a trip to the county clerk & mr. snow

a marriage liscense (not signed yet!)

and a wedding cake snow cone.

some how, we're 9 days away!

one sunday afternoon in april

these are some of my very best friends,
my community & my tribe.
they just gave me the most wonderful bridal shower
in the whole world!
complete with incredibly yummy cupcakes, baked bree,
mini quiches, and some surprisingly strong refreshments.
there were ridiculously silly games, door prizes,
and a simply good time for all.

thank you so much friends- i feel so loved!
you are soooo incredible!

mideterm week

i would like to be driving away right now, please.

breath of fresh air

ross and i were talking the other day about how crazy the whole wedding planning process is.
countless hours are spent searching, thinking, planning, budgeting, changing the plan, etc...
...all for one day.

what would it be like for us to spend HALF that amount of time praying for our marriage, our future, and for God to refine our hearts. how did we get to spent so much on one day?

thankfully, wedding planning really hasn't been stressful- it's been fun. we got a lot done this weekend, but the best part was that we started our premarital counseling class! it was like a breath of fresh air. a cute married couple in their early thirties teaches the class, and two other couples are in there with us. this is by far the most exciting part of the engagement period.

one of the first verses we read in the introduction to the course is:
"By wisdom a house is built and through understanding it is established, through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures." proverbs 24:3-4

this class is already water to my soul.

breakfast of champions

this morning i met with a very nice cake maker.
she bought me coffee
and gave me cake.
a lovely, yummy way to start the day.
this is a sweet season.

now i need to buy books?

getting ahead of myself

although i'm currently planning a wedding...
(wow, that's weird)

i can't help but dream of future little parties to plan!
like a puppy birthday party
soooo cute.

as if wedding planning wasn't consuming enough!
haha i can't complain.
i truly can't wait for my friends to be in this stage of life.


well, maybe i can. you never know at baylor...

t-minus 6 months!

ross franklin booked our honeymoon yesterday.
non-refundable, of course.
no turning back now, this is happening :)

project DIY

save the date pics
do-it-yourself style.
yea or nae?

try, try again

DIY wedding invites stealing my heart.
My mom is way too traditional to ever go with this.
Who am I kidding, so am I.

Speaking of traditional, I've spend the past week and a half or so coming to terms with the fact that First Baptist Waco wouldn't let Ross and I get married at their beautiful church on a holiday (a pagan holiday I might add). In fact, I've gotten really excited about it. Ross and I even found beautiful seesucker suits for he and the groomsmen to wear and sweet eyelet dresses for the girls. A 4th of July outdoor wedding, complete with preppy clothing & BBQ: my dream!

Well, when my dad found out we didn't get the church, he had a few things to say:

1. "Katie, I get what I want in life because
I think of creative ways to get it."
2. "You already got a no. Keep trying until you get a yes."

Guess what? Today we got a YES!

Although I love the IDEA of an outdoor wedding, tradition tugs at my heartstrings (and at Ross' too). So, it looks like we get to have a church wedding (at the church) after all! Our wedding is an incredibly special and important religious ceremony, not just a cute photo-opt.

Seersucker will of course be welcomed at the rehearsal, obviously : )

thank you

{from here}

DIY thank you cards... so cute.

darn church!

well, i experienced my first wedding planning heartbreak. the church i had my heart set on will absolutely not have a wedding during a holiday weekend.

i'm taking this as a blessing in disguise for a couple of reasons:
1. an early reminder that where/when/how we get married really does not matter.
2. that church would have been pretty expensive & i reject our cultures idea that weddings should cost more than some families make in a year.

i'm in love with personalized DIY ideas...{from here}

this couple used this picture for their save-the-dates. besides the cute coffees and clever book, the newspaper was digitally edited to have a picture of them and another of their cat.

this process is a blessing, and my heart will not be broken again. if something doesn't work out, it's because there is something even better waiting to be discovered.

can't help myself

well, my dear friend katie knows me well. she thought i would love this color palette, and she is so right. navy, yellow & white it is. classy, preppy, and fun: that is so us, haha :)

the best part (besides the groom): we're getting married on the 4th of July! So there will be some subtle hints of red
getting married on the 4th of July means some pretty awesome things:
1. The entire country is celebrating!
2. We get to watch fireworks on our anniversary every year!
3. We won't have to go into work, and we will sometimes get a three day weekend

anyway, i will find out about the church tomorrow. i reeeeaaaalllyy hope it is available. if it is, ross and i can start working on all the fun details for our wedding. we've been to 10 weddings together, so he's got some opinions & ideas... it's awesome. my fiance rules.

we're engaged!

