Wow!

So far, this has been a *really* good weekend!

The bus ride from Red Deer was long, but uneventful. I slept--no, I didn't sleep. I more...rendered myself unconcious at regular intervals. It was a dreamless, senseless kind of sleep that you can only get when your body forces itself.

Pulled in about 8:30am on Saturday morning. I picked out Loren's car in the parking lot before I saw him.

I was so out of it, though. I piled off the bus and saw him, but I didn't register him for a second.

Of course, when I finally *did*, there was great huggings (and kissings) involved.

We got my other little package from the back, and piled into his vehicle.

I gave him his birthday presant when we stopped at his place: a black and white print of Marliyn Monroe, in a black frame (which I built! Woo!). He'd already guessed what it was. I'm not surprised. It was kind obvious.

He took down his only non-Marilyn picture on his wall, one of Humphrey Bogart, and put the print in it's place. Now he's aaaaall Marilyn.

We stopped by my place on the way out to Oliver and my mom covered me with sloppy kisses, and my dad yelled vaguely:

"What? Who's there?" from the kitchen, where he was baking.

Ditto was happy to see me, and he meowed delightedly.

I went up to take a look at my room, see what'd changed.

My dad took over the dresser and my bed, understandably (he snores, so my mother will frequently kick him out of bed in the middle of the night, and so he goes and sleeps in my old bed).

But the thing that pissed me off is my little brother took over the corner of my room to use as his office.

HE'S GOT HIS OWN GODDAMN ROOM. Let him use *that*. It's not like he doesn't have *room*.

He took down my stained glass dove that Kendra's mother gave me, and my silicon dragon mask I built, and it collapsed in on itself (I'd put it up to it would hold it's shape).

Pissed me off.

Anyway, the ride to Oliver, to Golden Swan, was nice and uneventful. I'd in total got about six hours of uncomfortable sleep on the bus, so I was doing okay, and I'd eaten a badly undercooked breakfast at one of the busstops.

It was a nice ride, though. I'd really missed Loren, and it was good to spend so much time with him.

We picked up two hitchhikers, one which we only gave a ride for half an hour to (he was going east, we were going west), and the other, who was blond and tiny and young looking, we picked up just outside Castlegar, and dropped in Osoyoos.

I kind of wondered whether she was a runaway. She was a nice enough girl. Didn't talk much, though, and didn't seem inclined to conversation, so we didn't try.

I did a lot of crosswords on the ride.

We pulled into Golden Swan, and I was immediately accosted by Missy (or Sapphyrah, I think her SCAdian name is now).

I haven't seen her in YEARS.

She told me Tatsu, Sable, Alexander the Tactless (Tyler), Siobhan (Judy), Exangelina (Janette), and *everybody* else was inside, so we went.

Got some Gold Key for Loren, a olive green valour tunic. I'd brought my belt, because I figured they didn't have any, which they didn't.

After that, I dragged Loren around from place to place, saying hullo to all my SCAdian friends.

The Prince and Princess were there, along with a couple pointy hats I couldn't place.

Anyway, Judy took me to Francesco the Spicer's pavilion and told me to pick out some spices for my birthday. I got something Chinese (that's apparently like cinnamon) which I need to crush, a seven pepper mix, some form of foreign curry, and candied fennel seed.

It was good.

There was also a potter in that pavillion, who gave me an enormous two handed teapot for my birthday (old batch; he was trying to get rid of the stuff).

So now I had a new teapot, and a bunch of new spices.

SWEET.

But!

But.

It gets BETTER.

Loren also bought me a feast ticket. Made me happy. I wasn't planning on attending the feast, because I didn't have the cash.

Court was called, just before the feast.

Everyone kind of milled about while court was called to order.

"First order of business: would Marie the Baguettes please present herself to the court?"

I was all: "What what? Who? Me? I didn't do anything wrong, did I?! I don't think I did...Why do they want me up at court?"

So what ever, I go up. Tatsu escorts me up, even though my lord Loren was there (he'd never seen a court, so wouldn't've known what to do).

The next part is a bit of a blur, but ended with:

"We would like to present Marie the Baguettes with her Award of Arms. Please rise, Lady Marie. Three cheers for Lady Marie the Baguettes!"

And I was all: "Whaaaa? You wanna give me a whaaaaa?"

The scroll is lovely, and the seal is on upsidedown. Kind funny.

It was dated the 22nd of May. Apparently they'd been trying to get to an event I was at to give it to me since then. (And *that* would be why the ladies in my shire were trying to get me to May Crown!)

So I've been a Lady for *six months* without realizing it.

I was amused.

And *everyone* knew I was going to get it except me. Everyone. Colleen knew, Loren knew (which was why he was so adament about getting me to Swan), Tatsu knew, my entire Shire knew.

I hadn't a *clue*.

I'd actually been thinking earlier that day: "I wonder if I'll ever get my AoA...I'll probably be one of those people who get it after ten years of being in the SCA."

After I got my AoA, the Herald was all:

"And that concludes the business for the court!"

So they called court *specifically* to give me my AoA. Nothing else.

Apparently when they found out I'd actually made it to Swan for a few hours, someone drove really fast to Penticton to pick up my scroll.

It was amazing.

Anyway, I have to go set the table for Thanksgiving dinner, so ta.

.

Rosie.

Before&After