Wedding Buzz!

The very first baby steps of our wedding planning has begun! We've chosen a (albeit tentative) date, June 17th, 2017. If it's not that date, (which it most likely WILL be), it will be September 17th, 2017.

I already had several wedding planning books on hand, and so I started checking things off my wedding planning timeline checklist.

Click here to read how to make your wedding day less nerve-wracking!
(I'll need this...)

12+ months before (or ASAP)
Done: "Announce your engagement and spread the word. After you've told your friends and family and changed your Facebook status, consider sending in a newspaper engagement announcement...." (We've chosen not to announce in the newspapers quite yet.)
Done: "Get organized. Create a separate e-mail folder to keep all wedding-related communication and research together...."
Done: Envision your overall wedding style and colors.
To Do: Draw up your wedding budget with help from your families.
To Do: Have your engagement ring insured.
Done: Choose a wedding date and time.
To Do: Outline the initial guest list. (Eek! This is so hard for me. I would probably have a billion people invited if it weren't for money.)
Done: Create your wedding website. (It's finished but I'm not publishing it until June 2016!)
To Do: Research reception and ceremony sites.
To Do: Book any priority vendors if there's any you HAVE to have.
To Do: Interview and book a wedding planner.

Hmm. Should I book a wedding planner? Or just pay a friend to do it? When you got married, did you book a planner? How did that go? Would you recommend one?

All checklist items taken from the knot ultimate wedding planner by carley roney.

Abbotsford, Canada | Engagemoon

Jay and I had planned a while back to venture to Canada to see his cousin and the lay of the land; and I thought he was going to propose, but he did so a week premature to my thinking - which was fine with me!

Anyways, here are just a few pictures from our quick weekend trip.

As soon as we got home I had to work, but ended up calling off the rest of the week because I had somehow contracted Strep throat and had to go on Penicillin for 6 days. Gah.

The baby-steps are complete in my wedding planning; I have announced and have started my wedding website which should be complete by June, 2016.

Since it was my first time as an adult to Canada, they pulled us over at the border and had us go inside to verify identity. 

Obligatory travel selfie. 

We enjoyed quiet mornings with GREAT Tim Horton's coffee at our cousin's apartment. Lovely! 

A small ceremony was held in honor of Jay's mother who passed away last September. Her grandparents (whom she was closest to) were buried in Canada and she wished to be as well. 

We had good food at an Irish bar! 

I wanted to get more pictures, but I was feeling SO nauseated and car sick from the trip (literally four days of nausea) that I could hardly walk around, much less pose and grin.

We're Getting Married!

January 13th
Jay and I ended up celebrating V-Day last week at the Bonsai Bistro downtown. It was a FABULOUS dinner, and each bite was SO delicious.

This week, even though it's valentine's day tomorrow, we're taking my parents out to dinner. Jay and I have been thinking and planning and plotting; and we feel like now is the right time to discuss wedding plans with them. I'm really excited to see their reaction and see how they take it.

Our engagement will occur in the next couple of weeks (so Jay and I have discussed anyway), but we want my parent's blessing to move toward. Ironically, I have been very much involved in the choosing of my ring; but I wouldn't have it any other way. I LOVE the ring Jay chose, and I can't imagine finding one any more perfect! I know he has it here at the house, and he even made me try it on to ensure it fit correctly (it did!). Not your typical engagement I suppose, but then again, he hasn't officially asked me yet either! We are planning on taking a little trip to see his family in Canada at some point, and I have hinted that Canada would be a good place to get engaged. ;) We shall see. Since so much of the planning and ring and everything has not been a secret (on purpose), I am going to let him choose precisely when and where.

January 14th
Little did I know Jay had plans to ask me to marry him on Valentine's Day! Here I thought and planned ahead for Canada, and leave it to him to surprise me! I'm so ecstatic to be able to say that I am marrying my best friend! We're not sure about dates yet; time will tell.

"So Why Not Just Get Married?"

The big question. I get asked this all the time.

"So if you guys are committed and in a stable relationship, why not just get married?"

Mostly, from Christians who believe that sex before marriage is wrong. Well, be prepared for a long post.

Sick Love

My poor love is sick with the man-flu! Except; he does have it pretty bad. I made some crock pot homemade chicken noodle soup for him - super easy - here's the recipe!

Yield: 8+ cups.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped1 medium yellow onion, diced3 stalks celery, chopped3-4 cloves garlic, minced3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil1/2 teaspoon dried thyme1 bay leaf6 cups chicken broth2 cups waterSalt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 2 cups uncooked wide egg noodles3 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Cover and cook on low heat 6 – 7 hours.

Directions

1. In a 6 quart crockpot place whole chicken breasts on the bottom and top with , carrots, onion, celery, garlic, olive oil, thyme and bay leaf.

2. Next add in chicken broth, water, and season with salt and pepper to taste. I used 1/2 teaspoon salt & 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

3. Remove cooked chicken breasts and cut into bite sized pieces. Place chicken back in to the crockpot. Now add in egg noodles and parsley.

Cover and cook just until noodles are tender, 5-10 minutes