North Carolina, Here I Am!

I finally made it safely to Raleigh. Plans changed this morning because Stephanye got sick (feel better!!) and so I had to make the trip alone. Thanks to my dad I am writing this from a very lovely hotel room; which, by the way, has a king size bed so I can sleep sideways. :-)

The drive was nice, I didn't hit any bad weather which was good. I left Charlottesville a little late though because I wanted to wait and see if any of my friends could join me, so I the last leg was in the dark. I checked into the hotel around 7:30 and decided to go explore the area a little (even though I couldn't see a whole lot). I hate that I have to go home tomorrow and won't have much time to wander around the research triangle so I started tonight!

First I went to NC State, Stephanye's alma mater and where Christopher's niece Kendra will be attending undergrad next year. I was accepted at NCSU for my master's degree, but UVA paid me so I went there instead. :-)

Afterwards, I just started driving toward downtown Raleigh. No, I did not have a map. No, the Volvo does not have a GPS system. Yes, my father was scared crapless when I told him where I was - wandering around Raleigh in the dark alone. :-) Anyhow - I stumbled upon the State Capitol building so that was exciting!

Trying to get back from downtown was interesting since backtracking wasn't really an option, nor did I have any idea where I was. BUT - as soon as I called Christopher for help, I found my way. I swear, I am the most directionally-gifted person in the whole world. I guess I get it from my dad. :-)

The gown sale starts at 12:00 tomorrow, so wish me luck! I'm hopefully going to get a chance to see UNC and Duke as well (I saved those two for the daylight hours).

Charity Gown Sale in Raleigh

Tomorrow, Stephanye and I are headed to Raleigh, NC for the weekend. Steph grew up there so it's a nice excuse to visit her family and to see where she's from. We're also going to attend a charity wedding gown sale called "Brides Against Breast Cancer." It is a nationwide tour that stops in major cities and offers designer gowns for $99 to $799. The dresses are donated by designers, manufacturers and previous brides (some are new, some used) and the proceeds of the sale benefit the Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation.

When I really stop and think about it, weddings have gotten OUT OF CONTROL over the past few decades. Girls buy $5,000 gowns that sit in a box in their closet after they wear them. As much as I want that "dress of my dreams" the thought of my money going to support educational programs and wish-granting funds for breast cancer makes the money worth it. Several people close to me are breast cancer SURVIVORS and I hope that if I do find a dress, my little bit of money can help others survive this terrible disease.

Granted, I may not come home with anything, but I would appreciate you all spreading the word to any future brides you may know. You can visit the website and view the calendar to find upcoming sales...

www.bridesaginstbreastcancer.org

WISH US LUCK!!!

April 9, 2010

We met with Father Dennis this morning and set a date for the wedding - YIPPEE!! We will be getting married...

Friday, April 9, 2010
5:00 pm

Mark your calendars!! April 9th is the Friday after Easter and almost every elementary school in the country has spring break the week between. That means, none of our little kids will have to miss school and all of us teachers won't have to take time off work. :-) Even though I will take a FEW days for our mini-moon. It is a long way off, but it feels so good to finally have something set in stone. And prepare yourselves, it will be a full Catholic mass. More to come later!! :-)

Goin' to the Chapel and We're Gonna Set a Daaaaaate

Later this morning we're heading downtown to have our first meeting with Father Dennis, the priest at our church where we'll be getting married. He knows I'm bouncing out of my shoes waiting to set a date so he promised me we could do it today. Christopher would like to keep the date "tentative" but once that thing books I say it is SET.IN.STONE. No matter what it will be over a year away but the satisfaction of knowing EXACTLY when will be fabulous. Not sure what else the meeting will involve - I'm sure some information on pre-cana and other Catholic things we must attend to before the big day. Wish us luck!! :-D

Happy Birthday Jules!

Thirty-five MILLION birthday wishes to my cousin Julie today! Julie is my first cousin, mother of our flower girl Sadie. Because she moved to Virginia ten years ago, it has always been easy for me to visit with her while I lived in the DC area and now in Charlottesville. When I am in need of "family time" I always head up to Julie and Steve's since my parents live four hours away.

Julie is a huge reason for my successful recovery. When I was in the hospital in Baltimore, some weekends I would want to drive home to Charlottesville for a day or two. The drive was too long (I didn't get out of the hospital until 8:00 pm), so I would stop at Julie and Steve's, spend the night, and finish the drive the next morning. No matter how bad of a week I had in the hospital, I was always able to talk about it with Julie and know that I was understood. So, on to the wonderful things about the birthday girl!

