What I'm Looking Forward to the Most

Ryan and I have been knee deep in pre-wedding/pre-married life prep these last few weeks. It's been a combination of extremely exciting and also extremely fast-paced. Lots to do in a very brief amount of time. But all the prep, all the talking, all the dreaming, all these things have made me so eager to experience life with this man...every day.

* To have coffee together every morning.

* To cook dinner together. (Told him the other night as we were making a hot chicken salad, "I feel like we're on an episode of House Hunters. Those shows always close with the happy couple cooking together in their new kitchen. And they're almost always chopping peppers. Probably because in real life they don't actually cook." But we actually do cook and we love cooking together.)

* To do laundry together. (Weird, but something we actually like to do. And he has the most brilliant way of folding shirts I've ever known. Even my mother was impressed when I told her about it.)

* To have someone to put up the Christmas tree with. The last couple of years, Christmas decorating has been absolutely excruciating because doing it alone has finally caught up with me. So even though I'm OCD about wrapping the branches with lights and such, I'm so excited to share that with someone and have a way to make it a memory.

* Having a date on New Year's Eve. I have been so very, very blessed with friends who have welcomed me in on New Year's Eve every year - and I so appreciate it. But I'm beyond excited to have a date this year. Someone to kiss at midnight. Sounds like a Lifetime movie, doesn't it?

* Someone to vacation with. Again. SO many friends have vacationed with me over the years, and I've loved the blessing of having people willing to share those moments with me. But to be able to go on vacation with my husband...is so exciting.

* Saturday afternoon movies. Ryan worked this past Saturday morning and then he came over to help me with wedding stuff. He showed up with a bag of Chinese food and we hunkered down on the couch to eat and watch Four Christmases. Even though we had a billion wedding chores to do, we just took those couple of hours to rest, laugh our fool heads off, and cuddle. And halfway through, he turned to me and said, "I think Saturday afternoon movies with you are the greatest." Let's do more of THAT.

* Being spoiled. And I mean that in THE most non-selfish way I can possibly say. I am used to doing all the chores all the time all alone - and even in the time we've had together, it's been such a treat to have help with things like the laundry and the dishes and the lawn mowing and the trash. To see him WANT to love me by helping with (or just flat out doing) those things - makes me feel so loved. Can't wait for it to be every day. And lest I look completely greedy, I can't wait to spoil him right back with all kinds of (granted limited) gifts I have.

Just life. That's what I'm looking forward to. Whether we're cleaning up the kitchen or planning for a trip or having a fun date, I'm looking forward to life with Ryan.

So. So. Grateful.