Yes, the wedding is FAST FAST FAST approaching. I almost can’t handle it. Although I know I’ll get everything done, I’m starting to panic just a teensy bit. Eating and sleeping aren’t something I do well these days, and the lists in my head are on full rotation. Things I’ve accomplished on my to do list in the past few days:

Go to Michaels and buy things
Hair Trial
Final Fitting
Design Table Numbers
Test Place Cards
Make 400 more lists of things to do/questions to ask

Speaking of place cards, I’m going to have a hard time filling them out with your name and food choice if you all don’t MAIL IN YOUR RSVPS! I’m going to stop being nice in about 4 days.

And THANK YOU to everyone who came to my third and final shower last Thursday at Anita’s house. It was a fabulous party and thank you for all the lovely gifts! For the record, just because I couldn’t unscramble the words “husband” and “forever” doesn’t mean anything.

So many things I want to say in this post…

First, I’ll start by saying THANK YOU to everyone who came to my shower/bachelorette festivities this past weekend in ‘sconnie. And thank you to everyone who planned it, especially the greatest maid of honor, Amanda! It was so much – almost overwhelming! I nearly cried. The general public probably won’t get to see pictures from later in the evening, but I may post one from the shower. Maybe.

Second, we’re officially in the final stretch now. Only 25 days to go! And I’m officially labeling myself “Bridezilla” – although I don’t plan on earning a place on the popular WE network show.

HOWEVER, if you haven’t mailed back your RSVP for the wedding yet, please do so! We’d love to have you come (and then let us know what you want to eat!), and if you can’t make it, we’d like to know as well! (You know who you are if you haven’t replied yet-cheeky monkeys!) But don’t worry, I’m not going to hunt you down (yet), you still have until next Saturday to get your reply in.

All wedding-related threats aside, things are still going smoothly, although my “to-do” list is threatening to cause nightmares, lack of sleep, or even death. (Side effects similar to most prescription meds.) So, I’m trying to tackle everything I can as quickly as possible so I’m not teetering on the edge of insanity the week before the wedding.

This week: Meeting with the florist, final last minute alterations, wedding shower with the Roseners and final fitting/hair trial!

I just have to say THANK YOU to all my family members who attended and planned the shower I had on Saturday. It was so nice, I had to take a step back after an hour or so to realize it was all happening for me! Sometimes, I feel like I’m just another person attending the party, and then I have to remind myself that it’s for me! (Well, and the fiance too.) So yeah, thanks to everyone who was there.

Well, tomorrow night, the fiance and I are going to see The Police at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Pretty cool. Then, Wednesday we have the day off, and we’re planning a day at the beach…but we’re not sure which beach yet. I’ll have a chance to wear my new swimsuit I got on sale at Macy’s.

As of last night, the fiance and I officially have our wedding bands. Actually, we bought his a week ago and had it sent out to be sized. When we went to pick it up last night, we learned he must have been a little puffy when he was sized, cause the ring didn’t fit at all! So, we purchased my ring and sent it and his in again to be sized. Yay! Most big items have been taken care of, and we could still get married if I didn’t finish anything else on my to do list, so that’s a good feeling. (Of course, I’ll be getting everything done, regardless if it’s necessary or not!)

Yes, starting this weekend, I’ll have plans EVERY weekend all the way until the 21st of July, when I STILL have plans but will at least be in town! This weekend, the fianceand I are going to my annual family campout. Lots of beer will be consumed, bad jokes will be told, money will be lost, and games will be played. It will be fun, for sure. We’re packing up tonight and heading out around 2 tomorrow. Then, next weekend I’ll be in Chicago for more time with my family, and a lovely shower they’re throwing. Weekend after that is a wedding in Bayfield, then is my bachelorette party fun! Then it’s already the middle of July. Frightening. Lots of work to do.

3 more days and the braces are no more.

…and what better to do than continue wedding planning in 90 degree heat!

(Meanwhile, I’m PRAYING this is Mother Nature getting the heat out of her system for August, so it’s 75 and sunny on the big day. Please?)

So, this weekend is another big planning weekend. Well, I guess I should say Saturday is. At 10am I’ll be having my second fitting with Louise, then the fiance and I will be picking out tie colors for the dudes in the bridal party, and then picking out (and I’m hoping buying!) our wedding bands. I think this is what I’ve been looking forward to the most!

To wrap up the past week or so, the fiance and I applied for our marriage license (and got it! Yay! Good thing we’re not first cousins or felons!), went to Seattle (where it rained and was cold most of the time, boo. I heart Minneapolis!), he started a new job, and we put in the air conditioner in the apartment. We also celebrated the year that’s passed since the fiance proposed, and as of Monday – we’re a mere 2 months from the big day.

My friend emailed me (who’s four months from her big day) totally stressed, hoping I’d be 10x more stressed than her…and surprisingly, I’m not. I’m quite calm. I’m sure that’s about to end though.

12 more days till the braces come off.

Yeah, they’re not off. Look at my teeth in 2.5 weeks. Then they’ll be off. Or so they say.

In about 15 minutes, I’m leaving for what I’m hoping is my final orthodontist appointment that includes me having braces. I want these things off, and I want them off now. I’ve been told it is likely they’ll come off today, but I’m way too convinced they might not be. I’m also scared beyond belief at how much it’s going to hurt when they take these things off. (For those of you who have had braces in the past, as I have – for some reason it hurts like HELL to get the brackets off now. I don’t know why, but yeah…it SUCKS.)

So, yes. I’ll be back later to report what happened. Please. Cross fingers for them coming off. I can’t take anymore.

Good thing I had a long weekend – I needed all three days! Although my actual “completed” list isn’t all that long, I did get two big things finished – my first dress fitting (Louise is THE BOMB), and also – the invites are ready to go out! the fiance’s mom and I sat at her dining room table all day Monday and addressed all of them. I had assembled most of them prior to Monday, while watching TV or whatever – and it still took us a good 4-6 hours to wrap everything up. We lost our sanity a couple times, ate a lot of french food and desserts from Patrick’s, but all in all – got everything completed! I took one of the invites to the post office one final time to be sure we only needed a 41 cent stamp, and according to the machine – we’re all set. I’ll be putting them in the mail on Friday – so – keep your eyes peeled!

A week from tomorrow the fiance and I, along with his parents (and his brother who’s flying in from NYC) are headed to Seattle for his sister’s graduation from graduate school. Yay! It’ll be nice to get away from Minneapolis for a while, although I doubt it’ll be a vacation from wedding planning. I don’t think my brain will allow it.

As far as the rest of my life is concerned – work is lame. My computer’s been a jerk for about 4 days and I’m FINALLY getting a new one tomorrow. Then I can start working again. The fiance is starting a new job after we get back from Seattle, and we’ve decided to hold off on house shopping until after the wedding so we can not be distracted with other things, and we’ll have our finances (and brains) in order.

That’s all for now!