In Limbo...

I am dying without internet, ya'll.

I have been at a local coffee shop for almost three hours doing homework.

The seats are hard and my butt HURTS.

I am getting ready to go the the largest building in town--the walmart-- to stock up on some groceries.

Supposedly the biggest snow storm of the year is going to hit this week.

& we are in the middle of no where...meaning chances are good we may be snowed in.

Hopefully it will hold out until we get internet at the cottage tomorrow...until then, enjoy the above pic.  It is one from our mini shoot for our new blog.  Our photographer had me wear my hat I got from Jonathan for Christmas, haha!  
(p.s. to see her amazing work click on her button under our sponsor lists!  >>>right over there!>>>>  she also has a cute pic of our cupcakes up! can't wait to see the finished blog...it just may be a month or so more!  DYING!)

Can't wait to get back into the blog world with you guys...I miss reading your posts!

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Please Hold.... (your regularly scheduled blog will return shortly...)

We are finishing our move up this weekend and celebrating my 25th birthday... we are supposed to be getting internet down at our new lake cottage on Tuesday so hopefully I will be back and fully operational by Wednesday.  Can't wait!  Until then, here are a few sneak peak photos of our new place. Obviously these were taken in the summer and it looks a lot different out there right now, but once we Slaterize the place it will be nice and cozy in no time.  See the wood pellet stove in the first picture? So excited about firing that thing up!  We also have ZERO neighbors...kinda scary if you think about it.  But we will enjoy the peace and quiet.  Can't wait to show you all REAL pictures....!!!  

See you soon!

We are finishing our move up this weekend and celebrating my 25th birthday... we are supposed to be getting internet down at our new lake cottage on Tuesday so hopefully I will be back and fully operational by Wednesday.  Can't wait!  Until then, here are a few sneak peak photos of our new place....

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NEGATIVE.

GUYS....

My trip didn't go so great! 

I saw a lot of amish just driving their buggies around and hanging out in their fields.

Also, a lot of old men ice fishing on the ponds and lakes.

These things are fine.

The problem was the "cottage".

It's not a cottage.

It was more like an extension of someone's house.

I mean, it isn't attached BUT it is 8 steps from the door to the main house.

There is no cable.

The owner talked about upgrading to DIAL-UP internet.

UPGRADING.

DIAL UP.

Are you with me?!

Next, he told my husband's company he was buying new furniture.

negative.

It is all furniture from the basement of the main house.

It might actually be from the set of that 70's show, it looks the same.

There is a fireplace, but we couldn't use that because it would burn the pilot light out.

Also the owner believes that fireplaces never work, they suck the heat out.

Also, you have to flush the toilet often or the water gets rusty because, 

the cottage is sitting on a well.

So I left and immediately contacted my husband, the company, etc.

And currently they are looking into other options for us.

BECAUSE GUYS, THIS JUST AIN'T GONNA CUT IT.

If I am going to live in the middle of amish country,

I am going to need some cable.

And I have online class so this dial-up nonsense....not so much.

So that means we will be homeless for a short period of time.

Oddly enough, I am not really stressed out about this.

Progress friends, ...progress.

More updates to come!

& prayers are welcome!!!

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My Hair Is a Nightmare.

Sometimes, when I actually brush my hair and take the time to style it, it can be pretty like in the below photo.... 

But often, it is just a hot mess like this. This is what happens if I try and blow dry my hair from wet.  Usually I just have to let it air dry into a tangled mess and then pick through it.   Also, why is one of my eyes blue and one black?  Maybe I am some kind of robot....

I really commend you women who get up early to curl or flat iron your hair just right. 

My husband can vouch, the general public is lucky

 if I take a brush to my hair before venturing out.  

The messy bun that I wear right on the top of my head, 

that all my Clinique co-workers made fun of me for,-- 

--is my best friend. 

 I also have perfected the low side bun 

with a few pieces of styled hair pulled out around my face.  

It is laziness on a genius level. 

Now, I would like some sympathy because I am driving 4 hours to go take a look at the cottage we could be living in for the next 13 weeks. I will be having a lot of THIS while listening to THIS and wishing I had THESE to munch on. (alas, husband and I ate the entire batch!!)

Solo road trip, whaaaaat.

