Flowers Flower Everywhere...

So I have an idea for what I want as my bouquet. I found a picture and absolutely love it! Anyway here it is.

It is red roses, Seeded eucalyptus, and hypericum berries.

Registration

Casey and I went with Chase and Darla to Roanoke and registered at Target and Bed, Bath, and Beyond. We are also registered at Amazon.com. We were in Roanoke forever! My feet and lower back hurt so bad after we were done.

We went to Target first and registered for everyday dishes and some other fun stuff. We traded scanners with the Chase and Darla and scanned something random. It was hilarious. After that we went to Olive Garden and ate yummy food. Calamari, salad, bread sticks, Zuppa Toscana, and Chicken and Gnocchi soup. It was all so good.

Our next stop was Bed, Bath, and Beyond. By that point Casey and I were a bit tired. It got progressively worse as we walked through the store. The scanners at Target were much better. After a little while, we both started getting really tired and sore. We put pretty much everything on our list onto the registry. There are a few more things that we need to put on there, but it is ok, it will get done.

That is all for now!

Quick Bridesmaid Update

I have a picture of the capes. They will be white. I'm not sure if they will have the muff or not. It all depends on cost ;-).

My mom will be making these, so don't worry about buying them.

Let the Planning Commence!

I am so bad about updating these things!

Short update: I am engaged!!!

Long update:
Casey and I decided a while back that we wanted to get married. The only problem was timing and money.
Timing: With Dad leaving for Afghanistan in late June we had a quandary. November felt right, but we had to make sure that it would be kosher with the Army. We still have no definite word on that, but we should know when dad gets there.
Money: Casey has none. No money = no ring. The only reason that we were not engaged before now is because I did not have a ring. We decided that we could wait until the summer for it to be official.

The Story:
March is the month of proposals here at SVU. Mariel and Erik got engaged on the 20th and Darla and Chase got engaged on the 21st. I was feeling pretty crappy at that point. It was obnoxious to me that all of them could wear shiny rings and plan stuff while I felt left out and anxious for my own. I, of course, expressed these frustrations to Casey. He in turn talked to Kory and Rachael about his own frustrations. They told him that they thought we deserved to be engaged just as much as anyone. This lead to a fun little idea.

He asked me if I was ok with a borrowed ring until he could buy me one. I told him that I was ok with waiting, but to use his best judgment. He decided to take the ring from Kory and Rachael so that he could give it to me. I knew that he had the ring, but I had no idea when or how he would propose.

There was a dance on the 27th of March. Casey had rehearsal before the dance and I went down with my amazing roommate Mo! We danced for a bit and then he got out of rehearsal. About halfway through the dance our song, She's Got a Way by Billy Joel, came on and we started dancing. He sang a little bit to me. He was shaking pretty bad and I figured that he was about to propose. When he got down on one knee in the middle of the dance floor I was still totally taken by surprise. "Rachel, will you marry me?" He said with the box in hand. I took the ring and hugged him. "Nothing would make me happier." was my response. I have never uttered a truer statement. We hugged and spun around for what seemed like forever. Finally I handed the ring back to him and said, "are you gonna put that thing on me or what?" He shakily slid the ring onto my finger and we hugged and kissed again.

After that everything is kind of a blur. Everyone was cheering, the DJ announced what had just happened, and 50 million people hugged me. Out in the hallway I called my mom and a few others. Liisa, my maid of honor, was really happy to hear that it was finally official. After a few pictures, a bunch of us left to go to Leehi's. It was so great. I still can't believe that I am engaged!

So again, we are planning on November 21. We will be getting married in the Washington DC Temple. There will be two receptions, one in Northern Virginia and one in Georgia about a week later. Here is a little wedding info:

Colors: Cranberry and Sage

Registries: Target and Bed, Bath, and Beyond(nothing on them yet). We might also register at Amazon.com.

My Dress: Casey saw it before we started dating... oh well. The colored panel and sash will be sage green. I want a white, fur trimmed cape to wear out in the cold VA air.

Casey's outfit: Tux with a cranberry vest and tie.

