Melanie

not as in and thanks for all the fish. But so long as in it’s been so long since I wrote anything here. I have been busy with wedding stuff for what feels like forever.
In a week I will be Melanie Reeve. This is the thing that is freaking me out the most - changing my name. I have had the same name for 28 years and it’s been a good name - Melanie Jane Bailey. It works, it sounds right. But I will be Melanie Jane Reeve - which doesn’t sound quite right.
Not only that but I will have to come up with a new signature. I have had the same signature for about 12 years, I guess.
How do you learn a new signature - and then will people look at me strangely when I start signing something and then realise that I am signing the wrong name and have to start again?

But that is future Melanie’s problem.

We didn’t win lotto. Again.

Not the website!
It’s nice to catch up with people that you haven’t seen or talked to in ages.
You remember your little in jokes but can’t remember how they happened or why they were funny.
Then there are people that you hope to never see again. You know what I mean.

When you are at home and your baby is entertaining himself you sometimes watch bad TV. Today was no exception.
I managed to switch to Triangle at about 2pm in time to catch a Chinese Cooking Show for Spanish speaking people. It was …… interesting. There was a soup type thing with mushrooms, salt, egg, some sort of meat and a whole heap of other ingredients which were helpfully listed for me………. in Spanish.
I should point out that I don’t speak Spanish.
Then someone else talked to another chef who spoke in Chinese and had Spanish subtitles.
He made some sort of delicious looking steamed dumplings that I have no idea how to make as I don’t speak Spanish.

And then, when I was flicking around again, I went to Alt and they played the uncensored version of RATM’s “Killing in the name of”. This was at about 2:30pm so it was a bit disconcerting.
Now Harrison hears that sort of language sometimes but I don’t think I want his first full sentence to be “Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me.”
Although it would be an amusing addition to his plunket book.

We have applied to get a foreign homestay student. Not only will this be fun and interesting, it will also give us a little extra money - which is always good. Tomorrow our house will be inspected to find out whether its okay. I guess it is, but thats because we live here and think its nice. Its a very good use of our spare room - certainly better than just storing crap. Not actual crap. You know, stuff and things.
So, at least that takes away a little of the whole wedding stress thing, and gives us homestay student stress thing in its place.
Our spare room is looking very different - it has a bed, a desk and a set of drawers in it. And no crap.

So, planning for a wedding is hard work! Also if you stick the word wedding in front of something it suddenly becomes a lot more expensive. But we are getting there. The most annoying thing is shit websites, or no websites - honestly if you run a business - GET A WEBSITE!!!!!!! Or at the very least and email address.
Anyway I have The Dress, we have found suits for the guys, a cake, a venue, invitations and we are working on a DJ and hair and makeup at the moment.
Harrison will be a page boy/ring bearer (and he will look as cute as ever), Gabby (my friend, Bridget’s daughter) is my flowergirl, Jess is my chief bridesmaid and Em is my other bridesmaid. Dylan is having Ryan as his best man and James as his groomsman. So at some stage there will be some sort of bachelor and bachelorette parties. Woohoo.