So Much To Do!

There has been so much happening the past two weeks and it seems hardly real that two weeks have gone by, but alas, they have. I have been trying to get in my hours at work, working on packing things up for my move, trying to map out my move, working on my wedding, shopping for a wedding dress, trying valiantly to retrieve my ring from the jeweler, taking care of my health and improving my physique, taking care of those I love and missing my love more than I know how to say. Phew!!! I would say that is enough to keep anyone on their toes. It's been a real trip but I can say that at least I feel like things are falling into place. I have gotten some things done and I am fairly proud of myself for the work I have done. Tomorrow I am staying home to wade through some more of the gigantic pile of papers I have created for myself over that past ten years. I have actually created a system for organizing things but it does take time to do. Amidst all of the hubbub I have also had some really great experiences. My love bought me a beautiful digital piano for my birthday and I am loving having it. He is soooooo good to me and I love that he gets me things that I really love and can use. He also got me some pretty cool music software so I can write music using my computer and I am thrilled about that. It means I can do what I have wanted to do for so long. *Sigh* Another dream come true. I also got to celebrate Father's Day with my dad and that was a lot of fun. I cooked fried chicken for the first time and it turned out pretty well actually. I must say that not too many people had confidence in me that it would turn out and I definitely had a great sense of accomplishment when everything went well. So, there has been a lot to do and there will continue to be more to do but I guess that's O.K. because it keeps me busy and I do things that I need to do. It might be a while before I post again, but if that's the case at least you know it's because I am super busy and doing things that are important. Ready, set, here I go!

Wedding Dress Shopping

So I went to look at wedding dresses today. I asked my mom to come with me and we visited two stores and I tried on at least 12 dresses. It was rather difficult to keep track of how they all looked, but I am glad I tried them on. It was actually a rather tiring exercise and I am amazed at how worn out I am after the task, but it was a lot of fun. This is the first tangible experience I've had in my wedding planning and I was thrilled to be doing it. It was a pain getting in and out of dresses and having to waltz out into the main store area in dresses that looked good as well as the ones that were a train wreck, but it was so fun to imagine myself as the most beautiful bride in the world walking down the aisle to marry the one I love. I have about 11 months before the wedding and you're not really supposed to order you dress until 6 to 7 months before the wedding, but I wanted to get a good start before I move to Colorado. The first shop we went to I tried on some dresses and there were 2 dresses that I really liked but I wasn't really sure about them. Then we went to a shop where my friend works. I had been in the shop a few months ago and had tried on a dress just for kicks that I had actually really liked. I was eager to get back to this dress and see if I still really liked it and what my mom thought of the dress. When we got to the store we looked at several other dresses and lined up some to try on. The first one put on was the one liked before. It was still beautiful and I loved the way it made me look, but, I wasn't sure it was the one for me. So I kept trying on. Then, my friend pulled out a "princess" style dress. I was sure I wasn't going to like it, but I was willing to try. The dress was beautiful and it looked wonderful on me. I couldn't believe it when I saw myself in the mirror. I really looked like something out of a dream. The style of the dress was gorgeous and pretty close to perfect for me. It accentuated all the things about me that are nice and hid the things that are not so nice. It was modest without being stuffy or old fashioned and I felt so beautiful in it. My mom liked it, me friend liked it, and I liked it. Now, the price, that I didn't like, which leads me to my next statement. I didn't get the dress. The price on it was pretty high and I am not sure that I want or even can pay that much for the dress. I think it is the right dress for me but I am not 100% sure and I don't want to spend that amount of money unless I am absolutely sure that is what I want. So, although I felt that the dress was pretty perfect, I am taking a deep breath and will think about things at least for a few days before I take that giant plunge. I have a couple of months before I have to order anything and I am hoping that will be enough time for me to decide what to do. I am sure everything will be fine and will turn out right, but I have to admit that I am crossing my fingers and hoping the "right" thing is the thing I have always dreamed of. We will see!!!!! =D

