Two are Better than One...

Kevin and I have been taking a marriage course at our Methodist church for the past three weeks in February and it is about to wrap up next Wednesday night.  I am honestly sad to see it end as I have really enjoyed meeting the other couples (approximately 12 other couples in the class) and hearing how closely all of our paths have aligned during our engagement periods!  The first night, the minister made all the guys go around the room and tell the story of how each couple met.  Then, the second week, the girls had to tell the stories of how the boys proposed.  It was so funny to hear the girls version of the stories and watch the boys want to chime in and correct some of the details that they thought were more important! 


This week's class was particularly entertaining as we all played an improv game.  Basically the rules of the game were that you had to make up a weird juxtaposed word, say it to the person to your right, and then that person would in turn have to define it on the spot.  The great thing about this game was that there were no wrong answers.  Anything goes!  Kevin gave me some iteration of the word "Laegren" ...my response was "a color from the Martha Stewart Color Collection between a turquoise and a lime green." 

Then I turned to my right and gave the word, "pickletoe."  It was really fun to hear what everyone came up with or rather struggled to come up with! The point of the game was show that sometimes, marriage isn't easy, just like the game, but you have to be there rooting for your team mate and get through it together! And if all else fails, just make it up and go with it!

Our homework assignment for this week's class was to bring in some scripture readings that we were considering having read at our wedding.  Kevin and I haven't nailed down our definite choices quite yet, but we have a pretty good idea.  Our minister said that he used to write love letters to his girlfriend at the time, current wife now, Leslie using paraphrasing from Ecclesiastes 4.  This particular verse struck a chord with me because Kevin is always there for me and picks me up joyfully when I need a hand!  I also like the interpretation of the three strands which are not broken.  I believe Kevin and I are well on our way to building a Sacred Marriage and I have so enjoyed this course and the people we have met along the way!


Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:
If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Ecclesiastes 4

Somos Novios

This past weekend was quite a trip! I think Kevin and I have finally wrapped up our "on the road tour 2011" (at least for the next two months while he is in tax season!)  Sorry for being so absent the past two weeks (Caroline Inge-my personal apologies to you! I was reminded by Caroline that I was being a bad blogger via her facebook post!) We have just been living life at warp speed!

Last Friday we traveled to the Atlanta airport to pick up my sister and then drive home to Gainesville, Florida.  We arrived around 10:30pm to a lovely Valentine's day dinner buffet prepared by my parents.  Highlights included chocolate dipped strawberries and a latin favorite, Picadillo.  Unforutnately, we had to delay our visit to Miami as my grandfather was in the hospital and had to have an operation on Saturday at 8am.  We decided to stay close to Gainesville over the weekend visiting Papa in the hospital each day and to leave for the concert on Monday morning.  We had a really nice visit in Gainesville.  On Saturday night Kevin and I located Father of the Bride at Best Buy and we all watched the DVD (15th Anniversary Special Edition) together.  Even though we have all seen the movie before, it was a real treat to watch it since we are actually going through the process now!

Sunday was also a special day as my mother, sister and I got to play with my Mom's wedding dress! It was the first time it had been opened since her wedding day.  It was the most fun we have had yet during the engagment period! I loved looking at the dress and imagining what her wedding day was like!

Monday morning I worked from 7-9am and then we were off to Fort Lauderdale for the Bocelli concert (Sunrise to be exact).  The concert was at 7:30pm so we were on a schedule to get down there.  We had a lovely Valentine's day dinner at a Brazilian steakhouse.  None of us had ever been to one before and were very intrigued by the process of bringing meat around on skewers.  It was very entertaining.  We rode together in my mother's car as the concert had a complimentary Lexus parking lot.  We were so impressed when we drove up to the concert and got front row parking! 

Valentine's Day Dinner at Brazaviva Steakhouse!



Andrea Bocelli was magnificent! He literally took my breath away! It was a chance of a lifetime to be able to see him live on Valentine's Day!

 We had great seats and could see the entire orchestra.  My best friend Amrita attended his concert in Boston back in the fall and filled me in on all the highlights.  She was right when she said how amazed I would be! He sang all my favorites, Somos Novios, The Prayer, Granada, Time to Say Goodbye etc.

