The Best Weekend of My Life!

I honestly have been basking in happiness from our wedding and have not had a chance to blog about it yet. I think everyone who reads my blog attended...but here are some of my favorite moments anyway!

• Our family and friends arriving at the ranch and loving it as much as we do
• Giving tours around the ranch
• The cookies and brownies left in each cabin
  
• Seeing the peacocks everywhere
• The peace of the country...no cell phones, computers...just family and friends
  
• The cakeballs at Friday night dinner
• My rehearsal bouquet
  
• How hard my Mom, Dad, Robin and my sister worked to make the dinner Friday night and the reception phenomenal
• My father in law and Sue helping my family the whole weekend and just being wonderful
  
• Having a fabulous hair dresser who made my hair great
  
• My Maid of Honor and best friend running interference for me when needed...and just doing everything I needed
• Having Debbie, Shelia, and Emily there to get me ready
• Having an amazing friend and photographer to capture all the looks of how I felt that day
• The cutest flower girls
• Peyton taking her job with the rings so seriously and being so adorable and responsible
  
• 72 degree weather for a perfect outdoor wedding
• My sister writing the most perfect ceremony ever spoken
• The look in Greg's eyes when he first saw me in my dress
• Walking down the aisle with my Daddy
• Saying "I Do"
• A long kiss at the end of the ceremony...followed by many at the reception
• My friends dancing
  
• The mashed potato bar
• Peyton requesting a Hannah Montana song at the wedding and having a blast dancing to it
• Colton dancing with every single person at the reception
• Lemon Sisters catering for the amazing food
• The boys at the firepit smoking cigars
• My TCU friends coming to my wedding...even those who came from LA and Rhode Island
• Extended family coming to the wedding in honor of my Nanny and Papa
  
• My family, my family, my family
• Lindsay...for being so happy for me and for embracing Greg into our family
• For celebrating the love of my life with all those I love
• For seeing Greg have so much fun

There are a thousand other things I loved...guaranteed, I loved every minute of that weekend. Now I am excited to start our new life together...I have never been so happy.
For more pictures, visit my picasa site at http://picasaweb.google.com/sjw1378 and Kelly's blog at www.kellysrandomthoughts.blogspot.com

Greg and I had the pleasure of being best man and the maid of honor last weekend at Greg's best friend's wedding. Bobby met Aleak in Cambodia where he was assigned. They will live in DC for the next few months while Bobby trains for his next assignment...Libya.

We really enjoyed the weekend and the time with the newlyweds. Both Bobby and Aleak are so sweet and truly meant for one another. I wish them all the happiness in the world. They will also be there this weekend to celebrate our wedding!

Only 2 days to go!!!

I promise to post pics soon. We have had quite the week...planning the wedding, our furnace going out during the first snow in Houston in four years, etc. We have so many stories to tell! I also have pics from our weekend at home. I will post more next week and give wedding details!!

What's A Bride to Do?!

I haven't blogged in awhile...mainly because I was looking for some content worth mentioning! My life has been taken over by wedding plans. I never realized how many details go into this special day. I have 92.578% of things taken care of but the little remaining items really do stress me out. I have found an unusual way to relieve stress...juicing. I have found that pulverizing fruits, vegetables and anything that won't kill my juicer blade is quite therapeutic. It is an added bonus that I also get to enjoy a healthy drink afterwards. My family will tell you that I am so excited about my new healthy juicing discovery that I may be headed for a Jack LaLanne infomercial. As luck would have it, my body is choosing NOT to lose weight from this new venture. Watch me drop 15lbs the day AFTER the wedding. I swear, my luck...

Greg asked me last night what we had going on for the next couple of weekends. I realized that we do not have a free weekend until January 10th. Guess I will just take little cat naps at my desk during lunch.

This weekend we went home to celebrate my Mom's birthday and Greg's Nana's 80th birthday. It was great to spend time with family and to celebrate two phenomenal women. Marni and I made our Mom a book about our family and she absolutely loved it. Anytime we make her cry over a gift, we know we did well!

We had a $300 mishap with my car which pretty much made up our minds that it is time to give up the Rendezvous. New car shopping will definitely have to wait until the new year though.

In all my crazy, exaggerated and probably unfounded stress, I would like to thank my mom and my sister. They have taken the lead on so many projects...many that aren't even their responsibility to take on. I love having such a supportive family who will help me in any situation. I appreciate your help more than you know and can't wait to share this special day with you both.

