Hilborn House

Farwell!

2009-11-02T22:35:00.000-06:00

The new blog is official! I hope you will follow me there!

http://hilbornhaven.blogspot.com/

This blog has lots of attachments to my old last name, which I miss dearly, but its time to cut the cord! The new blog will be all Hilborn! I hope the transition is smooth :)

Visit us soon!

10,000 + Visitors and Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T14:26:00.004-05:00

10,000 + of you super sweet people have visited my blog! Thank you so much for listening to my silly ramblings! I apologize for being such a terrible Host!

I am such a slacker. Shame, shame, shame on me! I had every intention of keeping this blog going on and on way past the wedding. From life as a newlywed, to our first pet (which came sooner than we thought and was not the species we had planned!), to the progress of our First House, to our first holiday seasons as a Family, to the arrival and raising of "little ones" (whenever that may be!), but.....

....I have failed miserably, and here's why! I had no idea how much my life would change after the blissful Wedding Day. For those of you who know me, you know I am a perfectionist, a neat freak, and the oh so dreaded, OCD! I just can't help it. When I'm not enjoying the wonderful company of my sweet husband, our friends, and lovely family, I am totally obsessed with our house and the upkeep of it! Laundry, cooking, dishes, decorating, etc., etc., I thrive on being the ultimate House Wife. Although, technically I am not a "House Wife" because I do have a fulltime job :)

Either way, I meant to show lots of pictres of our journey as newlyweds and the progress of our First House, and I didn't "get around to it." Which reminds me of a key chain my grandpa and granny brought back for me as a souvenier from one of their many trips. It was a round piece of polished wood that was called "A Round Tuit". Below that title it said something to the effect of, "Now you have 'a round tuit', so do it!" I thought it was clever! But then again, were my grandparents just trying to tell me something? Probably that I was a procrastinator, as I seem to still be today! Although I would never claim such a title until I realized the lack of attention I was giving to this special blog and all of its readers!

So, officially, I am back....in the only way I know how to be! It may not be every day or every week. I just can't make that kind of commitment! Our life and plans change every minute and are never quite what we "had in mind," although everything is most definitley God's Best!

Just so you know, we love you all! I miss your sweet comments and look forward to hearing from you soon! I'll do my best to keep in touch! I'll leave you with a picture of our sweet "little one"! He has become very curious of "people food" these days. We think its hilarious!

P.S. There may be a new blog coming, just to help get me back into the swing of things! I'll let you know when that change will take place! I hope you will follow with me!

Enjoy your Halloween! Its beautiful outside!

Your Prayers Are Needed

2009-10-21T15:59:00.002-05:00

It has been over a month since my last post (and for that I will explain later), but recent news has spurred me to post.

A friend of ours from Central Arkansas, Sarah, and her husband Ben have recently been given some very heart-breaking news. Sarah is pregnant with a baby girl who they have recently named Weslee Faith. At Sarah's 20 wk. ultrasond, they not only discovered that their sweet baby was a girl, but that she has a rare disorder in which her skull has not formed around her brain. They had an appointment today with a specialist to learn about their options.

Please go here and visit this sweet families blog. They need all of our prayers desperately as this is a very difficult time for them. Aaron and I are praying constantly for God's blessings, comfort, and understanding to be given to this special couple and their families for the future plans God has for their sweet daughter, Weslee.

"For this God is our God for ever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end." Psalm 48:14

Honeymoon!

2009-09-20T21:32:00.011-05:00

Its been a while since I've posted (thanks to being sick!), but now I'm back! We are still waiting on our professional pictures and portrait album, so I'm going to move on to the honeymoon!

We made our honeymoon getaway to Cancun, Mexico! It was so amazing and we were more than happy with our decision! The weather was amazing! It only sprinkled for about 5 minutes one afternoon, but the sun never went away! Fantastic!

After the reception, we drove to Little Rock to stay at the Capitol Hotel. Our flight for Houston, TX left the next morning around 9 a.m. We had a short layover in Houston and arrived in Cancun around 3 p.m.

Our resort stay included lots of fun excursions, like zip-lining through the rainforest, etc. that we could have enjoyed, but we enjoyed being lazy on beach and by the pool way too much! It was so nice to finally have no plans and no where to be!

This was the set-up for our "Honeymooners Private Dinner." We had to leave our room at 6:30 and come back at 7. When we came back, this is what we found! It was pretty awkward because we had two personal waiters in our suite serving us dinner and watching us eat!

This little iguana was my friend for the week! Our waiter brought me pieces of lettuce to feed to the little guy! His teeth are pretty intimidating! The lounge chairs in the front were ours, in a gated off section of beach with our own private waiters!

I never knew I LOVED mango until this trip! Sooooo delicious!

Our suite from the balcony

The view from the balcony

One of our last nights their, we were offered a private dinner on the beach! It was so nice!

This was one of the "restaurants" called The Steak. Every evening they began setup around 4:30 p.m. You could pick your cut of steak of seafood and they would cook it for you poolside. Fancy!

The food was amazing! Our resort had several different restaurants with, of course, no wait. The staff to guest ratio was ridiculous. We NEVER had to wait for a single thing! Aaron started working at his current job in the Summer of 2008 and had not been on a vacation since then! He was so excited to have a week of rest and relaxation!

We had a blast and were NOT ready to come home, but it was really nice to see our family before we "officially" moved! We didn't do the best job of taking pictures, other than scenary (we were soooo lazy!), but I hope you enjoyed them anyway!

Talk to you soon!

Wedding Day: Getting Ready!

2009-09-03T19:47:00.007-05:00

***ANOTHER PICTURE POST***

I hope you love pictures as much as I do. If not, you will hate this post! I wanted to fit one more post in before our long weekend begins. We are going back to central Arkansas for Labor Day, the first Razorback game of the season, and to visit our family and friends! We are so excited for a long weekend to spend with our families!

Here is the big question we are faced with: What do we do with Casper? Many of you may not know who Casper is, but I'll fill you in! Casper is the cat I have had since I was 10 years old (that makes him 14!!)

We brought Casper to NW Arkansas to live with us and he loves it! I still think he misses constantly having people around, but he's making it okay. So now back to the question: What do we do with him? He HAS to have people around as often as possible! When my alarm goes off in the morning, he starts meowing until I open the bedroom door so he can get in bed with Aaron. Then, when Aaron comes home for lunch, he follows Aaron around and meows at him until he sits down. He then immediately jumps into Aaron's lap until he goes back to work! When I get in from work, he does the same thing! Its ridiculous! He is the most affectionate cat known to man and we love him to death. We feel so bad leaving him up here all weekend with no interaction....hmmmm. I just don't know!

Now, let's get back on track! Here are lots of "getting ready" pictures! Its just a big hodge podge of pictures, so enjoy! (Remember: All of the pictures I have shown you so far are NOT our professional pictures. Dale and Meredith took tons of amazing pictures and I can't wait to get them so I can show them to you!)

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Wedding Day Luncheons!

2009-08-30T17:57:00.006-05:00

This is mainly a picture post! The day of our wedding, Aaron and I were blessed by sweet people who hosted luncheons for us, our wedding party, and our families. We both had such a blast at them and the weather was perfect!

The Groomsmen Luncheon was at Loca Luna in Little Rock. Aaron's Aunt Amy and Memaw hosted it and did such a great job!

The Bridesmaid Luncheon was out at the Albey's house, hosted by Kellye and Lauren. They went all out! Everything was absolutely gorgeous and delicious!

The luncheons were a perfect start to a perfect day! Thank you to everyone who hosted and attended! You each made it so special!

Ashley's 8th Birthday and One Month!

2009-08-24T20:27:00.007-05:00

My oldest neice Ashley celebrated her 8th birthday 10 days ago! We were so excited to get the opportunity to come back to central Arkansas to celebrate with her! I cannot believe how fast time has gone by! She started 3rd grade last week!

Aaron played in the ABA softball tournament in Sherwood on Saturday. The Sharon Missionary Baptist Church Co-Ed team and Men's team both won their divisions! It was such a fun day! We were there from 7:30 a.m. until 10:30 p.m.! But, Ashley and Gracie came and spent the entire day with us! We had such a blast!

Then, late Sunday afternoon, we went to Ashley's birthday party! Here are several pictures from the party!

Most of the girls who attended her party.

One of her big gifts was a guitar with LOTS of guitar accessories! She was so excited!

Her adorable cake and several of her little friends.

My sister, Leah, had several fantastic ideas for Ashley's party! One of them was to have two teams and have a water balloon fight! All of the kids LOVED it!

Her other great idea was to have a pie throwing war! It was hilarious! Ashley chose to throw her pie at on of her very best friends, Samuel.

But, don't worry! Samuel got Ashley back!

Then.....Jimmy surprised Leah with a pie to the face! (He stole a pie from the littlest girl there!)

After all the pies were thrown, the kids went for a swim!

It was such a great time!

Also....today is our One Month Anniversary! Haha! We have officially been married for one month today! Isn't that amazing?? It seems like just yesterday we were getting married, but then at the same time, it feels like we have been married for a long time! To celebrate, Aaron and I enjoyed a nice, quiet, relaxing night at the house. It was fabulous! I cooked this meal:

Pork tenderloin, okra, squash, mashed potatoes, and rolls. Aaron LOVED it! He helped a little once he got home from work, which was super sweet!

Have a great week!

Rehearsal and Rehearsal Dinner!

2009-08-11T17:48:00.007-05:00

Well...I'm sure you all saw it coming. Aaron was sick last week and guess what...I got sick too. Pretty stinky, huh? Our first week in our new house, and we were both sick and tired (literally). We had lots of plans to work on the house during my week off and over the weekend, but that completely went out the window! We pretty much just spent all of our time resting in the house and watching movies.

This week I started my new job! Of course its in surgery (which I LOVE!), but I am seriously missing my co-workers from my previous job! I miss you guys! The new job is going great, so far! My first two days were just orientation classes, but tomorrow I get to start in the O.R. and I am SUPER excited!

Now, on to wedding stuff! Our rehearsal was so much fun and ran super smoothly. Amber did a great job of organizing it! My bff and bridesmaid, Michelle, made my rehearsal bouquet and it was hands down the best rehearsal bouquet I have EVER seen! (These are all pictures taken by Aaron's fabulous mom!)

Amber did a great job of directing the entire wedding! Thank you Amber! And Mrs. Sharon's music was amazing! Thank you!

Some of us waiting for rehearsal to begin.

Focus......

We were VERY focused!

So here are some pictures from our rehearsal dinner! It was Razorback themed (as you could have guessed if you know me and Aaron at all) and Whole Hog Cafe catered (its our FAVORITE BBQ!). More pictures by Aaron's mom!

Lauren, Michelle, Daniel, Trey, and Nichole.

Gifts for our bridal party and house party!

Haley, one of my Matron's of Honor and best friend!

Austin, one of Aaron's groomsmen and college friends.

Gracie's face was adorable and priceless when she came up to receive her gift!

Jason, Murph, Austin, Bunney, Johnny V, and Aaron.

Jackson and Aaron's Aunt Karla.

Ashely, Pete, Amy, and Memaw.

Aaron and I had a great time the entire day and I think everyone else did too! It was perfect!

Also, on a little side note: We have lots of birthdays to celebrate! Today is Mama's birthday! Happy Birthday Mama! We love you!

Over the 4th of July weekend, we went to Mississippi to spend some time at the lake with Aunt Amy and to celebrate Memaw's birthday! Happy birthday, again, Memaw! We love you! We had a great time at the lake! It was so nice to relax and take some time away from wedding planning!

And last, but certainly not least, we have Ashley! She celebrated her 21st birthday on July 7th! We are so glad you had a great birthday Ash! We love you!

Benfield Blog Feature!

2009-08-06T22:05:00.004-05:00

Dale Benfield and Meredith McClary took some AMAZING portraits at my bridal session, our wedding portrait session, and at the wedding. We are so thankful for their hard work and amazing talent. If you have never checked out their website or their blog you must!!!

Here are links to posts on their blog that featured us!

Bridal Portraits

Wedding Portraits

Candid Wedding Pictures

We're Back!!!

2009-08-05T20:41:00.008-05:00

Well, we've actually been back in Arkansas since Saturday. Our honeymoon was a blast! I'll post pictures from our trip in the future. Tonight, I want to show you some pictures of our exciting night we've had so far!

First off, Aaron is sick. Now mom's and grandmother's, I promise he is fine. Just a little cold. I've been giving him Dayquil and Ibuprofen every 4 hours. He's on the couch right now in long sleeves and long pants. He's covered up with a blanket. No fever! Plenty of Kleenex by his side.

Secondly, we had some severe weather earlier. It hailed for over 20 minutes at one point. Here are some pictures of the hail. (We layed some life jackets on the hood of my car...it didn't really help though. Aaron's boat was in the garage. Oops!)

Third, our backyard, apparently, also serves as a small pond/stream. Pretty fantastic. We're going to have to do something about it because the water came all the way up onto our back patio and right up to the door. Here's some pictures:

Here's a picture of the sky after the storm passed...thank goodness!

