Happy Halloween!

I got to spend Halloween weekend with my entire family including Mom, Mark, Mark's Girlfriend - Chrysta, Wesley and of course Megan. You can see all of us in this photo in front on my house. We had a wonderful weekend which included girl's trip to Sam Moon (if you haven't heard of it, you're missing out!), Canton (one of the world's LARGEST flea markets), eating at some of our favorite restaurants, handing out Halloween Candy (we had 90 kids come to my house) and taking a quick tour of Downtown Fort Worth and the Stockyards. Here are some of the pictures. I only wish we could have more weekends like this. I love my family!!!

Love,

SKY

Motivation!

On October 19th, I got to spend the day with my management at a Leadership Motivational Seminar in downtown Fort Worth. Other than the rain, it was a great day that included motivational speeches from John Walsh (America's Most Wanted), General Colin Powell (FANTASTIC speaker!), Former US President George W. Bush, Terry Bradshaw (he has a crazy amount of enthusiasm), Zig Ziglar, and Rudy Giuliani. You can see some of my pictures here...we were lucky enough to have 8th row seats so I got some decent shots.

Gig'em.

Sarah

Wedding Update

So here's a brief update on the latest wedding details:

• I selected the bridesmaid dresses! Here are some more pictures from the final trip to David's Bridal. I'll keep you guessing which one I chose!
• We selected our photographer. She's local to Granbury and we're excited for her to not only take pictures at our wedding/reception but also at the rehearsal dinner.
• We have an officiant! One of the guys I work with is ordained and agreed to perform the ceremony - Thanks Kevin!
• We took a quick trip to Granbury (in the rain) to look at hotels for our guests as well as potential cake vendors.
• We interviewed a DJ who was absolutely FANTASTIC! Both Wes and I absolutely agreed he was GREAT!

Things are coming along, but we are down to just over 6 months with tons still left to do. I'll keep updating our blog as we proceed to our walk down the aisle.

Time for this girl to go to bed.

Night!

Sarah

Jon's Wedding in Tennessee

Wes' cousin, Jon, got married in Tennessee on September 12 so Wes, Megan and I drove my truck to Tennessee for a long weekend to take part in the festivities. Wes and his dad, Dave, were both groomsmen in the wedding. Unfortunately, I didn't do a great job of taking pictures at the rehearsal or wedding, so this is the ONLY wedding photo I have; courtesy of the wedding photographer (Doesn't Wes look so handsome?!?! I think so!). Perhaps Dave's wife, Di, has some she can share with me :-).

In addition to the wedding, we drove to Tennessee so that we could haul a 16' trailer home loaded with work benches, paint and miscellaneous garage supplies. These were all items graciously given to us by Wes' brother and sister-in-law, Vince & Haley. They recently moved from TN to WI and didn't have room for everything, so we inherited it. Here are a few pictures from the drive to/from TN. The picture of Megan is how she spent nearly the entire drive to/from.

It was a short trip, but we got to spend quality time with family and friends. We owe a special thanks to Susan for opening her house to us and allowing us to spend the weekend there. Staying there felt like home and was far better than any hotel we could have found.

XOXO,

SKY

September Birthday Weekend

First and foremost, sorry I haven't posted in awhile. Between wedding planning and work, I haven't had a lot of time to update. However, I'm in Colorado this week (Oct 5 - Oct 9) and hope to have some time after my training class to update everyone on the wedding and our lives.

So here is hopefully the first of several updates: The first weekend in September we had a birthday weekend (My mom's birthday [Mom S] is Sept 2 and Wes' Birthday is Sept 25) in College Station. Wes' mom, Jan (i.e., Mom J) was in town from Illinois and my brother flew in from Tempe, Arizona. We spent the weekend at the aTm season opener football game (we won - WHOOP!), touring the George Bush Presidential Library, the boys working on the sprinklers, and eating, eating, eating! Here are some pictures from that weekend. Fun times were had by all, including Megan!

