anniversary

/ænə'vзsəri/ n. 1 the yearly recurrence of the date of a past event. 2 the celebration of such a date.

I can hardly believe that it’s been more than twelve months since I last posted on the blog. It’s going to be impossible to summarise everything that’s happened over the past year, so this post will have to do as a quick run-down. Then I’ll have to start afresh … and with good reason! Hopefully I’ll be able to get back into the swing of more frequent, regular updates.

The wedding day was perfect in every way. Weather, atmosphere, food, events … We couldn’t have asked for anything more.

The honeymoon was great. We spent most of the time sleeping, eating, swimming, and generally relaxing on one of the Mamanuca Islands in Fiji, and at Jervis Bay on the NSW south coast.

After we got back, I moved in with Rachel.

Around June or July 2011 we found out she was pregnant! Since then, our lives have been a long string of obstetrician appointments, prenatal classes, the occasional baby shower … and frequent kicks in Rachel’s ribs! Because we figured there wouldn’t be much time for holidays in the upcoming twelve months, we decided to take a “babymoon” holiday to Tasmania. We spent about ten days driving round the island, and it was fantastic ... I’ve wanted to visit Tassie for a very long time!

Just a couple of weekends ago, we marked our first wedding anniversary, and spent two days going back over all the things we’d seen and done on the day. It was a great trip down memory lane … even if the weather was a little bit different! It was grey and drizzly just about the whole weekend! We commented to each other about how blessed we were back in 2011 with such a fantastic day.

It’s been a great year; a great journey.

Something tells me the adventure is just beginning…

countdown

/'kaυntdaυn/, n. 1 the period of time for preparation before the launching of a missile or rocket, or before the start of any other operation or undertaking. 2 the calling out of the passing minutes or seconds of this period as they pass. 3 a counting in reverse to mark the passage of time, or the preparations taken, before the start of an operation or undertaking.

There is less than a month ’til the wedding date.

Over the Christmas period, Rachel and I were busy with Church and family stuff, and so the time went by really quickly during the holidays. It was a nice, relaxing break, but I think now things are going to get gradually more and more hectic as the time goes on.

We had a quiet New Year’s Eve; we celebrated by having dinner at Rachel’s house, playing Scrabble, watching DVDs, and then watching the fireworks on TV. I think we should definitely go into the city next year for the real thing! (All I have to do now is convince Rachel that the 14-hour campout is worth it!)

On New Year’s Day, Rachel and I drove up to the Blue Mountains with Mum and Dad, and met Heather and Don for a lunch at the reception venue, as a way of trying out some of the food, checking out the view (because some of us hadn’t been able to see it before because of the fog around), and seeing whether the revolving floor causes seasickness! It won’t be a problem for most people, but if you’re prone to seasickness, you might want to bring your Travacalm! All in all, it was a successful day, and the place definitely gets the tick of approval. It was hot, though, and we’re resigning ourselves to the fact that the weather is completely unpredictable in the Mountains, and we may have anything from snow to bushfire; heatwave to chilly mist. It’s an exciting time.

Mum and Dad helped me look for some table decorations today, but we didn’t quite find what we were looking for. I’ll have to do a bit more scouting around. As soon as the cake shop opens again, I’ll be able to organise that, and we’ve got final confirmation of our numbers (128 people in total) so I can work on getting bonbonnieres sorted out.

I also have to start packing up things at my place, seeing as I’ll be moving in with Rachel very shortly. As I’ve been on holidays, and all I’ve done is watch The West Wing and sleep in, I’ll need to get a bit more organised in that regard. Some of my books and CDs and DVDs have already made the move.

The honeymoon is mostly paid for, so it’s really only little bits and pieces that need doing.

My main worry at the moment is whether I’m going to need root canal treatment before the wedding, and how much it’s going to cost...

statistics

/stə'tιstιks/, n. 1 numerical facts, such as those about people, the weather, or business conditions. Statistics are collected and classified systematically. 2 the science of collecting and using such facts.

When we sent out our invitations, I had in mind the idea that there’d be a fairly big response the first week or so afterward, then a lull, then a sudden influx of people responding close to the RSVP date.

