The Bachelor Party

Last night, me and a bunch of the guys went to the Hopleaf and drank and ate a little more than our share. Me, Darrick (Heidi's brother), Mattox and Jason (my groomsmen) and a couple other guys whom I really love and respect were there, really doing nothing more than guy talk (sometimes pretty graphic) over some good beer and good food. I had about 3 1/2 beers, and here's the thing with Belgian beer: it's a lot stronger than it lets on; the sum total of what I drank worked out to six or seven American beers. I was pretty heavily sloshed when I went home, and in a semi-puky state. I didn't end up calling Ralph York on the porcelain phone, as Matt told me to drink a lot of water (which is a really good idea if you've had a few too many). I stayed at Matt's overnight, and we got to have a really good one-on-one conversation about women and fear and commitment. I really dig hanging out over a Belgian beer, but that was a vital conversation, as I was able to talk about some things that I have difficulty admitting to myself.

Yes, I'll agree it doesn't sound like much of a party, but it was a hell of a lot of fun, and it's what I needed at the time.

Impossibly Busy

Heidi and I are planners. We were way ahead of the curve with finding locations, getting clothing, and getting all sorts of crap sorted out. We sent out our invitations earlier than most folks do, and got darn nearly everything ready to go with months left over. We had to wait for our invitees to respond, so we pretty much needed to take a pause in the planning. We effectively stopped planning for a month, and then started ramping up the planning again. Here's the thing though: We both know how to plan a party, but with most parties, you only have to plan so much. You get things ready, then you sit back and watch people enjoy themselves. This is really different. We have to plan the hell out of the whole evening, and then remain flexible for the inevitable problems that will arise.

All this is to say, we had planned the heck out of the day, and we effectively thought we were done. With a regular party, you get things ready, you invite people, and you're pretty much done until the party starts. Not so much with a wedding. We realized just how much more crap needed to be done, and now we're working like machines trying to get it all accomplished by the day before (we're still working on the rehearsal dinner plans). I'm sure things will sort themselves out, but it's a challenge.