Random Friday Thoughts

Happy Friday!

My mind is a little all over the place today. I'm also quite sleepy and I'm psyched to be getting out of work early today, so here are the random thoughts I feel the need to share with you all today:

Why are people so judgmental about others decorating for Christmas early? If you don't agree with decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving, don't do it, but there's no need to criticize anyone who does. Good Lord I'll never understand why so many people get so upset by something that has absolutely zero effect on them.

We picked up our wedding bands last night and I honestly couldn't be happier with what we chose. We each tried our rings on and in that moment, it really started to sink in that we are getting married in just over a month. I also had a really difficult time convincing myself to take the ring off. It's too beautiful. I just wanted to sit there and bask in its beauty all night.

Today marks the end of my third week of morning workouts and I can't believe I'm about to say this, but waking up at 4:45 a.m. is starting to feel...normal. I'm on track to run 40+ miles this month and considering last month, I believe my total was 8 miles...so you could say I finally got my shit together. I have a ways to go before I'm back to where I want to be, but I'd say this month is going pretty well so far in that department.

Just two days of work next week and Jonathan and I will be off to my parents' house for Thanksgiving. What could possibly make this better? Oh, yes, the fact that my older sister and her beautiful kids will be there, too. What could possibly make that better? The fact that just a few days later is my bridal shower and bachelorette party. It's safe to say next weekend will be completely overwhelming and full of joy. My heart just might explode.

Black Friday...I can't even go there. All I'll say is I'm quite sad about the fact that we live in a world where stores like Target are open on Thanksgiving. The Black Friday business is crazy enough and now it's going to take over the actual holiday it's centered around. Good grief.

Speaking of my bachelorette party, I ordered these beauties to twirl around in all night and I'm absolutely in love. Do I know what dress I'm wearing yet? Not a clue, but these shoes are a good place to start.

On that note, I'm off to shop around for a dress to go with that pair of sparkly goodness. Wish me luck and have a wonderful weekend!

So excited and I just can't hide it

I'm pretty sure we all know at least a handful of people who just don't get excited about anything. Birthdays? They don't seem to care to celebrate. Beautiful weather? They stay inside all day on purpose. These people are the human version of Eeyore.

Thankfully, I am not one of those people. I like to think I make up for their lack of enthusiasm with my over-enthusiasm when it comes to simple things like the following:

 

Getting mail. I'm not talking about grown up mail like bills and bank statements, because I definitely get more than enough of those. I'm talking about greetings cards, online shopping orders, notes from family just because. This kind of mail makes me on happy lady. Lately our mail has been pretty fun. With our wedding a little over a month away, we've been getting response cards in the mail, items we ordered for our ceremony, shoes and accessories I've ordered to wear for my shower, bachelorette party and our wedding day, gifts for my bridesmaids...this list goes on and on. Let's just say Jonathan laughs at me every time we get something like this in the mail because I basically jump for joy.

Blog comments. Some days I get none. Some days I get one. Every now and then, I get four or five. It doesn't matter the number. I love knowing that people are not only reading, but they are responding and engaging. It makes me ridiculously happy when I get an email notification saying I got a comment on one of my posts.

Holiday cups from Starbucks. I know it's just a cup and it's really not that big of a deal. It's just that it is a big deal. It's like Halloween is over and everyone is whining about Christmas decor being up at Target and holiday ads on television and you start to feel kinda silly because all this stuff really excites you. Then Starbucks swoops in with their red cups and is like, "It's okay. You can totally get excited about Christmas now."

Sitting in bed for 15 minutes in the morning, just drinking my coffee and watching the news.
In the last 3 weeks or so, I've been getting up crazy early  (4:45 a.m. to be exact)  so I can go to the gym. I go to the gym, get in a good 1.5 hour work, then come home and cook breakfast so Jonathan and I can eat together before he leaves for work. I'm really starting to love those early morning workouts and I especially love having the extra time in the morning with my man. I even end up with some extra time to relax before I have to start getting ready for work. Those 15-20 minutes of sitting in bed drinking coffee and watching the news before I get going again is simply delightful. There's something about getting up early enough to have time to just sit there, see what's going on in the world and enjoy my coffee. It's so simple but makes me so happy.

Target. Just Target. I'm saying my happy heart skips a beat when I know I'm going there. Stopping at Target after work to buy coffee and paper towels? I absolutely can't wait. I know when I get in there, even if I'm on a mission to only buy one or two things, I'll be one happy girl walking through the aisles of cute holiday décor and whatnot.

When I catch a Friends re-run on TV. It's not like this is rare. You can pretty much count on finding reruns on weekday afternoons and around 11 on weeknights. Unfortunately, I usually miss these since I work 9-5:30 and I'm usually asleep no later than 10. This is why when I'm able to catch a re-run, I get excited. Too excited. Sick day? It's too bad but it does mean I will be able to catch the afternoons episodes. Even if it's an episode I've seen hundreds of times...still excited.

These little things don't make a huge different in the grand scheme of things. My life probably wouldn't be a whole lot different if I didn't happen to catch a Friends episode every now and then. I'd probably find something equally pleasurable to do in that time. If the holiday cups from Starbucks didn't exist, I wouldn't know the excitement and joy I'd be missing out on, so I'm sure life would be no different.

But I loooooove getting really excited about these simple little things. It's one of the traits I value in myself and I think it's okay for me or you, if you are like this too, to appreciate this gift we have. If we find immense joy out of the simple things in life like getting a birthday card in the mail, we are certainly able to recognize the value in the big, life-changing moments in our lives and I think being able to truly appreciate and soak in the moments, big or small, is a true gift.

What do you get super excited about?

Wedding Wednesday: 8 Weeks

Earlier this week I received an e-mail from Crate & Barrel informing me that we have just 8 short weeks until the big day. That's just 58 days. 1,392 hours.

There is still so much to do, but I can't even stress myself out about that right now because it's all good. All I'm feeling is absolute joy and excitement over how close we are to the big day. Our day. The day we get celebrate this wonderful love we've found with our family friends. The day I can't picture without doing this laugh/cry combination because I am already completely overwhelmed with joy. The day I get to walk down the aisle to this handsome man.

This man that looks at me and makes me feel so supported, so loved, so absolutely treasured.

This man that brings so much love and joy to my life everyday.

This man that I absolutely, positively adore. 

So yeah, on this Wedding Wednesday with only 8 weeks until our big day, I feel more calm than I ever imagined I'd be. Is that because I've got every little detail of our day figured out? Absolutely not. But the most important detail of our day, the part where Jonathan and I vow to love each other for life, to stick together, to raise a family, to honor and cherish each other every day...we're more than ready for that part...that's what's keeping me calm.

All photos by Lora Rodgers Photography.

Linking up for Wedding Wednesday.