The Proposal...

John really wanted the proposal to be a surprise and I did too (even though I am the worst at having surprises because I need to know every detail before it actually happens). But I knew he was excited about it so I tried to stay out of it as much as possible. Of course, he did the perfect job and I couldn't have been happier!

It was a Monday so I really wasn't expecting it. While I was at work we made plans to go to our favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner that night (which is a pretty typical thing for us so I didn't think anything of it). I was first suspicious when we planned the time because he moved it later than we normally plan, but I had had a weekend of thinking it was going to happen and it didn't so I was very much so trying not to get my hopes up and thought nothing of it.

Unfortunately I ended up working a lot later than I had planned and so I was rushing to get home and John was getting really anxious and that got me even more suspicious but I really didn't want to be wrong again so I really tried not to think about it some more.

I finally got home and we headed to the restaurant. We were almost there and he pulled over and parked on the side of the street. I was starting to ask what was going on and really getting my hopes up and he said we were going to walk to the restaurant from there. I was like ok no this is weird we are lazy haha. Suddenly John points to the entrance to a music venue we have been to a few times and says something like, "oh look live bands tonight" and goes inside.

We walk in and the room is filled with candles and there is a screen in the middle of the room with a projection of a picture of John and I on it. We sit down on stools and the music starts and a slideshow John made (with all our 8+ years of pictures) starts playing with the cutest songs. At the end it said, "Will you marry me?" He then got down on one knee and asked me. It was so perfect I was so happy to finally be official and be able to tell people our plans.

Little did I know it wasn't quite over yet, both of our parents walked in and congratulated us. We all went to dinner (at our favorite Mexican restaurant) and it was completely perfect.

At dinner we called our families and shared in the good news. I really am so grateful for John and all the planning and hard work that he did to make this so special. He truly is incredible and I am so lucky to have him.

And now to the real important part….all the pictures :)

Pre Engagement Business….

RING SHOPPING:
After telling our parents and the incredible reactions they had we couldn't wait to go ring shopping and get everything started.

This was a totally different experience than I ever expected! It was frustrating/fun/exciting/confusing/cool/surreal and tested my patience at times (even though it only took a couple of weeks). Things really fell into place and worked out perfectly it was so crazy.
The first time we went out it was kind of late so we just went to some jewelry stores in the mall to get a feel for what we needed to look at and know. A while before all of this I had found this gorgeous ring on this iPhone app and immediately fell in love. They said it was at a store in Provo so that was kind of cool but we weren't even close to ring shopping so I just obsessed over it quietly. When it came time to ring shop I knew I had to try this one on so that if it wasn't it I would be able to stop thinking about it and move on to the right one. We went to the store that was supposed to have it and asked about it and they told us that that collection had to be ordered in they didn't carry it in stores and they showed me the picture that I had been staring at for months. Disappointment was an understatement but I had also found some different styles that I had really loved as well, so I figured oh well not meant to be (I couldn't imagine getting a ring I hadn't tried on, I know I have a problem with control haha). They were still going to look into getting the measurements so I could maybe try to visualize it (and so they could try and make a sale). But we left and set a plan on where we would go next.
The next day (3/6/14) I was at work and got a phone call from a number I didn't recognize, of course I couldn't answer it because I was at work and they left a message. I got a text a few minutes later and it was the girl that had helped us at the jewelry store. She said that the rep from the collection we were interested in was there in their store and had the ring we wanted to see. I FREAKED out! But of course they would only be there for the next 30-45 minutes so I had to come then. I hurried and left on my lunch break, called John freaked out to him told him I would send him pictures and videos and drove (calmly) to the store. I got there rushed in and saw it, and instantly knew it was perfect. John saw the pictures and videos and knew it was perfect as well. The next night we went in and ordered it. But the hardest part came with finding a diamond (who knew that was harder than finding the ring???). That took longer than we wanted but again we found the perfect one and quickly finalized everything. It was truly meant to be and I cannot express my gratitude to Heather and Goldsmith enough. We were so happy with their support and service! 

