Guest Post: Disneyland Love

It's the day before Thanksgiving, which means I'm busy cleaning house and getting ready to cook a huge meal tomorrow!  We're reliving our favorite memories from last week's trip, so we figured there's time for one more guest post- from the lovely Mrs. Genie!  And I've gotta say, I'm a little jealous of someone who lives close enough to The Mouse to visit him so often...

I do admit that I love Disneyland maybe a little more than the average person. I’m sure you’re
thinking, “Yeah, who doesn’t?” But, really, as a girl from Southern California, I have been really
lucky to enjoy going to Disneyland my whole life. And when I say that, I mean my whole life. My
parents first took me to Disneyland when I was 40 days old! They were having the World’s Fair
Exhibition. I’m not saying I remember that, but I’m thinking I was infused with the Disney magic
at a very young age. Now, I have an annual pass, and go twice a month, at least.

When I think of Disneyland, I think of my family and friends and all the memories I have of going there as a kid.  You see, my parents are both immigrants, and we have a lot of family all over the world. When we had visitors, at least once a year, we got to go to Disneyland with them. I got to share one of my favorite places and get to know family at the same time. When my cousin came from England for my wedding this summer, she asked if we could go to Disneyland. And I was so surprised! I told her I thought she wouldn’t want to go because it’s for kids, and she said, “No! Remember when we went as kids and met Minnie Mouse and played in her house? I thought that was so cool, and I’ll never forget it.” I nearly cried that she remembered her visit from over fifteen years ago. 

 And now, as an adult, I love going to Disneyland with both my family and my friends. When I look at pictures from my trips to Disneyland over the years, I mostly smile because there are tons of different friends I go with and have memories with. I can’t choose just one, but I can’t bombard you with photos either. I’ll give you a couple. 

And, of course, I love going with my husband. He doesn’t go as often as I do, but when he does, he has fun.

 So, when I say I love Disneyland, I kind of mean it. I mean, sure, I hate the soaring prices and the over-marketing outside of Disneyland sometimes. But when I’m there, I love it, and when I leave, I can’t wait to come back.

Guest Post: Oh Mickey, You're So Fine

Technically we're home from the honeymoon now :(  But since we were traveling all weekend, I didn't have time to put together a post for you, and that means there's time for more Disney memories guest posts- this one is from the amazing Mrs. Giraffe!  She's here to share with us a story about her reaction to meeting The Mouse himself!

I’m so excited to guest post on Our Geeky Adventure today. Aside from being Mrs. Giraffe, I also go by Mad at my infrequently updated home blog, Sweet Townhome (Whoops - I should update that soon).

Now, what you should all know about me, is that I’m closet celebrity-obsessed. For realsies. I would like to think that being able to name every single one of the Jolie-Pitt children as well as the Affleck bunch is a serious hidden talent. My husband, Tris, might choose to disagree with me, but it is. It really is.

My celebrity obsession has led me to believe that I would be cool as a cucumber around celebs. I mean, I already feel like I know them, so wouldn’t it be just like meeting a friend?

Just like two winters ago when I saw Vince Vaughn shopping at the Disney store in Chicago. Was I excited? Yes. But was I all star struck? No. I thought it was super cool to see him, and I was relatively tempted to go say hi, but didn’t because he was being swamped by other folks with their cameras).

Either way, I was just as cool as I’d imagined. (FYI - The only exception to this thought is the man known as Ryan Reynolds. If I saw him, I’d throw myself all over him, wrap my arms around him, and never let go. Good luck prying me off, Blake Lively).

So, imagine my surprise, this past July on a family trip to Disney with my in-laws, that I got completely star struck meeting Mickey Mouse. My jaw dropped and I giggled too much to talk.

Seriously.

I am not joking.

And, it was Wizard Mickey. The coolest of all the Mickeys.

Don’t believe me? Well, lucky for you, I have photographic evidence. We purchased (in advance to save some dollars, yo!) all our Photopass photos so I have the moment etched on my harddrive for all time.