**HUGS**

Sarah

Same Date, New Place

This last week has been D-R-A-M-A and stressful, but ended wonderfully. Long story short, I asked Wes to call to confirm our venue (mind you we "reserved" it in March) and he was told it was booked by someone else. I guess the only good thing is we found out 8 months before the wedding, not just one month before.

Therefore, we spent our entire Saturday, today, looking at other venues. It went REALLY well...actually the first place we looked at we both fell in love with. We went to look at the others, but knew they probably weren't going to compare. It's not in Weatherford anymore and there is no scenic waterfall or bridge, but it's rustic, charming and hopefully come April the bluebonnets will be coming up. All, in all, we're both happy and excited about the new venue. I took some pictures and borrowed some from the venue's site (Rambling Oak Ranch) and you can find them here.

Building a Home...Together

Wes and I both love the outdoors, especially in the spring and fall when the weather is just right. So, since he'll be moving into my house once we say "I do" we have been adding a large wooden deck to the back yard for the last month. It took longer than I expected, but was definitely worth the work, sweat, and blood (literally - one toe and one finger; both Wes' [We'll be registering for a first aid kit :-)]). Here are some pictures of the process and the nearly final product. Enjoy!

Love,

Sarah

Bridesmaid Dress Shopping - Take Two

Lara and I went bridesmaid shopping again yesterday. This time we checked out David's Bridal. There were two dresses we both liked; but have yet to make a final decision. You can see all of the pictures here. The two posted on this page are the top runners.

Hugs,

Sarah

Congrats Uncle Stanley

Wes and I went to Kerrville, Texas the weekend of July 11 & 12th, as my Uncle Stanley was being inducted into the Texas Pork Producers Hall of Fame. (Yes, this is a big deal!) This also provided a good time for my dad's side of the family to get together. All my dad's brothers and sisters were there including their spouses and even some of my cousins. We had a great time! Here are some of the pictures from the weekend.

Gig'em,

SKY

More Engagement Photos

Wes and I were in Kerrville this past weekend to see my uncle Stanley get inducted to the Texas Pork Producer's Hall of Fame (this is a big honor!). All of my aunts/uncles from my dad's side of the family were there, as well as my cousins James, Katie, Steve, Annie and Stefanie. While we were there I managed to convince my cousin Katie to take more engagement photos of Wes and I. The pictures are rather large, so I only have a handful, but there are more to come.

Hugs, Sunshine & Kisses!

Sarah

Bridesmaid Dress Shopping - Take One

Lara, my maid of honor, and I went dress shopping on Friday to see what we could find. We went to Alfred Angelo's, as that is where I bought my dress and therefore my bridesmaid's get a discount. We tried on a bunch of dresses; but didn't find anything we loved. I've posted the pictures here, so you can decide for yourself! We're going to David's Bridal soon to see if maybe they have something that will work.

Love,

SKY

Family Togetherness

Mark (Sarah's Brother) and his girlfriend, Chrysta, were in town the last weekend in June to spend time with us and Sarah's mom, Susan. Not only did we eat more than we should (mom S's cooking is AWESOME) we spent plenty of time shopping and even had an opportunity to go bowling. You'll notice the brotherly love that Mark and Wes are expressing in one photo! Mom S also spoils our dog, Megan, this time giving her a bone to occupy her time.

HAWAII!!!!

Before Wes proposed, we had started planning a trip to Hawaii with my brother (Mark), his girlfriend (Chrysta), and two others. After seven fabulous days (5/18/09 - 5/25/09) on the Big Island, Kona to be exact, we understand why so many people choose Hawaii for their honeymoon. The only downfall to Hawaii is the flight home :-( . Everyone asks how the trip was and all I can say is "it's exactly what you expect - beautiful!". I've posted a few of the 1500 pictures we took; I'll spare you having to look through them all.

Hugs!

