Spring in Yosemite

A three-minute video - it will be brighten your day.



Yosemite, There is a Season, Turning Spring from Sterling Johnson on Vimeo.

Wedding updates: invites and the shoe blues

1. I got the invites out! Phew! And I've actually received a few of my neat-o tear-off RSVP postcards already.

Word of caution, ladies and gents: My invitations are of a fold-up and seal style. When I took them to my local post office, the counter employee told me that, if I didn't Scotch-tape up one side of the invite, they would, at best, get mauled in the machine and worse, they might not make it to their destination at all. Take this into consideration when choosing your invites.

You may be wondering why I didn't just have them hand-cancelled. I did. But today's postal process involves more than one machine, so even after the very nice lady hand-cancelled my invites, they still had to go through a machine that can read the handwritten addresses and another that sorts the items.I'm still glad I chose the fold-n-seal invites, because it was less paper and thus less waste, and a postcard stamp (for the RSVPs) is still cheaper than a regular one. Although there weren't any love-themed postcard stamps, so I chose these lovely tropical fruit ones instead:

Very spring-y!

2. I have been overestimating the length of my dress - all this time, I've been shopping for heels, and I finally realized, while trying on some hooker-height Jessica Simpson carribbean blue heels, the dress is too short for any heel.That's right - I will have to wear flat shoes. Flat shoes with a dress! Something I've never done before.

I tell you, I wasn't happy. At all. I know, no one else can see, much less care, about my shoes. That's not the point. The point is that I wanted to wear heels. Me. Me me me me me me me.

I finally get selfish about something for "my" day, and I can't even do that. That's the point.

I'm getting over it. However, I need some inspiration on what kind of flat to wear. It has to be light, somewhat casual, but I'm afraid a flat sandal will be too casual. Arrggh!

If it's not a wedding, it's a baby

Seriously, everyone seems to be getting married or on the verge of delivering.

My girlfriend Gail threw me an awesomely cliched bachelorette party a week or two ago. And she hand-made this veil for me:



She sewed the little pearls on the edge of the tulle and everything.

If you know me at all in the brick-and-mortar world, you know that I like to wear my sunglasses. Pretty much all the time. I feel like they give me some height that my flat-ass hair cannot provide. Friends have been joking about making me a veil with sunglasses for years, even before Gail knew me - and yet, here it was - the most awesome bachelorette veil ever!

I was so excited, I didn't even get dressed before trying it on. You didn't think I went out in that, did you?

Gail also orchestrated, along with my other lovely girlfriends, to rent a swanky limo for the evening - and was thoughtful enough to stock it with my favorite girly beverage, champagne.

After playing some games at Gail's, we took off for Durty Nelly's, so I could quaff some Guinness (why yes, it does go well with champagne, how did you know?) and get dirty looks from the hipsters who probably thought I was being held down by The Man by getting married.

Then it was off to 101, where Kathryn got us the hook-up. I'd never been, so what better time than when I'm wearing a veil, a condom and a sash?

(Left to right: my future sister-in-law Melissa, Cynthia, Tabby, moi, Gail, Sonia, Janet)

Wait, we're missing Kathryn and Marilyn!

There they are! (Kathryn is in the center in the photo on the left, and Marilyn is second from left in the photo on the right)

Leaving 101, we stayed in the limo for a very, very long time. Eventually, we graced Sharab with our presence. Except that we lost Kathryn . . . Not that most of us have too clear a memory of it . . .

We finally piled into the limo and were safely deposited back at Gail's (sans Kathryn, sadly), where everyone went to bed - except me and Cyn, who stayed up philosophizing until . . . oh, 5 a.m.

It was lovely. I couldn't have asked for more, and was so touched at all the effort Gail and the ladies put forth - for me!

Next week, I'll whine about my shoe issues and grouse about pew decorations. Ooh, sounds like fun!