I found it! Yes... I have officially purchased my wedding dress (well actually my parents did! Thanks Mom and Dad!). It is beautiful! It wasn't at all what I had in mind for myself but in my opinion it is even better. As soon as Micheal proposed I began planning the day I would pick out my dress. I knew I wanted to have my mom and Meg there for sure. Well Mom called me last week and told me david's Bridal was having a sale and it ended on Saturday. It was really short notice so Meg didn't get to be there for the trying on of the dresses because her kids had a birthday party to go to.
So Saturday Mom and I walk into David's Bridal and a store rep immediately asks us if we had an appointment. We told them we didn't know we needed one and the lady explained that usually you don't but they were booked solid for the entire day. I was a little disappointed but not too bad because in all honesty I didn't want to find my dress so early. I know it sounds weird but I wanted to prolong it as much as possible. So mom and I decided to browse in the store for a little while. We were in there for a few minutes when the manager approached us and said they had about an hour before their next appointment. They typically schedule an hour and a half for each appointment but we were just glad we were going to have any time at all! Well we ended up being in there for three hours! The other girls never showed up for their appointments which worked out in my favor! I tried on about six or seven dresses and I kept going back to 2 different ones. I loved them both sooo much! I told my mom that I thought it was supposed to be easier than this! I mean you aren't supposed to fall in love with two dresses you are supposed to only love one! LOL! The funny thing was that both dresses were completely different! One was what I had in my head that I would wear and the other was much more traditional and princessy (if thats a word! Ha Ha!) Mom and I were having so much trouble because we needed a third opinion to decide between the two. I mean I wouuld put one on and be 100% sure I wanted that one and then put the other one on and feel the same way! I was going crazy! Well at one point when I came out of the dressing room one of my good friends Kara was there! I was so happy to see her! She helped us mkae the final decision. (So much for not finding one that day!! ) It meant so much to me that she came by! :) The tradition at David's Bridal is that when you make your final decision you get to make a wish and ring a bell and everyone claps for you. I will try to remember to post pics of me ringing the bell after the wedding! I can't take a chance of Micheal getting a sneak peek at my dress! :)
As my mom was purchasing the dress Meg called and wanted to know if we were still at the store. I told her yeah but only for a little bit because I had already picked one out. She was shocked that I found one so quickly! She said she was on her way and I asked our consultant if I could put the dress on one more time to show my Matron of Honor. She said yes and so the day ended perfectly with me getting to show Meg my dress! I came out of the dressing room and we all cried and everyone was staring at us and saying oh how sweet! Ha Ha! That night when we got home I modeled my dress for Dad, De, Kamille, and Samantha. It was a fun day!
Yesterday during my quiet time I really tried to focus on praying for this time in mine and Micheal's lives. It is such a special and precious time and I truly want to enjoy it. I asked God to help me to slow down and enjoy the fun things that are going to happen while we are engaged without getting caught up in all of the details and the little things that don't matter in the long run. I pray that our engagement, wedding, and honeymoon will be imperfectly wonderful. That word imperfect kept coming to mind while I prayed because I truly don't want to get lost in a desire for a perfect wedding. Things happen and I know that and I don't want to allow myself to get upset over the little imperfections along the way because at the end of all of this the only thing that truly matters is that on October 22, 2011 I get to marry an amazing man! I am so grateful for such a wonderful fiancee, wonderful, friends, and a wonderful family! I am truly blessed!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
5 Days and Counting...
In exactly 5 days my wonderful Christmas break will be over and life will begin again. Not that that is a bad thing... I have a great life! I am just not overly excited to be going back to school. On the bright side, in exactly 4 months I will be a college graduate! I am very ready. This semester is going to be very different than any I have ever experienced. I am only having to take 6 hours... yep, thats all that is left! Those 6 hours consist of one class called Gender & Sexuality and my practicum. Gender & Sexuality I am not worried about... my practicum on the other hand is kind of nerve racking. I have to get about 120 hours working in a place of business that has to do with me degree. I am excited about the opportunity but I am having a hard time deciding where to do it. There are so many options and it is hard to choose only one.
