T minus 18 days

Oh yes. We are within a month of the big day. And that's just crazy. I mean, seriously? I'm getting married in less than 3 weeks? SERIOUSLY?

Yes. Seriously.

It's one of those things that I've been thinking about and planning for and talking about and thinking about some more and fighting about and hearing other people talk about and crying about and working out for and getting excited about for so long that it is really hard to believe it's actually almost here.

And things seem to be under control.

Dress? Check.

Minister? Check.

Groom? Check.

Rings? Dang. Haven't picked those up yet.

Reception? Um, check?

But seriously...I think everything's ready to go. There are of course small details that I go over and over again in my mind just to make sure that I didn't imagine they had already been taken care of.

And then of course we have to be there. And that's it. Right?

People have told me a lot that I should slow down, and really enjoy this time. And I get where they're coming from. They're coming from AFTER their wedding. I'm not there yet, which can be a little frustrating. Yeah, I'll enjoy it when it's over, too!

But (in a more generous spirit, and after eating some peanut butter crackers...I get cranky when I'm hungry...yet another reason a diet would never work for me) I can appreciate what they're saying. Plus, it's nice to know that the stress of having this big moment looming over you will eventually end and you'll just remember the good stuff and how quickly it all went by.

So, while my heart does do little tiny flip-flops when I think about how I'm getting married in 2 weeks from Saturday (see, there it went), I think I will accept that as a good thing.

And just try not to think of it so much.

But, wait...there's more!

Well, the heels were the perfect height, even if the dress needed to be taken in just a tad more.

Sigh. And not in a good way.

But the solution, "just add some more padding" was not going to work. My poor fiance would have been hard pressed to keep the look of surprise off his face had I appreared at the end of the aisle more "blessed" than I had been the day before.

What can I say, though? I am who I am, and he loves me for who I am, and the dress just had to be taken in a bit more.

And my Uncle Bruno forbid me to lose any more weight. Not that I have lost a ton, but I am proud to say that there will be no "muffin-top" on this bride!

Now, if I can only refuse to eat the whole basket of cheese fries the next time we go to Snuffer's. Or maybe just not go to Snuffer's in general.

Anyway, things are still good...calm...even tempered as we approach the 4 week mark. But then again there is still more stuff to do. We have to make sure all the right people know all of the right information. We have to make sure we know the right information. We have to finalize wedding cake options, find napkins, figure out how my hubby and I will get back to the hotel after the reception (Car and driver, or the party bus with the rest of the crowd? Whose to say which will be funner? And yes, that was a nod to Legally Blonde.) And I have to come up with an official plan for the weekend, too.

And then. There are the thank you notes.

Not that I'm not grateful for the generosity of our dear friends and family. I am. Entirely, completely, fully. Grateful from the bottom of my heart. And humbled. Humbled by people who don't need to give me a gift to show me how much they care but who do anyway. I am honored and humbled and grateful.

But I am bad at writing thank you notes. Mainly because I feel so strongly in the first place, it takes me a long time to write each one. I haven't found the secret formula for the short, genuine, sweet note that can work for my future grandmother-in-law, my best friend from college, my co-worker, and the person in the congregation whose name I can't remember. If you have such a formula, please, please let me know.

Until then, the only good solution I can think of is for my darling fiance to grab a pen, flex his hand, and get to writing. His penmanship is better than mine anyway...

Drum roll, please!

In exactly 3 hours, I will be stepping into my wedding dress for the final fitting. Months of pilates and not dieting will be put to the test. My own sense of self will come under attack. My mother's ability not to cry during the last fittings will be challenged.

And hopefully the biggest issue will be whether or not I wear a 1 inch or 2 inch heel.