Wedding Preparations

I have planned three weddings in my 19 years on this earth.

•My dream wedding when I was 15. Complete with a ballgown and a nameless prince to sweep me off my feet.
•The wedding that fell apart when I was 18. Complete with a liar and a plane ticket to the opposite side of the country.
•And now the magnificent reality of not planning just a wedding, but a marriage. Complete with a man of God to hold my hand and a feeling of complete peace.

Now, even though there were plans circulating in my head before the actual planning and reservations were made its still stressful to think "this is actually going to happen. I'm writing this idea on paper and it's going to happen." Maybe most women would be exilerated at the idea of that. But I'm pretty much terrified.

You know that show Bridezillas? Those women who have to have it be a day all about "mine mine mine"? I've never been that kind of person. So much so that I think my mom is a bit frustrated with my lack of input in the wedding plans. There were obviously distinct lines of how I thought the day would happen, but it didn't matter much to me if there were drinks or table cloths or if I was even wearing shoes while walking down the aisle. This day is the first day of the rest of my life. So why would I wear shoes? It's far to stressful to think, "If I plan for there to be twinkling lights and we can't get them then the whole wedding is going to be ruined and I'm going to end up laying in a dirty ditch with my dress tattered and nobody will ever talk to me again all because I couldn't get twinkling lights."

I feel like my ability to hyperbolize any situation is one of my best qualities.

But in all honesty, this day is about Gavin and I. And it is all falling into line perfectly. I sat down with my mother for about 20 minutes today and wrote up a list of the things that still needed to be done.

The list was small.
Like. Really small.

One of the biggest signs for me that Gavin and I are continuing to make correct decisions is how easily everything is coming together. The Lord has blessed me with insight, tolerance (which is a big deal because I get frustrated and overwhelmed fairly easy) and overwhelming love for the man who is meant to stand by my side for the rest of eternity.

I am watching blessings over flow. Blessings are coming in every shape and size almost to quickly for me to recognize.

So here I am, planning a day that will be turned into stories we tell our children. And for the people around me, it may be exciting, but the day will come and pass and it won't be so much as a memory for them. For me, and for Gavin, and for our future family, February 6th is a day to remember.

The Proposal

My sweet fiancé lives 3 hours away from me. So seeing each other every day was out of the question. Oh, but the times together have always been magical. One specific date comes to mind.

Gavin picked me up at Way-To-Early o'clock for an hour drive into Anchortown. He took me shopping at all the malls, to Barns and Nobel (where I spent a lot more time and money than I'd like to admit) and gave me an all around fantastic day. At 6 pm he tells me that we have reservations at a restaurant so we should hurry.

I was expecting something extravagant, so when we drive up to a strip mall I try to hide my disappointment. And then we walk through the doors of a tiny Italian restaurant with all the waiters dressed in suits.

Now, I am not fancy. Nor am I learned in the art of eating spaghetti without slurping. But we are seated at the table reserved for "Hart" anyway and begin to flip through the menu.

Gavin orders sparkling cider to which the waiter sadly proclaims that they only sell alcoholic beverages or water.

"Well they really are fancy..." I think to myself as Gavin and I order water.

How to I begin to describe the food? Better than anything I have ever tasted. Perfectly balanced. I honestly didn't think the night could get better than the food itself.

But it did.

About halfway through the meal the waiter comes up holding two glasses of cider and a bottle.
"Look what we found in the back!" He proclaims as he places the drinks in front of us.

Gavin was nervous. I could see it in his eyes. Glancing quickly between the glass and me.

I knew what was coming. So explain the intense butterflies and shaky hand as I sipped from the glass and saw a beautiful diamond ring at the bottom.

Do I drink the rest of the cider? Do I pretend I didn't see it? To I dump it into my hand? But there was still cider. So the fork it was. I wasn't quite sure how to respond.

Gavin gently takes the ring from my hand and gets down on one knee in the middle of Villa Nova, this beautiful, fancy restaurant and asks me, Sam Hale, to be his wife.

I started crying. Yup. I cried. And everybody in the room started clapping and saying congratulations! Let us see the ring!

There was no concentration on the food in front of me. My sweet Gavin had picked the most perfect ring for me. The most beautiful way to propose. And the magic of the moment had overtaken me.

The Beginning of the Next Great Adventure

Starting in high school I have looked at each step as a new adventure. If I didn't, I would feel as though the world was consuming me. So in an effort to enjoy life a little more, I took everything that happened to me as an adventure. Everything from my 3 different high schools, to my Hawaii trip, to the one-way ticket to Maryland that ended 4 months in and brought me back to Alaska, and now here, less than 2 weeks away from marrying my best friend and the love of my life.

My name is Sam Hale, but on February 6th, 2015 I will be a Hart. I get to marry an amazing man and become part of a wonderful family! Gavin and I are building dreams, goals, and an exciting future.

So here comes another adventure. But the best part? This adventure gets to last the rest of my life, and even the rest of eternity.