oh... you again? wonderful!

Oh, hello.

I've been a little distracted the past two months.  There have been certain things in my life I have been paying attention to and not to this blog. 

Welcome back!

2124 Chesterfield Ave.

After visiting this cute little duplex on Monday, and sending in our application Tuesday, the landlord called Stuart on Wednesday...his car was all packed but he wasn't sure where he was going. The landlord said we could move in that day! That evening we started moving in. Today we rented a uhaul truck, moved more stuff in and cleaned a lot. Tonight he is sleeping there!! These 2 days have been sooo wonderful and dreamlike. I mean- we have actually bickered a lot, but overall we have been insanely giddy and excited. Getting ready to be married to someone and doing lots of grown-up type things together provides opportunities to really see each others BAD sides!! And it's hilarious. And so fun.

We have a home!!!!! And I really can't wait to have our friends from Boone come hang out. Alicia was our first visitor. We had cups for drinks, but no chairs to sit in. haha.

14 days

Oh my gosh, I'm so ready to stop thinking about wedding planning...I was telling my mom how I probably think about all these detail things much more than I actually need to.  She said that probably every wedding-planning bride does.  It was sort of an epiphany for me when I realized it though.

Yes, today I finalized my plans with three of my biggest best friends/worst enemies:  the caterer, the florist, and the rental company.  Ahhhh!  (That's a victorious sigh of relief)  It is taking my mind some time to adjust to not thinking about them anymore after thinking so very many thoughts about them for sooo looong...

Tomorrow is my last real Saturday in Boone!!  That is sad-mainly because of the good friends that go along with Boone.  And because of those big beautiful mountains that have been faithfully watching over me the past few years.  Gosh, they sure have seen a lot.  Heck of a lot. 

17 days

Ever since getting engaged, I wondered what it would feel like a month before the wedding, or 2 weeks before the wedding, or a week before.  It still seemed like it would feel different being that close, but I mean... it's not that different. 

It feels like Stuart and I are much closer of friends.

It feels like the wedding is all I can think about now...

But I still feel like the same me in many ways.  I have grown and learned a lot since this time last year, but I'm still... me.  So, there's the answer to some of my questions from the past.  If anyone else has ever wondered that, now you know!  You don't turn into a princess or anything.  My body still isn't perfect(can you believe it?!), and I still get in bad moods.  My hair feels kind of dried out, I have a few zits, still get dark circles under my eyes.  Haha!  I guess that's a good thing!  If Stuart is still going to marry me when I have not yet reached a state of fairy-tale perfection then he must really like me.  And it is nice to be liked despite your imperfections.  It's fun to see that I love him more as I get to see his imperfections revealed.  To love an imperfect person and to be loved in your imperfections- that is perfectly lovely!

A secret...

Everyone in my family  is older than they look.

Some wouldn't want me to disclose this little fact.  

I was shopping for earrings to wear with my wedding dress, and the ladies in the store declared that I look too young to get married.  I told them I was 24.  They could have stopped there and been OK, but to my amusement, they continued in saying that I looked like I was 16 and Stephanie looked 12!  What?!?!

And my mom is just smiling all along, loving it. 

son or slave

Every day, I'm glad I am where I am now, and not where I was before.

My life has been great, but moving forward constantly is the best way to be!  One thing I've been faced with in preparation for marriage is the way I have held on to stuff, party because I thought it would be my only chance to have some things.  I have held on to 'stuff' for waaay too long.  Doing that a lot can cause a general sense of stagnancy in one's life.  I have known a few people who have at one time given every thing they owned away.  I hear it is one of the most freeing, fun things you can ever do!  If you believe in God, then He really just takes care of you.  Even if you don't believe in Him, He usually takes care of you anyway.  I mean, is He real or not?  I know I talk about this a lot, but I think I am starting to really believe in Him.  

It is a great feeling to jump off a cliff, once you get over the fear of doing it.  Flying free through the air...ahhhhhh!  (We actually get to do that a lot in Boone!)

Stuart has been asking God to provide money he has needed.  Then when God provides it, he has been giving it away!  Then he mysteriously gets more.  Then he gives that away, and mysteriously gets more again.  I'm serious!  We are testing what this God that we read about has said, and it actually works!! It is really neat to see this.  But it has required some serious cliff jumping... (but I've figured: the worst that could happen is we would be living under a bridge somewhere surviving on tuna and apples...but how bad would that really be? We won't actually die from hunger or homelessness.  Anyway, we've got some family and friends that love us and would let us sleep on their porch or something if things really got bad).

 I want to detach myself from the fears/cares/worries of the world and live above it all.  We don't have to be imprisoned by fear/care/worry.  This God is real.  Heaven is real, and it loves to come to earth.  We are supposed to be bringing heaven to earth.  We don't have to be slaves to the world, and I will not be a slave, how 'bout you? 

I will!

Third and final marriage counseling session with Brad completed tonight;  some thoughts on the ceremony and vows; 100 invitations sent out;  hundreds of beautiful bridal portraits posted on a secret website... under 60 days to go... Stuart's biceps steadily increasing in size as both our teeths increase in whiteness.  

Not sure if I've mentioned how sick I am of cleaning houses every day, but I'm making the most of it that I can!  I have gotten so fast lately at my job!   I am really looking forward to a new job where I can use more brain and less brawn.  

I wish everybody could sit down and talk with Brad about marriage.  It is extremely hopeful!!  Stuart faithfully typed up notes during each session that will most definitely be revisited often.  Things are much more hopeful than we are taught by the world.

I HAVE THE DAY OFF TOMORROW!!