Gooooooing to the chapel and we're....

......goooooonna get maaaaaaaarried....

Yesiree. I am now pretty much a day away from the big day. Which actually i can't believe, given how long we've been talking about it. Ca-razy. I was actually deluded enough to think that everything would be done by this week, and I'd be able to relax and enjoy the build up....um yeah. No. Didn't happen. This has to have been one of the most stressful weeks of my life. I've been running around like a madwoman. Sleep? What's that again? My mind's been going a million miles an hour trying to keep track of everything and everyone.

But. Today i tried on my finished wedding dress, and it was all worth it. I actually felt excited, genuinely excited, for the first time. I mean when you're dressed like a bride, you really feel like a bride right? We had our rehearsal tonight, which was fun...(read: nerve-racking). I know I'm kinda the bubbly type, which most people take to mean confident in all situations, but really, I'm a little nervous about the church bit. All eyes are on you, so you really better hope you don't drop the ring, or stuff your lines up, or faint. All of these possibilities are giving me nightmares, but i think it's too late to back out now ;) (Did we consider eloping, Jo? Why did we scratch that idea again?)

Despite that bit, I'm REALLY looking forward to - marrying Jo, obviously - but also, the party afterwards! Woot! Dancing the night away with our family and friends really is the fun part.

Even though this week has been a bit of a stress, I've had a great couple of weeks leading up to this - a Hunter Valley hens weekend, high tea and cocktails, a rehearsal dinner tonight, and a last hurrah with some good friends after work last week. And it really was quite the hurrah, let me tell you. We started our night at one of Sydney's best kept secrets - the Shady Pines. You'd never find it if you didn't know where it was - which is in a back alley, in a decrepit-looking building without a sign - but once you walk in, you may as well be back in the Wild West. It's got a real Saloon feel - in an awesome way, not in a cheesy Gold Coast Movie World way - plus, you get free peanuts all night! And the drinks - delicious. Tequila is their specialty, but personally i enjoy the vodka and fresh juices.

Kat and I and some sort of enormous drink.

So, Shady Pines, closely followed by everyones favourite Japanese pastime, Karaoke. Because honestly, there's nothing like belting out the classics with a bunch of your pissed friends. It was completely fantastic, obviously, with highlights including a very heartfelt rendition of Wonderwall by Oasis, a cracking Sweet Child of Mine by the Gunnies, and of course our personal favourite, Living on a Prayer by the great Bon Jovi. Lauren and I took advantage of Turnsie's drunken state by knocking him to the ground whenever we could (and knocking him back down again every time he tried to get up. We're pretty awesome friends like that.) We had a great night, even if i couldn't talk the whole of the next day.




I really do have the best bunch of friends, including these two crazies. We call ourselves instigators, because THAT is what we do. (What? That's a really cool name.)

Turnsie, me, Lauren

I've been able to spend some time this week with some great people i haven't seen in ages, like our adorable flower girl, Jo's niece Lauren...

And of course his cousin and one of my awesome bridesmaids, Christina. We always have way too much fun together, and i hope she'll forgive me for ditching her for an hour to write this post...(anyway, foxtel's there. it's everyones friend.)

So this is it from me! I won't be back in touch till we get back from our honeymoon in Vanuatu, and when i return it shall be as a married woman! I know I've said it before, but it's really nice (after all the talking and planning and fighting) to know that it's all for the sake of marrying Jo, who i love beyond words, and can't wait to call my husband.




Wish us luck!

A houseguest, part two

Last week we had another visitor - Jo's cousin Christina. She's going to be one of my bridesmaids, and she very kindly came up to Sydney from Adelaide for a few days for dress fittings! Yvonne also had hers that same week, and my dressmaker pinned all of the fabric together so we would have a better idea of what they would look like - i am VERY excited, i really love the colour and it suits all of the girls. They're going to look beautiful!




We spend Friday getting the dress fittings over and done with, and catching up over coffee and pastries at my favourite Italian Pasticceria in Five Dock. And found time to get our nails done in between, since we were going out on the town that night.




Since it was David's birthday that weekend, we all went out to dinner later at A Tavola, a restaurant we all love, especially the birthday boy. Not that he actually tries anything new off the menu - he orders the same dish every time, and refuses to be talked into trying anything else. "Why mess with a good thing," is his opinion on the matter, and i have to admit the dish in question, the pasta ragu, is awesome. So. There you have it. Drinks followed at the Victoria Rooms across the street later, another of my favourite Sydney haunts, and Christina and I wasted no time polishing off a bottle of champagne, as you do. (What? We all know how i feel about the stuff. Mmmm, love.) Yvonne joined us later, and a big group of us ended up at another bar watching the Brazil vs Portugal match (not that i remember much of the game, truth be told. I admit, we made the fatal and amateur mistake of mixing our drinks, which can only ever end badly. She made me do it *points to Christina*) Somehow we managed to get home and into bed, and Saturday was spent recovering on the couch.





Food eventually beckoned though, and we headed into the rocks and to the Lowenbrau for huge and delicious German meals, just what we needed. Our friend Annie was in town too, and since it was recently her birthday, we went to have some celebratory drinks with her too, not that i could stomach much but beer, and even that was a struggle. Even though we'd just eaten, Nina managed to have two more meals before the night was out, pizza AND McDonald's. Which means i have a food rival - i didn't think anyone else was capable of eating that much but me ;)




Sunday saw us back in town on a big walk down past the wharfs, through the rocks and on the ferry across to Manly for a late lunch.

Nina and me with the harbour bridge

Jo and Nina

On the ferry



Purrrty nails




Nina and I at Manly - don't be deceived by our happy looks. It was freaking cold.

On the ferry

Jo took some really nice pictures on the ferry ride home - here's a sample!

Afterwards we went to see Maria and Jack, since they were off to Italy the very next day and i knew I'd miss my baby so i wanted to say goodbye. Pest he may be, but he was at his hilarious best that night. Somehow over the course of the evening, Jo ended up in a chair he deemed was his. "Get off my chair Jo," he demanded, which Jo of course refused to do. "Did you buy this chair?" asked Jo. "Yes," replied Jack without hesitation. "How much did you pay for it?" countered Jo. Jack considered for a moment. "Two hundred and fifty dollars," he replied finally, and we couldn't help but burst out laughing.

After witnessing a bath time tantrum of epic proportions ("JUST ONE MORE MINUTE!!!! ONE MORE MINUTE!!!!!!!!!!! *insert hysterical wailing here*) and being told lovingly that i looked like his toy monkey, it was time to go. Many hugs and kisses and I Love You's later, we were out the door and back home. I miss him already, and its only been a week! We had to work the next day unfortunately, but we got home in time to take Christina to the airport and say more goodbyes. It was a great weekend, and i am so appreciative that she and Yvonne both made time to come to Sydney and get fittings done - we truly have wonderful friends and family.