Our Engagement Story

I'm linking up with Sydney for this link up. Today, everyone is sharing their Engagement story. The below post was originally written on July 11th, 2010, the day after Matt and I were engaged. It's the best account of that day. 

Yesterday, Matt and I celebrated our 6 month anniversary of dating and it happened to fall on the first free weekend I've had all summer (Providence, I'd say!). He told me he was going to plan the whole date which made me excited because at this point I was exhausted from so much traveling and fun stuff. However, if you know me at all, you know that having someone else control something in my life is not fun for me.

So,  Saturday morning began with a trip to the Farmer's Market in EastChase here in Montgomery. I was super excited about this because I had been wanting to go for quite a while. We had a great time and got some great vegetables and fruits which makes me smile and would make my dad proud since I was buying locally.

After that, we came back to my apartment and he made breakfast/brunch. It was so wonderful. Omelets made with the fresh vegetables we had just gotten, peanut-butter/banana toast, fresh pineapple and orange juice. We love cooking together so this was such a treat. After breakfast/brunch, I told him I hoped there weren't lunch plans because I'd be full for a while.

While sitting at the table, he told me that for the next part of our date, I had a choice. PRAISE GOD! something I can control. He said we were going to see a movie and my choices were "Toy Story 3" or "Despicable Me". I chose "Despicable Me" and we both loved it. It was the perfect cross between and really funny kids movie and a sweet little story. We both laughed a lot and even teared up toward the end.

After the movie, he took me to this used book store which rocked my world! We had no particular book to look for but we knew we wanted to get a book that would be something we could remember this day by. We walked around laughing and finally we saw the perfect book. It was a joke book and as soon as we looked at it, we both said "This is it". It was funny and a perfect example of how well we fit together.

After the book store, we went to get italian ice at Nancy's Italian Ice right by my apartment. This is one of our new favorite places and it was such a treat.

By this point, we are both tired. My one request prior to the date was that we get some rest in at some point. I've been so busy that there has been little time for naps etc on the weekends. So after italian ice, I got to take a nap!!!!! It was wonderful.

After the nap, Matt said that I needed to be dressed and ready to go at 5:30 because we were going to Shakespeare to feed the geese. I was super excited but also extremely anxious and I asked about 1 billion questions. Matt was starting to get annoyed, I'm sure. He just kept saying "It's going to be great!" which just drove me crazy! Now I know some of you must be thinking that I must have caught on at this point. I actually had been thinking all week that he was going to pop the question but he said something later in the week that threw me off of his trail-sorry sucker! :)

While the nap was ending and I was getting dressed, it began to rain a bit. Matt just kept looking at the weather and basically said we would make a game time decision as to whether or not to go to Shakespeare. He said we had somewhere to be at 7:00 so we had a little bit of cushion if we needed to wait for rain to pass. However, God is so good that he took care of the grass with the rain and stopped it just in time for us to leave.

As we were driving into the Shakespeare park, I kept commenting that there were no geese which was the main reason we were coming, RIGHT????? When we got there and parked, Matt got a backpack out and said "Come on". I had a flashback to my younger days when Mom threw me a surprise party for my birthday. I knew it was going to be great but fear and stubbornness kept me from going inside. I was standing by the car not wanting to move forward. Matt being the sweet man that he is just took my hand and walked with me. As we were walking, we went around this group of trees and I just kept saying "There are no geese, this stinks". As we got in between two rows of trees, Matt said "That's okay because this spot is perfect" I immediately began to freak out and said this over and over again "I knew you were gonna do this". Matt got down on his knee and he said "I love you so much Leslie and I want you to be my wife. Will you marry me?" I always thought I would start crying or screaming at this point. Instead, I just hugged him and said "Yes!" and then I told him for the very first time that I loved him too. This was such a special moment. I have known for so long that I loved him but we had decided to wait until engagement to say those words, just another way of guarding our hearts. It was so special.

After that, Matt said it was time for the special part. I'm thinking we just got engaged what could be more special?!?! He took me to a ledge near the water and he sat me down. He pulled out a Fiesta Ware pitcher which is the "china" I've always said I wanted when I got married and he looked at me and said something very similar to this "As Jesus did in John 13, I want to serve you and love you as Jesus loved his disciples and he washed their feet. I want to wash your feet, Leslie. This is to demonstrate how I want to love you." Uh, can we just say, "WOW!!!" I mean really?!?! It was an incredibly special moment because it was the perfect way for us to begin our engagement, remembering how God wrote this story in the first place.