While I do not want these final few days to fly by I am anxiously awaiting the 15th of this month. This is the day I am supposed to get my ring back from the jewelers. I had to take it in last week to get it sized and it is going to take them three weeks to finish. I knew if it would take several days but I wasn't expecting three weeks! I am so ready to get it back. I didn't want to part with it but I was getting tired of carrying it around in my purse instead of wearing it. LOL! It was a size 7 and I wear a 4 1/2 so there was no way I could wear it without losing it. Micheal was going to have them size it before he bought it but he really wanted to propose before Christmas so we could tell all of our family in person and it was going to be after the new year before he could get it back. I am glad he didn't wait but I am definitly ready to have it back!
I get to go try on wedding dresses this weekend which I am very excited about! However, I secretly don't want to find one this early! I want to try on every dress possible before I make a decision! For those of you married ladies out there, do any of you have stories about shopping for your dress? Did you wear one that had been in the family for years or did you buy a new one? How long did it take you to find "the one"?? I love hearing stories like this so please share!! :-)
While I do not want these final few days to fly by I am anxiously awaiting the 15th of this month. This is the day I am supposed to get my ring back from the jewelers. I had to take it in last week to get it sized and it is going to take them three weeks to finish. I knew if it would take several days but I wasn't expecting three weeks! I am so ready to get it back. I didn't want to part with it but I was getting tired of carrying it around in my purse instead of wearing it. LOL! It was a size 7 and I wear a 4 1/2 so there was no way I could wear it without losing it. Micheal was going to have them size it before he bought it but he really wanted to propose before Christmas so we could tell all of our family in person and it was going to be after the new year before he could get it back. I am glad he didn't wait but I am definitly ready to have it back!
I get to go try on wedding dresses this weekend which I am very excited about! However, I secretly don't want to find one this early! I want to try on every dress possible before I make a decision! For those of you married ladies out there, do any of you have stories about shopping for your dress? Did you wear one that had been in the family for years or did you buy a new one? How long did it take you to find "the one"?? I love hearing stories like this so please share!! :-)
Sunday, January 2, 2011
The Proposal!
Micheal proposed to me on December 21, 2010.
We had plans that evening to make a dessert called Puppy Chow, we like to pass it out to our friends at Christmas time. Micheal arrived at my apartment around 6 that evening. I had gotten home about an hour earlier and was just kind of hanging out and wrapping some presents. When Micheal got there we went into the kitchen to get started. Micheal began washing his hands and asked me if I would get his gum out of his inside coat pocket. His coat was hanging on the kitchen chair. As I went to get it I was thinking to myself that he left his gum at my apartment the night before and it was now in my purse but I figured he went and bought some more. So I reached into his pocket and instead of gum I pulled out a ring box.
I completely froze and just stared at him. At that point he came over grabbed my hand and took me to the couch. I had a movie playing on my laptop and I said "Hang on!" I began trying to pause it but I was completely freaking out. He was like just turn it off! So I slammed it shut! We were both laughing! It was a crazy moment!
Once we got the computer taken care of he got down on one knee while I sat on the couch. This is what he said, "I love you very much and I will love you for a very long time. I'm not perfect but I will be the best husband I can be. I hope you will marry me."
It was so perfect! I immediately said "Yes, of course!" I stood up and gave him a big hug and kiss! Then he put my ring on my finger!
I was SO shocked! I knew he would be proposing soon because we talked about it but I had no idea it would be the day we were going to make puppy chow! I didn't think he would be able to surprise me like that but he did! It was so perfect!
After he proposed we still had to make our puppy chow because we had to get it done and there really wasn't another day when we would have time to do it. Unfortunatley, making puppy chow was the LAST think I wanted to do! I mean come on... I wanted to go tell everyone!! :)
We already had plans to have dinner with his family that evening around 7:30 but before we went over there we stopped by my parents house. My mom and dad both knew he was proposing that day because he had already asked my dad for his blessing. It was so great that we got to tell our families in person that very day. They were all very excited for us!
