Thursday, November 25, 2010

Chelsi's ENGAGED!!

So....since she doesn't blog, I have the privilege of blogging about my best friend's proposal story.  Chad contacted me awhile back with plans to propose to Chelsi. He e-mailed me a picture of her gorgeous ring and the cute puppy (sweet Daisy, who is deaf, by the way)

 he bought to surprise her with. I was so EXCITED for her and honored that he asked Jon & I to be a part of the proposal. I was totally impressed...he came up with the coolest scavenger hunt around Athens and invited several of her favorite people to be part of the process.  We missed her brother, Ellis, & his girlfriend though.  We all met in a parking lot to pick up our cards (which had pictures of the two of them on the front, a sweet message on the inside, and a voice recorded clue to the next location for the scavenger hunt) and find out our destination.  He left a card for Chelsi at her condo with the first clue, which told her to head to the dorms where they first met freshman year.  (That's actually when I first met Chad, too.  Isn't it cool how God works?)  Her mom & dad, Scott and April, were waiting at Creswell for her with her next clue.  It led her to us at Mexicali, which is where Chels & Chad had their first jobs together, and where their friendship & relationship really grew.


 She was precious & smiling from ear to ear; and did a good job holding back the tears when she saw us.  I was snapping away with the camera.  Haha, she said "Can you please stop photographing me?" but I know she'll appreciate all those pictures.  We gave her the next card that sent her to the Arches to where her friend/roommate Emily & her fiancee Nick were waiting.  Their clue led Chels to Chad's parents where they often visit and walk the dogs.  Her final clue led her to the chapel at the Botanical Gardens in Athens.  It was an absolutely gorgeous fall day, and all of us gathered to wait for Chelsi's arrival.  Everyone hid down behind the chapel while Jon & I gave Chad a quick pep talk. 
 He seemed extremely confident and calm, but I'm pretty sure it was just a good front.  :)  He was pacing the woods while we waited,
& then we heard Chelsi yelling for him in the distance.  Jon ran to join the rest of the group while I "hid" (in my bright red dress- so elusive I know- but hey, it was game day!) behind a post at the chapel doors.  She totally saw me & called me out...haha.  Oh well, I wanted to be there to capture the moment on film and I did!  She gave Chad a HUGE hug and then he dropped to one knee...It was picture perfect (just wait till you see them).  I couldn't hear him, but I knew what he said because he told me what he was going to say before she got there.  I can't remember it verbatim, so I won't attempt to write it, but it was sweet. 

 
After she said "YES!" and put that stunning ring on her finger,
 all of their friends and family came out to hug & congratulate the newly engaged couple. 
 
 
 
 We walked around the gardens for a short while, talking, hugging, and taking LOTS of pictures, before heading to DePalma's to enjoy a celebratory supper.  The food was delicious and Jon & I enjoyed the company. 
It was such a special day, and Chelsi is absolutely radiating in the pictures. She will make such a BEAUTIFUL bride and I am so very excited for her and Chad.  They compliment one another really well, so I look forward to seeing what the Lord has in store for them.  I am so happy for my two friends.  Love ya both! HAPPY PLANNING!!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Honeymoon: Day 7

Our last full day! We woke up around 8 on day 7 and had a quick breakfast.  We realized we hadn't spent much time on the beach yet, so decided to devote an entire day to the enjoying the beach- and the weather cooperated 100%! Ocotober is my new favorite month to go to the beach....the weather is perfect & I highly recommend checking it out. 

We finally brought the camera out, so all of our pictures are in the same bathing suit.  Boring.  But at least ya get to see how hot my husband is!  He wanted to wait till the last day so we'd be really tan...the catch 22 on that is that by the last day I was feeling a little chunky and bloated (despite our workouts) from a week of gluttony!  Oh well...enjoy the pics! Here is Jon's photo shoot:
And mine, which I was mostly unaware of:
Please ignore the bloated belly...lots of dessert!
We headed back to the pool around 5:30 & swam and sat in the hot tub till about 7.  We'd received an intivation to a formal dinner in the ballroom earlier in the week, and that dinner started at 8.  Actually, there was a cocktail hour that started at 7, but we skipped that and hung out at the pool instead, soaking up every last second of our our awesome vaca. Last few pictures by the pool...
We headed in to get ready for the dinner.  The invitation said "dress to impress," so here's what we came up with.
   The dinner was...okay.  I'm not big into lamb chops or chocolate cake (it was dry) with raspberries and whipped cream, but we did really enjoy the company! We met a super sweet couple from Nashville, Brooke & Jonathan, as well as a couple from the UK- Andy & Sue.  When Andy told me his name & pronounced it in his Scottish accent, it sounded like he was saying "On-dee"...hahaha! I made him repeat it like 3 times and thankfully Jonathan corrected me after I said (and yes, I actually said this), "Well it's nice to meet you On-dee.  I've never heard that name before."  What an idiot!  I'm sure he thought I was a major airhead, but a comment like that warrants the judgement. 
We talked outside the pub for awhile with our new friends after dinner.  Jon and Andy really hit it off (Andy reminded Jon of one of his best friends, Chuck) and even exchanged e-mail addresses. 

We headed back to the room for our final night in the Bahamas....

Totally bittersweet.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Honeymoon: Day 6

We woke up on day 6 and decided to have breakfast at El Cielo.  It was about 10:30 by the time we finally finished breakfast because the service was unusually slow and our food wasn't up to par when it did finally come out.  We didn't eat it (my boiled eggs weren't cooked all the way and Jon's omelet had onions in it, even though he specifically said without).  We just headed on over to ole trusty.  There were other restaurants on the resort, but these were are favorites because they had the healthiest options.

We went to the gym and got in a quick workout- about 40 min. They had the lemon soaked cooling towels- awesome!

We finally spent an entire day at the pool!!  Typically we're all day beach/pool people- sun up to sun down, but this was our first full day of staying out & enjoying the sunshine. I did crossword puzzles and read my Dave Ramsey book Emily gave me while Jon read Muscle & Fitness magazines.  We hung out & talked with our new friends for awhile- Dan & Amy.  It was really interesting to hear about their lives, their wedding, and how different life is in the Northeast.  We had a quick lunch of salads, grilled vegetables and roast beef.

We came back to the room and took an hour nap.  Is there anything better than being able to sleep in, eat great food all day, lounge at the pool, work out at your convenience, and nap with your favorite person in the whole world? We had so much fun laughing, taking pictures, watching movies, and walking around the resort.

 We had a great lobster dinner...
 Then headed to the dessert bar for cappuccino & gelatto, our favorite!
After dinner we set out by the fire & talked.  The pool chairs are so comfortable & the weather was perfect.
 Day 6 was probably the quietest, laziest day for us.  Just kinda hung out and did whatever, enjoying each other's company and not having any kind of a schedule...only 1 more full day.