Five on Friday

One. A Year to Go - It's hard to imagine but this time next year I'll be getting ready for my wedding! I remember back in June when we chose the date of November 12, 2022 it seemed like a lifetime away and now the countdown of less than a year will begin! 

I truly could have never imagined Ryan but now that he is in my life - I couldn't imagine anyone but him. The way he came along and just slotted into my life like a piece of the puzzle that was always meant to be there - that's only because the Lord placed him in my life. And I cannot wait to (keep) counting down the days until we are married.

Two. Lauren Daigle World Tour - We originally bought tickets to this tour way back in 2019 with an original tour date of a random Saturday in late March (or April). And then the concert got rescheduled because of COVID... and then it got rescheduled again.. and so the final date is tonight in Hershey, Pennsylvania. 

We (my family) will be making a rather mad dash to Pennsylvania since I don't get off work until 5 and the concert starts at 7:30. I suppose we will slide into the parking lot in the nick of time. I'm looking forward to the concert and the time spent with my family.

Three. Sight & Sound: Queen Esther - Sight & Sound is the other ticket that we also purchased almost two years ago and Saturday is the date that we are finally able to see the performance! Sight & Sound Theater is a company that performs stories from the Bible with the production value of a Broadway play and this season the show is Queen Esther!

As excited as I am about Lauren Daigle, I am potentially a little more excited about seeing this! My parents have seen a previous production (Noah) and raved about it - so I cannot wait to see the show!

Four. Afternoon Tea - I am so excited to be getting to go to Afternoon Tea on Sunday with several of the ladies from my neighborhood Bible Study! We are going to the Tea Cart in nearby Berryville - which will be a first for me! Our family favorite spot - Coach and Horses Tea Room - closed back in 2019 when the family that ran it returned to their native Scotland and we've sorely missed it!

The Tea Cart has gotten really positive reviews and they hold themed teas (think Harry Potter... Sherlock Holmes... the royals...) from time to time too! I can't wait to check it out and see how they do! Plus, I always enjoy a nice hot cup of tea!

Five. It's Been A Week - I don't even know if frazzled is the word to describe it but this week has been a lot. *sigh* There is a LOT going on at my office, the holiday season is really starting to get into full swing and there is just so much going on... while I'm looking forward to all of the above - the introvert part of me is tired too.

There have been some things this week that have rustled certain things in my mind and caused wheels to turn in lots of different ways. I also know that I'll end up needing lots of prayer as the year closes out - for numerous reasons and not all of them stressful in a bad way. I just know this has been quite a week and I'm glad to see the weekend arriving soon!

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I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and enjoys November as it unfolds. Make memories, try to cherish the good things and let go of the bad! That's what I'm trying to do!

Happy Veterans Day

A thank you to all who serve - allowing us to live in the land of the free - because of the brave.

 

Watson Wednesday

 

His little eyes may be growing dim and his hearing is somewhat on the fritz - but he does still love to explore nature and especially love those Autumn leaves!

Catching Up - Again

It's me again - checking in again on a Monday. Last week seems like a little bit of a blur and here we are back on Monday once again. I'm hoping I have time this week to blog more than once... but only time will tell! Can I just start by sharing a picture of the cutest little Halloween cookies - they were leftovers from Halloween and I couldn't resist bringing them to work to brighten my day last Monday!

The last week felt a bit hectic and I think I've mentioned that the weekends in November look pretty crazy as well - I have plans every weekend for the next three weeks - so the entirety of November. *whoosh* This weekend was much calmer and I'm so thankful for that! Friday after work, Ryan and I joined my parents for dinner at Red Robin and then Ryan had to head into work - so I cleaned up my house, ended up getting out my Christmas decorations (no judgement) and ended up watching Disney+ curled up on my couch. It was a nice Friday night!

Saturday morning (and every morning this week honestly) the world was covered in sparkling, crispy frost and everything twinkled in the sunlight! It was really nice to just take the morning slow and help my Mom prepare for a little get together at the house for Saturday afternoon - I was especially tickled that we had petit fours and my Mom's favorite cheese dip recipe that is to die for! My Mom's party went really well and it was nice to get to visit with some friends for a couple hours on Saturday afternoon!

 

The weather was really lovely all weekend - Saturday was no exception and so after the party, Ryan and I went on a nice long walk before he took a nap (night shifts) and I got most of the decorations for Christmas put up before having some chicken and sausage gumbo for dinner! Yum! Yum! Fun fact: Ryan has never had a petit four before and he continues to call them "petit-files" which I cannot help but chuckle at. Yes - he knows that isn't what they're called, he likes knowing I'll laugh when he says it.

