My Epiphany of the Week

I just wanted to post one more time before the week of craziness starts and share my thoughts on this whole "love" thing :)

This time next week, I will be getting ready to marry the love of my life. I never ever thought that I would want to get married, especially at such a young age! I guess I do believe in fate though- there are just so many factors that had to be perfect in order for this day to be possible for E and me.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I absolutely, 100% believe that we were meant to be together and that God is the reason that I have found so much happiness. I have always believed in Him and I know now that nothing in my life would be the way it is is without His intervention. I am very thankful for everything that has happened and that will be happening in the very near future :)

I probably won't be posting until after we get back from our honeymoon, so I hope everyone has a great week and I'm looking forward to posting as an old married person!

Wow! I Own a Lot of Junk!

So today I am dedicating myself to finally finishing the packing that I started last week. Friday is the big move in day for me, so I think it might be best if the things that are supposed to be moved were actually IN boxes rather than scattered around my parents' house like they are now(I know the people who are helping me move will appreciate this). :)

I actually don't mind packing because it means that I am going somewhere and I am that much closer to living with my soon-to-be husband. It's the sorting out part that I'm not so fond of. I am a notorious pack rat and it's hard for me to get rid of things that have or had an emotional attachment for me. HOWEVER, this week I have realized that since we are combining two lives in a matter of a few days, I absolutely CAN NOT move all of the crap that I've accumulated over the past 24 years.

I am now proud to say that I have filled not one, not two, but FIVE boxes full of things to either be donated or sold at a garage sale. I have also thrown away almost three trash bags of things that I (at some point) had some connection with, but I've had them for so long that I don't remember what the connection was!

I think I've finally broken the pack rat curse!

Patience is a Virtue

I never realized just how stressful these last two weeks of May were going to be. E and I are now only TWO WEEKS  away from our wedding, I am meeting with my new manager this coming Monday to talk about my transferring to a new store, I am trying to get everything packed and ready to move by next Friday, and there's that pesky final that I should be studying for, but have not yet begun to do so. Phew!

I have never and will never be mistaken for a patient person. I am the girl who expects a response to my text message within 2-3 minutes of me sending it. I hate waiting in lines, I absolutely can not stand waiting for people at restaurants, and I want to kill whoever coined the term "fashionably late".

However, I feel as if I am getting better at this whole patience thing... mostly because I have been forced to. Things do not always get taken care of right away in the world of wedding planning. I have been trying not to get too stressed out over the tiny details of every single aspect of the wedding, mostly because I am not usually so OCD and I don't like that I have become this way. I like to be laid back, but only as long as things are getting done. I know, I contradict myself. I can't help it.

So now I have decided that this is the weekend of taking it easy... partially because I have an upper respiratory infection (for which I blame this dang wedding) and partially because I need to relax and not be such a crazy person for a few days. Ahhhhhhhhh. It does feel better already! :)

Wedding Planning... It's Almost Over!

So I have been a complete blogging slacker lately... with everything that's been going on I basically just forgot about this thing!  However, I am making a new resolution to pick back up my blogging schedule and be a better updater :)

I am now 20 days away from our wedding! It seems so crazy to think that E and I have been engaged for nearly a full year and we are about to be husband and wife in less than three weeks! We have been talking about this day and planning it for what seems like FOREVER so I must say that I am anxious for it to be here so we can relax and celebrate and get on with our lives.

It seems like the check list keeps growing though. I finally get to check one thing off (like, hiring a  hair stylist for the big day) but then I get to add 3 or 4 new things to the list (like, figuring out how I want to do my hair, setting up a trial appointment, and letting all the bridesmaids know the day-of plan). I am not the most organized person in the world, but I have been trying to keep on top of all things wedding related so that the stress is at a minimum level. E has been wonderful the past few weeks with everything... he continuously asks me if there is anything he can do off the list, has been helping me set up appointments with the various vendors, and even voluntarily put away ALL of the shower gifts that we recently received. I definitely picked a good guy to marry :) I just keep telling myself that all of the work and stress and driving time will be worth it on June 4th when we finally get to say "I Do"

