Home?

We are tentatively, conditionally, owners of this house! Very exciting! We are awaiting a home inspection and then, in November, if all goes well, we will live there. Amazing. Feeling very grown-up.... marriage, and now home ownership! Embarrassingly grown-up.

Am thinking of making this blog less anonymous, ie: actually posting photos that might include myself in them. Just not sure how I feel about being fully "out" online. What do others think about this? I am assuming most people reading this already know me in real life anyway... does it make any difference?

Life

L and I have decided to start looking for a bigger place to live. This is exciting, our current abode is jam packed with books and the detritus of two pack rats. I am looking forward to more space, more storage, and perhaps a new neighbourhood to get to know.

This is in the midst of my job search. In a way it is good to have something else to focus on. I have been applying for oodles of jobs (45 in the last few weeks) and have received no responses. It's a little disheartening, especially since I feel that I have so much to offer. It's deflating, after finishing my MA, handing in my thesis, and feeling quite educated and qualified, to find out maybe I am not. I have also heard that some of the jobs I have applied for have received over 1000 resumés.: how can I compete in a job market like that? It's hard not to feel down about this, but I know that things will work out.

Wedding

It happened two months ago now, but I haven't posted any photos, so here are a few. We had awesome photographers and they captured the day just perfectly.

I don't want to get all sappy here, but it really was an amazing and special day. I loved that most of my family was there to share it, and it just felt really "us"... and not some magazine version of a wedding (although, funnily enough, our wedding is now going to be featured in this magazine).

I wore my mother's dress which was also my grandmother's dress--took a lot of the wedding outfit pressure off knowing I had something meaningful to me and not some thousand dollar strapless, pouffy dress completely unsuited for my 5"2 body. Anyway, yes, it was fabulous and while I never thought getting married was all that important, I am really, really glad we did it.

It's been a while....

......

Here's why:
I finally finished my thesis! It feels amazing to be done something I have been working towards for the past 2 years. But then I sort of feel like now what? It's sort of anti-climactic.

I have a back-log of photos to post since we got a new camera this summer, but I will start by posting a few photos from my delightful long weekend. L and I and a friend went hiking and there was a cornucopia of different fungi. Very cool, and very fun to spy through the forest. I feel lucky to be able to get out of the city and into the woods like this.

Celebrating

Man, it's been a whirlwind few weeks since I last posted. Well, a month really. In that time we have helped two sets of friends celebrate their weddings and also celebrated our own. We also hosted many members of my family for almost three weeks. It was amazing. And exhausting.

Our wedding was everything I could have hoped. It was so happy, beautiful, memorable, and I barely have words for it now. We are heading to San Francisco tomorrow morning, for a glorious two-week long honeymoon. I am excited. I think it will be nice to have a bit of time to reflect on the past few weeks. It will also be a nice lull before life gets crazy again: finishing my thesis and job-hunting are on the agenda after we get back. Life is full-FULL.

Cat love

The black one is so mean and nasty usually, he often attacks the white one who is so lovely she responds by licking and grooming him. I came home from errands today to see them sweetly sharing the cat bed.

Many wedding preparations happening. I don't want to make this blog into a wedding blog, but seriously, there are just so many little things to get done. It's fine though. Things are under control. I picked up my wedding dress (which was my mother's, and grandmother's) from the cleaners today and it took my breath away. It looks beautiful, brighter, less musty smelling and they got many of the little stains out, the ones that remain are just there and that's life and nobody better say anything to me about them.

This is not a bad time right now, not at all. Things are happening and will be happening for a while, it's a busy summer. And then I have to get a job, yikes!

Busy times

Very busy these days. Not to get to girly and wedding-y, but with less than three weeks until the big day there is lots to do. These photos were taken at city hall, from when I went to go get our marriage license. Crazy. Our home is in the bottom photo. City Hall is a super cool, futuristic looking building, the kind of 1960's view of the future. It was designed by Finnish architect Viljo Revell and I love it. I had never had a chance to go inside, so it was kind of a delight to have some business to take care of in there.

I haven't got much writing work done lately but I am not feeling too bad about that. I knew this was going to happen, and really, I think I am mostly done anyway. Just need to write a conclusion and that will be better done after feedback from my supervisor.

Life is pretty good these days. Busy, but there is an end in sight and that end will be an awesome party. Very excited.

We've decided to go to San Francisco a few weeks after the wedding. We are going for two weeks and also want to hit up a beachy town too so any suggestions are much appreciated.