5:1

Each culture around the world has its own legends. Many include creation theories, explanations of natural phenomenon, and even mysterious monsters, each with their own distinct mannerisms. To some, these monsters are not just made up stories adults pass on to children, but real life beasts that they have their own personal encounters with. Some of these creatures include

• El Chubacaba- South America
• Big Foot- North America
• Yeti- Himalayas
• Champ – on Lake Champlain
• The Loc Ness Monster- Scottish Highlands

Each monster has its own supporters as well as people who dedicate themselves to prove that they do not exist.

These legends of monsters have not died away because each year people report seeing them. The Loc Ness Monster, also known affectionately as Nessie, is said to be a gentle creature that resides in the Scottish Highlands in Scotland. She has been made famous through movies, books, and personal reports. Many people have searched the Loch for proof of the creature using modern technology. Every crack and crevice has been searched, and no monster was ever revealed. The only proof that has ever existed are indistinct photos taken primarily by tourists.

Some say that Nessie is really an ancient animal, the last of an extinct water reptile known as a plesiosaurs. The personal accounts of eyewitnesses seem to describe an animal much like the plesiosaurs. The main issue with this theory, besides the obvious of plesiosaurs being extinct, is the how cold the Loch is. Reptiles thrive in warm climates because they are cold-blooded. Many scientists believe Nessie was not a plesiosaurs. Still others insist that a plesiosaur managed to sneak into the Loch when it was briefly connected to the ocean and became trapped once the pathway retreated.

Is it possible that the human eye can see what it wants to see? Or that it interprets information based on a bias of previous information? One team did an experiment and set an ambiguous object up in the Loch to see if people thought it was Nessie. The majority of the people who saw the object reported, and were personally convinced that they had personally witnessed the Loch Ness Monster. This situation where there was no way they saw Nessie lessens the credibility of other sittings. Is there something lurking in the Loch? That all depends on who you ask.

4:3

Amazingly enough there is even scientific evidence that supports the theory of the December 21^st 2012. That means that this date is no longer just a science fiction special, applicable to more then just those fascinated, or even convinced of the occurrences of paranormal activities. Doomsday is now open for real debate to scientists and realists everywhere.

Recently scientists have discovered that once about every 25,800 years the earth undergoes what geophysicists call a “polar shift”. A polar shift takes place when the magnetic fields within the earth change from their regular alignment, causing the entire mantle to move thus the poles themselves move out of position.

“It might be kind of like a crossing over of the galactic equator. When you go below the south [pole] or north [pole], magnetic currents will spin in opposite directions, it might be there is a field reversal effect once you pass through this galactic equator”

Daniel Pinchbeck explains. For a change like this to occur the magnetic fields would have to be affected by a powerful alignment, one like that the Mayan Calendar say will take place at the end of 2012. The probability of this occurring during the alignment of the earth, sun, and the black hole is greater in the minds of scientists now that they believe that earth is overdue for a polar shift. Albert Einstein was a major supporter of polar shifts in the mid 1950’s and is only now getting notable credit for the theory. A change of global proportions like this would occur in the case of a polar shift, and will result in climate and geographical change. If species are to have a chance at survival, dramatic evolutionary mutations will become necessary.

It is more likely that the shift will take place slowly rather then all at once. It is a true mystery because there has never been a pole shift within human history. If it is already starting to take place, like many scientists believe, it could very well be the cause of global warming. Another reason some believe it is already underway because the earth’s magnetic field has been increasingly decreasing. This may be a result of a pole shit. The theory of polar shifting was discovered merely by accident while scientists were discovering a new theory to the time, sea floor spreading. Rocks upon the sea floor are like a written record for history. While studying sea floor spreading scientists revealed that the polarity of the rocks on the floor were reversed.

There are many signs that point to an inevitable doomsday. Many are unconcerned, or uninterested. There is nothing we can do about doomsday if it is geologically based, so these unconcerned individuals may be the wise ones, not wasting their time on what may or may not occur. Truly only time will reveal the destiny of mankind. All we can do now is enjoy each day and live it as it is our last, because according to many, it very well may be.

4:2

Many prophetic devises all over the world predict that the end of our world will occur in December of 2012. These other devices include

• I Ching
• Merlin
• Syblline Oracle
• Mother Shipton
• Web bot

Each one has proved over time to be accurate, as well as having origins all over the world.

