My turn
By Crystal Thompson
Six weeks left in my unmarried life and I am holding up pretty well. I remember writing in this very column about the six-month deadline to my wedding approaching, and now here I am counting down the number ofweeks I have until I walk down the aisle.
To say that I am not freaking out would be a lie, but I am limiting my freak-out sessions to only once or twice daily, which is good compared to my hourly spasms earlier in the year. A lot of my jitters are turning into excitement as the day draws nearer, though. My dress needs very little adjusting; my bridesmaids dresses are in the process of being lined, and nearly everything major is paid for.
I have to admit that the only thing I am looking forward to more than the wedding is the honeymoon AND before your twisted little minds are allowed to wander any further, let me elaborate on what I mean by that. I am looking forward to a VACATION! To getting out of this cramped little Montana lifestyle and heading out to the big city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
When choosing a honeymoon destination, I decided that an adequate shopping facility was a must. After much discussion (between myself and my credit cards), I decided that the West Edmonton Mall would probably suit my purpose. Having never traveled northerly past Medicine Hat, I am looking forward to exploring a new area, especially one with unlimited shopping opportunities.
As usual, my loving fiance graciously agreed to the destination (especially after mention of Labatt Raceway and the Edmonton Oilers). Other pluses when traveling to the land up north included the favorable exchange rate and the ability to legally toast our marriage over a glass of champagne, and so our decision was finalized. My next step was to find a hotel and as of this printing I am on my fourth reservation.
I am fairly certain that every hotel desk clerk in the entire city of Edmonton knows me on a first-name basis at this point. I have called and inquired about rates, packages and amenities more times than I care to count. But, I want to make sure that our honeymoon stay will be perfect.
The first hotel I found was great, so I made reservations nearly a year in advance and sat back to relax. Then I was left alone with the Internet and a telephone. After hours of scouring numerous Edmonton hotel websites, I found another great place, with a much better price and location, so I cancelled my first reservation and switched hotels. OK, finished, right?
Wrong! The second reservation lasted a few months, until I realized that the hotel did not have a pool. So, I got back on the 'net to find a place with a pool, because, I thought, I MUST have a pool. I found a third hotel, one with a pool AND it even had a jacuzzi in the room! I was set. This one was final.
Well recently I was perusing this third choice's website, and I took a "virtual tour" of a room similar to the one we were to be staying in, when I realized that the "jacuzzi" was just an oversized bathtub in the bathroom (or washroom if I want to speak true Candadian). When I was thinking "jacuzzi," I envisioned a full-sized hot tub in the living area, where I could kick back, relax and watch CBC. I realized that this choice would just not do!
So, last week I searched and searched the web for a similarily priced hotel with a similar "romance package" (which includes such unnecessary things as flowers, chocolates and satin sheets), and a real jacuzzi located inside the room itself. Finally, after an exhaustive routine of calling 800 numbers and listening to classical music while waiting for the hotel's "next available operator," I booked a room with a choice honeymoon package, and a fancy-schmancy jacuzzi just like I wanted. The hotel also has above ground walkways to four of the major downtown shopping centers (not that that influenced my choice in any way).
So, I am now convinced that I have found the perfect honeymoon location. I am grounding myself from the computer, so I am not forced to peruse any other hotel websites. But, now that all the little stuff is taken care of, I feel like I need to be planning something! I'm not sure if I'm ready for all this hectic activity to be over! By the time my next column is scheduled to run, I will have 11 days left. Just a warning, my next column may consist of a bunch of nonsense words combined into paragraphs made to look like an article, you know, kind of like a Tribune editorial.
