The Mental Snapshot of a Lifetime...

The snapshot I'm sharing with you is not something you can see.  It's something I can see in my mind's eye.  I suppose once my photographer sends me the images from my reception, you will be able to see... but even then, what you'd see would not, could not compare to what I see in my memory.  Let me paint for you one of the dearest, fondest memories I have from our wedding day:

The night was winding down.  I had danced myself silly, hardly eating or drinking anything, because in typical Amanda fashion, I didn't want to miss a thing.  I had done "The Hustle."  I had done "The Cupid Shuffle."  I had twisted and shouted.  I had shimmied while wearing oversized sunglasses as my husband wore a cowboy hat and even bigger glasses.  And now... it was time for our last dance.

We chose "Animal," a favorite of ours that I wanted to be "our song," except his friend already claimed it as "their song."  Weird.  Anyway, we danced gleefully, as all our dearest friends and family members gathered spontaneously around us, creating a giant circle.  We spun and laughed and sung and danced, as all around us, our friends laughed and sang.  I remember the feeling of pure bliss, the moments just before we said goodbye to our parents and left for our hotel.

It is forever etched in my memory-- a snapshot that will last for a lifetime, even if fire destroys the actual pictures.

While I'm at it, I'll give you a few more mental snapshots:
1.  Waking up to Bestie's soft harp alarm on my wedding day.  And then getting ready with good music, laughter, and hairspray-- nervous excitement.
2.  Feeling so beautiful as I slipped on my wedding dress, with my hair and makeup all done.
3.  Seeing TBH (HTB at the time) for the first time.  I hugged him from behind and choked out, "You can turn around now."  And then I promptly started crying.  The day had finally come, and I was overwhelmed.
4.  Eating a Starbucks birthday cake pop in the car on the way to the church after pictures, with my girls in the pickup truck with me.  My best friends were all in the same car. :)
5.  Standing at the doorway of the sanctuary with Dad, and hearing the beautiful harp music that began "Pas de Deux."  We walked slowly, and I let the memory sink in.  It was dark, save for the warm candlelight.  I saw no one but TBH at the end of the aisle.  My big smile wobbled as emotion took over, all the way down.  And the entire time, Dad tried to calm my nerves by telling me a story of when I was in tumbling as a little girl and I showed my instructor a nice booger.  He told me not to show a booger to the pastor.  I felt confused at that point.  Hahahahaha.
6.  TBH and I read our vows to each other.  Neither had dry eyes.  We meant those words and said them before God and promised them to each other.  It was intense.
7.  I remember the relief of walking back up that aisle, even though we had to do it twice for the photographer.  A weight had been lifted.

So there you go... before the actual snapshots show up on this site, there are a few from my memory, that I'll always cherish.

Over My Head...

Well, I may or may not have gotten in over my head when I said I'd post a picture a day.  Do I want to?  Yes.  Is it possible?  Not really.  Maybe if I was 37 and had been married ten years and knew how to balance caring for my husband AND daily blogging... but I'm not there yet.  In fact, this is, as TBH called it, "adjustment week."  We are figuring out how to live together, serve each other, and love each other, all while balancing jobs, bills, and housework.  I know, I know, you're thinking, OK, big deal-- like EVERY OTHER COUPLE EVER TO EXIST.  And you'd be right-- there's nothing special about our "adjustment week."  But it is all new to us.

So I will update my blog when I have time, which hopefully will be more than once a week.

And when I have even MORE time, big changes will happen on this blog, you'll see...

Heirlooms...

Today I had to throw away my bouquet.  It was a sad moment.  This is all that remains: some lace from my mom's wedding dress and some pretty pins.

And it got me thinking... what heirloom will my daughter carry with her on her wedding day?  Will she want to wear my dress with its handy hidden pockets?  Will she want to shorten my veil to chapel length?  Will she carry the hankie my mom embroidered?  Will she take the embellishment from my dress and design her own (with her mother's designer genes)?

It's kind of fun to think about.  I wonder what the wedding styles will be in thirty or so years.  I wonder how outdated my pictures will be, or if they will be timeless, like Jackie Kennedy (yeah right).

Brides-to-be, do you plan on using/wearing an heirlooms?  Mothers, what have you/do you hope to give your daughter to wear on her wedding day, as a little piece of yourself?

Catching Up With the Newlyweds...

I didn't have much time to blog in the last week and a half, but here we go: one picture from the last 14 days!

 Merely one picture from the bachelorette party.  Keep in mind, I consumed no alcohol... I was only doing what I was told.  Hahaha.

 Prettying it up the day before the wedding!

 Good morning... I'm a bride! :)

 This is what I got to wake up to. :)  My husband. :)  Now to be called: "The Big H" or maybe "TBH."

 We went to the 9/11 memorial.  There aren't many more words I can actually use to describe it.

 The honeymooners with Lady Liberty.

 Having lunch, New York Style.

 Our last night in the city led us to a nice Italian place for dinner.

 And the couple goes home.

 My beautiful bouquet, still in bloom one week later!

 Oh, the humanity!!!!!!  TBH moves in!!!!

 And I organize.  I've never seen anyone with a DVD collection like ours.  The ottoman is blocking the bottom 1/4.

