Long time no update
Ok, Jason is yelling at me - well, not really yelling - just continually bugging me to update my LJ. This is going to be a long-assed update since it will contain the wedding - which was awesome.
Waking up at 5:00 a.m. on Friday was not so awesome. I have to say that up until that morning I was seriously stressed about the whole thing. Travel plans were changing at the last minute, I didn't have time to go to the store and pick up everything I wanted to, and I wasn't even packed by Thursday night at 10 p.m. - not to mention I was pretty much exchausted. Getting back to a normal work schedule after all of that time off has not been easy for me at all. I also tried to get to the gym last week (a little bit of working out before a wedding never hurts!), but it was so packed that there wasn't even a parking space. And to top it off, I had serious heartburn on Wednesday. I bought my first pack of Rolaids that night after my failed visit to the gym and wow did it make me feel old and feeble.
Anyhow, on Friday morning, Steph met me in Gaithersburg around 6 a.m. Traffic had been horrible for her between Frederick and my place, so we were running a bit late. Blame it on the rain or just the fact that traffic sucks, even at 5 a.m. Of course it had to be raining that morning. Finding the airport was simple and we made it with plenty of time to spare. The flight down was pretty uneventful. I tried in vain to sleep and ended up reading about 100 pages of Marie Antoinette instead. When we got to Florida, Krystal was waiting for us at the baggage claim. She looked pretty unstressed to me - less stressed than I was, as a matter of fact. Being the too cute planner that she is, she gave us a welcome bag with food and a bucket and shovel for shelling (Sanibel island is literally made of sea shells), maps, water, etc. So cute! By this point, we were all starving so me, Steph, Krystal, Steve, and Mike (one of the groomsmen) went to Chili's. Then Steph and I went with Mike, who got a rental car, to the hotel and we proceded to sleep for the rest of the afternoon until it was time for the rehearsal dinner.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that up until we went to bed, Florida did not redeem herself to me. 1) it was incredibly hot and sticky the minute we stepped out of the airport. I kept saying, "This is crazy - it's January!! Where are the SEASONS???!". Then in our hotel room, Steph and I found a cockroach (just like a Sheila's grandmother's!) - and it was a big cockroach too. Luckily it was dead (or near death) and Stephanie is braver than I, so she disposed of it. But in the hotel's defense, it was a pretty nice hotel and the beds and linens were the most comfortable I've ever had at a hotel (not counting the super posh hotel that we stayed at on the Wind Ensemble trip for GMU way back when).
The rehearsal dinner was that night at a restaurant whose name I already have forgotten - Lighthouse something or other. All of the food was great and guess who was there - Amanda (a.k.a. Naps), whom I haven't seen basically since we graduated from high school. We had a great time catching up and eating - I had salmon and potatoes and tiramisu for dessert, not to mention 2 Midouri Sours and a glass of wine and a glass of champagne for the toast. By the time this was all over it was 10:45 at least, but we still had to go out for the "Bachelorette" party, which I put in quotes because all of the bridal party went together. We went to a bar down the road that was a little bit shady and mainly older people - we were kind of out of place with our plastic leis and all of us 25 and under but we were pretty much the life of the joint and we danced and acted stupid, took a few shots of SoCo and took pictures. We were all exhausted so we didn't last long. And we had to be up at 6:30 am to decorate the beach and the reception room, so we weren't going to stay out too horribly late.
Krystal and Naps stayed with Steph and I in the hotel room that night. Of course we couldn't shut up since it had been so long since we were all together, so we talked for a while and eventually probably fell asleep at 1:30 a.m. or later. We were all running on adrenaline and excitement the next morning, so we were awake on time and headed to the resort to decorate the path to the beach and put together the guest favors and centerpieces. While we were putting tulle up on the posts along the paths, Mrs. Ritchie got pooped on by a bird right in her hair! It was pretty hilarious, but we were also freaked and hoping that they wouldn't that same great aim during the wedding. This was about 8:00 a.m. and it was nice out - sunny and breezy. Thank God we had nice weather.
