I have a problem

Last year, I put myself on a yarn diet.

It worked for a while. I had a lovely spreadsheet, and I was actually coming out ahead of what I was using to what was coming in.

I'm not sure what happened, but two months ago, I took this photo:

That's Sam, being pushed into the middle cushion of the couch. By just my sock yarn. And after I took this photo, I realized I had another basked filled with sock yarn.

So again, I'm on a yarn diet. I have been winding yarn so I can easily grab yarn to start a new project. This way it will be out and in my face, and I won't think I have to get more yarn. The only caveat to this is I do have a few Christmas presents in mind (although I already have 2 done!). There is a big chance I will need to get yarn for at least one of those.

I may admit to this issue, but I won't touch the towering stack of books I've bought over the years or the stack I have from the library...

!

AAAAAAAACk!!!!

37 days, 67 things left on the checklist.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!

That is all.

A slight bump in the road

Good news: Les, our best man, is back from Iraq and in one piece with no pieces missing.

Bad news: Les is going to jump school in April and might not be at the wedding. This news made me cry at a bar.

So if any one knows where we can order large, cardboard, picture cutouts, please let me know. Because I made the executive decision that Les isn't getting replaced.

Eh. It'll get done

I'm in an "eh" slump for the wedding. I have little to no desire to work on any of the stuff I need to do. I'm blaming this on the fact that I've been having nightmares about the whole thing. Such things included in these are:
1. No photog
2. An ugly Scooby-Doo cake that was not from J's
3. An odd, stuffy, extremely formal, extremely uncomfy, dirty - no less - wedding dress
4. A missing groom after the ceremony, which was questionable if it even happened
5. The ceremony and reception was at a two-bedroom house with guests I didn't know and were all in T-shirts and jeans. And a lot of them look like students that I don't have.

But I did finalize the invite wording. And I started addressing those envelopes. Those tasks seemed undaunting, and they don't even cost money right now. I still need to send out the second round of Save The Dates. Ugh.

I think I might have to go back on Paxil. Double ugh.

Hopefully third time's a charm

OK. So I said I had a new photog.

I lied.

Well, not really. She had talked to other people weeks ago about April 14 (seriously people, don't get married on MY day. MY day. And that's as Bridezilla as I will get) but never got a contract back with a deposit. So ... of course, she leaves for a day and gets a contract with payment back today, putting me without a photog again.

But, there is a bright side to this. Rae's doing an engagement sitting for me still. And now, I get a bridal protrait setting from Patsy with a 16x20 of yours truly all decked out in fluffy white dress. And, that's not all folks. After the boy and I get back from the honeymoon, Rae AND Patsy are giving us a shoot (in our wedding garb, which means I need to be EXTRA careful not to spill anything on myself) at the beach:)

So, seriously, if you are in the Pensacola area and need a photog, go with one of these LOVELY ladies. They have gone so far above what they needed to do, it almost makes me cry when I think about it. They've treated me so much more than a client -- and I never even signed a contract or met Patsy.

And, it does look like I have one lined up. I'm meeting with them on Monday (with checkbook in tow), but I'm not writing anything specific because I'm not jinxing it. So check back Monday night or Tuesday to find out.

And, I'm keeping Rae's and Patsy's links up on the right because they are shooting us for one aspect or another of the wedding.

I just never thought I'd have three photographers for anything.

I feel like a star (a slightly stressed star, but a star nonetheless).

Sadness in the midst of joy

I lost my photographer today.

She called me to let me know that she is supposed to have a baby the day before my wedding. So, I'm very excited for her (she's been on fertility drugs for the past three years, so this is very good news for her), but I'm bummed because I was really excited to have her take photos of the big day.

But, she is going out of her way to help me find someone else. There might even be a chance (if I can't find anyone else) that her husband (who takes photos with her now anyway) will be taking the photos.

And -- she's still taking our engagement photos in October, and she's also offered to take any bridals I want (which I wasn't planning on, but now if it means I get her to take photos of me, I might do them) and anything else I want photographed.

So, stay tuned. With any luck, I'll have this figured out by the end of the week.

Possible date change

Booking a reception hall is harder than it seems. But to make it a little easier on myself, there's a chance this shindig could be moved up a week to April 14. I won't know for sure until next week, and I'm not going to talk about it much so I don't jinx it. I have to wait until Tuesday to find out if the church can move it, then I don't go and talk to the reception hall until Thursday. And if the space is open, they're getting their deposit check that day.

If it is moved up, I am taking a break from the planning for a week starting next Thursday.

I will, however, say that don't plan on having a reception (or any type of soirée) at the Pensacola Beach Hilton Garden Inn unless you (and your guests because you HAVE to have at least 70 rooms filled the night of your event and the rooms ain't so cheap anymore) have a bottomless pocketbook. I'd say they'd nickel and dime you, but you'd have to have 10,000 dimes to even start to cover their extra costs.