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Our Love Story, Part 4

HER WORDS.

That Sunday morning I immediately found him in the crowd as we walked onto the stage and began our welcome song.  For the rest of service I tried my best to avoid eye contact and generally pretend like I had no idea he was there.  Secretly I was planning on what I was going to do as soon as service ended; what I would say, what I would do, and how to make sure I looked cool doing it.  As soon as church ended I watched him out of the corner of my eye and slowly worked my way to the lobby, matching his movements so we would HAVE to come face to face at the door. For some reason I froze up when that moment arrived and I pretended not to know who he was! FAIL. I walked away thinking I had just blown that...but thankfully he was a little persistent and came back around before leaving that day.  I made sure not to make the same mistake twice and we stood there taking until we were almost the last people in the building...

HIS WORDS.

That Sunday I arrived at church in my best duds, thinking I was looking pretty dashing. I sat right near the front on the side where she was singing and sized her up.  I decided her pictures did her justice, she was very cute.  Because I was there to see her, and we both knew that and were anticipating that I tried to make eye contact.  I thought it would take some of the edge off, but I was to get no such affirmation. I sat there thinking she was not glad to see me and not really interested that I was there. I tried not to psyche myself out and decided I would at least try to say hi after church because I had already come this far and there was no reason why we couldn't at least be friends.

So after church I watched her out of the corner of my eye and noticed that no matter what I did by moving fast or slow it seemed inevitable that our paths would cross. Not exactly the way I planned it, it would be awkward and she hadn't even acknowledge my presence yet.  I felt like a creeper, but I pressed on. Then, it happened. We crossed paths...

I took the lead and said "hey!" to which she replied "ooh, uh, hi?"  I awkwardly replied, stuttering "Yeah, I am Jonathan, you know, we have been talking on facebook..."  Totally caught off guard I officially felt stupid, this girl had forgotten I was even coming and was NOT interested in talking to me. She said "oh yeah, hi" and then turned around and walked away. Feeling totally rejected I went to find my sister and brother-in-law and told them what had just happened.  We were all confused and at that point I decided to move on and head out to lunch with them. I went to get my jacket and was faced with two options...  I could take the path that would lead me directly past her or just avoid her altogether and leave.  After being brushed off I thought I should just leave, but being the optimist and ultimate romantic, I figured I would give it one more chance.  

I walked by, caught her eye and said "see you later", but she was ready to talk and stopped me.  She had found her stride or comfort zone or something, and had caught me in her net.  We talked and talked, and before long almost everyone was gone, but we planned to speak again soon.  After going home that day she was on facebook and we continued our conversation, we made plans for our first date (or as I phrased it "hanging out").  

After that date, which is a story in itself, we never parted.

*****

The story doesn't end here...it includes a little heartache and uncertainty,

a stint in the hospital and a long distance romance.

STAY TUNED!

In case you missed it...

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

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Son of a Biscuit Eating Bulldog...

...it's COLD!

This is a picture taken last night of the temperature as it read in my car.  Two degrees. Two tiny little degrees.  Is it worth it, 2?  Just give up. We are on to you. 

When you are at the point when you are so cold that you aren't sure if your face has gone partially numb or you have suffered a mild stroke, seeing 2 degrees is just adding insult to injury.  Those two little pathetic degrees are just mocking you.  Taunting you and your 5 layers of clothing that are literally not doing a thing to keep the two degrees of warmth in the air inside your overpriced-had-to-have-it-Northface jacket.

Two degrees, I hate you.

Thankfully, I have de-thawed enough to be able to type  again, and most of the feeling is back in my fingers.   I am very glad for that because I finally have news about the next location my husband and I are moving to.  It isn't that exciting because it is still in this state, and it is a tiny little town...

HOWEVER, this means we have decided to continue traveling (we promise the next job will be in another state...somewhere cool and extremely warm year round).  We are excited to continue to explore the country and see new places, and for now that new place is Sturgis, MI.  (Basically in Indiana).  So we are off at the end of this week &--don't worry blogger friends, I will let you know if it is great or awful or somewhere in between.  I am not so sure though, this town doesn't even have a target. That is like, blasphemy!  They do have a Walmart and Kmart....nothing more, besides a Subway and a Burger King. I don't think I can stress hoe TINY of a town this is.  We will be living on a cottage on a lake though. This could be good or bad....

details to come!

