Practice Makes Perfect

And a picture from the rehearsal. Everything ran smoothly except when Trevor was hiding out in the photocopy room and missed his cue to be at the altar. At least he was right on Saturday, though. A dinner was held at the Joslyn Castle immediately following the ceremony rehearsal. More details to come on the fun night later!


Meghan, Dr. Bowers, Wendy, Trevor and Kory at the altar

Sometimes You Just Have to Jam

Thanks to everyone who kicked off the wedding weekend at the Bridal Lunch and thanks to Wendy's mom for hosting such a nice lunch and for the cute PJ pants.

While the girls were dining at Jams American Grill, the boys were enjoying themselves at Old Chicago. The lunches were the beginning of a wonderful weekend.

Be sure to keep visiting the blog to read more about the wedding and for more pictures. And speaking of pics, we'd LOVE to see any pictures you all took over the weekend. If you wouldn't mind sharing, please send them to wfitch@beap.com. We'd love to add them to our album.



The girls at the Bridal Lunch at Jams American Grill

Happy Five Year and Four Day Anniversary

December 1 was our five-year anniversary. For those of you who don't know the story, we met our first day of college, back in 1998, at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Wendy was moving into Sandoz Residence Hall with her roommate, Michelle Larkin (now Seger). Michelle ran into a fellow soccer teammate of hers, Jaclyn DiGiacomo, in the lobby of the dorm. Two of Jaclyn's friend were helping move her in, and one of them was Trevor. We met then and realized Trevor was a Lambda Chi with all of Wendy's guy friends from high school.

We went to nearly every date party together as friends freshman year. May we reiterate as friends. We began dating two years later during Junior year after we realized maybe we liked each other a little more than friends, and the rest is history...

Happy (Hour) Shower

Tonight some of Wendy’s mom’s friends threw a shower for the bride-to-be at Clancy’s. Whoah are those some fuuuun ladies! We had a great time socializing and the ladies were very generous. We received several China settings and serving pieces from Borsheim’s. It was a great way to unwind from some of the last-minute wedding planning stresses. Thanks to everyone who attended and contributed!

Almost Official

We’ve heard lots of horror stories about getting your marriage licenses. Not sure where we heard them, but for some reason we anticipated this being a time-consuming task. We decided to go today because we had a meeting at Church this evening and thought bringing the license to the meeting would save us a trip. We were going to go over lunch but the timing did not work out. Instead we decided to head out around 4 p.m.

Turns out we left Wendy’s parent’s house at 4:29 p.m. Anyone familiar with Omaha knows getting from 168th and Fort to 18th and Farnam at rush hour takes some time- a lot of time- especially when it’s snowing out. Pretty sure Trevor counted down every minute that ticked by. We ended up pulling into the courthouse (or whatever building it was) at 4:58 p.m. Office closed at 5. Trevor threw the car in park and didn’t even blink an eye at the parking meter (sorry police friends). We RAN in and made it on time. I’m sure the people working didn’t appreciate us too much, but hey, at least a time consuming wedding fiasco was averted.

Happy Honeymoon

We're thrilled to be going on a cruise for our honeymoon. We're going on the Carnival Pride. We cruise in and out of Los Angeles to the Mexican Riviera, stopping in Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. We leave January 15th. We didn't want to leave immediately after the wedding because we didn't want to miss all of the holiday festivities. Now we'll have the wedding, move into our home, celebrate Christmas and New Year's and then go on the honeymoon. Most fun month ever!

We're super excited about the trip. And, check this out. Our ship was in the news today.

Family Sues Carnival Cruise Line After Wisconsin Woman Disappears
POSTED: 10:28 am CST November 22, 2005
The family of a Wisconsin woman who disappeared from a cruise ship last year is suing Carnival Corp.
Annette Mizener disappeared from the Carnival Pride Dec. 4.
The Waukesha woman's purse was found not far from where a covered surveillance camera was located.
Mizener's family said the crew's failure to monitor the camera delayed the search efforts.
The 37-year-old's body was never found.
She is presumed dead.


ZOINKS-A-RAMA!

Pictures Are In

We got our engagement pictures back. They're swell. Here's one of many poses...

The Pig Says 20 Days Til Wedded Bliss

Wendy’s currently living with her aunt and uncle in Kansas City. They have a ceramic pig holding a chalkboard on their kitchen table and each day Aunt Bev writes down the number of days until wedded bliss. It’s very cute. Come to think of it, we need a picture of it. Anywho, the pig says it’s 20 days away. Yes, we’re three weeks out, which of course comes with tons of things to do.