It was only a five minute wait, and as soon as I got up to Mickey, I was totally, utterly star struck. And giggly. And happy!

 
 

See? That face is proof! I was so excited to meet him. Yes, I’m a 25 year old (semi) adult, and yes, I was aware that it was someone in a suit, but it was so exciting!

 

My In-Laws have been to Disney like 13 times. I’d only been once 20 years ago so this trip all felt new for me. They’re not really into meeting characters, so I made it a priority for me and the Hubs. I don’t know how anyone couldn’t be star stuck in Mickey’s presence. It’d be impossible.

 
 

I also got Micky’s autograph for my scrapbook. That’s right. I thought that it might be strange for an adult to ask for an autograph, but everyone was really very nice about it (I’m talking to you, Snow White!).

This was seriously the highlight of my trip, and Mickey was great.

Oh? And meeting Mickey? It was second only to the fact that Tigger blew me kisses.

Best. Trip. Ever.

 

 

Guest Post: Ariel Obsession

It's time for another Disney memories guest post- this time it's from the lovely Miss Otter!  She's just a liiiiiiittle jealous that Mr. Geek and I are currently partying in the happiest place on earth...but then again, I suspect you are, too ;)  We'll say hi to Ariel for you!

Well, here I am, writing a blog post in Indiana about my Ariel obsession while some people (I won't even name names... but I think we all know who I'm talking about) are actually in Disney World... in Florida. Life can be so unfair. ;)  

  I've been a Disney lovin' girl for as long as I can remember, but I've always loved Ariel the most. So imagine my elation when I realized upon entering high school that I would get to go to Disney World my senior year - yes, there were screams and some hopping around. Only four years away, no big deal!   But let me explain: you see, I was very involved in a ton of different school activities. Most notably, cheerleading and band. What some might call a walking contradiction - which actually happened a few times, since at football games, I'd march at halftime wearing my cheerleading uniform. Cute, I know! Anyway, being in band gave me the privilege of going on two trips in high school. The first was supposed to be to NOLA, but unfortunately Katrina hit, so our trip plans changed. The second was the most coveted Disney trip. Hooray! I, of course, was most excited to meet Ariel.  

I even rode down with my Ariel blanket, of course.

This bus ride was no feat short of incredible. First of all, I get car sick in the worst way possible, so the whole driving thing was kind of a nightmare. Also, they had a rule that whenever the bus stopped, everyone had to get off. So every single time that the bus needed gas, or it was time for a bathroom break, they would wake us all up and force us off the bus. This was, by far, the most unpleasant of experiences. Between the frequent wake ups and the cramped bus, we were all THRILLED to arrive at our hotel. So imagine my excited nerd run straight to the pool:  

  I read up online. I knew where to go to find what I was looking for. Ariel, it was. Thankfully, I also had accommodating friends who understood that under absolutely ZERO circumstance would I be leaving the Magic Kingdom without meeting Ariel. Unfortunately, this forced us to wait in line for what seemed like FOREVER while she took her lunch break. I mean, I get it - a girl's gotta eat. But hurry up, mermaid!    Finally, it was the moment that I had dreamed of since I was eight years old (aka: the last time I was at Disney) -  

Oh, no big deal, just me and ARIEL!

We also stopped at every display I saw:  

  And made sure to see the live show, where I almost got kicked out for taking photos..... oops!  

  Oh, and by the way, we did actually do that thing we went down there for. ;)  

I'm in this, but I'm not pointing myself out!

Now if only I were writing this from Florida... then all would be perfect. ;) Come and say hello when you have time, I'd love to see some new faces around the blog!

Guest Post: The Journey to Toy Story Mania

 Time for another Disney memory!  This one is from Mrs. Scepter!  I don't know about you, but I would totally run like mad to make it to Toy Story Mania before the rest of the crazed crowd...

