Three years ago today was, what LilZ and I often call, “The Best Day Of Our Lives.” (MrZ doesn’t quite have the flair for the dramatic that we have – he prefers “A Super Rockin’ Day.”) I started the day off with a limo ride with LilZ and his friends to thank them for helping me put together decorations and party favors. We took the limo up to Monte Sano mountain and practiced the Electric Slide. I recommend every bride start her wedding day off with a limo ride with a bunch of kids followed by line-dancing on a mountain. It was awesome. I ended the day married to my best friend with a cake made out of Krispy Kreme doughnuts thrown in the middle somewhere.

Thank you, MrZ, for being my husband. I love you with all of my heart and thank whatever deity I can that I found someone to spend the rest of my life with who, not only accepts my love of office supplies, but fully supports it. If only all girls could be so lucky.

I don’t know what is better, knowing that LilZ thinks that our wedding day was the best day ever in HIS life, or the knowing that it was in mine too. I worked for six months planning a large wedding under budget with TWO goals: #1) Having a wedding that was all about US and not about “normal” or “tradition” or what other people wanted and #2) Making sure LilZ was as much a part of it as possible. We pulled it all off with flying colors and it has since become one of my favorite things to talk about.

Here are the things we did to make the day special for all of us:

• The kids in the neighborhood all helped me make the party favors and decorations
• LilZ helped me make the arch we used during the wedding.
• LilZ asked several of his friends to be IN the wedding party too.
• I rented a Limo for the morning of the wedding to take all the kids around town to thank them for helping me so much. It was my first EVER limo ride.
• We had a wedding cake made out of donuts.
• We played contemporary music. The bridal party walked down the aisle to James Taylor’s You’ve got a friend, I walked down the aisle to At Last, and MrZ and I left the wedding to I can see clearly now, the rain is gone.
• I wrote a poem for MrZ that was read by my friend Stace during the wedding.
• After the “official” dances of husband and wife, and husband and his mom, I danced with LilZ to Kelly Clarkson’s A Moment Like This
• THEN? Me and all the kids got on the dance floor and did the Hokey Pokey
• We had the aforementioned ball game on the TV at the reception
• I wore hot pink sequined butterfly shoes under my wedding gown.
• I made all of our bouquets out of fake flowers all by myself and only suffered a few severe burns from the glue gun.
• I let LilZ pick out his own tuxedo.
• LilZ walked me down the aisle WITH my Dad. Actually? I panicked when I heard the music start and left them both behind. But then, I tripped (of course), laughed, and waited for them to catch up.
• I wore my hot pink tie-dyed house slippers to the wedding reception while both MrZ and LilZ wore their tennis shoes.
• Did I mention the donut cakes?

Anyway – I just wanted to reflect a moment on the coolness that was our wedding. I’m afraid we may not be able to really celebrate our anniversary this year, so I wanted to make sure at least ONE thing was mentioned about that day. October 25, 2003. The best day of ALL of our lives.

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That was one of the first conversations MrZ and I ever had. We had been flirting for a short while and I was very attracted to him. However – I knew that being a single mom sometimes shouted, “I need a Daddy for my Baby” so I wanted him to know right off the bat that I was NOT looking for a relationship. I had only been newly single for a year and I was just planning on enjoying that for a while.

A few weeks later? He told me he hoped I would marry him one day.

And a year ago today, I did.

My Dearest MrZoot,

There is no way on earth you will ever be able to fully comprehend what a difference you have made in my life. I can say, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I will always look back on the day we got married as the best day of my life. Yes – I love LilZoot as I will any future children we will have – but the day he was born, although WONDERFUL, was also filled with PAIN. And LOTS OF IT. Our wedding day was, in one word: Perfect. It was the type of day for which the word “perfect” was invented.

The fun actually started the day before our wedding. Our friends and family started congregating in town. I had been up all night the night before putting final touches on a few things. We began decorating – we picked up tuxes – we checked into hotel rooms. We had our rehearsal and your mother planned the perfect rehearsal dinner. I ended the dinner and the gift giving time with my final toast. This was the toast I gave that night.

You have taught me more about love and relationships in the last three years than a lifetime worth of self-help books and Dr. Phil shows could have.
First: you have taught me that it IS possible to fall more in love with someone everyday, even after three years of being together.
Second: You have taught me that it is also possible for two people who could be the poster children for “Type-A Control Freaks” to learn how to compromise and share responsibility.
Third: You have taught me that those little things that are cute in the beginning of a relationship – DON’T have to start to aggravate you as the years go by. I am still a sucker for the voices you give our animals and the times you like to break into the MrZ dance!

