51 days....and counting

The wedding is only 51 days away! I started looking at the calendar yesterday, I mean really looking at it, and began to get overwhelmed. Most of you that know me well know that I am fairly laid back. I think I have shocked most people by how I have not been stressed throughout the process so far. I do believe the tempest may unfold in the month to come. There are so many things that aren't done or haven't even been started yet. Daniel was good for me yesterday he said "just look at it one day at a time and what you can get done that day". Very wise.

I started this post really because I was thinking on how lucky I am to have my extended "family" of friends. I am so happy to be sharing this day with all of you. That you, who have been there to listen and laugh with, will be there for one of the most important days of my life. It just reminds me that Daniel and I are not entering into this covenant alone. You all will be along in the journey with us (I hope). And for that I am grateful. That is why I have enlisted most of my talented friends to help with various needs in the wedding. I wanted that day and the days leading up to it to feel like a family working together; not a group of strangers trying to get more money out of me. To those who have helped and will help with that day I want to say "thank you". Amy McClure has designed my invitations and they are just what I would have picked out. Can I really send you a thank you note? Will it be strange to receive it after you designed it? Jessica Wright has taken the engagement photos (i think you really captured who we are as a couple) and will take the Wedding pictures as well. I'm so glad that you will be there behind the lens that day and not a stranger. Other friends are helping as well but I will thank them later.

Things I think I should like...

1. Hot Tea...it sounds appealing on a day like today. There is something cozy and comforting about the thought of a whistling tea kettle.

2. Artsy movies...like Donnie Darko, sorry Jason, but I've tried. I'm just shallow. I would prefer to watch a Gidget or Tammye movie. Now, don't get me wrong I do like movies that make me think but there are some that are just weird.

3. Mountain Bikes...I want to like them but as per my discovery this summer I prefer my wide seat cruiser. I have big plans for a basket to put on the back.

4. Six Flags(amusement parks in general)...many of you have heard my thoughts on this, but I will share one more time. Number one...they stink. Number two....teenage skank love. It never fails there will be some girl in her cut off jean shorts and her boyfriend who is wearing something equally as redneck will have his hand in her back pocket. Number three...the waiting oh how i hate the waiting in the lines for a ride that is 30 seconds long.

My Favorite Day

Besides getting engaged...My favorite day this summer was spent at Little River Canyon. After helping my stepbrother paint his house. We decided to take an adventure. (I love that Dan is spontaneous) We left Josh's house and I said "let's go to little river canyon" and off we went. No bathing suits and definitely not the right shoes (daniel had on boots) nonetheless we went. On our drive out we reminisced about growing up in that area and how pretty it really is. Daniel talked about how he and his family would go camping there and how his mother always made them wear their life jackets (she's a worrier). After our arrival we did wish we had thought it through just a bit more, but that did not deter us. Some of the things we saw were funny...for one thing our latin american friends do not mind swimming in their underwear. For that reason we opted out of swimming in the mouth of the canyon. We took off with fishing poles in hand to hopefully catch something (we have had absolutely no luck this summer). But gave up quickly and decided to brave the water. First we were a little apprehensive...it was ice cold...but we decided to go further up and further in as we made our way to the other side balancing on rocks trying to not fall Daniel finally succumbed and took me down with him. In we went. We didn't care, we climbed rocks and tried our best to swim against stream and thought for just a minute about riding the rapids back, but then thought better of it. The day was spent talking about family and laughing a lot. I didn't have my camera, but I wish I had.

Engaged!

On Saturday Daniel and I had engagment pictures taken. We had a great time and here are some of the pictures to prove it. My sweet friend Jessica Wright took them. I think they turned out great!

I know almost everyone that reads this, if anyone reads it anymore, knows that I got engaged. I thought that I would do a post anyway. Humor me, okay! Daniel asked me to marry him on July 4, the anniversary of the day we met. We went down to the beach with my mother for the weekend and had a blast. On the fourth he took me out on a date. We went to the Bayside Grill and had by far the best meal we had all weekend. It was perfect there was absolutely no wait and we were able to sit, relax and enjoy the view of the bay. Later that night Daniel, who cannot keep a secret, kept dropping hints about feeling poetic but wanted to wait until we were on the beach. After a customary trip to Wal-Mart Dan was ready to get to the beach. He could barely get all the way on the sand before he turned me around and pulled out a sheet of paper. He finished the poem I had started earlier and posted about us. And at the end he got down on one knee and said "will you be my love for life?" After I chased down the piece of paper with the poem written on it I said yes. He gave me a beautiful ring which I love.

The wedding is set for October 18, 2008! That day can't get hear soon enough either.