I'm sitting here hoping the rain comes soon. We've had a heat advisory in effect for days and we need some damn rain and some relief.

Today I went to Richmond to argue in front of the Court of Appeals. I don't like to talk about work in this forum but I will make an exception today. I was court-appointed to represent someone in a criminal appeal. I filed the petition, which can either be accepted or denied. The petition was accepted by the Court of Appeals. Then I filed an opening brief, and a reply brief in response to the Commonwealth's brief. Then, an oral argument in scheduled, where each side gets 15 minutes to argue the finer points of our case. Most of the time is spent answering the Judges' questions. This is the first time I've ever argued to the Court of Appeals, and it felt great. Got to meet and greet with them once it was over. Now, let's just keep our fingers that they rule my client's way!

Stevie baby is laying in the corner of the family room, looking up at me every few seconds when she hears the thunder. She asks with her eyes "Was that noise okay? Are we gonna be okay?" She says so much just with one look. I wonder if she misses N.

I'm leaving for Italy in a week from Thursday. I can't express enough how much I miss N. I've never been away from him for this long, and every time I hear his voice during a transatlantic phone call, I get giddy. I might make out with him for a full 5 minutes when I see him in Milan.

As for wedding plans, I found my veil. I am borrowing Nat's veil, which means a lot to me. I have my something borrowed. I tried it on with my dress on Monday and it looked perfect. I felt like a true-life bride.