Catch up Series: First Installment Engaged!

In major need of an update! A lot has happened since our last update! I got engaged, bought a house and executed my first wedding of the spring season!

This post will be dedicated to the engagement :)

At the end of January, with the help of my (now) fiancé Joe and his insane amounts of travel in his last job, myself, Joe, my mom and dad all traveled to Colorado to visit my brother and his girlfriend for the first time since they moved out that way last summer! Joe and I have been together since High School and while a normal person may think 'something is going on here' when your boyfriend decides to help fund a family trip.... it honestly never crossed my mind!

We flew into Durango, CO on a Saturday afternoon and upon being picked up by my brother Jacob and his girlfriend Mattie, we make a quick stop at the grocery and liquor stores before driving to Cortez, CO where they live. Did I think it was strange when my mom purchased two bottles of Moet and Chandon...? Of course not.

After spending a night at my brothers, we travelled to Telluride the next afternoon where we would be staying the next three nights Snowboarding, eating great food and taking in the breathtaking views. On the way, we blew the engine in Mattie's Jeep and had to abandon it on the side of the road. While this sounds like a total vacation ruiner and it very well could have been, luckily, we were all able to embrace our next few days of vacation (even Mattie... poor thing!) and just completely disconnect. Upon arriving on Sunday afternoon, we all settled in to our shared suite at the base of the ski lift. After a gondola ride and drink up in Mountain Village, we finished our first night with a complimentary cocktail hour in the hotel and a dip in the hot tub.

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On Monday, Joe and Jacob had a day of snowboarding planned while Mattie, mom, dad and I were booked in at the Spa for massages. After exploring the small town of Telluride, we all planned to meet for lunch at noon at the base in Mountain Village. Little did I know when I stepped onto the Gondola I was in for more than lunch!

As my brother and Joe descended down the mountain toward us, I took a few shots with my camera before Joe almost ran me over as he dropped to the snow (feet still in its bindings) I'm laughing because I thought I was going down until I look over and see him still on the ground.... black box extended toward me. My jaw literally dropped open as I struggled to make sense of the situation before me... Joe managed to propose through my mumbling of 'is this real?' 'omg' and my dads favorite: 'what the heck, Joseph?'

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Whats even better is he got the entire thing on video via a GoPro! Such a fun video to have and the ring is beautiful! After a celebratory lunch with champagne and a few phone calls to family; Joe and Jacob finished their snowboarding for the day while the rest of us went back down the mountain for massages and continually stared at my left hand for the remainder of.... well forever.

The rest of our vacation was amazing seeing where my brother lives and hangs out, snowmobiling in Silverton , Co and getting to take part in the SteamPunk festival in Durango.

I am so excited to be marrying my best friend and high school sweetheart next May in Asheville, NC. It's been such a fun experience already getting to plan my own wedding!!

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