Day 55 - It's here!

It's not everyday that one wakes up with the feeling that today is going to be the best day of your life.

But that's how I awoke about an hour ago. I was almost surprised waking up - I expected my heart to be perpetually pounding and for last night to have been rather restless. Maybe it was the Benadryl that I took (I'm still slightly sick), or maybe it was just the knowledge that Tyler is finally going to be my husband, but I slept quite well, and for 7 whole hours.

And today is going to be the best day of my life thus far. I will soon be surrounded by people that I love deeply, and they'll be witnessing my professing my love to Tyler and vise versa. I'm not even concerned about the rain coming down in buckets outside my doorway!

I hope that many of you that will read this this morning will be there with me this afternoon. I look forward to sharing my joy with you, and partying it up with you later today!

PS - the diet's SO off today!

Day 44-54 - The day before the wedding

Tomorrow I'm getting married.

Woah! Tomorrow, I'm getting married!!!!

It's crazy to think that the day that we have planned for over the past 9 months is finally here. I don't think that there's ever been a more anticipated event in my life, ever. Our rehearsal was the other night, and it went by in a blink. I can't even imagine how quickly the ceremony and reception will go by.

But what (hopefully) won't go by in a snap will be our marriage, and for that I am truly grateful and blessed. After going through this process, I can see how easy it is for brides to get focused on The Day, and The Wedding, instead of The Marriage, which is far more important but for some odd reason downplayed.

And let me just say that this whole process has done nothing but make me incredibly confident in the man that will soon be my husband. He's been nothing but supportive and calming to me, particularly this past week. I'd like to say that I haven't stressed at all, and that the week has been relaxed and easy, but that's just a big fat lie. I've definitely stressed - about not seeing my family and friends that flew in for the wedding enough, about forgetting to thank people for the things they've already done, about my health (I've been semi-sick), etc. And each time I've stressed or cried or just gotten that look on my face, he has been right there for me, always being supportive and a rock even though I'm sure he's been slightly stressed, too.

I feel so very blessed, by Tyer, my family, my friends, my church community - and I almost can't believe how many people clearly love us and are happy to help us. It's enough to make me want to tear up, or perhaps exclaim a happy shout from the rooftop.

I'm off to live my last day as a single woman, but I promise to check back in after the honeymoon (and perhaps report on how my quest for fitness went during 7 straight days of eating out!). This has been such a fun journey - thank you all for coming along for the ride over these past months.

And, by the way - yes, I'm bringing my exercise gear to the honeymoon. There will be plenty of time for walks, visits to the gym, and swimming - balanced with time for cocktails by the pool, delicious food, and decadent desserts! Yum!

Days 36-43 - for the love of bacon

You'll notice that my blog posts have become fewer and farther between each other.

That's mainly because as we get closer to the wedding, it feels like I have exponentially less time on hand with which to write. Or clean. Or, uh, work out.

Yup, it's been (at least) 2 weeks since I've officially worked out at the gym. But that's ok. I've been keeping busy with all of the planning and preparation.

This past Sunday Tyler and I decided to go to brunch, and NOT talk about the wedding. We weren't very successful - but we did have a delicious brunch, complete with my long lost friend, Bacon.

Both Tyler and I have a great love for bacon. I used to want to open up a food kiosk that only sold bacon. Are you laughing? Maybe. But would you buy a strip or two if you saw that kiosk and were hungry, smelling that yummy sizzling pig fat? I bet you would!

If I could, I'd eat bacon with every meal. I love bacon on subway sandwiches - toasted, thank you very much - and I always forgo the cheese when I do add in bacon, to 'even out' the calorie and fat count.

When I go to buffets, I always go to the middle and get the bacon first. I'm sure to grab the crispiest (though not burnt) pieces. I also add just one pancake to my plate, because I LOVE bacon when it's married to a little syrup and a fluffy pancake. If it has chocolate chips in it, that's even better.

Why does bacon have to taste so good? Turkey bacon and Canadian bacon just don't compare (though I do enjoy those, too). I would have included bacon in the wedding reception buffet, but it unfortunately wasn't an option. I think it would have gone great with the prime rib and huli-huli chicken.

I'll say this - if I keep going the way I have been with bacon, I'm going to quickly gain back the 5 lbs I lost over the past 43 days.... wish me luck staying away!

Days 33-35 - the beauty that lies....

I've been thinking a lot about beauty lately.

The other night, I had a hair and makeup trial with a makeup/hair artist, and I found myself wondering why I was doing that.

Do I equate self worth with outer beauty? Am I only pleased with myself if I think that my looks meet some sort of standard? What is that standard, and how did it come to be? When did I start to be so focused on how I look?

Yet, it's 'normal' to want to be seen as beautiful, especially on your wedding day. It's the number one thing that brides are complimented on, and the media apparently has the recipe for achieving this beauty... the perfect dress, shoes, hair, makeup, makeup primer, accessories, a proper diet, workout routine, and maybe even body slimmer together equate a stunning bride.

And you know what? I beg to differ.

Now, don't get me wrong. I am absolutely one of those women that wants to look fabulous on their wedding day, as clearly evidenced by this blog. But I don't think that the beauty that I'm seeking will come solely from anything external. It is not The Dress that will make or break me, nor does my beauty depend on the amount of skin exfoliation that I do prior to the big day. It largely depends on what lies within me. If I look lovely on my wedding day, it certainly will not be because I've worked out for 54 days straight (which I haven't) or logged calories faithfully for a month (I may have neglected that as well). It will be because I am surrounded by people that I love and that love me (especially Tyler!), and because of the joy that is inside of me, that will come pouring out like caramel sauce at Starbucks. And those things bring the kind of beauty radiates out from within, which no amount of makeup or shimmer powder can recreate.

So you know what I say to all of those magazines and TheKnot articles that promise to hold the key to beauty? I say that they are lies! My mantra to myself? Go ahead, Kate, hire your makeup artist, make your hair styled just so... search for the dress and find those special shoes that you feel like a princess in. But don't forget to cherish the time that you have with your friends and family... wrap yourself up in their love like a comfy blanket (a snuggie, perhaps), and keep all the external things in perspective. For without these people, there would be no wedding, no need for a fancy dress or special music.