For Greg...I know that I have been running around like a crazy woman for the last month. Although I do let the details get to me, it is only because I want this day to be the best it can possibly be. I am so lucky to be marrying you and have never lost sight of that. Even though I get more stressed as the 25 day countdown continues...I also get more and more excited to walk down the aisle to you. I love you!

Frogs and presents!

Last Thursday, Greg and I went to the TCU vs. BYU football game. TCU football is a favorite of mine even though no matter what kind of season we are having. I love going to the games and was so excited to take Greg. It was also exciting to see a few friends from out of town and a few still working there. Between the socializing with friends, hot dogs and dippin dots and the victory we had over BYU...I had a fantastic time.

The next day I spent the day with my best friend Emily doing wedding stuff. We had a great time and cherished the time to get to hang out together. I love how we can still laugh about the silliest things just like we were seven years old again sitting in my room.

The main reason we came home for the weekend was to attend my bridal shower. I had nine hostesses! They were so amazing and really made this a special event. None of my friends, except for Emily, are getting to participate in bridal activities with me mainly because of distance so I was so grateful to have this shower. My family bought us all our china which excited me so much. Marni even got us all of the china dessert plates!! I also got a Kitchen Aid stand mixer from the hostesses. Marni had her eye on it so I might have to check her bags when she visits to make sure she doesn't take off with it! I will just have to make fabulous treats for her with it! The presents were fun of course, but I was so appreciative of everyones genuine excitement for me and Greg. How wonderful for my mom to have such amazing friends to do this for me?!







If you would like to see our wedding website, visit http:/stephandgreg.net

Scarecrow Festival

I never sleep well when Greg is on duty so I am doing some late night blogging. This past weekend we traveled to Chappell Hill with our friends and neighbors, David and Oliver for the annual Scarecrow Festival. This is the same town that hosts the Blue Bonnet festival in April. We love spending time with David and Oliver and love being outdoors. David has a friend who owns a house there, so we had a nice rest stop when needed.

We bought a few Christmas gifts and two small things for the house but mainly enjoyed walking around. It was hotter than it had been but still beautiful. These weekends are essentially a smaller version of Canton with lots to eat, look at and of course, buy! They really do have some talented and unique vendors here. Here is the token cheesy pic of the weekend!

And we had a Hurricane

I have been awfully behind on my blogging...although I have a better excuse than usual. On September 10th I evacuated Houston in preparation for Hurricane Ike. Greg was in Oklahoma City for a Coast Guard training and would be there another two weeks. I was scheduled to fly out that weekend to see him and visit with family we have there. My flight never left Houston but I did make it to OKC...and stayed awhile.

First, let me say, that we were so incredibly lucky through this entire experience. Me being the sentimental person that I am, still had a very hard time with this. This was my first time to evacuate and I just don't know how people do it. I grabbed everything of high importance...bank files, medical, passports, the kitties medical records, wedding rings, etc. But for me, leaving things that hold so many memories was hard. The letters that Greg and I wrote back and forth while I lived in Italy, pictures of my family, a scrapbook Lindsay made me, my grandmother's favorite glass vase...how do you decide what it worth saving in a natural disaster? My answer was to get myself and my kitties out of harm's way and just pray about the rest. The long drive really made me regret leaving some things but honestly, you love most of the things in your house otherwise it wouldn't be there. I didn't care about the tv or even my Wii...only the things that reminded me of great memories. What a morbid way to leave a house and a city you live in...wondering if you will ever see it again.

Now I know, truly know, that possessions are just things that can be replaced. Although we were spared, many were not. Many people have lost their homes, their businesses and everything they owned. I know that they are grateful for their lives but we should not judge or downplay what has been lost.

I stayed in Oklahoma with Greg for a week awaiting our electricity to return, the road to our house to be opened and for gas and groceries to be restocked before returning.

Two weeks later and things are moving along but definitely not back to normal. The stories here are sad, not tragic necessarily, but sad nonetheless. I just continue to pray for everyone.

I am so thankful for my supportive friends and family, for my neighbors who cleaned out our fridge after 6 days without power, for my kitties who I drove all around Texas and were perfect, and for the power of prayer.

If you would like to look at some of my pictures of Ike (with a few that I got off the news), please visit http://picasaweb.google.com/sjw1378/HurricaneIke#
I put some before pics in there as well.

