If you want to put your marriage to the test just a month in, try electrical work. With a colorblind person.

This weekend, our goal was to tackle the hallway lights that haven’t (happy to report, now hadn’t) worked for more than a year and the 1980s-style track lighting kitchen situation. It only took a couple of trips to Lowe’s and no one was electrocuted. In a few hundred dollars and an afternoon’s work, we both fixed the hall lights (below) and came up with a much better solution for our kitchen/bar area. Success? Sure!

Home improvement projects, even if we’re both a little edgy and Jeff doesn’t like to ask where stuff is at Lowe’s, make me excited for our future. A future filled with big and small projects to make a house our home. It’s not that bad, we’re sort of handy. We just need more tools, I think.

We’re close to the days of looking and falling in love with houses, and I’m really ready to close the condo chapter of our lives. I’m most excited for our dog to have a yard.

With our eye on the prize, we’re getting our very lovely condo ready. Fixing what’s broken, painting, new carpeting, giant windows cleaned. When I worked in real estate in college I learned quickly that for-sale homes were beautiful. “Your home is its most beautiful when you sell it, ” people would say. So very true.

I do feel like she – the condo – deserves the work; lots of amazing memories here – where we met, got Jack, fell in love, got engaged. She’s been a good home.

But, we’re ready.

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?
After a lot of anticipation, planning and excitement, we traveled with 12 of our favorite people to a different country, the Dominican Republic. There, we said beautiful vows and declared we’d spend our lives together. I’m a wife!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I could have done way better. My goal was to get organized. In some senses, I have. Paperwork sort of lives in the same place, we have a fire safe box on our list of things we need to buy for the condo, we’re likely listing our condo in the spring, we’re paying off debt at a decent pace and I’m throwing things away. However, I did not ever buy a file cabinet, which could have helped tremendously in that New Year’s Resolution. I’ll put that on my 2012 list.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes. Two of my lovely girlfriends both had baby girls a few months ago.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Thank God, no. And I pray this year will be the same.

5. What countries did you visit?
Dominican Republic. It does go down as one of the most beautiful places in all of existence. I say so.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you didn’t have in 2011?
I’d really like a house. And we’re ready. We have a lot of memories and elbow grease in this condo, but I think we’re kind of just outgrowing it. We know it’s going to take a lot of work, an investment of time and money to get our condo ready to sell. Again, I think we’re ready. So, if you know anyone who wants to buy a condo….

7. What dates from 2011 will be etched upon your memory, and why?
December 9 will be a day to remember.

8. What was your biggest achievement of this year?
I think I really got on top of all of my stupid debt, as I like to call it. I’ve made a goal of  being debt-free when I turn 30 (except a mortgage), which means my car has to last a couple more years and I have a few things left to get to a zero balance. We’re well on our way.

9. What was your biggest failure?
I should have blogged and/or written more. Being engaged and those months leading up to our wedding were filled with great emotion and memories. It’s one of those times of your life you think you’ll always remember how it feels. Then you get married, which I feel is already starting to trump how great engaged was. So yeah, I just wish I would have written more.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Not really. It was a healthy year. And I’m praying for another healthy year in 2012.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
There are several. A wedding dress, Jeff’s wedding ring, plane tickets, souvenirs on our trip (even though I was reluctant to buy all those necklaces, it is fun to say, “Oh this? Got it on my honeymoon!”), a new refrigerator (in hindsight) and a lot of coffee.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My best friend’s. This is a cheesy Manda-style answer, but I was so proud of her for trying so many new things on vacation.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
This would be very fun to write about if my blog was anonymous. Mouth shut.

14. Where did most your money go?
Toward our wedding and trip, which I’d say was well worth it.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
In 2011, I think we went out of our comfort zone more than we ever have and invited people over to eat. Yeah, it’s small and all of our rooms are pretty much one, but I think we learned that people don’t really care when there’s good food and drinks to be had. It all works out, even with a lot of people. Each time we’d be anticipating people, I’d be in my happy place. The kitchen buzzin’, beer cracked, something in the oven, the whole nine yards. 

16. What song will always remind you of 2011?
There are so many. The interesting thing about break up songs is they translate well to “my friend is dead” songs. Some parts of the heartbreak feel the same I guess. Just about every cheesy song on the radio speaks to me, and I hate it. So there.

Early in the year, I fell in love with the Avett Bros “January Wedding.” And then spend the rest of the year rockin’ out to songs like “Marry You,” Bruno Mars, “Marry Me,” John Mayer, One Republic’s “Good Life,” Widespread Panic’s “Airplane” and Stockholm Syndrome’s “Wisconsin Death Trip.”

