My sister (who is my Maid of Honour), my best friend (who is my bridesmaid), my mom (who is awesome) and a good friend (who never got to dress shop for her own wedding) are all coming along to assist!

The shop we’re going to is by appointment only, and we’ve booked the package which includes a bottle of of champagne, some cheese, crackers and 5 dresses to try on, and afterwards we’re having a braai at my place to continue on the festivities. The guys are going to hang out at our place while we go off and do the dress thing.

Its the first real weddingy thing I’ve done thus far, except view some venues. Oh, speaking of venues, we’ve booked ours! We chose a lovely winery which is so picturesque and perfect! We also booked our honeymoon suite which is 4 star accomodation and includes a Honeymoon turndown service with champagne, chocolates, cheese, and biscuits as well as breakfast the next morning as well as a complimentary wine tasting and cellar tour! So much awesomeness!

I’ve had a bit of trouble with my rats recently, Iso has a growth/lump on the side of her face. So I took her to the vet, got a week’s dose of Baytril and Prednisone and went home. The meds helped a little but she’s still got the lump, so I took her in the following Saturday and then again on Monday for a biopsy.

She came home with stitches on her cheek, poor thing, and I’ll get the biopsy results hopefully by Friday. If its a tumour, at least I’ll know. Anyway, so yesterday morning I had them out on the bed and next thing I look, there’s Macro grooming out all Iso’s stitches! GRR! So now the wound is open, bar one stitch, so I took her through to the lounge to glue it shut with superglue! (the vet does this all the time) It worked and I then decided to keep them separate until the wound is healed, which I should have done in the first place, but didnt because I felt bad that they were both alone in their respective cages.

Ok so next weekend is also a first for me! My first photoshoot! I won an engagement photoshoot from Hearts in a Shutter and we’ve booked for the following weekend! As you know, I’m normally always the one behind the camera, so this is rather daunting for me. I have no idea what to wear, but I’m sure I’ll figure something out (I’d buy something new but the vet bill set me back R800 this month and still R371 to go!). We chose a nice earthy theme and picked a forest to do the shoot in, so I’m looking very forward to it, in amongst the nerves haha.

And then the following weekend after that one, we’re meeting with our wedding photographer to sign on the dotted line! She is an amazing photographer and I’m so lucky to be able to secure her for our wedding! I always knew the photography was going to be the toughest decision for me because I’m a photographer, but she made it so simple!

And that, my dear readers, are my next few weeks in a nutshell….

I found this on someone’s blog I stumbled upon by chance, and well I love surveys haha so here we go (please copy and redo this into your own blog, and link back to mine so I can read yours!):

How long have you been together: 8 years on the 12 Oct 2011

How old is he? He turned 31 at the beginning of this year

Who said I love you first? Probably me…though I’m not sure…perhaps it was him?

Who eats more? Me. No contest! I can polish off pasta and sushi like there is no tomorrow! He eats like a bird!

Who is taller? Definately him, by a head! I love that he can put his chin on my head hehe

Whose temper is worse? Uhhh, me! I like to shout and stomp, he likes to avoid.

Who does the laundry? Both of us, but if I’m really honest, its 60-40 in his favour.

Who sings better? Me! He doesnt like his singing, but when he does its such a rare occasion I always quieten up to listen. He usually sings when he thinks no one is listening.

Who is smarter? I’d say he’s smarter, but I’m more savvy.

Who does the dishes? The dishwasher. Lol, its 50-50 as one unpacks and the over packs the dishwasher.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? If you’re looking at the bed, then me. If you’re lying on the bed, then him haha.

Who pays the bills? Mostly him, but I do my part equally where possible.

Who mows the lawn? My mom haha! She mows her lawn beautifully, and the guys who mow our lawn (we’re in an apartment block) mow it down to the roots, which is so hard to get growing, so they’ve been instructed to leave it alone now!

Who cooks dinner? This one is 60-40 in my favour haha but out of who buys dinner when we eat out, its him all the way.

Who drives when you are together? Depends on who’s car we’re in. My car, I drive. His car, he drives. We take his comfy bmw most often though

Who is more stubborn? Hmm….hard to say. In most aspects, its me…but then in other aspects, its him. Nope, I think its 50-50 here.

Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Me…cos I hate fighting. But he’s not one to not admit when he’s wrong, if that makes sense.

Whose parents do you see the most? Definately mine. His are in another city.

