A Celebratory Moment...

It's official!!!!  I have purchased my first item in a long list of purchases to be made for the wedding!!  It now begins to feel like a reality and I felt the need to share.  And no before someone asks we still have not settled on a date...  But when I thought about it I decided there were things that needed purchased whether a wedding happens in 7 months or in 15 months so I decided that I would proceed with my purchase.  And I'm sure you are dying of curiosity to know what this momentous purchase was....  Well, anyone who's known me for very long will find it extremely humorous.  My grand first purchase for my wedding was... a book.  Yes, it was a book, not just any book however... It was The Two Towers from the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  Yes, the book does have a purpose and a significance.  You see Lord of the Rings holds special meaning for Dustin and myself.  We've had many conversations that always seem to find their way around to this particular part of the trilogy so when I was inspired to break tradition and use heart cutouts from a book in lieu of actual rose petals, after some thought this book became the obvious choice to me.  As a story that holds special meaning to both of us there was no question of incorporating it into our special day that is the culmination of so many conversations that centered around the characters represented in its pages.  In some ways the characters that Tolkien developed have come to symbolize parts of the journey Dustin and I took which led us to each other.  There were battles to fight not unlike those described in the journey of Frodo and his friends.  There were challenges to overcome so including a piece of this epic journey in a piece of our journey into married life seems very fitting.  I'm finding it is a joy to be able to take time to think about all of the pieces that will make up our special day no matter when it is.  It's fascinating when one idea leads to another which results in a day that represents not a princess moment for me as I always thought I wanted, but a day that represents every piece of the individual stories that brought us together to place where our stories merge into one.  Things that hold meaning for both of us and a day that rather than focusing on the bride I hope to focus on in a rather fitting way a fellowship (our guests) brought together by a ring (the diamond that started us on this path to that day).  As in Tolkien's classic tale there are many people that have made it possible for us to make it to that day when it happens so in truth they are as much a part of the story as are we...  And so I share a joyous moment with my friends here!  A mark in the journey that rather than a moment of tears is a moment of celebration as the preparations for the celebration begin!!!