livin' on a prayer

I've devoted the last couple of days to wedding planning- specifically, the budget, or as I like to call it, the black devil looming over us all. I'm okay with being young, broke, and in love, I really am. But love doesn't pay the bills, and weddings- no matter how simple- are never cheap.

Michael and I are lucky enough to be getting help from our families, which is the only thing that makes our wedding even possible. Without their help, we'd be heading to the courthouse...which, at this point, kinda sounds like a good idea. But I'm not getting married without my beautiful dream dress and that fabulous cake...so we might as well go through with the rest of it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still excited about all the little details...like the gorgeous dresses that are being made for my bridesmaids. (We're getting them in Corona Blue, Peacock Blue, and Plum) And the one I've designed with a friend of mine, who's been making wedding dresses for 25 years. I would post pictures here, but I want my groom to be wholly surprised come wedding day. But I can say that this dress is gonna turn some heads, for sure. And it's me. It's SO me. :)

At the end of the day, this budget stuff really doesn't matter. All that matters is that we finally get to be married, have a party, and celebrate with the people who love us the most. And all of that makes all of this worth it.

twenty-nine

 My birthday was yesterday, and I am now twenty-nine years old. I am totally not prepared for this. Didn't I just turn 19? I could swear that I did. I was in college at the time- Portland Bible College, and I went for dinner with a huge group of friends at the Old Spaghetti Factory. Somebody brought me flowers. It doesn't seem like ten years could go by so fast, but I guess they did. I digress.

Yesterday was wonderful; Michael and I went to Eugene (where we plan on moving a year or two after we get married) and went shopping. He bought me little gifts as we went along, which he somehow managed to keep hidden from me the whole time. Not to sound greedy or anything, but I just have to say that I am very fortunate that I found someone who loves giving gifts. Unlike myself, Michael is extremely thorough in everything he does, and buying presents is no exception.

This year he also gave me a) a card which b) he wrote in. When I opened the card, I joked that my birthday wish had come true, but I wasn't really kidding. As much as I love presents (and really, who doesn't?) I love expressions of gratitude, affirmation, and love even more. You might say that this makes me needy, and I would not argue with that. I need all that stuff to feel loved, so it means a lot to me when my significant other reaches outside of his comfort zone and opens up in a way that I know is difficult for him. Don't get me wrong- Michael is verbally very encouraging and complimentary all the time. But he hates writing with a passion, so getting that card from him was the best gift I could have received :)

After our big trip to Eugene, we came home to have dinner with my parents, Aunt and Uncle, Grandma, and our friends Ty and Lisa (along with their two precious kids). My Mom set up an awesome taco bar, and then we all had the most amazing cupcakes ever! She has severe food allergies and can't eat (among other things) dairy, soy, or gluten. Freakin' nightmare, is what it is. But we had special red velvet cupcakes and coconut cupcakes and even the frosting was allergy-free. Her recipes came from a book, but still. How they tasted so good, I will never know...

After dessert, I opened presents. My family is so sweet and so generous, and I am truly blessed by everything they gave me.

After I opened gifts, we all played a great game called "Farkle", which is a dice game. I even won! The whole day, from start to finish, was absolutely wonderful. I am so blessed to have such a great family, generous friends, and a loving, caring partner.