Yummy food

We had a meeting this morning with the owner of the restaurant where we're going to have the rehearsal dinner. I am so excited about it after talking with him.

He is good friends with my uncle, who also happens to be a loan shark at the local bank. Chef T had a meeting with said uncle the other day (my uncle did his restaurant loan), and he said that if the party wasn't done right, he'd raise Chef T's interest rate. Heh. The bank man is part Italian, so he could be part of the mafia, if we had one. We love knowing all the right people.

Chef T is a fancy chef for my little hometown, and his cooking style is self-proclaimed "Hawaiian fusion." It's a mix of seafood, chicken, beef, and island cuisine. Our dinner will be NICE, complete with floor-length tablecloths and stemware. Dessert will be delectable, because Chef T's instructors recommended that he be a pastry chef when he graduated from culinary school. It's a pity that he doesn't love baking, though his regular cuisine is excellent.

Does anybody remember when Susan died from licking her wedding envelopes because the glue was toxic? (For those of you who didn't get that reference right off, Susan was George's fiance on Seinfeld.)

I think about that and laugh every time I lick a wedding invitation envelope. Soon I'll be able to stop licking!

Dallas

Well, the D-man and I just returned to Houston from a weekend in Dallas -- we have now officially finished our premarital counseling. We were greatly blessed by D-man's choice -- he chose a couple who were missionaries in Brasil for 38 years, and they have been married for 58. We figured they knew a little about marriage....

And so, we watched them interact and listened to the great things they had to say. They can't stand to be apart, even after all this time. I hope that in 58 years, D-man and I can look back and tell an even deeper story than we can now.

My baby brother is in Korea, and he sent me this video. Though I have never even been to Korea, I found myself laughing out loud. I think it applies to anyone who has lived in a foreign country.

Exciting times

I finally feel like I've gotten a few things under control. I still have a million things to do, but they are doable. My invitations came yesterday, and I'm excited about starting the process of assembling and addressing. 900 stamps are awaiting me as well.
Yesterday was an extremely productive day, and my to-do list is extremely lessened -- those phone calls just about kill me. I made two very important ones yesterday, and the phone calls are over for now.
I'm headed to Houston this weekend, with a side trip to Dallas. I haven't seen the D-man since August, and I am SO ready for this trip.

I know everyone says this, but my recent lack of blogging is due to simple busyness. I have not stopped running since I got home from Brazil almost 3 weeks ago. We have been making wedding decisions, ordering supplies, and checking off lists.

I had a panic moment today; I ordered invitations. I okayed the proof that the company sent. I am not stressed out that I am getting married; I will not rest until I have the invitations in my hands and know that everything is correct (type, size, etc). I often wonder why my life seems to invite stress. Or better yet, worry. I worry about entirely too much, entirely too much of the time. Planning seems to exacerbate that particular trait that I have -- not just for the wedding; any kind of planning will do. I'm not sure whether or not that has anything to do with the 6-month wait for my visa, with the perpetual need to send just one more document, with the feeling that there would always be one more thing to do.

I am also going through a little bit of culture shock. I have stepped into a totally different lifestyle, though I am hoping it will slow down now that we've gotten a good handle on wedding planning. I have been shopping at least 5 of the 20 days I have been home, and I feel like I am sustaining (or at least stimulating) the U.S. economy because my spending habits are so different here. Even though I'm not the one paying for the wedding, it's still a lot of money to spend, and I am having a little trouble adjusting. There always seems to be something to buy, or some bill to pay. I still have to look for a car and wonder exactly what will be best. I am still planning a wedding (and looking forward to being married). And I am still me, even in a different country.

The D-man is currently a full-time student and HATES not making any money. SO, He decided last week to apply for a job at UPS. They offer great hours for what he needs, and part-time is pretty much standard at UPS. Since he has worked there before, and they apparently loved him so much last time, they hired him and he starts on Monday. Morning. Like 3:30. Not an hour I ever see.

