One Month From Today

*Posted one day late - oops!*

Precisely one month from today, I will watch my love of over 5 years walk down the aisle towards me, most likely crying slightly already (if all our readings/songs/speeches so far are anything to go by).

One month from today, I will fail at not ugly-crying when I see how beautiful she is.

One month from today, our lovely makeup artist will earn her keep, unless they invent extreme cry-proof makeup between now and then.

In a month from now, we will see so many of our loved friends and family, and be overwhelmed and happy and grateful that they all made it to see us cry at each other in front of my Dad officiant and a beautiful tree.

One month from now, we WILL eat the dinner we've chosen. It's said that the happy couple never have time for dinner, but we plan to buck this trend and eat all of everyone's mac n cheese and mash, at least.

Yum, mac n cheese.

And geez I can't wait to see our cake! One. month.

A month from today, I will make a point of sitting back to watch the action - we only get to do this once, and I want to take in as many memories as possible of this day we've planned for 1.5 years (or more, if we're honest).

And we will be just so in awe of our vendors and the people we are lucky enough to have helping make this dream a reality.

In a month, I will struggle SO MUCH not taking photos of everything. It's in my nature, my memory-obsessed nature, to photograph everyone and everything, always. But we have gorgeous photographers, and a videographer for that - Laura, you do not need to have it all on your phone, on your camera, on Sarah's phone, and your own personal video camera. Calm it and enjoy the day.

In one day less than a month, I will likely not heed that warning, and charge my various devises, JUST IN CASE.

One month from now, I will somehow find myself dancing to Cotton Eye Joe, which Sarah has demanded, though I swore at my last high school dance that NEVER AGAIN, because that's love, right?

And I'll secretly enjoy it.

One month. We will laugh and dance and sing and rap (maybe) and cry together, and not stop smiling the entire day because this is what we've wanted pretty much since we starting going out, and its finally here!!!

In one month and one day, I'll officially wake up with a wife. Not just any wife, the BEST wife I could have ever hoped for. One that I can go on for pages singing the praises of, but I'll save that for the wedding speech another blog post.

And in a month, we will be married. 100%, non of this half-married business. We will be Mrs. + Mrs. Smith - let the years of hotel and airline staff thinking we're using aliases begin!

Sarah + Laura Wedding 2014: 4 Weeks, 5 Weeks

Omg omg omg. It's only 4 weeks until we go! And 5 weeks until we marry!

On Monday we went to get our teeth whitened - went to the So Me Health and Wellness Clinic in Clapham Junction, and got a whitening treatment that is more natural, doesn't have any bleach in it. We had our mouth propped open, some gel on our teeth, and a light laser on it for 15 minutes - this was done 3 times. It was the most relaxing experience for L, who has had years of orthodontic work thanks to a large overbite and an American upbringing, and a quite painful one for S, who hasn't had much dentistry done past check ups and teeth cleanings, and generally has a much lower pain threshold (and is much louder about it! ;D)

Why did Blogger widen our faces? Anyway, you get the idea - teeth!

We are definitely pleased with the results - while we haven't achieved that 'American white' smile that comes with bleach whitenings (which we didn't want!) our smiles look more photo-ready. We definitely recommend the clinic in Clapham Junction - if you want to do it, contact us and we can get you a discount!

But the hard part, the really hard part, came next - no coffee, tea, red wine, or Coke - for 48 hours. Thankfully we don't really drink any of the first things, but 2 days without DC??? Good thing they told us this after the treatment as I'm not sure we would have gone through with it had we known! The next day, we started an epic search for something light coloured that has caffeine in it. No such luck. Laura bought fizzy flavoured waters to try to trick her body into thinking its getting DC, but it did not work. Tuesday night had Laura sitting in her dark bedroom fighting a migraine! Anyway, Wednesday at 20:30, the nightmare is over, and we can go back to our previous ways. Especially with this pre-wedding diet business, we have no business giving up our precious addiction.

Is there a DC Anonymous? Not that we want to quit, just wondering. 

Wedding glam prep really started last week, when Laura started going tanning a few times per week. Yes, we know tanning beds aren't good for you and all that, but as it's only for a month (2 weeks for quick-tanning S) and we need to have a base colour before our British-haven't-seen-the-sun-properly-and-consistently-in-like-nine-months skin hits the Vegas heat. We will fry. And have strap marks for our wedding. Sorry guys that just can't happen.

Laura sunbathed before Prom in high school for a few months, and honestly she loves it - it feels luxurious, and it's nice to have a little sun every other day among the grey and often rainy British weather. She'd never do it without a big event like the wedding, mostly because of finances, but its a nice treat.

This last weekend we had two of our best girls up for a sunny pre-America prep trip - us, Lisa and Alison all sunbathed (in the actual sun!), and went shopping for some Vegas outfits. This meant strapless for Sarah and I, again due to the strap marks situation. You can tell we are seriously concerned haha!

We've put out schedules on the admin side, written lists of things to pack/buy/food we need for the weekend/things we need to do/ etc etc. 

