Major Update! Part 2 - Travels

To start off the busy month of June, I took a two-week trip to Minnesota and Connecticut, and Collin and I finally got to take our first flight TOGETHER! We met each other at the airport in Chicago, then flew together from Chicago to MN, and later from MN to CT. It was so wonderful!! The entire trip was awesome, though, especially being back in MN.

So we went to Minnesota for several reasons...

1. to visit Collin's family
2. to meet family members I hadn't met yet
3. for his brother Grason's graduation
4. for my first bridal shower and mini bachelorette party :)

We had a blast! Of course, hanging out with Collin's family is always a memorable experience haha, but I mean that in the best way possible. :) I've never been part of a large family, though I always dreamed of being in one, so I feel incredibly blessed to be joining one now, and even more blessed that they already accept and love me as their own. I'm one lucky in-law! Plus, I have the best of both worlds now - my small, tight-knit southern family, and my huge, boisterous northern family. :)

I loved staying at his family's house in rural Dennison, even though there were eleven of us sharing one bathroom and not enough beds haha. We grilled steaks, drank smoothies, played with puppies, jumped on the trampoline, played rook for hours (world championship!), had a dance party while doing the dishes, and just had a fantastic time overall. All the "kids" were there at the same time - which doesn't normally happen, since Collin lives in CT and Caitlin/Chris live in L.A. - so it was a very special and unique occasion. Plus, I got to be in the family photos, which means I've finally made it! :)

For wedding-related events, I had my first bachelorette party and my first bridal shower, both of which were amazing! The shower was Tiffany-themed (appropriately) and had beautiful decor, thanks to Caitlin! I met a lot of women, played some games, and got a TON of Target gift cards! :) I also got a pair of beautiful Tiffany wine glasses, a recipe holder book with a stack of family recipes, and some great kitchen utensils! My favorite part of the shower, though, was when Collin's mom and sisters surprised me with charms to add to the bracelet they got me for graduation. They each picked out their own charm for me and explained its significance. I got a Star of David from Sheerah (for Collin's parents' relationship), a dice from Caitlin (for Vegas!), a heart from Rachel (for the many meanings of love), and a #1 from Camille (for the unity of Collin and me as well as putting God first in our marriage). It was so unexpected, and so thoughtful. I absolutely love my charms!

As for my bachelorette, Caitlin planned it on the same night as Collin's bachelor party. We started the night in uptown Minneapolis at Chino Latino's - a trendy restaurant/bar with amazing drinks (I had a key lime martini!) and delicious desserts. We ended up going downtown after that, and we kept running into the guys! I saw Rick at least three times that night, and I even saw Collin at one point... Oops! Guess we crashed each other's parties haha. We all had a great time, though. Such a fun night!

After a week in MN, Collin and I flew back to CT for another week. He had to go back to work, so I spent most of my time searching for apartments and turning in applications.... LOTS of applications. At that time, I still thought I would be moving at the end of the month. But since it is now July 8th and I'm still in Tennessee, that plan obviously didn't work out... I'll cover that in the next post, though, so stay tuned! ;)

Here are some pictures from my trip:

Love,

C & A

Photographer? CHECK!

Exciting news! We have booked a photographer :)

And it is... Matt Andrews!

Here is his website again: http://nashvilleweddingphotography.com.

I'm SO happy we went with Matt! We had some great options, but he was my favorite by far, and he ended up being Collin's favorite, too. I just felt comfortable with him from the start, and I absolutely loved his photos. I think he's got exactly what we're looking for and for such a great value. He met with my mom and me last Friday (at one of my favorite places - Sweet CeCe's!), and after he answered all her questions, we sealed the deal! :) Yay!!

Now our next step is to schedule engagement photos! Those will be sometime in April, amidst all the craziness of turning in/presenting my thesis and preparing for my FINAL final exams!

But first: Collin and his family will be here THIS WEEK! It's my Spring Break, which I will be spending writing my thesis and cleaning my apartment (no beach this year... boo), but thankfully it will end on a high note :) I am SO excited about his family getting to meet mine, and I definitely look forward to seeing them again. They are going to be staying at my parents' house, so it will be a full house with Sheerah and Skyler also coming along! Skyler is beside himself with excitement to meet Molly, and I think they will get along perfectly ;) Sheerah will be staying in my room, which is funny because my room hasn't been "fixed up" since we renovated it, what, ten years ago?? I was looking through it the other day and found my old headgear (embarrassingly enough) that I had apparently thrown across the room one night after getting frustrated (headgear hurts! But don't worry, I only wore it at night...) We will go out one night for an engagement dinner, then spend time searching out rehearsal dinner venues.

Also, I will be making a trip back to Minnesota in early June for Collin's brother's high school graduation (Grason, to clarify). I love Minnesota, so I can't wait to go back!! Plus I'm sure there will be some pre-wedding festivities :)

In other news, I'm currently getting in samples for save the dates and invitations. So far I've heard back from the following companies:

- Designs in Paper: http://www.designsinpaper.com

- Brocade Designs: http://www.brocadenashville.com

So here's to hoping I have a super-productive week and a blessed visit with the Gebhards. This semester is ALMOST OVER! Can't wait to graduate and get married!! :)

Love,

C & A