I love my husband more than anything. Oh yes, I do.
All of our professional wedding pictures are now available to view online! Just go to www.Ryan-and-Emily.com -- Both our professional and non-professional pictures are indexed. It was so wonderful to look through them all... I felt like it was our wedding day all over again. :)
Just one last day of work! I'm going to meet Ryan at his office after work, and we'll be driving down to see his family for the weekend. We'll finally get to give our Christmas gifts and cards, and we'll celebrate New Year's Eve with them. I wonder if they watch the countdown to midnight on TV like my family does? I'm a little bummed that I won't get to spend it with my family this year, especially since they're hosting the family New Year's Eve get-together this year. Since I missed the big family Christmas dinner because I was so sick, it's sad that I'll miss yet another family event. Ah well--next year? I'm looking forward to seeing Ryan's family, though, and it should be a really good weekend. :)
Ryan and I decided to take a bit of the wedding and Christmas money we were given and putting it towards something other than everyday bills. So! We decided to start a "new sofa" fund, since our current sofa is... well, it's old, it sags, and if it weren't for the slipcover, it's really ugly. It just hasn't been a huge priority before now. Anyway, we have nearly $500 saved up, in cash, for it. We've been sofa hunting, and finally found one that we both really like. They're getting a shipment of 5 of them in mid-January, 3 of which are already on-hold. So, we're putting 20% down today, and we'll have a new sofa once they come in! We're just a little excited. :)
Ryan had told me that he had something in mind that he wanted to get me for Christmas, "just a little thing," he said. His only hint was that it's the only thing he can buy from this company without spending over 100k. Bizarre, right? Well, it arrived late because it was coming from Canada, and finally came in yesterday. My husband is SO thoughtful! It was an official Ferrari keychain. Sounds like a strange gift, but this is me we're talking about. I've told him over and over how much I love the Ferrari symbol--the rearing stallion. Being the horse lover, I just love it, and told him I'd buy the car just for the symbol. :) Well, he got me the symbol! I love, love, love it. :)
I finally got my butt back into the gym last night. After being sick for a week, I was really itching to get back, and was finally feeling much better yesterday. I still don't sound that great, but I feel fine. Anyway, everything I used to do at the gym felt 10 times harder last night. :( I could really tell that my body had gotten weaker from being sick and not working out every other day like I used to. But I got a great workout, and feel so good today.
Well, if you weren't already sick of all of our wedding pics, please feel free to go check them all out. :) I changed the links on the left column over there, so they go straight to our professional pictures now. If you want to see the non-professional ones, just click on the link for Index.
Hope you all have a fabulous New Year's Eve, and I'll see you in 2006!
Well, it was a wonderful Christmas, even if it didn't go exactly according to plan. :) I've been sick since last Wednesday or Thursday, I forget now, but it kinda threw things off a bit. On Christmas Eve, we had dinner by candelight, then went for our church's Christmas Eve candelight service. Afterward, we drove over to my parents' house, where we did the traditional opening of the gifts on Christmas Eve. :)
Earlier that day, Ryan had asked if we could open presents. Noon on Christmas Eve just didn't seem like a good time to open gifts! :) I had it all planned where we would wake up Christmas morning, I'd make cinnamon rolls, and we'd open gifts together. Well, we got home from my parents' house, and I just couldn't stand it any more than Ryan could. So, we lit all our candles around the apartment, changed into our PJs, and settled down to open gifts together. :)
He got me very much what you'd consider "newlywed" gifts, I'll say that much! I've debated about whether I should post the pics or not... hmm. We planned to only spend $50 on each other this year. Anyway, he got me lingerie and kukui and macadamia nut massage oil. Mmm. It spells delicious! Then some stocking stuffers. :) I got him a microfleece navy pullover and white long-sleeved microfleece with black stitching. They're really warm and super soft. He loved them. :) His "surprise" gift was a Penn State, Nittany Lions hat that he had hinted at months ago. He had e-mailed me a picture of it, but no link or store name, so I had no idea where he found it. Anyway, I finally tracked it down, and he was really surprised. :)
Now onto some pictures!