 

When I first met my husband, I was absolutely shocked that he had never been to Disney World.  How do you grow up as an only child and never take a trip to the happiest place on earth?  I was determined to get him to experience the amazingness that is Disney World, so I planned a trip for us to go a few weeks after our college graduation.  Being the super type A person that I am, I bought guidebook, researched restaurants, and planned almost every minute of our trip.  

We had five full days at Disney World, so I planned to spend one day at each park and spend the fifth day letting Eric golf on one of Disney's golf courses. Epcot, Magic Kingdom, and Animal Kingdom all went according to plan.  We did the popular rides early in the morning (before they had a long wait) and scheduled out our fast passes like a pro.  (Side Note:  If you do go to Disney World use the fast passes!  They are ingenious!)  Our third day was our trip to the Hollywood Studios park, and as a surprise bonus it just happened to be one of their Star Wars weeks.

Here's Eric with Chewbacca and an ewok

At the time Toy Story Mania was one of Hollywood Studios' newest and most popular attractions.  We both really wanted to ride it, but the first time we walked past it the wait time was 90 minutes so we decided we would come back to it.  (In retrospect this was a large mistake.)  By the time we made our way back to the ride the wait was 120 minutes and all the fast passes were sold out for the day.  Epic Fail.  While I was trying to figure out a way to ride Toy Story Mania, a huge rainstorm began and we decided to go back to our hotel for a few hours.    

After a two hour nap and a shower, we boarded one of the Disney buses and headed back to Hollywood Studios.  We were hoping that if we went to ride close to the parks closing time the line would be shorter. Luckily, we were right!  When we made our way back over to Toy Story Mania the wait time was only 30 minutes.  We could definitely handle 30 minutes.  The line moved fairly quickly, plus Disney had a very detailed design for your to marvel over as you waited.

Waiting in line to ride Toy Story

We had about five minutes left in our wait time when the line suddenly stopped moving.  We kept waiting, but with the parks closing time fast approaching we weren't sure what was going.  After waiting for another 20 minutes an announcement came on over the PA system and let us know that the ride was having technical issues and they were going to have to shut it down for the night.  NOOOOO!!!! 

We had spent our entire day trying to ride Toy Story Mania, and we still hadn't managed to make it on to the ride. At that point we had sunk so much time into the ride we were determined to make it happen.  We had planned to go to Magic Kingdom first thing in the morning, but we decided we would go to Hollywood Studios the minute it opened, ride Toy Story Mania, and then take a bus or the tram over to Magic Kingdom.  (The Disney transportation system is amazing.)  

The next morning we were at Hollywood Studios by 8:45.  Even though we were there 15 minutes early, Disney does not allow people to access the majority of the park before the official opening time.  We started inching our way towards the Toy Story area of the park, but we began to get the feeling that everyone else had the same idea we had.  As the clock got closer to 9 am more and more people started showing up and pushing each other towards the rope.  Even though I am fairly positive that the crowded madness is a daily occurrence, even the Disney workers started to look nervous.  At ten seconds to go a countdown came over the PA system and I began to get oddly nervous.  The crowd actually started chanting with the PA System.  10...9...8...the guy behind me pushed past...7...6...the man next to me grabbed his kid and swung him onto his shoulder...5...4...3...I looked at Eric and we exchanged confused looks...2...people actually started elbowing each other our of the way...1!!  The Disney worker opened the rope and the crowd was set free.  (To this day I wish I would have videotaped what happened next.)  

For the first few seconds the crowd tried to keep it classy, and fast-pace walk to their destination, but once one father started a light jog everyone else did as well.  Within a matter of seconds the entire crowd was running.  Not fast walking, not jogging...they were in an all out sprint.  So what did we do?  We joined the freak show we were standing in the middle of and started running.  I blame mob mentality.  On the path to the ride, I saw a man hurdle over a three-year-old girl, watched another man try and jump a chain fence, (he ended up getting his foot tangled in it) saw a woman carry two kids on her back like they were sacks of potatoes, and watched my own boyfriend (now husband) make it to the very front of the line. 

