Dan Simmons' "Drood"

I decided there was no better way to start this new year off than with a good, gigantic book. I picked Drood, by Dan Simmons. 

I had always meant to read this book since it was first published, but something else always came up or made me forget about it. Going over my to-read list on Goodreads one evening, I was in a rut over having nothing new to read, I saw this one in my list and ordered it.

I couldn't wait for it to come in. I just knew I would really enjoy this one! I can't believe I didn't read it sooner. Although this book really was not so much about Charles Dickens as it was about Wilkie Collins instead, I'm compelled by it and the entire story line is mind bending in that you have to sort through what is fact and what is fiction, simply because Collins is an opium addict. 

What appears to be paranoia or schizophrenia is laudanum and morphia fast at work, or is it? What events are real and what events drug induced? 

I like this book ten times more than Murder As A Fine Art, which I couldn't even finish because it bored me so much after about 250 pages. I couldn't find the characters realistic or intriguing. The author tried to make the female heroin stand out but instead, to me, she simply came off as overbearing and annoying. 

While reading this book, there were a few times I almost thought the author wrote too much, that it should have been a smaller book. I admit, now that I'm done with it, I'm pretty sad. I actually wish it would've been longer. I enjoyed reading this novel in its entirety. I feel the author is very talented and I really liked the ending and how this writer was able to bring these characters to life. 

I said Yes to the Dress!!!

We had such a great time dress shopping! We made it into a girls' day, we went to David's Bridal in the morning around 11:00 AM and spent a good amount of time there. I was so glad the whole bridal party was able to get fittings and find their dresses the same day I found mine, with the distance and everyone's crazy schedules it was nice being able to get it all done in one trip!

It's so funny how you can have this idea that you know exactly which dress you want before you even arrive for your appointment. I had two specific gowns in mind that I fell in love with when Is aw them online. I had one specific style in mind, and that was I had to have a deep sweetheart neckline, lots of beading and crystals, a pure white gown, and a mermaid fit and flare silhouette. However, I also had two styles in mind that I wanted (or, for lack of a better term, thought I wanted, but once I tried them on I decided I really didn't!) I just did not fall in love with them. I didn't even like them. Not even a little, and I felt shocked. I seriously thought either of these two gowns would be THE ONE. And I was wrong.

I first tried on the one I believed was my absolute favorite of the two. This one below.

But I hated it.

So I moved on to the "second best" one, this one:

Not only did I not fall in love with it, the material felt extremely cheap and fragile, and I felt more like I was wearing a hefty bag rather than a gown (that's how light and thin the material was), and I also hated how it folded underneath the hem, making it look like a marshmallow at the bottom. This picture was very deceiving :(. It turned out to be not what I expected.

And so I got really confused, and suddenly I wasn't sure what I wanted, because the specific gown I was really envisioning, to me, was non existent.

The gown I was picturing had a trumpet silhouette, a very beaded bodice, a lace up back, and flare organza at the bottom on the skirt. THAT was my dream gown. But I had yet to find it. The picture was in my head, but it just was nowhere to be found.

After trying on around 4 other dresses besides the first two, I felt hopeless. I never knew what that meant, I always thought girls were crazy for getting so wrapped up in gown shopping, but now I was there and I knew exactly why they felt this way.

I wasn't frustrated, though. Somehow I knew I'd find a gown, I would just have to be patient, and I told myself there were other bridal stores if I didn't find the one today, that was all right. No big deal.

Then I actually explained to my bridal consultant what I was picturing in my head. I went ahead and described it in every single detail possible. And then she pulled this gown.....

The instant I saw this gown on me in those mirrors, my face uncontrollably lit up and I smiled, and tears came to my eyes and I just KNEW this was THE ONE!! My mother in law cried with me haha. It was so sweet! I'll never forget this moment as long as I live.

I even got my cathedral veil that I really wanted! :)

After I picked out my gown, veil and shoes, we moved on to the bridesmaid dresses. It was such a new experience for me today, and I loved every minute of it! Picking out the bridesmaids' dresses was probably easier than the gown haha. Although I did have a vision of what I wanted for the bridal party dresses, too.

Melissa was a trooper! She made it through trying on several dresses before we found the ones for my girls, and she did it all with a smile :). 

I really had a moment of indecisiveness when it came to the bridesmaids' dresses, though. I was caught between two dresses Melissa had tried on, but then they just were not what I was envisioning.

 So on a whim we went browsing through more dresses while the moms went shopping and looking at dresses, and we found it! We found "the One"!! I am so excited. It looks exactly like what I was envisioning. The color is just perfect and my girls are going to look stunning in these!

I love my family so much and am so blessed to be married into this one! Because even after Gail and my mom said they wouldn't be trying on dresses 9they aren't fans of dressing rooms and wasting time trying on clothes) and said they were going to order them from Romans or something, they got into the spirit of it all and started trying on dresses right after me and my bridesmaids!

Mama Gail picked this gorgeous grey dress. I love the flange and the sparkle! She looks gorgeous!

My mom wants to lose weight before the wedding so she didn't decide on any specific one yet, but she found the style she loves and when it's time she will get it in her size. I think she looked beautiful in every single one she tried on, though! She can wear anything and look good! :)

So now I am waiting for my gown to come in (they didn't have it in a white size 0, so they had to special order it) so now I'm going to be anxious over it but oh well lol. I can't wait to try it on in the right size and see how it really looks!