brain dump

so it's been awhile, and i really enjoyed a few weeks of stressing about something else (the last month at my job) than the wedding. but, back to wedding stress.

so a few days ago i called some local motels to find out what off-season rates might be and whether they could hook me up with a block of 10 rooms or so, and if they would mind some raucous revelery (namely, unfinished kegs) when we moved the party from the reception to our place of accomodation. i never got that far into the conversation; every last motel, hotel, inn, or B&B in the vicinity of the beach club is booked up. why, you ask? this pesky little event called the U of RI graduation. "oh, yeah, that's like a sell-out weekend for us; it's considered a holiday, and rates usually double or triple. good luck finding anywhere that has a block of rooms." thank you kind sir, would you like to go ahead and drop trou and just piss on my wedding cake while you're at it?

after some hyperventilating and a 5-minute bathroom stall focus session, i returned to my desk teary but resolute. with the support of e$, i went through all sorts of bad ideas (party bus, camping), all of which proved unfeasible after i made a few phone calls to salient parties - and in a way, i was quite relieved; i had visions of shaking pine needles out of my gown, or being arrested for disturbing the peace of the quiet woodlands, or sitting in a puddle of stripper oil on a party bus seat, or the stretch limo turning into the vomit comet...

so, after riding the rollercoaster i have two decent options in the works.

option A: a hampton inn in a town about 20 min north. i booked a block of 20 rooms at $129/night; there's a denny's and a cracker barrel right across the street, which would help bring my post-nuptial morning after "gang brunch" plans into fruition.

option B: a courtyard marriott a little further north, near the airport; booked 10 rooms at $179/night. it's cheaper than i thought. they said if kz and i stayed there, we could get a free upgrade to a room with a jacuzzi (tempting, but reference stripper oil comment above). they said they'd have welcome bags with snacks, directions, and amenities for all our guests. they have a free shuttle to the airport, which would make it nice for guests flying in. i thought most people would need to rent a car, but they also said they could hook me up with a shuttle service that could bring ~20 people at a time down to the beach club. i don't know how much $$ that is, but it could be a good idea. either way, now i need to figure out where kz and i, my family, and my closest friends want to stay and if 10 rooms is sufficient. the 50 bux extra is probably worth it in terms of how much nicer it'll be. maybe we can have brunch there if they have their own restaurant. hmm.

so things are looking up, a lot. i feel tons better. booking blocks of rooms feels kind of like buying on credit. "what? 10, you say? aw hell, double it; indeed, i have lots of friends. yes. no deposit? i say, triple it!" and then you feel like you just got a good deal. maybe i should get into stocks, too. thin air is enticing.

the save-the-date thing is almost underway; getting some last email addresses before i send it all out. i am so tempted to include riduculous things like grandmotherly admonitions ("bring a sweater! it'll still be cold at night!"), warnings ("no your children are NOT invited! do you have to bring your husband too? i don't even know him, jeez") and threats ("if you want an invitation, send me your damn address! or else you can't come!"). but i think brevity will prevail.

and i'm pretty set on the post-wedding, pre-honeymoon honeymoon. like, neither can we nor do we want to jet off to europe or the tropics the day after we tie the knot; between money, stress, and time, it just can't happen. but i don't want to go home and do the dishes the next morning just like always, either. so after some great advice from aquashox, we're looking at little nooks in the white mountains, my favorite so far being the kearsarge inn. i am getting really excited about the idea of a relaxing, quiet weekend together where we can do as little as we like and just focus on creature comforts - good food, fresh air, natural beauty. i think it'll be great, and then in 6 months to a year or so we can go somewhere exhorbitantly expensive and pack in all sorts of crazy sightseeing and trekking for an entire week. and part of me thinks we may never get around to that.

i'm booking hotel rooms and planning fake honeymoons. this shit is really happening!