Shower #1...

At the end of April (umm, where did May go?!) I had my first bridal shower, which was hosted by my co-Maid of Honor, Ashley, and bridesmaid, Jocelyn, at my parents' house. It was an insanely windy day, with gale-force winds, which prevented the shower from being fully decorated. We even had to hang bags of dirt off the table cloths so they would stay on the table. And the flowers stayed inside because the vases didn't stand a chance. Regardless of the lack of cooperation from the weather, it was a wonderful shower.

There were fun games, yummy food, and of course, lots of presents!



There was even a candy bar stocked with some of my favorites!


Jocelyn made adorable cupcakes, with fondant flowers from scratch. People were asking where we ordered them from...way to go Jocelyn! And they were definitely a hit!




I feel so lucky to have such wonderful and loving friends and family. It was a surprise to me that Ashley was actually going to be there. She changed her flights around after coming back from a week-long cruise, and my dad went and picked her up while we were setting up for the shower. What an awesome surprise! Thanks girls (and Mom) for such a wonderful day!

.twenty-six.

Hello twenty-six.

I'm excited for everything that you hold in store. You hold one of the biggest, most important days of my life. You will get to see me marry the person who completes me. You will get to see my life so full of joy and happiness. You'll get to experience our lives as newlyweds and all the ups and downs that come with it.

You hold the possibility of other big milestones as well. Will you be the year that we buy our first house? How will we ever decide on a house...where to buy, how big, how new. How will we agree on how to make it a home? A home that is not all Star Wars and gadgets. Will you bring a puppy into our lives? Or maybe even puppies? A new car, perhaps? Or will we try to make it as long as we can without car payments? Knowing my soon-to-be husband, I know the answer to that.

You'll get to go on adventures with us to new places. Are you excited for Antigua? Because I am. Hopefully we won't experience a hurricane. And another trip to Hawaii??? Sweet. Who knows where else we'll end up. Maybe we'll just discover hidden treasures close to home. The Central Coast is full of so many things we have yet to experience.

Oh, twenty-six. You hold potential to be so amazing, and I know you won't let me down. I hope twenty-five doesn't feel unloved and discarded, because she did a good job herself. She helped me finish out grad school, become a doctor, get my first job as a career woman, and pass my boards. Maybe you could get some pointers from her on filling up the year. She sure didn't let me down. She even took me to Africa! Thanks twenty-five for all the adventures you took me on. It was a fun and fulfilling year.

Alright, twenty-six. It's your turn. Please don't let me down. I'm ready to embrace you and all that you'll bring to my life. And I have a feeling it's going to be a great ride!