Sycamore Grove

1. Okay, so I don't know if it was the picture or what, but it was, like, sixty degrees today. I was walking around in sandals and a tank top. And, oddly enough, eliciting dirty looks from a family that were (all five of them) wearing sweatshirts and winter coats. Like they were blaming me for it being warm out. Or thinking I was immoral for wearing a tank top, even though it was warm out. It was weird.

2. So, my friend Mary was talking to this girl's boyfriend the other day. She mentioned playing D&D (almost all of our friends do; that'd be seven or eight of us), and the guy was like, "Really? I didn't think anyone did that any more." Mary shrugged, expecting that to be the end of it, but he continued: "I mean, D&D is like gay people. You hear about them, but you never really know any, or see them, you know?"

W. T. F. I mean, first of all, comparing D&D to gay people? Like comparing apples to quantum physics. Second of all, "you don't really see them?" I'd like to know the Neverland he's living in, 'cause here in the real world, they're all over the place. I don't think I've laughed so fucking long in my life.

So now, all of us want to make buttons to wear to Gen-Con that say "I'm a Gaymer, ask me how" with a little rainbow on them. Hee!

3. I spent, like, four hours skeining yarn today. The company that I bought my yarn blanks from sent me one pound of sock yarn divided into two loosely bound half-pound skeins. Nothing is more of a pain in the ass than trying to measure them out into roughly 100 gram lengths and re-skeining them. I still have another half-pound to go before tomorrow, when I'll do my dyeing.

4. Nick and I are going to drive up to Lansing on Monday to buy the material for my wedding dress. I ordered swatches from the internet, but none of them have come yet. I need to get this sewing done (at least the majority of it) before the end of this week. Otherwise, I'm going to be getting married in my chemise. So, to Lansing it is. Now let's pray we'll actually have money to pay for everything. Things have been really tight lately.

5. I'm really fucking glad it's Friday. And not only is it Friday, it's Friday before Spring Break. I really need this.

So, we went to Chicago to buy wedding dress material yesterday. That was a fucking adventure.

We started out at noon, about two or three hours later than we'd wanted. Not that it was a bad thing, we slept in, something we both needed, and had a leisurely breakfast, but still. And then when we'd got up to the Vogue fabrics in Lansing (three and a half hours on the road), they didn't have anything I wanted. So we drove to the one in Chicago proper (about another forty-five minutes worth of driving). They had some stuff, but informed us that the store in Evanston (yet another forty-five minutes away) was the place that had the bridal selection.

Nick was already pissed off at me because I didn't call ahead of time, and I'd had a minor (read: major) breakdown in the car regarding wedding stuff and how planning one's own was for the birds. After that got cleared up, we walked to the store, only to find that they had a very limited selection of silks. Like one bolt of ivory charmeuse and a whole bunch of dupioni.

After running around like a chicken with my head cut off, looking for something to go with said ivory bolt, one of the guys suggested we go over to another fabric store that was right across the way. After a harrowing run across a four-lane road with a walk signal three seconds long (no hyperbole here), we found the place. And their $120 a yard fabrics.

After yet another harrowing return sprint, I started looking through the potential over-dress fabrics again. And found one I liked. So, then it was just a matter of finding something satiny to go underneath it. I found a natural-cream polyester satin that I liked, and we were good to go.

I love it. My mind tricks me into thinking the under-fabric is darker than it really is, until I'm imagining having a taupe wedding dress. But then I look at it again, and I see it's only a shade or two darker than ivory. It's just that it's a brown-neutral tone, instead of a creamy-yellow tone. But it's awesome, With the embroidered white organza over it, it looks almost antique.

It's funny though. I wanted silk and chiffon. I ended up with polyester and organza. But I love it anyway. And just so that you have an idea of what it actually looks like:

This one shows the colour best.

This one shows how the organza's embroidery fades up from the border.

The Munchkin just went down for a nap and I thought I'd take this opportunity to make a tiny update.

Nick was home sick today. He wasn't feeling at all well yesterday, and so when he woke up at five and was still wretched, he decided to take the day. He's chillin' at home today, trying to recover from whatever is currently kicking his ass.

It was a good thing he stayed home today, though, because we went to get our marriage license. I thought I'd have to have a stupid "pre-marital exam" but I didn't. We also stopped by our jeweler's to see about engraving the rings with the date. Nick's will be fine (it's like the One Ring, except in white gold) but mine might be a bit thin to engrave properly. The jeweler is refinishing my engagement ring, too, so that it's as shiny and pretty. It's nice, but I'm wandering around with no ring on my finger and it feels weird.

It's hard to believe everything is going so very fast. Only ten days and I'll be Courtney Pritchard. Odd thought, that.

There's only a few more things to do. And so, a list:

1. Get the vases for the centerpieces.
2. Get said vases to the florist and obtain an estimate on how much it'll be.
3. Buy napkins for the reception.
4. Get my shoes.
5. Finalize menu (which pretty much consists of calling the guy and telling him that what I told him before is fine)
6. Make Kerry's dress.
7. Make a headpiece (maybe)
8. Hem my dress.

Not that octopi have anything to do with the wedding, but I'm in a cephalopod-ish mood today. That's the kind of week it's been so far.

The list from the other day, updated:
1. Get the vases for the centerpieces.
2. Get said vases to the florist and obtain an estimate on how much it'll be.
2a. Pay the kind florist lady.
3. Buy napkins for the reception.
4. Get my shoes.
5. Finalize menu (which pretty much consists of calling the guy and telling him that what I told him before is fine)
6. Make Kerry's dress.
7. Make a headpiece (maybe) This has become more of a "Make flower pins to go in my hair" thing, actually.
8. Hem my dress.
9. Finish the damn wedding shawl.
10. Do the things for my bridal party, which I can't actually discuss, because two of them read this blog.

I added items 2a and 9, for fun. Actually, I should cross out about a quarter of item 6, because I just finished cutting out the pieces for Kerry's dress. I plan to sew the bodice completely today, and then do the skirt, zipper and hemming tomorrow.

I'm finished with the body of the wedding shawl, and the edging is actually easier than I thought it'd be. But I don't know if I'm going to be able to actually finish it, because there's a LOT of edging to do.

Sigh. Can I go back to bed now?

Guess what I did this past Saturday!

I got married!