Overwhelmed

I have returned from a whirlwind two weeks of travel and I am trying to settle back into life but finding that it is hard because I know that in a few weeks I will be completely uprooting myself and moving to Colorado. There is so much going on in my life right now that I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. There are a lot of really good things happening and I don't want to loose sight of those things, but it is hard. I am planning my move and have started getting things ready to go and that is exciting, yet the vastness of the work I have to do threatens to cripple me. I am engaged, completely in love, and planning my wedding. It's a dream come true, but it seems to be a bit much for me to handle at times. There are so many things happening in my family right now and I am really happy about many of them but they also produce a lot of stress and put a strain on me that keeps me from being light-hearted and happy. How do people do this??? Is there something I am missing? I want things to be enjoyable and fun. I know there are things that take hard work and focus but I am not willing to let that affect me so that I have a poor attitude or don't feel like doing anything. So, I am going to tackle this problem the only way I know how and just keep at it until I find a way to make it work. I want to be happy and satisfied and de-stressed when I am doing things that should be exciting and wonderful. I want to create good memories of these days that I will always look back on, these important days in my life. I think I can do it and if there is anything I want to accomplish this summer it is getting things into perspective and maintaining a positive outlook on what is going on. It will be tough for me but it can be done.

When Prince Charming Proposed

Every girl has dreams of how her true love will one day ask her to spend the rest of her life with him. She plays out the scenario in her head a million times even before she has met the man she wants to spend the rest of her life with. Then, one day she meets him and she starts to really believe that perhaps her dreams might come true. For me, I had been dreaming for a long time, and truth be told, I thought those dreams would never come true. I had resolved in my mind that how a proposal happened and when it happened were not important. The most important thing was who I was going to marry and it didn't matter whether I thought he was Prince Charming or not, as long as I knew he loved me. I met Mr. Darcy almost three years ago and we have been slowly growing closer to each other as the time has gone on. I have to admit, I fell head over heels for him long ago and had already been dreaming about the day when he would ask me to be his wife. But, reality had set in more than once, and not wanting to be continuously disappointed, I had set my dreams in a shelf and tightly tucked away my ideas of how that all important day would happen. I knew I loved him more than anyone else in this whole world and I was confident that he loved me and that, honestly, was already more than what I could have ever asked for. I was happy being with him and had decided that how the relationship progressed didn't really matter as long as we were together. Then, Mr. Darcy did something wonderful. Late in March he transformed into the Prince Charming that every little girls dreams will ride into their lives and sweep them off their feet. For almost two months he planned and set out to give me something I had always dreamed of. Last Tuesday, May 26th, I called my prince to say hello and he asked me if he could spend the evening with me. I agreed, of course, and when I left work I called him to ask what he wanted to do. He nonchalantly replied that he wanted to have dinner with me but he first wanted to watch the sunset with me. This was not unusual for us, we had done it before, and I agreed. I loved spending time with him and I loved watching the sunset. So, after work he met me at my house and informed me that we had about forty minutes until the sun would set and we needed to get going so that we wouldn't miss it. We got in the car and headed towards my favorite spot to watch the sunset. It is a lookout point that is on the far west side of Tucson. The desert is beautiful and the sunset with all its brilliant colors is amazing to see. We arrived at the lookout with some time to spare and we hiked up to our usual spot only to realize that because it was later in the year the sun now set further north and we could not see it from out position. So, we scrambled down the hillside and started up the opposite side, racing to catch the sun before it set. Half way up the other side we ran into some rocks, and as I was in flip-flops I refused to go any further. My prince pleaded with me to keep going and kept reminding me that we were going to miss the sun if we didn't hurry. There was something in his voice that made me want to continue, so I did. We finally made it up the hill and found some boulders to sit on. The view was truly incredible and we could see the sun beginning to drop down behind the horizon. We had made it with two minutes to spare! As we sat there enjoying the beautiful Tucson sunset with all the amazing colors lighting up the sky, my Prince Charming dropped down on his knees, pulled a beautiful ring from his pocket and asked me to be his wife. I was speechless. I was thrilled, elated, shocked and touched all at the same time!!! I couldn't believe that what I had dreamed of for so long was happening right in front of me. He had truly swept me off my feet and I loved him for it! I accepted his proposal on that mountain side and afterward we celebrated by having dinner at one of my favorite places. It was wonderful to sit under the night sky and enjoy each others company. Truly, it was a night to remember and one I will never forget. In so many ways it was the proposal I had always dreamed of and in so many other ways it was more than I could have ever imagined. I have never been so happy in my life and I am excited to count the days until my prince and I are one and can live as such.