Final Countdown

There is a hardware store here that is the oldest business that is the oldest business in town. It became a hardware store in 1907. The building itself is thought to be older than that. I love going in there because everyone is very knowledgeable. They also have fund things like pedals cars for kids and salt and pepper shakers of every shape and size. Kind of like an old-fashioned mercantile.

Gary and I decided we'd hit the hardware store to get some needle-nosed pliers. As we turn the corner, we see smoke and fire trucks. Our beloved hardware store burned to the ground. People here are in a state of disbelief. It is such a landmark and a local treasure. We are all keeping their fingers crossed that the owner will be able to rebuild. But it won't be the same. One thing I really appreciate about this community is its pride in its history and historic buildings. We'll miss our hardware store.

In other news, I will be getting married one week from today. It overwhelms me a bit to think about it. Everything is basically done. I'm just trying to stop myself from throwing new ideas into the mix like extra favors. Whew! Wish me luck...

Anniversary

Tuesday was the three year anniversary of my blog. Hard to believe. A lot has happened since I first started blogging. I never thought I would be where I am today when I started this three years ago. Life makes lots of funny twists and turns.

Yesterday, Gary and I took the ferry into the city to go to a baseball game. Gary's team won which made him happy. We had great sets behind home plate and under the awning out of the sun. It has been really hot here lately.

Gary and I went to a baseball game on our first date. It was kind of fun to get to do that again right before we get married. It hasn't quite sunk in yet that Gary and I will be married a week from Monday!

On another note...
for you all personality buffs out there...

In Myers-Briggs, I am an INFJ. I was going through a few personality books the other day and had Gary take an abbreviated test. He is an ENFP. I think it is interesting that we are both NF personalities. I'm not sure what that means in terms of relationships. According to Renee Baron, NFs tend to direct their intuition and insight on understanding themselves and others. They also value integrity and strive for genuineness and authenticity. They value romance and attention and are capable of giving and expressing deep love but are sensitive to disapproval, rejection, sarcasm and teasing. hmmm... Definitely a mixed bag.

I'm not a big fan of the enneagram but I am a four (the romantic) with "peacemaker" tendencies. Haven't figured out Gary's yet. Personality stuff is interesting and I always wonder how it affects your relationships with people.

Malady's Wedding (as envisioned by Frank)

Here is Ellen's vision of my wedding. The caption reads:

"I bet the wedding will be neat.
Here is how I think the wedding will be..."

Most of the images are references from the first Malady book. Even my nightmare monster is there!

Malady and the Gifts

Here are three of your favorite bloggers:
Malady, Ellen and Princess Genevieve. The caption reads:

"I decided to write [Malady] another
little book because that is all that I am good at
doing.

I hope she likes it.
I hope she likes it better than
Genevieve's gift.

hee hee."

Oops!

I am not the most graceful of people. I have a habit of tripping and falling down stairs. Of bumping my head and running into things. Well, my clumsiness has done me in again.

I was in the kitchen standing on a stepping stool putting away Pyrex dishes the other night and I dropped the lid to one of the dishes. I gasped because I could mentally see the lid breaking. Well, it didn't. Instead, it bounced off the floor and into the front of the stove where it shattered the glass in the door into a million pieces. Luckily, Gary was here and grabbed some shoes for me to put on before I got down. We spent the rest of the evening cleaning up glass. (after sequestering Toulouse in the t.v. room) Talk about a big OOPS! I'm hoping we can just get the door to the oven replaced. It's a brand new stove so I feel awful. And after all that, the Pyrex lid didn't break. They should make airplanes out of Pyrex!

Greg: Librarian, Cartoonist, Renaissance Man

My friend Greg is not only one of the funniest people I know, he is also one of the most well-read. He is slowly working his way through the Western Canon. When I don't know the meaning of a word, I call him. He's like a walking dictionary. He studies Chinese diligently. He plays basketball every weekend. He is a fantasy football geek. And he is a cartoonist.

In his spare time, Greg creates paintings where he puts people that he knows into famous paintings. In the work pictured above, he painted me as Frida Kahlo in her painting "Self Portrait with Monkey and Cat." He put my friend Amy's dog into a De Chirico painting and his wife Sara into a painting by Ingres. He is currently working on a wedding painting for me and Gary. I can't wait to see how it looks.

Malady 2: Electric Bugaloo

I got some wonderful gifts in the mail today! First of all, my sweet friend Vieve sent me some lovely soaps and a book for my birthday. The soaps smell so good! And I can't wait to read the book. It's called "Pledged" and it's about the secret world of sororities.

My second gift was a new book by my talented friend Ellen who I call Frank. Since she wrote another book about me in college, I now consider myself part of a series. It's a really cute wedding gift. I love it. I love homemade gifts. They always get me teary-eyed. I am including the front page above. (note: all of Ellen's works are copyrighted) Perhaps Malady 3 will be "Malady Has a Baby." If we're lucky...

31 Days

It just hit me that it is only 31 days until the wedding. There are lots of little things still to take care of. I wake up in the night thinking about them and start worrying and then I can't get back to sleep. We decided not to hire a wedding coordinator. It just seemed like unnecessary money. It would be nice to be able to hand everything over to someone else so my mom, Gary and I wouldn't have to worry about it.

I find myself drawn to wedding scenes in movies on t.v. I keep tuning in to "Monster-in-Law." I just watched the cheesy wedding in "Steel Magnolias." And I even tuned in to "Father of the Bride" for a little bit.

My wedding inspiration, though, comes from "A Room with a View" and "Much Ado About Nothing." Italian countryside theme.

I just can't wait to see everybody. I hope they all have a good time. My friends Amy and Greg are coming into town tonight for the weekend. It will be good to see them.

Veils and Bags and Fabric, Oh My!

I went on an adventure today with one of my mother's friends from high school. He used to be the head costumer for the Opera in the city. He is now retired and creates these dolls that are works of art. He has offered to make my veil and a handbag for me as a wedding gift.

We went to a part of town I haven't been to before and visited lots of cute shops. He took me to this amazing fiber arts store filled with antique lace, corset making materials, tatting, purse forms, hat forms, etc etc. I had never seen anything like it. We looked at lace for my veil and picked up a frame for my handbag. I can see how it would be very easy to get carried away with so many neat fabrics and embellishments. I can't wait to see what he comes up with.

To see some of his work, go here:

Chasbatte.com