Now that I've updated you on our current situation, be ready for lots of posts from the past couple of weeks! The wedding week and honeymoon seemed like a whirlwind, but we have TONS of pictures! I can't wait to show them to you!

Bachelor and Bachelorette Parties!

2009-07-22T19:19:00.004-05:00

Last weekend, Aaron and I both spent sometime with our guys and girls. We both had such a blast! Aaron and his guys went to Memphis to eat at Rendezvous. Afterward, they went to Tunica to play some blackjack and poker. All of those guys LOVE playing cards, especially Aaron, so it was a perfect weekend for them! And because guys are guys....I have no pictures of the bachelor weekend! No surprise there!

My girls and I stayed around the downtown Little Rock area and had a BLAST! We layed around the pool of our hotel on Saturday, then got all dolled up and headed to the River Market area. The bridesmaids had some "special" attire for me to wear around town as you will see in the pictures! We had a great time out and about, visiting with friends! Some of my sweet friends from work came out to celebrate with us and we had such a great time! When we got back to the hotel, we played a wedding game, opened gifts, and ate some delicious cake! Here are just a couple of the pictures from the weekend!P.S. That alcoholic beverage sitting on the table infront of us was NOT any of ours. The guy taking our picture had to sit it down to take the picture! Just wanted to make that clear!

This will more than likely be my last post until after the honeymoon, so wish us luck! It has been great sharing all of the wedding details and excitement with you! I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have. When I get back I'll have lots of pictures from our super fun trip to Mexico, plus pictures that will be taken over the next two days! After that, we'll just see wait to see what happends! God bless!

Thank You: Langley Extended-Family Shower!

2009-07-21T20:13:00.003-05:00

A couple of weekends ago, a few of my distant cousins hosted a shower for us! It was soooo sweet of them! It was GREAT to see all of them and my great-aunt's!

Here a the lovely hostesses (Left to right: Tara, Bridgette, Janet):

And here is the super cute table:

Also.....they had an "outfit" waiting for me when they got there!Here are some gift opening shots:

Thank you so much to all of the following, for being super sweet to us: Mema and Pa; Mamaw and Papa; Benjamin and Kristen; Joe and Carla; Eunice; Granny and Grandpa; JoAnn; Hilda, Tommy, and Brian; my mom and Grandma; Janet; Tara; Darrel, Carol, and Jason; Bridgette and Janie; Carolyn and Rocky; Mrs. Hilborn; Emma and Franklin Mariano; Judy Mariano.

We had such a good time and couldn't be more thankful for the kindness that you all have shown to us! Thank you!

Let the Move-In Commence!

2009-07-19T18:41:00.002-05:00

Tonight, Aaron and I are driving up to Fayetteville to begin moving into this...

Our First House!

We are soooo excited! All of our shower gifts and lots of my boxes are already at his house in one of the spare bedrooms. Tonight we plan to take as much of that stuff over to the new house as possible. Tomorrow morning, both of our moms and dads are coming up to bring up the final boxes, furniture, and to help us move all of the furniture of Aaron's in his current house over to the new one. Doesn't that sound like fun? I know that most people hate to move, but when you are moving into your first house with your future spouse, its pretty exciting!

We, also, get a little treat! Ashley and Gracie will be riding up with my mom to help out! They are so excited about coming to Fayetteville and seeing the place where I will be living! Wish us luck!

5 MORE DAYS!

Single Digits and Work Shower!

2009-07-18T10:23:00.002-05:00

It's official! We are in the single digits of our wedding countdown! Not only that, but the wedding is less than one week away!
6 DAYS TO BE EXACT!!!

We absolutely cannot wait! It is such a special time and we are trying to hard to take it all in!

Yesterday was my last day of work at my current employer, so it only seems fitting to add on to all of our amazing showers with my work shower! It was sooooo super sweet of everyone to be so kind! The decorations were adorable and went perfect with our wedding colors! And the cake....it was delicious! It came from Community Bakery, which is where our wedding cakes are coming from! Here are some decor shots and people shots!Here are some shots of me opening these great gifts!

We received every kind of cleaning product imaginable, including a dust pan and broom, mop bucket, and cleaning product caddy! Plus, some place settings of flatware, arthur court trays, platters, bathroom ensemble sets, gift cards, bedding, kitchen utensils, etc. The list goes on! It was a great shower!Thank you to everyone from my work who showed so much kindness to us! We appreciate you all and I will miss each of you!

This is another special gift we got....we were so excited! Thanks Dr. B!

This weekend is our getaways with our girls and guys! We are so excited to spend some time with them! Hopefully we will have some pictures of our fun weekends to post later! Happy Weekend!

Thank You: FBC Shower!

2009-07-14T18:34:00.003-05:00

Okay...so, its getting soooo close to the wedding! I am getting busier and busier every single day, so I'm going to have to make the next couple of posts pretty fast and easy! I want to make sure and cover every single thing, so I will always remember how it felt the day it happend!

So lets talk about all the amazing gifts we received from the FBC shower! First of all, we are soooo thankful for every person who thought of us that day! It was such a fun shower! So here are some pictures of all the gifts! You may not be able to see everything, but you can get the general idea of how great the shower was!

We want to send a BIG thank you to all of the following people, for being so generous and kind to us: Mrs. Celeste, Bruce and Kathy, Greg and Kelly, Mrs. Porter, Mr. and Mrs. Cruse, Craig and Giina, Aunt Amy and Mema, Karen Ellis, The William's, Daniel and Laurie, The Armstrong's, Mr. and Mrs. Hughes, Jim and Sue, Ashley and Gracie, The Jessup's, Frank and Nicki, Aunt Sherry, Haley, The Jacobs', Dana, The Lowman's, The Swaim's, Rusty and Karol, Sherry and Chelsy, Mr. and Mrs. Chastain, Mamaw and Papa, Bill and Shannon, Richard and Becky, Mitzy, Greg and Denise, my parents, Mrs. Lisa, Mrs. Leta, Ms. Norma, Aaron's family, my Granny and Grandpa, Nichole, my Grandma, The Albey's, Leah, The Haltom's, Angela and Terri, Mrs. Gayla and Autumn, The Gregory's, The Ketchum's and The Snelling's, our Sunday School class, The Raley's, Ms. Vann, The O'Neal's, The Mizell's, and all of the hostesses!

Thank you sooo much to everyone who made the day so special and for thinking of us at this special time! We are beyond blessed!

Two More Weeks & Marriage License!

2009-07-10T21:19:00.004-05:00

ONLY TWO MORE WEEKS!!!! WOO HOO!

Yesterday, Aaron and I went to the Washington County Court House to......GET OUR MARRIAGE LICENSE!

Wow! Seriously, we were both so goofy! We were sooooo excited! And, I know this sounds lame, but I seriously got teary eyed as we left the county clerks office! Everyone is soooo nice when you get your marriage license. I was just fine and holding up well, until the lady said, "Okay, you're all done. Congratulations!" It was like instant tears. It all of a sudden hit me, what we had just done! As we walked out, the two security guards yelled congratulations to us, too! Fantastic day! There is no telling what I will be like on the actual wedding day. I'm sure it would be easier for me to just NOT wear make-up!

Happy Weekend!

Our Wedding Month!

2009-07-01T16:19:00.003-05:00

Today is July 1st which means.......

HAPPY WEDDING MONTH TO US!!!

It also means we only have 23 more days to go!

Mexico here we come!!! :-)

FBC Shower!

2009-06-30T20:52:00.008-05:00

Aaron and I are extremely blessed to have so many thoughtful people surrounding us! Last Sunday, my church hosted a shower for us and it was absolutely great! The hostesses did such an amazing job with all of the decorations and the food was delicious!

Here are 9 out of 10 of the super sweet and fabulous hostesses!

Aren't they all so beautiful! We are so thankful for each and every one of you!
Left to Right: Allison (getting married in December!), Mrs. Debbie, Mrs. Payton, Mrs. Susan, Mrs. Reynolds, Cassie, Mrs. Bridges, Melinda, and Meagan (also getting married in July!). We were missing Mrs. Denise!

Here are some pics of the great decorations! (Shout out to Benfield Photography for the great engagement pics!)

The hostesses did such a great job incorporating our colors!

Look at these adorable cupcakes! They have H's on them! Everyone knows I love a good monogram! :-)

Here are 4 out of 6 of my bridesmaids!

I just adore every single one of them!

Left to Right: Leah (MOH), Nichole, Haley (MOH), and Michelle.

It is such a blessing to get to share each and every exciting moment of this time with such special people! I love you girls!

This was Nichole's first shower, so we were both soooo excited to finally get to see each other!

Thank you so much to everyone who helped with the shower and thank you to everyone who attended. Each of you made it so special! Thanks!

***Also, we want to say a huge thank you to Aaron's Aunt Amy.

(In the middle, in the purple) She drove all the way from Mississippi, on Sunday morning, to make it to the shower! How sweet is she??? Then, after the shower, she drove straight back to Mississippi! Thank you so much Amy for coming! We were so glad to get to see you and share some wedding excitement with you in person!

4 WEEKS!!!

2009-06-26T18:09:00.003-05:00

Wednesday was the 1 Month marker and I completely forgot to blog about it!!! But today is.....
4 MORE WEEKS!!!
We are both sooo excited! Aaron is home this weekend and playing in a softball tournament. Also, Sunday is our wedding shower at my church. Needless to say, we are going to have a VERY busy weekend! But we couldn't be more excited!!!

I didn't want to post without a picture, so here is a picture of an awesome gift Aaron got at the Honey Do Cookout. We both LOVED it! It is a HUGE Razorback wall plaque from Aaron's parents and both sets of grandparents. FABULOUS!

Happy weekend!

Honey-Do Shower: The Man Toys!

2009-06-23T18:59:00.003-05:00

Finally, you get to see all of Aaron's new man toys! He was so excited when he found out about the "Honey-Do" Cook Out and even more excited when he saw all of the neat things he got!

So, here they are! All of Aaron's new tools and gadgets he gets to play with!

Here's a list of the new toys : a shop vac, vice grips, a water hose with three nozzles, hedge cutters, DUCT TAPE!, hammer, measuring tapes, laser level, wrenches, extension cords, drimmel and drimmel head attachments, screwdriver set, leaf blower and vacuum, drill set, and a few gift cards!

A big thank you from both of us (from Aaron-for the toys, from me-for suppling my future Mr. with all he needs to complete my future lists!) : The Albey's; Mama and Papa; Jason and Jess; Tommy and Lori; Leah; Michelle; Steve and Marilyn; Memaw and Pa; Nathan; my Dad; Murph; Donald and Becky; Aaron's Dad; Janice. Thank you so much!

Honey-Do Cook Out: Decorations and Guests!

2009-06-19T18:21:00.004-05:00

So, I've been really busy this week! Didn't have as much time to blog as I would have liked, but I'll have a little more free time, now! I just finished teaching the junior high dance team three routines for the coming year. I had a great time and the girls were all so sweet! It will be nice, though, to really focus on the wedding!

As you know we just recently had the Honey-Do Cook Out and it was a blast! It almost rained on us, but luckily it held off! Lori Richards and the rest of the hostesses and hosts did such a great job with the entire cookout. Every detail was attended to! Here are some pictures of the layout!

Lots of our family and friends were able to attend the cook, which made it so much fun! Here is a few pictures of some of the guests!

We all had such a great time! I love the idea of preparing the Groom for all of his tasks on his "Honey-Do List!" (I know how you love those lists, Aaron!) More on the gifts this weekend.....and on the bridal portraits! (I was able to view them for the first time today! No sneak peaks for anyone though!)

Bridal Portrait Session!

2009-06-16T09:14:00.002-05:00

Last week was such a busy week for me! It is all such a whirlwind, but worth it! In all of the hustle and bustle, I completely forgot to post about my bridal session! I couldn't believe this to be true intially, mainly because I have been thinking about the session every day since then!

So here is the low-down on the session:

FABULOUS!!!

I had the best time! I traveled up to Fayetteville on Saturday, the 6th. It was pretty tricky trying to get all of the stuff that I would need for the shoot, up to Fayetteville! It was even harder trying to get it all into Aaron's house without him seeing it!

When I got there, Aaron and I went to look at a house he found earlier in the week. We spent a while looking over the house making sure we both loved it, which we did (more on that later!!!), and then went to dinner.

On Sunday, Amberlee from Wild Ivy and my mom drove up to Fayetteville to help me get ready for the shoot! When they got to Aaron's house, we kicked him out! (We love you Aaron, but you have to wait until The Big Day to see me!) It was so sweet of both of them to drive all the way to Fayetteville! I couldn't be more appreciative! And thanks Aaron for keeping yourself busy that day!

Amberlee did my hair and helped with my make-up, while mom helped me get dressed at the end. It was like a mini-rehearsal of the big day! We were able to take our time getting ready, which is always great! It was such an amazing feeling once I was completely ready, from head to toe. I could barely hold in all of the excitement!

