And here we go...

Here we are, the night before our wedding. I feel a surprising sense of peace and calmness, especially now that the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner wrapped up a few hours ago. Terry's parents hosted a wonderful, fun dinner (albeit emotional), and we loved everyone's toasts. We held the rehearsal at Campo di Bocce, a bocce ball place that doubles as an Italian restaurant. It was perfect for our little party, and everyone loved the bocce ball games!

The last few days were at times stressful, emotional, frustrating, funny, exciting, and difficult. Mostly, I've loved spending so much time with my family and putting all the finishing touches on our projects. Terry and I are so excited to see everything put together tomorrow.

As for the real part - the marriage part - we just can't wait. It's finally here, finally time to relax and enjoy our nuptials. While we've planned every detail from the dress to the meal to the music, the important part will happen right at 5:00, when our pastor invites our family, friends, and God to witness and bless our marriage. I feel so lucky to have such supportive family, such loving friends, such generous in-laws, and such an incredible man in my life. So until after the wedding, thank you for reading, for supporting us, and for hanging in there throughout The Olive Theory!

Here's to an incredible journey together!

The Olive Theory

The Olive Theory. When Terry and I first heard them, these three words changed our lives. Well, as much as any three words from a CBS sitcom can change someone's life.

The words come from the pilot of the popular series "How I Met Your Mother". In the episode, we learn that two of the main characters, Marshall and Lily, are so perfect for each other because Marshall hates olives, Lily loves them. "In a weird way," says Ted, Marshall's best friend, "that's what makes them such a great couple. Perfect balance." Similarly, Terry loves olives, I hate them.

The Olive Theory ties into our nuptials in more than one way. As I said, after all, the concept changed our lives. First, after that pilot episode, we are now die hard "How I Met Your Mother" fans. Now, I know what you're thinking: "Oh, I love that show!" That's cool and all, but Terry and I are die hard fans. We don't just know the characters, we know what the characters would do in everyday situations. We don't just watch the show every Monday night, we own all of the DVDs - and watch them regularly. We don't just discuss our favorite episodes, we quote our favorite episodes. People think we're weird. We think they're right.

So, okay, we love the show. Maybe more than we should. But that's who we are. We love television. In the same way, we are die hard fans of "Seinfeld", "The Office", and "Friends". We're working on "Arrested Development", "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia", and "30 Rock". We quote these shows on a daily - okay, hourly - basis and find ways to reference them in most situations. I'm not going so far as to say our entire relationship is founded on a silly television show, but we may not be where we are today if it weren't for Ted, Lily, Marshall, Robin, and Barney. Oh, Barney...

If you are just getting to know Terry and me, I hope this blog will provide some insight. Here are some basics:

We met at UCLA. We currently live in Los Angeles. Terry works as an electrical engineer and is pursuing his Master's in the same field; I am a high school English teacher and cheerleading coach. We celebrated our three-year anniversary in July 2009, and Terry proposed on August 21, 2009. We are getting married in July 2011 in the Bay Area, where I grew up. Our favorite way to spend a weekend (if we aren't traveling) is hiking, finding something new to do in LA, cooking together, and going to the movies.

I hope you enjoy our wedding blog! Thank you for reading.