One theory was developed by Terence McKenna, and is based on one of the oldest prophetic devises known to man; a sacred book from China called the I Ching. The I Ching accapable of yielding surprisingly appropriate answers for questions asked. When consulting the I Ching, a person seeking guidance asks a question, throws up three coins six times, and records the results as solid or dashed lines. There are 64 possible outcomes, called hexagrams, which McKenna mapped onto a pointed graph, then converted into a timeline. The timeline follows the ups; like the discovery of the new world, and downs; like the fall of the ancient Roman Empire, throughout all 4,000 years of recorded history. The 64 hexagrams repeat 64 times starting during the Shang dynasty, when the I Ching was created, and ends on December 21^st 2012. Could this theory, which was entitled “Timewave Zero” by McKenna, and could very well mark the end of written history.

Another ancient prophet of doom was a Welch man from England. His name is know to any adult who grew up on stories of the Knights of the Round Table, the heroic King Arthur, and his wise warlock friend, Merlin. True history has mostly been lost to common man through these stories, but there are still a few researchers who know the real Merlin, an oracle whose name translates to ‘wild prophet of the woods,’ famous for his horrific prophecies of end times. Like many prophets, he predicted the discovery of the New World’s first colony. Merlin’s prophecy stands out among others because he predicted the Virginian colony by name His prophecy specifically says “Virgins will land on Virgin soil.” Merlin’s prediction says that the planets will go out of their normal orbit, which is what would happen in a solar system compounded by polar shifts. Polar shifts are an amazing scientific phenomenon that I will go into in my next post.

In book four of the Syblline Oracles the last generation is predicted to start in the year 2000. Web bots, a technological prophetic device, predict global tragedy to take place in the 2012. Mother Shipton’s, an English oracle, prophecies reflect the image of our technologically advanced world;

“When pictures seem alive with movements free
When boats like fishes swim beneath the sea,
When men like birds shall scour the sky
Then half the world, deep drenched in blood shall die”

These prophetic devices may not give the exact date of December 21st like the Mayan calendar does, but it does point to the same time period. This makes for an intriguing collection of coinciding circumstances.

4:1

Throughout history humans have been fascinated with the unknown. One mystery that has grasped the imagination and curiosity of people throughout the centuries concerns an extinction that hits close to home. When will Homo Sapiens, like so many unfortunate species before them, meet their end? After compiling predictions, prophecies, and scientific evidence, one single date stands out among the rest: December 21, 2012. According to scientists, historians, geophysicists, researchers, and religious leaders, this fateful day could mark the beginning of the end of human existence. My three entries this week will explore and explain the different theories behind this date of doom for mankind.

This particular doomsday date is most commonly attached to the calendars of Mayan society. The calendars of the ancient Mayans were composed thousands of years ago by a civilization that was culturally obsessed with the skies. They calculated the astronomical occurrences in the past, their present, and the future. These calendars correctly charted such astrological phenomenon as lunar eclipses, solar flares, and solar eclipses, thousands of years prior to their manifestations in the sky. Their calendars are so precise that they are more accurate then those calculated by scientists within this century. The calendars were not only able to inform the reader of celestial stargazing events, but also had the capability to be used as a prophetic device. Unlike many oracles, soothsayers, and so-called prophets, the prophecies of the ancient Mayans were not vague in their wording. They predicted the exact date that the Spanish conquistadores would come to the Americas. Amazingly enough Cortez and his men hit the shores of the Americas on the exact date predicted.

Since the Mayan society was so fascinated by the sky that they dwelled beneath, it is not surprising that the most important day within the Mayan calendar occurs during extremely rare, heavenly alignment. Calculations by the Ancient Maya within their most extensive calendar, appropriately called the Long Count Calendar, say that during the winter solstice on December 21, 2012 the Earth will align with the Sun, as well as the black hole in the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. The Mayan’s referred to this black hole as the Cosmic Mother, and it is so astounding because modern scientists have only discovered the discovery of a black hole in the center of our galaxy within this millennium. It was known that the Maya were more advanced intellectually to their neighboring Meso-American groups the Aztec and the Inca, but their superior knowledge of the black hole in the center of the Milky Way Galaxy thousands of years prior to the discovery of black holes by modern “educated” men proves that their discovers should be both respected and revered in present times.

