Michael went back to work today so I have been flying solo with Damian since 8:30 this morning. So far we ate breakfast (both of us), napped for 2 hours, changed a cloth diaper, breastfed, changed another diaper (almost resorting to a disposable due to flailing baby), gave some comfort boob, and then he fell asleep on my chest. If I had a third arm I would take a photo in the funny balancing pose I have the laptop in so I can type this both hands…

I am going to have to extract myself from this pose shortly to make myself some more food. It hasn’t been too difficult so far but afternoon is approaching, his most active time. Maybe I will take him for a little walk in one of the wraps.

A few days ago, Michael, Damian and I drove out to Mother’s Haven where we got a breastfeeding pillow (made by Luna Lullaby, it is amazing) as well as a Maya Wrap. I love Mother’s Haven, I don’t think I will be buying any mother/baby stuff anywhere else if I can find it there. The owner is an amazing woman and the quality of her products are outstanding.

We got the Maya Wrap for Michael because it is very easy to put on and get use to. Damian loves it, we went for a walk around the Farmer’s Market with him after we bought it.

I have a Moby Wrap which is a bit tricker but better to secure Damian while I do housework. We are both getting use to it and how tight or loose it has to be. Still haven’t tried breastfeeding in either one.

Michael and I have been handfasted for one year today. We decided this morning that Damian is the best gift ever.

And the best gift ever needs a diaper change now.

Things are normalizing here in Spokane. My dad was the last out of town guest to leave, he flew out yesterday morning. This is also Michael’s last Saturday that he has to work, before going back to weekends off (we was doing splits before.) Tomorrow or Monday I will be getting back to my candles. The apartment needs a serious cleaning too.

The article came out today, Michael mirrored it here, so you all can read it. In the physical paper we are front page in the Today section of the paper (for any locals that is section E) and our photo takes up half that page!

Speaking of photos, they are still trickling in, Michael and I also want to go to a studio (JC Penny’s or something) and get photos taken of just the two of us. Some of the ones from Saturday are up here. I will be adding to and captioning this folder as I get new stuff.

In response to Autumn Zephyr’s comment:

You’d think you and Micheal were ion some state of newly handfasted bliss or something. Where are your pictures? How did the handfasting go?

My family, who I have not seen in four years doesn’t all leave till Friday, so I have been spending some time with them (ie: Michael and I getting spoiled rotten) and by the time we get home, we have hardly had time to look at the computer. Some highlights though before we go out again today.

The ceremony was gorgeous! Lots of tears, at the moment no pictures since everyone else used there camera and we have to get the photos from them. Michael set up an upload site up for everyone to stick them on. We also have eight films to develop, be just haven’t found the time yet.

If you have pictures of the ceremony, upload them here preferably unaltered.

If there was any hitch in the entire thing, no one told me wedding cake icing was rock hard impossible to cut. The first cut is only a ceremonial – hence it took about five minutes to get the first slice… Illustrating the tough times marriage has to get through perhaps? It was still funny though, and the cake was gorgeous.

Sunday, we really did nothing except get a friend off to the airport and then lay around, pretend to clean up etc. Monday got our other friend loaded on the Greyhound and back to Seattle and went out with my family, had lunch, played pool for the afternoon. Michael got to know my family. Tuesday we went out to Lake Coeur d’Alene, did the lake ferry tour, lunch, shopped (I got a UV reactive shirt, it turns from white to colour in the sun – how cool is that?!) We had dinner at Catacombs in Spokane. Today my mom, grandma and cousin Becka are leaving, we need to leave in 30minutes to take Becka to the airport. It is Michael last day off before going back to work, and we are going to spend it with my dad (maybe my brother and his friend, Lauren, will come over too.) My father and brother leave on Friday, everything should kind of normalize after that.

We have gotten a lot of gifts and packages, an handmade pine altar, a beautiful dragonfly tea set from my Aunt Ruth with some teas, a handpainted pentacle altar tile, a woven beeswax candle, cards, money, towels, handmade quilted pillows, a NOAA radio, a gold rose anklet, moonstone and opal circlets, an opal ring, about four pounds of fresh middle Eastern henna (I wonder what customs thought of that…), today we just received a gorgeous handcrafted Tibetan singing bowl from Eve, it sounds gorgeous. I am sure I am missing a couple things, but I will get photographs of everything up on a site within the next couple weeks and link everyone to it. Oo and my friend Jessi (a henna artist as well) did my bridal henna on my hands for the ceremony, it is beautiful!

