Liscence to Wed!!

It seems as though from now until the wedding will be filled with something to do every.single.day!!!

Josh is getting off work early today (its my day off) so we can do the following:

- Go downtown and meet with the new event planner at the chapel.
- Go to the silly county building where we are going to get OUR MARRIAGE LISCENCE!
- Go to Helzberg to pick out Josh's ring and get it sized if need be. I will also be giving up my ring to get it rhoto-plated again before the big day. Sad!
- Write a bunch of checks for remaining balances on the florist, the harpist, the cake and a limo. Sheesh.

With each of these little things we accomplish, it feels just more and more real. It still feels like we have so much to do, but honestly we are runnin out of time!!! Eek! The wedding nightmares have struck full -force. I am not sure if they are nightmares so much as I just cannot sleep because I am up worrying about all the little details. ugh. I just know I see a light at the end of the tunnel. And I want time to simultaneously slow down and speed up.

Sneakin'

Oh is our wedding ever creeping up fast. This last weekend was a whirlwind of "lasts" before we seal the deal. Awhile ago, we decided that if I was going to have a Bridal Shower, we should probably just plan it on the same day as my planned Bachelorette Party that way the duplicate guests would not have to take off two days for me in the upcoming weeks. The problem with that theory was that we got the invites in the mail only a week before the event. Apparently, the mailbox I dropped them into gets its mail picked up on Tuesday for the whole weekend. (I dropped them in Saturday morning.) This meant most of my guests did not even get their invites until Thursday/Friday depending how diligent they are about checking their mail. And the event was on Saturday. Did not exactly give a lot of TIME for them to ask off of work, etc.

Because of all that sillyness, my bridal shower was a very "intimate" affair. I think it ended up being about 8 people total. Which actually ended up being perfect and fun. Since it was such a small group, we could all talk together and it really seemed like a nice little get together. My mom really went all out and we had all sorts of yummy appetizers and desserts around. We ended up playing some pretty fun games, one which required me to chew on a mouthful of BubbleTape for a long period of time. Not my fave ;)

After the bridal shower was over, my girlfriends and I got dolled up to go downtown for my Bach Party. I really did not want it to be the "typical" crazy nonsense where lots of fallic symbols were involved. I wanted a more classy, fun type of thing. We rode the lightrail downtown to The Cheesecake Factory, where we had an amazing dinner. And I learned that the bright pink sash I was wearing as per my bridal party's demands garnered me a lot of attention. Eek. We had our first drinks there and then we started walking. When we found a place that looked interesting, we stopped. And had a cocktail. I drank lots of yummy things on Saturday night. And surprisingly, I felt okay yesterday. The only problem was my feet. I had decided to wear my wedding shoes all day/night to "practice." Well...my wedding shoes are 5 inches tall. Oh.My.Gosh! I had no idea my feet could hurt so bad. After the cocktails, we decided to go this little sports-y type bar across the street from Coors field. It had an outdoor deck and apparently, I was a dancing queen. That's how I know I was intoxicated. Because...I....don't...dance. I believe I got home at almost 5:00 in the morning. Yi!!! I am not a young'in anymore!

I also had my final fitting on Friday. I took my MOH Bri along so she could learn how to lace up the back of Maggie Sottero gown and learn how to do the bustle as well. My dress, since it is so very large and fluffy, has a French bustle. Meaning that it is bustled underneath the dress rather than being buttoned up on the outside. There are TWELVE tie ups under there. And then, there are some normal button/loop bustles on the lace side of the dress. In all, it took about 20 minutes to properly bustle me. Eek. I keep joking that I am going to strap mini fans onto my legs because it gets so.flipping.hot under there. With my slip on, I believe I have 12 layers of stuff on my legs. Ugh. My slip was just stuck to my legs with sweat.Sexy.

After this weekend, it all feels so so real now. I scheduled my appointment to pick up my dress the day before the wedding. That way, nothing happens to it between now and then. Its sneakin' up! The crunch has begun. I only have a few more things to take care of before it all happens. And I could not be more thrilled.

Now, I'll leave you with some photos of the Bachelorette party. I am bummed because I didnt have anyone take full body photo of us. We all looked very cute. And got many comments that it was a prerequisite to have cute shoes if you are a friend of mine. :)

April and Bri on the lightrail on the way downtown. Wearing their cute "bridal party" buttons that April bought everyone. 

