Haven’t blogged in a VERY long time now. I’m alive. Adjusting to this married way of life. I find myself daydreaming several times a day about my new husband and what our life will look like together a year from now and 5 years from now and 20 years from now. It’s a nice feeling. I’m not saying this marriage stuff is easy. It’s not. At all. However, I’m saying it’s worth the effort.

We’re still finding our grooves. Addis is still job hunting. I’m still signing my old name to most everything (must work on this!). We’re co-cooking, co-cleaning, co-mingling laundry. We’re practicing driving on the right side of the road. I’m still fumbling my way through grad school, and even applied for two new jobs in the last couple weeks. I wasn’t really looking, but hey, what the heck?

Our house is coming together in a way that works for us, even though my husband is OCD about things I could’ve never imagined. Haha. We both have a little of that in us though, so I guess we just have to shake our heads and laugh and allow the other one to carry on.

We have so much stuff planned already for the coming months all the way into November, which will be our first real vacation together as a married couple. We’re patiently awaiting plans for our friends to visit from the UK in February of next year. Seems we may get quite the crowd. Fingers crossed! Our newest niece will arrive in 5 weeks time. And in less than one week, I get to take Addis to see Josh Ritter for the first time.

The point is things are happy. Things are chill and falling right into place. Send happy job fairies our way, and maybe a new old car, and we’ll call it good.

Well I sure hope so. I have so much I want to post. So much swimming through my brain about the last few weeks. But overall it’s just a huge sense of relief and gratitude. We are super fortunate to have such amazing people in our lives. I am a very lucky lady. We are hitched, officially, in front of those important to us (minus some key players). I’m changing my name officially this week (WHOA!). We got a green card in the mail last week. The house is a mess, in a total state of transition. We still have one last guest here for another week. It’s going to feel strange when he goes, but we’ll finally get to have “normal,” whatever the hell that means. To us, it will never be anyone else’s definition of normal. Just ours. So the fairytale has a happy ending.

Today, I will welcome my husband to America….for good. Like permanently. He’s here to live with me in the same place. It’s been a mixed bag of emotions. Crazy how much you can psych yourself out when imagination becomes reality. I’m so excited to have him here. I’m probably gonna cry, cause I’ve felt like I’m on the brink of crying for days now. It’s happy though, very very happy.

We have a lot to get done for the wedding in a short amount of time…so lucky I picked the greatest partner in the world.

I got some cheesy American decor for the house and some red/white/blue leis for the airport to welcome him to his new home. I hope he loves it here.

Fingers crossed for seamless process through customs. 5 hours and 40 minutes to go…

So it’s been a few weeks now, but my liver is probably still recovering. We had an amazing time at the lake. The house was perfect, except for one small issue with a leaky ceiling, and dragging the hose through the house, after searching for the spigot for hours! We had a 4 bedroom, 5 bathroom, lake-view house with screened in porches and a hot tub. It was the perfect amount of relaxation/partying, and I couldn’t have spent it with better gals. So glad everyone made it down for the weekend. We ate like queens, drank like lushes, and laughed until our sides hurt. It was everything I wanted and more. The pics turned out amazing thanks to Megan clicking away on that remote…here you can see the befores….and the after.

Whoa. Time is flying. I feel calm and ready, and at the same time I feel completely freaked and stressed. I feel like there’s been so much I’ve accomplished, yet so much left to do. We’re nearing the finish line. Our wedding is three weeks from Sunday. I’ve purchased wedding party gifts, parental thank you gifts, accessories, shoes. I’ve sorted out our guestbook, the table markers, and have put a dent in the favors. My goal this week is to finish the favors and finish the centerpieces. Lofty goals.

We still have to sort our ceremony, the music, the table runners. I need a day-of plan. I need to get the dress to the cleaner. I need to schedule some beauty appointments of sorts. I need people to get their RSVPs turned in by Saturday as directed…a few more have filtered in and I’ve heard from a few others as well, so that’s progress! I called about my wedding band today. Hopefully we’ll get that sorted out quickly.

I’ve cleared half a closet and some drawers. My room is ready for another occupant. I just hope he’s ready for my room! This all is about to become so real, and it’s the strangest feeling. Ready or not, this is all happening….like NOW.

I really just need people to send these in. We’re at the 5 days and counting before they’re due and I’m still missing so many. Hopefully people will get on the ball this week and just let us know either way. Wish this part were less frustrating…

Find someone that makes you laugh every single day. You will thank yourself for it. My hubby makes me laugh constantly. I’m so glad he had a fun weekend. I know everyone in Wales is going to miss him very much. America is a lucky place to have him. Two weeks and counting. 

Oh. My. Goodness!

My husband. The Yankee Doodle Patriot. Getting ice put in his pants, whilst tied to a pole. Oh my.

He’s survived the stag do, although maybe only just barely! I’ve survived all three hen do’s. We have a visa, finally, and two weeks from tomorrow he will finally arrive in the states. Holy freaking cannoli. Our wedding is 34 days away. That makes my heart freak out. There’s so much to do between now and then. Operation make room for a husband starts pretty much now.

It’s all really happening. It’s felt like make believe pretend world for so long, that now that it’s finally happening, it’s still hard to wrap my head around. Addis goes for his driving test tomorrow, so wish him luck. Hopefully he’ll get that license on the first go and all this time/money won’t have been wasted.

One step at a time! I will keep repeating this many times a day I’m sure…

Today I got my own alien. Visa has arrived.

Not so patiently waiting for the news that the visa documents are in Addis’s hand. I  can’t believe it’s all happening so quickly now. I’ve never felt such a mixture of emotions. Mostly excited and happy, but a little scared, anxious, and stressed as well! I have so much I want to accomplish before his arrival. Also, we will unfortunately be launched into all of the wedding stuff right away, instead of happily just enjoying each other’s company. Just hope we find a nice balance until it’s all over. The final countdown is truly on this time.