Hey ya'll...Amanda and me just made a new blog to journal and keep peeps up to date about the big day...I'll still be keeping up my stuff here but all of our stuff will be on that blog...
www.janda678.blogspot.com
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
I Asked...She said "Yes"
Last night Amanda and I decided that we wanted to be all grown up and had one of the biggest night's of our lives...I proposed and she said yes. That's right ladies and gents, we are getting married. After a little over two and a half years it was so apparent that it was time. I won't go into all the details of the evening or the process but I'll give the 50 cent version and you can call for more details.
After Amanda and I decided to get back together a few months ago we just new that it was so right. God just made things so easy. We started talking about getting married a couple months back and began looking at rings. Well this past Saturday Amanda found something that she really liked. I was going back and forth in my mind whether or not I should do it and things were totally solidified on Sunday morning when I was with my group of 3rd Graders at Church. Here's the conversation that came up totally out of the blue...
Zoe: "Mr. Jonathon, do you have a girlfriend?"
Me: "Yes I do Zoe."
Zoe: "What's her name?"
Me: "Her name is Amanda."
Zoe: "Are you going to marry her?"
Me: "I'm think so."
Zoe: "Well you should. You need to go buy her a ring right after Church today and ask her to marry you."
Me: "Ok Then!"
So after Church on Sunday I ran up and made the purchase. After a bunch of phone calls to her family and mine, I said it's on for Tuesday night. I only picked Tuesday night because I get to pick up the ring on Tuesday and there was no way I was going to hold on to that thing for very long...So the decision was made...
I have to say that I am so blessed with my friends. With just making a few phone calls and a couple of emails it was all set.
So after several lies I had Amanda all dooped to meet up at Towerplace to meet at Copelands...Right next to Rusans where Amanda and I had our first date...Not to go into too much detail since the pics should explain, all our friends got there early to set up and we saved a strategic placed parking spot for Amanda to park in...I have to say I was nervous about everything going smoothly but was so excited that we were finally doing this. I will also saying I was a sweaty mess the entire time...
One quick story before the pics to explain the evening...On Tuesday for lunch our secretary got us Taco Bell for lunch. And to help once again make sure this was the right thing, the below sauce packet came along with my lunch...WOW!!!
Here's Amanda's sign in a parking spot that we had saved for her...Props to Brown Man for scoping things out to make sure she parked there...
This was the first sign that Amanda had to walk by...
And this was #2...
And #3...
The plan worked and Amanda reads the signs...
She walks out and sees me...
Me: "Hey there"
Amanda: "You look nice baby"
Me: "You know why we're here"
Amanda: "Is this really real?"
Me: "Yeah baby, are you ready to do this?"
Amanda: "Of course I am"
Me: "Then why don't you turnaround"
Amanda: "Oh my gosh"
Me: "So..."
Me: "Will you marry me?"
Amanda: "Yes, Yes, Yes"
I don't think I will ever be able to explain the deep emotions either of us had while this was happening but just the words don't do it justice...
The Big Question...
The priceless reaction...
The best answer...
Done and feeling so good about life...
I can't tell you how incredible and flawless things turned out. We have the best friends anyone could ever ask for. Big time props to the Amanda Jean (Amanda's bud) for getting her cheerleaders to make the kick butt sign...
No dates have been set yet but ideally we want to rock n roll with it on June 7, 2008 - Get it 6 - 7 - 8...Aren't we creative...
Obviously lots of details to come...
After Amanda and I decided to get back together a few months ago we just new that it was so right. God just made things so easy. We started talking about getting married a couple months back and began looking at rings. Well this past Saturday Amanda found something that she really liked. I was going back and forth in my mind whether or not I should do it and things were totally solidified on Sunday morning when I was with my group of 3rd Graders at Church. Here's the conversation that came up totally out of the blue...
Zoe: "Mr. Jonathon, do you have a girlfriend?"
Me: "Yes I do Zoe."