As many of you know, September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. I can remember when this month meant eating out at Chili's more and seeing more St Jude commercials. It is not that I was apathetic towards Childhood Cancer, but it wasn't something that I truly understood. We don't tend to think too long or too hard about things that are upsetting to us...it is human nature. Like most people, I would think how terribly upsetting it would be for a child to have cancer...and then I would move on. When Peyton (my youngest niece) was diagnosed five years ago, everything I thought I knew and felt about childhood cancer quickly faded. Peyton's cancer forever changed our lives...in both terribly saddening and truly inspiring ways.

Many of you know Peyton's story and were with us for parts of her journey. What I choose to focus on this month is how her cancer inspired me. We met so many heroes along the way:

• Every parent and family member who became a pillar of strength and comfort for their child
• Every Child Life Specialist, nurse, doctor and Children's hospital employee who worked so hard to make stays at a hospital less scary and even fun
• Every community member and friend that helped a family with prayers, fund raisers, visits, etc
• Every child who endured cancer and harsh treatment but did so with such bravery and strength

I am so proud of my sister for having the compassionate heart to reach out to countless mothers and families she has met in hospital waiting rooms; for not losing or questioning her faith in God and his plan; and for being the best advocate for finding a cure. If more people could here my sister speak about her experience, we could have quite a fundraiser for Childhood Cancer!

I am proud of my brother in law for being so supportive and loving to my sister; for keeping his family together in this difficult time; for balancing work, family, church, softball, cancer events, etc; and for his sweet and genuine personality that just makes me and everyone else around him smile.

I am proud of my oldest niece, Lindsay for being being patient with all of us when we didn't know what to do; for making me laugh when I didn't think I could anymore; and for her amazing heart.

I am so proud of Peyton, who doesn't even know what kind of impact she has had on so many people. Every time we dreaded another treatment or an uncomfortable conversation, she had a way of making it so easy on us. Her smile is contagious along with her giggle. She took this disease and fought it all the way. She taught us so much during the last five years and I know will continue to teach us more as she continues to grow up.

Continue to pray for all the children battling this disease and pray for a cure.

During treatment:

Today:

If you would like more information on donating or getting involved, please visit:
https://ccfd.sslprocess.com/make_donations.php
http://www.curesearch.org/

Peyton's Visit

Last week, my youngest niece Peyton came to visit us in Houston for the week. Despite the fact that I had to work most of the week and that it rained all but one day she was here...we had a great time. It has been difficult to come back from Italy and still be far away from my girls. I really needed her to visit so she could see where Greg and I will be for awhile. I think she had alot of fun too.

She went to work with me for two days. She actually liked it most of the time because she could play Webkinz on my work laptop for as long as she wanted. Lindz is usually on her computer at home so this was a nice break for her.

Greg and I took her to the Downtown Aquarium, Pei Wei (one of her favorite places to eat), and to the bookstore on Tuesday night. We bought her all sorts of new books to read. I was so excited that she is old enough to read Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary and the babysitter's club! She also got some of the Goosebumps book from RL Stine. I hadn't thought about some of these books since I was her age! Then we spent a few hours at the aquarium. Pey loved it! We rode the ferris wheel and few times and got to see the amazing view of Houston. We rode the Shark train twice and spent alot of time looking inside at the exhibits. Greg and I really like this little aquarium and so glad she enjoyed it too.

Pey and I also went to the Children's Museum. It is ranked as one of the best in the nation...and I agree with that. I was so impressed that I could take her to a clean, fun, educational place that you could spend the whole day in, all for $5 admission. We had so much fun. Below are some pics.

Saturday was the first day of sunshine in Houston, so the three of us headed to Kemah. It was sooo hot but we had fun on the rides and walking around. It was nice to sit down for lunch in the air conditioning though!!

We met Marni and Lindsay in Centerville to take Pey home. It's a good place to meet halfway and have some dinner. I am definitely hoping the girls will visit more so we can show them off and show them Houston. I included a picture below to represent the sleeping arrangements that week. Even though we have spare beds...Pey is a cuddle bug who likes to sleep with her Aunt Stephanie!

All of my pics are posted to my picasa site at www.picasaweb.google.com/sjw1378

Boys, toys, and Betty

Recently our close friends, Debbie and Dail, and their two boys, Luke and Aidan came to Houston for a visit and mini vacation. Greg and I took some time off to show them the city and explore with them. In four days we went to the Houston Space Center, Kemah Boardwalk, The Museum of Natural History, The Downtown Aquarium, Galveston Beach, The Houston Zoo, The US Coast Guard Station and the Krauss house! My dad had given Luke and Aidan some Star Wars toys that he has had forever. Every morning when they woke up and at night before they went to sleep, they were playing with their new toys. I know it made my dad so happy to give them these and to know how excited they are about them.