Turns out I was pretty wrong. There were a fair few replies straight away, but since then, we’ve had an average of two or three envelopes steadily every day. I’m surprised, and I feel like I’ve learned something important.

Being the organised bloke I am, I took a look through Rachel’s bridal magazines and came up with a list of all the things we’re likely to need to organise, and put them all into a spreadsheet on my computer. After a bit of fiddling round (I’m no Excel expert), I managed to plug in a few little formulae to help keep track of things. It’s thrown out a few funny little numbers I’ve noticed. At the moment, there are only two days until the official RSVP date. So far, we’ve had about 55% of people respond. Belinda said to me, “People don’t RSVP any more.” I didn’t think that was true, but it seems that way. There are still a couple of days to go, though.

The other thing that I’ve really noticed is that at the moment, about one-third of our total budget is going towards the reception.

I’m not really a mathematician, but these little curiosities have been interesting. It’s also been a real help keeping track of the things we need to organise and plan.

Rachel’s dress has arrived, and she’s going for a fitting this week, I believe! She was looking around for shoes to wear to the fitting, but wasn’t able to find anything she fancied. We’ve started to have a little more contact with the reception place, and are getting a little more involved with the finer details of the honeymoon.

What with Christmas approaching (and the humid, summery, Sydney days) the time is going to go really quickly, and then there’ll only be “one month to go” before we know it!

advent

/'ædvεnt/ n. 1 the season of devotion including the four Sundays before Christmas. 2 the coming of Christ into the world; birth of Christ.

I feel like it’s been ages since I updated the blog. Alright, it has been ages, but things have been busy, and I haven’t had much opportunity to sit down at a computer and sort out my thoughts.

This week, we passed the “two-months-to-go” mark. That’s very exciting. One of the most interesting happenings (for me, at least) was getting our invitations designed, printed and finally posted. Even more exciting has been starting to receive the RSVPs! Most of the replies we’ve had so far have been “yes”, and we’re up to about 70 confirmed guests. The final date for RSVPs is the 15th of December.

One thing I did notice was that a couple of people took the opportunity to write amusing little quips on the RSVP (which Rachel and I did laugh at), but then forgot to write their names on the card! Fortunately, our forensic graphology skills aren’t that bad and we were able to figure out who the culprits were!

Rachel bought metres and metres of material for the bridesmaids’ dresses, and Heather (Rachel’s mum) now is working on sewing them together. They should be good, and I admire the work that’s going into it all … particularly with the announcement of two pregnant bridesmaids, and the inevitably changing sizes!! The suit hire place has also taken some of the material to make ties and hankies. (Why are those things called “fatboys”?) Rachel’s also working on hair and floral arrangements. One of my clients asked me about all our preparations, colour schemes, and so on, and after I told her, said, “No! That is too much!” Oh, well… You can’t please everyone, I guess…

I’ve been thinking about organising table decorations, and Mum helped me out by taking me to a supply store out at Castle Hill. She’s urging me to get a move-on with confirming the details, but it’s a little hard when we still don’t know exactly how many tables there’ll be! Anyway, I’ve got a nice design in my head, and if it all works out, should look very pretty.

We’ve discussed a couple of songs, and some readings. I got to chat with both of our English/Auslan interpreters this past week, which was very exciting, and its very encouraging seeing how much everyone seems to be looking forward to our special event. I chatted with my groomsman Gary yesterday (to wish him a happy birthday) and it is very exciting to think that they’ll be here in only a month-and-a-half.

Guys and Dolls is now over, and we’re on the downhill rush to Christmas. I’m gonna try and put up some twinkly lights in my flat this week, to help me get into the spirit. One good thing about the musical being over is that I can go back to being involved in my fortnightly Friday-night Bible study group, which I’ve missed. Rachel says that she hopes she’ll be able to spend some evenings at home with her new husband next year! I have very loving, patient, understanding fiancée…

I’ve still got a fair bit of Christmas shopping to do … normally I’m a little more organised than this, but I guess I’ve had a little on my mind! I reckon with the holidays just ahead of us, the time is going to fly and the wedding will be here before we know it.

