Dear Love,

I’m sorry people are bitter about you and feel you cause more hurt than good. That they misinterpret their feelings and what your meaning is. That they don’t respect the promise they made to stay true. I am sorry people would rather have materialistic crap and money over something intangible and so meaningful. Thank you for giving me what some people search for their entire lives. An honest, genuine connection with the best intentions always in mind.Thank you for bringing so much happiness into my heart. If there is one thing I have faith in, it’s you.

Love,

Sean

It seems that authentic love is hard to come across, yet marriages happen everyday. Sure everyone thinks it will last forever; the same way I thought I would play with Barbies until I was an adult. Divorce is insanely common, yet every time I hear about a couple splitting it makes me sad. I guess because my mind always flashes to the utter mess I would be should it happen in my relationship.(Or maybe because I have a compassionate side.)Then I remind myself it is not my relationship. My relationship is strong and unbreakable. Not in a way that an affair or betrayal would be forgiven or tolerated, but the fact that those concerns that drive people apart don't even have to be considered. It seems overly optimistic to say that neither of us would EVER turn our backs on the other but it is the simple truth. The same way I don't think about smoking crack is the same way it's not hard to be honest. It's not hard to keep it in your pants. It's not hard to love someone when someone is ready to be loved. It's upsetting that marriage has a bad reputation for making people miserable. It's astonishing that so many people are miserable in their marriages. Yes, people change. No one can say what hardships you will endure the next decade of your life. This is why we have spouses and partners, to help us through it. Children, money problems, loss of a loved one, health issues all do not cause people to go their separate ways. The decision to become closed off and the lack of communication is why things fall apart. I can't promise we will always see eye to eye, and half the time we don't. I can't say something in my life won't put me on edge causing me to get frustrated and snap. I can't answer for the hormonal bitch I will become when pregnant and say that I won't have a mental breakdown. I can promise it will not be the end of our relationship. If anything, all of life's craziness will make me appreciate the one concrete and solid thing I have in an ever changing world: your unconditional love.

Preserving Memories

Most magazines are like people: little substance and filled with crap. Bridal magazines certainly are no exception. I did happen to find a useful idea through all the redundant ads in one of the magazines my future mother in law gave to me. Instead of using a photograph of ourselves or guest book for attendants to sign, we (and by we I mean I) have decided to go with a bright colored poster that we can frame and hang in the guest bedroom/future nursery. (We’ll see.) Not only is it more practical than having a guest book that will sit in the basement collecting dust, but it’s also cheaper! Most guest books are between $40-$60 dollars.Supplies needed to re-create look below: Le-Pen marker in teal (Amazon) for the signatures, frame is an Ikea "Ribba" frame ($20 for 19 3/4x27 1/2-inch frame) and the poster is free to download!

Yay, I Feel Talented!

Engagement photo's are a pretty traditional thing to do. Photography, especially in the Northern VA/D.C. area can be pricey. While I am not big on taking cheesy photo's, we are not getting any younger and this is a very important time of our lives. We decided to head up to Front Royal, VA to see some fall foliage and snap a few shots. Thank goodness for tripods and self timers. While I could and would have got a lot more and better looking pictures if I could be in two places at once, I think they're decent. I will probably force Matt to pose with me again, however, because I am not as thrilled with the outcome as I would like to be. Check out more of my photography here.

Couldn't decide which I liked better.