A fun weekend with the family. Mom gets the credit for the picture of dad and the boys. A few from a fun weekend…

Thanks, Kim, for capturing who we are.
I’ll think we’ll spend plenty of days laughing!!

Wedding Update coming soon–we have a TON done!!! We also scored a new REAL WOOD kitchen table+6 chairs from craigs list tonight for $100 (sorry for the typo earlier). YES!

At the very beginning of wedding planning I stated that photography is going to be one of the most important aspects/a main budgetary item/something that I am willing to give up other non-essential spending for. Thanks to a good friend Heather, we have found our photography team. Not 1, but 2 incredible photographers. Not 1 photographer and a 2nd shooter (not that there’s anything wrong with that), 2 photographers. Kimberly Stanton and Eve Greendale. Both incredibly talented. Both who get the importance of images, the value in capturing a moment. Just look at their portfolios–it’s obvious. We were blessed to have an engagement session this weekend with Kim this weekend. We brought the kids along to get some “new family” pictures. WE. HAD. A. BLAST. These pictures are totally us. Kim put the images below up on Facebook yesterday–I have been checking email and Facebook every 5 seconds (or so it seems) waiting for some hint at a sneak peek (I want to use some for save the dates and am itching to get them out, too–but mostly I just wanted to see them). Yesterday I had to run to the post office during work to buy international stamps. While waiting in line I pulled up Kimberly’s page and nearly shreaked right there at the post office. I got a huge smile on my face and almost let the guy behind me go in front of me (but then remembered I had to get back to work).  Then I looked at them. And I should have let the guy go in front of me. I almost cried. Yes, I almost cried. Right there. In the Riviera Beach post office. Over pictures. Because this is how important capturing who we are and this moment of our lives is to me.  Thank you, Kim (in case she reads this). I wish I could express how much all of this means to us. We are so thankful for you and Eve. I had a few props/ideas/pics I wanted for the engagement session–but just wait for the wedding. I’m already starting a list of everything that I want photographed. Thank you for making sure we got everything I suggested. That really meant a lot. You are the bomb.com. Yes I just said that. Go become a fan of their Facebook pages and show them some love. They deserve it. They also just started a blog: the Big Day blog. Sappiness over. On to a few images from Kimberly’s Facebook page.

…..about having no words. Yea, uh…

Full Credit: Kimberly Stanton Photography
The artwork in the first image came from here.

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183 days!

I woke up on Wednesday morning at my usual time of 4:30am, excited for the day to come.  As I do every day, I ran 6 miles to the gym, worked out for an hour, ran home, and then prepared breakfast.  Breakfast always consists of fresh tropical fruit like bananas and coconuts that I get fresh by climbing the trees and harvesting these delights after my morning workout.

I only had about an hour before work so I read the Wall Street Journal and New York Times but I was only able to get through half of the local paper.  I arrived at work and spent the first part of the morning negotiating peace in the Middle East and then solved the BP oil crisis (Yes…both of these problems are solved.  However, there is a lack of persons sufficiently skilled to implement my plans.  The CIA, KGB and other organizations are actively looking for personnel.  And yes, there is still a KGB…don’t be fooled.).

I then went to meet with Anne and Durwood and performed various feats to demonstrate physical skill, mental acuity and overall brilliance of personality as argument for why they should allow me to marry their only daughter.  Finally, after several demonstrations of prestidigitation which left them awed and amazed, they said yes and I began the final preparations.

I finished my day at work with a call from the Dali Lama asking me for some advice.  I hated to cut him off but I was on a schedule.  I purchased some grapes and some fresh sand and I threw the sand in my home furnace to melt whilst squeezing the grapes into a pressure vat (something I invented.  Causes advanced fermentation and carbonation in a very brief amount of time) which I then engaged to create the champagne.  While waiting for the champagne to be ready, I pulled the sand (now melted to glass) out of the furnace and blew out a nice little bottle.  I had barely enough time to cool the bottle, fill it, cork it and chill it before Sara arrived.

When Sara got there, we went to the beach and I was able to sneak the champagne and glasses into a backpack but I was still trying to figure out how I would do it all.  I eventually decided that I would utilize my vast psychological training and JEDI mind powers to get Sara to want to see what was in the bag.  So I began utilizing subtle tricks to increase her curiosity about the bag and eventually caused her to insist that I show her what was in the bag (by the way, she does not know that I was in control the whole time and using mind tricks on her so please let’s keep this between us and not tell her).

Whilst still using my JEDI powers, I waved my hand in front of her face and said “This is the man you want.  Marry him.  You want to say yes.”  She repeated “This is the man I want…I will marry him…Yes.”

And I was stoked.

And the rest is history…well…our story.  J