UNWINED.

last weekend i went to unwined denver with michelle and sarah, thanks to a half-off groupon. i wasn't sure what to expect, but an afternoon of wine sampling for $22 sounded like a good time.

the set-up - pretty swank! there were about 50 booths you could go around, talk to the rep, hear about the history and creation of the wine and try a glass.

we thought all the food was for purchase only - so imagine our surprise when everything was free!

including all the food trucks outside! here's sarah having some kabobs thanks to stick it to me.

i had a steak taco courtesy of manna from heaven.

photobooth action! also free - this was at the end of the afternoon, as evidenced by the kissy face.

cheers to an awesome afternoon with great friends! see you in 2013 unwined denver!

LAZYGRAMS.

not a whole lot going on over here this week. we've been glued to the couch chanting "usa! usa!" {and occasionally "italy!" "khazashstan!" and whoever else is on the screen} and crying at pretty much any and every olympic-themed commercial.

we still have a lot of packed boxes, but here's our little entryway. i get stopped daily at the light rail crossing. cinnamon bun ice cream - wow is all i have to say about that. the typical {beautiful} denver sky. still just reading magazines instead of doing any planning. an unusual site in denver: rain on the windshield. our favorite - the beer garden - raising money for the wildfire victims. here's what happens when i cook: i have to text pic a friend to see what cup they think the one on the left is! the number had rubbed off and i wasn't sure if it was a half or a whole cup. sigh, i'll continue to leave the cooking to b. and, as noted, our view all weekend. gymnastics are my favorite, what about you?

IF YOU REALLY KNEW ME.

whoops. i thought i had a post ready for yesterday and then logged in and there were no words. just photos. i could have just let you all guess what was going on, but a lot of wine was involved, so it's even hazy to me. more about that coming next week. today's post idea found on liz's blog. she is the reason i want to go to greece for our honeymoon - her photos are amazing.

without further ado, if you really knew me...

+ you'd know i drive a 1999 accord, new to me three years ago. i paid it off, and hope it lasts another 10 years. haha, we shall see on that one!

+ you'd know i'm disappointed i'm not a vegetarian anymore. i gained so much weight doing it, though, and i really missed chicken sandwiches.

+ you'd know i started this blog because i have a terrible memory. it's pretty annoying and sometimes awkward, but that's why i'm glad i have this blog.

+ you'd know i'm addicted to chapstick. this organic kind, to be exact. i have a long and dramatic history with chapsticks. i will spare you the details, at least for today.

+ you'd know i have mixed emotions about being out here in denver, but it is getting better every day. like i've said, if nothing else, it's a good story to tell the kids someday!

+ you'd know i have been wanting to plan a wedding to b for three years, and now that it's here it's been generally disappointing and stressful. no one be surprised if we elope.

+ you'd know i hate being barefoot. i lovelovelove socks. when it's warm, when i sleep, all the time. sock lovers unite!

fun stuff. now i'm off to count down the hours until the olympics start! socks and the olympics all weekend.

WEDDING WEDNESDAY: ENGAGEMENT SESSION.

we are making progress! we still don't have a venue, a date or... anything else, but we do have one thing confirmed: our engagement photographer!

we knew we wanted to do save-the-dates with our pictures on them, and what better place to do that than our new home? especially since denver just so happens to have one of the most beautiful backdrops on earth. after a bit of research, i instantly knew i found a winner when i visited the elegant images website.

check out some of the beautiful shots they recently took:

and this one highlights where we will be taking our photos in september: georgetown!

stun-ning.

so excited for this session! maybe we'll start that wedding diet today.