The next 4 hours were spent at a salon. Ok, we are on an island in South West Florida, so obviously the salon is going to be ... well... a little bit targeted toward the older audience. My stylist was def. a gay man, aged 62, who talked to us about the new version of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. Needless to say, I was a little bit reluctant since the last time a man cut my hair, I left with less than half of the hair that I had before and a terrible haircut that still hasn't quite restored itself. I was pretty much resigned to the fact that I was just going to get curls like I did for Sheila's wedding, but the girls were all insisting that I could get my hair into an up do. So we found something in a magazine and this guy actually managed to get all of my hair up and into something that looked really elegant. It was amazing. I was thrilled because it actually looked like I have a lot of hair again. He kept saying "God, what did they do to you? Don't ever cut your hair again! I can't believe you got this us in Washington, DC!"
So I went first and spent the rest of the time reading magazines and also took some time to call J, who was buying a doorbell. LoL. We had a nice long discussion about the merits of different types of doorbells. Yes, we are strange sometimes. He said he was going to wait until I got home so that we could pick one out together. I love him. He is so cute.
After all hair was finished and we were all coated with 1,000 applications of industrial strength hairspray, we went to Renee's house. Renee is Steven's grandmother who lives on Sanibel Island and is a bit of a character. Krystal and Steven had been staying with her since Dec. 27 and K had some hilarious stories and had warned us ahead of time about Renee's... psychosis (for lack of a better word). We ate lunch at the house and did makeup. Stephanie did my make up for me since I am make up impaired. I loaded up on matte finish powder because we were all already sweating and shiney and we weren't even outside. The expected high for the day was 85. We were running late to get to the resort where we would get into our dresses and take pre-wedding pictures, so it was a little bit crazy. Krystal was driving Steven's car around and it was packed with her, Holly (Maid of Honor), me, Mrs. Ritchie, Steph, and Amanda plus dresses, more make up, shoes, and every other supply that we could possibly need.
We got there are immediately discovered that we had forgotten Krystal's crinolin, so we had to go back and get it. It all was fine though, and we were pretty much ready when the Photographer got there. Only other minor disasters up to this point was the fact that Steven hadn't told his mother about the Sand Ceremony (instead of a unity candle, two colors of sand are poured into one vase by the mothers to represent the families coming together). Krystal was pissed about that. Our steamer also wouldn't work. Then the flip flops with bling on them that Krystal had made didn't fit right, so we decided to toss that and go barefoot.
I have to mention that the flowers she chose were really beautiful - simply rose-only bouquets of cream and lilac roses that complimented our blue beautifully. I loved it. They were the color of raspberry ice cream and I just wanted to bite into them and eat one, expecting it to taste just like ice cream.
Ok, so up to right before the ceremony. We were standing in the restaurant, which overlooks the lawn and the beach, when Krystal suddenly says, "Where the f*ck is my altar??" and I go, "What do you mean, your altar??" Krystal pulls the wedding coordinator and is like "I am supposed to have a bamboo altar!" ahe wedding coordinator, looking pretty stunned and about to crap her pants, says, "No, I don't think so." Ok, rule #1 - never argue with the bride. K says, "I paid $350 for that altar - get it up in 10 minutes!" And the wedding coordinator runs off to figure out why there isn't an altar. That was a pretty scary moment and I was afraid that K was going to meltdown. I mean, we were literally getting ready to walk down to the aisle when K noticed that there wasn't one. At any rate, the resort people had one up in 15 minutes and we were out - a little bit late but it didn't matter. The weather was actually perfect (well, as perfect as Florida can be). It was just right for us, although the guys were sweating in their suits. I really liked the officiant who talked a lot about how love is unending like the waves on the beach and she did a different version of the ring ceremony that I really liked. Stephanie pulled off her readings perfectly (even if her super cute wedges were giving her trouble in the sand) and it was very romantic overall. You can really tell that Steven and Krystal love each other alot. Of course I was thinking of Jason a lot, seeing as how we met at a wedding and all... but also because I love him and I hope that when we eventually get married that we put off that same kind of aura that K&S did. Anyways, it was beautiful and touching and I'm so glad that I got to be there for it.
