Wednesday, August 26, 2009

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaack!!

This past five days was absolutely awesome. I had my dress fitting on Friday, and it went really well. If I slim down about 5 pounds in the next 51 (!!) days, it'll be just perfect. I had a great dinner with my bridesmaid/high school friend on Friday night and then a good night's sleep before my truly busy weekend.


Saturday started off with my bridal shower. Mija did an absolutely amazing job planning it. We played a "how well do you know the bride?" game followed by a dice game. Last, we played bridal bingo. Everyone seemed to have a great time. Then it was time to cut the cake, which was absolutely incredible. Mija's friend made it for me and she did an unbelievable job.

We got a lot of awesome gifts off our registry - from 8 of our place settings to lawn games to our silverware. We also got quite a few of the wine related gifts we registered for. I also got some personal and meaningful gifts: lingerie, wine glasses my grandmother received over 50 years ago, and a little handbag for my something blue. It was so wonderful to see everyone and I was so glad everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Here's a nice pic of Mija, me, and our momma.

After the shower, we rested up, took naps, and got ready for round 2: the bachelorette party. Mija had a veil and tiara for me along with a fabulous surprise: a very special shirt to wear.
We played a couple of games before heading out on the town. We went to one of my favorite Tucson bars, Maloney's to get started. I did pretty well at my job as a candy salesman and made $11. Then we decided to head over to another fine Tucson establishment, the Meet Rack. It's owned by a former porn star who calls himself God. He gave my entourage a tour of his bar (including the famous "back room"), gifted me with a signed bottle of champagne, and bought one of my lifesavers. After a drink and a stop at Nico's for a late night snack, we headed home.


The next day had us all feeling sad. It was Mija's moving day. Though we were all sad and my parents had moments of teary eyes all morning, I don't think we all really lost it until Mija said goodbye to the dog. It was heartbreaking to watch her say goodbye to my parents, and it dawned on me that we wouldn't all be together again until my wedding in 8 weeks. I know the time will fly, but I don't know that the rest of my family does. After the last hugs, Mija followed me to Phoenix and we dropped off my car before driving 7 hours to Utah.


On Monday, we drove the entire rest of the way to Seattle. It was an extremely long day. It took an hour to get through Boise, and we had a dead battery less than two hours from our destination, but we made it! Mija and Bing's home is wonderful: a 3 story condo with a small yard and 2 car garage, complete with a "man cave." I sincerely hope Mija enjoys her new home - it certainly has everything they love close by: a lake for kayaking, trails for walking and biking, professional sports, great shopping and dining. Who wouldn't love it? We spent Tuesday at Pike Place Market and catching up on our sleep. We took a walk and picked blackberries for Bing before picking him up from work and heading to the airport. The goodbye between us was far easier than that with my parents. It's obvious Mija feels at home with Bing, and I'm so happy for her in that sense.


Exhausted, I felt comforted knowing that I had my own home and my own fiance to return to. When I landed in Phoenix, Mr. Kingston was waiting for me in the terminal (rather than the curb) as always and greeted me with a huge hug. After 5 days away, 2 parties, 25 hours in a car, 3 different beds, 87 pictures, and 2996 miles round trip, I was finally home.







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