We're ENGAGED!!

I still can't believe we are engaged! It all happened so fast and was completely unexpected. Of course we had talked about when we would get engaged and he completely had me convinced it would be sometime late spring or early summer. So I definitely wasn't expecting it anytime soon.

Last Sunday night I came back to Cookeville by myself because I had to work Monday and Tuesday. I had planned on going straight home Tuesday when I got off of work. My best friend was supposed to come up Sunday with me and spend the night but she backed out last minute. I was a little upset about it but didn't let it get me down too much. I slept in Monday as long as I could, waking up in time to put some concealer under my eyes and my hair in a low messy bun. I sit in a cubicle all day so I'm not too worried about my appearance at work. I had talked to Matthew throughout the day and he told me about how he had been cleaning out the garage at home getting stuff ready for a garage sale.   I got off around 3:30 and decided I was going to get Blue Coast for dinner and stop and get gas before I headed back to my apartment for the night. I got back to my apartment and opened the door and found Matthew sitting on my couch playing his PS3. I was in complete shock. He had hid his car behind a big work truck on the other end of my apartment parking lot. I was asking him all these questions of why he was there and why he was dressed up. He got up and said he felt bad Sarah couldn't come up and didn't want me to be by myself so he thought he would surprise me and take me to dinner. Most people have asked how I didn't see it coming then but that is not out of the ordinary. We always dress up to go on dates and he is just a thoughtful man! I even asked him if I should change and put a nicer dress on and fix up a little bit and his exact words "nahh, you look good and no one is going to see us anyways" We went to one restaurant that we both like but they were closed on Mondays and we didn't know so we decided on a local Mexican restaurant we both like.   Matthew was acting completely normal the whole time. I thought whenever he did propose I'd be able to see it coming from a mile away.   After dinner I mentioned I needed to stop at Kroger to pick up my cousin a gift card for Christmas but then said I could just get it later because it looked really crowded. Matthew insisted we go on and stop because we were already by it and he really had to use the bathroom. I thought it was really weird he couldn't hold it until we got back to my apartment, but didn't put too much thought into it.   We left Kroger and thought we were headed back to my apartment. We drove by campus and he asked if I wanted to walk around campus. It was mid 50's and had been raining all day but stopped and still felt pretty good outside for a couple of days before Christmas. I absolutely LOVE walking around campus at night and often ask if we can, so AGAIN didn't think anything about it when he suggested it. We parked and as we are getting out I notice Matthew putting on his big peacoat. I had forgotten my coat and thought it was very strange of him not to offer me his coat. I didn't say anything of course, I just thought he was cold and didn't realize I had forgotten my coat.   We walked all around the quad and then he point to the middle where we had played ball with the SOC and so we walked over there and sat down on some bricks. He started talking about how he can't imagine not being on campus anymore and how he can't imagine not going to intramural games, etc. I am getting a little emotional because I'm not ready for him to move back home just yet. Then out of no where he says "You know what else I can't imagine? You not being in my life" I snap back to reality and think to myself "OH MY GOSH" at this point he is going on and saying really sweet things and as he is talking I could tell he is getting REALLY nervous. At this point all I can think about is "OH MY GOSH IT"S HAPPENING" He then told me to stand up and so I did and he did too and then he got down on one knee and is still saying all this sweet stuff and for the life of me I can't remember all if it. I am tearing up and asking him a million times "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" like it wasn't obvious lol.

Obviously I had no idea what was coming that night or I would have painted those nails, but I am completely okay with it. If he would have told me to paint my nails I would have known, so it was perfect.

  He asked and I said YES and he puts the ring on my finger, stands up and hugs me and gives me a kiss while I am still asking a million questions. We walked back to the car and I'm asking who all knew and he told me my parents and his parents. I said something about send them a picture after I called my mom and he said we're going to see them tonight. Again, cue the million questions. I asked if they were in Cookeville and he said no we are going home to see them and I said "Oh I have to be at work at 7:00 in the morning" and he grinned really big and said "No you don't, you're off tomorrow, I called your boss and asked her if you could have tomorrow off" And that's when the ugly crying began. He joked that I was more excited about being off of work than being engaged but I assured him that wasn't the case at ALL. It was just starting to hit me that it was all REAL and finally happening.