Zoe: "What's her name?"
Me: "Her name is Amanda."
Zoe: "Are you going to marry her?"
Me: "I'm think so."
Zoe: "Well you should. You need to go buy her a ring right after Church today and ask her to marry you."
Me: "Ok Then!"
So after Church on Sunday I ran up and made the purchase. After a bunch of phone calls to her family and mine, I said it's on for Tuesday night. I only picked Tuesday night because I get to pick up the ring on Tuesday and there was no way I was going to hold on to that thing for very long...So the decision was made...
I have to say that I am so blessed with my friends. With just making a few phone calls and a couple of emails it was all set.
So after several lies I had Amanda all dooped to meet up at Towerplace to meet at Copelands...Right next to Rusans where Amanda and I had our first date...Not to go into too much detail since the pics should explain, all our friends got there early to set up and we saved a strategic placed parking spot for Amanda to park in...I have to say I was nervous about everything going smoothly but was so excited that we were finally doing this. I will also saying I was a sweaty mess the entire time...
One quick story before the pics to explain the evening...On Tuesday for lunch our secretary got us Taco Bell for lunch. And to help once again make sure this was the right thing, the below sauce packet came along with my lunch...WOW!!!
Here's Amanda's sign in a parking spot that we had saved for her...Props to Brown Man for scoping things out to make sure she parked there...
This was the first sign that Amanda had to walk by...
And this was #2...
And #3...
The plan worked and Amanda reads the signs...
She walks out and sees me...
Me: "Hey there"
Amanda: "You look nice baby"
Me: "You know why we're here"
Amanda: "Is this really real?"
Me: "Yeah baby, are you ready to do this?"
Amanda: "Of course I am"
Me: "Then why don't you turnaround"
Amanda: "Oh my gosh"
Me: "So..."
Me: "Will you marry me?"
Amanda: "Yes, Yes, Yes"
I don't think I will ever be able to explain the deep emotions either of us had while this was happening but just the words don't do it justice...
The Big Question...
The priceless reaction...
The best answer...
Done and feeling so good about life...
I can't tell you how incredible and flawless things turned out. We have the best friends anyone could ever ask for. Big time props to the Amanda Jean (Amanda's bud) for getting her cheerleaders to make the kick butt sign...
No dates have been set yet but ideally we want to rock n roll with it on June 7, 2008 - Get it 6 - 7 - 8...Aren't we creative...
Obviously lots of details to come...
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Book Reviews
Due to a bunch of time on planes lately, I've had a lot of time to get reading done. With a nine hour flight to Amsterdam you can definitely knock some stuff out. So with that I have a couple of book reviews.
First one is Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. This may have been the best book I've ever read. The sub title of the book describes it best by saying "Non Religious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality". The author tells several stories of his Christian life that really hit home in so many ways. I can't tell you how much I got from this book and how many "ah-ha" moments while reading it. My sister actually read the entire book as well while we were in Amsterdam. Freakin' awesome is all I have say. If you get the chance, please read this book. You will not be disappointed, I promise.
Second of the list is Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. I had heard of this book but never had the chance to read it. So while in the Amsterdam airport, I made the purchase and knocked it out during the flight home. I really thought this book was going to be about something else so was pleasantly surprised by its contents. Basically, these guys write about why things happen. Weird things too. For example, they propose that crime took a dip in the nineties not so much because of governmental agencies crackin' down but because of Roe v. Wade. Gist being that because abortion became legal, less criminals were being born into this world. Interesting stuff. They have several other things they write about that is rather entertaining. Overall I liked the book and it was a rather quick read. I would recommend it if you don't have anything else going on.
Last on the list is Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. This is a relationship book that I had heard about from a friend who highly recommended it. I owe you one Chris because this was a great book. The basic premise of this book is that there are five primary love languages that people speak. Once you recognize these both in yourself as well as your significant other, you can tailor your actions to help fill their love tank. I can't tell you how many times things jumped right out at me with Amanda and me. We've talked about a few of these things and they couldn't be more right on. Amanda is going to read the book as well in the ladies edition to see what she thinks as well. I definitely recommend this book for singles or married couples as there is always room for improvement in any relationship.
