Our "Save The Date"

I really just wanted to check it off the list, as quickly as possible. Which is how it became an email rather than snail mail... but I have to say, how it turned out is far better than what I imagined.

While my Dad was taking pics of us for the "Save the Date", he was also filming us (which we didn't realize!), so when he nonchalantly showed us the film we were surprised and thought "this would be so much easier/cheaper to send out!" haha I'm a bit of a frugal fanny.

I love it so much, and I love that we'll have it forever. Take a peak.... :)

https://vimeo.com/79054481

Thanks, Dad! You're the best.

A Love Letter (Sort Of).

Dear Geo,

Before I say anything else, let me just list out a few of the reasons why I love you.

1. For finding and bringing home a dirty glass bottle because you knew I'd like it.
2. For going to Boston Market and knowing that their corn is my favorite.
3. For being open to a, let's pack up our bags and move, adventure.
4. For agreeing to a pricey wedding band because I love them.
5. For loving ice cream as much as me.

These are just a few reasons why I'm so excited to marry you.

But something I don't love and I'm not sure I'll ever understand is this:

It's a good thing you're so cute.

Things I loved today...

Not every day is a great day but I'm realizing it's important to notice even the smallest, more insignificant moments and find greatness in them. So in an effort to do so, let's talk about today... It was a fairly typical day but there were some things I really loved about it :)

1. Geo and I commuted into the city together. Usually I work from home but today I spent the day in the city for a client meeting and to review some things with my business partner. Did I enjoy the sweaty, stinky, stuffy ride in on the T? No. Did I enjoy every second of sitting next to my fiancee during a time of the day that we normally aren't together? Yes. Who wouldn't want to T it in with that face? :D

2. The smell of coffee in the morning - is there anything better?

3. Reading quotes by Gretchen Rubin in a Good Housekeeping magazine. I read her book, "The Happiness Project" last year and took so much away from it. Gretchen suggests that everyone create their own list of commandments, that they then live by, here are hers" 

1. Be Gretchen.
2. Let it go.
3. Act the way I want to feel.
4. Do it now.
5. Be polite and be fair.
6. Enjoy the process.
7. Spend out.
8. Identify the problem.
9. Lighten up.
10. Do what ought to be done.
11. No calculation.
12. There is only love.

Her book really struck a cord with me but if you're looking for just a snapshot of what she has to say about happiness, check out her blog! :) http://www.happiness-project.com/

4. Lastly, I really loved ending my day with Geo. Our schedules are so busy lately, it's truly rare that we spend a night alone, on the couch, cuddling and watching our favorite shows together. Tonight was one of the nights we did that and I loved it.

Now that I'm sitting here writing this post, I realize I could go on and on about the things I loved today, which just goes to show me that maybe it wasn't just a typical day, maybe if I sit down and think about my days more often, I'll realize how special each one is. Not a bad idea, not bad at all!

The Whole Story

We had spent close to 9 hours traveling from Boston to Playa and throughout the day we were SURROUNDED by honeymooners! haha Traveling can be frustrating and there were definitely a few tense moments between Geo and I, thank goodness for some good Fruit Ninja to ease the stress - nothing like a little friendly competition to get us back on track and smiling/laughing!

So, there we are roaming the very crowded beaches of Playa Del Carmen (it was Sunday so all the locals were enjoying their day off of work), exhausted, hot, a little grumpy. We decided to head back to the condo and just relax for the rest of the afternoon.

We get back to the condo and George suggests we go up to the roof deck to slow down and enjoy the scenery. Perfect. This will be a great way to get into vaca mode!

We're standing, looking out into the ocean, Geo standing behind me and the conversation goes like this: 

Me - "I really was hoping to surprise you with a day of fishing, but I haven't been able to get the logistics quite figured out yet."

George - "Oh really, well I have a surprise for you too."

Insert me thinking - "Oh I wonder if he got us massages!"

Then there's a slight delay, me waiting for him to tell me what he is surprising me with, finally I turn around to see what's up and there he is, ON HIS KNEE! :) I was in total shock. Total. Haha At first I thought he was joking and I tried to pull him up by his arm and then I noticed the ring. My response was something like, 

"Wait, what? really? What!? Is this real?"

We had discussed getting engaged but he had made it clear it wasn't going to happen in Mexico but would happen by the end of the summer. So I knew it was coming but I was dead set on a summer engagement and happy/excited about it. I was not prepared to be surprised at all! And boy was I surprised - I honestly can't remember the last time I was surprised like that. So amazing :) 

We decided to keep it a secret between us and our immediate family's so that we could enjoy the week in Mexico without checking and responding to emails/Facebook messages. It worked out great because we were able to completely relax and also keep this fun little secret to ourselves for a bit. 

