Better late than never...

I hadn't realized I hadn't updated since June! There is plenty going round in my head right now, so I will be updating more regularly. Especially since summer camp is *over*.

The wedding planning is coming along. I have to say, though, that I resent the cultural implication that women should plan their own weddings, and should enjoy it. I have a job, and a decent part of my job is planning. Planning preschool, planning summer camp, planning day camps. I don't need more planning, or even more work, in my life. But we really want to have a wedding. It might not be traditional, it might not be expensive, but we want *something* for us. I go back and forth between criticizing myself for wanting a wedding, and being angry at myself for criticizing myself. But the simple truth is that I love Brian in this deep, unexplainable, unutterable way and I want to celebrate that love. We want a night filled with our family and friends where we celebrate our love, and then drink some good beer. And lucky for me, Brian is a fan of bucking cultural stereotypes, and will probably end up planning just as much, or more, of the wedding than I will.

We've whittled our budget down as low as it will go. My friend Livi is baking the cakes, my Mom is making soap for our favors. Our flowers are local and my new aunt is going to help with arranging them. Our site is a nature preserve that works for both the ceremony and the reception. We were briefly even considering doing a pot luck, but with so many people coming from out of town, I really feel like we need to feed them. But that might change, depending on what we've got to spend.

The other issue is that Brian is applying to PhD programs, and we've very likely going to be moving next summer. So we need money for moving. I'm both excited and dreading moving. I have an awesome job here, one that satisfies my need to make an impact, with a boss that really listens and co-workers who are easy to work with and fun. But the call of the unknown is seductive, and I've never liked staying in one place very long. The chance to move somewhere new, like Boulder, Colorado or Minneapolis, Minnesota, is really tempting. Maybe finding a job that is a bit more outdoorsy would be wonderful. But, much like I did when I was applying to grad schools, I'll leave where we end up to fate. If we're not meant to move, Brian will get into school where we already live. And if we are meant to move, he'll get in elsewhere. No matter what, it'll be an adventure.