because I'm leaving on a jetplane...

Mum and I packed today, which I'm sure will thrill Ri. I can already hear the complaints about packing the wrong shorts or to early. One of the two.

I look at the bags and like a said to a friend of mine today (a newly wed, who understands whats going on right now, having been through it 6 months ago) anyway I look at the bag and realise I'm not going to see a lot of people I love very much for 6 whole months (and two days). And it hurts!
I am going to miss so many people, and what a time to do it, it's like the wedding has brought me closer to (some of) my friends and then I leave? Plus I adore the people at work and it makes me sad to think that I may have had a chance to work there if it weren't for our trip.

But then I think, its the world. He is giving me the world. Who wouldn't take that?

I'm missing some people already.

Less than two months to go

With less than two months to go, I wonder if any other bride to be got bored.
This month marks the two year anniversary of Ri's proposal.

And I think we're done.

And by that I mean all organised.

I have never felt more organised in my life. I'm even doing the seating plan as the RSVPs come in to spare the stress of doing it in a single sitting.

In the next month I've got to meet with the florist, photographer, the cake maker, the dress maker and the reception venue. But all the details are written down to be handed over to the relevant provider.

Maybe I'm jinking myself, but I can't think of a single thing left to plan or find.

So I'm left waiting.

And since there is still 2 months to go, it's too far away to be really excited.

I guess I should shift focus to the honeymoon, but with that we have the opposite issue.

O M G there is so much we could plan!!!

Here is the first leg, lets call it leg North America:
10 days in western USA
5 days in western Canada
21 Days in Eastern USA and Canada...
So far we're landing in LAX and have a flight to San Fran that day. And we've booked a place to stay in San Fran. So that still leaves us with over 3 weeks worth of accomodation to book. and small flights. and train trips. and buses.

No phone line and no internet make Tori something something

Next door has just finished building a house on their block of land. It was decided that a fence and concrete would go between the two houses. The builders putting in the concrete PULLED OUT our phone line. No phone (except mbls). No internet. No TiVo.

So that is why this blog is being neglected. We're very busy on the wedding side of things. This internet loss could not have come at a worse time!

Wedding land:

Invites: the dead line for the completion of the invites is next Friday! I'll post up some photos once everyone has gotten their invite. It all still looks like a pile of ribbon satin and paper scraps!

Dresses: The BMs had their first fitting this weekend! Considering a fellow bride to be, that is getting married in August has their BM dresses in the closet ready to go, I was feeling slack for waiting so long! But I think the timing will work out well. Fitting two is in late Feb.

Honeymoon: We've booked one hotel. For the wedding night in Brisbane. I'm trying to process all the information for the North American leg and possibly organise visa's for the European leg. Overwhelmed much?

Our New Years Eve

New Years Eve was spent on the couch watching live TV, we were going to go to one of Ri's ever neglected friends house, but I got a migraine, and instead of going without me (which I told him to do repeatedly) he sat on the couch with me and we counted down to 2010 together.
I swear that boy uses girl logic because he's bought himself an entire night out to be cashed in... sometime soon I'm sure.

So what of 2009?
I think what will stand out for me is work. Learning to work, becoming a worker, after six years at UQ. Oh and money, earning some half decent money! I love my job. I see so many speechies who want to leave the profession. I hope that's not me in 3 years.

How about 2010
It's four days into 2010 and I've already forgotten my new years resolutions. 2010 is going to be a massive year for Ri and I. To the point where sometimes I forget that it is not happening to everyone around me, 2010 might be normal for some, or massive in a different way. Our wedding is LESS THAN FOUR MONTHS away and we don't get back from our honeymoon until mid November.

Ri gets cranky at me, sometimes, for telling everyone who'll listen about our honeymoon plans. I think he sees it as showing off. I've led a rather boring life in the three years we've been saving, in a way I fell like we've earned it.

My goals for 2010:
Try not to let the wedding become bigger than it is.
To remember that friends and family come first.
Not to give Ri a reason to divorce me on our honeymoon.
To come home to friends and family.
Start the Puppy Project

Great Ideas

With just about 4.5 months to go we're current so busy with this wedding that we're busy all the time. Yesterday for example we booked our dressmaker! It's such a relief to have someone booked to make the bridesmaid dresses, I was beginning to think that we'd left it too late. I also was called into work (second on call weekend in a row to prevent Christmas poverty). Then we booked and paid for our HONEYMOON flights. Bought some MORE ribbon and glue (Ri is so into the invites, it's really cute, he actually said *do you think this ribbon is thinner than the stuff at home* my response "I don't know, I don't care, who will notice").

Anyway in a rare act of being social for the second weekend in a row, last night we went to a beautiful friends 25th birthday and got some great tips from another couple who have been to Thailand a few times, afterwards I told Ri that I was SO excited about booking the flights that I couldn't help but tell everyone, but by the time I listed off the countries to the last person I told I braced myself for the travel advice, and Ri was like "Yeah I was listening to the couple thinking, *I won't remember that city* *nope I won't remember that beach either* *and I definately won't remember to look up the "beach beginning with H next to the other beach*"

Today we got the engagement proofs back and OMG the photos are so amazing!

The photo on this blog is of a bathbomb from Lush, I bought about 10 to use between now and the wedding. SO GOOD for muscle/joint pain.

187 days

No that isn't the number of day until the wedding, its a bit less than that!
That is how long we'll be out of the country next year!
Breaking it down
37 days in the us/canada
90 days in europe (excluding the uk)
46 days in the uk
14 days in thailand/singapore

so.excited.

Destination: Spain

WANT TO SEE: Barcelona
The following is taken from an awesome website I found called http://www.veggieplaces.co.uk/vegetarian_barcelona.html
A website that should be able to help prevent starvation on the european stretch of our honeymoon.
Barcelona:
Following it's redevelopment in the decades before, Barcelona has become one of the most popular of European city destinations and it's not hard to see why. Well planned, wide boulevards, with sensible pedestrian crossing procedures, make it a joy to explore on foot. The buildings are stunning, there is a coffee shop on every corner. It's a buzzing city with an equally busy port and has a heady mix of old and new.

Rhys and I went and had breakfast at Mt Cootha the other morning, looking up at the single cloud, as I currently am obsessed with clouds. We sat on the deck enjoying the view, we had a conversation that went something like this:
R: We'll see a lot of this next year.
Me: Of Brisbane?
R: No views, when you go to a new city you usually find a high point and look out over the city
Me: I think all the roofs are the same colour
R: In Greece?
Me: yeah and somewhere in California. Where do you think we'll be this time next year?
R: Hmmm Italy? Venice maybe.
Me: On the canals?
R: Sure
Pause
Me: 6 months is not enough time
R: Yeah. At least its a start, we can go back.
Me: True, we can make a list of places we want to explore again.
R: After the kids have left
*rolls eyes* Me: well at least we'll have this time together and this adventure, too many people end up in hospital when they're older and miss out....
Pause
R: You wouldn't be happy if today was our wedding day would you?
Me: How'd you know?
Both: Only one cloud.

something to get excited about

We can (in theory) book our honeymoon from now on!
*Squeal*
I know I should be all excited about the wedding and I am, but thats one day and our honeymoon is going to be the best six months of our married life (hopefully).
To be young and free and running around the world. People live to regret not doing what we get to do so young.
I put the first itinerary together and it is awesome!
From Brisbane to Sydney to LA to Canada to New York to Ireland to London to Paris to Athens to Helsinki to Phuket... ahhhh and everywhere we drive in between.

WANT TO BOOK EVERYTHING NOW AND LEAVE TOMORROW...