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.

symbol

/'sιmbəl/ n. something that stands for or represents something else, especially an idea, quality, or condition.

Last night, Rachel and I went and picked up my wedding ring from the jeweller. I tried it on briefly in the shop, then had to take it off again, but I love it.

When Rachel got her engagement ring, she spent the next week looking at it, sighing, and saying, “ooh,” and “ahh.” I thought it was nice that she liked it and was happy with the design and everything, but I didn’t really understand the fascination.

Now I get it. It’s not so much that it’s a nice piece of jewellery (although that is important), but the emotions really stir at what it represents.

I can’t wait to wear it.

Andy

P. S. The photo above was taken at the specific request of the photographer at last weekend’s family barbecue.

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