5..4..3..2..1...

It's almost here. I can't believe that in the next few days we will be welcoming my family and friends to our celebration! What joy this weekend is blessed with! I'm spending with week with Mom to prepare. So far she's made sure I'm well rested, well fed, relaxed and PAMPERED. She took my to the salon to get our nails done together and they look goooooood! And we bought some good smelling stuff at Bath and Bodyworks so our house smells like tropical flowers! Yum! The Wedding Party House is ready for all those Bridesmaids- stocked with good food, good smells and everything PINK :) Last night we went to the Choclate Cafe in Old Town for a Mothers Day party! It was delicious and special because she gave me advice on how to be a good wife, which she is really good at. As I tie up some of the final details of the wedding, like the Ceremony programs that didn't come yet, the RSVPs that didn't work on our website, and what swimsuits to wear on our cruise, I am full of anticipation about the coming days. So much love is surrounding me and Josh. We are a blessed couple!

Eleven days left and the Bride 2 Be is without a care in the world :) 


The rings are ready, the cake is ordered, the guests are counted. Everything is ready and now all I have to do is shave my legs and curl my hair! Today my loving parents treated me to a highlight at our salon in Old Town. I had to call in sick to work to get to it, but that was just part of the fun! It looks pretty good. 

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Today the Mother of the Bride and I put on our dresses, figured out how to wear our hair and enjoyed how pretty we we're going to look on May 13th:) In case you didn't know, Mother of the Bride is a big deal too, so she also needs to look GOOD. And mine does! We're going to have a little more fun next week getting manicures and putting finishing touches on the party planning. 


I'm sooooooooo excited to see all my friends and family. My Dad, my bridesmaids, my Aunt Pam and Uncle Dale are all so loving and generous, half of them are flying across the country to be here. What a gift to have everyone around! Thank you everybody. 

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I never thought I'd be ready to get married. I thought I'd be kind of freaking out or at least incredibly anxious but it's just solid and real. I'm not quite ready to call myself a wife yet (it sounds so old!) but I haven't really had cold feet- because Josh Taves is CRAZY AWESOME! He's so interesting that I'm going to spend most of my time listening to what's in his head and in his heart. I'm excited to relax with him and listen to him. In the mean time, I'm really excited for the party. 


11 days to go :)

My "Let Them Eat Cake" Moment (PG13)

Remember all the beautiful presents I was given at my Bridal Party? Well, with those gifts came a surplus of tissue paper. I'm usually running out of tissue paper when I give presents so I have a Depression-like, illogical appreciation for tissue paper.

When I was a kiddo I didn't understand the difference between tissue paper and tissues. So my family usually received birthday presents from me that were stuffed with tissues instead :)  

This morning I ran out of toilet paper AND tissues in my restroom and, ironically enough, I had no choice but to use tissue paper. It was unpleasant, but luxurious, like using money or silk.  

Showered with LOVE

Yesterday Julia (Mother of the Groom) Cynthia (my Mom) and my Maid of Honor, Jenae, threw me a Bridal Shower! It was such a beautiful party- everything was pink and sparkly! I'm so thankful for everyone who came to celebrate- friends, family, and friends who feel more like family. For those of you reading this, THANK YOU for such incredibly thoughtful gifts, how generous you have been  to us! Thank you for your smiles and your best wishes. Your presence was a present to me... :) what a way to kick off our wedding celebration! 


Today when I woke up the stack of wedding magazines in my room felt almost nostalgic. We're pretty much done wedding planning, which is unreal to me. A few finishing touches, a finalized guest list, and a couple cakes are the only things left on our list. It's a sad thing to see this "engaged" season of my life start coming to a close. On the other hand, I look forward to some slowness, a new last name, and especially a new roommate. He's the part I'm most excited about (duh).

HONAAYMOOOON!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We're going on a CRUISE !!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so excited! It's going to be so relaxing and easy just to get on a boat and have everything else taken care of for us. We need that right now.

And it's going to be so easy to pack for the trip- stripes and swimsuits here we come! :)

Only Two Months Left.

I hope you're shopping for your party shoes, 'cause we're only TWO months away from the best day of my life. 


