Getting skinny to begin the rest of your life.

So, I apologize to RW, who must read all of the media-blogs for our class.

It seems she may be getting a double dose of marriage and engagement posts, atleast for a couple of weeks.

Since I have been engaged, I have started looking at wedding websites and magazines. The planning has begun! (To be scaled back when I get a budget together.)

I have noticed an unfortunate theme on many websites, in many magazines, and even on the ads facebook has been putting on my sidebar.

"Get skinny in time for the big day!"
"How brides successfully lose!"
"10 best wedding diet tips"

--These are just a few of the headlines I have seen.

I have, for most of my teenage life, attempted some sort of dieting. Once I stayed on the Atkins diet for several months. Last summer, I dieted, counted calories, and ran at 6 am every morning before work. Even now, though I have no structured diet regimen, I do attempt to eat healthy, and think, "I have to be careful, or I'll gain." every time I eat chocolate.

The media has no doubt influenced my ideas and perceptions of what is beautiful. I fully realize this. However, I draw the line right Here. (See line below)
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My reasoning is this--

If my fiancee loved me enough to ask me to be his bride, that means he loves me as is. He doesn't expect me to shed 20 pounds before I become his wife.

I am a college student taking 19 hours, working 20 hours a week at a grocery store and also being an editor-in-chief of the student publication on campus.

I am very busy. I now must begin planning my wedding. I realize this semester will be stressful and crazy. While not eating would save time so I could accomplish all of my other tasks, and save money to put towards my wedding, I do not have time to diet. It takes effort, counting calories, etc. The added stress of such a feat is not worth losing a few pounds. Not at this point in my life, anyway.

Most actually gain weight when they marry. I believe I will strive for consistency. Instead of losing weight before marriage, only to regain it after the wedding, I may well save my dieting until after the stress of the wedding is over. Then, I will strive to stay consistent and not gain weight. (As two college students, we wouldn't be able to afford new jeans anyway!)

I'm engaged! (How my MediaChoices influenced my proposal experience)

The night begun like any other. We went to eat at our favorite restaurant, Colton's. It's not incredibly romantic, but I get my steak, so that's pretty wonderful. Then, we walked around downton, and rested on the bench where we had our first "moment." He claims he knew I was wondering if this would be a special night, so to throw me off track, he purposefully irritated me. He knows exactly how to push my buttons. Needless to say, I had a few ruffled feathers. Then, he took me to the UCA fountain where, amist a light drizzle, he knelt on one knee and asked me to be his bride. He pulled out the ring and placed it on my finger as I said "Yes."

We walked back to my car, hand in hand. I stopped, looked him in the eye and said, "Did you really just propose?!"

He said, "Yes, was it not memorable?"

I reassured him that he did it wonderfully, "but it was supposed to be in slow motion like the movies."

He kindly offered to ask me again in slo-mo, like Dory speaking whale.

Though I declined, it hit me how much my MediaChoices have influenced my perception of what a proposal should be like. Romantic. Perfectly orchestrated. No ruffled feathers. And it should be at least a 5 minute scene, 10 if he does it right.

Unfortunately, reality set in. I realized that "Will you marry me?" is a simple 4-word question that takes all of maybe 5 seconds to ask. "Yes." takes maybe 1 second. Throw in a few "I love you"s and some other gag-worthy phrases and you might have a 2 or 3 minute proposal. Maybe.

It is insane how much the media influences us without our consent. I've always expected a proposal like those of Disney movies. I didn't realize it until it didn't happen, but I always have. My expectations are definately not from reality. They are from a girl who loved fairytales. While I have my own Love Story (written by God!), I still find those fairytales intruding into my expectations.