Hello 2010!

It's been a productive break, and I plan on telling you all about it before Spring semester starts, but it will have to wait until tomorrow. I just wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year! Now I will get back to celebrating then end of the year of Bobby's proposal, with him, the love of my life!!

"Friendly" Family Competition

I thought I would be the one adjusting to Bobby's ultra-competition family: the many annual 5k competitions, always out-doing each other in behind-the-boat water sports every summer, and many other activities that are the joy of this active family. But, Bobby has a few new competitions to adjust to himself. Not tests of physical abilities, but mental and creativity acuity, and yes, even luck. My mom's family has an annual predicting-college-football-bowl-winners contest every year in memory of my grandfather. That contest  is largely based on luck, because if it was based on skill, my uncle would be the perpetual champion. (Okay, so he's won more than anyone else, but my win was solely luck-based). The newest family challenge is restricted to the cousins of my generation. An ultimate test of creative ability. Gingerbread house decoration. Bobby and I thought we were winners for sure until we started getting emails with other entries. Pretty sure we were beat this year, but we will be more prepared for next year and have a full arsenal of edible decorating tools available! I wanted to share some pictures with you all, so enjoy!!

First, is our entry:

We thought our graham cracker car and chimney were pretty awesome. He's not in this picture, but there's even a gingerbread santa in our chimney. (He suffered a broken leg during the postal service flight and resembled Gingy from Shrek more than santa).

Next, my sister and her boyfriend's entry:

Love the orange and blue (go gators!), and the pretzel fence is the best!!

Next, is my cousin, Erin, and her boyfriend's entry:

Their ginger bread men are having a mini marshmallow snowball fight, and they also thought of the fence, making theirs with gum drops.

Lastly, my cousins, Brett and Chad:

They had a marshmallow snowman, hershey's chocolate driveway, and gum drop greenery. And a santa. I know their's is much better than ours, but I am slightly suspicious. Their parents were the organizers of the competition, and they might have had an unfair advantage with previous house decorating experience.

Bobby and I are ready for next year. He's adjusting to my family's version of competition, and I'm adjusting to his. (Next is keeping up with his family during our post-christmas camping trip!)

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

.... because it's semester break! I love having all of this time off from school to work on wedding stuff! Although, most of my time has been taken up by buying and wrapping Christmas presents, baking christmas treats using my Nana's wonderful recipes, and of course, spending time with my fabulous fiance. By the end of the semester, we weren't getting to spend too much time together every day, so it's been really good for us to just be together.

By now, most of the presents are wrapped, and the cookie dough is in the fridge waiting to be shaped into trees, wreaths, and snowmen. So, I am going to spend a day with my mom and sister, the MOB and MOH. We are going to make a ridiculous amount of flowers today, and plan out some more of the reception. We'll probably also go to lunch and make a trip to starbucks as well, because a trip to visit my mom wouldn't be complete without a hazelnut latte for me, a caramel macchiato for my mom, and a chocolate chip frappacino for my sister!

I'll make sure to take some pictures of our projects today and post them for everyone to see!

a personal update

Just a little update from me...

The semester is over, so as far as being a student and teacher are concerned, I have a little break. The researcher part of me has a lot to do this week so I can really enjoy my break! Having a break from school means I don't have to feel guilty about choosing wedding stuff over homework :-D So, I'll be working on some more flowers, and store searching for reception table centerpieces and some kind of budget friendly container for the little gifts I'll have at the hotel for our out-of-town guests. Oh, and I am also working on a knitted hat and scarf set (merry christmas present for me!) and getting all of my Christmas presents wrapped. I have become quite the present wrapper this year. I love all of the boxes and bags at Michael's! They are the best!! (and pretty green too, since they are definitely reusable)

And now, I will share with you all, the excitement from this past weekend. Solutions Bridal was having an open casting call for bridal show models, so I went, figured I would give it a try! And I was chosen as one of the models - so lucky me gets to play dress up with some of the absolutely fabulous gowns that Solutions will be showing off in their runway show! Super exciting! :-D