But really, the song that has to take the top spot is Jason Mraz’s “Lucky.” We found a part-Spanish version and I walked down the aisle to it.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
Happier, about the same, richer.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
As stated earlier, I wish I’d done more writing. This is my year.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
I’d like to say worrying. But the thing about it is, I worry about things that are important to me and sometimes it makes me angry at the people who tell me, “Just don’t worry about it,” as if they are dismissing what is important to me. So I don’t know, maybe I need a therapist. I carry a lot of worry with me. Some of it valid, a lot of it not.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
Married. That was pretty cool.

21. Did you fall in love with 2011?
Yep.

22. What was your favorite TV program?
“Top Chef” is my go-to. And just recently, we’ve begun “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” which is hilarious.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I think I’m pretty much a hate-free person. I like most people.

24. What was the best book you read?
Ohhh, reading. What’s that?

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Couch tour. It became trendy this year for bands to live-stream their concerts. So, essentially, you grab your friends, some drinks and snacks and you veg out on the couch while listening to a live concert. I, being the lazy and slightly social awkward person I am, would rather be at home in my living room than crushed in between a bunch of unshowered wannabe hippies. Just sayin’.

26. What did you want and get?
I wanted a vacation. A real one. We took one and it was fabulous. So fabulous that we’ve already narrowed choices for our 2012 vacation.

27. What did you want and not get?
I still need to paint my upstairs bathroom. I want that, a lot.

28. What was your favorite film of 2011?
Yeah, right. Funny.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 28, that I know.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Planning a wedding brings out the opinions of everyone, even those who don’t think they are giving you their opinions. Since I’m a worrier, hearing everyone’s opinion was really hard on me because even when their next sentence is, “but it’s your wedding, do what you want,” it’s hard not to hear what they want while making your decision. This vicious cycle took up a lot of time and tears in 2011 and I wish I would have learned a better way to deal with it. If I could have dealt with it all better, I think I could have been more at peace with my decisions.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2010?
Lots of dresses.

32. What kept you sane?
Living only five minutes from my job has been really good for me. I’m thankful for the life-change that made it possible.

33. What political issue stirred you the most?
Gahh.

34. Who did you miss?
Beck.

35. Who was the best new person you met?
The co-workers that came along with my job in May are pretty awesome.

36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.
It’s about the marriage, not the wedding. Even though I loved every ounce of our wedding, I reminded myself of this frequently in 2011 while we were planning. I think we started our marriage at a great point in our lives and I think we both have a vast amount of knowledge and tools, which will aid in keeping us strong and making us work.

37. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
“You wear while and I’ll wear out the words, “I love you” and “You’re beautiful.” Because. I. Can.

Last year’s entry.

I’m not sure where I fall. 2011, like every year, brought ups and downs, lessons and defeats. It also brought my wedding day – December 9, 2011, which goes down in my our history as the best day of our lives. December 5-15 was a close second for us; the trip was the time of our lives.

With that, 2011 was good to me.

There’s really no way I’d rather start 2012 than as married. I’m Jeff’s wife, and there’s nothing I don’t love about that.

May your 2012 be silly, happy, fun, healthy, full of good food and wine and a memory-maker.

We had, what I would call, a long engagement. On purpose. We wanted to save for every ounce of the cost of our wedding – I should say we did have some help from our parents – and pay for it in cash. Nothing would go on a credit card to just pay for later. We’d not add on any extra detail we could not afford. And, we’d only do extra things on our trip if we could pay for them in cash.

We won. We added things onto our wedding package, we ordered extra nice bottles of wine at dinner, we flew in a helicopter to our resort and we bought souvenirs and extras. Because we could.

I may be patting myself on the back a little here, but I don’t care. The truth is, we worked hard and saved really hard for our wedding and vacation. Somewhere in the mix of planning and working and crunching numbers, our priorities became a little different, our savings account (the first real one we’ve had in our six plus years together (yes I’m admitting that on the Internet)) grew.

The bigger lesson, for us though, is that we should take vacations. Every year, we should be hopping on an airplane or driving across the country or whatever. We should be doing it.

And in planning the trip of our lives, we fell in love with the idea of vacationing. We’ve made it a priority. Most importantly, we’ve started talking about – and saving for – our one year anniversary trip. We’re thrilled for what’s on the horizon.