Success!

After three attempts, two days, and one running of the bulls-esque event we had made it onto the Toy Story Mania ride.  Was it worth it?  Without a doubt. 

Guest Post: Yeti

It's time for another guest post about Disney memories!  This one is from Mrs. Pony, and she talks about a ride we're super excited about- Expedition Everest!

 

My first trip to the happiest place on Earth was in 1995, when my whole extended family visited Walt Disney World.  I was ten at the time, which meant I was old enough to ride everything, but I wasn’t so old that the magic of Disney was lost on me.

Childhood friend L, me, and my brother with Disco/Space Minnie

I’ve been back to Disney World a few times since that first visit, twice with my family and last year with my husband on our honeymoon.  Since I recapped our Disneymoon on the ‘bee already, I figured I would share a story from a trip I took with my first partner in crime, Jenny.

Jenny and I both love all things Disney and joked throughout college that we would visit together after we graduated.  As we got closer to graduation, we stopped joking and decided to make it a reality.  My mom and aunt decided to join us, and thus, our post graduation Disney extravaganza was born. 

Our group outside the Magic Kingdom

 Jenny had only been to Disney once when she was very young and couldn’t remember anything from the trip, so we made sure to show her everything.  Although I had been to Disney, I was excited to see some new attractions that had been added since my last visit, including Expedition Everest in Animal Kingdom.  

I am not a huge fan of roller coasters, but my mom, who had been on the ride before, assured me it was not as bad as it looked.  Now, if you haven’t been on this ride, I’m going to share a spoiler here in a second. 

We were riding along when we got to where the Yeti has demolished the track.  The ride stops briefly before it starts going backwards.  I can deal with roller coasters, but roller coasters going backwards terrify me.  I started yelling at my mom. “You didn’t tell me it goes BACKWARDS!”  Naturally, she just laughed at me.  Thanks, mom.

After that, Jenny decided that I was actually a Yeti.  So, it became a running joke during our trip that whenever she said “YETI” I would morph into my Yeti alter ego:

 

 I have so many stories and memories from this trip, it will always be one of my favorite visits to Disney World.  It also made me want to vacation with friends far more often than I do, because we really had the best time ever.

Thanks for reading my silly Disney memories, now I can’t wait to go back!  If you want to read more about my life, feel free to visit my personal blog, Express the Jess. 

Thanks for having me!

Guest Post: Run, Run, as Fast as You Can...

It's time for another Disney-themed guest post!  This one is from Ms. Gazelle, runner extraordinaire, with a whole new take on visiting Disney World!  Personally, Mr. Geek and I prefer to walk through Disney...and also eat.  A lot.

 

Hi Geeky Adventure readers!  I'm Leana, aka Ms. Gazelle on Weddingbee.  I'm also a bit of an endurance racing nut and I write a blog chronicling my training and racing adventures at Runner Leana.  One of my favourite places to race is at Walt Disney World!  I'm currently training for the Goofy Challenge at Disney World in January.  What is the Goofy Challenge?  Well, you have to be a little bit goofy to sign up for it because you run the Disney Half Marathon on day 1, then the Disney Marathon on day 2.  Crazy, right?

So what makes racing at Disney so special?  For starters you get to run through the Disney parks!  My favourite moment in the Disney Half Marathon and Marathon is when you enter the Magic Kingdom.  The people cheering you on as you run down Main Street is one of the best feelings in the world!  There's me in the aqua shirt!

 

 

Running through Cinderella's castle is also very special.  I'm the one in the Canada shirt and red skirt!

 

 

Running through all the parks is pretty amazing really!  After all, where can you run past Everest...

 

...and then a few miles later be running down Hollywood Boulevard?

 

 

You also get to meet some of your favourite Disney friends!

 

You might be feeling tired, but having your favourite Disney friends cheering you on gives you energy to keep going.

