I have been engaged for almost three weeks, and the planning has been so fun. I'm a super, hyper organized person, so this opportunity to create news lists, and lists for my lists, Oh! The joy. I manage to out-dork myself on a daily. I just hope my darling will still want to get married by the time our wedding day comes.

Man oh man alive, people are nuts. Two things: wedding costs and the guest list.

It's like, as soon as people hear the word "wedding" people go, DING! I'ma cut you and take all your money. I looked at photogaphers, for example. The cheapest one was in the arena of 2 grand, and thats the base. And with that price of a fairly crappy used car, you get a photographer for 6-8 hours and 800 to 1200 photos. What?? What would I ever do with 1200 photos? I'm not gonna lie, I'd get bored after picture number 26, so the other 1174 photos would not only be a waste, but where in God's name would I even shove 1200 photos?

And then theres the guest list. I can hear you already - Dear Help, why oh why are you worying about the guest list? You're wedding is 17 months away! I promise the guest list is an early and important list. So I've learned.

What I find hilarious, is the people who assume they'e going to be invited, and say as such. Here's what it is:

1. If I don't know your last name, you are not coming to my wedding.
2. If you don't know MY last name (or my darling's), you are not coming to my wedding.
3. If we can't even be bothered to be facebook friends (a social media I'm not even sure why I bother with anymore), you are not coming to my wedding.
4. No ex's. Jesus in a jar people!
5. If it's been more then a year since we've hung out or been in touch, you are not coming to my wedding.

You can get all these guest list helpful hints and such on pinterest.....I read one, and then I threw it out. I'm forming my own rules, which will include the above, and the one other, most impotant rule - this one day is about me and my darling, no one else. We will invite who we love and who we want to party with on the best day ever. We will not accept guilt or bad attitudes about it.

And it feels SO GOOD.

Let me Tell you a Story

I am the luckiest. I had the best Christmas ever.

Our Christmas day plan was this - get up early, put this breakfast casserole thing I made in the oven, go to my friend Sarah's place and open gifts with their daughter, and have some breakfast. I thought we were bringing our gifts to each other to the friend's place, and then open the stockings and other gifts when we got back.

When we up, my darling said that we should open our stockings before we go. I was so confused, I couldn't figure out why the fuss over the stockings - like, I had put pens and socks in his stocking.

But then my fella put a coffee with bailey's in it in front of me (what up day drinking?), and handed me my stocking. Very good, I'll open it, and he was opening his at the same time.

The very last thing, in the toe, was a black velvet box. Never has anyone ever opened a box so fast as I did. Inside was my dream ring.....I had showed it to my girl Sarah months before and she took care of it. That is a good friend right there.

He asked me to marry him. I don't remember the exact words (he could have called me by the wrong name and I wouldn't have heard it), but the important part is, he asked me to marry him. I'm getting married!!!

I have cried on average three times a day since. Usually happy crying, but sometimes sad; when I think about the people who won't be there like his dad, or my friend Michael....but mostly I'm so insanely happy, it has literally kept me up at night.

I had no idea it was coming. My friend Sarah, who co-ordinated the whole effort, was getting a vacuum, and I was TERRIFIED that I was also getting a vacuum (in which case some of us may have been single by Christmas night).

It was one of those situations, everyone knew but me. He asked my parents for their blessing before proposing, which I am so glad of. I am so grateful for his thoughtfulness. That will probably be the only traditional part of our marriage, let me tell you.

Big changes are coming my friends.