So, I went to try on wedding dresses today. I have been somewhat hesitant about the dress process since even before I was engaged. I am not a wedding dress type of girl. I have not dreamt of my one day wedding dress my whole life. In fact, I have given it very little thought until I found myself engaged. I feel like the pressure and importance placed on a wedding dress by the world in general made up for my lack of emphasis.
I love Sex & the City. I have lived vicariously through the women of that show for years now. There is an episode soon after Carrie has gotten engaged to Aiden where her and Miranda try on wedding dresses more or less for fun in preparation for Carrie's marriage. They are standing in this cramped fitting room with some hideous wedding dress giggling about the entire situation. Carrie eventually manages to get the dress on only to immediately want to take it off. She has a mini meltdown in the form of a panic attack at the sight of her in a wedding dress. For Carrie, t was everything that a wedding means wrapped into a large ball of toole and rhinestones. It was her loss of freedom and independence and sexual promiscuity and her identity. I have always identified with that scene for whatever reason. I am not as old as Carrie is. I am not as sexually experienced as Carrie's character is. But I am as attached to who I am as Carrie is. I have always wondered if one day I would put on a wedding dress and soon be engulfed in the magnitude of the situation that I am oddly enough now in.
Today in Beau's Bridal with my mother (a lot less cool than Miranda) acting as my wedding dress assistant I tried on 3 dresses. I tried them on more out of curiosity than actual interest. And I tried them on because I knew I needed to try them on. I did not panic. I did not feel terribly overwhelmed. I giggled and laughed and recognized that I am getting married on June 19th. It was certainly one of those steps toward understanding that marriage is more than a day in June and an excuse to get dressed up. I think I get marriage more than Carrie Bradshaw. However, I still am a bit daunted (if not a lot daunted) by the baggage that comes with marriage. The realistic, pessimistic part of me (which is a big part of me by the way) thinks that it is somewhat crazy to think that a person can make a decision at 23 that will still be in place when they are 63. It is proposterous that in a few months I won't be Katy Schrodt anymore, and instead Katy Prater. It is insane to understand that Cody and I will one day have children, create humans, together. It is crazy.
I do not want out. I do not question whether or not this is right. I just think marriage is a hugely unobtainable concept for me to digest all at once. It will take me all 7 months (and most likely years of marriage) of this engagement for me to understand what it is that we are exactly doing. I can only hold onto the truth that I am certain of. And that is that enough love can erase the realistic, pessimistic side of a person and replace it with a little less Carrie Bradshaw and a little more fairytale.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
We Have a Date
June 19, 2010 will be the big day. I don't love the date, mainly because I've never been a big fan of June, but that's okay. I've started to understand that weddings run you, you don't run your wedding.
We will be getting married at my church, Goddard United Methodist with a reception following at Golden Living. I think it's really awesome that our reception will be at the headquarters for a nursing home facility, but again it's the nature of the beast. I like old people, so I'm cool with it anyway. I just wanted to make sure that the air conditioner worked and it seemed very cool the day we visited the reception site.
We still don't have a time or photographer or cake person (I assume baker is the correct term for that). But considering we've only been working a week at planning, I feel like we got an acceptable amoutn accomplished.
I am slowly starting to accept this whole engagement/marriage thing. I think it's really weird how when you start putting different titles on a relationship and rings on different fingers, things seem to want to change. Regardless of the situation, Cody and I are still Cody and me (this sentence is an English teacher's nightmare).
I think I kind of had a delayed reaction to this whole thing to be honest. The other day I was trying to explain symbolism in reference to Lord of the Flies to a group of 14 year olds. I know that any sort of abstract idea is so difficult to explain where kids can understand, especially 10 minutes before lunch, but I was determined to do my best. I immediately thought of a cross as being a logical symbol that most people understand the underlying meaning for. However, as a public school teacher, I try to stray from anything Jesus related. From there I decided I would go to the symbols they use on a map to signify a state capital, a major interstate, etc. Then, I realized this is the generation of mapquest and most of my kids have probably never even looked at a paper map (insert cringe at my growing older here). So, on to my 3rd attempt to explain the same concept. As I stood there in front of 30 pairs of glazed over eyeballs, I came up with an extremely simple symbol: a ring. I began to talk about what a ring symbolizes beyond a pretty piece of jewelery. However, by some stroke of God, who I had refused to acknowledge only moments before, my students starting spouting off all of these things that a ring symbolizes. Love, marriage, trust, a relationship, sex (from the funny guy in the back whose desk faces the wall because he can't focus on anything), money, etc. I stood there for a minute stunned that these kids have any idea what a ring symbolizes and then realized how early on people understand that a big part of life is finding someone who will give you a ring or wear the one you give them. I had this weird flashback to me being a 9th grader and a fastforwarded memory of all of the steps that somehow created this road to me being engaged to be married. It was all a bit overwhelming to take in, but I finally felt like I had processed the situation.
