Ceremony and HoneyCamping

Needless to say, readers, many things have happened since the last blog. I got "committed" to my AF, now AP (Amazing Partner), and we went camping to celebrate. Last Friday, we went to City Hall in our fair city and filled out our forms, spoke with the judge, took pictures before, during, and after the ceremony, put Mom on speaker phone for the during part and took many, many pictures of the whole thing. Then I fell down. This was after everything was all done and Molly and I were heading to the car. My right shoe slipped out from under me and I totally ate shit in the middle of the street. I really scraped up my knee (it was bleeding A LOT). And yes, we still went camping and YES, it still really hurts.
Anyway, I arrived back to my work to get cleaned up and get the car to go go back home to start getting all our stuff together for camping. AP had already made the list and was gathering things when I got home. So we did all the packing stuff, loaded up the car and went to Safeway to get the last minute items we needed for the trip. Then we decided that since we sort of got a late start, we decided that we didn't want to eat in the dark, so we went to Carl's Junior. THEN...We were finally on our way!
An hour and 10 minutes later we were at the campsite, only to discover that I had accidentally booked the handicapped campsite. We almost got in trouble with the rangers but it was decided that it was just a legitimate mistake and they let us stay (also there were no other sites to move us to.) Also, I don't know if you know this, but alcohol is strictly prohibited at the Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. We had brought some champagne (we just got married), and had just opened it when the ranger drives up to talk to us about being in the handicapped space. She told us that the penalty for alcohol in the park is usually ejection from the park with no refund. She made me pour it out. :( I told her that we wouldn't have brought it in, but we just got married in San Francisco about 7 hours ago and we were celebrating. Then I showed her my ring and she said she was sorry for ruining our special night. Thank god she was a lesbian too! So she hugged me and said she'd let it slide and reminded us that, "there are OTHER things do do on a wedding night besides have champagne." That's a direct quote! Again, thank god for lezzie park rangers!
So that was Friday. On Saturday, we let nature wake us up and then we got ready to go to brunch in Downtown Santa Cruz. Specifically to Zachary's, a great restaurant that is special to us as a couple. So we ate, then we went to a couple of little shops and then we went to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. It's an amusement park on the shore (the last of it's kind in California) that has rides and an arcade and shops and restaurants. It's really big and just as fun. It's free to get in, but if you want to ride rides, you have to buy tickets. We didn't ride anything, but we played arcade games. AP is awesome and she hit the jackpot on the of the games and 250 TICKETS START FLYING OUT OF THE MACHINE!! It's was so cool!! We bought shot glasses with the tickets, did the 4-in-1 photo booth (really cute pictures), and got some saltwater taffy. After a little while longer, we decided to go back to the campsite and have sandwiches and relax before dinner. We ended up napping until 7:45 p.m. Then we built a fire and made S'Mores (my favorite quintessential camping food). Then we watched a movie and went to bed again.
Now Sunday. We wanted to get an early start back to the city so we could unpack and get things put away so we could wind down from all the weekend excitement, so we got up at 7. We took down everything, reloaded the car and headed to the Ugly Mug, a lesbian coffee shop in downtown Santa Cruz. The we went to New Brighton State Beach. It was only about 9 am by this time so we took some pictures of ourselves and hung out on a big log on the beach and talked. It was a really beautiful morning. The we were on our way back to the city. We got home, unpacked and put everything away and showered, and went to wash and vacuum out Beth's car. When you camp, leaves and crap get in the trunk and the floor boards. So we went the wash it yourself place and cleaned it and vacuumed and made it look really nice. And then we rented PS2 games. Then we went home and played them.
I know what you're thinking: Wasn't it Gay Pride Weekend? Yes it was, and no we did nothing Pride-related, except get married. We did other gay things too (camping is pretty gay, right?) Kidding, straight chicks camp too. We didn't do anything for pride because in San Francisco, by the time you do all the events and parades and the booths and deal with the million + people that are there, downtown, celebrating their pride also a couple of times, you realize that you want to make your own plans. All that stuff is really great for the community and all, but it can get tiresome. San Francisco is a really lively city and we do gay stuff all year, not just this one specific weekend, so that's that. So, that was our weekend! I look forward to your comments.

