The Scoop on the Big Bamboozle

Just in case you didn't know....Bamboozle=wedding in this case. :) So I've had a TON of people ask me, "When's the wedding gonna be?" "Do you know yet?" "How about now?" This is only normal, as we ARE engaged and WOULD like to get married some time in the next century or so....Of course you're all going to be curious!

We got engaged on September 7th, 2009. The wedding date started out as being sometime. :) We didn't know when we'd be able to get a house, and Chad, who has spent his life in barracks, apartments, or with roomies, really wanted to get an actual house. I totally didn't object to that! So the hunt began...a few complications came along the way, and I wasn't really sure if we'd be getting married in the next year. It was hard to find a decent house, with land, close to Peterson, kind of close to my job, with at least 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, garage, etc. We were both becoming discouraged, and then Chad finally told me if he didn't find a house soon, that we would just get an apartment and plan the wedding for some time in the summer. Out of sheer goofiness, I made up a date, March 26th, as being the date that I'd LOVE to get married by. I didn't actually think it would work out that way, but a girl can dream can't she?? :)

Well here's what happened...Chad had it set up with a friend, Braden, of his, for us to stop by Braden's house after I got off of work one night, to look at some furniture he had for us. Braden and his wife just had a baby, and they were looking to get rid of a few things to make room. Chad gave me directions before I went into work and afterward, I followed them to a little house off of Constitution and Peterson. He told me to text him when I pulled up so that he could meet me outside and usher me in, to introduce me to Braden and his family. I did just that, and he came outside, took my hand, and led me in. We got inside and I looked around. There were a few pink couches that matched the ones Michael and Donna gave us, a dining room table, and a bunch of boxes. "Well, what do you think?" He asked me.
"I think everything here will go good with what we have. "
"Well, it is ours."
"Okay, well we should look through it all."
"No, this IS ours. This is our house."
It finally began to sink in....."What???"
"It's ours. I signed for it today."

Then it fully sunk in. I couldn't think, or talk, or laugh...so I cried! Haha! I just started blubbering and crying and walking around in circles. I couldn't believe it!!! After I finally calmed down, he explained the entire story to me...how he had been going around in secret, planning this all for weeks...Michael and Donna let him borrow the trailer to move his stuff out of their storage shed, Gary helped him lift some of the heavy stuff up the stairs, Braden lent the use of his good name....:) I was so amazed! I am such a hard person to surprise (because I'm very good at reading minds ;) and I just couldn't fathom that he actually pulled this off!!! He had been telling me for weeks that my Christmas present was HUGE and I would probably get it early. Never did I imagine, this is what it would be though!

Sooooo.....long story long....we have a house now! It is JUST the right size, 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2-car garage, good sized backyard, in town, and close to Peterson. Perfect!!!
Back to the wedding story....:) So because we finally have a house, we were able to start making wedding plans! Yay! We started out with sticking with my "dream date"...March 26th. But then one day, Chad asked me how I felt about getting married Valentine's Day. I thought that sounds amazing! (But then a few days later he decided it sounded too cliche, so we switched to February 13th.) Well, when we called Westgate Resorts to book our honeymoon, the only dates they ended up having open (after 3 phone calls) was the 20th-28th. That meant we had to leave on the morning of the 20th, and therefore, get married on Friday the 19th. :)

There, I said it. Chad and I are getting married on Friday, February 19th. Here's the thing, though. To keep things really small and intimate, we are only inviting family. I'd LOVE to have ALL of the friends I've ever made and all the family I've ever had there...but that requires a great deal of planning, coordination, and a REALLY big church. :) We decided that rather than finagle with all of that, we just wanted to have the closest people in our lives there, to witness the joining of our lives under God. It's not because I don't LOVE all of my amazing friends, or Chad's wonderful friends that I've heard so many great stories about. It's not that at all. We are doing this because it is going to be easy and simple. That's all. :)

BUT-here's some really good news....we DO want to include all of those people who aren't coming to the wedding in the celebrating of our marriage, so sometime in June (when the weather gets warmer), we are going to host a barbecue at the church Chad and I attend (Meridian Point Church here in Falcon, Colorado). We are going to invite ALL (and I do mean all) of our family, friends, and the very special, and important people in our lives. It is going to be a very casual, laid-back, fun-focused party to celebrate our marriage. Let me tell you, it's going to be a blast. Burgers, brats, fruit salad, great music, cake (mmmmmm!), and a knee-slappin' good time!!! :) Be watching for invites in the mail around April or so....:)

So I hope none of you are offended and I hope all of you understand.
We love you all!

Signing off with a Chad quote as always.....
"Life is better knowing WHEN I'm going to marry you. " Chad, 12/09