Our RSVPs were due Friday, and going through them made us even more excited about the big day. Obviously as always there are people we'd love to be there who won't be able to make it, but we were surprised, and humbled, by how many amazing people are coming - from near and far, close to us in our pasts and now - it's just amazing and will be so great to spend time with everyone. Now - the seating plan!

It's all coming together and we are so excited!!

The Ramblings Of A Bride-To-Be

Do you ever have that feeling that there just aren't enough hours in the day, days in the week or weeks in a month? I mean, it is just me, did I miss March and April and some how land up in mid-May? Is everyone this busy?

Sitting here at lunch, a lunch break I am enforcing myself to have so I can start work afresh in a bit, I just wrote my to-do lists - a work one, a personal one, a wedding one and a things not to forget one. How is it that I now need 4 to-do lists to manage my one life?

I know that commuting 2 hours both ways to work limits the 'free time' Laura and I get to enjoy but in all honesty that time is well used - I don't remember the last journey where we didn't plan, agree or organise at least one thing! For anyone who has read this blog over the past few months you will know that L is an efficient, effective planner so there is no way we aren't going to get things sorted and organised!

Lets hope :)

This post is almost written to distract my brain, it's therapy so I can say to someone, anyone, everyone that I survived having 4 to-do lists! I mean once we have the wedding that will be 1 to-do list done, and three is far more manageable right?!

My face doing our seating plan

We have a wedding post coming up so I won't cover whats in that, but it's all exciting, it's coming together - I can't quite believe it's 1 month and 6 days away! And only one month till we leave - or 20 working days!!!!

Then there's the personal stuff - simple things like remembering to moisturize, plan in exercise - I am walking the 1.5 miles from the station while L tans or getting off at the closer stop so we can get home earlier and go for a jog/stroll. But then there's appointments - L already has hers planned but I'll be going looking like I've spent 3 weeks in a jungle if I'm not careful!

It's amazing how much you really have to plan things through when time is tight - we have worked out anything less than 6 hours sleep doesn't work - then we deal with half asleep driving, falling asleep at the desk by 3 - but we can't seem to be able to eat dinner, get petrol, exercise, both have showers and get to bed in time in one evening - we have to schedule. Seeing friends becomes a logistical plan.....if we meet X here at 6.30pm we can get back to the car by 9pm then home by 10.30pm leaving time for one of us to have a shower - you get the idea!

It means right now we are living for the weekends, just to have time to stop and reevaluate and enjoy being together. We know it'll all be worth it but it has been so great having this blog space to record our experiences - jointly, separately, the good, the bad and the plain crazy! I mean remember when we got legally married?! That was almost 2 months ago - WHAAAAAAATTTTTT!!!!!!

And I can't forget the job to-do list, ever growing, ever changing - this job has been more than I ever expected! In previous jobs I thought I was busy but here as well as still learning I am attending events and doing all kinds of things I knew I could do just never had the chance! I have my 6 month probation review on the 16th June and I am really hoping I can become an official Unicorn Trainer at that point!

My favourite Unicorn things so far!

Finally, the things not to forget - this is the hardest of all lists, part of it is on my phone, in notebooks, on paper in my bag - literally anywhere I could find somewhere to write when the thought hit me. I have never had the greatest of memories - those puzzles on Survivor, you know where you have to memorise things - would screw me. I can remember random facts, interesting stories - a colleague is a bee keeper and I have now shared my bee knowledge with more than a few people - I digress! Ah you see a perfect example -if I don't write it down when I think about it, it goes! So the things not to forget - this includes saying thank you to people - for helping, for cards, for thoughtful messages, for gifts, for being there for us but it also covers things liked getting insurance, paying car tax etc.

So there you have it - the chaotic ramblings of a bride-to-be with 5 weeks to go. Hopefully in a year I'll look back at this post and smile at how busy I was while I relax in our house, with our puppy and a very happy wife!

I Woke Up Like This - A Huge Step Forward For Idaho

Honestly, I couldn't believe my Instagram feed this morning. Scrolling through as I was waking up, I came across the news I hadn't dared let myself even hope for:

That's right, good old Idaho - I've always been proud of my beautiful home state, but at the same time completely mortified at how backwards the state is in some things - we are 50th in education funding (that's last.), have very right wing, anti-gay people in power, and nothing I've ever heard in the news here about Idaho has been good (think snake infested houses, neo-nazis.... the only good thing was when we were in the papers for our legal marriage in the UK, and it mentioned I was from Idaho!)

Of course, Governor 'Butch' Otter (the most ironically named governor I've come across due to his feelings on butch lezzies) is doing his best to fight the news and return Idaho to the dark ages (2006, when it was put into the constitution that marriage is between a man and woman). But you know, even if he succeeds this time, Idaho has made this step, and it will happen again.

Whether same-sex marriage is legal in Idaho for our wedding in 6 weeks time (I never thought I'd write that sentence!!!) or not, I will be a little more proud to be an Idahoan because of today.

I've got everything crossed for my little home state - because if this sticks we will have everything anyone could ever want - mountains, Whole Foods, copious amounts of potatoes, and the gays.

I'll keep everyone posted!