Ten Years Ago, We Got Engaged

Written 4/11/2007

What I'm sure you are all dying to know is how'd he do it?

Let me back up to Friday. Friday we went down to Houston to celebrate Good Friday at Cirque du Soleil's Corteo with my parents. It was fantastic, by the way.  We bought tickets for that months and months ago, acknowledging that the following day would mark a year and a half since our first date, but we didn't really care. I didn't think it'd make any difference whether we spent it in Houston or Austin. But, as the date got closer, I kept asking Henry what he wanted to do for our semi-anniversary and he said he'd like to do something in Austin. That made it easier on me because I was scheduled to work and driving back on Saturday would mean I wouldn't have to find someone to take my shift.

So, that's what we did. We drove back to Austin on Saturday morning, and I went to work at 1. After I got off work at 6 we were both hungry and I was craving Madam Mam's fried rice, so we went there and got some. Now that I think about it, he kept trying to persuade me to cook something at my apartment instead of going out, and I wonder if I messed up part of his surprise...hmm. I'll have to ask. Anyway, it was getting close to 8 o'clock by the time we left the restaurant and here I was still in my work clothes. I began to wonder if we were really going to do anything special at all, or if we'd just go watch a movie or something.

Then we got back to my apartment and he told me to wait in the living room while he did something in my bedroom. A few minutes passed and he told me to go look. There sitting on my desk were purple hydrangeas and a card. The card was sooo sweet! It said all of these mushy things that I'll spare you on and then at the very end it said, "Put something nice on I want to take you somewhere special...."

So after some hemming and hawing over what to wear, because believe it or not it was like 34° F outside and really rainy! he took me down to the car and blindfolded me (my idea because I wanted to add to the surprise as much as possible) and took me to the secret location. It was so funny because even after multiple turns somehow I still figured out that we were on Congress, so then he tried to mix me up by driving in circles through parking lots and through neighborhoods. Even after all this, I still guessed that we were on Congress and I was right!

Anyway, once we arrived at the place and got out of the car I tried to walk along with my blindfold on, but because I was afraid of tripping over something, I was walking at tortoise speed. Henry picked me up and carried me on his back to the place and when we got up there he put me down and told me I could open my eyes. I did and I saw a park bench and not much else because I was blind! Henry had forgotten my glasses in the car!

So he said, "Be right back," and ran back to the car. Then of course when he tried to put them on me he missed and put the arms in my ears. It was so cute.

Once I could see again I was still a little disoriented and I think I asked him where we were. Then I turned around and I could see the buildings of St. Edward's University, the place where we had our first date. We were at the top of a hill that had a great view of downtown Austin. It was pretty. I just couldn't enjoy it too much because it was so dang cold!

I think we were standing there for all of 30 seconds when he dropped down on one knee (onto the wet ground! what a trooper!) and asked if I'd marry him. I said yes, he asked which finger he was supposed to put the ring on, we hugged and then I ran back to the car. haha. Now he likes to tell people that I ran away with his ring when they ask if I said yes.

It was sweet and simple and definitely memorable! Henry was kind of upset about the weather and things not going quite like he'd planned. He asked me, "what does that say about our relationship?" My reply:  "It can weather any storm."  

Happy Fourths

I. We spent the Fourth of July in Houston with my parents, my oldest sister, Henry's brother, our sister-in-law, and our sweet and very calm baby nephew.

Oh, almost forgot. In our way into town, we also stopped for my two year old second cousin's birthday party. It was fun seeing my aunt and cousins.

J with the helicopter toy we bought for her.

 On Monday we stuffed ourselves silly with all kinds of grilled goodness (Meatless Monday was an afterthought that day...). That night we watched a free concert they have every year in my hometown.

Johnny Dee and the Rocket 88s

My dad loves this band. They do covers of music from the 1950s and 60s. Once their show was over, it was time for fireworks. Henry took about 50 pictures of fireworks, and for the first time ever, they actually look pretty good. It makes it hard to choose a favorite, so here's a few.

II. Yesterday was our fourth wedding anniversary. I can't believe it's been four years already, but those first two years that we spent finishing school were kind of crazy. It's been a great four years though. Henry truly is my best friend, and every day of my life is blessed with him in it. Marriage is everything I hoped it could be and more.

So last night after Henry got home from work, we set up our tripod and tried to get some nice anniversary photos. Technically speaking, they aren't the greatest, but I still like them.

 We went to dinner last night at Jasper's. It was a good restaurant for an anniversary because it wasn't too crowded, the food was really good, and it had that fancy, special occasion feel without being stuffy.

We ordered Thai chicken wantons with sweet mango chile sauce.

And baked potato salad. Really good, but rich.

 And we split the Texas Peach Barbecued Pork Tenderloin entree. Also very good.

