NYE 2012

This love began a year ago today!!! 12 months have flown by...literally!!! I am on cloud 9. All of my pain and heartache has been long gone. It's been replaced with a love and joy that I have never felt or been shown before. I used to think it was all too good to be true or waiting for the ball to drop. But we aren't strangers. Thankful for God planting him in my life so long ago and that we found our way back to one another. 

This is my 2012 "About Me" on FB . I re-write it at the beginning of every year. 

"A Woman's Heart Should Be So Lost in God, That A Man Must Seek HIM In Order To Find Her"

Reflecting back to 2011 brings a peace over me. I went thru a trial I never saw coming. For that, I am grateful for the strength I didn't know I had. 2012 will bring lots of new happy memories with friends and loved ones. Traveling and being free to do as I wish is what I am looking forward to as this year unravels. Loving myself unconditionally is my biggest accomplishment, I am sincerely carefree, stress free, and happy. Here is to celebrating my 29th year on this beautiful Earth!

Now I have to think of one for 2013...I can't even begin to imagine what 2013 has in store...but I'd say celebrating my 30th birthday in Cancun is a great way!! 

NYE 2011

Choosing the Bridal Party

I have a handful of people that I have always known would be in "my wedding" one day. We all hope in the back of our minds this day would come and what if and who? Well, the day has finally come and it's time to make some important decisions. I am so thankful for the internet. I have researched bridesmaid etiquette out of respect and concern for friends and family, so that no one would or should have their feelings hurt. 

http://www.bridalguide.com/etiquette/family-friends-and-guests/choosing-your-bridesmaids

This link helped me greatly. There are are several important notes to take into consideration: 

1. Take into account their responsibilities
2. Evaluate your needs and expectations
3. Factor in the lifestyle and current situation of those you intend to ask

With those notes being taken...I was able to narrow my list down and will work on roles to give those that I don't believe can fully commit, other responsibilities. This should be a time that is fun and enjoyable to everyone, not just myself. I want my bridal party to be excited about my big day just as much as I am! 

Now...onto finding the lovely ladies some special invites!! 

Getting Started

Once everything had begun to set in, I was able to start wrapping my mind around where do I begin?? I already knew WHERE I wanted the ceremony to be. I used to attend TLC (True Life Church). It's very special to me and is a place I met some very important people to me, including God. I always knew who He was but I never really knew Him. That church gave me a faith and understanding I never knew existed.

My next thought is about the reception? I think it's important for the reception to be convenient to the ceremony for those attending both. I always thought I wanted it at The Red Mile...until I saw the pricing, exclusive catering and bar, and service charges being 30% on top of all the other charges/fees. So onto Google I went. I read reviews on theknot.com, weddingwire.com, and lexingtonweddings.com. They listed various couple's blogs regarding their experiences at different places, pricing of high or low, and satisfaction levels. I was interested in The Barrel House downtown on Manchester Street. They had a bar, DJ included in pricing, but they also required using their exclusive caterer. I was also afraid of parking being an issue. I wasn't happy enough with the pictures and venue to pay their fees for what we were getting or having to settle with using their caterer.

Next, I noticed the Thoroughbred Center holds receptions. Perfect! I thought. It is less than a mile or two from the church and their rental fee was very reasonable, plenty of parking, open catering policy, and simple enough to decorate ourselves. With everything that is included and not losing anything with deposits, it so far seems like the place we are VERY interested in. The only downside is us wanting to have a bar and the markup on alcohol is a little crazy. We like to have a good time and want everyone to enjoy our special day with us as well. So, if we have to pay a little more to have drinks in return on saving on everything else this venue has to offer, I think we can manage! Amy has already been very pleasant to email and communicate with for my many questions.

http://www.thoroughbred-center.com/events/events/holding-area/

Now, to schedule a site visit for January 3rd with Amy!! Woohoo!!

How He Asked

On the night of 12/12/12 Quinn came home from work early. We had planned on attending Talan's basketball game but were informed those plans had changed. So I continued to wrap presents until he came home and then began to cook dinner. I was upset because I am not a fan of change or him getting upset. We ate dinner, I cleaned up the dishes, and then finished wrapping the presents to go under the tree. I put away the wrapping paper, scissors, and tape. I sit on the couch and begin to drink my glass of wine and finish TV. Meanwhile, the entire night his phone had been blowing up, which was annoying as well. Quinn lays his hand on my leg and I smile at him. I am no longer frustrated and everything is all good.