Pictures, cocktail hour, and reception followed. The pictures were really fun and we took tons of them with lots of different poses, so I can't wait to see them. The final pictures before we went inside were literally right at sunset and K&S kissing with the sun setting in the horizon is going to be absolutely beautiful. We took some of the wedding party walkign down the beach, the bridesmaids in the surf (our dresses were tea length), and we even managed to convince K to hike up her skirt and come out with us.
The best part of the reception, hands down, was the cake. It was so good! Of course I ate everything else too. I got chicken with potatoes. Appetizers were shrimp cocktail (a personal fave) and crabcakes without Old Bay (so I actually liked them). Being at the "kids" table, we were of course the loudest and rowdiest. Ok, so there were only 3 tables there, but we were loud and having fun. We made K&S kiss whenever we got bored and played notes on the wine glasses and drank lots of wine. The Maid of Honor and Best Man speaches were really great. Holly's had Krystal crying and then leave it to Richard to make us all laugh. It was great.
Following the reception there was an after party at Renee's. We had intentions of swimming in the heated pool, but we didn't go through with them. Holly had copied off a trivia game about K&S, word searches, and crosswords and we all got way too competitive in finishing them. We were kind of party poopers and all just sat around and relaxed. It was 11 p.m. by this time and we were all worn out. The funniest part of the after party was that I was going to hitch a ride back to the hotel w/ Krystal's parents so when they went to leave I got up and gathered by stuff and then I tried to find them. They weren't in the house so I went out front thinking they were waiting in the car only to see their tail lights dissapearing down the road. I just stood there dumb-founded - they left without me! I was so tired I just wanted to sit in the driveway and sleep. I can't believe they forgot me! But after they left the rest of the wedding party didn't last long and we got back to the hotel around 11:45 and straight to bed.
Although it was a long day that I was dreading due to the crazy schedule, it was great. All of K&S's friends are fun and hanging out with Steph and Amanda was so great - it made me remember high school and kind of think I was back for a while. I didn't feel so old even though my best friend was getting married. Just seeing Krystal and Steven so happy and obviously truly in love was reaffirming to me. I had a rough year for love and even though I adore Jason and honestly know he is it for me, it is too easy to read about divorces and cheating and revert back to wondering if true love really does exist. When you go to a wedding like theirs, you believe again. Jason started that process and I think this sealed it. I wish he had been there with me, and although he wasn't I thought about him the whole time. I can' t wait until we get married someday. It is going to be the best day of my life and for now I get to look forward to it and just enjoy having him.
Ok, so enough sap. The next day we (meaning Steph and I) flew home. I was tired and the in the airport in Fort Myers I got put into a pissy mood pretty quickly thanks to think kid who was sitting next to us in the cafe where we paid $13 for lunch. He was throwing a temper tantrum because something of his had been confiscated at security (we are thinking juice or a drink of some sort) and was howling "This airport is full of bad people. They shouldn't have any rules! We should be able to bring whatever we want on an airplane!" As if this howling spoiled brat wasn't enough, his mother replies to this by saying, "Yes, I totally agree. They shouldn't have any rules." Ugh! And they wonder why these kids are out of control. Then the kid spilt milk all over the table and continued to howl while the father yelled. It was beautiful.
Our flight to North Carolina, where we had a lay over in Charlotte, was uneventful. From Charlotte to Reagan was pretty full of turbulance thank to the huge weather front going through. I tried to stay calm and read to keep my mind from things. I finished Marie Antoinette. That book is downright depressing. I don't like the French. Well... I don't like the French of the 1790's. They were downright horrible. I am such a royalist... it is scary. I should've just studied the history of monarchies and become an expert on one of them because I just eat this stuff up.
At Reagan it took forever to find our bags, but we found my car in no time. My puppy was still in one piece when I got to the apartment and I was so glad to be back in cold weather. I know that sounds crazy, but being sweaty and hot in January is just so un-natural. I love you, Krystal, but I do NOT love Florida. I also have 5 big bug bites on my left leg that itch like mad, and it is every more maddening because it's January and who has bug bites in January!? Why would anybody want to move somewhere where they get eaten alive by bugs 12 months of the year? Ick.