I was so excited to start telling everyone! I didn't want to put it on Facebook until we had told all of our family and close friends in person. Not announcing it on Facebook was soooo hard, I just wanted everyone to know and that would have been the easiest way but we didn't want to hurt anyones' feelings. The morning after we got engaged we told my grandparents on both sides, my aunts and uncles, my cousin Kayla, and our friends Micheal & Stephanie, Tammy, and Andy & Meghan.
I was the most excited about telling my best friend Meghan! She has known Micheal and I from the beginning and she was anxiously awaiting the proposal as much as I was!! :) We wanted to tell Andy and Meg both the niht we got enagaged but they were in Lubbock until late. I didn't want to tell her over the phone so we were going to have to wait until after church the next night to tell her. I was going crazy!!! Well, while Mom and I were at the mall that day guess who we ran into!?!? Meg! As soon as I saw her I knew I was not going to be able to NOT tell her! We chit chatted for a little bit and then I said, "Micheal is going to kill me but I have to tell you something!" ( Now ideally this is the part where I would have held up my hand and shown her the ring but I didn't have my ring with me because it was too big and I couldn't wear it. But I had just bought a Christmas ornament in the shape of two teddy bears. One was proposing to the other one. At the top of the ornament it said: Micheal and Amanda December 21,2010.)
We had plans that evening to make a dessert called Puppy Chow, we like to pass it out to our friends at Christmas time. Micheal arrived at my apartment around 6 that evening. I had gotten home about an hour earlier and was just kind of hanging out and wrapping some presents. When Micheal got there we went into the kitchen to get started. Micheal began washing his hands and asked me if I would get his gum out of his inside coat pocket. His coat was hanging on the kitchen chair. As I went to get it I was thinking to myself that he left his gum at my apartment the night before and it was now in my purse but I figured he went and bought some more. So I reached into his pocket and instead of gum I pulled out a ring box.
I completely froze and just stared at him. At that point he came over grabbed my hand and took me to the couch. I had a movie playing on my laptop and I said "Hang on!" I began trying to pause it but I was completely freaking out. He was like just turn it off! So I slammed it shut! We were both laughing! It was a crazy moment!
Once we got the computer taken care of he got down on one knee while I sat on the couch. This is what he said, "I love you very much and I will love you for a very long time. I'm not perfect but I will be the best husband I can be. I hope you will marry me."
It was so perfect! I immediately said "Yes, of course!" I stood up and gave him a big hug and kiss! Then he put my ring on my finger!
I was SO shocked! I knew he would be proposing soon because we talked about it but I had no idea it would be the day we were going to make puppy chow! I didn't think he would be able to surprise me like that but he did! It was so perfect!
After he proposed we still had to make our puppy chow because we had to get it done and there really wasn't another day when we would have time to do it. Unfortunatley, making puppy chow was the LAST think I wanted to do! I mean come on... I wanted to go tell everyone!! :)
We already had plans to have dinner with his family that evening around 7:30 but before we went over there we stopped by my parents house. My mom and dad both knew he was proposing that day because he had already asked my dad for his blessing. It was so great that we got to tell our families in person that very day. They were all very excited for us!
I was so excited to start telling everyone! I didn't want to put it on Facebook until we had told all of our family and close friends in person. Not announcing it on Facebook was soooo hard, I just wanted everyone to know and that would have been the easiest way but we didn't want to hurt anyones' feelings. The morning after we got engaged we told my grandparents on both sides, my aunts and uncles, my cousin Kayla, and our friends Micheal & Stephanie, Tammy, and Andy & Meghan.
I was the most excited about telling my best friend Meghan! She has known Micheal and I from the beginning and she was anxiously awaiting the proposal as much as I was!! :) We wanted to tell Andy and Meg both the niht we got enagaged but they were in Lubbock until late. I didn't want to tell her over the phone so we were going to have to wait until after church the next night to tell her. I was going crazy!!! Well, while Mom and I were at the mall that day guess who we ran into!?!? Meg! As soon as I saw her I knew I was not going to be able to NOT tell her! We chit chatted for a little bit and then I said, "Micheal is going to kill me but I have to tell you something!" ( Now ideally this is the part where I would have held up my hand and shown her the ring but I didn't have my ring with me because it was too big and I couldn't wear it. But I had just bought a Christmas ornament in the shape of two teddy bears. One was proposing to the other one. At the top of the ornament it said: Micheal and Amanda December 21,2010.)
