We Arrived Safe n' Sound

We had an eventful day Saturday! We woke up to a wonderful breakfast display: fresh fruit, bacon, sausage, english muffins, and a scrambled egg casserole. Mike, Doug, and I brought down champagne we had left over in our frig and drank that with some OJ to get started on the right foot : ) It was a fabulous treat- Thanks so much to Mike's mom, Pat, for preparing, cooking, and cleaning up after us. We were a little behind schedule post breakfast and had to rush to the airport. Upon our arrival, we checked the gate and it was empty, so we figured they hadn't started boarding. Little did we know, they had already boarded and our names were being called over the intercom. Oops! There's a first for everything and we are just thankful we didn't miss our flight.

I wore my "Bride-to-be" sash for one last hurrah. That turned out to be a great match with Mike's tux t-shirt and several people congratulated us throughout the airport. Once we got seated, the flight attendant, Rob, made an announcement over the intercom about us, "the about to be married couple sitting in or near the exit rows." Another round of congratulatory cheers. We weren't sitting together (remember we were the last people on the plane on Southwest), so Rob said if anyone would switch us seats in order for us to be together, they'd get free drinks. About mid flight a kind lady switched for us (and she never got her drink!!). The lady flight attendant whose name I did not get, asked us for our first names. This seemed extremely out of her character, as she was the one glaring at us when we got on the plane. Shortly after, she got on the intercom, asked everyone to close their windows and turn on their call buttons. They turned off the cabin lights and played "Going to the Chapel" over the intercom. They called us up to the front and crowned us with peanut pack and stir stick crowns. It was great. Again, everyone cheered and said Congratulations. They really made that flight special for us!



Doug was counting how many people congratulated us in any way, shape, or form and quickly lost track.

We landed safe, got our rental car, grabbed lunch and headed home to see the family. The weather has been rainy and cloudy thus far, but we are happy with that now (rather than later in the week or on the big day). Off to start my last Monday as a fiance!!

Cheers

Chi Town- we are so ready for you!

Not quite yet, however, since we leave for Chicago this Saturday I feel as if that's D Day! I honestly did not realize how much crap I have accumulated over the past year+. We are going to end up paying a large shipping fee, but whatever. At this rate, this is what I chose to do months ago, so I gotta suck it up.

It's not that I feel unprepared for the wedding. I feel unprepared to travel to Chicago in a day and a half! Once I get there, I know I will take a couple deep breaths and let my mind be at peace. A "whatever is left behind is stuck in Prescott now" mentality. We have to get our marriage license, attend 2 baseball games, a dinner with my dad, a dinner with his grandparents, hang out with family, bring all our shipped boxes downtown, and attend the rehearsal & dinner. Then it's THE BIG DAY. I don't think I could have prepped myself better and I don't have many 'regrets,' I'm not even sure that's what you would call the things I do have : )

I am still anxiety stricken about leaving Gracie. Although, I know she will be just fine, I hope she doesn't think we've left her. We have done this before...I think. Maybe over Christmas or even a trip to Chicago?? Either way, she was perfectly fine and was so happy to us upon our return. I just wonder what's going through her lil' noggin.

I am also still slightly sad this is all winding down. I cannot wait to be officially married to Michael, but I don't know if I want this phase to end. I know we will just move onto the next thing in life...whatever that may be. Being married, moving to a different state, buying a home, and starting a family...just to name a few we'd like to do. But being a female, I've dreamed of this time in my life for YEARS...all 26 of them, I'm sure. Ok, maybe not 26, but 21? As soon as a girl knows about Princesses and her daddy tells her she is one and she will find her Prince Charming one day...that's when a girl's mind starts going. I drew an image of my wedding dress when I was in 5th grade. I still have that today. Now, my wedding isn't going to be red, white, and blue, on the Fourth of July, and we are not skydiving down to our ceremony like I had once planned/imagined/dreamed. But it's still happening in NINE days.

It all seems so surreal (still). For the most part, my feelings haven't changed. Sure there have been some bumps in wedding planning, I've shed tears and Mike has wiped them from my cheeks. But it was fun. I'd love to be a wedding planning...I think I have a drive for excitement, adrenaline rushing planning. To get to see and feel that, then have everything pan out perfectly and see your Bride & Groom as happy as ever...what a rewarding job. Now, I know not all brides are cool...thanks for the show on TLC (is it?) 'Bridezillas.' So, scratch that...I'd rather work with kids!

I loved planning this day, this whole experience, I love Mike and I's love story- how we met, how things played out for us, how we've lived together w/roughly no issues too big to tackle, I love that he loves my family, they love him, and I love his family, I love that he is going to be my Husband...he is going to take my hand and hold it for life...LOVE is in the air...and I get teary eyed just thinking about him standing down at the alter by the Pastor. Ah!

I'd like to write on here the night before the wedding, but I doubt that happens. Maybe I will journal and retype what was written. Either way, I probably won't be back till after the Honeymoon : ) Whoop, Whoop!

Cheers!