where to start?!

hello again!

so between the wedding and the honeymoon, it's been quite a while since i've posted anything at all. i've been throwing around ideas in my head about how to document all the wonderful things that have happened to derek and me in the past 30 days, and it's a little daunting!

i think i've come up with an idea - why not show just how incredible it has all been via a combination of images and video? i tend to ramble as it is, so why not leave the majority of the speaking to the photos?

yeah, sounds like a plan.

so here is the agenda for the next couple of weeks or months, to be completed at my leisure (it is my blog afterall - i make the rules!) and with intermittent interruptions, of course.  ;)

• pre-wedding days

• may 8, 2010!

• day after

• honeymoon

please let me know if you're reading - leave a comment and say hello!

about an hour before becoming a mrs.!

what a mighty good man

Well, ladies and gentlemen, the wedding plans are about all wrapped up. D & I conquered the seating charts on Saturday (took a wopping 4 hours - no fighting was involved - we were very proud of ourselves), and I hand-wrote all of the placecards. I started packing today, since we're heading home right after work on Wednesday. We'll be setting up the tent and partaking in some pre-wedding pampering (that is, I will be) before the big day rolls around. Looking forward to the rehearsal and dinner after!

 A little over a year ago, the night we got engaged - April 25, 2009

Ohhhh my... Four days until I walk down that isle to the man God chose for me to live my life with. I asked Derek on Sunday if he'd thought about how crazy that is - that people, all the time, pick one single person to spend their short lives with. He said he hadn't thought about it.  Haha  :)

To me, it's such a huge thing. In this past year we've learned so much about each other, and I have fallen more and more in love with him each day. I'm so, so very happy to be with Derek, and I think we are going to have such an amazing life together, full of experiences, learning, travel, faith and love. He compliments me because he's so different from me, but he and I are so, so alike, too. It will of course be wonderful to wear a beautiful gown, have my hair done (probably the nicest it's going to look for the rest of my life), be surrounded by pretty things and amazing people, see my D in a tux, and eat wonderful food, but I really just can't wait to be Derek's wife!

Just discovered this little beauty by one of my old favorites, Macy Gray. Always loved her! Think I'll listen to this Saturday morning with the ladies. See you all at the wedding!

the "name change"

I've been getting the "Are you going to change your name?" question a lot lately. All from women. When I say I am planning on keeping the "Robinson" in the mix, but going primarily with "Neff" from here on out,  I am met with mixed responses. Some seem satisfied that I am sort of keeping my "maiden name" (what a funny way to refer to your unmarried-life name.... am I really a maiden?? Feel free to drop some trivia on this in the comment box). Some raise their eyebrows at the idea of ever dropping my birth name for a man's. To me, it's just that... a name.

However, I am proud to be a Robinson. Would I be proud to be a Neff? Of course. A Robinson-Neff? Even better. The way I look at it, a name is just a word that identifies me to others. My current last name does hold sentimental value for me, but so does the one I will be changing to. Just like the engagement ring, the wedding bands, the vows, and the ceremony, the name change symbolizes a commitment, and even more to me, trust. I can trust this man with my life, future, and heart. And he can trust me with his.

Changing my name doesn't mean I will change. I'll just be starting an exciting new path.

To further explore this thought, here is an thought-provoking post by one of my daily reads, cjane. She explains how long it took her to feel like her new name was really "her's".