The Mayan society is an intellectual force to be reckoned with. It is easy to shrug away ideas of future disasters; it is easy to dismiss what has not yet occurred. The Mayans belonged to a rich culture, much of which is a mystery within itself. Some say the Mayan 2012 prediction signifies a new era, the point where the world as we know it will change, but still exists. Others say it will be the end of human existence. We can speculate to no end, but for now the mystery is buried away with the Mayans themselves.

3:3

The last five plagues from the biblical book of Exodus are boils upon man and beast, hail of fire and ice, locust infestation, darkness, and the death of all the first-born sons of Egypt. The boils and blisters caused by the sixth plague are highly unusual, as far as these sores go. Once again Lake Nyos’ own personal disasters of 1986 helps to shed light onto the mystery of the Egyptian plagues. Carbon dioxide that escaped from underground gas chambers mixed with air put people living along the lake in a comatose state, reducing the amount of oxygen circulation to the skin resulting in the boils that sound strikingly similar to those caused by the sixth plague.

The seventh plague is described as a strange phenomenon of hail made of both fire and ice. There was an Egyptian papyrus found that says Egypt was struck by unique and terrifying hail of fire and ice. Volcanologists recognize this as volcanic hail. Volcanic hail is created when ash from an eruption gets into the stratosphere and gets coated by hail-like materials. The volcanic activity also then caused the eighth plague, an infestation of locusts. When exposed to lower temperature, the locusts’ body temperature drops and they are forced to land wherever they are. Due to the minor eruption of the Santorini volcano, it is likely that the temperature in the region did drop. Once the effects of the volcanic storms pass, the ground would warm up, thus the eighth plague would be removed.

Up until this point Santorini has only had minor eruptions. The volcano getting ready to erupt as well as its minor eruptions was enough to cause eight destructive plagues to fall upon the Egyptian empire. Finally the pressure in the volcano has built up to the point of no return, and a massive eruption takes place. When a volcano erupts it spews out magma, ash, and volcanic gases. An ash cloud released by the eruption devoured all sunlight and plunged Egypt into darkness, the ninth plague.

The tenth plague, and the plague that caused Pharaoh to finally let Moses and the Jews go, was the selective death of all the first-born males in Egypt. After Moses threatened Pharaoh with this plague, Pharaoh himself woke up to the heir of Egypt dead in his bed. So how can a volcanic eruption cause only first-born sons to meet their doom? The same gas leak that had turn the lake red, found its way out of the underground gas chambers again to become the deadly tenth plague. Carbon dioxide gas hovered along the ground like a fog hugging the ground. After the carbon dioxide fog remained long enough to suffocate and kill, it rose up and dissolved into the earth’s atmosphere. According to cultural practices, the first-born of each family was in the prime position to be exposed to the carbon dioxide. The male first born of the Egyptian families slept on privileged beds, located low to the ground. Their siblings would be safe in their higher elevated beds on roof and wagon tops, but they would meet their doom during the night. The Jews all went unaffected because God had order them to observe the first Passover meal all night in the upper rooms.

For years theologians and historians have puzzled over the exodus of the Jews. Now it seems archeologist Simcha Jacobovici has a plausible theory that one would think would silence the arguments and end confusion over this biblical event. Many in Jacobvici’s field strongly and passionately disagree with him. So the story of Exodus and if it even occurred is still a mystery among most scholars. But to Jews and Christians alike, this is a story of how God delivered his people, and used the violent aspects of this world he created to do so.

3:2

Exodus

For years the ten plagues of Exodus in the bible have been such a mystery that some believe that it could have never happened. Now science has supplied a possible explanation for the hardship Egypt went through when Pharaoh refused to let God’s people go. Simcha Jacobovici, the star of “The Naked Arceologsit” on History Channel, has assembled facts that could very well prove the biblical account of Moses leading the Jews out of Egyptian slavery. I will follow his information through the publishing of two blog entries, each explaining five plagues. The theory explores the possibility that all ten plagues of Exodus occurred as the result of one event: the eruption of Santorini.

