On cousins and packing for weddings and fun.

As I've mentioned before, this weekend we are headed to a wedding. It's going to be a little three day adventure filled with food, fun, family and (most hopefully) free booze. To say that I'm "pumped" is a bit of an understatement, so I started packing today -- a full two days before departure.

At right, you can see all of my clothes laid out on the (teeny, tiny twin) bed. There's my bathing suit (which will be paired with a pair of denim cut-off capris), a floaty top and denim pencil skirt (for Sunday brunch), my wedding/reception ensemble and a sundress/cardigan combo for a family barbeque/stand-up show/bar crawl on Friday.

The best part is that it all looks fabulous paired with that gray quilted leather bag at bottom right, and the brown/brass sandals at bottom left. (Actually, I'm really very lucky to have stumbled upon a few very classy/timeless/made-to-last pieces in my 21 years on this planet. It means that I always have a decent fall-back in the "looking good" department.)

But let's take a minute to talk about those beautiful shoes sitting front and cent in the bottom. Those, my internet friends, are Tod's and they are gorgeous. Let's get a close-up:They are navy blue patent t-strap sandals with a low-ish heel. (I'd guestimate about 3 inches.) The best part is, they were on clearance at Nordstrom's -- and I didn't pay for them. No, for that, we have AnonymousMama to thank: I am also going to be in a wedding come October and she didn't want me to break the bank purchasing shoes to match the bridesmaid dress. (I promise, my experiences as a bridesmaid will be covered extensively at a later date.)

The best part about the weekend ensemble? It all fits in a the Nordstrom's shopping bag I got when I purchased the shoes, except the dress (which will be hung in a garment bag in the car) and my various toiletries (which will be thrown, along with my computer and calendar, into a tote that I affectionately call "big brown").

In short, I'm really excited for this weekend, especially to hang out with my cousins. Which is funny, because when I was younger I did not relish the experience. It seemed awkward and forced to pretend to care about these people once a year -- these people who share a (dead) set of grandparents with me, but no common interests or experiences.

I gritted my teeth and prayed for a quick and merciful end to Thanksgiving, when we lived too far away to show up for Christmas, I silently rejoiced and when summer vacations meant forced "fun" by the pool, I silently begged for a reason to take the car and go have a cigarette.

And then something funny happened: we started being friends. It began with Facebook chat, graduated to texting and email and before you knew it, we (the "old" cousins) began making plans to see each other without the prompting of our parents.

There's just so much to talk about.

We can commiserate about the (rather archaic) rules about segregating sleeping arrangements, make fun of our more right-wing aunts and uncles, and enjoy the fact that we're old enough to drink and call a taxi. This also marks the first time that I won't be relying on my parents for transportation (or rather, be obligated to serve as their DD).

I'll be doing my own thing...and that hopefully includes drunk swimming.