The Honeymoon Begins

Last night Jennifer and I kicked off our honeymoon with a Dave Matthews Band show at Fenway Park. We arrived at the park around 5:30 and made our way to the third row seats I received from the Warehouse. The seats were unbelievable. We were on the field about halfway between where Manny Ramirez and Coco Crisp position themselves. The show was pretty great although the setlist was a bit strange and quiet for a stadium show.

I have decided that they should ban all electronic devices from shows including cell phones, blackberrys and cameras. At least 25% of the people there seem to care less about the show and more about calling their friend from the show or taking eight million mobile phone photos. One guy in front of us was such a tool and he kept snapping shots of everything and constantly looking at the crow with a complete disregard for the show on stage. He was driving me crazy. The only other major event was when some girl behind us passed out from drinking so much and then refused to get treated. She was a real mess.

Afterwards we met up with Andy and Amy at Game On before catching the T back home. Conveniently the red line is doing bus replacement between Park Street and Kendall Square which tacked on an addition 15-20 minutes to our ride home. Oh well, it was a great show on a beautiful night and was the perfect way to start off our honeymoon.

So in two short hours we pack the car and drive up to Portland to catch the CAT to Nova Scotia where we will be spending the night. After that its off to Newfoundland for about five days before returning to Nova Scotia and then finally returning to the states in Bar Harbor. I'll try to keep you all posted when I get a chance.

TTFN
Keeg

Wedding Photos

I will hopefully update a personal account of the wedding day on here shortly. However in the meantime I wanted to provide links to all of the photos either I have taken, or other people have sent me. I will be adding links as I get them, so if you have some photos upload them to kodakgallery or shutterfly and send me a link.

The Official Wedding Photos (Event Code 4866)

My Photos

Rich Sweet's Photos

Lan Le's Photos

My Dad's Photos

Carol Riebe's Wedding Photos

Carol Riebe's Wedding Rehearsal Photos

Carol Riebe's Rehearsal Dinner Photos

Carol Riebe's Morning at Salem Willows Photos

Melissa Riebe's Wedding Photos

Britt's Photos

Disposable Camera Photos

Sibley's Wedding Photos

Cara's Photos

Edgar's Photos

Ben's Photos

The Night Before

You may be wondering why on this night before on of the biggest days of my life I am making an entry in my LiveJournal. Well there are many reasons, including the fact that I need to capture and record this moment to remember always and because my bride, due to some old tradition is not allowed to spend the night with me. Today was truly an emotional roller coaster. I woke up this morning and was frustrated because I had failed miserably at writing vows the night before. Luckily at somepoint between 6 and 7 I had a breakthrough and it all came together. It actually came together a little too well and the next thing I knew tears were streaming down my face. It had been quite a while since I had last cried, probably over a year, and I couldn't control myself. After working so hard in the logical world of computers over the last few weeks, my emotional side finally got its turn to speak and apparently it had a lot to say. For the next few minutes I just held Jen and let it all out. I finally gained my composure and sat down to finish the rest of the vows and was finally ready to print it.

After coming back from the gym I hopped in the car and went to pick up my tuxedo in Amesbury. The tux fit perfectly and I dropped it off at my mother's house. I washed the car because it is going to be in the lime light tomorrow and also helped Zack fix his BMX bike. On the drive home my emotions began to get the best of me and I was on the verge of tears again. I did make it home without shedding one, and ate a nice big sandwich, which really helped calm my nerves.

We finally set off for the hotel Jen and all of her relatives are staying in tonight. Upon arriving I was whisked away on a Magical Mystery Tour of relatives rooms. We wandered the halls of nearly every floor to meet an uncle from here and a cousin from there. It was crazy. A little later than I hoped we left for the rehearsal and when we got there most of the people were already there. We quickly walked through the ceremony and jetted for our dinner at Hard Cover.

