The IRS and a Wedding…huh?

"I've got sunshine on a cloudy day.  When its cold outside I've got the month of May.  I guess you'd say what can make me feel this way?  My girl, my girl, my girl.  Talkin' 'bout my girl, my girl."  

     I've left you all, but now I am back; sorry about that.  Life kind of got in the way.

     Its been a crazy 10 days for me.  Remember that post where I confessed to being a procrastinator?  Well, it bit me in the behind…My income taxes were incomplete and due.  

     Normally the tax thing isn't that big of a deal for me.  Sure, like everyone, I dread the hours sitting at the computer, meticulously going through the Quickbooks reports trying to add up every donation, every medical bill, any and every tax break I can find.  My advantage is that I am an organized person: I actually use my Quickbooks register, I collect donation receipts in a bright orange hanging file, I start filling in the blanks of my "tax organizer" in January when I receive it in the mail, and then I get my tax refund before April 15th!

     These 2009 taxes have been completely different.  Although I was still organized in 2009, still collecting, I had a lot on my plate come January.  Just a little thing called marital support.  I was proofreading, editing, sometimes writing Mike's cover letters for grad school programs (although he didn't use anything I wrote--what a waste).  February was our time to relax: we had worked so long on all the applications, we were exhausted from some intense discussions on where we would like to move/go to school, frankly we were pooped!  So we took some time off of thinking about our future…we read, watched movies, pretended we didn't have a care in the world.  March and April I really don't have any excuses for.  May we wrung our hands and awaited the acceptance letters and letters of rejection; side note: I now know what it feels like to be a parent watching their high school senior go through the process.  Its hell basically.  June we made thorough lists of everything we needed to accomplish around the house (you know, that "honey do" list).  July we started the horrible task of finding a place to live; taking one to two days at a time to drive to Berkeley, look at all the "contenders" we found on Craigslist, running away from some, refusing to get out of the car for others, basically thinking Mike was going to commute daily.  August we finally found an apartment and decided we couldn't put off the house renovations any longer.  By the end of August Mike had moved to the "big city" (thats everyone else's term, not mine by the way--oh yea, stop using it, we're tired of it) and my in laws, sometimes my parents and I were working day and night on the house.  Somehow September finally came, a godsend really, the work was done, the tenants moved in, and I found myself living once again with my husband.

     What I could've said was that I have been busy, however its too fun making you read about the stress I had to live.  But really, who wants to do their taxes when you have a bathroom floor to install, a room to paint or a house to pack into storage?  Not I.

     So after putting the dreaded taxes off for too long, I sat down last week and started the process.  I even turned off my phone.  And the good news is that I sent them off yesterday!  One more thing off my shoulders...

     

     But I also have been busy because of fun things.  For instance, a wedding!  God how I love weddings.  I really, truly do.  And I really, truly do not understand those crazy people out there who do not love weddings, who would rather send a gift and stay home to watch CSI Miami or another lame show.  I just love them.  I even love weddings where I don't know the bride or groom very well.  And you know what?  I'll still cry when the bride walks down the aisle; I'll cry when the bride and groom get choked up during their "I dos"; I'll cry when the father and daughter, or mother and daughter, dance together at the reception.  Pull me in off the street and I will cry at your wedding; plus I am the best wedding guest--I'll dance all night and help keep the dance floor filled, and there will be more cake for you because I don't eat it!  Perfect.

     And while I am rambling on and on about my love of weddings, good friends please don't make me beg, "can you please start getting engaged"?  And once you do, will you please stagger the weddings?  Maybe every 6 months to a year…If what I love is to look forward to weddings, then help me out and don't have them all at once.

     Sorry about that.  The writer has some pent up emotions she has to let out.  Back to the most recent wedding…Lucia and Patrick's.  Lucia and Patrick got married outside the funky little Danish town of Solvang.  What a trip that was!  Literally.  Its like you are in Europe with lots of tchotchkes, pastries of course and you run into your friends on every corner…so bizarre.
     And the wedding was gorgeous!  It was outside underneath a huge oak tree with vineyards surrounding the ceremony area and the air was filled with love and happiness.  Oh weddings, see what you do to me!  The reception was wonderful as well: the food was de-lich, especially that little cheese bread thing, the wine was a-flowing and sooo many people were on the dance floor.  In fact, my snobby dancing partner (that would be Mike), got "upset" how many people were on his dance floor…um, ok.

    To top it off, the night ended at a swanky cowboy bar in the middle of nowhere.  But that's not the good part.  The amazing part was that none other than the "John Corbett Band" was playing that night.  And let me tell you, that 49 year old is hot, hotter than on the big screen and all I could think of was (heavy sigh), "Aidan".  

    Now, I am not a celebrity stalker; I find it very uncomfortable to even see a celebrity in person.  But my friend Tahira got me to go talk with him…so embarrassing, but he was really a nice guy.  Plus, we had a little talk about Chico and how he really wants to play there.  Being the Chico girl that I am, I gave him a few good and bad places to play.  Now remind me to sign up on the band's email list…

    

     Here are some photos of the weekend and of course of John Corbett.  I am still waiting for the photo of him and his group of stalkers, but I will post that soon.

Picturesque, right?

 

I promise this won't be me at your wedding…hahaha!

Sigh, I am in LUV.

Love, Bird

*My song quote of the day doesn't relate much to the post, but it is in homage to the song Lucia and Sally danced to for the daughter-mother dance.  Or at least I think they danced to "My Girl"...