When Paolo proposed last April, we thought one year is plenty of time to prepare for a wedding.

We now know it’s not.

The last few months have especially been crazy. All of our weekends and after office hours are spent driving to and from places to look for things that we did not know existed, meet old and new suppliers, and basically spend most of our money.

We have been stirred around and thrown about. And, if this wedding has taught us anything, it is that being an adult takes so much more than putting on a suit and logging time at the office.

We’ve met so many interesting people. We learned that not all salesmen are pleasant. Some may even act like you need them more than they need your fees. We learned to balance our checkbooks and budget our finances (or the lack of it). We learned that our families support our marriage and are eager to contribute in heartwarming ways to make our wedding happen. We learned that friends are blessings because they will give you good advice, whether you ask for it or not. We learned to acknowledge fear and the occasional need to imagine strangling another person. We learned the values of trust, patience, and respect. Most importantly, we realized how perfect God’s plan is for allowing us to experience all of these things together.

It’s now less than a month before our wedding. The reality of all of it is starting to sink in. In fact, I’m moving in ahead of Paolo to our new apartment tomorrow. We’re wrapping up details and we’re good to go.

You know, I’m beginning to think we’re not going to goof up our wedding day after all.

WE’RE GETTING MARRIED! HOORAH!

- Paolo and Gladys (for and on behalf of Paolo)