Pete DiMartino proposes to Rebekah Gregory on Oct. 4, 2013
Courtesy Kilgore Productions
My wedding week is officially here and it feels like we have been going nonstop. So it's no surprise that it did not hit me until the other night that I am actually getting married. In just three days from now, I will vow to love one man for the rest of my life – whoa, that's a pretty big deal, right?!
I guess it's typical for all brides to reflect back on their lives a little bit during this time. And man, if you told me a year ago that I would be on my way to Asheville, N.C., to get hitched right now I would've sent you to a loony bin. But that's the funny thing about life: You never can tell what it's going to throw at you. And I have to say, it's been a wild ride – but I wouldn't trade it for the world.
In the last two years Pete and I have been tested beyond belief. Long distance from Texas to New York was already an uphill battle, but nothing prepares you for two bombs. Lying in the middle of Boylston Street with flesh hanging off your body and bones on the sidewalk, then with the months of being in the hospital and grueling recovery – I know for sure that Pete DiMartino has seen me at my absolute worst. If he still loves me after all that … I'd say I better keep him around.
I'll be the first to tell you that I've made a lot of mistakes when it comes to relationships. Whew. Sorry, guys. Therapists would probably chalk it up to my biological dad walking out on the family when I was 12. Whatever. The point is, I haven't ever seen myself as a bride. I never really felt deserving of that title for some reason. In fact, I've always been a runner. Steering myself away from any longterm commitments. Maybe that's why my legs got blown to pieces – so I couldn't run anymore! (I kid, I kid.)
But all joking aside, my world completely changed when I met Pete. And suddenly I didn't care what I had to do or how many miles I had to travel – I knew with all my heart I wanted to be with him. I felt like that when we first started dating, and my feelings have only grown stronger, even when I was lying in the middle of Boylston Street not knowing if I was going to make it. So now, I want to spend the rest of my time loving him and my 6-year-old son Noah more and more every day.
I don't say this to be sappy or to brag; I say it because it's so easy to forget that our days are limited. And it's awful that something like this had to happen to make me realize how much time I was wasting. But maybe my story can help other people waste a little less time, too.
Don't be a runner. Appreciate everything – and love with all your heart every single day.
Tune in to PEOPLE.com and TheKnot.com beginning at 11 a.m. ET Friday, April 4, to watch Rebekah and Pete get married!
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