Ketchup:

I just finished unpacking from my trip to Boston, which was over two weeks ago. I only decided to unpack now because I need my suitcase to go to Florida on Wednesday night. Otherwise, I'd probably let it all go right on sitting there. Sean says I need a "rock bottom" for habits like this. A "rock bottom" is a wrestling move that Sean basically thinks will solve any problem in the world. I have yet to be impressed. My roommate, Amy Beth, is starting to pack up all her stuff to take back to Seattle this summer. Allan walked through our room the other day and said, "Oh Carolyn, are you packing too?" My response? No, I just live like this.

So, I'm really, really excited about going to Florida. I am going to have a bridal shower! Ever since I was about 9 or 10 years old, and went to both Lisa's and Theresa's bridal showers in the same year, I have wanted a bridal shower more than almost anything. A bridal shower and a rehearsal dinner. These events always struck me as far more important and glamorous than the wedding itself. Some girls dream about their weddings growing up, I dreamed about my rehearsal dinner. This is probably why I bought my rehearsal dinner dress before even securing a wedding dress.

Today made me so very happy because after a week of oppressively cold weather, it was sunny and relatively warm, and I wore my soon to be sister-in-law's red track shorts from middle school, and felt quite exuberant and sunny. After premarital counseling with our dear Father David, we drove home via State College, and stopped at the beautiful park situated quite nicely at the intersection of State College and Bastanchury. We parked the car, and stood for awhile in the warm sunlight, watching the green hills, and the hazy, still-snow-covered mountains in the distance. Life is so beautiful, and I was seized with an unshakable desire to go hiking. I made Sean promise that we will go hiking a lot when we get married, because hopefully then I will have a job with somewhat regular hours and will not have to work on the weekends.

Speaking of jobs, I will take a brief moment to mention my frustrations with my current job searching status: It is, for the most part, halted. I realized that I can't apply for a job in April and then say that I can't start working until July. So I'm still keeping my eye out there for opportunities, but I really do think that I'll have to wait awhile longer before I can really start applying for jobs--which is just as well, I suppose, considering how much work it's taking me to plan this wedding.

Yesterday, we celebrated St. George's Day, at St. George's, no less, which is the name given to the back apartment of Took Hall, where Peter Gross and Lewis Reynolds currently reside. The party was nothing short of splendid: we drank tea, and ate treacle toffee and all other sorts of specifically British delicacies, played the Great Dalmudi (of which I had a brief, but "M-A-L-evilent" reign, as Sean dubbed it [which is a lie, because I was an absolutely delightful ruler]), read aloud the story of St. George slaying the dragon, made merry, and said many times, "God, England, and St. George!" We left feeling quite jolly, which could have simply been a result of all the treacle I consumed going straight to my bloodstream for a wondrous sugar high.

My reading life has been quite interesting of late. Upon finishing Two Part Invention by Madeleine L'Engle (which I highly recommend), I picked up a couple of books and tried to start them, to no avail. They just didn't feel right. And then a strange thing occurred--something similar to what I imagine a pregnant woman experiences when she starts to crave laundry detergent, or pickles, or something equally odd--I had a literary craving: a craving to read Ovid. And so I did. I read the first two books of The Metamorphoses, and loved every word of it. I read parts of it aloud to Claire, and she enjoyed the poetry as well. (At least it made her laugh.) With that craving out of my system, I have embarked on a new adventure: Science Fiction. Particularly, the Miles Vorkosigan series, of which I just finished the second book: Barrayar. IT IS SO GOOD! AND SO FUN! I love reading just about anything I can get my hands on, but there is the specific and unbeatable pleasure of reading a good story, that draws you in and doesn't let you go until the last page. Sean will probably be relieved that I've finished this book, since I've spent the last couple of days making continuous statements like, "I've just GOT to find out what happens on Barrayar!!!!"

In the audio book world, which is another pleasant land in which I often travel, I just finished listening to Whale Rider, which delighted me beyond belief with its characters and excellent reading, and now I am listening to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets--my least favorite book in the HP series, but wholly wonderful nevertheless.

I told Sean this afternoon, in all serious, and probably with only a hint of exaggeration (if I am honest with myself), "You know, after Christ, and you, and my family, and my Torrey education....Harry Potter is probably the best thing that's ever happened to me."

The end.
(For tonight.)