winter wonderland.

i've been in boston, massachusetts the past few days with one of my girlfriends. we flew in on the 16th (praise the Lord - after missing our flight, we were able to catch the very next one out) and we're headed back home on the 22nd. we've been staying with my sister & her hub at their place in brookline.

this trip was spurred on by a series of not-so random events. i think it was a combo of

• missing hang-out time with my best girls
• the wedding bamboozle paloozle madness
  
• feeling the travel bug
• the sib living in a place that actually gets wintery (that's right. coats & boots required!)
  
• a 5-minute brain fart and a spur-of-the-moment email to diane

this trip was a "one-last hurrah" type of deal, definitely a great attempt to get my mind off of wedding planning & just have fun. the only down-side was having to leave my hubby-to-be behind in sunny san diego (i miss me my tim!)

so far, the trip's been a blast =) i've even been enjoying the frigid weather & the snow storm that hit today! (supposedly the biggest snow storm since '03! oh me oh my....pray that diane and i will be able to fly back home per schedule!....btw, something new i learned on this trip: it actually gets WARMER when it snows. the part that people dread is the slush and ice that form afterwards).

a few things we've done & plan to do:

• experience snow in boston (check)
• go ice skating (check)
• tour some universities (check)
• hang out with terence and stephan (check)
• museum of science (for the harry potter exhibit!! - pending)
• go to little italy and eat a cannoli (pending)
• go to newbury (check)
• go christmas shopping at prudential (check)
• quality time with the fam (check)
• watch avatar....?? (check)
• dance party like good ol' times with the roomie (check)
• walk through boston common (check)

i appreciate that getting out of san diego helps me clear my heart of all the white noise. being in an unfamiliar place makes it easier to look at life back at home through a quasi-objective lens.

and so, the amazing revelation i've had here in brookline, mass. is this: scootch aside all the wedding planning for now, to the back of the closet in my mind. i will be wed to timothy yu in 48 days and counting. does every bride-to-be experience this? i've done makeup for around 10-12 weddings now. every bride says something different: "it hasn't hit me yet. it'll hit when i walk down the aisle." other brides have ants in their pants one month out. some brides cry once they slip on their dress. others have radiantly large smiles on their faces. some are delirious. some are chilled out, rain or shine. others are anxious + are checking after details until the last moment. unfortunately, its looking like i'm a one-month-outer.

am i ready for this? what will day-to-day life feel like? how long will God keep us in San Diego? will our friendships change once we get married? when does this all start feeling real?

well anywho, at the end of it all, i am wonderfully, superly looking forward to it all. am i being a broken record? oopsies..well, i hope you at least enjoyed the pictures!