Counting Down!

Yikes- this wedding is getting closer and closer! I'm working on music selection and gathering addresses and trying seating arrangements and filling out registries and picking readings (and readers!) and mailing off details for our cake topper and scheduling dress fittings and arranging for bridesmaids' gifts. I'm having fun, but am busy, busy, busy!

I think that the friends who knew me in college (Juliette, Courtney and Josh come to mind) are used to my frenzied planning mode. In fact, Juliette has even told me that she's glad to see some of my craziness back... I had apparently calmed down too much for her tastes since moving out of a dorm and into a cubicle. (Something about work breaking my spirit may fit in here...?) But most of the people who met me since I graduated (mainly work folk) aren't used to seeing me this excited! I thrive on stress, and even though I have a lot on my mind (tons, really!), I'm enjoying the details.

The thing that is really different from college, though, is that I'm actually getting things done! (Which, as literally anyone who knew me at Hamilton knows, NEVER happened while I was in college.) All of the major decisions have been made- the dress, the bridesmaids' dresses, the guest list, the invitations, the photographer, the band, and more. The most important of all these final decisions, though, is the groom!

I think a big part of the reason I'm not as crazed all the time anymore is Greg. He can relax me like no one else. Take the other night: the knives we had registered for were being discontinued, and I was nervous that the set that was available in their place was too expensive and that we would not receive it. (I mean, we're registered for Tiffany china- I'm nervous enough about receiving that!) We sat down "together" and spent an hour figuring out another option. Now, you may ask "how can you sit down 'together' when you're in New York and Greg is in South Carolina?" Easy: we were on the phone, on IM, on the Web Cam and e-mailing... all at the same time. Yes, this seems like overkill, but we were sending lists and files back and forth over e-mail while IMing web links. About the only thing missing was being able to sit with him on the couch. Gotta love modern technology!!

It was nice to be able to relax with Greg that night. We talked about lots of things other than cutlery, and when we finally hung up the phone, I realized that we had been talking for four hours!!! What would we do without unlimited in-network calling? My January 12th Verizon statement tells me that we were on the phone for 815 minutes... and we were together for well over a week of that billing period!

I miss Greg like crazy when he's away, but we see each other whenever we can... even if it means putting down $200 at the last minute for something like 32 hours together! So, I flew down to Charleston over the long weekend a few weeks ago! My flight got in at 12:30 Saturday night/Sunday morning, and I flew out at 10:00 on Monday morning. I know it sounds crazy to do that much traveling for so little time together, but we're both so glad I did it!

Greg and I spent the day walking around Charleston together. He had gone a walking tour of the city when he moved there a few months ago, and we retraced the route. Greg has an amazing memory for detail, and I think I probably heard about 90% of the tour! We had lunch on Market Street at a place called The Noisy Oyster. I knew I liked tuna melts, but crab melts?!?! Yummy!!!! We spent the evening playing cribbage and watching De Lovely, which was just perfect. We had both been going through serious withdrawal after spending so much time together over Christmas and New Years, so a night of simply hanging out together was exactly what we needed, even if it was only for a few hours.

Work is INSANELY busy these days. I was really happy when I first thought about the timing of quitting my job: I'd leave just before things started to get busy. Well, not so much. Our client pushed our planning season forward three months, and I'm up to my neck in PowerPoint slides and stacked bar charts! Poor Greg has been getting the brunt of this- I get out of work and talk about things like logical coding for targets and the very important difference between and "inclusive or" and an "exclusive or."

Juilliard is back in full swing, and we start rehearsals at St. Augustine's again tonight, so that's keeping me busy. The choir wants to sing at the wedding, so I need to talk with Michael (the choir director at St. A's) about that. I've wanted to practice my new guitar in the evenings, but by the time I get home the rest of the family is asleep. Makes me miss having my own place. So, guitar practice isn't really going to happen until after the wedding, but I'll have lots of evenings when Greg is on duty to practice without bothering anybody.

Until then, I've found a nice, quiet project: I'm knitting a blanket. Yes, I know this sounds like the typical "Lizzie starts some grandiose project and then never finishes it" thing, but I've got about a third of it done and I really like the way it's turning out. There's also the financial investment- I've spent $50 or $60 on yarn for this throw, and I don't want that money to go to waste. (Greg and one of his buddies were talking about the way the friend's new wife can spend $80 or more a month at Michael's; one of my favorite craft stores. Greg had heard me mention the store before and asked me- very carefully- about how much I guessed I usually spent on craft supplies a month. He was more than relieved to hear that I spend probably $20 to $30 a month on things like yarn, despite having matched or exceeded $80 a month in the past. I'm glad we talk about things like this now- we're trying to avoid surprises once we're married.)

Well, I need to put my nose back to the grindstone. And by grindstone I mean Dimetapp Target Analysis charts. Fun fun.

Merry December!

Hello!!

Oh man- I'm still full from Thanksgiving weekend. Italian buffet at the club on Wednesday, turkey on Thursday, chili on Friday, steak on Saturday and meatloaf on Sunday. The only one of my favorite meals missing that week was mom's spaghetti sauce, but I think I might have exploded at the mere mention of meatballs!

We had Thanksgiving dinner at the S.'s house this year. For a holiday with both of our families gathered, it went really well. (You'd think combining events with future in-laws would add stress, but with our families it actually reduces it!)

I made the stuffing and stuffed celery. I'm very proud of my culinary achievements. I successfully mixed Roquefort, butter and cream cheese in a bowl and then spread it on celery sticks. This is usually the closest I get to cooking. But this year I actually did something with a pan! And heat! (Whoa!) I made (and didn't mess up) Mom's stuffing!! And put it in the bird! (Amusing conversation was had while stuffing said bird when Teresa flipped it over and told me "there's another cavity under here.") Ick. (But dinner was DELICIOUS!)

Greg and I played quite a bit of ping pong that weekend. We were in Branford Thursday night, New Rochelle Friday night, and then back to Branford on Sunday. The reason for the jaunt back to New York was a meeting with the priest that's going to marry us. That went pretty well, except for the part about him not liking that we're planning to wait to have kids. (Um... we're kinda young, and Greg's kinda going to be away for months at a time... we'd kinda like him to, you know, BE THERE when our first child is born!) The first of three, by the way. (That's bound to provoke a post or two from the boy... that is if he reads my blog!! ;-)

The rest of the weekend was fun and relaxing and filled with backgammon and James Bond movies. (No, not the new one- the marathon that Spike TV runs just about every holiday.) We had breakfast with Kate and John who were visiting from Merry Olde. The boys talked about chemistry, the girls talked about knitting. It was fun, but kind of scary. There's that quote from Grey's Anatomy: "We're adults. When did that happen, and how do we make it stop?" Yeah. But it was nice to see Katie-kate. I miss her.

