Update

Invitations are OUT! HOORAY!!!!!! So, they should be at your door within the next few days.

I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that they didn't get all dingy in the mailbox. See, we've had some "wintry weather" here lately, and by "wintry weather," I mean, "the most hellacious cold, ice, snow, and dirt mixture I've ever experienced." So who the heck knows. There could've been a puddle in the bottom of that mailbox. But just know that when I put them in there, they were sparkling white and beautiful.

I ordered a new dress last week, and it should be here any day. I am very excited about it. But if it doesn't look good, I have another one in reserve. I love lenient return policies.
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So, in a life update, things are going okay. Eric turned to me the other day and said, "I think I have that sun disease." To which I responded, "What?" Turns out, he meant Seasonal Affective Disorder, and I'm right there with him. Besides the fact that I haven't really even SEEN the sun in several weeks except through a window, because I'm arriving for and leaving from work before it gets light and after it gets dark, it has just been a really crappy winter. But that being said, my ice-maneuvering skills are coming in handy. One of my best girlfriends is from Texas, and she's a mess. Falling all over the place and mincing around on the ice, whereas I boldly stride. Go Michigan!

Another update... I'm getting braces! Not the metal-mouth kind, thank goodness, but Invisaligns. I am wicked psyched about this, mainly because even though my teeth LOOK straight, they are really not and I've been having some issues (I don't FEEL stressed out, but apparently, I am a grinder). Anyway, after approximately 3 months of being molded, prodded, pulled and photographed, and after about $3000 in costs, I FINALLY got a phone call from the ortho with the great news that they're ready for me. Of course, I am glued to my desk at work and couldn't get two hours off if I was bleeding from my ears, so... Two weeks it is!

I was a little worried at first about these braces, given that the wedding is in May. What bride wants braces? So I asked the ortho about 12 times, are you absolutely sure you can't see them? And she, while no doubt thinking "Shut up, woman!" in her head, replied, "Yes. You can't see them. I'm wearing them right now? Can you see them? No." So, I am assuaged.

Other than that, my life is revolving around the precious few hours of sleep I can eek out of my nights, and days spent doing various ridiculous things in the name of state government. It is all at once rewarding, frustrating and discouraging. But this too shall pass...

In more hilarious news, we just discovered a website that lists "safe bands" and "gay bands" for parents who want to make decisions about music. And I think the funniest things are two parenthetical references:

George Michael (Texan)
Ted Nugent (loincloth)

Who knew that wearing a loincloth makes you gay? Well, shoot, I guess we'll have to re-evaluate Eric's outfit for the wedding...

Anyway, I am getting so revved up for this thing! I hope you're all doing well, and please, let me know if I can be of any help!
Haley

Breaking News!

I just heard from my mom, and she said my aunt and uncle got a room at the Newbury Guest House for $179/night. This is a great little B&B, right downtown. Seriously, it's a block from my house. And between the breakfast part of B&B, the non-requirement of cabs, etc., it'll likely be a better deal than you'll find elsewhere.

1-800-437-7668

www.newburyguesthouse.com

I'd make reservations via the phone, because online, it says they require 3-night stays. They don't--I spoke with the reservation agent.

Also, I found The Chandler Inn Hotel. I don't know why with the "Inn Hotel" thing, but it looks halfway decent, is less than $150/night, and is within walking distance of the Jurys and downtown. In fact, it looks to be about 3 blocks from the Jurys, on the edge of the South End and Theater District. Found that on Priceline... Search under Boston (city) for location.

I'm a little stunned, honestly... It's not the Ritz, but... www.chandlerinn.com 617-482-3450

ALSO!!!! One of our guests did a little searching and found The Midtown Hotel. www.midtownhotel.com. Looks reasonable, is in a good neighborhood, within about 9 blocks of the Jurys, and nice! Look at all these places I didn't even find!

Hope this helps! And I apologize for the disjointedness of this all--I keep adding when I learn something new. Perhaps one of these days, I'll pull it all together and be really organized. But perhaps not. :)
Haley

More Hotel News

I've been doing a little recon on the internet re: hotels, and some decent deals have come to my attention. While they're outside of walking distance from downtown and the Jurys, they look decent, are near public transport, and most importantly, do not cost an arm and a leg.

I found the following on Expedia:

Holiday Inn - Somerville. Somerville is pretty much the same as Cambridge, and is across the river from Boston. This particular place has a free shuttle from the airport, and operates a scheduled shuttle into and out of town. $142 ave. per night.

