The Wedding Party

May 16th was one of the most perfect days in all of history.  Even though I am positive every bride says that about their own wedding day.  But it was truly a day I never wanted to end.    

When Andrew and I began planning our wedding reception we had a few requests.  Our first decision was that we were not having a reception... we were having a party.  And a party to us meant absolutely no line.  There was nothing that sounded worse to me than standing in a line for hours.  We wanted to celebrate.  Celebrate by spending time with the people we loved most and eating lots of really good food.  

We also requested that our party was an outdoor party.  Luckily, the Menlove's have the most stunning backyard.  And luckily, thanks to my mother's continual prayers, the weather was nothing but perfect.  Overcast.  Not too hot, not too cold.  And our final request was fire.  Our wedding had to involve fire because not only did our relationship begin with fire dancing but it was the way Andrew had proposed to me.  

Andrew and I have been blessed with the most amazing group of friends.  We are so grateful each and everyone of these great people spent the whole day partying with us.

And we are even more blessed with the most amazing families.

Missing our Katie.  Luckily her cardboard twin could attend and was the most popular guest there.

Andrew had one request.  Okay I lied... he had a few.  He wanted a medieval themed wedding complete with chickens, pigs, knights, horses, and a bounce house.  And as you can see that request didn't quite make the cut.  However, his other request was rootbeer floats.  Rootbeer was Andrew's first love and it began when he was a very small child so rootbeer floats was a must.  And what goes better with rootbeer floats than burgers?  Luckily my dad is best friends with the owner of Hire's Big H and so we ended up with the most amazing food I think there ever was at a wedding. 

All our darling grandparents

Probably the most darling and my very favorite guest to attend our wedding.

Andrew and I both share a hatred for too much frosting and so a naked cake was the most perfect solution.  Not only did it turn out stunning, it was delicious, and it matched that whole stripe thing we had going on.

So grateful that Tracy captured these moments.  The true Beth and Andrew captured below.

The battle for the bouquet.  The struggle is real.

My very favorite picture.  He is the most handsome groom I have ever seen.

I don't think I've ever cried harder.  And luckily there are zero pictures of me not sobbing during the daddy-daughter dance.  So grateful for my darling dad who gave me the party of my dreams.

Andrew has a knack for surprising me which is generally pretty hard to do considering I am the nosiest person on the planet.  But I about died of surprise watching these fireworks go off after our last dance.  Thanks to our groomsmen-fire-technicians for helping make that happen. 

And an even greater thanks to my very best friend who planned, prayed, crafted, baked, and made sure every little detail was absolutely perfect.

We ended the night with one last surprise for our guests.  After a few failed attempts the night before we came up with the perfect mixture of gasoline and oils to create the most grand exit there ever was.  Because lets be real an exit isn't grand if there isn't fire lining your path.  

    

One final thanks to my Uncle Mark for letting us drive his baby.

Our photographer Tracy Hill.

Our florist Christianne Cox.

Our band Stone Mountain.

Penelope for creating my dress.

And Chase Busath for the film that we cannot wait to see!

Dancing with Fire

I've been waiting for it to hit...  For it to finally click that I am engaged.  Engaged to my very favorite person on the planet.  But a week later it still feels so surreal.  Considering the amount of times I am glancing down at my left hand everyday you would think I would have realized.  But I still wake up every morning feeling as surprised and giddy as ever that there is a shiny perfect ring staring back at me.

We had picked it out over a month ago.  A month of secret keeping.  A month of not-so-patiently waiting.  A month of begging.  Begging to see it.  Begging for clues.  The only clue I got was "snow."  He said it had to be snowing.  I naively believed.  I accepted the fact that I probably wouldn't be engaged until Christmas break.  I got excited about how magical a Christmas engagement could be.  And I completely let my guard down.  Silly silly girl.  Smart smart boy.

Now before I tell the rest of our story we have to rewind.  Rewind to April.  A few weeks before our first date.  We were all at Andrew's house sitting around a fire roasting marshmallows and chatting.  Somehow the fact that Andrew could fire knife came up and of course we begged him to show us.  I had never seen fire knifing before and to say the least I was very impressed.  As I sat completely mesmerized watching him toss and spin the burning knife, one of my very best friends, Jane, leaned over and whispered, "oh my gosh Beth you should go for him." I quickly replied no, no he was totally off limits.  He was one of my best friend's older brothers.  But nonetheless the boy who could make fire dance had caught my eye.  And when he called a few weeks later asking me on our first date I was hardly excited.