Finally, we were off to meet up with Dale and Meredith. It was so great to see them! (Aaron was a little jealous that I got to hang out with them, again!) The shoot was perfect! It was a little warm outside, but there was a slight breeze which helped, A LOT. Plus, it was partly cloudy, so Dale and Meredith had sun when they wanted it and shade when they didn't. I think that will make for a great variety of pictures!

All in all, it was a perfect day! Amberlee and my mom were so helpful! I don't know what I would have done without them! They helped me carry my flowers, my dress, etc., as I moved around from spot to spot. Amberlee even brought her "Everything Bag" and sprayed my hair when the wind made it wild! Everything played out just as I hoped it would.

I'm still anxiously waiting to see the pictures, as I'm sure you can imagine! Once I see them, I'll let you know what I think!

Honey-Do Cook Out: Hosts and Hostesses!

2009-06-15T17:20:00.006-05:00

Last Saturday, we were honored with a cook out shower! It was one of the neatest showers I have ever been too! The theme was "Honey-Do" which meant tools and gadgets for Aaron. He was so excited and so was I because we all know the boys don't get as excited about china as we do!

The hosts and hostesses are part of the group that Aaron's parents tailgate with at Razorback games. They were all so sweet for throwing us this shower! I couldn't believe how much work they put into it! They truly went above and beyond! We, both, absolutely loved it and so did all of the guests!

So, here they are! The "Tailgating Crew!" (minus the men!)

Left to Right: Lori Richard (and Tommy), Marilyn Jordan (and Steve), Lita Gattis (and Keith), and Becky Fulcher (and Donald).

Again, thank you all so much for such a great time! Everything was perfect! Y'all are the BEST!

50 Days!!!

2009-06-04T16:06:00.006-05:00

***Short post because I said I wasn't blogging until next week to give me some time to get stuff accomplished!

ONLY 50 MORE DAYS UNTIL THE BIG DAY!!!

Is it just me or is that totally exciting!!!

As most of you know, Aaron and I were friends for four years before we started dating. We went on two dates within that four year period. Then, one night we went to see a movie (Friday Night Lights to be exact!) and the rest is history! Just for fun, I thought I'd show you a picture of us from that one night that started it all!

Teacher Shower Thank You's: Towels and Home Decor!

2009-06-03T18:09:00.004-05:00

More Wedding Shower Fabulousness! This post will finish off the teacher shower because I'm going to be pretty busy over the next week. I've fallen a little behind on 'Thank You' cards and other wedding tasks, plus, I'm choreographing 3 routines for the junior high! I am NEVER a procrastinator...it literally drives me insane if I do procrastinate...but, this wedding blogging is so much fun! But, still...its about time I get things taken care of!

Let's start with china and crystal! I can't wait to have a china cabinet so I can display all of this gorgeous stuff!

Thank You: Ms. Donna; Ms. Lisa and Melanie; Ms. Counts; Ms. Orrick; Mrs. White, Mrs. Hammer, Mrs. Beck, Mrs. Wiedmeire, Mrs. Qualls, Mrs. Stillwell; Mrs. Lovell and Mrs. Alsobrook; Ms. Brenda; Aaron's Memaw and Pa. Thank you all so much! Its all so beautiful! It'll be such a treasure to keep in our family for years to come! .....Our Family..... :-)

Next...Towels! Towels are such a great gift because no one can ever have too many!

Thank you: My Mom and Dad; Leah; Mrs. Cates; Mr. and Mrs. Coffman. Thank you soooo much! They are all so soft and pretty!

Next...Home decor! This stuff is so great! When we decorate our house (which we are still looking for, by the way!) it will be sooooo nice to have a few things to use to make it feel like a home!

Thank you: Ms. Faucet, Ms. Nalley, Ms. Jacobs, Ms. Jordan, Ms. Elmore (the coasters are another part of the Drake Design Home Collection! Fabulous!); Mrs. Bethel (the red pinecone Christmas ornaments! If you know me, you know that I LOVE Christmas decorations, so they are perfect!); Ms. Wright; Ms. Betty Berry. Thank you all so much for helping us make our future home more "homey"!

Now for the gifts that weren't pictured, like gift cards, etc.! We are so thankful for all of your gifts too! We just want to make sure you know it! So, Thank You: Ms. Herzfeld; Ms. Curtis; Ms. Butler and Ms. Perry.

WEEKEND PLANS: :-)

I have my bridal portrait "make-up" session on Sunday with Dale and Meredith from Benfield Photography!!! If you remember, my last session in Little Rock was cancelled due to crummy weather. This weekend's session is going to be in Fayetteville, which I'm pretty excited about because our photogs are from there and really know the area well! They are so good at choosing awesome locations that turn out so GLAMOROUS in the portraits!!

I am so super pumped about it! I haven't seen the photogs since January! Aaron and I had such a great time with them during the Engagement Session, so I know this one will be a blast too! I hope the portraits turn out fabulous! All of their bridal portraits are super "fashion-y" if that's even a word!!! I am soooo excited to get in to that dress I can't hardly stand it!!!

The girl who does my hair will be going up to Fayetteville, too, to do my hair and such! Yay! She is so sweet for coming along.

I will let you know how it all goes!

House Hunting and Thank You's: Serving Pieces!

2009-06-01T19:49:00.006-05:00

Aaron and I did some house hunting this weekend. We found a few that we like, but nothing for sure yet. It'll be sooooo great once we find a place so we can start getting it settled in!

We still have some great gifts that we haven't shown you, yet! So here's a look at some serving pieces! I love pretty serving pieces because some day I want to be a FAB hostess!!

Thank you to all of the following for some really great pieces: Grandma Fullington; Mr. and Mrs. Brown (Part of the Drake Design Home Collection!); Mrs. Stout (She made the off-white bowl with the red distressing! Isn't it GREAT!?!); Aaron's parents (The salad bowl to match our other pieces!); Ms. Baker; Mrs. Schrader; Ms. Rankin and Ms. Arflin (gift not pictured, sorry! but we love the Razorback serving piece!)

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!

Teacher Shower: Opening Gifts and Everyday Dishes "Thank You!"

2009-05-27T20:01:00.007-05:00

It makes me and Aaron feel so blessed o share all of this wedding excitement with so many people! It is so much fun and means so much to us to have these wedding showers. We love getting to see everyone and feel so incredibly blessed to be surrounded by such loving people.

Here are some "gift opening" pictures. (Notice the ones of me opening the canisters that the hostesses got for us....I was a LITTLE excited!!!)

So now.....lets start the "Thank You's!"

First off: Everyday dishes!

We love everything about our everyday collection! Red, Red, Red! Fabulous!

Thank you to the following people for thoughtfully contributing to our growing collection: Ms. Blackwell; Ms. Villines; Ms. Faucet, Ms. Nalley, Ms. Jacobs, Ms. Jordan, and Ms. Elmore; Granny and Grandpa Langley; Ms. Thida; Mr. Dedmon, Mr. Covington, and Mrs. Gattis; Bob, Debra, Jennifer, and Jamie.

Thank you all so much! You will never know the impact your kindness has had on us! I can only hope that my many "Thank You's" will, at least, halfway express how much we appreciate each of you!

*Weekend plans: After work tomorrow, I am driving up to Fayetteville for a 3 day weekend! I'm so excited to be the one doing the traveling this weekend. Aaron has been so sweet the last several weeks by driving in for all of the wedding activities, etc. I'm happy to be able to give him a break because the weekends between now and the wedding are slimming down! Which is exciting, but that means more driving for him. (Sorry, Aaron! I just want you to know how much I apprectiate you! I'm glad you get to take a a break this weekend!)

Our plans include..........LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO LIVE!!! We are both so excited to OFFICIALLY begin the search. Wish us luck!

Teacher Shower: Family Photos!

2009-05-26T22:20:00.003-05:00

***QUICK POST***

I'm already up a little later than normal, but I promised to do a better job of blogging! So that's what I'm gonna do!

Here are a few family pictures from the Teacher Shower:

Both of our moms! We love you both! Thank you for all that you both have done for us already!

My sister Leah, my granny, my grandma, Aaron's Memaw, Aaron's Mamaw, and Aaron's aunt Karla.

Aaron and I are so lucky to have such supportive family. They are always involved and willing to help with anything and we are so thankful! We love you all very much!

Teacher Shower: Gift from the Hostesses!

2009-05-25T19:37:00.004-05:00

The super sweet Hostesses didn't only plan a PERFECT shower...they, also, gave us an amazing gift! Aren't they fabulous?!? Aaron and I found these canisters at Smith-Caldwell (in Benton) when we first began to register for our wedding. We both love red and the design on these canisters is absolutely beautiful! This was the very first item we registered for and our entire kitchen was put together based off the look of these canisters! (By the way, I still get so excited to call things "Ours!" I can't wait!) The canisters are part of the Drake Design Home Accents Collection. There are several pieces from this collection that we love and have received as gifts at Christmas or at other showers. We decided to mix and match the red and chocolate pieces and its gorgeous!

The Hostesses decorated a beautiful table. Everything was so beautiful and delicious!

Again, I want to give a big "Thank You" to the Hostesses for all they did and for having such kind hearts! We appreciate each of you!

P.S. I realize I did a T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E job of blogging last week! I apologize! We all had a long weekend around here being that it is Memorial Day, which meant Aaron was home. We all know that our opportunities to spend time together are few and far between, so we had to take full advantage! I promise to do my best to make the blog more interesting this week!

"Teacher" Shower Hostesses!

2009-05-18T21:08:00.003-05:00

This weekend several of Mrs. Hilborn's (Karen...I promise I'm working on that!) co-workers hosted a "Teacher" Shower for us. It was such a great time! Aaron showed up for the last 30 minutes or so, which was great! It was so funny to see him get swarmed by all the ladies as soon as he walked in the door! He's such a charmer ;) We all love him!

Here is a picture of all the hostesses, except Mrs. Trantham who lives out of state, now, and couldn't make it. (We really missed you!) Remember no last names...except for this time! (Its hard enough for me to try to call my own Future-Mother-in-Law by her first name): Mrs. Rutherford, Mrs. Fite, Mrs. Long, Mrs. Davis, Mrs. Stout, Mrs. Tanner, and Mrs. Fulcher.(Aren't the flowers beautiful!?! We see you back there Mrs. Long!) All of these ladies are soooo sweet!

Aaron and I appreciate each of you for putting together such a wonderful shower! Thank you so much for thinking of us and for being such great friends to Mrs. Hilborn!

Flower Girls' New Puppy!

2009-05-16T14:34:00.005-05:00

Our little flower girls were so excited when they got their new puppy last weekend! Jill is a Mountain Feist and is adorably cute! Their family already had one Mountain Feist named Jack, so when picking out a name for their newest addition they had NO trouble! Now they have a happy pair of Mountain Feists: Jack and Jill!

Here are several photos of the sweet, playful pup!

Gracie totes the poor puppy around EVERYWHERE!

Ashley loves to cuddle with the little pup!

The whole family with their newest addition!

Sweet Jill had a blast playing with Grandma Janet's Mother's Day gift's wrapping paper!

Grandpa Eddie enjoying some time with the puppy!

10 Weeks and New Look!

2009-05-15T17:25:00.004-05:00

Woo hoo!!! 10 weeks left! How exciting is that! Exactly 70 days until the wedding!
We are so excited! We are getting closer and closer to being Mr. and Mrs!

We have a shower this Sunday with Mrs. Hilborn's co-workers! Its being called a "Teacher Shower." How much fun is that! I can't wait to see teachers that Aaron and I had when we were in school at Benton!

Also...I realize that the blog has a new look. Don't you love it!?! I was really wanting to show off some wedding colors, but then I found this ADORABLE background and couldn't say no! Visit the Shabby Blogs site and have a look at all of the fabulously FREE backgrounds! I know you'll love them! It was so hard to choose! Happy weekend!

Last Sharon Shower Thank You's: All Things Razorback!

2009-05-14T17:13:00.003-05:00

At the Sharon Shower Aaron and I got some really neat Razorback stuff! We love ALL things Razorback. Each of these items are so adorable!

Thank you to the following people for some of Aaron's favorite gifts! (You have to admit its kind of hard for a guy to get super pumped about a china place setting! These are more up his alley!): Jeremiah and Lindsey; Aunt Christine and Missy; Ms. Birdie; Kent and Debbie; Karla; Ms. Gail and Samantha; Ms. Ruby and April; Jeff and Melinda. Thank you so much!

The following people gave us some very thoughtful gifts that were not pictured most likely due to space! (or in addition to a gift that was previously pictured): Ms. Pat and Julie; Mrs. Susie; Ms. Bernice; Mr. Ken and Mrs. Sue; Jeremiah and Lindsey; Jerri and Cliff; Uncle Ralph and Aunt Sherri; Ms. Janice; Ms. Vickie and Nikki; Missy. We definitely don't won't to leave you out because we appreciate you so much more than you know!

So...one more final time...A BIG thank you to all of you who were so thoughtful and generous. Thank you for thinking of us at this special time! May God bless each of you!

Thank You Tuesday: More Sharon Shower!

