You Say Goodbye and I Say Hello

T minus 1 week.

How do you describe the emotions that run the gamut of each possible one: excitement, trepidation, budding love, nervousness, joy, a lot of stress, even a little bit of fear of the unknown--followed by a whole lot of faith in a grander plan.

{art by lizzy hunter, found on 20x200}

If I weren't so busy coming down from the holiday high, packing/being homeless for a week/moving in with a boy(!), planning and executing last minute details for the wedding and throwing my ultimate party--the apex of my event planning career, I would try to take some time to say goodbye to singlehood. It has treated me very well these nearly 32 years! We've come through a lot together. A lot of heartache and lessons on relationships, a lot of self-discovery, a lot of testimony growing, a lot of good times!

Most importantly a whole lot of preparation to say hello to reciprocal commitment, more growth, probably more heartache, but more rewarding love, lasting covenants, and so many things that I don't even know to include so I'll just call it possibility.

Here's to 2011! One step closer to heaven...

Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

This morning as I was getting ready at the gym (yes, I've been getting a head start on my 2011 new year's rizzos), I watched the show before the Today show as they featured military wives who are preggo...solo for the holidays..and threw them all a surprise baby shower--I'll just say I started blow drying my bangs over my eyes at that part (sniff).

Though my experience was no where near the intensity of theirs nor will it ever be since the Captain will be exiting the Army in June, it did bring back memories of last Christmas...not so patiently waiting for good news from Iraq.

Little did I know then, that just one year and one week later, I'd be marrying that soldier!

Bow Ties - Check!

I found step-by-step instructions here. The little boys are going to look so hansom!

Just another something to look forward to...

An extra ream of paper = another project

I can't just let it sit there, right? Favors for wedding guests, here we come!

Other outstanding projects for the next three weeks:

✓ tutus for the nieces

✓ bowties for the nephews

✓ finish my bridesmaid gifts

✓ choose a color from the samples I requested and order ties

And the last minute project wrap-ups that can’t happen until two days before:

✓ mount the brackets to stand up our backdrops (repurposed shutters my mom removed from the exterior of her home this summer)

✓ make a display for the favors (something kind of like this…but minus the sunglasses)

✓ white paper chains to fill in any holes in the décor

just when I thought I was done!

Best "possible" news ever!

I just heard a rumor that my older brother and his cute family are possibly coming for the wedding celebration. BTW, meet my newest nephew, Max. isn't he a doll?

And while we're at it, my even newer niece, Lola. Man, my sibs make beautiful babies.

P.S.

I haven't looked at a wedding blog since before Thanksgiving. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself this last month...my LAST MONTH as a single person. Maybe I'll start blogging again.

On a Wish & a Prayer

Only ONE paper cut later... (The box on the right is all going to Utah. By the time we were finished the box on the left was full of invitations going to every other state in the union).

Dropping these off at the post office yesterday morning, I MUST have felt a bit like Hannah as she dropped Samuel off with Eli's to serve the Lord for the rest of his life.

Okay, so maybe that's a little exaggerated and a tad sacrilegious. Nevertheless, I lingered as the post office worker dumped them into a plastic bin, blew them a kiss and said a brief prayer of gratitude for the resources and means to create them and for their safe arrival into the mailboxes of their intended recipients.

And yes, those are the generic forever bell stamps. I procrastinated and was unable to get cute stamps in time. Classy, I know.

So Delinquent!

Oh man. I have been so bad at blogging lately! I just barely caught up on my sister and sil's blogs today, still haven't had a chance to check anyone else's!

Today.

Today the Captain picked up a few hundred dollars worth of postage, since I never get home before the post office closes. It's so nice to have someone around who's got your back.

Today I used the "happy hour" at work--you know that end of the work week, everybody grabs a beer and some cheese & crackers in the kitchen 5 o'clock on a Friday hour. The hour that no one bothers to tell the mormon girl about ;) hour--to make an invitation to my church's monthly Welcome Social for December. This is the vector image that keeps on giving...

Yesterday.
Yesterday my sturdy little HP inkjet printer ran out of toner because I am putting it through the ringer and printing all of our wedding invitations on it. poor little guy! Just 250 more to go. You can do it!!
Last week.
Last week I was in Utah! Visiting family and friends, getting showered (thanks again Em and Dest, et. al.), posing for pictures (aka: exploiting the talents of my siblings), welcoming my newest niece, and folding paper stars, flowers, snowflakes until my hands ached. but oh, I think it will pay off when we transform the reception hall into a paperie winter wonderland. (all will need posts of their own.)
Emily was so great to drop what she was doing, rearrange her schedule and drive down to take some pics for us. She did a fantastic job! She keeps asking me for my favorites so she can have a photographer friend (Jenna, who has kindly agreed to be our wedding photographer, yay!) to "fix them". Geesh! they don't even need any fixing! I love them just the way they are.

I know they say it's bad luck for the groom to see the dress before, I'm not that superstitious...but I'm purposely not posting photos of us together before...that I don't want to jinx ;).

The lighting just kept getting better and better! The Captain actually took this one...yep, I picked me a winner! I'm wearing my great grandmother Kay's self-made, hand knit sweater coat. Divine.

{hair & make up: Bethany Kartchner--you should have her do your hair. she's brilliant. Salon K in the Riverwoods.}