Sunday morning was a bit of a whirlwind - I woke up earlier than necessary (thanks time change) and spent some time with Ryan before heading to church, where I was serving in the nursery. My Mom and I had two sweet little girls and the hour passed pretty quickly with time spent snuggling and sharing Puffs. We ran some errands to Home Goods and Hallmark, picked up lunch from Firehouse Subs and headed home!

 

Later in the afternoon we'd seen that the Gingko trees at the Arboretum began turning bright golden yellow last Sunday, so we decided to drive over and check them out - and when we got there - the trees were already completely bare. The golden leaves had already fallen to the ground and so we had to make our own little bit of golden magic before heading home... Watson ate a treat on the way home and once it was gone, he tried to climb into the floorboard to get to the wrapper... *face palm* 

 

 

The rest of the evening was spent decorating some additional aspects of my house for Christmas, having some dinner and spending time with Ryan before he headed to work. I get the feeling that the rest of this month is absolutely going to fly by and December will be here before we know it. 

I'm trying to cherish every moment and make the most of each day and not let the hectic pace get to me - but I don't always succeed. Here's hoping that as time passes, I'll get better with that. Not just in this upcoming week but the weeks and months to come! 

Boo - it's November Y'all!

Well - that final October weekend passed pretty quickly! Just like that, it's November 1st and there are literally only NINE weeks left in this year! The last weekend of this October month was such a good one and some really wonderful memories were made! 

Friday, my friends Meridith and Danielle and I (they're also my co-workers) dressed up in our annual Halloween costume(s) of choice and this year, the theme was Schitt's Creek! We dress as Alexis Rose, David Rose & Moira Rose and I think we did a pretty excellent job! Friday was a busy work day and it rained all day long - so the costumes were definitely a bright spot in the day!

 

 

Friday night was rainy and chilly and Ryan had to go into work at 8 PM, so after cooking a big pot of Taco Soup for dinner and spending some time with him, he headed into work and I did some girly things: I took a bubble bath and did my nails while watching The Great British Baking Show! It was nice to have some girl time and paint my nails a pale pink (Olive & June Study Hall). I did some reading in bed before falling asleep!

Saturday morning was a bit slow and that was nice - I got up, had coffee and enjoyed the peace and quiet. Ryan and I then headed for Dulles Airport to pick up his Mom... although he thought that we were picking up a family friend and had no clue about the surprise that awaited him! When we arrived at the airport his Mom and her boyfriend were wearing masks & costumes but they didn't throw him off - he knew immediately that it was her!

 

We spent the afternoon relaxing and watching football before heading to dinner at Regions 117 for dinner - the dinner was great and the company was even better. We had great conversation and snapped a couple pictures before heading home to watch a little more football and get some sleep!

Sunday morning started bright and early - Ryan shared his testimony at church during both services and so we headed to church shortly after 8:30. A friend and former pastor joined us for first service and in second service our parents and some family of Ryan's also arrived. It was so wonderful to hear Ryan talk about how the Lord had worked in his life and be able to share it all with his family! 

After church we headed to George's for Brunch with family and friends.... although I guess it was mostly family! :) The meal was good but the company was infinitely better and we chatted and ate and finally all parted ways around 2 PM!

 

After an afternoon of watching NFL games and playing a Sheetz card game, Ryan and I set out to pick up pizza for our Halloween guests and when we arrived home, all the friends had arrived and there were tons of costumed kids racing around the house, already high on life and soon to be high on candy! 

We had pizza and snapped pictures with the kids - dressed as two storm troopers, a dragon, a pilot, a ghost, a sugar glider, Jack Skellington and Wednesday Addams - and then off they set to collect candy. Ryan and I manned the front porch alongside Watson and my Mom for a little while but I feel like we didn't quite see as many trick or treaters as we've seen in year's past. It's also a little mind-blowing to know that when we started all this about five years ago, there were only three kiddos and now there are seven... families have grown, kids always grow and in the years to come the group will just continue to grow even more. 

 

 

The rest of the evening was spent discussing wedding things, watching some more NFL football and generally just winding down after all the sugar and chaos of kiddos - it was a good weekend indeed and I am so blessed by everyone we spent the weekend with. Truly - life is good.

Life Lately - October

Well here we are - two months and one day left on the year 2021. Can y'all believe it? *sigh*

Eating - October was such a roller coaster where food is concerned and that's probably why there are very few pictures. It started with my birthday week which was filled with amazing food: my precious fiancé cooked some favorites of mine for my birthday dinner and my parents arranged for me to have a Milk Bar Birthday Cake! And then my wonderful fiancé surprised me with a party and there were hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, macaroni & cheese, baked beans, salad and a whole ton of other things. And of course - more cake!

