i am marrying a wonderful man.

the years go on and we're still fighting it, we're still fighting it.
and you're so much like me, i'm sorry.
-ben folds


i never thought i'd be 21 years old and still fighting it, and i hope i am a different person.


exactly 4 weeks. 28 days.

can't wait.

it occurred to me today that no one really knows exactly what's going on with this wedding but me.

and i should have delegated more.

Being at home during the summer while most of your friends are working means you get time to do things like:

-Sleep in a little bit
-Go work out
-Buy cleaning supplies
-Organize and label reception decorations for our wonderful friends who are decorating for us during our wedding
-Scrub the kitchen floor
-Prepare for tutoring this afternoon
-(Maybe) Pick up the bridesmaid gifts that are in!
-Pick up a now altered dress!

All in one day!


Seriously. I love vacation.
And I realize I am still pretty busy but this is all stuff that I really needed to do and it is such a blessing to have time to do it all.

I am so thankful that I was basically handed a job in the classroom I had been in all year, and I only had to work an extra month and I got as much money as I would have made working at the Y this summer. I also had plans to work in the autism lab and do summer research before getting married. What was I thinking? I am so glad that I didn't work (for once). With my classroom job I didn't have to take another job. Thank the Lord. It's so amazing to see how the Lord is making things fall into place.

yay :)

Getting married means you spend a lot of money.

But.

It's worth it.

We've pretty much stuck to our budget and the Lord has blessed us with some surprise gifts from our parents. It just seems like things are falling into place and I am so thankful.

Laura and I went to the pool and Joel met us there. I think I finally got some sun.

Then Joel and I met at Meredith and coordinated the ceremony logistics with Lauree's mom (so great that she is the event coordinator!)

We went to the arboretum and brainstormed for the reception and got one more hour added to the reception (YAY!)
We are also going to have a slideshow, we think, because there's a big screen and we figure we should put something on it. I hope we have enough pictures.

We had some time to stop at Whole Foods and Joel got this amazing plate of food from the hot bar. Ratatouille, scalloped potatoes, mac and cheese, and tuna casserole. Mmmm. He bought some other groceries so we ran to his house to put them away before going to meet Patrick. Because Joel drives a stick shift, and we didn't have time for him to sit and eat, I was going to literally feed him while he drove. So I took the OPEN plate of food in the car, and of course I somehow spilled it ALL OVER ME. I was so mad I yelled a bad word. A) It was from Whole Foods and delicious and their food is expensive and I felt so bad that I had dropped Joel's dinner (he was really hungry) and B) It was hot.

So thankfully, I had a change of clothes so I ran back inside to change. When I came back to the car, all that food was gone. Joel had taken his fork and eaten it off the floor and seat of the car. He said it was delicious. I totally understood. It was not the kind of food you just throw away. And really, Joel was not in the least bit upset about it. He really is very patient. It seems like I spill things all the time!

Then we met with Patrick, got our program figured out and the logistics of the ceremony. We decided to have communion during the service, and I'm really excited about that.

Basically, we have really enjoyed spending time together lately. I feel like we are getting glimpses of what marriage will be like and we're working on developing a very strong friendship.

31 days :)

So I'll start with the bad news and end on a high note :)

On the way home today, I turned right on red at a red light camera intersection...and it went off on me! I am FURIOUS. I am just praying that I don't get a ticket because Joel and I just did our budget and our insurance is low because we have no tickets...I will be so mad if my stupid error means I have to pay a ticket.

Now for the good news:
I found a wonderful tailor-Lee's Tailor at Triangle Town Center. I had a bad experience at David's Bridal because my dress doesn't fit right and I didn't think they understood what I wanted. So I went to Lee's and really, they are still working on it but it was so much less expensive and faster.

Joel and I both are on vacation this month before the wedding. We spent yesterday at the gym, then running at Lake Johnson and then going to my pool. We even had time to write thank you notes and get ice cream. Today we went to the gym, ran, and canoed (hooray!). It really is amazing how much better we feel about ourselves and each other and our relationship in general when we are healthy and active. It is so hard to believe that I will be single for 31 more days...and then we are getting MARRIED. I know people get married all the time, and it's not really that big of a deal to other people, but it is SUCH A BIG DEAL to us. I never thought I'd be getting married right after graduating, but I guess the Lord's plan was different than mine. And it wasn't really surprising at all to Joel ;)

I get to start moving things into my classroom tomorrow but I don't get to really set up until we get back from the honeymoon. I am teaching 3rd grade and really....I'm not sure what to start with, but thank the Lord I have a couple of friends who are also first year teachers in 3rd grade.

Joel called...later gators.

P.S.
33 days!