But MrZ? The most important thing you have taught me is that

The perfect Dress,
Krispy Kreme wedding cakes,
The support of family,
And the presence of Friends Old, New and Rekindeled,
Along with more butterflies and purple roses that should be legal –
Can make a dream wedding…
But – it is the comfort in knowing that you are marrying your soul- mate
The one man you know you were put on this earth to spend the rest of your life with,
That turns the same dream wedding into a true to life Fariytale.
I promise to spend my life saying “Thank-You”.
And with you and LilZoot by my side,
We can turn this “Once Upon a Time” into a “Happily Ever After”.

I woke up at the butt-crack of dawn the next morning. I did a bit more decorating before my Limo arrived. The limo came for me and we picked up LilZoot and all of the neighborhood kids to go for a ride around town. It was my way of thanking them for all the work they had put into helping me with wedding favors and decorating. We had a blast. We did the electric slide on top of Monte Sano Mountain. What a better way to start our wedding day?

I got back to the hotel and spent the rest of the morning, before pictures, decorating and getting things ready. I was totally in my element and loving all of it. Most women hire wedding planners and get other people to do that work, but I wanted to be a part of everything. I remember working so hard to plan our wedding. I made bouquets, I decorated arches, I ordered gowns, I made a donut cake, and I found the perfect pair of shoes. I spent most of the day of the wedding decorating. I actually got OUT of my wedding dress after my pictures so I could put together my wedding cake. I called you downstairs as you watched the TN/AL game and asked you if you had your ring. Hilariously enough (at least to US, it stressed out some people) – my Dad ran you home 30 minutes before the wedding to grab the ring we had forgotten. I was beyond busy making sure I put the final touches on everything. I had it all planned and organized.

Yet, there I was, 20 minutes before walking down the aisle – giggling in the girls’ bathroom. I had snuck in there to hide while the first part of the procession started. People were asking me where they needed to be, kids were looking for bouquets, parents were wondering what order they needed to be seated. And all I could do was giggle. I was looking in the mirror and laughing uncontrollably, thinking, “This is finally it. I am finally going to marry the man I was put on this earth to be with.” I was so overwhelmed with the idea that my dream was FINALLY going to happen, that I barely remembered what I was supposed to do. I remember my Dad later telling me, “That’s a good sign”.

I stood at the door of the wedding hall after you were in position inside. I watched our friends and our family walk together down the aisle to “You’ve got a Friend”.

When you’re down and troubled
and you need a helping hand
and nothing, whoa nothing is going right.
Close your eyes and think of me
and soon I will be there
to brighten up even your darkest nights.
You just call out my name,
and you know wherever I am
I’ll come running, oh yeah baby
to see you again.

Winter, spring, summer, or fall,
all you have to do is call
and I’ll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah.
You’ve got a friend.

If the sky above you
should turn dark and full of clouds
and that old north wind should begin to blow
Keep your head together and call my name out loud
and soon I will be knocking upon your door.
You just call out my name and you know wherever I am
I’ll come running to see you again.

Winter, spring, summer or fall
all you got to do is call
and I’ll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Hey, ain’t it good to know that you’ve got a friend?

People can be so cold.
They’ll hurt you and desert you.
Well they’ll take your soul if you let them.
Oh yeah, but don’t you let them.
You just call out my name and you know wherever I am
I’ll come running to see you again.
Oh babe, don’t you know that,

Winter spring summer or fall,
Hey now, all you’ve got to do is call.
Lord, I’ll be there, yes I will.
You’ve got a friend.
You’ve got a friend.
Ain’t it good to know you’ve got a friend.
Ain’t it good to know you’ve got a friend.
You’ve got a friend.

I watched LilZoot escort two girls he had known since before he could walk. And then I watched him remember to circle back around to escort me. When I saw him come back for me, I thought, “Crap. I would have forgotten about that. He’s brilliant.”

I began my walk down the aisle (we’ll pretend there was no entry-way trip in this version), arm in arm with my Father and my Son. And I cried. Oh – how I cried. I cried the most joyful tears ever to have dropped from any bride’s eyes. I looked at you and there are no words for the love that I felt for you at that moment. The song, “At Last” played as I smiled and you, walking toward you under the wedding arch I had slaved over. I listened to the song knowing that after all we had been through together in the three years prior to that day, there was no better song to walk down the aisle to.

