repeat after me:
"I give you this ring in love and truth, for now and forever"
Erin, place the ring on Gordon’s finger and repeat after me:
"I give you this ring in love and truth, for now and forever."

FINAL WORDS
Because you Gordon and you Erin have consented together to be married,
And have given and pledged your loyalties to one another,
By the authority vested in me by the state of Florida,
Witnessed by your friends and family,
I have the pleasure to pronounce you husband and wife.
"You may now seal your vows and commitment to each other with a kiss"
And now ladies and gentlemen,
I have the pleasure of presenting to you Mr. and Mrs. King.

Thanks again to everyone who expressed their congratulations in all forms we received...it means so much to us!! Check back for pics in the next week or so.

Anchors Away

We thar be in the homestretch! Gordon and me ll'be leaving Wednesday as soon as he breaks free from his duties. We ll'be stopping overnight and then come plunging into Key West on Thursday in the wee afternoon...if all goes as we be thinking. See most of you scallywags there!!

Mad Bess Flint
&
Bloody John Vane

Wrapping it up

Has not been much time, nor much to blog about recently, but now that we are in the homestretch of "DIY Wedding 101" I thought I would at least touch base.

Work has been work as usual...you know, cutting a pair of pants off of a client, planning trips to Disney World (my former place of enslavement, I mean employment), helping to skyrocket a clients local popularity with Dining out For Life by "raising money for AIDS" as she told everyone. In reality she is not a fan of AIDS but rather in favor of finding a cure in case there was any confusion. This is the same client that will ask anyone no matter how inappropriate the situation if they like car racing, then proceed to rattle off names of racers and her opinion of them ("you know like Jimmy Johnsuh and and and Juner (spelled as she says it), and that one guy, he dead, he died"...as if the Hasidic Jew coming from the Chabad house with his family is interested!...But I digress. We can't forget the client who calls the police all the time because his trouble maker "girlfriend" is always being kidnapped and finding herself in movie-like predicaments. According to our client she has already died of Cancer 3 times. This is the same client that also told an elderly couple in the podiatrist office that they had been following him because they were undercover cops and he knew it. The ladies response was "Hunny, I have 3 kids of my own and I don't keep up with them, so why on Earth would I be concerned about you!?!" All I was thinking when I heard that is YES! hahaha, I love this woman.

But looking to the future (i.e. next 12 days) I have a busy schedule...team meeting today, my weekend, bowling for a clients birthday on Sunday, filling 3 weeks of meds for client, working clients art booth at Stockley Gardens on the 18th, joint party for bachelorette/friend's b-day sometime that weekend, putting birdseed in the tossing bags, dropping the dawg off at daycare for the wedding, packing, cramming all of the junk into the car somehow and getting the heck out of Dodge!

We wanted to start spreading the word that anybody in Key West on Friday the 23rd is welcome to the rehearsal dinner. It will be very casual and kinda impromptu. We are planning on showing up at the Conch Republic Seafood Co. at 8pm and seeing if they can accommodate our party. If so great, if not we will break up into smaller parties. The place is an open air restaurant and is big enough that it should not be too much of an issue. So if you are up for it we would love to have you!...See you then

Congrats!!

I am officially Auntie Erin. For those of you who may not know, my brother and his wife Heidi have brought their new son Brakston Lawrence Taylor home from Guatemala. I am sure it will be a crazy but rewarding experience for all of them, and I look forward to hearing all of the stories and sending the craziest loudest toys I can find (since I live several hundred miles away!)

Can't wait to meet him and see everyone in 5 weeks!!

Moving right along

Sorry it has been a while since the last post, but progress is being made on all fronts here at the homestead.

In sports:

Apparently professional photographers at the Shamrock Marathon decided I was a good subject (or they thought "look at that poor beached whale trying ot make it to the water")...either way they sent and published some pics of me in action.

Hmm, tried to add another in this space but it didnt work, oh well

On the Wedding Front:

We are under the 2 months mark and finally feel like we might actually pull this circus off! My dress came back from the seamstress on Monday and fits very well. While I was at my final fitting my wedding band came to the door. Gordon thinks it was a good omen. Still debating on whether to have my rings fused togeher before or after the wedding...I am routing for after so I dont have to go without my ring from VA all the way till the wedding, but I can see the benefits fo doing it that way I suppose (any thoughts, ideas?)