 

 

Crossing the finish line is pretty cool too.  After all, how many people run 26.2 miles through Disney?

 

The bling makes it all worthwhile!  Here are my medals from the first time I did the Goofy Challenge back in 2008.

 

 

All of this keeps me returning to run at Disney year after year.  If a marathon or half marathon isn't quite your speed there are several other events throughout the year.  Each race is so special and so uniquely Disney.  Check out Run Disney for details on all of the events.  Most recently Mr. Gazelle and I ran the Tower of Terror 10 Miler in September.  We ran at night and finished right by the Tower of Terror.  It was spooktacular!

 

I hope you enjoyed this different way to see Disney!  Would you ever consider running a race at Disney World?

Guest Post: Crazy Canadians

We are now officially living it up in Walt Disney World as Mr. and Mrs. Geek on our honeymoon!  However, while we're gone, I didn't want y'all getting lonely out here in blog-land.  Every day this week you'll be getting a blog post from one of my friends over at Weddingbee sharing her favorite Disney memory.  First up- Mrs. Dragon!

Hi there! I'm Shayla from Northern Exposure, and I'm a Disney fanatic. I have tons of stories -- the time I and two friends accidentally lost my sister in the Magic Kingdom, the year myself and my cousin were literally the only people (a.k.a. crazy Canadians) going on the water slides at Typhoon Lagoon, the thrill of being granted entrance into a Downtown Disney cigar shop humidor even though my friend and I were underage... the list goes on. But, I should start at the beginning. My family's love affair with Disney started because of Dumbo The Flying Elephant.

Photo from Wikipedia / Kids EVERYWHERE!

We drove from Ontario to Florida every year, staying in beach houses, villas and hotels everywhere from Venice to Bahia Honda State Park. On one of our first trips, when I was so young that I don't really remember much other than indignant outrage, my parents took my older sister and me to the Magic Kingdom. After standing in line for ages in the blistering Florida heat, (because this was before FASTPASSes and themed play areas) we finally boarded our elephant. And there, my sister managed to finagle her way into hitting the button that made our elephant soar... and I didn't even get one push. My meltdown ensured that we would be going to Orlando, again, the next year, lining up, again, and this time, I was going to hit that button so help me Mickey. After the Dumbo Incident, trips to the Magic Kingdom became a tradition. My parents endured my undying love for the It's a Small World ride, my uncle accidentally wandered through blocked-off Main Street, leading the way in the afternoon parade, we became unabashed Disney-going teenagers... but I still wouldn't go on Space Mountain. I had this image burned into my head of my dad and sister dizzily disembarking their rocket, when I was either too little or too scared to ride, and I couldn't get over my fear. I knew Disney roller coasters were tame, that they didn't go upside down or do anything crazy, but I still shamefully declined every year, as little five-year-old kids gleefully climbed in. I didn't even like the part of the Tomorrowland PeopleMover that crossed paths with Space Mountain. One year, egged on by three friends, I gave in.

Thanks, guys!

I mustered up all of my courage and walked through that looming white dome... and, instead of entering into dizzying darkness, realized there was a ride malfunction and the work lights had come on. I spent the whole time we were in the queue staring at the illuminated tracks.

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

After over a decade of build-up, finally feeling like I was conquering a fear, as irrational as it may have been... the whole thing was laid out in front of me. There was no mystery. Space Mountain was revealed, and it didn't look that scary after all (aside from the fact that the word "malfunction" itself strikes terror into my heart).

Of course, all of that changed when we actually got on the ride, now shrouded in darkness, and went hurtling into laser tunnels and all that.

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

That turned out to be our last trip to the Magic Kingdom (we went to Epcot a few years later and as Canadians were kind of disturbed by the Disney version of Canada, but I haven't been to Disney since) so I'm happy I finally rode Space Mountain, even though I screamed like a baby the whole time. I'm already looking forward to taking my non-existent children to Disney one day, and I hope that they're braver than me and tackle the scary rides before age 17.