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Oh, you want to buy me a birthday gift?

I am obsessed with all of these lovely treasures from Urban Outfitters.

The bottom right is a compost disposer for the kitchen.  A DREAM.

Currently I throw my chopped veggies and fruits in the trash which means a nasty smell the next day.

The mustache corkscrew? Meant to be MINE.  

As you know, my brother-in-law and I hand-made our mustache props for our wedding party. So I kind of love mustaches.  As soon as I get my sewing machine to work, I am going to sew a mustache on a throw pillow for our bed-- because, you can never have enough throw pillows!  Who needs to actually sit on the bed?!

Here are some of my favorite mustache-wedding photos!

They speak for themselves..

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Most Precious, EVER.

This is Jorge Narvaez, a single dad and college student with his daughter Alexa.   They sang this live on the Ellen show yesterday and they are the sweetest things ever.  I think single dads who are GOOD fathers are awesome. 

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Friday's Letters

Dear Husband, last month while watching me struggle to make your peanut butter & jelly sandwich you grabbed the jar and said "grape jelly? rookie mistake. you need jam." I scoffed but a month later, the jam has made ALL the difference. Dear Bronson Hospital, Can you please get your stuff together and get my husband a legitimate job offer so we can make a decision...we are now at t-minus 6 days until we are homeless. Dear Online Classes, I really hate you.  I am not learning anything and my "professor" can't even speak English.  In other words, SUCK IT. Dear Husband, lately in the mornings you have had me run my hand all over your face before you will get up...any other time if I started touching your face you would freak out so I think this is completely weird. 


Happy Weekend!  
We are taking some photos for the new blog, celebrating my birthday (part1) and packing, packing, packing! What are you doing?

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Our Love Story, Part Three

HER WORDS.

  




















Within a few days his friend request popped up.  After checking my make sure I had my cutest profile picture up, I accepted and started browsing his page.  I found something very interesting...we had a mutual friend.  This mutual friend was the wife of the bass player in our church's worship band that I sang with.  I thought it was so bizarre that a random guy from Eharmony knew someone from my church! Shortly after I received a message from him about it and learned that he had not only visited my church, but had heard me sing! This opened the doors to a flirty communication titled "facestalking" (which I thought was pretty funny).  At the end of the week he let me know that he would be at church the following Sunday.  I got excited...

HIS WORDS.

  






















So, I friend requested her.  I figured I had nothing to lose and it was harmless to at least find out who she was.  She indeed had a cute profile picture which only further captured  my attention.  When I went to her page, I noticed we had one mutual fiend.  Who in the world did this random girl and I both know?! Come to find out, it wasn't just a random friend, it was my sister. {This would be the sister who met HER husband on Eharmony, and also the "couple" that Ashley's dad knew at church which prompted him to get Ashley involved with the website....  TOO weird, right?)  I wrote to her and asked how she knew my sister which opened up a dialogue between us for the rest of the week.  When she asked when I would be coming to church again I replied "A lot sooner, now..."  I was excited...

stay tuned for the next piece of our story!

In Case You Missed It...

PART ONE

&

PART TWO

and to read the final chapter in our love story, click here. 

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Vlog Dialect Challenge...

Words:

Aunt, Route, Wash, Oil, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pajamas, Caught

And answer these questions:

What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?

What is the bug that when you touch it, it curls into a ball?

What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?

What do you call gym shoes?

What do you say to address a group of people?

What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?

What do you call your grandparents?

What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?

What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?

What is the thing you change the TV channel with?

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law. She is a fabulous baker and really hasn't ever made anything that wasn't amazing, so I wasn't surprised by how awesome these turned out. I don't think you can go wrong with them, they are nice and moist and have a perfect amount of sweetness with the chocolate chips.  A dab of cream cheese frosting and a glass of milk?  Yes and yes.  


Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins


Ingredients

• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup oil (my sister-in-law used half oil, half applesauce)
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 2/3 cups milk
• 1 3/4 cups pumpkin, 15 oz (not pie filling!)
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350, spray muffin pan with non-stick spray.  
In a mixing bowl, beat together sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla; blend thoroughly.
In a separate bowl sift flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Gradually add egg mixture to the dry mixture, blend thoroughly.
Fold in half of the milk, and half of the pumpkin. Repeat.
Spoon mix into pans, about 2/3 full.  Bake 20 minutes, or until fork comes out clean.
Yields about 3 dozen or so.  Try not to eat them all yourself.

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The King's Speech

I am not sure how we missed this  movie, but we did.  

We will remedy that this week and go see it in the theaters!  

Also, don't miss part 1 and part 2 of our love story...

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Our Love Story, Part 2

HER WORDS.

Immediately after logging into my trial Eharmony account,  I was mortified. What was I doing? I was young, and could surely find a date for myself without the help of an internet dating website. The words made me cringe.  Regardless of how pathetic I thought it was, I decided to see whom the internet deemed a suitable match for me; if nothing else I would get a good laugh out of it. And I did in fact laugh at the first slew of profiles and pictures that I saw.  It was all so silly that I decided to cancel my account and get on with life.  But that is when it happened. I saw a single picture and was intrigued in an instant. Sparkling eyes, mischievous grin...  I clicked his profile and the amazing details of this cute, cute man popped up and was irreversibly captivated.  However, I really felt that the online dating wasn't for me so just before I canceled, I sent him a message inviting him to find me on facebook.  Then, I crossed my fingers and waited.

HIS WORDS.

I finally decided to join, but I didn't want to spend any money on it because I felt that if I did it would mean I needed serious help.  Honestly, I just wanted to see if there were some attractive girls who were like me and looking for similar things. There were some intriguing girls and others were just weird. I started a few correspondences which in general went no where for one reason or another.  As I wrote my profile in my usual cocky undertone, I stated that while I was trying out Eharmony I thought it was weird and it felt like I was shopping for a wife.  I became very turned off from it and decided to let my account expire at the end of the month.  Before the month ended I logged in one more time and found a strange message. Strange because it was a message from a girl and the girls on this site usually waited for the guy to contact them.  I went to this girl's profile and thought WOW! --this girl is hott (yes, two T's).  So I wrote back to her that sure I would love to keep talking but tried not to sound too interested.  Then, I found her on facebook.

Stay tuned for the next bit of our little love story...

In case you missed it, here is Part One.

To go to part three, click HERE!

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umm, psst.

By the way, I am doing some recording today...something I have been talking about for forever...and ever, amen.  So excited!

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Our Love Story, Part 1

Change came as swiftly and unexpectedly as the snowy blizzards of December 2008.  After yet another failed relationship due to vastly different morals and desires, I finally did what I should have done from the start. 

I relinquished control of my dating life to God.  I was tired of giving my heart away time and time again to the wrong guy.  I sat alone in my room one night and let go of that control and prayed that the next man to enter my life romantically would be my future husband. It seems like when we come to a place of absolute surrender everything falls right into place. 

 But what can I say?  My God is a faithful God.

Here is how I arrived at the beautiful conclusion I am blessed to call my life...

HER WORDS.

I was living in Grand Rapids, Michigan with my family where my father served as senior pastor at Kentwood Christian Church. Sharing  my frustrations and discontent with the dating world, my dad offered a solution that had proved successful for a couple in our church.  This couple had met (and eventually married), on the site Eharmony.  They were very impressed with how much avoidable heartache was cut out by simply taking the guesswork out of dating.  This was enough for my dad to really press me to give it a try.  One way or another he eventually convinced me and I logged on to see what it was all about...

 meanwhile...

HIS WORDS.

I was living in Grand Rapids attending graduate school, working toward my Doctorate in Physical Therapy. I had dated and talked to several girls, making many friends along the way, but never truly finding the girl I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.  I had a hard time finding someone I truly clicked with, and I was missing having that part of my life complete.My sister had met and married her husband on Eharmony but I was adamant that I would never "sink" to that level of desperation. However, after a relationship ended with some honesty issues and a little heartbreak I decided I was done dating girls who didn't share my values and was more open to seeing what God's plans were for me.  I admit I was a little curious about Eharmony and thought it was interesting how they matched people based on beliefs, personalities and goals. I thought, what if there is an amazing girl out there who would be perfect for me?  It did seem like a much easier way to find my true love than gambling on happenchance meetings...

