Bridesmaid Babblings

It's 2:24 a.m. I need to be awake in 4 hours and 36 minutes. Obviously, it is the perfect time to blog.

In recent and exciting news, one of my nearest and dearest friends from college got engaged. I mean, yes, we all knew it was coming, and I even knew her fiancee (also a good friend) had the ring seven months ago, but still, when it actually happens, it's incredibly exhilarating. I imagine it must be even more exciting for her, but I'm not one to offer discourse on how it must feel to know you're getting married in the very near and real future (more about this later, which you can take as either a promise or a threat).

Now, I have been to a decent amount of weddings, especially considering the fact that I am only 22. I have plenty of friends who have already been in more weddings than I have attended, but I consider them the anomalies. In any case, I will let you in on a little secret that actually isn't anywhere near a secret:

I. love. weddings.

A few weeks ago, at a cocktail party, my fellow seminarians and I went around the circle and said what we would be doing if we weren't in seminary. I appreciated that we didn't say what we would be doing if we weren't going to be pastors, because, shock of all shocks, there are some of us in seminary who are not going to be ordained pastors. But I digress. As we went around, a few people said that they would be teaching or writing, and there were some other more diverse career paths that I cannot remember because, let's face it, it was a cocktail party. When it was my turn, I revealed that, even though I wanted to be a teacher for a really long time, I would most likely be planning weddings for a living. Let me reiterate: I. love. weddings.

If I could go to a wedding every weekend, I would be deliriously happy. I giggle with glee when friends start posting facebook albums full of pictures from the weddings they've attended. I don't care if I knew the bride or the groom, where the wedding took place, what the color scheme was...I could look at wedding pictures all day long. I'm intentionally not following wedding photography blogs on blogger because I do need to pass my classes. I love anything that has to do with weddings. It's really more of an obsession than an interest.

That being said, I practically passed out with joy when said newly-engaged best friend (ALP, as she will be known henceforth) asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding. I've never been in a wedding before, and I couldn't be more honored to be asked to be in this one. It's even more exciting because, as I mentioned, her soon-to-be husband (JD, for space's sake) is also a good friend of mine, so there won't be any of the awkwardness of "who is this guy you're marrying?" going on. Added bonus: her maid of honor is her younger sister (RP), who I've met a few times and is completely fantastic, and the other bridesmaid (LFT) is my other best friend from college! LFT and I always have more fun than I believe is legally allowed at dances and weddings, so ALP & JD's wedding is going to be absolute insanity. Oh my word, I am excited.

As of now, the wedding is potentially in July of 2010...meaning I have about ten months to get Bridesmaid Hot. I'm going to be honest here: ALP, RP and LFT are flat-out hot. We don't mince words here at the seminary, in case you haven't noticed. I would like to be hot as well. So, that means a few things:

• Raid my fridge and eliminate anything that is disgustingly unhealthy. This should be easy, since my fridge is kind of empty now.
• Only get lunch in the refectory (read: mini-cafeteria) on days that have healthier food. Sadly, this means I will not get to experience the wing bar or creamy pasta sauces, but I will indulge in huge plates of salad with generous portions of cucumbers, carrots and broccoli, a sprinkling of sunflower seeds, and some fat-free dressing.
• Eliminate soda from my vocabulary. This is very difficult, especially when it tastes so good mixed with a little bit of rum. Which brings me to my next point...
• Cut down on alcohol consumption. Honestly, I don't drink that much (and I'm not just saying that, it's actually true). It's like my incredibly-strict-on-alcohol undergrad institution is still looking over my shoulder with every sip, so it's a little like a guilt trip every time! But sometimes, when we're sitting around a campfire and having a grand old time, we lose track and have one too many watermelon Smirnoffs, and then all you have is a stomachache and empty calories coursing through your body. Unnecessary.
• Use that YWCA pass! The seminary pays for most of our yearly memberships, so students only have to pay $25 for a whole year at the Y. This is an incredible deal, which I did take advantage of. I've gone to a few Zumba classes (Latin dance workout...incredible) and I've used the elliptical a few times, but I have not been diligent. Tragically, an increase in workout time means getting up at 5:00 so I can be at the gym by 5:15 (it's a blissful two-minute walk from my apartment), back by 6:00 and ready for my 8:30 class. This will require quite a bit of motivation, but it's probably the most necessary part of this plan.
• Get more sleep. I'm currently running on an average of 5 hours a night. That is definitely not enough. In addition to making me unhealthier overall, when I'm tired, I don't feel like cooking. When I don't feel like cooking, I end up eating something quick, easy and really unhealthy, or something that a friend cooks, which is delicious and home-made, but also really unhealthy.

So, on that note, I should probably get to sleep, since I now have 3 hours and 53 minutes until my alarm is going off. And it's not like I can hit snooze and roll back over for a few more hours. I have to read a lot of material and then write a paper on it, so coherence will be a necessity. Thankfully, God made coffee for this exact purpose.

Although, come to think of it, I should probably cut caffeine from my diet as well. What have I gotten myself into?