Al and his groomsmen went to the Panthers/Miami game in Charlotte for his bachelor party, and from all the stories I heard, they had a blast! The Panthers crushed Miami, so that made for an even better time! Al and his friends were able to skate some cool spots in Charlotte while they were there, which I know made this trip even more fun for him. He has some pretty cool friends, and it meant so much to him that they all wanted to be there to celebrate this occasion with him. I know he is so grateful for his dad (his best man) for planning that trip for all of them and for making sure everything went smoothly! It was a success, and they all made a lot of really great memories!
My mom and sisters hosted my first bridal shower on December 10th. It was everything I dreamed it would be and more. I am obsessed with Christmas, so it was only fitting for my shower to be Christmas-themed. They both put so much time and effort into making sure it was the perfect day, and I am so grateful for them. I was overwhelmed by all the love I received that day from so many of the most important women in my life. I was truly showered with love and gifts galore, and I could not be more thankful. We started the day by eating and visiting with each other. Kayla had some games set out for when people walked in, so after everyone was done eating, she told the answers to the games. One of the games was "Guess the Bride and Groom's Ages." I knew this game was happening because I had to tell her the ages Al and I were in the pictures, and I told her from the beginning that Al's mom would win because she has a really good memory. I was right, she did win, but she had a little competition from my sweet friend Abigail. They tied, and both won some kind of goodies! The other game was "Who Knows the Bride Best?," and I had no idea who would end up winning that one. The questions were pretty tough, but one thing almost every person in the room knew about me was how many kids I want to have 😂. In the end, my college roomie Brittany and my soon-to-be sis-in-law Lauren won the prizes for that game. After that, I opened presents for what seemed like hours. I'm telling yall... I was spoiled. My sweet goddaughter was right by my side the entire day. She was such a great helper while I was opening presents, and I wouldn't have had it any other way. These pictures are a treasure to me, and I wish I could share them all, but I thought I would share a few of my favorites. I'm so glad I have these to remember this day by! A huge thank you to every single lady who came out to celebrate this sweet day with me! I cherish my relationship with all of you, and I'm so grateful for the impact you have had on my life throughout the years!
Two major life events have happened over the last few months aside from wedding festivities: I graduated from college, and we got our first apartment together! College was not always easy for me, so I was surprised to feel sad when it was finally over. I technically finished college in July, but my graduation day was in December. My sweet family and so many of my friends came to celebrate with me as I walked across the stage! It feels good to be a college graduate, and I truly am thankful for the time I spent at UNCW. That day was an ending of sorts, but it was also a beginning. Before graduation, we came by and picked up the keys to our new home! It was truly a God thing the way this all worked out! We are in love with our new space, and we can't wait to continue making it home for the next year! We are so grateful for this time in life!
Lastly, we got to spend all the holidays with our family and friends! The holidays are so special to me, and I am so glad we got to be with both of our families for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. Many times, we've had to be apart in order to be with both families, but we were able to work it out to spend a little bit of time with both sides this year. As we're getting married and starting our own traditions with our own family, we know that holidays and previous traditions will start to change, so I'm so thankful we were able to make the most of this year with all our family! We have been so busy but so happy these last few months as the holidays have come and gone. I truly wish it could be Christmas all the time!
However, here we are in the new year... OUR WEDDING YEAR! We spent New Years in the mountains with some of our friends, and it was so awesome ringing in 2018 with snow outside in a place we had never been before! We can't wait to make our way back to the mountains for our honeymoon!
I cried (a lot) when that clock turned midnight because I am just in disbelief that this year is finally here. I posted some of this on Facebook, but I have felt a calling on my life for many years now to be a wife and a mother, and I am so overwhelmed with excitement and joy that this time is finally here! Two months from today, we will be getting married, and I am so ready for this next chapter of life. We can't say thank you enough to everyone who is giving their time and energy to us to make sure our wedding day is a dream. We feel so invested in and so supported, and we know how lucky we are to feel that! Thank you to everyone who continues to read my sporadic blog posts about wedding planning. Life gets so busy and blogging takes some time, but I appreciate every person who is interested in my little life and my little stories! Hopefully I'll blog again before wedding day... but let's be real life is only going to get more hectic from here!
Xoxo,
The Future Mrs.
