Well we are officially in the double digits! At exactly this time in 3 months we will be Mr. & Mrs. Stewart and partying down at our reception. It’s so surreal.

I read a blog recently on happiness and it really stuck with me. It has helped me reflect on our journey over these past six months as well as gain some perspective on our upcoming wedding:

The Coulda-Woulda-Shouldas.

Everything that feels like regret (even just a little bit), let it go. You can’t let people, places or things hold you back from creating the beautiful and powerful future you desire. Everything we have experienced so far is a valuable lesson. It continues to shape us into who we are and what we want to be. Every new minute and day we are so blessed to get a second chance to re-write our story.

The Negative Nelly

I once heard that all it takes is 20 seconds of insane courage to change your entire life’s track. If you can’t trust yourself, if you can’t believe in yourself, who will? Shut Negative Nelly’s down, before they shut you down. Don’t allow those voices to lead you into black holes. “Take the leap and build your wings on your way down”

The “idea” of what our life is supposed to look like.

Give up the image that was sold to us in movies and media (it’s not real). Don’t focus your life on work or things that don’t matter. Make your life have meaning which means growing as an individual and being proud of who you are. Place yourself in healthy situations and relationships even if it means getting out of your comfort zone.

Comparing

Our lives are not even slightly the same. Our backgrounds, our salaries, our goals, our visions, our desires are all very different. Don’t let someone else’s path discourage you from yours. Each path comes with different timetables and different lessons to learn.

Stubbornness.

This one is extremely hard for me. But at some point, I had to admit that some people (very few) were indeed wiser than me. Once you stop being stubborn and open your heart and mind it is easy to see that the people that love you just want the best for you. Absorb their experiences (instead of shutting down) and learn from them.

Obsessive need for control.

Another really tough one for me (just ask Colt or my sister) however, this does not mean to be disorganized or accepting of whatever happens, NO never! Still be organized, still be prepared, still have goals but also accept that some things are beyond your control. Things will go wrong (and also go right, even if it is a different “right” than you envisioned). Take every one of these experiences and learn from them.

Extreme emotions.

(Probably the hardest one for me and all bride to be’s) But we must learn to respond instead of react. You are responsible for (and will have to deal with the consequences of your actions) no matter who or what gives you a Manny Carvalho. Learn to let go of those strong, sweeping emotions that push you to wrath out. Breathe, let the moment pass, and then think on it. Many times we are so busy and involved in the actual process we don’t think we just feel. “I feel like you are doing this…” or “I feel like you don’t care” or “I feel like you are selfish.” Lesson: less feeling more thinking.

Anger.

… Let that fade away (easier said than done) but anger will only steal your sweetness and your special moment in time. You don’t want to end up there. It’s miserable. Anger also shifts your focus from everything positive, creative, lovely and good to ugly things. Try to Forgive, Breathe, Talk,….Blog.

Anxieties.

If something is making you nervous, face it. If something scares you, learn about it. Figure out the source of your anxiety and then commit to giving it up. Try to be stronger the next time it comes back (because it will).

Bad people.

This is certainly the hardest one of them all but also the most necessary. And to clarify they may not be “bad” people but instead they are just bad for you or it’s just a bad time. Walk away from them. Only hold those in your life who will lift you up to new levels; those who will tell you the truth; those that will love you unconditionally and those who will help you grow and learn from mistakes and successes. Bad people are poison to a life of good intentions. Find the good, and walk away from the rest.

I honestly wouldn’t trade our last 6 months for anything. The good, the bad, the pretty and the ugly but without one we wouldn’t be where we are right now today with 3 months to go.

Over these next 3 months we have so many big meetings regarding set up, flowers, cake, food, rehearsals, photos, music etc., I also have my first dress fitting in Oahu on June 2nd and my makeup trail! I can’t wait to try my dress on and hug my family! We have so much to do together and I can’t wait to get the projects rolling! It’s going to be so nice to finally spend quality time with them! I feel like the lists are endless and everyday there is more and more to do! I talked to Tammy last week and she promised it was “operation finish tutus”! She called me the next day to pick them up and I couldn’t be happier. They are so amazing in all there puffy yellow glory. They came out better than I could have hoped for and we can’t wait to have the girls over to try them on. We called Khloe right when they came in (as promised) and she was so excited, I told her how beautiful she was going to look and she said “I know” I truly love that girl. We also have really special gifts for all 3 of them (my Uncle made them with extra special love). I can’t wait to get them all dolled up!

I still need to find my shoes, I am looking for a pair I can dye so I can have them the same color as the girl’s dresses. Colt still needs to find his ring; I can’t wait to see a ring on his finger! He also still needs to find shirts and ties for his groomsmen. I’m going to try to go by men’s warehouse when I am in Oahu and see if I can find ties (men’s warehouse is suppose to match David’s Bridal colors which is half the reason I picked the bridesmaids dresses from there so I’m hoping they have them).

I also updated our wedding website with activities and timelines for the wedding party as well as our guests. Please take a look at it as you plan your travel and accommodations. We have a lot of fun stuff going on and I really don’t want anyone to miss out. The island is also forecasted to hit “season” around June 10th so flights are bound to go up so please keep that in mind if you haven’t booked your travel yet! As always we can’t wait to see you all and have this journey turn into reality.

xo