SUYL- A Low Key But Still Romantic Engagment

Show Us Your Life this week is about proposal stories! You can read the longer version about my engagement here.  Our engagment was very low key. Originally it was supposed to have been done on a horse drawn carriage here in Memphis, when we came to visit and look for a home. Mother nature had a different plan and gave us lots of snow in NJ causing the stores and the jewelery store to close, which he was completely upset and mad about. Nonetheless, when we came back he went and picked it up (note: I didn't know about any of this, though I had an inkling, until after we got engaged). He looked excited that night when I got home from work but I didn't know why. Until midnight of course. When he asked me to marry him, in bed, being all silly. It was perfect for us because we're silly together although he did get alot of heat about it from his family later! We didn't take any pictures of our engagment that night but when we got to Memphis we had my mom take some at the Botanical Gardens. I wasn't really dressed for them though so I think we'll try again but my favorite was this one:

Love & Happiness

Show Us Your Life over at Kelly's Korner this week is about what you love or makes you happy. I love lots of things and my list could probably go on forever but I'll spare you guys the long list and give you a few.

There is no doubt that my baby and my love would top the list

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  Anything that's the color pink
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  Getting something accomplished, whether it be big or small

Gerbera daisies ♥

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  Music = Love. Music is definitely driven by emotion for me and depending on how I'm feeling or what I'm going through I find a song to help me through it or help me enjoy it
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  Cooking. I've only recently started to develop an interest in it but I've taken it on with fervor and have cooked things I would've normally looked at and thought that it was too hard.

Reading. I love reading and imagining I'm there or picturing it in my brain. It definitely takes you on a "trip".

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  Flip-flops!
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  The beach, even though I'm so pale I probably have no business going there but I still love it all the same!
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  Pictures, pictures, pictures!!
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  Celebrating holidays, birthdays, summer days, or just hanging out with my BFFs.

Those are just a few of my happy and lovely favorite things =)

Show Us Your Life -- Kids Names

I love Kelly's "Show Us Your Life" topics. This is probably the 2nd or 3rd one I've participated in and this week's is one of my favorite topics: BABY (KIDS) NAMES!! Since I can remember I've been thinking of baby names (without realizing that I may have to compromise! Really little girls don't think of naming their babies with boys (eek) involved! HA!) When I got pregnant with my baby I was excited really about naming him/her!

For a boy we chose Logan Christopher...actually Chris had no choice in the naming of his son because that's how adamant I was about the name Logan.  I've loved that name since I was 12 and met a little boy who's name was Logan (he was freaking cute). I loved how the name just flowed off my lips. I also have a soft spot for anything Irish which this fit the bill (I believe it's actually Gaelic) so initially Logan was going to be Logan Patrick.  I felt bad, though, that Chris' potential son would only have his last name so I adjusted the name (I make it seem put out huh? Ha!) and instead of Patrick went with Christopher! Together it sounds strong. Just an FYI, Logan is Celtic (sometimes I see Gaelic and Scottish) for From the hollow and Christopher is Greek for Bearer of Christ.  We (and I mean I) have another boy name picked out already but I'll save that for when we have another baby!

For a girl we had such a difficult time choosing and by the end of the pregnancy we didn't have one. Some of the ones we played with were: Madelyn, Madison, Hailey (Haileigh), Shannon, Jillian, Danica, Delaney, & Julie. We only had one paired up with a middle name and that was Marlena Victoria. Next pregnancy we'll probably start with a clean slate and try again. I can't wait to read everyone's who posted on Kelly's website!!

Show Us Your Life--How I Met my Soon to Be Hubby!

I met Chris about 5 years ago through mutual friends, Becky and Mel. Unfortunately I was involved with someone already and we really never talked. One day at a party we started talking and I was instantly struck! He was intelligent, could carry a decent conversation, and was a gentleman! I was still involved though but eventually that relationship floundered in late 2007. I was greatful that it ended and I think I had to go through that relationship in order to appreciate the relationship I have now!

In 2008, my friend Becky was having a party for her birthday and Chris was there!! Exciting! To keep a long story short Chris had made arrangments to go on a date with his barber (who was a girl) and I was able to convince him to go on a "non-date" with me just so I could see if there was still a true spark and not a rebound spark. Our "non-date" went so well! I found out that both of us had come from divorced families, both of us were raised relatively the same, we had common interests, and he was just awesome!

We started dating 2 1/2 weeks after that. He introduced me to his family, we went fishing (which I had never done), he took me places I'd never gone to but wanted to locally. However, much much shortly after we started dating I got pregnant with Logan! We were both equally terrified and I wanted out and fast! Chris was completely calm on the outside, even though, I'm sure he was scared as anything on the inside! He wanted to make this work, he wanted his baby, and he wanted a family. I calmed down myself and even though I wasn't ready for my new relationship to take a total upturn like this his calmness made me feel everything was going to be ok.

It's better than ok! Logan is now 13 months old, Chris and I will have been together for 2 years come May and we rarely argue about anything. He's my best friend and I sort of knew he was the one from the first time we talked. He keeps me grounded and he makes me better when I'm down.We got engaged March 2, 2010 and we're planning an October 2011 wedding.  I couldn't have asked for a better outcome!!