and is Eastern Rite.

Huh -- I'd never heard of that before I just googled it.

Anyway, any clergy person who's going to marry you is going to want to do at least minimal discussing/counseling, but you may be able to get away with a meeting in person when you're out there planning stuff, and then some over the phone. At least, that's how I've heard my father do it.

I just ordered Chinese delivery from a brand new (to me) restaurant, and now I am watching Perkins the cat watching the wall!

I have such a wild, wild life.

Wallybee and I had some counselling with her pastor. It was all quite helpful, and on the whole pretty comforting (we communicate well, are good at dealing with problems and disagreements, and are pretty realistic. And besotted.) During the course of it, he did mention that because I'm not a Christian, he would have refused to marry us, if it had been relevant, which it wasn't, as we're getting married in China. (Incidentally, we'll have a church wedding in China, and their only concern was whether we were living together.)

Not that this is at all helpful. Except that I can report that there's a church in China who apparently would turn you away.

I, too, napped. And lo, it was good.

Bon, my dad's whole family is Catholic (he, unfortunately, had a very damaging Catholic childhood and so renounced it before he and my mom got married), so I've been to my share of Catholic weddings. Most of my cousins say that they found the pre-wedding counseling to be tedious but bearable, and they really did love the ritual of the actual ceremony.

However, I really think it has more to do with you. What is your gut saying about your comfort-level with the whole Catholic ceremony and vows?

Thanks for the heads up about the delay sumi!

TAR: I agree about Uchenna and Joyce. There are a lot of good 2nd - 4th place teams I'd rather see. I do like that most of these teams are of the non-bickering variety. However, I'm so bummed about JV and Jill. They were one of my favorites!

Mom's a fan of Romber for some reason. She just likes Rob and she can't really articulate why.

I'm not sure who I want to win but I like that Kentucky has revised their game plan.

Alas, my best friend's kids don't have to be told to hug me—they yell "UNCLE MATT!"on sight and proceed to use me as a jungle gym for the length of my visits. Hence about 2/3 of the colds and flus I've come down with in the last 5 years. But I'm perfectly comfortable telling anyone whose children I don't know and love to keep their little snot-and-germ machines away from me.

But I'm perfectly comfortable telling anyone whose children I don't know and love to keep their little snot-and-germ machines away from me.

"Don't take this personally, but your kids make me sick."

megan, the haircut looks great, but more importantly it really flatters your face. You look gorgeous in that picture.

bon, I didn't love the counseling at all. Kind of a grit my teeth experience. Also, I'd been baptized in the Catholic church which meant I didn't have to convert which might be an issue with you.

As JZ notes, it depends on the parish. It could be one all day session of counseling and digging up your baptismal certificate (as it was for me), or it could be a more extensive process which would be more onerous.

However, I really think it has more to do with you. What is your gut saying about your comfort-level with the whole Catholic ceremony and vows?

I've been to a few and it didn't bother me as far as the ceremony. ISTR my aunt getting married in the church and her husband and his family didn't take communion and it wasn't a big deal. I am just not that familiar with their expectations for the pre-wedding stuff.

This does sound like I'm going totally 'zilla like too early. It's just that the place Bob likes wants the prep done and a priest chosen before you can even reserve a date, that's why I'm trying to figure out if it's worthwhile now.