The single post (for Jerry)

There's been so much going on lately, and so much going on inside my brain.

• There was the annual Taylor/Knapp boy's camping trip to the family cabin over Memorial Day. A nice getaway involving drinking, grilling, poker and other card games....all in a picturesque setting with a pack of rowdies.
• In June, I travelled to Buffalo, WY to do a diversity presentation for a teacher's conference. It was for a group of career and technical instructors, including family/consumer sciences, business, health sciences/nursing, and shop. A strange group, but it went well, and is proof that there's still good work going on and we're making a difference...slowly but surely!
• Later in June we got to head to Denver for Pride. It was great to see most everyone again, and we needed the break in a big way. There were plenty of scantily clad beefcakes running around, and we sipped a cocktail or two while occasionally pausing to admire the scenery.
• July 4th means Freedom Has a Birthday, Laramie's hometown celebration. There's music, food, and vendors in the park, which is packed with people and puppies. Dexter went with us and did pretty well considering the chaos and crowds. Troy and Maggie were once again the base of operations and we couldn't have asked for better hosts!
• July 10th we had to get ready for the Jubilee Days parade. Since Jesse's running for coroner, we borrowed the O'Malleys Mustang convertible, printed some signs, and imposed on our friends to help pass out 60 pounds of candy. (We're still eating candy, by the way...) We no sooner took the car back and headed to Douglas for the Knapp family reunion. It was great to see so many of the family again, especially those who can't make it back for our wedding.
• Work hasn't been as slow as I'd like; our office was involved with a number of summer programs bringing in students from a partner school back east. It meant an usual amount of work I don't normally do: reserving rooms in dorms, arranging meal plans, etc. We also had lunches, brunches, and dinners to plan, arrange, and/or attend. Paperwork didn't end, and working in an office that's 85 degrees at 7:30am isn't always a joy.
• And then, of course, there's the wedding!

For the last year or so, I've been working to plan, organize, and strap together a fabulous yet affordable wedding. So here were are about 4 days before the big event. The garage has been exorcised, the defunct hot tub cut out and replaced with decking, the yard weeded and planted, the house scrubbed and buffed, and everything else has been dusted,vacuumed, polished, wiped, or otherwise spiffed up. I did the invitations, the website, the programs, and all the fun paperwork type stuff. I don't know where'd we'd be if Jesse's mom hadn't volunteered to take care of the reception food and decorations!

To say that I've been busy and stressed would be a gross understatement. I've been so lucky to have a host of friends remind me that all will be well, that only the "I do" part really matters, and that we don't have to do everything alone. So many of our friends are helping out with photos, video, music, webcasting, flowers, cakes...we're humbled and amazed at the family we've created here. It means so much that so many are coming to be with us, and we can't wait to see the smiling faces we've missed for weeks or years...

Everyone asks if I'm nervous yet. I am, but not about marrying Jesse. That's the one thing I'm not stressing over. It's the details and planning and "what if's..." I've been in enough weddings to know that things WILL go wrong...and they have. I know that we will reach a point where something with either happen or it won't; the big stuff is all pretty much nailed down, so the rest is just details. Truth be told, we'll be so glad when this whole hooplah is behind us, and we can get back to normality... We're looking forward to the party, but also a week on a cruise ship without any contact with "back home." Bring on the sun, sand, and cocktails!

I don't know that I expect to feel any different after the wedding is all over, but I know that I can't wait to live out this day we've spent so much time planning. It won't be perfect, of course, but it will be perfectly us. And I will be the luckiest man around...I know, it's cliche, but it's what's racing through my mind now. So for now, I'll sign off so that I can finish the list of wedding photos. That's about all that's left other than setting my out of office message and forwarding the phone. Two weeks to focus on my life without worrying about work...how lucky can a girl get?