Wedding Blues

June 11th was the best day of my life by far...My Wedding Day! My parents gave me the Wedding of my dreams and I enjoyed the seven months of planning with my mom...yes, we were crazy and only had SEVEN months to pull off the Wedding I had always wanted. Needless to say it was very stressful and sometimes I felt like I needed a Xanax! Since it was so special to me, you will see me write a lot of blogs about different parts of that day and everything I felt about the planning. That way you all that weren't able to be there can re-live it with me and those of you that were there can hear about the parts you did not see. I just mainly want to keep reliving the entire process and this is one way I can...haha! My mom and I had NO CLUE what we were getting ourselves into when we took on the task of planning a Wedding. I don't have a sister or any close friends for that matter who have gotten married yet. I have been to a ton of Weddings and a flower girl in many as well but never knew how much work goes into the day! Looking back I don't know how we pulled it off perfectly but we did with the grace of God! Looking back on the day now, I would do every step all over again. I have to be honest, I was on a Wedding High during the entire planning process, the Wedding itself, and the Honeymoon, that when I finally got back home from it all I didn't know what to do with myself. There was no details to worry about, I wasn't running around like crazy, and no millions of phone calls to make. It kept me busy and excited for so long and now that it's over I look back and the whole day seems like a blur that went by WAY too fast! It's crazy to think that all the little details, big plans, and stress all came down to just a few short hours. It seems like with as much time and work it takes it should at least last a day or even a week! So as a nurse I have a new diagnosis for the Medical world...Wedding Blues. Yes, it's real and it does exist and I have suffered from these Wedding Blues! I dreamed about my Wedding Day, like all little girls, for as long as I could remember. It just doesn't seem fair that the one day I waited for my entire life went by so fast. The part that makes me the saddest about when I think back on the day was as I looked around the reception room at all of our family and guests I knew that this would be the ONLY time all these people who are so special to John and I would ever be together like this. Everyone we cared about were in one big room and here to support us. It was breathtaking and honestly still makes me tear up. If it was up to me I'd have a big party every month and get all these people we love together to celebrate...but John and I aren't rich enough to have a big party like that and not everyone could come due to their own schedules. Our Wedding Day was the ONLY day to have everyone together like that ever again, and that's depressing to me! We had my HUGE family there all together, a few of John's family from Memphis and Louisiana, a bunch of my co-workers and friends from Nashville, John's Groomsmen and friends from all over the country, one of his Groomsmen who lost his Dad the week before, a lot of his co-workers from Chattanooga, and my best friend from childhood (who even though we lose touch every now and then) came back into town just in time for the Wedding and said she wouldn't have missed it, to my great Aunt who is on oxygen and doesn't hardly get out of the house anymore, to the man at our church who two weeks ago had triple bypass heart surgery and said he'd do his best to make it even though he was still recovering...and at the reception he was one of the first to come up and hug me. It still blows me away at how supportive everyone has been and people were there from all parts of our life. From childhood to the present. Everyone who has meant something to us throughout our lives were their to celebrate with us! So needless to say, John and I are SO blessed and on that night it really hit us! It was earth-shattering to see how much love and kindness was in that room and we will never forget each individual there!

When I got the call from my photographer that our Wedding Album was online for us to view I was beyond excited because John and I have anxiously waited to see our pictures so we could re-live some of the moments. Once I started looking at the first few pictures I immediately started to cry...I got so emotional just looking at those few pictures. They are truly beautiful...almost as beautiful as the day itself. It made me want to go back in time and marry John every day, over and over again, to dance with my Dad to our favorite song (Butterfly Kisses), and enjoy the company of everyone special to us. Yes, the Wedding Blues have hit me for the past month after the Wedding. It is getting better with time and having John with me everyday as we begin our lives together has been wonderful! However, if I had my choice I'd re-play the day over and over again. I know that no other day will ever compared to that day and nothing will ever seem as exciting but I find relief knowing that I have a wonderful husband to share my life with and fabulous photos and video of the Wedding to help me re-live the day. Also, we have the most AMAZING people in our lives that we can see at different times. Has any other Bride out there suffered from Wedding Blues? Please tell me I'm not the only crazy one out there, haha!

If you would like to see the Wedding Album...Go to Karenburnsphotography.com, click on Album Gallery, and our is the first one! Enjoy!

-A Blessed Bride

One Month...

One month ago today I married my Best Friend! I can't believe it's been a month already, I don't know where the time has gone! This month has by far been the best month of my life so far and I don't know how I lived without John in my life now. We are enjoying married life so much and it just keeps getting better everyday! Just thinking about the future makes me so excited!!! I can't wait to see what were are going to accomplish as a couple, the things we are going to do, and the places we will go! One month down...a lifetime to go!

Happy One Month Anniversary to the best Husband, I love you!

Chattanooga Choo-Choo

Hey Everyone...