His hire date makes him part of the seasonal crowd with an option to return for permanent part-time in January. That means he doesn't have to take time off work to get married. Excellent, since he (like me) hates asking off. He can be done with the season and accept the permanent position (if that works out) after we get back to Houston. Our Father continues to provide everything we need as we walk towards marriage; I am so grateful.

For those of you who are not interested at all in wedding planning, please bear with me for the next few months, for that is exactly what I am doing (if you couldn't already tell). January 10 is the big day, and we have hit the ground running since I got home from Brasil.

I have been home for almost a week, and already I have gotten tons of planning done. I have been dress shopping, have picked out bridesmaid dresses, picked out invitations (and font), and I have found my dress. I ordered it yesterday and it's beautiful.

Other to-do's this week?

• Make hotel reservations for the D-man's family
• finish the guest list (kind of)
• order invitations

Ceramics

So the m-i-l is a giver. She loves to give gifts. I was the blessed recipient of yet another of her giving sprees a couple of weeks ago. We went to a ceramics factory about and hour-and-a-half north of Rio, and she decided that I needed a cafezinho set. She has been very vocal about wanting to send a gift for each of my showers, and I think she finally got the gifts bought.

Here is a list of what she bought for the D-man and me:

• a coffee/tea/dessert service for 6
• a plaque with our last name on it decorated in the pattern of my choice (it matches the tea service)

Things that I bought include a couple of plates (for decoration), two mug/plate sets with the Brasilian flag on them, and a dish to put my small jewelry in. We're headed back this week to see what else we can buy -- sensory overload can be fun!

Trashy. Gossip. Laughable.

I went to the State Board of Pharmacy website today and did something I haven't done in a long time. When I was working and getting the board's newsletter every month, I rushed to the administrative hearings section to see whose license had been revoked or suspended. I always wondered if I knew anyone.

Then always came the question, "What did they do?" I remember my partners and I speculating on how in the world people did something bad enough to get fined by the State Board. I mean, you have to really break the law. There was the one guy who, upon a narcotics inspection, was short 800,000 Lortab in his inventory. I mean, what is that if not using, trafficking, selling drugs on the street to make a lot of money?

What's your guilty pleasure?

Ike

Well, even though I'm still in Brasil, Ike had me worried. The D-man lives in Houston, in what will be our house after we get married. His house has flooded 3 times in the past 8 years, so hurricanes and heavy rains make him and his family pretty nervous.

I talked to him during the weekend and got frequent updates. He had power the whole time, except for an hour one night (I can't remember which one). He had internet and phone service until Saturday night, AFTER the storm hit. Blech. He had minor roof damage and a leak into the coat closet. But only the coat closet.

What saved him? Or the house, I should say.... He put boards up around the bottom of his fence coming into his yard (see picture at left -- the right side of the picture is the street side). That, by itself, kept the waves from coming into his yard and into the house. Props to a man who plans well for impending emergencies!

So many numbers!

In addition to the rapidly growing (MASSIVE) guest list, my mom has had several people tell her they want to give me (and the D-man, if we can get him up to GA before the wedding) a wedding shower.

The list is up to about 40. Only in C-town, not to mention the few in the 'Ham that have offered. I love that everyone is so excited. I love that more showers mean more presents (is that tacky?).

We're already going to delegate the privilege of giving a brunch for the out-of-towners on the day of the wedding. Any ideas for the other 36 people?

Addendum

It hit me the other day, when I was looking over mom's guest list, that only 1 of the couples on her list lives out of town. THE 180-LINE SPREADSHEET DOES NOT INCLUDE OUT-OF-TOWNERS. Oh, my. We are preparing for the bash of the year, apparently. My m-i-l's guest list is seeming really short right now.

What's in a name?

Names are fun. Especially mine. My soon-to-be name, I mean. Everywhere I've looked, I've found that my first name (which won't change, of course) is a Cornish variation of "Guinevere" and means "fair lady." I've always loved the romantic attachment of my name to the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (though I don't so much love the association with the king's most trusted knight).

My new last name is going to be Fairchild, which, being a good English name, means just that. Fair child. I have to laugh at God's sense of humor. Who thinks my new name will be a bit redundant? Anyone? Who thinks we should name our first girl Sabrina?