Andy

birthday

/'bзθdeι/ n. 1 the day on which a person was born. 2 the yearly return of the day on which a person was born.

It’s been a while since my last post, and there’ve been a couple of interesting happenings.

Phil, Dave and I got together one Saturday morning a few weeks ago and headed into Parramatta to do some shopping around for suits. At first, we checked out the retail shops in the big Westfield, but then decided it’d be better for us to look in some places which are actually specifically dedicated to wedding attire. We would’ve looked in about three or four places altogether, I reckon, but it didn’t really take us too long to find what we were looking for. (You’ll be interested to know that we didn’t go with the salesman who was trying to promote suits with “Colombian stitching” which is the “latest fashion” and that “soon everyone will be wearing”. If you ask me, it looks like cheap running stitch, and not the sort of thing you’d want to wear to your wedding. Obviously I’m not keeping up with the latest fashions!) The place that we did eventually go with has been pretty helpful, and had just the right kind of thing. It turns out that it’s much cheaper to hire than to buy. I know that not all of the guys wanted to hire, so it’ll depend on budgets if they want to buy their own. Just as I was about to commit, I realised that I probably should just check with Rachel before I booked anything in.

So, the following Tuesday she came and checked out the design, carrying a little sample of the same material and colour as her dress, so we could match it up. I got to try on the suit, and picked a vest, and chose various aspects of style and design. Then Rachel pulled the camera out! That was unexpected, and you can see from my face that I wasn’t too impressed! We’re still trying to organise a fitting for Phil and Dave, which I hope to do soon. Copland (being interstate) will have to organise his through another hire place, and Gary has to send his measurements over to us from San Diego.

The other exciting event was our expedition into the city for our “pre-wedding photography shoot”. Rachel and I caught the RiverCat from Parramatta in to Circular Quay on a weekday we’d both organised to have off (Actually, now that I think about it, it might have been the same day we looked at the suits. Is that right, Rachel?). It was nice and sunny when we set out, but the clouds came over as we got closer to the city, and the wind came up, and as we got closer to the Quay, we could see that it was bucketing down on the east side of the Harbour Bridge (but not on the west side … bizarre).

We’d planned to meet Michael (the photographer) in the Botanic Gardens, and we’d figured that we’d probably be about 15–20 minutes all up. Because of the weather, the gardens probably wasn’t the best option, but it turned out not to matter that much, because he took us on an hour-and-a-half excursion all over the place! We had some shots near Observatory Hill, up on (and under) the Harbour Bridge, down by The Rocks … it was great. Using a digital camera, he kept spinning it round for us to check out the pictures. He’s a very talented man, and he also is very friendly, and made us feel very relaxed. That’s important … especially for Rachel, I think! He’s yet to finalise the photos and show them to us, but once he does, we can pick some nice ones and have them enlarged to display at the reception.

Invitations should be finalised this week, and then we can post them. That’s a very cool, fun thing to have completed, and it really makes everything seem quite real!

Pastor Dave has continued to work with us through the pre-marriage counselling course, which has been interesting and challenging for us both. It’s been a valuable tool, and I reckon an in-depth programme like that is something everyone should do before they get married.

We’re rapidly heading towards the “three months to go” mark, which is an exciting milestone. I’ve been heavily involved with rehearsals for Guys and Dolls at the musical society, and that’s kept me busy. I’ve just celebrated my 33rd birthday, and Christmas’ll be here before we realise. There’s not really that long to go, and I’m sure the time’ll just fly by.

It’s an exciting journey.

circadian

/sз'keιdiən/, adj. of or having to do with a biological or behavioural process that recurs in an innate daily rhythm, such as the 24-hour cycle of sleep and wakefulness in humans.

This weekend just gone has been a pretty productive one. I’ve been busy during the week with lots of interpreting, and musical rehearsals during the evenings. Rachel and her Mum have been working on putting bridesmaids’ dresses together using old sheets!