2009-05-12T20:30:00.007-05:00

Yes its Tuesday and yes there are still some Thank You's left! The gifts I'm going to show you today are things that will get LOTS of use in the kitchen...from Aaron :-) Only kidding! You all know I loooooove the idea of just cooking away! So lets get started (remember, no last names):

Bakeware!We love the Wilton Indulgence bakeware because it doesn't have rough/sharp edges or corners. Thank you so much to the following sweet people: THE Aunts & Uncles; Mr. and Mrs. Trish; Ms. Pam and Ms. Rhoda; Ms. Gail and Samantha; Ms. Brenda.

Next: Miscellaneous Kitchen Items!

Wow. Aaron and I love all of these great gifts! There are lots of neat little gadgets out there! The smallest group of measuring spoons in the 3 group set has words on them like dash, pinch, etc. How cute! Aaron thinks they will help him get Mamaw's recipes right! And let me just tell you how creative it is to give someone a paper towel holder, and then put a roll of paper towels on it! I love it! Just ask Aaron, I couldn't stop going on and on about it! Its the simple things.

A big Thank You goes out to the following thoughtful people: Ms. Pat and Ms. Julie; Ms. Dale; Ms. Peggy, Avery, and Carly; Ms. Barbara, Ms. Sherry, and Cara; Mr. Brent and Mrs. Paula, Mr. Eddie and Mrs. Jackie; Mr. Bob and Mrs. Marilyn; Grandpa and Granny; Ms. Mary; Ms. Pam and Ms. Rhoda; Ms. Lisa and Lacie; Mr. Gerald and Mrs. Lou; Ms. Gail and Samantha; Mr. Burl and Mrs. Tammy.

We are so prepared to start some serious cooking! We appreciate each of you. Thank you so much!

Only one thank you post remains from the Sharon Shower! Can you guess what it is?

Jar of Pickles!

2009-05-10T13:51:00.006-05:00

I've already done several Thank You posts from the Sharon Shower (and still have a few more left!), but I HAD to devote a post completely to this:A jar of Aunt Christine's pickles!!!

Aunt Christine gave me this jar of pickles at the shower along with the rest of her gift! It was probably my favorite gift! I say that it was MY gift because Aaron is not the biggest pickle fan, which is A.O.K with me because I don't share these very easy!

On Sunday's when Aaron is home, we go over to his Mamaw's house for lunch. Every once in a while she has some of these pickles. I always get so excited when I see them sitting out for lunch!I think Aunt Christine heard through the grapevine that I LOVED them, which is fabulous! These are quite possible the most delicious sweet pickles I have EVER eaten! Seriously, they are AMAZING! You can definitely tell that I really like them because the jar is already halfway empty! I'm having a hard time spacing out my pickle eating!

Thank you so much Aunt Christine for such a delicious gift!

Invitation Addressing and Stuffing Luncheon!

2009-05-10T13:23:00.007-05:00

On Saturday, a bunch of us girls got together for a luncheon at the Hilborn's house. We of course took a bunch of pictures! (Sorry for the glare from the china cabinet behind us!)

Mrs. Hilborn and Memaw decorated a great table and made some delicious food!

My mom, sister (MOH), and grandmothers.

Four out of six of my bridesmaids were able to make it: Michelle, Leah (MOH), Haley (MOH), and Lauren. Ashley was working and Nichole was GRADUATING FROM GRAD. SCHOOL!!! Congratulations Nichole! I'm so proud of you!

After lunch we all sat down to address and stuff wedding invitations. It was a great excuse for all of us to get together, plus the weather outside was pretty nasty yesterday! Not to mention that the 10 of us tackling this task made it 100% easier!

The addressing table: Michelle, Lauren, Memaw, Haley, and Mrs. Hilborn. The rest of the gang was in another room stamping and stuffing the addressed invitations. I'm not sure what happened to my picture of them: Leah and both of my grandmothers.

My mom and I both floated around from table to table overseeing everything and making sure everything was correct!

Aaron and his dad had planned to go fishing while we had our luncheon, but had a late start due to an unexpected tree fall that they had to clean up. When they finally made it back from a very short trip due to the weather, even Aaron was able to get in on some of the stuffing action! I'm sure he LOVED that!

I think everyone really liked everything that Sarah Hobart created. Thank you girls, moms and grandmothers for all of your help!

Next Installment of: Sharon Shower Thank You's!

2009-05-07T22:07:00.005-05:00

So tomorrow will be a pretty busy day! I will work until 5 and Aaron will be in by the time I get home! Yay! On weekends when Aaron comes home to Benton, we are so busy. It seems like time speeds up and the weekend is over before we know it. So, we usually try to use our time wisely spending it with each other in some way or another. Plus, we LOVE our families so much and want to see them as much as possible, so we try to squeeze in as many as we can in the short amount of time!

With all of that being said, I'm going to do another Thank You post from the Sharon Shower. That way I will be less tempted to do it tomorrow when Aaron is home! I mean, come on people, we have been doing the long distance thing for over 4.5 years and see each other on the weekends ONLY! We try to soak it up!

So here goes! Our servewear!

A BIG thank you to the following people for our servewear! (Which is right up my alley!): Lauren; Ms. Claudette; Ms. Donna; Ms. Peggy, Avery, and Carly; Mamaw and Papa; Mark and Kellye; Ms. Angela, Ms. Jill, and Ms. Alaina; Ashley.

Next, our everyday items!

We LOVE our dishes and are so thankful for all of these things that we will use just about everyday! Thank you to: Mr. Tim and Ms. Missy; Haley and Mrs. Melba; Bro. Muncy and Pat; Ms. Linda; Kent and Debbie; Mr. Don and Ms. Jan; Ms. Laura; Ms. Angela, Ms. Jill, and Ms. Alaina; Mr. Cliff and Ms. Pauline; Ms. Shelly.

I wish I could put into words how appreciative we are for all that has been done for us. All of you have been such a blessing. Thank you!

Sharon Shower Thank You's: China and Crystal

2009-05-07T12:33:00.004-05:00

Today we would like to say a big thank you to several people! The Sharon Shower was so much fun and there's lots to show you! Once again, since we are on the world wide web I will use first names only.

First off, our china!Thank you so much to the following people for such thoughtful gifts that will last a lifetime, including, iced tea glasses, water goblets, and china: Ms. Arla, Ms. Shanna, and Kylea; Ms. Carolyn; Mr. Claude and Ms. Maxine; Ms. Betty, Ms. Donna, and Ms. Denise; Memaw and Pa; Uncle Larry and Aunt Jan; Mr. Jeff and Ms. Lenee.

Next, the beautiful crystal pieces! Thank you to the following people who generously gave us such gorgeous pieces: Mr. Bo and Mrs. Barbara; Mr. Joe and Mrs. Sue; my Mom and Dad; Ms. Lucille; Aaron's Mom and Dad.

Thank you again to all of you! You all have been such a blessing :-)

Funny Dress Link!

2009-05-05T20:15:00.002-05:00

So I was browsing on the internet when I found this hilarious website!

http://tackyweddings.com/2009/02/27/ugly-bridesmaid-dresses/

It has picture after picture of bridesmaids' dresses that were used in the past! It cracks me up to look at some of those dresses. I'm glad that my girls at least have a dress that is simple and black! Maybe they could wear it again...but then doesn't everyone say that?
Probably in 50 years I will look back at our dresses and think the same thing as I do about the ones on the website linked!

New Look and "Blog Thank You's"

2009-05-04T19:33:00.009-05:00

So I am sure you have noticed that we have changed things up a bit around here!

Since the wedding festivities are in full swing now, (and there will be lots of posting from here on out!) I thought it would be fun to show off our wedding colors once again, to kind of get everyone in to the wedding mood!

Our first batch of Thank You cards were dropped in the mail today! Yay! I'm so glad that we got them done so fast! (At least I think that a week is pretty fast?!?) Aaron was super sweet and offered to write a few of his own. He wanted to write one to each of the hostesses who helped with the shower since it was at his church and then a few to some relatives. I think overall he wrote about 15, which is VERY good! I was so happy to have some help! It was so great of him to offer! After about 7 he told me his hand was cramping, bless his heart!

So...since the Thank You cards are on their way to some of you I thought I would go ahead and show y'all what they look like! We love them! (Well I love them! I'm not sure if Aaron would quite know how to love stationary, I'm pretty sure that's just not within his capabilities...but I know all of you ladies out there will know how to appreciate a good stationary design!) So here it is!

Thank you again to Sarah Hobart at Hobarts Printing and Design for her amazing talent and work to come up with the perfect design!

And since many of you will soon be receiving your Thank You cards, I will begin my "Blog Thank You's" for the amazing gifts at the Sharon Missionary Baptist Church Shower! I can't wait to show all of you the great things we have received and look forward to using in our future home! (Which by the way is so exciting...Our Home! We have a sweet couple that we are friends with that tried to hook us up with a great house close to theirs. Aaron went by to look at it today and was able to visit with them. It'd be great to have such sweet neighbors! Plus they have a little boy that is too handsome! Check out their blog!)

Aaron thinks its hilarious how excited I get over things like cloth napkins, kitchen utensils, or serving pieces! He affectionately calls me his "Little Suzie Homemaker!" I just can't help it! So here we go! (since we are on the world wide web, I will only use first names.)

We will start off with sheets and bathroom towels!

Thank you to Ms. Patsy Ruth and Ms. Sheila for the great sheet set!

Thank you to the following ladies for the BEAUTIFUL bathroom towels: Ms. Beulah, Michelle, Ms. Lita and Ms. Gwen, Ms. Kristi, Ms. Christine and Ms. Missy, Ms. Credonna and Ms. Dana, Ms. Beverly, Ms. Peggy!

Here is the only picture we got of one of the most thoughtful gifts we received!

Ms. Christine made us an amazing Razorback quilt. Most of you know that Aaron and I pretty much revolve our schedules around Razorback events, so this quilt was perfect for us! I, especially, LOVE quilts and it was so thoughtful of Ms. Christine to spend her time making it for us! Thank you so much Ms. Christine!

Thank you so much to each of you for all of your thoughtfulness! You have helped prepare us for the wonderful journey ahead! We appreciate all of you and may God bless you.

They grow so fast!

2009-05-03T20:41:00.008-05:00

This post is dedicated to my neices and flower girls, Ashely and Gracie! They are growing up so fast! I want to make sure that I remember this sweet age and how much fun it is to have them around during this special wedding planning time!

Today was a very big day for Gracie! She graduated from preschool!!!Not only is she on her way to kindergarten, but she also lost her very FIRST TOOTH! I was in Fayetteville visiting Aaron this weekend and watching some Razorback baseball, when she called to tell me the good news. Apparently she and her big sister both lost a tooth this weekend! Poor Ashely is just about toothless on the top!

Here is a picture of the graduate proudly showing off her first loss!

We are so proud of you Gracie!!!

And just to give you a peek into the life of my little flower girls', here are some of their softball pictures from this year:

Ashley plays first base for the Sardis Starbursts!

Gracie plays short-stop for the Sardis Lil' Lady Movers!

These two girls love softball and we love to watch them! I can't believe how fast they are growing up! I'm so glad they will get to play a part in our wedding and I can't wait to see them all dolled up! We love you both!

Thank You Tuesday: Sharon Shower Guests!

2009-04-28T20:53:00.003-05:00

Today we will kick off a series of "Thank You" posts, so here goes!

We cannot put into words how much God has blessed us through each of you who hosted, attended, or contributed to the shower at Sharon Church this past Sunday. Each of you has made a difference in our lives by showing your love and compassion. So, today we want to thank ALL of you. Every last one! Aaron and I keep saying to each other how speechless we still are when we think of the outpouring of love and generosity given by each of you. So THANK YOU! Thank you for all that you did!

Thank you for each and every single gift! (which we will get into later because its so much fun!)

Leah (my sister), Haley (my writer at this shower), Ashley, and Gracie.

Thank you again Sharon Missionary Baptist Church for all you did to help us prepare for the start of our new life together! Thanks to each and everyone who thought of us on such a special day!

Sharon Shower Pictures!

2009-04-27T20:33:00.003-05:00

Again, I want to thank everyone who came to the shower on Sunday, especially the hostesses who made it all possible. Aaron and I are both, still, so very overwhelmed by the love and generosity that you all showed to us. God has blessed us in so many ways, but especially by surrounding us with so many loving and compassionate people. We are so grateful to have you all share in this exciting time in our lives! God bless you!

Also...I have more photos! I don't know about all of you, but I LOVE pictures! So get ready to see several over the next couple of weeks!

Aaron and I at the beginning of the shower standing behind the guestbook table. (Isn't he handsome?) The gift bags on the table were gifts for all of the wonderful hostesses: Ms. Kellye, Ms. Gail, Ms. Missy, Ms. Janis, Ms. Janice, Ms. Debbie, Ms. Ruby, Ms. Sue, and Lauren. Thank you ladies, again, for all of the hard work you put into the shower. It was beautiful and we are so thankful for you!

Aaron and I with 5 of the 9 hostesses at the beginning of the shower. He was so sweet to come and drop off a few things before the shower...and take a few photos!