All of the big things are taken care of. My mom says that there are only a couple things that people really remember from weddings anyway. The food, the music, and the bride's dress! Heeheehee, she's so wise. So we've got those things covered, the rest is just details :)


Josh is so wonderful. I just never in my life ever ever ever expected to be engaged to a man who wants to be a part of the wedding planning. He has great ideas and he takes big things off our to-do list so I can focus on the fun stuff like flowers and lights and sparkles. We need some wood for some of the decor, so this morning he went on a walk with his chain saw. We need a permit from the Parks Dept, so he calls and gets all the details. We need a honeymoon destination, so he combs the internet for the best deals and fun ideas. What an awesome groom! 


I, on the other hand, have not been able to keep it together very well. Recently I've been too overwhelmed to handle all the details, so I've ended up in tears a couple of times. But that's ok. It's good to cry and acknowledge that it's difficult and then move on with the priorities. Plus, my Aunt Wendy says that a girl should have a good cry once a day. 


Anyway, all this to say that today I am shopping for my party shoes. I don't expect them to be too comfortable because most pretty shoes aren't comfy anyway! But they will sure be fun to hit the dancefloor in. Two months til I get to have my first dance with my husband. I'm so excited :)

Our wedding planning attitude...:)

http://www.hulu.com/watch/322191/portlandia-cool-wedding-1#s-p4-sr-i0

New Roommates

Not only with Josh and I soon be Husband and Wife, Lovers, and Best Friends, soon we will also be ROOMMATES! And this is one of the parts of our marriage I'm most excited for.

 

First of all, Josh is an excellent cook. Truly, the recipes he thinks up are always delicious and they take time and effort to cook, which is actually really fun. I'm used to healthy food fast, so it will be good to take more time with cooking. 

It's going to be great to have a roommate to do fun things with - like a built in buddy to hang out with friends, go out, or just sit at home together. I like the way Josh lives his life; he expends energy in the right places and is economical about his emotions. I want to learn how to be more like that.

I'm excited to listen to him. I want to know how his day goes and how he's doing. He sees the world around him differently than most. The way he takes it in is interesting to me. Josh loves nature and the God who created it all. I'm happy to be with someone who takes time to appreciate sunsets and mountains and stars and clouds. It teaches us to slow down, look around, and enjoy this beautiful place.

Soon I'll have a roommate to talk about finances with, to make big decisions with, like where to live and work and where to invest my time. It's going to be nice to have an accountability partner in those areas of my life, to keep and eye out for each other and make sure we're not doing anything silly, and also to keep each other savvy. 

My new roommate is going to make it so that I'm never alone. I'll be alone every so often, and we're going to have to budget some alone-time into our life, but I won't really be alone anymore. I have lived a more solitary life than most. And I'm blessed that there is an end to that solitude in sight.

  

And finally, a husband is a roommate you get to SNUGGLE! Which is one of the things I'm looking forward to most. :)

Come One, Come All

Last year a girl from my high school invited all her friends to her wedding via facebook. At the time, I thought that was a crazy way to invite people, but now I'm thinking she is brilliant. 


Invitations are somewhat difficult. As with all things "wedding," I'm told that it's my big day and everything should be amazingly colorful, personal and creative. I'm supposed to pick a color scheme, picture, font, paper material and envelope that are all a part of our theme. On top of that, the wording can be as creative or as formal as we choose! Good luck. 


A friend from work advised not to put too much money or effort into our invites, because people will be throwing them away! Smart. So smart, in fact, that I think we will go more low-key on our invitations and put the capital into more lasting items... like flowers... or cake... :) 

Veils and CleanseTINIs!

Last week I went shopping with my Dad for a veil. It was so sweet:) I don't get to do a lot of wedding planning with him, so it was really special to go to the wedding dress shop. Plus, since we already have the dress, it was much easier!

I found a great veil. It costs $152. WHAT?! So we decided to look around online a little bit, and I found veils on craigslist.com for about $5, and at Hobby Lobby for $15. Fantastic.

I also got to try on the Cinderella dress from Alfred Angelo's Disney Princess Weddings Collection! So pretty.
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As far as the Master Cleanse goes, I'm doing alright with it. I should have been more aggressive about the "Ease-In" phase, in order to get used to a juice diet. Also, I should have put more sugar in my juice, even if it's more than the recipe entails, I think it's easier to start with more sugar so your body has enough energy.

The hunger is gone now (Day 3), but not the eating habit. I cheated yesterday and ate and I felt so bad about not being successful. I was upset so I called Josh and he gave me so much encouragement. When I came home from work last night, he was standing outside my apartment with a surprise! He made me "Cleanse-tinis!" Josh had looked for the recipe online and bought more ingredients for me and mixed it all up in martini glasses! He sat me down in front of my computer and made sure I spent the night shopping online:) He's so thoughtful and creative, and so good at loving me!  

