All you need is love... and a Little Mermaid ring.

Hi!

Remember me? Sorry 'bout that leave of absence. I have a few drafts saved from before our ski trip & Christmas - talking about how excited I am for Christmas, the things I MUST have when skiing, counting down the days to go, etc. I really intended to blog but I just didn't have time.

We left on a Friday night after Kaden and Keely played basketball, and headed to Red River, New Mexico. We got to town as the sun came up and enjoyed breakfast at a cafe. We rearranged the girls room in the condo to fit 3 beds. We got our skis. We took a group picture. We skied until the lifts closed. We played Phase 10 and ate warm, yummy food, and went to bed.

Enjoying Red River!

Sunday we woke up and headed for the mountain. We went all the way to the top that day - it was so beautiful. Matt and Dad skied the Face while Kale and I went down an easier trail to meet them, with the expectation that Mom, Nathan and David were going on a different easy trail and we'd all meet at the bottom. When we got there, Mom and Nathan were skiing the face! Such an adventurous group we have. When we were done skiing for the day, I took a shower and put on warm, comfy clothes. We went to town for a little while but mainly stuck around the cabin, so I didn't feel so bad about wearing my hideous fur-lined neon green and pink floral and leopard pants. My hair was a mess, I was wearing a big comfy shirt, no makeup....I was basically ready for bed! We started watching a movie - all 12 of us in the living/dining area - and Matt taught me how to do a "bridge" when shuffling cards and I felt so talented. Then, he went upstairs, and I asked him to bring me a piece of rock candy that we'd bought earlier. He brought me a blue stick of candy. Yum! I ate the candy and turned into a Smurf mouth. Matt was texting away ferociously but I didn't think anything of it. The movie went to commercial and I went to the bathroom, and apparently everyone in the room was just dying - because they knew what was coming next (and was supposed to happen during that commercial break I'd skipped out on). The next break comes around and Kami said she was tired of listening to commercials, so she muted the TV. Matt stood up and started talking to my family. I don't even remember what he was saying but I do remember what I was thinking. At first, I was like "okay, whatever." Then he KEPT talking. At this point I'm thinking "What are you doing??? This is so awkward. Shut up. Sit down. Stop!" - I thought I was playing it cool and not giving him an annoyed look but apparently I have no ability to hide my emotions and I was definitely giving him a LOOK.

Then he turned to me.

And suddenly, I realized what was going on. Basically, my internal voice started yelling in all caps and said "HOLY CRAP I JUST FIGURED OUT WHAT'S HAPPENING!!!!"

He dropped to one knee and asked me to marry him. To spend our lives together. To become his wife.

We're engaged!!

My Little Mermaid engagement ring & my sparkly engagement ring Matt let me pick!
Please excuse the chunky fingers. :)

The last two weeks have been a fast-paced bundle of excitement. We set a date. We picked rings (Matt proposed with the CUTEST Little Mermaid ring - obviously that's what sealed the deal). We started premarital education with my youth pastor. We asked our bridesmaids and groomsmen. We're looking to buy a house. We've picked a honeymoon destination. We've started a guest list. We bought are returning decorations to hob lob (apparently I don't need eleventy million glitter covered mermaid branches for the front of the church, thanks Brent). I'm looking for THE dress. We're excited for the wedding, but mostly, we're excited for our marriage. I'm so very incredibly blessed.

www.MattAndShae.com

Merry Christmas!