Because I was involved in picking the ring I knew when it was ordered and how long it was supposed to take to get here. Ladies, I highly recommend not knowing that piece of information if you are picking out your ring. It drove me crazy counting down the days and having no idea if it would come in early or late. Let's just say I did my hair, make up and nails more in those 10 business days than I ever have. 

SUNDAY MARCH 16, 2014:

I was really set on waiting to tell anyone until the engagement because what's the point of announcing you are engaged if everyone already knows you were planning on it?? But we decided it would be best to tell our siblings and I was so excited to do so. We were getting together with his family for Ivy's baby blessing. After coming up with a plan we figured this was going to be our best opportunity to have everyone together for awhile. The blessing was perfect and after we hung at Emily and Jason's for awhile and then people started to trickle out. We were getting nervous because we didn't want any of the immediate family to leave but we also knew that this wasn't our event and we couldn't control who stayed and chatted. Luckily we were able to wait out everyone else and convinced the family to stay. Then we handed each couple an envelope…

They were all thrilled and I was so happy we told them this way! It was another fantastic day filled with  love and support. We quickly realized how amazing this journey was going to be with the perfect friends and family that we have.

I called my brother Ben to let him know shortly after and unfortunately Jake didn't know until the actual proposal because he was away at school. Their support (with Josh's) was seriously so important to me because I love them and respect their opinions. They were all so much more excited than I ever expected and that left me feeling so much peace and joy!

We are so blessed!!!

The Start of a Big Adventure….

It started out as a normal Sunday, going to church of course.
But turned out to be one of the best days of our lives.
Today was the day we were going to tell our parents some awesome news….

"We're Getting Married!!!"

John and I had been talking about getting married and all the details that have to be in line to do so. We had come to the realization that we both loved the idea of getting married in September, so we kind of set a date between the two of us.

We wanted to tell our parents (and only our parents) first because we knew they would want to know before everyone else did and it didn't feel right to start ring shopping without them knowing about the plan!

We went to the Ostler's first. We were sitting down in the living room after dinner and by some miracle they started talking about when to schedule Josh's EFY and their calendars and what they had going on for the next couple months.
John and I looked at each other and knew that this was the perfect moment and we didn't even plan it that way.
So I casually mentioned that they should probably keep September open, and both my mom and dad asked pretty confused, "Ok, why?"
At this point the suspense and been built up and when we finally told them the reason the looks on their faces was priceless. It went from shock to excitement really quickly! My mom immediately started asking where, what and how and I knew that the planning would be perfect having her by my side. My dad was just so excited and looked deeper into his schedule to make sure he had no conflicts.
We were over the moon thrilled at their reaction! But we also told them we wanted it to be completely on the down low. We weren't even telling our siblings yet. So it was a big secret that we were hoping they would keep. ((Side note: Josh happened to be there and so he got to be in the loop too but was sworn to secrecy with the parents. He may or may not have shed some tears, because he absolutely loves John.))

After all that happiness we couldn't wait to get to John's parents to tell them the good news.
By the time we got there, however, it was fairly late so John ran in to make sure they were still awake.
They were but they were getting ready for bed. He asked them if they had a quick second so we could talk to them. (Side note: John's mom had been subtly hinting and asking for a couple of weeks trying to see if we were planning anything or getting close). So John told them, I just want to make sure you don't plan anything for September 17 of…..2015 because we are getting married. (We just think we are so funny) We told them that we were kidding and it was really September 17, 2014 and they erupted with happiness and congratulations. ((Side note: John's dad would've jumped up in excitement to hug us as well but he was already in bed so he couldn't get out. We could still feel his love and support even from bed!!)) Of course, they were sworn to secrecy as well and promised they wouldn't tell anyone! There also might have been a few "finally" and "I knew it" comments.

This is us right after we told his parents. I am forever grateful that we got this moment captured it is one of my favorite pictures because of how joyful of a day it truly was. 

And this is where our new adventure began…..