70 Days To Go: The Big Reveal

All right, I've been hinting at some "big news." So. Ready? Here goes.

BAM: My husband-to-be has accepted a new job. In Chicago.

And he leaves in a week.

This all happened within the past few weeks - the interview, the offer, the decision, the informing of employers, family, and friends before any online reveal - all so fast. He starts the new job in a little over a week, and leaves in exactly a week, and then I won't see him for weeks and weeks and weeks.

See, I won't be moving until after the wedding. I'll be staying here in Mississippi, working, packing up the townhouse, taking care of the pets, wedding-planning, trying to figure out what my plan in the big city will be, and HOLY CRAP missing him.

I'm already anticipating the HOLY CRAP missing him. We went grocery shopping today and I was pointing out that he'll be out of the house before the milk expires, this is the last spinach we'll buy before he moves, that sort of thing.

"You can't get sentimental over everything about this," he said, eyeing the spinach.

"You'd be surprised," I replied, looking mournfully at the last spinach we'll ever buy together here.

It'd be tempting to romanticize a two month separation leading up to the wedding... except at this point in my life, I find nothing romantic about long distance. I know we can get through it, I'm not worried. I'm just spoiled. I like having him around.

Truthfully, though, there's so much more to be grateful for than stressed out about, so let's accentuate the crazy amounts of positive. Timing be damned, this opportunity is fabulous. There is so much excitement ahead it almost seems unfair. Also, though the separation from D won't be fun, I'm VERY grateful for the extra time I'll get with my friends-so-close-they're-family down here. I know it would be close to impossible for both of us plus the pets to drop everything and move our whole lives at once. Especially with a wedding on the horizon, taking place here. Staying here makes sense.

But HOLY CRAP. I'll miss him. (The spinach and I, we'll be really emotional.)

So, in summary: DOUBLE BAM. 2013 can now officially be summarized as THE YEAR OF MAKING DECISIONS (let's get married! we'll move to Chicago!) and 2014 will indeed be THE YEAR OF TAKING ACTION (taking vows! moving boxes!). I think the President recently said something similar. Sorry to steal your thunder, Obama.

Here's to health, sanity, and joy as we swiftly move from talking the talk to walking the walk, down the aisle, then driving up I-55, and moving ever more rapidly into the future.

PS There are a lot of little logistics sneaking up quickly, too, in light of all this... for example, we had to go ahead and get our marriage license. That's right, we're licensed to wed, and it was a bizarre experience just getting through that bit. I'll tell that story soon. 

72 Days To Go: The Theme of Our Wedding Is Carbs

Progress on #TheList, y'all!

This week, we headed out of town to visit first my grandparents and then the fiance's parents. That means we got to see three out of the four parents - the MOG, FOG, and as a lovely bonus, the MOB came down South to visit her father.

We were just one town over from Wedding-Town. So, with the MOB in tow, we went to the venue, signed all final contract paperwork, paid 25% of our rental costs, talked through the logistics... and absolutely beyond any shadow of a doubt, THE VENUE IS SET.

Invitations arrived, and we took them with us on our road trip. With the help of the MOG, we stuffed all envelopes, and by Monday they will be in the mail, and INVITATIONS WILL BE SET.

Welcome to our wedding dinner.

We also got to eat out at the gourmet-pizza place we were hoping would be able to cater the wedding, hoping that it's as good as we'd been hearing. Good news: IT WAS. Which means between that, and the craft beer we're bringing in, I'm pretty sure that THE THEME OF OUR WEDDING IS SET... AND IT'S "CARBS."

Getting real.

76 Days To Go: When It Rains, It Pours

I promise an update here that divulges details on at least some of the deluge rainin' down around here. Soon as the weather clears. But don't worry, y'all - nothing bad. Just a few more scattered showers than anticipated.

Speaking of scattered showers, by the by, a shower of the bridal sort is not something I'm having. There's enough lovely storming underway.

Someone just hand me an umbrella, please.

PS This week we'll be in Wedding-Town, so we'll be meeting with the venue manager, and the potential caterer (FINGERS CROSSED), and catching up with parents on both sides, and are SUPPOSED to be stuffing invitations, but they've yet to arrive... we'll see.

91 Days to Go: Am I A Boring Bride?

FIRST OFF: Deep sigh of relief, y'all. Finally heard back from the venue yesterday, end of day. We have a place to get married. Whew.

SECOND: Tomorrow is going to be a big day for #TheList. I may even share an original, hard-forged resource that may be of use to other off-season and/or no-muss- no-fuss-brides.

THIRD: I'm afraid I might not be a terribly interesting bride. I mean, I'm a pretty interesting person-- and as it happens, this past week has been a terribly interesting week. (Roller coaster of good, bad, and WTF?!)

But, like - most of it isn't bridal.

In fact, on a day to day basis, I don't talk, do, or even think very much about the upcoming wedding. Seeing as it's three months away, that seems a bit:

A) Bizarre - because most brides seem way, way more obsessive about all things bridal, and then there's me. After trying dresses on at a friend's house two weeks ago, I forgot about them and left them there. They're still there, including the one that we decided is, in fact, THE ONE. Oops.

B) Problematic - because, um, there's stuff that I/we really do need to be doing.

C) Boring - for generating blog content here, anyway.

I guess the upside is due to B, offset by A, C may well soon stop being an issue... more soon.

93 Days To Go: The Venue Is Giving Me Palpitations

I've been trying to reach my contact (or her replacement?!) at the venue for three weeks and have received no call or email back.

All better be well or I'm'a'gonna sue 'em for the cost of a wedding.

A much, much more expensive wedding than the one I'm currently planning...