Wedding Planning...

Being snowed in for one whole week with Ryan enabled us to get a lot accomplished!

Done

• Videographer
• Created and ordered favors
• Booked honeymoon
• Got registered at two different stores
• Have a violinist for the ceremony music
• Booked a pirate ship party for that night

Have leads on, but no final plans

• DJ
• photographer
• make up
• hair
• My mom and Leslie are coming down (not this weekend, but the next) to go bridal gown shopping with me!

Not done

• Get Ryan's wedding band
• Get an officiant or someone to marry us
• Pick out flowers
• Order a cake or cupcakes or something
• Write eHarmony about our amazing love story and be so convincing that they will want to pay for the wedding =)

Fun Fact

On the way home from Florida, Ryan and I called my dad to let him know that we got engaged.  Ryan asked for my dad's blessing, and King Tom said, "Well... I don't know you very well.  So you have my blessing, for now".  hahahaha

I'm Engaged!

I flew back to Atlanta from Michigan City on Thursday, December 30th.  Ryan picked me up from the airport at noon and we drove directly to FL for the weekend.

Since both of Ryan's parents are deceased, a woman named Suzi is basically his step mom.  She dated his dad for nine years, and even though they never married, she certainly has taken Ryan under her wing ever since.  Suzi lives with her fiance Bobby in Jax Beach, FL.  We stayed with them in their condo on the beach.  The weather was AMAZING...in the 70s all three days we were there!  Bobby's mom, Grace, who is 81 years old, was also there, which Suzi conveniently forgot to mention but Grace turned out to be a hoot!

Bobby and Suzi rented out a room at the Three Forks for about 40 people on New Years Eve.  Bobby and Suzi also happen to own a jewelry store that Ryan and I happened to "stumble" in to earlier in the day.  He ended up buying me a ring on the spot, and I wore it for the rest of the day.  That night, Suzi introduced me to all of her friends as Ryan's fiance, and had everyone look at my ring.  It's a good thing no one asked me how he proposed though, because he hadn't!  So I gave the ring back to Ryan at the end of the night...

The next day Ryan and I went to St. Augustine FL.  Ryan's family used to vacation there every year and at one point his dad moved there for several years.  So the city is very special and meaningful to him. At 5:30pm, we went out on to this dock/pier, and were enjoying the view when I became ready to leave.  So I said "Ok, let''s go" and started to walk off the dock.  Ryan didn't follow though.  Being the funny-man I am, I say, "Come on!  Unless you're going to propose let's go!"  To which he responded, "Courtney!  Why do you always have to ruin things!"  Oooops.  I really didn't think he was going to propose that day, but sure enough he got down on one knee, told me he loves me very much, and asked me to be his wife for the rest of my life. 

Here's a shot of my ring...

So on 1/1/11 I got proposed to in the city in which we will eventually marry.  More details to follow....