Bid-nesss

I seriously, really, no really really feel like I need to take the rest of the week off from work to get my life in order. After traveling all last weekend for a FANTASTIC wedding shower (photos soon!), a trip which was 1,100 miles and 18 hours of driving, I'm beat. I need to do laundry. I need to call zappos and see why they haven't processed my return order. I need to check the design of my wedding band and see exactly how much broker we're going to be.

Thankfully, DJ checked the IRS website last night, and you're able to find out when the eff your refund will hit the bank account. Because I was going to try to call today. On tax day. I'm certain that would be plesant. But I was worried; we're getting the first time homebuyer tax credit back and our bank accounts are not totally barren... just kinda lonely. Anyway, refund, tomorrow! WOo- to the hoo!

I also need to follow up on wedding stuff. Version 5 of the newsletter is 5 days over due. I need to call the restaurant. Because I have to hound them to get me information about simple things, like maybe pricing out dinner menu items? Yeah... we're getting married in 80-something days, we should pull that together. See also: budgeting?

Spending time in Harrison on Monday and Tuesday definately reinforced how much I love that place. And that it's a small town, where business is still best conducted face to face. I'm an email girl. Phone if absolutely necessary. I find that in my line of work, it's best of have written proof of what you said, so that it can't be construed in another way. In Harrison though, it's all face to face. The mayor thought she was marrying us; I'd left her numerous messages last fall, and she never called me back to confirm so we asked a friend of DJ's. I saw her on Monday and she asked about the ceremony... um lady, call me back in October!

DJ's mom is having a hard time getting some of the details ironed out for the Friday welcome Pig Roast (welcoming the guests, not a pig). I went into City Hall to get things ironed out and they totally had her on the calendar and were planning on it... they just hadn't told her that. Communication...

Anyway, one of the fun things I did in Harrison on Monday was introduce myself to the guy who owns the Wild Boar Inn, one of the bed and breakfasts in Harrison where DJ's dad and a few of our friends are staying. IT's a GREAT place! The guy has slowly rehabbed this 1917 house, and I'm totally hiring him to do ours someday. He's also providing the transportation the day of our wedding. Check this bad boy out (So pretty!)

Sadly, my boss needs me at work, so all of the things on my to-do list like transplanting the strawberry plants, planting the garlic my aunt gave me, writing thank-you notes for shower gifts, finishing the retaining wall in the garden, puttering in the yard, working on wedding-related crafts, and generally getting shit done will have to wait until the weekend!

Also: the winter snow we got here on Monday, what the hell was that?

Bob & Joyce

My family is Catholic. Extended, serious, give money and land, send your seven kids to Catholic school, full out mass Catholic. Since they came over from Germany, and settled in a Catholic farm community.

DJ and I will not be having a Catholic wedding. Simple eight-minute lakeside ceremony is our style. I'm a recovering Catholic. But I appreciate the traditions and customs that are reflected in my grandparents wedding ceremony photos.

(DJ: Dress photos ahead. Proceed at your own risk.)

Getting ready

I really am astoiunded by the quality of photography from my grandparent's wedding albums. Sure, there are "only" 20 photos instead of the 300 (of 1,000 shot) I'll get, but they are really good photos, and still encapuslate all of the wedding-day items that our photography will cover.

First, of course, is getting ready. This is Robert Heitstuman, aged 24, getting ready to be married early in the morning of October 3, 1951. I say early in the morning because their wedding ceremony was at 9 am, "Catholic Church Time", where before Vatican II women sat on the left with their heads covered, and men on the right. Full mass, although I'm not sure if it was in latin or not.

At 24 years of age, Bob had been fatherless for 15 years (father died when he was 9 years old). His older brothers Tom and Norm fought in World War II; Tom was killed in Normandy and is buried in the American cemetery at Epinol. Bob spent a few months working for the Northern Pacific Railroad, stationed out of Livingston, Montana (a story I want to examine more some day). He returned to Colton to help his mother with the farm, and also drove school bus, which is how he met Joyce Druffel.

