One Fine Day

You know that theory about being patient because some things are worth the wait? Well, my patience has FINALLY paid off! The best way I can describe yesterday is that it was one FINE day!

My day started off with a relaxing massage with Chelsea and Caroline. Confession - I had never had one before. It was everything I had expected and more. I will admit some parts kind of hurt. The massage therapist said I was a little tense. I'm sure wedding planning stress had nothing to do with it. ;) After all the tension was worked out, there was nothing but relaxation. I almost fell asleep a few times, but I am assuming that is normal! After the massage the girls took me to eat at The Flying Biscuit. The food was almost as amazing as the massage. Fat and Happy - that's how I like it!

At my Girls Night

Later that evening the girls and my sisters all reunited again for my bachelorette party/girls night. Tiffany, Danielle and Taylor fixed me dinner (lasagna and other Italian goodies). And what would a bachelorette party be without an outrageous cake?!?! Thanks Danielle! Oh yeah, thanks Tiffany for the games...entertaining to say the least. :) I can't say enough about how grateful I am for these girls. They are amazing ladies who bring smiles to my life.

The Boob Cake. LOL!

Last but not least, I got to pick up Ryan from the airport at 11:35 pm. We were both exhausted from our days, but that did not stop us from acting like little kids when we saw each other. Nothing beats those airport reunions. There is that extreme amount of emotion that overcomes you - relief, happiness, joy, tears, smiles, giddiness. I love it!

I got my kiss! :)

Ryan and I always try to do something special for each other when we have these airport reunions. This time I made a shirt for Ryan saying, "Welcome home...now kiss me!" On the back it said, "Larsen."

It feels SO good for Ryan and I to be back together. It is a crazy feeling going from being half a world away to all of a sudden being right beside each other. All I know is that we love each other more and more each time we are together. We get married in less than a week now and we are more than excited about it!!!! Let the fun begin!

Showering the Bride

I had Bridal Shower #3 today with the ladies from work! The Media Center ladies (whom I love to DEATH) were in charge of this one. They had the cutest towel cake set up (not to mention the delicious real cake). :) Where do they get these ideas!?!

I got a variety of gifts at this shower - including of my favorite gifts thus far. Ryan and I got matching luggage tags with 'Just Married' stitched into them. SO CUTE! They will really come in handy with all of our traveling!

Over the past 2 years I have spent LOTS of time with these ladies. In fact, most of them saw my love story as it actually unfolded from the very beginning. Yes, they laughed with me (at me) when I talked about embarrassing myself in front of Ryan. They gave me tissues when I had to send Ryan back to Afghanistan. They even became my cheerleaders when I was a giddy mess. It has been so nice sharing this experience with them. Today was a perfect way to end a long day of work.

Mrs. Vey is AMAZING!

On The Move

Ryan is officially on the move! His things have been packed up and picked up. They are now making the long journey back to the US of A, and within a few more days Ryan will be making that trip too. For the past few weeks it has been a scavenger hunt to get all the signatures that he has needed to leave Italy. There has been a lot of stress as far as deadlines, papers, and plans go. However, now that the paper work is almost done, the idea of actually leaving is settling in. Ryan has made wonderful friends in Italy - brothers to be exact. They have experienced things together in Afghanistan that many of us will never know about. They have also had some of the best times together, just being guys. Even though Ryan has a lot to look forward to in the future, I know it is hard for him to leave this part of his life in the past. Ryan's job is something that he loves and has always given his dedication to. There are some pretty fantastic Sky Soldiers in Italy that will ALWAYS be a part of his life. Although distance will now be a dividing factor, we look forward to keeping in touch with many of them!

Marryin' Month

April is FINALLY here! This is going to be the most exciting month for Ryan and I! Just look at all of the fun things we have coming up...

• April 9th - Ryan moves home!!! Since his home has been rather nomadic recently, he says that home is where ever I am. If that is the case, Ryan comes home to me in NC next Saturday! I can't wait! Those airport greetings never get old.


• April 16th - If you follow this blog and you don't know what happens on this day then you should be ashamed of yourself! RYAN AND I GET MARRIED!!! I don't know what else to say about this day except it is going to be the start of a beautiful life together. :)


• April 17th - 21st - Honeymoonin' it up at the beach! We plan on this just being the most relaxing, fun, and romantic, well deserved week that we have ever had. The nice thing about where we are going is that it is secluded and romantic, but also still close to some of the local attractions. Plus, it's the beach. What more could we ask for?!! Ryan has only been to the beach a handful of times in his whole life...I'm going to show him how a week at the beach is supposed to be spent! Haha.


