Presents of all kinds!!

I don't have much new to share with you right now. Just busy with starting back to school and work... Not too many new details on the wedding right now just the little things getting done. I worked on the play list at his brother's football game last night---Hey, it's called multitasking! Those were 4 precious hours that I desperately needed! Time is flying and it gets closer by the day---only 48 more!! RSVP's and gifts are slowly trickling in so keep those coming if you haven't sent them yet...the RSVP's I mean!

Nathan & I get excited every time we get to the house and see a box! We have had so much fun opening them together and figuring out where to put everything in our teeny tiny house! He said that we shouldn't tell people that we are getting so much great stuff so they will feel sorry for us and buy more...such a mess!!!

If you get a chance go check out Missy Robinson's blog. They have been in the process of adopting Baby Owen from Korea and finally got him on Thursday! She has some great pictures that are guaranteed to make you cry. (That was another thing I looked at while at the football game last night!) It has been so great getting to watch them through this process. It gives me so much to look forward to some day when Nathan & I adopt!!

These are Dusty & Missy's 3 handfuls---Reid, Blake, & Baby Owen!! Can't wait to meet this little man! Reid & Blake are the ring bearers (or Pillow Boys as they call it) at our wedding by the way. Too cute!

Well, I think I may be the world's worst blogger... I know it has been a while since I have posted anything but things have been a bit crazy between moving, redecorating, work & school!! We'll see if I can catch you up on everything!

Invitations have officially gone out for the wedding and responses are quickly trickling back in. There are still a few that are getting out late because of addresses and such but otherwise there is no turning back now ;) I told Nathan even if he changes his mind now, it is too late!

He has been absolutely wonderful through all of the moving! He completely caught me off guard with how helpful he has been. He helped with yard work, dishes, planted our first garden, painted furniture, hung shelves and more than anything---has just been so stinkin' sweet!! He never ceases to surprise me! It will really be nice in 2 months when he is around all of the time!!

I will say it has been an adjustment combining some of our stuff in the house though... He brought some of his stuff over that he doesn't need while he is living with his roommate for the next 2 months. Let me just say that I am not too sure how my house is adjusting to camo and um..."different" smells!

Not too sure how I feel about this! ;)

We are still working on all the decorating. Nathan & I aimlessly moved furniture in circles for an hour last weekend and I think it ended up exactly the same way---so typical. Fortunately, my Mom came for a few days to help me do some redecorating! She is wonderful and has such a knack for decorating. She runs 2 bed & breakfasts that are just adorable! You should go check them out & then go tell your family and friends to visit Brenham & book with Tara Farms. Everything is still a work in progress at the house but as the wedding gets closer I am sure things will start falling into place!

We only have 7 more weekends until the wedding!!! I got talk about it all weekend because one of my good friends that just got engaged came down to visit. It was so much fun getting hear all of her ideas and help her plan. So, congrats Tyler & Lindsey! Lindsey---I couldn't be more happy for you. I know you have waited for a LONG time...

That's about all for now... Unfortunately, school starts Monday so I will try to keep up with this but I can't make any promises! Wish us luck...school brings out the best in Nathan! (That is COMPLETE sarcasm)

Engagement Pictures!!!

Lynsey Kramer took our engagement pictures on Saturday so I have been anxiously waiting to see them...well they are posted and are amazing!!! She is so stinkin' creative!! Go check them out at her website. Once again can I just say that she is a phenomenal photographer & such a fun person! It was hilarious to watch her sprawl out on the ground to get just the right angle or picture that she wanted. It definitely paid off because I love them!!

Also, we officially finished our premarital counseling last week. Tim told us that he guessed he would go ahead and marry us ;) Thank goodness!

Oh & Haley said I should clarify that by "nesting" I simply mean getting settled into our house. I guess it is typically referred to when talking about babies... That isn't exactly anything in the near future for us and I think Nathan would flip if I brought it up right now!! haha

Now go check out those pictures and let me us know what you think! And if your see Lynsey, tell her how amazing she is!

Nesting!

This past weekend Nathan & I finally had some free time in the midst of showers, school & work so we decided to head to Belton. I got to “nest” while he sweated his butt off trying to recover our completely overgrown/dead yard! It gets more and more exciting every time we go to work on the house together! Only 2 more months until we will both be living in it…kind of scary ;) Not too sure if he knows what he is really getting in to…and if he does, I guess that’s why I love him so much!!

None of these pictures do justice to how much stuff there was to unpack! I stayed up until 2:30 am washing dishes and figuring out where in the heck I was going to put all that stuff!! I still don't know & I have 2 more big showers to go....

I still have 12 place settings of my dishes to wash...I decided that job was for another day! It would help if I had a dishwasher...

These were really pretty cutting flowers at one point in time... Nathan managed to find about 10 blooms & brought them in for me! Isn't he sweet?!?

Our neighbors probably hate us for our completely overgrown yard...

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I will post some better pictures when we clean up this mess and get new flowers planted for the fall!! I think Nathan & I are going to try to grow pumpkins! It should be a fun endeavor!

