A PACKAGE ARRIVED!
Its my mothers wedding dress from 1986.



And cleverly labeled "soon Roff :)"
(addresses smudged with photoshop because I don't trust the blog spammer)

A great fit! But not exceptionally flattering.
I can't remember the last time I looked like such a giant. And I've gotten multiple Beetlejuice references to prove it.

Consider this the "BEFORE" picture! Thanks mom!



SOON: Tory and I are heading to my cousin's wedding in British Columbia this week. I am excited to go, and to bring my future husband as my date! We'll be couchsurfing in Vancouver to see some local flavor and then meet up with my parents and see the rest of my dad's family shortly! It's been too long.

NEXT: We started our marriage counseling; we each filled out questionnaires about our personal lives, family, and expectations. This was fun it made me reminiscent of being in grade 9 and sending surveys about myself to all my friends via a few cleverly named hotmail addresses, but also exciting and meaningful because the questions weren't "would you ever kiss me?" but questions geared to help us understand areas in our growing relationship that might need more focus or discussion.

THEN: We spent all Saturday doing a great amount of yard work like cutting down huge weed trees and turning over the lawn, and then Sunday locked the keys in the car and had an adventure buying a "slim jim" which is available for anyone to buy apparently at the local auto place (Right in the self-help section. Handy!) and then met a few characters in the neighborhood who figured they had some expertise in the area of opening locked car doors, but in the end, Tory got it open.

SO! Wedding date! We are getting married September 11, 2010!
We do realize that this coincides with an anniversary of the infamous named-after-the-date 9/11 tragedy. I have been trying to ease the few raised eyebrows we've gotten, without disrespecting those who feel that yearly anniversary very deeply. I don't believe dates are cursed, or that we should avoid every day throughout history on which a tragedy occurred. All you can do is create new memories, or as Joke said, "they are reclaiming 9/11." We are very excited and feel thoroughly supported in our relationship by family and friends. Thanks everybody!

We decided to get married sooner rather than later so I wanted to blog to make sure we do remember to enjoy the planning process. I am so far! I do feel pressure to pick a reception venue soon, but our date is more available than most and we're trying to find a non-traditional venue anyway. Vines? Karate? Russian Art? I'm having a good time looking.