Honeymoon 2.0

Nuremberg Christmas Market

December is shaping up to be one of the most memorable I've ever known. Just when we thought our honeymoon to Jamaica would be the last of our travels for awhile, my-in-laws, in their seemingly-infinite generosity, have asked us to join them on a trip to Europe for a week!

But this isn't just any trip, mind you. This trip is to Bavarian Germany and Prague, aboard a small cruise ship on the Danube River in the heart of the Advent season. How do I even begin to explain how excited I am? Admittedly, Mr. and I were both a bit sad at first at the idea of not being home to do all of our favorite Christmas season traditions. The crackling fireplace, hanging the stockings with care, A Christmas Story...all will be replaced this year with fresh lebkuchen, Czech glass ornaments, German Christmas trees and some of the world's largest Christmas markets. Now how, my friends, is that a bad plan? Mr. gets to spend his 31st birthday checking out 13th and 14th century churches, 12th century stone bridges, snacking on sausages and drinking warm mulled wine. The romantic European Christmas scenes, chilly air, clear night skies, woolly hats and hand-holding will make for idyllic lasting memories of our first pre-Christmas as a married couple. This trip is now known as Honeymoon 2.0. Amazing, isn't it?

Prague...Looks a bit cold, don't you think?
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Interestingly enough, we fly home on Christmas Eve...maybe we'll spot Santa and his reindeer, too! I'm hoping to sneak into our church to catch the tail end of the Christmas Eve service. It's overwhelmingly powerful. If we can't make it in person, it will be on T.V., however! The choir sounds ethereal, reverent and beautiful, just the way a Christmas Eve service should be. If you're local, I highly recommend it!

Red Balloons+Green Shoes+Holey Jeans=Bliss

5 red balloons, my favie holey jeans and my lucky green shoes. They make for fun photos, don't you agree? These shots are part of a collection taken by our friend as the super-top-secret half of the wedding gift for my groom. The entire shoot was a blast and Bubs loved the complete boxed set of photographs taken that day. (P.S. The other half were ah-maze-ing black vintage typewriter key cufflinks with an 'E' and a 'D' by etsy seller HauteKeys. The perfect gift for my graphic-designing-computer-loving husband!)

After the shoot, I gave the balloons to a little girl waiting for a bus on High Street, just so the happiness could continue. Trust me, if you want to brighten someone's day, give them a balloon. Her mother nearly cried. Powerful moment disguised as a random act of kindness.


P.S. Those green shoes make an appearance in our engagement photos, too. Which, coincidentally, turned into the silhouette for the cover of our wedding programs. Go go green shoes! Yay!

Giving Thanks

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Wishing you all over-sized plates of yumminess, elastic waistbands, tryptophan naps, games with friends and family and maybe a little football too, but, most of all, I wish you the the love and thanksgiving of friends, neighbors, family and strangers. May we all count our blessings for all we have and say prayers for those who may be struggling this year. Above all else, take time to consider what Thanksgiving means to you and be thankful in your heart. Give back your time, money, prayers...whatever you can, whenever you can, to those who need us now because, in an instant, we could be in their shoes. Never take for granted the blessings bestowed upon you. Thank God, thank your family, your husband or wife, your kids, your friends....everyone who helps you smile, laugh, love, cry and cherish your life a little more than before.

I am thankful for all of you, taking the time to read this! I wish for you all a day of rest with loved ones, to take a step back and remember how Thanksgiving used to be and to make time to slow down our busy, modern lives enough to enjoy the simple things.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Cutest Thanksgiving Decorations

I love Paper Source. They have such clever kits and great papers! The Fall Leaf Wreath kit and Wheat Place Card kit are two of my faves for this time of year.

We can't forget Martha and her amazing decorating ideas. Aren't these oversize felt leaf trivets festive and simple? There's a How-To, too!

Or, if you're of the uber crafty persuasion, how about handmade maple leaf roses? I can just imagine the stunning centerpiece they would make, can't you? Here's the How-To!

Countdown Jamaica: 1 Week To Go!