After that, we enjoyed some time together. I called my parents and told them. They both knew it was coming because Matt had asked for both of their blessings about 2 weeks ago. They were thrilled. We then went to have an amazing dinner at Garrett's here in Montgomery. Before dinner, as we sat in the car, we had a quiet time together, read some scripture and prayed. Again, a reminder of who wrote this story in the first place.

Dinner was amazing. Matt had arranged for his parents to bring roses and candles to the restaurant for our table, which made it even more special. We laughed. Enjoyed saying "I love you". Ate dinner. Smiled. Talked wedding stuff. Smiled some more.

After dinner, I texted everyone I could possibly think of and then the phone started blowing up. It's one of those moments that every girl dreams of. I was again in awe of God's goodness, as was Matt.

The last part of this date will take place this afternoon at lunch. A little back story is required for this part. For those of you who do not know, I love CiCi's pizza. No, really, I mean LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE CiCi's pizza. It has become a joke in the last few years that I would not let any guy take me there unless he wanted to marry me because once he saw how much I loved CiCi's, he may change his mind if he wasn't already committed. Matt has known this and it has been a joke throughout our relationship that he wanted to take me there. At some point when we were dating, I decided I wanted to be able to tell him I loved him without really saying I loved him since we weren't using those words. One night, we were on the couch talking and I said "I like you so much that I would let you take me to CiCi's" Matt was shocked and super excited and we both knew exactly what that meant. I am excited to say that today Matt and I will go to CiCi's today together. Just another reminder of God's perfect and unique stories for those he loves.

It was so fun going back and reading this story. I love my man so much! 

28 Weeks {A Pregnancy Update}

WOW!!! 28 weeks! 12 weeks until Baby's Due Date!

**On August 11, I had to stop wearing my regular scrub pants. I could put them on in the mornings easily but after lunch, I didn't feel very good. This particular day was bad and I prayed and said "God, help me get home and I won't wear these again until after baby" haha!

**The baby is growing so much and I can tell by feeling around. Crazy to feel that in my body and SUCH a blessing.

**Childbirth classes have begun. The first one was on August 12th and the second on August 19th. There are supposed to be 4 classes but this month is only three. Since it was cut down anyway, we decided we would sign up again for September and attend the 3rd and 4th sessions that month.

**Breastfeeding class was this past Thursday. It went well and was a good overview of information that both of us knew for the most part.

**This past week, I also laughed so hard I cried. It's been a tough week with my step-dad being sick etc and I knew I would cry eventually. It started with me just laughing at Matt and turned into crying. Pregnancy emotions are something else!

**Baby Morgan also got hiccups for the first time this week. Well, the first time that I could feel. It was hilarious!

**I was offered a beer at the Braves game. I quickly moved my hands to my stomach to reveal my baby bump. :)

**On August 19th, Baby Morgan seems to have said to him/herself "Today, I will do somersaults and move all day long and tickle the inside of Mommy's tummy." I have felt the baby moving consistently for several weeks but this day was completely different. So funny and so awesome!

**Baby Morgan got to attend his/her first baseball game. See a post later in this week for details.

A Beautiful Sunset

One night last week, Matt and I were already in our room when I walked to the kitchen to get some water and the living room was lit up pink and purple. Matt grabbed this picture!

Baby STUFF!

One of Matt's co-workers bought the first items off of our list for us. Here is what she got! He came home with it all one night after work. What a treat that was! Thanks Megan! 

Latest Bump Pictures {25 1/2 weeks}

As promised, here are the latest bump pictures. Even Matt posed for one! :)

What Will Baby Morgan's Name Be?

Just this past week, we had an ultrasound which was basically a continuation of the anatomy scan except this time, the ultrasound tech was able to see the baby's gender. Matt and I will not know until the birth. However, we wanted to have a few items sent to us from Crystal (ShopCrystalFaye) that were gender specific. These items will be sent to us and opened at the hospital once baby has arrived.

Crystal just received the gender this week and I realized that I don't think I had shared names for Baby here on the blog.

Today is that day! 

If Baby Morgan is a BOY, his name will be

Mason Matthew Morgan

If Baby Morgan is a GIRL, her name will be

Madeline Marie Morgan

Now, for a little explanation. I loved the name Madeline Marie LONG LONG LONG before Matt and I were together. Madeline is just a name I liked and Marie is after my mom's sister (my aunt) who was killed the May before I was born. Matt loves the name Madeline too so that worked out well. 

