Pictures of my Love

For today's post we are going to go back even further in the past.
Before my cousin's arrived for our Breaking Dawn weekend, the oh so talented Sarah made a pit stop in Denver for a quick visit and photo shoot. Sarah knows me very well, along with doing photo shoots of me and my family throughout the past few years, I've always wondered what it would be like to have her photograph me and my love. Along with her photography skills she is also a very talented writer. She wrote a beautiful blog that showed our love along with pieces of our love story. These pictures bring tears to my eyes and joy to my heart.









These pictures were taken downtown Denver along Larimer Square. I had hoped for some daytime shots as well, but time wasn't on our side. Although you can't tell, about an hour after these pictures were taken, I got extremely ill. Like puking over the toilet ill. Not fun! I'm so thankful for Chris who cleaned up after me and took care of me, and for Sarah who was understanding while being a house guest with a ill hostess.
Although you would think these are our official engagement photos. They are not. These pictures were actually taken 1 week before the actual proposal.
In addition to Sarah's amazing talent, I'm super ecstatic that she'll also be shooting our love as we vow to each other to spend the rest of our lives together on our wedding day!!!

treadmill 40min/tricepts

Breaking Dawn part I

Lets travel back 6 weeks shall we?
Six weeks ago my beautiful cousin's Kari and Cheryl were in town from Albuquerque for the sole purpose of joining me for the midnight premiere showing of Twilight: Breaking Dawn part I movie...along with some cousin bonding of course. In additions to the midnight show we did lots of other things around Denver and Boulder.
We went to the Brown Palace Hotel, and had the afternoon tea.
We drove to Golden, and went on the Coors Brewery tour.


We even went out to a local bar, and had some drinks and fun.

cheryl, me, and, kari

Lots of fun was had, as I love these girls so much! Round two is already scheduled for part II!

step 60min

Christmas Letter II

for the second time i have written a Christmas letter. it's a little overwhelming when i think about my life last year, and my life this year.
I realize I have lots more to still catch up. And I promise I have a plan to do so.
Patience my readers, patience!
Chris and I are in Albuquerque. We drove down yesterday. This is the first year since I've lived in Denver that I drove, which was mainly to save on cost, and because I had someone with me in case of bad weather. The weather was clear the whole way, but we did experience icy and snow packed roads south of Pueblo and north of Trinidad. We were down to 30 to 40 MPH for a while. I'm so not a fan of driving on roads like that. But we made it, and I'm happy.

Here is my Christmas letter 2011. Enjoy!
********************************************

2011

The year someone changed my life.

Dear Loved Ones,

I hope the year 2011 has brought you many blessings and happy memories. Like last year’s letter to you, I bring to you some more good fortune and love in my life for the year twentyeleven. Also like last year’s letter I bring to you some more change in my world.

This year will not be one for me to forget. I started out with a huge birthday celebration in downtown Denver with 30+ of my friends, enjoying the night and dancing! The following weekend the same group of friends went up to Breckenridge for the Annual Ice Carving Festival, to which my friend Michelle joined me for.

I successfully transitioned with my job from Qwest to CenturyLink. And although my job title is the same, I am newly challenged and have new job responsibilities.

Over Memorial Day weekend I competed in my first ever 10k race in Boulder, called the BolderBoulder. My personal goal was to finish in 85 minutes and was proud when I crossed the finish line under 79 minutes!

If you’ve followed me on my journey (as I document most of it on my blog: www.bluesoulam.blogspot.com) you know that I’ve spent the past couple of years changing. Physically, emotionally, and mentally. But for me, one piece was always missing. That special someone. I spent the spring months dating, putting myself out there. Searching for the One.

In May I met Chris. It’s hard for me to find the words of this new journey of love that Chris and I are on. Nothing seems to do it justice. Even though I’m so happy, and he makes me laugh so much, and we have so much fun together…none of those things seem good enough to describe this experience.

We had an amazing summer! He traveled with me to Guernsey, WY for a camping trip. He competed with me in a race called the Warrior Dash in Copper Mountain with my friends. We went to Rockies games, and had many date nights.

We have traveled to his hometown of Kearney, NE, Albuquerque, NM, Branson, MO, and Horse Shoe Bend, AR.

We have fallen in love! And last month he proposed, and the next chapter of my life has begun! I’m looking forward to what the New Year will bring (a wedding!!!). I continue to be active and healthy, and now love is in the mix! I am truly so so blessed, and so so happy.

I hope the New Year creates happiness and wellness for you and yours! I wish you all a very Blessed and Joyous Christmas and very Merry 2012!