West End Road, Negril (aka Paradise)
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Let's just talk a moment about how freaking ready I am for Jamaica! The whole time leading up to the wedding (and even a day or two after), I couldn't understand why anyone would want to take their honeymoon immediately after the wedding. Gosh, just the stress alone of having to pack everything up and fly the next day or two gives me butterflies!

It wasn't until a few days ago that I truly understand and appreciate the escape a honeymoon really is...and what a difference a week makes! Now, the Mr. and I...there's no difference in us. We're sickeningly blushy gushy newlyweds and loving every ridiculous moment. But waiting a couple of weeks to take our honeymoon was so...practical of us. We completed a registry, started thank you notes, made sure everyone was paid and had letters of recommendation written, started to put our house back together, did laundry and got back to work. We also had an amazing tailgate the day after our wedding, have had 3 family dinners, visited with friends, watched OSU beat Michigan, will celebrate Thanksgiving and have 0% stress packing for our trip. But...

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Oh, how nice it would be to be destressing on the beaches of Negril, with my handsome husband and a refreshing rum drink in hand? Really, folks, that can't come soon enough! I need a break! And sunshine! Lots of sunshine! And have I mentioned how excited I am to eat jerk chicken? I could sit on the beach eating jerk chicken, drinking Red Stripe for a week and be the happiest girl on the planet. Good times, they are a-comin' :)

3 Dives Restaurant & Cliff Bar is a MUST!

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Thanksgiving Smörgåsbord

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Can you believe it's almost Thanksgiving?! I can't...seriously. Because that means I've been married 10 days now and I just can't bring myself to believe it. Where has the week gone?!

Life at home has slowed, but only by a bit. The last of our England family is off back home today and we'll miss everyone very much. It was so nice to sneak in a little bit more time together! Hopefully, it won't be too long before we can visit again. There's rumors floating around about a family reunion in 2011...some lovely, sunny destination, too. Now, wouldn't that be something? One can certainly hope!

Over dinner at my in-laws last night, we got to talking about an American's traditional Thanksgiving. My new (British) "uncle-in-law" asked me to tell him everything our Thanksgiving entailed. Now that is a fun question to answer and it helped me really start to crave Momma's Thanksgiving meal! (yeah, Momma is still cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year. What a bad wife I am...next year is mine, though, I swear!)

So, back to the question of what makes up my traditional Thanksgiving meal. It only took a couple minutes to recite nearly every yummy morsel (with the Mr. in the background shouting out, "Did you remembers" at me.) What fun!

Then all of that Thanksgiving talk got me thinking today...Thanksgiving traditions are different for every family all over the States. Some have corn bread pudding and pecan pie, others might smoke or deep fry a turkey. Next year, Thanksgiving will be mine to host, but I want to take the opportunity to both pay homage to my traditions and start a few new ones while I'm at it!

Here's what we have every year:

· oven-baked turkey
· Stauffer's stuffing (cooked inside the bird and with additional ingredients...Momma doesn't do giblets!)
· mashed potatoes and Momma's famous gravy
· sweet potatoes (normally without marshmallows)
· Sissy's green bean casserole
· cranberry sauce (I like it from the can, still in gelatinous can-shape, others fresh...so there's normally both)
· some veggies (carrots, corn and/or broccoli)
· some type of salad
· baked bread rolls
· pumpkin pie w/ whipped cream
· normally at least one other dessert, usually changes year-to-year

So...which of your Thanksgiving faves are missing from my list - or - if your list looks like mine, what is your absolute favorite part of a Thanksgiving meal? I hope to glean some new, fun and tasty traditions from your suggestions!

Drive, Drive on Down the Field...

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GO BUCKS!!!

A Very Weird Night

He's 17. And I'm a perv, apparently.

So there I was, sitting in a crazy-packed theater last night, watching Twilight with my date (Momma) and all of a sudden, I feel sick. Really sick. Like...barfy sick. There's about 45 minutes to the start of New Moon and I feel like barfing. Great.

I went to the rest room. I came back. I went out for fresh air and a cold water. Nope. Still close to barfing. Came back and told Momma some seriously crap news...I had to go home. Yes. Before New Moon had even begun. Yippee.