Who has more friends? Probably me, but they’ve become our friends. He’s rather introverted and prefers online gaming and close friends, rather than myself who has a few close friends, but I love chatting and making new ones.

Who has more siblings? We’re even, as far as I know. We both have an older sister.

Was it love at first sight? No! Haha. I actually have to admit I had a boyfriend when I met him, so I wasnt looking for a new relationship, and when he met me, his friend was the one who was into me, though I cant fathom why, as I was working at Spur in a spur t-shirt, looking all exhausted as usual by that time of the night.

Its not official, of course, since no money has been paid (still early days) but I’m definately certain this makes the top 3, if not the Top itself: I’ve found my baker!

Only, they dont know it yet.

Confused? Ok, let me help. It was the Boss’s birthday today, so as per our awesome company custom, we get cake. Well, usually its cupcakes. But because it’s the Boss’s birthday, we get cake. Decadent cake.

It arrived on the plate. I’d heard rumours of this “yummy cake” we get on “The Boss’s Birthday”. I was, as most sweet-lovers are, skeptical of this Yummy Cake. It couldnt be that delicious, could it? I mean, I’d had Spar’s Chocolate Mousse Cake, which even people in surrounding suburbs know of. And I’ve had Mugg & Bean’s Chocolate Mousse cake, which is also darn mouthwateringly good. So how yummy could this Yummy Cake be?

It arrived on a tray. I saw it from afar. When it was placed on my desk, alongside a smaller pastry, I marvelled at its rich, dark colouring, the edible gold dust glittering in the florescent lighting. I took up the plastic spoon and slowly pressed it into the cake. It was spongy. I good sign (probably meant it was fresh). I scooped up a chunk and tasted it.

If you’ve seen Ratatouille then you’ll remember the scene where the food dances in his mind (or mouth) in a swirl of colours. This is how this cake was for me. It was rich (but not too rich…I know this because most chocolate things make my teeth ache for the fillings they need), it was spongy, it wasnt dry, and it had layers of chocolate fudge in between the sponge. Not just one thin layer, but two layers! And the icing was thick on top (I heavily dislike skimping on icing!). It was Heaven.

And then it hit me: I love this cake! I almost felt like I was in the shop having a tasting. This was perfect! I quickly phoned one of our management team and found out where they bought it from.

Hmmm Taste and Flavours.

To me, there’s nothing hmmm about it. Its more like Ahhhh Taste and Flavours. But nontheless, these guys will make my wedding cake. How awesome that they do Cheesecake too! I heart cheesecake!

Call me silly, but I just had to phone my fiance (who works with me in a different dept and yell excitedly, “Have you tried this cake! This is our wedding cake!!!”) and then my mother to tell her about my first Wedding Decision. Such a small thing caused me much glee because its at least one thing semi-crossed off my list of things to organise. Yay!

Gizmo

So, I’m feeling rather excited today – I’ve been working on my business cards! As I might or might not have mentioned, I offer a photography service: Weddings, and now Pets.

Pet photography has always been a great love of mine, and what better way to spend a day, than gamboling with various pets! I simply love capturing them in their element, capturing the quizzical expressions, and seeing the look of the owner when he/she views the images. I simply love it! So, I’ve decided to focus more on promoting myself in this regard, and have finally stepped up to the plate to design a business card! About bloody time, if I do say so myself! I do get people asking me for cards when I tell them about my small passion, so the time is right!

Now, as I said, I also do wedding photography. This is a rather difficult area to break into, as although the market is saturated with “wedding photographers” (I use quotation marks because these days, anyone with a camera is a wedding photographer), its difficult to actually get people to book you. Without people booking you, you dont have a portfolio, and without a portfolio, people dont want to book you. Its a catch-22 situation. Sigh. But, nevertheless, I will prevail!

I am designing two main business cards, one for wedding clients, and one for pet clients. Its simply not possible for me to put all my details on one card, and appeal to both brides and pet owners, without compromising one or the other. Although, and this only came to me right now, I could have each “card” on each side. Wedding on one side, pets on the other…hmmm……

But for now, I’ve designed a pet card I’m proud of! Every time I look at it, I smile and feel happy and confident. And best of all, its got my Gizmo on the card (see photo above)! She’s so gorgeous! Will post examples of them when I’ve had them printed!

Still need to blog about a carriage ride I had on Sunday (was fantastic!) and post a photo of my bonsai haha its still alive – yay!

Title chosen from CSI’s theme song, “Baba O’Riley”, performed by The Who, from the album Who’s Next.