So that is the story of the wedding. Jason wants me to write about New Year's, but I just don't have it in me right now. When I get pictures from Krystal of the wedding I will be sure to post here or on facebook. I can't wait to see them.
In other news, there is only one week until classes start. I was a very good girl last night and started to read the books for my weekend seminar class. I so don't want to go back to school. But this is my last semester... I just have to keep telling myself that.
Mason went to the vet again yesterday. I am seriously doubting that he has mange. Last weekend while I had him at Jason's, I had switched him back to Iams food. I had switched to Science Diet when I initially thought that the mange was allergies. By last Monday, Mason had another bald patch and a spot over his eye (even though he had just gotten a mange treatment on the Thursday before). I changed him back to Science Diet when we got home and his bald patches are again getting better and nothing new. I think that vet was full of crap and misdiagnosed and now I am paying all this money for injections and skin scapes, not to mention the pain in the ass it is to go to the vet every 10 days. The fact that Sophie also shows no signs of mange is also suspicious, as the type Mason was diagnosed with is very VERY contagious. I am irked at them, but I don't want to say outright that I don't believe them. We'll see what the skin scrape shows next Friday, but right now I am really doubtful.
Also, my most aggrevating student QUIT! Only two weeks left and I am free! It also helps that now I can move my 8:00 1 hour student to 7:30 and get home on time for Grey's Anatomy. And it really isn't going to hurt me that much financially.
Finally, I did a tax calculator at H&R Block today, and according to that I will actually get a refund from the Feds of $137. I included my self employment info and tuition bills... hopefully I will be able to include the tuition when it comes to putting in real taxes. If not, I am screwed, as I will owe around $1600. BUT I am pretty damn sure that I can include tuition from the special form that you get mailed every year. If I do get a refund, I will be able to pay off some of my credit card with the money I have saved OR I can wait and save it for London and moving in with Jason in May or June because I am sure there will be expenses associated with that. We'll see how it goes, but right now I am fairly optimistic.
Little Bro's birthday this weekend and GMU basketball-- looking forward to it! Only 3 days left...
Waking up at 5:00 a.m. on Friday was not so awesome. I have to say that up until that morning I was seriously stressed about the whole thing. Travel plans were changing at the last minute, I didn't have time to go to the store and pick up everything I wanted to, and I wasn't even packed by Thursday night at 10 p.m. - not to mention I was pretty much exchausted. Getting back to a normal work schedule after all of that time off has not been easy for me at all. I also tried to get to the gym last week (a little bit of working out before a wedding never hurts!), but it was so packed that there wasn't even a parking space. And to top it off, I had serious heartburn on Wednesday. I bought my first pack of Rolaids that night after my failed visit to the gym and wow did it make me feel old and feeble.
Anyhow, on Friday morning, Steph met me in Gaithersburg around 6 a.m. Traffic had been horrible for her between Frederick and my place, so we were running a bit late. Blame it on the rain or just the fact that traffic sucks, even at 5 a.m. Of course it had to be raining that morning. Finding the airport was simple and we made it with plenty of time to spare. The flight down was pretty uneventful. I tried in vain to sleep and ended up reading about 100 pages of Marie Antoinette instead. When we got to Florida, Krystal was waiting for us at the baggage claim. She looked pretty unstressed to me - less stressed than I was, as a matter of fact. Being the too cute planner that she is, she gave us a welcome bag with food and a bucket and shovel for shelling (Sanibel island is literally made of sea shells), maps, water, etc. So cute! By this point, we were all starving so me, Steph, Krystal, Steve, and Mike (one of the groomsmen) went to Chili's. Then Steph and I went with Mike, who got a rental car, to the hotel and we proceded to sleep for the rest of the afternoon until it was time for the rehearsal dinner.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that up until we went to bed, Florida did not redeem herself to me. 1) it was incredibly hot and sticky the minute we stepped out of the airport. I kept saying, "This is crazy - it's January!! Where are the SEASONS???!". Then in our hotel room, Steph and I found a cockroach (just like a Sheila's grandmother's!) - and it was a big cockroach too. Luckily it was dead (or near death) and Stephanie is braver than I, so she disposed of it. But in the hotel's defense, it was a pretty nice hotel and the beds and linens were the most comfortable I've ever had at a hotel (not counting the super posh hotel that we stayed at on the Wind Ensemble trip for GMU way back when).
