November, November...

     Goodbye November! Time is FLYING! This month was just as crazy as any. I don't know if school is insanely busy because it's the last semester of our Senior year and we're excited or if it REALLY IS BUSY. Probably both :)

     November was an amazing month. John's dad and step-mom flew all 4 of us over to Georgia to see Mary, Andrew and our nephews Cole and Gavin for Thanksgiving break. We got to meet Gavin for the first time and let's face it- the kid has some good genes. He's a cutie just like his big brother. Mary and I got some quality crafting time done and John and Andrew got to game a bit.  It was truly a remarkable trip full of a lot of laughter and love. John and I were so busy living in the moment- my camera never left my backpack. I feel so blessed to be marrying into such a wonderful family.

     Wedding planning is coming to a close! It's definitely bittersweet. I had such an amazing time researching, crafting and creating some really cool decor with my Aunt and Mom and everyone else who helped! I think our wedding will be intimate and romantic- just how we wanted....with about as much glitter as John (and my Aunt and Mom) would let me use!!!! :) What can I say- I like sparkle!

     Finals are coming up! John is finished on December 12th and I'm finished December 14th (minus the extra internship hours...but, I'll be done with finals at least!). Needless to say, there will be some serious toasting on the 14th (and I'm about 100% positive John will be toasting to himself on the 12th!). The weekend after finals John and I will be heading up to Alyssa (my sister/maid of honor) and Paul's (my brother in law/officiant) house to check it out. Paul will be able to sit down with us and figure out our ceremony. We're planning on having the shortest ceremony ever. :) Neither of us like to be the center of attention so- it'll be short, sweet, loving and to the point! We are seriously SO excited Paul will be marrying us.

     We out our tree up as soon as we got back from Georgia (Thank you Aunt Kimmie and Uncle Ron!). Putting up the tree always is so sentimental and heartwarming to me- looking at all the ornaments and remembering them from childhood etc. John got a Lionel train from his Dad last Christmas so, after I put up the ornaments he eagerly set up the train and sat on his knees like a little kid making it go fast, and slowing down (while giggling, mind you) and making the 'smoke' come out the top thing-y (I'm not up to par with my train lingo).

     John recently got his wedding band. We originally got a titanium one but, it was scratched within 2 weeks (which shouldn't happen unless you're a mechanic...) so, we returned that one and we ordered a black ceramic one yesterday! It's pretty awesome looking...It's practically impossible to scratch BUT if you drop it- it can shatter. So, Miss Graceful over here is NOT allowed to hold it- unless I'm putting it on his finger on our wedding day....hopefully I won't drop it then!

     Time is flying by and we only have 54 days left until the wedding. I couldn't be more excited!!!

So, it's October!!! It is finally starting to feel like Fall and I love it! September was busy- John and I went to the Oregon fair, we had John's Mom and Aunt over for a birthday celebration, and basically every weekend in September was eventful! This month has been eventful as well. On the first my Mom and sister came down to go with me to my first dress fitting and John and I took them cake test at Larson's Bakery here in Vancouver. Aaaaand we ordered our cake! :) There are a couple nephews that were born recently as well! John's step-sister gave birth to a beautiful little boy, Ethan on the 27th of September and John's sister, Mary gave birth to an beautiful baby boy, Gavin on October 4th! I am so excited to have nephews and nieces! Since John and I are waiting a bit to start a family- we get to love on them, it's a nice outlet and distraction :)

Sorry this is a short up-date but, I have to go to my internship! I will try to update again soon with pictures from the fair....like I said I would....a month ago. :)

Back to life, back to reality....

     So, classes started. Woooo. I know that we're blessed to have the opportunity to get such an amazing education but, I really can't wait for it to be over. Really. Can't. Wait. Not because I'm sick of taking classes that are semi-depressing but, I'm ready to start my life (so to speak).  This semester I'm taking:  Advanced Adolescent Development (focus on the study of adolescence. Because, let's face it- adolescence is an awesome time of life -enter sarcasm here-). Families in Poverty (another up-lifting course -again with the sarcasm-) and Astronomy. And of course, my internship and the course work that goes with that. I'm just thankful that this is it and I'm done. 

