One month anniversary

Saturday will mark one whole month of blogging here at Secret Life of a Bride-to-Be. Oh, how time flies!

Since I intend on spending my weekend between summer session 1 and summer session 2 doing absolutely nothing but laying out and reading smut novels, I thought I would get my monthly update out of the way now.

Every month (on the 27th), I will provide you, dear readers, with an update about where I stand in this adventure, what I have left, what I'm planning, how many days till the wedding, and any pearls of wisdom I've learned, or how/if these items have changed me. Here is our first installment:

Items completed: 4
Items to go: 51
Items started: 2
Days till the wedding: 352 (Good God, that seems like a lot. I guess it is.)

The items I've completed are #16, buy something completely frivolous, #18, make a discovery, #21, actually keep in touch with people far away from me, and #48 kick my caffeine habit (don't forget, you can keep up with the whole list here).

Of these four items, kicking the caffeine habit has been the hardest by a long shot. I miss my caramel macchiatos at Starbucks! I miss doing crossword puzzles with a cup of joe. Tea just isn't the same. I've realized that it wasn't so much the caffeine I was addicted to as it was the gentle routine of indulging in these items everyday. I associate my mornings with the taste of an Americano. My afternoons were caramel macchiatos. My weekends were regular coffee with milk and sugar at home. It's a sad state of affairs in my world, folks. Yes, I do feel better without all the caffeine in my system, but I miss it's smooth, creamy texture and the comfort I always got from drinking it. Everyday has been a test of my will power with this one. Some days are better than others. I do consider the habit kicked, but I don't think I'll ever get over losing coffee.

(In the interest of full disclosure, I highly suspect a relapse will occur after the wedding. Just saying.)

So far, I've learned a few things about myself. The biggest realization being about my athletic ability (or lack there of). Also of note, my re-found love for phone convos with the BFFS.

I've had a lot of fun this past month. It's going to continue, too, because the circus is comin' to Plymouth soon, and guess who's gonna go? Also, I ordered origami paper (would you believe no craft stores around here carried it? Unfreakingbelievable) on Amazon, so I'm sure some excellent pictures of my attempt to fold cranes will be forthcoming. At last count, I have almost 40 cranes to make up for since I was supposed to start this on June 11. Oops.

I just want to say thanks for reading thus far, and I hope you've all enjoyed this as much as I have been. I can't wait to see where else this takes me.

#21

# 21 Actually keep in touch with people far away from me

I'm notoriously bad at keeping in touch with people. Ask any of my friends. They'll be brutally honest (but they aren't much, if at all, better than I am) and agree, wholeheartedly.

It's funny. My mom is terrific at writing letters. Still, to this day, she writes letters to my Noni (her mother-in-law), even though they speak on the phone weekly. These aren't just casual notes, but detailed letters covering a week of activities over the course of several pages. Yet, here I am, incapable of picking up a phone and calling someone, just to say "Hi."

No more.

Last week, I had a three hour phone conversation with one of my best friends, Emily. We spent a lot of time waxing poetic about high school, waste deep in nostalgia. We vented. We reminisced. We reassured. Mostly, we laughed.

Ya'll, it was really, really nice. I had forgotten how nice it can be to talk, not text. I usually feel you need a reason to bother someone with a phone call, note or email. I've realized that you don't need a reason, per se, but rather a want to speak to the person on the other line, and that in itself is reason enough. It won't be a bother, but more than likely, a welcome break from reality.

My friends are fabulous people. I'm blessed to have them in my life. And now, it's a lot easier to pick up the phone, just to say hi.

Update on other list related items: I think I've successfully kicked the caffeine addiction! It took a couple weeks, but I no longer wake up really tired, and most days I don't even get cravings toward mid-afternoon, which was when I usually chugged a double shot from Starbucks. I will admit, I have been drinking a lot of tea, mostly due to the summer cold from hell, but also because, hey, I'm southern, drinking iced tea is what we do. It's got way less caffeine than coffee, so I'm considering it a win all around.

Also-also: The wedding is less than a year away, and I need to get cracking on my paper cranes! It's dawned on me I have no idea how to make origami cranes. Anyone have a good reference?

AND: Still waiting to do my red wine shtick. I need suggestions. What are some of your favorites?

A change in scheduled activities

For those who follow me on Twitter, you know I was looking forward to taking care of #20, learn to love red wine, this weekend. I researched last week, I knew exactly what wine I was going to buy, and I was prepared to host my first wine tasting for my uncle (whom I live with).

Unfortunately, a surprise summer cold accompanied with a sneak attack sore throat has set me back this weekend, and I have been unable to indulge. (Yes, on some level I think indulging could have helped, but I thought best not to mix alcohol I'm not used to drinking with various medications.) Hopefully next weekend I'll be up to it.

However, the weekend was not totally wasted. I did get a good jump-start on #21. More on that tomorrow, because right now it's time to tackle something totally unrelated to my list: studying for a midterm.