How I am getting ready to be a wife

That title sounds a wee bit old fashioned to me. It makes me think of preparing the trousseau, crocheting doilies required to make my household look civil, planning how to stock the pantry, feed the husband and take care of the kids. Can you tell Anne of Green Gables is one of my favorites? Diana Barry gets engaged to Fred and Anne is appalled and makes fun of how many doilies she is crocheting in preparation to getting married and talks to Gilbert about how chubby the kids are going to be? Remember? No? Just me I guess. I can just picture it causing some of you to cringe and maybe think 'why not just concentrate on being you?' or something feminist that I can't imagine because I'm not very feminist.
The thing is, although it makes my stomach feel weird and my heart constrict looking at the words 'preparing to be a wife', that is exactly what I am doing and what I have been doing since I started going out with Patrick. It was clear from the beginning that if we decided to begin courting (I'm sticking with the Green Gables theme here. There's no going back) then it was serious for both of us and we would be in it for the long haul. It was 2 months from Patrick telling me that he liked me and my revisiting the subject and then 3 months of talking, praying, reading the Bible and lots more talking before we decided that we were together and made it official by kissing (and I didn't want an anniversary in August so I said it would be nice if we could take the date in September instead). There are many things I have learned in the past 16 (maybe 17, math is not my strength) months that have made me a better girlfriend, fiancee and person that I won't bore you with here.
But. I was doing some thinking today about the fact that I am getting married (I think about that every once in a while) and what I am doing to get ready and I thought it would be fun to list them here so that I can look back one day and chuckle at myself and also so you can see some of the things that I am thinking about and maybe pray for me as I get ready to make my only little branch of the Honsberg family with Patrick. So, in no particular order:
1. I am trying to get up earlier and get to work earlier. I live above my office. Sometimes I sleep until 10 minutes before work. Not anymore. I get up at 7 (or try to) and am in the office by 8. It's a better work rhythm for me and knowing that before Patrick and I become husband and wife and work team is nice.
2. I am eating better. I don't want to enter this marriage with unhealthy eating habits. Especially when I will be the main provider of food and responsible for the 'health through food' for the man I love.
3. I am trying to give up burping really loudly. Now. This is tough for me admit on here cause only my family and Mareike really know how loud (and disturbingly often) I can burp. And it's gross. I have burped once or twice in front of Patrick. I didn't like it. So this habit needs to be broken and fairly soon (even if it is quite liberating). It's just not lady-like.
4. I am learning to say sorry.
5. I am trying to cut ties with rubbish tv. Ok, ok. I am trying to figure out how I can sneakily watch rubbish tv.
6. I am getting fit. I hear that after a marriage the couple tends to gain weight. Well not with me, calories! And I hear that some of the activities within marriage can be pretty exhausting and I mean to be as prepared as can be.
7. I have already made Mareike promise to force me to talk to people when I am married so that we don't become one of those couples that are insular. Nein, danke!

That's enough. I need to get back to crocheting our marriage blanket. I will not be outdone, Diana!

    (Anne and Diana. Sigh)