in medias res

A Plethora of Updates

I still haven’t learned to budget for the perks of being an unmarried twenty-something-er. Weddings, travel, entertaining, traveling to be entertained, travel attire, wedding gifts, shower gifts, baby gifts, birthday gifts, "just because" gifts…but it’s worth it.

Baltimore was beautiful, but busy. Very bachelorette-y. We had six girls in the bride's townhouse and, halfway through the weekend, a disposable razor was flushed down the only toilet in the house - it was out of commission until one hour before the wedding. That made for funny discomfort. The matron of honor and I drove up from Richmond on Thursday and previewed the wedding night CD we made for the bride ("tap that badonkadonk") while we were stuck in D.C. traffic. I put together the beach bag of goodies for the bride. I had made a quick trip to Spenser's to buy a few things for the wedding night. It's hard to keep one's perspective in Spenser's. Everything showcases male genitalia. Even the most tame merchandise is embarrassing when it appears outside of the store. I asked the clerk to double-bag it and I wrapped it in several layers of teal and white tissue paper.

Thursday night was the quiet before the storm. Friday morning, the groomsmen arrived from Connecticut several hours early (7am) and crashed on the couches while we wrapped Reese's pieces in tulle secured with raffia for the wedding favors. The bridesmaid who knew the area left with a list and came back every few hours to drop off her goods and pick up a new list. By noon, some of us were slap-happy. The bachelorette party started at 5:30 and ended around 1am. We made a certificate for the bride's "release from bachelorette-dom" and gave a piece to each bachelorette participant. The bride had to earn her certificate through a series of dares, but she retained veto power. The best part - we got to dance. I didn't ever really dance until I was in college, and these were some of the first girls I ever danced with. Boys came and went and tried to impress us by sweeping us (literally) off of our feet. (Even with the most confident boy dancer, I always manage to screw up the spin. Maybe I'm too independent and awkward to be any good?)

The bridesmaid's luncheon, rehearsal, and rehearsal dinner were beautiful. I got a pedicure from a loquacious little pedicurist at the Greek-inspired salon two doors down from where we stayed and I bonded with a bridesmaid I knew mostly through stories. (My stories might be better if I could remember what all happened, but we were so busy even the day of the wedding and everything was so emotional, I can't keep it all straight.)

The morning of the wedding, I learned that my talent for tulle leaves much to be desired; the bride was so beautiful, I'm sure no one even noticed. The whole wedding was distinctive and elegant. The couple was married on top of Federal Hill overlooking the Baltimore Harbor, and their reception was in a room of the American Visionary Arts Museum at the bottom of the hill. She surprised the groom by serenading him with "At Last". Everything was beautiful. (Have I said that yet??)

Mike was incredibly helpful the day of the wedding, and I'm glad he got to come despite all of the chaos leading up to the wedding. I wanted my friends to finally meet him and it was fun to have so many of the people I love in the same room. We left after the wedding and I crashed in the car while he valiantly drove the whole way to Richmond. I felt bad - I had sworn that I'd stay up with him while he drove. The next day, I made the long trip from Richmond to Tallahassee in ten hours + a 45-minute layover at South of the Border. Am I the only person alive who thinks the tackiness of that place is appealing??

A few more updates are in order:

THIS DOG'S LIFE
Bruiser/Buddy/“Cooj” (short for “Cujo”) has formed a loving, trusting, and affectionate relationship with my roommate; I still get the cautionary stare from across the couch. It’s so pathetic, it’s funny – my dog just isn't that into me. I’m his despised sugarmama. I’d be hurt, except I abandoned him for two weeks when we first got him. He’s getting better as long as I pretend he doesn’t exist. He let me pet him four times today. If I try to show him that I want our relationship to work, he becomes distant and hostile. He’s such a dude.

TRUE LOVE WAITS
The biggest news is that I've decided to defer starting my Ph.D. program for a year. I've been contemplating this since before I made my initial decision and, for several reasons, starting this fall would be a really bad idea. One small reason is that if I can get a few things (my car) paid off this year, I won't need to work while I'm in my Ph.D. program. Not having a part-time job while I'm in school would significantly increase my quality of life. There are other reasons, but that'll do for now.

FUNKY COLD MEDINA
The good news is that this new resolve has also inspired me to get out of my funk. I'm exercising more, eating better, taking more time for friends, and starting to read for fun again. Watch out, world. I'm going to take my time and enjoy every bit of this. Independent Tara is not dying.

posted by tara @ 6:39 PM