More Bad Stuff (But It's OK Now)

There has been much drama in the Land of Mer over the past few days, so I'll recap. My Ceremony witness, Beth, went out of town and because one of her very dear friends had a heart attack. She was supposed to be back today so she could partake in both the Pros Graduation and the Ceremony, but she called on Monday saying that they really need her down there (Arizona), and she won't be back until this coming Tuesday. However! All is not lost. There are a lot of people who want to witness this event, so I asked the only other woman over 50 and fabulous that I knew could be available for this. It's Dr. Molly Newlon, my dentist, but she is also my friend. So that fire was put out. AND...as a consolation prize for not being able to witness, Beth is letting us borrow her car for the weekend. I picked it up yesterday. She said I could have it until she comes back on Monday. Yay!!!
This brings me to THIS WEEKEND. AKA: HONEYCAMPING! It is not a Honeymoon. It's Honeycamping. The original plan was to rent a car and go to Santa Cruz and stay over and do brunch and the beach and maybe hike. The problem is that it's Gay Pride Weekend and there are no reasonably priced hotels with available rooms anywhere in the town. So the alternative? We found the LAST POSSIBLE campspot in the Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park for this Friday and Saturday. Both AF and I like to camp and the site is right outside Santa Cruz and our plan is as follows:
Friday 1:30-2:15 Sign more forms and "GET MARRIED"!
Go back to house and load up car for camping, leave for the Redwoods. We'll probably check in around 4-4:30 or so. Set up camp, build fire, eat dinner (hot dogs, Pasta Roni, and S'Mores), hang out, maybe go for a walk, watch a movie....Etc. I trail off because you can all use your imaginations for the next part.
Saturday Morning: Breakfast at Zach's (this amazing breakfast place in Santa Cruz), beach and hiking, more camping related fun, get a good night's sleep.
Sunday Morning: Breakfast on the way home, get home early enough for the Gay Pride festivities, and collapse in a heap of happiness. Oh yes, and take many pictures. We just bought 2 disposable cameras, so we will be documenting the whole trip.

Longest Week Ever!

Can I just say that this week feels like the slowest week ever! Seriously, it's worse than Christmas. Anyone who knows me knows how I am with Christmas. And my birthday :)

One Week to Go!!

Next Friday is the ceremony and I am super-excited. It's like it's not even really happening!!!!! However, nothing is really changing except now we will wear matching rings and refer to each other as "partner." Yes, that is the term we have chosen. But I think I'll just keep calling her by her name: Baby. Or Honey Dew. I can't stop smiling. :)
I have started ordering decorations for the party in September. Plastic tablecloths in varying colors have been purchased as well as a grass table skirt with hibiscus flower trim for the "Gift Table." Since Betty Lou (my sister) refuses to help guide guests to the party area, I have a new plan. Signs and silk flower petals. The silk flower petals will serve as a pathway to the downstairs and outside area, and therefore will lead guests from the staging area to the party. Problem solved. More to come...

Almost Really Bad, Then Good Again

Just in case I hadn't explained the RING DRAMA, I will discuss it now. I ordered the rings separately because of the cost and when we got AF's, everything was fine, but mine had scratches on it so I sent it back so they could buff it out and send it back to me. So 3 weeks went by and I hadn't gotten it back yet, so I called them. It was my fault after all because I forgot to include a copy of the invoice in the box and they didn't know where to send it back to. Totally my bad. That was fine. So, when I got what I thought was my ring in the mail, I opened it to inspect it's smoothness only to discover that IT WAS NOT MY RING!!! This ring was too big and did not have the engraving inside like MY RING. I was really unhappy, because the ceremony is on Friday, so my plan was to write an angry e-mail and get my money back. I say WAS because I poured my heart out to AF and she called them for me, explained the situation and the lady called me back and explained that she didn't know why the guy mailed this other ring and that she had mine right there and she'd send it back to me today with a return address label so I could mail back the other ring when I received the correct one.
I know you're probably asking yourselves, "Why didn't you just call them yourself?" The answer is simple. I tend to get really emotional when it comes to things like this, especially when dealing with people on the phone, and I tend to go a little crazy with the possibility of getting hysterical. And there was a chance that I would burst into tears and start flipping out. Completely unnecessarily, I might add, because SOMETIMES I run on pure emotion and am unreasonable and don't think before I act or speak. This is why I have AF. She makes things better. She understands that sometimes I can be like this and is there for me so I don't have a meltdown.
All that being said, usually I am pretty good at handling bad stuff, so being able to have her help sometimes is very refreshing. Usually I come from the, "DO EVERYTHING YOURSELF SO NO ONE CAN DISAPPOINT YOU CAMP," but I am slowly learning that delegating small stuff to trusted people is okay some of the time. Ahh, I guess that means I'm growing up. (Wipe away the tears Mom). ;)

