Goin' to the BALL PARK and we're gonna get married...

Today's date: 9.9.09. Very cool!

I also chose to publish this post at 9:09 am just for the pure heck of it. Very uncool of my dorky self.




Okay... you should know ahead of time that Chad and Lauren's entire wedding party got to take photos before the wedding at the Cincinnati Reds' Great American Ballpark. I tell you this in my usually overly dramatic fashion because eventually, the real photographer's photos will be available and you will be blown away.


I have only come to you today to prepare you for that moment.






But really --> We had so much fun with this! The day was spectacular, nicely shaded, the boys had their personalized Louisville Sluggers given to them by the groom, and Lauren... well Lauren had her own PINK LOUISVILLE SLUGGER!


With our very busy summer, I sadly only got to go to one game. This MORE than makes up for my baseball drought. Our special time on the field and in the dug-out will always be in each of our memories forever.

.



Having lots of wedding pictures to show you, I believe, is the best way to spice up my answers to the Q&A. Feel like suffering through a few more?

On the subject of me and the Mister:



What is your favorite thing about being married?


Hands down: having my best friend with me at the best and worst times of my life. We have become better friends with each passing year and have definitely noticed a 100% increase in fun, laughter, and sharing together in this first year of marriage. We {mostly} have a ball together.




When did you know you wanted to marry Nick?...was it love at first sight...were you friends for a long time...did he sweep you off of your feet after a few months? :)


Not love at first site, but BOY was he cute! I think yesterday's answer covered the "were you friends for a long time" bit. Sweep me off my feet? Hardly. I would say we took it very slow. It wasn't a head over heels love from the very beginning. To be honest, we grew on each other - the beginning was a little rocky with figuring out each other's personalities and learning each other's "code" in communication. But it did happened and I don't know the exact moment I realized it but I was in that place one day where I knew I wanted to marry him and that was that.



Maybe it was after we had been dating for about a year and a half and I cried at least one night a week that summer as I laid in bed and thought about how I was moving 4 hours away from him to go to pharmacy school. He would be very busy with his own school and baseball and I was sure it would be the end for us. I was a heart broken and distraught. So maybe it's not always a romantic notion of "I knew I wanted to marry him when..." but it did happen and I've never looked back. ♥♥♥



From email: My question is did you and the blue eyed boy look at rings before you got engaged? Did you suspect the proposal? I don't want to suspect my engagement but I want to choose the ring so just a little curious!!

Nick and I had actually set the wedding date before we were ever engaged. Strange? Yes. But I wanted needed the wedding photographer we booked and he had to be booked at least a year ahead of time. John Michael actually, inadvertently, chose our wedding date when we said we wanted a date in July and the 19th was his last weekend left in July besides the weekend of the 4th.


As for the ring, Nick's brother was working at Helzberg Diamonds at the time and luckily helped us in the search. I picked out several I loved one day and later, without my knowledge, Nick went back and picked one of the ones I was drooling over. As for the engagement, it was definitely a total surprise. Even with the date already set and rings looked at, I had no idea he bought the ring and no idea when he planned to pull it off. I was blown away with surprise the day it happened. He is the best.

How long were you and your husband together before you got engaged?

2 and 1/2 years. I don't think I could have waited any longer, but I would have waited forever for him. Make any sense?

Pictures of the lovely bride and groom at the reception to come! {Saving the best for last, naturally.} And to wrap up the Q&A, answers to the toughest questions you asked, a.k.a. questions related to the baby factor.

I don't think you're gonna wanna miss that one ;)