Two sisters and a mystery

Way past my bed time, but I finally finished with the work I had to get done for my 8:00am class, and realized that I will likely not have a chance to blog tomorrow. It will take me a little while to mentally wind down anyway, so blogging will help me get ready for bed. The Boy had a 9:30 softball game (I know, huh?) and I won't really fall asleep until he gets home. I am a worrier, what do you want from me?

I accidentally told Tinkerbelle that I am pregnant...oops! She called me to chat, and I sorta lost track of myself and let it slip while we were talking about her coming to visit next summer. I made her promise and super-sister-pinky-swear not to tell anyone else, but I don't know how that will work out. I have a hard time thinking that she won't tell her Mom, and I have to feel like she will tell the rest of the family. When I finally tell my aunts and uncles, I will be able to tell whether or not they are pretending to be excited, or whether they really are surprised. No real concern either way:-)

Munchkin says that things are better at school, although she was a little bit evasive as to whether she did something specific, or whether the other girl apologized or whether something else happened. That's OK, she can tell me if she wants to (yea, as if! I will totally check with a couple of the teachers that I am sort of friendly with who will spill the dirt for me!)

Special weekend plans that I just found about today:-). The Boy has been scheming a little bit...

Munchkin is going to be away on Saturday night because she is going to New Jersey with the family she babysits for. They have a family wedding, and they are bringing the kids down with them, but not to the actual wedding...so Munchkin is going with to be the Nanny. (She will probably get paid like $200 for that, which I would totally do if I was asked!)

I had kinda figured on a relaxing weekend bumming around the apartment, but The Boy went one better and is taking me somewhere. I don't know exactly where...but it is somewhere in New England, and he assures me that the agenda includes absolutely nothing except relaxing and eating! We are leaving on Friday night, Munchkin is staying with Smoking Hot Roommate Friday (the two of them are responsible for packing for me, since I don't know what to pack:-)) and we are coming back on Sunday.

I figure it has to be one of three places...North to the mountains in New Hampshire, Maine or Vermont; West to the Berkshires; or possibly South to Newport. The first and second would mean some classic Fall scenery...crisp air and lots of color. The third is a little non-traditional for Fall around here, but is actually a really neat spot at that time of year because it is a little slower-paced than it is all summer. Regardless of where it is, I can promise that I will spend some time under the hands of a professional masseuse, and there is a really good chance that I spend some time soaking in a hot tub!

Of course, it is supposed to rain, but I don't really care...I would be totally happy to lounge around in bed all day and look out the window at that great Fall scenery:-). And wherever it is, let's all give The Boy lots and lots of thanks for being a super thoughtful baby daddy:-)

Soup's On

Who thinks that The Boy should buy me a super awesome baby present in exchange for me carrying this monster for nine months and delivering it? I certainly do...and I think we should all begin providing him with valuable guidance and suggestions on this very important topic. Heck, he wanted a baby way more than me...I get a sweet present, right? I am glad you all agree...and now we can all devote our efforts towards convincing him of this sometime before May 4th.

More seriously, things sort of boiled over at school for Munchkin yesterday, and she was pretty torn up over it. Sophomore Girl decided to fire up the rumor mill yesterday, announcing that the reason Sophomore Boy broke up with her is because of some...um...stuff that Munchkin did with him (or rather, to him). Thankfully, Sophomore Boy demonstrated at least a little bit of admirability by putting the kibosh on those rumors. Which is good, because I'd have punched him if he didn't...lol.

But that just made Sophomore Girl madder, leading her to "accidentally" spill a bowl of tomato soup (fortunately not terribly hot soup) all over Munchkin at lunch. That actually makes me really angry because it could have been dangerous. It was towards the end of lunch, and the soup had been out and cooled for a while, but if it had come straight out of the kitchen, it potentially could have burned her seriously.

The good news is that one of the teachers was nearby and saw the whole thing unfold. I am not sure whether or not she knew the back story (she probably did, things travel fast in a small school), but she quickly pulled Sophomore Girl aside and very sternly relayed to her that this would have to stop. That is actually preferable to a formal disciplinary action from the administration in some ways because it is less likely to encourage Sophomore Girl to take further retribution against Munchkin (who still, by the way, has no idea how she ended up in the middle of all of this). Hopefully that will be the end of it, but I would have felt better if the girl somehow had reached out to apologize to Munchkin. We'll see...I figure if anything really bad happened, I would have heard about it already.