We had an evening out with the Branford gang and some Q.T. with Greg's brother and sister. Good times. J.J. and I got lost in her closet for a little bit while getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner. We did our makeup and had all sorts of girl talk, which we don't get to do nearly often enough.

In other news, I'm moving home. Yup- it's official- I'm losing my independence. Actually, this is by my own choice. In addition to saving a load of money on rent before the wedding, living at home will (theoretically) give me the opportunity to merge and purge my stuff. And oh do I have stuff. Stuff happens when the same bedroom has been your home-base for over 20 years (gulp!) and there is 20 years worth of STUFF to either get packed neatly or risk having Mom toss it. (I know there was no way to know that the blue windbreaker from when I was two meant anything to me, but this is why nobody else should get to throw out my stuff! Hmph!)

I think that's about it for now. I'm a Christmas shopping machine these days. It's easy when work is painfully quiet. Too bad it never stays quiet for long.

Mid-November Update

Busy Lizzie. Lots has happened since I last posted.

Greg came to visit last weekend. We had a blast. He arrived around 10:30 on Friday night. I had fallen asleep reading and awakened to a kiss. He's good! ;-)

We had a delightfully low-key weekend. After a pizza lunch on Saturday we went for a walk through Central Park. It was an absolutely beautiful day. We stopped in the 70's to see the Frick Collection, (a small museum) which was interesting, then continued all the way to the bottom of the park. We went over to Saks to look at Christmas cards, then Greg gave me a tour of the New York Yacht Club's Midtown clubhouse. (Which, incidentally, is where we will be staying on our wedding night!)

After walking for over three hours without sitting, we decided to take the subway back uptown. Somewhere in the course of conversation I learned that Greg has never seen "What's Up, Doc?", which is one of my favorite old movies. We stopped at Blockbuster, (oh, the incompetence we encountered there!) but sadly they only had DVDs... no "What's Up, Doc?" We wound up renting "Cocktail" instead, then picking up some groceries around the corner.

We had a really nice, low-key evening. We made dinner at my apartment (yummy fajitas) and watched half of the movie before calling it a night. I think I'm turning into my Mother- I fall asleep in the middle of movies all the time now, just like she does!

On Sunday, Greg took me to breakfast at The Barking Dog; a cute little restaurant downstairs from my apartment. We watched the rest of "Cocktail," and I had a great time frustrating Greg by guessing the various twists in the movie. (Sorry, but '80s movies are predictable!!) :-)

The Christmas card hunt hadn't been very successful on Saturday, so we ventured into the drizzly Sunday afternoon to try again. It didn't take us long to run out of patience shopping- it was wet and we weren't finding anything, but going back uptown didn't make sense, as Greg had to leave for the airport in about two hours. The solution: use the internet at my office!

Surprisingly enough, we weren't the only people in on a Sunday- there were a few people there working on a new business pitch. Greg got to meet Audrey, our EVP, after two years of missing her by a few minutes. I like Audrey- it's nice to work for a person who enjoys what she does, does it well, and genuinely cares about the people who work for her. Anyway, we finally found cards we like, and I'm hoping we can get a discount on them through a certain sister!

After we left the office, I went with Greg to Penn Station, where he was catching a train to the airport. It's always easier saying 'goodbye' when I know I'm going to see him again in a week and a half! He got on the train, and I headed up to Juilliard for rehearsal.

The first part of rehearsal was for a small subset of the choir, so when Courtney came in a bit later, she told me that Greg had sent her a message asking me to call him when we were on break. I checked my phone when the conductor was working with another section and found two messages. The first read "You got your wish. My flight was cancelled. Can I spend one more night with you?" The second said "I'm at Lincoln Center. Give me a call when you get this." Well! I put down my music, left my bag, and left the room! I actually sprinted through the halls of Juilliard's third floor as I called Greg- he was at the Barnes and Noble across the street! Hooray! He met me on the corner of 66th and Broadway, and I would swear that the people around us must have thought I hadn't seen him in months! (I was a little happy!)

Greg sat through the last hour of our rehearsal, the only noteworthy part of which was that our conductor lost her voice in the middle of the rehearsal. Judy is a very, um, well, she has a strong personality, and she talks, um, yells alot. Well, at the beginning of the rehearsal, I had been talking with one of my fellow sopranos about "Once Upon A Mattress." For those of you who know the show, it was as if a mouse had devoured the hawk! (Let's see- who would get that? My parents, Allie, Keith, Jamie, Ellen, and Kate. No... no, wait... Kate never saw Theatre Workshop's shows- she only went if she was playing in the pit! :-P ) Anyway, I don't know if I would have made that connection if I hadn't been talking about the show a few hours earlier, but it was fantastic: the "Queen" COULD NOT SPEAK! She was actually using pantomime to talk to the choir!! Ha!!

After rehearsal, Courtney's fiance Tyler drove us all back uptown. I may have been in a fantastic mood, but Greg was (understandably) upset about the flight. I made an easy dinner for the two of us and we went to bed early. He left my apartment at about 3:30 the next morning to catch a 6:00 flight back to Charleston. Poor guy- travel is tough enough when everything goes as planned, but twice as draining when flights get cancelled- you can't help but wind up frustrated and tired.

Last but not least in the Greg section of this post: my fiance has fantastic taste in jewelry. We celebrated my birthday a little late this year, but it was worth the wait- he gave me a beautiful white gold necklace with a blue topaz- my birth stone. It's very, very pretty, and I absolutely adore it!

Whew! All that for two little days! Yeah- sorry about that! Here's the rest of the update:

I sang in a benefit concert at Carnegie Hall on Monday night. The cool part: I was on stage with Marvin Hamlisch, Liza Minelli, Maureen McGovern, Judy Collins and some other famous people. Oh, and the New York Pops. The lame part: our call was at 7:30, we warmed up at 7:45, we went on stage at 9:00, we STARTED singing at 10:15, and we left the stage at 10:45. Yeah- it was what my Dad would call a long walk for a short drink. How is it that charity events ALWAYS wind up being PAINFULLY long?!

Teresa, J.J., Mom and I saw "A Chorus Line" last week- whee!!!! My ticket was a birthday from Teresa and Hap. (How cool is it to have in-laws-to-be that can find the perfect birthday gift!) The show was really well done- they've recreated the show exactly as it was performed 30 years ago! I've read a lot about "Chorus Line" over the years, and it was so cool to finally see it performed live! I thought I was an expert on the show, but there was music there I didn't even know existed!! After the show, Teresa and J.J. were really sweet/patient and waited with me outside the stage door. I'm really glad we stayed- most of the cast signed my program! It was a really fun night- very special!

