1 hour: A different countdown

I can't help but dance in my seat as I write this and think about my latest countdown. This timer has nothing to do with the "16 days till Mrs. Oberle" meeting reminder that popped up at work today. Yes, that one is also significant, but today is a big deal as well. Today Nick comes home.

Nick has been gone for just over two weeks. He was called out to DC for work unexpectedly with a two days notice. He left just days before our one month wedding countdown began. In that time, we have had to find a new apartment in the San Francisco bay area, do some moving, and plan a wedding. Many google hangout video chats later complimented with lots of wine, we are here- the final minutes (54 to be exact) until Nick returns to California soil.

I underestimated my happiness for today. Though this whole period of distance has not been fun, I have prided myself on being able to handle it. It was supposed to mean the distance in between us, the time zone separation between our calls, the lack of physical and often emotional support when usually it would have been readily available, often without asking. And I have handled it! But man, was it difficult.

I find so much strength in Nick. I have thought about this idea and concept before coming to you today because I worried that saying so was almost anti-feminist, anti-Erika, and anti-strength. I felt that saying this was weak. But as I sit here in our old apartment waiting for Nick to land at San Francisco International, I feel so happy! All day people have been commenting in various forms and fashions about a little pep in my step and a little extra twinkle in my eye. And they're right- I'm overjoyed that he is finally coming home.

But strength is different from happiness and joy. When I say that I find strength in Nick I think I mean tht I have a source of stability that also provides support. When I question thoughts I've been honing in on, he refocuses me to reaching their end result and achieving my goals. When I question a choice or an effort I made at work, he knows me well enough that his response isn't a hollow, generic answer, but is instead one formulated by his knowledge of my strengths, weaknesses, settings, and situation. My success is his success. His success is my success. It is truly a team effort.

It is in recognizing and becoming confident in this team effort that I find comfort in identifying my fiancee as a significant source of my strength.  I feel like as I reach this 16 days mark to the wedding as well as creep toward the zero minutes left until he lands that I draw closer to understanding the old idiom of one's spouse being their "better half".  I do not find strength in him because I am the female form in this soon to be union but because I am a half of a whole.  In our ceremony readings the priest will speak about when two become one. .I feel blessed in that fact. I feel blessed that I get to have nick as the other half of my "one".

Who am I kidding- that's so bizarre! I didn't expect this- I thought cold feet was more the norm! But maybe this is one of the reasons why Nick had to go to DC. I think of it like, if you were trying to stand on one foot and your next to a wall, if you start to lose your balance then you can reach out and touch the wall. It might be a solid hold onto the wall, or it might be simply a finger touch to correct yourself.  Often times you touch the wall in such a way you think it doesn't matter, you don't notice, or it simply becomes almost too often to notice.  However, no matter how little you actually relied on the wall, when you completely remove it, its easy for all your balance to go right out the door. Nick going to DC was probably a nice little reminder of how much he means to my balance.

I'm not going to officially "publish" this post until he lands  safely on the ground. There have been too many "hiccups" in our last two months to jinx this part of the journey by assuming something that hasn't happened. But in the meantime, I will keep watching my clock and keep watching my phone. I want to shout at the top of my lungs, "watch out world"! I want them to know the power couple is back in town.

Three week countdown

I've been meaning to write this for a while now. When Nick proposed on October 22nd last year, I meant to write it. I meant to write it after we returned to the US from meeting his grandmother in Germany- sort of a "it's 2017 and I'm getting married" post. When that didn't happen and we drove across the country, stopping at as many random towns and restaurants as we could find, I resolved I would end each day with a post of the places we saw and cuisine we sampled. Instead, we finished each day with a big meal and an early lights out time in order to be out the door the next morning by 5am.