The ten plagues of Exodus are as follows:

1. The waters of Egypt turn to blood
2. Frogs infestation
3. Lice infestation
4. Fly infestation
5. Livestock overcome by disease
6. Boils upon man and beast
7. Hail of fire and ice
8. Locusts
9. Darkness
10. Death of first born

According to this theory, the first plague was caused by a chain reaction. When the Earth’s plates move and cause a volcanic eruption there are often earthquakes both prior to and after the eruption. Before Santorini erupted, minor earthquakes took place. These earthquakes caused underground gas chambers to leak out into river and lakebeds. When the gas and dissolved iron escaped and mixed with the oxygen in the water iron hydroxide was formed. Iron hydroxide in layman’s terms is rust, and in water, had the appearance of blood. This caused the second plague, an infestation of frogs. Since the oxygen was consumed by the formation of iron oxide, all the fish would be doomed, but since frogs are amphibians they can escape the inevitable death by seeking refuge on dry land. Without clean water the Edgypt would become susceptible to infestations of lice, flies, and disease. Thus the first plague caused the second, third, forth, and fifth plague.

This is not the only time waters have turned “blood red” in human history. In 1986 an underground gas leak caused the waters of Lake Nyos to turn red. Just as it did in Ancient Egypt, iron mixed with the oxygen in the water. This proves that the theory is entirely possible, and since it is the only scientific explanation that has been proposed, it has to be accepted. Lake Nyos is located in Cameroon, Africa within a creator formed by a dormant volcano. The first five plagues of Ancient Egypt were all related to one another. It seems that God used the science of the world he created to bring down a ruler who thought himself to be god.

3:1

In July of 1947 an event occurred that would become the most researched UFO event in history. After a severe thunderstorm in Roswell, New Mexico a man named Mac Brazel found some wreckage debris on a property he managed. Mac reportedly gathered together his unusual findings and brought it home to show his family. The debris included a foil-like material that could be crunched up and would lie back out flat seemingly unaffected, beams with odd hieroglyphics on them, and a lot of strong lightweight materials. Every material found was seemingly indestructible; it would not rip, bend, break, or burn.

It was not long before Mac decided to report to the local sheriff on his findings. The local sheriff in turn informed a nearby Army Air Base. The military immediately responded and within a few hours were being led by Mac himself to the area where he had collected the debris from. Major Jesse Marcel, Sr. was one of the military personal that went onsite with Mac and in the years before his death, admitted that what they saw that day was unlike anything he had ever seen. The commanding officer in Roswell, Colonel William Blanchard, had a statement released saying that the military had found the wreckage of a flying saucer. From there, the news went wild. The only thing that calmed the reports was in the days later where the military released a new, very different report. In the new statement the military had not stumbled upon a flying saucer, but only the wreckage of an ordinary weather balloon.

After searching further, a second crash site was found. This site yielded more amazing speculations then the first site. Eyewitnesses are the only proof that Roswell’s desert ground once held extra terrestrial evidence. Many people through first hand or second hand sources say that there was more then just unusual debris found at the crash site. They report that along with a disk much like a flying saucer, alien life forms were also discovered. All seem to report the same thing, small humanoids with heads that were large in proportion to their little bodies. They were said to have holes for their nose and ears, and some claim that these creatures were not all dead. There are reports of between three and four aliens were present at the crash site, all but one were dead.

It seems there was most certainly a cover-up concerning the fragments found in Roswell, New Mexico that July, but the question remains of what was being covered up. Many believe that it was covering up secret military operations. The amount of evidence is heavier on the UFO side of the argument, but that is because the military and government stand firm behind their statement that Roswell was simply the site of a weather balloon crash. Still many who claim to be eyewitnesses to the debris are adamant what they saw could only be extra terrestrial.

2:3

Jack the Ripper

Serial Killers are a frightening part of human society. The thought that a killer can strike seemingly at random can be terrifying. They have been known to specifically strike women, homosexuals, prostitutes, and religious groups. Each serial killer has his or her own modus operandi, commonly abbreviated to “M.O.” An M.O can include but is not limited to the victims of choice, how the perpetrator commits the crime, and the weapons the perpetrator uses. One of the most monumental unsolved cases is known to the police as the “Whitechapel murders.” Everyday people are more familiar with the case by the nickname of the killer: Jack the Ripper.

