....but my fiancee is a rockstar. Maybe not a traditional rockstar, like Steven Tyler or Alice Cooper (ick), but a creative/technical/culinary ass-kicker.
Seriously.
Not only did he build (and is constantly updating to make it better) our wedding website (yeah, it has forums!), he also helped come up with the idea of where we should tie the knot. Ok, he suggested it. I thought about it, then tucked it away...then he mentioned it and it all of the sudden made absolute sense. It should be the perfect spot for a rockin' good time. You might be asking... "where is this mystical place of joy, Becky?". Well, nestled in the trees and boundless beauty of the Ouachita Mountains in Arkansas, there is a fabulous place called Camp Clearfork. It is a group use camp with cabins and a lake and a dining hall. It will be the location for Wedding Camp 2010 (we haven't officially made that the title, but it sounds festive, no?). We will most likely have a pretty small group, but man...what a weekend we will have!
Ok, so he can build websites. And think of awesome wedding locations. What else can he do to qualify as a "rockstar"?
He cooks. Not just Hamburger Helper (which he won't make, actually...cause it is in a box), but full-on culinary feasts. Whether it is steak (yum!), brussel sprouts (yum yum!), pork loins (hehehe hehehe) or last night's amazing rotisserie chicken, we are ALWAYS eating well. And he has friends who can make good foods too (Who knew kale + avocado + blueberries + lemon juice = greatness?).
Anyhoo...I just had to take a moment and share some of the greatness that is Mike. There are tons of other reasons he is a rockstar, but these are just a handful I wanted to highlight today.
Showing posts with label wedding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wedding. Show all posts
Monday, February 22, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
just me, rambling...
I have had some thoughts bubbling around in my head about the whole wedding/marriage deal. So, I thought I would share them.
· It is a very interesting process. As I move through the planning of a wedding, I realize that when we shift the focus from what everyone else wants or expects to what we want to express about ourselves and our relationship, the stress starts to melt away. Honestly, I was getting a wee bit overwhelmed with some of the ideas and stuff that I came up with in this vision of what I THOUGHT I had to do for it to be a real wedding. Its kinda wild.
· Have you SEEN some of the cheesy crap they try to sell as wedding favors? Oh man, I mean…really. There is a some cheap, useless stuff out there. It is just a way to spend money on stuff no one wants or needs. And honestly, some of these wedding cakes and decorations are just…well…not my style. It is CRAZY. But, everyone chooses to express themselves in their own way….that is what makes life fun!
· I think anyone who wants to share their lives together as a married couple should be able to. They should be able to enjoy the legal protections, burdens and joy of anyone else regardless of what any particular religion says. I believe this, because once the government gets involved in “legalizing” a religious institution (such as marriage), it becomes a state affair…and frankly a constitutional right to all those who reside in the country that provides that public endorsement. If you want marriage to be a religious ceremony for only certain people, then don’t expect government recognition of it. Denying someone access to the person they love, whether in a symbolic way or a legally binding way (i.e. not being able to see or help manage the care of your partner in a hospital for instance) is wrong. Just my $0.02.
· Sometimes the most perfect ideas come out of stepping back and saying “what do we really want and what fits it best”. I may have had an idea of something, but it may not TRULY be congruent with who I am and who my future husband is. Finding a solution, however “out there”, is often the work of “why don’t we just do this?”. I have a great feeling it will work out beautifully.
· People have expectations and they have emotions. It is a human thing. Someone is gonna be hurt that they weren’t asked to do something, someone is going to be mad that they didn’t get invited, someone is going to be overjoyed to be included. I can’t change, expect or solve any of these things for everyone. The best I can do is be honest about what we are doing and why we are doing it this way. Those that love and know us will understand, and those that don’t will chalk it up to us being eccentric and slightly off balance. I am OK with that.
· At the end of the day, I know I am incredibly lucky to have found a partner who respects and loves me for who I am. We want to be together when the time to jump in a foxhole comes up. We want to share the fun and laughter of time with friends and family. We want to share adventures together and support and challenge each other in our life’s journey. I get to be married to that person, and that is all that matters.
· We feel incredibly lucky to have the friends and family that we have. Each person contributes to our lives in a rich and fascinating way. Thank you for being a part of our lives.
With all that being said, no we don’t have an official date or location set…but we’re getting closer. We are still planning on doing a destination wedding and having a reception in Dallas when we get back. (think big barbeque and laid back atmosphere!)
· It is a very interesting process. As I move through the planning of a wedding, I realize that when we shift the focus from what everyone else wants or expects to what we want to express about ourselves and our relationship, the stress starts to melt away. Honestly, I was getting a wee bit overwhelmed with some of the ideas and stuff that I came up with in this vision of what I THOUGHT I had to do for it to be a real wedding. Its kinda wild.
· Have you SEEN some of the cheesy crap they try to sell as wedding favors? Oh man, I mean…really. There is a some cheap, useless stuff out there. It is just a way to spend money on stuff no one wants or needs. And honestly, some of these wedding cakes and decorations are just…well…not my style. It is CRAZY. But, everyone chooses to express themselves in their own way….that is what makes life fun!
· I think anyone who wants to share their lives together as a married couple should be able to. They should be able to enjoy the legal protections, burdens and joy of anyone else regardless of what any particular religion says. I believe this, because once the government gets involved in “legalizing” a religious institution (such as marriage), it becomes a state affair…and frankly a constitutional right to all those who reside in the country that provides that public endorsement. If you want marriage to be a religious ceremony for only certain people, then don’t expect government recognition of it. Denying someone access to the person they love, whether in a symbolic way or a legally binding way (i.e. not being able to see or help manage the care of your partner in a hospital for instance) is wrong. Just my $0.02.