We went straight back to my apartment so that I could change and put on some make up and look halfway decent to see family and friends when we got home while Matthew helped me pack to go home for Christmas!! We stopped at the SOC house before we headed home to see his brother and some friends and went back to campus with Nathan and Jenny so they could make a picture of us where we got engaged. We then headed home to his parents house. We got to visit with them and share the excitement and then headed to my house and my two best friends were there also. It was a crazy night and all happened SO fast. After I posted it on social media our phones were BLOWING up. It was all so exciting.   He had asked my dad that morning and of course my dad was happy for us. Like I said I still can't believe it happened. He played it off so well all day Monday. I had told him a long time I ago I wanted it to be just us, no cameras, no audience, not in public, just us and that is exactly how it was, a complete surprise! There wasn't a soul on the quad at that time (it's Christmas break so everyone is home), it had stopped raining and was decent out for late December, and we got to see our families and friends. Honestly the most perfect night.  We never went ring shopping together, he always had said he wanted to pick it out himself. and he did SO good!

  We are so excited and ready to begin this next chapter of our lives together. Now that the holidays are almost over we can start wedding planning!! Still can't believe I just typed those words. :) We haven't picked a date yet, but we do have an idea of when we want to we just have to wait and see with Matthew's new job fixing to start up when would be best. I will definitely share when we have an official date set though!  

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We're ENGAGED!!

Graduation round two

Whew! What a weekend it was. I took Friday off to spend the day with Matthew before graduation. It was so nice and I really enjoyed our day together. We had a small party for him last year but we decided this year to celebrate just the two of us. We went to one of our favorite local spots here in Cookeville, Char. We also had a fancy little giftcard. You spend $50 and get $25 off. It was so good to just sit down and eat together. We are always on the go and I feel like we never get to just slow down. Unfortunately it was too cold to eat outside but is this not the cutest little setup outside?? We have one more of those giftcards so I'm hoping to go back when it's warm enough to sit out here!

 

Matthew's older brother came in and we all played laser tag later

We got a sweet student discount, 3 games for $12. It was my first time to ever play laser tag so it took the first two games for me to get the hang of it lol

 

Saturday morning came very quickly. Graduation was at 10. My family was able to make it up here for this graduation!   Matthew was in the back right.

Matthew's twin brother also graduated!! He as an interview in Memphis in February for PT school!!

Johnson Hall is where all of his classes were and where he worked for awhile. 

Cookeville is small so we knew every restaurant would be very crowded and we had three families there. We decided to have a party back at the SOC house. We had pizza and cake!



The three grads!

It was a good day with lots of celebrating going on. Thank goodness it wasn't raining!! It was very cold though.     I am so so proud of Matthew. He has worked SO incredibly hard these past four and a half years and has done it all with unwavering persistence and a good attitude. I have said it before and I'll say it again, I am truly honored and humbled to stand by his side as he accomplishes all his goals. He starts work in early January! Y'all, I am dating the best lookin' masters grad that there ever was ;)

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Graduation round two

Test scores & birthday celebrations!!!!

I'm back! I decided to take last week off from blogging, and it actually felt good. Some pretty big things happened last week though, so I will catch you up!   The main thing that happened last week...   MATTHEW PASSED HIS LAST CPA EXAM!!!!! We knew the scores were supposed to be out Tuesday morning. I called him on my way to work to see if they had posted them yet and they hadn't so I knew they would more than likely be out by 8. Sure enough they were. I was watching Twitter like a mad woman very patient person ;) and people started tweeting around 8 that they were out. I waited about two minutes seconds and then text Matthew asking if he saw his score yet and of course the website was taking FOREVER to load because everyone and their momma was trying to check their scores too. And then he text me and told me he is going to be a CPA. I took my break a little early at work and called him (insert happy dance in the hallway at work here) and got all choked up as soon as I heard him on the other end telling me he passed. Y'all I am so incredibly happy/proud/excited/relieved for him!!!!! I knew he could do it. He sacrificed SO many events this past summer to study and worried so much. He ended up studying over 800 hours but it was ALL worth it. He is the first person ever to take the fast pass (take all four parts and pass during the summer) from Tennessee Tech and I am just so stinkin' proud of him!! God is SO good and we know this is nothing short of His plan! I guess you could say Tuesday was a pretty great day!!!!   Thursday I turned 22 and was overwhelmed with all the sweet birthday wishes! Last weekend we celebrated my birthday at home. It was a lot of fun and I loved seeing all my family! Matthew and his whole family surprised me with a Samsung Galaxy Tablet!!! :)

 

I have been wanting one for awhile! Matthew and I actually had a conversation about me getting one that Friday afternoon on the way home. I told him I was going to try and find a good deal on one on Black Friday this year LOL.

