Future Plannin

According to The Knot, as of today, there are 200 days until our wedding. For some reason, that number seems more final than 7 months...maybe because now it can be a countdown. Tomorrow, there will 199 days left until our wedding. I probably should not do that unless I want to give myself a panic attack.

The biggest thing that is going on with Josh and I lately is that we're coming up on the end of our lease here at the apartment. When January rolled around, we had to start thinking about whether we wanted to stay here and if not, what we would do instead. I think the entire month of January was spend alternating between us freaking out that I did not have a job and wondering when things were going to turn around so that I could get one. It seems like lately in Colorado, jobs have been harder and harder to come by. We both have several friends that just graduated from college with degrees in things like Mechanical Engineering and cannot even find a job at Home Depot. Not exactly promising.

One of my biggest pet peeves is sitting around thinking about renting. I mean, when you think about it, there is NO bigger waste of money in this world. You pour money into something and at the end, you have absolutely nothing to show for it. Okay, so maybe it establishes a little bit of good credit but not really. Josh agrees with me. For the past 14 months, we have been paying almost $800 a month for a one bedroom apartment. Yes, we know that that sounds absolutely insane...but really, its not all that unusual. Josh and I used to live in a 2 bedroom apartment with a buddy of Josh's and that one was $600 a month. Lets just say that extra $200 a month bought us some security. At that other apartment, my car got broken into 3 times. One of those times, they tried to rip out my stereo...I say tried because they used a crowbar...and left it in my car. My stereo was wrenched halfway out and my dashboard was cracked the entire way up. Another time at the cheap apartment, I got home from work at around 9:45pm...I was walking up the dark walkway to get to the stairs leading to our apartment. This whole place was super dark and scary at night. Right when I got to the stairs, a very large man who was obviously on a very large amount of crack or God knows what else CHASED ME UP THE STAIRS. He was talking animatedly to himself and hitting himself in the face and I am not joking when I say that he chased me, at a dead sprint, up 3 flights of stairs. Thank GOD I had my key ready. When I got inside, he paced out on the landing in front of our door for a solid 15 minutes. We called the police, but never saw them. I guess let's just say $800 a month is not so bad when I don't have to worry about getting home late at night or leaving my car in the parking lot.

Anyway, we have a wedding to pay for. Currently, I do not have a job. The ambition that Josh and I have is to have a house to move into after we're married. A house that we are paying a mortgage on, not renting. Very ambitious I know. We threw around every possibility and finally came to a conclusion. At the end of this month, we are moving in with my mom. I know most people think of this as some sort of cruel punishment, but those people obviously don't have a mama like mine. My mom lives in my childhood home, 4 bedrooms...and no one there but her. My mom is my best friend in the world. She was the biggest supporter of Josh and I in general and especially when he wanted to ask me to marry him. Something not a lot of people know is that my amazing, beautiful, caring mother went with Josh to look at engagement rings; she knew which one I wanted and she gave up her ring from her marriage to my dad so that it would be easier for Josh to pay for my dream ring. She told him she was giving up something from a broken relationship so that we could build a strong one. My ring would be precious to me no matter what, but every time I look at it, I am reminded of her selfless act of support for me and the man that I love.. We know it will be a change, but it will be a good thing. We are looking at it as a HUGE blessing. We get to save money not only for the wedding, but for a house. Our Charlie gets to have a puppy friend that we can leave him with during the day. Since he's still so little, it made it almost impossible for me to get a job before we move in with mom. Josh and I will have more outside interaction with other people, specifically family, and that is always a good thing. My mom will be close at hand to help with wedding projects. My mom will not have to be in that big house all alone at night anymore. Basically, the benefits are endless.

The only downside is that, despite the ridiculous pricetag, this little apartment has become a home to Josh and myself. Our own little world where we had our own little rituals, recipes and family memories. A part of me will be sad to leave it. I just have to remember that once we are happily married, we will have a REAL house to move into and grow into. I could not be happier that we have such supportive families and friends that are willing to do anything to make our life together easier. I am excited to have more time to spend with my mama before Josh and I really become man and wife.