On my calendar: Florida Site Visits

Which normally would mean that for business reasons I’m going onsite to watch customers use my product.

‘cept, I don’t have products, which means this probably has something to do with Mandrina.

We’re going to Florida to visit potential wedding sites.

We’re choosing Florida rather than Seattle — which, being where we live, would make a bit more sense — due to the proximity of elderly and infirm relatives to Florida versus Seattle. Thinking about it that way made it just a might easier to make a tough call.

It’s not a definite that we’re getting married in FL, but it is increasingly likely. At the moment, we’re just going to go visit a few potential sites for the ceremony, reception, rehearsal dinner, and possibly the wedding night, as well as visits to the sole bakery in the area (that was my one demand), florists and photographers.

Mandrina’s best friend and maid-of-honor, Tara, will be coming up from Tampa for the weekend, and touring sites with us.

We’ll be staying with Mandrina’s lovely mother and maternal grandmother.

We’ll be having brunch on Saturday (this is a semi-mythical brunch to me, as it’s been mentioned as, “Granny has invited us to Brunch,” far more often than it has been mentioned as “Granny has invited us to brunch.”) with Mandrina’s paternal grandmother.

On Saturday evening we’ll be attending THE fundraiser event of the year for Pensacola Little Theater, where Mandrina’s formerly done shows.

On Sunday evening, we’ll be having dinner with Mandrina’s father and stepmother.

And in the midst of all that, we’ll be seeing places to get married.

Not that I feel at all intimidated, no sir.

I need to find someone to check on my cat while we’re gone…

I am a very bad man.

Mandrina and I had been shopping for engagement rings since last year around this time. We’ve hit nearly every jewelry store in the region. Some more than once; most recently I was going alone in the interests of being able to surprise Mandrina with the proposal (which worked).

Unfortunately, I feel a little bit guilty for all the work I made people do regarding finding out how much custom rings would cost. I mean, I know it’s their business, but still!

So I ended up going with a complete unknown, who made the ring at a low price and in exactly the time frame I wanted. Heck, Jason ended up coming to our Super Bowl party last weekend; he’s a good guy.

Yesterday, I got a call from Courteny or however you spell it. Mandrina and I first were helped by Courtney last March or so — lovely lass, very helpful, gave us free drinks and chocolate chip cookies!

She calls, and wants to know how the search went. I can’t quite bring myself to tell her that I happily went with another vendor.

So instead, I tell her in a deadpan voice, “Well, things have changed somewhat, and well, I’m not looking at engagement rings anymore.” “Oh, I’m so sorry!” “No, it’s okay, we’re still together, just… some things came up.”

Perfectly, 100% true. ‘cept, I doubt she took that as the true-to-life meaning, and instead probably thinks she just called a potential customer and asked him about getting engaged to a girl he’s on the verge of breaking up with.

Whoops.

I’m a bad, bad man.