The reporter called us this morning and read us the article she wrote about us, it brought me to tears, it is so gorgeous. It will be in this Saturday’s paper I believe. Michael and I are kind of in the state of newly wed bliss again it seems.

Forgive the typos, no time to proofread, got to go pick up Becka.

We met with the reporter, Virginia de Leon, (the one who wants to do the story about the handfasting for the local paper) yesterday afternoon and had a really wonderful open talk. I feel that she will use all her power to write a positive article or else not publish it. So she is coming to the handfasting with a photographer.

Virginia also asked permission to ask a few people some questions, I said that was ok as long as she asked permission before taking pictures and respected anyone who declined.

SOOOO excited, 4 days till the handfasting, I’m getting use to the bridal stress stuff!

5 days, 3 hours, 20 minutes till the handfasting (yikes!)

Stress, panic, argggg!

Actually not really…

I feel pretty relaxed right now It is all going to turn out beautifully. Even if every detail is not perfect, that is ok. I need to finish memorizing my vows and sewing my skirt. I am going to clean the apartment top to bottom today, except the bathroom, that is Michael’s job. Tomorrow Kim and I are going to pick up food for the Stott family reunion (also this week!) and the handfasting.

This past Thursday was my last day at Ampco, which I am very glad about. I really didn’t like that job. I have this whole week to focus only on the handfasting without worrying about anything else. I probably won’t be posting to much this week, lots of people will be arriving throughout the week and I won’t have too much time to blog (much less time to think…)

Now to start the cleaning…

I got home today and I had a message on the answering machine, from Virginia de Leon, a reporter from the Spokesman – I like her stuff, she does a lot of stories about diversity. She wants to come to Michael and my handfasting with a photographer and do a story on it!

I’m in shock.

We are meeting with her next week (I want to meet her first before I go through with this) but initial answer is a resounding yes. I hope I can do the local Pagan community proud.

I still need time for it to sink in though, I have till Tuesday’s meeting to mull it all over.

Finally they have started, the nightmares. Michael and I are being handfasted in 14 days and I had my first nightmare about it last night.

Nothing was going right, no one knew their lines and then Lilly couldn’t be there so we got the only replacement we could find (that annoying boss from office space.) My parents walked out in the middle of the ritual, people talked through the rest, I lost my skirt, the food was living and people couldn’t catch it.