On Saturday morning, we had another session of pre-marital counselling. This time, we were talking about finances. It was really interesting, I thought. Since money isn’t something Rachel and I have talked about in any great depth, it was good to chat about. It was nice to discuss some “short- and long-term goals” (which I’ve always shied away from in the past; I’ve generally just let things roll along). We’ve had different ideas about handling money previously, but have similar ideas about plans for the future. It’s going to take a more concerted effort on my part, because previously I’ve just been happy for things to happen automatically every time I get paid. As usual, Dave is a fantastic facilitator. We won’t get to meet for a couple of weeks now, because he’s involved in some other activities, but I’m looking forward to the next session in a fortnight.

That afternoon, we finally got our two families together! We’d been excited about this BBQ for ages, and it was the perfect opportunity, the perfect setting, and the perfect weather for siblings, parents, nieces and nephews to meet. Craig and Katrina were wonderful hosts, and there was about three times as much food as anybody needed ... Yum! It was a nice lazy afternoon that slowly wound away in company and conversation. Rachel had warned me beforehand that there might be the traditional “test” her family gives to future husbands (Craig and Daz had to endure something similar, I believe), so I should’ve been more prepared when it actually happened! (I also would have had the opportunity to cram for the exam!)

We got to see the first draft of our invitations, too! They are pretty good, and we’re really indebted to Troup, who’s put in the time and effort to listen to our design ideas and put something together. There are still a few little modifications to make (and I’m pretty fussy with my fonts!) but so far it’s looking pretty close to what we envisaged. Rachel commented that receiving the draft in her e-mail in-box made the whole wedding thing seem that little bit more “real”.

Our wedding night accommodation is booked and paid for, and I’ve also arranged another stay in a CBD hotel the following night. The day after that, we’re flying out to Fiji for the first week of the honeymoon! My sister, Tanni, has used her industry contacts to help us out with that, and we paid our air fares today. That’s very exciting, and we’re both really anticipating the weeks of relaxation we’re hoping to get.

I’ve been doing a fair few interpreting assignments outside of regular business hours lately. Typically, I’ve had one or two bookings every week at unusual times like 3:00am–6:00am, or 10:00pm–2:30am. The work itself has been interesting at times, but at other times quite tedious. I don’t mind doing it, and the money’s good, which is handy at the moment given I’m trying to save up for a wedding and honeymoon. But the strange hours knock me around a bit, and sometimes in the middle of the day I’ll get a little tired, as if I’ve got jet lag, without having been anywhere. I haven’t been sleeping that well either. So, I’m wondering whether it’s worth it? At what point do I put their need for an interpreter and my need for some cash after my health? Or am I just being a whinger?

Andy

compatible

/kəm'pætəbəl/ adj. able to exist together; that can get along well together; agreeing; in harmony. SYN: agreeable, congenial, congruous.

Apologies for the late posting, everyone! I nearly made it in time!

It’s been a busy weekend, after a few weeks of not really having much wedding planning to do ... at least, from my point of view! Rachel did remind me that while I’ve been kicking back, letting the weeks go by, she hasn’t been idle, looking for bridesmaids’ dress patterns and material; investigating hair, make-up and flowers ...

Still, we have both commented over recent days that things have been going really smoothly for us lately, and we’re both glad there hasn’t been that much stress involved.

As I said, though, the weekend was quite hectic. We started off by looking for wedding rings. We had a quick squiz in Parramatta Westfield, but decided there was nothing that was really grabbing us. So we decided to drive to Macquarie and look in the jewellers where we bought the engagement ring. They were very helpful. They didn’t have quite the sort of thing I was looking for, so let me flick through a couple of their order books, and have requested something in for me to try. Rachel had a look at a couple of rings, but decided she was feeling “indecisive,” so we’ll keep looking for hers. We had a nice lunch at Sumo Salad (one of my favourite “fast food” places, partly because they’re healthy, and also because they have a couple of gluten-free options on their menu!).

