Congrats, Megan and Daniel!

Quadruple doh!! How could I forget the most exciting thing about my weekend? There was a reason I went off on my tangent about my new phone. I was phoneless all day on Saturday, which was highly inconvenient because my sister had some great news she was dying to share:

Megan is engaged!! I'm so happy for her. She and Daniel have a lot in common and have so many things they like to do together. They're just 2 outdoorsy peas in a pod. I haven't gotten to spend a lot of time with Daniel because I lived in Phoenix when they lived in Tucson and they both moved to Seattle, but he's a very sweet guy who makes my little sister very happy.

My little sister is getting married, y'all. I can hardly believe it. Yay!

I'm an Auntie!!

Mija and Bing have adopted a 7-month-old lab named... (drumroll, please)... Meadow!!
Isn't she cute?!

I also finished putting the favors together. I really like the way they came out.


So that's how I spent my Wednesday night. 44 days to go!

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.

Mija

As I was getting ready this morning, there was someone in particular on my mind: my sister, Mija. She's younger than me by 3 and 1/2 years, but wiser in so many ways. We have many of the same qualities, but exhibit them in different ways. She's better with money and friendships than I am, and while I'm type-A in a few select ways, she's type-A in just about every way. She's rational, thinking carefully about every move she makes, confident that every choice is the right one. She's patient and calm, yet always has to be doing something. For those of you who know about the marshmallow/patience test, she's a marshmallow saver, and I'm a marshmallow eater. She's silly though too: she uses Q-tips obsessively and talks to our parents' dog in grammatically incorrect third-person baby talk. We've had a rough relationship at times, but she's my sister and I love her dearly and we've gotten closer as we grow older.

She met a guy a while back and they started what has become a serious relationship. My parents and I like him, and he treats her very well. They have so many of the same interests and spend a lot of time being active outside together. When they met, he was finishing college, and he was offered a job with Microsoft in Seattle working on the Bing.com search engine. He left earlier this month, and Mija's plan was to move there in November, after my wedding. Earlier this week, she told me she wants to move August 23rd, the day after my shower, and she wants me to drive with her. Even though I've known for a while now that she'd be moving to be with Bing, the change in moving date took my by surprise.

I'm aware this post is premature: she's not leaving for almost a month, but she bought my ticket home from Seattle yesterday, so she's on my mind. My shower will now be even more meaningful for me, even though it'll be a little bittersweet. I'm looking forward to our road trip and the time we'll share. And really, I can't complain. I love Seattle, so I'm excited to get to visit.
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I'm insanely happy for my sister - she deserves a great guy like Bing - but I know now why my little sister sobbed when my family dropped me off at my dorm for my freshman year at NAU. I realized how much I'm going to miss her, and I thought I had an extra few months to prepare myself. I know I'll still see her and talk to her as she'll be back for the wedding (and did I mention I get to visit her in Seattle?), but knowing that she and her half eaten bananas won't be around when I visit our parents makes my heart ache a little. I know she's making the right choice for her, and yet there's the part of me that wants a guarantee for my little sister that everything's going to be perfect. For the first time in our adult lives, I feel like the big sister, worried and wanting the best for her as she really goes out into the world for the first time. But I find comfort in knowing that she'll be well taken care of. I just hope Bing knows to keep well stocked with Q-tips.