Of course the nightmare is completely transparent and easy to understand and while waking it is really funny! Seriously though it was terrifying while I was asleep, hehe. The office space guy? Noooooo.

~~~

Hmmm: I have been researching the history of the pentacle lately for one of my websites and ran across this page which appears to be on some kind of odd fundy Christian debt help site. The information on this page (about the Knights Templar) is pretty decent until you get to the end where it seems to be saying I have to get out of debt so I don’t fund the secret the Knights Templar/Freemasonry/the Illuminati organization trying to rule the world.

For some reason it makes me think of Pinky and The Brain…

18 days till the handfasting, Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Crunch time.

I think most of my stress is just jitters, the whole, “what if I trip over my skirt” thought pattern. And I know I am bringing this up on my blog quite often but hey, it’s a big day.

A thunderstorm is rolling in here at the moment, unusual for the mornings here, hopefully it will help recharge me. I am actually not that stressed really – I feel pretty well prepared, just a little drained.

• The ceremony is completely written, everyone has only to learn their parts.
• We can’t pick up food until a couple days before so not worrying about that yet, I will pick up table coverings that day too.
• I have Michael’s robes almost completely done (just to sew on the trimming which I will do today or tomorrow.)
• Still have to make my skirt, but I have my corset and blouse.
• I have finished most of the candles done for the reception (made of deliciously beautiful palm wax.) I have to made the unity candle still.
• I still need to pick up a guestbook.
• I need to print out the program, maybe I will just print out one and have it on the entrance table. 52 confirmed guest at the moment.
• There are a few other little things but I can tidy those up in a day.

I put in my two weeks notice at work a couple days ago, finally. So I will be off a little before the handfasting, I feel I still have some time. I want to get my new business card design done before my last day since most of my customers want one. Which means Michael needs to finish my website by then. I have to finish a couple things before he can go forward though. After the handfasting and all my family leaves, I will probably end up picking up another job, something I like more then my current one – maybe at a bakery.

Arg it is hard to concentrate on typing, everyone time my arm rubs against my shirt it hurts. I must have recently cut myself and not noticed, because I have this little scar-like mark on the inside of my arm I have never noticed before, it kinda hurts when it rubs against my shirt. Meh, must locate bandaid before it drives me nuts! Onward…

Outside of the handfasting, I have two prepaid votive and pillar orders to fill which take priority. As it is, I took a “me day” recently, and got most of my wand done. Applewood is my favorite wood of all time.

And here comes the rain, so if you will excuse me I am going to go sit on my balcony and watch it come. Feel those negative ions!

I wrote this post (and took this picture) yesterday. Yes, it is another less-then-cerebral ramble… Enjoy! Don’t miss Feline Friday, it is in the post before this one.

Is it already Thursday again? Yikes! Already confined to the parking booth for another 13 hour day. I did this 13 hour thing yesterday too since my co-worker needed it off for medical stuff. Many prayers going out to her family. I hope all is well. I admit:* I don’t mind the extra hours and helping out but I also have a lot of stuff to get done so it is a little stressful.

(* I love this side note confession thing that PeppyLady does in her blog.)

I am putting in my two weeks at the garage on June first, for a lot of reasons I will not get to much into. After the handfasting I will find another job. I’m hoping to land one at one of the local bakeries. Some time in the next couple weeks I am going to try to get over to the health building and get my food handlers card. It never hurts to have one in advance to mark on the resume.

This Saturday we are having another handfasting meeting/rehearsal. Sal won’t be able to come but I know he knows his stuff. I need to find a moment to call Danielle (a ritual bearer for the ceremony.) I was going to call her last night but I thought it was too late by the time I got home. I will call her tonight, which will still be late but I hope she forgives. I don’t like calling people after 20:00. I need to get in touch with Jessi too (another ritual bearer. ) 52 days, arg!

I’m jittery, not about Michael (we have already been married -by civil union- for two years) but about everything else that comes with planning a large party.

I’ll be working my butt of tomorrow, sewing Michael’s handfasting robes. I need to remember to ask him a question about the collar tonight. [Friday Note: I forgot to ask him.] I started on them the other day but I was in such a foul mood I made myself stopped, so that I didn’t screw up (I also ran into the aforementioned question.) The fabric for it is lovely but I have I think it may attract lint so I will need to remember to bring the brush to the handfasting location. Our felines can sense which box I am keeping the fabric in. They want to shed on it so badly. No matter what the colour wheel says, their orange fur does not compliment the navy blue fabric.

I finished decorating the besom, pictures may be forthcoming. In June, I will be going with Kim to Costco to pick up all the food stuff, so that worry can be set aside. I still need to do sew my skirt but I have the fabric now. I gained a few pounds over the winter but my corset still fits and since I started biking to work I have lost two inches off my waist. (Three more to go!) We’ll see how that goes. I measure my waist rather then my weight, mostly because I do not own a scale.

Not that I am overly obsessed with my weight. I avoid fad diets like the plague. I remember my mother’s diets, the results never last. It you build the foundation of eating right in the first place, I don’t see the need for them. Balancing that diet with exercise can be tough, especially in the Winter, but if you keep it up it pays off long term. (I admit: I did not keep up on my exercise this Winter, the lack of sun de-motivates me.)

