Tying the Knot

I would like to say that I've been so busy and I just didn't have time to blog, but I simply got out of the habit. I've been blessed this last semester of my college year with a very flexible and open schedule! I've taken only two exams this semester (aced them both), and can say with pleasure that I only have two more exams before graduating. These will be sign language and deaf cultures, and are final exams. With my free time, I've struggled with productivity. I can say that this semester so far I have accomplished the following...

-Watched the entire season of The Mindy Project in 3 days

-Gained enough sleep for about a year

-Eaten about a hundred lean cuisine pepperoni pizzas

-Worked on homework an average of only 3 days per week

-Started the Insanity workout regimen (hopefully will complete)

-Spent lots of time imagining my married life and wedding :) 

(Typical date night with Brent)

Just in case you were all wondering, I'm going to be a wife in 86 days! I cannot wait for all of the festivities! I've already received some gifts, and it's so exciting! You all may not be thrilled about receiving kitchen tools and towels as gifts, but they symbolize my new adult life with Brent! These things will belong to us, and will assist us in the new exciting daily routines that we will be able to experience together for the first time! These kitchen tools will allow me to cook for my husband, and for he and I to bond over our love for food. The throw pillows and candles will create the ambiance in the new place that we will both call home. It's exciting to me that we will come home to the same place and will make our first married memories together with these belongings! 

Some of the many things I'm looking forward to in marriage! 

1. Cooking for my hubs

2. Decorating our new home together

3. Coming home and having him there

4. Growing alongside each other and making each other better

5. Glorifying God in our marriage

6. Having my best friend there for support at all times

7. Being able to snatch Brent off the market and claim him as mine :)

8. Date nights in Michigan

9. Waking up and having lazy weekend mornings

10. Finding our own church home

11. Making our own family traditions

12. Making new married friends to add to our already amazing friend group!

13. Kissing him goodbye in the morning as he leaves for work

14. Surprising him with little things to make his day

15. Having a cuddle buddy when I go to sleep

16. Those moments when I ask him, "Are you wearing that?" right before we go out ;)

17. Watching Duck Dynasty or HGTV together before we go to bed

18. Making cookies-in-a-skillet

19. Going out to dinner and enjoying some fine cuisine

The Blog is Back!

And I'm back!! Sooo...it's been about a month and a half since I last posted. Ooops! It was a very busy and very fun Christmas break! So much wedding planning is finished! Right now we've got lots done, but some of the details will remain secret...

1) Booked the photographer (Stinky Feet Photography)
2) Took engagement photos
3) Booked the florist
4) Booked the venue (Boulder Ridge Country Club in Lake in the Hills)
5) Chose the flowers
6) Registered at Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Macys
7) Chose bridesmaid dresses (Kathryn's Bridal in McHenry)
8) Chose MY dress!! (Kathryn's Bridal in McHenry)
9) Chose the rehearsal dinner venue
10) Chose our officiant
11) Booked the church (Bethany Lutheran in Crystal Lake, Brent's home church)
12) Tasted and chose the cake
13) Tasted and chose the food
14) Chose our honeymoon location
15) Chose our wedding rings
16) Booked our DJ
17) Set aside rooms for out-of-town guests (Holiday Inn in Crystal Lake)

And the big day is in 162 days!! June 28th!!

So that was my break! I also had tons of fun with my friends and family, especially Brent :). I'm a little sad we are back in school because we do not see each other as much! Senior year with opposite schedules is not fun!

Saying Yes to the Dress

As many of you know from Facebook, I said yes to the dress a week ago! I thought I'd share my experience with you all. I'm feeling very good about my choice, but a little sad that it was over so quickly. I usually like to see all of my options, but my experience had to be fate :).

It started while driving up to the lake for Thanksgiving. My family drove past Kathryn's Bridal in McHenry, and there was a sign outside that said they were having a Black Friday sale. I had not planned on looking for dresses until I came home for Christmas, but my mom told me that we may as well stop by and at least get an idea of what I liked. I was not in the mindset for dress shopping yet, but I had two days to prepare myself.

Once Black Friday rolled around, my family and I all decided to go on this adventure, as well as one of my bridesmaids, Paige. My dad wanted to go as well because as he said, how many times do you get to go wedding dress shopping? We arrived at Kathryn's Bridal and started to take a look around. The prices were a little out of our budget, so we hoped that the sale was something good. After finding out that it was not as good as we thought, we decided we wanted to leave and shop elsewhere. We had already told the store owner that we would leave and make an appointment for a later date.

