As I write this we are three days into May. Almost four because I like to write things late at night when Matt’s gone to bed. May 2nd was meant to be my hen’s night. My bacherlorette extraordinaire!
However COVID-19 decided to derail a whole bunch of crap and now May is just a host of reminders that my wedding has been postponed. Like whatever. It’s fine. I’ll admit that I spent a good two days crying on and off on the couch and on the phone. It was the first time Matt came into a room to see me crying and it wasn’t because he’d done something stupid.
I must tell you that he was very unsettled.
It was hilarious later on when I wasn’t sad inside.
I was quite determined that come May 23rd, my would be wedding day, I was going to spend the day on the couch, getting wine drunk and eating a cheese platter and whatever junk food I’d managed to hide from Matt. Before the government put restrictions in place my Maid of Honour and bridesmaids were going to join me.
Matt was allowed to join us if he so wished but it was advised that he not get in the way of the sad-tivities.
I know. Considering everything that’s going on, having a wedding be postponed is not the end of the world. As dramatic as I was being it wasn’t even the end of the world for me.
Its just. We were so close. We were two months out from our wedding. Almost everything was in place. There were a few final details to hammer out but the organisation was done. It was a very stressful process, one which I’m eternally grateful that I had my mum to vent to about.
Matt tried to help where ever he could but he was useless at narrowing down options. He’s very much a “show me this in the final options then I’ll decide” which doesn’t help when I’m surrounded by a hundred different options and no idea where to start.
I will say this. He managed to get 2 out of 3 of his groomsmen coordinated. Neither of us know what’s happening with the third one. It’s cool though. All my bridesmaids are accounted for…just saying…
I’ve digressed. Circling back. May 2nd. It was beautiful weather. It was a clear day, not too warm but not cold.
It would’ve been the perfect day for a hens. However. It was not meant to be. My MOH has made it quite clear that if the new date for the hen’s doesn’t have the same perfect weather she will be very unhappy…
I think it’s safe to say that Matt and I did manage to salvage the day. We went to my brother and sister-in-laws place and helped them lay their new lawn. I thought I was going to have to trick Matt into it but that morning he said to me that if they wanted help with the lawn then he was happy to do it.
He likes doing physical work but not if you tell him he has to do it…I’ve come home from a late shift a few times to find him moving paving stones in the backyard or building stuff in the spare room. One time he was painting. It was 11.30 at night and well past his bedtime but he was doing it.
All in all, the day was really good. My body is stiff and sore and my muscles twinge whenever I move in any way they deem offensive. BUT. Between four adults and two kids, we got their backyard freshly lawned in roughly four hours. It was deeply satisfying.
I’m also very proud of my niece who despite being five, having had a very late night the night before and contending with her loving but very annoying older brother, survived the entire day without complaint. She was happy to run off cuts of grass back and forth to help fill holes and bring water to us when we needed it. After a few hours she started flagging and stuck around more to keep us company as we worked, occasionally offering her limited assistance whenever she got a second wind. It was very adorable.
My nephew decided he was the “supervisor” which basically meant he stood/sat and watched us. He decided this because he was also tired and cranky that he has to go back to school on Monday. He was also very upset that the laying of the lawn was cutting into his limited Fortnite time. When he saw my sister-in-law and I struggling to carry the rolls of lawn he claimed to have “lifted so many three years ago” when they did the front lawn. Yeah okay short stack. Three years ago, he was nine and those rolls of lawn would’ve weighed more than him. I’d like it noted that when I asked him to bring roll over to where I was working he said no because these rolls are bigger than what he carried last time.
Sure sure. He did however listen to Matt when he asked him to do stuff. He has the attention span of a goldfish but he did help somewhat.
Matt told me today that my nephew disclosed some highly secret information to him. I say it’s highly secret because I’m his aunt and he hasn’t even said this to me. He said that he was sad that mine and Matt’s wedding had been cancelled and he’d been looking forward to it. Matt of course informed him that it wasn’t cancelled just postponed but excuse me. Small child. You haven’t told me that. I thought we had something. Clearly not.
Stupid fiance. Coming in and taking all the love of my niece and nephew. My niece drew pictures of him in chalk. Three pictures. Two of them he was a minion. He is known in that house as Minion Matt. Me? I got one picture.
It’s fine. I see how it is. I’m glad they’re getting along. Honestly when they first met I was worried they wouldn’t all get along. Matt isn’t sure what to do with kids to keep them entertained, apparently they kind of freak him out. But yesterday he handled them like a pro.
My biggest take away from yesterday, aside from how the backyard looked like a Better Homes and Gardens feature shot, was my brother’s reaction to my book.
I’d gotten the final draft of the cover art that afternoon and in my excitement wanted to share it. I also shared with them a shortened version of my journey to self-publishing and one of the offers I’d received from a hybrid publisher. Upon hearing this my brother asked me if I needed investors. I assured him that I don’t but it was warming to my cold heart because it meant that not only did he think I was worth investing in but he also thought that I’d do well.
The words “I’m proud of you” will probably never be said by him unless it’s to his own kids. I’m pretty okay with that because he said it in other ways. He’s dibsed doing the cover art for the next book (which will be a series of deadpool-esque drawings) and requested the first print copy of my book. He did relent that I could have the first print copy, my parents could have the second but he wanted third. With a special message just for him.
Don’t get me wrong. I get all warm and fuzzy inside whenever anyone tells me they’re proud of me. I think it’s a biological thing so I don’t become a complete hermit.
Twenty more days and I’ll be celebrating a different kind of achievement than the one I had originally planned. Twenty-one more days and I’ll be an anxious mess on the couch as I wait for the bad reviews and disappointment to flood my inbox.
You guys have no idea if I think my book is good or not do you? Gotta keep you on your toes.
In the meantime feel free to head on over to my instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/blue_eyedauthor/) where I’m trying to do an aesthetically pleasing cover art reveal.
S.J Smith Books 