Whoo-hoo! 24 More Days to Go!

Well, here we are!

A little less than one month away and, with the exception of my wedding gown (long story), everything seems to be coming along really well and I’m becoming very excited for the big day!

Let the countdown begin!

September has been a busy month, complete with late night, marathon printing sessions and two back-to-back bridal showers! Yep, two! One was given by my bridesmaids on the 12th and the other was a surprise shower given by my co-worker friends on the 18th! Both events were absolutely wonderful and all I can say is that I am really and truly blessed to have such a spectacular circle of family and friends!

The photo above (of Carrie, me, Amy, and Shelly) was taken at the shower on September 12th. More shower photos (including those taken on September 18th) will be available soon.

Shortly after announcing our engagement, my friend Carrie approached me about hosting a shower and, after quite a bit of thought, we decided on a lawn and garden theme. Dan and I have been together for almost seven years now and really we don’t need much by way of dishes, linens, etc., so it was very difficult for me to come up with gift giving ideas for Carrie. Dan and I, however, have been wanting to spend more time in the yard with the dogs and find that we need things like yard tools, lawn chairs, etc., so the backyard has quickly become our main focus and, because of that, we tailored our registry to include a wide range of items geared toward outdoor entertaining and relaxation.

That said, let me tell you a little bit about each shower! First, my Carrie manages a variety of different apartment complex properties and she selected the most amazing location for the September 12th shower! It was held at the clubhouse of one of her sister properties and it was an absolutely gorgeous room! It was so open and airy and the fireplace and comfy leather couches and chairs were very welcoming! The girls served a “picnic-style” lunch, complete with turkey, ham, and chicken salad finger sandwiches, a variety of chips, fresh sliced watermelon, and both potato and pasta salad, as well as cherry and apple pie for dessert! Yum! We even used a few wedding decorations to accentuate certain areas within the space and, at Carrie’s request, placed several framed photos of Dan and I around the room! The photos were an absolutely fantastic idea and I was more than happy to get dual use out of the wedding decorations!

We also played a fun game of 20 questions and I, for the most part, failed miserably! Dan answered a series of questions in advance of the shower and each guest was then given one of those questions to read to me out loud. Each question involved something about Dan, e.g. his likes, dislikes, favorites, etc., and I had to guess how he, himself, answered each question. It doesn’t sound too overly exciting as I write about it here, but the game was an absolute blast and the room was just filled with laughter the entire time we played! We also played the game in reverse in “How well do you know the Bride?” and my favorite question asked of Dan about me was: “What was the name of the very first boy the bride ever kissed?” and Dan’s answer was, “Wasn’t me.” Isn’t that hilarious!?! Another fun question asked of me about Dan was: “What was the date of your first kiss and who kissed who first?” Dan’s answer was, “May have been our first date, it was in her living room, and she will say I kissed her, but she kissed me.” The first part of Dan’s answer is correct, but he, indeed, kissed me and not the other way around! Ha! Needless to say, I got about half of the questions right and ditto for Dan!

The shower given by my co-worker friends on the 18th was a total and complete surprise and I am still in awe over how sneaky they all were to pull it off without me knowing! They even had craft day at work to make sunflower votive candle favors and I had absolutely no idea! The boardroom table was absolutely stunning, mindfully set for fall with pumpkins, autumn colored leaves, and sunflowers, and, as always, the food was magnificent and plentiful, complete with all my favorite foods and not one, but TWO, angel food cakes and one yummy chocolate chip cookie and berry creation!

Thank you again, everyone, for giving me the lasting memory of your love and support. Your kindness and generosity will never be forgotten!