Our Walls

I know, I know - I said we'd be going in order...which means this post should be about our honeymoon.  I'm just really excited to share all this, though...so, reminiscing about a beautiful, warm, wonderful tropical vacation will have to wait for a bit.

I am writing today to (proudly) say I've (finally) gone through/unpacked/found homes for every box/wedding gift/etc. etc.!  I alluded to this project in a previous post, and am just so glad to have it done.

For me, the last piece of the project was hanging pictures on the wall, and I thought I'd give you a glimpse of the finished product(s):

Here's the "entryway."  We really love the from-the-balcony shot of our wedding ceremony!

Our living room grouping - the tri-frame was a Christmas gift from Bryant's parents, and the gallery wrap was a "thank you for playing piano for our wedding" gift from our photographer.

The guest room!  This bed was at my grandparents' previous house in the room I always slept in - the "pink room."  The quilt was made/given to me by my great aunt for my college graduation.  The sheet music wreath was a gift from a student, and the frame was a wedding gift!

This project started at the coop years ago, and it has found a home in our guest room!  Be sure to make your addition when you come stay with us! ☺

Bryant had some beautiful pictures up before I moved in, and they found new homes on the walls of the office.

Yes, this one got to stay, too. ☺

The "New York Nook" in our bedroom.  So many great memories!

I'd gotten these large "floating" frames for free, and definitely wanted to put them to good use.  We couldn't choose just two favorite pics to put in them, though, so we used the "floating" space in other ways.  The "Love Lives Here" was a garage sale find, and we finished the grouping with a cross we found cheap on Amazon.
P.S. A special thanks to my husband for the "throw pillow shopping spree" Christmas gift!  I'd always dreamed of having a grown-up bed set, complete with throw pillows, and he helped make my dream come true. ☺

This might be my favorite wall.  The painted frames and B&W pics came from the shower Bryant's family threw us in OK - his sister painted and put them together...and she even took the pics!  I'd found the "Love" at a thrift store a while ago, and was glad to find a home for it on our bedroom wall.

Many of you had been asking how things were going, etc., and my answer was usually, "Well, I've got mostly everything unpacked and homes found for most of it, but we don't have things on the wall, yet."  I don't really know, much less can I explain, why "having things on the walls" was the final piece of my "settling in" puzzle.  I realize that's a pretty common "last item on the to-do list" after moving in somewhere, but for me, it was more than making sure the furniture was in its place before decorating.  Having pictures of us and our families and friends on the walls in our home just makes it all feel even more real, more like home, and more like the place where we are going to start our future together.  Not that it didn't before...but this helps...like I said - not sure I can adequately explain it, but maybe you can relate.  ☺

Thanks for reading.  Come see it in person sometime!

Settled-ly,
Kensy

Favorites of the day:

new friends and relationships

Sprouts grocery store/farmers market

our "getaway" date last weekend

I said yes!!!

Hey, strangers!

I told you once upon a time that I wasn't going to apologize for any lapses between posts...and I'm not going to.  I don't think you'll mind the wait when you finish reading this one, though.  ☺

As those of you who are my Facebook friends already know, I've been dating a handsome guy for a few months, now.  Those of you who just read this blog occasionally may have read between the lines (pun intended) and noticed a few hints at a change in relationship status, lately...maybe.  

Anyway, I had decided when I started this blog that I wouldn't post anything about a boy and/or relationship until there was a ring involved.  So, I didn't...and I waited (as you know) for my "someone special" to make his entrance into my life.  And guess what?!  He did, and he asked me to marry him, and I said yes!!!

I've been waiting so long to share our story, and am so excited to do so, now!  If you're not interested in reading about it all, I won't be offended...but I know quite a few of you are, so I'm going to try to be as thorough as possible.  (Would love to share all this in person with ALL of you, of course, but we all know how life doesn't always make that possible...)

So...here's our story:

Bryant and I met via Christian Mingle last fall after I'd signed up for the site in late July.  I had witnessed quite a few successful online dating relationships develop into marriages, and after attending a friend's wedding (they met via Christian Mingle) and hearing a few other success stories there, then receiving a promotional e-mail offering a hefty discount on the membership fee (you know how I love a good bargain!), I decided to give it a shot.

We started corresponding mid-September, and after a few weeks of daily, extensive e-mails, he asked to meet in person.  So, in mid-October, he drove to Lincoln to take me to dinner (he planned it all, even though he'd never been here!  (He lives in Kansas City.)).  It went well enough for me to agree to his request to "do it again sometime," and the rest is history.  ☺  

Since we started officially dating in early November, we were able to take advantage of the holidays and meet each other's families fairly early-on in our relationship.  There are so, so many things I want to tell you about him, but I'll leave it at this: You know how high my standards are, and he exceeds them in so many ways!  Also, he's an engineer...and likes to cook...and is super funny...and smart...and thoughtful...  ☺

At the beginning of this year, his (wonderful!) family invited me to join them on a trip to NYC they'd be taking in May.  I've always wanted to go to NYC and couldn't imagine a better opportunity, so I accepted the invitation!