It is cloudy today and I am really feeling it, my PMS is probably not helping. I usually can overcome my hormones with logic but at this moment, if PMS was another person, I would be smashing her against a wall and screaming at the top of my lungs while crying and laughing at the same time. Ya, hormones!

I have to figure out how to turn the piece of lace I bought into a veil (Kim?). I also need to order some palm wax so that I can make the votives for the reception tables. I need to check the price for a case of votive cups too. I have some journey candles to finish too but it keeps getting pushed out of the way by handfasting stuff. I have a feeling that quite a few things will be put on hold until after the big day.

In spite of the approaching crunch time, I am a little bit glad I am at work all day today. It gives me time to review my game plan (and daydream about my long term projects.) I can also catch up on my reading and embroidery (I have been working on my mala bead bag today.)

Lunch Time.

Never got back to typing after lunch.

We are having another handfasting meeting today, this time it is up at Lilly’s so I can show everyone the spiral dance (weather permitting) and we can run through the ceremony fully for the first time.

T-69 days.
Yikes!

I am keeping up pretty well with preparations, but there is still stuff to do:

• Make version two of Michael’s robes. (Mock up is done though and fits great.)
• Make my skirt. My corset was made for me already and my shirt was bought. Now just the skirt, I need to buy the silk.
• Make Michael and my unity candle, the tapers are done.
• Decorate the besom. Ivory, garnet and navy blue ribbon and flowers must be found.
• Food. Grandma is making the cake (love, love, love my Grandma!) Otherwise it is going to be picnic style – hamburgers, salad, ice tea. I need to ask Kim if I can go to Costco with her sometime to buy hamburgers, I also need a freeze to store them in.
• I need to email my dad about the circlets.
• I need to get plates and cutlery too. I need to ask Kim where she got the table coverings for Ginanne’s wedding.
• I need to send out reminder emails to the people coming, especially long distance, so I know when they are coming and how long they are staying and where they are getting a room. I need to get a good approximation of who is coming so because of planning food.

I think that is it for now. Right now I need to clean the kitchen, make breakfast, go over the ceremony with Michael and then go out to Lilly’s.

So for my handfasting I have known for awhile exactly what kind of blouse I wanted, I just had no clue how to make it or even get my idea onto paper. A couple months ago surfing The Pyramid Collection I found exactly what my mental image was. A beautiful peasant-esque blouse that remains modest but sexy and that will fit easily under my corset. Dream come true right? I only have to figure out how to make it and then… Wait, make that?!

Not to completely bash my sewing skills, which are probably a touch more then decent, but I rarely do any shirts other then modifying Good Will bargains. It is so rare that I work with elastic I am lucky I even know what it is, much less figure out how to put elastic in a shirt. On top of that I tried to guess what all goes into that particular shirt and come up with a material price tag around $50+s&h (that elastic stuff is sold by the inch!) Buying that shirt on that site is $60+s&h.

So I am left to ponder should try to find the right materials, try not to horrendously screw up and also I beg my mother-in-law to guide me in ever itty bit step of making the shirt, or just buy the darn thing? The answer seems easy but maybe I just need it spelled out for me.

Michael and I went a reserved the Camp Caro Lodge (in the Dishman Hills Conservation Area) for our handfasting this morning. There is another weight off my shoulders. We have it from 8am to 20:30 (dawn till dusk in other words.) We found out that amplified music is not allowed, which is a problem to the original plan of having music just through a speaker for the reception. I anticipated unexpected things to arise though so I am not as freaked out as I could be.

We could of course find another location for the reception but I do not want to do that, Camp Caro is a beautiful location with lots of space outside and we should be able to think of other things that just dance (ideas? I’m open to them.) Frisbee anyone?

Any music? Live music would probably be more suiting for the medieval theme though. I have sent out some emails to the ritual bearers, some of who are musically inclined, to get there thoughts. Maybe if the Goddess Music Project is enough off the ground by then too… well we will see.

Michael ordered some more invitations this morning too by the way, so if you have not gotten yours yet let me know so I can send you another when we get them. If you have gotten yours though, please RSVP as soon as you can, even if it is just a maybe. I need to start thinking about food and I can not do that till I have an approximate number of people coming.

It’s all good. Now to order some fabric swatches.

I am looking for a cross stitch or needlepoint pattern to embroider on the cuffs and around the neckline (probably v-neck) of Michael’s robes for our handfasting.

I want it to be either ivy, a repeating celtic knotwork border or a repeating spiral design. It can be a cool image you found or drew (large enough for me to see details and relatively simple) or an already complete cross stitch/needlepoint chart. Kim, if you are reading this – you know what I want to do, any ideas?

I have a 12 hour work day tomorrow, I think I will bring the laptop so I can work on some designs. 6 months to design and finish this, that may seem like a long time but in the world of embroidery, yikes! I love it all though.

G’night!

So some of our handfasting ritual bearers are coming over today to discuss the day. The priest and 3 of the elementals are coming, the priestess couldn’t make it – the other elemental lives in Texas. I’m a but nervous, I do feel as prepared as I would like to be. I have lots of ideas for the actual ritual but nothing complete. I think this will be more of a brainstorming session.

When I get nervous I clean and I cook (so our apartment is normally spotless… hehe!) I vinegar washed the floor (I swear deluted vinager works better then commercial floor cleaner), vacuumed, dusted, finished hemming the red winter altar cloth and decked out that portion of the room for the winter season. I found this small solid brass circular tray at Goodwill yesterday, it makes a perfect altar offering tray. I made the silk flower arrangement for the table too. Cat toys are the floor’s decorator feature…

