We're Getting Married!!

As most of you already know, Ryan popped the question this weekend on our trip to New York City!!!  To say I was completely surprised would be an understatement - I was in such shock that my initial response was "Are you serious??"  Don't get me wrong, I knew we would get married sooner rather than later but I really did not expect him to propose on this trip.  Needless to say, the surprise made it all the better!

So here's how it went down.  We were in New York for the weekend (a trip I got Ryan for his birthday) and staying with some of our great friends, Joe, Christy and their daughter Marlo, in Brooklyn.  They live right on the river in this apartment complex that has a rooftop with the most gorgeous view of Manhattan and the Manhattan bridge.  Ryan and I had gone into Manhattan all day Saturday to walk around and do "touristy" things and he had been complaining of not feeling well.  We were back in Brooklyn later that night waiting on some friends to come over and he asked if I would go up to the rooftop with him to get some fresh air.  So I threw on a t-shirt, some rain boots and absolutely no makeup and up to the rooftop we went.  Ryan was behind me and we were standing at the edge, looking at the beautiful view when I suddenly noticed he wasn't behind me anymore (I say suddenly, he will tell you it took a long 10 seconds).  Once I noticed, I turned around to find him down on one knee with the most beautiful ring I had ever seen.  I don't have to tell you what happened next...now we are engaged!!!!

We could not be more excited to start our lives together.  As you can imagine, it's hard to pick a date with his work schedule but we hope to have one nailed down within the next month.  Thank you to all of our family and friends for their love and support during this exciting time
and throughout our entire relationship - we wouldn't be where we are without each and every one of you.

I'll definitely keep you updated on our plans on the blog so check back for wedding details as we figure them out!

With much love,

Carly

Where we got engaged (we had to take pictures the next day b/c it was too dark that night)

Happy Birthday Ryan!

Happy Birthday Ryan!

We've been through a lot this year - joy, pain, sorrow, excitement, love...you  name it, we've experienced it.  We have traveled (mostly for golf), bought our first home together, welcomed your new nephews into the world, lost someone we loved so dearly, celebrated a dream coming true by making it to the PGA tour, hosted our first Thanksgiving, just to name a few things.  Through all of it, you have been a constant joy and strength in my life and I am so thankful for you each and every day.

I can't wait to celebrate your last year in your 20's tonight and in New York this weekend with great friends!  Cheers to you and here's to hoping 29 is the best year yet!

I love you most!

XOXO,

Carly

Celebrating Ryan's birthday last year!

Give Thanks

What am I thankful for? I'm not even sure where to start - I have so much to be thankful for this year!

Ryan and I were lucky enough to host our first Thanksgiving yesterday and I must say - it was a huge success (one thing I'm very thankful for). It took a lot of hard work and preparation to have 15 of our family members over for dinner and I can't thank Ryan and my parents enough for all of their help - we couldn't have done it without them!  We finally finished the Farmhouse Dining Room Table that I've been wanting (I will post details of that process later this week).  We cleaned and cooked and cleaned some more but it was worth every second of hard work to be able to share this holiday with our loved ones.  I'm especially thankful that my grandparents were able to make it.  We have unfortunately lost both of Ryan's grandparents in the past 2 years so having grandparents still here with us means more than it ever has.  Here are a few highlights of our day.

Farmhouse Dining Room table - finished product!

 Table(s) set and ready for our family of 15

Yummy Food (I kept forgetting to get food pictures and don't have any pie pictures but everything was so delicious) 

My Grandfather and Ryan's Mom - so lucky to be able to have both families there to celebrate 

Ryan and I after all of our hard work 

Dad and I

So - what am I thankful for this year?  Well the list could go on for miles but I will say that I'm most thankful for my family and all of my loved ones.  It is easy to take for granted those you love, especially if you see them a lot, but I wouldn't be where I am without each and every one of them. So this holiday season I will take a little extra time to appreciate them and tell them how much I love them!

xoxo,

Carly