DIY Fabric Flowers, Part 1

I've been working on some DIY flowers from ribbon, fabric, and buttons. My inspiration came from wanting to do something different for my flowers and finding numerous sellers on etsy with beautiful felt, fabric, and ribbon flowers for bouquets, hair accessories, and many other things. Knowing I could give the whole DIY flower thing a try, I searched for some instructions as a starting point. I came along another blog, Little Birdie Secrets' fabric flower tutorial roundup. I have tried a few of the ribbon flowers, which I will post about later. I think the flowers I am going to talk about today, I came up with myself, but I've looked at so many DIY flower instructions, it's hard to remember. My apologies for non recognized sources.

Here's my favorite flowers so far, and definitely the easiest as well! (Modeling... not the best picture, but I had a final today, so it's really not that bad!)

My supplies were:
A light gauzy type fabric remnant from Joanne's, ($2 for over a dozen flowers! what a steal!)
needle and thread
Pipe cleaners

First, I folded the fabric width-wise to about a 3" strip, and pinned the edge to keep it together. Then, I cut the strip into squares, and pinned the middle of the squares to keep it together. (On the left in the picture).

At first, I used a circle guide to cut the fabric, but then realized for less frustration and a prettier flower, that trimming off the corners and being left with a roundish-oval shape was perfect! I stacked and pinned 5-6 rounds, laying the rounds slightly off-center from each other. Then comes the fun part!

First, thread through the center of the stack and fold in half.

Stich a few times at the center of the fold to hold the crease.

The next step might be a little confusing in words, so hopefully the pictures will help. Basically, you fold/crease/squash the fabric to make a more flower-like shape and stitch the folds to hold the new creases.
First, bring each end of the crease to the center to look something like this:

and this:

When stitching the creases, a more open flower is made by stitching different pairs creases together, which also makes a little "nub" (weird word, but it's the only one I could think of at the moment) for the next step.

The next step is the stem. I made a loop at the end of a pipe cleaner, then stitched it to the flower. I tried a few different ways of attaching the pipe cleaner, but the loop system seemed to work best for me.

Most of the flowers I made were from the 3" squares, but I had a little extra fabric, so I made some 4" ones as well. Both looked great, and you could probably play with the number of rounds in each flower. 5 worked well for me to get a full flower and the most flowers from my fabric. I am going to cover the pipe cleaners with flower tape to make them sturdier, and hopefully they'll hold up well in a bouquet.

So, there it is, my first flower project. Once I get a bouquet done, I will be sure to post pictures! And, expect more instructions on my ribbon and button flowers once I figure out the simplest way to make them.

a little venting

I should be studying for tomorrow's final (which I haven't started yet), and not wasting time on facebook and etsy, but.....

I need a little venting time. Sorry if this is whiny, but I just need a little of that right now. Plus, I think I've been pretty good so far, and definitely not anywhere near a bridezilla type. So, things that are stressful:

1. Figuring out reception food. This is turning out to be very not-fun for this budget restricted couple. I love my family and friends, but seriously? Do caterers really expect two graduate assistants to pay more per guest for over 100 people than we pay for a nice dinner out?

2. The distance of all those who should be helping me plan! I am very much a planner, and normally don't mind taking on big projects myself, although usually I need to be reigned in a little, since I can go overboard sometimes (ok, well, alot). But, it's not the best when all of my bridesmaids and family membranes are so far away and busy that even a phone call to share ideas is an ordeal! (I'm sure I'm exaggerating about this at the moment, and I don't want this to be taken as an insult by anyone reading this. I love you all and know you are willing to help in any way you can!) And, without having everyone together, I feel like I'm repeating myself all the time, and tend to leave out important details the more I talk about something to different people!