I decided after my birthday to try Keto and that was a long and painful week and an experiment that ended after seven days. I may or may not have cried in a Lidl in Fredericksburg - but oh well. I tried out a new Mexican restaurant with my ladies group and had a divine Enchilada Trio.. and yet again - my amazing fiancé brought me a Cinnamon Bun Iced Latte with Pumpkin Spice Whipped Cream. *smiles*

Watching - So much NFL football y'all! I guess that's what happens when you suddenly have a man in your life who absolutely loves all things football and especially NFL football. I have watched bits and pieces of multiple games each week since the season began... and will continue to all season long.

We have created a weekly competition where we list each week's games and choose who we think will win the games. The winner will get dinner out at the end of the NFL season. So far - I am not winning but I did tie week two because I knew the name of the Brown's mascot. It's Brownie the Elf y'all! 

Wearing - Was this just an excuse to post another engagement picture? Maybe! However, I got so many compliments on the dress I was wearing in the pictures and so I wanted to share where I found it! I had a vision in my head of what I wanted to wear and when I stumbled on this dress - I knew it was the one!

It came from a website called Baltic Born - the dresses on this site are beautiful and I believe the company is out of Canada. This dress was perfect for my engagement pictures and I look forward to wearing it again - although it is a wee bit long, so I'll need some taller shoes to pull it off without tripping, ha-ha! 

Bought - The one good thing to come from my week of failed Keto was something called Keto Chow. It's a shake powder that has protein and nutrients in it and if you're using the mix while doing Keto, you mix the powder with water and a fat (oil/cream/butter). However - I have resorted back to Weight Watchers and so I mix the powder with almond milk.

The shakes are thick, have an amazing flavor and keep me full for most of the morning - I usually have some fruit around eleven but I don't find myself hungry. It also makes for an easy three point breakfast on Weight Watchers, so I consider that a win!

Want - I honestly don't have too many wants right now. It's a lovely feeling. I want to be able to enjoy the last two months of this year, spend time with family and friends and just continue to create memories. I want to find gifts for people for Christmas that they will love and cherish. So I guess I have a few wants... but not anything too crazy.

Reading - I am reading Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers! I know my Mom has long loved this book and seeing that it has been made into a movie, I decided I'd better get to reading it if I was going to be ready to see the film in early 2022. I still have so many other books to read y'all - my list is so long! I guess that's one good thing to have in life - a list of books waiting to be read!

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And just like that - it's the last day of October. What in the world?!? I can't believe how fast this year has flown by!

Five on Friday

 It's the last weekend in October - I cannot believe it! I don't have anything wild and crazy to share this week but I am going to continue the trend that I've been holding steady with on the blog this week: engagement pictures! I thought I'd share my five favorites out of the tons of pictures she took - honestly I love them all but I am beginning to narrow things down a little bit, ha-ha!

One. The Favorite - I think this one has been everyone's favorite so far. And by everyone, I literally just mean my fiancé and my family. And I say that because it's now my profile picture, my fiancé's profile picture and my Mom's profile picture. 

I see Christmas cards in this picture's future - and they will be so cute!

Two. Holding Hands in the Field - I love this one! We are both smiling so big and the light is perfect!

I also see some future framing option for this picture - it's really great. And I think it's going to go on our Save the Dates!

Three. Walking through the Field - My Dad likes to joke this picture is Ryan looking back and saying "what have I gotten myself into?" Very funny Dad. 

I myself love the looks on our faces and the way this picture turned out - it's amazing! Who am I kidding - I think they're all amazing and I am so glad we have Brooke for our wedding pictures too!

Four. The Forehead Kiss - *sigh* I absolutely love this one too! It's so sweet and tender and it's also currently the background of my computer in my office. 

I think this one is definitely frame-worthy - it's just the sweetest!

Five. The Hug - Isn't this one sweet too? I love our color choices and I love how Brooke was able to make the colors pop in each picture. 

A fun fact about that sweater - it's what I was wearing when Ryan and I met for the first time! That's why I chose to wear it for our engagement pictures. A little sentimentality for you!

Honorable Mention. Because of course I had to share just a couple more! Watson was such a champ and I love his little facial expression in the picture below! I also love the snap she caught of Ryan actually completely like Ryan... goofy and always making me laugh!

I also think the pictures she took of my engagement ring are lovely - the way she set it up and everything; it's just a beautiful picture.

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I am so in love with all our engagement pictures and I am so extremely thrilled that we have Brooke Danielle Photography for our wedding pictures too! Brooke has long been a family friend and I have always loved her pictures - I am so tickled that now she is taking pictures of this special moments as Ryan and I start our life together!