We've booked the band for the wedding, but photographers and florists are still up in the air. Yikes- we're getting down to the wire! I tried on my dress a few weeks ago, and my first real fitting is this Saturday morning, followed by a meeting with ANOTHER photographer.

I'm starting to get ready to move back to New Rochelle. I'm hoping to move by the end of the year, maybe even before Christmas, but we'll see.

I think that's about it. T-minus five months to the wedding, and work has been super busy, so who knows if I'll be able to post more regularly than I have recently, but I'll try. Hugs to all!

I Got An M&M!

I know, I know. I haven't posted in two weeks. Okay, fine, longer than that.

The day after my last post, I got two very nice surprises. The first was a beautiful bouquet of flowers delivered to my office; the second was the sender of those flowers calling to tell me he had an unexpected three-day weekend and that he was flying up to see me! Eee!

Greg and I spent a lot of time together this summer, but we were busy most of that time. Our unexpected weekend visit was exactly what we both needed before a crazy fall: quiet, relaxing time together.

Greg arrived Saturday morning around eleven. We got deli sandwiches from Gristedes to eat in Central Park. Grey clouds were looming overhead by the time we finished our lunch, so we headed back to my apartment. We spent the afternoon playing Monopoly in the living room, laughing with my roommate as she went nuts over a football game. We had dinner at a resturant called Fetch, which is just a block or two down Third. We took a walk after dinner, then curled up on the couch to watch "Love Actually."

We took a train to Larchmont the next morning and spent the day sailing on Morning Glory. It was probably the last time I will sail on that boat (and with Carl) for a very long time, so it made it even nicer that Greg was there.

After dinner with my parents, we headed back into the city for more movie time before he left the next morning.

It may have been just an M&M, but this visit was therepeutic for both of us. Low-stress, lots of together time, all-around ahhhh!

Nougat

What exactly is nougat anyway? Our office had a whole big thing about nougat this morning, complete with talking over cubicle walls and multiple mass e-mails debating the topic. Of course by the time this had been going on for 10 or 15 minutes there were eight people craving Snickers bars. The natural end to this kind of thing was the inevitable run to Duane Reade for a bag of Snickers and Milky Ways and subsequent Passing Of The Nougat. I love quiet days in the office.

The afternoon was even better! We haven't seen Shirley since she left on maternity leave at the end of July, but she came in today with her two-month-old Davey. About an hour later (and by pure coincidence) Sal's wife shows up with their five-month-old Parker Izabelle. There have been only three baby office visits in the history of our company. Two in one afternoon was fantastic!

Davey (at about 1 week old)

Parker Izabelle

Anyway, bigger things are happening than just babies and nougat. In fact, I've been pretty busy since I last posted.

I drove down to Annapolis with Greg's parents last weekend (and found out they read my blog! Hi Teresa and Hap!) to help move him out of his apartment. The four of us and his brother Paul packed up just about everything Greg owns, then headed out for a delicious dinner at a sushi restaurant in downtown Annapolis, followed by a round of drinks with the S. clan, then another with the Navy clan.

The next morning we loaded everything into a 16' moving truck. Total cargo weight: 1,300 lbs! (Not that I'm one to talk, but the boy owns a lot of stuff.) After lunch, we headed to Ikea to buy a sofa. We found one that we all liked alot- especially since it has a replaceable, machine washable slip cover. (Yeah- our new couch is going to be in a bachelor pad for the first six months of its life... it's going to need to be washed!!) Greg and Hap managed to fit the couch into the truck (which was exactly wide enough!), which thankfully saved us from having to repack the whole thing.

Teresa and Greg were staying one last night in Annapolis before heading down to Charleston, but Hap and I had to get on the road. We said our goodbyes in the parking lot, which was just as well: it kept me from getting too sappy. It wasn't hard, though- we would see each other in a few weeks. Our plan leaving Annapolis was that we would see each other at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and work out two additional visits: one in the spring and one in the fall. It worked out that we would go one month, one month, six weeks, and six weeks between visits. It was all planned.

Unfortunately, every time you think something is all set, the Navy steps in. Of course. Greg found out on Tuesday that he has class on the Friday after Thanksgiving, which makes it impossible for him to come north for the holiday. :-(

Since we really can't change Greg's schedule, we've been working on changing mine. We thought about me flying down to Charleston for Thanksgiving, but apparently the reason they don't have Friday off is that they will be in an important testing period, so having me around as a distraction is probably not the best thing. Not to mention that flights are outrageously expensive that weekend. So we're thinking that we'll do Thanksgiving like we do my birthday, our anniversary and Valentine's day: a week early! (We've been dating for over two years and have yet to celebrate any of those days on the correct date. Ah well- we're getting married young- we'll have 50 or 60 years together to fit those in!)

Unfortunately, I only have three vacation days left, and it's unclear if the office will be closed between Christmas and New Years. I've put myself down for vacation days on the Thursday and Friday of that week, and I'm saving one for some time in November to see Greg. (We think he might have a long weekend for Veteran's Day, so I'll take my last vacation day then.)

Between worrying about my lack of vacation time and the difficulty of getting to Charleston, I've been all stressed and upset for the past two days. Annapolis was easy: four hours on Amtrak and I'm there. Only $84 each way. Charleston, on the other hand, requires an airplane and a lot more money for a short amount of time spent together.

So it looks like our schedule for both the fall and the spring is going to be six weeks apart, one long weekend together, and six weeks apart. Yuck, yuck, yuck. We'll have about one week together over Christmas, so hopefully I won't have to work those other two days.

I know that we're going to have much longer periods of time apart, and that this really isn't bad, but we've never lived less than four hours apart. At least we'll be able to spend lots of time together when we're preparing for him to go out on deployment.

Something about this makes me think about when I used to babysit for toddlers. When the parents left, the kid would cry. No question. They'd be all upset for a little while, then they'd settle down and be just fine. What was much more difficult for them was when the parents left me with the kid then went upstairs to change, reappeared for a few minutes, left to go to the car, came back to get something they forgot, and then left again. As soon as the kid had settled down, the parents would return. Each time they left again, the kid would get even more upset, and stay upset longer. (Honestly- do parents realize they do this to babysitters?)

