Less than 9 Month!! Less than 9 Months!!

Oh I am so thrilled! It's true, time has flown by. Here we are a mere 8 months and too many days away! I guess it's time to start seriously looking for invitations, don't you think? Life is going well for us. The distance is trying at times but the anticipation of seeing one another in 2 weeks, -a week, -4 days, -a few hours makes the time we do spend together priceless and well worth the wait.

There has been quite a bit going on in Grant and Megan world -hence the absence of posts. Suffice it to say that we are both well and very busy preparing for our life together! At exactly 9 months to go Grant and I finalized our honeymoon plans! Up until we "signed on the dotted line" so to speak, I didn't believe it was all going to work out the way we planned. I think we planned it out pretty well -I'll have to post our itinerary a little closer to the day because... well, I just don't feel like doing it now. Hah!

I also found some pretty glass bowls to use for our reception display! Mom and I found them wandering through Bed, Bath and Beyond and the price was so great, we just couldn't pass them up. Speaking of shopping, what a challenge! It's back-to-school time and I have an overwhelming desire for freshly-sharpened pencils and pumpkin-shaped dishes. Haha! Fall is my favorite time of year because it gives me an excuse to cozy up in an over-sized sweatshirt and light cinnamon or pumpkin-spiced candles while reading myself to sleep. Thank God Grant shares a fervor for reading and being cozy -I think if it were any other way, I'd drive him nuts!

Knowing that this time next year, I'll be in my very own home with my very own husband makes me want to buy pretty decorative things that I think Grant might like. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) I have no space for such frivolous items so I find myself practicing self-control every day and avoiding Target like the plague. So far, so good! Check in with me again in 2 weeks!

As always, hope all is going well with you, our dear friends!

Only 10 Months To Go!!!

*sigh* Where on earth has the time gone?? What happened to those 16 and a half months that we started out with? Oh, that's right, they've been filled with wedding plans, school, new job training and weekends of blissful reunions. We're getting close everybody! So close I can nearly hear the chapel bells ringing!

"What's new?", you ask. Well, I've been diligently practicing my soon-to-be new signature on the back of dinner receipts and drink napkins since January 10th and I think it's starting to look somewhat natural. :) Okay, okay, so that isn't really part of wedding planning but can you blame a girl for being excited? I mean, have met/seen/heard of my fiance?!?

It's summer time and Grant and I have found ourselves plenty busy with our respective schedules. He has been learning more about financial investing than I ever thought anyone could know and I am practicing my signature -I mean studying hard and adding to my business knowledge. Between all of our newly acquired terminology, it's amazing that neither of our heads have popped from over-absorption!

In truth, we've both been working very hard during the week to save up free time for hanging out on weekends when we can see each other. Just last weekend we splurged and bought me a plane ticket to San Jose. I would say it was a sound investment as we were able to take advantage of FREE financial advice and actually see each other in person. We also spent time with quite a few wonderful people while trying to beat the heat. But of course all good things must come to an end so here I am: back in Southern California. The good news is that there is always something to look forward to!

My Matron of Honor, Wendy, is coming out from Phoenix to visit family soon. While she is here, we'll meet up with one of my other bridesmaids, Andi, to go bridesmaid dress shopping! I am amazing at how proactive Wendy, Andi and Amy have been! I thought I was moving quickly but they already have a list of dresses to try on and Wendy is (likely this very moment) planning a shopping route to speed us along. I'm excited to see what we'll be looking at and I'm hoping I'll be able to post some fun photos from the day.

Last month (I think) Grant, mom, dad and I took a trip up to check out the resort in the spring time (as my parents only saw it in March when it was covered in snow) and had a lovely day enjoying the cooler weather and imagining the big day! I leave you with a picture that I hope don't give too much of the view away. :)

As always, hoping all is well with you and that we'll get to see you soon!

-Megan

And Time Moves Faster...

...and faster and faster. It seems like yesterday that Megan and I had almost a year and a half until the wedding. At that distance it is easy to get complacent about things; but here we are, less than 11 months 'til the big day, and time is flying.

There's not a whole lot to update; but I wanted to update y'all on the new job situation. Things are going great. We have had confirmation after confirmation showing us that this was the right move. We're saving money, staying busy, and are even more excited about seeing each other when we get to (silver lining to the cloud?). The job is going great and I see good things coming from it.

I'm writing this from the airport, waiting for a plane to take me down to see Megan for the first time since the move. I am, to say the least, excited.

Thank you all for your continued support. Feel free to leave comments with anything from vendor ideas to well-wishes...we love any and all communication with our loved ones.

Alright, time to finish this up so I can get a good spot on the plane. Hope all is well with everyone!

June News

Hi everybody!

