"PANIC: We're Still Hanging On"

We interrupt our regularly scheduled blog post for an "iPhone down" alert. At approximately 4:42 pm PDT, Mr. PS's phone turned off without prompting. Uh oh.

error image by dead_account from Fotolia.com

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Upon reboot, the home screen read "panic" and "we're still hanging on." For some reason, I couldn't help but think Diana Ross was trying to channel a message to Mr. PS.

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I had a date night with a dear friend and came home after 8 pm to find Mr. PS in a distressed state. We call this the "sad beagle puppy" face. 

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* personal photo *                                               

We'll let you be the judge, and I'm sure you can empathize if your phone's screen looked something like this, too.

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Okay, okay - maybe I'm exaggerating, but nowadays cell phones serve as our main communications pathway to the world. And if you're like us, 'landline' doesn't exist in our vocabulary, let alone our household. His phone needed fixing, and STAT!

I can troubleshoot technology pretty well, and Mr. PS reluctantly let me takeover his computer to perform the backup and restore functions, slick the device and start fresh. In all honesty, I felt a little anxious. If the restore was unsuccessful, I was the only one to blame. 

 * iPhone self portrait *

The first attempt did not take. I got Error Code 14. Huh?! I was visibly nervous and chanted "go, go, go" and "do it, do it, do it" under my breath for the better part of 20 minutes on the second try. 

This time, victory was mine. Hooray!

I'll admit, I felt proud to display my technical ability for Mr. PS and his most cherished everyday possession. But more than that, I felt that he trusted me to take care of him during a moment when his pride could have interfered. Sync complete. Very cool. 

Now let's turn the tables. Have you had a similar experience in coming through for your beloved? I'm curious to learn about those strengths where your [future] spouse leans on you to lead the way. 

Survey Says....

This morning I thought about how I was painfully thrust back into my wedding planning process, and that we might play a guessing game in the style of Family Feud to make the memory fun for all of us.

Name 5 things you expect to see at a wedding ceremony:

1. Bride, check.

2. Groom, check. (I told you he loves beagles, didn't I?)

3. Rings, check.

4. Flowers, ch -?

[Sound of record needle scratching across the album for effect]

Oh, yeah. Flowers. 

See, we have a florist for personal and reception flowers. And we wanted to investigate whether our parish's altar society could source and decorate the church in a more *ahem* cost-effective manner for the ceremony. So my future-mother-in-law set up the meeting on that fateful Saturday morning.

And who better to extend a warm and friendly welcome to us than this?

No joke. He was not happy to see us. I'll let your imaginations process how the morning went from there. Any guesses? What thoughts are running through your head at this point of my meeting? Post me some love in the comments :)

And with that, I can't even bear to know what awaits in the number 5 spot on the survey...

* All personal photos

Meet the Sequins

Hello internet, I’d first like to introduce you to my amazing fiancé. A self-proclaimed surf junkie, Mr. PS feels most at home in the water. While on vacay, locals and tourists alike are impressed with his ability. Check him out at his favorite surf spot, Cabo:

He’s been surfing for almost 25 years and has at least 50 more in him! That would put him over 90 years old, and I know he'll get there because longevity runs in his family.  When he’s not on a surfboard or planning his next warm water trip, Mr. PS loves Cowboys football, poker with the boys and a good round of golf. Fun facts: 1) he’s never made the pilgrimage to Hawaii and 2) although he’s never owned a dog, he has a strange affinity for all things beagle.  He says it’s because a beagle won ‘Best in Show’ and I say it’s a little weird. We all have our quirks, I guess.

This one’s for Mr. PS:

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The next member of our family is our fuzzy feline friend Ollie the Cat. He loves to sleep, eat breakfast at 6am, and snuggle. We have thousands of photos of this looker, and it goes without saying that he is VERY spoiled. He also is a very terrible at hiding...

Last but not least, there’s me, pink sequins. I’m learning to embrace my true spirit as girly girl after previous careers in the Navy and consulting for the federal government. 

My favorite hobby is sleep, which makes me an obvious choice as Ollie’s snuggle buddy.  I grew up an introvert in extrovert clothing and now allow myself to prefer a good read on the Kindle over a social night out. I’m over-analytical, which is great for researching and compiling information but less so for decision making -- hence the reason wedding planning is such an overwhelming task for me. Thank goodness for Mr. S! He makes decisions when I cannot and takes wedding tasks off my list with a cheerful heart.  I’m a lucky girl! He also has the patience of a saint...teaching me to surf is no picnic, but at least I look the part :)

Now that you’ve gotten to know us a little better, let’s get to know you. Who do you regard as your “family” and what makes them especially dear to you? 


* all photos personal unless otherwise attributed *