Sheraton - Newton. This hotel is kind of weird, because it straddles the Mass Pike. It's definitely a landmark. West of town, it takes about 5 minutes via cab, or 20 minutes via public transportation to get into downtown. $139 ave. per night.

Holiday Inn - Airport. I think this is located about a miles from the airport, so it's like that it's near transportation, and perhaps a $15 cab ride into town. $166 ave. per night.

Howard Johnson - Fenway. I live less than a half mile from Fenway, which is a pretty nice part of town. It's definitely within walking distance from everything. However, on a game day, it becomes intolerable. Red Sox fans are insane. I will check the schedule. $175 ave. per night.

Hampton Inn - Airport. This hotel has a shuttle to both the airport and town, and is close to a T-stop. $170 ave. per night.

Here's an option for you. If you'd like, I will make reservations for you--give me a call and we can work on it together, or send me an email and I'll get in touch with you. :)
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Had additional meetings with the Governor last night and this morning. I'm pretty lucky, actually, because my policy areas are those that are receiving a lot of attention. Last night's went GREAT. This morning's??? Umm, I got a little big for my britches. But overall, I'm pleased with the way things are going. I've developed a little "crush" on the Governor. There is something that is just so cool about the way he's approaching his job. Like last night, we were talking about housing initiatives. And he brought up homelessness, and he said, "I don't want to help homelessness. I want to END homelessness." And then he proceeded to totally dig into the investment strategy that my agencies were proposing, and made it better. I'll tell ya--this is the kind of leadership that all levels of government need: big goals, logical thinking, innovative solutions... It's good stuff, and I can't tell you how wonderful it is to be kind of excited about my job again...

Hotel News

Good afternoon! I don't have much time, but wanted to let everyone know that there have been a couple snafus in the hotel planning process. Of course.

-I was unable to reserve a block of rooms at the Courtyard where my parents are staying. The going rate per night through the hotel itself is $249, though I was able to get our rooms for significantly less via priceline.

-I did reserve a block of rooms at the Jurys. However, they are astro-freaking-nomical, and while they are lovely lovely rooms in a lovely lovely hotel, they are way much--$365!!! Boston is a ridiculous place.

-Apparently there is a convention in town that weekend, and hotel rooms are filling up fast. If you are planning on coming, it would be a good idea to make arrangements soon. Please let me know if you need ANY help--I will do my best to get everything situated for you!

Invitations are pending... We're shooting for mid-February, and that is like next week!

In funnier news, I've finally met the Governor of Massachusetts, and he's pretty great. I've had a couple meetings with him over the last few days, and they've gone great. However, being me, I did do something to draw attention to myself, however inadvertently.

In going over budget news, Governor Patrick pointed out how he liked explanations for each line item, how he would learn more next year, the year after that, the year after THAT, and then next term. Because he's been in office all of three weeks, I giggled at the "next term" comment, because that's awesome--AMBITION and committment to the state! No one else laughed. So the Gov looked at me (smiling, thank goodness), and said, "What!?" And I said, "No, no! That's GREAT!"

I believe that by the end of the month, I will either be fired or promoted. I'll keep you posted.

Love,
Haley

***ADDENDUM: One of our guests found a hotel outside the city on Expedia for $179/night--Doubletree Club Hotel. It has limo service, and is located on a subway line--technically located in Southie, and looks lovely.

If you check out Expedia, you can pick a specific location from the dropdown menu--Theater District/Downtown and Quincy Market/Financial/Waterfront are within walking distance, as well, and there are a few with reasonable rates. And anything located remotely close to Logan Airport will be right on a T-line/short cab ride into town for MUCH better prices.

Ha!

What's that they say about marrying the one who makes you laugh? I'm totally submitting this one to the Herald.

February

Where the heck did the last month go? Let's see--between 7-day work weeks, extra-large coffees, and an unspeakable amount of candy, I honestly have no idea.

In any case, it's February and we're one month closer to the big event. I am getting so excited--I ALMOST want to just skip ahead and be there now. Except I have to get to the gym to work off the unspeakable amounts of candy... Okay, I'll settle for living in the here and now.

Purpose of this blog... Invitations are HERE! I am thrilled thrilled thrilled. We're working on getting them assembled, and they should be in the mail by the middle of the month. So keep your eyes out for it, and please, email me if you have any questions about accomodations or travel plans or anything.

Further evidence that we never take a good picture...