 

Toasting at The Cheesecake Factory. :) Clockwise from left,  my girls: Katie, Lindsay, Laura, April and Bri. It was so fun to dress up. That magical drink in my hand was a pomegranate margarita. Mmm.

 

At a swanky bar called the Double Daughters. That guy in between Laura and I is actually the reason for our friendship. In high school, we both fought over him. And then decided rather than hate each other like all girls, we would embrace our similarities. :) It was so crazy running into him on my Bachelorette party. 

 

These are bathroom pics. I had a paper towel on the bottom of my shoe. But it looks like we're dancing. So that's my story. 

 

April. <3

 

BriBri <3

Bliss

So. I stopped doing my "assignments" for awhile. I guess I did not really realize when I started that we only had a month left until the wedding.

All through this entire process, I have felt like the wedding is a distant thought: it's coming, but not for awhile I would tell myself. And breathe. And relax. And take my sweet time going about things.

It finally just hit me today. There are f.i.f.t.e.e.n days until our wedding. FINALLY the big day we have been planning and thinking about for almost two years is almost here. I cannot explain to you really what I am feeling right now, only that it is a kind of peace.

I am not stressed. I am not pulling my hair out. I am calm. HAPPY. Excited. A little antsy. But mostly, I know...without a doubt in my heart, that this is what I should be doing. I am supposed to me getting married to Josh. There is honestly no stress, because I know no matter what at the end of that day...he will be my husband. And there has never been a more calming and beautiful end goal for me in my entire life.

Sure, there are tons of little details yet to be completely nailed down. My feelings about those? Meh! They will all come together...or they won't. The only one who will notice if anything is "off" on my wedding day is me. And I refuse to focus on those things. I am going into this with the most positive outlook I have ever had regarding anything. I am normally one of the most "glass half empty" people out there. But the change in me is solely due to Josh. He makes me so *sigh*...just so content. Ecstatic. Relaxed. Bubbly. I am thrilled to be nearing the date when everyone will see us promise our lives to each other.

For the most part, everything is coming together beautifully. Even I can step back and say just how gorgeous everything sounds and looks. I will post details later, but right now...I am feeling too blissfully irreverent.

Photo Journey

I am totally cheating with this assignment. But the way I see it is: its my blog...and I can do whatever I want! :)

These are the things I am condensing into one post. Because they're all photos. Makes sense to me!

Day 7 - a photo that makes you happy
Day 8 - a photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 9 - a photo you took
Day 10 - a photo taken over 10 years ago of you

 

A photo that makes me happy:

Oh looking back at this little pumpkin just melts me. This is Charlie the week we brought him home. 8 weeks old. It is hard to believe he was ever so tiny. I was giving him my "look" because he had just discovered that eating my hair was super fun (hence the hood). Look at his face! He is such a mischievous, adorable little critter. 

A photo that makes me angry/sad:

 

I absolutely cannot fathom that this horrendous day was already nine years ago. Nine. I was 15 years old. I remember vividly sitting in the cafeteria at my school on an off hour. Suddenly, the TVs turned on and began streaming information. We literally sat there and watched the 2nd plane fly into the south tower. That's how fast we were alerted to this event. After that, it was a blur. I know we were sent home that day. My mom came to get us and was crying. I did not really grasp the severity of it all until I went home and was barraged with floods of images of smoke, firefighters, and death. As sad and angry as this photo makes me...it also bolsters me. I will never forget the swell of pride I felt to watch the country raise up to this tragedy. We united, supported and loved each other for a long time after that. My brother became a firefighter and later went on to join the ARMY because of this day. It changed us all. Tomorrow is the anniversary of the day and I really hope that all the political drama can dry up for one day to remember all those who were lost. God Bless America.

A photo I took:

 

I take lots of photos. I am a wannabe photographer. I could have picked any of hundreds. This is one of my most recent. It is a bloom from my mom's clematis plant. It makes me feel anchored, calm and serene. Which is a good thing after the above photo. Plus, I love purple. This is currently my desktop photo. 

