Adam booked our flights today! I look forward to long walks, crisp weather, full scarves, and hot, thick cups of chocolat. Conveniently, we will be in Paris during its annual Salon Du Chocolat... Carbs, oh how I miss you!

Not strictly wedding related, but too funny not to share. :)

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As of 5 days ago, the Weather Channel reports less than 10% foliage change for Maryland. Sigh. Will keep checking back. Leaves gotta change, right?

Addendum: Click the image and it should take you to the most recent foliage map available.

Tomorrow I have dress fitting #2 with Fred the Tailor. I'm a little nervous. For one, apparently I have given up on dieting. For two, Fred the Tailor will have cut an inch and a half off the bottom of my dress, and I'm hoping he did a good job. I'll be wearing very high heels, of course, but still they were not high enough. Fred was insistent -- the dress would need to be cut. I imagine this is how new mothers feel when getting their sons circumcised (or maybe they don't feel like this at all). In any case, I am guilty and worried. I'm beginning to wonder why I didn't buy extreme platform shoes at a specialty shop, just to spare my dress the agony and risk of mutilation.

Adam will be getting his suit altered tomorrow too, and yet somehow I don't think he's so worried about what Fred will do to his inseam. Hm.

It is a red letter day in wedding land for us though:

• Adam's wedding ring arrived, it's just the one he wanted, and it fits;
• Adam's wedding morning cuff links arrived and they're perfect (not spilling details here, since their design is supposed to be a surprise for him);
• Adam confirmed with our DJ, so at least the music portion of the party is on;
  
• Adam finally got a hold of the calligrapher and ordered our Quaker-style wedding certificate;
  
• I put together a good workable draft of our seating chart; and,
• We got to discuss our ceremony with Parker, our friend and officiant.

Now we just have everything else to do.

So good to get out to ThorpeWood again, and so exciting to think we will be marrying there in less than 3 weeks! When we were there a week ago (when we took these pics) just a few leaves were changing... here's hoping that the foliage is a riot of color come October 11!

Well, ok, I've had my ring(s) for a while... But -- I finally bought Adam's ring and it should be in the mail! It will be magnificent: a 7mm, comfort fit, half round, 14k yellow gold wedding ring. To the naked eye this may appear to be a standard wedding band, but let there be no doubt that this ring has been lovingly and carefully selected. Before arriving at these exact specifications, Adam tried on dozens of rings at various jewelers. He has never worn jewelry, and wanted to make sure that the ring he would wear for The Rest of His Life was just right.

Here we are, one step symbolically closer to a life-long union.

We have made progress on other wedding fronts as well. Last night we went to Adam's parents' house for a dress fitting with Fred the Tailor. The verdict: the dress is beautiful, but I am too short. Even in 4-inch heels, Fred still thinks I need to lose 1.5 inches off the bottom. Sigh. Never fear, Adam did *not* see the dress, or me in it. We are the sort of people who like surprises.

We now have 4.5 weeks till W-day. World is spinning pretty quickly...

Adam and I are drowning in laundry. We have a pretty good system for dealing with dirty laundry: we leave it at the top of the stairs each night, and in the morning when I go to wake the cats and give them breakfast I put it in the washer. I even remember to transfer wet laundry into the dryer (a task no longer on Adam's list due to hard-won experience). But that is where our system breaks down -- no one actually carries the clean items back upstairs and puts them away.

This is a source of struggle for us. Mountains of fresh clothes and towels are stacked on top of the dryer until they topple to the floor, and/or one of us caves and carries a load or three upstairs (and throws them on the guest room bed).

The laundry situation is problematic, because I think this is an area where Adam and I are most similar. We are good at starting projects, but we are not good at finishing them. Neck-deep in the mother of all DIY projects--The Wedding--this is worrisome.

I have been reworking the Wedding To Do List, eliminating some items and adding others. In the less than six weeks before the wedding, we have a full page of line items to take care of, from the superficial (bunting, anyone?) to the serious (hello, vows). Our families have been hugely supportive and very good about assuming and completing tasks, but at a certain point you fear you've begun taking advantage of your relations... On the plus side, since we have most of the major items all worked out, what remains is mainly aesthetic. Aside from the music... And the liquor... (Read: the Party).

So anyway, I will keep you posted on how things turn out. This week I've been waylaid by a kidney infection, mountains of Work-work, and the planning of our benefit bachelor/ette party. I've made some progress on a few of the little wedding details, and with any luck I'll make great progress on a few more over the long weekend.

Nonetheless, if you know of anyone who is a keen fan of folding laundry....