The final Bridesmaid: Jenna

I met Cassie through my mom and her dad’s relationship. I was 18 and Cassie was a little younger. So, we’re looking at the year 2007 here! I think the first time Cassie and I officially met, we were driving up to Konocti to stay at my mom’s rental house that overlooks Clear Lake. I thought I was so cool driving Cassie and her friend around, and even offered them alcohol later that night. (Typical wild teenager). It makes me laugh to this day! Little did I know this would bud into such a great friendship/sisterhood. I guess we can thank our parents for that!

 

 

 

     We’ve had a lot of fun memories over the years, but I’d have to say my all-time favorite memory was during our visit to Bullhead City for Thanksgiving a few years ago. We stayed at my grandpa’s house with Vegas crew. Cassie and I stayed the night in one of my grandpa’s RV’s which was so cool! It felt like we were camping. During the afternoon and evening we had been drinking and towards the end of the night when we were going to sleep, Cassie touched my ear. It sounds awkward, but let me tell you, this was HILARIOUS!! She basically rubbed my ear saying “goodnight”, mind you this was after a few drinks, and so I didn’t think weirdly of it. Instead I proceeded to laugh hysterically, and to this day it has been one of our inside jokes. I recently got married on July 13^th, and for one of my bridesmaid gifts I got Cassie a crystal wine glass with “Rubbing ears since 2007” etched on the front.


I am SO happy for Cassie and Matt for making this commitment to each other. They are such a strong couple and I know together they will move mountains. Or just ride their bikes over them, haha. Their engagement did not come as a surprise to me. Although I don’t live near either of them (I live in northern California), I could tell that they were to a point in their relationship that felt too real to JUST be girlfriend and boyfriend. It was clear that Cassie and Matt were both feeling strong in both their faith and relationship to take it to another level!

It has been an amazing two years of wedding festivities. Soon to be three!! My sister & her husband Ryan were married on June 2^nd, 2012. Sean and I were married July 13, 2013. And now, Cassie and Matt will be married in June of 2014! This is so fantastic. We were able to see each other more than 3 times a year due to these wonderful blessings, which has made us a lot closer and more involved in each other’s lives. Being that we live in different states, this can often times be difficult. As one of Cassie’s bridesmaids, I am thoroughly looking forward to being in this different vantage point and witnessing Cassie and Matt become one under God. I am looking forward to taking part in such a special time in her life! I’m already tearing up thinking about it!

OK! My number one piece of advice would be: Have the cake talk. Do you want to have a cake fight like Sean and I? Do you want your makeup to be ruined? HAHA! Another piece of advice would be to remember that this day is about you and Matt. Don’t let anything distract you from this. Your bridesmaids/Maid of honor will have your back on this! Don’t sweat the small stuff. The little details such as a card box or mad libs or invitations are things that are nice, however in the whole scheme of things, energy spent on these should be limited! If I could go back in time, I would have made the invitation portion much easier than I did by making a stamp for your return address or even a calligrapher to do the addressing for me. And remember, one task at a time. Don’t overwhelm yourself like I did. Keep in mind, in the end, EVERYTHING will have been PERFECT.

Don’t worry. After getting married, things are still very special. Not a lot has changed for Sean and I, but the mere fact that we are husband and wife makes life so much fun and exciting knowing that you two are now a team moving forward in life TOGETHER!

 

 

 

Meet the Groomsmen: Andy

 To kick off introducing my groomsmen, I am starting with a fellow close to my heart. Andy and I have been through a lot. Not meaning struggles or trials of any sort, just a lot of years doing some really great, memorable things. Hopefully you can skim some of the awesomeness from Andy's post. Take it away:

I honestly don’t remember when I met Matt.  Being from a small town like Flagstaff and going to the same elementary school meant that we knew each other from pretty early on.  Matt was like a lot of other kids.  Someone I knew, but didn’t ever really hang out with or really get to know too well for whatever reason.  I am pretty sure we played on the same little league team one summer(The Devil Rays with the Silver Fox as our coach?) and even after that still weren’t close like we are now.  In middle school we got to know each a bit more, but he went to the arts middle school and I didn’t.