     John is taking: Cell Biology (which I thought sounded kind of cool but as soon as I see him after this class he says, "Man, I almost fell asleep!" so I'm assuming it's not as cool as it sounds.), Ecology (so far he likes it! This is good because he went into the semester hearing horror stories about its level of difficulty.) and last but not least Abnormal Psychology (this one interests him too!) and of course, he's working on his internship at the hospital! 

     John took the GRE this past weekend and says it was brutal! The test was about 4 hours long and it was also the "new GRE" which is supposed to be slightly more difficult. Poor guy had been studying 24-7 the first week of school. We'll see how he did in November and hope for the best! Worst case scenario: he'll retake the exam after the Wedding and we'll hang out for another year or so. I'm proud of him regardless. I can't wait to marry him. :)

     This weekend we will be heading down to Oregon to go to the fair and visit with John's mom, Karlene and his Aunt Roba. We're excited A) Because being with family is always a good time and B) We are purchasing a wooden sign at the fair that says, "The Robertsons Est. 2012" :)  I get so tickled when John calls me "Mrs. Robertson." Did I mention that I can't wait to marry him?

    I've decided that I need to take more pictures and post them because, words can get boring. I'm saying this so that I can be held accountable. Next week I WILL have pictures from the fair and I WILL post them! :)

T minus 12 days until the beginning of the end!

On August 22nd both John and I will be completing our last semester of college and will receive our bachelors degrees. John's will be in biology and mine will be in human development (and a minor in biology- had to meet John in school somehow!). John will be applying to schools starting in November and ending in February (depending if he got accepted to one of the ones he applied to in November. From there, we move to wherever he gets into. We've been looking at schools that are in "non-primo locations" meaning we are picking places we think people wouldn't want to move, on top of the places we want to move (due to family being near-by etc.). Talk about me going back to school has popped up on occasion and then I think...wait. It took me 8 years to get through this (dropping out, changing career pathways yadda, yadda, yadda.) WHY would I be talking of graduate school so soon!? I don't know. All I know is that it will be a couple years until I attempt to climb that mountain...

John is still volunteering in the physical therapy department at the hospital and I just got an internship as a supervisor in a foster care unit. I'll be observing biological parents and their children during foster care weekly visits. I'm excited and looking forward to learning new things..even though I didn't want to go into social work I really think this will be an experience that I will grow from. I'm currently attempting to get into the free clinic to get my foot into a medical office and gain some experience from that. We'll see.

That's all I can really think to update everyone with. Happy last couple weeks of Summer!!!!

Summer :)

This Summer has been needless to say- a roller coaster. 

John's sister Mary and her husband Andrew and little nephew moved across the U.S. in the beginning of Summer. It was extremely sad and difficult to see them leave but we had the opportunity to spend some good quality time with them before they left. 

John has been busy volunteering at the hospital twice a week and racking up those hours of experience and really enjoying it. He will be taking the GRE in August and will be applying for numerous schools across the U.S. shortly after. We would really like to live near family if at all possible but, when it comes down to it- it's only 4 years. Depending which school he decides to go to, we'll be moving either in March/February OR in July/August of next year...we'll see. We want to move as soon as we find out so that we have time to get settled and so that I can find a job since...you know, I'll be DONE WITH SCHOOL (hopefully) FOREVER! :) I'm not excited at all.

In July, John and I had the chance to go to Virginia and visit my Aunt Kimmie, Uncle Ron, Grandma Judy and Grandad and my Grandma Libby. It was by far one of the best and most relaxing vacations. Kimmie and Ron showed us the ropes! We went to the Mariner's Museum (where the U.S.S Monitor is). They took us to check out downtown Richmond where Virginia Commonwealth University is. Aunt Kimmie wasn't trying to influence our decision at all. :) We floated in my Grandparents pool-which was amazing. Kimmie and Ron also taught us a little game called Corn Toss.  We played Ron and John against Kimmie and I and lets just say...us ladies earned bragging rights. It was a close game but, what can I say- when you've got it, you've got it. We all drove down to Annapolis, MD to see my Grandma Libby and got to spend some quality time with her and give her details as to what is going on with the wedding and life in general.  Kimmie and I went to Micheal's and got everything to make the centerpieces (I'm SO excited about them-they are going to be beautiful). 