Matthew took me to Chili's, one of my favorites, for dinner on Thursday and then we had Refuel with the SOC and intramural games.

 

Tech did this on the quad on campus.

 I thought it was a great was to remember all the lives lost. There was a flag for every life lost on 9/11

 

I also bought some watercolor paint last week and I've been playing around with it. It's so fun using things that I used when I was in preschool in a whole new way.

 

I also had a pretty big package waiting for me on my doorstep on Thursday afternoon when I got off work, I'll share that with you tomorrow! :)

           

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Test scores & birthday celebrations!!!!

Study basket

I mentioned the other day that Matthew is taking a very intense class this summer. This is what his days are like:    -Wakes up at 6:00 and start reviewing/studying -Get to the library on campus when it opens (8:00 am) -4 hour lecture -1 hour lunch break (he takes a 15 min break sometime before lunch and another 15 min break sometime after lunch) -Goes back to the library after lunch to review and start on problems he is assigned. -4:00 he leaves the library (when it closes) -Goes back to his apartment and continues working on problems that are due the next day -Takes an hour for dinner -Goes back to working on problems/studying -8:30-9:00 pm he completes all his assigned work for the day  

 panorama view of the study room he reserves everyday   By the time 9:00 rolls around he is exhausted and ready for bed so he isn't dragging the next morning at 6:00 am. I hate he is having to spend his last summer of college cooped up in the library studying all day but he knows and I know it will be definitely worth it for him in his career and future.   He sits for the first part of the CPA exam on EXACTLY 14 days!!!! He is already nervous but I KNOW he is going to pass with flying colors. Matthew is a really good test taker, I personally am a little jealous of that (I am horrible at taking tests). I thought about making him a "study basket" last week, I made a list of possible things he would need/would like and went with it!   -A notebook -Red pens -Yellow highlighters -His favorite gum -Mints -Grape flavored drink mix (supposed to help boost energy) -Cookie dough bites -Fudge brownie bites -Sticky notes -Post it strips

  I bought a small black canvas tote, $4 at Wal Mart to put his study treats in so he could actually use the tote after he empties it and it matches the maroon and black color scheme he has going on in his room!

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Study basket

Saturday tea time

Saturday morning we had our Walk4Water bright and early. We had perfect weather for it and overall had a great time! Our goal was $4,800 and we raised $5,005!! We had 80+ people come out and walk with us, such a great group!!

We grabbed lunch right after and then headed home for the spring tea with Matthew's grandmother. This is my third year to go and it is always a good time! Love seeing all the residents light up with their family for this event. Nathan's (Matthew's twin brother) girlfriend, Jenny, got to come this year as well!

 



 

We also celebrated Mady's birthday Saturday afternoon

 

 

We also made a few stops at Sonic this weekend while I was home...

blue raspberry slush with nerds...my new favorite drink!!

 

HAPPY MONDAY!!

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Saturday tea time

How I Met Your Mother

How I Met Your Mother is a pretty popular show. Most of my friends watch it and Matthew LOVES it. Matthew always jokes around and says he wants to get his law degree (he wouldn't be a bad lawyer because that boy can argue with a fence post...just sayin) just so he can say this...

 

In our group of friends we often reference HIMYM and make jokes about it. Every since Matthew and I started dating people have told us we are like Marshall and Lily (except we don't live together lol) so I thought it would be fun to match up who we are all like from the show, and this is what I came up with...

Left to right, Ethan is Barney, Andrew is Ted, Matthew is Marshall and I am Lily.   I made this little collage up the other day and sent it to them in our group message and they all got a kick out of it. Now, we just have to find Andrew a Robin! Also, a late congrats is in order for Andrew. He accepted a job in Chattanooga and will start in a couple of weeks. We are so excited for him, sad to see him go, but excited and proud of him for his hard work. He will be graduating with his masters in mechanical engineering here from Tech in a couple of weeks. Needless to say, Matthew, Ethan and I will be making trips to Chattanooga pretty often once he moves. Matthew and I already LOVE Chattanooga so we are excited for him.