Jack the Ripper is the name the media tied to the man that committed a string of at least five murders that took place in Whitechappel, London England in 1888. The name was given after a letter was sent to the local newspaper claiming to be from the Whitechappel murderer. The chilling letter was signed “Jack the Ripper.” The letter ran in the paper a few days after it was sent, popularizing the name, but there is no way to tell if it was from the true killer. There are eleven cases that Jack the Ripper is debatably responsible for, but only five are widely accepted to be the same M.O. These five cases are collectively known as the Canonical Five and included Mary Ann Nicoles, Anne Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly. On the contrary to popular belief, none of the victims showed any signs of being raped. Each murder victim was a women as well as known prostitutes. Two of the victims had their wombs cut out, and all except Elizabeth Stride were extensively mutilated and bruised. Whitechappel was know as the bad side of the town, where prostitutes where common and could be bought for two to three pennies, or even a loaf of stale bread. This fact made it easy for the killer to fulfill his murderous appetite.

Every one of the Canonical Five murders was committed within one mile of each other. The murderers took place over a span of ten short, terrifying weeks. Two of the murders, that of Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes, were committed on the same night and became known as the “double event.” Elizabeth Stride’s murder was the only case with an eyewitness. The presence of another person resulted in Stride’s murder being far less brutal than the other murders and forced Jack the Ripper to find another victim. Catherine Eddowes was killed only forty minutes after Stride.

This case still draws in fascination due to the unknown. Jack the Ripper was the first Serial Killer known world wide and the subject of many books, movies, and television episodes. The current FBI criminal profile names Jack the Ripper to be a loner with a deep fear and hatred of women. The FBI calls him a disorganized killer due to the unusual fact that four out of the five victims were murdered outdoors, out in the open. It is believed that Jack the Ripper resided in Whitechappel London and had some sort of mental issues.

One man, known by his last name, Kozminski, fits this profile to a tee and one member of law enforcement later in life identified him as the police knew to be the killer. He was even identified by the one witness at the scene of Elizabeth Stride’s murder as the man he saw. This promising admission fell through when the eyewitness refused to “testify against a fellow Jew” in court. Without proper evidence though, Kozminski was never brought to trial.

Kozminski being Jack the Ripper would explain why the murders ceased. After the last murder, Kozminski was followed day and night by police and placed into the care of his brother. Eventually he was committed to a mental institution. Law officials believe the only thing that would have ceased the killing rampage of Jack the Ripper would be his death, his incarceration for another crime, or being caught for the Whitechappel murders. Even though all arrows seem to point to Kozminski this case will most likely never be closed. Society is simply too full of intrigue with this case to let the door close on it.

2:2

The image of Stonehenge is one known around the world, and recognized by millions. Stonehenge is a ruin made entirely of giant stones each weighing in between four and forty tons and resides on the Salisbury Plains in Wiltshire England. It is a beautiful structure that would be difficult and time consuming to build even with modern-day technology. The ancient ruins consist of an outer ring of sarsen stones and an inner horseshoe of bluestones. The outer ring is characterized by a series of trilithons, two upright stones spaced apart from one another with a third stone balancing on top in an arch shape. It is one of many similar stone structures in England, but is by far the most famous.

What I found most amazing about Stonehenge is the distance the stone traveled to get there. A people whose technology was so basic they did not even have the wheel transported heavy stones to Stonehenge from 20 to 240 miles away. The “nearby” stones, the sarsen stone, originate from around 20 miles away, though it is thought that these closer stones were in actuality far more difficult to move. Not only did the sarsen stones weigh more, they traveled uphill much of the way. Bluestone, the smaller stone typically known for being warm to the touch, is believed to be from the Prescelly Mountains. These mountains are found an astonishing 240 miles away from Stonehenge. Even Stonehenge experts are at a lost to how the stones were transported. There have been experiments to test out how the builders of Stonehenge transported the stones to the site, but so far all experiments have failed or have run out of funds.

Experts widely agree that this structure was built over a 500-year period between 3100 BC and 2300 BC. Radio-carbon dating was a key component in coming up with this date. The results of dating places the construction of Stonehenge quite appropriately within the stone age. That is where the definitive knowledge ends. The mysteries of Stonehenge are numerous and include:

• Who built it?
• What was their culture based on?
• What was its purpose?
• How did they move the stones?
• How did these people construct Stonehenge?

