I clicked through her Facebook album with a lump of vague disdain growing uncomfortably in the back of my throat.  Not two weeks had gone by, and (as if her constant status updates about the number of days hadn't been enough) she had already posted 100-odd pictures of the magical day for the great wide internet world to see.  There was the obligatory dress shot.  There she was cheek to cheek with her perfectly-coiffed bridesmaids, nose-to-nose with her groom, snuggling up to the unnaturally adorable flower girl.  It seemed her magical day had been sunny, perfect, and wonderful.

Except... How could it be wonderful when she was wearing that tiara?  With that cake so fondant-y?  When the bridesmaids were so abundant, and the reception venue alone had--clearly-- cost her parents a cool $10-thou?

It took me two albums to realize I was being unfairly judgemental.  It took me three to realize why.

See, July has been looming large for the past two months or so, and so has TDH's joblessness.  Two weeks ago, we decided to postpone the wedding until further notice.

The truth was, that throat lump wasn't so much about distain as it was about pain.  I wasn't upset that he went up her skirt for the garter or that everything was fully catered.  I was upset because while I'd level-headedly, optimistically put our wedding off, my own sunny, perfect, wonderful day was now back at square one, and her's had come and gone without so much as a cloud.

I'm not envious, not really.  It's just that when your plans go down the tubes, it's easy to feel unjustly slighted when everything's coming up roses for everyone else.  We Limbo Brides (I know you're out there, ladies) just have to remember that all-important lesson we learned from our first attempted bike ride:  let yourself cry a little, pick yourself up, and start again.

Little Miss and her Mr. Aussie are getting married in less than two weeks.  I'm sure the twinge of pain will be back at some point, but it's their day, not mine.  I'm gonna put on my game face, strap on my heels, and have a great time, because some day soon, the sun is gonna shine, and TDH and I will finally, finally be together.

More adventures in shoestring, seat-of-the-pants wedding planning to come :)

It doesn't often come up in polite conversation, but I have a real issue with skin conditions.

When I was in elementary school, it was falling down and smashing my face on things.  When I was in high school, it was a really, really virulent case of verruca vulgaris (aka common warts-- best treatment, by the way, is the one where they inject mild chemo drugs at each site... but that's a story for another day).

But my biggest battle, the one that has outlasted the rest and caused me the most irritation, self-esteem issues, and annoyance, is with acne.

To give you an idea, here's a pic of me a year ago:



Those big red splotches are mostly cystic acne.  This is the kind that gets waaay under your skin and makes scars, and I had a lot of it.

Now I know acne doesn't seem like that big of an issue compared to a debilitating disease or a mental disorder, but I can vouch for many, many men and women that being a serious pizza face messes with your life.  Not only can it be painful and itchy, but it's the only part of you everyone always sees, and not everyone will judge you nicely.

Luckily, I'm at the other side now.  After many, many months, I am nearly acne free, and I rarely have cystic acne issues.  I count myself blessed, but I know there are still brides (and grooms) out there who are staring down their wedding day and feeling dismal about their skin, and I want to let you know that there is hope!  Here's what worked for me:

• Eating Right-- Believe it or not, what you put in your body affects your skin just as much as your other organs (did you know your skin was an organ??).  So while chocolate might not cause pimples, not drinking enough water and eating potato chips 24/7 will definitely affect your skin.  I try to eat right every single day.
  
• Getting Enough Sleep-- Just like food, sleep intake affects your entire body, including your skin.  It's a good idea to get somewhere around 8-10 hours a night.  Being young is SO not an excuse to have an erratic sleep schedule-- it will mess you up.
  
• Changing Sheets and Towels-- I try to change mine at least twice a week.  It keeps all the accumulated dead skin cells out of your pores, which makes you less likely to have a breakout.
  
• Prescription Drugs-- My dermatologist currently has me taking Minocin (aka Minocycline) every other night, along with applying sodium sulfacetamide lotion to my face in the morning (this helps with dryness) and Differin (aka Adapalene) at night.  I can definitely credit these drugs to solving my issues-- but only because I used them every single day, even if it didn't look like it was helping.  This is super important especially with pills; Minocin, for example, is an antibiotic, so if you miss even once your system will become immune.
  
• A Consistent Routine-- I wash my face every morning and every night (Neutrogena is my favorite face soap), making absolutely sure to use all my prescriptions.  I also use a microdermabrasion lotion (Neutrogena Advanced Solutions Facial Peel is awesome) twice a week to help with scarring.
  

Some things that didn't work?  I wouldn't recommend:

• Proactiv-- Okay, so it worked for Jessica Simpson, but that sure as heck doesn't mean it's going to work for everyone.  For me, Proactiv irritated my skin and made my cystic acne worse.  Even the Gentle Solutions stuff didn't work.  My advice: don't spend the money if your skin is super sensitive.
  
• Vitamins-- My mom and dad are big pill people, so when I almost went on Accutane (Isotretinoin) last year and scared myself out of it, we worked out a complex regimen that was supposed to help flush out all the toxins.  See picture above for results :)
• Other Drugs?-- Honestly, I've tried about everything under the sun (on acne.org's prescription meds page, there's only one or two I haven't tried).  Not all of it worked, but I wasn't always patient.  Try something faithfully for two months, and if you don't see improvement, ask about something else.

What body issues have you had to deal with in planning your wedding?