Boxes

Lately, I've been having trouble keeping things nice and separate. I've always been able to do that, but my ability to keep things neat is leaving me. And I don't mean my house.

Case(s) in point: I am currently maintaining (or helping to maintain) 4 blogs. One is quickly coming to a close, but that still leaves 3. They are all attempts to separate different parts of my life. One is Brasilian, one is for the next phase of my life, one is to keep track of the books I'm reading, and the last is one I co-author by making general commentary about what I'm reading.

Sometimes I wonder if I am spinning plates or juggling knives, if something is bound to fall and destroy the order I work so hard to create. I am learning (albeit slowly) that life is messy. Compartments don't always work. People tend to drift from one compartment to another -- from friend to family to work and back. I try not to put people in boxes, to let them be who they are, but those compartments are just so handy. They keep people at bay, far enough away so that they don't see me at my most real. They lift responsibility from me to give of myself for others. At the end of the day, I can't justify that. And so, though it's hard to stay out of the boxes, I try. Life is messy. Jesus was messy. God is messy. Since I follow Him, my life will be messy. People will drift. Categories will be dynamic and fuzzy. What is truly order will seem like disorder to me, who is not used to the ways that God works. Still, after 18 years.

One thing I know. His way is always best.

Toasting....

When Arab J, the D-man's mom, and I went to Minas Gerais, we bought pewter. My future m-i-l saw some gorgeous champagne flutes and started asking me questions about them:

"What do you think of those?"

"Would that be a good wedding present?"

"What's the advantage of having a storage box?"

I'm sure there were several other questions involved, but that trip was 3 months ago. Unlike the D-man, my memory is failing quickly. I do remember my answer, though:

"If I were to buy those for someone, I would give them to the couple before the wedding and ask them to use them to toast at the reception."

Turns out, she was asking me those questions for ME. And so what are we going to do? As we're not going to have alcohol at the reception (for so many reasons -- cost, the tendency of people to overserve themselves, the reception is at a church), I thought about how we can use them. Eureka! We're toasting with Guaraná (a Brazilian soft drink that looks enough like champagne to cheat with). Exciting for us, though I really hope we get more to eat and drink at the reception than wedding cake and Guaraná....

Guest considerations

I have been talking with my parents about my budget, and I mentioned to my mom that the D-man and I were anticipating inviting 300 people to the wedding. Her response was, "Um, that's not enough." She sent me her (flexible) guest list, and the column of LAST NAMES takes up 180 lines on a spreadsheet, and most of those are couples. Instead of freaking out, I have to laugh and remember that I am from a small town where people know who I belong to by looking at me (I look strikingly like my mom, though people who haven't met my mom say I look like my dad). Not to mention the number of people that the D-man's mom has been in touch with over the past 10 years.

As much as I would love for our special day to be small and intimate, God is helping me to remember that a true celebration involves the entire community celebrating with us. And my parents are paying for it -- if they are willing to pay to invite as many people as they wish, who am I to argue? And so I say, "The more, the merrier!"

Holiday

I have recently found out that we're going to have a slim Christmas. Relatively speaking, that is. All of my relatives that usually come for Christmas are waiting 2 weeks and coming for the wedding. I can't tell you how much that thrills me.

Who's coming:

• One brother, who is leaving for Korea next week (to stay a year)
• One sister, who lives in Montana
• One cousin, who lives in Colorado
• One cousin, who lives in Florida
• One aunt, who lives in Florida

The lonely ones left at Christmas will be myself and my brother (who will be living a short drive away in Atlanta). We're looking forward to better presents.

"One man's ways may be as good as another's, but we all like our own best."
--Admiral Croft, Persuasion (Jane Austen)

A long-anticipated discussion

I know, I haven't even been engaged for 3 weeks. My dad comes in on Sunday, and we can finally talk budget. Then we can decide what we (I) want to splurge on and how big this sucker is going to be. I am excited about being able to sit down and get something on paper that's actual instead of the numbers floating around in my head.

Any budget ideas, anyone?