Sarah

Say Cheese

Thanks to a friend that works out at our gym, we had our first set of engagement photos taken.  We greatly appreciate Jack Young for taking part of his afternoon to take pictures for us.  You can find all of them here at Jack's website.

Stop & Smell the Flowers

Wes and I drove to College Station on Friday night to see my mom.  This also presented a good opportunity to take pictures in the bluebonnets growing along the highways.  This is my favorite time of year (i.e., the reason Wes and I are getting married in the spring) because everything is blooming and fresh again.  If you haven't seen the Texas bluebonnets in bloom, you should make a trip to the Lone Star State during the spring...it's B-E-A-U-tiful!  Here are all the pictures

Muddy Love

As any good fiance would do, Wes came out to watch me and four guys compete in the semi-annual Mud Run (www.mudrunfw.com).  We competed as a co-ed team and placed third overall.  3rd place is exciting, but it was overshadowed by the fact that we missed 2nd place by 6/10ths of a second and were only three minutes behind the first place team!!!  We'll get 'em in November!!  This picture shows just HOW committed Wes is and how he supports all the CRAZY things I do!! Here are the rest of the pictures.

4-10-10

There's been a change in wedding date! We've officially moved the date to April 10, 2010 (4-10-10). The change was a result of the venue and the fact that it was booked for March 27th; the date we had originally selected. This is probably for the best considering it was in the 30s here this weekend and there was a blizzard in the panhandle.

Engagement Party

Having the moms in town also allowed us to have an informal engagement party at the T&P Tavern and Grill.  Although we had only been engaged ~3 weeks when we held the party, we thought it was important for our moms to meet some of our friends and co-workers.  There were appetizers, cake, drinks, friends, and family and we hope that a good time was had by all.  Here are a few of the pictures (click here) from the party!  

Wedding Dresses

Both the mom's were in town this week...Wes' mom, Jan, and my mom, Susan.  Therefore, this posed an ideal time for trying on wedding dresses!!  We hit up David's Bridal on Thursday night (3/19/09) and then Alfred Angelo's on Friday (3/20/09).  

I set my budget for a wedding dress at less than $300, knowing good and well that is more than enough to spend on a dress you'll wear ONE TIME.  So of course the girls at David's bring me a $1,000 dress which at the time I fell in love with.  Thankfully we went to Alfred Angelo's the next day and I found a gorgeous dress (including pink beading) for less than $300.   I haven't bought it yet, but it may be the one; especially at that price.  

Since I can't show you the pictures of me in any of the dresses I may potentially wear down the aisle, I decide to post one of me in my mom's wedding gown.  I was so excited that I could fit into it (I won't mention that I couldn't raise my arms, but I got it on! :-) ).

Wear Your Green!

They had a BIG St. Patty's day party at T&P Tavern last night.  I meant to take pictures, but found myself cleaning tables all night so I never got any.  Thankfully another patron took some, so that's what you see here. 

The Ring

Here I have posted pictures from the engagement, the cookie and my wedding planner, but I haven't shown you guys "up close" pictures of the ring.  So here ya go, enjoy.  Wesley designed the ring himself & I couldn't have done better had I picked it myself!!

A Giant Cookie & Wedding Planner

The week Wes proposed, my roommate (Lara) made us a HUGE chocolate chip cookie decorated with an engagement ring.  It not only looked adorable, it tasted oh so good...doesn't she know I have to fit into a tight, white dress?  

On another note, I bought my first wedding item...a wedding planner.  I went to Barnes & Noble and had a difficult time deciding, but after looking at all of them I went with Easy Wedding Planner, Organize & Keepsake.  So far, I haven't added much to it, but it has some great ideas and practical things to consider.

I Said Yes!

Wesley (Wes) proposed on March 2, 2009.  He took me by such surprise that I kept saying "Are you serious? Are you serious?".  (Just ask my roommate, Lara, she'll confirm that was the case.)  Here are a few pictures from that night; unfortunately I had just come from the gym so I'm looking a little rough.