Just a FEW things I love about Jules

• She is beautiful, always has been. You should see pictures of her as a child, she was the cutest darn thing in the world.
• She is so funny. Must be where her kids get it.
• She is obsessive compulsive about cleaning. Really, this just makes me feel better about myself - but, a reason I love her nonetheless.
  
• She has such a good heart and is such a supportive friend.
  
• She loves her children to the end of the Earth.
• She loves Christopher (a little too much at times...hehe)
• Our personalities are so similar it makes me feel like I'm not alone in my crazy world (again, really just helping me out here!)
• She loves to organize. BEAUTIFUL.
• She loves candy. I love anyone who loves candy.
  
• She is so generous. I can't even list the things that she has done/given/provided for other people in her life - she is the least selfish person in the world.
• She is a fabulous photographer. I'm going to have her take some engagement shots of Christopher and me when the weather gets nicer.
  
• I love her!!

So happy happy happy birthday, Julie. I hope you get everything you ever wanted and more. (And that includes your Ruth's Chris dinner... call and tell me all about it please). We both love you so much!!

Asking for Prayers

Last night, my cousin Johnny's wife passed away. She was 37 years old. She went into cardiac arrest on Valentine's Day and was put into an induced coma. They found a hole in her heart that could have been there since birth. After a week on life support, they let her go last night.

Johnny and Lisa have three young children, ages 7, 5, and 3. A few years ago, Johnny lost his son Josh in a tragic ATV accident and his father passed away in 2006; life has not been easy for him. I would appreciate any prayers for Johnny and his family. Especially my Aunt Nancy. That family is so full of love and we can only hope and pray that God carries them through another difficult tragedy.

Happy (Belated) Valentine's Day!

I have been a bit behind on the blogging lately... So I'm posting my Valentine's Day ramblings a week late. Oops. :-) I woke up Valentine's Day morning to find my car gone, along with my fiance. He came back with a dozen long stem roses, 1/2 light pink and 1/2 dark pink. These were exactly what he got me last year and they brought back so many wonderful memories.

Last year, we said the big "I love you" for the first time on the 14th. It sounds uber cheesy, but really I think that it just happened to slip out that day and had nothing to do with St. Valentine. I remember thinking, this is CRAZY. We have been dating for THREE WEEKS. You can not possibly be in love with someone after THREE WEEKS. But I was. Totally and utterly head over heals in love with him. :-) The first chance I got I ran to the bathroom with my cell phone to text Robin to tell her he said he was in love with me. Robin was really a great confidant the first few weeks when I felt crazy to tell anyone else that this was the guy. Plus, she knew I was going to marry him anyway - I had decided that on our second date...

This year, Chris and I had a lovely little Valentine's Day, thanks in part to my parents. Mama and Daddy knew that with everything going on, we had been VERY stressed, so they sent us a little cash to take ourselves out to dinner. (Otherwise, it's doubtful we would have indulged in this economy). We decided not to go OUT persay, but rather to get some food and dine in. We stopped by a place in town, Mona Lisa Pasta where they make everything from scratch and picked up some manicotti. Then we went in search of dessert. We drove all over town and by this time, most of the bakeries were completely sold out. We got 3 "peanut butter balls" from Feast! to hold us over (naturally a healthy appetizer) and then ended up at Crazy Cakes on the downtown mall. We picked out a bunch of very cute cupcakes and headed home.

We had our dinner of manicotti, salad, diet coke in wine glasses, and bread. Then we cleaned up and ate our cupcakes while watching "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." Christopher had never seen it before and since then has been chasing me around the house with a bottle of Windex. After that, I went into a cleaning frenzy since Mama and Daddy were coming the next day and hadn't seen the house since we moved in August. Very romantic, Minsterman. VERY romantic.

All in all it was a wonderful little Saturday and a very nice break from the chaos that has been happening around us lately. Love, ain't it grand? Hehe.

West Main Bridal Show

Yesterday the only bridal shop in Charlottesville hosted its annual bridal show. It was held at a local country club (can't you tell by the wallpaper in the photo above?) and lasted most of the afternoon. Robin, Joey, Stephanye and I all went together, and although I know they enjoyed the "fashion show" I caught Steph more than once at the cake tasting table. :) Below is a photo of the girls taking a break from all the vendors.


