Happy Anniversary!

I just wanted to point out that two years ago today, Greg and I went on our official first date. We had been spending our weekends chatting on the phone since we met New Year's Eve. When he arrived at my apartment, he looked so handome and so excited to be taking me out. We had on matching outfits (which was not planned!), dressed to impress.

It was the night that Greg gave his first gift to me, a Green Bay Packer Build-a-Bear:

On the back of the jersey, Greg had my last name engraved. I was completely impressed. He took me to an amazing restaurant, where we indulged in the 3-course Valentine's Day special.

I will never forget that evening. We enjoyed eachother's company, thankful for the opportunity to finally look at eachother as we spoke. If you ask me, it was a magical evening.

I generally enjoy flying...

Except for when my flight is cancelled!!!

For the first time ever (that I recall), I had my flights cancelled. I was supposed to be flying to the midwest last night for a weekend of bridal celebrations. When I booked my tickets over a month ago, I had a few choices for layovers en route to St Louis: Denver, Chicago, Dallas. Hmm...what is the smartest choice for February? Dallas, right? Yeah, I thought so too!!!

Turns out Dallas can get snow in February. Did you know that?

When Dallas gets snow (even an inch or two), no one knows what to do. Did you know that?

If Dallas gets a few inches of snow, everything shuts down. WUSSES!!

When I first checked in at the ticket counter, I was informed that my flight out of Dallas was cancelled, but I was still able to fly in. The gal at the ticket counter was a friend of a friend whom I had previously met, so she hooked me up with the first flight out of Dallas the next morning. I'd just have to stay overnight at the Dallas airport. Joy! At least I'd be able to get to the Lou by the necessary time.

After going through security and finding a not-so-comfy seat at my gate, I learn that my flight out of Tucson had been cancelled as well. People all over are having a difficult time arranging for flights to their destinations within the next couple of days. Some are having to wait 2 days before leaving Tucson! I was nervous as I spent over an hour in line, waiting to make alternative arrangements.

When I finally got to the front of the line, I told the gal behind the counter that I had to get to St Louis by 5pm the following day, and I didn't care how, and I didn't care through which city or how many flights were required. Her simple reply was "I understand, ma'am, but I doubt that we are going to meet your request."

Great. I threw my hand to my face, thinking about all the people planning to attend these celebrations being held in my honor. I was the one coming into town for these! Visions of alternative plans began to flood my mind when suddenly I heard, "You're in luck! They've already booked you on another flight!"

WHAT?!? How did that happen?

Fortunately for me, I had an angel on my side. The gal I "knew" at the ticket counter saw that my flight had been cancelled shortly after I left to go through security. She had hopped right on it and booked me on the first flight out the next morning, on a different airline and through a different city. WOW! Obviously God wanted me back in the midwest to spend time will all my ladies.

So here I am today, on my way to St Louis for a fun-filled bridal weekend. I cannot wait to see my family and friends, and to celebrate being a bride. I have been waiting for this for so long, and I still cannot believe it is happening to me. Am I really the one to be getting married!! :)

My blog sucks at the moment

I have to apologize. I know it sucks right now. No real updates in almost 2 months.

I'm sorry.

I've been busy.

But I promise to add some new posts soon. A lot has happened, and I want to share it. :)

Stay tuned...

Wedding Day!!

After I returned from my trip home at Thanksgiving, Greg and I immediately set out to find a place for our wedding. We had to determine where we wanted to get married before we set the date...and we couldn't do much of any other planning until we had a date!!

We spent two weekends visiting various wedding venues throughout the Tucson area. Greg took the time to schedule a plethora of appointments and we drove all over town. Some places were impressive; others were quite a let-down. There were certainly things we were looking for, other things we could do without. At the top of the list was the ability to have the ceremony and reception all at the same site. Most of our guests are flying in from out of town, and we wanted to make it as easy on everyone as possible. We also wanted to find a place with great views. We thought if people were spending the money to come see us get married, we might as well give them something great to look at!!

After reviewing our budget and weighing all the pros and cons, we settled on The Oasis at Wild Horse Ranch. It is a spectacular venue that has a very unique character not seen at other places. It has a great Southwestern/Tucson feel to it, which I think the guests will really enjoy.

We knew we wanted to get married in either April or May, as the lease on my apartment ends in May. This is an ideal time of year in Tucson, as there is literally no chance of rain. Additionally, the days are quite comfortable, with evenings cooling just enough to still be enjoyable. Since it is an outdoor wedding, we thought it would be great to check out the moon calendar for that time of year. Turns out there is a full moon at the end of April. SO...based on the weather, my rent and the moon schedule, we selected Thursday, April 29th, 2010 as the big day. It's hard to believe that it's less than 5 months away...

All of this is quite exciting, and I'm looking forward to all of the upcoming planning we will be doing!!

Foothills Community Church

A couple of weeks ago, we were on our way to another church to experience. One of Greg's colleagues suggested this church, and we thought we would check it out. It was a reasonable drive from both of our homes, and the website was informative. That morning, Greg asked me to look up the address, which I did just before we left. We were running a little behind, but knew we'd make the 9am start time. Approximately 5 miles into the drive, Greg asked me when he needed to turn. I asked him where the GPS was. He assumed I had written down directions, I assumed he grabbed the GPS. He only asked me to look up the address, not the directions! It was a bit of a miscommunication.

