Engagement Photos!!!

Hi everyone, sorry for the delay in blogging... I've been pretty sick the past few days with some sort of intestinal infection caused by food (that I got on campus, of course). I'm actually meeting with a gastrointestinal specialist today and will have to have an endoscopy done later this week, so please keep me in your prayers! I finally started feeling better today, though, so now I just need to start eating like normal again so I can regain my strength.

In LIGHTER news, Collin and I already got our engagement photos back!! We took them last Saturday, and the weather was absolutely perfect: sunny, warm, and not a cloud in the sky - it was a little bright, but we really can't complain! We also had a great time with our photographer, Matt Andrews, and we are VERY happy with our photos. He is the best! We wore three different outfits (I would recommend only two... by the third outfit we were tired of changing and had wasted time doing so), and we had our photos taken at three different sites (again, I would recommend only two unless they are all close by): Centennial Park, outside the courthouse downtown, and at the Nashville Zoo! Centennial Park turned out to be a lot prettier (and a lot less cliche) than I expected... The courthouse photos - especially the ones at the fountain - ended up being some of my favorites. The zoo photos were fun with the tall grass and the unusual shots, but I feel like we look kinda tired and sunburnt in most of them, haha. Overall, though, we are ecstatic about the way the photos turned out, and deciding on our favorites is really hard!!

Here is the link to the photo website if you want to check them out and/or order some prints: http://www.pictage.com/client/registration.do?event=818476

You'll have to register first, but you are not required to purchase anything.

In other wedding news, Collin and I got a lot of other things accomplished last weekend...

• We started our registry at Bed Bath and Beyond (yay!), but it is liable to change, so I wouldn't recommend buying anything just yet! We still need to check out Target's selection. I'm really happy with what we chose so far, though, and I am in LOVE with the china :) It was definitely the Tiffany blue accent plate that got me... But I love the rest of the collection, too. Very elegant yet modern and sophisticated... at least I think so! Check it out!
• We looked at wedding bands for the first time, which was lots of fun :) We went to Shane and Genesis. Neither of us were overly impressed with Shane, and I'm not sure what Collin thought of Genesis, but I was VERY impressed with them. Their diamonds are beautiful, and though they are more expensive than Shane, I think the quality is much better. And they're still cheaper than Tiffany, haha. But the funny thing is, I am pretty sure Collin's band will be more expensive than mine... He wants some bling ;)
• Still figuring out invitations... The budget is turning out to be very difficult for these. But Save the Dates should be out before long!

Stay posted for more updates!! Graduation is just around the corner :)

C & A

Thesis? ALMOST CHECK!!

Exciting news, everyone: It looks like I will be graduating in May after all!!!! :)

My thesis is FINALLY picking up, and I have found a way to incorporate all the writing I did before altering my topic. So now I have about 35 pages DONE, and I only need to write about 15 or so more! I will turn in my first draft early next week!!! From there, I will give my oral defense to my thesis committee, await their suggestions, present at the Belmont Undergraduate Research Symposium, and make changes to my final draft, which I will turn in by May 5th!!! Then, I am DONE!!!!!!! I can't believe I am actually going to make it... I was honestly starting to give up hope and was trying to convince myself that an August graduation wouldn't be so bad...

Thank you all SO MUCH for all your prayers and encouragement. I honestly believe it made a difference. :)

Soon I can just focus on wedding planning and the job hunt! As if that's no big deal... Haha.

In other news, Collin gets in on FRIDAY of this week! We are going to have a CRAZY weekend full of wedding stuff (which leaves me little time to work on the thesis, but I'll have to make it work!) Here is our crazy schedule:

Friday:

- Pick up Collin at 10:30 pm!!!! :)

Saturday:

- Engagement photos with Matt Andrews from 11 am to 2 pm

- Ring shopping!

- Registry research

- Dinner with parents?

Sunday:

- Church and lunch with parents

- Registry appointment at Bed Bath and Beyond at 2 pm

- Dinner at home

- Greek Sing!

Monday:

- Class at 9 am (just me)

- First marriage counseling session at church at 11 am

- Collin leaves at 6:30 pm :( :(

So, wish me luck on finishing up my thesis amidst all the craziness of Collin's visit, wedding planning, and Greek Week... But at least now I know I can do it :) I am so happy!!!!

Love,

C & A

P.S. Hope you all had a lovely Easter! I spent the day with my family, and it was amazing. :)

The in-laws' visit! [warning: lots of photos!]

Collin and his family came into town this past weekend, and we got a lot accomplished! His parents and siblings stayed at my parents' house. Collin and I also slept over there Friday night, and it was a little packed... We had an amazing time, though. On Friday my parents and I showed the Gebhards the church, and we checked out two potential venues for the rehearsal dinner. The one Collin's mom decided to go with is a nearby neighborhood clubhouse. Here are some pictures of the exterior and interior:

We also went out to dinner Friday night at Carrabba's to celebrate Collin's and my engagement. :) We called ahead but still had to wait a long time for a table... So we did a little shopping at TJ Maxx to pass the time, haha. Here are some pics from dinner:

After dinner, I got to look through photo albums of Collin growing up. I must say, he was a really cute kid! I definitely would have had a crush on him when I was little, even if he was way older than me. ;)

Collin and I also opened our first wedding presents! His parents got us pots and pans, a tea cup and saucer they received as a wedding present, and my very first cookbook! :) They also gave us these beautiful embroidered pillowcases that say 'Mr' and 'Mrs' and were made by Collin's grandmother while she was alive. She made them for all the grandchildren as wedding presents, which is a lot of pillowcases! They are so special to me because Collin loved her so much. I wish I could have met her, but I feel very lucky to have something made by her. I'm marrying into an amazing family! Here are a couple pics of the presents:

Saturday was a very relaxing day. My parents and I showed the Gebhards Old Natchez (our reception site) as well as downtown Franklin. Then we all had some of my mom's homemade soup for dinner and played Wii and Rook for the rest of the night. It was my first time playing Rook, so I had to get a long tutorial, but I think it was the most fun we had all weekend. :) Here's some pics from Saturday (the boys were sleepy):

It was a wonderful visit, and an awesome end to an otherwise dull Spring Break. It was unusually hard to say good-bye to Collin this time, but the good news is we have already booked his flight for April! He will be here April 9-12, and we will be taking our engagement photos on the 10th! Yay! :) I already can't wait to see him again, and I'm definitely looking forward to my MN visit in June! I just have to graduate first... Yikes! Pray that I'll my finish my thesis on time!!

Love,

C & A