Thirty one years, one month, and twelve days ago, I gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl. That head full of hair that we could put in pigtails from the start, that sweet little mouth, that pretty rosy skin...the minute I touched her I knew my life would never be the same. She snatched my heart right out of my chest!
We watched her first smile, her first laugh, that first step. Then came the first day of school and first time away from home. Next it was the first time she drove the car. And then.....that first date. When she walked out the door, it was just like the day she was born...I knew my life would never be the same.
Of course there was that first courtship, and then the one that seemed to be serious. But, when she brought THE ONE home, there was no doubt in our minds he was THE ONE. I don't know if he could see it in her eyes, but we sure could. I knew my life would never, ever be the same.
As happens on occasion, Mama was right. He is THE ONE. A year after she changed her Facebook status to "in a relationship", he proposed. So, here we are. That point in the life of every daughter's mother that is anticipated, hoped for, and dreaded. Planning a wedding.
Six months from tomorrow, on October 29, we will be giving our daughter to a wonderful young man. I knew him before she did. In fact, I guess you could say I introduced them. Yes, I will take credit for that! LOL I say we will be giving her away, but he already has her heart: lock, stock, and barrel. And that is as it should be.
The engagement came on October 1 which would give us over a year to plan, right? Not. Life just kept getting in the way and we have really just started to have a chance to seriously get down to wedding planning. So many hurdles have been there to jump, but there have been no broken bones yet...not even a sprain! Hopefully, we can get through the next six months and still be able to say that.
Our daughter, Monkey (as I called her until she was old enough to ask me not to) aka Baby Girl (as Daddy still calls her), lives 6 hours away from us. The wedding will be here in our hometown. Long distance planning is really hard, but somehow we will make it work. Did I mention she has a really annoying work schedule and seldom gets to come home, either? And with gas nearing $4 a gallon, my idea of trotting up to her house every couple of weeks has been put on the back burner. Fittings and decision-making will be hard, but we will make it work.
I have several reasons for starting this diary. First, because Monkey and I are having to rely on text messages and email to make decisions on things for the wedding, I want to share with her the things I take care of here. I want her to be able to read at her leisure, not on the spur of the moment, what goes on during the planning. Second, some friends (who only have sons and will never have the opportunity to be a Mother Of the Bride) expressed envy and wish they would be able to be a part of planning a wedding. This is my way of letting them be a part of the planning without the headaches! LOL Finally, I hope to share the things we are looking for, how we found them, what we did with them, and what worked for us. Because it is so hard to find those things you need (or don't even know it's out there) especially when you work full time and don't have time to go out on a hunting expedition for what you need, every town needs to have a centralized spot for wedding planning. I hope to make it a little easier for the next MOB who comes behind me!
Join me on this adventure. I hope to post a little every day. That may not happen, but I will share as each thing is checked off our To-Do List. Today I just wanted to introduce myself and my reason for this diary. I hope you will share with me any experience or knowledge you have. 184 days and counting.....