3. Details. Now that we have the Hipp and an approximate guest list and time schedule, we have to start figuring out the details. Such as, how are the tables in the Hipp best organized to allow for enough seating, the food, favors, cake, drinks, and a dance floor? What are our guests going to do for the 2+ hours between ceremony and reception? Should we even worry about this?

4. Bobby's minimal (although growing) knowledge of all this wedding. I will ask an opinion, or share an idea, and his usual, immediate, response is something along the lines of "weird" or "are you sure?". Then he thinks about it a little, and after a few days will admit that it was a good idea or have a constructive comment. Maybe this is a guy thing, or a Bobby thing, but it adds to the feeling of repetition and overall stress. I try not to bug him about stuff he really doesn't have an opinion on, but even important things, like the possibility of a honeymoon registry, cause undue stress!

5. Scheduling the marriage prep things through church. I don't know what it is about Catholic churches, but their schedules really don't allow for a student to get in contact with anyone in the parish office! They're probably just making up for being "open for business" on the weekends, but everyone is gone by 3pm, and when I have classes/research until then, it makes it difficult to schedule important things like pre-cana classes.

6. My mailed save-the-dates. I was just informed by my mom that my website address with more wedding information on the save-the-date postcards has been inked over by the post office barcode, making it very difficult to read.  Guess I'll be collecting email addresses and forwarding it like that!

Now I'm too wound up to even try to fall asleep... guess I have no choice but to study now. At least there's only 2 more days to my semester. Then "break" starts and I have all the time in the world to write 2 journal articles, and try to prepare for spring!

I will end on a happy note though, Thursday is my and Bobby's 3 year anniversary. He has something special planned :-) Soon after that, we will hit the 5 month pre-wedding milestone. AHHHH!

My Catholic Wedding Checklist

Bobby and I met with our parish pastor today, to start the marriage preparation process. We both agreed to have a Catholic wedding from the start - neither one of our families have had a Catholic wedding in our generation, and we knew how special it would be for our grandparents. Now we have a list of items to complete, and a little less than 6 months to do them all! Here's our checklist:

1. Meet with parish priest. (Done!)
- Obtain baptism certificates and "Affidavits for Freedom to Marry" (get a family member to sign a form saying each of us has never been married before).
2. Attend a marriage spirituality course.
3. Complete FOCCUS communication survey course and review process.
4. Complete a natural family planning course.
5. Attend a weekend engagement retreat, PreCana course, or meetings with a marriage preparation couple.
6. Review financial educational materials.
7. Plan the wedding ceremony with the parish music minister.
8. Obtain a marriage license.

So this week, I will be busy calling and scheduling steps 2-5. :-)

I didn't realize how stressed I was prior to the meeting today. I feel much more relaxed now that the process has started and we are in the parish schedule for our wedding!

Save-the-Dates

Since I am now addressing these and they will soon be in the mail, here's a look at my DiY Save the Dates:

They're just a simple postcard, and very budget friendly:

Postcard paper: $24

New Ink for the printer: $65 (not all was used, and we'll use the rest for invites)

Postcard stamps: 28 cents each (~$12)

(I feel like a Mastercard commercial.... A DiY wedding: Priceless)

I created them myself, using a postcard template on iLife Pages, and found a few nice free to download fonts on a google search. Here's some screen shots:

They didn't take too long to print out, although I couldn't figure out how to automatically print both sides. So I manually fed the paper in for the 2-sided printing. I added a little extra to them - a heart punch out in the corner (paper punch from Michael's, one of my favorite wedding crafting buys!), and added a little extra color with some gold and pink hand-drawn accents. I am also addressing them using a blue sparkly scrapbooking pen. So pretty! (And, yes, I did make sure they were waterproof before sending them out into the big bad world).

I've collected most of the addresses I need... now I'm just waiting on Bobby's family's addresses. Which I am thinking I might need to get myself when we're at his parent's for Thanksgiving. He's been helping a lot with thinking other planning things through... but getting addresses from his mom, he's not so good at.