Warm Wishes and Cheers,

April

elliptical 45min/back

wedding planning 101

the ring (the picture doesn't really do it justice)

oh my! what a crazy three (almost) weeks it has been. being engaged is heartwarming! to feel the love and excitement, the joy and the blessings everysingleday! oh and putting on that ring every morning and getting to stare at it all day long, well that's kinda fun too! (it is gorgeous! if i do say so myself.)

i've had a time line for awhile now about when i would want to get engaged and when i would want to get married to Chris, and thankfully all the pieces are slowly falling into place exactly where i imagined they would fall (in their own unique way of course). ...i'm truly starting to really believe that what you put out there in the world with your positive vibes and hopeful thoughts really does come back and complete you to give you what you want!

i knew that if i was engaged before the end of the year i would want all the major stuff taken care of before heading home to NM for Christmas. and it is such a huge stress relief to report that all of the big stuff is taken care of!!!

date: check
ceremony: check
reception: check

those three elements are done and taken care of! (details will be forthcoming.)

now i need some of your input! here are some questions i've thought of, i'm sure there will be lots more as time moves closer to the big date! (countdown is a little less than 10 months away!)

what is your wedding planning advice? - it's so insane to think that you do all of this planning for one day, and none of that planning knowledge really get's put to use again. well this is your chance to give me some of the knowledge that you learned!

where do i get ready? - our ceremony is in the afternoon. the night before the wedding Chris will sleep at the house, and i'll sleep at the hotel (i plan to wait to see him until i'm walking down the aisle). do i get ready at the hotel?, at the church?, at the reception hall?. ...both the church and the reception hall have bridal suite's where i can get ready. i'm pretty sure the church will be open all day for our use, and the reception hall will be open at 1pm for our use.

what kind of guest book did you have? - i've seen a big picture of the couple and you sign the border around it, i've seen a big silver platter that you can engrave, the classic guest book, in a bridal magazine i saw a polaroid camera where the person signing takes a picture of themselves puts it in the guest book along with congratulations and advice...

what music should be played? - both for the ceremony and reception? any classic tunes i have to have, let me know!

how far in advance did you go wedding dress shopping? - a lot of the bridal magazines suggest going now, some say 6 - 8 months prior. i am of course like every other bride wanting to lose weight before the wedding...and for that reason don't want to shop now. any in put would be great!

any cost saving tips? - i'm slowly beginning to see how every little detail can add up to a lot of money! what did you do to save? what did you LOVE that spent more money on? what did you look back on and think "we really didn't have to spend money on that?"

i do have more specific questions, but i think that is good for now.
i'm so elated that Chris is on board! he's been a big part of the wedding planning and the input. definitely a hands-on groom! (he was quick to point out that there are no groom magazines.) on the drive home from Kearney after Thanksgiving we pretty much spent the whole 5 hour drive talking about the wedding and our vision for the day! it's gonna be one helluva a celebration!!!

i'm getting married!!!

triple cardio 60min

a dream

do you ever have one of those moments where you feel like you are in a dream?...floating on a cloud...in between the feeling of fantasy and pure reality...wondering if you need to pinch yourself...
i had one of those moments last night.

i like to consider myself a pretty observant person. specifically in regards to accessories, jewelry. ya know...the bling. i often will notice a beautiful diamond ring on a woman's left hand ring finger, and think "wow someone really loves her. like really really loves her." i mean with a ring like that...that's love. not the shiny reflection, but the meaning behind the pureness, the round sphere that takes shape. the promise that that ring represents. the sign of forever. no beginning and no end. the happiness behind the moment that ring was put on her finger. the love and secrets between those two people. that only those two people will ever know. those two people will only ever know there love, and the feelings involved. like a fingerprint. except dual...for two people. one very special type of love for two people. a love that is going to never take shape again, because there will never be two people exactly the same. so unique and never to repeated, a love meant to be experienced by these two people in this time, in the life.
these are just some of the thoughts when i see a woman with a diamond on her finger.
i would often wonder if i would ever feel such love, feel such feeling. feel the feeling of a ring on my finger.
last night the answer was given to me.
last night i became engaged! Chris proposed, and i said yes.
and i have a symbol on my finger that shows his love for me.

andiamsofreakin'excited!!!!!!!!!!!

i'm just about crying all over again, that this is me. this is my life. that this is the love in my life.

it was perfect, and intimate, and private. a moment in life shared between just the two of us. just how our love is just meant for the two of us.

last night was a moment in my life that i'll never forget. not only was it something that only happens once, but it was also a moment i doubted would ever happen.
last night was also the end of a crazy week. the full details will come out later, but part of the beginning of last week i was part of a SarahLove photo shoot with Chris. it was pure bliss, and quick. oh so quick! Sarah surprised me with the above picture...as a "sneak peak...ish"(her words). i would definitely call it a sneak peak, as it is a blurred picture...but i'm pretty sure that if you look close enough you can see some sparks and some true love glimmer through.