Bride-A-Licious!

Amongst all the wedding planning tips, there's a lot of pressure from wedding mags to become "Bridealicious." This means different things to different brides, but I am focused on looking fit and hot on my wedding day. I want to look my best for that day and for the honeymoon. So today I started a cleanse, which is 2012's term for "diet." 

I chose the Master Cleanse- because it's fast-working (10 days) and because Beyonce did it. She's my fitness role model. She's curvy and fit; so you can tell that she eats and that she works out. Plus she's so fly!

The Master Cleanse includes 10 days of fresh-pressed lemon juice, a dab of cayenne pepper and a bit of High-Grade Maple Syrup (which I am substituting for Coconut Syrup). It doesn't taste GREAT, but it doesn't taste too bad either. 

Anyway, this is Day 1, and the experts say to record your progress. So I will use this blog to pout when I'm SO hungry and gloat when my jeans are a little looser. Plus, I promised Josh that I will be careful with my body, to be sure that I'm not hurting myself. And I keep the promises I make Josh, even the hard ones. 

Here's to Day 1!

3 Months!

Three teeny tiny months until I get to walk down the aisle towards the man of my dreams.

I'm so excited, so ready and I have so much wedding planning to do! These are some of the most exciting days of my life. The best part is that when the party dies down, the dress is put away and the honeymoon is over, I'm left with my best friend by my side.

Forever.  

Introducing the Maid of Honor....

I'd like to introduce to you the newest member of our Bridal Party.

Drumroll please!

..................Baahhdahdumdahdumdumdumdumdahdumdumdumdum..................

The Maid of Honor, 

JENAE MARIE PITTS!

Jenae is a free-thinking, huge-hearted woman, who loves to laugh. We've been friends since we met in 8th Grade Student Council (where all long-lasting friendships are forged), and as years went by we became even closer. Some of our fondest memories together include Coffee Club, Zoolander, high school dances, bowling class, Lake Access, skipping class, and European History. Some of our less-loved memories together include Mr. Flygare's World Literature class, hiking Pikes Peak, working at Marigolds Cafe, tennis team, and high school in general. We've been through a lot together, good times and bad times, and I can assuredly say that Jenae has been one of the most influential people in my life.


I'm so excited for celebrating with all my bridesmaids, and enjoying this time with one of my dearest and silliest friends as Maid of Honor is such a blessing to me! 

Save the Dates (STDs:)

MAY 13th!

I want to tell everyone I meet that I'm getting married to Josh Taves on May 13th! And I do tell most everyone I meet. And all my friends. And all my family. I'm like a walking Save the Date card:)

Last night was so fun. After work I sat down with a cup of peppermint tea, an address book, and a set of love songs. Writing everyones names and addresses on our Save the Dates made me think about every person we are inviting to celebrate with us, how far they may travel to be with us, and how much fun it will be to see our friends and family all together.

It left me with a realization that a wedding is truly a celebration. Josh and I are joining not just our futures, but our families, near and far, our friends, and our pasts. I cannot think of a better way to begin our life together!

I get to marry THIS man?

Wow. Josh Taves is so amazing.

He's full of truth and wisdom. He's strong, yet temperate. He's so handsome! He likes nature, Biscuits and Gravy and going fast on his mountain bike. He's so good at loving me.

And I get to marry this man...

Wow. Thank you God.

"RUSTIC" wedding?

Weddings are supposed to be elegant, right?

Then why is it that every time I find a cute decorating idea online, it just so happens to fall under the title of "RUSTIC Wedding" ????

The Story of My Dress...

Today I got my wedding dress back from our wonderful tailor, Laura. She fixed it! It looks beautiful- elegant, fun and sparkly.

Finding the "perfect" dress is not easy. My mom, Josh's mom and I have spent a few days swimming in taffeta, satin and lace to find the right one. When we found it online for a great price, I thought we were getting a great deal! WRONG. Don't buy your wedding dress online, girls! 

The dress I got in the mail was SO messed up. It was tight on my breasts, puffy around my torso and tight on my butt. The skirt part of it wasn't even completely sewn- like they forgot to finish it. ha! 

But after a couple trips to this fantastic tailor, it fits great. And now I have my wedding dress. Just hanging there in the closet, like it's quietly humming about all the fun and love I will enjoy when I wear it. There's such a warmth in that dress. I'm so excited!