http://dawnmlent.blogspot.com/

well i always thought i'd post quite often over the last 6 months but it never happened.

but im thinking about creating a new blog about being a wife and all the newness and interesting moments that happen as i learn how to cook and all that fun stuff. :)

stay tuned.

this blog will remain the creativity blog i guess. we'll see.

planning

i used the last of my first personal address labels today as i sent out the rest of my thank-you notes from the showers i had over the last month. its weird to think about the name i have had for 25 years changing in a few months. i am so excited! i can't wait to become a Lent and spend the rest of my life with my best friend!

78 days to go before the big day. i am trying to pace myself and get most of the 'urgent' things done before christmas so i can take a breath and take in every moment of the last month and half before the wedding day. its amazing how caught up in wedding day planning you can get, even though you try so hard not to! the day goes by so quick and everybody says planning for your marriage is way more important than planning the wedding day. and i completely, whole-heartedly agree. it is, however, more difficult to do than say when you are actually in the planning stages. cause when it comes down to it, if you have a reception to plan for 300 people, you have to do things and work at planning it! if not, it won't happen. but then again when it comes down to it, nobody really cares what centerpieces you have on the tables or the music that is played during dinner. it's difficult for a perfectionist to let go of so many things i feel are important, but really aren't important in the long run! so i have been asking God to keep me from going crazy over things that are urgent vs. important. its an art trying to find the balance and how to make the most of your time...

I'M GETTING MARRIED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hats

everyone who knows me associates my name with hats. Dawn + hats. they just go together. that simple. just like the word camera or pictures is associated with my name as well. even kids who have known me for their three year middle school career have been surprised to know that i was a leader the whole time. they thought i was simply the picture lady. that is somewhat disappointing having been involved so much, but at the same time i can't blame them as they were the kids that were only there for major outreach events.

but back to hats. i loved hats. i still do. since high school and college i can remember going through entire days with one of my favorite hats on. i loved the idea of hats! they were brilliant. it was great to go through an entire day not worrying about what my hair looked like or what kind of hair day the weather would bestow upon me. i didn't even care if my hat matched my clothing or not. it was mine and i could wear whatever i wanted.

fast-forward to today and i wear them much less than i did even a year ago. i was talking with a good friend the other day and she brought up the fact that she noticed i don't wear hats anymore. she asked me why i think it was. i thought for a few moments and her conclusion was right. i don't need to hide under them as much anymore. I walk around with much more confidence in myself. more confidence in who i am and even in what i look like physically. Steve changed me. his constant affirmation has slowly changed the way i feel about myself. women usually always have insecurities we live with our whole lives. but the difference i feel and see in myself from last year to now is like night and day. i wore hats saying it was my own style statement. my friend said when you wear a hat once in a while, that can be a style statement. when you wear hats everyday, all the time... you are hiding. that is very true. my friends, in particular my best friend, has brought me out of my hiding place and i feel so free!

i still like hats. they are very convenient after wearing a motorcycle helmet! but hats don't define who i am. i am more than the hat i wear. and i am more than the camera i hold in my hand.

i need to update. sorry for slacking. after k&m's wedding things will slow down.

i am excited for the next few months to come. lots going on with my sister's wedding almost here. i thot it would never be here. i blink, and its two months away. wow! all i know is i have probably said the words 'tiffany blue' 7,475832 times in the last year! we are trying to get their invitations done in the next week because they should be sent out asap. this sunday is Kimberly's family bridal shower. looking forward to that celebration. also, the next few months mean springtime. i am soo ready to get outside after being stuck indoors all winter. i am ready for Steve's bike to come out of hibernation. i am ready for long walks with him. ready to start on the list of things we want to do together this summer.

i am tired of winter, but of all the past winters, this one has certainly been the most incredible. six months ago Steve and I went on our first date. i wouldn't trade the last 180 days for anything in the world. :)