There was a bit of an issue with tables at first, but it was quickly resolved and we all sat down for a nice dinner. It was great to see everyone and it seemed like a good time was had by all. I actually got up and played the guitar for everybody and felt I did fairly well. I did get a little teary in the middle of one of the songs, but managed to pull through and finish. After I performed Brendan showed the slideshow he put together and I lost it. Some of the photos just brought crocodile tears to my eyes. It was really hard seeing photos of me with people who have passed on. Hopefully I have taken things from them and their legacy lives on today through me. So basically I was a mess through most of it, but I think its good to let out that raw emotion. It helps make you feel human.

Things wrapped up after the slideshow, so Jennifer and I had to part ways until 1PM tomorrow, when she will emerge from the farm house and my eyes will fall upon my beautiful bride. Its all very exciting and a bit nervewracking, although I do blame most of the nervousness on things that are beyond my control, like the cake, the DJ or the weather. I want all of these things to go smoothly and without flaw. Certainly everything will work out and people will walk away with some story to tell, whether it be the wedding where they saw the heaviest down pour of rain ever or the wedding where the bride and groom were so lost in their new found marriage that they looked as if they didn't have a care in the world. I am hoping for the second one, but either way it will certainly be a memorable wedding for me.

May the rain come, but only after we are finished with the ceremony.

Yours truly,
Keegan (The Groom)

Five More Days

I am sitting at home right now attempting to do some work and looking out at the clear blue sky. It seems a bit strange since, the sun has been so hidden over the last week or so. Last weekend I was out of my mind because I had been stuck inside all weekend and didn't get a chance to enjoy the outdoors. Now two days into the work week and it is gorgeous outside, what's the deal.

Preparations for the wedding are nearly complete and even if they don't all get done, it will all be done in five days. I think at this point I am more stressed about getting all of my work done before the honeymoon than I am about the wedding. It just seems that the stuff I have left to do for work is never ending. In a couple weeks I can forget it all and disappear to Canada for a week with no thoughts of CaseNET. Perhaps I should have taken a couple days off before or after the wedding to settle down before the day. It's hard to pull myself away from work although I am sure I will be settled down for the wedding. The tough part will be finding time to clear my head for writing my vows and also finding enough time to practice my guitar playing before the rehearsal dinner.

Well I have to get going for now. Hopefully I will have at least one more entry before the big day.

Keeg

Bachelor Party & 50th Dave Matthews Show

It was a busy weekend for me. On Friday, I stopped working early and picked Andy up for a drive out to Saratoga Springs, NY for my 49th Dave Matthews concert. Yes I know its crazy, but it is one of those things I just can't get enough of in life. The first show was fantastic. We got to see the 2006 debut of a few old songs (Don't Drink The Water, What You Are and Typical Situation) and I heard two of the new songs which I really enjoy. The cool thing about SPAC (Saratoga Performing Arts Center) is that it is an amphitheater in the middle of a beautiful state park. It is a great place to see a show and beats hanging out in the dusty parking lots of the Tweeter Center. One place in the middle of the park was a disaster with drunk college kids everywhere wandering around looking for the show. It was nice entertainment for our walk to the show. We were stuck in heavy traffic on the way out and after about an hour we made it out to the main road.

Saturday morning we woke up late and were able to catch the end of the continental breakfast. After breakfast we went over to the park and found the perfect picnic spot next to a river. We grabbed two picnic tables and sat there waiting for the rest of the BoCaNO crew to show up. A few hours later the big white rental van showed up and out jumped Kate, Mark, Jen Thomas, Kelly, Dr. Mark, Noelle and Amy. We unpacked the van and then Rich showed up with the rest of the supplies. Now that everybody was there, Andy presented me with plastic ball and chain I was required to wear for the night. I obliged and did wear it for the entire night including the three hours of the concert out on the lawn. I'm getting ahead of myself though. At the picnic area we did some grilling, played a little whiffle ball and also played a few rounds of celebrity. The police were a constant presence and stopped many people from playing Beer Pong and drinking out of cans. We also got to see a big old cat fight, which was broken up by police on horse back. Late in the afternoon Brendan and Brittany showed up and I found them up near the concert and brought them back to the party. We all hung out for a couple more hours before filing into the show. Once inside Andy made an expedition down the lawn to a great spot in the center of the lawn. Slowly we all migrated down to the spot and by the middle of the show everybody had regrouped, except Rich who was lost in the shuffle. It was another great show with tons of old songs as well as two of the brand new songs I was really looking forward to hearing. After the show we walked back to the car and drove up to Rich's mom's house north of Saratoga Springs. We all settled into the house and went to sleep.

