Will you take my name?.....sigh....
What a week it has been! I have not had Internet since Friday morning!!! YIKES! and it has been a roller coaster with the computer since. That is why I am just now getting to share with you the most splendid night we had this past Friday.
I hosted an Engagement Party in my home given by Amy and I for
Laura and Daniel......
I have been planning this party since we got back in June from the Cruise and boy was I glad to have everyone over for some much needed fellowship!
I hung large outdoor lights and large paper lanterns across the back of the yard to help frame it and give off a lovely glow after sunset.
I ordered 2 different types of oil cloth to rotate on the tables.....I LOVE OIL CLOTH!
Sam's has GREAT deals on flowers so we went with yellow daisy's outside and glads inside
My parents are so wonderful. They always come early when I am having something big with all the parents invited! They helped get the tables fixed the let me get ready!
Dad enjoying a break with his book
Mom looking beautiful, as always, outside while she worked her tail off to help me!
THANK YOU MOM!!!!!!
I added balloons outside...
It was sooooooo hot outside before the sun went down! H-O-T!!!!!!
I ordered a lot of yellow paper fans for those that needed some extra air or wanted to look super cute! haha
Amy came while Dad and I headed out to pick up the food we had catered by a local BBQ place..............which did not have our order ready or enough food there in the shop when we showed up..........that's right, they forgot. Had my Dad not been there to keep me calm and cool I might have hurt someone or cried rivers of frustration all over that place. But Dad told me to chill and said that it was out of our hands. They did get it together in time and we got half off everything which was a blessing. I learned that day to always call the day of and check on things!
BUT....while we were gone the Handsome Groom-to-Be and the Beautiful Bride-to-Be showed up at my house for the very first time!
Mom, who is so Superwoman, grabbed my camera and did not let me miss a bit of their surprise of the house and decorations!
This is the book that Dan wrote and illustrated for Laura. He read it to her the night he proposed!
and their faces when they saw my special surprise engagement gift on the table.......
........their first gift with their name on it as the Morgan's! I love how it turned out!
Then Dad and I returned with food and the masses began arriving.........
This is Laura's dad and our friend John
me and my girls chit chatting in the hall
Dan meeting our friends Aaron and EJ
Amy's Mom, Laura's Mom, and My Dad talking
Amy's bf Jeremy and Chelsea's bf Dominick
Me, Laura and Amy............smiling with joy about this wonderful engagement!
People talked and mingled and then it was time to eat! This is me trying to get everyone in the living room to hold hands and pray!
what face am i making???????? oh with me you just never know! hahahah
I welcomed everyone and then prayed. I started crying big alligator tears immediately after I said the words..."Oh Father," hahahha I can't help it. I was just over-joyed to spend the evening boasting in Him who had written this Love Story right before us. And I cried because I am so glad that everyone could come and celebrate with us. It was so good to hold hands and agree in prayer that God is GOOD!
Then it was time to pig out on beef BBQ, sausage.......
my mom's amazing potato salad, baked beans, bread, chips and all the fixins!
Daniel was very happy about the food.....see this serious face! ha all the boys had the same face.....hahahha I love feeding guys. They do not play when it comes to food! ALL BUSINESS!
girls are different....we like to smile and....
oooooohhhh and ahhhhhhhhhh about what we are going to eat
then get our picture taken with it! ha....Laura looks so cute in these photos!!!!
So while everyone was piling their plates high........Amy and I were getting the drink table ready...
We had water, pink lemonade, and of course .......
SWEET TEA!
and I said...."ooooooooo"
and cute Chelsea said "ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh"
and the love birds said..." ohhhhhhhhh yeah" to our love of SWEET TEA
and after we were finished with our song......Laura and Dan found their table with the photo Amy had brought of them. Amy and I then danced for everyone to the wonderful music from Abba hahahahhhhahah no seriously....we did! ..ps- i love this pic
inside the line continued
My Mom was so awesome. She took on the camera responsibilities for me and I am so grateful. The girl has skills. Most of the wonderful pics you see here are from her! THANKS MOM!
Here are some fun and random pics as everyone ate and talked 90 miles an hour!
look at the beautiful glow behind us...
Kerri, Aaron and Charity
EJ and Rob
Laura's parents
The sun set and the twinkle lights brought the backyard to life.....sigh...i love candle light! It was then time for brownies............
and HOMEMADE ICECREAM!!!!!!!!!! TWO KINDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THIS ONE WAS SNICKERS...yum
AND THIS ONE WAS BUTTERFINGER...yum!!!!!!!!!!! Laura's Mom made it for us!!!
Rob was in love with the taste of goodness....
and Aaron was so happy with his dessert that his face looked like this for about 20 minutes....hahahha
and as we ate Laura and Daniel got up to share with us their story. This was my favorite part of the night. So many times you attend wedding or showers for people and have NO IDEA what their love story is. I hate that. I really loved that they took turns sharing both sides of how it happened. It was such a fun time to hear the sweet moments and funny moments between each other.
And when Dan proposed, he asked her if she would marry him........but he also asked her to take his name and for some reason those words have been on my mind ever since. I think someone asking you to take their name is much more special and beyond the words of "will you marry me". I need to chew on this thought before I share more but "will you take my name" has got to be the most romantic 5 words a man could ever say to me. Makes the covenant of marriage sound that much more "covenant like"...if that makes since hahahhahhaha. I'll explain later!
It was just wonderful to listen to their story. Then it was time for photos and fun.......EJ, Rob and I workin the fans for the camera....
and then all smiles! Oh I love seeing old friends!
We had a great time hanging out outside. Later Amy, Jen, and I all went into my bedroom with Laura, Laura's Mom, and Mom to try on a bridesmaid dress they had found. Sadly they were WAY TOO short and WAY TO SEXY FOR A DAY TIME WEDDING IN NOVEMBER!!!! Oh we laughed and laughed. I couldn't even get the thing zipped up! It was so funny.
Then, when almost everyone had gone, Laura, Amy and I were able to do what we love....sit around the dinning room table and whisper about things only we get to hear! hahahhahah oh I missed the three of us being together when Laura was abroad. We have a hard time leaving each other so we talked and looked at a bridal magazine till almost midnight.
When they had all said goodnight, Mom, Dad and I sat and relived the whole evening! I love doing this with my parents!!!!! Sharing who said this and who said that. And what we thought of this and that. By 1 am we were beat and it was time for sleep.
I must say .......
IT WAS A LOVELY EVENING!
lovely.......and I heart hosting things. I really do. My mom is really good at it and I am still learning. You see, I am a Mary in a Martha world hahahhahahha. I would rather sit and talk for hours over getting things done and stuff. Mom is real good about balancing both and I am trying to learn how to do that too! hahahha! Pratice makes perfect hahahhah!
So as I close this post I say to my Dearest Laura...................... I love you! I do, I do. You and Amy are what keep me fun! I can't believe you move to Oklahoma on Wed but I will take that distance over a million miles away ANY DAY! You are a GLOWING BRIDE-TO-BE. So beautiful and just radiating joy! It will be such a joy for us to stand there by you as two become one! I love you dearly and I PRAISE THE LORD for giving Daniel to you!!!!!!!
love you friends....this is my last week of summer and it is now 12.05 am which means that I turn 28.....yes 28 a week from today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! can't believe it but I honestly love getting older but hate to see a summer come and go...booooooooooo