the story of us...part 3

The transparency continues...today's entry...THE PROPOSAL.


To catch you up a bit from the first kiss, Matt says I continued to woo him, but I secretly think it was the other way around. He graduated from GWU and moved on to Greensboro to start his first year as a Young Life intern while I stayed back to finish my last year of school. Being in love back then was so sweet, fun, and fresh don't you just wish you could have bottled up that goodness and then pull it out on a rainy day. Man that would have been nice over these past 8 years, once again this is why I write.

So it's my senior year I am about to go home for Christmas vacation several of my best friends are engaged, including two of my 3 roommates, needless to say that was all we talked about, there were wedding magazines on every side table in our apartment. I wanted to be engaged soooooo bad it hurt, it's funny how sometimes we focus more on a prize than a life time of togetherness, but I digress.

The story...it was Saturday December 9th, 2000. Matt had come to visit me for the weekend and one of my roommates let him into my apartment early that morning and he woke me up. He told me to dress warm and he would be back in 30 minutes. I had a hunch this was the day the magic was going to finally happen and you have to know a little fact about me...I dream big. So I put on about 5 layers of clothing convinced he was taking me to Boone or someplace of the like to go skiing for the day and then pop my ring on me at the top of a mountain.

So he came back and I waddled out to his car, dressed and ready for the day. We drove to a mountain much closer than Boone, a part of Kings Mountain, we hiked up a small trail and found a spot that looked over a valley and my sweetie busted out a container with warm hot chocolate and muffins. There we sat, it was beautiful and delicious I might add. Then he took out a spiral bound notebook, if you know anything about Matt know that when he wants to be serious or ponder there is a spiral bound notebook somewhere nearby. So he said we should make a list of the ways God had been faithful in our relationship in the past year and a half. There were many ways, remember it was a long road for me getting to this point, this relationship, but that is another story for another day. So my left hand is out ready for the prize, so perfect this was, I sat and smiled and waited. And then Matt packed up his stuff and said ok lets go.

What?!! I thought and we headed back towards school and he drove towards the baseball fields. Another Matt fact, he likes to be in the woods and he had a favorite spot that he would venture to, so we went to the spot. And sat down, what's next I wondered and out of his bag this time came a loaf of bread and a bottle of wine. And he then proceeded to serve both to me and I for him and then we prayed a little and I thought this is quite possibly the holiest thing we could ever do, once again the left hand was out and ready. And then he did it again, packed up his stuff and said come on let's go.

So we get back in the car and he says ok, there's one more place I want to take you today, down by the creek. There was this tiny little creek a couple of miles away from school that fed into the Broad River. We had gone there a few times, but at this point in the day I have convinced myself that this is not the day that we were going to get engaged, because I dream big remember and what in the world would tiny little creek have to do with this special day.

So we get out walk down to the creek bank and Matt is messing with his fishing lure and pole. It is important to note that I am pouting at this point, picking at a dirt pile with a stick, real mature yeah, I know. Well Matt casts his line into the water and then hands the pole to me and says I want you to reel it in. Sure whatever I say, and I do. Guess what was at the end of the fishing line on a thing that looked like a paper clip...my engagement ring!!!!! He got down on both knees and said something like "I'm all out of tricks, but I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Whitney, will you marry me?"

Guess what...I said Yes!


I'm celebrating this special gift again today by linking up at Chatting at the Sky!

Little Boo!

Ollie has many nicknames at our house: little O, little boo, Olls, Ollsie, Ollsie Walsie, bunchers and sweet boy!

I snapped the pics the other night at Country Park, for these his nickname should be, "his holiness." Look at those heavenly rays shining down!

We sure love you little boo!

Pictures...

Umm, this was on the blog earlier, not sure what happended, but here you go!

Field Trip!!!

Yesterday Ollie and I went on a field trip with our best buddies, Kristen and John. First we stopped in Elon at Schmidt Park, I didn't take any pictures but this is the biggest playground I have ever seen in my life, so fun!! Then we headed over to City Park in Burlington, this park has so many fun things to do for little kiddos. We rode on the train a few times, and on the carousel. The boys rode on some miniature trucks and on the mini boats. The best part about this field trip is that it is so inexpensive, on a normal day the tickets are 75 cents but on Thursdays they are only 50 cents. We enjoyed ourselves so much and then found a shady spot for a picnic lunch. I know one little boy who would love to go back very soon!

the story of us...part 2

Matt's graduation from GWU 2000!

Last week I started letting you into a bit of our story. Today I continue with...the first kiss.

Matt and I had had our fair share of well not so healthy relationships prior to our relationship. In fact that is how I knew he was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with because this one was so different, but I am jumping ahead here...back to the kiss.

So we decided because of our past "stuff" that we wanted to wait to kiss. So we snuggled and nuzzled a lot. We wanted to build the foundation of our relationship on words and not emotions. Prude you might think but it felt right for us and I really wasn't sure if we would ever kiss you know like until our wedding day maybe. Don't laugh there were people in our circle of friends in college who actually pulled this off.

On March 28, 2000, my 21st birthday (six months into our relationship,) we took part in some birthday festivities and then went over to our school's observatory. This was a place where we frequented, you could sit outside on a blanket and see the stars and constellations so clearly. It was a peaceful spot we frequented often back in those days. Matt kept getting closer and closer to me and I kept scooting away thinking, what is he doing, we're not kissing! But then he leaned in and managed to put a pop kiss on me. It was cute, sweet, innocent. I was still thinking no we're not doing this, sweetie.

So we headed back to my dorm room and as I was getting out of his car he asked me if we should try it again. Maybe it was emotions or the ability to throw the "rules" out the window or maybe it was Jesus but what took place after that was the most beautiful, warm, delicious kiss I have ever had in my life. I remember my head felt a little spinny afterwards, spinny in a good way. What a gift, what a memory!



Why am I writing these memories, certainly not to boast or compare...right after Ollie was born I was talking with one of my colleagues at school about how hard it had felt to connect with Matt since Ollie's appearance. She said, "Whitney, a day will come when you won't even be able to remember your life before your children." This is why I write, I don't want to forget, this stuff is too good!

Oh, and I'm linking up today at my friend Emily's blog party, check out some more fun posts here!

To the Daddys!

Happy Father's Day...to Ollie's Daddy!

...to my Daddy!

...to Matt's Daddy!


You are loved!!!!

first week in pics...

I cannot tell you how happy I've been having a few days off from work, summertime is good for the soul. Here are a few pics of what went on around our house this week. We played dress up by pulling out Ollie's Halloween ninja costume. He hi-yad around the house for a while...he is really getting into the pretend play thing...so fun!

We did practice our letters, as mentioned earlier that was a goal for the summer, ah-hem, not sure how that will work out but we're gonna give it our best shot!

I worked on a few projects around the house, one of which was making these lovely mason jar candle thingys. You can see them modeled here at night then well during the day. Our friends Millie and Justin have them on their back porch and I just think they are the cutest things. I put ours up to be more like a lighting source above our porch table.

And this will probably be one of my favorite projects for the summer. I successfully pulled off a Daddy/ Son twinsy outfit day. Now that Ollie and I get dressed after Matt leaves for work, the twinsy sky is the limit! All in all it has been a fun week. I am so incredibly thankful that I have a job where I get to take off work for 2 months, what a blessing for our family!