Well, we made it through the cold snap with all of our fingers and toes. Apparently, electronic devices don’t like being kept at temperatures below zero. Althea’s phone suddenly turns itself off when it’s too cold, resulting in one day of being over an hour late. My phone has been a bit more resilient, but sometimes drains about 40 percent of its power staying alive overnight in the cold. Althea recommends a thick sock or two to protect your precious devices. Also, unless you want your yoga clothes to be frozen solid, maybe don’t hang them up wet overnight. The temperature is currently a balmy 9 degrees and we have never been so glad to see rain. We have been trying to balance simple snacky meals in the van consisting of veggies, bread, olives, and cheese with the occasional (frequent) dinner out. Things that we have discovered crucial for living in a van: headlamps, dehumidifiers, chocolate, and soft blankets. Also snuggles. Our paranoia surrounding sudden death from CO or black mold has passed, and we are fairly convinced that the air in the van is clean, if a bit damp.
We are starting to get our butts in gear for planning the wedding. We have a Smaug and Bilbo cake and cupcakes on lock, we are pursuing custom cloaks, and we have sent our LOTR inspired Carson & Althea logo to be made into stickers. We surprised our friends and family, and ourselves frankly with the announcement that we will be officially and legally taking the plunge into the weird and unnatural world of marriage in one month’s time. At the Dime. We think. Our plan was for a small gathering of mostly friends and our chosen Official Stranger at the friendly neighborhood dive bar (loudest music in the city). Also where we first met. For some weird reason, all the people we invited want to come. Now we are looking at other options since the Dime is pretty small and can’t accommodate the horde of lovingly aggressive and supportive rabble that is our friends and family.
Between The Things 