My neices and flower girls, Ashley and Gracie. Aren't they adorable?! We just love them! Thank you Leah for coming to the shower and bringing your girlies! I'm so happy I was able to share it with you! P.S. I let you slide this time, but be ready to be my writer at the next shower! :)

Sharon Shower!

2009-04-26T21:26:00.004-05:00

***Short post, but I promise there will be plenty to come (after I catch up on my sleep!)

Today was our first wedding shower given by Sharon Missionary Baptist Church. It was fabulous! I had such a great time visiting with everyone and celebrating the excitement of the wedding that is quickly coming! Tonight I will leave you with couple of pictures. (As many of you know I was "on-call" at the hospital last night and was at work from 8:45 p.m. on Saturday night to 6:30 a.m. Sunday morning. So, needless to say, I am pretty tired. But today was so exciting, I just had to share it with all of you!) Enjoy the first of many photos!

Part of the beautiful table!

Part of the lovely Hostess group! They were so sweet to do all of this for us!Four out of my six bridesmaids were able to make it to the first shower! Thank you girls so much for coming! P.S. That is a shadow on the front of my dress! (Michelle, Leah, Haley, Lauren)

Weekend Plans

2009-04-22T21:25:00.002-05:00

Aaron and I spent last weekend apart, which is never fun for us. We are sooooo ready to see each other! He will be coming home on Friday, but we have a very busy weekend ahead of us! We have a couple of wedding tasks to accomplish. We haven't conquered the tuxedo task or choosing Aaron's wedding band, so those are on the list. My neice, Gracie, has a softball tournament on Saturday that we would love to go to. Plus, I'm on 'night call' at the hospital all weekend so its going to be even busier!

The best thing about this weekend (besides getting to see Aaron of course!) is that we have our FIRST wedding shower! The shower is Sunday at 2 p.m. at Aaron's church, Sharon Missionary Baptist Church in Benton. I can't wait to see everyone and celebrate this exciting time! I'll post pictures from the shower next week along with a few "Thank You Tuesdays!" So, if you're at the shower, don't be surprised if you're mentioned on the blog!

Also.....the countdown continues!
93 Days!

The Countdown Begins!!!

2009-04-15T19:33:00.002-05:00

100 days!!! Its official! We are exactly 100 days away from our wedding!

100 days!!!

Can you believe it? Its so hard to believe that it was 5 1/2 months ago when we got engaged! Only 3 1/2 months left to go! We are sooooooo ready and everything left to do with the wedding is only minor details! I'm going to completely soak up the next 100 days because once the wedding planning is over, its over! (And its so much fun!) I'm sure time will fly by!

And just so you know...it is killing me to have these invitations in my possession and not show EVERYONE!

Invitations: They're here!

2009-04-14T21:31:00.002-05:00

***Warning: Short post!

Sarah Hobart and I met up today at Starbucks because...our invitations were ready!!! They are gorgeous! The thank you cards, wedding invitations, and rehearsal dinner invitations were all finished. I was so excited to finally see them in person! I would show you what they look like, but, come on....you know you will have to wait! Once they are mailed out to everyone I will post an image for you all to see. I am sooo pleased with Sarah's work!

P.S. Aaron and I spent last weekend in Fayetteville. His Aunt Amy was in from Mississippi to visit and go to the Razorback baseball series. His mom and some of his grandparents were also able to come up, which was wonderful! It was such a great time! We love getting to spend time with everyone since we don't get to see them very often. The series was pretty terrible (the hogs lost the first two games and the third was on Easter and was rained out.) But all in all we had a great time visiting and catching up! It was great seeing you Amy!

Catering!

2009-04-02T18:35:00.003-05:00

Last week my mom and I met up with Yvonne Cates to discuss catering. She is such a sweet lady and is recommended by EVERYONE. Like always, I did my best to be prepared. Before we went, I made a list of specific foods I knew I for sure wanted at the reception. I, also, printed off pictures I found on the internet of table set-ups that I really liked. So here's an idea of what will be at the reception:

Desserts!!! We are getting married on a Friday night at 7 p.m. and I just LOVED the idea of having a Dessert Reception! It sounded like such a fun, modern twist on the usual "Light Hors'devours Receptions." Most people do that type of reception and I just wanted to do something different! Between the three of us, we came up with some great desserts and beautiful ways to display them or dish them. Our dessert buffet will be approximately three tables long. Much larger than the one pictured above! Our table set up will be more detailed, too! Its going to be beautiful!

Each dessert was chosen for its taste, visual appearance, and color. Yes, color! Everything will coincide with the color scheme of our wedding! Amazing, right??? I can't wait to see how the tables will look! But, don't worry...we have included some salty treats, too!

Another idea I knew I just HAD to make happen to go along with the "Dessert Reception" idea was a......Candy Buffet! That's right! Make sure to bring the kiddies because they will love it! Here's the idea:

Our candy will, also, coincide with our wedding's color scheme. Be prepared for lots of black, white, and green candy! Each type of candy will be in its own beautiful glass dish. Its going to be adorable! And don't worry, you don't have to eat all of your candy at the reception. We are going to provide a way for you to pick all of your favorite candies and take as many of them home with you as you'd like! This way you can eat some of our favorite desserts and have a piece of the wedding cake or Aaron's AMAAAAZING groom's cake! (Which I still can't wait for everyone to see!)

As I talked with Mrs. Cates' about this sweet tooth reception, she got so excited! She already loved the idea of dessert receptions, but, she got more excited as she realized everything would follow our wedding color scheme! It was so much fun to rack our brains of desserts and candies that were just the right color! Just don't plan on going to bed too early that night!!!

Invitations!

2009-03-26T20:05:00.003-05:00

Its official!
We have ordered the majority of our Wedding Stationary! Here is what we have ordered:

Wedding Invitations
Wedding Invitation Envelopes
Response Cards
Notecards (Thank You Cards)
Rehearsal Dinner Invitations
Rehearsal Dinner Envelopes

All of these items have been customly designed for us to fit our wedding theme! Even the envelopes have a special design on the flap to match the invitations! They are gorgeous and I can't wait for you all to see them! Printing should be taking place within the next week or two!

Here is the stationary we have left to design and order:

Ceremony Programs
Reception Table Place Cards
Favor Tags
Matchbooks (Possibly...to light the sparklers for our exit!...not for encouraging lung cancer!)

What do you think about custom designed matchbooks???

I am currently trying to schedule a lunch/invitation addressing party for my mom, Aaron's mom, and my bridesmaids. I can't wait to get together with all of them at once! It will be a great way for everyone to get to know each other, if they don't already! Plus, who doesn't love free food?

Also, my mom and I conquered the catering today with Mrs. Yvonne Cates. We had such a great time with her! I gave her my ideas and she seemed to get so excited to make it all happen! I'll tell you more about it on another post...I've done so good this week already! 3 posts in one week! Whew! I need to start drawing it out some more to keep you all coming back!

Knight in Shining Armor!

2009-03-25T20:13:00.007-05:00

I realized it has been a while since I have posted a picture! This is a recent one of Aaron:

Here he is! My "Soon-To-Be-Hubby!" Wow...that is a crazy!!! Fishing is one of Aaron's favorite hobbies. I swear, he could do this every day for the rest of his life and be just fine and dandy!

How handsome is he?!?

4 MONTHS!!!

2009-03-24T17:42:00.004-05:00

***HALFWAY THERE!***

Aaron proposed on November 28th (the day after Thanksgiving) and we are officially at the half way mark! This means that in exactly 4 months I will be walking down the isle! Isn't that fabulous? We can't believe how fast the first half of our engagement has gone by! July 24th can't get here fast enough. We are so ready to be married!

Last week was my "vacation" from work, so I had some extra time to get wedding stuff taken care of. I made sure to relax and have a good time, though, by going up to Fayetteville to visit Aaron. We went to two Razorback baseball games! I swear I think its one of my very favorite things to do. I could sit out there all day as long as its nice weather! Part of my 'having a good time' is tending to all the wedding details. I just love it! I know it will all be over and done with in 4 months, so I am trying to soak it all up!

Last Friday my Mom and I went to Events Rental and Floral in Conway. We spent approximately 3 hours there browsing and brainstorming! It was fabulous! Everyone there was super nice and helpful. We finally got everything finalized and I can't wait to see how it all turns out.

On Sunday we had our first pre-marital counseling session with my pastor. We both loved every minute of it. He had such great advice and topics for us to discuss like conflict resolution, love languages, and other stuff like that. Its hilarious how similar Aaron and I are, but we're different in just enough areas to keep it lively! God made us and brought us together and I don't think He could have put together a better match. When we left my pastor's office we were both so googley-eyed at each other that it was ridiculous! He has never appeared more handsome, confident, and strong as a man of God than he did that day. It was such a delite to get to listen to his different answers to questions concerning me and our future! I can't wait to marry my "Knight in Shining Armor" and become his "Princess" (according to my pastor!) I love it!

We are still in constant contact with our wedding stationary consultant from Hobarts Printing. Every so often she will send proofs of envelopes, thank you cards, etc. for us to approve. Its wonderful seeing all of her creative designs. Its especially great seeing it all come together perfectly!

On Thursday we will go meet with our caterer. I think this is the last 'Big' thing we have left to finalize and pin down. Everything else is simply minor odds and ends left to tie together. Its amazing how perfectly and quickly things are coming together!

Thank You Tuesday: Everyone!

2009-03-17T08:10:00.004-05:00

My birthday was Saturday and I want to say 'Thank You' to everyone that helped make it very special!

Aaron came home Friday night, which was special enough, and we went to eat at The Butcher Shop. It was delicious! I had all my favorites...which includes crab cakes and creme brulee :-)

On Saturday, Aaron and I went to eat a very early breakfast at the good ol' Waffle House. Usually this is very delicious and we both loooove to eat some hashbrowns. Well, let's just say that this was a very 'different' experience. That's all I can say without getting nauseous...ugh...

Moving on! Saturday was kind of cloudy and dreary so we relaxed all day at my house, just enjoying not having to rush around being busy. My mom had bought a special sweet treat for me to enjoy! Aaron's mom stopped by to visit for a little bit and I opened a few presents before dinner. Aaron and his mom really think alike because they both wrapped their gifts in black, white, and green like our wedding colors! Here is a look at Aaron's fabulous wrapping job that usually takes him about 45 minutes per present...no matter the size of the present :-)

Part of Aaron's gift was two of these apothecary jars. I adore apothecary jars. i think they are perfect to use for decorating. They make so many different shapes and sizes, but this one is perfect. I can't wait to put them in our house...which we don't have yet...but, I'm sure it will look beautiful!

Afterward, Aaron and I met my family for dinner. At the end of dinner a cake was brought out for me and here is why it was so special! 1) my sister and her family made it 2) it was my favorite...yellow cake with chocolate icing! 3) Jimmy, my brother-in-law, was very involved in how it would be decorated, apparently, and even made his family take an extra trip to Wal-Mart to get the right color icing :-) Hilarious! 4) this was sitting on top of the cake:

Cute, right? Here is the reason behind this: My brother-in-law is REALLY into Nascar and he's a HUGE Earnhardt, Jr. fan. He, also, despises Jeff Gordon. So, Aaron and I have always loved giving him a hard time by telling him that we were going to be Jeff Gordon shirts and toys for his two daughters. He gets so worked up about this and its too funny! Trying to be a wise guy, he put the Jeff Gordon car on my cake, as if to say that I'm his biggest fan! Plus, I turned 24 which was perfectly coincidental!

Today I had an appointment with Events Rental in Conway, but they had to cancel due to over scheduling...love it. I was really hoping to get a lot of wedding tasks completed this week since I am off work. Hopefully we will reschedule for Friday. That would be ideal.

Since I'm off work, I'm heading to Fayetteville for a couple of days. There are baseball games today and tomorrow that Aaron and I are going to. We are so excited to have this extra time to spend together! Happy St. Patty's Day!

Finally...Internet!

2009-03-13T18:50:00.002-05:00

I am officially back from the world without internet! Blogging on my cell phone just isn't as fabulous as bloggin on a REAL computer. Our internet problems are now gone and I'm capable of updating you on wedding planning progress...FINALLLY!

Last Tuesday, me and my mom went cake tasting at a couple of different bakeries. I've already told you about our initial trouble with choosing a bakery and the expensive delivery fee (even though it was going to have to be delivered from Rick's in Fayetteville to Benton!) So, when we sat down with the wedding consultant from Community Bakery we were ecstatic! Their cake's were delicious! The consultant was very friendly and accomodating to all of our needs and questions. I took several pictures of ideas I had for each of the three cakes (rehearsal dinner cake, wedding cake, and groom's cake) and she seemed very pleased to have such an "organized Bride" ! Hahaha! I promise I do try to be! If there was ever a question that the cake designer would not be capable of doing something consultant would go to her and confirm that she could. It was wonderful because, on a couple of our cakes, we wanted to be very specific about what they looked like. I don't want to spoil the surprise just yet about what the cakes will look like, but I will tell you this...I think I am more excited about the groom's cake that we designed for Aaron! Shouldn't there be something wrong with that? I think I am going to love it every bit as much as he will! So, all three cakes are ordered and it feels so great to be able to check another thing of my lengthy "To-Do" list!