I feel kind of like the little kid. It's not that I fall apart when we leave each other, I just feel like something's missing, and it takes me a few days after seeing him to pull myself back together and readjust to being alone. Sometimes it almost feels like teasing to have such a short period of time together, just to go back to missing him almost immediately. It's like being hungry and being offered one M&M- you want it so badly, and you happily eat it up. It's great while it lasts, but it's gone before you know it and you're somehow hungrier than you were before. What gets you through is remembering the flavor and looking forward to the next meal.

Now, all these metaphors aren't meant to imply that I don't want to spend those long weekends with Greg- I want them more than anything. I'm just happy that he's going to be around that week in December. We'll get to spend some real time together, and I'll feel much better.

They say that time flies faster and faster as a wedding draws closer, and I wonder if that will be true for us. It's so weird to know that we will have just three visits together before we're moving him out of his apartment in Charleston and into our first home together. We'll be married in just over six months, and I'm sure it will feel like time has flown. In the mean time, the next several months are going to be like pieces of nougat- I know I'll enjoy them, I know they'll be sweet and not last very long at all, but I have no idea what they'll be made of.

Whew!

I've been really, crazy busy lately, with no time to post. So, here's the update!

I worked until midnight last Thursday night- which actually wasn't that bad. I can get a lot done when I don't have meetings and conference calls and e-mails coming in. Friday was a long day because of my late night the day before, but Greg had a long day, too. When he was leaving Annapolis to drive up to New York, another driver pulled out of a parking space without looking and backed into Greg's passenger side door. The damage is only cosmetic, but it's a hassle- especially since Greg is moving early next week!

Greg finally arrived at my parents' house at about 10:00 pm. After some pasta and caffeine, we got back in the car, this time with me in the driver's seat. We drove up to Albany that night, arriving at the hotel around 1:00 am.

Saturday morning we were up at 7:30 am to attend a Pre-Cana class in Albany. I mentioned several posts ago that finding a place to fulfill our Pre-Cana requirements was very difficult, mainly because there was only one weekend between August and the wedding that it was possible for us to go. I looked everywhere from Boston to Albany to Pittsburgh to Richmond and finally found a one-day class that worked.

Pre-Cana wasn't nearly as painful as we had expected. We were pretty sure the topics would include Natural Family Planning, Natural Family Planning, Natural Family Planning, a few minutes on Conflict Resolution, and Natural Family Planning. To our pleasant surprise, there was a reasonable amount of time spent on Conflict Resolution, and even more on finances (budgeting, managing student loans and credit card debt, etc. Thank God neither Greg or I have any credit card debt!) Natural Family Planning was discussed a bit, but really only for about 20 minutes at the end of the day.

We left Albany around 3:00 pm and drove back down to New Rochelle. We fit in a quick (and much needed!) nap before hopping a train into the city.

We had a quick dinner at Grand Central before heading to the Snapple Theatre to see "The Fantasticks." Oh, I love that show! My parents took me to see it on my 16th birthday, (with Allie, my grandparents and friends Kate, Ellen and Jamie,) and I just loved it.

The story is about a boy and a girl (who do have names, but are primarily referred to as "the boy" and "the girl") who fall in love, but must grow up a bit before their love can grow from a childhood infatuation into a deeper, more meaningful love. The show played at the Sullivan Street Playhouse from 1960 to 2002 and holds the record for the longest running musical in the world. (It is the longest running show in the US, and the second longest running show in the world. That record is held by the production of "The Mousetrap" that has been running in London since 1952. For those arguing that Les Miz holds the long-run record in the states, realize that The Fantasticks ran Off-Broadway, which, incidentally, is a distinction based on capacity, not geography. Off-Broadway theatres have between 100 and 499 seats.)

The show is charmingly simple, with an eight member cast, a piano and a harp. The set is minimal, consisting of a low 4' x 8' platform, some poles, two trunks, a bench, one or two black boxes, a chair, and a painted bed sheet for a curtain. Oh- and a moon. That's it. There isn't really a stage; most of the action takes place on the floor, on the same level as the audience. Charmingly simple.

Well, Greg had never seen the show, and I was hugely excited to see it again with him. I knew that our tickets were for really good seats, (A105-106) but I don't think I had mentioned it to Greg. He was very surprised when we sat down literally front row, center. "How did you get these seats?!" :-D We were right in the action- there were literally times that I uncrossed my legs to avoid kicking an actor!

The characters in "The Fantasticks" occasionally address the audience directly, and Greg and I were spoken to directly more than once. "El Gallo" even gestured at the two of us when we were holding hands during a monologue:

El Gallo: (describing the scene where two lovers will meet in secret)

You wonder how these things begin. Well, this begins with a glen. It begins with a season which, for want of a better word we may as well call- September. It begins in a forest where the woodchucks woo, and the leaves wax green, and vines intertwine like lovers; try to see it. Not with your eyes, for they are wise, but see it with your ears: the cool green breathing of the leaves. And hear it with the inside of your hand: the soundless sound of shadows flicking light. Celebrate sensation. Recall that secret place. You've been there, you remember: That special place where once- Just once- in your crowded sunlit lifetime, you hid away in shadow from the tyranny of time. That spot beside the clover where someone's hand held your hand and love was sweeter than the berries, or the honey, or the stinging taste of mint. It is September- before a rainfall- a perfect time to be in love.

I think the most special parts of the show, though, was that "Thomas Bruce" was playing "The Old Actor." If you read his bio in the Playbill, this is what you will see:

THOMAS BRUCE (Henry) originated the role of Henry in the original Sullivan Street Playhouse production of The Fantasticks. This is his first appearance on the New York stage since December 1960.

Naturally, this had the audience buzzing about how neat it was to see the actor who originated the role in this famous show. What most of them didn't know, though, was that "Thomas Bruce" is a stage name. His real name is Tom Jones, and he wrote the book and lyrics for the show. I, of course, being the theatre nerd that I am, knew this before we walked into the theatre, and was absolutely giddy with excitement. (No, seriously- actually giddy.) He was just, well, fantastic! He was hysterical, and it was truly special to see him recreating this role after over 45 years.

After the show, Greg very patiently waited with me at the stage door to meet Tom Jones. We were the only people left there when he came out. I thanked him sincerely for both the show and the performance, and told him that the show had been very special to me since I first saw it eight years ago. As he was signing my book of "The Fantasticks" (yes, I have a book with the history of the show and the full script), he said "you waited all this time just to see me?" "Yes!" I don't know whose smile was bigger. It was a really nice experience that he probably won't remember, but I always will.

We left the theatre at 10:30 and headed down to the East Village to meet up with the Branford crowd. After searching for the bar for a little over an hour, we finally found them in an old speakeasy- very cool. We spent about two hours there, drinking wine and mixed drinks out of teacups! There was a book case next to where we were standing that was being guarded by a large bouncer- we eventually learned that it was the door to a back room. There was even a rumor that Scarlett Johansson and Jake Gyllenhaal were there while we were.