Christmas Eve
Ducks and geese on the frozen pond!
Opening Gifts!
Ooo, La-La! (I can only show this one!! )
Ryan's surprise gift :)
So, that was our wonderful first Christmas as a married couple. :) I'll be back tomorrow with a more normal update, I think. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Much love..
Both Ryan and I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas, spent with those you love, and we pray that you remember the reason why we celebrate. It's not about the gifts, not about Santa, not about the great food, not about the snow or simply getting time off from work.
It's about celebrating the birth of Jesus, our Savior. You hear about the wonders surrounding his birth every year, and it's easy to get "used to it," and become less amazed. I hope that we all will be in awe this Christmas, with the knowledge that this amazing gift came so humbly, so unmajestic, so undignified, and in doing so, broke the mold of everyone's expectations, and fulfilled His every promise to us.
"Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth, peace, good will towards men."
Best wishes for all of you! Enjoy the time to relax, enjoy giving and receiving the gifts, enjoy the food, enjoy the time with your loved ones.
Honeymoon pictures are now up. :) Go see them here. They are also linked over on the left-hand side with the rest of our wedding pictures.
It includes narration, so it will explain some things about our trip. :) The honeymoom was amazing, and it was a great time to relax and just enjoy being together. All throughout the week, (and even still!) we were telling each other, "I love you, husband," "I love you, wife." :) Amazing.
Great news! I pick up our wedding photos on CD from the photographer after I get off from work! I can't wait to see them all, full-size, instead of the small, grainy pictures on photoreflect. I'll be ordering prints for our album next week! :) So, so exciting. I'm glad our photographer moves quickly--I'm not very patient when it comes to our wedding pics. :)
Hope everyone has a wonderful Thursday! For you lucky ones who do not have to work tomorrow, enjoy it! And I hope you have a very Merry Christmas! For those of you who do have to work tomorrow, as I do, I'll see you all tomorrow :)
I woke up at 4 AM feeling pretty under the weather. On my way into work, I stopped off to get some meds, as we didn't have anything. I don't want to talk about all that, though. :) Christmas is nearly here, and I feel like sharing a few pics.
Our cute, little tree and embroidered Pottery Barn stockings that we got last year.
Sparkly :) My Mom had my brother and I pick out our own ornaments every year so that we'd have some to take with us once we someday left home. This is one of them.
This is our "Our First Christmas" ornament my Mom gave us.
Our dining room table with our new Christmas dishes... also from Mom. :) Wow, she has gotten us lots of stuff!
I tackled the shopping mall yesterday after work, and am nearly done with our Christmas shopping! We just need one more thing for one of Ryan's family members, and we're all set. Though Ryan still is wondering what to get me. He apparently has a "good stocking stuffer" but is still trying to figure out what to get me. We decided to just spend $50 on each other this year, so we get to be creative. :) That doesn't include stocking stuffers, or I'd be over my budget by a little. :)
Oh, and I've put links to wedding pics over on the left so you won't have to go searching through older entries to find them. And a new little profile picture...since I'm a Mrs.!
We haven't picked up our high-res CD with all of our photos, but! All of our pictures are now viewable online in a low-res format, with "photoreflect" scribbled across them. Bummer. Anyway, here are 20 to hold you over till I have the real thing. :) And if you haven't seen the non-professional pics yet, please head over to www.Ryan-and-Emily.com
I love being married. :) I love doing "married" things--like, getting our apartment decorated, getting our new things we received as gifts put away, and taking shopping trips to start clearing off our Bed Bath & Beyond registry. I love that we don't have to leave each other at night. I love this new life, and I love my husband more than anything. My best friend, my constant companion. I'm loving every minute of it.
I've been crazy, crazy busy today, (everyone wants to hear about it!) but hey, the pictures are now up for all to see. :) There are so many things I want to talk about, but I feel like I will write a NOVEL if I start. Hmm.