We also knew that we wanted to have Matthew as a middle name for the boy. Since the girl name was MMM and the boy name would be __MM, we knew we wanted to go with a first name starting with M. Honestly, it seemed weird not to do that. Mason was a name we found on the long list of M names we looked at and of all the ones we like, it's our favorite. 

So, there you have it. Baby Mason or Baby Madeline will be here before we know it! 

**What are your favorite Baby Names? 

LOAN REPAYMENT CELEBRATION!!

When we paid off the loans on 8/3/13, we celebrated big! We had balloons, confetti, poppers, dinner AND dessert! Grandmom and Granddad were able to celebrate with us so that was nice. Here are some pictures!

26 weeks! {A Pregnancy Update}

26 weeks!! Almost to 3rd Trimester! And just under 100 days until DUE DATE!!!

**I've been feeling the baby move around a lot more but on Sunday, July 28th, Matt felt the baby move for the first time. That was cool and special. He said "It just feels like your stomach is twitching" :)

**Ultrasound on 8/1/13 went great. The tech said everything looked wonderful and she got all of the views of the heart that she wanted to see. She was also able to see the gender so we sent that in the mail to Crystal to get our hospital monogram order going.

**Glucose Test....I thought the drink tasted fine and I didn't feel crummy at all. However, I flunked! I had to get under 140 and I got 147. I go back Monday for the 3 hour test! (**I passed the three hour test. PRAISE GOD!)

**We have also chosen our pediatrician, so that's fun!

**Last week, I purchased some sleepers for the baby from Carter's and our friends, The Moody's, brought several gender neutral items  to us when we met up with them.

**I am going to a consignment sale on the 22nd and I'm pretty excited about that too! Grandmom is tagging along so that makes it even more exciting!

**Appointments are now every 3 weeks so I go back on the 22nd.

**I got info in the mail about a Breastfeeding Expo at Babies R Us. I was so excited because the advertisement promised informational sessions, product reviews, free gifts etc. I showed up at our Babies R Us to find two tables with uninformed employees who were basically handing out coupons!!
Oh well, I have a breastfeeding class at the hospital on the 15th and I've done plenty of reading too.

**I received a catalog in the mail from Target that said if I opened a registry there, I got a free $20 gift card so needless to say, I did! I decided that I would just make two registries. One at Babies R Us and one at Target. One is a little smaller than the others but I don't think there are any repeat items on them. At least, I hope not. :)

**On 8/3, baby was a moving machine. Matt got to feel the movement for almost 5 minutes. It's so fun!

**Matt took some 25 1/2 week pictures of me but instead of editing them last night, I wanted him to hang out with me and he obliged. I'll put them up later in the week for memory sake. :)

Liebster Award!

**Now, the full post is ready :)

Mrs. Edwards from Bumps Along the Way nominated me for the Liebster Award! SO FUN!!

The Liebster Award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers.
So, what is a Liebster?
The meaning: Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.
Blogging is about building a community and it's a great way to connect with other bloggers and help spread the word about newer bloggers/blogs.

Here are the rules:
1. Link back to the person who nominated you.
2. Answer the 11 Liebster questions given to you by the nominee before you
3. Pick up to 11 bloggers with under 200 followers to nominate
4. Come up with 11 questions for your nominees to answer
5. Notify your nominees.


Here are the Questions she asked me:

1. What do you order at Starbucks?
I don't drink coffee so my drink of choice in the summer is usually something cream based and in the winter, Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate and Caramel Apple Spice.

2. What's one thing in your closet you can't live without?
In the summer, my black maxi dress and in the winter, scarves!

3. What's one thing most people don't know about you?
I can say the alphabet backwards! :) Also, the first time I kissed a man was at my wedding when I married my husband. :)

4. If you could travel anywhere, where would it be and why?
Tough one, first, probably west coast to California or to NYC on the east coast. Then, maybe to Europe.

5. Favorite hobby, besides Blogging?
Reading.

6. What kind of style would you describe yourself as having?
Classic. I rarely buy a clothing item that I could wear for seasons to come.

