Getting married!

My New Roommate

We're back from the honeymoon. The Pickensssss are checking in.

You know how married people say that being married is different than you can ever imagine. They say, "It's not like you're just getting a new roommate. It's very, very different, you'll see." I'd hear that and I'd shake my head and say,"Hmmm? Really? It's that different, huh?" But, I couldn't really fathom what the difference could be. Well, I get it now.

It's not just about organizing (or trying to organize) two households into one, it's not about cooking dinner for each other or even figuring out what items I need to get out of the bathroom before he begins taking his morning shower. It's not about making two english muffins instead of one for the ride into the office. All of that is not so different from having a roommate.

It's more. It's about spending almost every moment with this new roommate and willingly making every effort to include him into "my space." It's not caring whether I've brushed my hair or my teeth before snuggling and chatting with him in the morning. It's secretly watching him decide what he wants to wear each morning. It's being amazed that I have to sit up completely to be able to see over his huge lump of a sleeping body just to get a glimpse of the time on the clock by the bed. . . It's feeling a warm bond blossoming between us that was barely a bud before we got married.

You know that wonderful instruction of 'Abdu'l-Baha's to married people -- that we are to become "as helpmates, intimate friends." Something happened to me the other day that flat out defined what he meant. I was driving alone to work, running late as usual. All I remember was my cell phone beginning to ring. As I looked towards the sound of the ring coming from my purse on the floorboard, I felt a crushing force against my neck and chest. Excruciating! And, what the hell was that horrible smell? And, how did my car get crammed up against the back of the car in front of me? I was stunned. I was just in a car accident and my airbags had just deployed!! Interestingly, before I determined that the person in the car in front of me was OK or even that I was OK, I felt myself continuing my motion to reach for the ringing cell phone. All I knew was that I had to call Pierre! Something bad had happened and I NEEDED HIM NOW! So, I called him, first -- then I got out of the car. People were asking, "Are you OK, ma'am?" "Yes," I decided. "I'm fine." And, "No, I don't need you, thank you. My husband, he's coming." And, minutes later I see my husband pull up and I allow myself to break down in his arms. As he talked to the police officer and the guy with the tow truck and as he began pulling all the stuff out of my car to put into his -- I felt shaken and bruised but never more secure and blessed. He's not just a new roommate -- he's my helpmate -- an intimate friend.

(BTW, I'm fine. But, the funeral for the Saab is on Monday.)

WE´RE MARRIED!!!!

Hello dearest friends from beautiful Riviera Maya!!!!! Wish you were here......NOT!!:)

Words cannot begin to express the feelings in our hearts when we remember the days leading up to and the day of our marriage. And here we are in a beautiful resort with sunshine, blue waters, delicious food and relaxation -- and we keep thinking and remembering our wedding. We are truly humbled by the love and spirit infused into every single detail of every single aspect. What we wished for as we planned our special day was to touch everyone´s hearts. What we felt and witnessed was even more than we ever hoped for! We thank everyone for being with us and for ensuring that it was spectacular, magical -- perfect!

Ok, we must get back to "business" but we just wanted to say a VERY QUICK hi to everyone and we absolutely love and cherish you all.

The Pickensessesssssss

While the honeymooners are away...

...the webmaster will play! I must give major props to everyone involved in this beautiful, gorgeous wedding. Delara, Faith, Amelia, Mahsa, Ladan, Mojan--a big thumbs-up to you! Friends: from the details on this website, to the invitations, to the cake, to the food, the decorations (weren't those lovely ficus trees?), to the table centerpieces, to the beautiful details on the programs...these ladies were involved in it all. From firsthand experience, I can say that these women are committed to perfection for Charla and Pierre. It was all worth it--everything was BEAUTIFUL!

Second, if you're here looking for photos from the wedding, stay tuned, there should be some available in a few days. I am working on it.

Thanks to all the friends and family of Pierre and Charla for making this such a memorable event (and a great party)!

Addendum: Also, many many many many thanks to Charla's sisters for everything they did. Your support and encouragement made it all happen!

Alright Alright....

Well, first I just want to say that the weekend was good until Michigan lost to Notre Dame in the NCAA football opener...Oh well, after much pouting and grumpiness I calmed down.....I think;) Anyway, We have 11 days until I wed the beautiful Miss Cha Cha and I couldn't be happier.....Today was pretty special because Charla's coworkers in the Secretariat threw us a surprise party and it was just fabulous...It was so moving to hear the friends including the resident NSA members express their sincere love and happiness for us that I really felt like a very special person who is marrying a very special person and are both so lucky to have people who genuinely love us. Seldom have I felt this way, so I am cherishing it as we speak:)

Just sharing::::::)

It's his turn

It's Pierre's turn to blog!! But, he won't do it! My nagging him doesn't seem to work. Humphhh! Guess if it doesn't work for this -- then it won't work once we're married either? I better think of something else and quick! 12 days! 12 days?? Yikes! I have too many other things to think about! Thus, the reason that I asked Pierre to blog! Oh P-IERRRRE???!!

