It's Actually Happening!

As the wedding approaches, it seems more and more real. When we first got engaged, we had over 400 days until the wedding, and now we have 61. Sure, we booked our vendors for "the big day", but it was very surreal. The events of the last week, as well as what is yet to occur this week, is making the wedding seem all too near. Last week, I had my final dress fitting. This was the first time that it actually felt like MY dress. A little scary, I must admit. On Saturday, we spent time with Kevin's family at dinner. We got to see his cousins, aunts and uncles, including Aunt Nancy and Uncle Sherman from North Carolina. (I am mentioning them specifically because Aunt Nancy told me that she started reading my blog!) On Sunday, Kevin's aunts (Jo, Nancy, Linda, and Karen) threw me a beautiful bridal shower. I got a bright red Kitchen Aid mixer (YAY), among many other awesome gifts. Nothing says marriage like a Kitchen Aid mixer! Today I sent out the wedding invitations. It was almost like they didn't want to go, since I had to take them to the post office twice. The first time I tried to send them, the postal worker told me they were too heavy. I was a little bummed, since that meant I had to buy 17 cent stamps. Now, the pretty interlocking wedding band stamps are accompanied by the rugged bighorn sheep stamps. What can I say? I'm making a statement. This week is packed with many more wedding-related activities, including: 1) a trip to Sam's Club to buy items for the out-of-towner goody bags; 2) printing off the table numbers; 3) bottling the wine we made at Grape Inspirations (these are our custom made wedding favors); 4) meeting with the rabbis at the temple to map out the ceremony; 5) drafting the ceremony program. Wish us luck!!

Wedding Expenses

I never realized how expensive weddings were until we started planning ours. I'm a little torn about some of the things we need to purchase because I want them to be nice, but I don't want to spend a ton of money on something that I'm never going to look at, use, or remember. For example, today I spent about 45 minutes online looking for a nice guest book and pen. According to The Knot, it is time for me to purchase these items. My choices? I could either spend $12.95 on something that looks like it was a prop on The Wedding Singer, or I could spend upwards of $60 for a beautifully bound book (in my colors, no less), which I will NEVER look at again. What's a bride to do????

Poor Tobi!

After I'd noticed that Tobi was constantly shaking his head and scratching his left ear, I went over to him to inspect. My first clue that something was wrong was that he would not let me look in his ear. I finally bribed him with treats and he reluctantly let me take a peek. All I can see is BLECH!!! It was disgusting! I will not elaborate on the contents, I will just say that it was startling enough to prompt me to call Tobi's vet to schedule an emergency visit. Off we went to visit the vet. Tobi shook the whole time we were in the waiting area, then hid under the bench in the examination room. After a brief consultation with the technician, the vet came in and placed Tobi on the examination table. Not a good idea. He was fine at first, and let her look all she wanted at his unaffected right ear. Then, she went for the left. It took all of my strength to keep him on the table as she inspected his ear and then swabbed it so she could examine the ick inside of it. It's kind of funny to me that he would rather have fallen off the table than let her swab the inside of his ear. At first the vet was saying things like, "Oh, poor baby, I know it hurts." Then I think she got annoyed by his constant attempts to make a break for it, and by the end was saying, "Now Tobi, you're being a big wimp." True, but my baby was in pain!! We waited for a little while, me on the bench, Tobi underneath. Turns out he has a yeast infection in his ear. He's had one before, but this was MUCH worse, which was why I panicked a bit. He was prescribed oral steroids (to help with pain) and ear goop. This is where it gets fun. The technician came in to show me how to administer the goop. It took both of us to hold him down while she quickly shoved it into his ear and squeezed. She said it would be better once the steroid kicked in. Yeah. OK. All I was thinking was how I was going to do this by myself while Kevin is gone for the next week.

We're getting the process down to an art. With his third dose of the goop and steroid, he is crying less and less. I'd like to thank the nice people who make Beggin' Strips and KRAFT cheese slices, without which I would not be able to administer Tobi's medicines. Tobi's greasy ear.