We Made It!

We have been in Maryland for 3weeks and 3 days!
 The trip wasn't as bad as we expected.Eric was able to cram everything we needed for a week into the car even though I bet him he couldn't, he won.

 Eric and I made it through without killing each other and I didn't even threaten to drive right back home to Texas. The dogs did well for the most part after the first day. Bella got carsick before we even left Wichita Falls, so I ended up giving her more medicine. In total she had Xanax, Dramamine, a tranquilizer and another motion sick pill and was still awake and anxious! The next day I gave her all of it at once and by the time it kicked in we practically had to carry her to the car. But she slept the rest of the day! Keith did very well on the trip, just give him movies and his DS and he is set! He enjoyed stopping for postcards in every state we went through. He made sure he got one for Nana and Papa, Nonny and his classmates.

We arrived at our new home Wednesday night. I had four days here at the house before starting work. Which I later realized was a mistake. Our stuff arrived the Tuesday after we arrived and it took about 3 1/2hrs and 5 people to unload. We then had the overwhelming job of trying to unpack, which we still haven't finished. Last weekend Keith and I went back to Texas to see my family and for some wedding stuff. I had my alterations for my dress and can't wait to see it when it's done!! I got the royal treatment at home from my dad's french toast for breakfast to my mom taking me for a manicure and pedicure to a cookout at my grandmas! It was so nice to be back home! Even after just 2 weeks in Maryland lol! Keith got to go to school with his old classmates and tell them all about his new school in Maryland! He missed Fain so much! His wonderful teacher there gave him a gift and a card to take back to his class in Maryland. It was a stuffed armadillo that said Wichita Falls, Texas on it! His old class and his new class are becoming pen pals!
We got back to Maryland to Eric who surprised me at the airport with a dozen roses! He is such a sweetheart! Eric and I are adjusting to this new change and although its been difficult we have great communication and know that it will only get better with time! We decided that with all there is for me to do with the wedding and how much unpacking and such we still need to do that it would be best right now for me to work PRN (as needed) until after the wedding. The adjustments and move have been quite stressful and my 3 hour a day commute to work has worn me out! I'm use to the 10min it took for me to get to work in Texas not this 1 1/2 hour stuff! Ive been doing 11hour days 5 days a week and am missing my shift work which I never thought I would! My work was very understanding and cooperative of me wanting to change so I am excited about that!
Maryland is quite different from Texas. They do not have Blue bell ice cream, Sonic, caffeine free Dr. Pepper, people drive in rain like we drive in snow, they have round-abouts that really suck, they don't have access roads so many times I can see where I need to go but cant get to it, taking a wrong turn can add 20min to your time, they talk funny (although apparently I do, not them), its infested with seafood restaurants which isn't good when your allergic, oddly enough they do have Texas Roadhouse.
But even through all of it, I am truly happy, I know it will take time to adjust but that's just part of getting married. I'm excited to be here with Eric and have our family together, to grow and learn and just have fun together! Keith and I are blessed to have him in our lives!
P.S. I can't wait to move back to Texas haha!

 Our House

Back yard

 My Work - Piccard Surgery Center

The Move

It's been awhile since I updated. I was offered a job in Maryland at a new surgery center that is opening up. The hours are great and I will be able to be home with Keith and Eric during the evenings and on weekends. I will also be off on holidays so we will be able to fly in to be with my family. Eric was in last week for spring break. We took the kids bowling and to the zoo and had a blast! We also had our engagement pictures taken. This week I am trying to pack up the house and get ready for our move to Maryland. We will set off Monday March 29th and will drive for 3 days with Me, Eric, Keith and two dogs in my car haha! Bella the golden-doodle gets car sick and has major car anxiety so we got some medicine from the vet and hopefully she will be ok, or else we may need medicine lol. Eric said that if we can make it through this drive we can make it through anything in our marriage. Please pray for us as we make this journey to Maryland. Pray that Keith and I make this transition to a new place without problems and that we are able to adjust quickly and well. Thank you!

Progress

Things are moving forward! Eric came in town last weekend and we went to Kathy's Bakery to test their cakes and look at pictures, we decided to book them for the wedding. We really enjoyed the personality of the the wedding coordinator and of course the cake was delicious! We then went to Carino's to taste test some food for the reception and absolutely loved it! We have pretty much decided on them for the catering! Earlier that week we had already booked the DJ's and the photographer! Things are coming together well and we are so looking forward to celebrating this blessed occasion with everyone!

Bridal Market!!

The Bridal Market is a week from today and I can't wait! Best part is Eric will be in town to go with mom and me! We already have the church, the reception hall, save the dates, and centerpieces. We still need to decide on caterers, photographers, bakery, invites and some of the decorations. We are slowly working on our registry's but hopefully will be done soon. We had our first marriage counseling session the beginning of December and it went great! We were both given a packet of questions to fill out and then Dr. Hartman (our minister) put our answers together and went over them with us. We were both shocked that most of our answers were the same, even the ones that we wrote in, we wrote the same. It's just one more message from God that we were meant to be together! Of course we have no doubt about that! From the moment we met we both knew there was something there that neither one of us had ever felt before.

Click to visit our wedding website!

The Engagement

We were spending a week in the Bahamas. On the first night we decided to go for a stroll on the beach right at sunset. Lee Ann: "How wonderful is this? Here I am on a beautiful tropical island, watching a gorgeous sunset, with the man I love. What more could a woman want?" Eric: "I think I know." At that moment Eric got down on one knee and asked Lee Ann to be his wife. She was speechless as first, but after the shock wore away, a confirmatory "Of course I will!" came from her lips. That began an unforgettable week-long vacation on Grand Bahama Island, which included swimming with dolphins, kayaking, hiking in caves, snorkeling, para-sailing, jet skiing, a semi-sub ride, a couple's massage, a bonfire & show on the beach, and a sunset cruise. Our first memories as each other's fiance are ones that will stick with us forever.

"Two such as you with such a master speed cannot be parted nor be swept away from one another once you are agreed that life is only life forevermore together wing to wing and oar to oar."
~ Robert Frost~

How We Met

They say that every cloud has a silver lining. This was definitely the case when Eric's daughter, Alexandra, was experiencing some wheezing and got admitted to the hospital in Wichita Falls with pneumonia. Concerned for his daughter, Eric never left the hospital the entire 4 days that Alex spent there. Thankfully, Alex quickly recovered from her bout with pneumonia. The entire staff at the hospital was very friendly and did an exceptional job taking care of Alex. This included a beautiful nurse named Lee Ann.

Lee Ann and the respiratory nurse, learning that Alex was spending her birthday in the hospital, went out and bought a cake and gifts for Alex to open from her hospital bed. Just because she couldn't leave the hospital didn't mean she couldn't celebrate her birthday. It was just one of many actions that showed Eric how sweet and caring Lee Ann is.

Lee Ann had noticed Eric the moment he walked into the pediatric department that afternoon. She had learned that they were receiving a patient from the Emergency Room, namely Eric's daughter Alex. At first sight she was excited to see this handsome man walk in, but then she had the realization that he was the father, but was relieved to learn that he was single. Despite having a full load of patients, Lee Ann fought to be Alex's nurse that day.

Over the course of the next couple of days, Eric and Lee Ann talked, initially about Alex, but over time it expanded to other aspects of their lives. They got to know each other better, and quickly realized that they had spent literally hours talking. The connection between the two of them was immediate and strong. It was the beginning of something neither one of them had ever experienced before, love-at-first-sight.

Welcome

Hello,
My goal of this blog is to update family and friends on our wedding and our lives together. I'm new to blogging so bear with me.