Regardless, she wasn't real happy about it last night, and was very talkative about it...I ended up falling asleep with her in her bed and sleeping there, which is about the heaviest parenting artillery that I have;-). Anyway, I am sure you are all riveted by my stories of teenage angst...lol. I will make sure to pass some hugs along...

Teenage drama

I didn't end up going out on Friday night, which was probably a good decision. It was an awfully long week of school and I was just totally wiped...plus, the non-drinking would have led to some awkward conversations, me thinks.

Saturday was absolutely gorgeous, and I managed to spend pretty much the whole day outside enjoying it. Munchkin not only had a soccer game (very early) on Saturday morning, but she and Smoking Hot Roommate ran in a 5K road race after that. I went to both, which required a lot less energy:-). Big Sis joined us all for a lunch date and some shopping, which made for a totally divine afternoon!

Munchkin, unfortunately, was not in a great mood. She was in better spirits after talking to the boyfriend for a while and spending an afternoon with he favorite sisters...but she was still not quite herself, and I could tell that she was not totally looking forward to going back to school today. Hopefully things have sort of blown over...I hate seeing her upset:-(

Here is what happened. Sophomore Girl had a boyfriend, Sophomore Boy. Sophomore Boy broke up with Sophomore Girl, against her wishes. SG is not happy about the whole thing, nor is she seemingly willing to give up easily. Sophomore Boy has developed some interest in our beloved Munchkin. Somehow, word got back to Sophomore Girl, who decided that Munchkin was to blame for her own failed romance, and vowed to make her pay for that transgression. This was all sort of news to Munchkin, who was unaware of Sophomore Boy's feelings, and really doesn't even know him this well.

So, you can see why she was a little blindsided when Sophomore Girl, flanked by two of her friends, confronted her at school last week. Sophomore Girl had some relatively threatening words and some nasty names and it was, altogether, an unpleasant experience. It got worse when Sophomore Boy actually asked Munchkin out and she declined. He thought that it was because of Sophomore Girl's actions (it wasn't) which led to some kind of blow-up between them. Then Sophomore Girl thought that Munchkin had told him about what she did (she didn't), so there was a new, ugly confrontation and some other shit, too.

Munchkin is just awfully frustrated by the whole thing. The girls, and the boy, are all older than her, and therefore somewhat intimidating. And mostly, she just doesn't know what she did or said to get sucked into what is clearly just a bad breakup between two people she only casually knows. She doesn't want to go to any teachers or the vice principal, but if this girl doesn't leave her alone, she is going to have to do something.

She ended up skipping a school dance on Friday night, and on Saturday she and her two best friends all skipped a party to hang out together (which was super thoughtful of her friends). She was feeling a little better about it, I think, because she had gotten a lot of reassuring words from the kids in her class...but it still wasn't resolved. So she was definitely on edge going back to school today, and I hope it went well.

So, nothing totally earth-shattering...just typical teenage stuff. Hopefully it all passes soon:-)

Um...I can't think of a title right now

Well, I made the mistake of staying awake until the absurdly late hour of 11:00 last night, and I am suffering for it today. After chicken fingers (which were good...french fries, not so much), I had an Open House at Munchkin's school, and then got sucked into Project Runway. Then, voila, bedtime had come and gone...

It was actually sort of timely that I wrote yesterday about carving out some Munchkin time. Turns out that the new year has brought some problems with a few of the older girls at school (boy-related...and not even a boy that she likes). As far as I can tell, she is kinda confused as to exactly how she is involved in whatever social drama is afflicting these girls, and to exactly what she may have done to tick them off so much.

As much as I laud her maturity level, and her overall togetherness...I do need to remember that she is a teenager, and that these years are difficult for most kids, even the ones who have the natural social graces that she does. I am not sure that she needs vigilant supervision, I just need to make sure that she doesn't get lost in the new household order;-). We have a date for lunch after her soccer game tomorrow, and then the pretend sisters are gonna join us for some fall clothes shopping. And I will likely need like three naps to get through that;-)

Let's see what else...we are supposed to go to this guy's restaurant here for dinner with some of The Boy's friends tonight, but I am on the fence. I would love to see them all, and I have wanted to go to that place for a while (c'mon, he is on TV...it must be good, right?). But I am just so fucking tired all the time, and I also don't wanna be the only person not drinking...that will sort of stick out in this group. Maybe I will try and get home for a nap this afternoon:-).