"How did you find the best route to all these places?" one might ask. Well the answer is Dail's new GPS! It is really awesome but was also fun to tease Dail about. Greg sat up front with Dail everywhere we went and it kept them both entertained. I guess we never get too old to enjoy new toys.

It has been so cute to see how much the boys adore Greg. They also grew to truly love another member of our family...Tanner. Both of the Neely cats are getting older and don't play as much as they used to. The boys loved to watch Tanner play with all his toys. Dail and both our cats bonded too. It was hard on Tanner and Claudia when they left and suddenly didn't have the attention of six people!

This was our trial run at how well our house would be with house guests. I think it did well for having six people in it and still no couch or dining room table. It is nice to know that we do have the space for visitors. I love when people come and see us. I also think that Debbie and Dail will visit again. We are headed their way in October for MSU's Homecoming. I hope that we continue to make these little trips back and forth. We have so much fun together and I have really missed their company since I moved away from WF.

Thank you for coming and visiting...we had so much fun. I promise to have more seating when you come back!!

Curiousity better not kill the cats...

I really didn't think I would be one of those people that blog about their pets but here I go. First of all, whether it be a cat, dog, or any other animal; my pets are always a big part of my life. I think that have more spunk, personality and love than alot of people I know! Luckily, I am engaged to a man who loves animals too. We won't be the crazy ones with 80 animals but our home will always have animals.

Greg and I got so lucky with our cats. In January, we adopted two older kittens (3mo) from BARC. I swear they are the most adaptable and sweet cats. I am also so glad that we got two...they always have a playmate and are never alone during the day while we are at work. While having two of them is great 95% of the time, they also tend to find trouble easier when there are two of them.

This first set of pictures is of their first long road trip. We took them home to my parent's with us for the garage sale. The trip is 4-41/2 hours and they did great. They love their carriers but we just put a towel down and let them sleep in the backseat. They didn't cry or anything...for 8 total hours in the car!!

The next set of pictures is of them exploring the new house. There are vaulted ceilings, a loft, tall windows, skylights and lots of places for kitties to explore. They have successfully found them all! I walked in the bathroom the other night while Greg and I were watching a movie to find Tanner chilling in the bathroom sink. The next day, he and Claudia were playing and suddenly she was gone. There is a hole (pictured below) that is the size of a double wall outlet that Claudia jumped into. Tanner couldn't fit. We found her in a little cubbie that was once used to light the fireplace. The fireplace doesn't exist anymore...all that remains is this little door with about a foot of cat napping space inside the wall. We closed it off for now until we can make sure it is safe for them. The other pictures are of Tanner seeing his first squirrel in the tree window and them enjoying the new pappasan chair.

The first picture in the collage resulted in me getting a ladder to get him down...goodness, this will be a challenge!!

The house is looking great although it will take awhile to get everything painted. Even the rooms that we aren't painting completely need major touch ups. It has been so fun though and we love it. I will post pictures once I get the rest of my furniture.

Garage Sale

Well we survived the garage sale! My parents have an unused apartment behind our house that they have been gracious enough to let me store my childhood memories and, later, all my furniture in. We cleared half of that out at a two day garage sale. I was determined to get rid of some clutter and free up that space for my parents. Mission accomplished! We probably will have another one in October or anytime when it is cooler. The whole family came out and we actually had alot of fun. Peyton was pretty happy that she made $45 dollars! She sold some of her toys and set up a little drink stand. She was able to buy two DS games for herself.

My mom, sister and I have this strange talent of attracting people who want to tell us their life story. This was certainly in full force this past weekend. At some points, I thought we weren't going to be able to get rid of some of the people at the garage sale. They just stayed and chatted! People recognize my sister's caring heart immediately and depend on her kindness. It sometimes makes for funny situations but it reminds me that I have an amazing family. My mom and my sister have taught me so much in this world and it makes me sad to think that not everyone is as lucky. We can drive each other crazy, but at the end of each day I am thankful that God has blessed me with my family. I promised not to post the pics I took at the garage sale. We were not exactly looking our best...so I decided to go with some of my favorite pics instead.

