Happy May!

Happy Saturday! Here are a few of my latest pics. I've gotten to travel a lot lately, which has been great (but my work trip definitely added stress to wedding planning!)

A few weekends ago I went to see Mom and James and had a wonderful time! My flight was delayed 3 hours, so Mom so graciously stayed up really late to get me around 1130pm! 

I love that she always gets flowers for me!

 James took me to this delicious Persian restaurant and I loved all the flowers all over the place...So pretty!

 I have a fellow foodie at heart here...We found some "savory tea" like beet cabbage and broccoli cilantro...that was so bizarre sounding, how could we NOT try it?! His was better than mine, and pretty much tasted like drinking soup broth...I told myself I was getting lots of healthy nutrients ;) hehe

 Then, I went on a 9 day work trip to Atlanta, Savannah and Charleston. While it was really long, it was great to meet people I've worked with over the phone for the past 5 years, and to see the rails and ports and the operations of what I do - over the phone and computer - every day.

The boxes got up to 7 high...While I was in Savannah, they had a huge storm with 95mph winds that knocked 200 empty boxes off...! Did you know that the Savannah port is the 4th busiest in the US? And that it ships 90% of the US's chicken exports out of there? Now you do! ;) haha It was really interesting, just to see what goes on behind the scenes...to see how it affects my job...and just from a supply chain logistics standpoint, how we get our goods in the stores...there is so much that goes on that we don't even think about! (yes, needing out here right now... ;))

An APL vessel happened to be at port, which Iw as really excited about! It's huge compared to me.

 My favorite trucker took us out to eat on the water front and it was an incredible meal!! Fresh seafood too...oh man. That was so good.

 Then we came back, and since I managed to have a hearty wedding meltdown while being gone from Phil for 9 days, he took me to the place we were thinking of for our reception, and that helped significantly for me to see it and for us to lock down on our plans.

Just so happens that the lakefront lodge we've rented is perfect for sunsets...

 Phil watered my flowers while I was gone, and when I walked in the door, not only did I see a big bouquet of flowers, and find raspberries in my fridge all ready for me to eat, but he had drawn on some bananas he bought me...I think someone missed me as much as I missed him ;)

11 weeks from today I get to marry him! I'm really excited :)

ENGAGED!

Since everyone already knows the story, I'll just fill in some pictures :) Saturday, Samuel had a friend over. He has a hard time sharing...and was being mean to his friend. Phil was in another room, so I stepped in and talked with him. Phil came out after I was done and handed me the below note...It made me want to stand 10' tall ... his encouragement was priceless and awesome :)

 That same day we went to the park with the kids and planned to hike around. It was beautiful weather. The kids dawdled and one was very whiney, so it wasn't particularly enjoyable ;) There were moments that were good tho. So phil caught Ellie and I stuffing our faces... (Good news - I was able to eat a sandwich from Jimmie Johns!! WOW God is amazing, to be bringing food back!)

 Hiking with the kids...

 This was our Sunday hike after church, just Phil and I. He so cutely wanted to match me for "selfie pictures"...he knew full well that we'd be taking pics once engaged, and wanted to make sure we looked good. So cute. :)

 It was pretty and there were tons of wildflowers, and a little stream.

 Then I threw up my hammock by the stream. This is THE MOST unflattering picture...I was telling him to not take a picture to show a double chin...and he did...

 But then we laughed really hard about it ;)

 It was so peaceful.

 Then he took me downtown by his office to "pick up some work stuff" and very suavely took me to the big bridge overlooking the Cumberland River. After he proposed, he saw this couple walking by with a picture frame - they had just taken engagement photos... so we borrowed that and had them take pictures for us ;)

 I love the excitement and joy on both faces :)

 And he captured my "oh my gosh we're getting married" action...haha

 The kids were really excited when we got home. Samuel kept crawling in to my lap.

 I have my mouth full, but I like this picture because it feels like home. I'm really looking forward to having them as my family :)

YAY! :)

So this weekend was pretty much my favorite one in a really long time! We helped out with a foster kid event on Friday night. Saturday we did the best ropes course/zipline I've ever done (birthday gift from Phil), bought my BBQ (birthday gift from Phil) and saw Do You Believe? (Excellent movie). Sunday we went to the morning service (0800 - eek! Early!) Then went to the botanical gardens with 100,000 tulips, had a picnic, then went back to his place so he could work and I could read. And I made a delicious bbq meal...that Phil LOVED. So that made us BOTH really happy! :) Here are some pics! 

Phil wanted to take lots of pics of me...it was really cute ;)

 Aren't these tulips incredible?!

 

Sooo awesome...

Phil does a great job entertaining little kids...here he is juggling cotton candy ;)

 And he quickly gets a very rapt audience when doing magic tricks!

The kids LOVED him :) I was proud to be with him...

Hamming it up at Home Depot when we were getting my grill... ;)

 This ropes course was seriously amazing. We went for 3 hours and still didn't finish it - we were hungry and fatigued. Each segment was different than the others and got progressively harder. This was one that you swung on a rope into a net and then climbed up to get to the next segment :)

 Back to the picnic at the botanical gardens. It was the PERFECT day - perfect weather, perfect date, perfect company... yah, Im smitten, I know...

He boiled eggs for us, and I had 4 new types of salt to try, so we did a salt taste test - haha. Two Hawaiian salts (black and red), a Himalayan salt, and truffle salt...truffle lost, Hawaii won.

Grilling on his porch Sunday night...

Such a fun weekend! Happy Easter!!