After that, we headed down to meet with Pastor Dave, who’s running our pre-marriage counselling. It was a great session. We’ve been waiting for weeks for the “results” of our on-line quiz! We each had to answer about 250 questions about all sorts of topics: communication, family background, ideas about intimacy and children, expectations of the wedding, financial plans ... you name it! Then our answers were analysed and presented to us on Saturday. It was really encouraging. We were stoked to find out that we actually share a lot in common and have similar ideas about a lot of things to do with married life and what our expectations are. Our personalities aren’t identical, but are pretty similar. So it was nice to hear. There are still a few things we need to talk about; we acknowledged we haven’t discussed a lot to do with finances, and we raised some ideas about spiritual growth, and exercise ... plenty for us to discuss. Dave is awesome. He is so good at what he does. Rachel made a similar comment; it was the first time she’s been able to work with him in a “professional” setting ... that is, seeing him do what he does for his job. We both appreciate his attitude, guidance, and spirit. Not to mention what a great support he is, and will continue to be. We’ve got at least another 3–4 sessions planned, which will be great, and’ll give us opportunity to discuss heaps more in the coming weeks.

Mum and Heather (Rachel’s mum) have spoken today to confirm some details for our big family get-together, which I’m very excited about. Our respective parents have had dinner once, and there’s been the odd impromptu meeting with our sisters, but this’ll be the first formal gathering where all the immediate relatives are together. I’m really looking forward to it. It’ll be in a couple of weeks, so I’ll have to make sure I post another blog entry after that!

Just before I close, I wanted to say how grateful I am for the last couple of Saturdays when I’ve had long phone conversations with my friend and groomsman, Gary. His openness, care and support have been much appreciated. Even though he’s in San Diego and I’m in Sydney, the chats we’ve had remind me how strong our friendship really is, despite time and distance.

Cheers,
Andy

counsel

/'kaυnsəl/ n. 1 the act of exchanging ideas; act of talking things over. 2 carefully considered advice.

Rachel and I had thought we’d get a bit of a break now that the biggest aspects of the wedding have been confirmed. We had our first “pre-marriage counselling” session with Pastor Dave on the weekend, and he’s given us plenty more stuff to keep us busy!

We handed him our “notice of intent” (I think it’s called), and he gave us a quick look through some sample orders-of-service, just to give us an idea of what to plan for. I hadn’t given much thought to singing, musicians, etc. but Rachel’s been mulling it over. We’ll have to chat a bit about it and work out some details. He asked us about various roles and responsibilities — “who’s doing what”, if you like. He also suggested we start thinking about when we’ll have the rehearsal. We haven’t even finalised what time the wedding itself will actually start, so we should get that organised, too! I need to organise some Auslan/English interpreters as well... Hmm...

It was a pretty productive session, and I thought it was really cool. Next time we catch up with him (in a couple of weeks) we get to run through the “Prepare” pre-marriage counselling quiz ... to work out where any possible areas of conflict might be!!

That’s a bit scary!

Cheers,
Andy

budget

/'bΛdZət/ n. an allotment of expenditures for various items over a period of time. v.t. to make a plan for spending based on how much you have.

There’s been a lot of discussion this past week about finances. So far, things are going pretty well, but at the back of my mind is always the consideration about cost. I think I’ve been fairly relaxed and easy-going about everything, but Rachel (who’s probably being a little more practical than I am) keeps reminding me about how we’re on a fairly tight budget. I think I just need to rein myself in every now and then!

Last Saturday we took a car trip to check out some venues for the ceremony, photography, and reception. We’ve found some very nice places, and for the photos and reception I’ve been told the date we want is available. We’re waiting on final quotes and confirmation of our requests before we pay a deposit. The church we like the look of for the ceremony isn’t yet confirmed. I telephoned them earlier this week and left a message on their answering machine, but haven’t heard back yet. The outside of the church looks great, but we need to check out the inside to see how many people it can hold … not to mention the fact that we need to know whether they’ll let us use their sanctuary on the day we request … and of course, we need to know how much they’re going to charge us. We have a couple of back-up options, but obviously, we’d love our first choice. I reckon if I haven’t heard from them by the end of the week, I’ll need to call them again, or perhaps send them an e-mail. Mum started to get into a bit of a panic about “how little time there is left” before the day, but I think things will all be OK.

Anyway. So far, things are going pretty smoothly. My parents and Rachel’s parents had dinner last Saturday night, and it was nice for the six of us to get together. It was the first time Rachel’s dad had met my Dad, so that was good. Overall, it was a very successful evening. I’m looking forward to the next one; it’d be nice if the whole family (that is, brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews) could be in on that one.

