back by popular demand

Wow, it's been a while since I blogged. I knew it was time to make another post when Steve mentioned it--and he doesn't even have a blog! He could be drbabe.blogspot.com. :-) Here's the latest in Lauren land...

THIS SEMESTER
It should be busy. I've been done with classes for over a year, so what the heck will I do, you ask? Lots! :-) Right now I'm writing up my master's and subsequent follow-up study to submit for publication, planning analyses for a study with college students we finished at the end of fall semester, and coordinating kiddie data collection for another project and going to train undergrad research assistants to run it. Plus, I'm also working in another lab this semester, an infant lab. I will be involved in a pretty big project on the developmental consequences of crawling (cognitive, spatial, perceptual, emotional, parent beliefs about their kids, etc). It involves visits every 6 weeks once the kids start crawling, some in the home and some in the lab. And a dissertation? Oh yeah, that. I'd like to get my diss proposal done this semester, or at least in early summer before the wedding/moving fiasco. I have an idea of the topic and question I'd like to address--children's ability to adapt symbolic communication (e.g., drawings, written notations) to the capacities or knowledge of the person who will be using their creations--but I have to come up with a a study and all of the specifics. Eeekkk!

Holy crap! I'm really going to get my PhD! And I'm really going to be on the job market in less than a freaking YEAR. :-O :-O :-O It feels like I just got here. Now that I'm ABD, I'm so far along in the process it would be dumb to turn back. I never had any intention of quitting, but during the masters years, there's always the possibility to stop or change course after that milestone.

WEDDING
After 2 months of no wedding stuff, we got back to it over the holidays. Here's what we have done recently...

• my dress (with tiara, bra, slip, and I have the phone # of a great alterations woman around here), Steve's suit
  
• progress on our wedding website (not done yet, but preview it here!)
  
• date set for NC reception: Sept 16, and date set for MN reception: Sat July 29 (the day after Sarah's wedding on July 28--wedding CRAZINESS!)
  
• flights to Minnesota Wed July 26, and back Sun Aug 6. We'll fly in and out of Minneapolis for our honeymoon to Northern CA.
  
• appts made with florists, though we'll most likely order wholesale flowers from Freshroses.com and make our own simple arrangements. As long as we keep it simple (roses in a few different colors, etc), it seems feasible. But thank GOD for crafty friends like Erica, who has already volunteered her services!! Other volunteers welcome too! ;-)
  
• hair appt the morning of the wedding booked. For my hair, that is. Steve will do his own. :-)
  
• attendants, color scheme for dresses
  
• ideas for centerpieces for the reception tables: small glass bowls with a floating candle or two (hellllooo, IKEA!), and maybe a flower
  
• In the near future we'll be: sending out save-the-dates, booking the officiant (probably just the minister at the Unitarian church), planning the ceremony music (I want my friend from FU, Jennifer the clarinetist to do the ceremony music, I think that would be so special), and writing vows/ceremony play-by-play
  
• We already have the: ceremony location, reception location, rings, photographer, cake person (horray Katherine!!! second yay for crafty friends!)

Holy crap! We're really getting married! :-O :-O :-O

OK, I'm exhausted now thinking about these two huge things!