steve! who is this steve? what if redbeard finds out about him?!

THAT is hilarious. Steve actually knows that I call him Red Beard. Because his beard? It is red.

If it makes you feel any better...I keep thinking the next time I check your blog the title is going to be something along the lines of "YESSSSSSSSSSSS! And Yessssssssss!" Or something like that, you know. Whatever you deem fit. Crossing my fingers in Chicago. Also, happy almost birthday!

Yeah, me too.

I have a feeling that this whole thing might get pushed back until the end of October, so I'm just trying not to obsess TOO terribly much or I'll go even crazier than I already am.

This is the best time ever to start a book project. I need all the distractions I can get.

This is so cute and exciting. I like option number three, too. And hey, way to go for being unexpectedly ahead in your word count.

welp -- now I've got a job interview on Thursday and I need to do some research for it, so I don't know how long this lead will hold. But I'll do my best. I usually like to have a few glasses of wine to unravel after an interview, so perhaps I'll use some liquid motivation to help me write hard and fast Thursday night.

I miss the RB references. I mentally cross out "Steve" and say "Red Beard" in my head as I read.

Long live the RB!

It's true; the first time I saw "Steve" instead of "Red Beard" I was momentarily confused.

Ditto with the RB/Steve thing. I never would have guessed in a million years that that was his name. Not sure why, but, yay! I vote for number three! And I have all my fingers and toes crossed for you! :)

I too was all STEVE? Who the hell is STEVE? He's Steve, you're Katie, the world is right again.

Also - you are SO GETTING ENGAGED. My fingers, toes, other limbs = all crossed.

What would you guys think if it turned out our names weren't Katie & Steve, but something like EDITH and WALTER? I bet it would it totally mess with your mental picture of who the hell these Edith and Walter people could be.

Hi Katie,
I've just been looking at the PostSecret website and there's a card up there from a girl who snooped and found her engagement ring, and now feels that she cheated herself out of the best day of her life. Go have a look. It made me well up! I guess I'm trying to say - these are exciting times and be sure to leave yourself room to be surprised. We're all rooting for you!

Wow, just read that postcard. Sad for that girl, but I guess everybody’s different. Every year when I was a kid, my older brother and I tore up the house from top to bottom to find all the Christmas presents well before the day. One year we found them by accident because we were running and doing flips in the air and landing on our heads on the couch (kids are made out of rubber) and at one point, the couch slammed back against ~something~ not the wall, and it made a weird noise, so we pulled it out and found all the presents. The couch incident saved us from a lot of work that year. Anyway, all that snooping, and Christmas was still the most awesome day EVER! WOO! My point is not that I will snoop, because I am not a snooper when it comes to Steve’s stuff, but the point is that it’s really, really hard to ruin a surprise for me. In fact, I don’t like to be surprised because anticipation and knowing what’s going to happen are more fun for me than just not knowing, and whoop- there you go, there’s all your fun in that single moment.

Katie, please please please post something on Monday letting us know whether or not this coming weekend is "the" weekend!!!

Oh yeah, I will absolutely keep you in on it. NO doubt. :-)