               ....................................................................................

To go to part two, click HERE!

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Potbelly: Lansing Michigan Review

This weekend the husband and I stayed in Lansing for the first time in forever.  It was so nice to sleep in two mornings in a row!  Saturday we stopped at Potbelly, which is located directly across the street from Michigan State University.  It is on a strip of road filled with cool eateries, shops, bookstores and all things college friendly. From tanning to American Apparel to medical marijuana, you can find a little bit of everything here.  I saw this particular sandwich shop when we first arrived here almost 2 months ago...

You order your sandwich and they put it through the conveyer belt oven which not only melts the cheese and meat but finishes cooking the bread as well.  Then you choose your toppings......

Saturday we finally had a chance to stop in and try this subway-esque shop for hot eats.

I ordered the skinny mushroom melt with creamy tomato soup.

They call it skinny for  reason, I wasn't very satisfied after eating this but it was very good.  I also got hot peppers which were actually celery, banana pepper and carrots that had been pickled in a spicy mixture. YUM.

Husband got the turkey melt.  He thought it was pretty bland and ended up eating half of my soup because he is a bottomless pit was still hungry as well...

 Our little spot, you can see State's campus... I wasn't supposed to be in the picture.

Snowy day...the creamy tomato soup was the best part!

Partly just because it was HOT!

View of the whole sandwich shop.

Overall, we give Potbelly a 6.5 out of 10.  It was a cool shop with as good as service as you get when a bunch of college guys who were probably hitting up the medical marijuana shop earlier are running the joint.  The soup was to die for and the sandwiches left us wanting a little  more.  However, we would try this place again because we give any establishment that will feed us a second chance. 

Have you ever been to Lansing?  Any great restaurants that got a 10 out of 10? 

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Anxiety, Let's Talk About It.

Nearing the end of January is when the snow becomes that friend who has come to visit but is seriously overstaying their welcome and using up all your shampoo in the bathroom.  And who drank the last of the milk in the fridge?  Oh yeah, that would be your super good friend, Winter, whom you now want to punch in the face.

Winter, I want to punch you.  

Right in the face.

Just one quick crack to the jaw to make a believer out of you.

The sun really never wants to come out these days and although there are fresh blankets of snow every now and again, the dirty muddy ice sludge on the roads make things look so depressing. Also, winter has ruined my favorite boots. I am spent the better part of the morning googling "how to remove salt stains from leather boots".(  If any of you have a suggestion, or know if they vinegar mixture works, please let me know.)

On top of this winter depression comes the fact that my husband's current contract job ends in 10 days and we have no idea where we will be moving still.  He has a second interview for a permanent job in his hometown.  In fact, it is a really great job but we aren't sure if it is going to fit financially. And then there is the fact that I am not sure whether or not I would be ready to stay in one place.  On one hand, we would be close to our family who I always miss when we are away, I could also go to an actual college instead of the online mess that I am currently in, and we could maybe, make some real friends and have a social life.

The con's are that we aren't in a place that we could purchase a home right now and I really don't want to live in an apartment, and I don't want to be stressed out financially either.

It is a dilemma, and I am glad that I do not have to make the decision.

I have faith that God will work it our for us and make it very clear.

So far he has opened doors, closed others and even slammed some shut right in our face.

I think this is a little bit of a test of patience and trust and faith.

And it has given me a little bit of anxiety.

For now I am starting to pack up because I know we are going somewhere.

In the meanwhile I hope God gives us our answer soon!

In other news...take a look at this picture.

See anything wrong?

Probably not, so I will tell you.

I have an extra 30 

POUNDS

of weight on my body...

Tune in next week to hear the story of how we met, fell in love, cemented that love while I was in the hospital for a week and ended up here.

In a park, carving our initials into the tree.

(p.s. thanks megan from Across the Pond for inspiring me to tell our love story...)

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One of Michigan's beauties...

This was last year around this time. (Yep, that is me and the husband smoochin')  The waves from Lake Michigan crash up and freeze on the lighthouse's and form these amazing icicle looking monstrosities. Although the weather is supposed to be awful this weekend I am hoping to make my way over to one of these lighthouses's to see what formation has been created this year.  Pictures to come...

