7 days down.

... and 20 days to go until LA! Ooh, but more importantly - 97 days until the wedding. ack!


Alex has been gone for exactly a week now and while I miss him every minute, I have really been OK. I thought that I might spend most of my time out of the house, seeing friends, engaging in distractions, but I have really enjoyed quite a bit of "me time". I have definitely emerged from my little domestic hole, catching up with friends and making plans, too. I realize that I don't do this enough. It's very easy, when in a relationship, to neglect this part of your life. I discovered just today, that although Alex and I function very well as a 24-7 couple, we can survive this, too.

So what's it like to be 4000 km away from your hubby-to-be? It's a test, certainly. I think we're passing, which is a relief: the next 4 or 5 years of our marriage could very closely resemble this period. I have been prepared. We have been saved by Skype. Honestly, it makes such a huge difference to be able to talk face-to-face. I've never been much of a phone person anyway. The guys have been putting in 11 and 12-hour days laying drum tracks for the past week, but we've managed to talk at least twice a day, even with the time difference. Yesterday they hit Joshua Tree National Park, and today - the beach. I'm a tad jealous. This is my summer, and he should be enjoying it with me! :) Luckily, in September, we're signing up for a lifetime of summers together. The wedding feels like our reward for passing our first test. Yay!

After my visit to LA, Alex spends another month away, before returning with just over a month left until the wedding. Time is flying. There are actually a few major items that really need to be dealt with ASAP. Like food. We still have not resolved the matter of BBQ-ing for 115 people... I have a lead, though. Fingers crossed!

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Yesterday, as she miraculously emerged from bed before 4pm, I took my night-owl sister shopping for a dress. This has been somewhat of a concern for my mother, who bought her own dress two months ago. Also, my sister and I are quite the opposite - she owns maybe one dress and one pair of heels, both of which she rarely wears. She's more comfortable in skate shoes and oversized hoodies. Where did I go wrong? She's cute, though - any easy fixer-upper. After about 1/2 an hour of grumpy foot-shuffling, she finally perked up and began actually picking things out for herself. Store #3 was a success - she snagged an on-sale bold floral print pin-up style dress at FCUK. I actually had no part in the decision - all her. My mother will be thrilled, as it's a complement to her own dress. Unfortunately, their choice of orange as the dominant colour doesn't quite work into my palette. However, this is what I wanted, right? Everyone wears what they want, everyone's happy. So what if our photos are a little, um, colourful? I hear that my Dad has been contemplating his rainbow pig tie. This may be where I draw the line.

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My friend Dawn passed this along today and I wanted to share: http://www.redleafstudios.ca Dreamy wedding photography set in Saskatchewan... really, there is nothing more romantic than the prairies. Big sky, dusty air, no discernible horizon... *sigh*