A busy weekend: Bike to Work Day, grad school, wedding dresses, venues

I'm exhausted. Dave and I couldn't sleep last night because we were both stressed about venues. What a silly thing to stress about! Worst case scenario, we don't get our first choice. Sure, that's not fun, but we're not getting married for over a year! We'll find something, and ultimately it's about us getting married.

Beyond last night, it's been a busy last few days! Friday was Bike to Work Day, organized by Cascade Bicycle Club. We hosted a station on the waterfront at the Olympic Sculpture Park, and had about 700 riders pass by. The weather wasn't quite as fantastic as last year, but it wasn't raining. I was thrilled to learn that I helped inspire 3 people to ride: my fiance, my co-worker Paul, and a partner at Seattle Parks. Yay! Unfortunately I wasn't busy and tired because I got to do lots of riding, but because I arrived at the park at 5am. That's what happens when Bike to Work Day starts at 6am.

On Friday afternoon I had my first meeting with my grad school advisor. I'm so excited to start classes, and was pleased to learn that with just 6 credits a quarter I'll be on schedule to graduate in 2 years. That will make working and going to school much easier.

After my trip to the UW, I headed to Bellevue for my first wedding dress appointment. I didn't find any winners, but it was good to get through the first appointment.

On Saturday Dave and I helped with a garage sale station for Sustainable Kirkland. We had 2 stalls at the "Junk in Your Trunk" event at Juanita Park (I know, silly name). We raised a lot of money for the group, so it was a huge success. I'm going to be helping with the group's blog, and next Monday will volunteer for a shift at the 7 Hills of Kirkland bike race.

Saturday afternoon I met my mom, Dave's mom, and Dana (my MOH) to look at dresses at Blue Sky Bridal. I loved this shop - all the dresses are sold on consignment, which means they are used dresses that individuals are selling. Pre-owned dresses are so practical financially and in terms of sustainability. I found 8 dresses to try on, and one I really loved. I want to look some more, but that one was a great option!

Then on Sunday we visited Dragonfly Retreat, a potential venue in Bothell. We really liked it - the site is more rustic than Tibbetts Creek Manor, the other site we've seen so far. Dave and I want to see a few more options before we make a decision, so I think we will visit/consider Fall City Farms, Cedar River Education Center, and Sandstrom Farm. If those don't work, we might consider the Golden Gardens Bathhouse. This is way out there, but I did send for some info from Sol Duc Hot Springs.

I am totally jealous of my friend's venue for her July wedding: Treehouse Point. This place looks gorgeous!

Anyways, I complete stressed myself out last night. Not good, and not sustainable. I barely slept, so I feel crummy today. Hopefully some rest will help, and we will work on taking things one step at a time. I'm looking forward to games with friends tonight. Sometimes it's all about the simple things!