Making Plans

Today Emily and I put down the deposit on our wedding, and we are sailing forward with all due speed. Please excuse the nautical crap, I just read a book about a guy who sailed a raft everywhere. Stuff like that kind of sinks in! We ended up deciding on Jamaica, and are staying at Tower Isle (formerly Ocho Rios, which was formerly Tower Isle...). We are having a beach wedding (I think) at 10 AM on Jan. 12. Hurray! Tomorrow is going to suck because my pa's having surgery and I just can't imagine how scared he must be. We will be heading up as soon as I'm off of work to check in and see how everyone is doing. Sorry to end on a sour note, but I'm all bushed. Okay, here's a few happy things:
-I saw my beautiful niece today and she looked a little like a pumpkin. Up until today I didn't know that we could pick our "nicknames," but now I do. Though they may try and call me JJ or uncle JJ I'm pretty sure that it won't take too much convincing for Audrey to call me my Uncle Name of choice: Uncle Butt. It makes me smile just to write it!
-A friend of mine has just reentered my life recently and I had a great conversation about the more spectral aspects of our world this afternoon. It was fun.
-I got 4 cds from the dollar store today that should have cost a lot more. I got the last two phish cds, the last Bjork, and one other that I won't say in case it embarrases Emily (the first name is a city in France, and the last is a hotel chain). I'll just say that the artists name rhymes with Flaris Bilton and leave it at that.

Here's some recent photos: 2 from turtle paw practice, the Decemberists show, the tree of life in animal kingdom, and the summer solstice.