My Valentine

Eric took me a me on a sweet little Valentine's Day date Tuesday night. 

Here's a little video of said sweet little date:

Valentine's Day from Lindsay Parnell on Vimeo.
Music: "1234" by Feist

Vegas Baby!

Our anniversary trip was an absolute blast! I'm pretty sure it was the best one yet (really everything in marriage just gets better and better). We stayed at the Luxor, saw Ka at MGM, ate some delicious food, did some delicious shopping. Absolute bliss!

The view from our hotel.

All you can eat breakfast buffet - for free! A rarity in Vegas...

Exploring the strip.

Eric said the strip made him feel like he was in "Honey I Shrunk the Kids". It's true.

MGM

Such an amazing show!

Getting ready to go out.

My AMAZING salad.

Our friends, Jesse and Christine, recommended this restaurant. It was divine!

Waiting for our food.

We're huge dorks and love the show "Pawn Stars", so we HAD to go see it. It was actually pretty cool.

It was a very windy day, this day. But we still had fun.

Shoe shopping!

The tree at the Venetian.

Venetian love.

 Here's to a hundred more years.

Oh the food!

Eric and I worked at a rather large church when we got married and we really didn't want to limit the number of people that could come to our wedding. So to take care the of the whole food situation, we decided to do a dessert buffet. It turned out to be a hit and and man was it yummy! We did chocolate fountains and lots of yummy fruit and treats to dip it in.

And then there was the cake. O.M.G. We took a less traditional route. We still did three tiers, with three different yummy flavors but instead of doing them one on top of the other we did them side by side:

I'm hungry now.

Tomorrow's the big day.

I can't wait!

Daddy & Daughter

Words cannot express my love for my dad. He and my mom split up when I was eight so they both raised my sister and I as single parents. My dad was/is phenomenal. He learned to do our hair, and take us shopping. He cooked and cleaned and did everything. (Don't get me wrong...my mom was equally as wonderful and heroic. I hit the parental jackpot let me tell you!) He taught us about dating and what to look for in a Godly man. He prayed for my husband and will tell you today, that Eric is absolutely the answer to those prayers.
On the day of the wedding, I'll never forget inviting him up to the room where all the bridesmaids and myself were getting ready... the moment he saw me we both started to cry. He gave me the biggest hug. I confessed that I was scared - marriage is not something that took lightly. He reassured me, and comforted me in a way only a daddy can. I'm so grateful for my dad, and the role that he played in my wedding and Eric coming into my life!  (Are you crying yet dad? I sure am!)

 

Love you daddy!

The First Look

My whole life I was always in the "the groom doesn't see the bride until she's walking down the aisle" camp. But our photographer  (Benjamin Edwards the Great)  had always done it a little different. You basically set aside some time before all the pictures are taken and it's just you and your groom...and Ben...seeing each other for the first time. I'm a giant fan of doing it this way. That moment then of first seeing each other is intimate and shared only between you two. It helps alleviate the nerves when your walking down the aisle in front of the whole world. 

Well our first look was truly beyond words. I remember standing on the stage (we got married at The Tower Theater in Bend, OR - great venue!) my heart was beating out of my stinkin chest. None of it had really seemed real up until this point. All the planning, and the getting of people to Bend (my whole family was coming from Albuquerque!),  the rehearsals, the showers and bachelorette party, the before wedding jitters, had done a great job of distracting me from the fact that I WAS GETTING MARRIED. So there I was waiting in anticipation when I hear the doors open in the back of the room and I see this...

Now, this is the only picture we have of Eric walking towards me. Similarly, we only have one picture of me walking down the aisle. I'm convinced the reason behind this is because neither Eric or I are attractive criers. In fact, I'm willing to say that we both possess what's called " The Ugly Cry". And no one really wants to see that... So thank you Ben, for sparing us those pictures. I'm extremely grateful. Seriously.

This is me when I first saw him.

Me waiting beforehand. (I'm positive my pounding heart is audible at this point)

No caption necessary.

 

12 days!

Engagement Story

Welp, I worked all day yesterday and when I got home, our internet was down. This sucked in more ways than one...one being I couldn't deliver my post in honor of my anniversary month! 

During our whole dating relationship, Eric went all out. He made sure that every date we went on was a big deal. For example: My best friend told me one of her mom's closest friends died and she needed me to go to the funeral with her in Eugene. Doing my duty as good friend, I canceled all my plans for that weekend and planned to be there for Nicolette. Before the trek to Eugene, we went to coffee, and Eric met us there to say goodbye. I go out to his car to meet him and he asks me to get in. I didn't think much of it at the time, so I did. The next thing I know, Nicolette brings all my stuff out, dumps it in through the window, and Eric and I are driving away. I was so stinkin confused! They had planned this entire thing. There was no death or funeral in Eugene. Eric was taking me there for our date. It was extravagant and wonderful and I was beyond surprised! 

Our engagement was no different. A bunch of our closest friends and us all planned a trip to Lake Shasta where we would spend a few days on a houseboat. The trip was a blast. After dinner one night Eric and I sneak away on the speed boat we'd brought along for wakeboarding. We were out on the lake at night, and the stars were breathtaking. We talked about life and love and all the amazing things we felt were happening in and through us. Then it was time to go back. As we get closer to the houseboat, it seemed like we were going to the wrong one. It looked nothing like ours and I kept telling Eric and that it was the wrong boat. We were headed towards the wrong houseboat!!! He doesn't say a whole lot but keeps heading towards this boat. He docks it and I'm just waiting for the occupants to wake up and yell at us for being on their boat. Soon after, it becomes clear this is our boat. It just looks different. 

 

While we were out on the speed boat, our amazing friends decorated the whole boat so that it was literally glowing. They hopped off and were all waiting on the shore while Eric surprised the crap out of as he popped the question. 

I said yes, of course, and we both cried and hugged. I was absolutely blindsided. 

But in the best way possible.

Oh love. 'Tis a splendid thing.