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