The rehearsal dinner was that night at a restaurant whose name I already have forgotten - Lighthouse something or other. All of the food was great and guess who was there - Amanda (a.k.a. Naps), whom I haven't seen basically since we graduated from high school. We had a great time catching up and eating - I had salmon and potatoes and tiramisu for dessert, not to mention 2 Midouri Sours and a glass of wine and a glass of champagne for the toast. By the time this was all over it was 10:45 at least, but we still had to go out for the "Bachelorette" party, which I put in quotes because all of the bridal party went together. We went to a bar down the road that was a little bit shady and mainly older people - we were kind of out of place with our plastic leis and all of us 25 and under but we were pretty much the life of the joint and we danced and acted stupid, took a few shots of SoCo and took pictures. We were all exhausted so we didn't last long. And we had to be up at 6:30 am to decorate the beach and the reception room, so we weren't going to stay out too horribly late.
Krystal and Naps stayed with Steph and I in the hotel room that night. Of course we couldn't shut up since it had been so long since we were all together, so we talked for a while and eventually probably fell asleep at 1:30 a.m. or later. We were all running on adrenaline and excitement the next morning, so we were awake on time and headed to the resort to decorate the path to the beach and put together the guest favors and centerpieces. While we were putting tulle up on the posts along the paths, Mrs. Ritchie got pooped on by a bird right in her hair! It was pretty hilarious, but we were also freaked and hoping that they wouldn't that same great aim during the wedding. This was about 8:00 a.m. and it was nice out - sunny and breezy. Thank God we had nice weather.
The next 4 hours were spent at a salon. Ok, we are on an island in South West Florida, so obviously the salon is going to be ... well... a little bit targeted toward the older audience. My stylist was def. a gay man, aged 62, who talked to us about the new version of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. Needless to say, I was a little bit reluctant since the last time a man cut my hair, I left with less than half of the hair that I had before and a terrible haircut that still hasn't quite restored itself. I was pretty much resigned to the fact that I was just going to get curls like I did for Sheila's wedding, but the girls were all insisting that I could get my hair into an up do. So we found something in a magazine and this guy actually managed to get all of my hair up and into something that looked really elegant. It was amazing. I was thrilled because it actually looked like I have a lot of hair again. He kept saying "God, what did they do to you? Don't ever cut your hair again! I can't believe you got this us in Washington, DC!"
So I went first and spent the rest of the time reading magazines and also took some time to call J, who was buying a doorbell. LoL. We had a nice long discussion about the merits of different types of doorbells. Yes, we are strange sometimes. He said he was going to wait until I got home so that we could pick one out together. I love him. He is so cute.
After all hair was finished and we were all coated with 1,000 applications of industrial strength hairspray, we went to Renee's house. Renee is Steven's grandmother who lives on Sanibel Island and is a bit of a character. Krystal and Steven had been staying with her since Dec. 27 and K had some hilarious stories and had warned us ahead of time about Renee's... psychosis (for lack of a better word). We ate lunch at the house and did makeup. Stephanie did my make up for me since I am make up impaired. I loaded up on matte finish powder because we were all already sweating and shiney and we weren't even outside. The expected high for the day was 85. We were running late to get to the resort where we would get into our dresses and take pre-wedding pictures, so it was a little bit crazy. Krystal was driving Steven's car around and it was packed with her, Holly (Maid of Honor), me, Mrs. Ritchie, Steph, and Amanda plus dresses, more make up, shoes, and every other supply that we could possibly need.
We got there are immediately discovered that we had forgotten Krystal's crinolin, so we had to go back and get it. It all was fine though, and we were pretty much ready when the Photographer got there. Only other minor disasters up to this point was the fact that Steven hadn't told his mother about the Sand Ceremony (instead of a unity candle, two colors of sand are poured into one vase by the mothers to represent the families coming together). Krystal was pissed about that. Our steamer also wouldn't work. Then the flip flops with bling on them that Krystal had made didn't fit right, so we decided to toss that and go barefoot.