Aaron is coming home tonight after we spent the past two weeks apart. Needless to say we are super pumped and can't wait to see each other! We are meeting in Little Rock on his way through to go eat for my birthday, so I am really excited. Tomorrow we are going out to eat with my family to celebrate on my actual birthday!

Today is my best friend/MOH's and my "joint birthday"! Her birthday is the 12th and mine is the 14th, so for the past couple of year's we have tried to celebrate on the 13th. Tonight, we both have celebrations going on for our own birthdays, but I still want to wish her a happy "Joint Birthday"! Can't wait to celebrate with you, Haley! This is a picture of her 2 years ago at our birthday dinner:

So much to blog, So little time!

2009-03-09T21:22:00.000-05:00

Since the last post lots of things have taken place that I want to share with you!
Aaron and I spent the past weekend apart, again. It truly gets tougher each time. Luckily he gets to come home this weekend to help me celebrate my birthday on Saturday. Woo hoo, 24! This is my 5th birthday to share with Aaron!
I am off tomorrow and plan on tackling a long to-do list that includes getting a new driver's license and tasting cake. Wish me luck! Hopefully it will turn out better than at Rick's (but I promise I'm still a fan!) I wish Aaron could join me and my mom, but some places only schedule these appointments on certain week days.
I'll update on how it went tomorrow, hopefully! My internet has been giving me fits, so we'll have to wait and see if we will be getting along tomorrow evening!

Weekend Recap & Wedding Cakes

2009-03-03T20:36:00.003-06:00

Last weekend was my long weekend and it was so great. I needed a little break and time to relax. Its always extremely nice to get to spend a little extra time with Aaron, too! I went up on Friday and we went to the baseball game. It was freeeeeezing, but we won and it was a blast. Baseball is my favorite! I love sitting out there just relaxing and Aaron loves the kettle corn :-)

It snowed mostly all day on Saturday, which just seemed crazy. I was gearing up for spring weather and getting pretty excited about it! Since the baseball game cancelled, Aaron and I spent our morning indoors. It was super nice to spend a Saturday relaxing and not rushing to this place and that place. We watched a movie, I organized some of our wedding gifts, and he cleaned the house. It was fantastic. It's so fun for us to catch these little glimpses of what our life is going to be like. We couldn't help but get excited about it! The little things mean the world to us.

Aaron and I had an appointment later that day at Rick's Bakery to discuss wedding cakes. I was a little disappointed at the amount of money they wanted to charge to deliver it. Of course they would've had to deliver it to Benton, but still...it was ridiculous. So....that lead me to start searching for another bakery. This is a very hard decision for me because I am a devoted Rick's Bakery customer! We have a couple of appointments next week for tasting and consultation, so wish us luck! (Aaron had a little car trouble on Saturday, so say a prayer for the Pathfinder. We need it to stick around a little longer!)

Sunday was such a fun day! The 1994 National Championship team was in town for 'Celebration of a Championship.' We got in line to go inside around 11:30. It was freeeeezing and they opened the door 15 minutes later than they said they would. I literally thought my fingers would never work properly, again! (Remind me to tell you about Aaron's groomsmens' gifts after the wedding. Some of the guys still don't know and its such a great idea!)

Aaron and I stood in line to get some autographs from the players and Coach Richardson. It was a blast! We missed the viewing of the Championship Game, but caught glimpses while getting autographs. We stayed for the basketball game (which we won!) and then met up with his parents and sister for dinner. Its always so good to see them!
So, even though our wedding cake consultation didn't end with us having the cakes taken care of, we got a good idea of what we want! Hopefully our next 2 appointments will go better!

Website and Photo Release

2009-02-27T09:08:00.002-06:00

Our photographer e-mailed me and Aaron earlier this week to let us know our customized website was ready. It looks, pretty much, just like what our blog used to look like. Here's the link:

http://www.benfieldphotography.net/engagements/amandaaaron/

We got excited, though, this morning when we found out that our engagement pictures had been released on Pictage for viewing and purchase! We love so many of them! Here's the link for the pictures:

http://www.pictage.com/client/registration.do?event=617457

After you sign the guest book, I think I have to verify you to see them. I'm not 100% sure about that though! Try it so we can all learn how it works! I'm not going to turn any of you down so look at them if you want! Some of you are already verified because I had your e-mail address in my address book. Enjoy! I'm off to Fayetteville!

Ready for Spring!

2009-02-26T20:36:00.002-06:00

I just can't wait for warmer weather! I HAD to update the blog and give it a new, fresh look! What do you think?

Aaron and I are going to Rick's Bakery on Saturday to pick out our cakes! I think this will be one of my favorite parts :-)
Our rehearsal dinner is going to be Razorback themed. Aaron and I pretty much revolve our schedule around what the Razorbacks are doing, so it only seemed fitting that we fit it into the wedding! I bet you can't guess what his Groom's cake will be!?!

Sarah Hobart from Hobart's Printing and Design sent some proofs of our rehearsal dinner invitations and they are super cute! I still can't decide which one I like. We have decided on a wedding invitation and I love them! Sorry, you can't see until you get it in the mail :-)
My mom, Aaron's mom, and I had a great time when we met with Sarah Hobart to design invitations. She is so sweet and very helpful! There were so many different decisions to make, I literally had no idea! Paper size, shape, color, texture. Fonts, Scripts, Thermography. Color swatch after color swatch (I swear there were 50 different shades of each color!) Envelope size, shape, color, texture. Not to mention all the different ways to word things! But we had such a great time. We found something that was perfect and really fit our theme. I can't wait for you to see!

I've got a long weekend this weekend, so I'll be in Fayetteville visiting Aaron and going to lots of baseball games. We absolutely love getting to be outside enjoying the atmosphere at Baum Stadium. It's so great!
On Sunday, The '94 National Championship team will be in Fayetteville to sign autographs, watch the film of their game, and attend the Georgia game. Aaron and I are so excited and are devoting our day to enjoying the festivities! Have a good weekend!

Thank You Tuesday: Aaron Ray :-)

2009-02-24T19:44:00.003-06:00

All the ladies out there will really appreciate this one!

E-mail from Aaron to Dale Benfield (our photographer)

Oh my goodness! Is he not just the sweetest thing ever? This post is just for him, for being such an amazing person to me and to all of those around him. Not only was he thoughtful for thinking of me in the e-mail, but he really wanted to let Dale and Meredith know what a great job they have been doing for us. I just think Aaron is the best there is!

I am so thankful for the relationship that we have. I love that we were such great friends long before we ever started dating way back when. I always know that I can talk to him about anything and our conversations are always the best. He literally is the best friend I have ever had.

This morning, while I was at work, Aaron sent me a text message telling me that I had some new voicemails I needed to check. Well, this made me so excited that I just had to listen to them right then! He left two. The first one was to tell me that we were exactly 5 months away from our wedding :-) sooooo sweet! The second one was to tell me happy 4 years and 4 months...I mean seriously...do they make them any sweeter than he is? I love that he remembers the little things. I just can't imagine my life without him and there is no one out there suited more perfectly for each other than we are. God has truly blessed us.

And for all you single ladies: remember that there actually are amazing guys out there just waiting to find someone to treat like a princess. Try not to rush it, wait for God's perfect timing, and you will have more than you ever thought possible. That's exactly what we did. Of course there will be some up's and down's, but finding that person to have by your side, that you can work through those up's and down's with, is the most amazing feeling.

Thank you, Aaron! You are amazing :-) I love you.

***Side note: I LOOOOVE going to baseball games. This picture was taken at a Razorback baseball game last spring. This weekend I get to go to my first game of the year and I can't wait!

Thank Goodness for a Rainy Day

2009-02-21T09:49:00.003-06:00

Aaron and I are still alive and still in full swing 'wedding-planing' mode! The past week seems like it was a busy one, but now that I look back I can't really remember why. I think its because, both, Aaron and I have been slowly developing a cold.
I had to leave work early yesterday because: #1) I had a fever, and the O.R. is no place for a contagiuos bug! #2) My right eye's water faucet was apparently jammed in the on position, so I constantly had a stream of tears down the right side of my face. #3) My head was warning me that it was getting ready to explode by continuously pulsating until my eyes felt like they were about to pop out.
I was quite a sight to see,needless to say, and Aaron was no better. He had meetings in Little Rock on Thursday and Friday. He's way better at working through a cold than I am. The thing that gives him away is his coughing. I swear sometimes it seems like either a) he's going to vomit or, b) he's going to lose a lung. He might be upset at me for mentioning his cough because all of the ladies in his life (me, his mom, and both grandmothers) seem to kind of get worried about it! We just all love him and want him to be well!
Last night my family asked us to go out to eat and we LOVE getting to do things with all of them. We hated it because were feeling so bad and neither of us felt like getting out. But we did anyway! We just can't pass up an opportunity to spend time with them.
I wish you all could see us now because we are a hilarious pair! Neither of us can breath and there is constant nose blowing going on around here. All we are doing is sitting around trying not to do ANYTHING. That's why today is so perfect. Its raining outside and, so, that eliminates our constant desire to play outside! Our plan is to watch lots of movies and get lots of rest. When we start feeling better I'll fill you in on what's been going on with wedding planning!

Engagement Shoot Video!!!

2009-02-14T23:27:00.003-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day!
Let me start off by saying that I have the greatest Valentine ever. He's my best friend and I am so glad to have spent the past 4 Valentine's Days with him! (This one makes #5!)
Aaron and I are in Fayetteville this weekend and have had a FABULOUS Valentine's Day! We went to the basketball game today and, even though Kentucky beat us, we had a great time.
Aaron's parents and sister dropped by his house to visit for a while after the game, which was great! We love getting to spend time with them!
After they left we got ready for a movie and late dinner. Aaron sort of "forgot" to make a reservation for us, so we ended up with one at 9:30. Hilarious! It ended up being perfect for us. We went to see "He's Just Not That Into You" first. The movie was great, lots of sad relationship stuff, but still good. Then we went to eat dinner at Bonefish. Delicious!
The next part was one of the MOST exciting of the night! Aaron and I had stopped to get gas on the way home and I checked the Benfield blog (like I do 4 million times a week) hoping to see some more pictures. To my surprise, a video of our engagment shoot had been posted! Aaron was still out pumping gas and I just sat their squealing! I tried desperately to get his attention! Finally he got back into the car and we rushed home to watch the video (my ol' palm treo doesn't quite care for videos.) We love the video Dale and Meredith put together!

http://benfieldphotography.blogspot.com/2009/02/happy-valentines-day.html

They are so sweet for putting it up on such a perfect day! I just can't express, enough, how appreciative I am of our AMAZING photographers. They literally are the best! Let us know what you think of their great work!
P.S. Sorry for all the smooches :-)

Wedding Peek Wednesday! Green apples... :-)

2009-02-11T18:44:00.003-06:00

This gorgeous fruit will serve as part of the centerpieces for the reception tables! (This is where the apple green comes in, in the black, white and apple green color scheme!)
My bff and MOH, Haley, found a great deal on 5lb. bags of green apples for us to get when it gets closer to the wedding. So, I am pretty excited! We are going to use the green apples to fill tall cylinder vases we plan to have at several of the tables. There will, also, be an apple at each place setting with a little note tag attached! I'm not sure if the note tag will just have our new monogram on it, wedding date, or what. Details, details, details! I'll try to figure that one out some other time :-)
I can't wait to see how it turns out!

I'll let you know, tomorrow, how the meeting with Sarah Hobart from Hobarts Printing and Design went!

Thank You Tuesday: Mom and Dad

2009-02-10T19:16:00.007-06:00

Once again, I have to thank my parents for all that they have done for us. They have been so great to us in all the many ways that they have helped with the wedding and getting us ready for our life together!

During the after Christmas sales, my mom, Haley (MOH), and I all went out to find some great deals. We all ended up meeting at Dillard's to stock up on some wonderful half priced Christmas decor! I got there first and was completely intimidated by the large amount of women frantically trying to get their hands on that perfect ornament or decoration. So, I stood there off to the side of the mob and just watched in astonishment at what was happening.

My mom got their next and told me to come on. So, I followed her and noticed that she picked up a big card board box. My first reaction was, "Mom, seriously? What do you need that huge box for? You only have one ornmanet in it!" She laughed and said, "You'll see." I, then, took a look around and noticed that lots of women had the same size cardboard box and they were full to the brim with Christmas items! Seriously?!? I thought they were all crazy! I wasn't even married, yet, so I had no intention of buying much.

Before I knew it, I had my own cardboard box and it was quickly filling up! I guess the buying frenzie was contagious! Haley finally arrived and looked at me like I was out of my mind. I told her I had no idea how it happened, but I just had to have it all! So these are some of the styles of ornaments that I found:

They are bigger than they look in the picture. I am such a fan of oversized ornaments! The red ball with the damask design on it in red velour is my favorite! I got several of each different style to go along with a few other styles I found. I, also, found some red and gold wide mesh for decorating the tree and doorway.