Kitchen & Recipe Shower
July 26, 2009

We had our first shower this weekend. It was strange at first because I felt like I was at someone else's wedding shower... I can't be old enough to be getting married...it seems like yesterday I was at Natalie & Nicole's showers. Fortunately, I finally snapped out of it but I think it was the first thing that made this all seem real! Now I am just ready for October so I can marry that boy!! Ok, back to where I was going with all of this...

Debbie, Connie, Me & Karmen

It was a Kitchen & Recipe Shower so of course, I loved it! It was hosted by some lovely ladies from my home church and it was too cute! They had all kinds of delicious food…my favorite of which, was the dirt cake in yellow flower pots(which we got to keep)!

Missy Robinson & her creative self did the cutest flower arrangements for all of the tables. The pots were painted with chalkboard paint & had Shasta daisies & mixed ferns in them. She had all kinds of cute things written on them as well!


This one said "Nathan loves Paige!" Too cute!

I was so blessed by all the wonderful ladies that came. They each brought me their favorite recipe with an encouraging verse. I got some great advice and tons of kitchen essentials! (Yes, I said essentials even though Nathan would probably argue with that statement!) I think I pretty much have every Martha Stewart kitchen item known to man now!!

My family!

The thing I enjoyed most about the weekend was getting to visit with Nathan's family that came down to visit & for the shower. It was their first trip to Brenham & we had a great time. Can I just saying that I have the cutest niece in the world!?! See for yourself...

Miss Mallory Ann! She has Nathan & I wrapped around her finger!

The reality that the wedding is in less than 3 months just hit!! We are now crazily scrambling to get things done before we move back to Belton on August 15th. Nathan & Dad are working on renovating the barn & re-grading the yard right now. (I say both of them, but so far it has been Nathan. Dad has ADHD and we tend to find him mowing the fairway for his golf course... Haha) Mom, Haley & I have been working on all the creative details while Nathan & Dad sweetly tolerate us! I’m so excited about everything. It is going to be so different but then again that is our goal!!

I can’t wait to be married to this hard-working man!!

Looking at the calendar is a bit frightening these days considering we have just about every weekend filled up until the wedding! My first shower is this weekend & I couldn’t be more excited! It is going to be a kitchen shower hosted by some great friends at church…could they know me any better?! I love to cook…and of course eat but that’s beside the point! Nathan keeps telling me he doesn’t understand why we need more dishes, serving pieces, etc. I told him he shouldn’t worry about it so much…there will be dinner on the table so that’s where he benefits from it all!

Last weekend we went to the circus. It really was “the greatest show on earth”!! We all had so much fun and were like little kids! We brought J.B. along so people wouldn’t look at us too weird for coming with 7 adults. I think we were all more excited about it than J.B. was though! It was everyone’s first time to go to a legit circus and it was well worth it! (Except the $12 bag of cotton candy & the $9 lemonade that we split between 7 of us because it was so overpriced…) From the motorcycles to the elephants to the amazing acrobats, the circus is something Nathan & I will definitely take our kids to one day!

The Elephants were pretty comical!

Unbelievable...she is so strong!

There were 7 motorcycles in that small cage...insane!

Oh & I am still surviving bootcamp. Only 4 more days of torture & ridiculously early mornings!! Don't you worry though, it will all be worth it when I see Nathan at the wedding! I am hoping to blow him away ;)

Who say's being married isn't fun?!

OK so maybe I am not married...yet! In 3 months & 2 days I will be...but who's counting! The reality is starting to hit of how soon that actually is. There is still so many decisions to be made and so much to do! My first shower is next weekend... this is all going by so fast! So many people have warned me about things going by so quickly and that we need to take the time to enjoy this point we are at in life. That is exactly what we have been trying to do!

My sister Haley, had a timely post about the 4th of July so you can check out her blog for more pictures. We went out to Round Top for the parade and decided it should be a tradition every year! It was so much fun to watch! Here are a few of the interesting sites...

Oh sexy! haha

Nathan wants to leave our wedding in this car...it can drive both ways!

We also went to Washington on the Brazos for the fireworks. We had a great time with Kramer Family who we happened to stumble upon! They have the most precious 3 girls! The oldest, K.K. thought Nathan was my brother. Boy will she be confused at our wedding!! I will say, the fireworks were a bit of a let down but Laney Rae seemed to love them considering she screamed everytime one off! Too cute!

They seriously look just alike!

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Laney Rae was sticky from head to toe!

This past weekend Nathan had the random idea to go to the horse races at Sam Houston Race Park. I had never been before but figured why the heck not! Although I was ready to suck it up and endure the heat, to my relief it was all indoors! It's amazing how that can make you such a nicer person!! There were 12 races and we placed $2 bets on most of them. Nathan tried to take the smart approach and figure it all out, look at the statistics, etc... I looked at how feisty the horse seemed, how fast it had been in the past & whether it went to the bathroom before the race. You laugh...it worked and it makes so much sense!!! ha ha I won 5 times opposed to Nathan's 1 time!

All you can see of my horse in this picture is the tail because it was just that fast ;)

So to sum it all up, we are having a blast! This makes me so much more excited about being married. Don't worry, I have gotten my wake-up call in premarital counselling that there won't always be marital bliss but I still think there is so many exciting things to look forward to!!!

By the way, this weekend my whole family is going to the circus...so pumped about it!!