Countdown

It is 98 days to the wedding. People ask if I'm getting excited. I have always been excited for the wedding. When we first got engaged, I was so excited I couldn't sleep for 2 weeks. My mind was bursting with "wedding ideas."

We have our caterer, napkins, dinnerware, and playlists. I have a huge cache of decorations in boxes under the house. In 8 days we can book our venue. It is in a state park and reservations cannot be made more than 90 days in advance. Fingers crossed we get my preferred location. If not, there are lots of other open air pavilions in Hilo.

My dress is most likely on the cargo ship crossing the Pacific, as its last tracked location was San Francisco. Not Jersey says all mail that goes to San Francisco goes onto "the ship." Meaning, it will arrive in about 5 weeks.

Hopefully the dress fits. If it doesn't fit, I have a couple of backup dresses. And, we still have time. I bought a $3 blue ball gown at a garage sale. I really want to dye it, but wiser people say lace and satin do not dye well.

We don't have Not Jersey's wedding costume yet. I have been checking every thrift store on the island. We have a lot of options, but not the perfect one.

A number of friends and family will be joining us from the mainland, so in addition to the wedding, I have planned a week of sightseeing and activities for our guests.

I am sad my Dad won't be here. He hated weddings. He skipped them all, often dropping us off at the church late for the ceremony and heading to the bar. and made us late for half. All my life, I had been planning to have my wedding in a bar so Dad would be there. Now he'll just be with us in spirit.

We have discussed what we want to do for our vows. Not Jersey is flummoxed by the vow process. He doesn't want me to promise to stay with him forever, because what if he changes. He is the best.

Ok, gotta jet. Literally. I'm off to Oahu for my global entry interview.