For dessert we attempted this huge trio: rocky road ice cream sandwich, vanilla dessert toast, and dark chocolate molten cake with dulce de leche. Oh my goodness. We almost finished all of it. Almost.

Good dinner. Now it's time for me to pack up once again for another trip to Houston and New Orleans this weekend. Ah, summer. I still like you and the adventure you bring.

A Walk Down Memory Lane

Henry and I participated in a dating panel for the youth (ages 12-17) at our church tonight. We were definitely the youngest couple there (both in age and in terms of the length of our marriage), and I have no idea how we were picked (though we were called "the cutest couple in the ward" once before...thanks Nadine!). But seriously, I hope no one was disappointed after hearing our answers.

With all of the rehashing of my dating experiences tonight, I realized I haven't written much about the beginnings for me and Henry. I alluded to our first date and wrote about the proposal, but I haven't really told the story of how we met. Plus I have some unusual, if you will, dating memories that are lingering in my brain that I would like to share.


So here it goes...I'm going to pose questions as if someone were actually asking me...

How did you meet Henry?
The short answer:  He showed up unannounced on my doorstep. The long answer:  It was the year 2004, August to be specific. Henry had just returned from his two-year mission for our church, and our mutual friend William (who is now our brother-in-law...'nother story) invited Henry to a Bible studyish group (FHE to the LDS folks) that was held on Monday nights at my apartment. Henry likes to be early, so he was the first one to arrive rather consistently and a friendship developed.

Was it "love at first sight?"
Nope. I was in a long-distance, pretty serious relationship at the time, so I didn't think of Henry in a romantic way until about six months after I broke up with the other guy. We were friends for a little over a year before we started dating. He didn't have a car, so I'd give him rides here and there before we started dating.

What changed for you?
Kind of interesting...so between the time I got out of the serious, long-distance relationship and when I started dating Henry, I dated quite a few guys. I was 19/20 years old. I decided I was done with serious dating for a while, and I wanted to have fun and get to know a lot of people. I went on multiple dates with two guys, one who I was attracted to and one who was just fun to hang out with as friends. I let the latter guy know I didn't see any potential for a romantic relationship with him, but the former "relationship" was kind of a "yes, we should date/no, we shouldn't/yes, we should/oh wait, no we shouldn't" situation. The final "no, we shouldn't" was a teensy bit hard because there was chemistry there, but ya know, that's certainly not all that matters. What seemed like the very day after this "break-up" (using these terms loosely because we were never boyfriend/girlfriend), this guy texted me. All it said was "I think you should date Henry." First I thought, "the nerve!" Then I also recalled how on another date (maybe the only one I went on with this particular guy), Henry came up in the conversation, and we pretty much talked about his coolness. Pretty soon I was thinking, "hmmm...maybe he's on to something..." After that, I realized that maybe Henry was interested in me already (and maybe the other guy picked up on this, and that's why he sent the text. If I ever talk to that particular person again, I will definitely ask him why he decided to tell me that and thank him!).

What did you do for your first date?
We went on a double date with our wonderful friends Dave & Serena. We saw a play at St. Edward's University about Cesar Chavez's life. Random activity (Dave was a professor at St. Ed's so he got the tickets for free or discounted at least), but that didn't matter so much because it still gave us a chance to really talk to each other and spend time together (both one-on-one and with our good friends). We went back to Henry and Dave's apartment (they were roommates) and ate ice cream after the play. Our first date felt different from other first dates because I already had a crush on Henry. I was excited and nervous.

How long did you date before you were engaged?
18 months to the day.

How long from first date to wedding day?
21 months to the day. 7+7+7=21. That's how I chose the date of our wedding.



That's all I've got for tonight. Any other questions?

dang, it feels good to be a ninja

Yesterday marked three and a half years since Henry and I tied the knot. I don't know why these dates stand out in my mind, but they do, so why not celebrate them, right?

So last night we went on a date at The Domain. The plan was to eat dinner at Maggiano's Little Italy (love) with some Christmas gift cards, but we quickly nixed that idea when we found out there was an hour+ wait for a table. An hour to an hour and a half for a table for two? Yikes. It's good, but we were hungry. We also wanted to make a run by Anthropologie before 9, and it was already 7:30.

Instead of Maggiano's, we stopped to share some yogurt. Ginger lemonade + caramel cheesecake is actually yummy. Then I convinced Henry to let me "window shop" in The Limited where I begged my way into two new shirts. Paid cash per our budget agreement though, so I didn't have to beg too much. Then off we went to Anthropologie.

We easily located the timer I wanted to buy, but since they are currently having a SALE, we had to look at everything in the store. That's the way it works, right? While I was sifting through the SALE racks, I asked Henry to open my wallet and look for my Anthro card. He did, said he found it, and that was that. We continued to look at things in the store. We both like the fabric covered fancy books they sell there and decided we could devote a portion of our home budget to a pretty copy of Robin Hood.

