Marriage License!

This is what we did this morning!

Second Plan: Location Hunting

Well, the government is still shut down. But! Daniel and I are still getting married.  I spent a large chunk of the weekend in front of my computer with my phone in my hand.  And guess what? I was reminded that life is sweet and people can be, too (except politicians--I was reminded of the exact opposite when it comes to them).  I found not one but multiple open places and wonderful people who are willing to work with us on cost (everything is usually quite a bit more expensive than the lake, but I explained our Pure Charity deal and they were incredibly receptive!). So I can breathe a little.  I still couldn't tell you for sure where we'll be getting married because I don't know if the shutdown will continue through our wedding date or right up to it, and I'm also not sure exactly when to make the call that we should go ahead and switch the location and call all you lovely guests.  But Daniel and I will begin life as a married couple on October 26th, no matter what.

After talking to a very nice woman on the phone Saturday, I set up an appointment to go tour a possible location.  Yesterday afternoon's weather was absolutely perfect for it, too, so that made the whole situation a little happier.

Whether we have the wedding here or not, you all should take an afternoon and check out Terra Studios right outside of Fayetteville--funky atmosphere and wonderful people!

Government Shutdown = Wedding Venue Shutdown

Sometimes things just don't work out the way you plan, no matter how well you think things through.  

I never could have anticipated this:

This is what our wedding venue website currently looks like.  Their voicemail pretty much says the exact same thing.

We're three weeks out.  Plenty of time for things to turn around.  Based on my research, though, it looks like a lot of federally funded national parks are canceling all October reservations.  I'm not sure if that means our reservation will hold up whether the shutdown continues or not.  

When Daniel broke the news to me today, I teared up a little.  I admit it.  I've worked really hard on planning for the past nine and a half months and I didn't expect to circle back around to the first thing I checked off my list--book the venue.  

But, such is life, and Daniel and I will get married either way!  We agreed we both don't care where it is (his words were something like, "I'll marry you in the Walmart parking lot, for all I care..."), but we have to keep the 100+ people who are traveling to NWA in mind.  We need a place to party with them!

So I will find a second suitable venue in case we need it.  Daniel and I will get married, and no one can stop us--not even the President of the grand ol' U.S. of A.

This Man

Last night Daniel and I worked on sorting through RSVP cards (deadline is tomorrow), talked to family members about hotel reservations, and went over what all we still have left to get done.  When we came to a stopping point, I asked if we could do something I've been wanting to do for a while. Without knowing what he was getting himself into, he said of course and poured us a couple glasses of wine.

I found THIS LIST on Pinterest a couple of weeks ago and barely skimmed through it before I knew I wanted Daniel and I to take turns answering the questions.  I knew several of his answers already, but many of them addressed things we've never specifically discussed--like opening each other's mail.

We spent over three hours going over Daniel's answers--we didn't even get to me.  But that was perfectly okay because I love hearing Daniel's heart and continuing to get to know him better.  I definitely learned new things about the man I'm about to marry in a few short weeks.  Considering we've known one another for 10+ years, the fact that I still have so much to learn makes me really excited to keep pursuing the best ways to love, respect, and understand Daniel throughout our marriage.

Last night was fantastic because it felt like we were just starting to date again--still getting to know one another.  Planning a wedding can easily become a distraction from actively loving and seeking out your almost-spouse's heart, and I'm so happy I had an opportunity to step back and focus on who Daniel is and how he needs to be loved.

This man, you guys, is as incredible as they come.  Thank You, Lord, for somehow convincing him to marry me.

Painting Pumpkins with My Favorite Little Ladies

After the Farmers Market this morning, Daniel and I picked up two of the best girls I know to hang out for the afternoon.  We had plans to go to the pumpkin patch before heading back to my house, but a crazy storm forced us to run by Walmart for pumpkins instead. Oh well! We still had a wonderful afternoon playing with Penny and getting rid of a little creative energy.

I'm so blessed to know these girls!

ONE STINKIN' MONTH!

We're getting married one month from today. 

WE'RE GETTING MARRIED ONE MONTH FROM TODAY!

Will someone please explain to me, in step by step detail, how on earth I'm supposed to concentrate on anything else?

24 Goals for My 24th Year

I turned 24 on Sunday.  This is how we celebrated.

I'm a list-maker.  I love crossing things off lists.  I can't even begin to tell you how many lists, broad and detailed, I've made while planning this wedding.  Fortunately, I've crossed a LOT of things off of those lists.  And it's been awesome.

I'm not sure when I began making goal lists on my birthday, but I've been doing it for several years now.  This year's list was a little more difficult to create, because I'll be married for 11 months of it, and I've never been married before so I don't know exactly what that will look like.  Not that I ever know exactly what my year will look like, but I have been pretty positive in birthdays past that I wouldn't be washing a man's dirty socks on a weekly basis.  But this year, that'll happen.

So, three days into my 24th year, I have my list.  It has both silly and serious, long-term and short-term goals.  Some are obviously more important than others, and some are just things I've always thought it would be cool to do.  So I say, why not this year?  

24 Goals for My 24th Year:

1) Get wifed up!

2) Build a piece of furniture.  This includes learning to use a saw.

3) Memorize a chapter (or multiple) of the Bible.

4) Learn Spanish.

5) Throw a dinner party.

6) Learn to relax and enjoy it.

7) Complete a sprint triathlon.

8) Train Penny to jump through a hoop.

9) Start a business. (Info on this coming in the near-ish future!)

10) Nail down a long(er) term job.

11) Go camping with Daniel, since it'll be okay for us to stay in the same tent! YAY!

12) Create a for real budget and stick to it.

13) Become fluent in our new camera.

14) Hold a handstand for 30+ seconds. 

15) Keep plant(s) alive for a significant amount of time.

16) Learn to ballroom dance.

17) Catch a fish. (It's been too long!)

18) Become a dedicated journaler again.

19) Start a skincare regimen.  I'm not getting any younger!

20) Smile more! (I suffer from B-Word Face.  It's a real thing.)

21) Float a river.

22) Learn to rock climb.

23) Unplug one day a week.

24) Celebrate our first anniversary with a little trip or something, because staying married is important and should be celebrated!