Our freshman year in high school is where it all starting coming together.  We had English and P.E./health together and if I remember correctly they were 5th and 6th period.  Which meant we spent all afternoon together everyday of Freshman year.  Some of the things that brought us together was our mutual love of punk music, the outdoors, and being two of the only kids who were proud of being in the Boy Scouts.  Things got taken to a whole new level of friendship when we were sophomores in high school.  Matt, our friend Marcos and I became an unstoppable crew that year.  Matt and I were in the same English class again that year and became closer and closer the first semester.  Then second semester we had an independent study with the same English teacher together.  It was just the two of us in the class and though we worked hard we also ran pretty wild that semester.  We regularly “went to the library” to work on stuff and by that I mean we left to go to have breakfast at our schools favorite ditch spot, the Country Host.  That Spring, Matt and his dad came to my Eagle Ceremony.  That is something that has always been special to me, because we weren’t in the same troop and that meant they went through special effort to be there for a pretty huge day in my life.  One of my favorite memories from that year was during our spring finals when our teacher told us that we didn’t really need to come to our final.  Matt and I decided to run with that and skip our morning class as well.  We went and had breakfast, went and saw a movie, AND went to play videos games at the mall and still made it back for our 3rd period final.  A classic day to say the least.

That summer we had a blast.  Both of us had pretty easy jobs and similar days off.  We went on plenty of hikes and had many great lunches and breakfasts with Marcos.  Matt and I hiked Humphreys at least 5 times that summer with my dog Rocky.  We got that hike down to 1 hours and 45 minutes or 2 hours like it was nothing.

Junior year was just more and more of the same and as I have hopefully well established at this point that means pure magic.  One specific thing I think about all the time from that year is a post lunch tradition Matt, Marcos, and I had that made no real sense.  We would go out to lunch and once we got back to school we would walk our separate ways down the hall singing the chorus of Bon Jovi Living on a Prayer.  Towards the end of year Matt, the aforementioned Marcos, our friend Tim and I got a little band together.  We played the talent show and were asked to play at that years graduation for our school as well.  We were also asked to play Grad Night as well.  At the end of junior year Matt was in the process of getting a job at Forest Highlands in the Rec Department.  He suggested that I apply as well and I did.  We both got the job and spent the summer working out there playing with kids and having a blast.  We both worked there for four summers eventually both getting into manager positions.  Thankfully Matt went back to work there after college, because he was lucky enough to meet Cassie through Forest Highlands! That summer Matt rode out to work on his bike quite a bit, as he generally does.  That got my interest in cycling going.  I starting working on my dad’s old beat Raleigh 10 Speed and joined him on a few rides out to work.  Bless him he never complained about pulling my slow butt up hills or holding back a little bit so I didn’t fall behind.  Thousands of miles later, hundreds of them spent on the road with Matt, and I have been totally hooked on cycling ever since and it's all thanks to Matt. 

Senior year was a lot of what you would expect.  We continued to miss class from time to time so we could hit the Country Host or play disk golf.  We were in yearbook together and worked on all the same pages.  Mostly clubs that we were the only members of like the Bike club, the Ultimate Frisbee club and the disk golf club.  Our yearbook teacher was a little loose and we would regularly leave early for lunch.  Somehow we decided to go to Sam’s Club for lunch one day.  Within a few weeks some friends were joining us and next thing we knew Sam’s Club Friday was a thing.  There were times when over 20 people would be there!  We even got everyone’s favorite science teacher to join us once. 

One big highlight of that year was the Senior Prank Matt, our other friend Matt, and I managed to mastermind and pull off seamlessly.  I will leave the details of that one just in case…

I left Flagstaff to attend the University of Arizona in Tucson.  Matt offered to take a few days and help move me into my dorm because he is just that kind of person.  I really appreciated everything he did for me and it was great way to be sent off to a new city and a new experience.  That year I was running a bit more than usual and really getting into cycling.  Matt had done a few triathlons and kind of jokingly suggested I do one.  Next thing I knew I was trying to swim and participating in a tri in December.  

One of my favorite pictures of us.  He is composed and together and I am mess.  Pretty perfect sum up. 