DROP YOUR DRAWERS AND RUN 5K.

on friday, we did a 5k that raised funds for kids who need basic necessities, like underwear. it was approximately 100 degrees at 6 p.m. but, look at that view from city park.

and, we're off! and sweating.

a mid-race shot.

have you ever seen a sky so beautiful? it's definitely one of my favorite things about denver.

can't stop/won't stop with the ring pose. this is obviously post race, as evidenced by the pink shade of my skin.

afterwards, we got free entrance to the zoo!

this seal was ready for his close up.

scary monkey looking down on us.

and a cheetah, smiling! she was totally ready for a belly rub. 

we also got to see the elephants {in their new habitat, so nice!}, rhinos and a ton of wild peacocks. from the zoo tour to the free champagne, this is one 5k we will definitely do again!

CARBGRAMS.

last week was a busy, but fun, one out here.

pretzel and beer sampler at helga's. our regular dinner of grilled fish. coffee date with brooke. best $50 we ever spent - this shower head is awesome. amazing, wonderful engagement gift from aunt lisa and uncle rhodes - it absolutely made my day. i've never owned anything from crate and barrel, i wish you could see how overjoyed i was when the mailman delivered it. he was excited for me. lights on our patio. pizza date with ashley. whoops, another pretzel. this time, a giant one from new fav lowry beer garden. we will be on a wedding diet eventually, so let me have my carbs for now. unwined event on sunday, more photos from that coming later in the week!

FREELANCE FRIDAY: RESULTS.

finally, proof i have clients!

small arms training school is an all-inclusive gun resource in franklin, tennessee. my {former} work bff sandra connected me and i have redesigned their logo, created a facebook page for them and am in the process of completely revamping their website.

logo! i knew immediately what i wanted to do, and am lucky that they liked it. sidebar: i think my dad is pretty proud that i am working on - of all things - a gun-themed website.

 social media. fun, fun, fun.

photos of the website coming as soon as it's perfect.

CAMP 2012.

we've been back from camp for a week, but feels like it has been a million years since we were on the lake enjoying this view.

future sister and i on the booze cruise! 

a loon. this was the first year i saw one and they were talking to one another like crazy. they kind of sound like turkeys on water. there is a stuffed one in the dining cabin {sad face} and they kind of look like - and are the size of - penguins! i am obviously not a loon expert, so here's the wiki link. aren't they pretty?

going her own way.

night of the engagement!

fishing on the dock. little brother rhody even caught one!

can't stop. won't stop. 

last day, a storm rolled through right before we left. still the most beautiful place.

until next year, tupper lake.

WEDDING WEDNESDAY: INSPIRATION.

i know it's only been a week, but in this era of blogs and pinterest, i think every girl - regardless of her relationship status - has at least some wedding ideas floating around in her head. i've been reading style me pretty for three years, so my ideas may be a bit more clear than normal.

the feel of the shindig will definitely depend on the venue we find {i have a favorite in mind and am just waiting to hear back}, but overall we just want it to be the biggest and best party of our lives. as of now, i am just trying to resist buying a million different things and ignoring the daily emails from the knot that i am already 10 items behind on my to-do list. 

relax, the knot, relax.

TRICIA AND RICH GET MARRIED.

the professional photos from tricia's wedding are in! all these images are courtesy of mak rabbitt photography.

this shot taken of all the ladies by the wonderful sara of the mak rabbitt team as we got ready.

sob. fest. tricia and her dad heading down the aisle.

i am off to the left weeping. rich had the tears going, too. i love that. every wedding we've been to in the last year or so has featured a crying groom, and i would bet money on the success of each of those marriages. {b: are you reading? i anticipate tears from you at the end of the alter!}

the colors! the vineyard! the bouquet! the cuteness! i love this photo.

keith and i dancing in. unfortunately, this was not the last of my boogie skills the crowd would get to see.

ring shot. gorg.

we'll be able to recreate this photo at our wedding in a year! {!!!!!}

i am still thrilled that i got to be a part of this awesome celebration of love. i think the stress of a wedding can either bring people together or tear them apart and i am happy to say that tricia and i haven't been this bff since high school. it helps that she was the most laid-back bride ever. congrats again tricia and rich! wishing you a million more months of happiness.

