Weddings Galore

Fun! That’s what this wedding video looks like, and that’s what weddings are supposed to be. This coming September my husband and I will be married ten years. I can’t believe it has been that long already. Although we didn’t dance down the aisle, we still had a great deal of fun. We were the first of all of our friends and cousins to walk down the aisle. However, a few years later we were inundated with weddings. Then, there was a long break without any weddings, maybe one here or there, but very few overall. Now, for whatever reason, we seem to be overloaded with them again. We have one wedding next weekend, two in June, one in September, one in November and one in December. Adding to the chaos of all of the weddings and the bridal showers that go along with them, is the commitments that come along with being a part of the bridal party. This year, I am a bridal party member for two of the upcoming weddings. My little sister is getting married in December and my entire family is included in the bridal party. I love weddings. I enjoy seeing people happy and being part of such a memorable moment in a person’s life. This coming weekend, my cousin is marrying a man from China. During the wedding, my husband and I will be participating in a tea ceremony. My sister is having a New York City wedding at a venue that used to be a bank. She will have a photo booth and rather than being driven by a limo throughout the day, she will be riding in a vintage New York taxi cab. Another wedding we are attending in June will be a vineyard wedding. It’s amazing how many options people have when planning a wedding. There is so much planning that goes into the one day event and stress levels run high. I always try to tell my friends that inevitably something will not go according to your plans on that day, and that’s ok. You just have to sit back and enjoy the entire day no matter what, because all that really matters is that you are still going to be married to the love of your life at the end of the day. These days, with the popularity of reality television, weddings seem to provide a good source of entertainment. There are currently 18 TV shows pertaining to weddings. Some of the most well known shows include, Say Yes to the Dress, Bridezillas and My Big Redneck Wedding. In addition to the television shows, there are also tons of wedding bloopers on the Internet. I personally have two favorites. I feel terrible for the brides in these clips, however what happens to them is so unbelieveable, I just had to share.

The first one:

The second one:

For a complete list of wedding shows, check out:

Wedding TV Shows

Vocabulary

Aisle (noun) - a walkway between a section of seats

Inundated (verb) - to overwhelm

Commitments (noun) - a pledge or promise, an obligation

Chaos (noun) - a state of utter confusion or disorder

Memorable (adjective) - noteable, worth remembering

Vintage (adjective) - representing the high quality of a past time

Inevitably (adjective) - unable to be avoided, evaded or escaped

Fill in the Blank

1. The movie theatre has a long dark _________.

2. The actress was _______ with fan mail after the movie premier.

3. She was unable to make the party because she had too many _________.

4. In the middle of all the ________, and loud noise he did not hear his phone ring.

5. My wedding was a very _______ day.

6. He enjoys fixing _____ cars.

7. She will ________ see him at the meeting.

Grammar Point

I have used quite a few adjectives in my blog. Write about a memorable experience you have had, using as many adjectives as you can.

Stress.....

I think I am losing my mind. For the past two years and a half years, I have been striving towards obtaining my master’s degree, working part-time and raising three children. Thank God I have a supportive husband who has been tremendously helpful. For the first two years, all of the juggling somehow felt manageable. However, this semester, which is my last semester, has been very overwhelming. It all seems to be unraveling. I started the semester with the flu, which led to an upper respiratory infection, which led to strep throat. Now, approaching the end of the semester, I believe I have finally reached my breaking point. Two weeks ago, I was working in the computer lab and I left my flash drive in the computer, which contained all of my upcoming work. Security was a life saver and retrieved it for me. If that wasn’t bad enough, a week later I stopped into the same computer lab for about ten minutes and left without my laptop. I did not even realize it was missing until hours later. Unfortunately, when security went into the lab at 11:30 at night looking for the computer, it was gone. I spent the entire night awake and nervous. I raced over to the lab first thing the next morning and discovered that a Good Samaritan had locked it up safely for me. I am eternally grateful. Forgetting these things, having no recollection of conversations or things that happen is not normal for me. I believe that it must be the result of excessive stress. Everyone has stress and it is amazing to learn what stress can do to a person. Stress can cause headaches, illness, high blood pressure, memory loss, heart disease, depression and dental problems, just to name a few of the side effects. According to a survey conducted in August 2010 by the American Psychological Association (APA) the majority of Americans are living with moderate to high levels of stress and doing very little to change their situation as a result of being too busy. According to Web MD, making lifestyle changes that ease daily pressures, eating healthy, getting organized and maintaining adequate sleep are some of the ways in which stress levels can be reduced. I think I will start taking steps to resolve my stress levels in about two weeks, when I am done with school. Until then, I will just have to take comfort in the fact that my head is attached to my body and I can’t possibly leave it anywhere!

