No matter how you say it, time is ticking away...
2 weekends ago I was talking with Danna, my MIL-to-be, about random wedding plans, and she encouraged me to book the picnic site in Golden Gate Park which we're planning for Saturday, the day before the wedding, so I jumped right on it. We have a great picnic site in Laidley Meadow, at approximately 30th Avenue and Fulton. Booking the site only cost $25 - what a deal, and you don't have to be a San Franciscan to reserve the site. This is so much easier than the municipal parks on the peninsula, which I was looking into for my MBA graduation. The plan is to have an open picnic in the park, with BBQ, salads and snackies, beer and wine, and get some softball/volleyball/water balloons/you name it going. It's an opportunity for everyone to get to know each other and relax before the big day. Of course, since it's open, we hope people will stop by when they can, but our out of town guests will have time to see the sights in SF if they like. For those without a car that weekend, Muni runs from 2 blocks from the hotel to right next to the park, so its an easy way to get around the City.
I've picked out the bridesmaid dresses, and am just waiting on some sizes so I can get the dresses ordered. Since each of the ladies is unique, their dresses will each be different, but all coordinating. My sisters will each wear the same dress design, in different colors, and my Maid and Matron of Honor will each wear the same dress design, in the same colors as my sisters. So 4 different dresses - 2 styles, 2 colors, mixy-matchy. I think it's really going to look nice.
We're now in the midst of looking at honeymoon plans. We had talked about Hawaii as an option, but the more we think about it, we could potentially take kids to Hawaii, it's not that far from CA, and it's not too expensive, so instead we're looking at Europe. Tom went to Europe on a school trip when he was 15 and I spent 6 months there when I was a Jr. in college, but we'd love to experience it together and see new sights. We're focusing on Italy, and I would like to go to Greece but we may end up going to Spain and the South of France instead. Our plan is to take a cruise for most of the honeymoon, and spend a couple days traveling beforehand. I'm getting pretty excited about a big trip like this, and can't wait to experience Europe with my honey when the weather's nice (most of my time in Europe was in the cold, rainy winter by myself).
I ordered one of our wedding favors last week and they came in yesterday, so that's one less thing to worry about. I also got a Name Change Kit - for $20 it came with a CD and a book of forms to fill out and who to send to and in what order - which is the biggest pain, I've heard! I know I'll be travelling on our honeymoon under my maiden name, since getting a new passport, changing SSN, drivers license, etc. will take a few weeks. I'm definitely changing my name. I tried to sell Tom on both of us changing our name to McKay but he would have none of it. :)
We're off to meet with Fr. D'Angelo again on Sunday. He never remembers who I am when I talk to him on the phone. Last time we met with him we reviewed the FOCCUS test, and I thought we were supposed to get the results but we got distracted by fixing the copier. He asked us to call him back in a couple weeks, but I can't remember why. When I called, he said he just had a couple FOCCUS come in, but we've already done ours. He asked if he gave us the copy, and I said no, so he said there must still be more to talk about (uh oh), so we're going to meet with him on Sunday afternoon. If we can get out of bed early enough we'll meet Mike and Liz and the boys for Mass first. I've only ever been to Holy Name for baptisms and a funeral, so it will be nice to go for a regular service.
The sun is finally out, which has improved everyone's mood. The hills are green and the trees are blooming, and with the longer days I can enjoy the sunshine on the way home from work. Just one more reminder that Spring is finally here, which means Summer is fast approaching, and then it will be no time at all before the wedding. eek!
