A Quick Hello

Hello, dear readers!  I'm sorry it's been so long since I've done a "real" post.  Robby and I have enjoyed being newlyweds, and I've found that my desire to blog has declined a bit.  I'm still going to be around, but I want to take these first few months to just develop and cultivate our new relationship.  That's my primary focus for now.  Family first, then blogging.  Don't worry, though.  I'll have more posts up...you just may have to be a little patient with me. :}

I did end up having my sleepover with the "girls" that I mentioned in my last post.  I'm ashamed to admit it, but we actually didn't take any pictures.  We were so busy having fun together, we didn't stop to document it. :}  Robby stayed with Eugene and Ben for the evening and had a great visit.  I thought it was pretty sweet of him to give up his room to all of us. :)

That's about all I have time for at the moment.  Just don't worry about me, and I'll be on again as soon as I can with pictures and a post that says more than "hi" and "I'm sorry". ;)  Until next time...

Won't Be Around for a Bit

Any of you who follow Beast'sbelle's blog or Tess and Maggie's blog know that Beast'sbelle and her family will be out of town for around a week.  She's asked all of us to stay off of the computer during that time.  I'm not exactly sure why...maybe because she doesn't have Internet access where she is, so she can't check up on us. ;)  Come on, Beast'sbelle...we all know you do it. ;)  It's understandable, I suppose.  Still, I guess I should give a little more thought to what I type, knowing that she could read it at any time. :}

Anyway, I hope to have another post for you within a week and a half or so.  Until then, have a wonderful summery week! :)  Robby and I are planning on spending some time with Eugene and Rapunzel, and I've thought about having Tiana, Rapunzel, and Isabella over for a sleepover one night.  Eugene very graciously offered to give Robby some shelf space that evening. ;)  I'll keep all of you updated on how that goes.

That's all for now.  I'll talk to you guys soonish! :)

P.S.  Thanks for 25 followers, by the way!!  I'm so excited! :D

Our Honeymoon :)

Finally, I have some time to sit down and share these pics with you. :)  Robby and I had an absolutely wonderful trip! :)

We started out in this rather crowded front seat with Rachel and Charlie (and that was before Beast'sbelle joined us!).  Not the most romantic way to travel, but I suppose sometimes you have to compromise. ;)

It was the longest trip I've ever been on (aside from my journey in the UPS box, as I mentioned before).  It was hard to be patient as the miles kept coming.  

We tried to take turns with the bigger dolls looking out the front dash so that everyone had a chance to get a good view.  When they dozed off, we decided to get comfortable on the dashboard and watch the lovely scenery speed by.

I was so excited to be here with Robby.  Even though the trip was long, it was great to have the time to talk, just the two of us.  Well, almost.  As long as we spoke softly enough.  I mean, Rachel and Charlie and Beast'sbelle and her entire family were right there! :}

I loved these lovely yellow flowers on the side of the road.  Robby said they made him think of my golden ballgown. :)

When we pulled up to this house, Rachel told us that we were here.  I guess she remembered the house from last year.

Robby and I were relieved when we were dropped off in the room where we'd be staying.  It was nice to stretch out comfortably on the bed.  Robby was feeling pretty stiff from staying in one sitting position for so long.  

Not long after this picture, he lay down and I helped him stretch his bad leg.  Ben had recommended several leg exercises that Robby could do to help keep his leg as limber as possible, and now that I was his wife, I was determined to help him as much as I could.  Robby doesn't particularly care for his exercises (I think you humans would find it similar to what you call physical therapy), but he knows they're good for him.  I try to sweeten the deal by promising him kisses when he completes them. ;)

The rest of the evening was fairly calm and quiet, which was nice for us.  I wanted Robby to have as much time to recover from the trip as possible so that we could enjoy the beach the next day.  

Oh, how lovely it was!  I'd never seen the ocean before this, and I couldn't even begin to described how the beautiful scenery moved me.  

Robby and I did a bit of climbing around on the rocks until we found one with a perfect vantage point.

