Where there is Love.... there is Life.

Who will be celebrating with us!?

As we've been planning, we've both been thinking a lot about who we want to be included in this special day. I am so blessed with so many great people in my life and multiple best friends so I knew ahead of time this would not be a small event. I may be simple but I sure do have a lot of friends and family. At first I tossed back and forth about weather I should set a certain number but then I decided (not based with budget in mind ahaha) that I want everyone I love to be with us and celebrate to the max. So big wedding here we come!

The past week we've been working on a guest list and bridal party! Both are in progress.

I have picked eight bridesmaids!!!! I've decided to make it formal so I'm proposing the idea to each of them to share in our event. I hand made ear-rings for each of them. (You'll soon see my theme and crafty-ness revealed).

1. I wanted to make them something special to keep in memory of my wedding.
2. I wanted to formally ask them because each of them represents a special part of my life and I want them to know how special it would mean to stand with me on that day.
3. I wanted us all to wear pearls, which is the national symbol of lung cancer. Together we will all honor my mom and how amazingly strong she is. I could not imagine this day without her and because of her faith and strength I'm am no longer in fear of this.

I boxed them up and wrote individualized letters to each of them.

I've cried with each of them!! They are each wonderful women

and I am truly honored to call them my friends!

Ryan is in the process of asking his guy friends to be a part of his wedding and he's doing it in his own special way- taking some golfing, out to eat, softball etc. We both just wanted to make sure we expressed how much it would mean to us that day.

As for our guest list for that day-I created a google doc (I'm so 21st century!) and Ryan's mom filled in his side and I'm working on my side. It's really coming along.

HOWEVER!!!!

If you're reading this and you want to help me out and let me double check our info on you please scroll to the bottom of this page and fill out the form and hit submit!

Thanks!!!

Update!

We Picked A Day!!!

We have finally decided on a day!! After nearly 5 months of plan

free engagement we have started the planning process!

Ryan and I sat down and looked at a calendar and the potential days.

We discussed possibilities and ended up laughing at funny ideas

and patterns with numbers but before we knew it we had agreed.

We will be celebrating our love with our family and friends on...

June 23rd 2012

Mark it down and start planning to share with us in our special day... cause it's finally OFFICIAL!!!

Just an Update- May 4th

An update!

We have decided (and we did this back in March!) that we want to wait for the wedding to be next summer. This decision was because of work, money, and time. It's my first year teaching and planning a wedding on top of figuring out how to teach would be a lot to handle so we are waiting until next summer. Not exactly sure the date yet! But this will give us more time to save up for the wedding, more time for me to get into the wedding dress shape I dream of, and more time to enjoy this WONDERFUL engagement.

I will say I'm falling in love more and more EVERY day. I cannot believe how incredibly lucky I am to have found my best friend and the man I will marry! Every time we talk about the Wedding I get butterflies!

I'll update more later! Only 5 weeks until we can start the planning process!

The Proposal!

How he proposed!

January 13th 2011

(Danny)- Bare with me as I tell you the details of the day I said yes!

SNOW DAY! Ryan and I are both teachers at the moment so when old man winter comes to town that means a day off work for the both of us! If it's bad outside we usually stay in, watch movies, or just lay around! But this particulare day the weather was not horrible so we actually went out and about to some thrift stores! (Ryan and I like to go to the Habitat Restore and such places to find odd and unusual things to turn into projects) When we went into Goodwill I spotted a large jar with a spout. Big deal right? Well a year or so ago I was reading a DIY blog where a lady would write about projects she was doing. She had pictures of different things she had decorated and at a wedding, she had served lemonade to everyone and used large jars for displays. If I find the link I will insert it here. I showed Ryan and explained how exciting it was to find it only to see his reaction be of less excitement. His comment was that we shouldn't buy it becuase we would never find others to match ...(If you know me you know I don't care about things specifically matching) and that what if a wedding wasn't in the summer... SAD FACE!! So we left without my dream jar..

Silly I know but keep reading...

Next-the silly argument...

On the drive home I explained how the point was to support the idea of having such a dream together not finding specifics yet. He sat silently. This is the extent of our 'fights'.

The evening went on with dinner, tv, and some homework. Ryan received a 'phone call' that his friend Derek's car needed a jump , so he left for a bit. ( This is not something out of the ordinary either due to Derek's wonderful luck with cars and frequent forgetfulness.)

When Ryan returned, I was in the kitchen making a Peanut butter and jelly... at this point I know you're thinking that this is a very ordinary day where's the good part!! However, It was perfect because I truly was not expecting what was about to happen.

When I turned around (pb&j in hand) the lights were off in the living room... I walked in and there were candles lite in my homemade candle log on the coffee table and Ryan and pushing play to a song. He asked me to dance, and I laughed because his sweet timing meant I had to choose between dancing and finishing my sandwich! I chose to dance!!! (Since Ryan and I started dating we have always randomly danced in places; the kitchen, the yard, on the porch, in public!)

The playlist playing is actually the playlist he created that night! Through the first song we talked about how silly it was to argue about things about our future etc. The song ended and out of no where he had a long stemmed single rose!!! My thoughts were that he was saying "I'm sorry".

Phone Rings! HAHAHA I talked to my mom for about 20 minutes and sat on the couch. We then watched the Office . I later found out at this point he was freaking out that his plan was ruined and second guessed how to go from there.

Full steam ahead though he asked me to dance again... this song he said he had another suprise and that he bought me a gift...he then brought me the jar!!! I was shocked and embarrassed thinking that I had been such a brat that he did buy me my "dream jar". He sat the jar on the table and KNEELED beside it... He explained how he wanted it symbolize the beginning of our planning process. I was Shocked and excited and confused because here he is on a knee with a jar!!! Was I supposed to say yes? Was this a proposal? In tear-filled eyes I hugged him but since he was in the floor I took a knee as well... that's when i realized there was a ring and through my "what? I'm confused?!" he had said Danny Bray, will you marry me?

THEN I LOST IT. Tears in full swing I said yes to both my best friend and the jar!

We laughed about how it just happened, hugged, cried, and then danced again.

This time we were engaged! IT was beyond perfect.

I know to many it doesn't make sense but one of the many reasons why I know I want to spend my life with this man is because he knows me, and my personality and for us, this was the perfect way to start our journey!

Below are pics of the rose, the jar and the ring... If I would have thought I would have also captured a picture of the peanut butter and jelly!