Two months and counting...

Two months from today by this time, we will have said our "I do's" and will officially be husband and wife! We seriously can't believe it is almost our wedding day! We are so excited and anxious and ready for it to get here! We have a whole lot to do in the next two months. We're officially in the crunch time, and the to-do lists are never-ending. I wanted to share a few of the sweet memories we've made over the last few months! It has been such an amazing time with all our friends and family, and we are so thankful we get to share this journey with them!

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.

Life Update

When I said I was taking a break from writing about wedding planning, what I apparently meant was that I was taking a break from writing period 😂 BUT, lucky for you, I am back with lots of updates to share!

On the wedding planning front:
We really haven't done too much since the last time I gave an update. I was so eager to begin planning last year that I have been able to take long breaks from doing stuff without too much stress. We picked out groomsmen attire back in August, and it was way more stressful than picking out bridesmaids dresses. I am not at all familiar with men's dress clothes (and truthfully, neither is Al), so we are very thankful for our brother Khyne who came with us and helped us make decisions! The guys are all gonna look so handsome, especially my guy!

We finally sent out our save the dates, designed by my cousin Chris. We loved them so much and were thrilled to finally be able to share them with our favorite people! Dropping them off at the post office was one of my favorite things I've done so far because I knew it made our date so real! We hope everyone who got one loved them as much as we did!

In September, my mom, my mom's best friend Ms. Ashlie, my Mama Chellie and I all went and picked the cotton we are going to be using in our wedding! Ms. Ashlie's boyfriend Jim is a farmer and he so kindly let us use his cotton for our big day! I didn't realize how big my love for cotton is until I saw the acres of it. I've heard that it is referred to as "southern snow," and in my heart that is very fitting because I adore snow and my feelings for cotton are now mutual. We can't wait to pull all the cotton together and turn it into something beautiful for our big day. We also can't say thank you enough to Ms. Ashlie and Mr. Jim for contributing to our day!

I have started buying wedding party and parent presents recently, and I'm so excited about giving these gifts to our people. We appreciate them so much and are so thrilled that they have taken time out of their busy lives to be a part of this season of our life. These presents are simply a reflection of the gratitude that we are feeling for them, and we can't wait until the day before our wedding to give them away!

On November 13th, Al and his groomsmen are going to the Panthers game for his bachelor party. His dad (who is his best man) surprised him with a jersey to tell him about the game. He is super excited to go to his first professional football game, and anyone who knows Al knows that the Panthers are his favorite team. I know they're going to have a blast, and I'm so happy Al gets to experience his first NFL game with all of his favorite guys!

On December 10th, my sisters and mom are hosting my first bridal shower and it's CHRISTMAS themed!!! Anyone who knows me knows that I live and breathe for Christmastime, and I can't wait to see all the things my sisters and mom are going to do for my Christmas-lovin' heart. I didn't realize how many women I have in my life who have impacted and encouraged me until I began making the list of people to invite to the shower, but I am so thankful to have them all. I can't wait to see everyone together during my favorite time of year!

I really think that is all we've done since July or August, and I am currently okay with that. I know everything is about to get crazy. On the third, we will be four months away, and we are so ready to celebrate and finally be married! Once I have more to share, I will try my best to do so!


On the life front:
AL GOT A NEW JOB! We are so thankful for the opportunity he has been given to try something new, to be working from home, and to have weekends off! He went to Chattanooga for training for a month, and not only did he learn a lot, he fell in love with the place. He already can't wait to go back at the end of November (minus the part about leaving me at home). That was the toughest part about him being gone. He said multiple times he would never come home if I was there with him. Soon enough we'll be able to move wherever God calls us together! He is adjusting to work-from-home life and is still learning the ropes, but I am so proud of him for doing what is best for our family. He is already such a great provider, and I can't wait for it to be just him and me figuring out life together. Keep him in your prayers for the next few months as he gets the hang of the newness and change! He is going to do great things, and I can't say enough how proud of him and happy for him I am!

We got to celebrate with our sweet friends, Katy and Cleveland, as they got married last weekend! I was a bridesmaid, and I was honored that Katy wanted me to stand by her side. She is like one of my big sisters, and I am so happy for her and Cleve. They are going to have a beautiful life together, and we can't wait to see where God takes them. Their wedding got us even more excited for our wedding and really kicked us into gear, which we definitely needed! Everything about their day was perfect and beautiful, and we loved getting to share in that with them!

Halloween is Tuesday, and we are gearing up to go trick-or-treating with our sweet goddaughter. She loves Halloween (because candy duh) and I love seeing her happy! Her personality gets bigger every year, and she did a great job trick-or-treating last year, so I know this year is going to be even more fun! A few weeks later is her third birthday, and I am in denial that she is growing so fast. I love getting to celebrate all these sweet milestones with her, and I'm so thankful her mama has let me be a part of every possible minute of her life!

This time of year is just the best, and we are so excited for the holidays with our family and friends. This time next year we'll be making our own holiday traditions with our little family, and we can't wait! We're soaking up all the best moments before a lot of life starts to change. There is so much to look forward to in this season, and I don't think either of us have ever been happier!

We celebrated a year of engagement this month, and soon enough we'll be saying "I do." I am honored that I get to do life with my best friend, and I cannot wait to be his wife! Keep praying for us as we take on these new roles! Until next time, I hope you all get to eat so much candy and carve all the pumpkins! Hopefully I'll write again before Thanksgiving (lol) but if not, enjoy that turkey coma too!

Xoxo,
Morgan