This weekend was a productive one. Friday night, Joyce, Roger, Wendy and Trevor figured out details on the rehearsal dinner. Saturday started off with a great shower at the Upstream. Wendy’s aunt Mary hosted the event. Several of Wendy’s great aunts and friends of the family came, as well as Mary & Joyce who have made it to every shower thus far. We had a great time and munched on yummy appetizers. Thanks again Aunt Mary!

After the shower, Wendy and mom went to Nobbie’s, The Engravery and Wal-Mart to pick up some essentials. That evening we had a meeting with the videographer to go over the wedding day’s order of events. Lizzie was a rockstar and came with us so the videographers knew who they would work with the day of the event. Thanks again for coming over and for your help, Lizzie. After the appointment, Michelle, Brian, Denise and Mike came over help out as well. The boys assisted Ronnie in getting down all of the wedding decorations that have been stored in the attic, and the girls helped assemble bells that will be at each table. We knocked it all out that night! It was a big help—thanks, friends!

Sunday morning was fantastic. We vistied our new home and realized our house is nearly finished! We’re closing December 12. And, to keep you up to speed, we’re no longer renting Wendy’s cousin’s home. If Wendy had to move one more time, she would have poked her eyeballs out. Anywho, our new home is coming along great and we’re very excited about it.


Almost done!

More errands were completed Sunday afternoon and the day wrapped at 11 p.m. by going through the RSVPs once again :-).

Stay tuned. That pig’s still counting down and there’s a lot of exciting things happening!

The Road to Love

We thought many of you would appreciate some directions for the wedding weekend, especially those of you from out of town.

From Kansas City to Embassy Suites:
Take I-29 North. Veer to the left at the Omaha, Sioux City split in Council Bluffs (just past the Bass Pro Shop, baby). After crossing over the bridge into Omaha, get in the right lane and take the 480 exit toward downtown. Take the Dodge/Harney Street exit. Exit on Harney. Take Harney to 10th Street. Take a right on 10th. The hotel will be on the left hand side.

From Eppley Airfield to Embassy Suites:
Exit Airport, turning left on Abbott Drive. Continue Abbott Drive approximately 2 miles to 10th Street and turn left. Follow 10th Street for 6 blocks to the hotel which is located on the left (east) side of the street at 10th and Howard.

From Embassy Suites to Dundee Presbyterian:
Leaving the hotel main entrance take a right onto 10th Street so you are heading North. Turn left onto Dodge Street. Turn right onto N 52nd Street and then left onto Underwood Avenue. Total drive time is approximately 15 minutes.

From West Omaha to Dundee Presbyterian:
Take Dodge Street East, taking a slight right onto Farnam Street. Turn slighty left onto Happy Hollow Boulevard. Turn left on Underwood Avenue. Church is on the right (north) side of the street.

Hopefully that will get you where you need to go. We’ll have directions from Dundee Presbyterian to Embassy Suites in the wedding program. If you need other directions, let us know or use MapQuest.

Parking:
Parking for the ceremony is available on the street and in the Brownell-Talbot parking lot across the street. Handicap parking and entrance is on the West side of the church.

At the hotel, overnight guests receive complimentary self-parking in hotel lot- 10th and Jackson. Valet parking is also available ofr overnight guests for $12 per day. Non-overnight guests can use the valet parking option for $10 per visit, self-parking at city lots within one block of hotel (11th and Jackson & 10th and Harney), or use any available street-side parking meters.

Stay tuned. The next post will be about all of the fun things to do in Omaha if you're planning on coming to town early or staying a few extra days.

Oh What a Night

That Fankie Valli put it best when he said, “Oh what a night.” Although, he was referring to late December back in ’63. We’re talkin’ bout November 5, 2005, also known as the evening of our bachelor and bachelorette parties.