For Christmas, my thoughtful husband (who, by the way, always wins the award for best gift around here), bought me a nicely framed travel map. The kind you get to stick pins in every time you travel somewhere. There’s also a pin for your favorite vacation and next vacation. I cannot wait until we select a location for next year’s vacation so I can put the pin there! I also cannot wait to add a lifetime of red pins as we travel the world together.

“Wifey” rolls of his tongue easily. He’s proud, and honest and I know likes the ring “Mrs. Potts” has to it. Truth is, I do, too.

After six and a half years, plus some days, intertwined with a few “we so aren’t going to make it” fights and more memories than we could ever put down in writing, I am Jeff’s wife. Already, there is no one I’d rather be.

The wedding day was perfect. Even the rain; they say that’s good luck. All of the memories – from a carriage ride to my groom, to a stolen fruit basket, to the sand stuck in my overly hair-sprayed up-do – happened right there in front of 12 of the most amazing people we know. There aren’t words, especially after spending a week on vacation together, to thank our very lovely families and very dear friends.

In true Jeff and Mandy-style we smiled through our vows and cheered when we were pronounced husband and wife.

We took beautiful photos on the beach. The kind with hearts drawn in the ocean sand and wet toes and flowers in my hair. The kind with kisses and the smell of hairspray when the ocean rolls in a storm to produce just enough rain.

We drank champagne under the palm trees and gave toasts to all those – present and not present – important to us. We laughed like kids; we are giddy and in love. I didn’t know it possible, but I’ve fallen even more in love with Jeff during the last couple of weeks. He surprises me each time he opens his mouth and heart.

Anyone who knows me knows I’ve wanted this marriage with Jeff for a lot of years. And now that all is said and done I can tell you from the most honest place of my soul: He was worth waiting for. This – both of us being here and ready and all in – was worth every second.

And so, we’ve begun our life-long celebration. We’re happy, enjoying “married.”

Seriously. We were engaged in June 2010 and we started counting down for the vacation when we booked our trip MORE THAN 300 days ago. And now, I’ll be married in less than one week. It’s surreal and exciting and overwhelming and the funnest anticipation ever.

I think we’re mostly packed. My dress has been steamed and is already at my mom’s house, we’ll leave tomorrow to get Jack to his home for the next 10 days (oh my, we’re going to miss him) and we’re just ready. Ready for the trip, ready to marry each other, ready to have the time of our lives.

With that, I’ll see you on the married side. The happily, happy married side.

As Saturday night approaches and unfolds, I guess it’s fair to say we’re all faking it. I mean, life’s different now. My girlfriends have to get home to nurse babies and make bedtimes. No one’s really interested in staying up until wee hours of the morning, crashing three to a bed in some overpriced hotel room that we had to cab it to. Instead, there are arrangements and excuses and the “I can only make it to dinner.” And you know, I don’t really care. I’d rather sleep in my own bed, too.

Our party of a dozen or so girls won’t look like it did at 22, either. I’m very OK with that. In general, there’s less makeup, bitchiness and fake. About half of us are close to middle age, the rest of us are moms, some grandmas. But the thing is: I wouldn’t really have it any other way. I like my non 22-year-old friends; 28+ is much, much better.

A few book club girls, a few old co-workers, a few people I’ve known a long time, thrown in a BFF. It’ll be all people I care about and the restaurant is good, which is at the top of my priority list for an evening out.

It will be fun. And you’ll probably even spot me along what the cool kids call “The Ave” with a tiara. You might even catch me drinking from a penis straw or letting that cute young 20-something guy remove a Lifesaver from my Tshirt with his teeth (gasp!). I will bachelorette the best way I know how. It is what it is. A little different than I envisioned it would be. But hey, I’m not exactly the burn-the-midnight-oil-type, either.

I guess the difference at 28 years old, six and a half years into this love life of mine is there is no celebration for my last night as a free woman. I haven’t desired to be a free woman in years and it doesn’t seem any more appealing three weeks before we tie the knot. For me, one of the appealing parts about marriage is actually that I will never have to be single again; I’ll be freed from the bulltshit one night stands, and games and pillow talk and lies and pretending and gahhh, dating sucked.

I do plan to give it my all on Saturday night. I’ll totally drink that extra beer knowing I have a safe ride home. But as life would have it, my lovely fiance will pick me up from the bar. I’ll fall asleep next to him, drool on my pillow and cry for Advil in the morning when I have a headache, and he’ll take care of me. I’ll be reminded that drool and sweatpants and headaches are the very real life I’m signing up for. And, that is a celebration. I like this life, sweatpants and all.

In just a few weeks, I’ll be free from being a bachelorette for forever. I’ll raise my glass to that! See you at the bar.