Since I moved to Tucson I have admittedly been pretty terrible about keeping up and staying close with some of my high school friends and seeing people when I come back to Flagstaff.  Matt has always been the exception to that.  I have been lucky enough to stay close with him and see him as much as possible when I get back to Flagstaff.
Physically separated, but emotionally connected…

I was first able to meet Cassie at one of our friend's Christmas parties.  Her and I had a couple beers, they told me about a backpacking trip to the Zion, and I was totally sold. I mean how could I not have been?  Every time I have gotten to spend time with Matt and Cassie it has been great.  I was able to see from jump street that they were great together.  They had great similarities in interests and yet they have both been able teach each other a great deal.  What else could you ask for from a partner? 
Matt is someone who has given me so much throughout the years that we have been friends.  Even though he is someone I am incredibly close with I am constantly in awe of him.  I don’t know many people that work as hard as he does.  He works harder than anyone no matter what the task or the situation.  We have spent 14+ hours at work together and he will be kicking as much ass at hour 14 as hour 1.  He has the discipline to train in ways that I have never been able to commit to.  He wins races, he gives time to his faith, his family, and his friends.  I like to think I have been able glean a little bit of his ethics and character throughout the years.  If I did I would be a lucky man.  It means the world to me be able to call Matt not just a friend but a close friend.  I feel so lucky to not only
get to share such an important moment with him and Cassie, but have the opportunity to be involved in that moment.  I am so looking forward to this wedding and everything that comes along with it.  It sounds cliché to say, but this wedding means I am getting one more awesome lifelong friend in Cassie.  You got yourself a good one Cassie.  I know I don’t need to convince you of that, but I have to say it. There is no one else I would rather get kicked out of a movie theater in Pine Top with.  No one else I would rather ride bikes to work at 4:45 am with. 

Brothers in beards

Meet the Bridesmaids: Kara

The next gal in my bridal party has a special place in my heart. We have been through so much together and I will always feel as if she is more of a sister to me... meet Kara (aka K-Killa).

This must have been 8th grade around the time we met.

 

I vividly remember the first time I met Cassie. It was in junior high in our social studies class. She walked in all NorCal with her middle part, choker necklace, and acrylic nails. To be honest I think she initially scared me. I want to say we began to develop a friendship through our girls soccer team. Shortly enough, we realized our similarities ran deep. (Also Cass, I read a BuzzFeed article on introverts… and it discussed the "resting b**** face", so our face has now officially been diagnosed).  Our friendship continued to grow all the way through our cross country days in high school which brings me to some of my favorite memories with Cass. Our senior year we were co-captains. However, anyone who knows our running ability, we were granted this honor based on our… we will say personality rather than our superior running ability. Cass and I ran our first half marathon together senior year of high school. As runners, training with someone, putting in the hard work together, and then successfully completing the goal is something really special. As we've both grown up, we've continued to race together and have been able to seek support and guidance from each other. 

8th grade graduation, sorry everyone! hahaha..



Cassie's 17th birthday.

I remember hearing about Matt a couple years ago. I don't think Cass initially thought anything serious was going to come of it. To be honest, neither did I. I just remember thinking that they were so different and had been raised so very differently that I didn't know if that capatability was there. I've known Cass for almost 10 years now, and if I could have thought up the guy I thought Cass would end up with, I wouldn't have described Matt. But now, as I have seen their relationship progress, it is their differences that have allowed both of them to grow and prosper. While I haven't been able to spend a significant amount of time with Matt, I can tell that he supports her and pushes her to be better. In addition, when Cass loves, she loves hard. I know that they will both take the time and energy needed to continue to have their love grow and produce a successful marriage. 

Now that Cassie's time has come, I am more than excited to be a part of her special day! I am most excited about seeing her and Matt begin their journey as husband and wife. I am honored to be a part of her wedding party and to have the opportunity to help her on her special day. In addition, I'm excited to hang out with Deirdre and Andrew lol-- I consider Cassie's family an extension of my own.

I've worked for a wedding company for years now, so I would like to think I am very knowledgeable on the whole wedding process. Here are some basic tips I have picked up along the way:

1. Make a budget, and stick to it! Prioritize the various aspects of your wedding and spend money in areas that are truly going to enhance your special day.

2. Details. It's the details of the wedding that will allow you to truly personalize your day.

3. Have a day-of planner. This may be the venue coordinator, or often times the photographer keep everyone on schedule. Either way you need someone else to be in charge so you can truly enjoy every part of your day.