Oh, and one last little thing... I am obsessed with my wedding date. 05.15.10. Not the perfect sequence (05.06.07, for my wonderful bridesmaid, Elyse) or trio of numbers that many brides in the last decade had, but still pretty cool. Atleast I think so! :-)

Hippodrome Inspriration

Hoping for some inspiration for some awesome wedding photos, I searched for Hippodrome and Wedding and found some fabulous pictures! I'll share some of them with you:

From Jimmy Ho Photography, an engagement session:

In front of the Hipp

Another in downtown Gainesville

And, I just realized what time it is! Need to go to campus - more pictures soon!

from one blog to another

Look at these awesome DiYvases I found via I-Do-it-Yourself:

Here's the link for  directions: Tutorial from Natural Home Magazine

But, iDiY found these through Modge Podge Rocks, another awesome website with many crafty things to do.

I am thinking these vases could be awesome as a centerpiece. Unfortunately, I cannot use candles at the Hipp, since it's a historical site, but these would be so nice as luminaries, too!

slacking....

Message to Ilana: I apologize for letting school get in the way of my blogging. I will not let it happen again.

I was waiting patiently for the arrival of my bridesmaids dresses to post again, and I received them today. It turns out that tracking through the Canadian postal service stops once the package "arrived in destination country", so I've been waiting. And today, it arrived!

The dresses are from an etsy shop, isadoraclothing, which I had talked a little about before. The dress is called the Chameleon, and I love it so much, I think I might need to get one for myself. They are gorgeous and so comfy dresses in the best colors! And, the color is what I have been patiently waiting to see. Here is Alix modeling her MOH dress:

Isn't she gorgeous? The wrap style in the picture isn't her favorite, but just one of the many options we have!

So, back to the colors. For Lauren and Elyse I ordered 2 fuschia dresses, but I didn't want to count on the  web pics of the color, so I really was looking forward to seeing them in person. And I love them! I'd say the only downside is that the color isn't one that my lovely bridesmaids incorporate into their wardrobe often, so they might not be worn as often as I'd hoped post-wedding.

Here's a picture of the pink dress with a paint chip sample of the turqoisey-blue:

So pretty! I never thought I'd have a pink and blue wedding, but I love the way it's turning out!

And, here's where I share my awesome planning tip with you. I'm not exaggerating when I say I was very proud of myself when I thought of this a few weeks ago. I am DIYing many things for the reception, and I would like to keep the colors as close as possible. But, instead of lugging bridesmaids dresses with me whenever I make a Michael's trip, I bring along paint ship samples of the correct color. I went to my local home-improvement warehouse and raided the paint chip aisle for all shades of turquoise and pink. Which, I rationalized as not stealing, because I will be buying paint for some DIY project, I am sure.

Speaking of DIY projects - here's my list of things to blog about.
1. Save the Dates.
2. DIY flowers.
3. Centerpieces!

The Hipp

Today, we put the deposit down on our reception site, the Hippodrome State Theatre. Their basement is available for rentals, and it's such a pretty space. All neutral colors and just big enough for our family and friends. Here's some pictures from thehipp.org:

Some history on "the Old Post Office" (also courtesy of their website). Construction began on the building in 1909 and was finished in 1911. It was first used at the post office, court house, and office space for other city things. It was placed on the national registry for historic places in 1978.

Bobby and I are really excited about the space, and finally having a set-in-stone date! Now we just need to find a caterer, a dj, make decorations, find transportation, send out save the dates.... so many fun things to do!!

The Dress

Here's the story of how I found my dress:

Early in the summer I decided I was done being frustrated at Bobby not asking the question yet. I knew it was going to happen at some point - we had gone ring shopping, and I knew neither of us wanted anything except for being together. So, instead of focusing on when he was going to ask me, I started thinking of wedding ideas instead. (I really hope this isn't that uncommon...)