Well, we thought we may be able to find it based upon the address. We were wrong. After driving up and down the same street a couple of times and not finding this specific church, we came across several others with the same start time. It was nearly 9 am, so we just pulled into a random church parking lot.

The first person to greet us was very warm and friendly. She asked us how we came upon Foothills Community Church, and we were honest. Greg shared with her that we intended to attend another church, but couldn't find it. She introduced us to another couple, who also welcomed us warmly. Throughout the morning, many greeted us and made us feel comfortable and at home.

The worship service was magnificent. The worship team is comprised of many talented individuals. The worship minister has an amazing way of leading worship, and is quite talented himself (singing, guitar, piano, etc.). The lead minister preached a great message, speaking with humble authority. As a whole, we were quite impressed. Driving away afterwards, we immediately agreed to return once again.

One of the things that caught both of our attentions was the make up of the congregation. There was a variety of age groups from infant to elderly. What was even more exciting was the number of young couples! They were everywhere! Even the worship team had a few 20-30 somethings on stage. This was very exciting for us, as we have been praying to find not only a church home, but a place where we can fellowship with other Christians close to our age. This place held some promise.

Foothills is a Wesleyan church, a meaning we are unsure of at this point. However, we intend to educate ourselves one way or another. Specifically, though, we feel the teachings the last couple of weeks have been sound and backed by scripture. We have enjoyed the last few weeks and are looking to continue to attend. I have a great feeling about it....

He went to Jared!

Many of you may already be aware, and it's true! I'm referring to the Jewelry Store! Greg proposed on 11/20/09, just before I left to spend a week in Wisconsin with my family and friends. I thought I would share the story for all to read...

Greg closed on his house on 11/13, so we've been spending each night after work moving things from one house to the other. By the time I was to fly back home, most everything would be at the new house (although not unpacked and in the correct place). So Friday night would be the last evening for the two of us to enjoy the sunset at the old house. See, there is this place down the road from the rental property that is very special to us. It is here where some of the best sunset views of Tuscon are seen. Many long-distance hours on the phone took place in this spot. Before moving here, Greg would bring me here to watch the sunsets while sipping on wine. And after I moved to Tucson, we spent many weekend evenings sitting on top of the jeep, watching the sun dip below the mountains. It's a quiet spot, serene, beautiful, majestic. Since it holds a special place in both of our hearts, we decided that we definitely needed to spend our last night of the old house watching the sunset.

As the sun sets around 5 pm these days, I left work early so that I could arrive in time for us to drive out and get comfortable with beers in hand. It was a beautiful sky, with just a few whispy clouds strewn throughout the sky. We were sitting on the top of the jeep enjoying our Leiny's when one of the neighbors came by on her horse. She greeted us and we chatted with her for some time, just as the sun was doing down for the night. I was a little annoyed, as I wanted this to be a special night for us. I was distracted by the beautiful rays extending out from the horizon towards the heavens. I can't even remember what we all discussed that evening. Before we knew it, the sun was gone and she was still there chatting with us! As it continued to grow dark, she said her goodbyes and left us to enjoy the stars.

Shortly after the neighbor left, we were standing next to the jeep with our arms around eachother. It was getting chilly, but I didn't want to admit I was cold. Music was playing in the jeep, and Greg started talking about how he knew I was anxious about getting married....to which I apologized (I can't help it! I'm a girl!!). And then I felt bad, which I shared with him, explaining that I never wanted to be "that girl." He said that of course, he would be a stupid man if he didn't ask me to marry me. "Yeah you would!" I told him (we all know the truth).

So then he said, "So can I?"

And I stepped back to look at him and said, "REALLY?!?!"

His answer: He dropped down to one knee and asked me to marry him as he slipped a ring onto my finger! This was followed by many other wonderful words praising me, all of which neither of us remember. I was so excited, surprised, happy and many other things that I couldn't even respond right away! I couldn't believe it! But I said "OF COURSE I WILL!!" and pulled him up off the ground.

I don't remember much of what happened next, or what was said...but all I can say is that the ring is BEAUTIFUL and I'm so excited to get married!!!

Now, we don't have many details about the wedding at this point. All I can share presently is that we will be planning something this Spring (April or May), to take place in Tucson. Greg and I are visiting various places this weekend to see what is available as potential sites for the ceremony and reception. Yippee!!!

I'm getting married!!! :)

Thankful...

There is SO much for all of us to be thankful for this year!! I know that for many, times are tough right now, but there is still so much to reflect upon and thank God for. Here are a few of the things that I have been able to ponder this Thanksgiving and give thanks to God for bringing into my life:

God
Faith
Grace & Forgiveness
Family members all over the US
Friends all over the US
Technology that allows me to keep in touch with family and friends
Airplanes, trains and automobiles
My wonderful FIANCE!
God's perfect plan
My future in-laws
That I live in America
My health
My education
The job I've had for the last 6 months
Benefits that accompany my job
Co-workers that continually share in my life stories
Running a 1-mile race down a parade route with my wonderful friend!
Surviving the 1-mile race!
The ability to play football the morning of Thanksgiving
Ice and heat packs
Celebrating my 29th birthday and new engagement with my family in Wisconsin
Helping Greg move into his new house (or garage)
Not being around when Greg moves everything from the garage into the house
Coffee
Beer & Wine
Food
Being fortunate enough to overeat on Thanksgiving and every day that follows through the start of the new year
Exercise programs that help you shed holiday weight gain

There is a whole lot more....of course. Hope you have an opportunity to ponder what you are thankful for this year....