So, after a very long Thursday, a very long Friday, and a very long Saturday (I mean really- Pre-Cana in Albany, then a show, then a bar in the Village! Yeesh!), we slept in on Sunday. Which is not to say that Sunday wasn't ridiculously productive, too!

Greg and I had breakfast in the city, then my Mom picked us up at the train after church. The three of us headed straight to Rye to taste wedding cake samples. We decided on white cake with a layer of lemon curd and a layer of chocolate ganache. Seriously yummy. So, we've picked a flavor- the design will be decided some time this winter.

After cake, we went back to the house to wait for John Tucker; a family friend in the jewelry biz. We selected a yellow gold millgrain ring for Greg's wedding band. :-D

After cake and ring were checked off the list, we headed down to the Yacht Club for a drink on the porch with my Mom. Dad and Allie eventually came in off the water, then it was home for Pork Chops. Mmm mmm good.

Greg left for Annapolis after dinner, and I headed into the city to pass out at my apartment. I really can't believe how much we did this weekend- Pre-Cana, "The Fantasticks", picked a wedding cake, and picked a wedding band for Greg. It was a really productive weekend!

I'll write more soon, as I had a special visit last night from one of my very best friends, but this post is already inordinately long, and I need to get back to work! Ta!

Footballs and Potatoes and Submarines, Oh My!

Oh, what a weekend!

I took a train down to Annapolis on Friday evening. I somehow planned it so that I would be in Maryland when the storm was knocking out power in New York, and only caught a few hours of the storm down south. Nice.

It was raining pretty hard when Greg picked me up, so he met me downstairs in the New Carrollton station. I had hardly stepped off the escalator when he started laughing... I was still limping badly! (I'm finally better... pretty much... I still can't stand on my toes.)

We wound up taking a major detour home to avoid the traffic on Route 50. We hit Ledo Pizza & Pasta for dinner (mmm... peppers and onions!), then headed back to the apartment to crash.

We woke up Saturday morning and hit the Annapolis mall. We waited for about 15 minutes at Sears for someone to unlock the case of electric clippers, (I'm told that knowing how to cut men's hair is a requirement for Navy wives,) but finally left after no one was able to help up. (Yeah- Sears gets a big thumbs down on customer service. Why put something in a locked case and then not have someone around with the key!) I did, however, finally find a new pair of jeans.

Ok- quick rant: Jeans shopping. Why do they make it so hard?!
I just wanted to replace the pair of Gap jeans I bought about a year and a half ago. I had tried once before and got so frustrated that I left after five minutes. So here's what gets me so upset: First you have to find the style you want (ok- finally found "Long and Lean" on a table, mixed in with three other cuts.) Then you have to find your size (My old pair is an 8-long, though I could be a 6 or a 10 in another cut at the same store!) Then you need the color (and not just the color, but a solid color, please, none of this shiny, glittery denim or the faded stripe down the front nonsense that makes my thighs look 22" round, thank you!) And finally, make sure there are no weird features on this pair that weren't on the other 16 pairs you've already looked at (such as rouched pockets, button fly, no back pockets, no belt loops, tears, slits, frays or other kinds of "wear".) Ugh! So I took a few pairs into the dressing room. The 8-longs fit, the 8-regulars were tight. Same store, same style, same size. I just don't get it. Ugh!!!! ANYWAY!

So, after our mall extravaganza, Greg and I packed up his car with all sorts of coolered goodness and headed over to his Lt.'s house for a pre-football tailgate. We hung out for about an hour (yup- actually an hour!) before the other guys arrived- they had been stuck in parade traffic near the stadium. (The entire Brigade of Midshipmen marches from the Yard to the stadium before every USNA football game. That's about 4,000 people marching about a mile through the narrow streets of Annapolis, plus the thousands of spectators that line up around town to watch and throw candy and snacks to the Mids. It's fun to watch, but I'm told it's not as much fun to participate in.) In any case, the other Ensigns that Greg works with finally arrived with food and a keg, and we had a fun barbecue... even if it was in the drizzling rain.

The highlight of the tailgate, though, was when a pair of F-18 fighter jets zoomed over the house- literally a few hundred feet directly over us! They were on their way to do a flyover at the game: Lt.'s house is on the same line as the end zone, only a few blocks away!

We eventually made our way over to the stadium, a short walk which included a bunch of quasi-drunken Naval officers singing Happy Birthday to my sister Allie. (Happy 22nd, Pipsqueak!)

The game was fun- we arrived just in time for the end of the first half. One of Greg's buddies had some connection that got us into the VIP area, which was pretty sweet. I met the mayor of Annapolis, which was nice, but a little odd. How many people have you ever met who respond "thank you" when you say "nice to meet you"- a bit off, yes? In any case, we scored second row seats in the end zone for the second half- very cool. (Better seats than most of the other 33,000 people there!) Navy beat out East Carolina with a final score of 28 to 23. Go Navy! Beat Army!

With Greg at the game

After the football game, we were all pretty well shot. Greg and I headed back to his apartment to watch a movie, and he made good on his offer of a calf massage.

Oh! Regarding that massage! (If you don't know what I'm talking about, see the comments from my previous post.) After Greg promised to help me out with the ridiculous leg pain that HE CAUSED, he called me up and asked what I was making him for dinner. I explained that he must have read the post wrong: I promised to buy dinner for anyone offering a calf massage, not make dinner. Well, Greg can be stubborn, (I love you!), and he insisted that I make him dinner.

So, the next day (Sunday), Greg had to go sailing with the Navy team. I went to the store and purchased the makings for meatloaf, garlic roast potatoes and Grandma Padin's famous chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. Unfortunately, my day of girly domesticity was cut short when Greg and his roommate John arrived home from practice several hours early. In any case, I made the cookies first, which took forever. Not only does Greg's apartment not have an electric mixer... oh, no... they don't even have a wooden spoon! I mixed a full batch of oatmeal cookies with a tablespoon!

The meatloaf and potatoes were easier, and they turned out pretty well. It turns out that the "big" onions that the recipe called for referred to baseball-sized onions, not orange-sized. I used less than the three onions it called for, and the resulting loaf was delicious, if a bit oniony. The potatoes, though, were sheer culinary magic. They were like garlicy candy- I'm going to have to start making those all the time!

By the way, Greg now takes any opportunity he can to quiz me on my Navy Wife training: "Navy officer ranks: go!" He slips this in while we're in the car, while we're grocery shopping, doing dishes... really no place is off limits. (By the way, I've got the officer ranks down cold. The enlisted ones, too. I'm thinking if I get entreprenuery I'm going to market flashcards for Navy fiances.)

