Recently, I've been slightly stressed about many things. Some of it was writing and some not. I basically let things get to me to the point that I wasn't quite as cool-headed as I would be normally. Things like planning for my wedding, a long trip to the States, etc. all just added up. I'm already going over what needs to be done for the ceremony and the banquet (and thinking about the budget too!) and what to do about our hamsters while we're gone, etc. Oh and let's not forget my wondering what directions I want to take with my WIPs, my family pressure (it's the wedding; my mom's already demanding to know when she can expect her first grandchild), several people insisting on XYZ for my wedding, etc.

Hero Material and May basically kept me sane during the insane time. Jill also helped me see that I'm not alone and that I just need to take a deep breath and communicate. My uber-agent of course was absolutely delightful (and helpful!), and I felt 100% better about everything after speaking with her.

So I want to thank you all for your support and kindness! :wub:

Took some time off late this afternoon to select the wedding gown and banquet dress for my upcoming wedding. I can't believe this, but it took me two hours. Thankfully the staff at the rental store was very nice and didn't mind working with my less than perfect Japanese. K-san was uber-helpful, and I was able to choose accessories, etc. to go with my dresses.

May got to see the pictures, and she really likes the wedding gown, although the banquet dress seems “meh” to her. I had a choice between a frou-frou red dress and a less frou-frou spaghetti strap white/sky-blue one, and chose the latter. I really can't do frou-frou well. I may if the rental shop allows me to revisit the banquet dress issue. Hmm.

Oh, and since May said I look “tiny, slender and pretty” in the pictures despite the fact that I only had powder and pale pink lipstick on my face, she's now officially my favorite person.

BTW — in case anyone's wondering why I'm not just buying a wedding gown — it costs over $1k to rent one in Japan. Now figure out how much it's going to cost to buy one.

I'm one year older now.

Received very nice notes from some of my friends & Mom called this morning. And of course, we discussed my wedding. I have the date, but I have yet to make the guest list or select the music, menu, dresses, etc. Since Hero Material and I are going to the States this summer for a couple of months, everything must be done before we leave so that at least the invitations can be sent out late May or early June.

I spent the most of the day revising and reading. Unfortunately no celebration today since I'm not feeling very well, but maybe Hero Material and I will go out this weekend or early next week. :)

Speaking of which…I just realized that I didn't get any cake…! Ack…!

*suddenly craving Mario's Dessert…*

No, not my books.

My hamster babies.

Buttercup delivered six babies several weeks ago. As adorable as they are, Hero Material and I just could not keep them. Four hamsters are more than enough for us to handle.

So on Thursday, we took them to the local pet store where we bought Shiro and Kuro and gave them to the exotic pet lady.

Let's just say that I was highly depressed about that. I really adored the babies and spoiled them as much as I could while they were with us.

Today we stopped by the pet store to check up on them. Fortunately, they had their own aquariums with their own water, toys, etc. They looked very small and happy inside.

Hope they find a new home soon. :wub:

P.S. Here's the picture of one of the babies we had to give away.

I've been feeling very blah about my own writing. Of course it's expected since I haven't read anything in over four weeks. So I went on a reading binge. Since Thursday, I read:

• No Rest for the Wicked by Kresley Cole
• Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews
• Midnight Rising by Lara Adrian
• Veil of Midnight by Lara Adrian
• Demon's Fire by Emma Holly

I also watched 32 episodes of Hamtaro in original Japanese (no English subtitle). I can now sing the entire opening song in Japanese and picked up several new words.

Currently I'm reading Small Favor by Jim Butcher.

So what did I get at the end of reading & Hamtaro marathon?

I'm more or less happy with the first five chapters (about 100 pages) from my WIP. They went to my 1st beta reader. (No, May, you didn't lose them in your spam folder.) Am working on the next five chapters, and I'm very happy with where things are going. I also subscribed to AutoCrit. Will post more on what I think about that online editing software later. :)

Happy Friday the 13th!

Last night I spoke with a friend of mine in the States. I haven't talked to her in … forever, it seems. I wanted to tell her about the wedding over the phone and invite her. Other than my family, she's the only one from the States who I'd love to have at my wedding. Given the horrid economy in the States I'm not sure if she can come, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

And speaking of weddings — I had no idea how time consuming and expensive it is to have one in the first place. I've been to three wedding venues, and you can't do a banquet for less than $150 / person. It's uber-fancy 4 to 5 course French or French-Japanese fusion cuisine, but holy cow. (BTW — since this is Japan you get like two bites or so per course.) Of course you also have to pay for the thank-you-for-coming-to-my-wedding presents. Per one of my Japanese friends, you need to prepare three presents totaling $70-100 per person.

Mom is determined to buy ridiculously expensive and 100% impractical gifts for Hero Material's family. I told her it was completely unnecessary, and that it'd only make them uncomfortable. Mom of course insisted that's how you do things back home (meaning her native country), and I had to remind her that the wedding is in Japan, and Hero Material's family is 100% American. Hero Material is flabbergasted since he doesn't think it's necessary, so I'm going to have to contact her again and tell her to hold off on the gift buying spree.

I think the real reason for Mom wanting to give presents to everyone, including yours truly, is because she wants something back in return. The first thing she told me after I announced my engagement was:

Hero Material loves kids. I'm sure he wants two children. Preferably as soon as possible. You know, you guys aren't getting any younger.

BTW — do you have any tips for wedding planning and dealing with an overzealous (and overly excited) mother?