Lets examine the details:

Double breasted suits, light in color. Rose bout for him, crysanthemum for his best man. Sculpted hair. I'm not even sure he needed to shave.

God, he was and still is handsome.

(DJ: Proceed at your own caution. Wedding dress photos ahead. I don't care if you see, but know you had reservations about it.)

The Heitstumans

It took a 500 mile roadtrip to make it happen, but I've finally scanned the photos from both of my grandparents wedding albums (plus some others I found interesting)!

I'll  share them over time, but I'll start with this one, of my mom's parents in the "getaway car" after their 1951 wedding. Bob and Joyce have been married now for 59 years, and it's her dress I'll be wearing in July.

Don't worry DJ, none of the dress that I'm wearing is visible in this photo!

A couple of details are really striking to me. Grandpa Bob's smile is the same. She's not wearing earrings, and I'm not sure her ears are pierced even now. His tie has a pretty bold pattern. It was raining. They look so damn happy.

April 9 Friday Farming Update

Quick like a bunny, Friday farming update:

The oregano, basil, chives, thyme and rosemary is starting to take off. It's kind of leggy, but I'm still able to eat cilantro leaves right now. YUM!

The Sugar Ann Snap peas are coming up...

... As is the sweet corn, more snap peas and sweet peas!

But sadly, anything planted outside is buried under snow right now...

Oh for shit's sake...

That's my grandma Joyce's favorite saying. "Oh for shit's sake". Which is exactly what I said when I came down from our staff meeting tonight to a BLIZZARD.

I have to remind myself that snow in April is Bozeman's version of spring rain. I find myself repeating that over and over... maybe some day I'll believe it? But, it's hard to not get discouraged at weather like this:

... or worse yet, this:

It reminds me of the time I tried to throw DJ a 30th birthday/ golf scramble, and it snowed and snowed and snowed and snowed, so instead Emily and Allyson saved the day and bought a pinata:

Speaking of, it is DJ's birthday today!!! Happy day babe!

And speaking of parties, one reason I'm annoyed with the snow is that I'm driving tomorrow to eastern Washington for a wedding shower that my aunt is hosting for me. On Sunday my mom and I will head up to the lake and work on some landscaping projects.

Wish me luck (and DJ happy birthday!)!

Pupster Check in

Harlow is now nine weeks old, and has been with us for three full weeks. She's adjusting to our life; or adjusting us to hers!

She's grown exponentially; I think she's 14 lbs now, and she was 8.5 when we got her. She's a champion napper, chewer, and sniffer. And we're working away from biteing as a means of exploring her world.

She loves licking the puppy in the reflection in the fridge. The same with the puppy reflected in the glass door.

Thus far we've stuck pretty close to home. We need to get her out a little more, and expose her to the rest of the world. Walks to the park have been about the extent of her world so far. Last week she did meet Lester, the white golden retriever who lives down the street.

Oh my. Lester is HUGE!

We've been very good about keeping her in her crate when we can't observe her. I took a chance on Friday and used her leash to teather her to her crate, and this is what I came down to:

Bye bye JCrew magazine! (But this was my fault. I left it within her reach, unsupervised).

I swear that she grows every day while I'm at work. Look at those paws! The floppy ears! (The towel wrapped around the dishwasher bar so she doesn't run off with it).

She's learned to go to the front door and bark when in need of a bathroom break. We've been poop free inside since day two, although she sometimes forgets to bark when she has to pee.

That said, she's also learned that sometimes you just have to pee in the snow. (This is an actual, un-edited, photo from early Saturday morning when we had a nasty spring blizzard in Bozeman)

She's also learned that naps in front of the fire are very nice. Although she can't figure out why she can lick the fireplace during the day (when it's off), yet at night it burns her. So she growls, and barks, and then tries again. Blonde moment.

But overall, she's pretty darn awesome. Furry, funny, squirly, and fun to play with. I think we'll keep her around ;-)