it can’t get any better than this.

Oh my gosh….

I’m engaged!! Ahhh!!!!

It’s actually been a week since the proposal but it’s been such a flurry of planning, organizing, scheduling, and just general busyness that I haven’t had the chance to post.

My goodness, I can’t even explain what it feels like to know that I’m getting married in just 10 1/2 months.  It may seem like a long time now, but I already know it’s going to go faster than I could ever imagine.

Being the planner that I am, I’ve already booked like half of the stuff that needs to be booked, including both the ceremony and reception venue and the honeymoon resort.  I’ve started collecting centerpieces (I’m doing a DIY project, but I probably won’t post all of that until after the wedding..don’t want to spoil it for any guests!), and we’ve almost booked a photographer.  We’ve figured out colors and we know the basic style, and we’ve even got a guest list almost completely finished.

Yes.  All of this has happened in one week.  And already it has been one of the most exciting weeks of my life; I live for this kind of crazy organization.

But the thing that gets me the most excited is not all the planning and all the details.  Although I thoroughly enjoy all of those things, none of it holds any comparison to the fact that in just 316 days, I am marrying my best friend.  God has given me this man, a man who knows exactly how to take care of me and protect my heart.  I trust him with my life, and I can’t wait to officially share that life with him.  I’m so excited to work in ministry with him, to spread God’s truth together and further His kingdom.    I feel that it is becoming a rare thing to find a man who loves Jesus first, and who wants to have a family completely focused on Christ.  How blessed I am to have found exactly this kind of man in my fiance, Matt. In my eyes, he is the perfect example of what a man should be.  It is such a beautiful thing that I get to call him my husband in less than a year.

Call me overly sentimental, but just writing all of this gets me teary eyed.  I am so thankful that my God is so loving that he would save such an amazing man just for me.   And now I get to plan a wedding with him.  I AM SO PUMPED, PEOPLE. Sheesh.  I can’t wait. :)

 

Taken right after he asked me to marry him.  (I said yes, of course.) :)

an adventure in findlay

I’d always heard of the Findlay Market in downtown Cincinnati, but for the three years I’ve lived here, I haven’t gone once.  Well, until Sunday.  Matt and I decided to go so I could get some photos for my next Photography project at Xavier. (It’s a photojournalism project.)  Who would have thought that deep in a little section of the first outer layer of the city sits a quaint indoor/outdoor market, complete with fresh fruits, veggies, meat, handmade crafts, gelato, and live music.  Oh, the unique world I’ve been missing out on for three whole years!

It ended up being the perfect place for a project on historical sites of Cincinnati.  The bright reds, greens, and yellows and the Boho atmosphere were ideal for some good shots.  I probably took way too many photos; as Matt pointed out, I kept stopping in front of people so I could take all my pictures, and it’s going to be hard to choose 5 or 6 out of the 25 final shots I came up with, but I had so much fun I just couldn’t help myself!

So if you ever get the chance to go to, I highly suggest it.  It only takes about an hour to go through if you’re not planning on stopping to eat or shop, but if you’re looking for a fun afternoon date you could grab some fresh fruit, a couple drinks, and bring ’em over to one of the gorgeous Cincinnati parks.  Or you could do what Matt and I did and buy a couple New York strips from the Amish meat market inside, fire up the grill at home, and cozy up to a fancy dinner and a movie.  :)