Surviving Africa

Hi, Bloggers and Bloggetters! Unfortunately this is not a progress report stating the most recent wedding plans that I have made. However, this is a report talking about a slightly different type of progress: surviving Africa.

Seth left on June 23rd to a small little continent you may have heard of… Africa.  He went with a group of people from our church on a mission trip to a baby orphanage in Uganda. First of all, I would like to begin by saying that I am extremely blessed that my future husband has such a passion and pursuit to serve the Lord. I may not be married yet, but I know that a relationship with God is a necessity and more important than a relationship with each other. So, to see my fiancé’s heart and willingness to serve makes me count my blessings and look forward to a lifetime spent with him. Maybe one day I will be half the person that Seth is.

Most would think that the person I was most worried about surviving Africa would be Seth. But that’s not necessarily the case… I was worried about my own sanity and survival. There are only a lucky few who have shared in my struggle with this issue. And if you were one of these “lucky” ones, then you know I was uneasy from the first day that summer started, and I will continue to be until the day Seth lands in Atlanta. I guess I could not help but be hesitant about him going because we are so close to getting married (5 ½ months to be exact), and I cannot imagine not getting the chance to marry my own Captain America after looking forward to it for 6+ years.

You may be saying, “Why be worried? It’s just Africa. You are being a little dramatic.” Well, yes, I am being dramatic, but that is because I have no idea what to expect. Personally, the only “out of the country” experience I have had is when I went on cruises… but we all know that this is cheating because “foreign countries” on cruise routes are just Americanized, sheltering you from the drug cartels, etc. So I admit that I am a little naive about what goes out outside of the United States. Therefore, when I heard that Seth would be island hopping via boat in the middle of Lake Victoria, my mental image was not a good one. I envisioned Seth floating in a rackety canoe in the midst of branches and briars (kinda swamp-like), coming up on different tribes who are all wearing loin cloths holding hand-made spears. This is what was going through my head; hence my concern. However, I have some really comforting people in my life who tried to mentally help me through this. One thing that stood out to me was when someone asked me, “Don’t you think that God loves Seth even more than you do? So, why would He want anything to happen to him?” After hearing this, I would tell myself “Shut up, Elizabeth” on a daily basis.

There is a 7 hour time difference between Georgia and Uganda, Africa. This, along with other factors, (including lack of Wi-Fi, no 3G network, and enormous international phone costs) has caused communication between the two of us to be scarce. That is fine… in fact I was expecting it. However, at 8:30 on Monday morning when I saw a text message from Seth saying, “You there?”, you better believe I threw down my hair dryer and stopped what I was doing to answer!  We didn’t get to text long, but that didn’t matter. At least I knew he was safe, and there had been no sighting of spears, loin cloths, or cannibalism. (I’m telling you… I have a distorted view of the outside world.) On Wednesday, I had an even bigger surprise when I got a call from him. We didn’t get to have a good long talk about life, love, and marriage, but at least I got to hear his voice. He said that the fruit over there was great… even if it was cut with the same knife that the fish was cut with. Also, he felt like safety was not an issue at all… but they got to ride 4 people on a motorcycle. Looks like I have been worried about the wrong things.

Chain countdown for Seth's re-arrival.

Technically, we still haven’t “survived Africa,” but with him coming home in 4 days, I can say that we are well on our way. This summer has been eventful and dangerous already: If it’s not a bat infestation we are worried about, it’s riding illegally on a motorcycle with Africa natives. So, if we make it through this summer, I guess you could say we are doing alright.

Now on to more pressing matters: what good American staple should I cook for Seth when he returns? Something fried or the biggest Reese peanut butter cup you can find? Hum…

Progress Report #4

Well, the summer is upon us. And as much as I would like to be lounging by the pool, I have other “adult” things to do, such as work. That’s exactly what I have been doing since school got out. I am not complaining because it has been great. Plus, that’s what you are supposed to do after you graduate, right? Find a job? Make a salary? At least for the time being. But in the midst of work, I have a wedding to plan. I mean, let’s get our priorities straight. Thankfully, my job allows me to do that while working. I just sit here at a desk, answer two phone calls, smile when people enter the door, and plan my wedding. It’s a pretty good get-up don’t you think? However, there is only so much of a wedding you can plan. So within the first two weeks of working, my wedding was done. I mean every little detail was planned—just because I had the time to do so. A couple of my favorite websites this summer have been: Pinterest and Etsy. So, with the help of these two little crafty sites, I have planned, what I think to be, a great imaginary wedding. Now, let’s see if what I planned comes to fruition….