The weekend is supposed to be gorgeous, but very seasonal...sunny, dry and a crisp. I am going to try and be outside as much as possible while we can still enjoy the weather. Fortunately, I have a lot of school work that just involves reading, so I can sit outside and do that. It could also be time for a very long Sunday morning walk for some pretend house shopping:-) Haven't done that since the Spring!

And by the way, I am going to stop complaining about being tired all the time...starting right now.

Some delayed Hellos

I feel like I owe all of you a hearty Thank You for a whole lot of good wishes and kind words over the last few weeks. Whether related to baby (and its assorted afflictions), school or wedding, it all really does mean a lot. I know that it sounds corny and disingenuous, but it has been a super treat to log in a couple times a day recently and have a lot of strangers saying nice things:-)

I notice that some readers that are either new or have come out of the woodwork lately (sorry for the lack of links...too lazy and not enough time right now)...Nifer, Erica and Mike all left comments yesterday (actually, almost a bit of a comment fight going one...hee hee), and Windy City Kelley's, Allison, Girl Friday, Our Happy Married Life, Laurie, Hanni, DSS, Straw76berry, Kari, Lisa and John and Rachel are all new commenters pretty recently, too. A couple of you have sent emails, which I think I have responded to. Thanks, in bulk, for stopping by...it always makes me feel so special to have people drop in and observe my little adventures from afar.

I am trying to visit all of your blogs and add them to Reader, but I am a little behind on that, so I apologize ahead of time if I don't get you. And Nifer, you can feel free to venture your guess at my name via email, I am much more forthcoming that way;-)

And...one of my very, very favorite bloggers (who needs to write WAY more, because she is completely hilarious), Megan from A Running Commentary, finally chimed in as well. About f'in time!!!

It seems like maybe things are settling down into a little bit of a routine now, although that routine is still really busy. School is, as warned, a TON of work and takes a ton of time. In general, people are here from about 8:00am until 6:00-7:00 pm everyday. I am not sure if that is due to the natural work ethic of everyone here, the volume of work we get, or the desire to show off a little bit in the early going. A lot of these people are coming off of 3-5 years as Investment Bankers and Management Consultants, so they are used to working very long hours and being judged on it as well. We will see how this evolves...

That leaves me very little time for anything else. Since my bedtime has been about 8:30 for the last two weeks, I basically get home, eat dinner, relax for a minute and then make someone tuck me in to bed:-). Yes, I need to be tucked in every night...get over it! Usually The Boy takes care of it, but Munchkin is an adequate substitute!

I actually think that I owe Munchkin some time...we need to plan a date this weekend. Since I don't walk her to and from school anymore, and am not awake for long when I get home, I feel like I am a little bit out-of-touch with her for the moment. Obviously, that can't continue...whatever parenting credit I am due for her overall awesomeness is related to the amount of time that I spend with her, and the emotional closeness of our relationship. Cramming my own schedule full of school and a baby is not an excuse to lose that.

Alright, back to paying attention in class. I am actually feeling pretty good today, although I am exhausted as usual, and am looking forward to chicken fingers tonight:-)

What's in a name?

When I was very little, I was bothered by the fact that my Mother and I had different last names. I guess I sort of wonder why it is that she never changed mine to hers sometime when I was a toddler and it was clear that my father had disappeared forever. I think I am also a little confused at to why I never asked...I was certainly aware at a young age that I had been essentially abandoned by my father.

When I was a teenager, my Mother married and changed her name. It was actually a good thing that I never had her maiden name, because it meant that I was never pressured to change my name with her. While I can acknowledge the importance that my mother's husband had in sobering her up, providing me with one dynamite little sister and taking a whole lot of abuse from my mother in abetting my running away from home, the truth is that we never really got along great, and I would have fought tooth and nail against taking his last name.

When I was in my early 20's, I finally found out the truth about my name...that it was misspelled, and that it really belonged to no one. I met my wonderful paternal family, and thought about changing my name to the correct spelling. However, doing so seemed like it was acknowledging the contribution of the provider of that name (my father) that I was unwilling to recognize. He didn't earn the right for me to bear his name.

In my mid 20's, I took in my little sister, and became sensitive to the fact that we had different last names. Suddenly, taking my mother's married name didn't seem like such a bad idea...it really would have been me taking Munchkin's name, not my mother's or her husband's. And to be honest, my opinion of the provider of that name (my mother's husband) had improved since my initial hesitation to take his name. But having different names never bothered Munchkin, so it never seemed like a pressing enough issue to go through all of the trouble.

