The Play List

In lieu of a DJ at the reception, Michael and I have opted for the iPod play list. Now, DJs are nice because they take requests and they feel the crowd, but they are expensive. So since we won't have a man with headphones taking requests, we're taking them now.

So leave a comment and tell us what to play.

And you can tell us what to play even if you're not coming.

Thanks!

Hotel Rooms, Part 2

As you can see from the previous post, our reception is going to happen in a hotel. For those of you who know our story, you know that hotels play an important role--namely that I picked up Michael in the lobby of a hotel in Thailand. Scandalous, I know. Anyway, you get to be part of our hotel story. Those of you who are out-of-towners can also stay at the Ramada for that weekend at a discount rate of $75 per room per night plus tax. Here's how.

1. Decide if you need roommates or if you will be renting a room for yourself. (If you need roommates but don't know who, let me know and we'll hook you up.)
   
2. Decide if you need any special accommodations: can't do stairs, need a cot or rollaway bed for Billy your third child, need a fridge for your insulin shots...
   
3. After the roommate arrangements/special accommodations decisions are made call (856) 696-3800.
   
   • Tell them your with the Peeples-Sauceda Wedding
     
   • Tell them which nights you will be staying.
     
   • Tell them about any special accommodations you need. They should not charge you extra for any of those things.
   
   
4. Your rate includes breakfast.
   
5. You have to do this before October 3rd for the discounted rate of $75 plus tax or the rate will default back to the regular price of $109 plus tax.

So let's review:

• Singles who want to split the room with someone (up to 4 people) should either make their own arrangements with other people OR should email me and I can hook you up.
  
• If you have special needs, tell the front desk when you call.
  
• You have to call before October 3rd.
  
• You have to say it's for the Peeples-Sauceda wedding.

The telephone number: (856) 696-3800
The address: 2216 W. Landis Avenue, Vineland, NJ 08360

For driving directions from the Philadelphia Airport.
For driving directions to the church.
For driving directions to Atlantic City. (For those of you who really want to party like it's 1999...)

If you have any questions or problems, let me know. Thanks for being patient on this one.

Let's Party Like It's 1999 (The Reception Post)

We signed a contract today and finally have a reception hall! So...

The Regency Ballroom
Ramada Inn
2216 W. Landis Avenue
Vineland, NJ 08360

If you have any special dietary needs (i.e. you're vegetarian, allergic to gluten, etc) let me know or if you have small children who don't like fancy food and would rather eat chicken tenders let me know that, too. You can write it on your RSVP or comment on this post or email me. Also, I have to give the caterer an official number on October 10th so please please please send me your RSVPs before then.


If you want directions, go here.

So let's party like it's 1999! Or like it's my wedding and you're really excited about it. Or like it's 1997 and it was a really good year for alternative music.

God is Generous

So that's been the thing I've been learning the last year. At the risk of sounding like a moocher and free-loader, we've received money from people (sometimes people we don't know well, or people we knew well a long time ago but have fallen out of touch with, and sometimes close friends and our loving family) when we needed it the most, we've gotten cars, and we are well-fed, we've gotten clothes and shoes as gifts at just the right time...

And now we're planning a wedding with a tight budget and a tight schedule and so many things are falling into place.

I confess that I am not a person who easily believes in prayer. My whole Christian life, I have been quick to study and talk about and teach doctrine, and I love the Bible and delving into its depths. But me and prayer, I do it because I believe God loves me, but many prayers are acts of the will where I actively choose to believe that the infinite God would be mindful of me. But God, over and over and over again proves to me that he is attentive, faithful, and generous.

I'll have more wedding details hopefully Monday or Tuesday. Keep checking the blog, and when those contracts are signed and sealed, I'll let you know.

And if you are the kind of person who prays, Praise God because he is generous.

The authority of Scripture

In vain were the authority of Scripture fortified by argument, or supported by the consent of the Church, or confirmed by any other helps, if unaccompanied by an assurance higher and stronger than human judgment can give.