At last
My love has come along
My lonely days over
and life is like a song

Ooh At last
The skies above are blue
Well my heart was wrapped up in clover
The night I looked at you

I found a dream
That I could speak to
A dream that I could call my own
I found a thrill
to press my cheek to
a thrill that I have never known

You smile
Oh and then the spell was cast
and here we are in heaven
For you are mine at last

I found a dream
That I could speak to
a dream that I
Could call my own
I found a thrill
To press my cheek to
A thrill that I have never known

You smile
Oh and then the spell was cast
and here we are in heaven
For you are mine at last

I hugged my dad as he sat at the front of the room. I walked up to you, with LilZoot still at my side. I remember that the three of us almost forgot to light our unity candles. We were so excited. We stood there as a family as Jan (our minister) acknowledged LilZoot as an important part of the equation – just as we had asked her to do. She knew how important it was that LilZ be included in the ceremony. We were doing more than marrying each other that day – we were building a family.

I tried not to cry as Alana read one of my favorite poems.
I cried profusely as Stace read the poem I wrote for you.
I held your had and cried as we repeated our vows.
I thanked God you talked me out of us writing our own since my brain was such mush.
I shook as you put my ring on my finger.
I smiled as I placed your ring on your finger.
I looked at all of our wedding party during the prayers and thought about how lucky we were to have such amazing friends and family.
And then? When Jan finally announced us as Mr and Mrs Zoot?
I did what I had warned people I would do.
I yelled a “Woo!” and we walked arm and arm out of the wedding hall to “I can see clearly now, the rain is gone…”

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun shiny day

I think I can make it now, the pain is gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is the rainbow I’ve been prayin’ for
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun shiny day

Look all around, there’s nothin’ but blue skies
Look straight ahead, nothin’ but blue skies

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun shiny day

At the reception we enjoyed the company of all who were near and dear to us. We had our special mother/son dances. And then you and I danced to DMB, “Crash” – one of the sexiest songs we knew. The kids and I jumped up and did the Hokey Pokey and with that – the party started. I put on my house shoes and you and LilZ donned your tennis shoes with your Tuxedos. Your grandfather wheeled your grandmother onto the dance floor and their Children danced in a circle around them. All of the kids from our neighborhood made a sign and startled you with a request from the DJ that you do what has come to be known as, “The MrZoot Dance” for everyone. And even though you were embarrassed – you obliged. Everyone danced all night. We’ve been told it was “The best reception EVER” by many people. We wore top hats. We stood close as we listened to friends and family toast us. We laughed as LilZoot caught the bouquet. We ate donuts. We slow danced.

One year ago today.
I love you more now than I did then. Through every trial, through every triumph – my love for you grows stronger. I look you in the eye at times and question what on earth I could have done to deserve such an amazing man as you. I know that we were put on this earth to be together and I feel that stronger now than I did a year ago today when we stood before friends and family and pledged our love.

Happy Anniversary, Honey. Thank you for making my dreams come true.

(for those of you keeping score? That wedding happened 10 years ago yesterday. weird.)

Anywho – I wanted my wedding with MrZ to be one that screamed out The Zoots! at every turn. I covered everything I could with butterflies, I wore a dress that showed off my tatoos (not cover them), I did the Hokey Pokey, and several other things that made the wedding very unique to us.

But one of my favorite touches? Were my hot-pink butterfly shoes! Aren’t they the most ROCKIN’ shoes you’ve ever seen? I love them so. My matron of honor, IrishChic, has a matching pair. When I saw her wearing them? I thought “Those shoes were designed for no other reason but to be worn in my wedding. I need a pair.” MrZ and I went the next day and bought them.

For nine dollars.

Nothing makes the perfect shoe better than a sale that prices that shoe for under ten dollars.

Yes. I tripped on the way into my wedding. It was Zoot-perfect.

I paused, gathered my composure, and waited for my Dad and Son to catch up with me. And the laughed the rest of the way down the aisle.

Luckily all of that happened behind standing guests, so MrZ didnt even see. hehe.

I called MrZ to make sure that was a good day for him, and we started with the planning. Never looking back…

Then, a week or so later, my mom calls and says “Guess what I just realized? The 25th is the day your father and I got married…”

Now, keep in mind my parents split over 20 years ago, so it’s not like it was a day we all celebrated, so I never knew when their anniversary was. Some people might have found it unlucky to get married on the same day their divorced parents did, but I thought it made an awesome story, and that’s really all that matters, right?

Fast forward a few weeks when I’ve started trying to reserve places to get married. I was suprised at how open that day seemed to be considering I wasnt even calling six months in advance. Then MrZ called me and said “Do you realize what day we’ve planned our wedding on? How about this for a hint…The third Saturday in October?”

For the non-football fans among you, I’ll explain. The third Saturday in October has traditionally been the day that Tennessee plays Alabama in college football. MrZoot and I, being die-hard fans of opposing teams in that battle, know that day all too well. The second he pointed it out to me I A)Felt incredibly stupid that it hadnt occurred to me yet and B)Realized why I wasnt having trouble booking things on that day. We decided as long as we would be able to have a TV in the reception area, we’d be fine because the wedding ceremony would only last 15 minutes or so.