And now, I am once again faced with the prospect of a new name. The Boy's name is a perfectly fine name that I happen to like very much. I even have a regular reader/commenter who married within the last year or so that had the same name before she took her husband's. I don't have a middle name, so I could very easily take my own last name and make it my middle name, taking his. One more powerful reason...inside my tummy, there is a little creature with newly formed fingers that will have his name as well.

Suddenly, though, I find myself attached to my bastardized, oft-considered, misspelled, mongrel of a last name. I like that I don't have to share it with anybody else. I like that it is a symbol of my own independence. I like that it has a story. I like that it only has three different letters and that I am early in the alphabet. I am ambivalent about the most famous previous owner of my name once shooting a key figure in American history;-).

For his part, The Boy doesn't care. He agrees with my basic dislike of hyphenated names, but has no insecurities about my having to take his name. I am OK with anyone who wants to call me Mrs. Boy or Accidentally Boy or whatever. And there is a very good chance that I will, at some point, be ready to give up my own name and take his officially. Just not yet.

Once, a long time ago, I wrote that "My name doesn't belong to anyone." Well, it turns out that I was wrong about that.

My name very much belongs to someone.

It belongs to me.

An old married lady

Hi peeps:-) One awfully tired bloggirl here! So much to get you caught up on, and so little energy to do so...

First of all, I had an absolute blast all weekend! The weather was beautiful, everyone was in a good mood and I got to see just about everybody in the world that I really care about that. What could possibly be better than that? OK...just a touch warmer would have been ideal, but that is really nit-picking. It is just a super neat feeling to have everyone who matters to you in one place at the same time:-)

I cried...kind of a lot. I could try to blame it on being hormonally unbalanced, but we should all recognize by now that I am just basically a cryer, and that is all there is to it. I had to make a point to not look at Munchkin much during the ceremony, because every time I would get a glimpse of her, the waterworks would start. I cried when I walked down the aisle, and when we said our vows, and when BFFg told us we were married. And during our first dance...so you get it, I was a crying fool.

There were, however, two complications that showed up at maybe not the best time for me. First, the exhaustion...ugh! I was doing OK until about Thursday, and have just been totally and completely wiped since then. It was an awfully packed weekend for someone struggling to muster a whole lot of energy...lol. I actually managed to sneak in several naps with no one really knowing, which was helpful:-). On Friday, most everyone who was there already went golfing, and I had "some stuff to do". That stuff? Sleeping...

Even Saturday, I was up early with the excitement, but still managed to sleep for like an hour and a half while people were getting ready and dressed and whatnot. You wouldn't think that the bride could just disappear for that long, but I managed with a little bit of a cover story from Smoking Hot Roommate and Big Sis. Thanks guys:-). I actually skipped most of the after-party because I was just completely zonked...although I am guessing that most everyone was probably assuming that I was rushing back to go to bed for other reasons...lol.

The other problem is that I seem to have acquired an annoying case of morning (er...all day) sickness as well. It sort of comes and goes, but it has gotten worse in the last week or so, and I didn't really feel great all weekend. I am trying to figure out what I can eat (and when) to manage it, but I will talk to the doctor today when I go for my first visit to see if there is anything else I can do. I would describe that as kind of an annoyance all weekend, as it was sort of hard to be around people and eating the whole time when some of the foods kinda made my stomach turn.

One final note on the wedding...in the form of a piece of advice to any of my unmarried readers that may find themselves planning a wedding any time soon. My laissez-faire attitude to planning has been pretty well documented, and aside from saving me huge amounts of time and aggravation, I think I enjoyed the day more because of it. Why? Well, because it was all sort of a surprise to me...and that made it all the better. The flowers were gorgeous, and the first time I saw the whole thing set-up was like a great big Christmas present:-) The food was all fantastic, and the cake (which came from a woman who appears on those Food Network challenges sometimes:-)) was awesome.

So, I know it is hard because everyone tells you that you need to fret over every detail of the day, but try and delegate. Tell the caterer to make whatever people like most, let the florist pick out the prettiest, most seasonal flowers, let the baker make whatever cake people like most, and then just enjoy what they bring.

