Rewind...Bridesmaids Lunch

We are back! I feel so behind and don't even know where to begin. So, how about where we left off? (If you want to fast forward, you can see wedding recaps here, here or here.)

The week of the wedding we were moving, finishing up wedding details and living in virtual chaos. (Did I also mention my office is remodeling/moving? There was no place of refuge for this Type A).

I was THRILLED for Friday to finally roll around. I had been going 90 to nothing and wasn't sleeping well and was just ready for the wedding festivities to begin. I woke up Friday morning and contemplated going for a run. I like to think I'm one of those runners that would get up and run the morning before their wedding because they just can't think as well without a good sweat session. Newsflash, I'm not. My mug was spotted in the line at the nearest golden arches. Someday I will write about my utter love for butter biscuits, but suffice to say, it was the way to start the weekend.

In perfect Southern tradition, we kicked off the weekend with the bridemaids luncheon. The food was delicous and the company was divine. And a little champagne did this girl a world of good.

Aren't these girls so pretty?! I'll repeat what I said there - each of them brings something so special and different to my life, and I love each one of them for it. There are a few I rarely see, but when we meet up again, we don't miss a beat. I know we will always be friends. And then those that know the ins and outs of every day - good or bad - and can always make me laugh. There is not one whom I wouldn't ask for advice on anything. I respect them all so much.

Sweet Leslie that put this whole lunch together - and sent me home with champagne and breakfast casserole on top of all that! Which was MUCH appreciated Sunday morning. Doesn't she look fabulous? I'm not sure there is anyone who can make me laugh like she does. Hilarious outlook on life and she tells it like it is - which I love.

Me with our moms. I get a little teary thinking about their hard work and prayers through the years that got us to this day.

My amazing Matron of Honor went with me after the lunch to consult with the salon about Saturday's hair, which she recommended to me - and I cannot say enough good things about the job she did. We then headed home to quickly change and then head to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner - also known as the night I could not stop crying. Recap coming soon.

Weekend Wrap Up

Been busy. Here's a quick recap.

Got the keys to the new place. I made Matt pose for this cheesy picture. All in the name of memories, folks.

We bought this magnent with intentions of hanging on the fridge at our first place. Minor miracle I remembered and found it. Mission accomplished.

Someone had a birthday. A 29th one. We had a drink at the new place before heading to dinner.

We also opened presents. I've been hiding this since July. Can you match the letters?

We went for one of Matt's favorite meals (and mine too).

After a full day of moving, ready to go watch the Alabama game. Namath is loving the porch. He is not loving my pumpkin people.

Post Alabama game. Don't you like Matt's new gameday gear? Shout out to The Pants Store!

Sunday we took Namath to the new park down the street. It was a fail. But that won't stop us from trying again. Isn't this a great view?

About 10 feet in. Already so over it.

We caught our breath on the park bench where numerous park goers commented on 'what a BIG boy' he is. Time to start seeing a little less of the Grizz, if you get my drift.

A quick break for some rest between dog walking and unpacking. Aren't they cute?

Eventful times around here. Trying to find a balance between dying for things to slow down and soaking up every second. Life is good!

Wedding Week - The Story of Us

Amidst the chaos and to do lists of planning a wedding, it’s easy to get caught up in cake filling flavors and first dance songs and lose sight of what got the two of us to this point – standing together in front of everyone important in our lives and entering into a life long covenant.

It is inevitable during the engagement period that countless people want the story of how you met. It most often comes up in casual conversation, so I give the casual answer that we met through mutual friends. While true, it only scrapes the surface. In the interest of being real, I’m sharing it here. I’ve fought back and forth with over sharing, but our story is what shaped us as a couple and I feel it is testimony to how God uses all things for good.

In the summer of 2005, fresh out of college, I got married. We dated all through college and it seemed like the next step in our relationship. Two years later, just a month past our second anniversary - and seemingly out of the blue - my life changed drastically.

He wasn’t happy. We should have never gotten married. It was a big mistake. He wanted a divorce. Words that cut me to the core and gave me a slap of reality all at once. He left. At the urging of our families, he agreed to a separation and counseling.

The months that followed were the most difficult of my life. I was extremely selective about who I shared the news with, in hopes that we would work things out. Keeping up the façade that everything was ok was one of the most exhausting things I’ve ever endured.

Yet even in the darkest days, in my desperation to save the marriage, there was a light. I did a lot of reflecting and praying about what got us to this point. Where was I to blame? It wasn’t pretty. It was convicting and so freeing, all at once. For the first time, sadly, I began to see my own faults as a wife and to learn what marriage means and requires. Those lessons are some of the greatest blessings I’ve ever received.

We had little to no contact and after only a handful of one sided counseling sessions, divorce papers were filed and I was told to expect a call from an attorney. I felt like a failure. I was angry. It didn’t seem fair I wasn’t afforded the opportunity to work on fixing what was broken. It seemed everything I had learned about marriage and being a wife was for nothing.

The time had come- I had to tell everyone that I was getting divorced. I dreaded it, but ironically, the weight of the world lifted off my shoulders. I felt like I could breathe again. Eat again. Live again. Don’t get me wrong – there was pain. But the weight of carrying it alone just about broke me. I’ll never forget the weekend nearly all the girls who stood beside me at the wedding dropped everything to come into town and spend time with me. We drank coffee on the porch, got pedicures and watched football. I felt so loved and supported in those first difficult days moving forward.

