Life Happens

Where do I start?? It's been almost two months since I last posted. Why not start with the Wedding.

Andy and Jessica were married December 7th. Not until AFTER we had some excitement.

First, no minister, preacher, whatever to marry them. I took care of that the Saturday before the wedding. I was at my Christmas party for work (after giving up my Hockey ticket so Jessica could go with Andy) and was introduced to a co-worker's husband. This is the Rev. Harshaw. Well I had had a glass of wine and something else, and then again I am a "pushy Yankee", I reached over to shake his hand and said, "Rev. Harshaw, what are you doing Thursday? Would you like to marry my son?" He handed me his card, which I gave to the soon to be newly-weds so they could make arrangements. Thank you, Rev. Harshaw...we needed you.

Andy and Jess purchased the wedding rings the Saturday before the ceremony. Jess' had to be re-sized so she had yet to pick her ring up from the jeweler. They both proudly came in and showed me Andy's. Then left it in my living room. While cleaning on Sunday, I picked it up, still in the bag, and other things they had left in the living room and put them in Andy's room. Jess, on the other hand, was busily cleaning Andy's room and just picked up the bags, crumbled them up, and put them in the trash. Now Dave, after being nagged long enough, decided to burn the trash, instead of taking it to the dump (this was a blessing, trust me.)

Monday night, Jess asks me where I put the ring. She tells me she can not find it. After searching the house we both concluded, it must have been put in the trash. But now, instead of garbage can diving, we were both outside, digging through ashes in and around the burn barrel.

Jess found the ring, still in the box, the white gold now black. All I kept saying was its OK...we will fix it. All Jess kept saying was I burned his ring.

Once inside the house, I called the jewelers and explained what happened. They assured me they could polish the white gold ring and make it as good as new.

Driving to the jeweler, Jess kept saying, "his ring is black." Assuring her it was still OK, I explained that Chad's ring was black. Of course, his is suppose to be black.

At the jeweler, bad news. Burned too bad, can not fix it. The wonderful lady taking care of us called someone (who's name we should have got since this proved to be very important a little bit later) who told her to replace the ring~no charge. Unfortunately, they did not have one in Andy's size. Arrangements were made for us to pick one up in Rocky Mount. The great clerk (who's name also happened to be Jessica) even called the store to have them hold it for us. She packaged the old ring up with a copy of the receipt and a note who we should contact there and her name if they had any questions. Problem solved, right? NO WAY, we are talking Blake's here, nothing is that easy.

Andy, still not talking to Jess because she threw away his ring even before they were married, did not take Jess into Rocky Mount the next day to get the ring. Which if he had, things may have gone a little easier. Since Jessica is from California, she does not know how to get around out here in the Ol' North State, so she was grateful that he even drove her to my school so she and I could pick her mom up at that airport.

So on Tuesday, remember the wedding is Thursday, Jessica and I pick her mom up at the airport around 5 pm. Then we were off to David's Bridal to buy a wedding dress. Oh yeah, nothing like cutting it short! But while Jess took a phone call from her commanding officer, Margaret (Jessica's mom) and I found the perfect dress. Both of us agreed totally that this was the dress for her. Jess tried on the first one she picked out, it looked good, but the one mom and I picked out, THE BOMB baby! Jessica tried it on and she looked like a princess! Hard to believe since she is such a tomboy, do they still use that term or am I dating myself?

Buy the dress and, of course, a camouflaged garter with the USMC symbol on it, we were off to find something to cover her tattoos (tattooes, tatti, whatever the plural). Off to Belks where we purchased nearly $100.00 worth of body camouflage (how appropriate).

Too exhausted to shop any more, off to Olive Garden, where the three of us harassed the waiter and then home, where Andy meet his future mother-in-law for the first time.

Wednesday, December 6th. One more day before the wedding and we still had a list of things to do including picking up the ring and convincing Dave the deer head had to come off the wall for the ceremony the next day.

First on the list, off to Rocky Mount to pick up the ring. The clerk gets on the phone and calls customer service and the "woman" (I use that word loosely, as she does when she addresses me about our conversation to others) told the clerk they were not going to replace the ring. Jessica is a mess, the wedding is TOMORROW. Well, the Yankee in me was not going to take it. I started in. I told her we were told the ring was going to be replaced I wanted it replaced. Call the Wilson store. Conveniently, everyone involved was off that day (told you Andy should have take Jess to Rocky Mount on Tuesday). The customer service "woman" and I had some choice words, including her telling me not to yell at her. Yell, she hadn't seen, I mean HEARD, me yell yet. I kept trying to explain to her that we were told the ring would be replaced and I wanted it replaced. Standing in the doorway of the jewelers in the Mall so everyone could hear, I told her this situation will be fixed to my satisfaction or else. I hung up the phone, told Margaret and Jess we were headed to Wilson to that store.

As we were exiting the Mall, I decided to call the Wilson store to let them know we were on the way. After my behavior I half expected the Rocky Mount store to call and warn them and we would be greeted by the Wilson County Sheriff. But instead they told us that Jess ring was ready for pick up. Of course, adrenalin still flowing through my veins, I told her if we didn't get any satisfaction on this wedding ring they could take the $1,600.00 bridal set and (no I wanted to but didn't say it) keep it and we would go else where. That is when she told me wait, she knew her manager was working on something. After being put on hold, she returned and asked me where I was. After telling me not to leave Rocky Mount until I heard from her, Jess, Margaret and I sat outside the mall, plotting our next move.

Attorney General, Consumer Affairs, Better Business Bureau, all on our short list of people to contact. Better yet, 5 on our side, I thought. I could see it now, two Marines, soldiers fighting for our country, getting the run around less than 24 hours before their wedding because the jeweler was backing out on a verbal agreement. We decided we needed coffee, yes, I was not psyched enough, pump some caffeine in those veins, when the Wilson store contacted us. The manager on the other line said "Miss Robin," (not Ms. Blake, they were trying to make it all better). "Give me five minutes and you may go into the Rocky Mount store and pick up your ring."

VICTORY!!!

The three of us took a walk through the book store before walking into the jewelers. The woman there, in her ever present state of wickedness, tells us that the only reason they are exchanging the ring is because the manager of the Wilson store said they would. DUH!!!!! had you not listened to a single word we said dummy!!! I proceeded to tell her, "Yes, and the only reason I gave you a hard time, and your customer service department, was because WE WERE TOLD you would replace it." Had they told us they could not fix it and would not replace it on Monday night when Jess and I first took the ring in, I would have bought a new one.

Well, the good guys, or good girls, won that day. I hated to show my new daughter in law and her mother the Yankee~Redneck side of me, but you don't tell me one thing and then do something else. I will fight tooth and nail in that instance.

I'm going to have to post the rest later. This was a long story. I haven't even told you about the rest of the day, which included getting our picture taken on Santa's lap (did you know Santa is a Jarhead?). In short, wedding happened, they are married, in love, and Jess is back at 29 Palms in California as Andy finds an apartment and home for them in Jacksonville.

Congrats kids, Momma Loves Ya!