While my dad was on the phone making an appointment at another store, the girls and I were looking at all the dresses just getting an idea of styles that I liked. My sister Kelsey's dream dress is more of a blingy ball gown style, and she could not comprehend why I did not love her dream dress :). After looking around, we decided to stay after all and at least try on a few. We talked to the owner, and a consultant took a few dresses that we had chosen and led me into a changing room.

This is where my experience began to be similar to the show, "Say Yes to the Dress", only on a smaller scale. I had not expected it to be like this. The consultant led my mom and I into the changing room where she asked me about what I liked and disliked. She went and pulled a few dresses for me, and then I tried my first one on. It was a surreal experience because I did not feel like I was really allowed to be trying them on! Growing up, girls dream of their wedding dresses, and now I was finally allowed to try one on! I still felt like I was pretending.

The first dress that I chose was my dad's pick. He actually picked the dress closest to what I was looking for! When I got all clipped in, the consultant and I walked out to where my family was sitting, and I stepped onto a little stool where I showed off the first gown. Of course, my dad starting crying, which made everyone else get a little teary eyed. I tried not to look because I was not about to start crying too! We decided that the dress was gorgeous, but that there was one thing that I did not like about it. The consultant said that she had another one in mind.

After the first dress, I tried on another that was nice, but plain. My family had been watching another girl try on dresses, and they told me I needed to try on the one she just had. The consultant informed me that it was the same dress that she had in mind for me!

We went back in the room and proceeded to get the third dress on. When I put it on, I started to get a good feeling. The consultant told me that she saw a little spark in me when I put it on :). When I went to show my family, everyone agreed that it was amazing. At this moment, I was in shock because I had not planned on finding something I liked that day! How could I possibly be done shopping? Shouldn't I try on a million dresses at multiple stores before finally deciding? We all agreed that we loved the dress, but that I needed to try on some different styles to rule them out.

After trying on about 4 other dresses including the one I liked again, I put it on for the third time. This time, we added the veil and the jewelry. It was perfect! There was nothing that I did not like about it, and it was what I had been picturing for myself. I though for a long time, and after searching Pinterest to make sure that there were no other dresses that I liked better, I decided on that one! I said yes to the dress, everyone clapped, and all of the consultants came from the other room to check it out. It was such a good experience because I never had time to stress about it, and it was one of the easiest decisions I have ever made. That is saying a lot because I am VERY indecisive!

I can't believe I am already done, but it was meant to be. The dress ended up being in my price range and was the designer that I had loved and printed out pictures of dresses from. I would love to show you all what it looks like, but I've decided to wait and surprise you :). You'll have to make your own guesses and see if they're true! I'd love to hear your predictions of what style I'll be wearing if you think you have an idea!

Engagement Celebration!

It's been a while since I've posted! I feel like I have so much to share, so I'll split it into a few posts because there is so much! Last Saturday, our amazing friends threw us a very classy engagement party! It was so special! They prepared so many delicious appetizers, we had champagne and dressed up, and we played a little guessing game about Brent and I! Not surprisingly, Lauren Curtis won, but there were others who were a close second!

The night was so much fun, and all of our close friends wrote us a little note on a cute little board. It is now hanging in my room over my bed :). Brent and I have such great and supportive friends!

WE'RE ENGAGED!!!!

Everyone, I'M ENGAGED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so excited to share this story and all of my pictures with you! It was a fantastic day, and we are so blessed in this age that we have the ability to share with the world! To start, I'd like to share just a few facts about Brent and I and our relationship.

