Ugh, I've been housebound for the last 48 hours or so and going almost nuts. I got this weird flu on Wednesday that forced me to do nothing but to stay in bed. I've never had a flu that made me bed-ridden for so long. I'm so ready to go out and enjoy the beautiful weather we've been having.

The Dude's little bro has been staying with us this past week. We've taken him out to enjoy the great outdoors. My favorite activity was a hike in Squamish Valley, which turned out to be more intense than we anticipated (it involved chains and ropes for climbing). But it offered such amazing views of the valley. It felt like we were in the middle of nowhere.

Tonight, we're going to take him out for karaoke. I hope I'm up for it because I absolutely loooove singing karaoke.

Because we were having some friends over for dinner last night, the Dude got a six-pack of He'Brew Genesis Ale. It was not bad! When we saw the beer a few days ago we got a kick out of it, and because of its shmaltziness, I wouldn't have considered it seriously as a beverage choice. So I was surprised when the Dude came home with it. Anyway, it's a pretty good beer, and kosher to boot.

Good times.

I wonder if I'll feel any more "married" after our wedding this summer. The Dude and I actually had a very small civil ceremony back in February, but our "wedding" is in July when most our friends and family can come and the weather is much nicer (if it doesn't rain, that is).

Anyway, wedding planning has come to the point where it's just tedious now, and I can't wait until the day of the event when I don't have to plan anymore and can just have fun. I like helping others plan their weddings, but planning my own for months has become tiresome.

I've been busy, but feeling as if I haven't been accomplishing much. And I realized that my dissatisfaction was due to the fact that I've been mainly dealing with obligations and not giving enough time to working on stuff that I really wanted to be doing. And the stuff I really wanted to work on were my creative projects. Hence, my schedule needed an overhaul.

Now two days out of the week are devoted to furniture refinishing and any other crafty project that's on the queue. The rest of the days are for wedding planning, house business, meetings, etc. This new schedule was put into effect last week, and I definitely feel that it's made a difference. I feel more productive and no longer feel frustrated with not being able to work on my crafts.

So far I've spent 3 days working on the "Behemoth" - an oversized dresser left by a former housemate. Most of the time was taken up with sanding down the damn thing.

Recent happenings:

Nerd Party! I finally fulfilled my dream of throwing a Nerd Party after many years of fantasizing about it. It was so cool that most people did come dressed as nerds.

The Dude's mom and stepgrandmother visited for a few days. I really enjoyed hanging out with them. We went fabric shopping for the Dude's shirt and necktie, which his mom is going to make for his wedding outfit. We also visited with family, which is always fun (yes, hanging out with the relatives is fun when it comes to the Dude's family). And we ate, and ate, and ate lots of yummy food!

Important things I'm learning about refinishing furniture:

- Sand, sand, SAND the heck out of the surface until it's smooth as a baby's butt.

- ALWAYS use primer before painting the surface with the main color.

Our engagement photos are up on our photographer's blog.

Home Depot is fast becoming my new favorite retailer. The customer service is excellent! I'm beginning to get into furniture refinishing, so I've been going there pretty often to pick up this and that. Currently, I'm working on a nightstand and a dresser.

And the last two days, the Dude and I have been collaborating with the Dude's uncle, who happens to be a woodworking wiz, to build a custom-designed ergonomic computer desk. It just has to be varnished, and I can't wait to see how the finished product looks.

Spring has not forgotten Vancouver. For a while, I was quite worried. I've been anxiously awaiting the cherry blossoms because I really wanted to take our engagement photos under their lovely shade. Last week the cherry blossoms trees were still starkly bare, but now they have miraculously bloomed just in time for our photo session tomorrow!

A loaf of beer bread is in the oven, filling the kitchen with that comforting aroma of yeast, sugar, and flour doing their magic. This time I used Granville Island Honey Lager. The first time I made beer bread I used Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, which gave the bread a slight bitter taste.

This morning I went to the pool at the local uni to participate in their Aquasize class for the first time. I am so pooped. Most of the participants were elderly Chinese ladies. Although I felt out of place, I'm going to try to make it a regular thing. Maybe I'll try to get the Dude to come with me once in a while.

It looks like a veritable winter wonderland outside. It snowed again overnight. It's March...and it's snowing.

But the weather has been gorgeous, so I guess a little snow is tolerable.

Since I don't want anything to do with the snow outside, I'm going to stay inside and make some homemade yogurt again.