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!
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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