One of these same girls flew in from San Diego to come stay with me right after I came clean about what was going on. She flew back out again about a month later. On that visit, she wanted to meet up with a college friend for a drink before we went on with our evening plans.


She encouraged us to swap numbers, because he knew tons of people in town our age, and Lord knows I needed to get out and meet some new people. So, when he called me to hang out with some friends, I went. We started spending a lot of time together – we became great friends. After months of telling everyone that he just wasn’t my type, on January 25, 2008 we went on our first date. Although it was early on, I felt so comfortable with Matt- I knew there was something really special about him. Yet, he never rushed me or pressured me. Any time I had doubts about moving forward, he was quick to let me know that he would back off and wait for me if that’s what I needed.

This was not how I planned my life. This wasn’t even how I planned my divorce! I was going to be single and fabulous. I certainly wasn’t looking for a relationship. Traveling and a new apartment downtown- I was going to embrace the hand I was dealt. But then Matt came along – and he was the best hand I was ever dealt.

Things weren’t easy. I had no idea of how long I, we, would be dealing with my divorce. Betrayals came to light. My joint house with my ex-husband wouldn’t sell. Matt was laid off. Every step of the way, he handled it beautifully. Took the high road. Bent over backwards to help me in any way he could. His love for me has always been an action and-over time- restored my confidence in marriage. People often ask if there was a moment that you knew that person was who you would marry. There wasn’t one for me – there were a thousand.

One particularly painful thing about getting divorced, especially so young, was the feeling of being unlovable, used. Who would want me? Especially when there are so many great girls that don’t have the baggage I do? At one point, I remember asking Matt, “Does it bother you that you will be my second husband?” and him responding, “I don’t care about being the first; I care about being the best.”

On April 19, 2010 he asked me to be his wife, and now we are five days from our wedding. In the past three years, my fears about marriage were stilled. From the ashes of something that was broken, God made something beautiful. It wasn’t my plans, or my timing – it’s far better. I am blessed beyond what I deserve. I pray I am found faithful.

He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds.
Psalm
147:3

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the
LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11

29 for 29

A list of the reason's I think MS is the cat's pajamas. In no particular order.

• He runs with me.



• He has adopted Namath as his own dog and loves him just as much as I do.



• He loves and appreciates people.



• He is the Mayor - he never meets a stranger.

• He gets excited about my Publix and CVS deals. Like, for real.

• He isn't a picky eater. A wonderful trait when you're delving into the world of cooking.

• He treats his parents with love and respect.

• He is always looking for ways to make my life easier.

• He is up for trying new things.

• He is almost always in a great mood. Not much gets him down.

• He wants to sing in the choir again.

• He cooks dinner for me. And cleans up after.

• He respects me.



• He gets ridiculously excited about mint chocolate chip ice cream.



• He tells me I'm pretty every day:)



• He goes grocery shopping with me.



• He has a great laugh.



• He gets on the floor and plays with my nieces.



• He loves me for exactly who I am, nothing more.



• He helped me plan the whole wedding - every single thing.



• He helps me see the bigger picture.



• He is (very) slow to anger.



• He has slumber parties with Namath - MS on the couch, Namath on the loveseat.



• He loves starting traditions - my favorite - eggnog, chinese and Christmas Vacation night.



• He talked to my parents for two hours when he asked to marry me.



• He works incredibly hard.



• He loves to dance.



• He's a hit at karaoke.

• He is my very best friend and I'm pretty pumped about building a life with him.

Happy birthday to the love of my life! The best is yet to come....

Breaking Even

Some things are bound to slip through my fingers, in more ways than one, in this last 11 (!) days. The diet has been one of them.

Luckily, there are these bad boys.

Look how excited they are to be wearing their spanx! So excited they clearly forgot to put on a bra. Odd.

The freedom to eat dill pickle chips at lunch made me almost this happy.

Wrapping Up

This busy week has quickly come to an end. Wedding planning is also coming to an end very soon. I really dreaded this process with every bone in my body, but suprisingly, it was so fun, stress free (for the most part) and filled with wonderful memories. Just goes to show, the things we worry about often never even happen.

Since I function in list form these days, here goes.

1. It has been so fun getting packages in the mail from my recently documented shopping spree (which will be coming to an end soon. I promise.) Last night, I got my first ever bathing suit from Victoria's Secret. The bottoms might have fit my 3 year old niece. Any suggestions on sizing? Don't be shy.

2. We had our last counseling session. It was mainly to go through the order of worship for the ceremony, but we did review some of the things we had discussed in previous sessions. One of my favorite take aways was the 80/20 rule. No one is perfect. Therefore, no relationship is perfect. No marriage is perfect. But if your partner is consistent 80% of the time, focus on that. It's when you start focusing on the 20% that we can become resentful and dissatisfied - which is so dangerous. That's not to say you should sweep your problems under the rug, but I'm slowly learning to focus on the positive, so this hit home for me. He closed with a time of prayer for our new family. It was such a special time and really helped me refocus amidst the chaos of the week.

3. We're making a list for songs during the band break. Favorite dancing songs? Taking recommendations in the comment section.

4. Check out this Fall paradise. I will miss the roommates mutual love for all things OPI. I don't know if I've gone into great detail about my Thursday night routine of Greys, nails and red wine, but it is one of my very favorite things. I was happy as a clam last night.

I'm so close to the end (?!?!) of my to do list I can almost taste it. You know, besides moving. But right now, it's the freakin' weekend baby and I'm gonna have me some fun....

Wordless Wednesday - I Couldn't Resist