Next up on my ridiculously busy agenda? Back in school today, and struggling to keep my eyes open. My section-mates brought me celebratory wedding cupcakes, which was awfully nice of them:-). Do you suppose that they will notice when I sneak out for my 2:30 doctor's appointment?

And after that, I want to go home and sleep until October!!!

Somethings

Something old: I am wearing my mother's wedding ring on my right hand. She had bigger hands than me, so it fits on my middle finger. Her rings belong to Munchkin, but I hope she would want me to wear it. As complicated as our relationship was, I am sure I will think about her at some point tomorrow, and I like the idea of having a little bit of her there.

Something new: The dress, the shoes. Oh...and the baby!!!

Something borrowed: The same necklace that Big Sis wore on her wedding day, which is the same necklace that Smoking Hot Roommate wore on her wedding day, and is (not surprisingly) their mother's.

Something blue: The florist tells me there will be some blue flowers...Good thing she is on top of this! If i wear underwear, it will be blue, too;-). But I have to see whether any lines show when I put the dress on for real!!!

-----

Interesting thoughts on the name change...seems like virtually everyone votes to change it. I think I am keeping mine, but I will go into that some other time (and may very well change my mind;-)).

And that, folks, is all that I am writing as a single girl! I will be back sometime next week to let you know how it all went!

Ms. Me vs. Mrs. Boy

I changed the Thought for the Day in reaction to a History Channel snippet I saw last night talking about Churchill. Hopefully my handful of UK readers are particularly proud of that one;-)

-----

First things first...I can't eat enough tomatoes these days. I want them on everything. And the idea of fried foods makes me gag...which could really be a problem when it is time for chicken fingers next Thursday... Also, if I get hungry, I feel really, really sick, so I need to eat something every couple of hours to avoid that. I have felt a little queasy the last few mornings when I wake up, but nothing too bad, and very manageable.

Hopefully that all holds off for at least another five days, since I have some business to attend to in the meantime:-). I was actually pretty focused and not worried this morning, right up until the end of my first class when the professor stopped to tell everyone to wish me luck because I would be out of class for a few days to get married. It was actually pretty nice of him, but it reminded me that I have a lot going on for the next few days!

Mother nature is not being terribly cooperative with me. While the forecast for the weekend has improved and is no longer calling for rain, it is going to be very windy...and a little on the chilly side. Not sure what that means for my desire to have the ceremony, pictures and cocktails outside. I am thinking we may just have to set up for the ceremony inside, and play it be ear on the pictures. Cocktails are easy...people can go in and out as they please. Either way, it is not a huge deal. I'd rather the pictures be outside, but I am not gonna cry over it.

The first of the out-of-towners are trickling in tomorrow, which is making me really excited. That makes it quite a bit more "real", and will definitely set the festive atmosphere. I have a bunch of stuff to do tomorrow, but I think that The Boy, Munchkin and I will head out tomorrow evening (or earlier if she wants to skip out on soccer practice and he wants to bail on work). I am not sure that I need a full day on Friday to get anything ready, but it will at least be good to be there and be around all day as people arrive and get settled.

A bunch of our friends are golfing on Friday morning, and if I feel like I don't have too much to do, I may join them. I can already tell you that tomorrow and Friday will be a pretty lengthy cocktail party (not for this girl!). The Boy's parents are throwing the rehearsal dinner on Friday night for the wedding party, and then we are having a cookout on the beach for anyone who is in from out of town (it is gonna be chilly:-)). I am glad to have all of this stuff to do, since it will give me a lot more chance to visit with people and not feel like I need to rush to see everyone during the actual wedding.

I guess that is about it...I am a little nervous, very excited and just basically looking forward to a great weekend, a great party, and the start of a whole lifetime of The Boy. Not sure when I will blog next, but it may not be until next week. In the meantime...wish me luck!

You can occupy your time by answering me two questions:
1) Any last minute advice?
2) Should I change my name? Yea...still haven't decided;-)

Answering some questions

So, I have had some questions via comment and email that I feel like answering, and I am going to take the time that I currently have while sitting in an Economics class to do so:-)

First question from a few people...am I worried about telling people that I am pregnant this early? I actually am not telling many people. One of the great advantages of an anonymous blog is that you can "tell" secrets without really telling them. In real life, we have only told the people closest to us. Should something go wrong, I would have told all of these people anyway, so I feel OK telling them now...and swearing them to secrecy:-). That list includes Munchkin, Smoking Hot Roommate, Big Sis (and, I assume, their spouses) and The BFFs, along with The Boy's parents and his sister. I think he is planning on telling his brother and older sister sometime before next weekend. First person that I tell when I am past the safety point? Tinkerbelle!!!