I really owe a big thank you to my mom and dad. They worked hard to make this happen. When I think about it, they work hard at anything that will make me, my sister or my nieces happy. They have always put their children before themselves. My dad can barely walk and lives in constant pain yet he was out there working hard to help me. My mom loves a challenge is also is a very hard worker. I can only hope to continue to learn from them and someday be the kind of parent that they have been. I don't say it enough, but I really don't know what I would do without my family.

I will post pictures of the house soon. We are still putting final touches on everything. There is alot of painting to be done. The cats love the new house. Because of the vaulted ceiling and the loft, there are lots of places they can play and perch. It makes me a nervous wreck but they are having a blast! They made the four hour trip home with us this past weekend and were perfect. I swear they are the most adaptable cats ever. I will have to post some cute pics I took of them in the car too!

How much can you cram into one week?

This definitely a week of chaos and utter insanity. We moved into our new house (rented) that I showed a picture of in my first blog. I love, love this place! It has so much potential and is so unique. Saturday was our moving day. It was one of the hottest days we have had here in Houston, our old apartment complex was painting the walls and the stair railings while we moved and I hit the apartment carport roof with the 17 foot Uhaul I was driving. Despite all that, the move went pretty smoothly. Some of Greg's Coast Guard friends helped us move and were so awesome. They had us out of one apartment and into the new one in less than three hours. Thanks to Baron, Matt, and Walt...we couldn't have done this without you!

Since then we have been painting up a storm and doing other minor improvements. The previous tenants did the worst paint job I have ever seen. There are brush strokes all over the ceilings and baseboards. In other areas, you can still see the previous paint colors because they didn't feel like painting difficult areas. We are slowly but surely fixing it all. I did paint a chocolate brown accent wall in the living room that I am very excited about. We are getting rid of all the khaki one room at a time!

On top of moving, I also had 8 hours worth of presentations that I had to give to high school students on Sunday night and all Monday. It was a great time and an honor to be asked but really was a struggle in the middle of moving.

This week we are going home to have a garage sale at my parent's house. Most of my belongings have been in storage for the last 20 months from when I moved to Italy. I honestly don't remember exactly what I own, but I do know that I don't need it all anymore. It is funny how well I have adjusted to not having all my things around me. I still am sentimental and want to keep certain things but have learned to let go of others. I don't need to keep every single item in my life to keep the memories I have...and that has been a hard lesson for me to learn. I also think that is it easier for me to let go of possessions now that I have found that one thing I truly needed in my life...and I will never get rid of him!

I am exhausted so I will close for now. I will post pictures soon of the new place...once I remember where I put my camera!!

Star Wars and Design on a Dime

Greg and I made a trip up to Wichita Falls this past Fourth of July weekend to visit with one of my best friends Debbie and her family. Greg knows all about the Neely family and their importance in my life but had not had the opportunity to meet them yet. Little did I know the bonds that would be forged over the four days we visited!

I had told Greg that Luke was introverted like himself, while Aidan has never met a stranger yet. They boys had not seen me in a year so I was prepared that there might be some adjustment time. To my surprise, there was none and after what seemed like a few moments, Greg and the boys had bonded. We brought some of our Wii games and remotes with us just in case we all decided to play. Greg and Luke played most of the weekend except when we dragged them out of the house to eat and watch fireworks! Aidan loved watching them play so Debbie and I had some quality time! While my popularity with the boys didn't even come close to Greg's, I was grateful to have girl time with Debbie. We fixed up Polly's room, organized the boy's room, ran errands and went wedding dress shopping while our boys were saving the galaxy. It was a very productive weekend for all!

I had to make two collages of pictures so you can see that Debbie and I actually were there this weekend!!

We had so much fun and it served as a mini vacation from hectic Houston. Our friend and wedding photographer Kelly Trimble was generous to let us stay at their house while they are on vacation. I was sad to not be able to see them but so, so grateful for their hospitality. They have an adorable house which made the weekend pleasant as well.

After we had to say goodbyes and turn off the Wii, we headed to Shelia's house for dinner. Shelia has been another mother to me since I was eighteen and I cherish her so much. After raising her four grown children, she and Robert and now raising three more children all under the age of five! They have their hands full but it is so obvious to see how lucky Payton, London and Braiden are to have them. The kids are so happy and truly adore the Henderson family. We ate great food and watched the kids play outside. All in all, it was an amazing weekend!

