chin up

Today was a really bad day.
In a really dreadful sort of way.
But, I'm at home now, my cats are keeping me company,
I'm drinking a homemade margarita,
and trying to have a positive attitude.
I think I might just do a bit of homework and curl up in my bed with a movie on my computer.
There are too many wonderful joys in my life to let a bad day keep me down.
So, I'm keeping my chin up and moving on.

After all, only 246 days until I'm married to my best friend & the absolute love of my life.

My cats are the cutest!!!

and they really love to help me with my homework.

This morning, I woke up to Corduroy & Fiero chasing each other around the apartment. That's right, kitties, get some energy out so you don't mess up everything in the apartment. Someone please explain to me how my tiny little cat (Fiero) has learned to jump ON TOP of my dresser?!?! It's a pretty tall dresser. At least 4 1/2 feet. And he just jumps right up there. And knocks over my vase of flowers. In the middle of the night.

But it all becomes worth it when they jump up on my bed while I'm reading some Buechner, and cuddle with me until bed time.

Engagement Party!

Last night, my 3 best friends (Sarah, Amy, & Stephanie, through cyberspace) threw me & Nathan an engagement party! It was seriously perfect (except for the fact that Steph wasn't there). It was a fun, classy evening full of wine, cupcakes, and friends. Sarah made the BEST cupcakes I've ever had, Gretchen made brownies, Dan made tea-cake, Amy/Caroline made fruit pizzas, and Shauna made pumpkin cookies! I might be forgetting something.... but it was all SO good! And, we made some tasty sangria to share with all the guests.

My favorite part of the evening was definitely the toasts. Amy read Stephanie's toast, and I was so deeply touched. Nathan & I saved the copy of it. =) I loved all her cute jokes, and also the sweet, encouraging things she said about my relationship with Nathan. She has played such a huge part in my life & thus in my relationship with Nathan, and it was an honor to have her toast us. Next, Amy & Sarah made an adorable candid speech, which I loved in every single way. It made my heart so happy to have them standing there with me. They, too, have been huge influences in my life & my relationship with Nathan. I can't say how much those 3 girls mean to me.

Nathan's best friends also toasted! His friend Sean gave one of the most touching speeches I've ever heard. He called Nathan his soulmate and said all sorts of wonderful truths about how much of a wonderful man Nathan is. I'm so blessed to have Sean as a friend. He's a great listener, a great thinker, and one of the sweetest human beings I've ever known. He's taught both Nathan & myself a lot in our time as friends, and I'm thankful that Nathan has had him as a friend for these 4 years.

Nathan's other friend & roommate, Ian said some sweet things, too. Ian is such a tender, gentle soul, and I'm so happy that Nathan's last "roommate" experience is with Ian. I love coming over to their place and watching them have conversations with one another. They're such great friends for each other, and Ian has quickly become one of my favorite friends. I was so glad he made a toast.

All in all, the night was better than I could've ever imagined. And, what better way to end the evening than going to McDonalds for a large french fries? Yes, we totally got fries on the way home. No shame. =)

A few pictures from the evening! More to come!

Me & my Allison!

Just being silly!

Me & my man!

Me & my dear friend Dan.

Both of the Beccas!

Wonderful friends: Shauna, Cole, and Becca.

We're both engaged!!!

The crew, at Amy's ADORABLE house.

Me & sweet Hailey.

The DELICIOUS assortment of desserts. =)

Tired.

When Fiero gets sleepy, he gets to nap all day.... I'm jealous.

This whole routine is leaving me quite exhausted. I don't know if I can seriously handle being a full-time student, writing a thesis, working at a restaurant, interning, planning a wedding, taking care of the world's worst-behaved cats, and maintaining my sanity. I'm tired. And I'm also pretty sure my butt is getting bigger because I don't have time to exercise. Bad news.

Please excuse my complaining. Now, back to positivity (and homework).

What makes me ME.

Senior year is a reflective time in my life....

so here are a few little quirks that make me me.
And I'm happy to say- I'm really proud to be me.

• I always, always, drink a glass of water before bed
  
• I wore my hair straight every day until I was 18
  

Thank goodness I stopped straightening it!

• I say "greasy" with a Z instead of an S.... "greeeezy"
• I take entirely too long to tell any story
• Sometimes I start giggling and can't stop
• I have a weird love obsession with my cats

Corduroy & Fiero when they were wee little babies!

• My favorite color to wear is grey
• I call light cardigans "jackets"
• I'm so totally blind in my right eye, but have only half-blind vision in my left

Hence the glasses!

• I can sleep anywhere, anytime, under any circumstances
• I'm probably the world's slowest reader
• My favorite color combination is turquoise, green, and brown (and it's everywhere)

My bedroom set for the past 3 1/2 years. LOVE IT.

• I really can't wait to start a family (other than cats).... but I WILL WAIT, I promise
  
• Most people probably consider me an extrovert, but I love being by myself
• Naps give me more joy in the world than many things
• My favorite physical features are my eyes & my hair (and I used to HATE my hair)
• I'm happy to be me.

Me, now. And happy.

Wedding Website

Nathan & I finally have a website for our wedding! Check it out here!

such a productive couple!

Today, Nathan & I decided to set aside some time together in our afternoons to work on wedding things!!!

We got some yummy lunch from our favorite restaurant, PM, and brought it to my apartment to snuggle in the rain and talk wedding. We made some lists for the rehearsal dinner & wedding! Nathan's mom contacted Sunset Grille for our rehearsal dinner, and I can't think of a more perfect place. We also listened to some various music to try and start picking out songs we want played (string quartet + piano) during the ceremony.

It was pretty exciting. We even made..... spreadsheets!!! Cause we're that nerdy.

Next on the agenda: mailing our photographers' contract & deposit. Updating our website. Having our engagement photo session!

I love being engaged. But I'm going to love being married even more. And I cannot WAIT until June 3 when I get to officially become Mrs. Rebecca Dryden. =)

I'm back

Well hello again, blogging world. I kind of forgot about you in the midst of my crazy life.

School is back in session. Senior year, phew! It's going to be a seriously rough one. But also a seriously good one, I'm sure. I've got to somehow juggle a full load of hard classes, working at the restaurant, taking care of my kitties (which we all know I spend too much time doing), planning a wedding, working at my internship, and attempting to remain sane. EEK!

I'm honestly very excited about the year, but I know it's going be difficult in many aspects. Nathan & I are going to really have to struggle to find time to spend together. For the first time since we started dating, we don't live within walking distance of each other, and we don't go to the same school. So, it's definitely going to be a struggle, but a worthy one. I love him so much. =)

Right now I'm just stuck on what color bridesmaid's dresses to get! Any suggestions? I'm clueless. I want tan/brown, but that might wash all of my girls out & make them look even paler (we're a pasty bunch). Hopefully some divine inspiration will come my way soon.

In other news, I'm in a Spiritual Formation class that i LOVE right now. My professor is just such a wise, gentle man, and I'm already learning so much from him. I really need this class at this point in my spiritual journey. The book we're reading, Soul Making, is wonderful, and it's completely reassuring me that spiritual struggles are worthwhile and meaningful. So I've decided to be proud of my struggles and search for truth. It's my spiritual journey, and it's my process. It's one of the most important journeys in my life, so it's definitely a good thing to be as intentional about it as I am. And I'm finally proud of myself rather than ashamed.


Whew. Now time to get back to reading some Social Theory..... Weber, here I come!