37 Days

The countdown begins: 37 days til I leave for Germany! I finally have a plane ticket, which makes this whole thing feel all the more official. Now I just need to figure out health insurance, get a Eurail pass, order and ISIC (International Student Identity Card), figure out what I can fit in two bags, order enough of my thyroid prescription for six months, and buy all those last minute things that are so necessary for my existence (okay, so maybe foundation isn't necessary for my existence, but it sure makes it more presentable). Somewhere in the middle of all this I have rehearsals and voice lessons, all made possible by copious amounts of coffee and gluten free baked goods.

This last Saturday a good friend of mine got married and pretty much my whole family helped out in one way or another. My sister Gracie was maid of honor + musician, I was personal attendant + hairdresser for the bride and bridal party + singer at the reception, and my Dad and brothers helped out with odds and ends and played some great music at the reception. It was a long, fast, full day with strange weather (tornado sirens going during the reception), lots of happy tears, and good memories.

Then yesterday some of us headed to the Irish Festival in St. Paul after church and meandered around, watched some great Irish dancers and bought some Irish merchandise (Joel and I both bought awesome Celtic knot-work rings). Later Gracie and I went to a movie with a couple of friends, and the day ended at 1am; yes, it was a fun, full, long weekend.

So, now that the wedding is over and the new week has begun I can turn more attention towards getting ready for Germany and the Gilbert & Sullivan production, which, by the way, is going to be stellar. It's funny how I've adopted this new attitude towards weekends, which is "I don't like weekends - it means you have two whole days when you can't contact anyone or finalize anything". Seriously, packages don't travel on weekends, no one is in their office, so you can't get anything done. But then again, people get married and there are Irish Festivals on weekends, so the pros and cons all even out.

Have a great Monday!