Life as a country club member has to be rotten. Since it was over 70 degrees in Virginia, we got to sit outside and enjoy the sights of the mountains.

A lot of the vendors were really great but the majority were WAY out of our price range. There was one photographer and a wedding coordinator that I absolutely loved and was devestated to find that I did not win their door prizes. Unfortunately we didn't win ANYTHING, but a nice lady from a local florist let me take a pink and green bouquet home. Maybe she thought it matched my outfit. :) We did get to sample some fabulous food and met a caterer from a local resturant whose menu looks delicious (and for me, that's saying a lot). The restaurant serves only South African food but they cater a lot of everything (especially Italian - I want this event to be a starch fest).

So although a good bonding experience with the girls, we didn't get much out of the day. The runway show was fun though - they had models of all different shapes and sizes. And all three of the dresses I loved from the salon were featured so Steph got to see them in person. All and all - it was worth the free admission.

Happy Happy Birthday Sadie!!

Happy happy happy third birthday to our flower girl Sadie Quince. Sadie is my cousin Julie's daughter and is, quite frankly, the most beautiful child on the face of the earth. But there's more to this little tyke than just blond ringlets. She is absolutely HYSTERICAL. Christopher and I went to visit on Sunday to watch the Superbowl and I couldn't get a word in because it was constantly, "hey Kristi" with that cute little lisp.

Sadie will be four by the time we get married so she'll be just the right age to toss down some petals and drastically improve the beauty of the wedding album. Julie and I asked her this weekend if she was going to wear a beautiful dress at the wedding and she stopped, thought pensively for a moment, and replied, "naah - I think I'll wear a sweatshirt." Much to her dismay, Jules and I have already picked out 87 dresses for her so the sweatshirt is out.

Some Beautiful Things About Sadie Quince

1. She is so loving.
   
2. She is perfectly fine playing alone for awhile and then it's "hey mama. MAMA."
3. She never stops talking - definitely a Graft girl.
4. She runs - all the time. Just runs in circles. You would think it would wear her out but it doesn't. She could go for hours.
5. She is gorgeous (see photos).
6. She is so smart. Yeah - every family member thinks THEIR kid is the smartest but she really is top notch. Her vocabulary is out of this world and she comes up with the craziest things sometimes.
7. Her imagination. Scribbles come with markers and oh, remember that time she rode on the back of a seal lion? Yeah - that was a little squishy.
8. She is hysterically funny.
9. Along those lines - she has the best giggle.
10. Ok, so it's basically Joey. Beauty, brains and humor. Where do these people get it?!?!

So cheers to our little one who is finally 3!! Have the best birthday EVER, Sadie, and I'm sorry that I can't be at your tea party tomorrow. CHRISTOPHER AND I LOVE YOU!!


Oh - and is it wrong to be jealous of a toddler's clothes? Because if it is, who wants to be right?? (Both pictures by Julie)

Happy Birthday Joey!

Today is my dear friend Joanna's 26th birthday. Joey is one of my very best friends from grad school, as well as one of my bridesmaids. (She is also pictured in a previous post accompanied by a creepy bridal doll). Jo is one of the most wonderful people that you could ever meet and I am so blessed to have her as a friend.

Some wonderful facts about Joey

• She has the uncanny ability to bring laughter and lightheartedness to any situation, but also knows how to give fantastic advice.
• She gets the best grades yet still has an amazing social life. I admire her ability to balance her professional and personal lives.
• She exercises regularly and follows through on plans to hike and enjoy the outdoors.
• Her dog Lola has the funniest underbite you will ever see.
• She looks gorgeous ALL.THE.TIME. It's actually kind of irritating that someone can get away with not wearing makeup and still being that beautiful. Those blue eyes are a killer!!
• She wants to move to Portland. I bought her a yellow umbrella in support of this decision but secretly and selfishly hope she stays in Virginia.
• She can handle more than one drink (which, sadly, I can not).

... and the list goes on and on!!

So happy happy birthday to my sensational friend and bridesmaid! Here's wishing you the most wonderful day. I love you!!

Gown Shopping

This morning Joey, Robin and I went gown shopping at the only bridal store in Charlottesville. Two hours and 15 dresses later, we felt good about the experience. I found three dresses I really love and all at a relatively good price. It was hard not having Mama here but Robin was paparazzi (120 photos) so we could send her some visual evidence. Here's a picture of my girls before we headed into West Main.