Anyways - multiple google searches later for any combination of "Gainesville" "Wedding" and "Florida", I found a few awesome websites and blogs, including Gator Bride. From there, I found another awesome blog, Kee to Your Heart. Both of the Gainesville authors were sharing their wedding planning experiences, and I was quickly hooked on checking every day for updates! Kari (from Kee to Your Heart) posted her wedding recap a few months ago, and while admiring her pictures, I noticed someone familiar in her bridal party. Sure enough, it was my friend, Ilana! (I never knew Gainesville was such a small town!) I confessed to Ilana that I was a facebook stalker (since the wedding pics also popped up in my news feed) and a blog follower, and she shared the story with Kari. Kari is actually a consultant with Solutions Bridal, and offered to help me find a dress!

Only maybe a week went by after I told Kari a little bit about what I was looking for and explained my pretty limiting budget when she told me about this awesome dress! A Mikaella sample was being sold at a price that couldn't be beat, but I had to go try it on ASAP. So, I made plans with Ilana and we went to Solutions the very next day. The dress was the first I tried on, and I knew right way that it was The One. And the awesome sale made it even better (if that's even possible....). To make the day even more fun, Kari was so much help, and is a total sweetheart! All of the other ladies at Solutions were so sweet and full of positive energy. I guess it would be hard to not by happy when your job is to help a bride find her dream dress!

Here's a badly photoshopped picture from the day - not the best one that was taken, but I don't want there to be any chance for Bobby to see pictures. Not that he couldn't just go look in the extra bedroom closet if he wanted to.... but the less temptation the better!

Ilana and I are sharing the bottle of champagne to celebrate the dress, and there's Kari's reflection in the mirror!

Maybe I can work on some better editing of the better photos and you all can see the big smile that wouldn't leave my face after I tried that dress on :-)

Non-wedding stuff

I am waiting. Patiently. Well, maybe not that patiently. We are finalizing our reception site tomorrow. I should be getting my bridesmaids dresses this week. And, I need for school to calm down a little bit so I can start on my wedding crafts! So, even though I feel like I accomplished alot for wedding stuff this past week or so, I don't have much to say about it at this point. Instead, I will share with you how I wasted some time over this past weekend.

I got a super long weekend, thanks to Gator Homecoming and my classes being cancelled. Bobby and I were able to spend quite a bit of much needed relaxation time together. On Saturday we wasted maybe an hour or so searching on youtube for 80s and 90s cartoon intros. Here's some of my favorites (get ready for the awesome flashbacks, and feel free to sing along. You know you know the words still!)










These last two are probably my favorite intros of all time - they just make me happy whenever I hear them.

a (somewhat) productive weekend

This weekend was very productive for the wedding part of my life, but not so much for school. Oh well, tomorrow is Monday, and then I will feel bad if I don't work on my homework a little bit.

As for wedding stuff, firstly and most importantly, I FOUND MY DRESS! Due completely to a random chain of events, I found a dress that I never would have found otherwise. More on this soon, I promise.

I also spent alot of time working on the layout of my blog... and after a few non-successful html editing sessions, I finally just decided upon importing a picture as my header. A collage I made from my Hawaii trip. Maybe I'll be able to figure out some more complicated html stuff soon, and get my blog even prettier!

Oh, and I almost forgot. Tomorrow Bobby and I have an appointment to go look at the Hipp for a possible reception site. This has been one of my top picks for awhile, and they have our first choice day open! There will be so much to talk about!

excited

I am going dress shopping tomorrow!!

How Charming

Last year I started to notice all of these women with silver bracelets overflowing with these little silver charms. How cute, I thought, it reminded me of the charm bracelet I had in middle and high school. Then I discovered it was Pandora. And I fell in love. Knew I wanted one. Then, around graduation time I decided that I was going to buy one for myself as a graduation present. So I did.


(Sorry for the choppy narrative... I will form more complete sentences for the rest of the post).

