Molly called me on Thursday night, the night before I was supposed to leave, to tell me she was sick with a virus. It wasn't the flu or anything, but it was contagious. Her doctor thought she would be better by Saturday, but she really probably shouldn't have visitors on Friday. I decided to take my chances and go anyway.
On Friday, I left my apartment around 9:00 a.m. to get to LaGuardia for my 11:00 flight. As I was waiting to board, they announced that the flight was delayed for an hour and a half due to bad weather in Chicago. Since I had a connecting flight to catch in Chicago, I talked to the agents and got myself on an earlier flight to Chicago that was leaving right then. I made it on that plane, which then was delayed on the runway for an hour. So, so much for that. I still made it to Chicago in time to catch my connection to Bloomington...especially since that flight was delayed an hour and a half due to mechanical issues. Sigh. But, I finally made it to Bloomington around 5:30 p.m. Molly's fiance Arturo picked me up and drove me to Molly's house in Peoria.
By the time I got there, Molly was feeling quite a bit better. We just hung out that night, chatting and watching "Say Yes to the Dress" on TLC (so fitting for the weekend!). I also gave Molly a couple of things I brought for her. The first was a "thank you for having me" gift, and the other was....Heather-on-a-Stick! I know Heather would have loved to be with us for this weekend of wedding fun, but since she chose to fly to Italy instead (sheesh), I was forced to come up with an alternative Heather to bring along. Here is Molly greeting Heather-on-a-stick:
Heather-on-a-Stick is ready to help Molly find her perfect wedding gown!Sure, Heather-on-a-Stick (HOAS) might seem a little crazy, but we had a great time with her. And really, I think she had a good time too! (Note: Real-Life-Heather had no idea that HOAS even exists. At time of posting, I'm still waiting to hear her reaction to these pictures!)
Anyway. Saturday was when the real weekend fun got started! Molly was feeling MUCH better, which was great news. We picked up my Aunt Debbie (AKA Molly's mom) at the airport that morning, then went back to Molly's apartment for breakfast. We had fruit, mimosas, and crescent rolls with chocolate chips rolled into them (which is something you MUST try, it's delicious!).
Our breakfast
HOAS enjoys her mimosa. Also, in the background, Molly doesn't feel sick anymore! Yay!After breakfast, the wedding dress shopping began! Our first stop of the weekend was David's Bridal. Molly tried on quite a few dresses, and we thought we liked one. I also tried on a couple bridesmaids dresses. We had a great time, and I realized that Molly is just going to be a stunning bride, no matter what she wears. I even teared up at one point as I was picturing it. Awww! I'm such a sap.
Aunt Debbie, HOAS and Molly before our appointment at David's Bridal
Me, HOAS and Molly after shoppingAfter the dress fun, we stopped at Michael's (LOVE Michael's!) then went to lunch at Sushi Popo. After lunch, Molly took us to Grand View Drive to check out - you'll never guess - a grand view! Ha. Really, it was a gorgeous area right along the Illinois River. The trees in Illinois, by the way, were spectacular. I think they were changing more vibrantly than trees in New York have been, or maybe it's just that there's more of them all over the place there, as opposed to here, where you have to go seek them out in Central Park. Whatever the reason, it was really beautiful.
Gorgeous scenery at Grand View Drive
Lovely tree and the moon!
HOAS enjoys the view
The girls!That night we made a run to Target (LOVE Target!), then spent the rest of the night hanging out at Molly's apartment, munching on chips and salsa, drinking wine, and looking at pictures of the day's dresses and other wedding-related things. Good times if you like weddings, which I do!
HOAS checks out the sites of Peoria while Molly drives
HOAS gets a little rowdy on the conveyor belt at TargetSunday brought more dress shopping action. This time we went to Bobbie's Bridal and Molly tried on lots more dresses. I have to say...I think we found it! Molly looked sensational. I can't reveal anything about the dress, but I can say that when she wears it, Molly's face looks like this:
Now THAT is the face of a happy bride! I also tried on a couple bridesmaid's dresses, and HOAS watched and gave her approval.
HOAS enjoys the dress shopping fun from the comfort of my purse
Aunt Debbie, Molly and HOAS at Tanner's Orchard
Gourds
HOAS and I having fun with the photo ops
Goats!VIDEO: Goat noises!
Mmm, delicious apple cider
Awww, sweetie pie pumpkins!After the orchard we went back to Molly's, where we ate chili she had made for dinner. It was so good! Who knew I liked chili? Not me, that's for sure. It was delicious. And of course, we spent more time looking at pictures and bridal magazines and other wedding things. I'm so excited for this wedding, even though it's still over a year away!
Molly and her chiliMonday morning we got an early start. Aunt Debbie dropped Molly off at work then drove me to Bloomington to catch my flight back to New York. This time, I had a layover in Atlanta (seriously, how does that make sense?), and everything went very smoothly. My flight even arrived in New York a little early. I had a great weekend, but it was nice to be back with my boys. Although, spiteful little Achilles ate my favorite pair of walking shoes on Friday. Bad dog! He's lucky he's cute.
Molly, thanks for having me this weekend, and thanks for making it possible for me to be there! I had a great time and I'm so excited for you!
Note: If you would like to see more photos of Heather-on-a-Stick's Adventures in Peoria, check out our Shutterfly Picture Site!
Aww, what a great post, Meghan, thanks!! I was so happy you and HOAS were here and I had so much fun!
ReplyDelete