Because we're pretty crazy fans, I had my darling husband pick me up and bring me home, so Momma could stay to watch it (serious time was invested, people!) The kindest girl at AMC Lennox let me exchange my ticket for any show I wanted...so at 11:55 a.m. this morning, Momma and I went to see New Moon! Finally! And yes, she saw it again without a complaint (really, watching a shirtless Taylor Lautner is a pretty pleasant thing...pulling teeth and/or begging was entirely unnecessary.)

So Yay! That was my morning and, even though last night was almost a complete bust for me, I'm just happy to report two things: 1. 1 think it's a million percent better than the way Twilight was done and 2. I hate to say it but Kristin Stewart is a mouth-breather. And really. Not such a great actress. Oh it pains me to say that because I'm fairly certain all fans really want her to be so much better than she is, but alas. She's not a good actor. Not at all. Paint drying would generate more of a palpable response. (God help me if she ever reads this blog...Kristin, I'm sorry, but really. You're pretty bad. Invest your money well and live a great life. Milk it for all it's worth and laugh all the way to the bank. I'll buy you a beer if you're ever in Ohio because I swear I'm not a bitch. You're just really that bad.)

The moral of this story is...I married my "Edward", who would never abandon me in my time of need. Go Team EveDan!

Where To Begin?

There's a billion things that I want to gush over about our wedding, but it's so hard to do without the proper visual aides that professional photos offer. I love the few non-pro pics we have in our possession, but I don't want to blab about all the details now...just to have to share the photos in (hopefully) January and have everyone sick of wedding talk. So...would you mind waiting a bit more for the juicy wedding talk until then?

Honestly, it may help me to recollect my thoughts and relive the entire experience in the coming new year. As of this moment, I'm not entirely sure it's all had the time to really sink in. With TWO huge trips on the horizon (more on that shortly...), thank you notes to write and Thanksgiving just a week away, I may have to lean toward the non-wedding related posts for a bit longer.

The problem is...what to talk about? The wedding really consumed us all there for awhile and I'm not sure where to begin not talking about it! So, I'll leave it to you...what would you like to read about? I have quite a few new projects on the horizon that I'd love to share with you, pre-honeymoon discussion and lots of fun newlywed nesting tidbits. How does that sound? Anything else? I'm all ears eyes :)

I See A New Moon A-Rising

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Or, at least I will be tonight at midnight. Because I am a huge dork with an inability to resist prepubescent urges for highly emotional melodrama, sexual tension and mediocre acting. Oh, that and I'm a fan of Taylor Lautner with no shirt on. (I'm not even going to discuss how creepy that is...the kid is 17 YEARS OLD! Pervs, the lot of us. Really. I'm hanging my head in shame quite literally.)

So, with that said, GO TEAM SOOKIE! oops...wrong series... (c'mon, it's a joke!)

If you're crazy like me and you're venturing out for a midnight showing of New Moon tonight, don't forget to arm yourselves with a Red Bull, the December issue of Harper's Bazaar (to pass the time while waiting in line for a seat) and your cell phone and ear plugs to capture (or block out) all the ridiculousness that seems to surround the Twilight series...because as bad as I am, I'm no where near stalker, screamy teenager levels and mighty proud of it. I'm a fan. The end.

With that said, however, I do respect where a younger fan may get a little cuckoo bananas over the Twilight saga's cast. They're some good looking mofos and Stephanie Meyer wrote the hell out of those books and created a fantastic situ ("Oh darn, Bella. You're humbly average and get to be preened over by two hunky supernaturals. Rats. What's a girl to do?") All of the excitement over the books & movies is a gentle reminder to how I felt about Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet, circa 1996. I was 17 and wanted to crawl inside the movie I loved it so much. Sissy and I saw it 7 times in the theater (that was a lot back then.) To this day, I listen to the soundtrack, watch it every time it's on T.V., have the DVD and Radiohead's Talk Show Host is like Top 10 Faves material. The Twilight series hits that same raw nerve with me, somehow. Passion, love, lust, anger, frustration...the drama of it all. Good times had by all. And at the end of the day, Twilight's the same. It's still books. It's still movies. They have hired seemingly-normal actors who have developed a clearly insane fan base. Good luck to them...because they're going to need it. This crazy train doesn't look to be stopping any time soon. Maybe you could pool together some of your money and buy a private island somewhere where no one's ever heard of you and/or doesn't give a damn just so you can get some fresh air and sunshine without needing to worry about being hit by taxis whilst running from screaming teenagers (and their creepy moms...no offense to creepy moms, of course.)

