Believe It Can Be Done

"Believe it can be done" was the fortune I got at the Chinese restaurant last night. It seemed fitting in so many ways... believing I'm actually getting married. Believing Craig and I will have an amazing Alaskan adventure. Believing we could actually pack all of our wedding and backpacking stuff into the airline-allotted two bags a piece. :)

Tomorrow morning we depart for the Great White North. I'll do my best to post a wedding shot if I can find an Internet cafe in Homer. In the meantime, I leave you with a photo of a hiker in Gates of the Arctic National Park. This will be us in a few days...

I Have the Best Friends

A couple of weeks ago, some of my girlfriends took me to "high tea" to celebrate my upcoming nuptials. My friend, Liz, mentioned that she'd found the perfect gift for me, but that it wouldn't arrive in time for the wedding. Today, she emailed a photo of said gift, which is actually almost as good as the gift itself. This is proof that I have the coolest friends in the world...

Wedding Questions

Our Bachelor/Bachelorette Weekend in the NC Mountains

I am constantly asked questions about my wedding next weekend. Do I have lots to do to get ready? Am I nervous? How are all the "little details" coming along? I think I am confounding people with my nonchalant responses. After all, I'm known for being Type A, not laid-back. However, I think Craig and I worked out the details for our wedding in such a way that we may have managed to escape traditional wedding stresses. Although, we may have had to deal with some unique issues, such as worrying about bear-proof canisters and personal locator beacons. If you are bucking tradition, might as well go all out. :)

One in Forty Shot

Dogs can be as challenging to photograph as children. Today, Craig attempted to capture a good shot of Holden and his friend, Sugar, at Grandfather Mountain. First, I had trouble wrangling the dogs into position...

Who knew, like people, dogs blink and get caught at the wrong moment?

If only they would just look at Craig!

At last, a good shot - only took 40 tries...

Time

Today I am reminded of Alan Lightman's Einstein's Dreams, in which he describes the relativity of time. After being as patient as someone nicknamed "Instant Gratification Girl" can be these last few months, it's now only a few hours until I leave for a fun pre-wedding weekend in the NC mountains and less than two weeks until I leave for Alaska. However, the current passing of time is a horrible, slower version than usual. Kind of like how a minute of running seems infinitely slower than a minute walk break.

To make matters worse, I am now hungry in addition to impatient. This is a result of receiving an email from the woman in charge of our wedding in Alaska asking me to approve the following menu:

Baked brie, bread bowl & dips, smoked salmon, & vegetable cheese platters
Bella Donna salad
Alaska King crab
Braised halibut on a bed of baked carmel apples
Gilled salmon with a lemon orange zest
Organic wild rice pilaf
Vegetable de jour
Fruit platter
Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting

Yeah, I think that will do.

Father's Day

For the first time I can remember, I purchased a Father's Day gift for my Dad that has absolutely nothing to do with the New York Yankees. To be honest, I don't think there are any Yankees gifts left to get him - he has all the clothing, jewelry (earring, World Series ring, and necklace), cards (thousands!), and other memorabilia (including a statute of Babe Ruth) that I've ever seen. So, I took a long shot and got him these Keen sandals.

Not an odd Father's Day gift, I'm sure you're thinking. Except that I've never seen my Dad wear anything besides perfectly white tennis shoes like these (he keeps them so clean with sneaker cleaner), sans dress shoes for weddings and Bar Mitzvahs. I figured the Keens would be a great choice for Alaska, with its trails, gravel roads, boat docks, and other places that might soil his perfect sneaks. However, I wondered what he'd think of such an odd-looking pair of shoes that are probably not nearly as popular in New York City as they are amongst my hippie friends.

The result? He likes them! From today's email, "Thank you for the Dad's Day gift. They're very comfortable and I'll take them to Alaska. Mom told me that Craig has a pair also and has been enjoying them." I'm guessing it was the Craig coolness factor that won him over. Either way, it will be exciting to see him in his Keens in Alaska!

Tough Life

In case there was ever any doubt, here are some photos that prove just how spoiled my pooch is. Holden wouldn't move off the bed when I got up this morning, even after a few minutes of blanket hide-and-seek. Finally, I wrapped him up in the blanket like a swaddled baby, figuring he'd get annoyed and hop off. When I came out of the shower, this is what I found... Tough life, eh?

It IS Easy Being Green

As our wedding day rapidly approaches, I've started looking for ways to make our post-wedding party in August eco-friendly. Who knew it was so easy to be green? I found a place to order biodegradable plates and cutlery online (though I just noticed our local Whole Foods has started to sell similar products, too), and I just placed an order with a very cool store for recycled thank you notes. Instead of registering for kitchen things (which we not only don't need, but also couldn't fit), we've registered with some charities through whatgoesaround.org and the I Do Foundation. (I must confess, though, that I couldn't resist registering for a few things for Alaska from REI through the I Do Foundation - 4% goes to our charities.) Between all this and zipping around town in the Prius, I'm going to have to remember not to get too smug in my fight against smog. :)

Chiggers and Ticks, Oh My!

Craig, Holden, and I spent the Memorial Day weekend backpacking on the Appalachian Trail from Allen Gap (on the NC/TN border) into Hot Springs, NC. (We forgot a camera, so the above photo from a similar AT hike last summer will have to suffice.) It was a great trip, with awesome mountain views and perfect weather, and it couldn't have ended better - with a dip in the French Broad River and lunch/beer at the Paddler's Pub in Hot Springs. However, there were a few small issues. Very small, in fact... chiggers and ticks. I have chigger bites all over my legs and we're still finding dead ticks that dropped off Holden (thank goodness for TopSpot!). Between the scabs around my ankles from the retractable leash incident and all the chigger bites, my legs are going to look fabulous for the wedding next month!