4. Have some sort of guest book! The day will be so chaotic that it will be nice to go back and look at everyone who helped you celebrate your special day. 

5. I'm a fan of having polaroid cameras at the tables. It's old school, but it's always fun to go back and see the fun and silly pictures your guests take.

6. Everyone likes a good candy bar, just saying.

 

Cassie and Matt I am so excited to be a part of your special day! Love you both! XOXO

Meet the Bridesmaid: Laren

I first met Cassie about 3-4 years ago. I can't remember the exact date, I'll blame it on my short term memory. Basically I met Cassie when her dad was dating my mom, they dated for a few years and I had never met her. Finally we met and she became a very good friend and eventually I just started saying she was my step-sister. She started coming on boat trips with the family and spending holidays with us also. When I got engaged I knew I wanted her as a bridesmaid in my wedding. She was a beautiful bridesmaid and I couldn't have asked for a better new "Sister" or as we like to say "Frister" (Friend-Sister).

My favorite memory with Cassie? Hmmm. This is a tough one because my favorite memories of her are probably all things she doesn't want to me to mention. HA! I do like to say that "drunk" Cassie is my favorite, especially when she starts getting emotional and telling everyone she loves them. It is pretty awesome. :) Here are some of my favorite memories with her; San Diego boat trips, Bullhead City weekends at Robins, Bridal Showers and Bachelorette Parties, Sitting pool side with her drinking mimosas, and fathead fedoras. I know that there are many more memories but like I said my short term memory is getting to me right now. haha!

 

 

I have seen Cassie in a few relationships since I have known her. Lets just say we are so thankful that she met Matt. I remember when she first told me about Matt. She told me that she was kind of talking to this older guy who was her manager at work. She said it had to be kept a secret for awhile because he was her boss. She also mentioned that she was very religious and at that time she was not.

Finally, we met Matt. He is just the man that Cassie deserves. He is so kind and thoughtful. He fit right in to our little circle of craziness. He was kind enough to photograph my wedding and he did a fabulous job. I am so happy that Cassie and Matt ended up together.

I was not surprised about their engagement one bit. In fact, the day that it happened, I already knew. I was waiting by my phone patiently for a text from Cassie. Before I had even got out of bed that morning I received a picture of Cassie's hand WITH A RING ON IT!!!!! I was elated with joy for them both. They deserve it.

I am looking forward to being Cassie's bridesmaids for many reasons. She was my bridesmaid in my wedding and since she is my Sister I am honored to share her special day with her as she did with me. I am also really excited for once to just be a bridesmaid. I have been the bride (stressful) and I have been the maid of honor (also stressful). I am excited to just be a bridesmaid and be there with her on the biggest day of her life. I am SUPER EXCITED to visit Cassie and Matt in Missouri, I have never been and it will be an adventure.

I was married June 2, 2012. My sister Jenna was married July 13th, 2013 and Cassie will be married Summer of 2014. It has been non stop wedding talk, events and planning. It can be stressful and exciting. Cassie and Matt are planners, they will do a fabulolus job planning a beautiful wedding and I can't wait to be standing next to Cassie when she says I do.

Meet the MOH

Today I am excited to introduce everyone to my Maid of Honor, Alisa. I hope you enjoy her post as much as I did!

I first met Cassie in high school while we were both working at The Good Egg in Gilbert. She is one of my best friends from high school, and funnily enough, one of my best friends from college too! In college, we lived in the dorms together our Sophomore year, and then got an apartment together (thank goodness..no more dorm) our Junior and Senior years. Living together was an absolute blast, and it definitely made our friendship stronger. Because of the 2+ years of living together, she probably knows more about me than some of my family members do!
 

The two of us at homecoming in 2007. The fact that this was almost 6 years ago makes me gasp.

It is unbelievably hard to come up with a single favorite memory that I have with Cassie...there are so many fun ones! I always looked forward to Wednesday nights because we would sit our lazy butts on the couch and drink wine while watching The Real World, the most addicting show in the entire world!! On any given weekend you could find us out with our friends, dressed to fit some ridiculous theme (which we LOVED at the time). We had so much freedom during our college years, and we loved every minute of it!

