Less than 11 Weeks Away...

Mark and I have done our engagement pictures in Knoxville this past weekend. It was a great time to get away from Memphis, school, and Starbucks for awhile. Unfortunately, and I think that many can relate to this, coming back home and diving into the routine is almost as bad as it was before you left. Thankfully, spring break is next week so we can get more of his things moved over to my apartment. I would say it would be a time to catch up on sleep, but I'm not sure that Starbucks got the memo about spring break...so 4 am, I will still be seeing you. :)

I finally have a bridal shower on the 27th this month! Ever since the day I got engaged I have been most excited about the bridal showers. There really are only a few details left to finalize. We have: the guestlist (which will have to be cut down unfortuately), reserving Old Venice for our rehearsal dinner, and my dress fitting on next Thursday.

Here are some pictures of us and Knoxville!

Results of Our Engagement Party for Charity:Water

Hello friends! Mark here! Just wanted to say thanks for all of those who came out and celebrated our engagement with us! We were excited to have all those close to us come by in support!

Also, your donations instead of giving gifts will make an impact on the ground in Africa! You guys gave $245 to charity:water to dig clean water wells. Thanks for helping! Results are here: http://mycharitywater.org/OBScharitywatercampaign

If you want to see more directly how your money will impact lives in Africa, please consider coming to this fundraiser for charity:water this Saturday:

http://www.operationbrokensilence.org/?p=3001

All the event details are in the link! Hope to see you there, and bring a friend or two! Love you guys!

Moving Out

I am on my lunch at work so I primarily apologize if this post is slightly fragmented in word or thought. Much has happened since the last post! I will be moving out of my old apartment and moving into a new 2 bedroom apartment! Mark will be leaving his old room and joining me after we get married. Although the process was quite excruciating (involving co-signing on the lease, etc.), I am really excited to get an early start decorating our new soon-to-be home. So yes, next weekend I will be moving out of my old apartment that I was only in since last June. It just so happens that I will be moving in the day of the charity: water fundraiser at First Evan. Oh well...that's life now isn't it?

Mark will be moving some of his stuff over so we are both searching around for boxes to move all this stuff! I went looking behind some grocery stores, but the only good ones I found made my car smelly so I dumped them. I am just going to use the boxes from work after our order comes in. Thank you Starbucks! ;)

The snow day yesterday was so wonderful! We both thoroughly enjoyed not having school, but then again we ALWAYS enjoy not having school. We spent the day watching cheesy romantic comedies...something Mark rarely does because all he likes are the serious movies that are really good but make you want either to kill yourself after or contemplate the meaning of life until you get a headache. :) So he watched my kind of funnier movies yesterday and it made me happy. :)

Well my work break is unfortunately over. On to make more drinks and caffeinate America.

Getting Near the End

I am finally beginning to feel the burden of wedding planning lifting off my shoulders. This week the caterer, location for the bridesmaids luncheon, and engagement pictures were all booked and planned. Mark and I chose yummy food (including mini Chicago style pizzas and stuffed mushrooms). All the major things are not out of the way!!! Contracts have been signed and the dates have been booked. Now we get enjoy our engagement, of which includes our engagement party, wedding showers, and engagement pictures.

At the end of the month we will be taking our engagement pictures! Saturday the 13th we are having our engagement party in honor of charity:water at my apartment. All friends and family are welcome to come! It is going to be a come and drop-by sort of party from 6-9. Instead of gifts we are taking monetary donations for charity:water. If you need directions just give me a call or text me. :)

Officiator and Marriage Counseling

Hello all our dear followers. :) Today is a cold and cloudy Memphis day with a precarious lurking of a possible snow and sleet storm tonight and tomorrow morning. Yesterday was, of course, in the 50's. Sometimes I wonder how all the Memphians don't get sick more often from the extreme temperature changes. Currently I'm sitting in Starbucks drinking a doppio espresso macchiato "working on homework"/reading a summary online because I didn't feel like finishing William Paley's argument for the existence of God. I feel so ashamed. :)

On to more important news! Mark and I met with the pastor at First Evan, Cole Huffman, yesterday for our "interview." After agreeing to be our wedding officiator, he is going to meet with us for a few sessions of marriage counseling. We both are really excited and curious to see what kind of things we might not agree on and vice versa. Either way, we will be learning how to work out the future conflicts that are inevitable, but in a way that is honoring to Christ. Mark and I both are striving to have a marriage that exemplifies the model of marriage God intended--something that is only attainable with constant forgiveness.

One thing that we both have been learning recently is the "art of saving money." I have been shopping at Aldi (a really great place to buy groceries where all the money made goes to charities). Instead of spending money going out to restaurants, we have been learning how to make money stretch out by buying inexpensive grocery items and pairing them with frozen vegetables and so forth. We are becoming quite thrifty. :)

I would write more, but I have a trial run with my hairdresser for my wedding day hair! :) Til next time...

Our Honeymoon :)

After visiting the travel agency, my jaw dropped to the floor in astonishment concerning the cost of our ideal honeymoon to Rome. Between the costs of the flights, hotels, car rentals, food, etc., there was just no possible way that we could afford the trip. I must admit that I was really disappointed. It took me about an hour to shake off my disappointment and poor Mark was very kind and patient with me. He even offered to buy me ice cream, but at that point I was inconsolable and just needed time to get over it. We then decided that we needed to stay within the US to save money on airfare. The one place that stuck out to us both was New York! We both have always wanted to go there so we went for it!

We bought our flight tickets and booked the hotel and we are set to stay in a Holiday Inn in Downtown Manhattan, the SOHO area. It's near Greenwich Village, Little Italy, the Statue of Liberty, good shopping :), etc. I have been looking up some of the best restaurants and cafes to visit while we are in the city. I'm so glad to get the honeymoon booked though! I feel like a burden has been lifted off my shoulders. :)

Poor Mark is working at his store, heading up OBS, and doing his 9 hours at school. I know it's already hard on him, but he has a good attitude about it. I'm trying to be a good future wife and cook for him and help relieve stress whenever I can. I come and do homework at his store whenever I can because at this point we have to make time to see each other. We are both ready for May to be here. I must go to bed soon because 4 am soon calls! Til next time. :)

Honeymoon Booked!

Mark here! I'm sure Olivia will be posting all the details later today, but we booked our honeymoon to NYC! The original plan was Italy but plane tickets are already on the rise and we have a budget. :)