Tonight, I slipped into a dress – my wedding dress – that fits me perfectly. It hugs me like it should and it makes me feel like a princess. I may have even held back a tear. I feel beautiful. I cannot wait for Jeff to see me in that dress. I think his heart will flutter. And so will mine. In just ONE month.

I wasn’t one of those little girls that had this whole day planned out in my head. And, I didn’t have a description of the perfect husband drafted. However, I did know he met every criteria that night I met him in 2005, just as I knew it was the dress the second I zipped it up and looked in the mirror. YOU GUYS, in one month I’m gonna marry him! In the pretty dress!

I’m so excited to be the girl that gets to prove to this guy – the one I love – that happily ever after and forever exists. I’m so lucky I get to be his wife. I absolutely love my life, this life…our life.

The countdown is on…go.

And so, I pulled up my big girl panties and through sobs made the appointment. You all know my insecurities over the dentist, which was nothing compared to this. Pretty much, take those insecurities, multiply by 30 hundred, add in zero coffee and comfort food and you get one really strung out girl. Don’t add in that part where right before they put me out (with a needle), the nurse agreed I was crazy to do the procedure THISCLOSE to my wedding. Gee thanks. Of course, they had to tell me all the complications that could occur a month from now…when we’re in Dominican Republic. Lame.

So, through tears, I let them put the needle in and I quickly fell into what regular people call a “twilight sleep,” (doctors HATE that term, I’ve learned) and before I knew it I was waking up with four less teeth, poofy eyes and what felt like a punch to the jaw.

Like a champ, Jeff met me in the recovery room, told me I was still beautiful and headed straight to the pharmacy to pick up my meds because I was already crying from the pain. Only one part of my mouth hurt – the one impacted tooth – and it hurt all the way up my face and into my ear. Like nothing I’d ever felt. Not so bad, people will tell you. They lie.

Chicken soup and jello and smoothies followed. That first afternoon I slept with ice packs wrapped around my face because I was determined not to end up with a yellow or purple face. Luckily, I do think I won that battle. My face looks normal on the outside just a few days out.

And then I got sick from the pain medicine and subsequently spent six or seven hours barfing. With nothing in my system to barf. The force, OH MY GOD, the force. I spent the entire night with no pain meds in myself throwing up one day after getting four teeth ripped from my head. It was the single worst night of my entire life. And, I stand by that.

New meds, which included anti nausea-types, were prescribed and I’m back on track and will likely make a full recovery. I might even lose an extra seven pounds, which will definitely be appreciated when I pull on that wedding gown in one month and two days.

Word to the wise: Don’t do what I did.

However, I survived.

My best friend, along with my mom, are throwing me a bridal shower on Saturday. For me. A bridal shower. OH EM GEE. I’m getting married. Like, feeeeeer real. And I get a shower!

As an aside: One time my mom told me she was going to a shower when I was a little girl and I took it 100 percent literal and was SO confused. Glad we aren’t all showering together. Moving on.

At first I was overwhelmed about all the people (yes, me) and opening the gifts. But as the RSVPs started to come in – and not come in – I realized who would fill the room on Saturday. And, just like mom and Tina said, “it will be nothing to worry about;” these are the people who love me.

And then I got overwhelmed.

Being wired like I am, it means a lot for people to show up at my best friend’s house, an hour from where I live and not exactly right next door to Madison or Milwaukee where many will come from. Most people will travel to get there. And you know, sometimes it feels weird to have people go out of their way for you.

The guest list does sound delightful – Oshkosh friends, high school friends, family, Beck’s mom, all of my book club ladies and probably some blasts from the past, too. When I think about all the people sitting around that room, of course I think about all the memories from the time I was a wee one up until now and I get choked up at the thought of all being in one room.

I have a feeling it’ll be emotional. “Not you, Manda,” Beck would say.

Thankfully, I hear all the bases are covered with adequate booze and food that complements my personality (can’t wait to see!). I was promised not too many games and that I didn’t have to entertain, which admittedly feels a little awkward. I’m used to being in the kitchen! So, I guess, instead, it’s a sit-back-and-relax kind of day.

When we were in the thick of getting all the details of this shower together and stress was flying, my best friend shared a secret with me. She told me that the best part of your shower is actually the part where you get home and show your soon-to-be husband everything you got. She said it erases the awkwardness of opening gifts in front of people, even.

And now, until Saturday, I do what I do best. I get excited. And overwhelmed. And emotional. And excited. Because you know what? You do this once. And this weekend it is finally my turn.