I pulled out the ornament and handed it to her. She looked at it for a little bit and then looked up at me with tears in her eyes and I was like "Yes, he did it last night!" Then she gave me a big hug and we both stood there trying not to cry! She wanted to see the ring and I explained to her where it was but luckily we were right next to Kay's Jewelers (where he bought it) so I showed her the display! Even thought I never imagined telling Meg I was engaged in the middle of the mall it was definitely a moment I will never forget!
We ended up going to their house later so Micheal could tell Andy the big news and so Meg could see the ring!
We received wonderful reactions from everyone we told! It was so much fun! We got to tell both of Micheal's sisters in person and I loved it!
On Christmas day I put it on Facebook and breathed a sigh of relief! It was hard keeping it a secret for a few days until all of our family knew!
This was a couple hours after he proposed.
My ring! I'm sorry for the poor picture! I had so much trouble getting a clear pic of the ring!
Here is a picture of the ring from the store's website!
I created a wedding website where I can keep everyone updated on the specifics of the big day. Details such as where, when, what time, etc. can be found at
Keep checking my blog for updates on how the planning is going and all of the craziness that goes on behind the scenes! :)
Have a great Monday everyone!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year everyone! Wow, I can't believe the year 2010 has already come and gone! For me 2010 has been an amazing year, however I am very excited for all of the wonderful new adventures 2011 will bring. As most of you know by now through Facebook or otherwise Micheal and I are engaged! We are so very excited about taking this sacred step into marriage. He and I have known for many years that we would be married however neither one of us has felt a peace about it until the last few months. We prayed and trusted that God would give us wisdom in making this decision and He most definitley has! I was afraid that since we had been together for so long people would not be very excited for us. I thought people would just say that it was about time and move on. While we did get several "It's about times." for the most part we have received wonderful reactions from our friends, family, and church family! Thank you all so very much for your love and support!
I thought I would share a little bit about Micheal and I and our journey together in honor of our engagement.
Micheal and I met when we were both kids in youth at Trinity Church in Littlefield. We were both very involved in the youth group and were on our youth pastor's leadership team along with two of our closest friends. Throughout my freshman and sophomore year Micheal, Kayla, Gary, and I spent a lot of time together. We all became very close friends both inside and outside of church. I had always had a crush on Micheal but throughout this time we were just friends.
The summer before my junior year my best friend Kayla moved away. Kayla and I were inseperable so when she moved away it was very difficult. After Kayla left Micheal and I began to spend a lot more time together. We would hang out on the weekends and we got to know one another on a more one on one basis. I treasure this time in my heart so much because we were able to learn so much about one another without the pressure of a dating relationship. It was so innocent and fun! We grew to treasure one another's friendship very much. At this time in our relationship Micheal and I both had feelings for one another but neither one of us would admit it! We enjoyed being friends but I wanted us to become more. Micheal however did not think it would be a good idea. He did not want us to ruin our friendship.
At this point in our relationship things got really weird! I hate to make him sound like a jerk, because he wasn't, but basically Micheal simply quit talking to me. Even though we weren't in a dating relationship it felt very much like a breakup to me. At the time it felt like torture but looking back on it we both see how God used the time we were apart to reveal things to us individually. For about 8 months we barely spoke to one another. It was such a strange and painful time but it was a wonderful growing experience for me. By this time I was a senior and was able to spend my senior year making new friends and learning who I was as Amanda. Not Kayla's best friend or Micheal's best friend... just Amanda. I find it so interesting how strong I was during this time. Looking back on it I don't remember being sad or upset (even though I know I was for a time). I remember that time as very fun and exciting. It is amazing how God protects our hearts and truly does provide us with the perfect amount of strength needed for whatever situation we are going through.