Now fast forward.  Back to November 30th.  (my now favorite day of the year)  We were sitting on the porch waiting for my family so that we could go down to the  beach for a little fire spinning show.  It was nothing out of the normal.  He had done it once before for my family and my mom was determined to get it on film this time.  As we waited, he practiced and I watched.  And without a clue of what would happen next I reminded him that "his first fire spinning show was what caught my eye."  He just smiled.  Probably stoked out of his mind about how perfectly my comment fell into the plans for the night.

He did his show on the beach.  Not only was my family watching but a crowd of bystanders had gathered to watch on the boardwalk.  As he spun I was completely preoccupied trying to get a good picture that I had been insisting he should instagram.  He ended and still clueless I became worried that his one-knee ending had gotten him stuck.  When he called me over I went over with every intention of helping him get up without scorching his legs off.  But instead out came a little black box.  My mind went b l a n k.  I was taken completely off guard.  As usual NOT what I had planned.  "Elisabeth, will you marry me?"  The world seemed to slow down and speed up at the same time.  Instant tears, a "yes," more tears, a few screams, and even more screams.

And now I am engaged.  To my very best friend… the boy who made fire dance.

To watch a video of our proposal click the following link…

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0pWx7N4s40

                   

s.i.x.

Six months ago today Andrew kissed me for the first time on top of a jeeping trail called Hell's Revenge in Moab.  I know that sounds a tad redneck but it was honestly the most perfect kiss to ever exist.  It was what I like to call a "movie moment."  

We jeeped up to the peak of the trail and climbed up to sit on top of the roof of his jeep to watch a lightning storm out in the distance lighting up the silhouettes of the arches.  It was breathtaking and it left both of us almost speechless.  The world was completely silent and it felt like we were the only two people on planet earth.  I could have sat there for hours.  It was just one of those moments you never want to end.  And then the next thing I knew he looked at me, grabbed my face and kissed me.  Instant 

b u t t e r f l i e s.  

Ever since that first kiss I've been falling for him.  And even though I think each day I am really really in love with him, I am surprised the next day because I end up loving him even a little more than the day before.  

So to celebrate six months of a ridiculously sappy Beth I thought I would be sappy yet again and share SIX things I love about Andrew… 

1.  He's my biggest fan.  He supports me in just about everything I do.  He's the first and probably most faithful reader of this blog.  He is continually encouraging me to do what I love.  To him, the sky is my limit and he will be behind me in whatever I want to do.

2.  He's a hard worker.  He is always working on a project.  And not only is he always working but he is always doing everything he does one hundred percent.  He never does something half way.  It's all or nothing.  

3.  He's willing to make my dreams come true.  I wanted a Harry Potter party.  He built me Hogwarts.  He goes above and beyond to have a good time and to make sure I am happy.  

4.  He's tone deaf.  I love that someone else can sing as off key as I do.  Car rides with us is a real treat and I  love that he is willing to sing just as loud as I do.  

5.  He can make me laugh.  And it's not just dumb humor.  He's witty and clever which I love.  I love clever people.  I also love that he can laugh at his own mistakes and the hilarious things that seem to be always going wrong in our life… aka spills, falls, and just about every other clumsy thing possible.    

6.  He's still a child.  He likes animated movies almost as much as I do.  He is always down for a practical prank.  And he has an equally wild imagination.       

Six things I love, to celebrate six of my very favorite months.

s.i.x.

Quite Like You

I am a people person.  I love people and I love being surrounded by people.  However, I am also a firm  believer in alone time.  In fact I used to thrive on alone time.  I used to demand alone time.  Key word being "used."  

Last year I nannied one of my favorite families for a week while their parents were out of town.  It is one of my very favorite jobs not only because I adore ADORE their family but also because once the kids are at school I get the whole house completely to myself.  Perfect for my coveted alone time.  My time to write.  Think.  Meditate.  Sing at the top of my lungs or dance around the kitchen island.  Just my time.  

This September I once again began a week of my favorite job, however, my first morning I was met with a completely unexpected surprise.  As I sat eating my breakfast in complete silence and solitude I realized I was somehow totally miserable.  An honest outrage because generally an uninterrupted breakfast by myself is one of my very favorite things.  For a few minutes I couldn't put my finger on it.  Why in the world I was so miserable.  And then it hit me...  I was lonely.  A somewhat foreign feeling for the firm-believer-thriver-and-demander-of-at-least-one-hour-of-alone-time-everyday.  But I was lonely and antsy and I could blame it on no one other than Andrew.  