Home of Sliced Bread

The past few weeks have been a little overwhelming so I am a bit behind on posting. We recently attended the wedding of one of my dearest and closest friends, Emily Marriott. She and Chris have always been one of those couples you can't help but adore. I remember a trip that Emily and I took when they first started dating and how her face would light up when she would talk about it. Three years later, her face is still lighting up.

Emily had asked me to be a bridesmaid when I was still in Italy and luckily I moved back in time for the wedding. Greg and I flew to Kansas City, MO where we had a bridal party day of beauty and then drove to Chillicothe for the festivities. Little did I know that Chillicothe does have a claim to fame being the first place to commercially sell sliced bread. One more place to mark off my list!

I hadn't seen Emily in probably two years...she being in Iowa and me in Italy. It was so great to spend time with her and share in her special day. Below are some pictures of the weekend.

Prom and Mother's Day

Greg and I headed home last Friday to spend time with our families. It is a four and a half hour drive...and sometimes more depending on Houston traffic. It is well worth it and certainly shorter than the seventeen plus hours it took me all last year to fly home. Friday night we stayed at my parents...dad and Greg playing Wii while mom and I chatted about wedding plans. Some of my families best moments are when we are all piled up on my parent's bed talking and laughing...and that is much of how the weekend was spent.

We spent all day Saturday getting Lindsay ready for the prom. Yes I did cry a little. It is so amazing to see her all grown up. Although she doesn't quite realize it, she is so incredibly beautiful and smart. I was so glad I got to spend the day with her while she got ready. I posted pics so you can see just how beautiful she looked. I love how everyone in the family randomly wore turquoise!

We had a cookout on Sunday for Mother's Day. Greg and I decided to celebrate with our respective mothers so they could have us all to themselves and we wouldn't have to run around like crazy. It was beautiful weather so we had a nice picnic outside. One of the pictures below is of my mom and her angel cactus. Greg and I saw a man at the Bluebonnet Festival that carves cactus. I thought it was so cute and would go perfectly in my mom's amazing backyard.

We spent Sunday night at my sister's house. Dane works nights so he and Greg headed up to the station to work. We finally headed back to the big city Monday afternoon. Just another weekend that made me so grateful to have the amazing family that I do.

Hill Country nuptials

We have officially booked a wedding location! I am so excited! It just really suits us...outdoor, simple, beautiful. It is located in the Texas Hill Country. We have it booked for the whole weekend. One of my favorite things about it is that our families will be there the entire weekend and it won't feel so rushed. This is a picture that Bobbie (the reservations coordinator) took of me and Greg. She is so fun to work with and has a great spirit. Similar to how I feel about Greg...I just knew this was the one for me when I saw it. Below are some preview pics...I saved the good views for the actual wedding!!

It would be just like me to start a blog after I move back from Italy! When I created this, I wondered if I had anything noteworthy to write about. I love my life but I never know how entertaining it will be to others. I have learned though, that I seem to have random things happen to me quite often. So I will just start writing the little details that make up my life and hope that they are somewhat interesting.

Luckily, for my first entry, I have VERY exciting news. Last Wednesday (April 16th) Greg proposed!! He was trying to surprise me and boy did he! I had had an ordinary day...work, bad luncheon with horrible food, traffic, etc. I called Greg on my way home to chat about the day. I have about a thirty minute commute so we talked quite a bit. When I got home, Greg was on the bed reading. I think I was still going on about my day and changing into my comfy old navy capris when I noticed that Greg was smiling from ear to ear. I asked why he was so happy and he just said that he was glad I was home. I noticed a wooden box on my dresser. Inside he had had a heart shaped bottle/vase crafted. It was filled with rose petals and a scroll. Writing is his passion so it was only natural that he wrote a proposal on the scroll. He also knows my sentimental nature and that I love the idea of keeping my proposal to always be able to look at...and of course, cry about, all over again. It was the happiest moment in my life. My ring is beautiful and just looks like me. I am so so proud of it, but more importantly what it represents. Too many people are caught up in the wrong details of a proposal and in a marriage. I love that I have something that represents our amazing love but more than anything, I am so so proud to have a man that loves me as much as I love him.

We have been celebrating and just having fun ever since. We have an appointment on May 4th to look at a venue. We are hoping for an October wedding but will ultimately depend on the location availability.

In addition to everything else going on, we are moving soon. We are renting a little house owned by my fabulous friend Oliver. Below are some pics. It has a great loft and we absolutely love the deck. The best part is that it is less than ten minutes from my work so we can save on gas!!
We will start painting soon so we are very excited! Lots to look forward to!