The Importance of Notarization

I assume that's a real word. "The act of having something notarized." Either way, it brings me to todays discussion. AF's sister in law is a notary. She notarized our State of California Domestic Partnership agreement on Saturday. I am super-excited! We are also registering with the City and County of San Francisco, but that happens on our ceremony day, June 22nd. I am just, un-holy excited about this whole thing. To celebrate our signing yesterday, we took pictures of each of us signing it and then went out to a restaurant called the Burger Joint for dinner. It was fun. It was actually a very lazy weekend other than that.
On Thursday we went to Chevy's for no reason. We don't normally eat out, so this has been a treat. But I did wear my dress to work on Thursday, so I guess that was an occasion. After work while I was waiting for AF I went to the Borders store next to the restaurant. I love Borders. I love all bookstores. It was really fun to walk around and look at all the new stuff. AND...since it's June, there is a lot of bride-y stuff out right now. It's always fun to look at that stuff. There is so much variety when it comes to all those things! Plus, my mom sent me a catalogue full of cool wedding stuff.

Lezzies and Big Trucks

As you all know, my evil roomie CP (Crazy Pants) crashed my car in February, so whenever AF and I need to go anywhere far away or take our children somewhere, we have to rent a car. This time, not only did Enterprise give me a free upgrade to the car of my choice, they let me keep it a few extra hours for free because I was early for the drop off. I'll explain. AF and I got to rent a Ford F-150 (Big Ass Lezzie Truck) for the same price as the "Economy" vehicle, which is usually something sad like a Neon with no power that needs gas every 10 minutes. I was very excited. We had to rent the car to do several things. We took White Girl to the vet: Good news is that she is allergic to flea bites, so she now has drops and goo, but it's nothing serious. Hooray! We also went to Ross which is next to her vet's office in search of my Commitment Ceremony dress. More good news, but of course there is a story behind it.
I bought a dress at the mall with a matching necklace for $85 total. Keep in mind, loyal readers, that I do not ever buy clothes for myself EVER, let alone spend $85 for one freaking outfit. But the dress was pretty and this is special, so I figured it was okay. Get the dress home and AF hates it. I was shocked at her reaction, and let's just say, I was really upset. I was expecting her to say how pretty it was. Needless to say, that was not the reaction I got. So we decided to piggyback the car rental and cat to the vet with a trip to Ross to see if we could do better. Not only did we find my ceremony dress, I also purchased 2 other dresses for a grand total of $68! I literally got three really pretty dresses for less than I paid for 1 at the mall. I will never shop retail again. But I should have known Ross would be awesome. They always are. Then we took the kid back home and started getting ready for the real reason we rented the car: The Indigo Girls and Brandi Carlile in concert at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga.
GO TO THEIR WEBSITE. It was truly awesome and beautiful and romantic.
The Indigo Girls are pretty much a lesbian institution and AF and I have seen them in concert 3 times now. We are both huge fans. Plus Brandi! I have decided that if she ever comes to SF alone, we'd go to that show too. And... She signed my program and congratulated us on our upcoming Ceremony. It was really cool. After the concert, we went back to the Big Lezzie Truck and made out like teenagers in the back seat. Also really cool. Then we headed home and arrived at the house around 11 pm. On a school night no less. It was hard getting up today. I am very tired, but I am also wearing my new casual dress from Ross. I look adorable and have gotten many, many compliments from my work-people. Yay!! The joy continues. Happy MER!!