Getting down to business.

The summer is flying by and my wedding is quickly approaching. I feel as though I've barely gotten anything nailed down due to both financial issues and being so "on the go". I recently finished one internship and will be moving on to my next come Monday (after some good old fashioned 4th of July fun!). In between, I came back home for 3 weeks to pick up some shifts at work and replenish my bank account since, well, internships are basically slavery (see video below).



So what does this all have to do with my wedding? Well, my second internship is in my wedding host city: Savannah! I will be working with a news station there for the rest of the summer. And while I'm there, I plan to get down to business. Wedding business, that is!

It has been incredibly hard planning a wedding 4 hours away from the city it is in. I don't know how people plan true destination weddings across the country or even in a different country all together. I've only been to Savannah twice since becoming engaged and I didn't get much done in those short visits. I booked my reception venue site unseen and my FSIL (who thankfully lives in Savannah and is letting me stay with her for free) had to book my ceremony site for me (at least I got to use her local discount, woot!).

I want to maximize my time spent in my wedding city, so I've made a list of to-dos MUST-DOs while I'm there. The plan is that by the time I start my last semester of classes (finally!), I will have very few things left to do with the wedding, so I can focus more on school, Mr. Lab, and pre-wedding festivities (bachelorette party!!!).

Miss Lab's Savannah Wedding Must-Do List:

• Finalize the rehearsal dinner on the riverboat
• Hire mandatory security guards for our ceremony & reception sites
• Find a good rentals company for the ceremony seating
• Book our guest transportation: a trolley!
• Tasting with our caterer to finalize the menu
• Find a baker for the cakes
• Find a DOC
• Decide whether to have a DJ or not, and if so, find one
• Find a makeup artist & hair stylist and do trials
• Reserve a block of hotel rooms for the guests
• Find a place for the guys to rent suits
• Scout out places for the "after party"

And of course, while I still have a bit of summer "free time", I will begin/finish work on my DIY projects like the centerpieces, doggie table numbers, photo slideshow, and bouquets.

Whew, that's a lot to do in 6 weeks! Hopefully I'm not missing anything crucial to take care of while I'm in Savannah.

Mother's Day...and FMIL's Summer???

Mr. Lab and I went back to his hometown this weekend to celebrate Mother’s Day with his family. I called up my mom to see if she’d like to join us for dinner (my treat!). So she and my younger brother made the 40 min. trek over to FMIL’s house. This was a good thing for 3 reasons: 1. I got to see my mom & brother 2. We could discuss wedding stuff with both mothers present and 3. I didn’t have to go back to my hometown and face possible family drama with my sisters. Win-win-win!

Me & Mama Lab eating at a Mexican restaurant for Mother’s Day 2009! I'm guessing my hair was all messed up because I downed an entire pitcher of strawberry daiquiri almost all by myself?

But I bet you’re wondering what the title of this post is all about. Well, starting next week, I will be spending a little over a month with my FMIL. I landed an internship at a news station in the town she lives in, and rather than find a place to live, she offered to let me stay in Mr. Lab’s bedroom for free. I’m truly grateful because I would not have been able to afford to pay rent back home and an extra rent during the internship. I will be working about 5-8 hours a day at the station and am not sure if I’ll be able to find a job for the month I’m there. Thankfully, my financial aid will take care of essentials like food and gas and rent back home, but that’s all I’ll have for the summer, so money will be very tight.

FSIL, FMIL, and I in St. Petersburg a few years ago.

Luckily, FMIL Lab is like a second mother to me. She and I have always gotten along and call each other periodically to talk and catch up. She lives alone with only her Cocker Spaniel, Tobey, so I know she’ll enjoy the company of a human, haha. Plus, we’ll get to do some serious wedding planning while I’m there!

Me & FSIL in Savannah during one of my wedding planning trips.

After I finish the internship in FMIL’s town, I’ll be off to Savannah for another internship at a station there. I’ll be staying with FSIL and her hubby! I’m so glad that we all get along so well because I will be getting to know them A LOT this summer. FSIL and I have bickered a couple of times in the past, but we both talk it out and are back to normal in less than a day (we have a healthier relationship than my real sisters and I). The best part is that I’ll be living in my wedding city for a month, so I won’t have to worry about traveling the 4 hours to get some essential items on my checklist taken care of!

The only bad part about the internships (other than not making any money) will be being apart from Mr. Lab for over 2 months. We’ve already discussed trips to see each other, but it’s going to be really rough, especially since we’re getting married soon after the summer’s over. I guess we’ll see if that old adage “absences makes the heart grow fonder” is really true, huh?

Could anyone else spend an entire summer with their in-laws without going stark-raving mad?