our wedding: part 2

After our photo opt at the apple orchard the wedding party headed off to the church. We had a little time to relax and refresh before the big event.

Surprisingly I didn't get too weepy on our wedding, but in this moment {pictured below} I couldn't hold it in. As I stood there looking at the wide empty church where I would be entering in an hour to be joined together with B, I lost it. I welled up with tears knowing what would be coming next: me & my dad taking the final walk before I became a wife. Oh, boy I still get teary just thinking about that...hold it together Emily!

If a picture says a thousand words, then these 2 pictures say about four thousand words. I loved that our photographer managed to catch this lovely moment of my dad taking a few minutes out of the crazy day to soak it all up.

There must be a dozen pictures of me & my sister making this pose. From age 2 till 22, we still do the same pose.

I just love the smirk on Brian's face here. When walking up the isle on the arm of my dad, all I could see was Brian. I knew I wouldn't be able to look away from him or I would loose it. And sure enough I took one quick glace at his mom who {who was right behind B} and my eyes instantly filled with tears.

It was also such a wonderful addition to have the pastor who baptized me as a baby, be the pastor at our wedding.

There is something magical about this picture that seems to transport me right back into that moment. We felt so overwhelmed with love from everyone around us. 

Coming up next: the reception...

Blessed Easter

He is risen from the grave and we are now free.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Easter celebration with your families.

our wedding: part 1

It only took a few weeks for us to realize that we were the perfect fit. In each other we found a best friend, someone to lean on when things get challenging, a supply of constant laughs, a loving partner,  and ultimately a spouse.

After a whirlwind romance of dating, Brian popped the question and I started planning our wedding. The planning process of our wedding was a labor of love. I spent countless hours getting ideas, planning out projects, shopping for materials, and many days creating our day of bliss. I can't say enough that I loved every minute of it. Well, there might have been a little stress involved {wink-wink}, but it was what I always dreamed of doing. I enjoyed living out my fantasies of having a sparkler send off and walking down the isle to a song that I heard in the 9th grade and instantly knew that would be the song.

On October 19 2012, my husband and I were joined together to become husband & wife. We had a magical day filled with unforgettable moments & emotional tears. I am so excited to be sharing some of our captured moments with you.

For today I am going to share some of our pre-wedding pictures. B & I were blessed enough to have an amazing photographer Rebecca, on our special day. It was so nice to previously know our photographer and be so comfortalbe with her. Another tip: make sure you and your photographer are on the same page, it will make the day go by without a hitch!

We decided to forgo many of the formal wedding traditions. There was no way we would be able to wait till the ceremony to see each other, and besides I wanted to take some pictures in a beautiful setting. Me and my girls got ready at my parents house. I slipped into my dress with the help of my mom & sister {and trust me I needed the help}, and all together the girls got to see me for the first time.

Brian & his boys joined the scene mid-morning and my mom slipped a blindfold over his eyes so he could sneak a peak. Near my parent's house there is a beautiful field where we decided to have our first look pictures. It was a magical moment that I would suggest to any bride!! Take the time to have a special moment with just you 2 {and your photographer of course} because that may be the only uninterrupted time you get all day.

The wedding party ventured out to a local apple orchard where our lovely photographer snapped some breathtaking shots. Even though it was a little on the chilly side, the girls were troopers and we had a blast. We even heard a few funny 'Brian as a little boy' stories from his sister.

I got to live out the fantasy not only of a dream wedding, but the man of my dreams. Cheesy I know, but I never thought such a fairy tale like this could exist.

Coming up next: the ceremony & reception....

Christmas update

Sometimes there comes a time when you have to prioritize, and that is just what I had to do this Christmas. My hubby and I packed up our holiday sweaters & fuzzy PJs, and headed back to Wisconsin where both our families are from. We settled at my parents house for the Christmas week and the celebrating began! My parents were about to jet off to California for Christmas with their parents, so we celebrated with our own version of Christmas. From then on it was a blur of celebrating with everyone we could. Brian & I spent Christmas Eve & Day with his family, and we enjoyed the time with our niece's faces lighting up as they ripped opening their packages.

While all of the celebrating was going on, blogging fell to the bottom the list and I decided to just live in the moment. Once the celebrations were over I was left with a nasty cold that had me on the couch for 3 days and am still trying to recover from it. It's amazing how being sick can really put a damper on your productivity.

While we may not have taken pictures of every Christmas adventure, we managed to take away the real goal of the advent calendar: celebrate the Christmas season with a festive adventures each day. So, instead of looking back on our days leading up to Christmas I have decided to look back on the year as a whole. That post will be coming later this week.

This past year certainly has been filled with amazing events. I can only imagine what the Lord has in store for us in 2013.

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas season, and may the Lord bless you on this upcoming year.

he calls himself "old"

 It was just 'a few years' ago today that my amazing man came into this world and made it a better place. For every year that he has graced this world with his presence I will share with you 1 reason why I love him.