The "thank you " part of this post is for this:

My sweet parents bought Aaron and I our first Christmas tree! This isn't an actual picture of the tree, but you get the idea! Its a 7.5 ft pre-lit fur! LOVE it!

We are so excited that we will be ready for our first Christmas together! We both despised the idea of having to go out during the hectic holiday season next year to buy Christmas decorations (mainly because they would be so expensive...not half price like we got them this year!)

All of the Christmas decorations have been packed away in sterilite containers since a couple of weeks after Christmas. I don't think I'll be able to wait a whole year to see them again! Aaron thinks I'm going to have the tree and decorations up by Halloween...he just might be right :-)

Thanks, Mom and Dad!

P.S. Tomorrow my mom, Mrs. Hilborn (Future Mother-in-law, FMIL), and I are meeting with Sarah Hobart from Hobart's Printing and Design to design wedding invitations and stationary! I am so excited that both mom's will be able to be there for such a fun experience! I spoke with Sarah Hobart on the phone today to confirm the appointment and she sounded so sweet and fun. I can already tell that she LOVES what she does and will be such a big help in getting everything just how we want it! Wish us luck!

Wedding Peek Wednesday: Damask!

2009-02-04T19:58:00.005-06:00

I'm sure I have already mentioned it on here before, but I just wanted to really talk about how we are going to use it. The black and white Damask pattern is an important part of our wedding decor! I love the modern flair it adds to everything! I think it is oh, so classy!So, this damask pattern will mainly be featured at the reception. The next picture is kind of similar to what we will be doing for the reception tables. (we are going to give it a little life though, but I'll save that for another post!)
We are very excited to see it all come together! By we, I mean all the ladies! Aaron is just along for the crazy ride, bless his heart! He has been such a good sport and a great help! I actually emailed him last night a list of addresses I needed him to get. I tried to butter it up and really make it sweet, so maybe he wouldn't notice how many there were on the list :-) I think it may have worked!

Just so you know, I have so many wedding-ish things to share, but I'm trying so very hard to space it out for you! I don't want to overload all you fellow bloggers and blog readers out there with wedding mania!
Happy Wednesday!

THANK YOU Tuesday: Parents

2009-02-03T19:12:00.003-06:00

The week after we got engaged, I found Thanksgiving platters on clearance at my works gift shop. They are so warm and just great! (sorry no picture!) My mom gave me a hard time for buying platters so soon, but I just couldn't help myself! I already know I'm going to be a "Little Miss Susie Homemaker" and I can't wait! It runs deep inside me! I can't wait to have our own house that I can make warm and inviting!

At Christmas time, my mom surprised me with some beautiful Christmas platters. She remembered how much I love platters and it just made my day to get these three wonderful pieces.

This one says "May your days be Merry & Bright."

"Have yourself a merry little Christmas."

"May all your days be merry and bright, and may all your Christmases be white."

I just love them! I can't wait for Our First Christmas, so I can put them out!

Thanks, again, Mom & Dad!

They're up!!! (Engagement Picture Teaser!)

2009-02-01T22:29:00.003-06:00

After the Super Bowl tonight, Aaron and I checked Benfield's blog (for like the millionth time!) and to our surprise some of our pictures were up! We were so excited and immediately called our parents! We love the pictures we have seen, so far, and can't wait to see the rest and our Engagement Website!

http://benfieldphotography.blogspot.com/2009/02/amanda-and-aarons-engagement-session.html

Let us know what ya think!!!

Wedding "Peek" Wednesday: Bridesmaids' Bouquets

2009-01-28T20:25:00.004-06:00

Here is the photo peek for today!The bridesmaids' bouquets are going to be B-E-A-Utiful! I am in love with hydrangeas and this color green perfectly matches our wedding colors. The stem will be wrapped with black satin ribbon :-) Love it!

I'm really excited to get back into some serious wedding planning and I think its just about time! Our guest list is just about complete which means several things can get closer to being finalized: invitations, catering, rentals, centerpieces...and cake! I can't wait to go cake tasting! Who DOESN'T leap at the idea of tasting lots of different cakes, fillings, and icings?!?

P.S. We have decided where we want to go for our Honeymoon :-)

THANK YOU Tuesday: Dale & Meredith

2009-01-27T20:27:00.003-06:00

Today we really want to thank our photographers. I know I've already told you how amazing they are, but really, they are GREAT!

Not many photographers go out of their way to show you just how appreciative they are. Here is a list of some thoughtful things they do just to show how much they care:

1. The Benny Awards: Throwing a party for brides and brides-to-be is unheard of!
2. Giving away special prizes at The Benny Awards! Examples of the prizes: prints, gallery wrapped canvases, couture albums?!?!
3. Door prizes just for being there!
4. Creating a 'Thank You' video after our engagement session!

If you are looking for a wedding photographer or portrait photographer, please visit their website or their blog.

So, Thank you Dale & Meredith!

Comments

2009-01-27T12:45:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to let you know that, as of today, everyone out there can leave us comments on our blog. I know some family and friends (who do not have a blog) have been trying to leave a comment on ours, only to be unsuccessful. Well now you can! Sorry for the delay!

I'll blog today's "Thank You Tuesday" later tonight!

Sunday's Engagement Session

2009-01-26T20:03:00.002-06:00

I know y'all are waiting to hear an update about our engagement session, to see pictures, or something! I promise, as soon as they are available I will let you know!

All I can tell you right now is that Aaron and I had a blast with Dale and Meredith on Sunday! (Even though it was 30 degrees outside and windy!) They made taking engagement pictures so easy and fun. At first, Aaron and I were cracking up at each other! We had no idea what to do, it was ridiculous. Dale's first instructions for us were to lean up against a wall and face each other. So there we are, facing each other trying to look cool and smile pretty, but all we could do was laugh! We joke that we have NEVER stared at each other that close, for that long, EVER. Aaron swears that he's going to be crossed eyed in every picture because our faces were so close! Hilarious!

Even through all our awkwardness and uncontrollable laughing, Dale and Meredith were very relaxed and chill. It was great! We ended up going to four or five different locations, one of my favorites being infront of a brick wall painted red at Dead Swanky. We, also, went to a new spot Meredith found (and Dale LOVED) for our last few shots. It was in a wooded area down, off the side of a road. When we walked down the slope from the road, a rabbit basically ran out from underneath Aaron's feet! Dale, Meredith, and I all jumped and Aaron thought it was hilarious!

I highly recommend these two great photographers! They are super sweet and even sent us a "Thank You" video they made of themselves with a message to us! How thoughtful is that?!

That's all I have to update on tonight! Back to The Bachelor :-)

6 MONTHS!

2009-01-24T21:24:00.003-06:00

Can you believe that in 6 months Aaron and I will be enjoying our wedding day! A day that we have been waiting for, for a very long time. We are so blessed. It leaves me speechless when I think about all that we have been through and how close we have grown together through it all. God knew the one person in this world that would know just what to do, say, or when to do nothing at all. He knew exactly what each of us needed. I am so blessed and excited to look forward to a life with Aaron right by my side, to help see me through whatever life brings our way. ONLY 6 MORE MONTHS :-) It can't get here soon enough!

Also, last night was the Benny Awards and it was such a great time! We all received a great swag bag filled with all kinds of great things, including some customized stationery with both our names on it! (you know I LOVE that kind of stuff!)

Today we went to the Razorback basketball game....we didn't win, but it was still a great time! Aaron got me a funnel cake :-) He knows the key to my heart! We spent the evening making sure we knew what we were wearing for pictures tomorrow. We are starting tomorrow at 1:30, so wish us luck! Its going to be a cold photo shoot!

Benfield Weekend!

2009-01-23T13:39:00.002-06:00

I am so excited for this weekend! Aaron and I will be pretty busy, but we've got such fun stuff to do! I'm leaving for Fayetteville in a few hours and we are going to the Benny awards tonight. I can't wait to see what Dale and Meridith have done with their first annual awards night!Saturday we are going to the Arkansas-Auburn basketball game. Hopefully, we will have a win this weekend! On Sunday, we are doing or engagement photo session! I have been checking the weather all week and, so far, it looks like we should have NO precipitation, just cold air :-) I think I can tough it out for pictures. I can't wait to see how they turn out! I'll update when I get back on Monday and let you know all about or weekend activities! Hopefully you'll get to see our engagement pictures on the Benfield website soon :-)

Wedding Peek Wednesday: Bridesmaid Dress

2009-01-21T19:35:00.006-06:00

This may be an occasional occurence only (I can't give it all away!), but I hope you enjoy a little glimpse of what our Big Day will be like :-) Have I mentioned how excited I am to be married? To be a wife?.....crazy! A wife!

This is a picture of the bridesmaids' dress. I think this style works great for all body types. The feedback from the girls is that they love it! Perfect! I know each girl will look beautiful! Thanks, again, girls!

Get ready for next Wednesday!

THANK YOU Tuesday: Parent's, Sister, and Brother-in-law

2009-01-20T19:05:00.008-06:00

I got some feedback today about the last post and people say they love getting to see what items our home will be filled with when we get MARRIED :-) (married!!!!) So, to give the people what they want, I'm going to make this a regular occurence. To kick off the beginning of "Thank You!" Tuesdays, here are some more gifts and an update at the end!

My sweet dad gave us a great knife block made by KitchnAid. Aaron was pumped, but kind of bumbed because he was so excited to pick them out...funny the things he likes to pick out versus what I like to pick out. I wouldn't have even thought of a knife block!

My sister(MOH) and her family gave us some of our flatware for everyday use and one of our bamboo cutting boards. Again, Aaron is a goof. If a kitchen gadget has the word 'bamboo' in its description, he wants it! What a tree hugger! (Right, Aaron?) Her family, also, gave us some black and red trivets.

Another gift from my parents is the beloved Bentley tumblers. I love these and I think the rest of the world does too! There are tons of GREAT colors to choose from and other dinnerware items to go along with.

Update: Aaron and I are scheduled to get our Engagement pictures taken this sunday :-) We are praying for good weather! I think I can handle the cold (THINK!), but rain just won't work. More tomorrow!

Better Late Than Never

2009-01-19T21:27:00.005-06:00

This is a very late post, but, as I have told you before, our families and friends were very good to us at Christmas! I couldn't help but share all the wonderful gifts we received from such special people that God has blessed us with in our lives. They all really wanted to help give us a head start on getting the things we need for our future life together. It means so much to both of us to have such supportive and helpful people surrounding us during such a special time in our lives! So, THANK YOU! Thanks to every single one of you special people who thought of us at such a special time!

I took some pictures of some of the items we receieved, others I found pictures of on the internet. I would have taken pictures of as much as I could, but the Wonderful Aaron did me a huge favor and took all the gifts up to Fayetteville to be stored in his spare room. I was SOOO grateful to have all the boxes and bags out of my bedroom!

On to a few gifts!

This is a gift given to us from my parents. Its our hand towels! What makes these hand towels even more special, is that they are monogrammed! If you know me very well, you know that I ADORE monograms! Maybe it has something to do with the fact that my monogram is changing soon? This special monogram was done by a sweet lady that is a co-worker of my sisters (MOH). She did such a fantastic job and I absolutely love the design of the 'H'. (In case you were wondering, the letter 'H' is my new favorite :-) Thanks to my parents and to sweet Leta for such a special gift!

The next few pictures are wonderful gifts that my Grandpa Harvey and Granny Lenora gave to me and Aaron. Our kitchen colors are red, chocolate brown, beige, and white. We found these casserole dishes at Smith-Caldwell in Benton. I think they are beautiful! Plus, Aaron thinks that everything we cook is going to have an "awesome" imprinted design on the bottom from the dish :-)

This round casserole dish is from my parents! I LOVE it! I didn't 'think' I needed it, but I am so glad that my mom didn't listen to me!

To make sure that we didn't have TOO much red (which really isn't possible for a future home to a Razorbacks loving couple!) we chose to mix and match the red and chocolate brown for accent pieces. This chocolate brown salt and pepper shaker was another great gift from my parents!

Our everyday dishware is made by TAG. This is the best picture I could find. Our dinner plate is chocolate brown, salad plate is red with brown distressing, cereal bowl is beige with brown distressing, and the mug is red with brown distressing. We received place settings from my parents, his parents, his Memaw, and his sweet Aunt Amy! We were so excited to have such a head start on our dishes!

At least we know, now, that we can cook a casserole and have something to eat it on! Thank you to everyone who thought of us a Christmas time! We love you all! There are several other important people I need to mention, but I'll save that for later this week! I promise, if you don't see your gift today, you will see it on here soon! Thank you again. It truly means the world to us to know how much you care for us and love us! God has truly blessed us with so many special people.

We are having so much fun!

2009-01-13T20:43:00.005-06:00

Over the holidays, Aaron and I took a break from wedding planning. Now we are trying to get back into the groove of wedding planning and it WAS tough. I say 'was' because it took us about 2 seconds to realize that the wedding is almost 6 months away. Wow! In 6 months and 10 days we will be enjoying our wedding day with all of our family and friends. It blows my mind how fast time is going by!