Since we've been home I've been working very infrequently (unfortunately) and so, I've had a lot of time to craft. Which is good and bad. I'm starting to run out of things to make! I recently made a paper chain to countdown days until John and I get married and it is currently covering the walls in our living room. :)

That's our Summer in nutshell. I'll try and be better at updating everything!

 I had to add a picture of Marshall-our 24lb. cat. This is a 12x12 cubby that he squeezes himself into.

 John took the picture of the G.I. Joe :)

 Decisions...decisions.....

 A mock ready room. I took this for my Dad. Bring back any memories? :)

John and I heading our for a date! :)

Ahhh, relax.....

The word John and I always referred to when asked about what we wanted our wedding to be is, "relaxed." I have told many people, "I don't want to be the center of attention" and often the response is an immediate strange look followed by, "but you're the BRIDE!" and this is exactly why we want a relaxed wedding.  So it will consist of just friends, family, music, candlelight, food and drinks. We decided to try to have a 'as small as possible' wedding meaning- limited invites and intimate ceremony. By intimate ceremony I am mostly referring to the bridal party and groomsmen..or should I say groomswoman? John and I decided that our sisters will be the only attendants in the wedding- Alyssa next to me and Mary next to John. There two reasons for this decision- first, we both have too many close friends that it would be impossible to choose between them and our wedding party would end up being pretty much the entire list of invites. Secondly, the area for the ceremony is relatively small. There will be about 30-40 chairs and the rest is standing room. There is a 'loft' area (I forgot the fancy word for it) where people can watch from above as well.

We also initially were going to register on a Honeymoon website but, instead we opted for the usual, Macy's and Bed Bath and Beyond. The first night, we went to Macy's- both of our excitement building we the lady slowly handed us the scanner. John took IMMEDIATE control the scanner and I was the "ooooooohh" and "ahhhhhh" and "what about this" person. There were many discussions on whether or not to replace our current items that were hand-me-downs from our great-great-grand-aunt's-second-cousin twice removed...and thankfully we were both on the same page!

Planning has been coming along all at once lately! My sister, Alyssa's friend Leanna will be our photographer, my brother-in-law Paul will be our officiant, we have the venue and food picked out, John and I have been cake testing at one place (so far) and I GOT MY DRESS!!!! (I'm not excited at all or anything...) I feel like we're finally getting some stuff done and it feels amazing...

As we get closer to the wedding, we'll be updating information about the Hood River area and things to do (wine-tasting and brew-pubs are common...along with snowboarding and skiing). Until then!!!!!

Introducing......(drum roll please) The Hood River Hotel!!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen we have a venue.  As mentioned before, Brenna and I will be getting married at the Hood River Hotel in the beautiful town of Hood River Oregon.  It is a just a 45 min gorgeous Gorge drive from Portland along I-84.  I'm sure most of you have never been to or even heard OF Hood River and its Hotel so we're posting some pictures of the place that made our heart skip a beat by turning our idea of getting married into a reality. So without further ado, here they are:

These two pictures are of the outside of the hotel

 

Then this is the view when you enter the front doors

Brenna and her good friend Tami who came with us

 

This is the lobby and the ceremony will be in front of the fireplace

 

Directly opposite of the fireplace is this cafe are which will be emptied out for the ceremony

These stairs are located in the cafe and it's where Brenna will be making her entrance from  :)

 Going back out to the hotel lobby.  There's a balcony that people will be able to watch from as well

They have some toys for the kids so hopefully the grownups can play

A look back to the front doors from the hotel lobby

Then after the ceremony we will head downstairs to their banquet room for the reception...

January 21, 2012

    Sorry for the lack of blogging. John and I have been busy with classes but, I am happy to report that finals are DONE!!!  THANK GOODNESS!!!!

     Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a date and a venue! John and I will be getting married at the Hood River Hotel on January 21, 2012 (or as my sister pointed out, 1.21.12). John and I spent two weekends searching out venues and were very confused as to what we liked about of which venue and what we were looking for..that is until we stepped into the Hood River Hotel. It was almost instantly that we knew it was the perfect place. It's beautiful and old and classic. Perfect for a Winter wedding. 

     Hood River, OR is a relatively small town (for those in San Diego- think Julian- it's kind similar). We liked this because it gives John's relatives who have been visiting Vancouver and Portland for a number of years a new experience. There are a bunch of activities in the area, pubs, etc. It also offers all of our friends and families a place to stay within relatively close proximity for some 'family fun' time. :) Brace yourselves. 

     Here is the link to the hotel: http://www.hoodriverhotel.com/

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Pictures from the Engagment Weekend

First we went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport

They had a lot of really cool sculptures that were made out of recycled trash found in the ocean...and I even posed for some of them lol.

Then Brenna really liked the Jellyfish exhibit, and got some great pictures of them

Then we went to the otter exhibit and I started talking to this otter and he swam over to us and was looking at me...it was like an interaction between a master and a pet.  It was really cool!

This is when I started talking to him, and he swam over to where we were:

Then on the way to the hotel from the aquarium, I was eating some cheesits and scored some good luck points...not just a two still attached cheesits, but 4!!!

Then the next morning, which was Brenna's birthday, we took some pictures with her and her pink princess crown in front of various places...

At breakfast...

At the casino...(which we actually got yelled at for)(Oh yeah, and that's a Sex in the City slot machine lol)

And then at the bead store...

Then we went to the hotel room, got ready and then went to dinner.  I had the bellman lay rose petals in the room so that when we came back from dinner it looked like this...

The petals led to the balcony and into the bedroom and on the bed.  Brenna followed the pathway leading to the balcony.  Which looked like this...

I told her I had one more present for her and that she had to close her eyes.  I ran inside grabbed the ring, made sure her eyes were still closed and came back out onto the balcony, got down on one knee and asked her to marry me.  She said "Yes" and then I was all emotional and so smiley, and I opened the champagne to celebrate!

For those of you that have not seen Brenna's ring here it is...

The Story of Our Proposal...

     This is the story of how John proposed. It was my birthday weekend (and our 9 month-iversary) and we had decided to go to Lincoln City, OR and stay at the Inn At Spanish Head. This was a special place to us because, it was the first place we said, "I love you" and now, the place where we got engaged...but we'll get to that in a bit. 

      On our way to the hotel, we first went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium (SO cool by the way...). This was an amazing start to our weekend seeing as visiting museums and aquariums is one of my favorite things to do. We then checked into our hotel room where there was a bottle of champagne waiting for us. John knew of a good a pizza place called, Galucci's Pizza so we went, and it was delicious. 

    The next morning it was my birthday. Mary and Andrew had given me a card with a punch out 'princess crown' so, if I can figure out how to post pictures...that is why I'm wearing a beautiful pink crown on my head. :) We went to a breakfast joint called Pig N' Pancakes and then Root's bead shop..  John had decided that we needed an 'early dinner' so that we could come back to our hotel room and watch the sunset from our balcony (which I found out later was only the  half truth). So, we headed to Kyllo's for dinner and had an amazing view of the ocean. It was beautiful. The restaurant was pretty empty, seeing that it was only 3 in the afternoon. After dinner, we went to an antique store that John's mom had suggested...they had SO much! It took us about an hour to get through 1/4 of the store. We took a little drive around and stopped at a casino where I gambled for the first time ($20 bucks I- or should I say John- will never get back)

     When we got to the hotel, John and I went straight to our room and he opened the door for me. When I looked inside, there were rose petals EVERYWHERE! There was a trail leading from the front door to the deck (which had a beautiful view of the ocean) and then from the front door to the bedroom and all over the bed. I was speechless.  I automatically go out onto the deck- a) because there is a path leading me there and b) We just had dinner and it was a nice place to go and relax. Just listening to the sound of the ocean is so peaceful.  We had not been able to go onto the beach all weekend because of how stormy it was, so we took advantage of the deck. Anyways, John and I are standing there and he says, "hold on, I have one more gift for you but it's not wrapped..so close your eyes!." John runs inside and my eyes are closed. "No peeking," John yells from inside. Then I hear, "Brenna Christine," and my eyes open, John was on one knee and continues to say,"will you marry me?" and handed me a beautiful ring. Now, from then on it's a partial blur. I had to ask John about what I said in response because I was so in shock. According to him I said, "Of course I'll marry you!" and I remember handing the ring back to him and asking him to put it on me. From then on there were a lot of tears, hugs, "I love you's" and kisses. 