He is the best protector a girl could ask for
He is so gentle and loving with his nieces, sometime I just sit back and watch, imagining him with our kids
He loves my family {and I adore his too}
He can talk to my Dad about electronics/machinery and do more that just smile and nod {which is sadly all I can do some days, my Dad is really smart}
He is patient with me even when I'm sure he wants to pull out his hair
He always takes care of me
We compromise very easily about many things and hardly ever argue
He has great taste in clothing and I never feel like I need to help him out when he picks out an outfit {he still does ask what I think though}
He has the best smile
He communicates with me what he is really thinking, I never have to dig it out of him
He gives the best comforting hugs
He talks about "our kids" as if I am already pregnant {while we aren't even married yet}
We have our 'Sunday night shows' like an old married couple
He calls me randomly throughout the day, to just say hi and see how my day is going
He is such asnuggler
He never thinks my dreams are silly and supports whatever I dream up
Even when he is most upset, it only takes a minute and you are back to his cheerful self
He really truly understands me
He knows that "I'm fine" really means "I'm not fine but I don't want to admit it"
He loves me even when I'm crabby and is one of the only ones who can cheer me up
Him and his family are the most welcoming people I've ever met
He always keeps me laughing at his silly ways
We are totally content to have our lazy days on the couch
He is the hardest worker I have every met {lately he's been working lots of 14 hours day}
He loves to be involved with the wedding, he's not just a sit back and watch type of groom
He is very flexible and open to trying new things
He is just as obsessed with snacking on goldfish as I am
He lets me be a little ocd about things and just laughs instead of making fun of me
He is never afraid to show how much he loves me in public
We love each other more than anything

If you counted all those up you get the number 30. That is how old my sweetie is turning today, and if you do the math you will see that we are 8 years a part, oh boy! I couldn't even imagine my life without this amazing man.

our place

the view from our kitchen window
   

Normally just the thought of moving has people running away faster then they can muster, but for this girl, I welcome it with open arms. I love to pack, give a good clean to old spaces, move heavy boxes into newly painted rooms, and wash dusty dishes until I get prunie hands. I love going shopping for new house supplies and taking before & after photos as we put our own touches on our new apartment. Those were just a few of the fun things we did this weekend as we moved Brian into the new apartment.

The crazy things is, it's not just his apartment.

Right now, it's our apartment meaning: we both contribute to it in our own way {you can only imagine the ideas I have racing around my head to decorate the new space} but he lives in it until we get married. In a few short months it will be our apartment meaning: we live their together as husband & wife. Our place to live.

That was so hard for me to really picture until this weekend. We got just a little taste of what it will be like to be married, and I can only say that......I can't wait!

It feels like a piece of me is still with him in our place as each weekend I will bring a few more items to add to our growing collection. One of the things on my list to bring for next weekend is a dream that recently became a reality. Ever since I was a little girl watching movies like Anne of Green Gables, and Pride & Prejudice, I have wanted one of these treasures in my house. I will save that for my next blog post.

engagement: how it went about

I am still in disbelief most days, until I hear phrases like "I'm the mother of the bride" {and realize that my mom is talking about me} or someone grabs my left hand to see the sparkly new ring that sits upon my fourth finger. All of these feelings and surreal moments started on the wonderful day of Febuary 9th.

I awoke that morning to a pitch dark room, because seeing as though I had not adapted to the time change, it was about 5 am and I was wide awake. I was wide awake and anxious to start the 1st full day of our vacation, in San Francisco. With my grandparents and 3rd grandma, e played tourist to almost every sight I was hoping for and showed Brian many of the wonders of San Francisco.

We started out and the twin peaks drove through Chinatown. We had clam chowder in a sour dough bread bowl and rode a cable car. We drove down the twisty street of Lumbard and walked hand in hand down fisherman's warf. We strolled up and down Pier 39 and giggled and the sea lions basking in the sun. And last but not least we went to my favorite: the Golden Gate Bridge.

This may be very iconic and touristy, but not where we go. It was here that I instantly was distracted with clicking the buttons of my camera to capture these perfect moments that the time of day was giving us.

Brian and I had taken a walk after we marveled at the brave surfers {in wet suits of course} who were braving the rocky shore to catch a good wave and coast into the shore. It was the perfect moment: Brian had his arms wrapped around me and we stared up at the wonder that the Golden Gate Bridge left behind in our eyes. I truly didn't believe that it could get any better...until Brian turned this moment into one that I would never forget as long as I lived.

It was there {with tears in our eyes} that he asked me to marry him, and it was there that I {after about 30 seconds of "oh my goodness" and "I can't believe this is really happening"} said yes as he slipped an amazingly sparkly ring onto my finger. I was in shock and truly didn't believe that he had pulled off keeping a secret like this from me for a few weeks.

The center stone on our engagement ring is a family diamond, from my great-grandmother. Even though I never got to meet her, it feels even more special to know that I am wearing a family heirloom that will be passed onto my grand children some day.

I couldn't have imagined a more special place, a more amazing ring, or a more spectacular man to spend forever with.

P.S. We celebrated this exciting occasion in a truly 'Ryan family' way: we went to Ghirardelli Square and had the most amazing Sundays for dinner!!

from girlfriend to fiance

It's official, it is possible to be happier then I ever imagined.