The chicken is in the crock pot – can you believe a free range organic whole chicken was cheaper then the usual kind? I love sales. I made some comfort food chocolate chip cookies (one is on the offering plate – maybe I can entice the calming spirits to come visit…) I still need to make a salad (Michael has gone out to pick up some stuff) though I have made the raspberry vinegarette. I still need to steam the carrots but I don’t want to do that yet. There is still and hour.

Just got a phone call, it seems Lilly (fire elemental) is bringing her son and husband (which I said she could last week but she said they couldn’t come.) I need to get more chairs from the garage and set up the other table… I will need to put the peppers in another bowl beside the salad now (her husband is allergic…)

I need to light some incense… Grounding thoughts…

I had a headache when I went to bed last night and it still was lingering this morning. Not bad enough for me to keep from getting stuff done earlier but in the past 4 hours it has gone from background noise to feeling every single blood pulse in my head. Hidden underneath this is nausea-inducing migraine are coherant thoughts though. Pretend they are here.

Auto pilot on…

You are indeed brave if you make it all the way through this post.

I have this weird thing on my lower eyelid, I remember my dad getting them, maybe he still does. Which reminds me I need to catch up on his blog… Anyhow it is a bump just on the inside of my eyelid, not anything like a zit but more like a canker. It doesn’t hurt but I can feel it rub on my eye so I’m trying not to poke at it. I think my dad put a teabag on his eye when he got one. It has developed in the past few hours though it seems to be getting smaller again. Fun stuff.

Otherwise the day has been fine, Michael and I got our handfasting website tidied up. I think Michael took the gift registry out of beta too. I got that wreath done and started to work on an 18″ winter wreath.

I shut my hand in the register a few minutes ago, not sure how I managed. Shut it in the car door the week before last. My head goes and visits the clouds a little to often lately. My head hurts enough I can see the tube light here in the booth flickering. It is driving me nuts – and it is already only a short distance for me to walk.

I need a haircut or just something more to do with my hair then a pony tail for Saturday. At least we could use a new hairbrush, Michael and my hair collectively had caused our brush to loose about half its tines. Maybe I will straighten Michael’s hair Saturday. It kills me that Michael wants dead straight hair, I would give anything to have mine have some body like his. Mine won’t hold a curl it is so straight. If I blow dry mine from underneath I can pretend like it has volume though, not that we own a blow drier.

I just don’t want to pay for one you know? The haircut I mean. Why does it cost $35 for a woman’s cut and $10 for a guy to cut his hair? Womans’ stuff is all overpriced. I bought a bra for $32 the other week, of course it is Victoria’s Secret so that is really not that surprising. Why VS? Because they have the most comfortable bras ever. Few things are better then having underwear that fits properly. Besides it has this shiny bobble on it. Michael likes it but lets not get into that…

I haven’t coloured my hair in awhile – Michael did it last time. Not a bad job either, red never stays in my hair though it turns to copper within a few weeks, maybe I should go back to black. Or that burgundy with magenta streaks, now that was fun. Not that I can afford a dye job like that right now but it was awesome.

I haven’t had my hair this long since I had that dye job actually and I really have no clue at all what to do with it for Saturday. 99% of the time it is either wrapped in a headkecheif or up in a pony tail. I’ve been growing it out for about 2 years. Once upon a time it was layered so now the lengths range from just bellow my shoulder my shoulder to mid-back. Ideally I want it to have long layers in it again. It is all long enough to easily fit in a ponytail, maybe a short braid if I really fought with it. Maybe I will just leave it down, then it will only be the small battle of keeping it out of my face.

I am going in for my annual on November 10th though I am out of birth control. Perhaps I should walk in to Planned Parenthood to get some more, Michael and I are not disciplined enough to use other methods it seems, though it is unlikely I will get pregnant being off the pill for two weeks. Oh well, whatever happens happens. Michael had this dream about me having twins, one of them was black. Who’s your daddy? Hehe. Though if I have African or West Indies blood and Michael does as well, could we have a dark child? A lot of people dream of me having twins.

[EDIT 10/26/06: Michael and I plan to have children everyone, lets not get in a knot about it. I understand your want to protect me from the "dangers" but I am a married adult woman and fully aware of the possibility of having children. Michael and I can handle it.]

I having been craving yogurt for the past few weeks (from before I went of birth control so not those kind of cravings.) Or cheese, not hard cheese though, soft cheese, fresh mozzeralla with tomato slices drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with fresh chopped basil… Tomatoes are nearly $4 a pound here, what’s up with that? Pomogranates are cheaper then tomatoes.Michael says the price should come down soon though, we are between seasons.

I can relate to that.

Ug, brainsss…

(X-posted everywhere…)

Anyone who is planning on attending Michael and my handfasting Saturday, June 23rd, 2007 must email me their addresses asap. I need to get the invitations sent out. Luckily a lot of you are local and I can give it to you in person.

handfasting [at] gracefulsymmetry [dot] com

Our handfasting is the weekend of Hoopfest so you must reserve a hotel/campsite/couch at a friend’s very soon. The information you need is in the invitations so I have to get these out soon. Michael and I do not have room for all of you and our small apartment is already full and will be crammed with preparations the week before the handfasting. Email me or call me with your snail mail addresses asap!

