Epic, that is so much to process. I'm sorry the news wasn't better, and I'm glad there are concrete plans for treating. Big hopes for the clinical trial.

And, yes, dcp, always sending good vibes your way.

A steady flow of ~ma to Epic and dcp always.

I’m happy today because I found a great deal on a piece of furniture I’ve been wanting at a consignment shop yesterday and managed to borrow a truck to pick it up on Saturday! Even being at the mechanic for the second day in a row can’t spoil my mood!

Epic and dcp, you have all my love.

Youngest niece is getting married in May; her fiance is Indian, so they are having a Hindu wedding one day and a Christian wedding the next day. The groom and his family have assured us that it's not just okay but in fact encouraged to wear festive Indian clothing to the Hindu ceremony, so I think this is what I'm getting: [link] (including big-ass silver earrings and bracelets).

Tim wants to know if we should match, and I told him that it would be hard to get 2 different pink garments that match perfectly, so he should get a complimentary color; he's thinking blue, like this: [link] or this: [link]

Love alla that! So pretty.

Ooh, pretty, Tep!

Yay, sj!

Brief F2F with aurelia accomplished! Chicago achievement unlocked

Oh, those are gorgeous, Steph!

What fun, Teppy. I look forward to those pictures.

It's going to be a 3-day (for us; for the bridal party and family,* a 4-day) extravaganza, and I can't wait.

*Tim and I, as family, are invited to take part in Day 1's activities, which is the mehndi ceremony, but that's too much running around for us, because it would be over an hour drive, on the Wednesday of wedding week, and we're already taking Friday off work because the Hindu ceremony is on Friday. On Thursday evening is the Sangeet, where the groom's family performs dances and sings (I'm not sure if the bride's family does anything; I assume in a traditional Indian wedding they would, but I don't know what that might look like for this wedding). They're going to have a henna artist at the Sangeet for anyone who wants mehndi but couldn't go to the ceremony on Wednesday, so yay! Because this is a true fusion of cultures, the Sangeet is going to be held at a local brewery.

The Hindu ceremony is at 9 a.m. on Friday at the big pink Hindu temple, and although they genuinely considered renting an elephant (!), it's literally $20K and they nixed that. The groom also doesn't want to ride in on a horse because he'd much rather dance his way in. That's followed by a lunch, and then nothing for the rest of the day. (My understanding is that the bride and groom are having a bonfire with their friends at Tim's brother's house to just fucking chill out for a few hours, which: good for them!)

The Christian ceremony, with the bridal party in traditional Western wedding clothes (white wedding gown, tuxedos) is on Saturday afternoon at the bride's family's Lutheran church, followed by a huge fucking hootenanny of a reception.

On Sunday I plan to do NOTHING. (Fortunately, the wedding extravaganza is taking place Memorial Day weekend, so Monday is ALSO a day off!)

That all sounds super fun.

That sounds like a lot of fun for everyone!