Hyped

I should be asleep. But I'm excited, because yesterday we paid for our tickets to the US! Now we just have to save a lot more money so we can actually live while we're over there.

I've been working this evening, which is another reason why I'm still awake. Can't quite calm down yet. Work was fun tonight, and I can actually feel myself drawing closer and closer to this goal. It's a really good feeling. I received confirmation via email that my passport will be ready within a couple of days, too, so that's exciting as well.

I can't quite believe that it's all happening. But it is. Yay!

Bridal registry

The wedding plans are occupying more of our time as our departure date draws closer. Heather, in particular, has been doing a lot of the work. Yesterday she was designing our bridal registry site. We've decided to go for the online option for a number of reasons. Working out what to do about gifts has been tricky. Of course, we don't expect people to get us anything, but some would really like to. The problem is, we'll have to carry back home with us any gifts we might receive overseas. So crockery is out of the question!

More than anything, what we really want is to pay for Heather's application for residency. She's still on a student visa until she finishes her PhD, but eventually she will have to apply for residency based on our relationship. Since we aren't spouses (and won't be, even after we get married, according to the Australian government), we can apply on the basis of our "interdependent relationship". But the application procedure costs well over $2000. So help towards paying for the application is the first thing on our list for potential wedding gifts. We plan to make the application shortly after we return.

We found a great site, Not Another Toaster, which is an online bridal registry. Most couples just write an itemised list of the activities they'd like to do on their dream honeymoon, and wedding guests can contribute towards those experiences. It might sound complicated, but it all looks pretty straightforward when you see it in practice. Patrick from Not Another Toaster has been really nice and helpful, and it's a gay-friendly service, so we decided to go with them. It's an Australian company, but also has an office in the US, which is a real bonus. We think this will make the whole process a little simpler.

As far as invitations go, we know how we want them to look, it's just a matter of making them. We have all the cards, extra cardboard, and other assorted stationery items. We've also arranged to borrow a guillotine from work (yay!). Now it's just a matter of finding the time and patience to do it all. But we're close!

It's funny, now that I think about it, this idea of a "bridal" registry. I don't really feel like a bride, because that equates with "straight" in my head. So what am I, then? What are we, if not brides-to-be? Hmm.