Ask any of my friends, it is NO secret that I can’t wait to be a “Mrs.” My obsession continues to things that openly declare this change of status. Check out the latest Mrs. items I have been gawking over…

Too bad this is only $575 (eek!!!!!)

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We are married!  Hooray!  I always thought being a Mrs. would feel different. To be honest, it doesn’t.  And really, nothing has changed.

Yes, it’s true, we both felt different the night of the wedding, but I think that is because we were just surrounded by so much love and happiness!  The morning after we woke up and said, “Good morning wife!” “Good morning husband!” just to test the new words but then we went right back to calling each other our regular nicknames.

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Our wedding on September 17, 2011 was the most amazing day of my entire life. Now that it is over, I have been trying to recap the weekend but I just can’t seem to find the right words!

Our wedding was absolutely fabulous! Thanks to amazing wedding vendors and supportive friends and family, every detail turned out better than I could have ever imagined!

What people say is true!

A) Relax, it goes by so fast!

B) Don’t forget to eat small meals throughout the day!

C) Drink a lot of water!

D) Forget about eating and drinking at the reception, you will be talking to guests!

E) Have tips prepared in labeled envelopes!

F) Things will go wrong! Although, some of them will turn out better than expected.

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Lilac Dude and I had been married a little over two months when our wedding vows were truly put to the test.

I thought I had the stomach flu and had missed a couple of days of work because of it when Lilac Dude finally convinced me to go to the doctor. It was a Thursday morning and he headed off to work (which was then an hour commute) and I laid back down to sleep until the doctor’s office was open to take calls.

They could work me in that day so my mother-in-law drove me to the doctor. Being 22, newly married and nauseated all the time they gave me a urine pregnancy test just in case. The pregnancy test saved my life. The glucose level in my urine was 2,000, I had high levels of ketones and severe dehydration. I was in a very dangerous stage of diabetic ketoacidosis (my pancreas had shut down and my blood and urine were basically turning to acid). I was admitted straight to the hospital. Had I stayed in bed and not gone to the doctor, I probably would have died.

We didn't have a clue what the future would be like. {Photo by Chatman Photography}

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Sometimes I find myself getting so caught up in wedding planning that I tend to forget about the true meaning of it……that I’ve found the love of my life and I can’t wait to marry him! Here is a story that I found that truly touched my heart. If Apricot Dude and I can share just half of the love that this couple has, we will be blissfully happy. Grab a tissue and enjoy!

Danny & Annie from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

Lilac Dude and I are home from our honeymoon and are in the process of moving things into our new home. Wedding reflections, stories and reviews will be trickling in now.

{Photoy by Chatman Photography}

Sidetracked.

I have dreamed since a little girls of being a veterinarian. My first job was at a veterinary clinic, and everything I’ve done in school and work has been in pursuit of that goal. With that said, veterinary school is not easy to get in to, and I have spent my first 4 years post-baccalaureate working in a closely related field that I plan on making my career. I hadn’t applied to veterinary school until this past fall, for school starting this coming fall. I got several rejection letters, and more or less had decided that this path was not the right one for me. A few weeks ago, on a Friday evening, I got a call from one of my potential schools asking for me to be in California (I live in Texas) the following Tuesday morning for an interview. I had a huge day at work that day and how on earth could I get to California by Tuesday?! I immediately denied the interview offer. After pacing for about 5 minutes, I called back and scheduled the interview. I had no idea how I would do it, but figured worst case scenario I don’t show up and don’t get accepted anyways.

A talk with Freesia Dude and a look at flight prices evolved into talk of an impromptu road trip to California. An email to each of our more than gracious bosses, a call to the cat-sitter, and the decision was made. We left for California early Sunday morning.

We aren’t strangers to road trips. We have driven to Florida a few times, the Keys right after the proposal, to California once, and various other less daunting distanced destinations. We fell in love with California the first time we went, so the prospect of going again was enticing. We decided to visit San Diego after my interview to make the 48 hours of total driving worth it. We almost forgot about wedding stuff the whole week.

Our 1st trip to the West Coast

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In a disposable culture, where everything, including relationships (it seems) can be interchanged, why do some people still get married? I’m one of you… I want to get married, and I want to get married because of marriage to me is more than just two people living together. Mr. Magnolia and and I have discussed this many times: just because a couple isn’t married, doesn’t mean they aren’t as committed to each other than a couple who is married. But still — there is something beautiful in taking the time to stand up in front of your family and friends and proclaim your love and commitment. There is something about saying the words that your parents and grandparents and ancestors have also said, generations before you.

And yet, with the divorce rate so high, and many (if not most) couples choosing to live together instead of getting married, I think many brides enter marriage with hope and love, but also courage, and fear. I found this short tale while flipping through a small book called Wedding Toasts and Speeches: Finding the Perfect Words by Jo Packham.

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My sweetheart and I exchanged our vows nearly 8 months ago and I am just getting to talking about the wedding. Why so long?

Was I busy? A little, I guess.  But no more than usual. That’s not the reason.

The wedding just consumed so much of my every waking thought between my work and sleep hours in the months leading up to the wedding that, once it was over, I just didn’t want to talk about it that much anymore.  I haven’t been able to even look at a bridal magazine or watch one of those bridal shows since the big event. I just got super sick of weddings.  Mine and everyone else’s.  I was so happy to finally, after so many months of thinking nothing but wedding, wedding, wedding to change the conversation.

Did anyone else feel that way?

End of the big day: Bud turns to Blossom

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For 2 years I have gone back and forth about sending out Holiday Cards.  And of course this year I waited too long, even after going online and creating two options.  I think part of the reason why I always hesitate sending them is because in today’s technology world, aren’t most of the people I’d send them to going to see my best wishes on Facebook or through email? Not that getting snail mail isn’t still fun – and often the best thing to do, but I just felt that I could send everyone an ecard or email with a Happy Holidays message and a few pics of us over the past year.

So, the question is, are you sending them out, and if you aren’t, why?  Also, what photos are you including?  Engagement?  Wedding?  Neither?  I feel like we missed the timeline when we could include our wedding pictures…but maybe not?  For the ones I did online, I used a photo of Lavender Dude and Me at our wedding, and another with our dog Sophie.  I created them on Minted.com (love their site!).

(photo cards created at Minted.com)