It was definitely an experience I will never forget! Thank you to my sister for such an incredible Christmas present!

Our family outside the Bank Atlantic Center, Sunrise FL

Tuesday morning bright and early, we jumped back in the car and drove home to Gainesville, grabbed a quick bite of lunch and stopped by the hospital to tell Papa goodbye.  Then it was back on the road again for five more hours.  Kevin and I got back to Atlanta last night after a long but fun filled weekend! 

The wedding plans are coming along.  My mother visited the first weekend in Feburary and we finalized a few things.  I can confirm that the wedding will be held here in Atlanta at our church and reception will follow!  I will wait to share the reception location until it's contracted!  I will post my mother's visit re-cap later this week- just wanted to share the Bocelli highlights first from Valentine's Day!  Thank you to all who sent such sweet thoughts about my grandfather and our travels. 

Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

My goodness...We are already in February! Cannot believe how quickly January came and went (so glad I have a little over a year till the wedding because January felt like I was in warp speed!)  Kevin and I traveled every single weekend!  This weekend and next will be the last one's I will have Kevin fully available to do wedding "stuff" until tax season is over on April 18th this year.  So we are definitely trying to make the most of our weekends.

Well, I didn't meet my own deadline of the end of January for deciding when and where the wedding will be.  However, reinforcements are on their way! Mommy (and possibly my sister) will be here on Friday to narrow down two different reception venues.  We are really excited to put this big decision behind us which will help shape the over all feel of the wedding.  I will be so excited when I can officially announce our choice to all of you!

Next weekend, over Valentine's Day, Kevin and I will be travling to Florida for a Christmas present my sister gave to our entire family...tickets to see Andrea Bocelli in concert!  We will be spending the first two nights in Miami (Kevin's first trip!).  Since our family is orginally from Miami and all my mother's close friends still live there, we thought this was a great excuse to introduce Kevin to everyone!  We are really looking forward to this special Valentine's day treat and seeing all our dear friends!

Wedding Whirlwind

I apologize for the lack of posts over the last week! It has been quite a busy January trying to figure out where Kevin and I want to hold our wedding!  My mother came to Atlanta from the 14^th-18^th and Kevin and I took off to Asheville this past Saturday to visit some sites up there! I have not been getting much sleep lately, and I feel like I have been living in my high heels for the past 14 days as I have habitually been visiting venues after work or going to wedding events.

My mother and I had the distinct pleasure of visiting one site which featured a wedding coordinator straight out of the movie, “The Wedding Planner!”  Imagine Jennifer Lopez’s character taken to the extreme! It was all part of this fun process which we are really enjoying.  

  

My evenings are not spent at the gym, like I had planned, rather reviewing information at home and trying to figure out vendor and site information.  Hopefully, my gym visits will return to my regular schedule this week!  My trainer, Eric, keeps texting me encouragement, which is much needed!

One of the venues my mother and I visited on MLK day was kind enough to place a bridal bouquet of 18 crème colored roses in our car as we were leaving.  That moment was a very special moment, as they had wrapped the bouquet in red and black satin secured with pearl floral pins, as they knew I had attended UGA!  It made the entire process seem especially real and reminded me how special getting married really is!  I am so happy to have my mother guide me through the process!

More updates soon, as we hope to make a date and venue decision by the end of January!  We have made a ton of headway and met with so many talented people in the bridal industry! 

No business like SNOW business!

It's been quite a crazy four days here in Atlanta.  We received 4-5 inches of fluffy, white SNOW! Kevin and I prepared for the worst this past Saturday and Sunday, venturing to Publix on not one but both days to stock up on food for the pending winter blizzard that was forecasted to hit Georgia! (yes, I am my Mother's daughter...I was awakened by a text early Saturday morning by my Mommy which directed me to get out of bed and head straight to Publix to stock up...turns out she was 100% correct! Thanks Mom!)  On Saturday, when we arrived at Publix, there were absolutely no grocery carts to be found! Everyone had the same idea.  We cooked dinner in our new slow cooker on Saturday which enabled us to have plenty of leftovers for the first few days of snow.  We also made dinner for a couple at church who just had a baby.  We delivered their meal on Sunday after we attended the Georgia Bridal Expo.  It was a busy weekend, so the past few days have been nice to catch up on a few things! 