Yes. When calling to book places for my wedding reception, I actually demanded that there be a TV available so we could watch the game in case it was an evening game. And I was asking just as much for myself as I was for MrZoot. Gotta love SEC brides…

This is me, with a fantastic expression on my face (gotta love that) and MrZ checking out the game at the beginning of the reception. I think our wedding ending towards the end of the fourth quarter, but for you VOL or BAMA fans, you’ll remember that last years TN/Alabama game went on a bit past the fourth quarter.

This picture was taken with one of our personalized disposable cameras. This is one of the last plays of the game. I snuck over to the TV part of the reception and MrZ’s uncle was telling me what was going on. It was Tennessee’s ball on 4th and 19, they were behind, and there was almost no time left on the clock. I decided I didnt want to see my team lose…so I walked away and didnt think about the game at all the rest of the night.

Ha.

Turns out we won. I didnt even know until the next day! We made that 1st down and scored off the drive! Go Vols!

I had planned on starting September 25th and posting a wedding picture and wedding story every morning for a month. But as you can see? I was too busy making donuts.

So, I’m going to start today, and pretend like I started Saturday. Okay?

And I’ll start with the engagement.

MrZ and I had discussed getting married almost since the day we started dating. By April of 2003, we finally were ready (after dating for three years) to start shopping for rings. We had decided to “get engaged” sometime in the summer, and get married the following spring. We went shopping for rings one weekend, and had a ball doing it. I knew NOTHING about diamonds and neither did he, but we still had fun.

The next weekend I came home from traveling with LilZoot to see his Dad. MrZ handed me a piece of paper. I looked at it and it said, “Will you Marry Me? Yes/No/Maybe”. I laughed, said, “You’re so cute” and then hung it up on the fridge. We joked about stuff like that a lot, I didnt think anything of it. I just thought he was being silly.

Later, he said:
“Well, arent you going to answer it?”
“What? The note? No! Its hysterical just hanging on the fridge like that. Unanswered.”
“Um…okay.”

Even LATER, he said:
“So, you’re really not going to check the box?”
“What?”
“On the note. You arent even going to answer it?”
“Well, of course you know the answer. Everyone knows we’re getting married eventually. Its just funny to leave it like I’m thinking about it.”
“You should really check a box.”
“FINE!. Jeez…”

As I turned to the fridge to check “yes”, I turned back around and he had a ring out saying, “Then, I can finally give you this.”

AAHHH!

He was proposing to me! I thought he was being silly and he was being sweet and romantic! How horrible am I? heheh. So – that’s your First Wedding Story. And here…is your first wedding picture.

It was very important to us that LilZ be involved in every part of the wedding. It was more than two people pledging their lives to each other – we were forming a family, and this is my favorite picture because I feel it shows that. And I’m already crying, which is always fun.

So This? Is my wedding cake. Yes. It’s made out of Krispy Kreme Donuts. Yes. A Krispy Kreme Donut Wedding Cake. The outer layer are powdered donuts to give the “white” appearance, but all the inner ones? Glazed, Baby. Because those? Are like bits of heaven, in the form of little rings. Most importantly? People talked about it all night long and they are STILL talking about it.

See? I wasn’t about to spend 800 plus dollars on a cake I wouldn’t eat, because I don’t eat cake. I mean – I eat cake – but I prefer various other desserts. LIKE DONUTS. (Is a donut a dessert? Let’s pretend it is.) I stumbled upon something somewhere that referenced a wedding cake made out of stacked Krispy Kremes. This sounded like a dream “cake” to me. So? I made one myself.

ALL total? It took about 30 minutes to make and cost about 100 dollars, stand and all. I bought the tiers for the stand at Michael’s and bought the cake topper at Wal-Mart. I just ordered enough donuts to stack on the tiers and asked them to send me a bag of powdered sugar to sprinkle around the outside since I new the sugar would come off the donuts as I stacked them.

Finally? The I went to the Target bakery and asked for 50 froze icing flowers in lavender. I used a butter knife to slide them off the sheet and onto my cake tiers to add a sort of decoration so it wasn’t just donuts. Not that there’s anything wrong with that!

It was the perfect solution for our tight-budget and unique wedding. It is also very cool to be able to say that I had a donut cake at my wedding. In case you were wondering the real motivation.

Oh – and if you see a few chocolate glazed donuts in there? It is because we didn’t order enough glazed and had to use the donuts from the groom’s cake, which my hubby picked out.