Second: Was this an "accident"? Definitely not an accident, although not entirely on purpose. As I wrote in June, I stopped taking the pill at the end of May in preparation for maybe wanting to get pregnant this fall. We never specifically decided that I wanted to get pregnant at any specific time, and never took any specific steps to do so (like keeping track of the ideal days and times, etc.) But as the summer wore on, I kind of thought it was a good idea, and we didn't make any effort for me to not get pregnant. So, it was obviously not a surprise at all.

Third: Would you have rather this happened after the wedding? No one asked this directly, but it is sort of an undertone of a few questions...and it is a pretty logical question. Yes, probably...but I am not going to complain about being one month off in a perfect schedule. Too many people try for too long without any luck for me to bitch about being a month earlier than would really be idea. Besides, while I will miss having a drink or two, I will love having a big happy secret that few others in the crowd know. Keeping The Boy from blabbing may be a bigger issue;-)

OK...now back to keeping secrets:-)

The verdict is in...

Test results are in, and my suspicions have proven correct...pregnant.

Very hard to describe the feelings, which are very strong, very complicated and sometimes conflicting! But, on the whole, they can be categorized as "happy".

The Boy held me to my promise to take the test first thing this morning (he has been dying to know for sure...his enthusiasm is super cute:-)). I decided ahead of time that I wanted to tell Munchkin after her soccer game this morning, so it was a little tough to pretend that nothing was happening before then. But we managed.

That also gave me about two (very rainy) hours while I was watching her game to reflect on things. A whole lot of things, since I now seem to have three different monumentally life-changing things happening at once!!! I spent some time talking with some of her teammates parents, but I have to beleive that they felt like I was crazy, since I was totally zoned out...lol. They can chalk it up to wedding and school stress:-) I also made a couple of selected phone calls to some people that I wanted to tell right away. And now, I can be mum about it for another month and a half at least!

I had wanted to go out for a late breakfast right after her game and tell her, but she was soaking wet and filthy and wanted to go home and shower. So, I talked her into a lunch date after she cleaned up, and spilled the news to her there. I can say with a pretty high level of confidence that, should I live to be 100 years old, I will never do anything that is more purely enjoyable than telling my baby sister that I having a baby. She cried with excitement, and then I cried with joy, and then we were just two laughing, giggling, crying messes...our waitress was really confused:-)

Called the doctor, and found out that you are supposed to make two appointments right off the bat...? That was news to me, but I have them both scheduled, which makes it all seem a little more real (assuming, of course, that they confirm that I am pregnant;-)).

But all of that has to wait...I still have a wedding to get through! And one big giant secret to keep during it:-)

A wedding, you say

You know what I have missed? Chicken fingers!!!

But it's that time of year again...first chicken fingers of the season. I am happy to report that Munchkin has not outgrown our regular weekly dinner date. A new friend from school came with (the same girl I met and had ice cream with last week), which has reminded me that I can now show Munchkin off to a whole new batch of people:-D

Actually, I still find that I haven't talked much about my personal life...it is easier to ask questions than to give answers sometimes...

So, let's get to some thoughts on school after three days. Primary observation is that the people are really smart, but mostly they are super motivated. It is like the entire class is filled with the people who volunteer to take on the extra work whenever the boss asks. Maybe everyone is still on their best behavior because it is still basically first impression time. But basically, everyone is just really, really motivated.

There are some people that I like to call "over-zealous networkers". Networking, to me, is kind of a subtle science...you have to legitimately enjoy meeting people in order for it to work. If it seems forced, then it is awkward and ineffective. It is a fine line, and some of these people need to tone it down a bit...lol. Maybe Jenny, an avowed proponent, can give them some lessons.

The work has been minimal so far, although I think that will change dramatically as time goes along. Mostly we have had case studies and in-class discussions, which mostly have been focused on getting everyone involved and getting us all to think about things in maybe a little bit different way than before. It has been interesting enough so far that I have resisted the temptation to spend the entire class gchatting;-). That will definitely change!

