Wedding Update

I'm sure you've all been wondering how the world of wedding planning is going...
August 2nd is only 131 days away! Wow. We're almost to double digits already.

So before spring break, Trevor and I mailed out both our paper and digital invitations! Such an exciting step to take. Now people can actually show up to the wedding as they know the details.
So far we have had 13 of the 97 guests RSVP.
I think my favorite part about The Knot is that you can set up your entire guest list through there and people can view your "wedding website." Through the website they are able to see your registries, wedding details, and in our case RSVP! This was originally going to be the only method of RSVPing we were going to use. My mom, however, said that most of her family doesn't even have internet so we need another option. That is how my phone number ended up on the invitations. I've only received one call so far-from Trevor's side!
I'm a little concerned about the fact that only 13 people have RSVP'd so far, but there's still over 4 months until the wedding, so I guess some people may not know what their summers are looking like yet.
If you were invited though, and know you are coming, please RSVP for my sanity.

A rather concerning wedding happening occurred over spring break. Our Target registry disappeared. Yes, you read that right. I logged on one day and Target prompted me to start a wedding registry! What?! I had just finished ours through Target a few days prior. I went through all of our possible ways of accessing the registry, and sure enough, it said it was deleted. I contacted Target and told them that we did not delete our registry and asked if they were able to resurrect it somehow. I never got a response. BUT. I checked randomly a few days later, and it was back up! All in all, I am satisfied with how it turned out. But I was quite close to a Bridezilla moment.

Another wedding milestone occurred over spring break, however this one was not negative. We had our first pre-marital counseling session with Pastor Toenjes! It was Trevor's first time meeting him, so the first portion was just giving him a deeper insight into both of our lives and into our relationship. I was super nervous going into it because I didn't know what to expect. But we actually talked for two full hours and I had a really good time. I think we definitely chose the right guy to officiate our wedding. He also gave us the book, The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman to read through and work on together. I have read excerpts of it before, but am excited to work on reading all of it with Trevor! The hard part will be getting him to read....

The conversation of late has been honeymoon. Originally we were thinking we would just not go on one due to our financial situation. However, we did some re evaluating and concluded that we could in fact go on something small. Trevor and I narrowed our choices down to Saint Louis, Chicago, or the Wisconsin Dells. I was doing a lot of research on the Saint Louis option, as I would love to visit my birth city again. Nothing was really within our price range unless we were only staying a night or two. So we briefly looked into our Chicago hotel options. Same issue. It then hit me. We can't go on a honeymoon. We just cannot swing it. So instead, we're going to enjoy Saint Paul and Minneapolis. We'll hit up a few restaurants we've been wanting to try out, like Pizza Luce and Punch Pizza (Trevor only eats pizza). I'm sure we'll find a lot of other fun things to try out in town too. Thankfully there is a lot to do here. At the very least we could go on a photo adventure somewhere. Our honeymoon may not be something extravagant to somewhere tropical, but it'll be the two of us relaxing together, finally being married. Even though we won't go to Saint Louis or Chicago, I am excited for our honeymoon.

That's basically the latest news on the wedding front. Planning has been kind of slow as of recent. We're both swamped and stressed with work and school. Come summer, we'll be diving into making decor and getting the details all lined up.

Invitations, Catering, and the Guest List...Oh My!

Folks, it's about to get crazy here.
We're quickly approaching the 6 months mark until the wedding. That means things begin to get finalized!

So scary!

Yesterday, Trevor and I finished designing our invitations. They look pretty dang snazzy. We also ordered them! We got 40% off for Vistaprint! Plus 50 free envelopes! Win-Win! I am so excited/nervous/scared/impatient to get them.

Along with invitations came finalizing the guest list. What an incredibly tough task.
Some people will receive a special edition digital invitation which will link them directly to our wedding website, rather than a paper invite. While I certainly hope this does not offend anyone, I know it will help save on costs in a lot of ways: stamp purchases, invitation purchases, envelope purchases, etc. The main missing component of our guest list now is people's address (both physical & e-mails). So don't be surprised if you get a text or Facebook message from me soon asking for either!

