This weekend Mike and I made a list of things left to do for the wedding and then spent hours—and a lot of money—getting those things done. We had luggage to buy (um, didn't though), groomsmen to dress (we love you, Kohl's!), wedding rings to purchase (huh? procrastinate much bride and groom?), and we also had to eat at Genghi's Grill and buy Molly a new squirrel (oh my gosh she's so happy).
I'm not sure how, but Mike and I found enough energy to go to the movies tonight and then we came home to watch Charla and Mirna NOT win The Amazing Race: All Stars. And now instead of cleaning, I'm snuggling with my puppy and sort-of obviously writing this.
I want to realistically talk about how this wedding process is wrapping up and although yesterday I was at a loss as to how I still think it's important to at least mention my wedding is TWELVE days away and things are fantastic, if not still a little strange for me. There are many things about all this that were a bit unexpected. For example, the last couple of weeks have been less chaotic than I thought they would be. I've gone at this sans wedding planner, and although I don't think we'll make the photo gallery on theknot.com, it hasn't been quite as scary or out of control as some warned. I also wasn't prepared for some to judge us as they have. I'm never quite prepared for judgment, although, in retrospect, I probably should be. I have judged plenty in my life, but I give others the benefit of the doubt far too often and it ends up, at times, poking a hole in my happy little all-is-right-with-the-world balloon. I thought Mike and I would have fought more, and although we have fought plenty, he's also given me the most joy and has made me laugh more than anyone else through all of this. At this point in the game, when we're in the same room together, we're just pretty damn excited. I thought we'd spend a lot less money, that's for sure. I thought the time would go by a lot slower (how cliche, I know). I thought we'd have all the time in the world, and in a way we did, but we just thought that for too long, and soon enough we didn't have much time and now we have very little time and I'm still wondering, where did the time go? I thought I'd be skinnier (but kids, the dress, again, IT FITS). I thought I'd be more worried about it all, and I'm not really. I'm more worried about the kind of wife I want to be and if our honeymoon will EVER GET HERE. I'm also worried Mike is going to ask me if I'll pick up cooking the day I become legally bound to him, and I'm wondering if that will be the first thing I say HELL NO to as a married woman. I also thought my house would be cleaner because I really did think I'd be a much more on-top-of-it bride. I thought I'd feel a bit better about some things and a lot more overwhelmed about others.
As I've said, I really never thought it would get here, this wedding of ours. But every day I'm with Mike I am more and more ready to vow to stand beside him through everything. I'm ready for it all: the marriage, the life, the kids, the traveling, the debt (well, more of it), the successes, the failures, the joys, the laughter and a lot of crying at the possibility that shows like Veronica Mars can be canceled while The Real World will continue on until our grandchildren are auditioning for it, half naked.
But what I really wasn't ready for was meeting someone like Mike to begin with. I didn't think I'd be this ready to be married. I didn't think I'd be this thrilled and not even a little nervous. I just didn't think that I'd be so damn fortunate. And I'll take all the other unexpected parts of this because, kids, I'm officially ready to be this man's wife.