I have to mention that the flowers she chose were really beautiful - simply rose-only bouquets of cream and lilac roses that complimented our blue beautifully. I loved it. They were the color of raspberry ice cream and I just wanted to bite into them and eat one, expecting it to taste just like ice cream.
Ok, so up to right before the ceremony. We were standing in the restaurant, which overlooks the lawn and the beach, when Krystal suddenly says, "Where the f*ck is my altar??" and I go, "What do you mean, your altar??" Krystal pulls the wedding coordinator and is like "I am supposed to have a bamboo altar!" ahe wedding coordinator, looking pretty stunned and about to crap her pants, says, "No, I don't think so." Ok, rule #1 - never argue with the bride. K says, "I paid $350 for that altar - get it up in 10 minutes!" And the wedding coordinator runs off to figure out why there isn't an altar. That was a pretty scary moment and I was afraid that K was going to meltdown. I mean, we were literally getting ready to walk down to the aisle when K noticed that there wasn't one. At any rate, the resort people had one up in 15 minutes and we were out - a little bit late but it didn't matter. The weather was actually perfect (well, as perfect as Florida can be). It was just right for us, although the guys were sweating in their suits. I really liked the officiant who talked a lot about how love is unending like the waves on the beach and she did a different version of the ring ceremony that I really liked. Stephanie pulled off her readings perfectly (even if her super cute wedges were giving her trouble in the sand) and it was very romantic overall. You can really tell that Steven and Krystal love each other alot. Of course I was thinking of Jason a lot, seeing as how we met at a wedding and all... but also because I love him and I hope that when we eventually get married that we put off that same kind of aura that K&S did. Anyways, it was beautiful and touching and I'm so glad that I got to be there for it.
Pictures, cocktail hour, and reception followed. The pictures were really fun and we took tons of them with lots of different poses, so I can't wait to see them. The final pictures before we went inside were literally right at sunset and K&S kissing with the sun setting in the horizon is going to be absolutely beautiful. We took some of the wedding party walkign down the beach, the bridesmaids in the surf (our dresses were tea length), and we even managed to convince K to hike up her skirt and come out with us.
The best part of the reception, hands down, was the cake. It was so good! Of course I ate everything else too. I got chicken with potatoes. Appetizers were shrimp cocktail (a personal fave) and crabcakes without Old Bay (so I actually liked them). Being at the "kids" table, we were of course the loudest and rowdiest. Ok, so there were only 3 tables there, but we were loud and having fun. We made K&S kiss whenever we got bored and played notes on the wine glasses and drank lots of wine. The Maid of Honor and Best Man speaches were really great. Holly's had Krystal crying and then leave it to Richard to make us all laugh. It was great.
Following the reception there was an after party at Renee's. We had intentions of swimming in the heated pool, but we didn't go through with them. Holly had copied off a trivia game about K&S, word searches, and crosswords and we all got way too competitive in finishing them. We were kind of party poopers and all just sat around and relaxed. It was 11 p.m. by this time and we were all worn out. The funniest part of the after party was that I was going to hitch a ride back to the hotel w/ Krystal's parents so when they went to leave I got up and gathered by stuff and then I tried to find them. They weren't in the house so I went out front thinking they were waiting in the car only to see their tail lights dissapearing down the road. I just stood there dumb-founded - they left without me! I was so tired I just wanted to sit in the driveway and sleep. I can't believe they forgot me! But after they left the rest of the wedding party didn't last long and we got back to the hotel around 11:45 and straight to bed.