My first charms were Bobby and my birthstones and a little heart spacer. Then, I added the pink ribbon for Breast Cancer awareness. Most recently I was looking for a charm or charms in remembrance of my trip to Hawaii and my engagement. I thought I was going to end up settling on the Pineapple and the Heart, when my lightbulb moment came. (Bobby proposed while I was packing for the trip, and asked if I had any more room in my luggage, remember?) I bought the Suitcase! It's even got a palm tree and a pineapple engraved on the side. So perfect. The "awws" from the lovely ladies at LilyPad definitely reaffrimed my decision.

Now the question is, which life even am I going to remember by another charm? Maybe an H for my new name?

My Bridesmaids

A little something about my bridesmaids, since I am procrastinating this morning and don't feel like heading to campus yet.

The wonderful girl who first entered my life was Lauren, who I met in high school. From what I remember, we decided on a whim, that it would be a good idea to be roommates at UF, and it turned out to be fabulous. We both learned so much from eachother, and helped eachother become the amazing people we are today.  Lauren is currenly smack dap in the middle of the adventure in achieving her dreams. I truly admire her for knowing exactly what she wants, and going for it. Vet school seems more intense than any other academic program, and even though we don't get to visit much, I am so very happy that she's still in Gainesville!

 

An old-ish picture of Lauren and I. Lauren is also a little responsible for the duo that is Bobby and I.  Which could be a post on it's own, so I'll save that for a little later!

Elyse is who makes my trio of wedding-day friends complete. We became friends during our Au.D. program. In Elyse, I found someone to be crafty with, some one to study with (which usually just turned into talking about other things...), and someone who would become a life-long friend. It was a sad day when she moved back to south Florida to work after graduation. Gainesville is the not the same without her. Luckily, she lives close enough to Bobby's parents that we can usually arrange a dinner together on those South Florida weekend trips. Elyse is such a kind soul, and her relationship with her husband, Eric, is one I hope Bobby and I will continue to have.

 

 

Elyse and I on her wedding day - 05/06/07. I tried to find a wedding date that was cool like that. But no such luck.

I feel so lucky to have these 2 wonderful people, in addition to my sister, to play such an important role in my wedding day! And, to plan a bachelorette party. It will be a party to remember. I have so many wonderful things to look forward to in this next year!

Best. Dresses. Ever.

I never wanted to be that bride that forced her friends to wear awful bridemaids dresses. I wanted to find them dresses that were comfortable, feminine, and that they could really wear again. Really. Not just if they were invited to a semi-formal event. And I did it!

I found them on a etsy search. They are from a seller, isadora, who makes this awesome Chameleon dress. Made from a soft knit fabric and in almost any color you want.

Alix has a turquoise dress to wear, and my other bridesmaids (Elyse and Lauren, who I need to introduce to you), will have fuchsia dresses. Such awesome, bright colors. Totally me. Pictures will be posted once I get the dresses!

the beginning of an obsession?

So, this might be the beginning of a theme, or more likely, an obsession during my wedding planning. How can I not be obsessed with wedding dances as a dancer? I just wish Bobby had a little more natural talent in this area. (Don't tell him that I said that, ok?)

Bobby really does try, because he knows how much I enjoy dancing. But, there's only so much you can do unless you have the natural ability to move...

Bobby has agreed to take ballroom dancing lessons, in my hopes, that we can learn to dance together. My intentions were never to have a choreographed first dance, but maybe it would be fun as a last dance? Here's my inspiration:

I just love this movie (and song)!

I can't embed it, but here's the link to the movie clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpmILPAcRQo

Something Old

A few weeks ago, during a visit to my wondeful Momma's house, she asked me to go through the some boxes filled with items from my childhood. I found some interesting items - unfinished baby books, drawings from my toddler days, old letter from pen pals, and some "books" I wrote in elementary school. (More on this later... they're too funny to not post about).

One very special item I found was enclosed in a note from my aunt. The note reads:

"Dear Brittany,
Enclosed is a lace handkerchief for Mommy to tuck into the sleeve of your gown at your Christening. It was made by your great grandmother (or her sisters). Then Mommy can put it away and save it for the day you get married - your 'something old'.
God bless you, Brittany!
We love you!
Aunt Pam"

And, here's a picture!