So there you have it. A quick little book review for you guys to chew on. Let me know if you get the chance to read any of these as I would love to hear your thoughts as well.
I'm currently neck deep in two more books right now. One about money by Dave Ramsey and the other a 1000 page beast called Atlas Shrugged. Second one was a request by a lady that I work with. She said I wouldn't be disappointed and so far I haven't. I'll be sure to give details on both.
First one is Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. This may have been the best book I've ever read. The sub title of the book describes it best by saying "Non Religious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality". The author tells several stories of his Christian life that really hit home in so many ways. I can't tell you how much I got from this book and how many "ah-ha" moments while reading it. My sister actually read the entire book as well while we were in Amsterdam. Freakin' awesome is all I have say. If you get the chance, please read this book. You will not be disappointed, I promise.
Second of the list is Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. I had heard of this book but never had the chance to read it. So while in the Amsterdam airport, I made the purchase and knocked it out during the flight home. I really thought this book was going to be about something else so was pleasantly surprised by its contents. Basically, these guys write about why things happen. Weird things too. For example, they propose that crime took a dip in the nineties not so much because of governmental agencies crackin' down but because of Roe v. Wade. Gist being that because abortion became legal, less criminals were being born into this world. Interesting stuff. They have several other things they write about that is rather entertaining. Overall I liked the book and it was a rather quick read. I would recommend it if you don't have anything else going on.
Last on the list is Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. This is a relationship book that I had heard about from a friend who highly recommended it. I owe you one Chris because this was a great book. The basic premise of this book is that there are five primary love languages that people speak. Once you recognize these both in yourself as well as your significant other, you can tailor your actions to help fill their love tank. I can't tell you how many times things jumped right out at me with Amanda and me. We've talked about a few of these things and they couldn't be more right on. Amanda is going to read the book as well in the ladies edition to see what she thinks as well. I definitely recommend this book for singles or married couples as there is always room for improvement in any relationship.
So there you have it. A quick little book review for you guys to chew on. Let me know if you get the chance to read any of these as I would love to hear your thoughts as well.
I'm currently neck deep in two more books right now. One about money by Dave Ramsey and the other a 1000 page beast called Atlas Shrugged. Second one was a request by a lady that I work with. She said I wouldn't be disappointed and so far I haven't. I'll be sure to give details on both.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Holland Baby...
Once again, I apologize for the tardiness of this post. I just got back from Jersey and haven't any time to get this thing dialed in...
First and foremost, thanks to everyone that asked how my dad was and for the prayers that went out on his behalf. Everything on that front is looking good. Call the big man for more details.
As for our travels...What a great trip! None of us have ever been to Europe so this was an adventure for all of us.
Our first destination after meeting in the Amsterdam airport was a small Hansel and Gretel town called Hoorn. It was about an hour train ride from Amsterdam. What a great place this was. Very small and not very touristy. There were lots of looks at these four Americans. The couple of days we were there we just did a lot of walking around and patronizing of the local watering holes and cafes. The little hotel that we stayed at was run by this cool dude and his wife. Rob (owner) was a big time fishermen so we got along well. Him and his wife are probably going to be in Miami in October so I might get a chance to go fishing with him as I should be there at the same time for work.
Next, it was off to Nijmegen for my dad's test. By the way, the "j" is silent in Nijmegen so we were totally butchering the pronunciation when telling people where we were headed. Anyways, my pops had his test over Monday and Tuesday of the week. Like I said, everything went good with his test. All in Nijmegen was pretty cool. It was much bigger than Hoorn and had several more places to shop and eat. The city is on the Waal River so there was lots of great scenery and commerce up and down the river.
