I am really going to be BRIDE!

As funny as it sounds it was not until Monday, May 26 that I realized I am really getting married. I know I have sent out the Save-the-Date cards to out of towners, booked the church and reception hall, but it was not until I tried on and bought my dress that I realized, OH MY GOD I AM THE BRIDE!

There is something very strange about trying on wedding dresses, like you are really part of a fairly tale and for me I kept waiting for someone to come in and say, "what are you doing, you don't belong here." The whole shopping trip was a surprise. I was spending my Memorial Day holiday with my Mom, Mary, and Caroll (from Vegas). We had met Jeff and Jenn out at Mom's new house, then went on to see theirs and grab some lunch. It was an all-around great day so far. I don't know who, Mary or Caroll, suggested we look at dresses on the way home. Mom and I both said "sure."

We stopped at David's Bridal, went in and registered and within an hour had found the dress I wanted. It is beautiful, I loved it from the moment I saw it. It is cream, some bead work, a train and full skirt. They only had two and one was my size! I was so happy.....of course, Mom, Mary, and Caroll all cried and took tons of pictures. I was so happy to get to be able to share that experience with them. Mom said automatically, "lets get it, price is right, size is right, etc....we have to." I was so stunned and so grateful. I think at that moment, standing there with this amazing dress on, a petticoat on, my mom and gang crying and a veil on my head is exactly when I looked at myself and thought, YOU ARE THE BRIDE and this is for REAL!!! I am so happy and can't believe that I have really found my one.

What a weekend!

The weekend started out great, Jeff and I took mom to dinner on Friday night. We went to PF Changs and had a great visit. She and Jeff are just crazy about each other which is go wonderful for me. He is so good and sweet with her, listening, chatting, and helping in anyway he can. I think after all that has happened she just needed to vent. I can only imagine why, hahaha! After we left her we went to register at Bed Bath and Beyond. What an experience that was, he and I both new to that one. We went through the store aisle by aisle looking at stuff, scanning, saying "I like this, I like that." After two hours we were both so tired, nothing was looking good and we wanted nothing.

Saturday rolled around and we decided (or I pushed and he went along with) to register at Target as well. That went much faster this time and we found somethings that we had really been looking for and some items we liked better. Then it was off to Huntsville and dinner with his folks. They are the sweetest people, who have welcomed me into their family with open arms, I am truly blessed to have them in my life as well. From there, it was to a party at the house of one of Jeff's friends, Wade. He is going to be in the wedding and a great guy to be around. It was a nice night but after a while Jeff and I needed to head home, we were tired and coming back to Conroe for the night.

Sunday arrived and Jeff was happy to be registering at "his store", Home Depot. We looked at grills, drills, and tools. I have no idea what half that stuff was but he was happy to be wondering around creating a wish list for gifts. From there it was off to the boat with my family. We love being on the boat and all thought of Barney and how much he loved it too. Jeff (brother) even said when it would not start, "oh that is just Barney up there playing around with us", that is very true. It started and we spent the day playing in the sun, laughing, and having a great time.

Asking God Why?

Well since my last post, our family has been turned upside down. On Monday, May 12, my step-father Barney Bolt was placed in the hospital. He had been having some trouble with his heart and breathing. We never dreamed that he would never be coming home. For whatever reason, God choose to take him home. After, suffering through four code blues, Barney left this us and joined those in heaven.

I have never been through such an event before, watching my mother beg God to not take him from her, seeing her on the floor praying with all her heart and soul for her soul mate to remain here and get better. I do believe that as long as I live I will continue to ask God why? Why did he take him, why couldn't the doctors find out what is wrong, why do his children have to go through loosing another parent, and why after all these years and finally finding happiness, did he have to break my mother's heart? I know that we aren't meant to always understand Gods ways, that he doesn't give us more than we can handle, and that we will survive, but WHY? I trust God and his plan, I believe with all my heart in soul in him, but I also know what I saw, how I felt, and watching your mother on the floor of a hospital hallway begging for him to live, isn't something I can never understand and I don't know if I am meant to.

Some would ask if it has weakened my faith, the answer is no. My faith is strong, I have been blessed so much in the past few months that that feeling will never go away. I found Jeff, my soul mate, my brother and Jennifer are having another baby, and I saw my mom happier than she has been in years. I know all of that is the work of God but I think part of me will always ask him why?