It was so wonderful to be there with him, watching the waves crashing on the sand and hearing the gulls calling overhead.  I think that I had never been quite so blissfully happy. :)

"Isn't it lovely?" I asked him.

He turned and kissed my cheek.  "Almost as lovely as you," he told me warmly.

I laughed and socked him on the shoulder.  "Whatever."  And with that, I hopped down from the rock and ran over to the sand.  I waited every moment for him to come bounding up behind me, but when I turned, he was struggling to get down from the rock with the aid of his walking stick.  I instantly felt guilty.  

It's been 6 months since his injury.  You'd think I could remember that he can't keep up with me the way he used to, especially when I'd just helped him the night before!  Yet here and there, I forget, and think we're still the same as we were last summer, when we rambled constantly through the backyard.

I quickly hurried back to the rock.  I almost offered him a hand, but then I remembered how that embarrasses him.  So instead, I waited for him at the bottom.  He managed to get down fairly quickly in spite of his difficulties.  

I placed my hand in his.  "Shall we go put our feet in the sand?"

He smiled and nodded.  I knew he was grateful that I didn't mention what had just happened.  I think it's still hard for him to adjust sometimes, too.

We spent the next few hours playing in the sand and enjoying the sun.  When we were tired, we found a comfortable spot on the sand and relaxed.  I think Rachel mentioned this in her post too, but I was so thankful for plastic instead of skin on this day!  Beast'sbelle forgot the sunscreen, and all of the humans got really sunburned (I suppose 5 hours in the sun will do that to you humans!).  

I was so thankful that we got the chance to go.  Beast'sbelle called this beach "Moonstone Beach".  I thought it was a wonderful name. :)

That night, we spent the evening relaxing together.  All of the others were busy with other things, so we had plenty of time to ourselves.  That's a luxury, even at Beast'sbelle's house, with all of the dolls that are around.

In fact, we spent most of the trip on our own.  We raided the kitchen for snacks, took walks around the beautiful front yard, relaxed in the bedroom, and spent time just basking in each other's company, while the others rushed from activity to activity.

On Tuesday, the last full day that we were there, we decided to join the group again.  They were going to go to the Samoa Dunes.  Beast'sbelle said that it was a great beach and we would probably enjoy it.  We stopped first at Murphy's market in Trinidad for some lunch.

Beast'sbelle bought a sandwich, Cheetos, and blueberries for us to share with the bigger dolls. 

(By the way, I just wanted to mention something.  You've probably noticed that I seem to be wearing the same dress for the entire trip.  First, I don't have pictures from every day, and during those days I washed it.  Secondly, this dress was way more comfy than any of my others, so I wore it more often than I normally wear my dresses.  Just in case you were wondering.) ;) 

After lunch, we stopped at "Windan Sea", a shell souvenir shop that is apparently a traditional stop for Beast'sbelle's family every year.  Robby and I opted to sit in the car for this trip and save our energy for the beach.

And Beast'sbelle was right...it was a lovely beach!  The sun was shining, the water was as blue as a sapphire, and the sand was nice and flat, making it easy for us to take walks.  

You might notice that Robby's walking stick is different in this picture.  That's because we couldn't find his original one that morning, so Beast'sbelle found a piece of driftwood for him to use temporarily.  

I love this picture! :)

When we'd had enough walking, we found a comfy spot in the sand and watched the waves.  We whispered sweet nothings and spun dreams together.  It was another day I'll never forget as long as I live. :)

Robby remembered that Beast'sbelle and Belle'sbeast have a kissing picture on the beach from their honeymoon.  He thought it would be fun if we did the same thing. ;)  Of course, the one from Beast'sbelle's honeymoon was taken by Belle'sbeast while he was kissing her (pretty talented, huh?).  Thankfully, Beast'sbelle was willing to take the picture for us, so we could just concentrate on our favorite part:  the kissing! ;)

Me with my honey :)  I'm not sure what I was looking at here...something must have distracted me at the last minute. :{

One fun thing that happened is that Beast'sbelle's dad, who loves to whittle, made a custom walking stick for Robby from another piece of driftwood.  He said he'd eventually add a leather strap to put around Robby's wrist.  Robby was really excited about this. :)  Thanks, Beast'sbelle's dad! 

