The countdown continues

We are just inside the seven-weeks-to-go mark for our wedding, and every time my brain so thoughtfully reminds itself of that, I feel kind of like throwing up.

Don't get me wrong; I'm looking forward to this day so much it hurts. But I might be looking forward even more to the days following, when everything will be calm and I'll be relaxing on a beach, secure in the knowledge that I'll (hopefully) never have to plan such a massive event ever again and that our cat is being kept company by some good friends who will be kind enough to house-sit. (Hear that potential thieves? Our house will still be occupied, thanks.)

I'm sure you all are sick of hearing about wedding things. I know I'm sick of hearing myself talk about it. My friends, family members and future in-laws have started making gentle comments about how every single Facebook status I post is somehow related to the wedding or wedding activities. Part of me feels bad about being so word-vomit-y about the whole thing, but the other part of me is just too excited to care. Because in just under seven weeks (cue stomach turning), my time-sensitive projects will be complete and I can luxuriously tackle some neglected house projects at my leisure. Oh, it's Saturday and I feel like sleeping in until 11, brunching, taking a nap, then watching Netflix for six hours? Yeah, not a problem. After May, anyway. Until then, my life consists of crafts, a photo project that I probably should have passed on, and trying to squeeze in time for a run or climb to keep all my stress-eating weight off.

It's not all stress, though. This weekend my mom and sisters threw a bridal shower for me, and my bridesmaid Hayley threw another. (The first was family and in-laws-to-be, the second was friends.) It was so great to sit back and let someone else do the planning...though I have to admit, guilt got the better of me for some strange reason and I kept insisting that they let me help with stuff.

I'm sure most of us ladies have been to at least one bridal (or baby) shower; I myself have been to a dozen or more at this point. But it was so awkward for me to be the one at the center of attention! It's funny, because I'm usually a ham at parties; I love cracking jokes and generally being incredibly outgoing. Apparently, this is not the case when I'm the planned center of attention. I did manage to relax, though, and wound up having a great time at both parties. Didn't my mom, my sisters and Hayley do fantastic jobs? (These photos are deceiving; I forgot my camera for the family shower, and we had to rely on my mom's ancient point-and-shoot, which we later found out only took blurry photos, and my sister's iPhone. Super bummed at myself, but at least we got a few snaps!)


Clockwise from top: The mantle; Anna tied figure eight knots on the jars as decorations (did I mention the shower was rock/climbing themed?) | My mom, Ellen, me and Anna; sadly this photo is super blurry so the only way it looks halfway decent is if it's really tiny | White-chocolate-covered Oreos, YUM | Guests wrote advice for "rocky" times on rocks that Anna gathered at Ohio University, my alma mater and her current school | The cake!


Clockwise from top-left: Matt's family and on the end, my friend/bridesmaid Tiffany | My mom's side of the family | Me and my mom :)


I wish I remembered what was so uproariously funny in that shot on the right...


Wine and an apron, what more does a girl need? (Not pictured: The games! My sisters did a mad libs-style game with advice for the couple, which included the sentence, "Matt, always remember to hide Emma's baby." Ha! We also played a celebrity couple matchup game and my personal favorite, "who said it?" Anna grabbed Facebook status from Matt's and my profiles over the last few years and we had to guess who's status it was. She picked hard ones! Of the 15 questions, even I missed three.)


Clockwise from bottom-left: Me with my friend/bridesmaid Emily | Me with my friend/bridesmaid Hayley, who threw the shower | Beautiful decorations that Hayley made | Some kickass sangria that I drank wayyyy too much of because it was delicious ;)


Clockwise from bottom-left: A bunch of us gals | Playing the "how well do you know the bride?" game; I made the questions WAY too hard, and Hayley scolded me for saying "well, if you put this instead of that, we'll take it." | Hayley did this really cute "underwear to last your whole marriage" gift. It started with a white pair to wear on the wedding night, and ended with a ginormous pair of granny panties for when I'm an old lady, haha!


Opening gifts. Gotta love those wine accessories; the one in the bottom-left corner is a Corkcicle | On the right: Can we just appreciate my face for a second? Tape is hard when you have short nails.


Clockwise from bottom-left: While bragging about how good I am at not breaking ribbons, I broke a ribbon! (It wound up being my fifth between the two showers; I broke three on purpose at the first just to appease everyone, then accidentally broke a fourth. Guess Matt and I will have a big family after all, haha!) | The "lifetime of underwear" from Hayley. She gave me the gift receipt and insisted I pick out something that I might actually wear :) | It's hard to see, but that potholder has Ohio on it. I love my state!
Are you married? Did you feel as awkward at your shower(s) as I did, or did you just bask in the glow of the event (like I should have)?