Next something magic and mystical happened. As we turned around to make our way to the cashier, the very SALE rack I'd just browsed minutes before had new items on it. Dresses! (I'm kind of a sucker for dresses.) Wouldn't you know there was a lovely printed dress there in my size? So I tried it on along with another full-priced dress for good measure.

I liked the dress a lot, and I was a little bit puzzled when I told Henry that I wanted to buy it. He seemed so okay with it. I didn't have to beg or plead or pout, even though I was pretty sure I had just spent the entire clothing budget at The Limited. So strange, but when you're getting what you want, you just roll with it.

We got up to the counter with our timer, the pretty book, and my lovely dress, and the cashier asked if we had an Anthro card. I said yes, and then Henry looked confused. Coming to find out, when I'd asked him earlier to find my card, he thought I meant a gift card, a gift card to pay for the purchase of my lovely dress.

.......

And that is how I unknowingly tricked my husband into buying me the lovely dress from Anthro. Completely and unintentionally bamboozled him. That's like the ultimate stealth. I'm so good, I don't even know how good I am. Henry's doomed if we have any daughters.

Remember that Time

Henry,

Remember that time about five years ago when I tutored you in the UGL and afterward you asked me out on a double date? I remember how I spent hours picking out the perfect sweater to go with my favorite pair of jeans...and then I spent an hour doing my hair and makeup.

I still remember that outfit, but I have no idea what you were wearing.


Remember how you lent me your coat, and it was much too big for me? Not much has changed.

Remember when you asked if I'd be your "partner in crime," and I said no? I'm glad I changed my mind.

I love you. Forever.

allison

Sweet Love

Two years ago this past Tuesday, Henry asked me to marry him.

The day he proposed was an interesting day. It was our year and a half anniversary. I was really, really hoping he was going to do it then, but so many things led me to believe he wasn't. It drove me crazy!

But then, in a magical turn of events, where magical means nothing went according to Henry's plan, we ended up at the top of a hill overlooking downtown Austin.
A hydrangea plant (which I now affectionately call our love plant), a handwritten note, a blind fold, unexpected rain, and some cold night air were involved. It was perfectly imperfect. Who needs perfection? Makes for a better story to tell the grandkids anyway.

Date No. 8

Henry and I went on two more dates during my Spring Break.
This one was on St. Patrick's Day (in case you couldn't tell). He surprised me by taking me to Magnolia Cafe. If you're ever in Austin, you should definitely stop by and try their Tropical Turkey Tacos. Turkey, avocado, pineapple, and melted mozzarella on a wheat tortilla...I love them.

After dinner we walked down South Congress. There are lots of funky and trendy shops there, and we found a new candy shop. We shared sour belts. It was a fun night.

Credits:
Papers-Designer Digitals Feb 15th Color Challenge (bg) and 2ps Martha Freebie Kit
Journal block-Parisian Labels by Rhonna Farrer (the 3rd purchase I made with my free $20 at 2ps)
Fonts-AR Julian and Engravers MT
Word art-"Lucky Me" Danielle Young of Oscraps

p.s. My husband works for FedEx Kinko's, so he is able to print my 12x12 pages for free!

The Seventh Date of Christmas

Forgive me for mentioning Christmas in March, but...



apparently I forgot to make a post about these back in January. These are pages from the one day, one night trip Henry and I made to Fredericksburg for our year and a half wedding anniversary. =)

P.S. I can't even remember if we've been on date number 8 yet.
P.P.S. If you are married, what do you and your husband do for dates? Heck, even if you aren't married, what do you and your significant other do for dates?

The Fifth Date of Christmas

For this date we went to the movies (to see Twilight I believe...my dear, sweet husband sat through it for me!) and came home and snuggled up with some hot chocolate. =)

This was by far the fastest page I've ever made. It's really simple.
Credits:
-Template: Paislee Press "Lark" Quickpage
-Overlay: 2ps "Future Rock Star"
-How do I love thee word art: 2ps "Free Love"
-Stars: 2ps "Proud to Be Digital"

The Fourth Date of Christmas(ish)

My page for this date is a little deceiving because not only did we have lunch at Pei Wei, but we also played with toys at Toys-r-Us and shopped around at Hobby Lobby. Does it sound thrilling? It was.

Credits:
-the bg paper is a combination of five, count 'em FIVE papers: 1) 2ps "Future Rock Star" bright orange 2) 2ps "Martha" orange 3) 2ps "Color My World" dark brown 4)SP "Dinner Party" red 5) SP "Express Yourself" brown
-template: Little Dreamer Designs "Mushy Love"
-and all those rustic looking metals? unfortunately I don't remember where I got them...
-font: AR Carter

The Third Date of Christmas

We went to the Houston Museum of Natural Science's Body Worlds brain exhibit for our third date. We'd seen another Body Worlds exhibit before, and this one was very similar. I had hoped it would be more about just the brain. Still pretty cool.