For more information on this study go to:                                                                         

http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/index.aspx    

To discover your own stress level visit:

http://www.webmd.com/hw-popup/life-change-stress-test

For steps to reduce your stress check out:

http://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/reducing-stress-tips     

Vocabulary      

Striving (verb) - to exert oneself vigorously; try hard

Tremendously (adjective) - extraordinarily great in size, amount or intensity

Overwhelming (adjective) - overpowering

Stress (noun) - the physical, mental or emotional strain or tension

Good Samaritan (noun) - a person who gratuitously gives help or sympathy to those in distress

Adequate (adjective) - as much or as good as necessary for some requirement or purpose

Resolve (verb) - to deal with or to settle

Fill in the Blank:

1. He is ________ to get a 100% on his test.

2. She was ___________ helpful with the project.

3. All of the work has become _________.

4. Almost everyone suffers from ___________.

5. The ______ ________ returned the lost dog to the proper owner.

6. She gained ten points on her essay because her response was __________.

7. The boys were able to calmly  ________ their differences.

Grammar Point

In this blog, I have used a great deal of -ing words. The -ing form of a word can be used like a noun, a verb or an adjective. Write a list all of the -ing words in this blog and indicate whether it is a noun, a verb or an adjective.



A Disney Surprise

Disney is such a magical place. It's a place where children can relish in the things that make being a child so much fun and where adults can freely express their own inner child. My children are seven, five and two. My mother-in-law is a Disney Vacation Club member and we usually go every year. However, we were unable to go last year. For my oldest, it seemed like an eternity since we had been there and while my five year old had a vague recollection of our last trip; my two year old did not remember anything since he was an infant at that time. Over the holidays this year, my husband and I fell in love with this commercial where the parents are videotaping their kids while they ask them if they want to go to Disney in a few hours and the kids start jumping up and down, and running around the house yelling with excitement. That commercial inspired us to do the same thing to our three boys a couple of weeks ago.  I'm not sure who had more fun with the surprise, my husband and I or our kids. We went all the way through airport security and got to the gate and they still had no clue. They thought we were there to pick up a friend. They were so fascinated by the planes that it was somewhat difficult to get them to turn away and look at me so I could tell them why we were really at the airport. At first, they thought I was joking. Then, they were very matter of fact. My oldest said, "Well, if we are going to Disney I think we forgot some very important stuff." Like what? I asked. "Like my autograph book (A book that kids bring to the Disney parks and the characters sign)," he responded. It took a few minutes to really sink in, but when it did, they were jumping up and down and yelling with excitement. Seeing your children so full of joy is priceless. We had a great time and now, every time we get in the car, they ask if we are going to Disney. The weather was perfect, and after the rough winter months, it was just what we needed. However, it has been pretty depressing coming back to the cold and rain. I feel like an impatient toddler waiting for the summer weather to come. I was not built for the cold weather! 

Disney Surprise Commercial

Vocabulary

Relish (verb) - to take pleasure in

Eternity (noun) - infinite time, duration without beginning or end

Vague (adjective) - not clear or distinct to the site or any other senses

Recollection (noun)  - the act of recalling something from memory

Fascinate (verb) - to attract and hold attentively by a unique power

Autograph (noun) - a person's own signature

Impatient (adjective) - restless in desire or expectation

Depressing (adjective) - inducing a state of sadness or gloom

Fill in the Blank:

1. It seemed like we waited for an ________ for the train.

2. The students did not understand what they needed to do because the instructions were _________.

3. I have no ________ as to where I left my keys.

4. The airplanes ________ my children.

5. The girls waited on line for hours to get an ________ from Justin Bieber.

6. When my two year old wants a drink, he is very __________.

7. The _________ movie made her cry.

8. When I am done with school, I am going to _______ in relaxation and free time.

Grammar Point:
In this blog, I have used many expressions, like pick up a friend, matter of fact and had no clue. Can you find any others? Explain what these expressions mean and use them in a sentence.