Assuming you haven't been living under a rock, you've probably heard the news but if not, I'm here to let the cat out of the bag. I'm ENGAGED! And no, it's not to someone I met on a reality show or even a dating site, but to an amazing man I met through my church, Forest Hill, in Charlotte. I should've known all along that God was going to do things His way!
And trust me, I can already hear all of the Debbie Downers out there saying, "Again?!", but let me be the first to say, this time it's the real deal. I promise! We've been dating for over a year and have known each other for much longer. I used to teach a jewelry making class at a middle school that my church adopted and Tyler was one of the coordinators of the program. Well, every Thursday I could count on him to come help me carry all of my beads out to my car at the end of class. The only problem was he was so good looking that I could barely make eye contact with him, much less have a normal conversation. I kind of pride myself on being able to have an interesting conversation with a wall if need be, but for some reason I was so intimidated by him and the fact that he showed me no interest at all just made it that much worse! Fast forward a few years (and a few attempts to find love on tv) to our first date and we've been inseparable ever since! I'm so grateful to God for bringing him into our life because he's been the biggest blessing to Ricki and I both. I can truly look back now and see how God has guided me through everything, even the hard times when I thought I'd be alone forever, and used it all to make me the person I am so that I'd be ready. Goodness knows I have a long way to go to be the person He created me to be, but I couldn't have picked a more amazing man to get to spend the rest of my life with and I can't wait to see what all God has planned of us as a family!
And because so many of you have asked, here's a pictures of my ring(s)! I told him I didn't want a traditional engagement ring and that I just wanted some simple bands. He went above and beyond to say the least and they couldn't be more "me". I got a good one :)
With all of that said, I need some serious advice. HOW IN THE *#&@! DO YOU PLAN A WEDDING?? If it were up to me, we'd run off to Vegas tomorrow but I know my mom would probably never forgive me. The only problem is, I don't even know where to begin! I went to a wedding convention (who knew there was even such a thing?!) with a girlfriend and literally walked around in a daze. So, for all you wise, married women out there.. What would you have done differently? The same? What's the next step after pinning everything you can possibly pin? Can I just give my wedding board to someone have them figure it out? Do I even need a wedding planner?
Ok.. I'm officially stressed out. Clearly, I need some help so leave me all your tips in the comments!
And just because I think he's the biggest babe on the planet, here are some more family pictures :)