· Sometimes the most perfect ideas come out of stepping back and saying “what do we really want and what fits it best”. I may have had an idea of something, but it may not TRULY be congruent with who I am and who my future husband is. Finding a solution, however “out there”, is often the work of “why don’t we just do this?”. I have a great feeling it will work out beautifully.
· People have expectations and they have emotions. It is a human thing. Someone is gonna be hurt that they weren’t asked to do something, someone is going to be mad that they didn’t get invited, someone is going to be overjoyed to be included. I can’t change, expect or solve any of these things for everyone. The best I can do is be honest about what we are doing and why we are doing it this way. Those that love and know us will understand, and those that don’t will chalk it up to us being eccentric and slightly off balance. I am OK with that.
· At the end of the day, I know I am incredibly lucky to have found a partner who respects and loves me for who I am. We want to be together when the time to jump in a foxhole comes up. We want to share the fun and laughter of time with friends and family. We want to share adventures together and support and challenge each other in our life’s journey. I get to be married to that person, and that is all that matters.
· We feel incredibly lucky to have the friends and family that we have. Each person contributes to our lives in a rich and fascinating way. Thank you for being a part of our lives.
With all that being said, no we don’t have an official date or location set…but we’re getting closer. We are still planning on doing a destination wedding and having a reception in Dallas when we get back. (think big barbeque and laid back atmosphere!)
Friday, December 25, 2009
The Engagement Story
I am sure I won't get all the details right, as I am pretty sure I am still a little "high" from the excitement....but this is a recount of a most amazing Christmas Eve surprise....
Every Christmas Eve, my family gets together at my parents' house. We bring food and drink, exchange gifts, and dance to the Dallas Cowboys Christmas tape. Well this year, my sister decided that instead of a White Elephant exchange for the adults, we would draw names and buy for one person specifically. As luck would have it, and it seriously wasn't planned, Mike drew my name.
We went through the gift exchange with the standard fan fare and fun. It seemed like everyone was getting their name called except for Mike and I. Finally, they called that Mike needed to give me my gift.
He handed me an REI bag (always a good sign) and in it I found an ammo box. I thought it was a tackle box, but I have since been corrected. :) In the tackle box, I found an assortment of items and a list of instructions for the "Life Survival Kit". It says "Read the list of items aloud, one by one, while holding up each item for everyone to see."
Luckily, I follow instructions well. The list is as follows:
I picked up the socks and felt around to find which one held my final gift. You can't mistake the shape of a ring box...and I felt my heart leap. After much wrangling about, I finally pulled a small black velvet box out of the toe of one of my brand new hiking socks. I opened the box with shaking hands and literally couldn't breathe when I saw the ring. I looked at Mike and he said "Will You Marry Me?". I gathered what breath I had left and replied "YES!!"
It was an amazing proposal. I was surrounded by my family, had the most amazing guy in the world asking for my hand...and on that hand, I now have a sparkling diamond.
Every Christmas Eve, my family gets together at my parents' house. We bring food and drink, exchange gifts, and dance to the Dallas Cowboys Christmas tape. Well this year, my sister decided that instead of a White Elephant exchange for the adults, we would draw names and buy for one person specifically. As luck would have it, and it seriously wasn't planned, Mike drew my name.
We went through the gift exchange with the standard fan fare and fun. It seemed like everyone was getting their name called except for Mike and I. Finally, they called that Mike needed to give me my gift.
He handed me an REI bag (always a good sign) and in it I found an ammo box. I thought it was a tackle box, but I have since been corrected. :) In the tackle box, I found an assortment of items and a list of instructions for the "Life Survival Kit". It says "Read the list of items aloud, one by one, while holding up each item for everyone to see."
Luckily, I follow instructions well. The list is as follows:
- Hacky-Sack: because play is mandatory
- Salt and Pepper - because life needs spice
- Compass - because sometimes we need some direction
- Whistle - to be sure we are heard
- Soap - because if life is not dirty, the dishes likely are
- A ball of rubber bands - because they should always be in a ball
- Matches - because you need a fire in order to cook
- A fishing kit - because sushi is good even if you can't get the fire started!
- Cheese - because is it really life if there is no cheese?
- Tic-Tacs - because sushi and cheese can give you bad breath
- Survival Blanket - for those rainy days
- Duct Tape - to patch the inevitable holes in the survival blanket
- A Mirror - it's unbreakable for good luck, even if it's number 13 on the list
- Burt's Bees Body Essentials - who says we're roughing it?
- Chocolate - because there has to be something good in this box
- Instant Coffee - Ok, you can use this to barter with almost anyone
- First Aid Kit - in case you do get the fire lit
- Wet Ones - a shower is not always available
- Lexan Wine Glasses - because life always has something to celebrate
- SmartWool Socks - because like you, they are the very best
I picked up the socks and felt around to find which one held my final gift. You can't mistake the shape of a ring box...and I felt my heart leap. After much wrangling about, I finally pulled a small black velvet box out of the toe of one of my brand new hiking socks. I opened the box with shaking hands and literally couldn't breathe when I saw the ring. I looked at Mike and he said "Will You Marry Me?". I gathered what breath I had left and replied "YES!!"
It was an amazing proposal. I was surrounded by my family, had the most amazing guy in the world asking for my hand...and on that hand, I now have a sparkling diamond.
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