treadmill 30min
elliptical 30min

pieces falling

date night: going to see The Lion King

the week has been a long one! one big factor about this time of year is all of the time off. i get two days off for thanksgiving, two days off for christmas, and one day off for new year's. three big holidays super close together. and well you get spoiled, because on top of the holidays you have your vacation time to use, because if i don't use my time by 12/31 i lose it. so i have scattered days off between now and the end of the year and one of the pleasures in this is not working a full five day work week. last week i had to work a full five day work week, and it was just long.
with working the "long" week, visiting one of Chris' friends in the hospital, finding out that we're staying in denver (for now), having a midweek date night to the Lion King, planning next week with back to back visitors, and now ending the week (or starting the week, depending on how you want to look at it) with a back injury...it's just been sorta crazy.
the big piece that feel into place this week was finding out that we are staying in denver (for now). it's a lot to get into for the unknown, so i don't really see a reason to get into it. so i'll just say there was a possibility that we were gonna move to CA. but as of right now no big move is happening. it was exciting, nerve-racking, and stressful all at the same time. but now we know it isn't going to happen. so holiday plans can be made, and we can just stay calm and carry on!
it's hard trying to decide what to put out there in the blog world. more and more i'm struggling with this. i don't take what i write lightly and now majority of what i do write has to do with another person. so that makes is hard, because this isn't his blog, it's my blog, but he is in my life, and my blog is about my life. i digress.
moving on. this morning in strike! we were doing an interval. and i hurt my back. i'm thinking i pulled a muscle, and chris says i do have a rather large knot in my lower back. it sucks. right after it happened i paced back and forth a little bit, then realized i just needed to leave, but i wasn't even about to bend down to get my water bottle, and was thankful for denise who got it for me. hopefully i'll heal quickly because being in pain like this sucks because i feel like i just can't get comfortable. so i really only got a half a workout in because the happened about half way through strike, but i'm still going to count it.
and now i just feel like a bum, which isn't good especially since i have a house guest coming tomorrow, then another set of guests coming on wednesday. and i really need to clean, de-clutter, do laundry, make beds etc... i guess i'm thankful that the guests that are coming don't really care how clean (or dirty) my place is, but still i want it to be clean.
and since this post is a little random, and because the bronco game just ended: Go BRONCOS!!!

strike!30min

Puzzle Pieces

I’ve known all day that I was going to work-out tonight. I’ve spent all day thinking about what to write about. But I honestly I feel like I really don’t have anything to say. On Facebook and in the blogging world I see a lot of people giving thanks and stating the things they are appreciative of with the month of thanksgiving here. But right now I feel thankful for so many things, I just don’t know what to even begin.

Right now a lot of things are in the works. I feel like my life is a puzzle right now. And all of the pieces are currently separated trying to come together to make a perfect picture. But like puzzles, the pieces can’t be forced together, and you have to try and see what works. You have to be patient and what for that magic “click” to happen, of where two pieces come together. It takes time and strategy to put the whole thing together. In this particular instant it isn’t necessarily up to me, to get the pieces put together. It’s life. It’s exciting, and nerve-racking. I’m trying to have faith that all the pieces will be formed how they are meant to, and working and not questioning the order in which the pieces come together, or worrying about what pieces may fall off all together. Having faith knowing that not all pieces are going to be able to fit, and being content with the ones that do fall off.

That is my current challenge. Being patient and not worrying. Being truly thankful for what I do have. Although easier said than done, when your brain is thinking about all possibilities, all the things that could go good and all of the things that could go bad. It’s hard to just shut down.

I’m definitely living an emotional high right now. And that makes it even harder to not get carried away, and to not want everything right now.

So, right now my focus is to just breath, and to try and take comfort that all the pieces will come together when and how they should.

treadmill 15min/barbell strength 60min

a slow down

flowers from Chris

Right now I feel that things have slowed down a little bit. I'm home alone on a Sunday afternoon enjoying myself while Chris is out at a friend's house watching the Bronco game.
I'm so thankful for so many reasons.
Beware as this post may be a pit random.
Chris was gone all last week. He was back in California. This time in Bakersfield. Something big could be happening with that.
I know I say it (write it) all the time, but life happening is just so crazy. Life. Happening.
Life.Happens.
I heard a beautiful thing from my friend today she said "I have a three month old son at home." It is a beautiful phrase to hear especially since I know that friend had moments where she thought she wouldn't be a mom. Just like that, life happens.
Chris and I saw the movie "The Adjustment Bureau" last night. Good movie, but a little bit weird. Makes you think that everything happen exactly has it should.
For me, I definitely feel that everything is happening exactly has it should.

strike! 60min

The Places I've Been: MO

Sandwiched in between our trip to Arkansas was a visit and stay in Branson, MO. We flew into the tiniest airport I have ever been to, in Branson. The airport has 4 gates total, one security check and one baggage claim, and you get off/get on the plane by walking up a ramp outside. This was the first sign that we were in small country, USA.
Here's my trip to Branson, MO.

