4 Minutes

You know what really bothers me (other than dogs dressed like humans)? The fact that time can either be your best friend or your worst enemy at any given moment. Time is time and moves at the exact same rate every day, day in and day out (well, except for during the vernal equinox and leap year, but I digress...). So why is it that at 6:39am I am so grateful that the minutes on my snooze pass like molasses, and yet at 1:57pm I want to pull my hair out because 1:58pm doesn't seem to exist? Same minutes. Very different contexts.

Ponder me this: on a good day, it takes me 7-8 minutes to drive to work. When I'm in shape, it takes me 7-8 minutes to run a mile. The average wait time at the Bradley Starbucks on a Friday morning is 7-8 minutes. I shower in 7-8 minutes. Pasta cooks in 7-8 minutes. 7-8 minutes in a tanning bed leaves me slightly golden.

And yet, in hopes of wasting time, I disregarded my work responsibilities and wrote this ENTIRE post -- in 7-8 minutes. *sigh*

Hey lookee there! It's 2:03pm.

Really, I Have a Life...

Contrary to my recent blog entries, I do not spend every day looking through wedding pictures, reminiscing over our day, wishing we were still on our honeymoon, and refusing to face reality...

I just want to upload a few pictures! If you're sick of hearing about the wedding, I give you my sincere apologies. Really, there's more to my life such as:

• Billy was just recently offered a position as a police officer in Matteson, IL
• Our dear friends Tiffany and Lance McCann welcomed their first child, Ailey Grace, this past week
• Because of Billy's job, we discovered that we have to move from our beloved town of Bourbonnais
• We've jumped into Dave Ramsey's "Financial Peace University" with reckless abandon and hope to pay off our debts within a year and a half

That last one has proven to be a tough pill to swallow. I do not mind cutting back on expenses, saving money, and working hard to pay off unnecessary debt, but I have trouble giving up my daily Starbucks and Saturday morning Cracker Barrel breakfasts. It's been difficult to say no to friends, family, and coworkers for the sake of our budget. Billy and I have had to make (and will continue to make) sacrifices for the sake of our financial stability. BUT, we are hoping and praying that God will be in all things as He's always been and will honor our stewardship.

On that note, I just scrummaged through my purse to find enough change to buy a much needed Twix bar. I'm sure this is neither good for our budget nor my waistline. Baby steps.

Honeymoon's Over, I Suppose

After Billy and I returned from our honeymoon, we still had some money left over from our budget (one of the definite perks of living within our means and only buying things with cash. Thank you, Dave Ramsey!) and decided that we would extend our honeymoon for another week.

Ok. I decided to extend our honeymoon. Billy agreed.

So this meant that for one week we would use whatever cash we had left however we wanted, and only did want we felt like doing (with the exception of going to work). If we felt like eating out, we did. If I didn't feel like unpacking our presents, I didn't. If we wanted ice cream for lunch, we got it. If I wanted to watch Friends instead of doing my taxes, I did. It's been a wonderful transition from honeymoon to real life.

But now the week is over and I have no groceries in the fridge, a pile of laundry the size of Mt. Olympus, and a black hole for a spare bedroom. It was nice not having to worry about what to make for dinner, if Billy has clean underwear, or making the stupid tax deadline. *sigh* I absolutely love married life and wouldn't trade it for the world, but quite frankly....reality bites. I know I'll get over it and we'll go back to our pre-wedding routine (with the exception of "hanging out" as I like to call it). For right now, I just want to grumble.

Maybe I can convince my husband that $5 footlongs don't really constitute as eating out...

Back to the Future

So there. We did it. After more than two years of dating and a 10 month engagement, Billy and I finally tied the knot. It was, without a doubt, the single best day of my life. Praise the Lord none of my previous worries came to pass, and everything went off without a hitch. Everyone showed up on time (sans the men at the rehearsal dinner), dressed appropriately (sans the ushers' white socks with their tuxes), and no one was seriously injured (sans the small cut above my eye while swing dancing). Bottom line - I believe God was glorified in our union.

And since I love lists, I made the Top 10 Wedding Moments! Here they are (in no particular order):

1. Singing "I Have Confidence" from The Sound of Music with my bridesmaids and mom while getting our hair done.
2. Watching my 7 year old cousin (and ring bearer) dance his heart out at the reception.
3. Spending a few precious days with my best friends (watching The Holiday, eating puppy chow, dancing in the living room, singing karaoke, etc.) before starting the greatest adventure of my life.
4. Seeing Billy for the first time before the ceremony - we both cried out of joy for the work God has done.
5. Finding my dad's old Styx cd in the car on our honeymoon and singing our hearts out in the middle of the Smokey Mountains.
6. Being surrounded by people who knew just how special that day was for Billy and I, and are witnesses to God's faithfulness.
7. Dancing with my neighbor, who is terminally ill with pancreatic cancer and vowed to live long enough to see my wedding day.
8. Ordering pizza and drinking $4 champagne on the wedding night.
9. Breaking two bustles on my dress while swing dancing with Dr. Michael Stabile. My heart still races. :)
10. Praying with my mom and bridesmaids before the ceremony. I am blessed to have such wonderful women of God in my life.