LAUNDRY LAUNDRY LAUNDRY!

I don't know what it is about being married that produces so much laundry, but I feel like my ability to do laundry is rapidly declining as the piles are continuing to grow. Married life is great so far. Yesterday was one whole month. (I realized today how terrible I am about keeping this online journal updated.) Anyways- yesterday was one whole month. I took Stephen a cookie cake to his office. It had two little fish on it and said "Of all the fish in the sea, I'm glad you married me!" It was really cute. His friends at work love it when I bring cookie cakes to their office. Stephen's job is very high stress and he doesn't get a lot of praise for his work, so I like to "reward" he and his friends sometimes with baked surprises. It's just a little something to look forward to.

Other than laundry, we haven't been up to much. Stephen went hunting this weekend and shot a deer, but they couldn't find the body... just a lot of blood. That was disappointing to him (and to me too cause I am craving some jerky!)

Well, back to cleaning house.

Twenty Days of Marital Bliss

So we have been married now a whole 20 days. And we haven't even tried to strangle each other. The newness of living together hasn't worn off yet... which means his dirty underwear on the bathroom floor isn't bothering me... YET.

My Aunt Laura (my dad's sister) told me yesterday that at our wedding ceremony, she felt like God was standing up there with us. That she could just feel His blessings pouring down on us. She said it was the most spiritual ceremony she has ever attended. That was such a wonderful compliment... and EXACTLY what we were hoping people would feel on our wedding day. We wanted people to feel God's love and our love for each other illuminating from the inside of the church out.

With that said, I want to inform our future children (who I am actually writing this little online diary for) that their dad is a wonderful man. He even has been holding up his end of the "in sickness and in health" promise. I have come down with a cough and been hacking my lungs up for two days now. Last night, Stephen went to Walgreens at 10:00 at night to get me some cough medicine. He even called my dad to find out what he needed to get me. Dad called me in some medicine and Stephen went to pick it up. They are both such good men! I hope if I have little girls, they get a man as good as the two men in my life. And if I have little boys, they better treat their women just like my men treat me... and they won't have a problem finding a girl who loves them as much as I love Stephen and my daddy.

Time to get ready for work.

The Kiss

Here is the kiss that the blog is named after!!! More to come!

Being a Mrs.

So I missed a few posting days... So let me catch up to date.

Wednesday before the wedding:

I was supposed to pick Noah Cooley up at the airport tonight, but he missed his flight and came in Thursday night instead. This put a little stress on the situation since he was supposed to be in charge of the church. He was freaking out more than I was, so I am glad I was able to remain calm. We ended up getting him here late Thursday night.

Thursday:

I worked all day long. Made me extra tired since I didn't get ANY sleep the night before. Stephen and Justin helped me tie ribbons around the bubbles and programs. That was a huge help. Then I was off to pick up Noah, drop off gift bags at the hotels for our guests, and off to bed.

Friday:

Massages were in order first thing in the morning. After that, Noah and I went to the church to plan out the decorations. Noah had some AWESOME ideas! When guests first walked in, we had two round tables, one tall and one short, with the guest book, programs, etc. Then they saw a HUGE "G" on the floor in cursive in black marbles. It was so cool! And I am not sure where I got the idea for it, but it turned out amazing. Hopefully someone got a picture of it! Next, as you can see, Noah had an awesome idea for an isle runner. Instead of the typical flowers (since we didn't have a flower girl) we used big round black rugs

and made a little runner of polka dots. Here you see dad walking me down the isle. Also, something that I loved about our wedding is that we didn't do girls and guys on separate sides. Loved that!

The night before the wedding:

The rehearsal ran rather smoothly. Considering all that happened. Stephen's mom's plane was a little late getting in. So she was about an hour late. As well as my mother (who is terrible at directions) got lost in Norman WITH NOAH. Who was supposed to be in charge of this whole thing. Luckily Mandi (my cousin) was there, who played the director all weekend. She was great at keeping everyone organized and on the same page. The rehearsal dinner was at Coach's in Norman. It was fun and relaxed and everyone had a great time. After the rehearsal dinner, Jessi, Kari, and Erica went with me to my house to pack my things for the next day. After that, the boys showed up and hung out. We four girls continued the tradition we started at Erica's wedding the year before and went to her place to spend the night together.

The BIG Day:

The wedding day was perfect. Weather was perfect. Hair and makeup was perfect. Flowers were less than perfect, but Noah fixed that. My bridal luncheon (given by my aunt and uncle Hadji and cousin Lauden) was AMAZING! Then we were off for hair and makeup. Stephen had to deal with Best Western... who took all the money out of our checking account because they said we didn't cancel our unused reservations in time. FALSE! So that was the ONLY thing that went wrong that day. Everyone kept telling me that things were bound to happen and not to get upset. But my day was perfect. And after Stephen figured out the hotel stuff, his was alright too. I will have to post another separate blog about the actual day... because there is so much to tell. And then another post about the honeymoon. So look forward to those!

And the nausea begins!

Well, last night it finally hit me that I am getting married. Yes, four days before the big day. And, I am ashamed to say, I woke up at 3 this morning in a cold sweat, set right up in bed, and tried to get Jack (my boxer) out from between my legs so I could make it to the bathroom. Unfortunately he is dead weight when he is tired... so moving him is like moving a bus. Needless to say, I threw up all over myself (and Jack). I don't know if it's the nervous or something I ate that brought on the nausea, but I was up all night long. I am just REALLY praying that I am not sick... because our first wedding guest arrives tomorrow, and I can't afford to be sick.

Things are becoming so official with Noah getting here tomorrow. We went to get our marriage license, had our final premarital counseling appointment, met with our preacher to discuss wedding details, and picked up our programs. All that's left is packing for our honeymoon!

One Week Left

one week from today, stephen and i will be tying the knot. it is so crazy to think that three years ago this week we had our very first kiss.

first kisses, i have decided, are bittersweet. when you're in high school (well, these days its merely seconds after you turn 10 years old) and you have your very first kiss, not only is it terrible, it's magical. but whether it's your very first kiss, or a first kiss with a new boyfriend, it sets the tone for the entire relationship.

over the last few months, i have been making stephen a lists of things to do on a weekly basis to get ready for our big day. it may seem silly, but every week i always put "practice kissing me" as #10. this wedding day kiss is a big deal! we had our first kiss as boyfriend and girlfriend three years ago. then about six months ago, we had our first kiss as fiancé and fiancé (i dont know what the male word for fiancé is). in seven short days, we will be having our first kiss as husband and wife. he thinks practicing our kiss is dumb. but i would hate for us to get all nervous and blow it!

i decided to start online journaling for the purpose of having something the garvin kids will be able to access and read when they are older. i want them to know how their mom felt the week before we got married, the night before we got married, the day of the wedding, and big events in our family life.

stephen and i are not only going to share our "last first kiss" in the sense that this is the final step in our relationship (from dating, to engaged, to married), but it is also pretty cool to think about the fact that he will always have my last first kiss... that exciting, nerve racking, tell your friends about it, sweet, romantic, perfect... first kiss.