So at this point Micheal and I had not spoken or spent any time together from April 2005-December 2005. Now this is the really fun part of the story! I had not thought about Micheal in months, in fact I was actually dating another guy at the time. But Christmas Eve morning I woke up with Micheal very heavy on my mind and heart. I truly felt like I needed to talk to him and clear the air. You have to understand when I say Micheal quit talking to me I mean QUIT talking to me. From one day to the next. It was like we went from best friends to strangers in a matter of days. I had never understood why he did that and I had never cared to find out until that morning. I decided not to stress about it and I decided that if I was supposed to talk to him God would provide an opportunity. On Christmas Eve night my family and I were celebrating at my grandparent's house in Littlefield. At one point in the evening a few of us went to our church's youth building because my dad and cousin wanted to play ping pong. I tagged along to watch but I remeber very vividly sitting on the couch just in my own little world. I kept thinking that I had to talk to Micheal.
When we got back to my grandparents house as soon as we walked in the front door I walked straight to the table and picked up my dad's cell phone, I still have no idea why I did that but I distinctly remember making a bee line straight to the phone. I picked it up and saw that there was a missed call from a number. I went and got my cell phone, went to the contacts, found Micheal's number and compared it to the missed call number. They were the same! I couldn't believe it! At the time we had our home phone set up to where all of the calls were forwarded to my dad's phone. Micheal had called the house. I remember being so nervous and excited as I called Micheal back. I could not believe God had created this clear opportunity for me to be able to talk to him. I know this may not sound like such a crazy experience but to me it was God opening the door for us to continue our relationship. I ended up calling Micheal back right that second and we ended up talking on the phone for 5 hours that night! We talked about what had happened, why we hadn't spoken in so long and everything in between. It was an amazing night! All of the feelings I had felt for him came rushing back to me that very night. That night Micheal also shared with me the things God revealed to him about our relationship. I truly beleive he and I both needed that time to step back and figure things out for ourselves.
Well needless to say I broke up with the guy I was dating at the time and Micheal and I begin hanging out again. On New Years Eve he came over and we got to bring in the New Year together and have been together ever since! We consider January 1, 2006 our anniversary because that was the official day we began "dating". And now 5 years later here we are! Stronger than ever! Our relationship has not been perfect, in fact it has been extremely tough. I truly struggled with whether or not we were supposed to be together or if I was supposed to go off to college and a million other what ifs. However Micheal has never left my side throughout all of my worries and fears. He has truly been my rock and I know for a fact our relationship would not have lasted if it had not been for his commitment to me and to our Father in Heaven. In my eyes he is a perfect picture of what a godly man should be. He loves me with all of his heart and treats me like a princess. I know I am totally gushing right now but I am just so grateful and excited that he chose me! God's hand has truly been in our relationship from the beginning! I am so excited to be engaged to Micheal, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt this is the man I want to marry and I absolutely cannot wait to begin this awesome adventure with him!
I love you Micheal! Happy Anniversary!
**I honestly did not realize this was going to turn into such a long post! I will share the story of how he proposed in my next post! Stay tuned!**
I thought I would share a little bit about Micheal and I and our journey together in honor of our engagement.
Micheal and I met when we were both kids in youth at Trinity Church in Littlefield. We were both very involved in the youth group and were on our youth pastor's leadership team along with two of our closest friends. Throughout my freshman and sophomore year Micheal, Kayla, Gary, and I spent a lot of time together. We all became very close friends both inside and outside of church. I had always had a crush on Micheal but throughout this time we were just friends.
The summer before my junior year my best friend Kayla moved away. Kayla and I were inseperable so when she moved away it was very difficult. After Kayla left Micheal and I began to spend a lot more time together. We would hang out on the weekends and we got to know one another on a more one on one basis. I treasure this time in my heart so much because we were able to learn so much about one another without the pressure of a dating relationship. It was so innocent and fun! We grew to treasure one another's friendship very much. At this time in our relationship Micheal and I both had feelings for one another but neither one of us would admit it! We enjoyed being friends but I wanted us to become more. Micheal however did not think it would be a good idea. He did not want us to ruin our friendship.