There are numerous theories that could answer these questions, but there is nothing concrete. According to legend Merlin built Stonehenge with the aid of magic. Obviously this theory does not hold up scientifically. It was thought by many to be built by Celtic Druids, but after dating of the rocks that theory does not line up well with the timeline and has forced many experts back to the drawing board. Some argue that Stonehenge is a calendar because it lineups perfectly with both the summer and winter equinox. It is also possible that it was a place of worship due to the large amount of burial sacrifices found around it. Personally I believe people of that time would not work so hard on something that was not related to their religion. All over the world people’s lives revolved around worship, and I believe this fact would hold true in Ancient England as well.

2:1

The most exciting event for an astronomer to behold is seeing a star supernova. It is witnessing the death of a mass that has been thriving for billions of years. Imagine personally discovering the explosion of a star that has been around billions of years longer then our Sun, it is mind-boggling. Other times stars die in a less glamorous and much darker way. When a super massive star meets its personal end by implosion, it becomes a black hole.

Black holes are matter hungry monsters that consume everything within it’s merciless gravitational pull. Even light cannot escape its veracious appetite. If your body had the misfortune of being close enough to a black hole to be sucked in, every last inch of you, and the matter you are made of, would be destroyed. What was left over would be compacted into the center of the hole at a point that is called a “singularity.” When I first heard of a black hole I was in elementary school and the idea of their mere existence frightened me. Now this fear hits a bit closer to home, now that many scientists believe there is a supermassive black hole in our own back yard, in our own galaxy.

A supermassive black hole as defined by NRAO is “A black hole that has a million or as much as a billion solar masses.” Supermassive black holes are a relatively new idea to science. If they truly exist, they are far more destructive then typical black holes. Scientists are not in agreement on whither not there is one of these entities dwelling within the center of our galaxy. What makes this subject truly tricky is the fact that as of yet, science cannot prove that black holes even exist at all. Though they are widely accepted as fact they are really still a great mystery. After watching interviews of numerous scientists, I am amazed at the amount of times I heard the most brilliant minds alive today say “we just do not know.”

A New theme

I have changed my theme from the casual wedding topic to a more academic one. All my posts from now on will reflect the new title at the top of my page, "Unsolved mysteries." I apologize for the topic change, but I believe everyone will find this one more enjoyable. Welcome to my personal version of unsolved mysteries.

A Weekend Away 1:3

Getting married in the middle of the school semester is difficult. It means picking out a wedding dress and tuxedos one minute, and studying for a biology exam the next. The stress of school, work, and planning can be a lot. With so much going on, it seems like a honeymoon would be out of the option. Well I can thank God, that in my case, it is not.

Sean and I do not have an overwhelming amount of money. That means no weeklong trip to a tropical beach in a land far, far away. With my school schedule that means we also cannot have a weeklong trip somewhere close either. These circumstances left us with three options:

1. Do not go on a honeymoon.
2. Go on a two-day honeymoon to 100% Freeland.
3. Save up money for the next few months and put off our honeymoon to the summer, where we can go to a nearby beach.

We went with option number two.

Typically people would view option number two as the impossible option. Not Sean and myself. I decided that we would pray for somebody to give us a honeymoon.

“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.”~ John 14:13 NIV. With that verse in mind, I prayed that someone would bless us with a honeymoon, and didn’t worry any further. About a week later I decided that we needed to tell God specifically what we wanted so they he could give it to us. I talked with Sean and did some research and we agreed that we wanted to stay in a cottage in Luray County Virginia.

Out of the blue I became reconnected with a women I used to baby-sit for on Facebook. Six years ago she moved to Colorado Springs and we lost touch immediately. She had heard through the grapevine that I was getting married and sent me a message. Her and her husband Bill had decided they wanted to give us a wedding present. The next day she messaged me again and further explained, they more specifically wanted to give to us a honeymoon. She had done a little research and found a beautiful cottage in Luray County Virginia that she was willing to rent for us. This answer to prayer was beyond my comprehension! God used a family I had not seen or talked with in six years to give me and Sean not just any honeymoon, but the exact one we had prayed for!

