Well hey there! I think it's pretty obvious that I took a step back from the blog world for the last few months, but I'm definitely feeling refreshed and ready to start sharing again, and what better way to start off than with a post about one of the most exciting things ever... I'm engaged!
After six years of dating, Chris finally popped the question a few weeks ago on my birthday. I was totally surprised, which is a really hard thing to do (I'm notorious for figuring out surprises). My birthday was June 16th, and for about a month leading up to my birthday I was sure that he was going to propose. We had spent our sixth anniversary on a family trip in Mexico back in January, and we came very close to getting engaged then, but we decided to wait since Chris didn't have my ring with him. So ever since January I've been (not so) patiently waiting for the day to come. I was convinced he'd do it for my birthday, he kept dropping little hints that made me believe I was right. But for the week or two right before my birthday I started to second guess myself. He said things about how I shouldn't be expecting much for my birthday, money was tight, blah blah blah. It got to the point that two days before my birthday I texted my sister and Kaelah in a total freak out 'I'm getting old and I'll never be married' kinda way. Turning 27 was a little hard, haha.
Anyway, at about 10 pm the night before my birthday he asked me if I wanted to open my gift early or not. I wasn't too anxious to open it, but I said yes. He told me he had his stepmom wrap it and he had to grab it from her house (right next door). He left to get it and to get some ice for the margaritas we were having since our ice maker is broken. I didn't think much about him being gone for a little while. When he came back he set down a big box in front of me, and I waited until midnight to open it.
Inside the big box was a smaller box, which threw me off a little bit. When I opened that, I was stunned to see that he bought me an iPad Mini! It was such an awesome idea, something I totally love but I never would have thought to get one for myself. Chris works at Apple and has a mini of his own, but I never considered getting one. I was floored, I couldn't believe he pulled that off, or that he got me such a nice gift after days of telling me he only got a few little things. After a few minutes the shock wore off and I asked him if I should take of the plastic wrap and start setting it up. He said sure, he'd help me get it going. I took off the plastic on the front, flipped it over, and started peeling the plastic off the back, and then I saw it...
He'd inscribed it with those four little words, "Will you marry me?". In my shock I dropped the iPad on the floor (oops!), and rather than tearing up and saying yes right away, apparently I called him a not-so-nice-but-kinda-funny word and told him to shut up repeatedly. Classy, I know. After I read it again, I looked up and he was holding out the ring box. He was laughing at me hysterically the whole time, and didn't even get to properly ask me, I just said yes and let him put the ring on! I'll admit, it's not the reaction I was hoping I would have, I always expected to cry and have an emotional experience, but it was very "us". I don't think it could have gone any better :)
My ring is a family heirloom, which I am so honored to wear. His grandfather was a jeweler in Chicago, and after he passed Chris's mom held on to his leftover settings and stones, and Chris got to choose one he liked best for me. The setting has a matching wedding band, and his grandpa designed and cast them both himself. The stone is a champagne diamond, which is so unique and pretty! I need ti get it sized, right now I have a temporary spacer thing on it (which is what you can see in the photo above). I love having something that's a little different, a little vintage, and a lot sentimental. He did such a good job with the whole thing, and I'm so beyond thrilled to be engaged to him.
We don't have a date in mind yet, we have a lot to chat about before we can pin anything down, but we're thinking late summer or early fall of 2014. It's crazy that people ask that instantly, literally the next day when started telling people that's the first thing they'd ask. It hadn't even been 24 hours-- hell, not even 12 yet-- and people we're honestly asking for a date. Sheesh! I am really excited to start planning though, and I'm sure I'll keep you guys updated with how things shake out.
So there's my big news! Not too bad for my first post in nearly four months, huh?? I hope you've all been doing well, and thank you for sticking around here :) Also, I don't fully understand what's going on with GFC soon but feel free to follow my blog on bloglovin' if that's your thing (or wherever else you choose!).
xo
Meet Cricket! She's a 3 lb. 12 week old chiweenie (that's a chihuahua/dachshund mix). We brought her home on Sunday after a couple of weeks of anticipation. The picture above was taken by her foster mom right after they got here, so we were all very excited and it's a little shaky. And don't judge my Uggs, haha! It's been snowing like crazy here so I have an excuse... at least I hope I do! :)
The whole story of how this came about is pretty interesting and full of coincidence, so bear with me while I share it... 
The story of the pups being rescued is pretty sad (so if you're affected by that kind of thing I'd skip this paragraph...). The pups were born to a chihuahua mom, three girls and one boy, on December 5th. A day later, the mom gave birth to a stillborn puppy, and began to hemorrhage. The owners didn't take her in to the vet for another day, and by that time she was septic and too far gone that she needed to be put down. The puppies weren't getting enough nutrition from their poor sick mama, and the deluded owners were supplementing them with coffee creamer (which makes absolutely zero sense to anyone with half a brain). The vet that euthanized the mama told the owners that either they surrendered the puppies or faced legal action. I'm not sure exactly how, but other arrangements were made for the boy puppy and the three girls went to the rescue together. They were raised from one week old by a lovely foster mama who just did wonders for them. I am so thankful for all the work the rescue and the foster mom put in to save these little girls! 
For the last few months I've been thinking about my place here on the internet and what this blog means for me. There are a lot of things I love about it, but I feel like it's become something that isn't the best representation of me. I feel too much pressure to "perform" and I found myself doing things that I wouldn't normally do just to blog about it. It's obvious that I'm not a very frequent blogger, which has added to the pressure I feel in this space. So I've decided to make some changes. I don't want to be motivated by numbers anymore. I don't want to be nervous about what I'm sharing. The main thing I'm doing right now is getting rid of paid sponsorships. There will be some other differences that I implement over time, and I am hopeful that I can make this a more enjoyable space for everyone involved. Thank you ♥
I'm totally biased here, but is he not the cutest thing ever in the whole world? My goodness. This is my new favorite photo of him, and I just happened to snap it the other night Normally when I take pictures of him being cute, I'm either too slow or the cuteness isn't fully conveyed. But not this time! I honestly want to print and frame it, I don't even care that it's grainy.