Sorry we haven't had a chance to update in some time. We've been rather busy making life choices and such. :) Grant was offered a new job last month and after the interview and 2-day trial run, we decided that it would be in our best interest for him take it. The only difficulty we had in coming to this decision is the job location. For those of you who don't know: I currently live in Redlands, California. Grant's new job is in San Jose which is about 6 and a half hours from Redlands.

I know what you're thinking (something along the lines of "Whhhhhhaaaaat?" or "Jimminy Cricket, that's far!") but we took plenty of time to consider our options and we've both committed to this sacrifice that seems huge and insurmountable from this vantage point but in truth, it's only one year out of the rest of our lives together and we're tough cookies, so don't worry!

All of last week was dedicated to packing up Grant. We spent Friday and Saturday saying farewells to friends and his co-workers and packing everything possible into the truck. We got a late start on Sunday thanks to Chad (Grant's brother) and his friend Tara who treated us to breakfast at our favorite little diner before taking off. The journey went more quickly than we had planned and without any hitches -which we took as a sign that we are definitely on the right path. :)

I was able to spend Monday and Tuesday in SJ unpacking and settling Grant in at his parents' house, who so graciously offered to have him move in to save money for when we'll need it. (Thanks soon-to-be Mom and Dad Paige!!) So when our fun extended weekend concluded, I hopped on a flight and here I am... spending my first weekend fiance-free updating our blog. Hooray!

Other than the big event, our wedding news consists of two items: (1) I found my shoes today (I know you've all been on pins and needles over that so rest easy) and (2) just before moving Grant we were able to catch the videographer that we've been wanting for the wedding to hammer out details and it looks like everything is going to work out perfectly! If you would like to check out our vendors, scroll down to the previous post "Accomplishments" -all of the terms are links which should show up as blue words.

I would finish this update with some pictures from The Move but unfortunately they currently all reside on Grant's camera. So here's a picture from our 6th or 7th date -seeing The Bravery in LA.



Much love to you all friends and family!!

Dear Friends & Family

Thanks so much for all of the positive feedback on our wedding blog! :)
Please feel free to leave comments all over the place and let us know if you think something is missing or if you have any questions.

Eventually I'm going to get around to posting pictures of our immediate family and wedding party. (My version of VERY proactive introductions!) Those of you who know me know my love for introducing people and it kills me to think that I won't get to share fun stories about everyone when all of these people I care about are brought together!! Don't worry, I won't do that here... just general bio info for fun.

I'm going to pick out our flowers with my mom tomorrow morning. I've unofficially made her my "wedding floral planner" :) She has always loved flowers and she's actually an amateur florist with a degree! Since I can't name a flower correctly to save my life (and I doubt Grant can either), I've enlisted her talents. We've been meaning to go floral shopping since January and I am glad that we've finally found the opportunity. I actually think that this is the perfect time to shop because all of the flowers blooming now will be available next year too! Woo!

Aside from that, not much to report since the last post... Grant and I have been trying to get together with the videographer that a friend of mine used for her wedding last year but so far, we've been unsuccessful. Hopefully we'll be able to meet up with him in June.

Anyhow... that's it for now! Hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend and if we don't post before then, have a fun and safe holiday weekend and we look forward to seeing you NEXT Memorial Day weekend for some major celebratin'!! Woo-Woo!

Much love,
Megan


PS. I'll leave you with a picture of Grant and I actively searching for our venue up in Lake Arrowhead in February... well, I am searching anyhow... Grant is taking a break.

Accomplishments!

This post is a little late but as of May 1, 2009, Grant and I feel that we've really made a huge dent in our wedding planning. I am so thankful that Grant has been with me through 100% of the decision-making process. I've heard from so many people that he's unique in his involvement... He's amazing and I have been blessed more than I am imagine by his love. And I have to tell you, all of the minute details are becoming harder and harder to keep track of and it's awesome to have a backup copy in someone else's head! :)

We've been planning non-stop since January in an effort to lay as much groundwork as possible so that I'll be free to concentrate on school. Our efforts have definitely paid off because in addition to setting our date, we've booked our ceremony and reception venue, a photographer, musicians, and hopefully a videographer. The most amazing part of all is that it's been so easy and fun! I know that statement may seem a bit premature since we still have 12 months and 20 days til "I do!" but I feel like now we have more months than major tasks and that feels great!

I found my dress in March and already went in for alterations... I absolutely LOVE it! I've already warned Grant that after we're married on any random Saturday afternoon he should refrain from shock when he discovers his bride all gussied up for no reason. :)

Anyhow, that's what we've accomplished so far. I'm proud of us! Yay! Go Grant and Megan!!

Count Down: 385 days -Happy May Day!

At Long Last

So we've finally settled on a date, signed a contract, and are moving along with musicians, photographers, and videographers.

Our wedding is set for Friday, May 21, 2010.

Other details to follow.