 This is my guilt-less guilty pleasure snack.  This has no bearing to the actual day.  It's just a new vice.

Finally: today.  This is the first meal I made for The Big H, as his wife.  Homemade chili and cornbread... mm-mm good!

Break Time...

Well, it's break time!  By that, I mean wedding stuff has gotten so crazy that I can't keep up with pictures.  So, I'll take a picture every day, and catch you up later!  Ta-ta for now, until I'm a married woman! :)

Moving On...

Today I helped HTB pack up some of the stuff in his room that somehow hasn't made the transition from teenage cave to man land, but that's what our house is for.  :)  He was asking me what movies I had so that we wouldn't double up our collection.  Can I just say, we're going to have a fantastic movie collection.  Quite a variety of the best films of all time, including but not limited to Diary of a Wimpy Kid and the Scream collection.  Haha.

Oh, and now I'll own a Darth Vader helmet and "Psych" bobbleheads.

I'm marrying an awesome guy.  Just saying.

Looking into the Future...

Today was my cleaning day.  That means what was once a dizzying array of wedding presents, wedding paraphernalia, and garbage, is now a lovely (though kind of hodge-podge), clean apartment, ready for two.  Today, when I took a picture of the kitchen, I thought about how my long-time single life will change drastically in just five days-- the place where I'd heat up my Lean Cuisines would now be the place I lovingly prepare man meals.

It was a happy thought. :)

Fluffing My Nest...

With less than a week to go, I'm really feeling the pressure to make this place as man-friendly and de-girlified as possible, while still maintaining a Pottery Barn/pinterest/anthropologie chic.  Impossible you say?  HAH, I say.  I'll find a way, just you wait and see.  Here's a teaser: my future spice rack.  Haha.

More to come, when it's all said and done!

One Week to Go...

(HTB photobombing my picture)

Today HTB and I had our last pre-marital counseling with our pastor.  We've really enjoyed his wit and wisdom... but this was our last session, the one we'd been hearing embarrassing things about, and well, we were a little nervous about what he would say (he's famous for his steamy Song of Solomon sermon series)... and let's just say I feared I would blush through the whole thing.

It wasn't half as bad as we were fearing.  It was comfortable and encouraging, and so, hopefully this won't make you uncomfortable, but it's something I want to share.

See, HTB and I both have kept ourselves only for each other, and only for marriage.  So for us, we are so thankful to go into this marriage without shame or regret, excited to experience something that God intended as glorifying to Himself, within the confines of marriage.

All you singles out there-- hold out!  Don't give in!  It will be worth it, because it's as God intended.

See You Later...

Tonight we said "see you later" to youth group.  It's not goodbye, because we're coming back after the summer, but even so, "see you later" was a little tough.  We're taking a break from the youth group to get the hang of marriage.

Youth group has meant so much to us.  HTB has been a part of it since he was a student, almost ten years ago.  He started coming and never left.  I joined staff before I even moved to Florida, going to summer camp, knowing only Bestie.  And then I never left.  It became such a part of my life.  As HTB put it today, "Wednesday has always been youth group day."

Tonight they did a humorous little interview with us, then asked for advice from us.  HTB told them not to take the youth group for granted, and to keep God first in their lives and not let things distract them from Him.  I told them to trust God with their whole hearts and lean not on their own understanding; to acknowledge Him in all their ways, and He will direct their paths.  I may or may not have used God's words, not mine. :)

And then they gathered around us and laid hands on us and prayed.  It was so bittersweet, and we are so blessed to have been a part of such a wonderful, God-blessed ministry for so long.

And then one student prayed that we "be fruitful and multiply."  Exhibit A of why I love that ministry so much.

We'll miss it, but we'll still be praying for it on Wednesday nights.  Because Wednesday night is youth group night. :)

Calm Amidst the Storm...

I tried working hard at wedding stuff tonight... I really tried.  I got a few things done, but nothing near what I was hoping.  A mean old headache came to visit and wouldn't leave, no matter how many times I asked or how many times I tried to KILL it.

So... I threw in the towel.  I turned on the heat, got into my jammies, grabbed a bowl of Krave, my new favorite guilt-free cereal/dessert, turned on the Netflix (any guesses as to what I'm watching?), and got my pinterest on.

This is my calm amidst the storm.  Thanks God, for this headache that forced me to slow down a little, since I didn't get the message with a cold. :)

T-Minus 10 Days and Counting...

Tonight I sat on the floor, bundled up in a cozy sweater, working for hours on wedding stuff.  The wind howled outside the windows, and my knees ached from long-term sitting Indian-style.  In between scratching off things on my to-do list, I'd take a swig of cough medicine and/or blow my nose.  Ugh.  All I can say is, thank God this all should be over before the wedding.  Can it please be January 12 now?

Now my only other fear (besides HTB showing up in a mustache) is rain... prayers, please! :)

New Year, New Idea...

Happy New Year, all!  With this new year comes countless new changes for me, so what better time than now to document the year with a picture a day?  And so, thus begins the year of pictures, with today's gem:

This is HTB lovingly and expertly installing shelves in my bathroom to make it two-person friendly. :)

Oh the changes to come...!