We had so much fun looking through all the gowns. We had help from a lovely woman who had me try on some dresses that she knew I would hate just so I could see what they looked like... (Maybe that's why the count got up to 15!!) When Joey started fading, this little lady below perked her right up. I think it was the laser beam eyes that made her so super-special. (Don't worry, she had an African American friend on the other side of the shop to keep her company).

Joey, with the bride of Chuckie

As happy as I am that we're postponing until next spring, it is REALLY hard not to do everything way in advance. Plus, my gown is the only thing I have to keep secret from Christopher and it is SO hard. I'm excited and want to share all the details with him - but I have to wait for-ev-er. I guess that's what it's all about though. :-)

We have two special birthdays this week so be looking for some VIP posts!!

One For The Other Thumb!

STEELERS WIN! STEELERS WIN!

Ms. Miller and Mr. Ward at halftime

Excellent News!

I know that it's Super Bowl Sunday and I should be mentally preparing myself for a big Steelers win (or studying in the meantime), but I had to post a quick item of good news.

CHRISTOPHER DOES NOT NEED TO GET CONFIRMED BEFORE WE GET MARRIED!! Now, I know I may be a little too excited about that - but it's a pretty big deal. It's church law in Roman Catholicism that both the bride and groom must be baptized, but only one needs to be Catholic in order to receive the sacrament of marriage. Although the Vatican says it's ok, I have found that certain churches require both participants to be Catholic and confirmed as adult members of the church.

Now, being the good Catholic girl that I am - I have received all scheduled sacraments to date: baptism, reconciliation, communion, and confirmation. Thankfully, Chris is a cradle Catholic so he was also baptized, and received first reconciliation and communion in the Catholic Church. Yet he skipped that pesky sacrament to become a full member of the church. I wasn't worried until I started reading through my Catechism book and noticed that some churches require confirmation. After going through MONTHS of classes serving as Suzie's sponsor, I was dreading the thought of doing it all again. Looks like we got off easy on this one. :)

We will still have to go through pre-cana classes (marriage prep) through the church which is totally fine. I'm just happy that this is one less thing I have to worry about.

P.S. We are getting married in Charlottesville at our church in town: Holy Comforter. I'm hoping to get downtown one of these days to get some photos of the church - it is gorgeous. It's small - holding 210 MAX - but it feels more like home than any other church besides Saint Matt's in Dauphin. Father Dennis will be marrying us - he jumps up and down. I heart him. :-) More to come later - I'm off study/get ready to go to Julie and Steve's for the big game.

GO PITTSBURGH!!

Bridesmaid Bonanza

I have chosen the bridesmaid dresses! Well, actually I chose them about 2 days after we got engaged, but I'm finally getting around to posting about them. We all know that it wouldn't be a Kristi Minsterman wedding without J.Crew. It is my favorite clothing store and 95% of my wardrobe is from there. My first few years in Virginia the Charlottesville store manager and I were on a first name basis. (Hi Joe!) Since money has gotten tight (and is only going to get tighter), I have less of an opportunity to shop at, what some would consider, my mecca. But that doesn't stop me from working it into the wedding!! I have loved this dress for years. I actually own this style (but in silk tricone and blue) and wore it for the Charlottesville Catholic auction a few years ago. It is comfortable and wonderful and as far as bridesmaids dresses go - pretty darn affordable.

Photo from jcrew.com

This is the silk chiffon Sophia dress from J.Crew in color Clover. I know most of you thought I would choose pink dresses but this color really called to me and, keeping the men in mind, I didn't want to get too frilly. We have not solidified the bridal party, but the few friends I have asked (AK, Joey, Robin and Morgan) all adore this dress - and more importantly, all look fabulous in green.

Christopher and I are also very aware when it comes to the finances of our attendants. We want our close friends and family to share this day with us - not to empty their bank accounts. I talked with the girls and this is a dress that will most likely never go out of style. Unlike most bridesmaid dresses, you REALLY can wear this again. Throw on a cardigan and you're off to a picnic or garden party (that's how we do it down south), or a pair of heels and fancy jewelry and it works for someone else's wedding. I feel very confident having the girls in these dresses and it makes my heart happy that they are happy with the choice. (I did choose a few dresses and let them select their favorite - every single one liked this the best).