Finally, a week and a half ago the one month left mark hit. I knew it was now or never. So much of life had been changing. So much about the wedding had been progressing. If I didn't capture it now, I would lose my opportunity. Considering how today, June 25th is significantly closer to July 14th than June 14th, I technically lost my opportunity. Today I took a 15 minute Lyft ride to a 50 minute bus ride to connect me to a 25 minute train ride to a shuttle stop which, after 15 minutes of patiently waiting, got me on a shuttle to the local craft store. While I was riding bus #1 over the Golden Gate Bridge, I couldn't help but stare out at the Pacific and reflect how far I have come, both in life and in location. From sea to shining sea. So, 253 days later, here I am finally writing a blog about the adventures of Erika from America.

253 days ago I wanted to start this blog to recount the beautiful and eventful details of Nick's amazing proposal in Galveston, Texas. He couldn't have planned a better day for our two year anniversary. As the night drew to a close we grabbed a taxi to the pier, a carnival spot I had been wanting to see since we decided to visit the island. What happened next deserves its own blog post, but because I missed that opportunity, I will sum it up. Basically- a) Cab driver was very rude and not happy b) cab driver's debit card machine did not work c) we say we will get out of the car because we have no cash d) cab driver threatens to call the cops e) Nick frantically runs to an ATM at the amusement park/theme park since it is the proposal spot and closes in thirty minutes f) cab driver locks me g) we finally realize the credit card, not debit, is working and I'm able to exit the car h) we make it in the amusement park i) Nick successfully got the girl.

Every step of wedding planning has been similar to the proposal. Perfectly planned out. Great execution. Everything in our control runs seamlessly. But, without fail, every step is met with a twist. Top five twists of our wedding plans:
1) We miscommunicated the instructions for addressing the invitations to the calligrapher and so every invitation was addressed to the wrong family
2) We have an after party planned to be held at Nick's parent's house after the wedding. On our drive across the country, two and a half months before the wedding, an offer is made on his parent's house. This house has been on the market for twenty years! In that time it has had two offers. One, fifteen years ago, and the second, a month ago. This one is actually going to go through, which is amazing! But, the Oberle's have to be out of the house the weekend after the wedding, which is only because they requested the buyer to move back the date.
3) On that drive across the country, our priest called to tell us that he will be switching parishes and will no longer be officiating our wedding. The priest that will is newly ordained and we will be his first wedding. He started at our church on June 14th... We still haven't heard from him... I'm sure he's great though.
4) Nick and I moved out to San Francisco in the midst of all this. We thought it was a good idea. All bosses were supportive, especially mine since my job was the initial offer. We thought Nick's position was set to be remote but things didn't work out as planned. So, with two days notice, he was requested to return to the national office. He'll be back in four days, but these have been 20 very long days.
5) All wedding party members who were expected to drive to the wedding are now flying. The last time I was in Arizona, I delivered at least two boxes of glassware to each person, dependent on when that individual would be arriving in Colorado. This means that my dad will be responsible for getting all of these moving parts and boxes into his possession and bringing them safely to the wedding. This driving versus flying development was surprising, yes, but so far nothing bad has happened.

Today I spent the day commuting across the bay area. After my trains, planes, and automobiles this morning I was able to successfully acquire the rest of my supplies for wedding crafts, and then make my way to our old apartment in Berkeley, which still has most of our belongings. After grabbing a backpack full, suitcase full, purse full, and carrying a couple poster boards, I made my way back on the two hour commute to Marin County. This time though, I decided to spice it up with a little ferry trip! The round-trip experience really made me reminisce about my time in the Philippines. Long term travel was an art and I had mastered it. Who am I to complain about a five hour trip to get the rest of my wedding supplies!

Every day in at least the last two months has had one significant commonality: everyone keeps Nick and I on our toes. Each of those times I intended to start writing again was brought on by a slew of events that really makes one raise an eyebrow to and ask, "really"? To someone longing to rekindle their passion for writing, all the opportunities for events to recount seemed to good to be true! And yet, with each one's passing came a new day and a new 24 hours for something to creep into. I think three weeks to go will be an amount of time that gives me the opportunity to turn this more into a literary excursion instead of a drawn out blog that begs its author to fill it with the typical, "ten things to do at your bridal shower" or "how to get the best dresses". This is simply me and my adventures. Luckily for you, right now I'm three weeks away from the adventures of a lifetime.