Can you ever just be whelmed?

A lot can change in just a week's time. This time last week none of this was on my mind. Now all I can think about are reception sites, flowers, invitations, dresses, guests and cake. We even began registering at a number of places including Bed, Bath & Beyond, REI and Pampered Chef!

Holy crap I'm getting married...

The checklist we've been using from theknot.com has A LOTTA THINGS on it... most of which are "overdue" since we're having such a "quick" engagement. According to this little piece of pape, in the next month we're supposed to...

• Interview caterers, decide on a caterer, work on a menu, sign a contract & send deposit
  
• Interview & price-list photographers, reserve photographer, decide on package, sign contract & send deposit
  
• Begin looking for a baker, book a baker, choose cake design & send deposit
• Interview florists, choose a florist & send deposit
• Browse styles of dresses online, try them on, narrow down choices and purchase.

All of this (and much, MUCH more) is accompanied by little tiny red exclamation points.

Holy crap I'm getting married...

I've given Philip the jobs of music & photography, though he's already done much more than that. The day after we got engaged he called the Motherlode Lodge to check their availability for a private reception! And right this very minute he's purchasing music for the brass quintet we'll have play at the ceremony... He's on top of things... and I'm not going to complain. After all, how long can this last?!

Right now the only thing holding us back from officially setting the September 20th date is the fact that the Motherlode is closed for a family emergency. After we get that booked, it'll all be good... well, mostly. It'll be good as long as 60% of our guest list decides not to come. You see, the Motherlode can only hold 150 and our list is 252 people long (including those horrible "plus one" invites for all our single friends). It'll all work out in the end, I'm sure.

My mom has purchased tickets to come up here for the weekend so we can shop for THE DRESS together at least once. It was quite the expense I'm sure but, as she says, "I'm paying for a wedding!"

Holy crap I'm getting married...

My bridesmaids are in the process of perusing tea-length brown dresses. Their only guidance from me is "same length, same color". Really that's all I care about. I think, in general, the feel for the wedding I'm envisioning is "rustic elegance", which might include things like...

Any tips, comments, suggestions or antecdotes are welcome as we continue on this journey. As for a "wedding blog" I'm not sure that'll happen unless my fiance sets that up :)

Liars, All of Them!

I have been deceived. My parents and this girl have been planning behind my back for months. They've lied and cheated their way through many conversations. But I guess I'll forgive them.

I mean, they were lying to keep up the rouse that this wasn't coming until after our June trip to California. The were lying to keep the suspense. To keep the surprise.

And BOY, did they. Talk about the shock of a lifetime!

You can read his whole backstory later but I'll go ahead and share my naivete now.

It was our regular date night and we had plans to stay in Eagle River and make Halibut Chowder for dinner. But I got a call that afternoon from him saying that he was feeling cooped up and wanted to get outside and take pictures. I said okay. (Naivete #1) We met at my house and drove up to Hatcher Pass where we walked on the snow toward the Independence Mine. It was COLD so he decided to stop and set up his tri-pod to take some photos of the valley. (Naivete #2: He was snapping 'em pretty quickly so that should've tipped me off!) He started fumbling around in his backpack for more camera equipment but when he stood up he said, "Would you try this on for me?"

To which I replied, "Are you kidding me?!" Several times. Over and over.

He did get on his knee and I did say "yes" and we couldn't be happier!

It is a GOOD day...

For those of you not in the know, today is Good Friday-- the day we remember the sacrifice Christ made for us.

My youth are in charge of the service this evening and this is one of the songs we'll be playing towards the end of the service. It'll play when the congregation has an opportunity to reflect upon their sins for which Christ died.

It is an amazing day, an amazing gift, that He would voluntarily give His life so that we might be "New Again".

Whew!

My whirlwind month is almost over! After Confirmation on March 30th I'll basically be home-free until VBS in June... YAY!

Other than attempting to recap my March (and I'll save you the agony!), I honestly haven't got much to post about. Life is finally slowing down and I enjoy the lull. The Boy & I have actually been able to find more time to be with eachother than normal and (hopefully) that time will continue to increase. For our date night yesterday we doubled with my friends Tabbie & Scott to see "Vantage Point", which turned out to be an edge-of-your-seat movie that suddenly ended. There was closer but not much. It's definitely a recommended theatre-view though. Plus, Matthew Fox is in it AND Dennis Quaid is a bad @$$.

I'm looking forward to basically having a slow two months ahead of me followed by a much-anticipated Californivacation in June, which is when The Boy will finally meet the 'rents. (He's nervous. It's cute.) Then it's off to a full summer of activities... then Fall...

Speaking of Fall, that's probably when I'll be starting a Master's Program I've been looking at for a few months now. I'd be earning a degree in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. I've talked at length with the program coordinator and am seriously considering taking the $25,000 dive into continuing education. (Scary, considering I still owe from my undergrad!) I think the degree sounds interesting-- especially the Servant Leadership aspect-- and it would be applicable in lots of circumstances, not just the church.

So, yeah, that's it.

I really am that boring.

SIDENOTE: I recently stumbled across Travelzoo.com and found some AMAZING deals for all sorts of trips & hotels. If you're interested in entering to win 20 such trips, CLICK HERE.

T-Minus 71 Days