This whole wedding planning thing has taught me a couple things about myself and the way I make decisions:
1. I am indecisive (this I knew previously).
2. I try to please others (this I also knew).
3. I am dispassionate about a great many little things.
4. I do not fit the "typical bride" mold.
As it turns out, the little details don't captivate me. I don't really care about specific kinds of flowers, as long as they're fall colors. I don't really care what color shoes my bridesmaids wear, as long as they're comfortable. I don't get super specific with centerpieces, or bent out of shape about cake.
Can we all just acknowledge that October 14th will be an incredibly special day, not because of the details, but because of the occasion itself? Yes, there will be a few very unique touches to this wedding and reception, but what's more important is that everyone we love will be together and we will all be joyful.
I have a feeling that as we all keep our attention fixed on the joy of the day, the details will fall into place.
And it will be great.
It just may be exactly what we expect: the best day of our lives.
5.24.2011
5.17.2011
on Day 151
I'll whisper this very quietly so as not to disturb anyone:
Sometimes I forget my wedding is in 5 months.
Don't mistake me: I remember every single day that I'm marrying the love of my life. It's just that sometimes, when people ask me about wedding details, I stumble a bit and then my brain says, "Oh, that's right! You're having a wedding in October!"
And you know what? I think that's okay.
I think it's okay that I anticipate the day when I will just be married to Jon more than the day I actually get married to Jon. Does that make sense?
I have it on good authority (namely, the opinions of the godly women I'm surrounded by) that it is beneficial that my priorities have fallen in this order. It's when women spend too much time preparing for the wedding and not enough time preparing for the marriage that couples get into trouble, or so they tell me.
In the meantime, I'll keep looking to my sweet, strong mother to negotiate contracts and keep details in check and remind me of timelines. But I'll forgive myself for forgetting that my wedding is in 150 days because I am too caught up in the wonder of Days 151 and following.
I might need you, my dear friends, to give me a little extra grace, too, okay? Thanks a million.
Sometimes I forget my wedding is in 5 months.
Don't mistake me: I remember every single day that I'm marrying the love of my life. It's just that sometimes, when people ask me about wedding details, I stumble a bit and then my brain says, "Oh, that's right! You're having a wedding in October!"
And you know what? I think that's okay.
I think it's okay that I anticipate the day when I will just be married to Jon more than the day I actually get married to Jon. Does that make sense?
I have it on good authority (namely, the opinions of the godly women I'm surrounded by) that it is beneficial that my priorities have fallen in this order. It's when women spend too much time preparing for the wedding and not enough time preparing for the marriage that couples get into trouble, or so they tell me.
In the meantime, I'll keep looking to my sweet, strong mother to negotiate contracts and keep details in check and remind me of timelines. But I'll forgive myself for forgetting that my wedding is in 150 days because I am too caught up in the wonder of Days 151 and following.
I might need you, my dear friends, to give me a little extra grace, too, okay? Thanks a million.
4.26.2011
royal wedding vs. mywedding.com
Type in the phrase "royal wedding" in Google. I dare you.
You'll get 45.9 million results, about 26,700 news articles, and the official Google result at the top: The Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton / April 29, 2011 at 5:00am CT, plus a link to the official Royal Wedding website: http://www.officialroyalwedding2011.org/ (.org?! Really, Royal Family? Really?!)
And if you redirect your browser to mywedding.com and search for a couple (I'll give you a hint: type in "Maggie Thomas" or "Jon Keller." But don't type "Maggie Keller." Not yet.), you'll get a couple results, but there at the bottom, you'll find the listing: Maggie Thomas, Jon Keller, October 14, 2011 plus a link to the official Non-Royal Wedding Website: http://www.mywedding.com/jonandmaggiegetmarried
We're still adding to it and updating it. But there are some fun stories, photos, local attractions, events, and even a place for you to suggest reception music. Enjoy!
You'll get 45.9 million results, about 26,700 news articles, and the official Google result at the top: The Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton / April 29, 2011 at 5:00am CT, plus a link to the official Royal Wedding website: http://www.officialroyalwedding2011.org/ (.org?! Really, Royal Family? Really?!)
And if you redirect your browser to mywedding.com and search for a couple (I'll give you a hint: type in "Maggie Thomas" or "Jon Keller." But don't type "Maggie Keller." Not yet.), you'll get a couple results, but there at the bottom, you'll find the listing: Maggie Thomas, Jon Keller, October 14, 2011 plus a link to the official Non-Royal Wedding Website: http://www.mywedding.com/jonandmaggiegetmarried
We're still adding to it and updating it. But there are some fun stories, photos, local attractions, events, and even a place for you to suggest reception music. Enjoy!