I’ve been carried away with the excitement of it all, and already started looking at table decorations, invitations, and “bonbonnieres” or “favours”. This is probably a little bit premature, but … oh, well! I’m getting some good suggestions and ideas.

Phil came ’round to my place last night, which was great. We had dinner (a baked tuna risotto I’d made) and watched an episode from LOST season one. After that, we chatted for a couple of hours about the wedding, and his responsibilities as “best man”! He was keen to know what I was going to expect of him, but I think I’m pretty easy-going. Depending on what we do with car hire, he might need to drive on the day, and I’ll need him to help with choosing clothes, because my dodgy colour vision might let me down in the “matching swatches” department. Other than that, I’d prefer the lead-up to the wedding to be relaxed and casual. I’m looking forward to having a few nice meals with my groomsmen, just hanging out, watching some DVDs … that kind of thing. I’ve also suggested it’d be nice for all the bridal party to have dinner together one evening a little closer to the day. That will probably depend a fair bit on when Copland and Gary fly into Sydney.

So far, pretty much all is on track. Our next step will be to start confirming venues and paying deposits. Of course, Rachel is getting closer to choosing a dress, but I’m not allowed to have anything to do with that!

Cheers,
Andy

marriage

/ˈmærιdʒ/ n., 1 the social institution under which a man and woman establish their decision to live as husband and wife by legal commitments, religious ceremonies, etc. 2 the state, condition, or relationship of being married; wedlock. 3 the legal or religious ceremony that formalises the decision of a man and woman to live as husband and wife, including the accompanying social festivities.


Last week was fantastic. After a long bus ride from Suva to Nadi /'na:ndi:/ I caught an even longer flight back to Sydney. It was awesome to see my family and friends again.

One of the highlights of the week was catching up with my good friends Heather and Gary, from the United States. They have just finished a tour of the US and Asia, and are now staying with my parents for the next few months. They are also keeping a blog of their adventures … If you get a chance, check it out at http://www.xanga.com/newlywednomads. Heather and Gary have been great family friends for a long time now, are honorary Aussies, and I really enjoyed their friendship and conversation over the week. I’m only sorry I didn’t have longer to hang out with my “brother and sister”. Don’t worry, mates, I’ll see you at Christmas.

I also had a nice long phone conversation with my best mate, Phil, who is teaching in Thailand. It was good to chat with him after not being able to hear how he’s been going for so long.

My sister’s wedding on the Sunday was beautiful. Both Tania and Belinda are princesses. The day started out looking a bit grey and blustery, but it all blew away and turned into a beautiful sunny day. Everyone spruced up really well, and overall it was a really happy time. Belinda and my new brother Mat are honeymooning close to the NSW/Queensland border. Again, I’m looking forward to catching up with everyone in December. The reception was just as beautiful, in a picturesque location overlooking Darling Harbour.

A couple of my relos told me I had lost weight, so I obviously look thinner. But, for the record, I would just like to advise everyone that I have officially lost only 2-3kg, which is not really that bad!

After finishing the reception at about 11:00pm, we went home and I finished packing my bag for the flight back to Nadi. I was done by 3am, and had about an hour’s sleep before Dad came and woke me up at 4am to drive to Sydney airport. It was really tough. After spending a fantastic week with friends and family, then being able to share in the emotion of my sister’s wedding, and being so tired on Monday morning, it was really hard for me to get on the plane. Realistically, it would have been better for me to relax for an extra day in Sydney. I ended up arriving back in Suva at about 9:00 at night, and I was dead tired.

I’ve had a few good nights’ sleep since then, though, and have recovered, and worked my way back into the swing of things here in Fiji. Jim, the director of the school has arrived from his overseas trip, and it has been good to finally meet him. I have started taking a class in basic Fijian too! Au sa via sara yaloyalo, ia au sa osooso! (I really want to watch a movie, but I’m busy)!

The next big exciting thing on the agenda is when my parents arrive in October to help me celebrate my birthday, so I’m really looking forward to that. I hope everyone who visits this site is happy and healthy. Please check back regularly.


Cheers,
Andy