Fast forward to a week (or so) ago:

Bryant, his sister, his parents, and I were in NYC...and had been for a couple days.  It was Bryant and I's 6-month anniversary.  We'd just finished a yummy breakfast at a great bakery there and were going to head to the Metropolitan Museum of Art after a quick stop at the F.A.O. Schwarz toy store.  We got to the store about a half hour before they opened, though, and I was trying to tell everyone that we didn't need to wait around just so I could see the big piano...especially since the Charles James exhibit we were on our way to see at the Met was pretty much the reason for the whole trip!  Everyone assured me that it was ok to wait around, though - they wanted to go inside to see it all, too!  

Once we got inside, I was immediately drawn to the penny pressing machine (I collect pressed pennies, so am always on the look-out for these souvenirs), but Bryant ushered me up the escalator saying, "We'll get one on the way out, babe."  We made our way to "The Big Piano" upstairs, and as we approached, the line of customers waiting to play it somehow dispersed.  The employees asked us to pose for a picture in front of a green screen (this is standard operating procedure) before asking us to take our shoes off in order to play The Big Piano.  Then, this happened:

Yep.  He asked me if I'd explore the future we'd been talking about with him and, "Will you marry me?" after we'd just played Chopsticks with our feet on The Big Piano.  What?! 

We'd been talking about the future quite seriously leading up to this, so I knew the question was coming at some point.  My only request, as far as the proposal went, was to be surprised...and he sure got me!  

If you know me at all, you know how special and wonderful this all was and how much it meant to me...and how many tears were shed afterward!  ☺  Not only did he choose to propose on a meaningful day, but he chose a fun, meaningful venue (for those of you who may have forgotten - I teach piano lessons.  Seriously - could it get more perfect than a giant piano?!), and he (and everyone else in on the plan) kept it a secret from me...AND his family was around to help capture the moment!  I'd never imagined I'd get to have pictures (his sister just happens to be a talented photographer), much less a VIDEO of the moment I got engaged!

Afterward, we got to spend a couple days enjoying the rest of the trip as planned, but as an engaged couple!  It was so, so special to be able to enjoy the quality time together and to celebrate with his family, too!  And we got free dessert at dinner that night...as if the day could get any better!  ☺  

We even got to have a couple mini-engagement-photo-shoots with his sister!  Here are some of the great shots she got:

Did I mention he'd bought me a rose that morning in honor of our 6-month anniversary?  Little did I know he had that gorgeous ring for me in his pocket!!  He also wrote me a letter to read afterward, since we were in public and he had lots he wanted to say to me.  ☺

I am so, so excited and blessed to be marrying into Bryant's family!  His mom made me an "Almost Mrs." shirt and cute bag with my "new" initials, and his sister bought me my first wedding magazine.  So very sweet and thoughtful!  A huge "thank you" to them for making the trip and proposal possible...and so special.

It's been so much fun to share our news this past week.  Thank you to those of you who have already shared your excitement in various ways!  My students, especially, have had some pretty priceless reactions and comments.  ☺  One 2nd-grade-boy whose mom had shared the news with him prior to his lesson said before starting to play his first assigned piece, "So, who is he?"

As is probably obvious, I could go on and on about how great it all was and has been...and about how much I love my fiancé.  I'm going to be done gushing, though (and hope to get a post about the rest of the amazing NYC trip written, at some point...and maybe one about long-distance relationships...and God's perfect timing), and let someone else do the talking for a bit.

I asked Bryant if he'd like to share anything as part of this post, and he graciously agreed to drop you all a line, or two.  I've never had a guest writer on "The Scoop," but who better to be the first than the man with whom I'm going to spend the rest of my life? ☺  Here's what he had to say:

Those of you who have known Kensy for a while know how wonderful she is.  I have had the privilege of getting to know her recently and have come to realize what an amazing person she is…which is why I asked her to marry me last week.  She said YES!!!!  I am very much looking forward to spending the rest of my life with her when October finally arrives.  Haha.

From the first date walking around the Haymarket, to the Giant Piano, and all the calls, emails, text messages, and face-to-face time in between, I have been learning how great Kensy is for me.  I never understood the people that said, '"When you know they are the right one, you just know…"  Now, I do understand that statement, and I am so grateful that God brought her into my life.

I can't wait for you all to meet him!

That's all for now, dear friends.  Thank you for reading - I know that was a long one.  Hopefully, it was worth it, though. ☺

Engagingly,

Kensy

P.S. Yes, he said October.  ;-)

Favorites of the day:

my newest piece of jewelry!

seeing and celebrating with friends and family

generosity