I've known Cassie since we were 16, so I have been there through most of her relationships. I PROMISE I'm not just saying this because they're getting married, but Matt is definitely my favorite!! I was a little surprised when Cassie and Matt first started dating because he is so different from the guys that she dated in the past. In hindsight I don't know why I was surprised. They both love to run and be physically active, they hike and camp together and love to be outdoors, both are very intellectual and pretty stubborn (they definitely challenge each other). Cassie and Matt are very compatible, and I am absolutely NOT surprised that they have chosen to spend the rest of their lives together! I knew it was only a matter of time before Matt popped the question. I didn't know Matt very well prior to his relationship with Cassie, but I knew Cassie prior to Matt, so I can say honestly that Matt brings out the best in Cassie. It is obvious to anyone who knows her that she is the happiest she has ever been. Cassie asked me to be her Maid of Honor, and I happily agreed!!

Cassie's 20th birthday at our old apartment with some of our closest college friends.

I can't wait for the bridal shower, or the bachelorette party, but I am most excited about getting to share this special day with my best friend. Committing your life to someone is something that most people only do once in their lives, and I am honored to be a part of Cassie and Matt's big day! Some advice on planning a wedding....the most important thing is to always remember that this day is about YOU TWO!! Don't worry about who might feel left out, or what kind of food/alcohol EVERYONE will like. Do what you two want, and if your guests don't like it you can politely remind them that they aren't the ones getting married today ; )! Also, the guest list is honestly the hardest part. So far, the only time I have turned into Bridezilla is when I have to look at the damn guest list! Your family and closest friends will be a no-brainer, but then you'll have a whole list of extended family and friends who you haven't talked to in a while (or even know), and deciding whether or not to invite these people will make you want to run to the nearest chapel, say "to hell with it," and elope. When you start to feel this way (and you will), just remember that as soon as the guest list is done with, it is smooth sailing from there on out!

I would like to close by telling you how happy I am for the both of you! Cass, you are an amazing friend and you deserve all the happiness in the world!! I can't wait to be there with you on your special day. I love you both, and congratulations!!!!

Stay tuned for more posts from the rest of mine and Matt's wedding party!

Engagement Story Link-Up

Since we are newly engaged (read Cassie's version HERE and Matt's HERE), we thought it would be fun to host a link-up for other couples that are either engaged or married. It's always fun when we get to hear from the significant other that doesn't blog! So, link up and answer the following questions with your loved one! We have also included our own answers.

Questions for the Gals:

Did your guy completely surprise you, or were you on to his case?

 

I was definitely on to his case. First of all, I had found him looking at engagement rings on his phone the day after my graduation party. Little did I know it was the one he had already bought me. Second, he asked me about two weeks ahead of time what I was doing June 9, and that got me thinking. I even told a few close friends I thought he would maybe propose that day, especially since he wanted to take me to the Grand Canyon, where we have had so many memories. But, he completely threw me off when the day before I asked him what the plan was for that morning and he had ZERO PLAN. Who doesn't have somewhat of a plan when they're planning to propose? BUT with us, it wasn't a matter of if but more a matter of when. So, what I surprised? Yes. Completely? Not at all.

 

What is your favorite aspect of your engagement? Why?

 

I absolutely adored the fact that Matt chose a place that was special to us. We had what one might consider our first date at the Grand Canyon, we shared our one year at the Grand Canyon, and we have spent countless hours there just admiring its beauty. He is always really thoughtful, but oh man did he do good this time.

 

 

Did you play a role in selecting your engagement ring, why or why not?

 

I did play a role in it. It just started as something funny almost. I would send him rings I liked or make comments about other women's rings I did or didn't like. Then, when I got back from Scotland and we started talking about marriage, I started looking more seriously at a style I would want. We talk about everything so I didn't really see a point in hiding my excitement and preferences. I'm happy I did so, because he chose the PERFECT ring, it's more than I ever expected.

 

 

Questions for the Guys:

Was there a distinct moment when you knew you wanted to ask your lady to marry you? What was it? If not, how did you decide?

I was confident that Cassie was the girl I was going to marry for a long time, but I got my defining moment when she started writing on her blog. She poured out her heart and love for God and I realized how her walk with Christ had grown. That gave me the confidence to finally buy the ring and know for sure this was the girl to marry.

What was the most stressful part of the whole proposal?