On Monday, we went over to the Academy for a tour of the USS Annapolis; a Los Angeles class Fast Attack sub, which is very likely to be the type of boat Greg winds up on. The tour was certainly an education for me! There is next to no space inside a submarine: narrow passageways and absolutely minimal living space. The little 9-man room that Greg will probably be living in for his first few deployments makes my apartment seem palatial! Hell, even my cubicle is big in comparison!

There are switches and gauges and dials and levers everywhere on the boat. Obviously, anything that was classified (such as screens showing depth and speed capability) was covered up, but we still got to see some neat stuff. Get this- the enlisted guys sleep in the torpedo room. Yes, with the torpedoes. As in, if you roll over in the middle of the night, you can cuddle with a giant missile. Freaky. I don't know what I expected torpedoes to look like, but for some reason it surprised me that they're green.

I knew that Greg would have minimal personal storage space, but I'm glad I've seen what "minimal" means so that I don't send him things that are too big. The storage area for personal property under each rack (bed) is about the size of my desk blotter and around three inches deep. There is another little compartment the same size for clothes. Wow. I'm thinking now that when I send Greg care packages, they will include CDs. That way he can have letters and photos and music and whatever else, all in one place, and it won't take up any space. This is, of course, dependent on his getting a lap top, since he'll be sharing computers with other people on the ship and probably won't be able to do things like listen to music on them.

The USS Annapolis

After taking the launch back from the submarine tour, ("Lizzie- the enlisted guy with the crow and single chevron on his sleeve: what's his rank?"), we grabbed lunch in town, then headed back to the apartment for a nap. (Greg has learned that if he's going to get me up early for a Navy thing, it's probably a good idea to let me nap afterward- makes for a happy Lizzie.) It was Greg's turn to cook dinner, so we eventually headed back out to the grocery store for some inspiration. We wound up with a Campbells meal-in-a-box type of kit that yielded some delicious herb chicken, which we rounded out with some frozen corn and leftover potatoes. Yummy. (By the way- the enlisted guy was a Third Class Petty Officer.)

After dinner, Greg took me back to the New Carrollton station to catch a train back to New York. It was a really fun weekend full of lots of goofy "I'm just glad we're here together" moments. We both know we're running out of weekends like this before he heads down to Charleston, so we're making the most of our time together. Next up: Pre-Cana and The Fantasticks, followed by packing up his apartment in Annapolis. Lots of fun still to come.

Gotta Love Lunch Dates

I just got back from lunch with Greg. :-) When I walked in to the office, I said hello to Cathy at the front desk, who responded "You just had lunch with someone, didn't you?" "Yup!" "I can tell!" (I guess I'm a little grinny!)

It's kind of nice (okay, really nice) to know that we miss each other when we're apart for just a few days, and that we still get all romantic and goofy when we're together again. Greg's not a sappy guy, but he certainly does know when to kiss a girl's cheek while walking down a sidewalk! Eee!! :-D

In other news, Aunt Pecky is back in the hospital, which isn't the best thing. When my Dad's parents died, his Aunt Pecky assumed the role of Padin Family Matriarch. (Pecky never married and has always been something like a third grandparent on that side of the family.) Her physical and mental health have both taken dramatic turns for the worse in the past month or two, requiring my Dad and his two brothers to figure out how to care for their very independent, very stubborn aunt.

My parents and sister are coming into the City to have dinner with Greg and me, then we're all heading back to my apartment for drinks with friends. Greg has to be at work in Annapolis at 9:00 tomorrow morning, but hopefully he'll drive back in the morning instead of after dinner. We'll see.

I guess that's about it for today. More gnus when they happen. ;-)

We're Next!

Greg and I left the Outer Banks Friday night and drove up to Annapolis for Andrew Countiss and RoseEllen Balestri’s wedding. It was just beautiful.

Andrew, Greg, and a few other guys went to Miami over spring break their junior year, which is when Andrew and RoseEllen met. They stayed in touch by phone, and Andrew invited her to Ring Dance as a second date, which is when I met her. Interestingly enough, out of the six couples in our Ring Dance party, two are now married. Greg and I will be the third.

Andrew and RoseEllen at Ring Dance

Ensign and Mrs. Countiss

Andrew and Amy at Ring Dance

Ensign and Mrs. Tingley

Greg and Lizzie at Ring Dance

Next April...!

After the wedding, we went out with a couple of guys from Greg's company at the Academy. We went to dinner at Fuddruckers, then to a house party for a bit. The party was fun enough, (despite the bridesmaids scowling at the Navy guys' girlfriends/fiances/wives for no appearant reason), but the real highlight of the evening was bowling! We left the party with four other couples and hit the lanes. As it turns out, we're all terrible at bowling, (Summer was the only one of us to break 100; I came close with 96 in the first game) but boy was it fun!

At the Bowling Alley

On Sunday, we got in the car (yet again) and drove to New York. Greg made us dinner (per our bowling wager!), then we went out with my new roommie Lindsey. We met Lindsey down the street at Brother Jimmy's. It took Greg about two minutes to spot the "Buck Hunter" game in the corner, which allowed Lindsey and me some time to chat about the men in our lives. (Oh, the drama!) After a couple of drinks, we headed back to the apartment, and Greg and I watched Kinsey, which was fun, then headed to bed.

After nine days together (the longest uninterrupted visit we've ever had), it could have been much more difficult leaving for work on Monday morning. We knew we'd see each other in a few days, but it's always nicer when we don't have to leave at all. Greg drove me to work (which was uber cute), then headed back up to Connecticut to see his family. He'll be back for a tour of New York Yacht Club (of which he is now a member!) on Thursday, then we'll have dinner with my parents in the city.

It's always a bit odd when we don't know when we're going to see each other again, and I guess I'll have to get used to that. After all, I won't know much at all about his deployment schedule when that whole drill starts. I know I'll see Greg sometime in September for Pre-Cana classes, then we'll have one last night in Annapolis together before he moves. We'd like to be able to visit while he's at Nuke School, but the only definates so far are Thanksgiving and Christmas. Well, we're guaranteed time together for years to come. I just need to keep reminding myself that our seperations are temporary and I'm fine.

In the mean time, I'm busy with work, plus looking into invitations, wedding cakes, bands, wedding rings, and (oye!) the guest list. That should keep me busy!

I'm Back!

Well, it’s Monday, and I’m back in the office.

