blessed

Just this last Saturday my wonderful aunties hosted my very first bridal shower. This event marked the first time Wes really freaked out and reminded me, "Holy crap....we're getting married". Yeah buddy, glad you're now just figuring this out. I'm kidding.

Although the gifts were of course wonderful and will all be so helpful in getting our marriage off to a great start, I can honestly say that far beyond the gifts, I came to a serious realization......

I AM SO INCREDIBLY BLESSED.

Here's just a few reasons.

a. I have a truly amazing family. Although a bit large and crazy, they are truly the greatest.

b. I am marrying into yet another truly amazing family.

c. From my EB baby days to now, I have been surrounded by so many amazing women who loved and cared for me through it all.

So ladies, of course thank you not only for the gifts, but more importantly for making me feel so loved and cherished. I cannot say it enough, I am so incredibly blessed.

san diego

A couple of weeks ago Wes and I took a wonderful road trip to San Diego to attend a friend's wedding. I originally had marvelous plans to blog all about the trip, but well....let's face it, school, work and wedding planning pretty much took over my life these last few weeks and I literally haven't had a spare minute to blog. Overall, the trip was truly amazing and it was nice to get away from Eugene where life gets consumed by homework, coaching soccer, and planning our own wedding.

Here's some highlights and funny moments of the trip....

1.Wes is seriously the funnest boy to road trip with. He's got some serious air guitar skills. Check it out!

2. We made a trip to the USS Midway to kill time before the wedding. I was a bit hesitant about this trip since I'm not a history buff and know nothing about the navy and/or planes. Wes had a ball and surprisingly I did too. Thankfully the headsets had a kids version of the audio tour, which made me a happy camper. Check out these audio tour nerds!

3. Saturday evening....WEDDING TIME. My curls were moody and my high heels severely uncomfortable, but the wedding was beautiful. The pastor was a bit strange, convincing us that macho-man Kelly was capable of crushing Tristen's ring. I'm convinced Kelly must've gone to each pre-marital counseling session with a wife beater and a wicked sweet mustache. I mean how else did the pastor get this idea of macho man Kelly? The reception was equally as fun and the Oregonians showed those San Diego-ans how real people party. Red cups and all!

4. Our hotel room at the golf course had crazy short counters. Being the engineers were are, we rearranged the furniture and made a three-in-one room....bathroom meets kitchen meets office. Sweeeeeeeet!

5. On the way home, we decided to follow the crowd and stick with Walt and Sarah and Dan and Jared. My little 'Rolla got the best gas mileage of the 3 cars. Driving behind Walt and Sarah, we caught them getting a bit lovey dovey at times. We made a traditional stop at In-N-Out. And we of course stopped at a million rest stops. Ironically, unlike the normal group of people who spend a few minutes at the rest stop, we'd always stay a bit longer so Rockhound Dan could gather some nice rocks. Here's Dan showing off his newest additions to his collection!

Well folks, there you have it. Although it was a quick trip that lacked surfing and our traditional venture into Mexico, it was fun and stress-free to say the least. Congratulations Kelly and Tristen!

Here's just a few more photos...

Motorcycles and Monsoons

Last weekend I had the privilege of accompanying Wes on a motorcycle ride to Corvallis. This was no ordinary leisurely motorcycle ride. Instead, we were headed to a motorcycle convention. Technically, it wasn't a convention. I just like making Wes' hobbies sound nerdy.

Anyways, the boys of our motorcycle gang thought it would be fun to ride the bikes to Corvallis, rather than drive. I mean, c'mon. You HAVE to ride into a motorcycle show on a motorcycle, right!?! It was a great idea. Almost as good as my idea to ride my bicycle to work one day. (See previous blog entry)

After waiting for slow-poke Walt, we finally made our way out of sunny Eugene. I hate riding through the residential roads making loud motorcycle noises. The boys love it.

Apparently the sun was as emotional as a pre-menstrual woman. In no time, our lovely motorcycle ride was amidst dark clouds and pouring rain. My wet jeans and butt tempted me to get grouchy and whiny, but for the sake of my loving fiance, I stayed positive and made my effort to enjoy every freezing mile of the ride. Thank God for iPods and my preppy girly music to get me through the rough ride.

We finally arrived in Corvallis. A bit soaked, but happy none the less. The boys showed off their bikes, we ate some hamburgers, and headed back home. Thankfully the way home was a bit sunnier and we were able to take a few pictures. Despite the crazy things I do for that boy, I sure do love him.

Pre Monsoon Pee Stop

Sweet tricycle my children will eventually have...

The cute fiance...

Another Milestone

Last night Wes and I did something we'd never done together as a couple....

WE WENT TO THE MOVIES

Although "going to the movies" is one of the most stereotypical things a dating couple does, in the over 2.5 years we've officially been together, we realized we'd never been to the movies!

I didn't drag Wes to a chick flick. He didn't make me endure a bloody gutsy action. No, instead saw BABIES, a documentary that follows 4 babies for the first year of life. It was wonderful. And although I can't speak on Wes' behalf, who can resist a movie about babies?

I loved it. Of course. Thanks Wes for our first movie date night. A memorable one indeed!

sniffles

Apparently the stress of wedding planning, going to school, working, and teaching have finally gotten to me. I'm sick. Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm a wimp when it comes to stuffy noses. I'm overdramatic, as if the mucus flowing out of my nose is equivalent to a death sentence.

To top it all off, poor Wes is all stuffed up too. His diagnosis. Allergies. Wait....why in the world do we live in the Willamette Valley then? (Allergies are quickly become my newest great excuse for us to pack up and move to Mexico!)

Well 2 lovebirds with the cases of the sniffles makes for a pretty........drumroll please............

A PRETTY PATHETIC NIGHT

Yep. That's right. Uneventful evening for los future Bryants. Well, at least it gives us a glimpse into what married life will look like when we're both sickies. Lazy evenings and early bedtimes.

Thank goodness for shows like this that make us laugh even when we can hardly breath.

and the "Son-In-Law of the Year" goes to......

drumroll please.......Wesley Denis Bryant

Yes, that's right. Wes officially has won over my dad's heart (as if he hasn't already over the last 9 years).

Today was my dad's birthday. His 54th. We celebrated with a sweet family dinner at our ever-favorite Mazzi's. We laughed about quirky family traits. Reminisced on the way Grandma Phyllis warmed up her butter. Shared our Mazzi's memories (our engagement, my mom telling my dad she was pregnant with Matt, etc).

When we got home, Wes finally surprised my dad with his birthday present......his restored record player. My dad was more than ecstatic. An awkward handshake and hug later, my dad was already grooving to his new records (that came with the record player). He hadn't used his record player in years, but thanks to Mr. Fix It (aka Wes) he was rocking out as if he was back in the 1970s.

So there it is. Wes has done it again. Congratulations "Son-In-Law of the Year", congratulations.

"Son-In-Law of the Year" ruining pictures.

Christmas '09

Weekend Checklist

✓ Baseball game with Michael & Ellen

✓ Work

✓ School

✓ Bob’s “Celebration of Life”

✓ Church

✓ Coffee date with the parentals

✓ Unsuccessful bridesmaid dress shopping

✓ Auden’s 5th Birthday Party

✓ Dinner with Wright’s & Kammerzelt’s

✓ Soccer game

Whew.Busy weekend. Wait....shouldn’t we be wedding planning?