My best friend & the love of my life made me the happiest girl with just a simple question and some major bling, symbolizing our love. The question that I have dreamed of hearing ever since I started planning fake weddings as a girl, yes I was one of those girls.

In the past 8 months {to the day} I went from being a girlfriend, to a best friend, to a fiance and future wife to the most amazing man I have ever known.

Life really doesn't get any better then this!!

dread to delight

My palms were sweating, my hands shaking, and I felt that my brain would explode with the information that I had been cramming into it for the past few weeks. I was way more nervous then I let on to the lovely ladies at the front desk who made me turn out my pockets and lock my purse away for the next 3 hours. Even those closest to me, my family and friends, I tried not to show just how terrified I really was.

I was terrified of failure.

I had been dreading this particular day for about 1 1/2 years and it was finally upon me. It was upon me in a very official way as I sat down at the computer that was reserved for me with a camera eyeing me for the next few hours while answered the 4 sections of tedious questions.

As the exam wrapped up I thought I would feel relieved, but as it grew closer to the end I got more and more nervous. I entered in the final answer and sat there staring at the blue screen for the longest 6 seconds of my life. As meaningless words filled the screen, there was only one word that I was looking for: 'pass' and I found it nestled in the bottom corner of the screen almost hiding from my eyes just to make the process more nerve racking.

I had passed. I had passed the longest exam of my life to become a Certified Medical Assistant. It still wasn't sinking in. I returned to the front desk to gather the papers I would need to prove that I had passed this exam that left my head sore and tired, but at that point I didn't care. While I haven't had any exams for school in months, this particular one {being the largest of my career} was the final stamp on my education. It was the final stroke that pulled me into the medical world.

I don't think it really set in until yesterday morning when I strolled into work, only focusing on trying not to fall as my boots slid over the slick icy covered sidewalks. There waiting for me at my desk was a symbol of celebration in the form of a wonderfully colored cake with the words "Congratulations Emily CMA." I fought back the urge to burst into tears as I realized how much my co-workers wanted to celebrate this accomplishment with me just as much as I did. It totally made my day!

a whole new world

 Of course it couldn't be a true graduation without the traditional/cheesy parent shot.

This past week certainly has been a monumental one. I not only graduated with my associates degree as a medical assistant {on Thursday}, but I started my new job {yesterday}.My parents/grandparents threw me and my sister a graduation party. Even though my sister won't be graduating till December, it's not too often that we get to see my grandparents from Cali so we had a combined celebration.

My new job has been an overwhelming amount of change and new experiences, but I am just taking baby steps and thriving off the new energy. While there is so much information flowing around me, all I have to remember is that I will eventually know what I'm doing so why stress about it. Why stress about something that I know will just take time and some hard work.

I know that the only way I've made it through these past few weeks and the only way I'll make it through these next few weeks is believing these 2 things:
 1) everything will work out for the best
 2) trust in the Lord because he has a plan for everything

I also got to cross out 2 items from my own personal bucket list this week {graduating from globe as a MA & graduating from college with honors}, but there are still so many more.

My goal for this next year: to accomplish half a dozen of those aspirations. Let's see what these next months hold....

30 day blogging venture: Day 7

Day 7: your dream weddingNow this is a post that I have been very excited to do ever since I first saw this blogging venture. My dream wedding is an ever evolving string of ideas. It seems that my 'dream wedding' has changed dramatically over the years.

When I was little {about 5 or so} I imagined my wedding taking place in a huge cathedral and following ceremony with a lovely reception near the beach. I wanted it right out of a fairy tale: super fancy with bows and frills. Wow has my taste changed, and thank goodness for that.
Fun, bright, classic, happy, spring, spunky, fresh, creative....

These are all words I would use to describe my dream wedding. I love the idea of having a spring wedding with bright colors like yellow and turquoise!

Fresh daises, lemonade, and a cool breeze under large white tents lit with candle light. Dancing to our favorite songs and having a blast with our family and friends. I have so many ideas popping into my head, I could be a wedding planner! Well....now there's an idea!

p.s. most of the pictures are from my favorite wedding site: theknot.com

23

1. She's by big sister and today is her 23rd birthday
2. She plays rugby
3. Her favorite color is green
4. She analyzes everything
5. She's a crazy overachiever
6. Her birthday date was predicted by my Grandpa Ryan weeks before she was even born
7. She is an amazing person to vent to
8. She has great taste in music
9. She loves bacon
10. We are pretty much opposites in personality
11. She knowns how to cheer me up even on my darkest days
12. <-- that's her favorite number
13. She gets really crazy at night
14. Caffeine is a necessity in her life
15. I can't even count the number of books in her room
16. We are 28 months apart
17. She hates it when I 'hover'
18. She can speak and write Elvish
19. She marches to her own drum
20. She has an adorable little kitty named Jackson
21. If she chooses to have kids, she will make an amazing mom
22. Without her, I would be a very different person
23. She's the best sister a girl could ask for!