~~~

People who I need addresses from – if you know anyone eleses address on this list (especially family or people I may have missed – send them too):

Don’t forget to give me your legal name unless I can send a letter to your screen name.

Alex (my brother)
Amara and Steve
Anaknisatanas
Aylathianne
Crystolla and Grimm
Cyrakhis
Dad
Dove
Eleanor (Grandma)
Fayde
Jordon and Ginanne
Justin and Heather
Mom
Neserit
Seraf
Seraphine and Doom
Velen

If anyone feels I am missing someone let me know. If you are seriously able to come and I know you pretty well (but not well enough to ask you obviously…) shoot me an email anyways.

handfasting [at] gracefulsymmetry [dot] com

So Michael wrote this awesome gift registry software for our handfasting website – it needs some kind of catchy name though. I have been adding stuff to it most of the morning – researching a lot of the stuff and going off on tangents too… I love Froogle. I love having a laptop at work too.

I have to resist the near overwhelming urge to put Koosh balls on the registry and set the amount to 103 because knowing my friends, I would get them. And I don’t really care about them. I just love the name. Maybe 666, Koosh balls are the devil.

Koosh koosh k-k-k-koosh. It is as catchy as K-k-katmandoo.

Michael needs a name like that for the gift registry stuff.

I am starting to think about music for the handfasting because lets face it, no matter how much I like Nine Inch Nail’s “Closer”, it is probably not the most appropriate song, especially for a medieval flavored celebration… What would Louis have thought?

He would have wanted a royal Koosh ball that is for sure.

Michael and I want to have some art on the front of our handfasting invitations. Something with a phoenix (him) and a halcyon (me) in it, simple enough for the cover of a invitation card. Digital or traditional.

We don’t have much money (surprise…) so I would like to ask if anyone would like to do this for us, before the end of September. All I have to offer is a trade, of my own art skills. My portfolio is here and I will make you one of whatever you want in return.

Leave me a comment or drop me an email if you are interested. And if you want to pass around this info I would be most grateful. Thank you!

You know what is harder then getting a corset on? Getting a corset on during ones period.

Go me.

Wish I was smiling but hey it is 100 degrees here and I have cramps. Or maybe because of the cat claw marks in my bottom (see previous entry.) But eitherway I love this corset.

Graywolf made me, it is to be part of my handfasting dress.

“Deep red silk dupioni, with red and silver brocade front panel and some decoration on the hips” — and it’s mine, my dragony side feels very gleeful right now.

Click here to see what I am talking about (it will take you to deviantART.)

It is a corset I commissioned from the awesome Greywolf for my handfasting dress. I am so amazed, not that I have ever doubted her skill but it is as if she took the image right from my mind created it perfectly! I can’t wait to try it on.

*Glee*

We can get the site in Dishman Hills for our handfasting though I can’t officially rent any of the park buildings until the new year rolls around. I’ll be standing on the Parks Department doorstep 8am sharp January 2nd, 2007 to nab it.

