next steps

so two major hurdles are completed. we got the church (i paid the deposit last friday), and we got the hotel for the reception (we signed the contract and paid the deposit last saturday). that takes a load off! this saturday we are actually going to a pre-marriage experience. here's what it encompasses:

These one day sessions are for engaged couples who are being married for the first time. Engaged couples who attend these sessions have not been previously married to each other civilly nor have they been previously married to another party (e.g., annulment, widowed). These sessions address such topics as:

1. Sacrament of Matrimony
2. Family of Origin
3. Communication
4. Decision-Making

These sessions provide an opportunity for engaged couples to assess their readiness for marriage and to assist them in understanding that marriage is a Vocation, a Covenant and a Sacrament.

it's only one day, unlike those engagement encounters that last an entire weekend. but i do hope we learn more about each other, or at least how to better communicate. both of us have very different ways of expressing ourselves, and maybe we can broach that through this experience. i wish we were doing the weekend encounter, because i think those delve into more self-development and introspection, but, we do what we can. maybe we can do the engagement encounter some next year...we still have plenty of time.

other than signing the contract for the reception site, i took a break from wedding stuff this weekend. it was GREAT! but i'll get back to it again as i start looking through magazines to find my dress... :-) :-) :-)