Well, the wedding really did go perfectly. We had snow on the ground, but the roads were all clear. It was beautiful, and wintery. Once my Mom and I got to the church after getting our hair done, everyone ELSE took care of all the details. Thank God for my family and my friends. (and the two ceremony hostesses) They really took care of me.
We loved our photographer, and we get to view the pictures TONIGHT! The pictures I have posted are NOT professional (though they are beautiful!)..they were taken by various people. :)
The ceremony ran late, and by the time we got to our reception, it was close to 3:00. We planned to leave by 4:30, since our photographer was off at 4:30, and would charge $75 per extra half an hour. Crazy! Everyone loved the photo montage we had played after the wedding party was announced. After the montage ended, we were introduced!
Somewhere between 110 and 125 people came.. I have no idea. Some couldn't make it because of the snow, and some who we hadn't heard from wound up showing up. It was wonderful to see everyone! I knew my cousins would dance, and they didn't disappoint. :) The HUGE shock, however, was how practically every single guest danced with us for the last dance, "Taking You Home" by Don Henley. Ryan sang it to me. :) Yes, I have a keeper.
We ended up staying till 5, and just asked the photographer to leave at 4:30. Family and friends took pictures after he left. (so glad we made this decision!)
I'll talk about the honeymoon later :) There's so much I more I could talk about, but I know I'd bore you all. So! Onto the pictures!
As I sit here, I'm waiting anxiously for 150 roses to arrive via FedEx Overnight from Ecuador. I'm really excited to see them. :) They will be used for my bouquet, the BMs bouquets, the bouts, and the corsages for our mothers/grandmothers.
I wasn't able to post yesterday because the power went out at work from 7-9:10, then we had a company meeting at the nearby hotel from 10-12. My company is being sold to our #1 competitor. My job is pretty much secure until I hear otherwise--I'm not going to worry yet if there's really no reason to. I do know that they outsource for certain things, but they're located on the west coast, so they might have us continue to run like normal. I'll also receive stock, given I've been with my company for 4 years in February, which I'd be willing to venture is going to do really, really well. The two top biometric companies, merging, and becoming publicly traded? Hmmm, yes, I think it will be good.
This will most likely be my last post before I'm a Mrs. :) Pretty much everything is done, though. My Mom is taking me to get a pedicure and a french manicure today, then I've got some running around to do. Tomorrow will consist of putting the bouquets together in the morning with Jess, Matt, and (hopefully!) Em. Then Ryan and I will swing by to see how the banquet hall is looking at 3, followed by our rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, and so forth. It's supposed to start snowing Friday morning, and they're calling for around 5 inches. Good news is the roads will easily be clear in time for the rehearsal and the wedding! But I guess I'm getting the snow I had hoped for. :)
Then Saturday is the big day! I'm not nervous at all, but rather extremely excited! I'm ready! If you think of me, please pray that it goes smoothly, and that everyone has fun. I already know I'll have fun! But I want everyone to enjoy it, and take away good memories. Of course I'll be back to share pictures after the honeymoon!
Speaking of honeymoon--they already have snow there. I'm so excited! It will be a great vacation for us, and a nice break from everything else. I've been waiting for Saturday for a long time, and I'm so thankful that God brought Ryan into my life. I can't imagine life without him.
Don't miss me too much! I'll see you all on the 19th! :)
We got some snow last night! They were calling for 3-5 inches...I think we got around 3, judging by how much was on my car. (even after Ryan cleared it off last night for me, so it wouldn't be as bad this morning)
Here's what it all looked like this morning. :)
My house
One side of the street
And the other!
So, I'm a little excited. :) Any other year, we could only dream about having snow before Christmas, and this year it just happens to snow before the wedding! However, they're saying a snow storm might come through Friday... which could be bad. Pretty, light snow is one thing, but any more than that, and it'd be dangerous for our family and friends to get to the church. But we will definitely have our winter wedding! 4 more days!
