Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!!!

More fun at the Smith house this weekend...

I got my bridesmaid dress back from having it altered, and it's gorgeous! I got a great pair of shoes at the Goodwill, and my sister gave all the bridesmaids pearl necklaces at the bridal luncheon yesterday. Today I found a matching pair of earrings on clearance at JC Penny. And with that, I'm ready to go!

The fiance arrived late last night while my sister was at her bachelorette party. I was supposed to be at the party too, but I backed out because I got sick of hearing her friend whine and complain about how much money she was spending on alcohol. I spent the evening with my darling nephews instead.

The wedding is one week from today, and the groom's relatives start arriving in a few days. Thank goodness they're not staying here...we have room for Ryan, and then we're maxed out.

Today was a fun-filled family day. My mom got furious with my sister this morning because, after insisting that one of us would have to pick up the fiance from the airport while she was partying, she changed her mind at the last minute. She'd been drinking, so she apparently felt it was better for her friend to call my dad about the change of plans. He was already at the airport, and he was not amused.

Over a late breakfast my dad became especially cantankerous and said things that upset my sister. And that set off my mom again...

This can't be how it's supposed to be. I know a wedding is stressful, but it shouldn't cause this much turmoil.

In other miserable news, I went to the dentist the other morning and had a crown glued back on. Then I had to spend the next fifteen minutes biting down hard on a piece of cotton, which was very painful because of the TMJ disorder. The dentist was with me all of two minutes during the entire visit. Bam--$95.

That afternoon I got a hair cut, which was not only cheaper than the dentist but also more fun. Hair stylists make the best therapists, and mine is especially wonderful because she gives me a scalp massage when she washes my hair. Heaven!

During my visit, I learned she has a friend who's big into animal rescue--in Oklahoma City, no less--and got her to pass on my email address. Furthermore, she (the hair stylist) and her artist husband will be in Oklahoma City this weekend at the Paseo arts festival, and she encouraged us to stop by. Which is pretty nifty since Ryan is considering going back to school to study art and would love to chat up some fellow artists.

Somehow it felt like a sign that I'm going in the right direction, and with the right person.

Then, as she snipped away at my hair, she marvelled at what an eventful year I had: moving home, getting laid off, meeting a wonderful guy, deciding what to do with my life, etc. First, I was amazed she remembered all that. And second, she spoke as if I had actually accomplished something instead of wasting the last few months of my life while collecting unemployment.

"You've probably had more personal growth in one year than most people have in a lifetime," she observed, as my eyes teared up. It was nice, in the midst of my sister's graduation, all-consuming wedding plans and the seemingly endless related events, to have someone focus on ME for a change...even if I was paying her.

Speaking of ME, I'm leaving for Oklahoma City tomorrow and starting my job the next day. When I get back Wednesday or Thursday, I'll be in the middle of a wedding whirlwind, trying to squeeze in as much packing and kitty time as I can between gatherings.

I'm kind of emotional, because when I leave town tomorrow it marks a major turning point in my life...no going back. Soon I'll be working at a new job that's completely different from what I'm used to, and I'll be living in another town, away from my family again but not nearly as far as before.

It'll be really good for me and the kitties to start our new life, but right now my crazy family has me so emotionally exhausted that I don't even have the sense to feel happy.