It's funny to work with young people who serve as a constant reminder to who you used to be, where you used to be, and the things you used to believe. At 14 I didn't know Cody Prater would be the man I would marry, but I am so glad that he is. It was humbling for some reason to know that I have successfully traversed those years of not knowing where I would end up or with whom I'd end up. I was glad to not be 14. And I was glad to be 23 and engaged without any hesitation or question about the situation. All of this took place in a crowded room with my rowdiest class of the day. As the bell rang, the smart elic (sp?) who so thoughtfully threw out the response "sex" in reference to what a ring symbolized apologized to me for saying it. I reprimanded him and told him that everything didn't have to be about sex and went on to say that marriage is not all about sex. As he walked out of my room, I sat down with a rather wide grin on my face understanding all of the things that marriage will hold for Cody and myself.
We will be getting married at my church, Goddard United Methodist with a reception following at Golden Living. I think it's really awesome that our reception will be at the headquarters for a nursing home facility, but again it's the nature of the beast. I like old people, so I'm cool with it anyway. I just wanted to make sure that the air conditioner worked and it seemed very cool the day we visited the reception site.
We still don't have a time or photographer or cake person (I assume baker is the correct term for that). But considering we've only been working a week at planning, I feel like we got an acceptable amoutn accomplished.
I am slowly starting to accept this whole engagement/marriage thing. I think it's really weird how when you start putting different titles on a relationship and rings on different fingers, things seem to want to change. Regardless of the situation, Cody and I are still Cody and me (this sentence is an English teacher's nightmare).
I think I kind of had a delayed reaction to this whole thing to be honest. The other day I was trying to explain symbolism in reference to Lord of the Flies to a group of 14 year olds. I know that any sort of abstract idea is so difficult to explain where kids can understand, especially 10 minutes before lunch, but I was determined to do my best. I immediately thought of a cross as being a logical symbol that most people understand the underlying meaning for. However, as a public school teacher, I try to stray from anything Jesus related. From there I decided I would go to the symbols they use on a map to signify a state capital, a major interstate, etc. Then, I realized this is the generation of mapquest and most of my kids have probably never even looked at a paper map (insert cringe at my growing older here). So, on to my 3rd attempt to explain the same concept. As I stood there in front of 30 pairs of glazed over eyeballs, I came up with an extremely simple symbol: a ring. I began to talk about what a ring symbolizes beyond a pretty piece of jewelery. However, by some stroke of God, who I had refused to acknowledge only moments before, my students starting spouting off all of these things that a ring symbolizes. Love, marriage, trust, a relationship, sex (from the funny guy in the back whose desk faces the wall because he can't focus on anything), money, etc. I stood there for a minute stunned that these kids have any idea what a ring symbolizes and then realized how early on people understand that a big part of life is finding someone who will give you a ring or wear the one you give them. I had this weird flashback to me being a 9th grader and a fastforwarded memory of all of the steps that somehow created this road to me being engaged to be married. It was all a bit overwhelming to take in, but I finally felt like I had processed the situation.
It's funny to work with young people who serve as a constant reminder to who you used to be, where you used to be, and the things you used to believe. At 14 I didn't know Cody Prater would be the man I would marry, but I am so glad that he is. It was humbling for some reason to know that I have successfully traversed those years of not knowing where I would end up or with whom I'd end up. I was glad to not be 14. And I was glad to be 23 and engaged without any hesitation or question about the situation. All of this took place in a crowded room with my rowdiest class of the day. As the bell rang, the smart elic (sp?) who so thoughtfully threw out the response "sex" in reference to what a ring symbolized apologized to me for saying it. I reprimanded him and told him that everything didn't have to be about sex and went on to say that marriage is not all about sex. As he walked out of my room, I sat down with a rather wide grin on my face understanding all of the things that marriage will hold for Cody and myself.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
We Got Engaged
Update: Katy Schrodt and Cody Prater are engaged after close to five years worth of traditional, yet oh so unconventional courtship.
In the past three days I have repeated the story of how we got engaged close to 76 times. With each retelling of the story, my engagement magic slowly loses some of its shine. I realized that I may as well jump into wedding planning feet first (or is it head first?) and create a blog to capture all of the wonderful (note the sarcasm) moments ahead of us. To begin, I will give a brief reenactment of the past five years with Cody Wayne Prater. It all began with a less than noteworthy meeting in the courtyard of Sebastian Commons. There was a few months of both of us pretending not to be interested in the other, followed by a slow moving dating period that eventually led to an "official" relationship beginning on March 1, 2005 (technically we only chose March 1st to allow for an easier remembrance of our anniversary). Cody and I are crazy together. I think we are somewhat unique in the way we interact and yet perfectly right at the same time.