4.18.2011
on good friday
This is Holy Week. Tomorrow is Maundy Thursday, which in church tradition commemorates the Last Supper. Tomorrow is the remembrance of the first few Words of Institution: On the night he was betrayed... What must it have felt like to be betrayed by one of your closest friends? Can't say I've experienced too much betrayal in my day. What a sting, though. What a foretaste of the pain to come.
Good Friday is the day we focus on Jesus' suffering and sacrifice. Friday is the day that I best understand the phrase "darkest before the dawn." On Friday, there is no hope, only sadness. This Friday, I have the privilege of assisting with the Good Friday service at our church, the Table at CPC. I'll be reciting a couple monologues I helped write. But I have to be honest: it's not going to be a fun time.
Because on Good Friday, we also take a hard, pointed look at ourselves. Because 2,000 years ago, a group of Jesus' followers demanded his death, mere days after celebrating his arrival in Jerusalem. And the point is that if Jesus had been born in 1978, we would also be calling for his crucifixion the day after tomorrow.
So the monologues in the Good Friday service are read to afflict the comfortable. To disturb the secure. We're going to raise eyebrows and prickle skin and upset stomachs. We may even anger you. Because we're going to put audible words to the feelings some of us have hidden away in the darkened corners of our hearts. We're going to call Jesus the same names they called him 2,000 years ago, through the words and attitudes we use today.
And it's not to shock or surprise. It's not to elicit a reaction for theatricality's sake. It's not even to give you hope, because on Good Friday, hope is in short supply -- hope comes Sunday morning.
We're going to say out loud what most of us would never breathe, let alone allow ourselves to form concrete thoughts around. And in the ugliest of ways, we're going to hold up a mirror so we can see ourselves clearly. In doing so, I think we'll also show how that same ugliness that called for Christ's death 2,000 years ago is still hanging around in us today.
If you are looking for a place to worship and remember the sacrificial Lamb this weekend, please join me at The Table at CPC: 6901 Normandale Road, Edina.
Good Friday service: 8pm
Easter Sunday service: 6pm
Good Friday is the day we focus on Jesus' suffering and sacrifice. Friday is the day that I best understand the phrase "darkest before the dawn." On Friday, there is no hope, only sadness. This Friday, I have the privilege of assisting with the Good Friday service at our church, the Table at CPC. I'll be reciting a couple monologues I helped write. But I have to be honest: it's not going to be a fun time.
Because on Good Friday, we also take a hard, pointed look at ourselves. Because 2,000 years ago, a group of Jesus' followers demanded his death, mere days after celebrating his arrival in Jerusalem. And the point is that if Jesus had been born in 1978, we would also be calling for his crucifixion the day after tomorrow.
So the monologues in the Good Friday service are read to afflict the comfortable. To disturb the secure. We're going to raise eyebrows and prickle skin and upset stomachs. We may even anger you. Because we're going to put audible words to the feelings some of us have hidden away in the darkened corners of our hearts. We're going to call Jesus the same names they called him 2,000 years ago, through the words and attitudes we use today.
And it's not to shock or surprise. It's not to elicit a reaction for theatricality's sake. It's not even to give you hope, because on Good Friday, hope is in short supply -- hope comes Sunday morning.
We're going to say out loud what most of us would never breathe, let alone allow ourselves to form concrete thoughts around. And in the ugliest of ways, we're going to hold up a mirror so we can see ourselves clearly. In doing so, I think we'll also show how that same ugliness that called for Christ's death 2,000 years ago is still hanging around in us today.
If you are looking for a place to worship and remember the sacrificial Lamb this weekend, please join me at The Table at CPC: 6901 Normandale Road, Edina.
Good Friday service: 8pm
Easter Sunday service: 6pm
4.10.2011
on feeling real
So much of the past week has been a blur: of activity, of celebration, of sharing our news. I remain thankful for our friends and loved ones who are a sure source of joy.
That floaty feeling, though? That stayed around a while. Even though this past week of work was busy, I was still mostly being carried around on a big cloud of happy. It didn't feel real - too fairytale, too perfect (is there such a thing?).
Without giving too much away, though, I went dress shopping yesterday with my mom and future mom-in-law. And boy, if it didn't feel real when I put on that first white dress and caught my reflection in all those mirrors. I felt, I think for the first time, like a woman shopping for her wedding dress instead of a little girl playing dress-up.
This is really happening. I'm getting married. I have a fiance, and he is a gift.
I am so blessed.
That floaty feeling, though? That stayed around a while. Even though this past week of work was busy, I was still mostly being carried around on a big cloud of happy. It didn't feel real - too fairytale, too perfect (is there such a thing?).
Without giving too much away, though, I went dress shopping yesterday with my mom and future mom-in-law. And boy, if it didn't feel real when I put on that first white dress and caught my reflection in all those mirrors. I felt, I think for the first time, like a woman shopping for her wedding dress instead of a little girl playing dress-up.
This is really happening. I'm getting married. I have a fiance, and he is a gift.
I am so blessed.
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