ENGAGEMENTGRAMS.

we did a whole lotta nothin' this weekend. but, with the engagement, i've got content for days.

in the clouds on the way to camp. my favorite poodle. s'more time. instagram taken by betsy, b's sister, right after we shared the good news. champagne from the engagement ring jeweler. still surprised. two thumbs up for the service at albany airport - the decor is a different story. the knot will eat your life if you let it. wedding package from tricia! made my day.

happy monday, bloggies!

THANK YOU.

{from pinterest, by this artist} 

well, freelance friday just isn't happening today. we are still basking in the new engagement love bubble, and a big part of that excitement is thanks to all your comments and emails and tweets about yesterday's post. i am so glad i have this little blog to share our lives with each one of you.

i'll be back next week, and yes, i'll be doing wedding wednesday posts. this shocks no one, i know.

i hope you have a wonderful weekend!

JULY 8.

i honestly cannot even believe i am writing this post.  

we are engaged!!!!

a little back story for those who have requested: when b and i moved in together in january 2011, i was very open and honest about what i wanted from the relationship. aka, i knew he was the guy i wanted to marry. {let's be real, i knew that about three weeks into it.} but b needed his own time to get there. and so i waited. sometimes patiently, sometimes not.

camp is incredibly special to b and his family. it was a safe bet that if it were to happen anytime soon, tupper lake would be the place he would pop the question. so, what does a girl do? well, if you're me, you ask if it's coming. yep. i just flat out asked if we could possibly be getting engaged while we were at camp. b gave me a long, sweet response about how he was saving, but now wasn't a good time. i was sad, but understood and totally bought it.

we do a canoe ride, just the two of us, every year at tupper. on sunday afternoon, b asked if i was ready to canoe and we took off, stopped at sheppey island, and climbed to the top to check out the view. {here's a mention of sheppey in an article about when president calvin coolidge visited!} unlike year's past, the grass and trees were super dry, making it a hard hike in flip flops. the branches were cutting me and i kept asking b if we could turn back and leave. he was encouraging, but not insistent, and finally we made it to the top, to take in this: 

beautiful. but after 10 minutes of just standing and looking, i was humming the jeopardy tune. i asked him if we could go {again} and he said "let's just enjoy the view". then i asked if we could sit down and got a strong no. this is when i started wondering what was going on.

b was standing slightly behind me with one arm around me. he asked me if i loved him and i turned around to give him an "of course" and the ring was in front of my face. i'm pretty sure i momentarily died of shock because i don't remember him asking me to marry him, though he says he did, or saying "yes", though i must have at some point! after crying and laughing and me asking about 300 times if it all was really happening we took some photos and paddled back to camp.

b told me on the way that his parents had helped him through the ring buying process {since it was a family-friend jeweler where b's dad bought the engagement ring for b's mom} and that he had told his mom, dad and sister that he was going to propose when we canoed to sheppey. so, when we pulled up, i was nervous that everyone knew. {i have no idea now why this is nerve wracking. obviously, i had a lot of emotions going on.} all the ladies on the dock turned around and asked how the ride was and i just blurted out "we got engaged!" his parents and sister had kept it a secret, and so his aunt and cousins were all so surprised! champagne was opened and all of us stood on the dock and looked at the ring and smiled and took photos. i was so glad they were there. i am crying just thinking about how special it was to be surrounded by the love of his whole family.

i still feel really shocked that it happened. and really happy. it was a simple proposal, and it involved our families, and was more perfect than i could have dreamed up. also, the ring is pretttyyyy stunning.

our spot, taken from the boat ride on the way back to the mainland. we actually share a similar story with b's uncle rhodes and aunt lisa, and they are getting ready to celebrate 30 years of marriage. we called to tell them and got to hear about their sheppey island proposal and it makes me smile to know that it's another way i get to be connected to b's family. 

thanks to each one of you for the facebook messages, tweets, texts, calls and general well wishes. we didn't have internet access or phone service while at camp, so i am trying to catch up now and make sure you know how much i appreciated each and every one. 

i have never been so happy.