On October 31, 2009 (It may have actually been November 1st. We are uncertain how Daylight Saving Time effects an engagement) Cody and I went to Wells Lake for an "adventure," according to Cody. It was very late at night and quite chilly. I was somewhat agitated at the late night hours and cool temperatures. I was nagging Cody that an "adventure" technically entailed a new place, which Wells Lake certainly was not for Cody and me. Nonetheless, we weathered the cold and the duck poop and the profanity-ridden mouths of the group of people across the lake to walk around long enough for Cody to propose to me. Cody wore a tightly zipped up coat and windsuit pants that cleverly covered a suit underneath. He offered me his coat numerous times (I always turned him down.) before he finally began undressing himself. There was a bent knee proposal along with a fluster of emotions and tears (mostly Cody) and words that I still do not remember clearly. All I know for certain is that when we left the familiar Wells Lake on October 31st or perhaps November 1st, we certainly had embarked on a new "adventure."
I never was a dreamer. I have not spent the better part of my 23 years of life envisioning my wedding day. I do not have the majority of my wedding planned. Honestly, I have never really cared a whole lot about my wedding day. Needless to say, the past 3 days have thrown my somewhat indifferent wedding attitude into a win-at-all-cost wedding game plan. I want the best date and best dress and best flowers. I want the best ring (I really like the ring by the way.) and best reception and best ideas so that this wedding can live up to the time I have spent with the best guy.
I think we have narrowed it down to June 2010 on either the 12th or the 19th. I had not a clue the number of details involved in planning a wedding. Only a few days of this has been testimony for eloping! Nonetheless, I will spend the next 7 months of my life tirelessly trying to get this right, simply because I know no other way. I am glad to have good friends and family who I know will help greatly, and at the end of the day, I am so very excited to marry Cody Prater. Here's to an interesting few months and a memorable wedding...
In the past three days I have repeated the story of how we got engaged close to 76 times. With each retelling of the story, my engagement magic slowly loses some of its shine. I realized that I may as well jump into wedding planning feet first (or is it head first?) and create a blog to capture all of the wonderful (note the sarcasm) moments ahead of us. To begin, I will give a brief reenactment of the past five years with Cody Wayne Prater. It all began with a less than noteworthy meeting in the courtyard of Sebastian Commons. There was a few months of both of us pretending not to be interested in the other, followed by a slow moving dating period that eventually led to an "official" relationship beginning on March 1, 2005 (technically we only chose March 1st to allow for an easier remembrance of our anniversary). Cody and I are crazy together. I think we are somewhat unique in the way we interact and yet perfectly right at the same time.
On October 31, 2009 (It may have actually been November 1st. We are uncertain how Daylight Saving Time effects an engagement) Cody and I went to Wells Lake for an "adventure," according to Cody. It was very late at night and quite chilly. I was somewhat agitated at the late night hours and cool temperatures. I was nagging Cody that an "adventure" technically entailed a new place, which Wells Lake certainly was not for Cody and me. Nonetheless, we weathered the cold and the duck poop and the profanity-ridden mouths of the group of people across the lake to walk around long enough for Cody to propose to me. Cody wore a tightly zipped up coat and windsuit pants that cleverly covered a suit underneath. He offered me his coat numerous times (I always turned him down.) before he finally began undressing himself. There was a bent knee proposal along with a fluster of emotions and tears (mostly Cody) and words that I still do not remember clearly. All I know for certain is that when we left the familiar Wells Lake on October 31st or perhaps November 1st, we certainly had embarked on a new "adventure."
I never was a dreamer. I have not spent the better part of my 23 years of life envisioning my wedding day. I do not have the majority of my wedding planned. Honestly, I have never really cared a whole lot about my wedding day. Needless to say, the past 3 days have thrown my somewhat indifferent wedding attitude into a win-at-all-cost wedding game plan. I want the best date and best dress and best flowers. I want the best ring (I really like the ring by the way.) and best reception and best ideas so that this wedding can live up to the time I have spent with the best guy.
I think we have narrowed it down to June 2010 on either the 12th or the 19th. I had not a clue the number of details involved in planning a wedding. Only a few days of this has been testimony for eloping! Nonetheless, I will spend the next 7 months of my life tirelessly trying to get this right, simply because I know no other way. I am glad to have good friends and family who I know will help greatly, and at the end of the day, I am so very excited to marry Cody Prater. Here's to an interesting few months and a memorable wedding...
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