Brent and I met in high school. We were first in class together in 8th grade, but we started to notice each other in junior year history. I had a crush on him, and apparently he knew :). We didn't talk, but there were definitely a few moments in the hall where I got the vibe that we really wanted to! When summer after junior year came along, I got preoccupied and forgot about things for a while. All that changed when he and his brother Jon came in to the world of DQ one day, where I worked at the time. My feelings came rushing back, and there is still an argument to this day of whether he sat on the booth facing the register or away from the register. (In my opinion, he sat facing away, and I was not able to spy on him!) Later that day, he posted on my Facebook wall, and I knew things were going to happen. To shorten the story a little, school started and we ended up in environmental science together. We starting dating at a high school football game on September 5, 2008. This was our senior year of high school. When college came around, we tearfully said our goodbyes and went off to two different schools. I myself went to Taylor University in Indiana, and he went to Miami University in Ohio. We tried our best to see each other as much as we could, which was about every two or three weeks. After this hard year apart, I decided it was best for me to switch my major to speech pathology, and since it was not offered at Taylor, I transferred to Miami University where Brent was. (My parents did not buy the argument that it was all about the major!) After the transfer, it was hard to adjust, but I love my school now, and Brent and I have had so many precious memories that never would have had! I would never take back my freshman year at Taylor, but I am so glad we've had this time for our relationship to grow and to have these years to look back on together!

On September 5th this year, we celebrated our four year anniversary, and now here we are today! After 4 years, 1 month, and 7 days, we are now engaged!!! I can't believe it's happening, but it's been a long time coming and I can't imagine my future without him! Here is the story of our day!

It was October 12th, and we were celebrating my birthday. We were home in Cary for our fall break at Miami. As of that morning, I only guessed that we were going into the city. Brent picked me up and informed me that we were taking the train to the city, and we would be going to the Signature Room on the top of the Hancock building! After grabbing some coffee at the Cary train station, we boarded the train and enjoyed the beautiful fall scenery outside. Brent did not seem nervous or any different than normal. Once we arrived in Chicago, we grabbed a taxi and rode it across the city to the Hancock. This site was sentimental to us because our first date ever was in Chicago for a group project, and our first picture ever was right outside the Cheesecake Factory. We rode the elevator up to the top of the building and waiting in the waiting room for our reservation.

When we were led to our table, this was waiting for us. There were special roses with a birthday note for me, two glasses of champagne, and a personalized menu for my birthday. Not to mention the view!

We sat at our table enjoying the wonderful clear view that we had at our table. We were so lucky to get a clear day! It was the perfect time of night, and we got to see the sunset, and then the lights in the city turn on in the darkness. After enjoying a great time together and an amazing steak, Brent went to the bathroom. Little did I know, he was giving the ring to the manager. When Brent came back, he couldn't eat his steak anymore. He blamed it on being full, but really he was anxious for what was to come :). Suddenly, the waiter came from behind he and placed a dish in front of me. He told me that the chocolate was a box, and that I could open it! My heart started racing as I thought, what's in the box?!?!

When I opened it up and saw the ring, I was in shock! I could not believe that it was real! I do not recall the words that I said or what my face looked like, but I'm sure it was shock! 

I looked to Brent, and he was wide eyed with a smile on his face. He told me a few things that I will leave for us to remember forever, but then asked me if I would marry him. Of course there was no question in my mind! I told him yes, and he placed the ring on my finger :). Here's the best picture I can give. 

After this moment, all of Brent's nerves were released, and I believe they were transferred to me! I could not believe it was real, and I believe all I could say was, waaaaa!!! We enjoyed these moments with the most beautiful view I could ever imagine, and the restaurant gave us a congratulatory dessert. All of the staff were coming over to us and congratulating us. It was an amazing time :). 

We had the waiter take some pictures of us, and I am so happy that we will be able to remember this moment for so long in the future!

After enjoying the night for as long as we could, we made our way downstairs. On the way, Brent shared the story with a man outside of the bathroom, and we also talked to a few random people while waiting for the elevator. When in the elevator, a girl looked at us and knew what had happened, so she gave Brent a smile and a thumbs up. I felt like everyone in the world knew, and I had to keep myself from announcing it to the people in the elevator! When we got down to the street, I believed everyone could tell that we just got engaged, and that they were all admiring my ring. I believe this was my imagination :). We had a few girls take some photos of us in the same spot that we took our first photo ever! 

To add to the wonderful evening, a limo picked us up outside of the building, and we rode back from the city to enjoy a night of celebration with our families. It was a wonderful night of just celebrating with our immediate family, and we decided to share with the world on Saturday morning! 

For all of you who congratulated us, thank you so much! I cannot believe how much love we received, and how many amazing friends and family we have! We are so excited for the future, and can't wait to celebrate with you all! Thank you all! Prayers for our engagement would be greatly appreciated! We hope to continue serving the Lord in our planning, and hope that we can enjoy every minute and grow stronger in our relationship! I'm sure there will be more wedding posts to come :).