Last night, I woke up at 1 a.m, 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. in a panic. Why, you ask? Because it seems my wedding is just two short months from today.

Let’s take a look at my to-do list, shall we?

• Stuff and mail invites (thanks to the lovely, lovely Gorillabuns for addressing  them for me)
• Buy poofy thing for under my dress (what did we decide this was called?)
• Make final cake design decision
• Decide on what to do for a guest book. Ideas? (don’t suggest an actual guest  book or I will kick you)
• Decide on a clever way to let guests know where they’re sitting
• Find bridesmaids gifts
• Find bridesmaids shoes
• Buy underthings
• Find earrings to match this bracelet
• Decide on what I want my hair to look like
• Buy Bill’s gift (this is picked out, I just need to pull the trigger on it)
• Find flower girl baskets (why are these all so damn tacky?)
• Talk the older flower girl, my niece Angelina, out of a RED DRESS. If you’ve met her, you’ll know that this will be very, very difficult
• Figure out decorations/flowers for ten tall cocktail tables upstairs at my venue. Also, figure out what the head table is going to look like

THIS IS EXHAUSTING. Any tips or ideas for me? Also, hop on over to my review blog to let me know how you stay rested during the busy summer months for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card.

It’s the first day of summer and guess what I’m wearing? If you guessed long pants, a cardigan and closed toe shoes, you’re right! It’s hard not to have the summer blahs when it’s cloudy and rainy where you live. Head on over to my review page and tell me how you keep a positive attitude in the summer for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card.

Some time ago, a catalog arrived from Portland Parks and Recreation with summer class listings. I noticed a section for the park near our house and found that they offered a Ballroom Basics class for adults. I showed Bill as we’d talked about taking a dance class  or two before the wedding and we decided to sign up. I mailed off our registration form and a check and that was that.

Last night, we were sitting at the newly remodeled and fabulous Produce Row Cafe enjoying our second beer when Bill said, “Isn’t our first dance class tonight?”  Um, oops. We paid, rushed home and walked over to the park.

I fully expected our teacher to be a male who looked just like Johnny Castle, but I would have also accepted a female teacher who looked like Penny Johnson. I also fully expected the dance studio to look exactly like the studio that Johnny and Baby danced in, with a long flight of concrete steps leading up to it. But, all of my hopes were dashed because our dance class was held in a Swiss Chalet looking building with a older woman with black hair as our instructor.

The instructor, Joan, had to come over not once, but twice to correct our dancing (I need to try and let Bill lead and he needs to try and avoid my toes), but other than that the class was pretty fun. At the end, Joan asked, “Do you have any questions.” And, it took all everything I had not to ask, “When do we learn the lift?” and “When do we get our fancy silver dancing shoes.”

Anyway, there’s 7 more weeks of this. Hopefully we’ll learn something and have something fabulous to show our wedding guests. And, next week, I might just show up in fancy dancing shoes and a skirt that twirls.

P.S. Head on over to my review page and learn about how I stay hydrated and relaxed during the summer months and enter to win a $100 Visa Gift Card! (there’s a chance to win on each post!)