Gina's Wedding!

I was a bridesmaid in my cousin's wedding over the weekend. Oh my goodness, I had such a good time. Definitely bawled my eyes out. It was overwhelming for me to watch my cousin taking her vows and exchanging rings. As an only child who spent much of my childhood at her house playing for hours with her and her little brother, Gina was the closest I've ever had to a sister. She is also two years older than me, and was beautiful and popular all throughout childhood--I idolized her most of my life.

And now she is married, and when she and her now husband, Nick, presented their mothers with flowers I just lost it and tears started streaming.

It was a beautiful wedding. The limo ride from the church to the reception was probably the best time of the night. And the reception was an Italian extravaganza of monumental proportions.

The Ol' Life's Getting A Li'l Hectic

Ahhh! The transition to Boulder has been anything but smooth. Back and forth from Pittsburgh so many times. I came to Boulder last Tuesday for a meeting that I couldn't get out of, then back to Pittsburgh Thursday for FOX Japan in Mo-town Friday night and Gina (my cousin's) bachelorette on Saturday in Columbus. Both were good times (pics on the camera, but the cord to upload them I left in the 'burgh...not to worry, though, since I'm headed back there tomorrow. =| ), but getting back to Boulder on Sunday/Monday was a disaster. (Ask me about my travel luck sometime...actually, I have a thing or two to say about that. I think I'll add it later).

Soooo...I'm back in Boulder for the first week of classes, but am leaving again after I teach to attend Gina's rehearsal dinner and wedding this weekend. Fortunately, Monday is Labor Day so I don't need to be back for anything, and then I'm always off Tuesdays...so I could make a nice long weekend out of this if the flights look alright.

Things are pretty hectic outside of travel as well. Moving in by myself has proven a challenge, and I still have stuff in storage with no forseeable way of getting it out before the lease is up. I mean, I'll get it out, because I refuse to pay for another month's rent, but it's gonna be a pain.

Classes look pretty good though, and it looks like my Independent Study is going through as planned. All I have to do now is survive teaching tomorrow (which is pretty much my favorite part of grad. school so it should be fine) and then successfully make it back to the 'burgh (now, this has proven tricky a time or two before).

Ok, now to my travel epiphany, or more like my life epiphany. It's actually a good thing, even though it won't seem like it at first. Come with me on this.

I have the world's worst travel luck. You don't even know. I cannot explain to you the things that have happened to me when trying to fly. God/the universe literally must sit around coming up with new and innovative ways to screw with me.

Now, I know what you're thinking, and you're wrong. You're thinking, "Well Shannon, you travel a lot more than most people and you fly stand-by. Those two things combine for a lousyer than normal flying record."

Not so. I mean, those things are true, but, you see, when I fly stand-by I never have a problem. When Lisa and I got stuck in the Philly airport for the night coming back from Vegas that was really the first time there was a problem, and that wasn't bad at all because I didn't need to ba back for anything pressing.

No, no. You see what makes my travel luck so unbelievable is that it is when I PURCHASE a ticket that everything goes to shit. Weather, crew overtime, mechanical problems, delays for no apparent reason, you name it, it's happened to me. But ONLY when I PURCHASE a ticket. And I do this on relatively rare occasions: holidays when the flights are bad to go stand-by, or when I absolutely have to be somewhere on a certain day and can't chance the stand-by thing. And when I say outrageous luck, I mean it. There was an occasion this past spring break where I was in 5 major US cities in one day trying to get home--reminder, with a PURCHASED TICKET--and had a total of 12 boarding passes by the end of it from all the flights they tried to put me on. Unreal, absolutely unreal.

But, here's where the epiphany comes in, and why this is good news. I am always going on and on about how everything works out for me. But then I realized all of this about my travel luck. And I thought, I don't have to worry anymore about dying in some freak accident of a firey sort. No, no, my travel luck BALANCES OUT the everything else working out for me thing. So, I'm in the clear. Not to worry.

So, here's to having crappy luck with purchased tickets, but everything ultimately working out anyways. ;)

Gotta fit into that dress

Soooo...I have to be a bridesmaid in my cousin's wedding at the end of this month, and it is no secret that I got FAT this summer. Not that I haven't enjoyed the journey. Sweet sweet eatin' out and eatin' late and drinkin' till my heart's content has been a blast, but now I've gotta pay the piper.

In order to try and fit into the bridesmaid dress I was fitted for IN JANUARY I am going to attempt the following diet beginning TOMORROW.

The GM Diet:

During the first seven days you must abstain from all alcohol
You must drink 10 glasses of water each day

Day One All fruits except bananas. Your first day will consist of all the fruits you want. It is strongly suggested that you consume lots of melons the first day. Especially watermelon and a loupe. If you limit your fruit consumption to melons, your chances of losing three lbs. on first day are very good.

Day Two All vegetables. You are encouraged to eat until you are stuffed with all the raw or cooked vegetables of your choice. There is no limit on the amount or type. For your complex carbohydrate, you will start day two with a large baked potato for breakfast. You may top the potato with one pat of butter.

Day Three A mixture of fruits and vegetables of your choice. Any amount, any quantity. No bananas yet. No potatoes today.

Day Four Bananas and milk. Today you will eat as many as eight bananas and drink three glasses of milk. This will be combined with the special soup which may be eaten in limited quantities.

Day Five Today is feast day. You will eat beef and tomatoes. Eat two 10 oz. portions of lean beef. Hamburger is OK. Combine this with six whole tomatoes. On day five you must increase your water intake by one quart. This is to cleanse your system of the uric acid you will be producing.

Day Six Beef and vegetables. Today you may eat an unlimited amount of beef and vegetables. Eat to your hearts content.

Day Seven Today your food intake will consist of brown rice, fruit juices and all the vegetables you care to consume.

Here's hoping.

In update on my life news: Got back from visiting the fam in Florida just this afternoon. Lovely trip, pics to follow. (Like you had any doubt.)