I will tell you that Shoes and I have somehow managed to jump from cheery, unmarried, breezy coupledom to me saying, "Darling, if we are planning to legalize our coupledom and collect a tax break, we should probably decide by August or September how that's going to look as many venues require reservations a year in advance."

Shoes says, "Definitely by August we'll decide.  September is the start of college football."

That's true.  It cannot be interfered with.  I knew this before Shoes and I started dating.  Cougar Football will probably make its way into the wedding vows.

Gretchen (Shoes' mom) says, "He took me ring shopping!  But then he wanted to make the final decision by himself."  She's so super, endearingly excited about these nuptials and says, "This family needs a happy event."  Indeed, the family has been faced with untold challenges since March. But there are good things happening, too ... the birth of a baby in July, the loveliness of three grandsons, the celebration of an acceptance into Pharmacy school, the collective rush of healing thoughts for a  family member experiencing a complicated health issue ...

I said, "Maybe we should just go to Vegas."

Gretchen said, "That's absolutely fine!"

My mom said ... well, my mom wasn't there.  But I know she'd support anything I decided.  She's crazy unconditional that way. I'm sure she'd be the first person to arrive in Vegas with her motor home and mother of the bride dress.

Shoes said, "Nah. Let's not go to Vegas.  Let's do this:"


{Actual venue site; photo not hyperlinked.}

I said, "Really?"

Shoes said, "Absolutely.  That's just fine with me."

At the beginning of graduate school, my advisor told us that the one thing we absolutely should not do is plan a wedding before graduation.

And plagiarize.  We definitely shouldn't plagiarize. (Like I did when I posted the venue site without crediting the source.)

The thought is overwhelming for me ... especially right now as I finish up this term, think about the intensity of my final year, look for another job as I will lose my current position at the end of the summer ... 

But then I think, "Wedding Schmedding.   I just want to have a happy party with the people closest to us in the fantastic Palouse surrounded by green rolling hills" (Read:  Very Small).

And more than anything, I just want to come home at the end of my day at the same time Shoes does ... No four hour drives, no nightly marathon phone calls, just regular, normal, everyday, boring, fantastic life.  With two dogs.  And town chickens.  And raised garden beds.  And weekly trips to the Farmer's Market.  And gratitude.

Supreme gratitude.  

Shoes is surprising in the most surprisingest of ways.  I'm keeping the "how we met" post until the formal proposal. Suffice it to say he's not who I thought I would have chosen.  And I don't know why he picked me.   But he did.  I did.  We did.

We will.  Eventually.

I like tax breaks.

2 comments

  1. AandW Drive-Thru on June 5, 2011 at 1:25 PM

    I totally understand the just wanting to come home at the same time with Shoes at the end of a day... having done the long distance relationship thing, I know it's no fun. I can't wait to hear when the big news happens. I'm so happy for you. And I really hope you get your two 2 town chickens... never answered your question posted to one of my blogs... and "no"... no town chickens here, but I suppose the private community pool we have makes up for the lack of town chickens. ;)

     
  2. Ronna on June 15, 2011 at 3:27 AM

    I better get an invite!! Tell that boy I leave in May and he needs to get on it ;-)

     


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