I went to school with a Michael Mitchell!

giggle!!  I would have a hard time not laughing out loud!  OMG... what are people thinking...... ROFL!!

When I was in college I had a crush on a boy whose roommate was named Justin Case.  Really, truly.

Seemed like a pretty normal guy, considering.

Okay this one is for real --a guy I knew in college (in one of my English classes) was John Enis. He signed his papers John P. Enis. He loved it!!!

DJM... 

What, no Long and Winding??

lol i would never ever name my kids like that...  they'll have a horrible childhood being teased upon...

I also knew a guy named Rocky Rhodes.  His younger sister was my roommate.  He was actually a "IV"-- his real name was something quite conventional.  His father and grandfather ("III" and Jr.) were Dusty and, I believe, Sandy.  His younger sisters were Susan, Mary, and Anne.  I guess their parents only had the energy for one creative name per generation  .

Oh, DEAR!

Have I shared with you my rule for picking out a good name?  Take your name of choice and say the following in your best news-anchor voice:
The President has nominated [insert name] for Supreme Court Justice
and
This year's Wimbledon champion is [insert name].

This way, you can see how the name sounds in an adult context.  Is it too fluffy to be a judge's name?  Too serious (or too lacking in a good nickname) to be a tennis champ's name?

I tend to lean toward really old-fashioned, serious-sounding names-- Louisa, Josephine, Matilda.  But if they were sports stars instead of (or in addition to  ) lawyers, they could be Lulu, Josie, and Tilly.  For me, that versatility is ideal.

Another lovely couple from WV named their kid Azlyn... its Azlyn Didawick (my kid said "Mom, that sounds like a porn star"

OK, here is today's wedding plan update: 
We've chosen the location for the wedding and reception. Estate-turned hotel/resort. I'm extremely excited.  The facility is not only beautiful, with a golf course, walking trails, three pools (thankfully one is inside for our winter holiday!), tennis courts, spa, club house, restaurant and scrumptuous rooms  and suites for traveling guests (and the bride and groom... we're probably going to plop ourselves right there for our Honeymoon Weekend), but, the entire place is very much my style; lots of European influences with a wonderful mix of antiques, yet it is all made to feel comfortable and accessible, not stuffy.  I just love it!  The property was once owned by Laura Ashley's husband, and a lot of her decorating still remains. I'm ready to move in... can you tell?

Also, the local Sherriff (who lives next door) has been "bugging" us to do the ceremony, so he'll be officiating.  And, we're going to ask a "Preacher friend" (as they say in these parts) to be a part of the ceremony.

Tonight's assignment is to finalize the guest list (I'm thinking smaller now) and come up with a possible menu so "B," our contact at the resort, can give us some prices. (B is wonderful BTW, and THAT fact alone is HUGE to me). Menu suggestions are quite frou frou, so, this will be the most expensive component of the event.

Invitations are the next critical step, as well as securing a photographer, florist, and musicians (all already recommended by the hosting facility... B cn manage it all if I don't care to *PHEW*).

There IS an advantage to getting maried on a Friday evening during winter... people and places are actually free to work at the last minute.  If we'd decided on getting married in May this year, our goose would probably already be cooked, so to speak!