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Apple Artichoke Chicken

Apples,
Artichoke,
Mushrooms....
OH MY!


I have to go ahead and throw it right out there:  my husband did NOT like this meal.  He thought the soft apples were weird.  His words: "I don't like soggy vegetables when I don't know what they are."  Also, he was concerned by the artichoke.  In fact he just looked at it and started shaking his head back and forth saying "I don't think I like that."


But for more adventures folks, who actually enjoy these flavors...this is pretty delicious.  I really liked it.   And I have a refined palette. Seriously.


This dish is satisfying on so many levels.  I had an awful day yesterday, it was really just one of the worst in a long time and so of course, I decided to do some experimenting in the kitchen.  I cooked and cooked some more and well, honestly, it didn't make me feel any better but I came up with a pretty good thing regardless of the emotional wreck that was me.




Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
1 medium onion, diced
1-3 garlic cloves, minced
4 oz. mushroom (I used sliced mini bella's)
2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 can (14oz) artichoke hearts
1 can chicken broth
1 cup dry white wine (chardonnay works well...)


To Make:
Heat some olive oil in a large skillet.  I would give you a measurement but I always just eyeball it.  I would like to think it is because I am so skilled in the kitchen, but really it is because I am lazy.   Brown chicken on both sides, about 8-10 minutes.


Add onion, garlic and mushrooms. Sautee until onions are soft, about 5 minutes.


Add wine, broth and apple.  Let simmer until apples are soft about 10 minutes.  
Turn off heat and let the broth thicken up...add cornstarch if you need to to help speed that process along.


Serve over noodles of your choice. Shake over a little parsley to make it pretty. 

If you make this, you have to let me know if

 a)YOU like it b) your husband's/boyfriend's/significant others 

were afraid of it like my husband was....

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Our Engagement

I was editing old pictures and I love these so much I am going to have to backtrack and share our engagement story with you, dear blog world.  I guess I first need to admit that I knew I was going to marry my husband on our first date. Literally that very night I called a handful of friends and told them that (sigh of relief) I had met my future husband (and oh how happy I was that he was perfect and wonderful and I wasn't going to have to settle)!   I told him that I was going to marry him on our third date, sufficiently scaring the life out of him.  After a few months of adventures, deep talks and some serious making out he decided he couldn't live without me either.  I knew he wanted to marry me too and I was waiting for him to propose...for what seemed like years.  In the end, he surprised me--totally caught me off guard when he knelt down on one knee during an impromptu trip to Chicago...

 My husband's family was going to Chicago for a shopping trip

 and at the last minute, we decided to tag along.

 We visited the famous "bean"...

 and explored the city...

 and that night he surprised me by taking me to dinner 

at the John Hancock Building

at the  very top is a superb restaurant.

At this point, I still had no clue what he had planned. 

 I was enjoying our beautiful view when all of a sudden....

He came around to my side of the table and got on one knee.

I told him to stop it.

And then he started his speech.

I told him to shut up.

He kept going.

My ears starting ringing.

I don't remember a thing he said besides "will you marry me?"

 Of course, I said YES!

And he had his brother-in-law hiding in the restaurant 

taking pictures as the whole thing went down...

I was so excited I didn't eat a bite of my dinner...

Later he told me he was going to wait until we had eaten,

but was just too excited to wait any longer.

Afterwards, we went down to a lovely carriage ride through the city.

and I couldn't stop looking at my beautiful ring...

Our carriage took us to Navy Pier...

We rode the ferris wheel...

 and took in our breathtaking view...

and generally just did a lot of smiling and laughing...

  I was so thrilled that it was actually happening now....

I was going to get to spend my life with the best person I had EVER known.

We took a cab back to our hotel...

after waving goodbye to navy pier...

and had cheesecake from the cheesecake factory with his family.

I didn't sleep all night long, as I layed in the hotel room with family members sleeping everywhere.

I was just too excited.

The next morning his 4 year old niece came to lay in bed with me and said 

"you are going to marry jon-a-fun?"

"yes, I am"

"because he's the prince, and you love him"

"yes, that's right"

"and he loves you very much too?"

"yes, he does"

and she nodded her little head in approval.

I will never forget that conversation with her.

 And the rest, as they say... is history.

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