     John mentioned that I didn't really get a good look at the ring for a good 10-15 minutes. I explained that I was just so excited that I was going to be his wife, and that he was going to be my husband that I didn't put focus on the ring- just on him. But, when I did get a chance to look at the ring- I couldn't believe my eyes. I cannot imagine a more beautiful and perfect symbol of our love. It's just SO beautiful...and it's SO me. 

     After we were engaged we went inside and just sat on the couch and talked. I called my parents and sister and he called his family. We watched Pinocchio and drank the champagne...and ate some birthday cake. After the movie was over we were itching to get out of the apartment. I'm not sure why but, I think it's the excitement of it all, I just wanted to go outside and scream that we had just gotten engaged at the top of my lungs. Anyways, we went upstairs to the bar/restaurant area and got a drink and just looked at the ocean and relaxed. 

    On a side note, I have to mention this because it was the most amazing thing ever. When we were sitting in the bar area there was a man that had the most beautiful/glorious/curly/amazing mullet that I have ever seen. I mean, it's not everyday that you see a mullet, let alone an awesome one. We tried to be sneaky and take a picture, but it was too dark. Maybe next time...

Needless to say, it was a day full of such happiness and love- one that I will truly never forget.
   

The Story of How we Met...

Brenna and I met on a twist of fate.  It was totally by luck.  We met in an Anatomy class during the summer semester of 2010.  It was luck because Brenna as a Human Development major does not need and should not have even been in an anatomy class.   But yet there she was sitting with her back to me as I walked into room on the first day of class.   It wasn't until later that I found out that the only reason she took the class was because she had decided to plan her future as if she were single, no longer 'assuming' that marriage was definitely in the future.  She was going to become a nurse and possibly join the Navy...just to have a stable job and so that she could adopt a child in the future.   If she would have never gone down that path than we would have never met and I would be without the love of my life...which is a scary thought.  Anyways back to the story, so I walk into class...notice my future soul mate...and naturally sit in an open seat...at a different table lol.  The pace of the class was very fast and I didn't have time or the opportunity to talk to her until the following week.  There we were, both heading to our cars in the same parking lot at the same time...this was my chance.  I quickly think of a line that will initiate a nice little conversation, "So, are you ready for the test next week?"  This would for sure get her to reply and maybe we could even study for the test together...or so I thought.  Brenna replied, "Yeah, I think so. I'll be studying all weekend though."  "Me too." I replied. There was a slight pause and then she said, "Well, good luck with that." aaaaand walked away to her car.  Great...so my perfect conversation starter didn't work out as perfectly as it had in my mind.  We didn't talk again till the next week when I got up the courage to ask her, "So how'd you do on that test?"  Hahaha no I'm just kidding, I wasn't going down that route again.  No, we had an open lab where we could stay after class and get some help with the homework.  Everyone at my table had left, and everyone at Brenna's table was still there so I rolled my chair over there and said hello.  Next thing I know Brenna and I are the last ones at the table, talking having a good time, learning a lot.  Then when the teacher was about to leave we went to the library and studied/talked some more, then we got hungry and went out to eat.  Aaaaand there ya have it...ten months later we're happier than we've ever been...we're deeply in love...we're engaged...and you're reading about it in our blog. 

Getting to know you...

About twenty minutes after John proposed I started calling (ok...mostly texting...) friends and family. It was then that I realized that practically none of them have ever met him. The same goes for some of John's friends and family so, we decided to start this blog so that our loved ones can get to know us as individuals and as a couple! We'll try to update as much as possible with our experiences (both wedding planning and life in general).  We love you all and are excited to share our journey with you!