The day after our trip to Samoa Dunes, it was time to head home again.  Beast'sbelle took a couple of final pictures of us out in the beautiful front yard of her friends' house.  

We had such a wonderful time together.  It was the best honeymoon we could ever have! :)

That's all for now.  I'm still so incredibly tired!  I guess traveling can do that to you.  :}  I'll be back soon with more stories to tell, though.  Don't worry. :)

We're Back! :)

Hello everyone!  It's great to be blogging again. :D  I hope you're all doing well.  Robby and I just got back a little over an hour ago.  Our honeymoon trip was the BEST, but it's wonderful to be home again, too.  I was hoping to get some official trip posting done tonight.  Now that I'm sitting here, though, I'm feeling a little too wiped out for that.  :}  I'll try to get to it as soon as I can.

We didn't take a whole lot of pictures...we wanted to focus on spending time together more than anything else. :)  We did get some great shots on the beach, though, so I'll be sure to share those.  Hopefully I'll be able to get to that within the next couple of days.  For now, I'm off to sleep in my own bed for the first time in a week!  Now THAT sounds heavenly!!

I'll be in touch with you soon! :)

Leaving Tomorrow! :D

Hello everyone!  Thank you so much for all of the lovely comments and congratulations!  Robby and I are settling into married life very nicely, although it still feels like a dream I'm going to wake up from sometimes. ;)  Being married to him is quite lovely, though.   

It'll be a quick post tonight.  Robby and I have been very busy getting ready for our trip to the coast.  We leave sometime tomorrow with Beast'sbelle and her family.  It was supposed to be first thing in the morning, but Beast'sbelle hasn't been feeling well for a good part of the afternoon, so she's been resting instead of packing.  I think she'll be all right before tomorrow....she seems to be improving.  It got really hot today (84 degrees inside), so that could be part of her problem! :{

Earlier this week, Robby and I talked with Beast'sbelle about the fact that we didn't really have beach clothes.  Robby especially...the poor guy only has one outfit!  I have several, as all of you know, but nothing that's going to be very comfortable for strolling on the beach.  It will most likely be too cold to swim, so we shouldn't need swimming suits, but more casual clothes would be nice.

Beast'sbelle agreed, and the following day, we took a trip to some local stores to try to find some vacation clothes.  Unfortunately, we struck out wherever we went.  Beast'sbelle figured we could just go to the Barbie section and pick something out, but she was sadly mistaken.  For those of you who don't know, the Ken dolls have been redesigned within the last year and are now much skinnier...meaning that Robby is too big to fit into any of the current clothes being offered. :(  

My problem wasn't fitting into things, but finding anything that was even halfway modest!!  Seriously, has anyone thought that there might be some fashion dolls out there who want to wear something that goes past their thighs?!  And I won't even go into all of the plunging necklines, see-through material, or just plain tacky stuff with the word BARBIE plastered all over it.  Really?  Does anyone go around with their name covering the material of their clothing?  That's just silly!

Anyway, long story short, we returned home empty handed.  But Beast'sbelle didn't give up.  She remembered that she had some extra Ken clothes from an obliging "Shave 'n Style" Ken from the 90s (with a body type closer to Robby's), so Robby now has an extra outfit for the beach.

Then, she set to work and made me a dress using THIS TUTORIAL from My Froggy Stuff.

Robby seemed pleased with the results. :)

I think it will be great for the coast.  The material is very stretchy and comfortable, but the dress itself is much more modest than anything we would have found at the store.  