Although it was a long day that I was dreading due to the crazy schedule, it was great. All of K&S's friends are fun and hanging out with Steph and Amanda was so great - it made me remember high school and kind of think I was back for a while. I didn't feel so old even though my best friend was getting married. Just seeing Krystal and Steven so happy and obviously truly in love was reaffirming to me. I had a rough year for love and even though I adore Jason and honestly know he is it for me, it is too easy to read about divorces and cheating and revert back to wondering if true love really does exist. When you go to a wedding like theirs, you believe again. Jason started that process and I think this sealed it. I wish he had been there with me, and although he wasn't I thought about him the whole time. I can' t wait until we get married someday. It is going to be the best day of my life and for now I get to look forward to it and just enjoy having him.
Ok, so enough sap. The next day we (meaning Steph and I) flew home. I was tired and the in the airport in Fort Myers I got put into a pissy mood pretty quickly thanks to think kid who was sitting next to us in the cafe where we paid $13 for lunch. He was throwing a temper tantrum because something of his had been confiscated at security (we are thinking juice or a drink of some sort) and was howling "This airport is full of bad people. They shouldn't have any rules! We should be able to bring whatever we want on an airplane!" As if this howling spoiled brat wasn't enough, his mother replies to this by saying, "Yes, I totally agree. They shouldn't have any rules." Ugh! And they wonder why these kids are out of control. Then the kid spilt milk all over the table and continued to howl while the father yelled. It was beautiful.
Our flight to North Carolina, where we had a lay over in Charlotte, was uneventful. From Charlotte to Reagan was pretty full of turbulance thank to the huge weather front going through. I tried to stay calm and read to keep my mind from things. I finished Marie Antoinette. That book is downright depressing. I don't like the French. Well... I don't like the French of the 1790's. They were downright horrible. I am such a royalist... it is scary. I should've just studied the history of monarchies and become an expert on one of them because I just eat this stuff up.
At Reagan it took forever to find our bags, but we found my car in no time. My puppy was still in one piece when I got to the apartment and I was so glad to be back in cold weather. I know that sounds crazy, but being sweaty and hot in January is just so un-natural. I love you, Krystal, but I do NOT love Florida. I also have 5 big bug bites on my left leg that itch like mad, and it is every more maddening because it's January and who has bug bites in January!? Why would anybody want to move somewhere where they get eaten alive by bugs 12 months of the year? Ick.
So that is the story of the wedding. Jason wants me to write about New Year's, but I just don't have it in me right now. When I get pictures from Krystal of the wedding I will be sure to post here or on facebook. I can't wait to see them.
In other news, there is only one week until classes start. I was a very good girl last night and started to read the books for my weekend seminar class. I so don't want to go back to school. But this is my last semester... I just have to keep telling myself that.
Mason went to the vet again yesterday. I am seriously doubting that he has mange. Last weekend while I had him at Jason's, I had switched him back to Iams food. I had switched to Science Diet when I initially thought that the mange was allergies. By last Monday, Mason had another bald patch and a spot over his eye (even though he had just gotten a mange treatment on the Thursday before). I changed him back to Science Diet when we got home and his bald patches are again getting better and nothing new. I think that vet was full of crap and misdiagnosed and now I am paying all this money for injections and skin scapes, not to mention the pain in the ass it is to go to the vet every 10 days. The fact that Sophie also shows no signs of mange is also suspicious, as the type Mason was diagnosed with is very VERY contagious. I am irked at them, but I don't want to say outright that I don't believe them. We'll see what the skin scrape shows next Friday, but right now I am really doubtful.
Also, my most aggrevating student QUIT! Only two weeks left and I am free! It also helps that now I can move my 8:00 1 hour student to 7:30 and get home on time for Grey's Anatomy. And it really isn't going to hurt me that much financially.
Finally, I did a tax calculator at H&R Block today, and according to that I will actually get a refund from the Feds of $137. I included my self employment info and tuition bills... hopefully I will be able to include the tuition when it comes to putting in real taxes. If not, I am screwed, as I will owe around $1600. BUT I am pretty damn sure that I can include tuition from the special form that you get mailed every year. If I do get a refund, I will be able to pay off some of my credit card with the money I have saved OR I can wait and save it for London and moving in with Jason in May or June because I am sure there will be expenses associated with that. We'll see how it goes, but right now I am fairly optimistic.
Little Bro's birthday this weekend and GMU basketball-- looking forward to it! Only 3 days left...