The Mr. was so funny the other day. He says to me, "You're going to want to going to get there at least an hour and a half early for a seat because...well...it's bigger than Star Wars." Now that right there is an understanding only time grants a couple. Let's just hope New Moon isn't anywhere near as disappointing as Episodes 1, 2 or 3.

Please let me introduce....

The NEW Mr. and Mrs. R :)

Oh wow. Wowie wow WOW. It's official. We're MARRIED!

Gosh, it's so hard to know where to begin, I've had so many days of absolutely overwhelming emotion. I have a feeling it's going to have to come in stages, as I remember little bits here and there that I know, at this very moment, are all swimming around inside my heart. I feel a little like I have to be patient, bait the hook and fish them out one by one.

First. Can I just gush about the most amazing people we have in our lives? Seriously. Every, single person who has touched our lives are priceless to me. Whether able to attend or not, every priceless moment was gilded with the deepest love from all whom hold us so dear. How do you begin to thank so many for caring for us both so much? Oh. Words just cannot do it justice. It was one of the things that my most amazing husband and I couldn't believe. After the wedding, we sat on the floor of our living room and we couldn't stop talking, crying and smiling about the love we felt for one another, for everyone and from everyone. Love was a huge, very real, very tangible, living thing during our rehearsal, our ceremony, our reception and at every turn before and after.

I wish I could spend every waking moment reveling in the details, sharing every moment with everyone the whole world over, but some things I just know can't be explained. The emotion. The tears. The excitement. The anxiety. The purest joy I've ever felt in my whole life. It was perfect, even in it's imperfection. Perfect for us. It was so...us. Who knew I'd nearly faint in the bridal room, waiting for my turn to walk down the aisle? That was unexpected, but I really almost was a goner. And then, again, at the altar. I nearly fainted again! I don't know why...the nerves, the tight underthings keeping me in my dress, being a bit hungry? Who knows. At that moment, it didn't even matter. I held onto my Mr.'s hand like a lifesaver, closed my eyes and melted into the moment. I listened to the peace in my heart, the words of our minister and felt the support of the people around us. It worked and turned it into magic.

There were other moments, too. Like when our minister says to me, "Evelyn, do you take..." And I said, "I do!" Whoops. That was a little early. Then I giggled. Then I repeated my vows, staring into the eyes of my beloved and cried the happiest tears I've ever been blessed enough to cry. My love manifested itself and never before or probably after will I ever have another moment that pure of love, honesty and joy. I'll never forget it for the rest of my life.

Then. Oh. Then, when I knew we were married, really knew, I started to bounce because I was so happy and excited that I couldn't contain myself. Then we kissed the best kiss ever in the history of kisses. And we were introduced, and I jumped up and down. Really. I did a happy dance at the altar, in front of God and everyone. And everyone laughed. It was perfect.

You know, everyone says that you float. That it goes by so quickly. Having just done it, I can agree a certain amount, but not completely. I floated down the aisle. It was surreal. But I knew I was shaking and smiling like a crazy person, telling myself to walk slowly, keep smiling and don't faint. I looked into the eyes of our guests. Of my husband. Of my mom, sister, aunts, uncles, friends. That was very real and I was present for it...very there. And it does go by so quickly. But also so slowly, all at the same time. We both can't believe it's over. But we couldn't wait to kiss and be introduced. What a strange balance we felt.

So, without further ado, here are a couple of my fave photos so far (with many thanks to Mr. M and our friends Mary & Jeff, who were true historians of the evening!) I promise, lots more will be shared. No detail will be missed!

I love you all. Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts, hearts, minds and prayers on Friday the 13th. It was truly the luckiest day of my life.

Please, God. Help Me Resist Halloween Candy.

