In my mind summer is a time for relaxing in the sunshine, preferably in a hammock, eyes half-closed against the bright summer sky, and perhaps a beer somewhere close at hand. In my mind time slows down in the summer. But in truth, summer (at least this summer) is buzzing, flitting from here to there, all energy and full schedules. I’m trying to embrace this summer reality, but right now, all I want is that hammock.

My time at CDL is coming to a close, which means I’m trying to wrap things up, train our programmers to be analysts, and make sure everything I leave behind is organized and decipherable by someone new. It also means there are going away lunches and parties planned, and that, sadly, short-timer syndrome just might be making my brain function on a fuzzier plane. Maybe.

Wedding preparations are in full gear. Invitations went out yesterday! So exciting!

We got our first wedding/shower present in the mail yesterday, too, and I was surprised by how excited it made me. All along, I’ve felt sooo weird about registering for gifts, about this bizarre cultural expectation that weddings require gifts, about allowing people to plan me showers because it just felt like I was greedily asking for more gifts. I don’t know, it made me feel awkward. Nevertheless, it was exciting to open a wedding gift with Sean yesterday. It made me feel like this is all HAPPENING.

Also making me feel like this is happening: Sean and I decided to open a joint bank account sooner than we were planning. It just made sense, since I’ll be starting a new job and therefore having to fill out new direct deposit paperwork. I thought, why not just do this once? We sent off the account paperwork yesterday. Weird. Exciting! Marriage!

Speaking of marriage (still): Sean’s sister Stephanie and her partner Eddie got married last weekend. We went to Beaver Creek in Colorado for the wedding, and spent four wonderful days in the mountains, sitting by the pool, doing outdoor yoga (me), hiking (Sean), and eating delicious food. It was pretty special and Steph and Eddie’s wedding was beautiful!

I had high hopes that I would finish sewing a dress for Steph’s wedding, but my sewing machine has been acting up, and this dress is proving way more time consuming than I expected. So it didn’t get finished (boo). This is the state it was in when we left last Thursday:

Not quite ready to wear. I’m hoping to finish it in time for another wedding we’re going to NEXT weekend, but honestly? Looking doubtful. Sad face. Couture sewing is not for the faint of heart, and right now, I’m feeling a little faint of heart.

We’re going camping this weekend (I told you things are busy!), and I’m hoping that I manage to find some quiet, relaxing, hammock-like time out there in the woods. Because this pace doesn’t look like it’s going to be slowing anytime soon.