One Week Gone

Is it just me, or are summer's insane? I always hear people talking about how relaxing summer is, how they have so musch free time to just play and do whatever they want. My summers are NOT like that. Summer is always the busiest time for me. Not that I have a lot of homework or work (no way could I ever have a summer job), just that I'm always going somewhere or doing something. I never have a minute to just relax by the pool, in fact I'm rarely in one state for more than two weeks at a time. And on top of all that, there's no routine, so I don't have the benefit of getting into a groove and knowing how to fit everything in.

My big wedding notebook. I swear I'm not a bridezilla, I just know what I want.

So when everyone tells me that six months is so long for an engagement (being Mormon, the average engagement is about two months) or that October is so far away, I'm just thinking, "are you crazy, I don't know how I'm going to get it all done!" It doesn't help that I'm planning on doing everything—making my dress, 17 dresses for the wedding party, the food, the cake, the decorations, and the list goes on and on. I came to California to have time to focus on this and only this, right? and yet somehow the time slips away. My mom and I figured that over the entire summer, we'll only actually have about five weeks to plan, and guess what, one is already gone! How did that happen? Can anyone tell me? The wedding may be four months away, but I only have four weeks of actual planning time left.

Wedding planning central.

So. Now? It's crunch time. Majorly. Cue crazy obsessive compulsive bride. I've always been very organized (even if I'm not always neat and tidy). It helps me think and not get so overwhelmed when I have a million things to do. I guess I got it from my mom, she always has at least five of those spiral-bound notebooks you get at back to school sales for 10 cents. She writes her to-do lists, menus, sketches, whatever she needs. But sometimes that's even more confusing to me, how do you find what your looking for in all those pages. Which is why I'm also pretty techy like my dad. I mean, I have a MacBook, an iPod touch (for the to-do list functions, I don't even have any music on it), and an iPad. But sometimes, once I've gotten everything all figured out with all the technology, that handy dandy notebook is more tangible, and a better keepsake than a bunch of Numbers documents.

My to-do list. Only written in my notebook after perfected in a Numbers spreadsheet, of course.

The first step was a to-do list. There are so many that you can find online, but my wedding is not nearly as elaborate as some (wedding planner—my mom, reception venue—my house, ceremony venue—the temple, calligrapher—you're kidding, right?). Also, as previously mentioned, I don't have much time. Most wedding checklists start over a year before the wedding. But, after lots of combining and deleting and rearranging and revising, I have my to do list. Now to start doing!