Two things: Talking to her parents. It wasn't about worrying that they would say "no," it was about vocalizing my intentions and making this proposal a reality. No one is going to hold you accountable until you actually say something and that was stressful. And two, making sure the photo that I took at the Grand Canyon when I proposed was exposed correctly and in focus. I would hate to make the photo a part of my proposal and then the photo not turn out well at all.

 

 

Do you feel that it is vitally important to speak to her parents before proposing or just a formality?

Absolutely. I would never want to start a lifelong marriage off on the wrong foot without asking her parents first. I was reading a book that explained this very well. In historical times, the parents would go out and find the partner for their children, it was their duty to marry out their kids. In the case of Isaac and Rebekah, Abraham sent his servant out to find his son a wife just as God had sought out a wife for Adam. It is in our foundation to want our parents to accept our significant others. Times have changed and parents in America don't send their servants out to find us spouses, but the same foundation of a parents approval of a relationship exists. Relationships without our parents approval are much harder to accept and enjoy because we are going against the role God has placed on parents. So, yes, it was important to me to talk to her parents first. And yes, I did.

Can't wait to hear from you all!

An Unexpected Journey

"Perhaps I will stay with you for a while, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go."

-1 Corinthians 16:6

What an unexpected journey life can be.

Cassie does a great job of describing the start of our story HERE. I wanted to add a bit from my perspective. However, keep following Cassie for more.

She mentioned how our meeting was quite coincidental, or better yet, driven by God's plan.

In 2009, my job at Forest Highlands Golf Club was quite hectic. We were in the middle of the recession and my boss was under quite a lot of scrutiny that I did not totally understand at the time. He was worried that he could be fired if he didn't produce results in our department. All I saw was a boss who put a lot of pressure on me to do little, seemingly obnoxious, tasks. We had to pinch every penny and yet produce more and better quality events. Sound familiar to anyone? The seriousness of the dilemma didn't hit me until later that fall, after I had already given and finished my two weeks notice and fully written off ever working there again, when the head chef and food and beverage director were fired for their apparent lack of results.

Despite all of that, I decided to take another route and work at the Kids Camp at Northern Arizona University. It also worked better with my schedule as I had to fill in a summer school class in the mornings through June. Not as stressful, less hours and more hands on games and fun.

Why am I telling you this? Because I want you to know how incredible it was that I even went back to Forest Highlands at all. I graduated in 2011 and was planning to take a train trip through the United States as a graduation gift to myself. But, on the budget of a part time student worker in the History Department during my last semester, I didn't quite have the funds even with some graduation monies I received.

In early May, I stopped in to say hi to my old boss and see how the new staff was doing for the year and he mentioned that he probably had some part time work here and there if I was interested.  I wanted nothing to do with it, but he gave me a few days to think about it. I called back a few days later and accepted, knowing that in the long run, I needed something to keep me busy and a little extra money couldn't hurt. However, he mentioned that the Snack Bar supervisor just quit the day before.

My boss has an uncanny way of explaining and manipulating your thinking to do what he wants sound like the best option. I didn't want anything to do with full time, supervisor positions or any serious responsibility and yet he explained how beneficial it would be and how I am the kind of person that can't stand not being in a position like that (he knows me too well). So I accepted the Snack Bar Supervisor position.

It was a week before opening day and the old supervisor quit because my boss turned the screws to him to actually do work and if he couldn't handle the responsibility, he needed to quit. You already know how that story goes. I was left with a filthy snack bar, a new staff that I didn't know, a revamp of a menu, and a position I kind of knew, but had to learn. My first week back, I clocked in 55 hours. So much for part-time.

Luckily for me, Cassie was one of those new staff members I had to get to know. She was my go to gal in the snack bar. I was learning a lot of the position right along side of her and she picked up a lot of slack of the other snack bar attendants and myself when I had to juggle too much.

Maybe our first couples shot together.

If you read through her side of the story, you understand all the hurdles that had to fall for her to finally rest in that position a couple of summers ago. You can understand my side of the story as well and know that again, a lot had to fall into place just right. It's easy to say, in retrospect, that the two of us were meant to meet. In that day and time, I couldn't tell you why one event was happening over another or why the events of taking that position happened the way they did, but I can tell you now that it was because of Cassie.