Hi Steph! Was just thinking of you the other day! How is your life?

Hi meara!!! Yes, I'm marrying the chimneysweep, but he's trying desperately to become "the former chimneysweep." He's been doing landscape lately, and he enjoys it, but somehow he just keeps getting chimney jobs (this time of year its building and repairing chimneys rather than sweeping). So he's just working twice as much as before!

Oh, and I dare not promise to be back more often, as nothing has really changed in terms of my free time. BUT, I will say that Allyson's book reminded me of how much I miss the Buffistas and the sense of community here. It made me want to try harder, at the very least. But, as noted, crazy-stressed-out bride here, so it may be hard to follow through on that in the near future.

Pretty dress!

Calluna Vulgaris, the Latin name for the Heather

That is somehow perfect for us.

Callaluna! Hey sweetie! Your dress is very very pretty.

Hi, Callaluna!

Man Boards Plane with Monkey Under his Hat.

No word on whether or not the hat was yellow.

Thank you Jilli, and everyone! I tried it on and cried, so I knew it was the one. Of course, I don't look like the model wearing it, but my curves are well displayed in it. Oh, and I can walk in it. Some of the dresses I tried on weighed more than I do!

Jesus, ita, what a day.

I am glad for the impending world takeover by Allyson and Jilli, though.

Also, I learned something really important in high school about money. I had one friend who had way more money than the rest of us, but would often say she "couldn't afford" to do something. That made me INSANE, until my parents helped me realize that what she meant was that she was choosing to do something else with her money. I still try to keep that in mind, because everyone I know makes choices, and they are all very different. How do K&C own a house, when she's been in grad school for the past couple of years? It's in the middle of New Jersey in a not-cute neighborhood. How did D's husband have enough money to buy her a fat diamond AND new boobs? He lived at home for several years after college. In the general mass of middle-class people I know, people can look really different financially, and it's all about choices.

Oh, and imposter syndrome came up in the meeting I was at all day today.

Yay, Callaluna! Yes, I do expect being crazy stressed bride probably would crimp your free time style. :) (Me, I got loads of freetime, I'm unemployed again, crazy industry. But plenty of opportunities seem to be out there, so yay)

It was a spider monkey! In his hat! This makes me feel less worried about clearing Customs, somehow...

The spider monkey thing blows my mind. I can't sneak a bottle of shampoo on board, but he snuck on a spider monkey?!?!

Good luck with job hunting meara. Sounds like you're pretty cool with it, though.

Callaluna! I've thought of you often as we discuss lurkers, for lo, you are the one who once said that once you delurk, you're pretty much lurkless!

I don't lurk, P.M. If I had time to be here at all, I'd be running my mouth (or whatever the typing equivalent of that is), don't you know me at all? I am prolific when I am here, clearly.

And, hi, BTW! Looked at pics of your little cutie recently, too.