"Just" a housewife

San Francisco's Cable Car!

She's here!

Sarah and Lauren arrived. And of course I cried as soon as she came through customs...the poor child will need therapy since ever time her auntie sees her she cries!

We went up and down some steep hills, saw the Golden Gate Bridge and then went to 'Auntie Emma's' house. A quick trip to David's office and we nearly wrecked the place! Oh and then we went to the Union Square shops. Lauren got her first Coach product...and proceeded to tell her mummy that she was giving it her as a present! Then we took her to the Disney store and she bought two princess dolls - she needed one for me so I could play with her when we got home.

By this time it was 7:00 p.m. and we drove home. In the car Lauren asked if it was nearly her bed time (she'd been up 22 hrs at this point, with only 20 minutes sleep on the plane!) because she just wanted to get home and play with the princess dolls for a little bit before bed.

Five minutes later she was asleep in the car...and hopefully will stay there until at least 6 a.m.!

A 4.5 year wait!

I've waited four and a half years for this moment and it's just three days away. I am so excited. Every time I think about it I start to cry. I've planned it out in my mind many times. I drive home and imagine the moment...and have to stop so that I can still focus on the road between my tears.

Of course I am super excited and happy to be marrying David, but the moment I'm talking about is the eagerly anticipated arrival of Lauren. I realized the other day that David didn't date me before Lauren. (We've been dating four years.) He doesn't know how I existed before her!

I want to bring her into work and show her where Auntie Emma comes every day. I want to show her all the San Francisco sites and do all the things that you can do in the city with kids. My sister has already commented that my schedule for her seems a bit busy and she wondered whether there's enough time for her shopping trips!

The beauty of blogs is that generations can read them in years to come...I guess this is a new phenomenon with regards to blogs. I hope one day Lauren will read this and realize how much she's loved. And spoiled by her Auntie!

Now...when baby George Micheal comes along that might be a different matter ;-)

Note: My sister is 6 months pregnant with a baby boy and Lauren calls him 'baby George Michael.'

Planning two weddings?

I've not blogged for a while. I've been a bit busy. At work I've been planning an event to take 40 journalists to a movie studio for a day in LA to show them how my company's technology helped them make an upcoming movie...very cool.

...but 4 months of work! Logistics, planning, organizing, timelines, it's been like planning another wedding!

As for my real wedding, it's just 2.5 weeks away! Lauren arrives in '8 sleeps' time. That's 9 days to you and me! I CAN'T WAIT. I keep telling David that I'm looking forward to the wedding more than I am looking forward to Lauren and Sarah being here...but it's close!

David and I have both been crazy at work, so we'll enjoy the time off with family. Then there's the honeymoon in Hawaii!

Presents have started to arrive (exciting!) but despite my frustration with boxes and peanuts all over our house Macy's and Williams-Sonoma have a better 'damage-free delivery' than Pottery Barn.

The table plan is done, the menus are printed and what's not done now can be ignored. The 'briefing book' is complete and anyone who knows about it is taking the mickey-out-of-me! It'll save me on the day I know! My dress is being hemmed and I pick it up on Saturday. Our rings are chosen and I went for big 'bling'. I'm not much of a jewelry person, but hey, why not!

I've also managed to slip in a big surprise for David along the way...very exciting!

Oh and in the last few weeks I managed to replaster, repaint and re-do all the fixtures in our spare bathroom before our guests arrive. It just needs the new mirror fixing above the vanity and we'll be all set!