Efffffff!!

Stressy. It may not be a word, technically, but it should be. I've already complained about my days upon days of bad dreams, so I'll skip that, at least for now. A holiday-shortened workweek means longer workdays and absent sources, which yeah, is totally stressful. And then psorosis has taken over again -- this time on my face. Stressy.


Ahem. Is it bad when I am repeating myself so early in this? I'll try to move on.



So, earlier this month (my, the weeks fly by) found Colleen and I in a wedding consultation with the ever-helpful Regan, who is pretty darn awesome. Regan distributed the stacks of magazines and books she'd accumulated during her own wedding planning and showed us her "wedding porn." (Lest you be confused, we're talking pictures of the big day, not anything that would be inappropriate to show in mixed company.) Can I say how amazing her wedding was? It was an old-fashioned circus-themed event, with bright banners, decorations, and even a homemade photobooth for the guests to take pictures of themselves. Regan's light pink wedding dress and her bridesmaids' outfits were both beautiful in and of themselves and a lovely expression of each individual's personality. The pricetag for the weddin' was impressive, too -- the whole kit 'n' caboodle, from the event itself, to the rings and the honeymoon was $5,000, which, wow, is still a chunk of change, but is *way* cheaper than, well, anything I've seen beyond the city hall or Vegas route. And more than that, it was clear that everyone there was having a great time, which I think should be the ultimate goal of such things.


So, thanks, lady, for being a great inspiration and a great sane voice in the madness that can be the world of weddings and such. I really appreciate it, and I hope (with your willingness, natch!) to get together again soon.



In other wedding-related news, Kyle and I traveled (with our friend Laura in tow) up to Vermont on the 17th, to see our friends Dave and Jess get hitched. It was a long -- long! -- drive, exacerbated by my desire to stop every few hours to take pictures, a visit to a thrift store, our decision to take a long dinner at a bar in Bennington, and by the crappy rain and fog we encountered toward the end of the drive, but late Friday, we arrived in Brattleboro. The next day, we made our way around the town (I forced Kyle to buy me a "I lovermont" t-shirt, which I have long lusted over), before it was time to set out for the School for International Training, where Dave and Jess had planned both their ceremony and reception.



Wow, it could not have been a more perfect spot.



Dave and Jess have both made social activism a significant part of their lives, for one, so the having it on the campus of such a neat place was pretty perfect. But just as importantly, the scenic setting was just perfect. The clouds had hung low and dark earlier in the day, but by the time the ceremony was to start, they had cleared, leaving a bright blue sky in their wake. With the lush green mountains serving as their backdrop, Dave and Jess proceeded to have a really thoughtful ceremony, with family members and friends reading passages that seemed to be really true to them both as individuals and as a couple.


Later, of course, was the reception -- which featured mini bottles of maple syrup and foil-wrapped chocolates in the shape of the state of Ohio, wine (too much wine, if you were me), dancing, an embarrasing argument with the fiance (again, this pertains to me only, as far as I know) which involved me snotting on my skirt, watching Dave as he found his new car covered with wrapping paper and other decorations (fortunately, Ritu was talked out of using condoms for the task), hanging out afterward in the tony Hampton Inn conference room, taking two baths in hopes they would forestall vomiting (again, this probably only pertains to me), finally giving up and throwing up, watching Coach on our crappy television, a brief sleep and then a long, long drive.


In other words, it was a pretty great time.