Bridesmaid Dresses: They will be cranberry... that is all I know so far. I am also considering white capes with fur trimmed hoods for the bridesmaids too. These will be sewn by my mom.

Groomsmen: Tuxes with cranberry vests and ties.

That is about all I have for now.

Christmas Past and New Years Plans

Happy late Christmas to all! It has been a crazy few days. The rest of my family is sick and I am trying to not get sick. I leave for BV tomorrow, which is a few days ahead of when I was planning originally, but I will talk about that later.

Christmas was wonderful! My dad had to put a bow on his head as he does every year. He is opening a gift from me. I made both my parents a mix cd. So yes, I put that huuuge bow on a slim cd case. I love to do silly things like that. Anywho, we ate waffles for breakfast and then go to the presents. It was good fun other than the fact that Bix felt like poo. Ah well, such is life I suppose. I had a pretty good haul from the parents and Bix this year. Bix gave me The Office season 3 and the rest is from the 'rents.
Good stuff this year. The books are all of Jane Austen's novels. I know, I know, I am a romantic but I am totally ok with that.
Dinner was standing rib-roast. It was crusted with rosemary and horseradish. So tasty and delicious. We also had stuffed mushrooms and spinach and apple salad with apple balsamic dressing and goat cheese.

My parents are silly and like to dance. They did this while dinner was cooking, so I took advantage of their momentary lapse in attention and took a few pictures.

For New Years Eve I am heading up to noVA. I am going to a party with a Casey and then we are going to stay at Mo's house. It should be a lot of fun! I am ready to go back up to BV and see the people that are there. I haven't spent nearly enough time with my now married friends and I am staying with two of them, so I am excited. Anyway, I have lots to do before I leave tomorrow!

My Hairs Be Cut

So as you can see, I got my hairs cut! Yup, I said hairs. I am really happy with the change. It was long overdo in my opinion. Also, pay no attention to the ghost dad in the background. He didn't get out of the picture fast enough. I haven't had bangs since I was probably 12 or 13 so it is a little weird to see them when I look up.

My life is kind of boring. Alas! I wish I had some funny stories to tell everyone, but as it is I don't. I have been listening to the Lord of the Rings audio books. I don't really have time to read them before my Orson Scott Card class next semester, and this is a lot easier. I can't wait for that class. I mean seriously, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien taught by Orson Scott Card! How could life get any better? I don't think it could. I am definitely going to have a full plate next semester, but I am ok with that. 17 credits and 2 institute classes. I am also going to try and get a job so that I have more money to take to England with me in July.

I can't wait to go back to England! It is one of my favorite places. That is what I have decided. After my trip in 2007 I can't get enough of England. Beauty, history, great fun. What more could you ask for? Not much... not much. I will be spending 3 glorious weeks there. We will be in London and then Oxford, but the Professor that is going with us will be letting us go other places as long as we go with other people and let him know first. On a small side note, I will be there when Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince comes out in theaters!!!! I am so excited that I don't even have words to express it!

That is about all I have to say for this post. I suppose my life is a bit more exciting than I thought.

Home!

I got home a few hours ago. That drive just seems to get longer each time. 8 hours isn't too bad, but it still seems like it takes forever. Being home just feels so great. I love it. Good food, great company, comfy bed, and fuzzy cat. Good times.

Finals went well. So far, I have stellar grades this semester, but not all of them are posted. After my German final on Thursday I drove up to Northern Virginia with some friends to see a friend. She didn't end up getting there (after being in China for a semester) while we were there, but I had fun being in NOVA anyway.

One of my close friends and I ate the best sushi ever. Then we went to see my old house, followed by his old house. We used to live about 30 minutes away from each other and didn't even know it. Anyway, Casey and I met up with one of his good friends Grant and wandered around the mall for a while. Then we went to Grant's house and played Rock Band for a few hours. It was great fun. After that, we went to see Casey's Dad's bluegrass band play. That was super fun. Finally, we drove two hours to Casey's house to stay the night and head back to SVU in the morning. We left at about 8am and I picked up a friend and then dropped her off at the airport on the way home.

That is about it for me. Merry Christmas to all. I may post again on or after Christmas!