>So, I have been forced to acknowledge something that I always know but always seem to forget. I internalize stress. Not every time, mind you. Sometimes, I can be snappish. But, as a rule, it manifests itself this way: fatigue, illness, insomnia. I’ve had all recently. Another thing I always do is ignore the proven fact that if I exercise, I feel better. Ultimately, I end up looking better, too, but feeling better is far more important.

In the past few weeks, I have had more than enough bouts of not sleeping through the night, I had strep throat for the first time in my life, I sprained my right foot, and last night, at 3:00 am, I was plagued with giant, red hives all over my body. When I went to the doctor this afternoon, contrary to popular public opinion, the doc suggested that the hives were simply due to not having ventilated the room well enough last night when Chris and I were painting primer on the walls of his current (our future) living room. He questioned if it was well-enough ventilated at one point, but I kind of blew it off. Yipes was I sorry when the clock struck three! What a miserable day. I stayed at school and tried my best not to lapse into snappishness, but I was surely glad to have those two steroid shots in my booty twelve hours later! And they were free, which makes them doubly delicious.

Back to popular opinion — everyone kept saying, “It’s probably just the pre-wedding jitters.” I have absolutely no pre-wedding jitters. Isn’t that cool? Seriously, things just keep falling into place, and we have made most of our major decisions. My family is being absolutely amazing, and my friends have lent more than just a few helping hands. Incredible. I am so thankful that somewhere in the past several years, I have been taught the true meaning of friendship, the value of giving without expecting in return, and to always expect the best. I’m not perfect, mind you — I still am a big worry-wart, and my uncanny ability to troubleshoot an idea before setting it into motion (this is often mistaken for shooting down ideas or being unconstructively critical or balloon-popping, by the by) sometimes thwarts the very execution of the idea. In spite of all that still plagues me from time to time, I have still come out on top — I love, I am loved, and I know love. What more do I need?