Lucky Sevens

As early as my first date with George, I actually entertained the thought of marriage again. We connected on every level very quickly. It was really no surprise to me that we were engaged just four months later. During our engagement neither of us put pressure on each other in setting a date. We felt it would fall in place when it was meant to be. We were engaged on 7/7/06 and thought it would be fun to be married one year later on 7/7/07-- lucky sevens! We eventually agreed to 9/8/07 simply due to timing and schedules. I think having that year of engagement was crucial. George and I experienced every trial and tribulation that you could possibly imagine during that time, and it gave us the chance to see how each other reacts under pressure. Apparently, we both passed the test!

George loves first class. I mean, really, who doesn't? However, I wanted to do things a little different this summer as far as our family vacation. Sometimes the best of nature can't be experienced behind the confines of a 5-star hotel. Some of my very best memories growing up were our family camping experiences in Yellowstone National Park. We traveled the park -- all five of us -- in a Ford pickup truck pulling a 12-foot travel trailer. It was one of those multi-purpose trailers where the dining table turned into a sleeper for my sister and me. It contained a master bed, which was slightly larger than a twin bed for my lucky parents, and it featured a sling cot that hung over my parents' bed that housed my brother. Cozy to say the very least!

I don't know maybe I'm weird, but we had so much fun -- simple, innocent, cheap fun -- like seeing who had collected the most interesting piece of driftwood, practicing our Tarzan call to other campers camping on the other side of Yellowstone Lake, and the biggest adventure was the challenge of outrunning the abundance of bears to use the outhouse. Sorry, but you just can't get the thrill of fighting for your life at the Four Seasons! Perhaps it was a bit selfish of me to want to bring back memories, but I thought it would be good for George's daughters to experience nature in somewhat of a primitive form.

Back to the wedding. Wedding dress shopping with Austin Scarlett was a highlight for me. Meeting Austin Scarlet was so exciting He is larger than life! I totally outweighed him and his make-up was pro. When I initially met him, I don't even remember what I said because I was so fascinated with the perfection of his eyeliner! He was so sweet and kind to us. He truly was interested in finding the perfect dress for me. He is so talented, and his dresses are amazing. He completely "gets" the female form. I just recently ran into him at the Runway fashion show in New York and showed him pictures of the wedding. I think he was impressed with his work! All of Austin's dresses were beautiful and truly amazing!

Price wasn't an issue. I wanted the perfect dress -- it had to fit like a glove, and I wanted to look like Cinderella! I wanted a dress that was timeless, so that in 10 or 20 years when I look back at the photos, I won't be saying, "What was I thinking?" The dress I chose was Ashley's favorite. After watching the last episode, I know that I chose the perfect dress for me.

Speaking of Ashley, I'm very proud of Ashley getting her real estate license. She is taking steps to secure her future which means she is growing up! She seems to be more responsible these days. When she asked me if she could be my maid of honor, it caught me off guard. I have an older sister who I am very close with. I always go to her for advice, and I naturally thought of her being my maid of honor. However I quickly realized how important it was for Ashley and how much it would mean to her. I knew my sister would understand and not think twice about it. I ended up having Ashley as my maid of honor and my sister as my matron of honor. Ashley held my bouquet, and my sister Linda carried the Kleenex! It all worked out perfectly in the end.

As for the new Housewife, I haven't had much of a chance to get to know Quinn yet. I think I've spent all of about two hours in a limo with her to date, so I don't have much of an opinion. She seemed a little shy, but after watching the last episode, I guess not! You go girl!