Now that I am done (well, not really) with mine, I need someone else to get married so I can be planning their wedding.

Bridesmaids’ Business

I love my bridesmaids. All 8 of them. They have been so cooperative and have made this wedding process so enjoyable, that I am considering do it again and again… with rededication ceremonies of course ;)  I’m not sure what my bridesmaids will think of me when I hand them a folder that has a calendar from now until December as well as some other information that they would need to know. (Like I said, my work causes me to have a lot of time on my hands. So I get this crazy ideas to create folders for my bridesmaids so they could keep up with everything. I’m sure I am the only one excited about it, but that’s probably because I am the only one diagnosed with OCD.) I mean, you cannot help but agree that the folders are a good idea. Right? Just agree with me…

Did you know that the attendants’ dresses could take up to 14 weeks to come in?! Being my first (and only) wedding, I didn’t know that either. So, even though my wedding is still several months out, my girls had to go ahead and order their dresses if they wanted time for alterations and such. After all, who wants a baggy bridesmaid’s dress? On June 1^st, they were ordered. And either the bridesmaids know how particular I am or they are similar to me because I did not have to go chasing down any of them to get their measurements! They all had them in a promptly manner… well, except for my sister (of all people). Being the older, alpha, and more organized sister, I had to physically go take care of her dress order. I guess she was at a disadvantage being the only one not in Athens… but still. Just call me, her second mom. (But we both wouldn’t have it any other way!)

 House

As much as I liked the idea of not leaving my roommates in December, and just having Seth be the 5^th wheel in a 4 person apartment, I knew that there were probably better options out there. But that doesn’t mean that I won’t join my friends for a midnight run to Kroger for a date with Ben & Jerry. I mean, come on now. Since me moving in during the middle of the school year kind of puts a damper on who we can live with, we had to come up with other options. So, I signed a 6-month lease at my apartment, and Seth signed a lease on little house that we will call our own in December. Have no fear, Seth will not be living alone for the first semester. My cousin (and Seth’s fellow engineering guru) will be living in the little love shack until he graduates in December too. And trust me, he will be moving out...despite all this joking that he will decide to stay and go to grad school. As far as I’m concerned, the Holiday Inn would suit him just as well! I am not worried about the condition that the house will be in while I am not there. Although Seth has a history of breaking down doors, punching through walls, and befriending bats in his previous apartment, Stephen is just as clean, if not more, than I am. It must be in the blood. Just as an example, he requires you to take off your shoes at the door before entering. That sounds a whole lot better than firing off a potato gun inside the house… (*Nudge* Seth). Plus, they will both enjoy each other's company as they rattle off engineering conversations over dinner. 

Anyway, this little chateau, love shack, or whatever you want to call it, is on the Jefferson side of Athens. It’s in a cute little neighborhood, and most importantly, it’s not associated with the college atmosphere. Because, after all, we will be grown up and graduated by that time, and would have put our college ways behind us... Nah, who am I kidding. Since we are both southern born and bred, living in a cookie cutter neighborhood will be a new adventure for the two of us! Maybe we will do cookie cutter stuff like make muffins for the neighbors, go on an evening stroll, trade in our cars for a SUV, etc. Oh the joys of life in the suburbs. To quote Seth’s role model, Duck Commander “You need to be able to take a leak in your backyard.” Well, we will get to that point eventually. But for now, let’s enjoy the life that our 2 bedroom, 2 bath (little) suburb house can offer us!

Graduation

On May 4^th, I turned 21. Seven days later, I graduated from UGA with a degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. I live an eventful life. Graduation was the most organized chaos that I have ever been a part of. My OCD senses were tingling as we walked into the stadium in a herd-like formation while standing in the seats and talking on our phones like nothing was happening. But regardless, I graduated, with Seth soon to follow in December. As I was on the field for graduation, I couldn’t help but remember the last time (and first time) that I was on this very field. There were not near as many people there with me, and I was able to stand on the “G” and the glorious grass that is between the hedges. If you are having trouble remembering yourself, then go back and look at my very first blog post... Maybe that will RING a bell. Although I graduated, I am not done with school. Just like everybody else, I will be going back to the same college, same building, with some of the same people, in August. Then, in 2 years, I will be able to say that I am done!

 

I hope all of you are enjoying your summer, however you are spending it. Just know that if you are at the beach, I am jealous. Please keep Seth and me in your prayers as we plan the rest of this wedding, but most importantly, the start of our new life.