I also found the perfect accessory to go with it:  my choker (made from one of Beast'sbelle's old toe rings).  Now I feel all ready to go! ;)  

I don't think I'll be able to do any blogging while I'm over there, but I'll take some pics to share with you when I get back! :)  I'm so excited!!  This will be the farthest I've ever traveled before (aside from my journey in the UPS box when Beast'sbelle ordered me, but I don't think that's quite the same thing). ;)

I'll talk to all of you when I get back sometime next week! :D

The Best Day of My Life

Well, it's official!  I'm a married "woman". :D  The wedding is over, the guests (and Robby!) are all napping, and I have just a few minutes to relate the whole thing to all of you.   If I can focus, that is...I'm on cloud nine! :)

We did have the lovely outside wedding that we'd planned.  The weather was sunny and the grass was still lush and green.  Unfortunately, we weren't able to get married under the rose bush like I'd hoped.  The petals were starting to wither a bit, for one thing.  But more importantly, it was just a little too hot in the sun.  None of us wanted to melt. ;)

About 15 minutes before everything was supposed to begin, our guests took their seats.  Isabella and Tiana had kindly offered to watch Baby Emmaline and Baby Abigail since Eugene and Rapunzel were standing up with us in the ceremony.  The babies loved being outside and cooed and babbled happily with their babysitters.

Cordelia came as well, and much to my surprise, Ben also attended.  I wasn't sure if he would after our history.  Rapunzel and I were still getting ready when everyone was taking their seats, so Tiana filled us in on all of the details later.  She said that Ben very pointedly took the farthest seat away from Isabella that he could.  Tiana said that Isabella looked sad about this, but didn't say anything.  Ben can be such a stinker!

Of course, things didn't turn out so well for him when Marguerite, completely oblivious to his past feelings for her, settled herself comfortably beside him.  

"Do you mind if I sit here?" she asked pleasantly.  I could just picture her sweet voice, thick with her French accent, when Tiana told me.  "Raoul has to perform the ceremony, so I'm all alone."

Tiana said it took Ben a while to respond.  His face was turned away from her, so Tiana couldn't catch his expression, but I could imagine the stunned, pained look pretty well on my own.

"No, not at all," he finally managed.  

Apparently, Marguerite chatted happily away the entire time they were waiting for the ceremony to begin.  I felt a twinge of pity for poor Ben at this.  That had to have been hard. 

Eugene filled Rapunzel in later (and of course, she shared it with us!).  He had a better vantage point from his spot up front.  I guess Marguerite kept right on visiting, even when Raoul, Robby and Eugene stood up front to wait for me to come out.  Eugene said that Ben never took his eyes off of her, and that he had the most mournful expression on his face that Eugene had ever seen.  Meanwhile, Marguerite laughed and talked as if they were the best of friends, utterly blind to the pain she was causing.  And how could she know?  Ben had never shared his feelings with her.  He'd never had a chance, really.  Before he could say anything, Raoul had arrived at the house, and then it was obvious that Marguerite's affections already lay elsewhere.

When the music began, Marguerite finally stopped visiting with Ben, and all of the audience sat attentively, waiting for Rapunzel and I to make our entrance.  (Beast'sbelle had kindly plugged her CD player in and put it on the front porch so that we could have some music for the ceremony. :D )  I had selected "Meditation" by Thais as the music I would walk into.  I'd heard it on Beast'sbelle's "Never Grow Up" blog and thought it was absolutely beautiful.  I love violins!!

Once the music started, Rapunzel and I took our places behind the rose bush and waited for a few minutes.  We were going to let the music play a while and let everyone get in the right mood before I made my appearance. ;)

I was able to sneak a peak through the branches at my beloved.  He looked so nervous!  He was staring down at the ground as if he couldn't bear to look.  Or maybe he wasn't nervous...maybe he was just ready and couldn't wait another second.

Suddenly, I felt the same way.  "Let's go," I whispered to Rapunzel, who was going to walk in with me.

"Are you sure?" she whispered back.  "You were going to wait 3 more measures."

Three measures of music felt like a lifetime.  "I'm sure," I said confidently.

Rapunzel grinned and took my arm.  "Then let's go," she said sweetly.

We came out from behind the rosebush and headed over for the tree where I'd spent so many hours with my beloved Robby.

