One week from today!

 

Despite weather troubles elsewhere, the late afternoon weather in Nor Cal is stunning these days. We went on a lovely walk near our house today (see Jon, above). The forecast one week out is looking good and we can't wait to see you all in a week!! It gets chilly in the evening, so bring a sweater....and please remember to wear comfy shoes (this is a ranch...flats, ladies!)

Come On Irene ...

T - 11 Days:

We've been on the West Coast for about a month and we missed the only East Coast earthquake of my life time. Furthermore, there is a vicious hurricane threatening the entire Atlantic coast line. Sounds like it's time to head to California for Labor Day. It's a glorious spot: By order, summer lingers through September. By 8:00 am the morning fog must disappear. In short, there's simply not a more congenial spot for "happily-ever-aftering" than here. Furthermore, Northern California is entering that pre-fall season again - complete with tasty blackberries and slumping offenses.

The numbers are in and it looks like we're coming in just about 260. Yup, you read that right 2-6-0 of our closest friends and family are going to be at the Cloverleaf Shindig. We are still holding out on a thru-hiker or two, but that's what it looks like now.

Because of the number of people California state law is requiring that 15 of our guests are certified in CPR and poison control. To be fair to all of our guests we'll be having a lottery the morning of the wedding to determine who needs to be trained that morning. We'll order Papa Johns for those selected. If you'd like to volunteer ahead of time or if you already can recognize the rare NorCal fire iguana, please let us know. We certainly want to avoid this.

All else is progressing well. We can't wait to have you. If you're coming in from out of town, do us a favor and drop an email to let us know when you'll arrive and where you're crashing. See ya'll soon ...

Building the Chuppah

Last weekend, I went up to my parents' house in Santa Rosa. They live out in the woods, and a nearby redwood tree fell down. My dad suggested we look at the branches and see if they would work for the chuppah- so he got out his chainsaw and we went foraging! We found 4 lovely, mossy limbs that are straight enough and dad is turning them into the chuppah. Our friend Gabe is a painter and he is creating the canopy that will be attached to the top of the chuppah- you can see samples of his work here.

Quiz Time

Ladies and gentlemen of all ages, I present you the first ever Erin and Jon quiz ... The quiz is rated PG-13.

1. When Erin brought a few friends to Jeff and Jon's party on the subway, Jon was wearing:

a. a blue shower curtain
b. a chewbacca costume
c. a mask of President Martin Van Buren
d. a chilean poncho

2. A Bantam is:

a. An over-sized rooster
b. The Trinity Mascot
c. The costume Jon wore in college
d. All of the above

3. Erin went to UCSB, UCSB stands for:

a. University of Ken and Barbie
b. University of Second Basemen
c. University of California Santa Barbara
d. U Can Study Buzzed

4. Erin and Jon first went on vacation to:

a. Costa Rica and Panama
b. Staten Island
c. South Korea
d. Hoboken

5. The following celebrity flirted with Erin on one of her Photo Shoots:

a. Coolio
b. Mel Brooks
c. Jimmy Fallon
d. Bob Barker

6. Since starting to date Erin, Jon can now:

a. Identify a fake Louis Vutton bag on the streets of Chinatown
b. Cook with obscure weird grains that he had never heard of earlier.
c. Know each columnist from the Times dining section
d. All of the above

7. Since starting to date Jon, Erin can now:

a. Find the NPR station in every city on the East Coast.
b. Know the difference between a straight change and a circle change
c. Speak a few obscure words of Hebrew
d. All of the above

8. Erin did NOT go for free on:

a. A 7 day bike trip through Holland
b. A 2 night stay at the fanciest hotel in Vegas
c. A sailing vacation around Martha's Vineyard
d. A Culinary Vacation to Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast

9. Jon has dressed as all of the following movie characters except:

a. Wooderson from Dazed and Confused
b. Ron Burgandy from Anchorman
c. Doc Brown from Back to the Future
d. Walter from the Big Lebowski

Last Minute Accommodations

For those of you that are making last minute accommodations, we know prices have gone up and a lot of places are fully booked. Some last minute options:

- Mountain Home Ranch http://www.mountainhomeranch.com/bed-and-breakfast/
from $144/night

-The Flamingo has  rooms left at $179 for Sunday night only (9/4) if anyone is interested. Just mention "Gleeson/Prosnit wedding block" when you call. (707) 545-8530

***The Hillside Inn is right next to the Flamingo, Tel : (707) 546-9353

- DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Sonoma - Wine Country
One Doubletree Drive, Rohnert Park, California, 94928, USA 1-707-584-5466
Sunday night only, $169 (sold out Fri & Sat night)

-Hampton Inn, Rohnert Park: 707-586-8700
(still rooms left as of Aug 10 at the prices below)
Sept 3: $186
Sept 4: $143

-For you adventurers, you can also  camp at the Cloverleaf Ranch (wedding location) for $25 per person, per night. No need to make a reservation, just pay when you arrive. You can camp Fri, Sat, and/or Sun nights

-We also have a few spots at family members homes in the area who have offered to host wedding guests.

Oh, California!

It's official. We now live in California! We moved west for a job for Jonathan and are living in a little cabin in the woods just south of San Francisco. We miss New York but we are excited.

Flying with a Wedding Dress

A couple days ago, I flew from NYC to San Francisco to our new west coast home to join Jonathan who had just started his new job there. He grew up in New York and I had been there for 10 years, so leaving was sad but I am happy to be near family in California again. Plus being in Northern California for the last month of wedding planning sure will make things easier!

The movers had already come to our lovely little Brooklyn apartment where we lived together for 2 years- all our belongings were being shipped cross country. I just kept what I could get on a plane, including valuables I didn't want shipped.  I checked 2 overweight suitcases (one containing our ketubah) but then I had to carry on my iMac and my wedding dress. And then of course I had my purse.  This makes 3 carry-ons...one too many.  But I had a back-up plan: if they told me I could only have 2 carry-ons, I would just put the wedding dress on. Luckily, I didn't end up like her:

I am happy to report that the wedding dress and I made it safely to California. Less than 1 month till the big day!!