Fellow scaredy-cats, I know you're out there -- what Disney ride terrified you? Did you ever manage to ride it? (P.S. I was also scared of the Snow White ride, the alien escape one, and Splash Mountain. The Country Bear Jamboree? Totally my speed.)

The Somethings

Woooooo, just one more day until The Big Day!  Let's see, what do I have left to talk about...

Ah yes, The Somethings!

(Side note: if I'm ever in a band- as trampoline player, as I have no musical ability whatsoever, aside from good rhythm- we're going to be called The Somethings.  I like it.  It's catchy.)

Something Old

I've always interpreted "something old" in the poem to mean something you already own, not something that happens to have been made a long time ago, so my something old will be my faux pearl stud earrings I've owned for-like-ever, as seen at my epic bridal shower.

{photo by Mr. Geek}

Something New

I've also always thought it's sort of cheating to count your wedding dress as the "something new," so my new object will be my new pair of shoes that I love so so much!

{photo by Mr. Geek}

Something Borrowed

I have a few somethings borrowed, and they'll all be making an appearance in my bouquet.  I decided to make a bouquet from vintage and hand-me-down jewelry, including pieces loaned to me by my grandmothers.  I realize this is another one of those trendy, over-done elements in our wedding which will make our future children scoff and say "That was so 2012!" when looking at our pictures, but you know what?  It was really fun to make this, and it's really special.  I'll get to keep this bouquet forever (with the loaned pieces clipped out and given back, of course) and although this idea may be over-done in the blog world, I'd wager 90% of our guests don't read wedding blogs and therefore won't realize this is a trend, nor will they have ever seen it at another wedding.

{photo by Mr. Geek}

I also realize that this bouquet is far from perfect; it's not like the ones that grace the digital pages of Style Me Pretty or Martha Stewart.  It's a little lumpy in places, not a perfect dome, and for that matter, it's little.  The pieces aren't all a uniform metal and some are definitely showing their age, but I love it.  I love that it's so colorful, and that each piece has a story, even though I'm not sure what all those stories are.  I'm actually pleased with how small it is because this sucker is heavy and I can't image I'd be able to hold it for very long if it were much bigger.  I can already imagine a photo with my bridesmaids holding their baby's breath bouquets in a circle all around it...

{photo by Mr. Geek}

This heart-shaped piece has the most history of all the borrowed bits in this bouquet.  It was loaned to me by my Mammaw, and it was passed down to her from her husband's family.  My Papaw is no longer with us, but this is one of the ways we'll be remembering that he's watching from Heaven.

There are several butterflies fluttering around this bouquet, and I love the depth they bring by being layered over top of other colorful pieces.

That winged key?  It's actually a doorknob I found at Michaels of all places.  The image reminds me, of course, of Harry Potter, and the piece itself is sturdy enough to act as a good base to connect everything else to.

{photo by Mr. Geek}

I spy a Mardi Gras mask!  This is another something borrowed and another reminder of family history.  You may not know this, but we've been celebrating Mardi Gras in good ol' Mobile, Alabama for longer than those folks over in Nawlins, and, in my opinion, we put on better parades.  Mardi Gras krewes are a huge part of society in Mobile, and I've got a few family members who have been involved, including my Grandma Bootsie, who until very recently was an integral member of the Order of Athena.

{photo by Mr. Geek}

See that elephant hiding under there?  He's another of my somethings borrowed.  In Alabama, football- especially college football- is a religion, and if you live there, you must pick a side in the great Alabama-Auburn rivalry.  Guess who my family cheers for...

Something Blue

You're not getting a picture of this one, as it's also a something unmentionable, and I'd really rather leave it up to your imagination.  Suffice it to say- I'll be wearing something blue, you just won't be able to see it :)


What were your somethings?

Much love,
The Geeks

The One with All the Pie Charts

So, I'm not sure if you're aware of this or not, but we're getting married this Saturday.  Holy crap, you guys.

