2 More Days

I'm leaving to NC in two more days! I'm super excited. Time seems to pass by so slowly right before I have to leave. I'll be Caleb's date for Mess Night, and I'm borrowing my cousin's long black dress that is so so so beautiful! I tried it on last night after she dropped it off, and it fit perfectly! I can't wait to wear it for Caleb! =)

Caleb and I prayed following the A.C.T.S. model and it just really helped me draw nearer to God with him, together. It was a blessing and I always love praying with him and putting God first in our relationship. I think it took us a total of about an hour to get through the whole prayer, which we had to break up in two parts since we had an inkling each letter was going to take a while!

I'm eagerly and anxiously awaiting the results of a Honeymoon contest I entered us in. I submitted a story of us and some pictures and we find out who the top 5 finalists are next week. The winner will win a trip to one of the many Sandals resorts...and it would definitely be a huge blessing if we won. Here's the entry I submitted of our story:

The Feeling's Mutual

"The feeling's mutual." Three little words that started the beginning of our forever. Dropping me off after our first date (almost two years ago!), Caleb shared his heartfelt feelings for me, in which I responded, "The feeling's mutual." Since then, TFM has always been our phrase, one that carries so much meaning, one that reminds us of the love that captured us from the start, and the love that carries us through each day, despite our 3,000 mile separation! Although our lives have constant changes, our love has been the only constant. Because my fiance is in the Marine Corps, we've been enduring (with great joy!) a coast-to-coast relationship for over a year, fueling our love with sweet text and Facebook messages, phone calls, and of course, Skype dates! Always looking forward to each other's visits, one of my trips to North Carolina this past February ended with a ring on my finger, a huge smile on my face, and a joyous "YES!" It's absolutely amazing how much our love continues to grow, even after 2 years of dating, and yes, we're proud to admit that we're head over heels, bent over backwards, spinning on top of our heads, falling on our knees, madly and crazy in love with each other! Caleb will soon deploy to Afghanistan, and we both are eagerly looking forward to when he returns so that we can finally proclaim our vows of love in front of our family and friends and continue in this endless love story that really does seem too good to be true! I call him my hero, and he calls me his better half. What we've learned most from the long distance relationship, is to appreciate the little things: holding hands in the car, eating dinner together, resting my head on his shoulder while we're watching a movie, and most importantly, just being together. We don't take our love for granted, but recognize it as our greatest blessing in life. I believe in us and I believe in him, and I know that he's worth the wait. The feeling will always be mutual. "

Anyway, I'm praying we''ll be one of the top 5 finalists! The chances are super slim as there were thousands of entries posted already. BUT, there's always hope! So, we'll see...we'll see.

K, that's about it...I'll try to update later on.

TFM.

One more week!!!

Dear Blogspot,

I am so utterly terrible in keeping my promise of writing each day. Please forgive me. Ok, let's move on. =)

SO, where do I begin! It's been a MONTH since I've written in here and I have so many things to update. Bullet points, you are my hero. Let's begin.

- To update the status of my previous blog....I have found THE most perfect engagement dress(es) for our engagement shoot! Our shoot will be on September 23, 2010 at 4:30pm. We will have it in Downtown San Diego, walking around the Gaslamp District, the Harbor, and another "AWESOME PLACE" that I can't share right now, since I want it to be a surprise! I'm so excited because I have found the cutest 50's style dress that will match perfectly with Caleb's Alphas. He's going to look so handsome and I just can't wait to see how the pictures will turn out. My other dress is different...it's sweet, romantic, and ethereal. Yes, ethereal. I love it! Now, we have to find Caleb's outfit to match mine...=)

- 2 weeks ago, I went to Folsom, CA, for a Hillis' family reunion celebrating Caleb's grandparents' 60th anniversary. I don't even know how to describe how awesome the weekend was. Despite the heat (it was unbearable for me), it was perfect. I had a blast getting to know his family better, meeting new faces, and participating in family traditions. The weekend consisted of SO many fun activities: Breakfast every morning at Aunt Joan's, fun in the sun at Folsom Lake, professional pictures with the entire family at a nearby park, great dinners, game night (Caleb: "how does rubbing arm hair translate to Harry Larry and Will Ferrel!"), the talent show, a day of relaxation, 1 hour slideshow and video dedicated to the G-parents, breakfast at Mimi's, church day and all of us singing a hymn at the very end, and finally, a Party with family and friends to celebrate the big 60 after church! So many memories, so much fun, so many tears (by me) when I had to leave, but SO worth it! I love Caleb's family so very much and can't wait to see all of them next year at the wedding!

- I'll be seeing Caleb next week, YES! NEXT WEEK, in North Carolina. I'll be his date for Mess Night (a Military traditional dinner). His Unit invited family to be able to join, so I'm definitely looking forward to being escorted in by my handsome Lieutenant. I can't believe I'm getting married! Yes, we'll also be signing our marriage license there as we have both decided it will be better to be married while he is deployed. I love him so much and I just can't wait to be his wife!

- We have our venues for our wedding! We'll have our ceremony at the North Chapel in Liberty Station, Point Loma, and the reception is only minutes away (WALKING DISTANCE) at the McMillin Event Center. We'll be meeting with our caterer when Caleb visits in September to do our food tasting, so we are looking forward to that! We pretty much have the major stuff conquered...just have to work on the details!

Ok, well, I'll leave it at that for now. Still lots on my mind, but I'll share later...;) hopefully, sooner than a month!

Adios.


TFM
SHMILY