A photo of me taken over 10 years ago:

 

:) I thought this was appropriate for this blog. My wedding blog. This is me when I was probably about 5 years old...as a bride for halloween. My mom made that dress for me. the next year, she dyed it yellow the next year and I was Belle from Beauty and the Beast. She's just super creative like that. I only hope I can look as radiant and utterly carefree and happy on my real wedding day...which is only 21 days away!!!

A Few of My Favorite Things

Day 6/30: 20 Of My Favorite Things

I must admit I have been MIA for about a week because Josh and I decided that it would be super fun to uproot our entire existence a month before the wedding! Well, we are finally moved and situated in our new apartment, we have been waking up at 6:00 a.m everyday with our beloved Charlie. Annnnnnd...we did not get our internet set up until yesterday. *phew* 

On a different note, this may be my favorite assignment so far! I get to pick TWENTY favorite things! Talk about the perfect thing for me, Miss Indecisive. So here we go, in no particular order:

1. Josh. Days when I do not see much of him are so terrible. I am honestly shocked that we have almost been together for five years...and we still have all the passion, fun and love we had on the first day way back then. I just know that will continue for our whole lives. And I couldnt be more thrilled. 

2. Charlie. Crazy dog. Who knew a person could love an animal so much?

3. Guacamole. 

4. High heels. Pumps. Peep toe. Platform. LOVE. 

5. My Mazda. 

6. Facebook. 

7. The Steelers. 

8. Kettlebell workouts. They really REALLY hurt, and work!

9. Barnes and Noble. 

10. My Nook. 

11. Crossword puzzle books.<--yes I really am that cool. 

12. Singing in my car. 

13. Skinny days

14. Knee high socks. My survival through the winter is dependent on these. 

15. Vampires

16. Clean sheets washed with Gain Apple Mango Tango detergent and Target brand Lavender/Vanilla softener sheets. Doesn't sound like a good combo...but it soooooooooo is. Mmmm.

17. Mashed potatoes. I crave them at odd times of day and randomly. 

18. Making lists. About anything and everything. I always have a reading list that I use as a bookmark. 

19. Black and White photos. 

20. Red nail polish.

Isn't it amazing how simple some of the things are that just make your world a better place? Sigh. I love simple pleasures.

A Little Inspiration

Day 5/30: Your Favorite Quote

I love words. I think we have tapped in on that little notion a time or two before...

Throughout my life, there has honestly been ONE quote that has really affected me and the way I live. 

What lies BEHIND you and 

What lies BEFORE you

Are small matters compared to

What lies WITHIN you.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Hunger Games

Day 4/30: Your Favorite Book

I am a reader. I probably make it through about 7-8 books each month. I know that seems unbelievable, but I do. Barnes and Noble employees know me by name. My Nook goes everywhere with me. I use books as decor, stacked artistically under photos. I truly believe a house is not a home without a bundle of books that have been read repeatedly. 

I do not think I need to go into the explanation that there is no way I have one favorite book. There are so many great ones out there. So many authors that I love, so many books that have spoken to me on a higher level. However, for the purposes of this blog, I am going to list ONE book that has impacted me strongly as of late. (I know, I am finally following the rules!)

This book. Wow. I do not have enough words to describe the amazing depths of this novel. It is a young adult novel. It is a sleeper hit among giants like Twilight and Harry Potter, but it is every bit as engrossing, and dare I say? Even more well written.

As some background: this is a novel set in the near future in what used to be The United States. The country is now called Panem, and instead of all the individual states that used to comprise the USA, Panem is split into several separate districts based on what goes on there. For instance, there is a fishing district, a mining district, etc. Because of a revolution which the general public evoked upon the rich upper class people living in "The Capitol" the entire country pays a daunting price each year. As punishment for this revolution, the districts must select 2 young children each year to participate in "The Hunger Games" The children are thrown into an arena, which has been designed with many obstacles to hurt them and they must fight to the death...all while being televised for the amusement of the upper class.

This novel is absolutely gripping. I could not put it down. I believe I devoured it in about 4 hours. There are also two sequels, which are equally fantastic. It is equal parts Survivor (think reality TV televising extremely private moments and personal despair) and a study in humanity. The subject matter is unthinkable. But honestly, what would you do in that situation? You either kill or be killed. Collins brings about a slew of characters that you will despite and some you fall in love with and that will break your heart. I have never read a more thought provoking novel. It really brings to life what humans can do to each other. It is terrible. Beautiful. Astounding.