7. What is one dessert you can't live without?
Ice cream

8. If you had a bucket list, what would your #1 be?
We actually have a "bucket list" of sorts. We are over 1/2 way done with our 101 in 1001 list. Our most recent update is here. Number one is "Add a member to our family" which is currently in progress 23 weeks and counting! :)

9. What is your favorite quality in a friend?
Honesty and being genuine.

10. Favorite chick flick of all time?
Hmmm. Of all time, Dirty Dancing or Steel Magnolias but they both make me cry so I would likely choose to watch How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days for a good laugh! :)

11. What would you say to your 15 year old self?
Don't cut those bangs! :)

I nominate:

TBoff and Willis
Whiskey Tango...Hello! 
Those Creepy Crawleys
the Carrie Gland
Royal Proclaims
Life of Ry's
Sweet Southern Girl


Here are my questions:
1. Favorite comfort food?
2. Favorite movie of ALL TIME?
3. Favorite hobby?
4. If you had a full Saturday without any plans, What would you do?
5. #1 item on your bucket list?
6. Favorite memory of high school/college?
7. Favorite dessert?
8. Current favorite TV show?
9. Favorite ice cream flavor?
10. Favorite Vacation Spot?
11. Favorite Restaurant?

Student Loans {PAID OFF}

First off, let me just say: WE DID IT!!!! WE COMPLETELY PAID OFF ALL STUDENT LOANS!!

Okay, now that I got that off of my chest, let me tell you how we did this!

When Matt and I first began courting, he was finishing his last semester of college. He told me at that time that he had borrowed student loans for college. At first this scared the heck out of me because I was completely debt free. I was blessed to get TOPS scholarship for undergraduate which paid for 90% of school and my parents helped me with the rest. I worked to support myself too. In graduate school, I got an assistantship which paid for tuition and again, my mom helped me get through the rest of it.

I'll be honest here (and Matt knows this), I had really hoped that the person I ended up marrying wouldn't have any debt either. However, after I got over the initial shock, I realized that we were in really good shape to pay the loans off as quickly as possible and pursue the rest of our dreams.

When Matt graduated, he had somewhere in the ballpark of $35,000 in student loans. Yep, quite a large amount but from the little research I've done this is quite common.

Here's the first thing we did. Matt's loans were not due for payment until November of 2010. In October of 2010, right before we were married, we paid the full amount of accrued interest on the loans. This was one of the best things we could have done because if we had not paid the interest then on November 15th when the loans were due that accrued interest would have been lumped on the previous loan amount and all of that would have begun to accrue interest.

Second thing that we did was sit down together and decide the time frame we wanted to pay off the loans in. This was hard because we knew it meant sacrifice on our parts. Matt had several "public" loans that we were able to consolidate which provided us with one payment and also one private loan which we had to pay separate. We wanted to pay as little interest as possible so we set a deadline of 2-3 years. That meant that 2-3 years after we got married and began paying on the loans, we wanted to be DONE!

We decided to pay off the private loan first because it had the most interest. Keep in mind, we still had to pay a monthly payment for the consolidated loans as well. In 2011, that monthly payment was $179 (which by the way, if we had paid just that for the full time, we would have ended up paying double what he borrowed). Each month, we paid that amount, as well as, put as much toward the private loan as possible. During 2011, I quit my job (to move) and we moved so we didn't get as much done as possible but we were able to pay about $2500 to the consolidated loans and we completely paid off the private loan which was about $6,000!!

In 2012, once we were settled in SC and felt like we had our ground again, we decided that we would use ALL of Matt's checks to put toward the loans. This is where the real sacrifice came in. For the previous year, we had been using majority of it but we still played around with some of that money too. However, at the end of 2011 when we realized how far we still were from our goal with only 2 years left to go, we knew we had to do something drastic.

So for all of 2012 and 2013 until this point, Matt basically worked to pay off the loans. He has joked often saying "I haven't gotten paid since we got married!" :)

Y'all, this was so hard. We had so many fun things in our minds that we wanted to do and, don't get me wrong, we had fun during this time too we just had to constantly remind ourselves that finishing paying the loans meant financial freedom for us!

From start to finish, we paid off nearly $35,000 in student loan debt in 2 years and 8 months!!!! 

Let me just say this: This is NOT to blow our own horn. This post is for the following reasons:

1. I want to look back on our lives and remember how much we were able to accomplish with God's guidance.

2. I want to help/encourage others who may be in a similar situation as we were. 

3. I want to remember the sacrifice we made as well as how much we learned during this process. 

Thank you, Lord for helping us with this journey. Thank you for teaching us about sacrifice and working hard. Thank you for using this time to help us learn to budget well. Thank you that this season is done and that we are now preparing for the next season of life and bringing a baby into our family. We are truly grateful.