My heart was pounding, but I couldn't stop smiling.  It all felt so surreal!

And then I caught a glimpse of him.  I'll never forget the look of pure adoration he had on his face as he gazed at me, or the way he took a deep breath as I approached.  Never had I felt so absolutely cherished.  And that's saying a lot, because Robby has given me plenty of caring looks in the past! :)  This one was more wonderful than all the rest, though.  I wanted to rush into his arms right that minute, but I restrained myself...barely. ;)

As we approached the tree, Rapunzel left my side and took her place beside Raoul, who was going to officiate the ceremony since Percy was no longer with us.  I could feel happiness welling up inside of me so intensely that I thought I might burst.  The combination of the beautiful music, the face of my betrothed, and the excitement of the day had all combined into one huge wave of giddiness.  I felt as if I could fly if someone only asked me to. 

And then, almost before I knew it, I was standing there among the rose petals, facing Robby, ready to commit to him for the rest of my days.  

"You look beautiful," Robby whispered warmly as we came together.

I blushed.  "Thanks," I whispered back.  "You look amazing in that tux."

He made a face.  "I wanted to stick with my usual clothes, but Beast'sbelle insisted.  Glad you approve."  

He gave me a little wink, and I stifled a giggle.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Rapunzel and Eugene exchanging a tender glance, no doubt remembering their own special day over a year ago.  And they both loved us so much that this was most likely just as exciting for them as it was for us.  They'd both been hoping this day would come for months, even before I was convinced. ;)

I focused my attention back on myself and Robby, waiting for Raoul to begin the ceremony.  But Robby had an unexpected surprise up his sleeve.  

Looking deeply into my eyes, he started to sing.  It took me a while in my surprised state to recognize the song he was singing.  It was "You Were Meant for Me" from "Singin' In the Rain".  We'd watched it a few weeks ago, and I'd mentioned how much I liked that song.  Apparently, he'd been paying attention!

[Side Note #1:  I've included a link to the original song HERE  for those of you who aren't familiar with it.  Of course, Robby's version was a bit different.  He sang it a cappella, and we also didn't break into a dance number in the middle of it (good thing, too, since I can't dance to save my life!). ;)  Still, it'll give you an idea of how special it was.] 

Now, Robby's not a huge fan of musicals or romantic movies, but he puts up with them because I like them. So that shows you just how much he loves me.  He took the time to learn a song from a movie that wasn't even one of his favorites, just because he knew it would be significant for me.

It was the most beautiful, moving thing anyone had ever done for me.  Instantly, I was brought back to the day we'd gone outside, when I'd first discovered his singing ability.  I only wished I could sing well enough to join him.  I clamped my jaw closed, just in case my joy overtook my good sense.

Once Robby's song was over, the ceremony officially began.  I know Raoul said a lot of nice things, but honestly, I don't remember most of them.  It's all kind of a blur.  :}  I did pay enough attention to repeat my vows along with Robby:  

"I Belle take you Robby, to be my wedded husband.  To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, in brokenness and mint condition, with rich humans or poor, for better or for worse, till dumpster or landfill do us part."

 Before I knew it, the time had come to exchange our bracelets.

We'd brought the "Je Taime" box that Robby had used to give me my engagement bracelet.  It held the bracelets safely until it was time.  

Rapunzel scooped down and got both bracelets out, then waited to hand them to us as Raoul started talking about them.

[Side note #2:  You might notice that we didn't do the same glove ceremony as Eugene and Rapunzel.  I really wanted to, but my gloves weren't in the best of shape, and I also wanted to keep the wedding as simple and short as possible.  I hadn't planned on going over our traditions again in this post since I went into such detail for Eugene and Rapunzel's wedding post.  If you're interested in a refresher course, you can view their wedding HERE.] ;)

When Raoul had finished, Robby placed my bracelet on my left wrist...

...and I placed his on his left wrist.

Raoul pronounced us husband and wife, and Robby bent down to kiss his bride.