The bridal show was definitely eye-opening!  Kevin was surprised at how quickly I walked through the vendors.  It was more like a career fair for brides - sometimes you just "know" what you are looking for!  We did manage to snag a few cards of vendors we liked.  We also got to wear cute little bride and groom stickers to identify ourselves! (like we didn't know?)

Sunday evening was when the snow started to fall.  Monday morning, the sleet arrived to coat all the powder in a thick icy layer.  It was really fun to get out and take a few pictures.  The first snow Kevin and I experienced together was during our senior year in Athens.  It was March 1st, 2009 and I was about to leave for a Bahamas cruise the following week on spring break.  Kevin and I played in the snow and hiked all around Athens marveling in the beauty of a white winter wonderland! We did the same thing on Monday here in Atlanta.  Little did we know, we would still be "playing" in it today, Day 4 of the great Atlanta SNOW!

View of the courtyard outside my front door

Looking out towards the gate and pool house

Kevin and I must have watched at least five movies over the past few days.  We rented Wall Street and thought it was entertaining.  I also tricked Kevin into watching Sabrina and Meet Joe Black (only because it was my birthday yesterday!)  I turned 24 and got to spend the entire day with my amazing fiance! He didn't have many options in terms of surprising me or entertaining me on my birthday since the majority of the city was shut down, but he managed to make our snow day/birthday perfectly magical!  We celebrated by venturing out (for the first time in 3 days)to my favorite restaurant in Vinings- SOHO for lunch!  They have a glass sun room on a second story level where we dined and watched the snow continue to fall.  When we arrived the waiters and staff announced how happy they were to see us, their first customers after having been closed for 2 days.  The waitress could sympathize with me, as her birthday was on Monday, the worst day of the snow! 

24 years old!

Looks like a snow village behind us!




The snow has altered my birthday plans but we are rolling with the punches and have a plan B weekend planned here in Atlanta.  My mother will be joining us this weekend to kick off the wedding venue visits.  I am so excited to have her help!  We had planned a few days in Atlanta then some birthday time in North Carolina so that my sister could join, but had to scratch that as it seemed Asheville also got slammed with snow!  We will see Jenna next weekend and are looking forward to that as well!  Here's to the start of my 24th year-one that has started off in a very memorable way! Cheers!

Wedding Education 101

Kevin and I are gearing up for a crash course in all things wedding this weekend!  We are jumping into all of the planning events as we never know when winter weather might delay us.  (It is supposed to snow here this weekend and into the beginning part of next week!)  We are really crossing our fingers it doesn’t interfere with my Mother’s visit next week for my birthday.

I can’t help but share this funny video announcing our engagement.  I found it on theknot.com and laugh every time I see it! I have sent it to a few people for a good laugh.  Hopefully, by our wedding day Kevin and I will be stellar dancers, similar to our characters in the video!

http://global.theknot.com/sitelets/ritani/ecard/default.aspx?id=1292213200348


In the past, when Kevin and I would happen to be out shopping I would somehow wander/drag Kevin into the fine china area and "pretend" like we were an engaged couple looking to register.  Kevin would always get super embarrassed when a salesperson would come over and ask the date of our wedding! Now, my dreams are officially a reality and we can seriously start looking at china and silver patterns.  I was so excited to receive this exclusive (probably me and the other 405,163 brides living near Atlanta) invitation by Bloomingdale's for a registry party!  How much fun- a party... for shopping!!! 

We also are excited to attend the Georgia Bridal Show this weekend.  Kevin has even mentioned that he is looking forward to the show.  I know this sentiment won't last long after about 45 minutes of browsing vendor booths, I think he will want to go home and turn on some football.  So, I will relish the first bridal show with my fiance and hope we pick up some good tips and grand ideas for our wedding!

Our First Christmas!

Oh boy! What a crazy month December was! I honestly cannot believe we fit everything in.  We packed our days and nights and lived every day to it's fullest.  The holiday season included several momentous occasions which I will re-cap.

My sister visited from Charlotte towards the end of November to see "White Christmas" at The Fox theater.  Kevin and I gave her the tickets and dinner for her birthday back in October.  It was a fabulous evening and one I hope she remembers forever. 