And I have a new book review up.

Working 12 hours days till Monday, except I have tomorrow of (and the weekend of course.) I have a simple job but 12 hour days are still exhausting… Looking forward to the paycheck though.

We found this beautiful place that would work perfectly for our handfasting yesterday. It is in the Dishman Hills Conservation Area (Camp Caro) and has a nice sized lodge with an enough space and an open loft, a half kitchen, bathrooms, and a first and second story patio. It appears to only be only $150 to rent with a $150 returnable deposit. It has a large round meadow in front of it which would be perfect for having the handfasting outdoors then the reception indoors.

It was locked up when we were there so I need to call and schedule a time when we can see the inside of the building and make sure it still only cost $150 to rent. I really really really hope we can get it and it will work. I snaped a picture of the outside:

Click here for larger image (1024×768).

It doesn’t seem to be a well known park too which is nice. Must keep my fingers crossed.

How have we already ended up with 70 people on the guestlist for our handfasting? Yikes. I am glad most all them are local, we only have a 2 bedroom apartment! I am planning this far in advance and it still feels hectic.

On the very bright side Fayde has accepted my request for her to be one of my bridesmaids, I’m so happy!

Nothing else really to update on, pictures of Michael’s 12th Night mask tomorrow.

Planning for a handfasting is not difficult to plan but finding some of the stuff we want for ours is it seems (but then it is well know I am pretty bad at looking stuff up online.)

All I want to find is a site that sells a plain silver circlet, no moons, no patterns, just plain silver. I found one site but it looks shady to me. Can anyone sugguest a link perhaps a site you have previously used?

Well I started designing how I want GreyWolf to make my corset and it turned into a bit more than that, I have the whole dress design now! Oops. Hehe. Tell me what you think.

Still feel crappy but getting better. Michael got my computer mostly fixed but it keep doing this wierd thing where it reboots in the middle of me doing various things, so I have to do the ps -A f command thinf because even though it reboots all my previous programs are still open. Bleh. Ah well, I am sure Michael will figure out why it is going that and fix it.

So I am running a fever again (started yesterday) and this headache won’t go away. Fortunately I have managed to get some apples to stay down in my stomach. Oh man, work is going to suck today.
Opai I am propably going to finish that commission for your step-father this weekend.

So what am I doing other than wallowing in jasmine tea? I am looking up information on Renaissance weddings. As you all know Michael and I am married (on Decemeber 18th it will be a year!) but we want to have a handfasting eventually too so we can invite friends and family. Orginally when we first started speaking of a handfasting we wanted it in the summer of 2006 but I think it might be better to aim for 2007, which gives us more time to save and such.

For those who do not know what a handfasting is, it is a Pagan wedding. Some people have told me it is only a Wiccan thing but its orgins are actually in the celtic culture. It is called a handfasting because the couple to be wed hands are tied together with a red cord (red symbolises the desire, passion and vitality of the love the couple have for each other.) There is really not set in stone way to do a handfasting but it is a Pagan ritual so everyone who is invited no matter what faith they are will be required to keep and open mind. It would be more Pagan then medieval but I would like it to have a medieval flare.

But I am not worried about a guestlist yet, by any means, we haven’t even set a date! But I am typing this entry to distract myself from my headache and to write down all the stuff I have been meaning to talk to Michael about and never am gathered enough to do…

I don’t expect you all to read this so don’t worry, it is more of notes to self than anything else.

Traditionally Michael would need a suit, but if it was going to be a full out Pagan/Renaissance type wedding, a tunic and robes would be called for. Which I can imagine my sweetie in a lot better than I can imagine him in a suit and tie. I wonder if I could get him into a kilt… Rwar.

Since it is a handfasting it would need an altar. I think simple is best for things like this and by the time we get around to having a handfasting we will probably have a lot of things needed for an altar. Something to represent the five elements and fourcardinal directions.

Earth (also the North) which represents the physical realm as well as good health, a happy home and fertility. Now traditionally there is a pentacle or dish of salt but I am not too partial to the pentacle, but I think a dish of sea salt would be simple and nice. I have heard of a loaf of bread being used, which would be interesting.

Air (also the East)which represents the mental realm as well as wisdom, good communication, learning and intellectual growth. Incense is what I have on our apartment altar but this would be an outside event and I also know a significant amount of my family have allergies to incense (like my Grandma) so I think a bell would be more fitting. A brass bell perhaps.