** Edit -- weather.com says we only have a 30% chance of "few snow showers" on Friday! :) We should be fine!!
I'm so tired. Would someone please rewind back to Friday night so that I may have another weekend? Thanks. :)
It was a productive weekend, though. I packed (nearly) every single thing that I won't need until after the honeymoon, and Ryan and I moved it all over to the apartment later in the day. Then I got to work on unpacking my things, while Ryan moved my furniture around and hammered some nails to put my pictures up. I love how he's so handy. :) Hammers and I don't exactly have a spotless track record.
After all my stuff was unpacked and put away, (and after we finally decided who would have which side of the closet!) I put up our Christmas tree. :) It's not real big, maybe 4 feet tall, but it's pretty real looking, and very cute! I'm not sure where we could've put a full-size tree anyway, and we can't have real trees or we'd be violating the lease. Anyway! I put our stockings under the tree, and it's just adorable. I decorated the mantle with Christmas stuff, and decorated our dining room table. *Our* apartment is actually quite festive now. :)
I came home, and got in bed. As I looked around my room, I noticed that it suddenly is looking less and less like my room, and more like a hotel. Yet at the apartment, I feel "at home" now. Maybe because practically all my stuff is there, and maybe because Ryan is there and I hate leaving him. Okay, it's both. I feel like, after the honeymoon, I get to go "home."
People have started to ask if I'm nervous at all, and I'm really not. I'm really, really excited. I'm a little anxious about the little things left to do. I'm a little nervous only when I think about how all eyes will be on me. But aside from that, no nerves. :) Absolutely no cold feet. I'm so ready for Saturday to get here!
It's really happening, and I'm well beyond excited. :)
We're moving my furniture and big things over to the apartment tomorrow--everything that I won't need until after the honeymoon. And to think, in just over a week, I'll be at the church, getting married, with my family, Ryan's family, and our friends all there. This is, by far, the most exciting time of my life!
I made pasta last night, and nearly sent my brother to the emergency room.
I had made dinner for Ryan and I, but my brother saw the leftovers and wanted to have them. All he had was pasta with Prego sauce, and a piece of chicken. Suddenly, he's complaining that his throat feels like it's closing up, and his neck was actually getting red. This is scary because my brother has a deadly allergy to peanuts, and anything in the legume family. (peas, green beans, etc) I was extremely confused, though, because nothing I fixed had any sort of peanut product in it.
He took Benadryl, and I asked where his Epipen was, just in case I needed to get it. Then, like a lightbulb, I had a thought. As I was taking the container of pasta out to fix dinner earlier, I saw a box of pasta behind it that said "enriched." All I knew was that it had extra fiber and protein. So, we check the box, and under "ingredients," it has weird stuff like "legume flour" (who knew there was such a thing?!) and a couple other strange ingredients I've never heard of that would give him a reaction. Thankfully, he wasn't getting worse, and the Benadryl was starting to help.
So, aside from nearly killing my brother, it was a really good night. Ryan had encouraged me to go through my closet, and get rid of everything I don't wear or don't need. I tell you what, though... that made up a lot of it! My Mom was going to pass it all down to my cousin Rachel, so she was going through my bags of stuff, during which she found several things that still had tags. Two things, with tags, were from Express, and literally were purchased well over 12 months ago. Another was just a summer dress from Ross, which was purchased even before that.
Anyway, my Mom comes home last night, and tells me she has a surprise for me. She then proceeds to hand me an Express gift card, which she got for me when she took my two tops back. The total on the gift card? $93.00! Not only that, but she had a 20% off certificate, which means I can spend over $100, for free. Who knew you could take things back from well over a year ago, maybe even closer to 2 years ago, and get the full price for it?! So, I'm going shopping tomorrow night. :)
She also took back the dress to Ross, and used the store credit to buy Ryan and I a couple of kitchen utensils, as well as something for herself, since she did all of that for me. :) What would I do without her?
Ryan's surprise gift :)
This is our "Our First Christmas" ornament my Mom gave us.