At this point in our relationship things got really weird! I hate to make him sound like a jerk, because he wasn't, but basically Micheal simply quit talking to me. Even though we weren't in a dating relationship it felt very much like a breakup to me. At the time it felt like torture but looking back on it we both see how God used the time we were apart to reveal things to us individually. For about 8 months we barely spoke to one another. It was such a strange and painful time but it was a wonderful growing experience for me. By this time I was a senior and was able to spend my senior year making new friends and learning who I was as Amanda. Not Kayla's best friend or Micheal's best friend... just Amanda. I find it so interesting how strong I was during this time. Looking back on it I don't remember being sad or upset (even though I know I was for a time). I remember that time as very fun and exciting. It is amazing how God protects our hearts and truly does provide us with the perfect amount of strength needed for whatever situation we are going through.
So at this point Micheal and I had not spoken or spent any time together from April 2005-December 2005. Now this is the really fun part of the story! I had not thought about Micheal in months, in fact I was actually dating another guy at the time. But Christmas Eve morning I woke up with Micheal very heavy on my mind and heart. I truly felt like I needed to talk to him and clear the air. You have to understand when I say Micheal quit talking to me I mean QUIT talking to me. From one day to the next. It was like we went from best friends to strangers in a matter of days. I had never understood why he did that and I had never cared to find out until that morning. I decided not to stress about it and I decided that if I was supposed to talk to him God would provide an opportunity. On Christmas Eve night my family and I were celebrating at my grandparent's house in Littlefield. At one point in the evening a few of us went to our church's youth building because my dad and cousin wanted to play ping pong. I tagged along to watch but I remeber very vividly sitting on the couch just in my own little world. I kept thinking that I had to talk to Micheal.
When we got back to my grandparents house as soon as we walked in the front door I walked straight to the table and picked up my dad's cell phone, I still have no idea why I did that but I distinctly remember making a bee line straight to the phone. I picked it up and saw that there was a missed call from a number. I went and got my cell phone, went to the contacts, found Micheal's number and compared it to the missed call number. They were the same! I couldn't believe it! At the time we had our home phone set up to where all of the calls were forwarded to my dad's phone. Micheal had called the house. I remember being so nervous and excited as I called Micheal back. I could not believe God had created this clear opportunity for me to be able to talk to him. I know this may not sound like such a crazy experience but to me it was God opening the door for us to continue our relationship. I ended up calling Micheal back right that second and we ended up talking on the phone for 5 hours that night! We talked about what had happened, why we hadn't spoken in so long and everything in between. It was an amazing night! All of the feelings I had felt for him came rushing back to me that very night. That night Micheal also shared with me the things God revealed to him about our relationship. I truly beleive he and I both needed that time to step back and figure things out for ourselves.
Well needless to say I broke up with the guy I was dating at the time and Micheal and I begin hanging out again. On New Years Eve he came over and we got to bring in the New Year together and have been together ever since! We consider January 1, 2006 our anniversary because that was the official day we began "dating". And now 5 years later here we are! Stronger than ever! Our relationship has not been perfect, in fact it has been extremely tough. I truly struggled with whether or not we were supposed to be together or if I was supposed to go off to college and a million other what ifs. However Micheal has never left my side throughout all of my worries and fears. He has truly been my rock and I know for a fact our relationship would not have lasted if it had not been for his commitment to me and to our Father in Heaven. In my eyes he is a perfect picture of what a godly man should be. He loves me with all of his heart and treats me like a princess. I know I am totally gushing right now but I am just so grateful and excited that he chose me! God's hand has truly been in our relationship from the beginning! I am so excited to be engaged to Micheal, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt this is the man I want to marry and I absolutely cannot wait to begin this awesome adventure with him!
I love you Micheal! Happy Anniversary!
**I honestly did not realize this was going to turn into such a long post! I will share the story of how he proposed in my next post! Stay tuned!**
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