Thanks for your support of the first Blog! I love blogging so far and I am glad so many of you enjoyed it as well! I hope to write a few times a week, I would say everyday but I'll be honest up front...there will be days I don't get around to writing a blog so let's just plan on a few times a week. :) I hope everyone has enjoyed their weekend! John and I were in Chattanooga for the entire weekend which hardly ever happens, especially lately, so it was nice to not be on the road. However, I feel like traveling will be common for us given that my family is in Marietta, his in Memphis, my family Mountain cabin is in East Tennessee, my friends and brother in Nashville. So we are used to being spread all over and have gotten used to living out of our suitcases, especially when we were dating and engaged and lived in different cities. It is lovely finally being together under the same roof but we love to travel so I don't think Chattanooga will hold us down too long. It is amazing how a small city like Chattanooga can seem suffocating after a while and I've only been here a few weeks straight! John and I both LOVE big cities and suburbs of cities because that is what we know and have learned to love. Don't get me wrong... We both love the country occasionally, there really is nothing like going outside and hearing nothing for miles. It's nice to escape to nature and appreciate the outdoors but we are both busy-bodies and like to have tons of activities to do at our fingertips. So the city life appeals to us more and we are lucky to see eye to eye on this. After all, what married couple wants to argue endlessly on where to live? That's not a good way to start off. So I know many of you reading this are thinking that Chattanooga must be a perfect place for us, lots of outdoors activities and some city...not too huge and overwhelming though. You would think that we would be satisfied...but not the Denniston's. Many people we meet talk about how wonderful Chattanooga is and we have yet to see the great things these people tell us about. Now, we know it could be a lot worse, we could be living in some Mexican town right on the border, so this is why we don't totally despise Chattanooga...Just aren't too fond of the place. We dream of living in Atlanta or Nashville. These are our favorite cities and we hope to one day, God Willing, get back to either one! Or John even mentioned California (that's where his favorite Football team is and the only reason I believe he cares about California, but I'm sure he will tell you differently.) :) Chattanooga is a place that you either love or hate, and there is no in between. It is a nice place for families with kids because they have a ton of things for children to do here, but since John and I do not plan on having kids for a while this doesn't make it more appealing to us. Also, the majority of people here seem to be older or families with children, so the whole being a young married couple with no kids doesn't seem to fit in well. We are trying and praying that we find some great couple friends who are on the same level we are that we can do things with but so far it hasn't happened. I hope it's just going to take time and will eventually happen. Also, we haven't found a church home which that takes lots of time too at the rate we are going. We either find ones that are too conservative or too contemporary...or like the church we went to today that just scared us and any minute we were sure that they were going to speak in tongues. I can honestly say I have never been scared in church until today and it was unlike anything I have ever seen. Different strokes for different folks I guess but we are just looking for a church somewhere in the middle. So as you can tell our first month in Chattanooga has been eventful to say the least but we are enjoying learning the city together even though it is not the most ideal place for us. I think the hardest part for me was starting all over. I know I needed to and it's the best way to start off a marriage by relying on one another at first. But I will admit I miss my friends in Nashville and I miss the comfort of my job and my wonderful co-workers. I'll admit starting over in a city where you have no friends, family, and have to begin a new job that is totally different that what I was doing before is a bit stressful. I know it's worth it though and I have my biggest cheerleader here to support me...my wonderful husband. We will find our way in this city and be better people coming out on the other end one day. We will look back at these early days one day and laugh for worrying about not finding our fit and worrying about starting over. I know that God doesn't give us anything we can't handle and in the big scheme of things our worries are nothing compared to others right now. We are truly blessed just to have each other and even though Chattanooga isn't our top pick we are still having tons of fun and enjoying each other so it's all worth it! And if we never find our way back to Atlanta or Nashville...hopefully we will at least end up between two palm trees on the beach of the Dominican Republic...Yes, I am a bit of a dreamer :)

On another, more important note. Please keep a family in your prayers. They go to my church back in Dunwoody, GA. They just lost their nineteen year old daughter in a car crash. It was a hit and run on the interstate and luckily they found the man who hit her but it still doesn't change the outcome. I can only imagine the grief this family is feeling so please keep them in your prayers during this tragic time.

-Allison

Hello Blogging World!

Hello Blogging World-

This is my first Blog so I'm sorry if it seems boring, hopefully I'll get the hang of this with time. I thought I'd finally give this a chance now that I'm settled and I have a few friends who have tried Blogging and seem to love it! For those of you who don't know I just got married June 11th, moved to Chattanooga where my husband's job is, and am about to start a new job! So needless to say my world has been turned up-side down in the past few months but I'm loving every second of it! I'm one of those people who avoids change at all cost, my close friends and family know this about me. So these past few months have been exciting for me as well as scary. I'm not the one to move a lot, the only place I moved besides two new houses in the same town when I was younger was to Nashville when I started college almost seven years ago. I did not know a soul except my two guy cousins and I was terrified to death. So I'm sure you can imagine how the whole turning my life inside-out has affected me. I am extremely blessed to have found the love of my life John, who you will hear a lot about in my Blogs, and for us to begin the rest of our lives together. God truly answered my prayers when he sent me John! I did not think guys like John still existed and I had been in prayer for a while for God to please send me the right guy. Well, I must have done something right because he did! John is so loving and patient with me and we enjoy each other's company so much, he is my best friend. The Wedding and beginning our lives has by far been the best thing I could hope for. However, moving from Nashville where all my friends were, who seem more like family than friends because they have been my family away from home, was not so easy...I literally still tear up when I think about how much I miss them. Also, my brother is in Nashville and I consider him to be one of my best friends as well as a brother. We used to see each other once a week in Nashville, we only lived two blocks away, so I miss our time together too because there is nothing like having family close by! Oh, and another huge part moving was difficult...because I had the BEST co-workers I could ever have...and I'm not just saying that! You will learn about my co-workers in another blog soon! And when it comes down to it, besides Atlanta where I'm from, Nashville is by far my favorite city ever and I just miss the city! However, even though starting all over in a new place is hard, I'm so lucky to have the best husband to start over with! We are so excited about the next chapter of our lives and I look forward to updating you all on our journey...Welcome to the Denniston Life!!!