When we arrived in Branson we immediately drove south into Arkansas, so not a lot of MO country was seen. Driving back to MO we actually drove a different way by heading north from AR, then West all in MO. We drove through the Mark Twain National Forrest. It was very pretty. The changing colors were so pretty. Unfortunately the few pictures I have don't do them justice. Chris took a bunch of pictures on his Ipad, but I don't have that right now.


Once we arrived in Branson we checked into a bed and breakfast. I had never stayed at a bed and breakfast before and this was was super nice. We stayed near the Branson Landing, which is right on the water. We walked along, did some shopping, and just enjoying each other's company.




the bed and breakfast - the Branson House Inn

Overall the trip was a lot of fun. The wedding was beautiful and we got to spend lots of one on one time together which is always nice.
It's amazing how my travel series has grown. This year alone I've been to 5 new states: WY, NE, KS, AR, and MO. Four of those I hadn't been to had I not met Chris. And definitely wouldn't had sought out going to those location. I'm thankful to Chris for so many things. One of those things is for showing me states I had never been.

strike! 60min

The Places I've Been: AR

A couple of weekend's ago Chris and I traveled to Northern Arkansas to attend his friend Justin's wedding. It was all country and very beautiful. Small towns, winding roads, hills full of leafs changing colors.
Here's my trip to Horseshoe Bend, Batesville, and Mountain Home, AR.

We arrived in Branson, MO and drove immediately south into Arkansas, then about two and half hours to Horseshoe Bend where Justin's parents live. We hung out there for the night, meeting various friends and family of the bride and groom.
Saturday was the big day. We traveled about 45 minutes south to Batesville where the groom's grandmother lives on a beautiful vineyard; Harmony Hills.

the bride and groom
Judy and Justin

the reception area

After the wedding we drove to Mountain Home which is considered the "big" town in the area. the drive in the dark was a little bit scary, as it was dark, and the highways are all two lane, and very winding. Thankfully Chris drove that portion of the trip.
Overall the area was beautiful. I think the largest town we entered had a population of 1200. Talk about small country. This was definitely it.
Although not the most exciting place to be, experiencing new places with Chris is always exciting.

barbell strength 60min

the last four weeks

things have been super busy. it seems to be a trend. i'm ready for things to slow down, although that seems doubtful seeing as the holidays are literally right around the corner.

april's pedicure party!
sara, april, me, brandi, denise, kristina, nicole, and stacy

trip to my first ever pumpkin patch with a corn maze!

colbie caillat concert

we finally put our outdoor chimenia to use

we did lots of driving between branson, mo and horseshoe bend, ar

in branson, mo

in batesville, ar

i think that covers the weekends since we got back from albuquerque. details are of course, fourth coming!

strike!60min

ABQ trip

Two weekends ago Chris and I were in Albuquerque. It was a short trip, but we definitely did a lot with our time. We got in on a Friday afternoon and we to dinner at Papa Felipe's with my parents. YUM! From there we went home and cleaned up the back patio for a family dinner planned for the next night. Chris spent some one on one time with my dad watching TV while I colored my mom's hair.
Saturday morning I got Chris out of bed to head to the Balloon Fiesta. I was really looking forward to this as this was my first experience taking someone to this event who had never been. On top of that the weather was perfect, and that morning a world record was broken with 345 balloons up in the air in 60 minutes! Chris enjoyed it, and loved taking pictures.






After the early morning fun, we met my cousin Kari and her husband Larry from some breakfast. Followed by some errands around town we got home in time to relax a little, help my mom get ready for dinner, then off to church.
Saturday night my mom planned a family dinner for everyone to meet Chris and have a little continued birthday celebration for Chris and start an early birthday celebration for my mom.

Cousins: Kari, me, and Cheryl

my mom and I (she had a couple of glasses of wine!)

sisters: Kathleen, Deanna
Patty, Michelle, and my mom Barbara

Chris and my mom and yummy birthday cakes!!

Sunday we went to brunch with my friend's Michelle and Jill. It was a lot of fun.
We did a lot in a short amount of time, and everyone loved Chris! I was impressed as Chris definitely got in some good quality time everywhere and with everyone. He spent time with both of my parents individually. On Saturday he ate out on the patio with us girls, then spent sometime inside with the guys watching sports. Just like one of the family!
I sadly missed the Race for the Cure 5k in Denver. Honestly it was difficult decision to go on this trip and not do this race. The Race for the Cure is my race. It was my thing, and I believe it was that race that got me started on my healthiness journey 3 years ago. I had planned that the race would be an annual tradition. Hopefully next year. Going to Albuquerque with Chris was a great experience. And I think spending Christmas there will be great!

strike! 60min