{Our Story}

It's hard to find words when you are overflowing with joy.

I haven't blogged for some time now, but I can attribute my lack of contributions to my continued state of speechlessness. I feel like my heart is making my throat too full, but that doesn't sound pretty.

The week before my birthday, Ross asked that he and I spend all day Saturday together to celebrate my birthday, and I gladly agreed. We planned to start out the day by making breakfast, then visit the Cameron Park Zoo for the first time, then check out a local winery, eat dinner at 135 Prime, and finish the evening with a walk around campus and maybe enjoy some of our newly purchased wine and my house.

The weather was gorgeous and we accomplished all of the fun things we wanted to do. After dinner we strolled around campus only to find the Christmas tree was not lit, and a homeless man tried to sell us his bike (bless his heart, Ross was so anxious he eagerly gave the man some money and told him to keep his bike too). We eventually came upon my favorite building on campus, the Harrington House. It is a beautiful historic home, and I was able to spend some time in it this summer when I worked for one of Baylor's facility managers.

I noticed a light was on, and Ross and I peered through the windows. While I looked through one, Ross pulled out a key, unbeknownst to me, and opened the door and whispered, "it's open." i followed him in and suggested that we probably shouldn't be in there. He continued to wander through the house, and I suspiciously followed him.

As soon as we came upon my favorite room with a beautiful stained glass window, I stopped in the doorway. Candles and flower petals were scattered across the room, and Ross started to play music from his ipod speakers some of favorite songs. I knew what he was doing but I couldn't believe it.

We danced in the candlelit room with pounding hearts, tear soaked faces and the sweetest words. Most of what Ross said is a hazy memory, but I vividly remember the sight of him getting down on one knee and asking me to marry him. I dropped to the floor and said yes, and started laughing with joy and excitement. Before we left the room we prayed together, and I don't think I have a sweeter memory.

To my surprise, right as we walked out of the house a white stretch limousine pulled up and whisked us away. We sipped on champaigne, laughed and repeatedly exclaimed, 'i get to marry you!" We pulled up to my house to find a surprise party with our families and dear friends from both Waco and out of town. I was completely shocked, overwhelmed, grateful, and full of love. Thank you so much friends!

Thankfully, after celebrating with everyone, Ross and I were able to escape for one last ride around Waco in the limo, which included a trip over the suspension bridge.

Anyway, I can't believe I get to marry such an incredible man, and I am so excited for us to start our life together. I just had to get that all out there and now I can continue with blogging as usual. Can't wait to explore all of the wedding blogs : )

I should note that I am currently in the middle of finals, and I have never studied less before...I've been a little distracted.

sunday night tradition

sunday nights are absolute serenity. throughout this semester i've cultivated some darling traditions...which are really my innocent guilty pleasures.

1. bake for 'the dudes'
(kappa sig meetings are every monday) my roommates don't mind this too much (i hope!),
so long as they can have 'just a pinch'

2. watch wedding central on we (womens entertainment channel) and hope to catch juicy episodes of bridezillas

3. best thing to do while laughing at bridezilla? take the indulgence even further and enjoy some wedding blog browsing

{my favorite}

although i cherish these frivolous activities on
calm sunday evenings, the best part of the day was
'home church' this morning. ross, smiller and i made
lists of what we are grateful for
while sitting on our porch
enjoying the crisp and sunny weather
sipping on our mugs of coffee
while sufjan christmas songs drifted through the air.


{from here}

"Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Luke 12:24-34

{sharon montrose}

its good to be part of the little flock :)

whatever, im a baylor girl

real simple has instructions on how to make
beautiful wedding bouquets from supermarket flowers!

although i am not planning on getting married anytime soon, the economy & my frugal nature make me especially interested in having a low-budget wedding someday.

our culture has turned weddings into a huge industry, when really,
they boil down to two people
celebrating their love for one another in Christ.
in more ways than one, this love is free.

maybe part of being in the world and not of it is
separating ourselves from societal trends,like spending
huge amounts of money on one evening.
do we really need our initials on every napkin?
should a slice of cake cost $15?

or maybe, this is the one day to splurge a little, on behalf of your guests, of course.

or maybe i just like the daisies in the picture.
they remind me of meg ryan in you've got mail. tom hanks brings her some when shes sick as an attempt to reconcile. she forces a thank you and says,
"don't you just love daisies? they're such a happy flower!"
i agree!

love makes the world go round

weddings are the best. great food, music, dancing, flowers, friends, and family; and it's all in the name of love. this wedding blog is my new guilty pleasure of sorts.

can't wait for yours miss wilhoit