I DO'S AND DONT'S

The following is another old post circa Feb. 10, 2007.

At the request of my friend Alison, who is in the process of planning a destination wedding*. Here are some do's and don'ts. . .

DO: Pack your bags in advance, you want to make sure that you have all of your daily necessities, especially if you are doing your own hair and makeup for the big day. It is not just another vacation, it is your wedding, and tiny travel sizes just may not cut it.

DO: Let somebody that's in their right mind, this will not be you, be in charge of your wedding dress. My mom-in-law practically handcuffed her carry on bag housing my dress, to her wrist. It took a lot of thought and a lot of looking to find the perfect dress, at this point it would not be an easy thing to replace.

A SMALLTOWNISTA IN THE CITY

Welcome to day in the life of the not so fabulous. Transferring my aesthetician license is taking considerably longer than I planned and I sort of need to be legal to work in the state of Illinois before I set out into the job market. After scheduled travels and lovely visitors it seems my days are filled with, well, nothing. Nothing except wallowing, I mean where are my little dive bars with my beloved bartenders (Jimmy & Brett) that never shun me for ordering NA brewskies. Where are my bearings and where is my friggin’ car (my gypsy wagon, storage unit, & quite respite from the world)? Where are my girls, my besties that keep me grounded and sane? Where is my large winding crooked tree that makes up my ridiculously fantastic family? All back home in my small town, that’s where. But I am moving on from the ‘whoa is me’ outlook and upon further dissection I realize that I have filled my days thus far with some positive trends. Here are some hints if you happen upon massive amounts of free time.

ON THE BUSINESS OF BEING A BRIDE

I thought I would post a blast from the past that I wrote January 11, 2007, long before Smalltownista materialized. Just playing a little catch up.

So I feel a little bit guilty about elaborating on why men suck(1), maybe they just have to so you know when you find the right one. Or maybe there are really just a few good ones left. YAY, I found one those.

Now to the matter at hand, I seem to have lived 25 years as a female and NEVER dreamed about my perfect wedding day. The only thing that I ever had pictured was being on the beach, that's as far I got. One down on that one, because our wedding will be in St. Thomas on the beach. Only one hundred million things to go.

It has come to my realization that there may be an epidemic of women born without the "bride gene." It was on an episode of Sex and the City so I figure I can't be the only one. The marriage part, not worried about that at all, I have never been so happy in a relationship, and I have never felt so lucky to be with someone. The whole wedding planning thing, on the other hand, has me all worked up. Of course you can't really just skip that part, I mean it's a big day, it's a big deal.

"KARMA THIS DUMMY"

Out of the mouth of Joy from” My Name Is Earl”. I always get a kick out of that line and who doesn’t dig some Jason Lee. At any rate, I am a fan of anything that demystifies Karma and brings it to the mainstream, although let's be clear that Carson Daly did not in fact invent Karma.

Take it as simply as ‘what goes around comes around’, a deeper spiritual belief in reincarnation (retribution for your past grievances or rewards for past do-gooding in your next life), or delve into the aspect of every moment being a lifetime (reincarnation at warp speed). Whichever resonates with you, take it to heart. It is a good principle to follow.

Our recent move to Chicago has me thinking about karma a lot lately. I am a strong believer in Karma, in its simplest form as well as its literal form. My thoughts on reincarnation may be a little different than most. I am not opposed to the idea of past lives, but I see lives as moments. Each moment is a lifetime and therefore karma is cycling every moment.