What the girls did:
The girlies took a trip down memory lane by reliving college life in Lincoln. A group of about 16 ventured to Nebraska’s state capitol for an evening of fun. The gang started out at the Holiday Inn downtown for drinks, appetizers and a game featuring old pictures of Wendy. They all had to guess the age at the time in the pictures. Special thanks to Meghan for requesting Mary and Ron dig out the mullet pictures. We then opened gifts. The final gift of the night was an awesome scrapbook. Each invitee made their own page with pictures and stories about Wendy. There were tears and laughs involved while reading them aloud. Thanks everyone for the time and effort. It’s a wonderful keepsake. The chicas then ventured to the Downtown where we had cake and a few (several) drinks before heading to The Bar where even more fun was to be had. This is getting to be a very long entry, and could be even longer, but let’s just say the rest of the evening involved a rickshaw, lots of Lazzaris pizza (thanks, Vrzal!), jumping on the beds and the worm. It was absolutely fabulous. Pictures will be posted upon receipt.

What the dudes did:
Not many details here. We remember it involved football, beer, a school bus, more beer and ham sandwiches. Trevor did not get a cute scrapbook.

Best weekend ever:
The weekend was even more spectacular for a few reasons:
1. Megan (McGargill) Miller surprised everyone by flying in from San Diego for the weekend!
2. Great friends Mike Shearer and Denise Passmore got engaged Friday night, the evening we were also surprised with Megan’s presence. The night kind of turned into a pre-bach/bachelorette party celebration. It was awesome.
3. Dear friend Kristi Hawkins from Denver took the time to drive in. It’s been forever since we’ve seen her and it was awesome to hang out.

Thanks everyone who joined us Saturday night. For those of you who weren’t able to be there, we missed you. And special thanks to Wendy’s bridesmaids and the fellas that planned both extravaganzas. Thanks for organizing such a memorable night.

We’ll remember what a night…

Fun Game, Fun Game!

We had another wonderful shower today, this one hosted by Trevor’s Aunt Ann and cousin Deana. The brunch started off with a very fun game…one so fun we want all of you to play. Rules are simple. We’re going to list off the last names of famous television couples and you have to guess the husband and wife’s first names. Answers will be at the bottom this post. Good luck!

1. Simpson
2. Jetson
3. Brady
4. Bing
5. Taylor
6. Petrie
7. Huxtable
8. Constanza
9. Jefferson
10. Bunker
11. Munster
12. Bundy

The rest of the shower was awesome. We had a tasty meal, yummy desserts and we got some great gifts, including our duvet cover, bed skirt, shams and pillows. Thanks everyone for taking the time and skipping the Husker game to attend. We’re glad you could be there!

And now for the moment you’ve been waiting for: The Answers

1. Marge and Homer (The Simpsons)
2. George and Judy (The Jetsons)
3. Mike and Carol (The Brady Bunch)
4. Chandler and Monica (Friends)
5. Tim and Jill (Home Improvement)
6. Rob and Laura (The Dick Van Dyke Show)
7. Clair and Cliff (The Cosby Show)
8. Frank and Estelle (Seinfeld)
9. George and Louise (The Jeffersons)
10. Archie and Edith (All in the Family)
11. Herman and Lily (The Munsters)
12. Al and Peg (Married…with Children)

From the Musical Soundtrack Rent

So really this posting has nothing to do with Broadway plays.

Remember that blog posting a few months ago when we were excited about our moving into our new home? Well, we’re still excited to move in. And that excitement gets to linger for two additional months. See, our original closing date was October 15. Now we’ll be closing December 12. Hooray!?!? In the meantime, we are going to rent the home Wendy’s cousins are selling. They’ve already moved into their new pad, and their old place is vacant while on the market (insert subliminal sales pitch: if anyone's looking to buy a spuer cute house, let us know. We have the perfect one).

Now here’s where the irony sets in. If any of you have met the Hicks’, you’ll know they are synonymous with “rentals.” Ron and Mary have a house-building fetish and Wendy, Kalin and Lindsey have lived in two rental homes, two apartments and two hotels in their short lives while waiting for houses to be finished. When Emilie found out we were renting Karli and Greg’s house for a bit, her comment was priceless. We just have to share:

“…Good deal about the rental though. It is in TRUE Hicks' fashion that youwould start your married life in a rental. I almost think of it as agood omen.”

Rent on.

Celebrating Marriage all Year Long

Today we were thrilled to have a “Month of the Year” shower, hosted by Wendy’s Aunt Deanna, Aunt Bev and cousin Karli. It was a marvelous event, and the hostesses definitely went all out. Each area of the house was themed for a season: gifts were opened in the autumnal living room, the kitchen, housing the yummy food and hot coffee, was a winter wonderland, the hallway brought back the warmth of summer with hanging sunshines, margaritas and umbrellas with fruit and the dining room offered a touch of spring with a cake that read, “Love is in Bloom.” And of course, as you can see by the picture, the shower would not have been complete without the bride and groom cardboard cutouts with our faces in it.