My New Favorite Easy Recipe

E and I have been trying to cook more often now that we are actually going to be living in the same city, so last week we tried this recipe for Feta Stuffed Chicken and we really liked it. We made it with a side of grilled asparagus,topped with the rest of the sun-dried tomatoes and some olive oil. We were quite impressed with our healthy dinner :)

Ingredients

• 2 oz crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped into small pieces
• 1/4 tsp table salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 cup panko or bread crumbs
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 4 tsp mayo

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Directions Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray non stick baking pan with nonstick spray. With fork, mix together feta, sun dried tomatos, italian seasoning, salt, pepper in small bowl until blended. Fill shallow bowl with panko crumbs to coat chicken. With sharp knife, cut pocket in each breast. Put 1/4 of mixture in each pocket. Brush top of each breast with mayo. Press coated side down on crumbs. Place coated side up in prepared baking pan.Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray non stick baking pan with nonstick spray.

Preheat oven to 425. With fork, mix together feta, sun dried tomatos, italian seasoning, salt, pepper in small bowl until blended. Spread Panko on sheet of wax paper. With sharp knife, cut pocket in each breast. Put 1/4 of mixture in each pocket. Brush top of each breast with mayo. Press coated side down on crumbs. Place coated side up in prepared baking pan. Bake until chicken is cooked through and crust is golden, about 25 minutes.

Germies and Laundry

I have come to realize just how much I have actually grown up in the last few years. Not only do I enjoy cooking and baking and all the things that I associate with being a wife... I have found myself doing things that I never EVER would have imagined.

My example? Laundry. I know to most people this is not a big deal, but for some reason I have never liked doing laundry. I didn't just mind doing it, I HATED it. I would do anything I could to get out of having to fold towels and socks. I would even volunteer to clean my parents bathroom in lieu of moving clothes from the washer to the dryer.

Today I realize what a change I have made. It just so happens that today I am with my fiance in the condo that we will soon be sharing. However, E is incredibly sick and can not get out of bed. So what do I do while he is fighting off the 24 hour flu? I fold towels. I change the sheets on the bed. I clean up the kitchen. I think I might be a little insane, but I find myself actually LIKING doing these jobs because I am doing them for him. I like that I am the only one here to take care of him and make him feel better and cook him orange jello, because I love him :) True love means folding underwear I guess.

Weddings and Babies

This past weekend I went with my fiance to his cousin's wedding in Illinois. I absolutely love weddings and we hadn't been to one for quite a long time so I was really excited to go! The wedding was in a small country church and everyone looked gorgeous. It was country-themed, with burlap runners on the reception tables, a photo booth with cowboy hats, and centerpieces of wildflowers on all the tables. In short- it was a wonderful wedding and we had a a great time!

The one thing that was a little strange about the wedding didn't actually have to do with the ceremony or reception at all. Since E and I are getting married in approximately 6 weeks, it seemed that a lot of people were asking us about our upcoming nuptials and all the details of our wedding-to-be. I know that these people meant nothing negative, but it made me feel a little uncomfortable to be discussing OUR wedding when we were there to celebrate the lives of two other people being joined.

This brings me to one of my biggest pet peeves... overly nosey people. I understand that to some people, weddings are naturally followed by buying a house, a dog, and having children. In that order. As soon as possible. Starting the day the new Mr. and Mrs. get back from their honeymoon.

To us though, this is not the plan.

It's hard for some to understand, but we do not have any plans to have children any time in the near future. Yes, we do adore kids. Yes, I want to have a family one day. But first... is it okay if I get my wedding dress home from the seamstress before we start picking out onesies and cribs? And also... who decided that it was okay to ask people about their family plans for the future? Is it okay for me to ask a married couple how their bedroom life is going? The answer is no.

So we have decided that if anyone asks us on our wedding day if we plan to have kids soon we will just tell them that we are going to start with a dog and see how it goes. But not for at least another year :)