Going to the chapel

...I mean courthouse. Yesterday Ryan and I went downtown to get our marriage license. The pastor will sign it after the ceremony and send it back in to the courts. It came in a keepsake envelope that I promptly put a shoe-print on when I set it down in the car.

After the courthouse we stopped to see an ATC exhibit at European Papers on Town Street. They had a lot of neat cards on display, and a great little shop selling gifts and art/craft supplies.

We had a delicious lunch at DeLevee in the Short North. We had spinach and mushroom etoufee and a chicken and bean dish. We scarfed it down and headed home.

On our way home we stopped at EverestGear.com and we each got a pair of Soloman TechAmphibian shoes for Vietnam. This way we wont have to worry about getting them wet in Halong Bay or in our other excursions and having wet feet all day.
We finished the afternoon with a bike ride and Ryan calling me a baby because the seat hurt my backside. And for the record, it still hurts as I'm sitting here blogging about it!

Tom Jones!

You don't have to be rich to be my....wife!

Saturday was my much anticipated bachelorette party and it was so much fun! I ended up working on Saturday, and the nurse following me (the same one who threw me the mini birthday party in the nurses station) very sweetly came in about an hour early so that I could go home and shower and get ready for the party.

I wore my new black skirt and white top what I had been saving for the party. I also made my own necklace to wear and embellished my shoes with some white flowers. I felt great and headed over to Ang's house (Ryan dropped me off).

Jen was already there, and her, Ang, and I snacked on some chips, salsa and chex mix while we waited for Kaleigh and Stef to arrive. We had a bit of sangria and before we knew it Stef and Kaleigh walked in.

Kaleigh brought cute take-out boxes filled with lei's, bachelorette mints, and stickers. Jen made wine glasses with our names on them, and Stef and Ang made me underwear with puffy paint and crystals on them!

Jen and Ang also gave me some really nice lingerie.

After snacking and having a spot of sangria, we went to Abuelo's at Easton for dinner. My friend Nicole joined us. I had the best avocado enchiladas! We had a lot of fun, I posed with everyone's drink...which made it look like I had a lot more than my "Please make it weak" strawberry daiquiri.

After dinner Nicole headed home, and the rest of use went over to the Shadowbox Cabaret. One of my co-workers joined us. As we were waiting for the show to start, I was called up to the stage. I sat in a chair on the stage, when all of a sudden music started and "Tom Jones" came out! He was completely in character, and serenaded me to "Kiss." I was loving every minute of it, and we got a couple pictures that Shadowbox e-mailed us.
We were beat after the show so we just headed home. Jen slept at my apartment, Kaleigh went back to her hotel where her family was staying, and Stef slept at Ang's house. The next morning Ang, Stef, Ryan and I had breakfast a First Watch in Worthington. It was a good morning :)



The week following was fairly uneventful. However, we were able to enjoy some German food at Schmidt's with Ryan and his brother-in-law, Scott. We had dinner last night with Ryan's parents at Banana Bean Cafe. We all LOVED our food and had some great Jeni's ice cream afterward.

Less than 4 weeks to go!

We are officially under 4 weeks til wedding, and Ryan and I are getting so excited! Yesterday, my mom, Greg, Grandpa, and Grandma all came down to Columbus to visit with Ryan and I. My mom bright my dress, and I was able to try it on. It's a little snug up top, but overall it fit pretty well.

We ate at Bel Lago, the same place my mom and I went on her last visit. After lunch we all went to the North Market and walked around, getting some ice cream at Jeni's on the way out.

It was a nice visit, Grandpa even fixed the blinds in our bedroom while he was here.

Tomorrow night is my bachelorette party! I am so excited to have dinner and see a show with my dearest friends and cousins. I work tomorrow, but I am hoping to get out a little early so I can get ready. Luckily I'm off Sunday, so we can all have breakfast in the morning. I'm excited to see the little surprises that the gals have up their sleeves.

A Very Vibram Summer

Ryan FINALLY got his much-coveted Vibram 5-finger Shoes. He's been after them for months, but they are hard for shoe stores around here to keep in stock. He's been doing everything in them and seems to like them a lot. I caught the table next to us staring at his feet when we were at Lavash for dinner. I said "Looking at the shoes?" and that started a little conversation and Ryan was able to tell a bit about them.
The best part about Ryan not working on the weekends is that he gets to go to the Farmers' Market on Saturdays. He always comes back with a colorful array of produce and the tomatoes are the best I've ever had.I've managed to finish a couple ATCs and even make some beads between work and school work. I'm satisfied with the beads for my first try. They are supposed to be "Pandora Style".The Bachelorette party is coming up and I am so excited! I have something new to wear, and I love the Shadowbox Cabaret, where we are going. My cousin, Kaleigh, is joining us. She is 15, and one of my bridesmaids. It was really important to me that she is able to come to the party and have fun with all of us, and I got a conform that yes, she is coming. I'm thrilled!