Won't stop thinkin' about tomorrow...

I can't remember who said it, my sister or my daughter, but one of them told me my mom was going to disown me if I didn't update my blog soon. I kind of like being her daughter, so...

Here's what's going on in our corner of the world these days:

Planning a wedding in less than four months is beyond challenging. Still, I know God had this day planned long before Brad and I did, because everything is continuing to fall right into place and work out beautifully. I'm going to have the wedding I've dreamed of since I was a girl. But, I am tired, and it will be a nice feeling to lay in bed at night and not think about what I have to plan the next day, and the day after that, and after that, yada yada.

Just when I think I'm bent almost to the breaking point, I experience things like what I'm about to tell you, and I'm rejuvenated and the energy required to get it all done is there in abundance. The other night Brad and I were sitting in the living room talking about the music and the vows and the dance and he said something to me that put it all into big-picture-perspective. He said, "Steph, do you know what I want for you on our wedding day? That morning, I want you to be completely relaxed and rested. I want the stress of the planning to be gone. I want you to enjoy each and every second from start to finish. I want you to look in the mirror and see every thing about yourself and say, 'I'm beautiful.' I want you to feel every ounce of love I have for you. I want you to have fun and not worry about Grace every second and what she's doing and how she's behaving, but just let her be Grace and know that it's okay and just love on her. I want you to walk down the aisle knowing that God is smiling down on us and has blessed each step that led us here. I want you to remember it forever as one of the best days of your life. That's what I want for you, and I will do anything I can to make that happen for you."

I fell in love with him all over again. I mean, who wouldn't?!

So, yeah, that's kind of a personal story to share on my blog, but I am marrying the most amazing man I've ever known and I want the whole world (or at least the part of it that reads this blog) to know it.

Grace is getting so excited. She loves him so much and is thrilled that he's the one God chose to be her dad. They're really bonding lately, and something inside of me is moved and swells up watching their relationship deepen right before my eyes. There is no greater joy than to experience this happiness with her.

Speaking of her happiness, she informed me today that her science fair project, entitled Are Fingerprints Hereditary? won second place! The honest truth is we were both dreading having to complete the project. I knew she wasn't into it and the thought of having to push her every step of the way was dreadful. But, once we got started and I saw her ideas come to life it was a fun time together. She did great and I'm super proud.

We all went to the Brad Paisley concert last week and it was so much fun. What an entertainer! It was Grace's first big concert and her little cowboy hat was bobbing from open to close. The "Paisley Party" included openers Darius Ruker (former Hootie front man) and Dierks Bentley. Grace bogarted Brad's binoculars during Dierk's set and now wants a poster of him in her room. *sigh* "Mommy, he's sooo cute!" I think I was about her age when I got my Michael J. Fox poster. I used to kiss it every night before bed. I'm not kidding you when I say that I HONESTLY believed I would grow up and marry him. For years I believed that, and then River Phoenix came along, and then Patrick Swayze, then Bono...

I've been trying to lose a bit of that weight I tried to lose a few months ago. I found a new eating plan and have cut out sugar, salt, processed foods, etc. I eat baked or broiled meat, raw, steamed or boiled veggies, fresh fruit and drink tons of water. So far I've lost 13 pounds in two weeks. I feel great and am completely motivated to keep going. That being said, I'm gonna enjoy every meal I eat on my honeymoon and not worry about a single calorie that week. I'll have deserved it by then. :)

I guess there's a ton more I could write about and I'm sure this was pretty boring reading, but I had to write something so that I could keep my mother. ;)

Oh, I will say this final thing. My Christmas tree is still up. STILL. I can not find the time to take it down and get everything put away. My bed has not been made in a month. I have a ton of laundry to do and desperately need to grocery shop. I haven't shaved my legs in over a week. Two of my house plants died of thirst. I need to call my best friend and have dinner with her and I've got to quit cancelling my dentist appointments. I write that for this reason. I'm trying to get over this ridiculous preoccupation with appearing like I've got it all together. I don't. I'm not perfect. I can't whitewash the truth, and it feels good to say how it is and be okay with it. I'm seriously flawed. I'm learning to not be so hard on me, to accept me, and to chill out. If you've read this far, you are awesome and I'm honored that what I write captures your interest even to this sentence. Thank you.

Until next time...