So, having a wedding 2 weeks after Halloween was poor planning on my part. Oh yes, we bought 2 massive bags of it as soon as October hit (as our tradition dictates.) Alas, I can't resist. Miniature sweets are proving too much for me. Today, I'm back to the grind (or Shred, as it were.) Sissy also gently reminded me that a little color on my skin wouldn't kill me...so gradual self-tanning and small-dose tanning bed sessions, here I come. (Yeah, I know. Terrible. Tanning beds are the devil, right? Amazingly enough, I'm over it already.)

What I really want to do is bake these pumpkin cupcakes. Oh, Smitten Kitchen, how I adore thee.

..drool..
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I'm disappointed in myself and my utter lack of self control. Curses, you pesky sweet tooth.

Does anyone know of anything sweet and not terrible for me to eat? I do the low-fat yogurt/granola thing and love that. Crasins are another fave. I feel like I'm missing some quick and tasty treats and could use some help! What are your favorite healthy snacks of the sugary persuasion?

In Four Days...

I'm getting married in 4 days. This year has gone by so quickly, but what a great and busy year it has been. Like Emily Dickenson said, "To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else."

Only a few lingering tasks await me these next few days. Family and friends have begun to arrive and emotions are running high for all involved. Me? I'm a bit of a roller coaster, actually, but fairing pretty well. If anything, I wish I didn't feel guilty that I didn't work out every day like I promised myself I would. Guilt's a hard emotion for me to shake, too. Oh well. Multivitamin, lowfat yogurt and big glass of water, here I come! (And really...if that's the worst emotion I feel, I'll find a way to push through. Ha!)

I wish I could find a way to put into words everything I'm feeling, but I can't. Or maybe it's that I won't? For me, this is a time for reflection, introspection, goodbyes, hellos, truth, love and promises. It isn't a party. It isn't about the money spent (or saved). It isn't about the decor, the flowers, the dress. It's a marriage. A powerful and true covenant between two people willing to go in front of God and everyone to commit ourselves to one another forever. These last few days, that's where my thoughts have been. How do you thank someone for loving so deeply in you that they make this commitment to you? That's love to me, pure and simple. We believe in one another that pledge of faith and friendship. We know things won't always be perfect -- they never have been, why would it change now? But we know that we can work through anything. We can apologize (*though one of us is better than the other, but I'm learning.) We can forgive. We can laugh, dream, work hard, work together, love, respect and honor one another. Though, technically, "the rest of our lives together" began years ago, I'm looking forward to the new, the unexpected, the unplanned and also the mundane, the routine and the constant our future together holds.

I feel like standing at the top of the tallest tree and shouting to the world and to God, "Thank you!" Every day, everything looks a bit richer somehow, colors more vibrant. I think my heart is smiling.

A funny thing happened on the way to the outlet mall...

Oops.
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As much as I'd love to take credit for the following hilarious story, it is all my sister's doing. She even said to me, "Oh, this story so needs to go on your blog." And thus, I begin the story of my sister's ill-fated trip to the outlet mall.

Back Story: Sissy is freaking out a little bit about what to wear to the rehearsal dinner. She tells me a few days ago, "Oh, please don't ask. I just don't know yet. I have to try to put something together, but I'm not sure I have the perfect pieces."

Then, yesterday, I get this text message:

"I effed up im in mexico! I missed my exit and i had to go thru the mexico border! OMG pray for me please. Say a prayer we make it back to the usa!!!"

Of course, I had a baby heart attack and wrote her back and called her, trying to figure out why:
1. She was anywhere nearer to Mexico than she is normally...one of the side effects to living in SoCal.
2. If she needs me to fax her birth certificate or if I had to talk to a border guard to beg them to let her back in so she doesn't miss her flight home for the wedding in a few days!

The story goes something like this...

Sissy and her roommate CC got this great idea to go shopping and Sissy really wanted to find the outlet mall. She knew it was somewhere not too far away and after looking up the directions, realizes it's a pretty straight shot. Just take highway 5 all the way to Exit 1A. Yep. The first exit inside the States. Undaunted, they jump into the car and head out for a mini shopping adventure. Only they were having too much fun, apparently, because the next thing Sissy knows is CC is freaking out and yelling that she had missed the exit and they're now in Mexico and that CC doesn't have his driver's license! Sissy is yelling at the border gate lady, "Is there a place to turn around? I missed my exit!" And the lady just keeps flagging her forward and saying, "Go! Go!" So much for that idea.