And with that, I was officially married.  It seemed so strange.  Months of anticipation and planning and dreaming had all come down to a simple 15 minute ceremony, over in the blink of an eye.  But now, the real adventure began. ;)

Our guests all cheered and applauded, full of joy for us on our special day.  I looked out at each one of them, so thankful that they had come to witness this important moment in our lives.  

We didn't do a receiving line because everyone was planning on sticking around afterwards, and Beast'sbelle really wanted to get some photos of us.

The Happy Couple

Rapunzel and I

Eugene and Robby

We also got a group shot of everyone who was able to attend. :)

And of course, Beast'sbelle went crazy with the camera and took a TON of wedding photos.  She had advised us to wait to do pictures until after the wedding so that the first time Robby saw me in my dress would be when I was walking towards him during the ceremony.  It was a little tiring to have to do all of the pictures afterwards, but I'm so glad we did it that way.  I wouldn't exchange the look my almost-husband gave me when he first saw me for anything! :)

Anyway, here are some of our very favorites:

After a while, my veil really started to bother me, so I took it off and posed for the rest of the pictures without it. ;)

In keeping with tradition, I selected the wedding guest who would have the honor of receiving my wedding bouquet.  After Tiana's story last weekend, I knew without a doubt that she would be the right choice.

I hoped that somehow, someway, she would be able to be reunited with her special Naveen doll.  And I hoped that if the Naveen on his way was the wrong one, I could perhaps convince Beast'sbelle to send him back and search for the right one.

After all, Tiana deserved to have a day just as happy as this one for herself.

Once we had finished our pictures (we thought!), we headed over to cut our...Reese's.  You'll all remember how important the cake was to Robby. :}  Well, Beast'sbelle kind of ran out of time to get a cake for us, but she happened to have a heart-shaped Reese's peanut butter cup available.  It was just the right size, and the heart shape was very appropriate.  Robby decided that would be an okay substitute, so we went ahead and used it. :)

It looked delicious!  I was sure our guests wouldn't mind the substitution. ;)

Beast'sbelle cut if for us since she didn't want any of us using sharp knives.  She's really big on having mint condition dolls without any lacerations. ;)

We took turns feeding each other and decided to be NICE (no smashing Reese's in each other's faces or anything!).  I'm a little embarrassed by this picture, though.  My arm locked in place at this weird angle for a minute, and before I could fix it, Robby bent down and took his bite, and Beast'sbelle snapped a picture.  How embarrassing! :{

Robby's picture looks much more sophisticated. ;)

Apparently no one minded the Reese's, because it was gone within minutes! 

Like I mentioned earlier, we figured we were all done with pictures, but then Beast'sbelle mentioned that the sun had shifted, so it might be nice to take some pictures by the roses.  Part of me wanted to just skip it, but Beast'sbelle reminded us that we'd never be able to capture this moment again, so it was always better to err on the side of too many pictures than not enough.  We figured she was probably right, so we agreed, even though we were getting tired of posing!  They turned out really nicely, though, so I guess I shouldn't complain. ;)

At last the pictures were finished, and the guests had returned to the house.  Robby and I flopped back in the grass and stole a few minutes to ourselves. 

"Can you believe we're actually married now?" I asked him incredulously.  "I feel like it's all just a dream, and tomorrow, I'll wake up to things the way they used to be."

Robby smiled gently as we sat up.  "It's not a dream, Belle."  I loved the way his voice caressed my name as he said it.  "You really are mine.  No more waiting and pining."

He leaned in closer and gave me a tender look.  "I'm afraid you're stuck with me for good, m'dear."

I pretended to think about this for a moment.  "I suppose I could live with that," I teased him.

I had only a moment to see the grin that spread across his features before he stooped down and kissed me.

I don't know how frequently I'll be posting in the next few days.  I'd like to just focus on Robby and spending time with him.  I'll be in touch in the weeks to come, though.  Thank you to everyone who stopped by to share our special day with us!  We love hearing from all of you and are humbled that you're so interested in our little plastic lives. ;)  Oh, and Robby said to be sure and say hello to everyone for him, too. :)