"Three Weddings and a New Job," starring Miss Cupcake

Planning a wedding forces us to prepare for the changes ahead; it brings to the forefront many emotions and family issues (the good, the bad and the ugly) that give us a glimpse into what lies ahead. Sometimes it's also a little startling to think of the adjustments we may have to make in the future, and it's all a little overwhelming at times.

I have not necessarily been the kind of person to always embrace change: I am a creature of habit who orders the same thing all the time in restaurants, I get emotionally attached to things like pillows and phone numbers, and it usually takes me several months to commit to getting a new hairstyle (and then no one even notices that it's new because it's so close to the old one). I am, by no means, one of those people who could up and move a thousand miles away just for the sake of "change."

Lately, however, so many amazing changes have been occurring in my life and within my family that I am starting to actually look forward to change. As the title of my post may suggest, it has been quite a whirlwind several months for me and my family:

1.) Brother Cupcake, who is four years my senior and my only sibling, got married to fabulous sister-in-law Cupcake in June. They had been together for.... longer than I can remember ;-), and it was such a touching day to see my brother join in marriage with such a wonderful woman. (I get a little verklempt just thinking about it!)

2.) My spectacular mother, whose spectacularness I could never sum up in a million words, is getting married! She and my dad got divorced when I was ten, and she dated a bit here and there over the years, but six years ago she met an amazing man who has since really become a part of our family. They had been talking about making it official for a little while, and I asked her about this over Thanksgiving, but she said they thought they'd wait until after my wedding. I said, why wait?????? Go for it! Maybe not all brides would feel this way, but it is so wonderful to see my mother happy and in love, and I didn't want them to feel like they had to wait on account of me and Mr. Cupcake (after all, we don't own the entire year of our wedding, do we?). I knew it would be something small and tasteful, and they talked it over and decided to get married this February. We are so, so excited for them, and thrilled to be officially gaining a new member of the family.

3.) Mr. Cupcake and I are getting married! (Okay, so this one's pretty obvious!) Sometimes it still surprises me that I'm "allowed" to get married. I don't always feel like an actual adult who can handle such responsibilities, but then Mr. Cupcake and I will be talking about the bills or swooning over flatware to add to our registry, and it hits me: yup, I'm a grown-up alright! Adjusting to the changes of living with someone and talking about what our "forever" is going to hold has certainly been something new, but it has been fun and eye-opening, and it makes me look forward to even more changes that we can make together.

4.) In October, I started a new job at a place that has been a complete change of pace from my last job (which sometimes bored me to tears). And just this week, I started a new position within the same company, so I'm essentially starting my second job after only three months of doing the first one! I'm not going to lie: it has been a little challenging to not lose my mind over learning new systems and meeting new people in addition to trying to plan a wedding, but it has actually been quite a welcome change. I may have abandoned a few things on my wedding "to-do" list for November and December, but it has been worth it to come home feeling happy and fulfilled at the end of the day. Mr. Cupcake has certainly noticed a positive change in my mood, so I think he'll ultimately be marrying a happier Miss Cupcake when the day comes :-)

So, in case you lost count, that's three weddings and a new job, all in the span of 15 months. It might have been too much for the old Miss Cupcake to handle, but these are the kind of changes I have come to welcome and embrace.

How have you dealt with the changes of looking ahead to becoming a wife, amidst all the other uncontrollable changes happening around you?