The rest of the story...kinda

I knowwww I knoww it's taken a while.  Let's leave that alone for now and not blame me, or procrastination.  Instead lets blame finals, unpacking/moving back home, party planning, re-packing, food-cooking, getting engaged, cross-country road trips, and internships!!!! [because that's way more fun than blaming my own laziness and procrastination]

When we left off, I had just finished telling you about how we finally saw each other for the first time.  

Our first picture together ever..... aww 

We spent a fantastic weekend together, dancing at the wedding, going on a beautiful, unforgettable date, holding hands, and kissing for the first time!

^^^ this picture.... amirite?

But back it up a second and let's talk about that date!! He took me to the best vineyard on the west coast, King Estates.  [oh good job, Taylor, you took a minor to a winery. What great ideas you have!]  I was wearing a pretty dress, he was all dressed up, and the location was to die for. Picture row after row of grape vines, and plum trees escorting you up a hill to a beautiful outdoor patio overlooking the mountains and forests of Oregon, surrounded by bushels of lavender, expensive food, and exquisite service....And there you have the backdrop to our first date.  But besides the fact that I felt like the bachelorette [holla at ma girl Des] we also had fantastic conversation, and laughed.so.hard.

Before we sat down though, Taylor took me on a walk around the property for a bit [we were early for our reservation].  We stopped for a minute, just to take in our surroundings, and Taylor turned to me, gave me a little zippered silk Baggie, and made me a promise. Yes, it was with a ring, and heck yes, it was beautiful.  He promised me that he would wait for me.  That meant a lot for him. He'd been put on hold by my dad's reply to his letter, and he had some doubts about pursuing me.  However, right in the midst of his most powerful doubt, God confirmed our relationship, telling him to wait. So this wasn't just a "hey I like you and I want you to like me and be happy so here's this pretty thing." But it was "Here is a symbol of a promise that I will not break. I promise to wait, as long as it takes, to be with you"

Gosh. if that doesn't melt my heart every time I think about it.  I am the luckiest woman alive.

But it's weird though, right? by any other standard other than "lets just make this up as we go along", Taylor giving me a ring after the 4th day of us ever being together in person would be considered too much, too early, too sparkly [never too sparkly].  But we can't compare our relationship to "any other standard" because it's OUR relationship.  We had to believe that God was doing something different, and special, and it was going to be even better than we imagined it was going to be.  Being with Taylor, sitting with him in the car and just looking at him, made my heart sing.  Yeah, that sounds really cheesy, and just sickly romantic, but it's true.  I poignantly remember a moment when I looked at him, and saw him looking at me, and all I had running through my head was just "ILOVEYOUILOVEYOUILOVEYOUILOVEYOUILOVEYOU" but I never said it.... because [according to our world's standard] it would have been way too soon to say that I loved him.  I was too young to know what love is.  I didn't fully understand it.  I didn't know him long enough.  I didn't spend enough time around him.  right? hah. nope. wrong....

I remember having a conversation with my best friend in the airport on my way back home, and I told her the whole story.  Our entire weekend.  Of course she freaked out, and was excited/nervous for me, but she asked me one question that simultaneously put the biggest smile on my face, and the strongest, flappiest butterflies in my stomach.
She asked if I loved him.  I told her yes. 

I went back to home/school [sidenote: if you haven't read my post about THAT, you should!!!].  I mourned being back, but I had great friends who picked me up at the airport, and I got to share all my stories of my wonderful weekend with them on the 45 minute drive back to school.  The next day, as Taylor and I were processing the weekend together via text, and just going about our business, doing all the things we needed to do to catch up from our weekend, I decided to tell him my secret....that sometimes over the weekend, my heart was saying things that my brain just didn't believe, and my mouth couldn't bring itself to admit.
I loved him.

Finally after being cryptic and trying not to say anything that was too committal, I just said what we both already knew was true, but had never been put into audible words.
"I think I love you"

and he responded with the best words he could have ever chosen.
"I know I love you"

 

Falling asleep as I'm trying to finish this...