Now that we've established that...

Let's take a look at the RSVP breakdown!

The guest list for this wedding was MASSIVE.  Originally, Mr. Geek and I had imagined inviting 100, maaaaybe 150 people, with about 50 people actually showing up because of the rather inconvenient location (Middle-of-Nowhere, Alabama, though it's Middle-of-Somewhere to us).

And then the church told us that, technically, they could sit 300 people.

And then my mom checked out reception venues, and the winner told her they could accommodate 200, or maybe even 250 people- or, if we utilized the outside space, as many as we want!

This is a dangerous thing to promise someone like my mom.

photo taken by Mr. Geek at The Most Awesome Bridal Shower Ever

See, my mom is one of the sweetest, most loving people in the entire world, and family is very important to her (so therefore family is very important to me, too).  Since it seemed there was no limit to how large our guest list should be, she wanted to make sure to invite EVERYONE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD who is in any small way related to me, even if we haven't seen or spoken to them since I was an infant.

Perhaps this is a trait common to all moms, as Mr. Geek's mom did the same.

How many people do you think we ended up inviting?

Go ahead, guess.

If you guessed a whopping 278 people, you would be correct!

When I was addressing the envelopes, I wanted to make sure I had spelled everyone's name correctly and that we were 100% sure the addresses were right.  A few times, I'd come upon an odd-looking name or an address that just didn't quite seem complete, so I'd ask Mr. Geek if he knew whether or not it was spelled right, assuming the guest in question was from his side.

"How should I know?  I don't know who that is."

Yeah, that exchange happened more than once.

Usually we were able to figure out what side the guest came from (not that it mattered for invitations, we just wanted to know) based on the state they lived in, but in some cases we had to call up our moms to double-check.  We think we finally were able to establish which of us is related to all the strangers on the guest list, and were therefore able to compile the following pretty charts!

Out of the 278 invited guests, 70 RSVP'd yes.  Many of the 208 "nah..."s are actually just presumed "nah..."s, as we were never able to track down a definitive answer for many people.  (The number we gave the caterer is nicely padded juuuuust in case we get some unexpected arrivals.)  I wouldn't say my online RSVP experiment failed- we sent out 127 invitations, and 62 parties used the website to RSVP, whereas a handful called in their response- I'd just say that it's not a foolproof way to ensure that everyone sends in a response.  I'm convinced that, no matter how convenient you make it, some people are just too lazy to tell you that they're not coming- they just assume that you'll just assume that they don't want to show up.

Anyway.

The invites themselves were nearly evenly distributed between the two of us- 168 people on my side, 110 on his.  I have a really, really big extended family, and, like I said, EVERYONE had to be invited.

Out of the 70 people who RSVP'd yes, however, a large majority are from my side.  I suppose this has to do with the fact that most of my family lives in the state of Alabama (or very near it), but honestly, we both expected more of Mr. Geek's friends and family to make the journey for The Big Day.  While we've said from the beginning we'd rather have a small wedding, and while we know that fewer guests means we'll have time to really interact meaningfully with everyone that day, it was still a little heartbreaking to watch the "no's" trickle in from his side.

This bride's side - groom's side breakdown could make for one very lopsided church...so we're just going to ignore the concept of "sides" and ask people to sit wherever they want.

That's right folks, it's time for another sign!  (This is probably the last one.)

{personal photo}

This sign will be on display at the front of the church next to the basket of programs.  Aside from our immediate family members and the bridal party, the ushers will be instructed to seat people such that the church fills up evenly, without asking "bride's side or groom's side?"

What percentage of your invited guests actually RSVP'd?  Was your guest list evenly distributed between the two of you, or did either one invite significantly more people than the other?  Are you having your guests sit on "their side"?

Much love,
The Geeks

*all graphs created in Google Docs*

Gifts for Our Parents

This weekend, before the pleasant rain shower known as Sandy drizzled by, we started working on presents for our parents.

Just to make sure nobody peeks...