John Calvin
Institutes of the Christian Religion
Book I Chap VIII Sect 1

Hotel Rooms

Many of you have asked what hotels are available in the area and I've told you that I'm working on getting a block of hotel rooms at a discount rate for you. Here's what's going on with that.

I have a travel agent friend who contacted the hotels and got quotes from them and I'm supposed to call her back today and tell her what I think about those quotes. The truth of the matter is that the quotes they gave her are the same as what's on the website and so it's not any sort of discount at all. So I'm going to call her back today and talk to her about it and see what can be done.

Now, given that we get that all sorted out, I need to know from all of you how many rooms you need and how many people will be in your room. Now some of you have already told given me that information, but it would be very helpful to me if you gave it to me again either in your RSVP (look in the mail this coming week for your invitations!) or in an email or by commenting here. If you are a single person willing to share a room, also please let me know--and if you know who you want to share a room with, let me know that too.

Thanks for your patience with me. I'll let you know how that conversation with my travel agent friend goes.

Back in Tulsa

It's 7:30a on Labor Day, and we are hoping to leave at about 10a. I'm waiting for the laundry to dry, then I'll take a shower, get ready, wake up Michael, pack the car, go to the grocery store and buy a loaf a bread and a box of Dr. Pepper, and hopefully head to Marion, Indiana by 10.

Hopefully.

Amy, who is one of the coolest girls I know, lives in Marion and has graciously agreed to let us crash at her place.

Then from Marion, we'll be on to Vineland and on to whatever comes next.

Our Rabbi Friend

This is a hilarious story and I wanted to share it with everyone. (Mom, I hope you don't mind!)

So my mom gives one of our a uncles a ride to work sometimes, and he works at a kosher chicken processing plant. Because it's kosher, there's a rabbi who overseas their process to make sure that they don't cut corners and he signs of on it being kosher food. Well, this particular rabbi doesn't drive and likes to smoke. And my mom saw over the course of several weeks that every Tuesday this Rabbi walked alone from the plant to a convinience store a certain distance away. Being the kind and generous person she has always been, she decided one day to stop and offer the man a ride. And he accepted. The next Tuesday he flagged her down. Then he started waiting for her. And now, every Tuesday, she gives him a ride to that convenience store, where he buys a pack of smokes and goes on his way.

Yesterday, Michael emailed my mom (because they do that a lot) and asked about the Rabbi. This was my mom's reply:

Indeed I gave the Rabbi a ride today. I gave him a ride last Tuesday for the first time after not seeing him for several weeks and it was funny...He spotted me very close to the plant parking lot, I stopped, he got in the car quicker than usual and before he finished buckling the seatbelt he said "you can go", I did not move, so he buckled nervously and said "go". As I was driving away I noticed that under the trees on the side of the parking lot there was another Rabbi observing us with a very stern look...and I thought maybe the Rabbi friend would be reprimanded and wouldn't ask for rides anymore...but no...he was there today again.

If I were a more dedicated writer, I would write a book called Our Rabbi Friend and it would tell about what happens between Tuesdays at the plant parking lot.

The Southwestern Tour

I'm in Lubbock, TX right now, home of Buddy Holly, Texas Tech, and One Guy From Italy. Can't say I ever thought my life would play out in such a way that I'd have family in Lubbock, but then again, I also never thought I'd go to New Jersey or Iowa or China.

Anyway, we're doing our southwestern tour: Tulsa-> Lubbock-> Abilene-> Brownwood-> Willis-> Longview-> Oklahoma City-> Tulsa. Then from Tulsa, we'll be on our Appalachian Tour, which really just means we'll be driving home to New Jersey.

Hopefully we'll be in Jersey by September 10th, which also happens to be my birthday.

Also, today is our one year anniversary. We'll be spending it with Granny. :)

It's good to have friends and family all over the world. I like it.