So now you know that one of the colors of the wedding is clover green. Any takers on the other colors??? It's only my favorite color combination...

Happier Times

One of our first pictures together.

When Chris and I first got engaged, we hoped to have the wedding this coming summer - in late July. But then some events occurred which were out of our control and we decided to postpone the marriage until 2010. I must admit that I was (and still am) a little disappointed that we had to wait so long for our wedding; but also relieved that we now had more time to focus on the more pressing issues in our lives. Don't worry, this postponement isn't stopping me from looking at gowns, picking out flowers and venues, and dreaming of my perfect day - it's just providing me with AMPLE time to make it even more special.

As some of you have heard, things have not been easy around our home lately. God has thrown us some curveballs and, I must say, I think we are handling them quite well. Many thanks to everyone who has sent good thoughts and prayers our way - we sure need them to get through these difficult situations.

Amongst all the turmoil, it's sometimes nice to think about happier times and focus on all we can be thankful for. A little reminiscing never hurt anyone. :-) The photo at the top was one of the first pictures Chris and I had taken together - I think it was actually the second. The first (which he loves) I thought he looked crabby and I may have reprimanded him for spoiling such a nice moment. In the second shot, I think he realized how crazy I was and was thinking to himself "God, what have I gotten myself into?" I think it's such a fun picture though - one that everyone girl loves because even though he may be thinking I'm insane, he's looking at me with pure adoration. It was taken in early March at his sister Kathy's benefit "A Taste for Art."

Christopher had done all the design work for the benefit - the brochures, the invitations, etc. We had only been dating about five or six weeks at the time, but he was invited and wanted me to tag along. This meant a trip to Pennsylvania to meet his sister Kathy and her husband Matt. We had such a great time and I instantly fell in love with this little portion of his family. The benefit was beautiful and it featured food by local chefs, wine, and art. We hadn't eaten all day in anticipation of the event, so we were starving by the time we arrived. From what I hear, the food was delicious, but I wouldn't know. Every.single.table (but one) was seafood. Those of you who know me are well aware that I don't prefer any type of seafood so I was left eating carrots and strawberries (the garnishes) off the drink tables. We finally made it to a table that was serving chicken. YAY - CHICKEN! I like most kinds of chicken, but was still hesitant. Chris forced me to try it and amazingly it wasn't too bad! I remember saying, "It's spicy, like Mexican. I like Mexican."

I really thought it was Mexican. Perhaps the only reason I had eaten it was because in my mind it was Mexican and that is one genre of food that seems appetizing to me. It wasn't until a few days later when we retelling the events to AK in which I was informed, that no, it wasn't Mexican. It was Indian. Curry was the "spiciness" I tasted. Here I was telling everyone what great Mexican chicken I had eaten. Oops. A natural Kristi Minsterman moment.

Our sweet little trip to PA was our first "vacation" together and I have wonderful memories of it all. This was also the first time Christopher had met my parents; we stopped by Dauphin on our way to Kathy and Matt's. Boy was I relieved when he fit right in at home and I realized that Big Barry really did like him (as much as Daddy can like a boyfriend!) When we were pulling out of the driveway, Daddy just nodded to me and that was the best present I could have ever gotten. Ah, the beginnings of a beautiful relationship...

The Changes a Year Can Bring

Yesterday was Christopher and I's one year anniversary. Before the food poisoning incident of 2009 occurred, we had plans to go out to dinner to celebrate. I even bought a new dress. All things considered, we decided to delay the dinner and opt for church and a reunion at the Starbucks where we first met. My new dress is still hanging on the linen closet door, and my romantic anniversary dinner consisted of... food with zero color.

Food poisoning sucks.

We went to 5:00 mass (where Father Dennis proceeded to ask Chris which arm was broken - implying that I had to twist one of them to get my ring) and then over to the Starbucks on Pantops for some reminiscing. Starbucks was unusually packed so while we waited on a table, we did some post-food-poisoning grocery shopping at the Giant next door. (God, this anniversary sounds SO pathetic). By the time we got back to Starbucks, the place had cleared out - even our original table. Aw... So sappy. :-)

Because of my still queasy belly, I had tea and Chris got some triple shot mocha caffeine something or other. It reminded me of how he got a latte on our first date and I thought he was gay. Apparently the quadruple shot of espresso I had gotten made him think I was on speed. Perfect. We didn't even last ten minutes before I started to feel sick and asked if we could go home. But don't worry, I saved my coffee collar and put it in my "Christopher Memory Box" right next to the one I saved from our first date.