He then asks me can I wrap this box for him. I gave him a blankstare and asked, "What? Why would you let me put all of that stuff away if you wanted me to still wrap something else?" He kept insisting so I finally gave in and he brought me the stuff so I could wrap it. I told him he was acting weird. I got onto the floor to begin wrapping it and he gave me the silver box. He stopped me and said "Let me show you what I got for my mom." He opened the box and said, " I want us to be a family, will you marry me?" My first response was, "Did you ask my mom?" After the calls and me keep asking if he was serious and sure, of course I said YES! He has been more than I could have ever asked for in a man. He put it on my left hand and I noticed my nails were chipped something horrible. So, we had to make a late night run to Wal-Mart so I could fix them before sharing with the world my engagement ring!!!

The phone had been going off because he was in cahoots with both his sister and mine. As he obviously has been for the past month or so. I told several of my friends that I knew he was the one back in March. This year we have been to Las Vegas, Florida, and attended numerous weddings together. We spend as much time together as we can and lots of phone time. We never tire of one another. We trust, we love, we're honest, we laugh, we love, and always put the other first. Never once have I second guessed my feelings for him or his two boys. We don't argue and are so much alike, it's scary. I never knew love could truly and genuinely feel this good and perfect. Neither of us are perfect but we are perfect for each other, we accept each other's flaws and all. He is nothing short of being simply amazing!!

How We Came To Be

Quinn and I met back in 2004. Candace, his sister, is a college friend of mine and we met in Bettie Johnson while he has visiting her. Over the next 2 years we would see each other from time to time and hook up. He would drive up to visit me and take me to dinner and I would bake him yummy treats. I had never dated anyone that went out of their way for me in such a way before. By 2007, we had gone our separate ways and settled down with other people. Never any ill thoughts or hard feelings. 

Between 2007 and 2011 we would see each other here and there. We respected each other's lifestyles enough to only speak, but never anything more for several reasons. I didn't want either of us to get our feelings hurt and I wasn't sure how his sister would feel about us seeing each other again. We both went through break ups and make ups and it seems in the year 2011, we both had decided at different points that we wanted better for ourselves. I had gone through so many downs, I spent all of 2011 healing from heartache and pain and finding myself and building my relationship with God. I vowed not to let the previous relationship hinder my next one. I promised myself to not settle for less than anything I deserved and to never feel the way I let someone make me feel before. I only wanted to cry happy tears. I learned that honesty, truth, and faithfulness were keys to success...but that had to go both ways.

NYE 2011 I went to a NYE party at St. Rita's Church. I had learned earlier that day from Candace that Quinn would be there but not with his girlfriend. I knew that evening would be a bit awkward since I was bringing my boyfriend. The two hours leading up to the party was one of the worst nights of my life. My heart was broken again and I knew things would never be the same. We went to the party anyways because he knew Quinn would be there. I should have gone alone. Within a month of that party, I was single and ready to put my past 4 years behind me. 

NYE 2012 I decided that since 2011 turned out to be such a successful year for me that I would go to the St. Rita's NYE party again, and this time alone. I meet Candace and her husband at her house to find Quinn there, alone. Well wasn't this kind of awkward beings how last year I felt like an idiot there with a bum and a fake smile on my face. We all go on in, get our table together and are ready to get the party started!! Quinn finally comes up to me and says I have been texting you. I told him I had a new number and gave it to him. All these years, he had my old one memorized!!!! We ended up dancing the night away and having a good time. 

About a week after the party, he asked me to lunch. He lives in Mt. Sterling and me in Lexington. He works in Morehead and me in Nicholasville. There are quite some distances here. He didn't care and wanted to come take me to lunch anyways. Although I know now that he almost cancelled out of insecurity, he actually ended up coming to take me to lunch on several occasions. I gave Candace a heads up that he and I were just friends but had been going to lunch. To this day never have met anyone that would go out of their way to do the smallest thing, to make me happy or make me feel special or put first. The next thing I know we have been inseparable since January (11 months ago) and things keep getting better and better!!!