Today's First Dance Options:

1. Always and Forever -Heatwave

2. Free- Zac Brown Band

These two are actually romantic, I vote for number two on this list.

Bridal Showers 1:2

After having three bridal showers in the last few months, I feel I am somewhat of an expert on them. Each one I had was attended by a different group of people. This is my first recommendation. My first bridal shower was exclusively my family, the second was with the groom’s family, and the final was just our friends. The beauty of having three separate parties is simple, each group of people are in their comfort zone. In our case, each group has distinct characteristics and strong personalities that would not blend together smoothly. By having three separate parties, I was able to have the most possible fun, with the least possible conflict.

My second recommendation is having someone else run the shower. I was able to have more fun at two of my showers because the stress of being in charge was not on me. My bridesmaids were in charge of my family’s party, the groom’s step mom was in charge of his family’s party, and the last party I made the mistake of running. Since I was in charge of the party, I had to make sure we were on schedule and everything was prepared. When my guest wanted to socialize with me and find out about how wedding planning was going, I had to be short with them. It really took away from the smoothness of the party.

The last thing that is important is picking the correct bridal shower games. Two of my parties we had enjoyable games that everyone was involved in, one did not. The successful ones reflected my guests and myself. For example, you do not want a sexually explicit game at a party with children. One of my showers only had one game, that I did not personally appreciate. It was all about “sex noises,” not only was I uncomfortable, it really did not reflect my personality. It is important to be sure that when someone else is planning your games, that they choice something that you yourself would enjoy. I suggest overseeing their plans, especially if the person has not known you and your guests for an extended period of time. The most successful games are the ones that are most obviously wedding themed. Including a game of “how well do you know your groom” is a must in my book. It gives your guests a chance to see an intimate look on how well the bride and groom know each other.

Bridal showers can be a lot of fun, or a complete wreck. Whither or not everyone has an enjoyable time is all about the planning. It is possible to have the perfect party, you may just need a few test runs first.

The father daughter dance song has been decided. I am using "How sweet it is " by James Taylor. Yesterday I overheard my dad informing someone we were using "Achy Breaky Heart" By Billy Ray Cirus. I found myself highly amused and simply had to make it my song picks for this post!

The Wedding Vow 1:1

It is officially three weeks until my wedding and well, I still have a lot to do. I cannot believe how long it takes to plan one single day. Honestly, the wedding day is what, twenty-four hours long? Yet by the time the “big day” comes I will have accumulated three months of twenty-four hour days. The time just does not balance out.

This week’s wedding challenge has been- besides having the flu and not being awake long enough to accomplish anything, writing my wedding vows. I have been at complete loss on how to do this. I had no desire to write them in the first place, but Sean, my husband-to-be, insisted. So since I was having romantic writer's block, I foolishly decided to ask Sean for some help. In my defense he has to write them too right? Well that was my mistake. He casually said, “Just do what I am going to do- make them up on the spot.” Some of you, particularly my readers that are not girls may be thinking “so what?” But let me tell you, after three months of twenty-four hour days, improving wedding vows was not okay.

This morning somehow I went from having a complete block on this whole vow situation, to having a small spark of an idea. I now introduce you to my rough draft, if you will, of my wedding vows. I am not a romantic, but I do love my fiancé. Hopefully the following shows that.

“My Sean, I love you very much. I promise to be the best wife to you that I can. I will be supportive, encouraging, and loving through all the seasons of our lives. I will submit to you just as you submit our family before the Lord. From this day forth we will no longer be two separate people, but one. Let no man separate what God has brought together for his glory. It is with great joy that I now bond myself to you and only you from this day forward, until death do us part.”

A few bible verses were referenced in my vows:

• There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven ~ Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV
• Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. ~ Ephesians 5: 22-24 KJV
• "So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." ~Matthew 19:6 NIV

I have also decided to include, as a running feature up until the week of the wedding, a “What Sabina and Sean’s first dance is going to be?” We have changed it so many times now it has become a joke to the point where I would be surprised if we have anything close to a traditional song as our first dance.

Today's options

1. Let’s Get It On ~ Marvin Gaye

2. Grow Old With You ~ Adam Sandler

My vote is number 2. Sean votes for number 1. What do you think?