Looking at these side by side made me realize how much can change in a year. In my wildest dreams, I could have NEVER imagined that so many wonderful things could happen in such a short period of time. Yet, here we are - 365 days later - and on our way to spending the rest of our Starbucks days together.

Gown Shopping Delayed By... Salmonella?!?

Although I had started trying on gowns while in Boston (more on that later), I was super excited to visit Charlottesville's ONLY bridal shop on Wednesday morning to scope out the inventory. Joey was scheduled to go with me and it was the first time I would limit the choice of gowns to an actual budgeted amount - no more Vera Wang. I spent Tuesday evening sifting through webpage after webpage looking at styles and silhouettes and marking down my favorites. I went to bed around 1:00 am with a little bit of an upset belly - but nothing out of the ordinary.

That all changed at 4:14 am (yes, I remember the exact time on the clock) when I awoke with the worse nausea of my life. After six hours of vomiting every 15-20 minutes and suffering other tummy related symptoms, I asked Chris to take me to the doctor. I couldn't stand up straight, nor keep an ounce of water down. I spent all Wednesday in the triage center hooked up to an IV and having vitals taken by 80 different nurses (who were all in love with Chris, by the way). We came home late Wednesday and today I finally made it from bed to the couch.

May God bless my wonderful, amazing fiance who has now seen me at an ALL TIME LOW and still loves me just the same. He's also quite the dictator when it comes to taking my antibiotics and drinking my fluids. :) Maybe Joey and I can make it to West Main Bridal sometime this week (although I think I'm a few sizes smaller than usual now!!)

Wedding Time Out

I would like to take a moment to pause briefly from all the wedding chit chat so say...

IT'S MILLER TIME, BABY!!
GO STILLERS!

Bling Bling

Every little girl dreams of the moment the love of her life will ask for her hand in marriage. Will he get down on one knee? Will he say something romantic? Will we be alone - or with friends and family? Will I immediately scream "YES!" with the most beautiful, naturally surprised looked on my face? What will the ring look like? And most importantly, will he have asked Daddy's permission??

I have yet to hear of a girl who dreams they will be in sweatpants and a t-shirt, having just woken up from a 4-hour-nap in a Volvo station wagon. That she will be coughing and have snot running down her face. That her voice will sound utterly romantic - similar to that of a 90-year-old lunch lady with emphysema. And finally, that she will scream, "No, no, no - this is not happening. That ring is not real. No. I am in the car. I am still sleeping. No, no, no, NO!"

Christopher is one lucky fella.

Our engagement was a stereotypical Kristi Minsterman moment - an utter disaster. But it was beautiful and wonderful and romantic. I can't remember a single word he said. I don't remember what he was wearing or how many knees he got down on. I can't even remember if I said "yes" or just shook my head, or if "uh huh" eventually sputtered out of my mouth. It was PERFECT.

We had just gotten back home in Virginia from visiting Mama and Daddy in Pennsylvania for the Christmas holiday. I was just starting to get a terrible sinus infection so I slept the entire way home while Chris drove. By the time I walked in the door I was just so happy to be home that I didn't pay a lick of attention to anything else that was happening in the house. Mama had gotten me the rest of the Willow Tree nativity set for Christmas and I was so excited to set it up. So while Christopher unloaded the Volvo, I sat in sweatpants attempting to arrange the donkey so he had a clear view of baby Jesus. (A daunting task by the way; there are a lot of animals and Jesus is a TEENY TINY baby).

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Chris put my "guys" under the tree and they were holding a note. For those of you who are unaware of my childlike qualities, I am very much attached to my yellow baby blanket (Fluffy), a stuffed hippo I got from AK after my second arm surgery (Tubby), a lion from Joey, Robin and Sarah before my endoscopy (Leo Lionni) and a silly looking giraffe named Georgie. I assumed the note wasn't important so I ignored it. Don't judge - I could not be bothered by notes when I had sheep to position!

Finally, Chris said, "Look - your guys have something for you." I decided to humor him so I scooted over under the tree and read the note telling me to look up at the first ornament we had as a family. I was still utterly clueless and I glanced up to the cheapo Santa sled imprinted with "Our First Christmas" to see bling. Just bling. Shiny shiny bling. The bling was hanging from the sled ornament. No, that bling is not real. It's HUGE. ENORMOUS. He's playing a trick on me! What a mean boyfriend! He hates Christmas!