The next morning we woke up and Kate made us a super yummy breakfast of pancakes, bacon and tater tots. We hung around for a few hours before packing up the cars and driving back home. It was a very memorable weekend. It was great standing at my 50th show surrounded by all of my friends. I felt like somebody who had just finished a marathon or a trip around the country and was lucky enough to have a bunch of people there supporing my quest. Thanks you guys!!!

Friday Night Show Details
Saturday Night Show Details

21 Days To Go

In a short three weeks from right now I will in a seaside room at an inn overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in Rockport with Mrs. Keegan Sands. Hmmm.... that is just crazy stuff. All the wedding planning is in the final stages, we made a list of the things left to do and it totals to about a dozen relatively easy errands that we will easily accomplish in time for the big day. Overall the process has been less stressful than expected, of course it hasn't been a little more stressful for Jennifer, but she has done an excellent job planning. We didn't get this far without a few tears and more than a few compromises, but thats what its all about. As far as how our relationship is holding up despite the planning, I am glad to report that things are better than ever with us. I have heard horror stories about how the wedding can push couples to the edge with all the decisions, finances and the like, but no horror stories to report here. We are still waiting on a bunch of RSVP's, but most of mine are back so that makes me happy (I do have the home field advantage). The number of attendees looks to be dropping below 140 by the end of the week based on our estimations, which is really good considering we invited over 150 people and the wedding is on a holiday weekend, which has made people take little vacations to Massachusetts.

The wedding gifts have begun to pile up in our back bedroom. Apparently its bad luck and bad taste to use anything before the "You may kiss the bride" thing so we have refrained from using the new Waffle maker, serving containers and flatware. I am not quite sure where we are going to put all of this stuff when all is said and done. I still need to work on some honeymoon stuff, Jennifer booked all of the ferries and hotels in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, but now it is my turn to plan the day to daily itinerary. No big deal though, as long as I have my new wife, my old car and my satellite radio, I will be a honeymooner.

Now on to the past weekend and what I have been up to. I can sum it up in two words, "Not Much". I was super tired from working until 3:30 in the morning Friday and spent most of the evening napping and playing with our new TiVo. Saturday we stayed out of the rain, went to the gym and went to see one of Jen's students perform in a ballet recital. Afterwards her student's parents took us out for crepes in Harvard Square, we shared a mango strawberry and dark chocolate one and it was fantastic.

Today we woke up and went over to the cafe for breakfast and then returned home to work on wedding things. I backed up all of my music and burned cd's for the DJ. We went to the gym in the afternoon and then came back home and watched the BoSox game. Now I am sitting on the couch updating this journal. Unfortunately, I seem to be coming down with a cold and haven't felt well all afternoon, hopefully it will pass though.

See you all real soon.
Keeg

Quick Quick

Poison ivy is nearly gone.
Shopped and saw the Breakup on Saturday.
Fifth day of the gym in a row today.
Worked at home yesterday.
Jennifer made a fantastic stir fry last night in the wok.
Dishes are all done.
Damn its been cold and rainy lately.
Back at work this morning and the office is freeeeezzzzing!!!
Ballet two nights this week (Tuesday and Saturday)
DMB next week (Show #49 & #50)
Less than four weeks to the wedding.

That's all folks!!!