Dinner at La Grotta (visiting 10 years later on her 26th birthday!)



"White Christmas at The Fox Theater"



"Sisters" who actually dressed up for the show!



The night Kevin and I got engaged was the real highlight of December and 2010!  Here is a photo from our special night in the lobby of the St. Regis hotel in Buckhead!

On the subject of engagements (and slightly out of order in this post-sorry!)....I was so happy to hear my dear cousin Tiffany got engaged on January 1st!  We spent time with Tiffany and Parker over Christmas and just love the two of them.  Kevin and I couldn't be more excited for them and all that is in store in the coming year! Congratulations to you both!

I loved being home for a week and a half especially since my parents were hosting Christmas Eve at our home.  My parents made a beautiful meal and the house looked so pretty this year! It meant so much to me that Kevin spent our first Christmas with my family this year.  I loved showing him all of our traditions.

Parents at Christmas Eve dinner at our home





Christmas Day at Papa's house...Florida Christmas Tradition- Stonecrabs!!!

Christmas Day Dinner at Papa's

I have never had the pleasure of actually being with Kevin on his birthday which is the day after Christmas! We had quite a treat in store for him this year....a trip to see my Father's family for Christmas in south Georgia!  The three hour car trip (inclusive of the entire family + puppy dog) was spent creating an excel spreadsheet to organize a preliminary guest list so that we know the amount of people we would need the reception site to hold!  The trip up to Georgia flew by as we were all shouting out names as fast as Kevin could input them.  We even got to see a few snow flurries in north Florida! Kevin got to meet my grandmother and then we enjoyed lunch at my aunt and uncle's home visiting my other cousins, one of which (Maggie) is getting married in October! (yep, you read that correctly, three girls in the family all engaged at the SAME time!)  The drive home seemed like forever but we had a special birthday dinner to look forward to!  My parents took the Birthday boy out for a tapas dinner at Sabore in Gainesville.  It is a fabulous tapas restaurant with even better sangria and mojitos! We had a great celebration.  

Kevin's 25th Birthday Dinner!

The next day was all about rest and relaxation.  I think we all slept until 10am!  We awoke, had coffee and spent the entire day at our breakfast table discussing our vision for the wedding! It was really fun to officially kick off the wedding festivities.  I was so blessed that my sister and mother had stocked up on endless amounts of wedding magazines and etiquette books.  Even my Aunt Lynn in Miami had sent wedding magazines!  That evening, Kevin was in for yet another treat- a girls night with my best friends from high school (Amrita, Whitney and Kittery aka RAWK)  They named Kevin an honorary member...making RAWK --> RAWKK!  We went to our usual favorite hangout spot in Gainesville, Yamato Japanese steakhouse! Followed by an outing at The SWAMP. The sequence of these photos is hilarious:

Kevin and I also got to spend some quality time with my grandfather, Papa!  We took Papa to lunch on Tuesday to the Ivy House in Alachua, FL.  Alachua is a small, quiet town and the Ivy House is a great Southern Restaurant.  Papa and my sister love the fried green tomatoes there, and I think Kevin officially joined the fan club!  It was a fun lunch and we were thrilled we got to spend some quiet one on one time with Papa!

Foyer of the Ivy House...waiting for our table

Papa and his "girls"

On Thursday, we left for the beach and spent the New Year's Holiday at the beach condo.  It was a little chilly but warmed up enough for some walks on the beach on both Friday and Saturday.  We ate very well, probably too well for this bride's diet!  We went into St. Augustine on Friday for lunch and we had the traditional ham, black eyed peas, and hoecakes on Saturday.  We watched far too much football for my mom and sister's liking, and far too little for Kevin's liking.  Kevin and I drove home on Sunday and it was sad to see the holidays end.  It was such a fun magical Christmas with a full house of joy!  However, knowing that my birthday is next week and that my mom is coming up to Atlanta on Wednesday to celebrate with me and start wedding planning meetings makes me smile! 

We are working furiously on a date and venue.  We have several meetings set up which puts me at peace a little.  Mum's the word right now, but the date and venue are coming along!

I hope your holiday's were fabulous and filled with joy like mine!  Wishing everyone a happy start to 2011!