One large cost that is scary to think about lately is food. Catering is so damn expensive! We've had two people from my church congregation say they may consider making the food for us if we discuss details with them sometime. So hopefully my dad and I can set up a Skype conference soon to get things figured out.

Through all of the stress planning a wedding has caused me, I still am sure I am less stressed than most brides.
I have an amazingly wonderful fiance who has been so supportive when I am in the midst of a freak out (which happens regularly).
All in all, I know the most important thing about the upcoming day is that I will be married. If the food runs out, or is burnt, or no one shows up, or too many people show up, none of that matters--I'll me married to my best friend.

Only 188 days!

Wifely Duties

A little over a week ago, Trevor and I went over to his friend Jimmy's apartment. Him and his girlfriend cooked enchiladas and had a few friends over to enjoy a good time.
After supper we played Cards Against Humanity-one of my current favorite games.
However, if there is one thing I have learned from the game (which i have learned a lot from) it is that who you play with does determine a lot of the game's fun.
It was a little awkward playing that night in my opinion. I didn't really know what cards people would truly appreciate or not.
At one point the infamous "Wifely Duties" card was played.

The term wifely duties always gets me thinking.
I thought I would see what Urban Dictionary defines it as to include that here, but nope. Nothing! How does Urban Dictionary not have a definition for that?!

Anywho..
If wifely duties are truly just things you do as a wife I see no issue with the term. However, if these are pre assumed duties-I do see an issue. I do not think anything should be assumed going into a relationship. In fact that is how huge arguments and issues occur and get started.
I do however think that women and men should each have their roles in a household. If one person does all of the work, that is fine, as long as the couple has discussed it.

Personally-
I look forward to getting to make dinner.
I don't look forward to always cleaning, but sometimes I do enjoy it! Luckily Trevor is a tidy guy, so I don't think he'll be too much of a problem.
I also enjoy doing laundry. Here in Saint Paul, a good chunk of the time, I do Trevor's laundry anyway because it's cheaper at my place.

I am not too concerned about fulfilling my wifely duties. Not because I will be forced to, but because I know they are ways I will be able to love and serve my husband. I mean let's face it, food is the way to a man's heart!
I cannot wait until my everyday chores I am doing already, become "wifely duties."

Why I Want to Get Married Young

There are a million or two articles out there today about why certain people are glad they got married young. And there are just as many articles giving reasons as to why you shouldn't.

So why am I engaged at 19?

Here is my take on young marriage.

Trevor and I will be getting married on August 2, 2015.
He will be 21 and I will be 20.
He will have finished three years in college and I will have finished two.
Many people have suggested we push the wedding off until we are done with school. Even family members have told us to do so. They claim we will have more money to live off of then.
I beg to differ. At that time we will be paying off student loans and will never have any time when there is not a payment due.

Another thing.
Many people have asked if I know that Trevor is actually "the one".
Personally I do not believe that there is one single person out there for every person.
I do not think it is predestined who you will fall in love with and spend your days with.
God has given us the ability to love. And I think you can love anyone.
I am in love with Trevor and he is my best friend. So yes, I know he is the one I want to marry. No part of me doubts that in any way.
He is the one I want to spend my life with and to wake up next to every morning.
I am certainly not getting married purely for the reason of wanting to have sex (as was suggested by a lady cutting my hair when she found out I am 19 and engaged).

Am I worried that we'll ever get divorced?
NO.
We are both God-loving people. We have a healthy relationship now. And I do not doubt that if our relationship were ever to fall apart we would seek help from a pastor or counselor.
We are also doing pre-marital counseling with the pastor that will be marrying us. We took this awesome questionnaire and will be using it to guide conversation during our sessions. Personally, I am quite excited!

If my thoughts on getting married young aren't enough for you--that's okay.
I know marriage isn't for everyone. And certainly not for some people that are younger.
But I do urge you to not be afraid of it.

Also,
Here are some more interesting articles:
5 Good Reasons to Get Married Young--> I only like point number 5.
Hey Young People: Now's the Time to Get Married and Have Kids--> No, we're not going to have kids right away!
Marrying young...And why you need to shut your mouth about it