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How I Met Your Mother

5 on Friday

Can I just say how happy I am that it is Friday? This week has been the longest and I didn't Friday would ever get here. Work has been rough but I am thankful for having a job that pays well.  

  One//  I woke up this morning to a crazy loud storm. The lightening was SO bright and the thunder was so loud it jarred things on my bedside table. It was over by time my alarm went off and I got up and started getting ready for work and packing to go home this weekend and then it thundered one more time and there went our electricity...nothing like getting ready in the dark to start out your day. It's still gloomy and raining but I'm hoping the temperatures stay warm   Two// Last Saturday night we watched Captain Philips and it was a good movie! It started out kinda slow but definitely made up for it and was pretty intense. There were a couple of actors in the movie that were just plain creepy. Especially this guy holding the gun something about his eyes were just creepy, when he got mad they would get HUGE.

 

So lil ole buddy of mine, Ethan, thought it would be funny to send this a couple of times...

RIGHT BEFORE I WENT TO SLEEP.

 

Three//

 The weather this week was PERFECT! It was actually almost hot. We turned the heat off early this past weekend (thank goodness because I am not all about paying these high utilities bills). Matthew grilled Monday and Tuesday and it was delicious. We went to Cane Creek Park and got a good walk in

and had this incredible view

 

 

Four//

It rained Wednesday night so our softball game got cancelled last night because the fields were still too wet so we decided to go out to the soccer fields and just play a little and it was a lot of fun! I love nights like last night!!

 

Five// Tuesday night Matthew grilled pork chops and we had dinner with his older brother and then headed over to the SOC house to meet some friends. We all headed over to campus to hear Dr. Oldham, the president of Tennessee Tech, speak. It was pretty good. We thought it was going to be longer and a little more but it was just a Q&A with the audience. Dr. Oldham is a member of the church so it was nice to hear his views on different topics and how he juggles his faith and work at the same time.

    After that was over Matthew took us on a little tour of the building where all his accounting classes are and I finally got to see where he worked for about 2 years, in the business media center. This was Matthew's desk and that otter costume to the left of him...he had to wear that a few times!!!! They promoted seat belt safety to elementary school children all over Tennessee. He would travel and talk to a couple of schools at a time. Most of the time he did the talking and someone else dressed up as Ollie the Otter but there were a few times were he was Ollie! The kids loved it and LOVED going to get their picture made with Ollie and to give him a high five. Precious.  It was fun seeing where he worked!

  Have a great weekend!! :)  