That night we were so exhausted, we were sleeping by 8 pm! Haha No special engagement celebration or anything - just sleep and it was PERFECT. Exactly what we both needed :) I wouldn't change anything about our engagement story, the whole experience was more than I ever thought it would be. 

This is going to be a great adventure!

"Quotes Kept Close"

Digging through a pile of old stuff the other day and I came across a notebook that I titled, “Quotes Kept Close” and instantly starting browsing through the pages. I wrote down quotes from movies, books, friends, love interests, lovies and so on. Here are some of my favorite: 

“Love should be given freely” – Desmond Tutu

“How weightless words are when nothing will do” Philip Levine 

“But he reached for her hand and she reached for his hand and they leaped out the window, holding hands” – Brian Doyle (9/11)

“Me – what do you want to do tonight? Alex – have so much fun!” hehe

“Style alone constitutes a writers biography” – Gail Sher

“Sometimes I like to just sit by myself and think” – Friend, Abby Reid   

“Once all of your tears dry, let your troubles roll by” – Carbon Leaf song

“City life: millions of people being lonely together” – Thoreau

“When I’m with you the world feels bigger and better” – Mike (bf) I love that my 20 yr old heart wanted to keep this quote close.. 

“Pretty girls shouldn’t have to open doors” – Dave (boy) I’m sure this made my heart swell!

“Should I have slept with him” – L (friend) LOVE this because who else should you have to ask that question to besides yourself!? haha College years, gotta love them.

“Every phase in life is enjoyable because you’re in it” – My Mom! 

“I’ll walk away with you, we can hold hands” – Me to L. Friendship matters when love is failing.

“No matter where the mind goes, the heart always remembers” – Me to myself. Da and Alzheimers.

“I”m grumpy. My computer isn’t working and I’ve got the hiccups.” – Jackie

“I spoke Hebrew to them and they got boners” – Stacy – no idea what this is from but I laughhh. haha

“The sky is the hemline to heaven” – From the novel, “Loving Frank”.

“What Lyndsey was trying to say to me before, while she was trying to flatter me. Well, I could say the same about you, you don’t realize how great you are.” – Michael T. Such a sweet and clear memory for me.

“If you worry about all the what-if’s, you’ll miss all the could-be’s.” – Andy (bf)

“The most important decision a person will ever make is choosing the right person to spend the rest of their life with.” – Mom

“Wow, look at the waterfalls (on the side of the highway), it’s like we’re in the rain forest!” – Mattie

“To have faith is to believe unconditionally” – The Four Agreements (novel) 

This post has reignited my interest is quote keeping. I think I’ll pull out this little notebook for good.

Why Hello, have we met before?

Round 2.

Blogging gives me such sweet satisfaction, it’s amazing to me how long I’ve been able to go without it. I suppose, like most things, it’s all about timing. Timing has brought me back to blogging – everything else in my life is moving forward, so why should my blogging stay paused?

So, I’m back to the blogosphere with a new title, and newly found motivation to keep this part of me alive simply because it makes me happy 

Other things that make me happy right now:

Mumford & Sons on Pandora (quite literally, “right now”).

The pre-battered chicken I bought for dinner tonight.

An old friendship, once badly bruised, now slowly regaining strength.

This blog: http://joannagoddard.blogspot.com/

My Mom’s happiness and ability to ask for help when life gets to be too much.

A new outlook on my boyfriends obsession with Ulitmate Frisbee (yes, it’s a real sport, one that he plays multiple times a week!).

Birchbox is coming this week – I’m sometimes a bit materialistic. Getting goodies of an unknown nature is so much fun!

DVR.

My sister, Mattie’s text, “Getting my nose pierced in 15 mins…didn’t tell Mom, Lord help me”. Well, can’t say I’m upset to be missing out on the dinner conversation tonight…

It’s June 4th and summer weather is surely just around the corner 

What is making you happy today?

The Big V

Today is Valentine's Day and besides the incessant amount of flowers I've noticed everywhere, it doesn't really feel like it. Perhaps it has something to do with telling my boyfriend not to do anything special, "save your money", or perhaps it has to do with my boyfriend being horribly sick yesterday, or perhaps it has something to do with us being in different states today or lastly, perhaps it has something to do with the awful fight we got into over the weekend and the inability to see beyond those moments of anger and onto the day of love that was just ahead of us... 

Or maybe, it just doesn't feel like Valentine's Day because to me, it's not a big deal and never really has been? 

It could be a combination of all these things but I do know one thing for certain, from here on out I will not be telling my boyfriend, "don't worry hon, let's not celebrate" because my goodness, saying no to your boyfriend when he's offering to do something nice... well, that's just stupid. 

Babe, here we are TWO years and 1 day later and we are still kickin' it :) Every awful fight (including this past one), every silly moment, every decision we make together, every shared experience, every conversation and every kiss, brings us one step closer to the strongest most united relationship I've ever been in. Something tells me we're going places...perhaps all the way to the moon and back ;)