I’ll tell you what…I had a mild breakdown yesterday.  It only took about five days to fully realize the scope of what’s happening.  Don’t get me wrong, Mandy and I are still in “engaged bliss.”  Life couldn’t be better, really.  But, all of it seemed to hit me yesterday.  The planning.  The preperations.  The  magnitude of it all.  I’m taking on the job of planning the honeymoon.  One little job, compared to the hundred’s Mandy is going to be dealing with.  I was completely focused on surfing carribean destinations, when Mandy’s email came.  “Can you please start a guest list of your friends and family?  Can you start looking at wedding bands?  Let’s really focus on a date, what do you think?” 

Now, all of these questions are fair and need to be addressed soon.  So, why then was I on the floor of our bedroom, huddled in the fetal position, rocking back and forth?  It all just hit me what we were about to experience.  So many decisions are going to be made.  Most of these decisions will be Mandy’s. My job will be to support her and chime in when necessary.  She hasn’t had a freak out yet.  Being a lady, I would like to think she has a better grasp of the situation, far more than me, a guy who only notices the flavor of cake at a wedding.  Looks like there is a lot more to it than that.

 A day later, my stress level is back down and I’m pretty confident I will make it thru without incident.  My job is to be Mandy’s rock, her sounding board when she (if she) has a freak out.  I’m just glad it only took my five days to realize that.

-Howler

I’ll tell you what…I’m the happiest man alive!  Over the Thanksgiving weekend, I asked Mandy to marry me! 

We spent the weekend up in Estes Park.  I had the room at the Stanley booked for a few months and knew Estes would be the perfect location to pop the question.  I had the ring for about 3 weeks…the longest 3 weeks of my life!  The anticipation was killing me!  I wanted it to be perfect and knew that Estes can be pretty romantic if you make it.  So, after the Parade Of Lights wrapped up, I asked Mandy to take a walk with me.  We found this cool little place on the river, where I got down on my left knee, trembling from the cold and nerves, and asked her to spend the rest of my life with me.  It couldn’t have gone any better.  I wasn’t a bumbling idiot and she said yes right away.  We went to dinner, drank a couple bottles of champagne and proceeded to celebrate the rest of the weekend.

So, as of right now, we’re gonna be in wedding mode for the next few months.  It’s all a little overwhelming at this point.  A summer wedding or a fall wedding?  How big or how small?  Open or cash bar?  I’m pretty sure I already know the answer to the latter. 

It’s gonna be a hell of a trip and one you’ll hear about along the way.  So please, at any point, your words of wisdom are welcome.   What was awesome about your wedding and what was a disaster?  As a rookie, your advice will be priceless!

 -Howler

I’ll tell you what…this is my favorite time of year!  I get to completely stuff my face, and I have 4 days to do it! 

 I get to bring them out once a year.  They always fit.  They’re not stylish but they always get the job done.  I’m speaking  about my elastic waistband sweats.  A glorious invention!  Dark blue and soft as a baby’s butt.  So, by all means, feel free to picture it!  The Howler, beached on the couch, ready for my next feeding.  On second thought, that may be a picture I can’t even stomach. 

 Happy Thanksgiving and all that comes with it!  The cramping, the bloating, the gluttony of it all!  You deserve it.

Howler.

I’ll Tell You What…This past friday night, after the Top Ten Countdown, I managed to meet up with some friends at Wynkoop.  Now, already being 10:30-ish, I knew I was coming late to the party and everyone was a few cocktails ahead of me.  Fine, no worries.  I walked in, found my friends and proceeded to order a beer.  Life is good.   Up walks my buddy Paul.  Feeling no pain, he proceeds to give me a giant bear hug.  He grabs me in an awkward position, attempting to squeeze the life out of me, in a “good to see you” kind of way.  I feel something pop.  Maybe a rib, I don’t know.  I turn to my girlfriend, Mandy (she looks a lot like Mandy Moore, but way hotter), and tell her I didn’t feel right and needed to sit down.  I started getting nauseous, sweaty and clammy.  Something was wrong.  Mandy walks me outside to get some fresh air.  After a good 15 minute breather, I make it back into the bar to finish my beer.  The right side of my rib cage was killing me.  I needed to get outta there without further incident. The walk home was rough.  Sleeping that night was rough.  Doing anything since has been rough.  It’s not a steady pain, just an annoyance when attempting to sit down, sneeze, drive or even taking a shower. 

 Worst-case scenario, I have a fractured rib.  After a quick WebMD search, there is nothing that can be done except popping a few aspirin and taking it easy for awhile.  Mandy would prefer to take me to urgent care, but I can tough this one out.  I’m pretty sure it’s just a bruised rib anyway.  I should be back to normal in a few weeks.  In the meantime, running and hitting the gym is out of the question.  And, in all honesty, I might be milking it a bit.  Nothin’ wrong with a little extra attention and care from Mandy.  Just don’t tell her!