Fire (also the South) which represents the action realm as well as creativity, harmony, sensuality and vitality. Candles, mmmmmmmmmmmm. Though it will be in the daytime and I intend on having a candle for something else. But a wand or athame (ceremonial dagger) could be used. Sir Crispii (a blacksmith) might be making me a dagger and I would love love love to use that.

Water (also the West) which represents the emotional realm as well as understanding, emotional support, intuition and friendship. Definetly and chalice for this part. Silver in colour with water. Natural water, not tap or bottled.

Spirit (which is the center of all – ie: the center of the altar) which represents the spiritual realm as well as balance, wholeness, integrity and spiritual growth. This is normally some spiritual potent object, oil, a crystal, a goddess or god statue. On our altar we have a white pilar candle with stones around the bottom. I would like something similar for our handfasting.

So that is the altar. It would all be outside, I am unsure on the time of day, but we would want the handfasting to be a cool time of year. I like Autumn but I know Michael likes early Summer, which is also not as unpredicatable as Autumn in Spokane. I think about it the vibrant greens of that time would be awesome too.

I have a bit of an odd view when it comes to Michael and my handfasting. I am an artist but I don’t want to have to make any of the things for it all by myself. I’ll help of course! Help make the cake, the food, arrange the bouquet, the dress. But some things I would like other people to do.
– I would love Swandog to do the art that would be on the cover of the invitation card.
– Maybe commission FireEyes to make the caketopers, though she does not do humans with proficiency yet, I know she is fast improving.
– I would love Crispii to make the athame for the altar.
– I would make Michael’s robes though because those will be done far before the handfasting and serve more purposes then just that event, as mine do.
– The dress is a bit more complicated. I would love Kim, my mother-in-law (who is amazing) to make it for me. Design wise I can think of 2 patterns I have seen to combine to make the dress. It would have a burgany skirt and a cream coloured peasant blouse top. Simple enough, but I also want to commission GreyWolf to make a burgany and silver corset for me. Why a custom corset? Well I can design exactly how I want her to make it and a custom corset (any corset wearer will know) is far less damaging then an off the shelf corset. I have also seen her work, which is stunning. And she is a wonderful person (like Swandog and FireEyes) and I want wonderful peoples energy in all the items made for the handfasting. Of course this means the corset would most likely it would be the most expensive thing in the entire event, still cheaper then normal bigger names though, her prices starting at about $240. But I would be paying for that out of my own money anyhow. My robes over the dress for the ceramony.

Seating, I am guessing chairs and tables would have to be rented. Location? No clue. Somewhere natural but not too far off the beaten path. It would need a bathroom and such. I love the area around where my parents in law live.

I know I said I am not worried about the guestlist but there are some people I would definetly invite. My parents, my grandparents, some select extended family, Michael’s immediate and anyone on his side of the family he chooses to invite. Though neither of our families are Pagan (his are Mormon and mine are Protestant) I know they would know to be sensible about Michael and my beliefs. Friends wise, well I want to keep it smallish, of course I want to know everyone, I don’t want any serious personality clashes either. Lily and Mikcos (and their son) for sure. Petersan, Crispii, Sal and which ever of his wives he wishes to bring, Dove, Maritza and her girlfriend (Melissa?), Cyr, Opai, Becca, Neserit and her Michael, Becka and all the people I am forgetting due to my headache. Various people from Adria I am sure.

Food. Oh man, I don’t want to think about that right now. No clue, don’t ask me. I am sure I would be asking my Grandma and Mom for help, lotsa help.

Bouquet, seasonal flowers most likely. I like wild flower arrangements *looks around for Ginanne because she heard she is good at that*. I would want flowers that would represent my closest friends and family.

Music, anothing yikes! No clue but I am intending on leaving that in the capable hands of my husband. I wonder if anyone plays the piano I know.

Bridesmaids and well whatever the guys on the otherside are called. Obviously I am leaving the male choices to Michael. But on my side… Opai (if she can come), Nes (if she can come), Becca and Lily. that is of course subject to change as I know more people and the time draws nearer. And I will pick FUCTIONAL inexpensive bridesmaid dresses.

Brain is dieing now. If you are still reading this and can think of a subject I missed post a comment reminding me of it please. ~_^.

Peace and love.