Moving right along at 40,609.

I became bored with describing all the minute details of Julie planning. It was the middle of July, and I decided to breeze by everything, landing Julie at the beginning/middle of August.

Here's an excerpt of Julie planning a few things. I would like to note that her and Enid are friends now!

I was so busy making all the plans people normally make for a year in advance that I barely had time to take care of myself. But I made sure that I hit the gym every day, even if it was just a prenatal yoga class with Lily. And I was so thankful to have all of my friends helping me. Lily was my rock, Reggie was my insider, and Enid was…well, Enid was Enid. She was there when I needed her, and was always willing to go out for coffee. She had apparently taken a real liking to vanilla bean lattes. The stress and difficulty of everything was compounded by the fact that invitations, as well as gifts, had started coming in and I had yet to develop an adequate filing system or order thank you cards.

Therefore, my first job was to get organized. Not an easy task for me, so I asked Lily what she had done. She rushed over to my apartment, grabbed me by the nape of the neck and we flew out the door. After going to several office supply shops, and Guess Hoos Invited, we arrived back at my apartment with a complex, yet-to-be-assembled wedding filing system, and the promise of 350 Thank You cards to be finished in the next couple of days. Lily told me that as soon as I received a gift, I was to write the gift down next to the name of the person who had given us the gift, and was to write the Thank You card within two days. And I was not to get behind. I was also to write down whether or not that guest was attending next to their name. Theoretically, it was simple. But I knew myself, and vowed to work my ass off to not screw it up. And that’s a lot of work!

My second job in those hectic weeks was scheduling a rehearsal dinner. Enid, knowing that it is customary for the groom’s family to plan and pay for the rehearsal dinner, was more than ready to do whatever I wanted for the rehearsal. I told her that I thought it would be best to have a catered dinner at her and George’s lovely home, and that she should find the best flowers from her garden to decorate. Enid was beside herself. Together, we found a caterer and sent out invitations to all members of the wedding party, which now included Reggie, and all family members. We picked out table linens, decorations, and the whole gambit, and we had a great time doing it. She suggested that she make shell-covered pots to place her flowers in for the dinner. These embellished clay pots with shells are beautiful, and not to mention practical (!), containers that any gardener or human with eyes would love. I told her to be sure to wear a protective dust mask and to use latex gloves while sanding and painting the pots. Safety first!