She values her storage space, especially since the house is not as large as we would like it to be. Her bed was on tall legs (almost a foot high) and we could put all sorts of stuff underneath. Mine was on a standard metal frame, which left a little to be desired when it came to stowing things down below.

I know, I might have boosted the height of the Queen sized frame, and that would have solved that problem. But there were emotional attachments involved, and I thought my mattress was rather uncomfortable, so I said “Let’s give it a shot.” And for a while, it was okay.

Now, we’ve rotated her mattress twice, hoping to find out exactly where all the broken springs are (directly underneath MY side, of course.) The bedsheets were made for a – you guessed it – Queen sized bed. We have to put them back on the bed every other night, because they come off when I have to slither out of bed twice a night to let the dog out (Chewie is as high maintenance as any baby could ever be.) Add to this a pregnant wife who can’t sleep on her back, and 54 inches just isn’t enough for two full-sized human beings.

So I have spent two nights on the couch, and they have been the best two nights of sleep I have had in a while. Lonely, yes, very. But also a lot more comfortable, and I was starting to feel the effects of poor-quality slumber. Johanna agrees, she is better able to sleep on her side with a little more room to do so. That settles it, then, our minds are now made up. We will be in the market for a new Queen (or should we make the jump to King?) mattress and frame. I may end up making the frame from some spare 2×4′s I have from my basement construction to save money for the time being…but regardless, the decision is made.

Now we just need to save up or find a crazy-good deal. Saving up will take three months or so (GAH!) Drop us a line if you find anything too good for us to pass up!

Actually, it is all very exciting to me, and I am unable to go back to sleep because I am nervous of what to expect, worried that I will forget to pack something or bring something…I told Johanna that my nerves would hit me this morning, and I was right.

Aiden and James had a sleep-over last night with me, so that Johanna could get ready for the wedding without all the distraction that two young children can produce. Besides that, I have their tuxes and am best suited to get them ready for the whole event, so it seemed only natural that I take them for the morning. At one point, I asked Aiden if he was having a good time on the sleep-over, and he said he was. I told him that starting today, we would have sleep-overs together forever, since he, James, and his Mommy would live with me. He was half asleep, so I didn’t get much of a reaction from him…but I think he was happy with the idea.

Anywho, since I can’t sleep, I thought it might help calm me down if I wrote a little something about this transition, got my feelings into words. This is probably the only time you will find me posting something so personal on this blog…well, until Johanna and I have another kid…that might top this one. But here are some random thoughts that have been fleeting through my mind this morning:

• I wonder if Johanna will like the place(s) I have chosen for us to stay on our honeymoon. (For those of you who are interested, we will be in the Hines Mansion in Provo Friday night, and in Vegas we will be high above the Strip in the Stratosphere)
• I wonder if Aiden and James will start calling me Daddy right away, or if it will take a while.
• I wonder if I am ready to be called Daddy right away.
• I don’t really have a choice in that, I AM Daddy right away.
• I wonder if I will cry at the wedding. I actually hope so.
• I need to get some sunglasses before the wedding. 4 pairs, I think that would be a super-cute picture, Johanna and I and the kids all ‘chillin’ in shades. (Thanks Groves’ for the inspiration on that one)
• I need to remember to pack everything. EVERYTHING.
• I can’t remember the engraving inside my ring ‘word for word’…is that bad?
• I am glad I got a paycheck yesterday, it will make the honeymoon price tag a little less painful.
• I really have had a good single life so far, my family means the world to me.
• I’m talking like I’m at a funeral, they will still mean the world to me.
• Will Dad’s bowtie fit? Will Dad Evelyn’s fit? Will they think I am weird for making them wear real bowties? Will they let me tie them on them?
• Will the temple let me wear my tux shirt through the ceremony, or do I need to quickly iron a white one.
• I had better iron one.
• I love Johanna. LOTS.
• What will happen with the wedding dinner? Will everyone show up on time? I told my friends on the phone that it was at 7:00, but afterwards found out that it was actually at 6:30.
• What will happen between the wedding at the dinner? The wedding ends at 3:45, the pictures take roughly an hour…
• I found out last night that Sarah has a blog…I need to get that address and link to it.
• I hope the car makes the trip to Vegas and back alright. The thing has had trouble starting up lately.
• I need to brush my teeth bad. If Johanna doesn’t kiss me because of bad breath, it would be a really bad omen.
• I hope that she brushes her teeth.
• I can’t brush the kids’ teeth, I don’t have their toothbrushes.
• I’m nervous.
• I’m excited.
• I love technology. But I love Johanna more, you see. But I still do love technology. Always and forever.
• Camels are weird. Why am I thinking about camels? Oh yeah, Rachel made a comment recently about getting proposals from Arabs who had tents in the desert.
• Rachel would probably love to go to the art gallery that Johanna and I are going to.
• Speaking of art…I need to make sure Johanna gives the camera to someone to take pictures at the temple.
• I need to get the memory card out of the computer.
• I love Aiden and James. They are amazing. Even when they are obnoxious, they are amazing.
• I wonder if Chewie will ever behave and get house trained for Johanna.

Enough of this, I have to get ready for the day. I should triple-check all my bags, eat something to soothe my stomach, triple-check things again, etc.

I guess that’s gonna be all for today. Next time y’all hear from me, it’ll be post-honeymoon. Ta-ta!

I don’t yet know all the benefits, but I am sure that I will learn all of those come Monday. For now, I have given the guys at ClearLink until Friday to get things situated so I can “pass the torch” so to speak. It is very short notice, and to help them out, I have agreed that after I start for Love I will contract a few evenings out to them in order to train a replacement. They would pay me for that time.

Another exciting development today was when Johanna and I went to get our marriage license. It was busy there at the Clerk’s office, but when we filled out the paperwork and got the license in hand…it all started becoming VERY real. Johanna and I are so excited.

So the countdown is to 9 days now. Closer and closer the big day creeps. Stay tuned!