Wednesday morning was off to Amsterdam. Things couldn't have worked out better once we got off the train. Right when we got off, we found our buddy Dean who had just landed a few hours earlier and to our surprise we saw our friend Milko from Hoorn. So back trackin' a bit...While in Hoorn at this cafe, some locals befriended us to see how we ended up in Hoorn. Needless to say after a few hours and a few cold ones, we were the best of friends and they were all about cruising down to Amsterdam. We truthfully thought that was all beer talk and it wasn't really going to happen but Milko manned up. And it was a great thing that he did because he got us to our apartment rental place and showed us around Amsterdam a bit. His buddy Chris that we also met cruised down as well later on in the day. Great dudes. Hopefully they'll cruise to the states so we can chill here.
Anyways, the rest of the trip was awesome. We had a cool apartment above a famous coffee bar in the middle of the city. Overall we walked 1000 miles and had lots of laughs. The biggest tourist thing that we did while there was the Van Gogh museum. I'm not an art dude but I have to say the museum was totally cool.
I learned on this trip a few things:
1) Starbucks Coffee has nothing on coffee in Europe
2) I love Ham and Cheese Toasties
3) I never want to travel in Europe again without Amanda
4) If I never see the Red Light District again that would be OK with me
Call me for more details about the trip.
Oh yeah, click here for a bunch of pics...
First and foremost, thanks to everyone that asked how my dad was and for the prayers that went out on his behalf. Everything on that front is looking good. Call the big man for more details.
As for our travels...What a great trip! None of us have ever been to Europe so this was an adventure for all of us.
Our first destination after meeting in the Amsterdam airport was a small Hansel and Gretel town called Hoorn. It was about an hour train ride from Amsterdam. What a great place this was. Very small and not very touristy. There were lots of looks at these four Americans. The couple of days we were there we just did a lot of walking around and patronizing of the local watering holes and cafes. The little hotel that we stayed at was run by this cool dude and his wife. Rob (owner) was a big time fishermen so we got along well. Him and his wife are probably going to be in Miami in October so I might get a chance to go fishing with him as I should be there at the same time for work.
Next, it was off to Nijmegen for my dad's test. By the way, the "j" is silent in Nijmegen so we were totally butchering the pronunciation when telling people where we were headed. Anyways, my pops had his test over Monday and Tuesday of the week. Like I said, everything went good with his test. All in Nijmegen was pretty cool. It was much bigger than Hoorn and had several more places to shop and eat. The city is on the Waal River so there was lots of great scenery and commerce up and down the river.
Wednesday morning was off to Amsterdam. Things couldn't have worked out better once we got off the train. Right when we got off, we found our buddy Dean who had just landed a few hours earlier and to our surprise we saw our friend Milko from Hoorn. So back trackin' a bit...While in Hoorn at this cafe, some locals befriended us to see how we ended up in Hoorn. Needless to say after a few hours and a few cold ones, we were the best of friends and they were all about cruising down to Amsterdam. We truthfully thought that was all beer talk and it wasn't really going to happen but Milko manned up. And it was a great thing that he did because he got us to our apartment rental place and showed us around Amsterdam a bit. His buddy Chris that we also met cruised down as well later on in the day. Great dudes. Hopefully they'll cruise to the states so we can chill here.
Anyways, the rest of the trip was awesome. We had a cool apartment above a famous coffee bar in the middle of the city. Overall we walked 1000 miles and had lots of laughs. The biggest tourist thing that we did while there was the Van Gogh museum. I'm not an art dude but I have to say the museum was totally cool.
I learned on this trip a few things:
1) Starbucks Coffee has nothing on coffee in Europe
2) I love Ham and Cheese Toasties
3) I never want to travel in Europe again without Amanda
4) If I never see the Red Light District again that would be OK with me
Call me for more details about the trip.
Oh yeah, click here for a bunch of pics...
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Back Home...Well kind of....
Got back from Amsterdam on Saturday but was almost immediately taken away to New Jersey for work. Be patient...A few stories and pics to come.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
