engaged

i'm back friends and i'm ready to dish! i'm feeling much better due to the help of friends and the good old fam. man i love you all. and i love you, my blogger friends! you are all just great. and you inspire me.

a year ago thursday, christian proposed to me.

i wrote this letter to christian, but i know he'll never see it... he doesn't check the blog much (if you can imagine it's not quite his thing, but he will be posting on here soon!).

but i wanted to write it anyways, just as a momento, for me, and for you as well. because you all like love gushy love letters even if you won't admit it!

Dear Christian,

A year ago today you took me on a hike up Provo canyon. You were so antsy and strange as we drove up through the canyon, and I couldn't figure out why. i loved looking at you from the passenger's seat. you tried to keep your confident aura about you, but you were just a little bit off today. lucky for you i thought nothing of it. i had been so frustrated with you early in the week. finals were fast approaching and i kept thinking to myself, "okay when is this engagement thing going to go down?" you know how patient i am... of course, i had let my guard down; no make up, no shower, no cute clothes, no doing-of-hair, and that's when the magic happened. and i couldn't be happier about it. i loved hiking up Vivian Park with you. I was so confused why you were wearing cargo shorts, not once suspecting that there could be a sparkly ring tucked away deep inside those pockets. I loved the hike. I remember the smell of the springtime mixed with the mountain snow, and the way we just jumped onto the snow, and weren't even cold. we just sat there, talking and kissing, and it was like we were in a completely different element. you planned everything out so well. i kept wanting to find tanner and eliza, and you just let me down the path, insisting they'd be fine. i thought you were being playful! little did i know i was being set up intro a trap of romantic delight. After jumping through the pond and viewing your well-planned theatrics, you got onto one knee and pulled out that small, glossy, wooden box. i couldn't breathe. "will you marry me?" and my ears started ringing and my mouth got dry and all i could do was say "are you serious?!" and "yes yes yes!" a million times over. i'm sorry for not even letting you put the ring on me yourself, i guess i was a little anxious to have that beautiful rock on my finger. but i will never forget how it felt to be there with you. we were so alone and secluded, and it seemed that the world had stopped to rejoice with us. i don't remember any sounds or images besides you and me, a complete moment of bliss in the midst of our new found eternity. and suddenly all i could think about was the million laughs and million tears, the great memories and the sad ones, the long nights and days, the blissful moments, and the small quiet happenings of day to the day that we were to share together. a forever with someone who i know loved me more than anyone else. my very best friend, my number one fan. and i wanted to be the very same for you. and i still do. i love you Christian, this year has flown by, and it has been wonderful. thank you for being unbelievably kind, thoughtful, and wonderful to me. you're my whole life, and i love the life we share together.

love your bride,

Hayley

photo by ashlee

to view the Just-Engaged-&-I'm-Too-Giddy-To-Not-Use-A-Million-Exclamation-Points-Version, click here.

it's always better when we're together

Well... It's been two weeks and i miss Christian like CRAZY. I am back in New York now and he is home in Denver for the summer. Even though we're both far away, our jobs for this summer are pretty similar! Christian is working all day everyday revamping houses that his boss buys and then resells. Sooo he's working on lawns, landscaping, and indoor repairs to make each house look like new. Cool, huh?

I'm here in good old Mendon working at my house. Maybe not so similar. My original plan was to work at my Dad's law firm for the summer and do a PR internship with the Woods Oviatt PR practitioner... but... weddings change everything (for the better)! So i'm here landscaping my backyard all summer. It is actually SO FUN! I get to work with my mom and grandparents all day and get a sun tan while i'm at it. Last summer i floored my basement and i complained the whole time, but i have a whole new perspective on work and appreciation this summer. A lot of it i have to thank Christian for- everyday he tells me how grateful he is to have a job and to be able to work (what a little sweetie!).

So my mom and i are planting 200 plants in our back yard, landscapers are putting on new top soil, and hopefully by the wedding the hydrangeas will be blooming and the grass will be perfectly green. Keep your fingers crossed!

MORE GOOD NEWS! Our amazing photographer Ashlee Carroll sent us some more engagement shots... We get the full disk VERY soon and then we have to decide on announcement pictures and all that jazz... Here are some of my favorites and some possible announcement pics. Enjoy :)

It's OFFICIAL!

What a day! After a few weeks of stress about engagements and wedding plans... Christian PROPOSED! Earlier this week he asked me on a date for Wednesday night, but later cancelled (the nerve :)) due to his "chem review." Although i was disappointed, he promised we would go out Friday night and i really was expecting him to pop the question then.

But today we took a study break with our great friends Tanner and Eliza, and hiked up past Bridal Veil Falls at Vivian Park in Provo Canyon. After a serene hike up the trail, we started our descent and "lost" Tanner and Eliza on the way.

Christian and I stopped at a beautiful pond overlooking the mountains and after jumping through a few creeks we reach the shore of the pond. Unfortunately, Christian "rolled his ankle" (or so i thought), and ended up on his knees. After a great acting job by Chin he finally gave up the act, got onto one knee and to my honest SURPRISE, looked up at me and said, "Hayley, will you marry me?"

that was the LAST thing i was expecting to hear and all i could muster out was... "Are you SERIOUS?" After some reassurance that this was for real i of COURSE said yes! It was PERFECT! What a picturesque view we had and it was a very quiet and lovely moment just the two of us. Exactly what i wanted but also what i was least expecting. So now it's official and we are SO HAPPY! We set the date for July 31, 2010 and have so much planning to do (not to mention finals in between).

Here is my GORGEOUS ring that Christian got all by himself! i am so proud of him, it was worth the wait! I am extra happy about the yellow gold setting, so classic and old-fashioned and exactly what i wanted!

Christian hoisted me over his shoulders to officially claim me. That's my boy!

After our hike we came home, showered, then went to Sundance for dinner. It was delicious! The chefs gave us complimentary desserts and i of course had to go with the chocolate truffle cake a la mode with raspberry sauce. YUM.

What a perfect day :) I have never been so happy in my whole life!