Here is a little update for you on vendors we have lined up, so far:

Where: FBC Benton

Coordinator: Amber Bohannon

Pastor: Bro. Rick Grant

Photographer: Benfield Photography

Flowers: The Flower Cart

Catering: Yvonne Cates

Rentals: Events

Right now we are trying to finalize the number of guests, so we can have an idea for catering, rentals, and invitations. Hopefully, within the next month we will be picking out the wedding cake and groom's cake. Aaron and I have, also, been reading over ceremony dialogues from my church and really love some of the stuff we are reading! I think we almost have it worked out like we want it. As I sit here and type this I can think of a million more things we have left to do, but there's still time! Right? Ha! Ha!

Over the weekend we went to register at Bed Bath & Beyond. This is the store where the bulk of our items were going to be from, so we knew we were in for it. Now the only reason I am telling you this is to tell you how hilarious it was! First off, we spent approximately 3 hours in the store. I would say "Poor Aaron," but I think he had a blast! Plus, it was his idea! Isn't he a great fiance? He loved using that gun to click on items...especially hilarious things! For example, a stuffed animal that looks like this:
Really? What in the world is that? Its called a Kuky Kuddler...huh? This is what went on the whole time we were there. He was uncontrollable! He kept secretly clicking on random and weird items. No worries though, I deleted this scary creature! This was his favorite item he picked out:

A lemon and lime squeezer. Hilarious! That's my Aaron, so easy to please! He was so excited when he found it. So, once we are married, if you come visit us, hopefully he can make you fresh squeezed lemonade!

Groomsmen!

2009-01-02T16:34:00.008-06:00

Wedding planning is moving right along! Aaron's and my family were so great to us at Christmas. We received lots of gifts to help us out when we get married: dishes, decorative platters, cups, silverware, handtowels, etc. My parent's, also, bought us our first Christmas tree! We were both so excited and put the tree up the weekend we got it (the weekend after Christmas) just so we could see how great it looked!

Here is some more wedding stuff for you to look at. I'll post pictures soon of some of our wonderful gifts! Take a look at Aaron's groomsmen!

Best Man: Aaron's best friend since 2nd grade, Jason Miller, pictured here with his new wife, Jess, at our surprise Engagement party.

Groomsmen: Aaron's college friend, Austin Morgan, pictured here as 'Bubba Hog' with Aaron at a football game.
Groomsmen: Aaron's friend since college, Kyle Bunney (second from the left), pictured here with Aaron and some friends at ESPN College Game Day 2006.
Groomsmen: Aaron's long time friend since high school, Matt Gass (far left), pictured here with Aaron and some of their friends at ESPN College Game Day 2006.

Groomsmen: Aaron's college friend, Jeremy Furstenberg (white shirt in the middle), pictured here with Aaron and some friends at a basketball game.

Groomsmen: Aaron's friend since junior high, John Vanderbush.

Tonight we are going to my neice's (and Aaron's 'soon-to-be' neice's) 5th birthday party! Her theme is Curious George! I'll try and get some pictures of the Big Girl!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2009-01-01T15:58:00.012-06:00

We cannot believe that it is already 2009! We are so excited and can't wait for all that 2009 has to offer us: planning the wedding, finding a house, celebrating with family and friends, GETTING MARRIED, honeymooning, settling into our new life, and our first Thanksgiving and Christmas as a married couple! God has blessed us in so many ways and we are so thankful for his grace and love everyday! We always talk about how crazy it is for God to put that ONE person into your life that can affect the way you feel when you are with or without them. We couldn't be happier for that ONE person to be each other. We have spent our entire relationship driving 3 hours one way or the other on the weekends, with the exception of some summers getting to be together in the same town. Finally, to know that after July 24th we will get to be together as much as we want is so exciting!

To start off the new year, we are going to give you a look at the wedding party! We will both have 6 attendants. Here are some photos of all my wonderful ladies!

Matron of Honor: My sister, Leah Redmon, pictured here with her husband, Jimmy, at a Razorback football game.

Matron of Honor: My best friend from college, Haley Floyd, pictured here with me in our old apartment on campus at Arkansas Tech University.
Bridesmaid: My long-time friend since junior high, Michelle Williams, pictured here with me at a Razorback football game.Bridesmaid: My long-time friend since high school, Nichole Hurley, pictured here with me at her bachelorette party.Bridesmaid: My great friend and Aaron's long-time friend since middle school, Lauren Albey, pictured here with me in Atlanta, GA at the SEC football championship.
Bridesmaid: Aaron's little sister, Ashley Hilborn, pictured here with me and Aaron in Atlant, GA at the SEC basketball tournament.

Flowergirls: My wonderfully, adorable neices, Ashley (7, on the right) and Gracie (5, on the left)! Gracie just had her 5th birthday yesterday, December 31st! She is growing up so fast!

I hope you all have a wonderful rest of the evening and a GREAT 2009!

BUSY Weekend

2008-12-22T13:16:00.008-06:00

My mini-vacation is almost over :( It was GREAT while it lasted. Aaron and I were able to get a lot accomplished over the weekend and had a fabulous time enjoying each other and the Christmas season!

Thursday morning my mom, Michelle (Bridesmaid), Gracie, and I went to pick out flowers for the wedding. It was so much fun! I knew exactly what I wanted and even had pictures to show. Our wedding consultant was so excited and thankful for making her job so easy! We had so much fun. As for the flowers, here is a hint: LOTS of Hydrangeas and of course white and green :)

Aaron's office Christmas party on Thursday night went really well. It was a little awkward at first, as I'm sure any office party is, but everyone there was really nice! Aaron and I didn't participate in the Dirty Santa game, but quickly wished we had when tickets to the Arkansas-Oklahoma basketball game went up for grabs.

Our lunch date with our photographers on Friday was so much fun! They are both super nice and were so easy to talk to. They brought some of their custom designed albums for us to look at. Oh my goodness! They were gorgeous! I immediately fell in love! We, also, talked a little bit about possible times for Engagement pictures (January or February) and what the actually wedding day would be like. It all sounds so wonderful!

Friday night we went to eat at Catfish Hole and to see the new movie 'Yes Man' with two of Aaron's groomsmen. Saturday consisted of LOTS of last minute shopping and being out with the Christmas mob. Saturday night we went and watched the Razorback basketball game, which we won!

I came home on Sunday after much more shopping. We both hate to leave eachother, but at least he will be home either Tuesday or Wednesday for Christmas! We are so excited to get to spend a decent amount of time in Benton together with both of our families. A little side note: On Sunday, our Engagement announcement was in the Benton Courier! Here's a little look at it:

Its hard to read the text in the picture, so here is what it says:

"James and Janet Langley of Benton announce the engagement and forthcoming marriage of their daughter, Amanda Michelle Langley, to Aaron Ray Hilborn. The bride-elect is the granddaughter of Harvey and Lenora Langley and Joyce Fullington and the late Nyle Fullington, all of Benton. She is a 2003 graduate of Benton High School and a 2007 graduate of Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing. The prospective bridegroom is the son of Alan and Karen Hilborn of Benton. He is the grandson of Stanley and Dorothy Hilborn of Malvern and Jack and Mattie Ramsey of Benton. He is a 2002 graduate of Benton High School and a 2006 graduate of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in biological engineering. The wedding is scheduled for 7 p.m. July 24 at First Baptist Church in Benton."

WE ARE SO EXCITED!

Mini-Vacay

2008-12-17T20:17:00.010-06:00

Tomorrow I get to start my mini-vacation! I was lucky enough to be scheduled off on Friday and Monday. Then, on top of that, I was given the day off tomorrow! I'll give you one guess as to what will consume the time I have off....

1. Aaron Ray

2. The Wedding

I have a few appointments scheduled tomorrow with florists and then one with our Wedding Coordinator, Amber. We are so excited to have her help! She sells the cutes little outfits for little girls! After all of my appointments, I get to drive up to Fayetteville.

On Friday, Aaron and I have a lunch date with our amazing photographer! We were so lucky Benfield Photography was available in the summer and absolutely can't wait to meet Dale. He and Meridith are in the middle of preparing for The Benny Awards where they chose lots of their photographs and put them into categories: Leading Lady, Best Kiss, Best Comedy, Best Dress, etc. Then everyone can go and vote on their favorite photograph from each category. I think its a great idea and it gives me another chance to drool over their awesome work.

The rest of the weekend Aaron and I get to finish up our Christmas shopping. I never wait this late to buy gifts!

Last Saturday my parents, sister (Matron Of Honor), niece, and BFF Haley (MOH) went with me dress shopping. They were such a big help and it meant the world to me that my dad went! I am the biggest daddy's girl on the planet! I am very happy to announce that we were VERY successful and I am in love with the dress I chose! I can't wait for Aaron to see me in it! I, also, found the Bridesmaids' dresses: strapless, black, CUTE. Then, my little Goose, Gracie, tried on the most precious Flower Girl dress I have ever seen. She is adorable in it and her sister will be too! Here's the two little turkey's in all their glory!

Aaron is holding Gracie, almost 5, and I am holding Ashley, 7. We love them! Their dresses are white, sleeveless satin on the upper body with a tulle, fluffy skirt. They will be wearing black sashes to tie in with the White, Black, with a touch of Green theme!

...Isn't that right, Aaron?...I'm sure he has no clue about the colors! For all he knows its poop brown! He THINKS since he did such a good job with the proposal/engagement weekend that he is 'done'. I guess I'll let him enjoy the thought of being 'done' for a little while longer :) We have already discovered that he can't pick out china or everyday dishes! Isn't that right, babe! I might be better off letting him be 'done' :)

Giving In!

2008-12-16T19:24:00.013-06:00

I've officially given in to the blogging world and all of its temptations! Aaron will just simply be along for the ride and, more than likely, give me a hard time for talking endlessly about the wedding. Does he realize I've been dreaming of such a day since...birth?

As I am creating this first entry, (lots of pressure by the way!) I am watching this:

Aaron and I absolutely love Christmas time and this is one of our favorite things to watch every year, over and over. We love it so much that Aaron recently bought a Charlie Brown Holiday Set! I was so excited. Since we are 3 hours apart we don't usually get to watch everything we would like to watch together. Now we get to enjoy our holiday cartoon anytime we want! I love the opening song when all the kids are ice skating!

The Proposal! Aaron proposed on November 28th, 2008, the day after Thanksgiving. He completely took me by surprise and it couldn't have been more perfect! On Black Friday, Aaron and I took off to Little Rock to go to the LSU game. If anyone didn't know, Aaron and I are die hard Razorback fans and NEVER miss a single home football game. Aaron and I left the game early because he was "cold". I knew this was kind of strange because he never, I mean NEVER gets cold.

So, we left the game early and drove up to Fayetteville to stay at his house. We had plans to go to the Fayetteville Square like we do every year and take pictures. When we got to Fayetteville we put on some nicer clothes for pictures and were off to the square. When we got there it was freeeezing, so we opted to not take pictures and just enjoy the 'short' time we would be out there.

Finally, we sat down on a bench in the middle of trees and bushes beautifully decorated with lights. The bench was facing the area for children's pony rides. Aaron and I kept laughing at the kids and their parents, who were trying to get the "perfect" picture. He kept saying really sweet things to me, but as usual, I kept rambling on about who knows what. Realizing that I wasn't getting the hint, Aaron stood me up and turned me around to face him. That's when I realized what was happening and the water works started flowing! I know he said some really sweet things and he got down on his knee, the whole nine yards, but that is about all I remember through all of the crying! Of course I said yes and stood him up to give him a hug. That is when the people standing in line at the pony rides started applauding. A guy yelled across the way, "What'd she say?" It was just like a movie!

Aaron then gave me a card that he had written in, quoting the entire proposal speech, since he knew I would be crying like a little baby :) We sat down so I could read the card when I noticed a person with a black jacket and hood on staring at us. I pointed him out to Aaron and it turned out to be Aaron's roommate (also known as Bubba Hog from the Razorback games!). Here is Austin as his alter-ego BUBBA HOG!

Aaron had him take pictures of the entire proposal! Amazing memories to have in pictures!

The next day we went to a Razorback basketball game and then began the 3 hour drive home. Aaron kept emphasizing that he really just wanted to drive straight through. Thinking nothing of it, I agreed and agreed to go to his parents' house first. When we pulled onto his street I realized there were way more cars than normal. I blew off this observation because I didn't recognize a single car. As we walked up the sidewalke to the front door, I saw my neices through the window and then realized there were lots of people standing around. I started crying and Aaron couldn't stop smiling. I just remember telling him that he was in so much trouble for making me cry MORE! He had, apparently, planned an entire Surprise Engagement Party in advanced to be waiting on us when we got back from Fayetteville! My family, his family, and some of our friends were there to greet us.

His mom and my best friend decorated this amazing table for us!

These were all of our wonderful friends and family who could make it! We were so happy they were all there and I was to excited to be able to share such an exciting time with them.

Come back every once in a while for more wedding details! I can't wait to share more with you along the way!