Anyway, so far, so good. I definitely feel comfortable around everyone, and I am pretty sure I will be able to handle the work. I suppose that, at some point, I will need to figure out whether or not I will be giving birth during finals...lol...but that can wait! I already talked to all of my current professors about taking Thursday and Friday off next week, and then the Monday after the wedding, which they were all pretty cool with. The second semester ones will hopefully be equally understanding about some possible maternity issues...not much they will be able to do about it at that point, eh?

Lots of little things to do this weekend in preparation for the big weekend! I am feeling pretty calm about the whole thing, which I think is partially because I have just been so busy with so many other life changes lately. I did have a bit of a moment last night when I sorta said "Oh shit, I am getting married in like a week and I have all of these people coming in from out of town, and what am I forgetting?" and got maybe a little bit snippy and short with The Boy because I was stressing. But he was good enough to give me some time to fret by myself (what have I said? He knows me!) and calm down. Yes, I apologized:-)

I guess that is about it for now. Project Runway is on, and then bed time for me! Toodles:-) I will give you official word on accidentally baby once I know...hee hee...

98%

OK...so my riddle yesterday turned out to be not at all difficult to figure out, since about 30 of you figured it out right off the bat. But yes, just to clarify, The Boy has gone ahead and knocked me up...

To be accurate, I don't know that to be true. I am strongly suspicious (enough that I am not drinking, eating sushi or...um...eating un-pasteurized eggs...?) but I am putting off taking a pregnancy test until this weekend so I can pretend for a little bit longer.

One great thing about the blogosphere is that I can go ahead and broadcast this to everyone here, and not worry about waiting the requisite 3 1/2 months or so. Big Sis, Smoking Hot Roommate, The Boy and his Twin Sister are the only "real" people that read this, and they all already know, so there are no secrets being revealed here.

So, here is what I know:

Last period started July 28, and I was due again on August 25. In the few days leading up to that, the stomach cramps and bloating were worse than normal, and felt a little different. My boobs got (by my standards;-)) really big and more sensitive than usual. And yes, this was all while I was in France...

So, I am now about two weeks late, boobs are still big, stomach is still kinda funny. So, I definitely do not know for sure that I am pregnant, but I am strongly suspicious. As per the title of this post, I am like 98% sure that I am. I am definitely excited, and The Boy is ecstatic (I may take a test for his eyes only tomorrow;-))...but I am also completely terrified...

However, if I hold off until this weekend on the test, then I can still pretend for a couple of days that I am not;-) And I won't tell Munchkin until then, hoping that her excitement rubs off on me:-P

Is that a bad sign?

Status

Only a few minutes to post before my next class starts...one down and two years worth to go;-). So far so good! I have to admit to being kinda sad this morning when I left for school (in the car...ugh, driving!!) without Munchkin. There have been a few days here and there when I was somewhere else, but I have pretty much walked her to school every morning for four years. I'll get over it, but I will miss it, too:-(

Anyway, I am gonna have some fun with y'all today. I have a little bit of a riddle for you.

Were I not still boycotting Facebook, my status update this morning would likely read:

"Status = KU"

Figure that one out for yourselves;-)

Wedding Things and School Starting

It is a beautiful but unmistakeably end-of-summer day at the beach, and having spent most of it outside enjoying the weather, I shall now take a moment to check in here.

My first two days of school (which involved no actual classes, but lots of social events...I like this speed) went pretty well. It is a little overwhelming to meet so many people at once, but I am definitely making some progress, and I like most of the folks that I have met so far. I have all of my books and materials and my section schedule and everything I will need to get going next week. Yes, I bought a t-shirt, too...:-P

Things start for real on Tuesday, and should be at a pretty high pace quickly. I have heard over and over again that one of the main tenets of business school is to assign more work than can possibly be done. The idea is that, when you are working, you always have too much to do. You have to learn to prioritize, delegate and manage your own time...and over-work during business school is a big part of that. I am not sure expecting it will help me all that much, but at least I know it is coming;-)

But before then, one last summer weekend at the beach! The weather is supposed to be perfect, and we have a full four days down here to enjoy it. Labor Day always depresses me, and I am sure that I will be in a pretty down mood when we are leaving, but I am going to try and enjoy it and not dwell on the expiring season. Besides, I am getting married in two weeks, so I have plenty to be happy about!

Let's see...I feel kind of ashamed to have little to report on that front. Dress is in and all set to go...it is not really fitted, so there were no additional alterations needed when I picked it up this week. Plus, since she made it for me, it's not like she was altering another dress to begin with anyway. Shoes and jewelry are all set, too. I know that most brides tend to pick out those things for all of the girls in the wedding, but I would rather they wear whatever they want. I don't know who made up the rule that everyone has to match totally top to bottom.