Precipitation

This past Sunday, August 29th, even though the sun was out -- it rained! And, I got soaked! Not the kind of precipitation that made me want to reach for my umbrella. It was a downpour of yummo food, beautiful flowers, sparkly balloons and gifts galore!! I had the best wedding shower anyone could ask for!

It was an elegant afternoon tea. Various teas, Peets coffee, fresh lemonade with mint (with Faith's magic touch) and all kinds of treats like tea sandwiches, little quiches, "Paula" cookies, and a genuine English trifle of the freshest cream and fruits -- courtesy of Ladan. Is your mouth watering? We only had to play two "shower games" thank goodness -- they were hilarious! And the prizes? Well, we'll just keep that under wraps.

The theme was "bed and bath." And, chicas? Pierre loves ALL the gifts and can't wait to use them. :D

As I sat down to begin opening my gifts, I looked around Camille's beautiful home and saw my dearest girlfriends talking and laughing and just having fun. I was flooded with emotion and appreciation for the blessing of cherished friendships. I am so grateful to each of you and for each of you. You are all beautiful souls and I love you so much!

What a wedding!!!

Last weekend Charla and I along with Delara and Paul had the opportunity to attend the beautiful wedding of Saba and Tom Moritz in DC (http://www.lay-c.com/delara) And I would like to take this moment to thank Saba and Tom so much for the invitation and I am extremely happy for them. Love you guys:) We had a great time but I had an even greater time seeing my old crew from Haifa. That was almost like a dream and one that I did not want to end. I got to see Mace and Vida, Shamim, Shahram, Maria, Zitta, Jeffrey and Shadi, Sean G, and others as well. Needless to say it was wild but I'm thinking how much fun I'm going to have seeing those guys again and quite a few more at our wedding. Aahhhh.......Life is good:)

What time is it?

If you are reading this, then most likely you have received your invitation and you have or are about to rsvp to attend the -- you know -- the WEDDING! If you are reading this and you have received your invite but you haven't RSVP'd -- then go ahead!

You know what we realized yesterday? We left out a crucial piece of information on the wedding invitations. We FORGOT to assign a deadline for the RSVP!!! What were we thinking? Knowing whether 122 or 222 or 323 (please, no, not that many!!) friends are coming to the wedding makes a huuuuuge difference in pretty much every aspect of the reception planning. As the RSVPs have come in, I've begun get antsy for closure. I want to know exactly who is coming RIGHT NOW! It would just make things so much easier! Plus, I get so excited (if we use that word one more time, you're going to scream, right!)!

So, today, we would like to officially assign a deadline. Hmmmm. What would be reasonable? Tell you what -- we will give you until Labor Day. If we haven't heard from you -- then expect a phone call. It will be pleasant, of course -- and we will be happy to talk with you -- but -- we will charge you for the minutes! No, not really. But, please, for my own sanity -- and thus for Pierre's own sanity -- let us know sooner than later.

Tomorrow's post: Helpful tips for our out of towners . . .

Getting MORE excited!!!

I tell you, just thinking about the wedding and all of my close friends being there is really making me very excited...Thinking about old friendships and the great times we've had just make it such a pleasure anticipating this wonderful occasion.....For alot of us this will be certainly a true reunion and I can't wait to see people's reactions when they run into friends they haven't seen for years!!!! Anyway, feeling pretty good right now...

No, I'm not crying . . .

I'm going to write a little about the stresses of wedding planning. Anybody who has been through it -- I know you can empathize. For the past couple of weeks, I have routinely awakened from a deep sleep around 2 and 3 am thinking of all the things that are still not done. I wander around the house for a while either checking my emails, watching mtv, or attempting to read. I finally fall back asleep around 4:30-5am only to oversleep and be late for work!!! Last night I had a this marathon dream about my family and I planning a big gathering in some strange house. I kept worrying that everything was not going to get done and telling everyone what to do. In the end, everyone except for ME had handled their responsibilities -- my stuff was the only unfinished part of the planning! It was horrible!

Today, I woke up with a full blown cold (which I rarely get) and my left eye has been watering all day. Everyone thinks that I'm crying and they sweetly feel inclined to comfort me with a hug. I assure them that I am fine except for this silly cold. Then my nose starts to tickle, the tears start to pour and I have to go get more tissue! It's not a "summer cold" -- it is totally stress induced. I'm trying hard to convince my physical self to catch up with my emotional self; the self that is finally accepting that everything is going to be just fine. The wedding will be beautiful, my friends will have a great time (which is very important to me.), and Pierre and I will head off to Mexico to enjoy 7 days of stress-free lounging and playing. And, we will return home to live stress-free ever after . . . ok . . . maybe I'm being a little too optimistic. . .