• April 22nd - We fly to Utah!! We have made this flight together several times - so we are pros. This is also the first time we will have seen Ryan's family since his leave in December/January. Happy reunions!


• April 23rd - Our Utah Reception for all of Ryan's family and friends! Bring on more celebrations for us!


• April 26th - Ryan moves into our house in Louisiana!!! And I will be getting one heck of a Skype tour. LOL. I will be flying down in May to visit and then I will officially move down there in June, after the school year is over. The important thing is that this will be the place that we will call OURS for the next 2 years of our life. :)

I am overwhelmed with all of the great things that are in store for us. Ryan and I are so grateful for the way things have fallen into place for us. There are so many wonderful things ahead of us and so many wonderful people that we get to share these moments with. We love ya'll! PS- I apologize in advance for the "Yay, us!" blogs that will occur this month. This only happens once...so be patient with us! :)

Anxiously Waiting

There are only 2 weeks left until I pick Ryan up from the airport. Am I anxiously waiting or waiting anxiously?!
All I know is that seeing each other after being away for several months is WONDERFUL!

Whirlwind Romance

Ryan and I are currently living a whirlwind romance. Of course there is the lovey dovey, love sick, puppy love, honeymoon period part of it, but I am more referring to the 'running around like a chicken with your head cut off" aspect.

Ryan just received his papers to start out processing (late, might I add - thanks Army!), so he will be busy the next two weeks getting signatures, turning in gear, getting his stuff moved, and anything else they tell him to do before he gets on that plane. At one point I was really excited for him to start this process. What was I thinking?!?! He is so busy! He is trying so hard to meet all of his deadlines and requirements so that it will not interfere with his dates to come home. It is a lot of stress on him.

On my end, I am STILL doing wedding stuff (story of my life). I am STILL meeting with people/vendors, STILL sending out random invites, and picking out endless small details for the reception. PS- Opinions are overwhelming, so if you don't like how WE are planning OUR wedding then get over it! (I say that with love) Courthouse anyone?!?! :) On top of wedding stuff, I am getting my end of year evaluations at work (which requires TOO much paperwork and lots of meetings - in addition to my normal daily work). I am also applying to school districts in Louisiana. Oh yeah, speaking of Louisiana - For the past week I have been dealing with house stuff so that we will have a place to live when we get there!

With everything going on, we (together) are also trying to maintain our Skype dates and communication. That is most important. Somehow we have to balance our own individual stresses in order to relieve the stresses of the other person. I am not sure how we do it, but it's getting done. Patience, strength, and kindness are starting to become our best friends. 2 weeks and this will be a closed chapter in our book! HURRY!

Home Is Where The Heart Is

Ryan and I have been eyeing houses in Louisiana ever since we got engaged. We have felt very anxious while looking because nothing fit perfectly. Many of the options were either not in our price range, ugly as sin, or they were missing something that we wanted.
When considering houses we wanted one that had plenty of space on the inside. We wanted it to be somewhat new and modern (a nice way of saying we didn't want a dump)! And most of all we wanted a patio or some type of backyard in which we could cook out and entertain people.
We finally found the place of our dreams! It is in a townhouse neighborhood called Timber Ridge. We contacted them and lucked out with one that was becoming available right around the time Ryan would be moving down! We are so excited to announce that we now have a beautiful 3 bedroom/ 2 bath house. YAY! This place has everything we want and more. I actually think I scared the lady who told us the house was ours. You would've thought I had won a brand new car! I had to explain that my excitement was because we were about to get married and this is our first house together. I know she was thinking, 'Sure, but it's just another day in the office for me!'
During our excitement, we decided that Ryan will organize the furniture in all of the rooms - because he is really good at stuff like that- and I will decorate and make it all pretty. :) Shout out to all of our registry gifts we are getting!!!
With all of the changes going on it is so comforting to know that we now have a roof over our head, a place to come home to, and a place we can call ours! This is going to be an amazing start to our new lives together! PS- We have a lovely spare bedroom, so we expect visitors! :)