I had another friend almost have a heart attack when I told her that I didn't have a "practice" hair and makeup session. Seriously? I know it is sort of fun and can mean peace of mind if you are gonna do something fancy that you have never done before...but the idea that it is totally required is just preposterous. "Pull my hair back" is not something that a professional hairdresser should need to practice. And call me Cindy-Lou-Homemaker, but I can do my own makeup...it would be pretty absurd to have a sorta-casualish beach wedding with a totally tricked-out Tammy Faye look all of a sudden. I never wear much makeup, and I am not starting now.

Basically, things are pretty well set to go. Caterer is in charge of all things food related, and the florist is in charge of all things decoration related. They have both called me to see if we need to check in to go over things before the wedding...a big "nope" on that. As long as they are gonna be there, I don't really need to see them at all.

I have been warned by a lot of people that putting together the seating chart is really hard. Apparently, those people care a lot more about petty personality issues than I do;-). Took me about ten minutes, and then it took The Boy about the same. And if Aunt Sally and Uncle Joe have an issue because they could never agree on who should pay for the broken sink at the lake house they rented 15 years ago, well too bad about them. If you are too petty to suck it up and sit at the same table for four hours and be civil, then I don't have time to care about your feelings;-)

[Hey, I am kind of a bitch, aren't I?]

I do still have to put together some welcome bags for people as they get to their hotels or houses or whatever. Nothing fancy, just some snacks and water and stuff...I always like having those things when I go away to a wedding, so I want to give them to everyone. I am particularly a fan of getting back to the room super late, having had too much to drink, and finding a bottle of water, some chips and some M&M's to welcome you home. Life's little pleasures:-)

I know what I am getting the girls as bridesmaids gifts, but I can't tell you yet because too many of them read this:-). And it shall be a surprise! Actually, you will probably think it is dorky and boring, but I like it a lot...so there!

That is gonna do it for today, folks! I hope everyone enjoys the long weekend, and I will meet you back here next week...

I also got a new cell phone...busy days!

So yes, I disappeared for a week and a half, blogged twice and then disappeared again...I guess that is just how I roll these days;-) Truth is that I have been super busy, back and forth to the beach (currently home for two days of school things...more on that later), getting ready to get married, etc.

So, let's see...I had my first official school events this morning, more this evening and then more tomorrow. Initial impressions of my classmates: 1) they are mostly older than me, but not by as much as I had feared, 2) they are super smart, 3) they do not lack in self-confidence!, 4) people come from a very diverse set of places...maybe 40% international?, and 5) probably 70% and 30% female.

From an email that went out to all of the locals, I met two other girls and five guys last night for drinks, which was actually a really good idea. It was nice to have a couple of familiar faces already when I showed up today:-). Everyone was really nice and easy-going and I had a good time. I would be ecstatic if they were representative of the rest of the class!!!

Weird thing, though. I suddenly found myself feeling very guarded when I got there. I had kind of a weird, inexplicable desire to keep things to myself. I don't know why...I guess that maybe I was just feeling sort of shy...? I was OK talking about work and stuff, but there was something that told me not to talk about personal stuff, even though no one else had a problem talking about wives or kids or boyfriends or whatever.

I ended up walking home (and stopping for ice cream, even though it was really cold:-D) with one of the girls, who lives in Beacon Hill near me, and talked to her a lot more. She seemed sort of amazed that we could all have talked for like five hours and I never mentioned that I am getting married in two weeks or that I have a quasi-adopted teenager. I don't really intend to be keeping secrets, but I just felt like keeping some things to myself (although, c'mon...I wear a big engagement ring all the time, so that shouldn't really be a mystery...lol). I am assuming that, once I get to know the people a bit, I will feel more like myself. Dunno...anyone have any psychoanalysis on this?

Anyway, I have some more stuff tomorrow, and hopefully will get to know more people. The Boy is taking Friday off from work, so we are taking a four day weekend at the beach to close out the summer. Labor Day always makes me really sad...but I think maybe this year I will just be too busy to be sad;-). Munchkin is working right up until Sunday, and is definitely bummed about summer ending, but she is also ready to get back to school and get back into the swing of things.

Hopefully she followed my instructions and got herself packed;-)