In Health:

A nasty cold has been going around the area. Yours truly was one of the victims, but it looks like I am on the rebound (a box of Sudafed, a few tissues, some Ibuprofen, and a role of toilet paper later that is.)

In Entertainment News:

I read that Tyra Banks has a stalker and is afraid to go out now...If I were here I would be afraid of going out because of the awful hairweaves and wigs her stylists give her, but that's just me. Also I was forced to take a client to see Titanic the Musical at the Sandler Center in Virginia Beach...my thoughts Stay far far away from this train wreck!! It was based on factual events but from someone with at least a minor in theater...Peter Griffin's version of the "King and I" would win an award before this thing would...There was a murder yesterday afternoon and the vicitm was theater... :P

Now over to Cooke in weather...

The skies are clear the temperature is near 80 degrees (sorry IN folks) and I just got back from the dog park! After being chased and chasing a Jack-ass, I mean Russell,Terrier and a couple Shelties and a Scottie I am pooped!! Here is a live satellite image of the current situation:

That sums up this episode of Nawfolk Livin', tune in next time

SUCCESS!!

I finished the race. I beat my best time even though I had to stop and take a quick breathing walk...There were supposedly 7000 runners this morning for the 8k. It was fun, but I don't think the half-marathon or marathon is in my future!!

Here are my posted official results:

RESULTS - SHAMROCK FESTIVAL 8K - 2008

Place Bib# Name Gen Age City St Coun Chiptime Pace Guntime Div /Tot

1051 17020 Erin Taylor F 28 Norfolk VA USA 43:36.00 8:47 45:35.80 71/571

Div Gend/Tot G

F25-29 313/2865 F

Basically I came in 1051st overall and 313th for women...woo hoo...The winner was a male from Kenya that ran at a pace of 4:30 second miles...FREAK!!! or maybe just a masochist. Gordon was at the finish line cheering me on as I quickly crossed and found my way to the beer tent...ahh the sweet taste of success.

Sorry it is sideways, I forgot to edit it...but this was about 1 hour after "the greenest race in the country" and downing 2 yeungling (gotta support the sponsors)

Sweet Dreams are Made of This

Other than the fact that since childhood, Annie Lennox has eerily reminded me of my mom (I think it's the hair cut), I have been having some strange dreams. There are different schools of thought on the whole nocturnal brain processes...some cultures believe that they are symbols, or archetypes if you will, from ancestors trying to send messages. However a recent theory as discussed on the Discovery Channel...yes I do watch Discovery channel (but only when Family Guy is not on) that hypothesizes that our brains are the brains filing system and it sorts through all of the information from the day and saves or discards it based on need or interest...I fall more into the camp of the latter but there are still some areas left fuzzy in my mind...

But anyhow...since the nearing of the wedding I have been having those (what I hope are typical...please back me up ladies) dreams that we get to the wedding but realize that we have forgotten to book a minister/officiant, or we never sent out invitations, or an assortment of other deleterious of wedding faux pas.

This has been happening for the last month or so, and have never disturbed me enough to inhibit my daytime life.

For the past several years a majority of my dreams (if I can remember them) have been pretty mundane...like everyday life events. But the other night I had one of those dreams that I immediately had to tell Gordon when he was on his way out the door for work. He still thinks I am insane and wants to have me checked to make sure I should be the counselor and not the client at work...but I thought it was amusing!

I don't remember how it started but a good portion of it was me with metal finger tips (from the middle knuckle on). At first I was like "whoa what in the world is wrong with me" but then others found out and were intrigued. The next thing I remember well enough to comment on was that I was on an info-mercial type program boasting the use and need for these metal fingers along with 1950s style demonstrations. The rest of the details are a little fuzzy but I do recall some of the uses as:

• Never have to file your nails again, gals!



• (apparently they were magnetized too) Never lose valuable jewelry down the drain ever again



• Scale a building with the greatest of ease (I guess a metal building)



• Become the World's best back scratcher!



• AND



• Never have to buy garden tools again!

I'm sure there were some more obscure not actual uses for my metal fingers, but I'm sure they made since to me in my dream.

I would have to say that the reaction I got from Gordon has to rival the reaction I got when I was dreaming of ordering Burritos at Qdobas and I was pointing at the overhead menu board and placing my order with Gordon in my sleep!!

Just thought I would share that with you all. I am laying low tonight in preparation for the Shamrock Race in the morning...wish me luck (I need it 50 degrees and 16mph winds).