Rings, Babies, and Families

WHAT A WEEKEND!!! Well it is May 11 and this has been some Mother's Day weekend and I am not even a mom! First, it started off with going to pick out my engagement ring. It is going to be beautiful. My grandmother had given me the ring that she wore when she was married to my grandfather, Ralph Richardson (Gramps). I took that ring to the jeweler and after about an hour or so, Jeff and I found exactly what I had been looking for and I can't wait to see it. It will be one engagement band consisting of the large center stone and four smaller diamonds from my grandmother's ring. Then it will have two matching bands of five diamonds each to match. I said the ring was a perfect combination of Jeff and my grandfather.

We celebrated Mother's day twice, on Saturday night with Jeff's parents at Outback and then at my brother's house today for my mom and family. While there we found out they are expecting a baby! We are all so excited and can't wait for the new little one and her due date is, would you believe it, New Year's Eve!

I lost my heart forever

On April 26, Jeff and I attended a wedding, of a co-workers daughter, in Galveston so it was a drive for both of us. I was so excited to be going with him and that he would want to go all that way with me to a wedding for people he had never met. But I should have known that is Jeff...that is his nature.

The wedding was beautiful and the reception was a blast. The band played lots of wonderful songs but when they played "She's My Everything" by Brad Paisley and he sang to me in my ear and told me he loved me, I knew that I had lost my heart forever. We had been talking of marriage already and I knew I wanted to but I don't think it was until that night I realized just how much.

Later that next day, we made it official. He asked my father for his blessing to marry me, of course my dad said "yes" and November 8, 2008 was our chosen date!

Meeting our Families

Almost from the beginning we have been a couple. It is natural for us to be together and to spend time together with our families. That first weekend (March 18) we had been dating was also my Mom's birthday. Jeff met my family (brother, mom, grandma, etc) for dinner that night and immediately they loved him. I was so happy to see how well it all worked out. All I could do was just sit and say "thank you God for giving me this man and allowing me to experience this happiness."

That same weekend, I met Jeff's parents at their home in Huntsville. They are the sweetest people and so welcoming of me into their family. I could see immediately where Jeff gets his sense of humor and generous nature.

I will admit that I was nervous meeting mom and dad for the first time. But I think I was more nervous to meet his sister, being a sister myself, I know how protective I am over my brother and she is the same. After a few minutes though, I was put at ease and have to come realize I have made a friend for life in her.

March 10, 2008

On March 10, a Monday night, Jeff and I finally met for the first time. He came to my apartment, gave me a beautiful bracelet and took me eat at Pappadeaux. From the beginning I think we both felt we were friends who already knew each other we just hadn't seen each other in a while. The conversation at dinner was great, the best I had ever had on a first date. I knew that night that this was different, special, and true to me.

I had made that promise to myself to be honest with me when I met someone new. I tried to stay true to my personality, what I was looking for and what I wanted to my future. Jeff was the same way. He and I both had been hurt before and both knew what we "weren't" looking for anymore.

Honestly, friendship, laughter, and love are tops on my list and I had finally met someone who had those same ideals. I can honestly say I have never dated anyone who makes me laugh as much as Jeff.

The Turkey Man

Around the 1st or 2nd of March, I had gotten a "hi" on my personals page from a man named Jeffery, who had posted a picture taken with a turkey he had killed while hunting. Several of my friends immediately started calling him the Turkey Man. After some thought and reading his profile again, I said hello back.

On March 2, 2008 he and I started to chat and get to know each other better but only online first. From the beginning our conversations just seemed to flow so easily and natural. We would chat for hours and most of the time couldn't remember what we had talked about. I knew almost immediately though that I couldn't wait to talk to him again. He was one of the nicest, funniest, and most respectful men I had ever met.

Though our work schedules did not allow for us to talk until late in the evening we would still chat and chat for hours. We both felt almost right away that we couldn't wait to meet in person and that it would be soon.

Finding Me Again

Well I am new to blogging but decided to give it a try and document this wonderful ride I have been on lately in my life. This blog is actually going to start when I think I started to change...January 15, 2008. I had just suffered a break up, that at the time I was devestated to be going through. Now I know it was a true blessing in my life. I had realized I was tired of crying, tired of trying to please others, and decided it was either now or never for myself.

I put my profile on an online personals site and decided to see what was out there. Well I had a date or two but nothing just seemed to click. I was trying very hard to be honest with myself and anyone I might be meeting. I wanted to make sure they understood I was wanting to be married one day, have a family, the whole nine yards. If they weren't looking for that, well them pass me by.

On March 2, 2008 I started chatting with someone who would change my life forever and for the better.