This is my simplest layout yet. I got the template from Oscraps (Simple Template No. IV) and duplicated the red flower. I then changed the layer type to Luminosity to make it green. Background paper is from SP "Seasonal Sampler" Holiday Paper Green. Fonts: Parchment and Popsies. Voila!

The Second Date of Christmas

For our second date we went to a session at the Houston Temple, and afterwards we did some Christmas shopping at the church bookstore across the street.

There is a certain beauty to each temple, but I especially love the Houston Temple because it is the one we were married in and because it looks like a fairytale castle. =) I also love how in love I feel when I cuddle and whisper with my husband in the Celestial Room. It's truly the closest place to heaven on earth. How could I get a better date than that?

Credits:
Bg paper-SP Seasonal Sampler Holiday Paper "Ornate"
Frame with paper clip-Fei Fei's Stuff "Save It"
Ribbon-R. Penner's "Express Yourself" kit from SP
Font-Little Lord Fontleroy NF

Twelve Dates of Christmas

Instead of exchanging traditional gifts with Henry this year, I decided that it would be more fun and productive (you know, quality time together, strengthening our relationship, yada, yada)for us to go on a dating spree. Digital scrapbooking wasn't the only thing that suffered during this past semester of school; date night fell by the wayside too. So, this Christmas season we're attempting to go on twelve dates.

Why twelve? Contrary to what this blog may be leading you to believe, 12 is not my favorite number. It's twelve dates to go along with the twelve days of Christmas, which, according to Wikipedia, are "the festive days beginning the evening of Christmas Day through the morning of Epiphany." (I really don't know anything about the day of Epiphany. Does anyone celebrate that? Basically, I just got the 12 date idea from Oprah and I think it'll be fun.)

We've gone on three dates so far, and I'm going to try to scrapbook each one.

Here is the first date of Christmas:



My parents live about twenty minutes from the Johnson Space Center, but it'd been years since I'd been. We had fun on the tram tour though I have to say it was a wee bit chilly outside. Our favorite part was playing around with the indoor exhibits.

Credits:
Template-Little Dreamer Designs "Love"
Ornament png-Fei Fei's Stuff
Christmas trees-SP Seasonal Sampler
Dark green bg-Designer Digitals color challenge 12-7-08
Light green bg-2 ps Martha Stewart kit
Red polka dot paper-Designer Digitals Everyday Inspiration 11-23
Red and Brown dots-SP "Sunporch"

Back in the Saddle Again

Hi. I know it's been a while. A little thing called grad school, which turns out, is not for the faint of heart, came between me and digital scrapbooking. But now I'm out of school for a whole month and there are new layouts on the horizon.

Today I did a page for Thanksgiving. It was my first time ever to use a layered template. Not as self-explanatory as I thought it'd be, but after a quick tutorial I was in business. It was definitely faster than creating a layout from scratch, but it also doesn't feel as personalized.



This was a Thanksgiving of firsts: my first Thanksgiving away from my parents, first with my in-laws, and first to host in my home. For the first time ever I was in charge of planning and cooking the meal though Henry helped a lot. It was really a team effort. We made turkey (we stuck to just cooking a breast. maybe next year we'll go for a whole bird), sweet potatoes, a pineapple cheese log, corn on the cob, cheesy potatoes, rolls, and a pumpkin pie. Our family brought over brisket, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, more rolls and bread, and about six pies! Everything was delish, and I think everyone had a good time too. We played Cranium, Clue, and Worst Case Survival game before heading over to Lara and William's to watch a movie. It was a nice day.

Materials:
Template: Designer Digitals Ad Challenge 2-10-08
Ribbon: Shabby Princess "Festival Ric Rac Coral"
Font: Vaguely Repulsive

Attempt #2

I forgot to mention that all of the elements I'm using are FREEBIES I've downloaded.

Materials:
-bg paper from ShabbyPrincess.com "Seasonal Sampler-Amore"
-Stitched heart from ShabbyPrincess "Splendid"
-Black swirly frame (around the kissy picture =P) from designerdigitals.com Web Challenge by Kellie Mize
-Stamp over kissy picture from ShabbyPrincess "Urban Kiwi"
-Black frame around large picture from twopeasinabucket.com I don't remember which kit, but it's by Rhonna Farrer
-Sanded overlay from ShabbyPrincess "Shabby Mommy"
-Journaling circle from twopeas "Proud To Be Digital"
-Fonts: Albemarle Swash, Albemarle Demo, and Perpetua Titling MT