.....and I'm supposed to be packing....irrelevant.......

Summer is the best for picking fruit. If you've never gone, then you should just pick your little ol' self up and go right now  because ya gotta.

I recently went blackberry picking for the first time EVER with Taylor's sister and brother in law, who are awesome by the way!! [awesome and pregnant= double awesome]. And guys. I don't even know how much I love blackberries until the moment when I picked just the right berry off just the right vine and popped it in my mouth, ON A WHIM. It was perfect.  Ripe. Juicy. Sweet. NOT TART! I was instantly sold, and they're now a new favorite!!!!! [so I instagrammed them fifty times, as is fitting and proper with all newly favorited things]

^^and then all of a sudden we had a bagful. Was that a problem?? If you said not at all, then you're RIGHT.

So blackberries=success.

Today I went blueberry and peach picking!!!! The blueberry grove [terminology?] was the sweetest an happiest place I've been in a while!!!! The [amish] cashier sat in this tiny white-painted plywood booth that looks like it hopped right out of Pinterest, the blueberries were practically jumping [ok...falling] into our buckets, and the sweetest-lady-you-ever-did-meet, didn't even make us pay! [it only would've cost us $1.55 so she jut let us take em].  I didn't get any pictures of that..... 

Then we went peach picking! And despite pretty much getting lost within a mile radius of the storefront, the Asian family that followed us at first then led US to the peach grove, the only semi-ripe peaches, and the lack of buckets, those peaches were still way better than store-bought peaches!! [don't act so surprised]

So tonight. Amidst a pile of cheap fresh fruit, German pancakes, fried eggs, zucchini hashbrowns, tall glasses of water, and lots of laughs, Taylor and I planned out our save the dates with his good friend, Russ.

It was the best.

I'm convinced it was all the fruit :)

...Wedding Planning

a.k.a. sitting at your desk when you're supposed to be going home because you're done working but you're waiting for your fiance who just got back from class and is gonna continue working for another hour and a half because he's making money to take you on dates....

or something...
showing here...............

That all being said, it's clearly not as glamorous as it's cut out to be.  I've always fantasized about planning my wedding, I'd know exactly what I want for every single thing, down to fingernail polish, and grooms cufflinks.  Not to mention the order of the reception, songs for E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G.  

Anyway.  I've realized that wedding planning is glamorized by pinterest....[that evil, yet oh so wonderful creation].  Everyone nowadays [including myself] just wants mason jars, those little yellow ball flowers, and string-lights hung in barns.  Sometimes I just wanna do it the old-fashioned way, and grab a magazine, start cutting out my favorite things, and paste 'em in a wedding binder!!! Because honestly... any color will look good, flowers always look good when photographed at the right angle, any dress will look good, any food will still be delicious, any cake will be delicious, and any decorations will STILL just end up stuffed in a too-small closet taking up space after the wedding.......

but we all still do it anyway. gosh.

Anyway... wanna see what I'm planning so far?? huh? wanna?????? WANNA???????????

well here's a taste.

   

and dassit!!!!!

Love, 

 

SURPRISE!!!............jk it was a month ago.

We got engaged :)

then we got busy...

with work and internships and wedding planning, and spending time with each other, so sorry about the lack of posting..

Follow-up on the story SOON!!! 

But for now, I'll leave you with a little video from last weekend, when Taylor and I road-tripped 8 hours from Oregon to California for my cousin's wedding!

(find that on instagram at #newleeweds)

HE'S SO MUCH FUN!!!!

gah!

Love, 

 

In my spare time...

In my spare time I like to look at fashion blogs... this is one blog that I follow almost religiously.   Her outfits, pattern mixing, color play, textures, makeup, and hair, are always FLAWLESS!! as are her nude Louboutins....

  

To see more of Wendy's impeccable outfits go here!!!

Love,