Our guests did an excellent job of giving gifts for their given months. They’re so creative, we just have to share:

January: Down comforter
February: Heart-shaped Le Creuset pan, “It Starts at the Heart” Peggy Karr plate, rosebud Bundt pan, SMITTENS and more
March: Hand painted margarita glasses and matching chip & salsa serving piece
April: Gardening tools, including hose, gloves, nozzles and rain gauge
May: A May Day basket with a “Red plate” (The Hicks family had one of these and it was used on special occasions. It will become a fun tradition for our family as well)
June: The summer necessities-a cooler and lawnchairs
July: Picnic basket & Lemonade pitcher
August: BBQ tools
September: Chip and dip set with some of Rita’s fave recipes—perfect for tailgating parties
October: Halloween decorations and cookies cutters
November: Leaf plates and one-of-a-kind pilgrim candles
December: Cookie decorating kit

Thanks everyone for taking the time to attend the shower and again to Karli, Bev and Deanna. It means a lot!



Mackenzie and Jack practicing for thier upcoming roles and Flower Girl and Ring Bearer

Need a Room?

We’ve reserved a group of rooms at the Old Market Embassy Suites at a discounted rate of $119 per night. The block’s filling up fast, so if you are interested, call 402.346.9000 and reference the Hicks/Fitch wedding to reserve a room at this rate.

Keep checking www.decembertenth2005.blogspot.com for more wedding weekend details, such as directions and fun things to do in Omaha for those of you visiting for the first time. We're looking forward to celebrating with all of you!

Six Helping Hands

Earlier this week, Emilie, Melissa and Meghan helped get our invitations ready to go. We had an assembly line which included cutting RSVP cards and placing stamps on them, and then stuffing, sealing and stamping the invitation envelopes. It was a fun get together and helped tremendously to get the invitations out on time. Thanks again for being wonderful friends and bridesmaids.

Fa la la la la la

We have Wedding Singers! Today we asked two of Wendy’s colleagues, Mrs. Sun Dee Larson (newly married so it's really fun to call her Mrs. Larson) and April Reins to sing during our ceremony. We’re thrilled to have familiar faces up there with us. They are picking the song; however, Sun Dee’s already eagerly suggested one of her originals:

(sing to the tune of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:)
Trevor, Trevor, Trevor and Wendy
Together forever today
Marrying, marrying, marrying, marrying
Please don't snow us in

What do you all think?

Anyway, thanks again Sun Dee and April for sharing your talent with us. We’re very excited!

Our Write Hand Woman

Many, many, many, many thanks to Rachel Bullock for enduring hours of hand cramping to address all 250+ of our invitations. Rachel has the best penmanship around and graciously agreed to the favor. The invites look awesome and we cannot thank her enough! RB rocks!

Say Cheese

Something to cross off the list: engagement pictures. Last week we smiled and posed for two hours during our engagement picture session. We took a few pictures inside and then a majority of them at Elmwood Park. Trevor finally warmed up to the idea 120 minutes into it. He didn't realize the fun that was to be had. Like when we had to touch foreheads and we thought each other looked like a Cyclops because we were so close. Then there was the time Trevor had to give Wendy a piggyback ride. We kind of thought it was a joke. It wasn't. Trevor may deny it, but we had fun.

The proofs are back already and they're great. Surely you'll all be seeing them at some point. In the meantime, check out our photographer. He does a wonderful job.

Tuxes are from Mars, Wedding Dresses are from Venus

Trevor picked out the guys’ tuxes today. It was unbelievable. Seriously! How does it take women 10 months to find a dress and while guys can pick out wedding attire in 10 minutes? Not once did Trevor worry if it was pulling too much here or if it was gapping there. He didn’t think twice about which style flattered his body type or if he wanted pearls, crystals or both.

But some stunning tuxes were picked out at Men’s Wearhouse. And the fellas scored a heck of a deal because Joyce went to a bridal fair and locked in a great rate. They’re sure to look just dapper.

We Remember

In the year we’ve been planning our wedding, several friends and family members have passed away. We’d like to remember those who have went before us, both recently and in years past. You are all in our thoughts.