Home Stretch

Three days from now, at this moment, our wedding ceremony will begin. I'm feeling surprisingly ready but also like I'm living in an alternate reality. While the past few days have been busy, they haven't been as busy as last week (when we were running a ton of errands every night), so I've been able to decompress and also connect with SB rather than simply going through a checklist together! And although I am kind of a taskmaster once I get started on a "to do" list, the times that I've been able to check out lately have been essential for my soul.

Earlier this week we saw The Way Way Back - which was a great little date night. The movie is very formulaic and in some ways a classic summer movie, but in other ways it was creative and funny and special. I felt like I took something from it - an uplifting message to have faith in and challenge yourself, and to be kind and thoughtful toward others no matter what. I'd recommend seeing it when it comes out in Redbox or Netflix.

Anyway, back to wedding stuff. I'm feeling tired but excited for the beginning of family/friend activities. Tonight is a lady night #1, when the ladies in SB's and my family are getting together to get our nails done. My almost-SIL is taking me to a place to get our makeup done before the nail appointment. Believe me, I resisted at first, knowing that it would be awkward followed by a sales pitch, but I wanted to connect with her and also, hey - I've got a few red spots on my face that a little cover up might fix and of course I want to look good on the most photographed day of my life. hah. 

Tomorrow will be spent with all of my favorite lady friends - a little intimate gathering including dinner and a drink, along with other surprise activities that will undoubtedly make me smile and laugh a lot. The specialness of having these women together will set my love bucket overflowing for sure. Such an opportunity, especially considering that my two best buds in the whole world will live on opposite sides of the country, with me in the middle, in less than a month.

On Friday we actually have the opportunity to set up the reception hall in advance, which is incredibly awesome and a time-saver. Woohoo! Then, the last of the pre-wedding activities is the rehearsal and dinner on Friday. I think this will be my favorite because we'll be with our most immediate friends and family, and we'll be treating them to a lovely dinner and giving them our homemade jam, among other gifts. I am eager to say THANK YOU to everyone! 

Lastly, while I know that many of our friends and some family cringe at the thought of an hour-long catholic wedding, I have realized through this process that SB and I feel happy to be a part of the parish and are excited to share the experience with friends and family for whom it will be new. Our officiant is a very dear man (he truly radiates kindness) - and we've been able to connect with him one-on-one, and it has been lovely. While the wedding has to be more neutral than the weekly super-liberal masses, and while it will require me to do a few things that I wouldn't have necessarily chosen to do, I'm glad that we did it this way. It was right for us and I think it will be really special and beautiful.