North Carolina was a blast. The house was great- big enough that we weren’t all on top of each other, yet small enough to be cozy. There was a pool and a hot tub, as well as a foosball table in the basement. We partied at the house just about every night. We played mini-golf and drove go-carts, and the boys went hang gliding. We played a lot of cards, and ate and drank a lot.

Greg, Bill, Steve and I toured the Wright Brothers monument (literally across the street from the house), which Courtney had told me was small, but oh, boy! For a state that has “First in Flight” and the Wright’s flyer on its license plate, the monument is teeny! There are a lot of posters, a few dioramas, and a couple of ‘replicas of prototypes of tools similar to the ones actually used by the Wright brothers to build bicycles.’ Yeah. Maybe we’re just spoiled having spent a lot of time at the Smithsonian.

Greg and I had a really good time with the group, but we did also manage a little alone time. We walked down to the beach late Wednesday night. The sky was perfectly clear, and once our eyes adjusted we could see the thick band of the Milky Way! It was spectacular! Walking on the beach in the moonlight reminded both of us of our first date, which added to the beautiful ambiance. After a midnight swim (which was too tempting to resist!) we made our way back to the house to watch a movie with the guys before bed. Very fun.

We spent some time with folks at the beach, but it was hot enough that we didn’t go every day. The water was perfect swimming temperature, though, and the waves were great. So, I like playing in the waves. A lot. And I can body surf pretty well, so I wasn’t deterred from riding a wave the first day when we didn’t have any boogie boards. The only thing I didn’t really count on was that my new bikini wasn’t exactly cut out for actual water sports. Yeah- accidental cleavage show for Greg and his friend Bill. Oops! (I repeat- I am not generally a naked person!!)

We went back to the beach the next two days, and I was smart enough to wear a one-piece, which allowed for a ton of wave-riding fun! The waves got bigger as the week went on, and Bill’s cousin Doug arrived with boogie boards. Greg and I took them out with us on Thursday morning- the waves were huge! We were had a great time, but the fun was cut a bit short when a pair of waves first flipped my feet over my head and then bent me in half sideways at the waist, leaving me with some pretty bad back pain and a bloody chin. Ah well- at least it happened toward the end of the trip, and the pain was bad for only two days. (I’m back to about 90% now.)

Wave-related mishaps aside, we had a really, really good time.

The Branford group has taken lots of trips together in the past, but this was the first time that Jeff and Lizzie’s daughter Holly came along. (I’m still not entirely cool with there being another Lizzie, but at least she’s nice!) Holly is a sweetheart. She’s 8 months old and not quite crawling yet. Her hobbies include blowing raspberries, playing peek-a-boo, “walking” by balancing on a grown-up’s index fingers, and pulling hair. She spent a solid 20 minutes one afternoon playing with my ring- she really liked the way the diamonds sparkled. (I do, too!)

Oh. And the boys grew beards. Yeah.

Calling All Old Friends

Thank God it's Friday!

Greg stopped by my parents' house in New Rochelle to pick up my suitcase this morning. He's driving down to Annapolis today, then will meet me tomorrow evening in Newport News. (I'm flying down... oye!) The next day, we'll meet up with 2 other guys from Branford (George and Bill) and drive to Kill Devil Hill on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

This it the house we've rented

We're travelling with a bunch of Greg's friends from home, and it's going to be a blast. His friends (who have become mine, too!) are a lot of fun- smart, funny, and warm. They've really taken me in to their group, which is fantastic.

The fact that Greg's group of H.S. friends is in-tact (with a very few notable exceptions :-) ) amazes me. We're travelling with 12 people- 12! And that's not even the whole group!

I've really only kept in touch with 2 people from high school- my friends Ellen and Kate. Ellen is off in L.A. working in TV and film and having all sorts of cool experiences. Kate got married last summer to a man from England and has moved across the pond to be with him. Kate also keeps a blog- you can click on the link under my profile- and uses it to keep in touch with people from home. Actually, it was Katie's brilliant idea of using a blog to stay in touch with people that inspired me to start one of my own, so thanks Kate!

Actually, this blog has already started me on that path. I got an IM from my friend Jamie yesterday. We went to middle and high school together, and have been in touch occationally since. We somehow always manage to get in touch on birthdays, and when her dog and my cat died. (The really odd thing is that neither of us knew that the other had lost both of their paternal grandparents in the past few years!) Well, anyway, Jamie saw the link to my blog and IMed me yesterday and we talked for an hour, which was really nice. She recently started a new blog, the link to which I've added to my "friends' blogs" section. Check it out!

I'm hoping that more people will read this blog and drop me a line, especially when I leave the area and find myself (potentially) lonely when Greg is out on deployment. So if you're reading this, post a comment! Especially if we haven't talked in a while! I promise I'll get back to you. Chances are that if you've been interested in hearing about the ongoings and antics of my life enough to read my blog, I'm interested in hearing what you've been up to, too!

I Am Not Generally A Naked Person

... In fact, my family hasn't seen me naked since I was old enough to bathe myself. Having said that, I had a true Mytoi experience this weekend!

As I mentioned a few days ago, the shower at Mytoi (pronounced Mee-toy) has windows for two walls. If you watch the pond out the window for kayakers, you're pretty much guaranteed to be able to rinse the soap off and grab a towel before they can get close enough to the house to see you. However! While in the shower on Saturday afternoon, a pair of unexpected visitors showed up and surprised me. I was washing my hair when I turned around and spotted two landscapers standing not five feet away from the shower window. I yelped in surprise as I jumped out of the shower and ran for a towel, and they definitely saw me. All of me.

We had a really fantastic time on the Vineyard. We went to the beach club twice, walked around Edgartown and Oak Bluffs, and walked in the garden. We went running on Saturday morning, starting with a sprint through the quarter-mile of forest that is also known as Mytoi's driveway. We were trying to avoid the swarms of mosquitoes and horse flies that plague the front side of the house, but I wound up with a cramp instead. If it's not one thing...! So we ran for a bit, then Greg went ahead running while I walked, and we met up on the way back. (If you ever go running with a guy in the Navy, trust me, this is the only way to do it!)

We played Monopoly, though I'm sorry to say I got massacred. I held my own in backgammon, though, and I finally taught Greg how to play cribbage. These games were played over the course of the weekend and all over the island- starting on the ferry there, then at the beach, at the house, and while waiting for my return ferry. (Hee hee- Greg dropped one of the dice in the water at the ferry pier. We were playing on the ledge along the side and had even mentioned that we didn't feel like diving for dice. The look on his face when he actually did drop one was priceless- his head in one hand, the other hand still extended over the water where he had been shaking the dice before rolling.)