Quite honestly he has turned me into a total fruit.  He's turned me into that sappy girl I used to hate.  The girl I said I would never be.

I used to loathe PDA (public display of affection).  Even holding hands made me feel extremely uncomfortable.  I would carry five different things in both hands just to avoid it.  Now... I seem to be holding Andrew's hand just about everywhere we go.

The worst part is I miss him whenever I am not with him.  In fact, I can't stand being alone these days.  I have to be with him.  From the very second I say goodnight I start missing him.  And when I wake up I am grumpier than ever because once again...
I am  m i s s i n g him
I am missing him all dang day long.  At class.  At work.  While I run errands.  Missing, missing, missing him.  As I said... I have become a TOTAL fruit.

This weekend Andrew went camping and to my horror I realized I was babysitting and wouldn't be able to attend.  Meaning... a WHOLE night without him.  Which is kinda a big deal because I haven't gone a night without him since we started dating.  (Besides two weeks of vacations this summer.)  To say the least I was really really dreading Friday night... Okay I am being a tad dramatic, it honestly wasn't that bad.  I had a grand time with my Cal girl.  But once again, all things aside, I ended the night... missing him.  But this time twice as much as normal because I went a WHOLE ENTIRE day without him.  

This weekend inspired a poem.  The first poem of a new series of shorter poems.  A series I like to call "Between the Rhymes."  A new series from a new Beth.  A hold-his-hand-everywhere-we-go-alone-time-hater-always-want-to-be-with-him-completely-in-love Beth.

Red Kites and Blueberry Pop-tarts

If you haven't watched We Bought a Zoo I highly HIGHLY recommend you do.  It is one of my very favorite movies of all time.  And coming from a movie junkie obviously that means it must be really quite amazing.  It is one of those movies that just makes you feel good.  Really good.  Meaning... it made me cry.  It also has the most phenomenal soundtrack.  So really what more can you ask for?

One of my very favorite parts of the movie is one that is probably not memorable for most people.  And the quote I love most isn't one of the quotes you will find floating around Pinterest.    

"She loved red kites and blueberry pop-tarts." -Benjamin Mee       

It seems like a completely pointless line until you put it into context.  This quote comes from the part where Benjamin Mee, the main character, is describing his wife who recently passed away...  "I thought if I came out here it would stop.  Back home everything reminded me of her... the air in August and May because those were the months that her favorite bushes grew flowers all over our neighborhood... And seriously I am avoiding half the isles.  Condiments.  Pastries, forget about it.  She loved red kites and blueberry pop-tarts.  I mean, who doesn't, right?"  

I love the details in life.  I am all about the details in fact.  The details just make life so much richer.  So much better.  And when you notice the details in life it just gives you that many more things to fall in love with.  

Ever since I was a little girl I have noticed the details.  Sometimes I will buy an article of clothing just because of the maroon stitching or a really intricate zipper.  I love a certain word in a certain sentence in a book.  I love the little things about people.  I love their habits.  The things that just make them tick.  I love their funny little obsessions.  The way the eyelashes curve or the way their eyes look when they are concentrating.  I love those kind of little things.  And ever since I was a little girl I have wanted someone to love those things about me.  To notice the red kites and blueberry pop-tarts about me.  

That is why I love that quote.  With one sentence Benjamin Mee describes the incredible amount of love he has for his wife.  He knew her.  He knew the little things that made her her.  He knew her details.  And he loved them.  

I am, as I am sure you will find out, a hopeless-romantic.  I mean who isn't???  (Note:  For all you people who claim you are not hopeless-romantics I really do promise this blog won't be totally sappy all the time.) But in all honesty we all want a crazy deep love.  And the detailed kind of love... that is what I've always wanted.  And somehow I've gotten lucky and scored. 

People seem to ask me constantly... What is your favorite thing about Andrew?  Or what do you love most about Andrew?  A completely ridiculous question because I love about a million things.  But as of late one of my favorite things about him is... the way he loves me for my details.  

He loves the way I LOATHE waking up early.  He loves how small my fingers seem to be compared to his.  He loves how excited I get to decorate for Halloween.  He loves the details I don't even notice about myself.  The details and habits he points out and somehow finds fabulous.

And I find myself feeling like the luckiest girl in the world because I somehow stumbled upon everything I've ever wanted... The red kites and blueberry pop-tart kind of love.