best of both worlds.

The past week or so has looked like something like this:

Basically, it's been about venue visits, an engagement party, yurting on the coast, drinking beer, Cirque Du Soleil, and lots of quality time! We've been spoiled with good quality time for just the two of us, for Perry Pup, for our friends, and for our family.

We're down to about 5 weeks left of Eric's presence. It's scary to realize how quickly that number is shrinking. I have been keeping very busy, so I haven't really had the chance to dwell on his upcoming departure, or even think about it much at all. It feels good to focus on the positive right now, so the game plan is to deal with the deployment as it comes and try not to not anticipate it too much in the meantime.

What better way to focus on the positive than planning a wedding? We had always intended to have our engagement to be timed this way, and I can already tell it will be such a blessing for the both of us. I get to concentrate on planning our wonderful day, and he gets to look forward to coming home to this great celebration. Of course,  this process is unique for us because we're currently in the process of planning our marriage, and our wedding. (If you're lost as to why those are two separate things, read my previous post here). Going through the planning process for both of these events has been really fun, and very different.

First things first: for our legal marriage, we have planned for a ceremony to be held in Eric's parents' backyard in beautiful Forest Grove. Only our parents and siblings will be there to witness. My wonderful mother will be officiating. She is a woman of many talents and merits; being an internet-ordained Reverend is just one of them. It will be short and sweet, but very meaningful. For anyone wanting to start a countdown, we are only 11 days away. That's right, believe it or not, Eric and I will be a married couple on April 26th, 2014. Fast, I know. I can barely catch my breath! However, this will give us the right amount of time to make sure we have things in order before the deployment begins.

As for our actual wedding; we have accomplished our goal, which was to secure a venue by the time Eric left. We saw some incredible places, but ultimately decided on an amazing vineyard in Salem. August 8th, 2015 is the magic date. We are so thrilled with the location, and can't wait to celebrate with all of our loved ones!

Although this process isn't what I had pictured for myself, I have become very excited about our opportunity to  experience two very different commitment ceremonies. In a way, we're getting the best of both worlds: the small, elopement-esque, intimate, legal ceremony in a gorgeous backyard garden, and the elaborate, festive, traditional wedding to experience with all of our friends and family. Again, the circumstances are less than ideal, but it's important to seek the silver linings in unfavorable times. I have to say, life's upcoming events are one hell of a silver lining!

^ The beautiful site of our 2015 wedding! ^