I have a lot of younger cousins. Like, 50 a lot. Of course, that’s combining a few sides of the family and including some second cousins in there (some of whom are closer to me than any of my first cousins ever were), but still. We have a huge family and here in about 65 days, my family is going to get even bigger. All the plans are in motion and stuff is really, finally, happening (the invitations will be in the mail by the beginning of next week!). Things are happening so quickly that I can barely spare the time to recount them here for you all. But all the time, my mind is racing and I am thinking about what the future is going to bring to me.

Now, taking into consideration the type of person I am (sentimental, gooey, and painfully nostalgic), June 6 is going to be a very special day. Shoot, even if I was an ice queen I’m sure my wedding day would be special. And it is, for many different reasons. But there’s one I doubt many people think about that comes in somewhere around second to my Super Ginormous Biggest Thing I’ve Ever Done (pledge my love and fidelity to someone for the rest of my days). Any guesses?

This is the biggest family reunion I’ll ever have! And my lands, do I love family reunions! I seriously tried to do this reception potluck (I’d seen it in a few bridal magazines as a trend that is catching on, especially in the south where people never turn down the chance to show up at something that requires a covered dish for admission), but I had a family member tell me it was tacky and I dropped it. You know that for good ol’ Oklahoma folk, “tacky” is code for “don’t you even think about doing that.” Seriously. I’m fairly certain that had I served this idea up in front of my dad, you all would be dining on potato casserole (topped with corn flakes), green been casserole (French’s Fried Onions!), and that marshmallow-pink-Jell-O-Cool Whip bowl of NASTY instead of croissants stuffed with soldfhsoijsldfk and meatballs sautéed in a psdieedksdy reduction sauce.

Yeah, I know. I like casseroles better myself.

Kevin’s family is flying in. Friends that I haven’t seen in years are going to be there. A few are even flying in from out of state for this. Driving miles and miles to get here. And then some are just driving down the road. If you see a cloud of dust rolling toward Duncan that evening, you know where they’re headed.

And wherever you fall in those categories, or even if you belong in one that I didn’t mention, know that after you’ve finished the last of your cake and thrown handfuls of birdseed at us—if it weren’t already the most important day of my life so far, it’d be nearly just that good. Because I get to share it all with you.