Greg took me to dinner at Edgartown Yacht Club on Friday night for the best steak I have had in a really long time. We cooked dinner at the house on Saturday: grilled chicken and baked potatoes. Greg does well with a grill, but my microwaving skills could use some honing. We ate lunch at the beach club, and he brought me breakfast in bed Sunday morning. (Keeper!)

As I said, Mytoi redefines serenity. The weekend was incredibly relaxing. We didn't have TV, internet, radio, newspapers, magazines or cell service. Mytoi is all about mornings at the beach, afternoons on the back porch, and evenings in a candle lit bubble bath. Ahh.

They say all good things must come to an end, and Mytoi house has joined the list of good things gone away. I know I'm going to miss it, and I only went there twice. For Greg and his sister J.J., who grew up "summering" on the Vineyard, I can only imagine what it must feel like. But we can always go back to the garden. The garden has the same peaceful atmosphere as the house, and I know we'll all return there for years to come.

All My Bags Are Packed, I'm Ready To Go...

Flip flops: check.
Bikini: check.
Straw hat: check.

I am so ready to get out of this office and hit the beach! (Well, hit the train, then the car, then the ferry, then the beach.)

Greg's family has a membership at the Chappaquiddick Beach Club. We went to the beach last year, but it had been cold for a few days and the water was freezing!! (I really do mean icy.) This heat wave should be over this weekend, leaving us with perfect beach weather and nice, warm water. (I hope!)

The S.s' cabana is the one all the way on the right.

I'm taking a train up to New Haven tonight and staying with the S.s in Branford, then Greg and I will drive up to the ferry early tomorrow morning. I'll be there until a 7:30 ferry on Sunday; Greg will stay until he can take the car off the island on Tuesday.

I'm looking forward to relaxing for a few days, which will be easy with just the two of us. If this trip is anything like last year, it will involve some time at the beach, reading on the back porch, a walk through the garden, cooking dinner together, and games.

If you know me at all, you know that I'm a game addict. Cards, board games, puzzles, whatever. Greg and I both enjoy backgammon, and I'm planning on teaching him cribbage at some point. (My parents gave him a board when he graduated.) Mytoi is perfect for games of all sorts- it just doesn't feel right watching TV in a place like that!

When we first arrived at the house last year, it was freezing cold and pouring rain. The house isn't insulated, and when Greg turned on the space heater in the bedroom, it sparked. So we spent the afternoon sitting on the bed (in our coats!) with a monopoly board between us watching buckets of rain come down outside. It turned out to be a perfect afternoon!

So now that I've spent my lunch hour procrastinating, I'm going to go back to my quarterly competitive analysis, hopefully to be finished early so I can get out of here! Happy weekend!

The State Of The Lizzie Address

My life is about to change. A lot.

I'm getting married and moving away. I'm leaving my job, my apartment, my family and my friends and marrying a man in the Navy. Yup, life is about to change.

So, I've decided to start a blog. I think keeping an online, public diary will help get me through these changes, stay in touch with friends, and share some of the experiences I'm bound to have with Greg as we adjust to married life and I adjust to my new life as a Navy wife!

The good news in all of this is that I have Greg. He makes me happier than I ever dreamed I could be. We're heading out together as partners on a big adventure- one that I never could have imagined 5 years ago. We are deeply in love and both know that we are lucky to have found each other.

With Greg at USNA Commissioning. May, 2006

Sometimes life can almost seem like a fairy tale: my white knight has appeared- he is handsome, brave, and as honorable a man as you'll ever meet. And dropping everything to follow your one true love is certainly a romantic notion. But it's sometimes a bit scary.

Greg is training to be an officer on a submarine. He'll be away on deployments for long periods at a time, and I won't hear from him daily or know where he is most of the time. This won't start for over a year, but it's something I'm preparing for.

But we're also preparing for adventures! After we marry, we'll live in Ballston Spa, NY for 6 months, Groton, CT for about 3 more, and then we'll be off to the west coast. Our current top choice is to be stationed in San Diego, CA. This, however, is a bit unrealistic. San Diego only has a few submarines, and therefore only a very few slots for officers. So maybe Pearl Harbor, HI. Or if not Pearl, then maybe near Seattle, WA. Who knows! This decision won't be made for a while- it depends on Greg's class rank coming out of Nuclear Power School in March.

In the mean time, though, we're planning a wedding and spending as much time together as we can. Greg is currently on Temporary Assigned Duty at the USNA Sailing Center. Translation: he gets to spend his summer coaching and sailing around the east coast. Tough duty, huh?! :-) He just finished his training block (read: cruise) this week, and now has most of August off. Hooray- lots of time together!

(Note- I may mock Greg's assignment this summer, but he actually has had a lot of responsibility, it hasn't been all fun and games. Or picnics and rum cocktails. Just mostly.)

So, it looks like August will be my favorite month this year. Next weekend we are going to Greg's family's summer house on Martha's Vineyard. The house belonged to Granny T-Bird, Greg's great-grandmother, who sounds like she was a really cool old lady. The house, named Mytoi, is basically a Japanese cottage, complete with rice paper windows. The view from the back of the house is stunning. The peaks of a rooftop and an osprey nest stand are the only man-made things to be seen. Other than that, there is only a beautiful marsh with a winding creek between the porch and a pond. It is serenity defined.

The view from the back porch at Mytoi

During the day, kayakers like to come up the stream that goes through the back yard. This can be interesting when you're in the shower- it has full length clear glass windows that face this view! Greg and his friends call it the "porn shower!"

Across the street is Granny T-Bird's garden; now a public park. I have loved Monet since I was 9 years old, and when Greg took me to the garden last summer and showed me the Japanese footbridge over the waterlilies, I just melted. I think it is the most beautiful garden I have ever seen. It reminds me of the mood set in the Glen on the Hamilton campus- nature allowed to flourish on its own with only a slight nudge in the right direction.

The Japanese footbridge over the pond in the Mytoi gardens

The Japanese footbridge in Claude Monet's garden in Giverny

A series of bridges in the Root Glen at Hamilton College

When we get back from Mytoi, we'll have a week apart before heading to the Outer Banks of North Carolina with Greg's friends from Branford (now my friends, too!) A week on the beach is something I've been looking forward to for a while! I'll add more about the N.C. trip later.

(Some of) The Branford Gang, as seen on New Year's Eve

So that's where my life is right now. I'm working hard, planning a wedding (and even though I didn't really mention it in this post, I'm guessing that wedding plans will be a frequent topic!), and I'm enjoying any time that I get to spend with Greg. All in all, my life is good these days. Actually, it's great.

So, in conclusion, the state of the Lizzie is happy. That is all.