Brooke's Wedding Countdown, #3

To follow Parts I and II, of course.

Dear Diary,

I guess I haven't written here in awhile, but life's been so busy. Unfortunately, Mark had to return home to California for the summer. :( :( But it is very important that he works at home, because one of the firms he is working for feeds into the appellate court system, and you know, it quite simply wouldn't do it he didn't work for an appellate judge next year. I know that each judge takes only one clerk, and there are only a couple of appellate judges in every major city - but Mark is quite the clever dickie and I just know he'll get one of those much coveted spots, even though gazillions of people try out for each spot. But he'll get one, and then the appellate judges feed to the Supreme Court judges, and in two years, we'll be living in DC so he can clerk for a Supreme Court judge. I am so proud of him!

It has been quite lonely since Mark left. But it's okay. My days consist of going to work, then going to the gym and talking to Mark on the phone. It is damn hard cooking for myself though; I don't know how Mark cooks dinner for us every night on top of having classes and being on Law Review. It's just because he's Mr. Perfect :) :) And I get to be Mrs. Perfect soon!!! :)

We have also been working on the wedding ceremony alot. Mark has written up everything we want to officiant to say (it helps that he writes fantasy gamer fiction on the side! He is such a good writer! So creative!!), and we have written our vows. I hope people don't mind that they go on for awhile - there's just so much that we want to say to each other in front of our family and friends. To be a little silly, I like thinking of our marriage as the formal declaration of an infinite love. THE love of the century. It's all so wildly romantic!

On a sadder front, Mom just found out that we're having a nondenominational wedding and is very disappointed. But it's hard! Mark is half-Jewish, and while I'm all Protestant, and yes, Mom and Dad are paying for it, we can't have a religious officiant. We've already written what the officiant's going to say, anyway. But Mom said that that's "not how I was raised" and that she's "very very disappointed in me." I don't know what to do! I don't want to disappoint Mom, but on the other hand I don't want to make Mark have a Protestant ceremony, because he's not one (or not completely one, anyway. I don't even want to know what Mom would have done if I married someone that wasn't at least 1/2 Protestant). But we're having four readers! Shouldn't that make her happy?

I have also been spending all my evenings working on the seating chart. It is so difficult! Thankfully, Mom is accessible all the time via phone so that we can talk about it. I don't even want to think what my long-distance bills are like! But she said that it's very important that we have The perfect seating arrangement, because this delicate balance can make or break the wedding. I thought she said the color scheme would make or break the wedding. Hm. Whatever, I know that Mom is always right :)

57 days to go! Yippee! I can't wait for our life as a married couple to begin - it's going to be so much fun!! :)

love,
Brookie :) :)

By the way, does anyone know if whether you elope and then have a big reception afterwards, you can still get lots of presents? Because if that's true, wow, hello Vegas!