And then it clicked. It was real. It was a real diamond. It was a real ring. He wanted to marry me. Now get ready for it - every man's dream response: I start backing away from the tree. "No, no, this is not happening." And he's trying to get my attention. "Kristi, Kristi look at me." I keep moving toward the door. "No, it's not real, this is not happening." I find the courage to glance at him quickly and then my eyes shoot back to the tree. Here is where I basically collapse onto the ground.

I think he got on two knees since I was no longer standing. He grabbed my hands and starting saying stuff that for the life of me I can't remember. (I'm really angry about that too - I bet it was good stuff). I do recall him saying something about never wanting to spend another day without me. Here's where the screaming entered the scene. "YOU WANT TO MARRY ME. YOU WANT TO MARRY ME." Over and over again. Hugging and screaming. And then looking at the tree and again, "YOU WANT TO MARRY ME!" I didn't care about the ring at that point, or the wedding, or my runny nose, or my sweatpants - not even the fact that it was coming out as "YOU *cough* WANT *cough cough* TO *gag* ..." Chris got up, got the ring off the tree and put it on my finger. I think he asked again if I'd marry him but I don't remember. All I understood at that moment was that he was never going to leave me. And I told him so.

"Now you have to marry me and you can't leave me because divorce is a sin!"

Very romantic, Minsterman. Way to bring a little Catholic guilt into a beautiful moment that you want to tell your grandkids about someday...

For all you Curious Georges:
1. He DID ask Daddy while we were in Pennsylvania. He asked Daddy AND Bubby (my brother) at the same time. I admire his respect for my family so much, not to mention his COURAGE. There were guns in the truck!
2. He picked out the ring HIMSELF. Robin gave a little guidance, but I had nothing to do with it. I had no idea the engagement was coming and was completely oblivious to his ring shopping extravaganzas. The ring is GORGEOUS - exactly what I always dreamed of - very classic.

Twenty Bucks I'm Going To Marry Him

I love Facebook, really I do. I enjoy the ability to "stalk" people from the comfort of my home and be notified at the EXACT moment that an acquaintance from high school moves from "single" to "in a relationship." Almost a year ago, I was impatiently waiting on my new pink laptop to arrive and needed a way to pass the time. At this point I only had 100 friends or so and I think I went through every single person's page. My friend Tara, the mother of one of the boys in my kindergarten class, had posted new photos of the kids. I wanted to see what my little babino was up to since I left Charlottesville Catholic and low and behold I ran across a photo of Christopher being "Santa'd."

Now let me explain what it means to be Santa'd. Tara has this creepy plastic statue of St. Nick that is approximately the size of a second grader. In order to spread the holiday cheer all year long, her and the kids stash Santa in random places with the hopes of scaring the living daylights out of the victim. Santa has been put in refrigerators, closets, under the covers, and in Chris's case - the bathtub. After the victim has regained sanity, Tara makes sure to take a photograph of Santa getting some love. Here is the picture I ran across on Wednesday, January 23, 2008.

Chris giving Santa some sugar.

Since I am a classy girl, I was IMMEDIATELY attracted to the young man embracing a Santa in the bathtub. (Mind you at this point, I didn't know what Santa'ing was). Half jokingly I sent Tara an e-mail that read,

"Who is Chris and where can I get one?"

Apparently that's all you need these days to get asked out on a date. Suzie and I went to Catechism and Tara checked Christopher's availability and he e-mailed me. Within an hour we were on the phone making plans to meet the next night for coffee. After rummaging through 8 outfits and 3 fits of hyperventilation, I was ready to go. The second he walked in the door of Starbucks my nerves went through the roof. I ended up spilling my double shot of espresso (good for the stability of my hands) ALL over the table. That's not the embarrassing part though. The embarrassing part is that I pretended it didn't happen. I IGNORED the mess and kept rambling about Lord knows what. Chris had to actually stop me and clean the spill himself. I am quite the catch.

He asked me out for the next night and I went to his house on the other side of town. We just hung out and talked for a few hours and when I left I called Robin and said, "Twenty bucks, I'm going to marry him." I'm still waiting on my twenty, Fox. So I guess it wasn't love at FIRST sight, but more like second.