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5 on Friday

6 ways to encourage & support your significant other




Today starts a big day for Matthew. Well the beginning of this year did actually. Matthew starts the MBA program at Tech today.Not only is he starting the MBA program and taking a FULL load but has been and will continue to study and sit for all four parts of the CPA exam. I am so proud of him and can't wait to see him reach all his goals and Lord willing I will be able to do so by his side. With that being said I want to make sure I encourage him and support him in every way I can and not just in this next year but always. Sometimes I worry about this, maybe I'm not doing enough or maybe I am adding to his already stressed days. So with all that being said I have been thinking of some ways to help support and encourage him. No we are not married and no we are not engaged but I think it is important for people to encourage and support their boyfriend/girlfriend even before engagement and marriage. Many people just want to be in a relationship but they don't understand what all a relationship involves. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade my relationship with Matthew for a single thing in this world but it takes work and commitment. I know marriage takes a lot more and there is a lot more involved with marriage but I believe relationships take work and effort as well. It prepares you for marriage in some ways. Just like I believe you can't REALLY know someone in just a year or two and then decide to get married without running into complications, this coming May will mark 4 years with Matthew and to this day I am still learning different things about him, but that's for another post and day! After thinking about all of this I have decided that I want to do something small for Matthew at least once a week. I don't really want to put a limit on this but I know that some weeks will be busier than others so I might not get the chance to do more than one thing a week.   Here are just a few different ways to encourage/support/show that you care or are thinking of him without breaking the bank.   1.Pray for them Prayer is huge.The first thing I do when my alarm goes off is pray for Matthew. I pray for his day, I pray he doesn't get too stressed out and I pray he feels encouraged not only by me but by others and I pray for his studies and tests if he has any that day.   2. Notes.  If you don't want to spend money this is probably the easiest and cheapest thing you can do to encourage your significant other and it doesn't take but maybe 5-10 minutes! Just write a small note to encourage them, thank them for being a great example, tell them that you appreciate them and love them, etc. I left Matthew a note in his book he was studying out of a couple of weeks ago and just let him find it when he was studying and he really appreciated it. Of course I was DYING for him to hurry and find it and when he did I was just about as happy as a kid in a candy store.   3. Listen. Sometimes I just need to sit there and listen about his day without interrupting or waiting for him to finish his sentence so I can tell him about mine. So just sit there and listen, REALLY listen. No phones, no computer and no TV distracting you and respond back at the appropriate time with heartfelt responses.   4.Tell them you appreciate them. You could write this in their note but nothing says I love you more than telling them in person that you appreciate them and all the hard work they are doing.   5. Take care of dinner Matthew will be spending his days this year 1.) In class 2.) Working on campus 3.) Studying for classes + the CPA exam's so he's not going to have much free time. I have been working on meal planning for the up coming week on Saturday or Sunday nights. We usually eat dinner together every night either at my apt or his apt. So I need to focus on what we are going to have for dinner more instead of relying on him to do it. No, I'm not his mom or wife and yes, he is very capable of fixing his own meals but it will take some stress away if I can help in that department more.   6. Be their biggest fan Let them know that you support them and their goals. Celebrate different milestones/accomplishments together. Whether it be passing a test or the class or getting a GA position. When Matthew found out he had been offered a Graduate Assistantship position at Tech we celebrated with dinner and a movie but you don't always have to do dinner and a movie to celebrate. There are plenty of things to do such as getting frozen yogurt, movie night at you apt/house, making their favorite dessert, etc.   I am so proud of Matthew and I can't wait to be able to continue encouraging/supporting him in the future for all of the milestones he will come to. I am always looking for new ways to encourage/support him so if you have any ideas let me know!! :) Happy Thursday friends! 

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6 ways to encourage & support your significant other

Graduate Assistantship

If you are following me on Instagram then you saw where I posted about Matthew and I finally being able to share some exciting news a couple of weeks ago. Matthew has been offered a Graduate Assistantship position at Tech!! What a blessing this is, grad school tuition completely paid for + a monthly stipend. Once again this just goes to show how working hard, making good grades and building relationships with his professors pays off. We are so thrilled and realize this is nothing short of God's planned. I am beyond proud of you and all you hard work Matthew! So what did we do when we got the official confirmation? Celebrated with dinner and a movie! We saw The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and it was really good, I definitely recommend seeing it.  

 

This week feels like it is DRAGGING. I feel like a lot has happened in the last few days and my mind is still spinning but I am thankful it's almost the weekend.

Tomorrow I will be sharing a few ways to encourage/support your significant other!

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Graduate Assistantship

HE DID IT

Matthew graduated!!!! This post is WAY overdue but I still wanted to share with y'all about Matthew's big day.    Friday night I threw a small graduation party for him at my apartment and my two best friends came up for the party and spent the night. After everyone left that night we ran to Big O's to get donuts for breakfast the next morning. Matthew's loves donuts just about as much as I love them so I got him some because I knew he wouldn't eat anything the morning of his graduation because he would be too nervous. We drove over to his apartment and had donuts and milk :) and of course I had to snap a picture!!

 

and off to graduation we went! (Kathleen did my hair for my and I loved it!)

  Matthew's parents got there earlier than we did and saved seats. Graduation started at 10 and by time we got there at 8:45 a lot of seats were already saved!! Matthew had to go check in and get lined up and we sat and waited and then found him in line and made a couple of pictures...   Nathan will be graduating next December!

 

 

 

 

and then 10:00 rolled around :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Matthew's family

 

Matthew with his brothers.

 

So stinkin good looking :)

Matthew is a member of Beta Alpha Psi at Tech.

 

 

 

After graduation we snapped a few pictures and then headed to lunch to celebrate!

We went to a delicious Italian restaurant here in Cookeville.

 

 

 

On December 14, 2013 Matthew became a Tennessee Tech alumnus after three and a half short years. Words can't describe how proud I am of him. Seeing him walk across the stage in his cap and gown is something I'll always remember. You might say I'm his biggest fan, and I am truly honored and humbled to stand by him as he reaches all his goals. Lord willing we will be back there again as he is receiving his masters degree. I sure do love my accountant!! 

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HE DID IT