Now, I just need to find a something new (does the dress count?), a something borrowed, and a something blue (Gator Garter?).

One Love

At this point, in the beginning of my planning process, without anything set in stone, I have so many ideas and I'm finding it hard to sort through them all. But, I'm hoping if I start including my ideas here, that I can figure out which ones I really like. So there's something to look forward to - an insight into my creative side.

For now, let's talk about One Love. The only first dance song suggestion Bobby was actually passionate about.

Music is such a big part of me. I've danced for years, always have the radio on in the car, and entered a field of work on the idea that no one should be without sound. So, I had many ideas for our first dance, from all genres. Here's some:

Watch the Wind Blow By, Tim McGraw

Lucky, Jason Mraz & Colbie Calliat

I've Had the Time of My Life, from Dirty Dancing

(I feel bad not knowing the artist...)

Better Together, Jack Johnson

Bobby patiently listening to each song when I suggested it, but wasn't really happy with any of them. Most of "our" songs dealt with being apart, since he lived and worked in Jacksonville, and I was in Gainesville for the first year of our relationship. We both love those songs, and they're Bobby's preference in music, but none were fitting for a first dance.

But, when I suggested (more to see what Bobby would say), the Bob Marley song, One Love, Bobby loved the idea! So, our first dance song was chosen. To make it even more non-traditional, my preference for the song version is one by Playing for Change. You can read all about their mission for peace on their website and buy the CD/DVD. We first heard about this group at a Jimmy Buffett concert - he and his band are one of the contributors on a few songs. Here's the music video for One Love (for your viewing pleasure):

My Maid of Honor

Alix: little sister, friend, maid of honor. She's my awesome baby sister who is way more grown up than I give her credit for.

Alix and I, although 6 years apart, grew up with a pretty close relationship. When you are homeschooled, but your parents work full time, that leaves alot of sister time every day. We watched Blue's Clues and Gulla Gulla Island at lunch. We entertained eachother, and helped eachother get through more than our share of hardships. But recently, with Alix starting college, getting a boyfriend, and working her first job (not in that order), we have grown even closer. I look forward to our sister time, and love it when that gets to be a whole weekend! Alix is a great Gator football game buddy, and even better shopping buddy. But, my favorite times are when we're just hanging out doing alot of nothing. We can just watch tv, or facebook while in the same room, or talk about my crazy kitties (which is a frequenct topic of conversation).

So, of course, I asked Alix if she would be my maid of honor. She agreed!

Post #1

It's official. Bobby and I are engaged. We're so excited, and we were lucky enough to be able to tell our families in person this past week. Bobby proposed the day before we left on vacation, to go to New England for a week. Here's the story:

I was running (well, not literally running, but rushing) through our apartment packing and getting ready to leave for our multiple vacation trip. It's amazing how much preparation goes into leaving your home when you have to leave a few cats behind. Anywho - I was packing and pretty much going crazy, when I rushed into our bedroom to get a few things. Candles were lit, and Bobby was standing in the middle of the room. Bobby stopped me and asked if I had room for one more thing in my suitcase. He pulled a little white box from his pocket and held it in his hand. "Are you serious?", I asked, and he laughed at me. He then got down on one knee, opened the box, and asked "Will you marry me?". I immediately said yes, and was then speechless for a good 3 or 4 minutes. (Which, if you know me well, you know is an amazing, since I'm a nervous chatterer). Bobby put the most beautiful ring on my hand, and I just smiled.

Here's some pictures from Vermont, our vacation spot. First, us in Clarendon Gorge, near the AT in Vermont.
Second, a close-up of my ring and a Red Eft which Bobby found for me on one of his morning runs.
Keep checking back, family and friends. I am looking forward to sharing the wedding planning and our ever-changing lives with you! Love to you all!