Sissy is now freaking out, too, because getting into Mexico is as easy as missing an exit. So they're freaking out, trying to call some people, trying to figure out how to turn around. Now there tends to be some different traffic rules in foreign countries -- Mexico included. We decided to call it a traffic fiesta. So Sissy is driving around in this traffic fiesta, manages to find a McDonald's and they start to figure out how to make it back. Miraculously, Sissy finds some kind of roundabouts or something and gets back to the border. Where she gets to wait in traffic for 2. Whole. Hours. At this point, she tells me, "We're so hot. We're pissed off. I'm running low on gas and NO I DON'T WANT A CHURRO I JUST WANT TO GO HOME." (And, of course, I about died laughing.) She says to me, "No. You don't understand. It's not like it's missing the outlet to Jeffersonville and ending up in Cincinnati, folks. It's Hi. Mexico. We're in Mexico." And, of course, I laugh harder.

So, then comes the border patrol guy. Now, I don't know about you, but I'm fairly certain they're getting through because, really. Who in their right mind could make up a story like this?! Sissy hands the guard her ID and asks if she has a passport.

Sissy: "No. I don't have my passport. I'm not even supposed to be in Mexico."

Guard: (a bit confused) "Then what are you doing here?"

Sissy: "I got lost because I missed my exit looking for the outlet mall. Now, I just want to go home." (I can only imagine the look on the guard's face.)

The guard asked CC for his ID, which, of course, he didn't have.

Sissy: "No, he doesn't have his ID. We weren't planning on coming to Mexico. We were just trying to get to the outlet mall."

After the rigmarole the guards have to go through ("Is this your car, etc.") They let the two crazy Americans go home.

You know what? They didn't even make it to the outlet mall. I think that's the last time Sissy ever tries to discount shop!

The moral of the story: Make sure you carry your ID at all times, you aren't enjoying your road trip so much you miss an exit and end up in Mexico and that outlet mall discounts aren't always worth the hassle. Thanks to Sissy for the great story!!

Post-Halloween, Pre-Wedding Fun

Yay! I stole a few moments from an otherwise crazy-busy day to say what a great time we had on Halloween, share some fun pictures and gush about wedding stuff. And who doesn't love all that good stuff?!

Let's start with Halloween. Oh it was SO much fun! Passed out treats at Momma's house. It's nothing short of amazing that I managed to bribe convince two other people to don mouse costumes, but it worked! Momma, D. and I were the Three Blind Mice for trick-or-treating and Mr. M was one VERY scary butcher. /shudder

My completely adorable future nieces. Cutest flower fairies ever!

Then, as if one costume wasn't enough fun for all, D. and I went home, changed costumes (Sookie Stackhouse & Vampire Bill from True Blood) and headed off to the Short North Highball. Aside from being very cold, it was a blast. Spiked hot apple cider for me, beer for D., friends, music and some of the most creative, brilliant costumes I've ever seen...and nearly all hand-made! Yay! We were too cold to see who made away with the $1,000 Grand Prize costume prize. Can't wait for next year!

After a whirlwind weekend, bright and early Monday morning, I had my final dress fitting! Hurrah! And aside from the seamstress accidentally giving my crinoline away to another bride just a few days ago, it was perfect. The bustle. OH! Who knew I'd love my dress even more with a bustle?! Seriously, folks. I didn't want to take the dress off. Momma had to tell me we had to go. Twice. As far as wedding dresses go, I think that's about as much dress love as I've had. But really. I have to find a way to wear it again, somewhere, sometime. Once just isn't enough!

This week is the last big push for wrapping up those pesky To Do list items, but I am feeling pretty good. Honestly, I can say that the hard work up to this point was completely worth it. Next week, all I'll need to do is get a massage, a mani/pedi, drop off my vases to the florist and relax with my friends and family. Then? It's GO time!

10 more days and counting..!