Summer Wrap-up

Well friends summer has officially come & gone, say it ain't so. I cannot believe how quickly it has all gone by. It feels like two seconds ago that I was answering everybody's wedding questions with phrases like "Well, we're going to use the summer for a lot of planning..." or "Oh the summer should be so nice to figure all of that out..." and now we're at the end of August parting ways with our beloved summer of 2011. I happen to to attend the best, most relaxed, and chill state college that apparently is totally fine with starting school after everybody else. The last week of August. On the Tuesday after Labor Day. So Joel & I are headed up north to move me in somewhere one last time... I can't even believe it, one last move up the mountain is all I have left. But you'll probably have to hear me cry/rave about that in many posts to come this semester so for now I'll stick with summer. It truly has been a fabulous one and we have gotten so much accomplished for the wedding! I wanted to wrap it all up and see for myself/fill you in on everything that's gone on : )

(in no particular order)

1. Purchased my wedding dress (full story to come)

2. Began pre-marital counseling

3. Got Joel's ring

4. Found a (new) venue

5. Designed our cake(s)

6. Picked desserts

7. Got groomsmen shoes

8. Sent save-the-dates

9. Collected tons & tons of white vases (thank you!)

10. Designed invitations (work in progress)

11. Finished all of the favors!

12. Got guestbook

13. Made some little detail signs

14. Ordered invitation folders/envelopes

15. Got napkins (you'll see why so early)

16. Reserved rentals

17. Made church decorations (very minimal)

18. Made banners for reception

19. Decided on flowers

20. Made ring bearer pillow

Well gee when you list it all out like that it hardly looks like anything! But I promise you much more went into ALL of this than just clicking the "add to cart" button or saying yes or no. Much more. Of course there are some projects that shall remain nameless for the sake of at least SOMEthing at this wedding being a surprise. Looking back on these last few months just makes me sooo grateful and happy with the way this engagement is going so far... I am so glad that I've had time to enjoy every single aspect of this. Are there days when it feels like we'll never get married? Yes. Are there days when it feels like all of this planning is leading up to an invisible wedding? Yes. But ultimately I know it'll be here quicker than we know it, and everyone I've ever talked to about being engaged always tells me to make sure I enjoy it because it'll go by fast. So I am. And guess what? You get one chance to do this. One chance to plan your wedding. Just like everything else that comes and goes so quickly, you get one chance to make it what you want and experience and enjoy all of the blessings in that. So I'm definitely not wishing it away. I am cherishing and valuing making both the fun and serious decisions with my future husband for our future life. I am cherishing and valuing all of this special time spent with my mom. I am cherishing and valuing a time that I only get once, and making sure I live in the moment instead of even just 4 months down the road. Because this is happening right now, and I want to look back and know I enjoyed every bit of it.