And … 10 … 9 …

Today marked eleven days until our nuptials. (Eleven happens to be my favorite number.) And we kicked off our final countdown with plenty of wedding prep.

Most of those fancy honey jar favors have been filled, sealed, and covered in fabric scraps. We also went to our local courthouse to get an official license. And we finalized the order of the ceremony.

I thought we had done most everything ahead of time (and we did do a lot – like cutting those fabric scraps), but there’s still a substantial checklist. With all of the DIY projects we decided to undertake, front loading as much work as we could paid off because the little things will sneak up on you. But even with a few extra to-dos cropping up, we can still enjoy this exciting time. I’m hardly stressed at all about the wedding. I’m just ready to marry my man. And I will in 10 … 9 … 8 … -C

Making honey

C has been asking me to write this one for a while. So, here it goes. Extracting honey is a pretty simple task, once you’ve been through the whole raising bees and waiting situation (that is not as easy as it sounds).

Step 1, pull the honey-filled frames from your hives.

 

Step 2, cut the comb into pieces (unless you plan on reusing it).

 

Step 4, mash the comb in a colander so that the honey can drain through.

 

Step 5, filter and re-filter your drained honey until it looks like it should (this could take a day or so of filtering).

 

And voila! You’ve got honey. If you want, you can save some honey comb and cut it into small chunks to place in the jars for that authentic look.

 

Enjoy, L.

The plan

^^^I now present to you the many faces of Lee (as he devours a helping of frozen yogurt). Again, completely unrelated except for the fact that these were taken (in rapid succession) today.

Things are happening. Finally. After all that waiting around and wondering, L and I are ready to tackle the to-dos before the I-dos.

But that great big plan for our not-too-distant future that I laid out in pain-staking detail in my mind, it’s not exactly as I pictured it. There are financial bumps and career bumps that are, let’s face it, part of this marvelous, flawed, but oh so beautiful life we live. It’s messy. But I’m learning to not only accept the imperfections but also try to take joy in them.

Life’s surprises, good or bad, keep me on my toes, and they never fail to show me how truly blessed I am – to have a man like L as my partner and best friend – to have the amazing group of family and friends be the support structure that they are. The love is overwhelming, let me tell you.

So sometimes I wish life worked out according to plan, but then I wouldn’t see this great love in action as it takes shape in my life.

All that is to say the changes are here, for better or worse – but ultimately for the better because with these people in my life it can’t be anything but.

Oh and today was moving day! A few more little loads to go, but we have a home. Our first, L. And I cannot wait to share it with you in TWO WEEKS!! -C

Across the table

When your fiancé works in social media, your lunch dates sometimes look like this.

And if there is a Twitter or Facebook emergency, I see the top of his head more than his face. But that’s OK. After six years spent long distance, I have learned to appreciate every golden second we get together.

The good news, as L pointed out, is we only have three more days. Three. Days. Then I’ll get to see that face every stinkin’ day. Can’t wait. -C

>>Wedding countdown update: 21 days

The best reason to redo a blog post

(^^^These are a few Instagrams of late. They have nothing to do with the post. But I like them. Reason enough.)

Earlier today I wrote an epically long missive about life on standby. (You wouldn’t have made it to the end. Take my word for it.) As you might expect, there are a good many tectonic shifts happening in our lives in the next few weeks what with the wedding, moving, job hunting, and such. But most of those changes have been on hold. I’ve been waiting to hear back from job interviews. L and I have both been waiting for things big (Did our apartment application go through?) and small (Is the honey ready to harvest for our wedding favors?).

Although we know the Goliath-sized changes are coming, it’s been a lot of thumb twiddling because right now there’s nothing we can do. And boy do I want to do something. To prep. To plan. To cross things off. I know those changes will happen eventually — life does that — probably one right after the other like boxcars on a freight train. Life tends to do that, too. But after typing out that tangled web of worries in my mind, which probably did me some good anyway, I got an email.

Lease application: approved.

Check. I like the sound of that.

Let’s hope they keep rolling on. –C

P.S. Um, can we stop and appreciate this moment for just how wonderful it is? L, we have a home! Our. First. Home. Air-five, air-hug, and lots of jumping up and down. (You think I don’t realize how silly I look, but this, this is how long-distance couples celebrate. No shame.)

>>Wedding countdown: 24

Lucky duck cluck

(That up there’s ^^^ a Gilmore Girls reference in case you missed it.)

Lee is hands down one of the luckiest human beings I know. I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before because his ability to win at random is uncanny. It’s one of the man’s many superpowers. (I tell him it’s polite to share, but I still never win anything.)

If I find out about a contest or a raffle, I have him enter instead of me because I’ve learned a thing or two after seven years of dating the dude. His most recent score: a set of Tom Bihn travel sacks, which go ever so perfectly with our new luggage that will take its christening voyage per our honeymoon.

So, thank you to the blogger who picked L’s entry and to the superpower distributors up there who gave L a double helping. We mere humans (i.e. me) appreciate it. –C

He got me

I finally confessed. I’ve been signing L up for free samples online. For weeks his mailbox has been filled with Atkins bars, gummy vitamins, and Depends.

I show my love in unique ways. -C

1 year strong

According to C, we’ve been writing on this blog for 1 year today. So, cheers to 1 year!

Now here are a couple of photos from last night when we started to harvest honey for the wedding favors. Enjoy – L.

It’s the final countdown

A cup of coffee makes me a new person

Literally. I’ve been all sorts of crazy combinations. Shauntelle. Shawntel. And now …

Starbucks: butchering names like never before one cup of coffee at a time. -C