It All Started With a New Tradition

Every year for Christmas, our local radio station starts to play Christmas music 24/7 beginning one week before Thanksgiving and ending shortly after Christmas.  <br /><br />Every year I look forward to this.  The same songs played over and over again for 6+ weeks.  It just really puts me in the holiday spirit, and this year I even marked the first day on my calendar in anticipation!<br /><br />Joel knows how I'm always talking about starting new traditions with him, and so this year he suggested we put up our Christmas tree on Friday (the 1st day of Christmas music).  I thought this sounded like a great idea.  While I normally wouldn't be too keen on rushing through one holiday that hasn't even come yet (i.e. Thanksgiving), the longer I get to have my tree up, the happier I am.  It just really makes the home "warmer".  <br /><br />So on Friday afternoon, Joel and I headed out to find our next Christmas ornament.  We get a new one each year that we pick out together. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-eIIZL5gAqFmAvqXeWWpixsY27qr54l9cufE4gPyy8iw6k2jaWwghQhRYaZplg-8EvHfuZcvBBwLBMRTbX1jRiXBizkdnTyWiswr5sPEcf1Meh_FQHECC7tQ0h0E0w2Vk-FmxjSC5Wd8/s1600/engagement+ring+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-eIIZL5gAqFmAvqXeWWpixsY27qr54l9cufE4gPyy8iw6k2jaWwghQhRYaZplg-8EvHfuZcvBBwLBMRTbX1jRiXBizkdnTyWiswr5sPEcf1Meh_FQHECC7tQ0h0E0w2Vk-FmxjSC5Wd8/s400/engagement+ring+002.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />We chose this one because I love cardinals, and the owl reminds us of our cat, Merlin.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhb2nUzIshdHlNuGoGSX-puHmU5Biooy7OHEVPVqGUsG8xNXz43d_U8uy0gKydHcQI9kjWvfi-pNIUUgMNquOqUYKQ93_pWfG-eod6TvJ63a0zhA18yWxJTJmafoWWlWB6-CTr06jRAbk/s1600/engagement+ring+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhb2nUzIshdHlNuGoGSX-puHmU5Biooy7OHEVPVqGUsG8xNXz43d_U8uy0gKydHcQI9kjWvfi-pNIUUgMNquOqUYKQ93_pWfG-eod6TvJ63a0zhA18yWxJTJmafoWWlWB6-CTr06jRAbk/s400/engagement+ring+004.JPG" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is also the first year that I've had a cat for Christmas, so I received a preview into what these next few weeks are going to look like.  Here, you see Charles in his "jungle".</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji156la4zcDnVWeG9_GHjwJXgRgs76MT0ZrLKxu_m1ebs1OO1cpF03uDFXdoEUx6OSCaRyzbhx7hrgUHh1z8XVQyzAKSMP3U-2hCNkZpXJoOtvTAByZ8qiE2kBK5FJHCunr2cJ9gQpddU/s1600/engagement+ring+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji156la4zcDnVWeG9_GHjwJXgRgs76MT0ZrLKxu_m1ebs1OO1cpF03uDFXdoEUx6OSCaRyzbhx7hrgUHh1z8XVQyzAKSMP3U-2hCNkZpXJoOtvTAByZ8qiE2kBK5FJHCunr2cJ9gQpddU/s400/engagement+ring+012.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>He's already broken 1 ornament and tore up the tree skirt.  So typical of him and his shenanigans.<br /><br />Then something extraordinary happened.  As Joel and I were toasting our new-found tradition, this is what I found in the bottom of my champagne glass:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyV_qWMblq_CNIe5Nu91fJ9woQIzVCOrkj-XMwPe5F70DlStQ2NWIpxBY0aInowr1GHQwkqOHJcakG-e-oh4GGmYLDatXaSQxg04LuDkIDesqjTMLBF5-wLyggGjtnApS711_-2lsRUjc/s1600/engagement+ring+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyV_qWMblq_CNIe5Nu91fJ9woQIzVCOrkj-XMwPe5F70DlStQ2NWIpxBY0aInowr1GHQwkqOHJcakG-e-oh4GGmYLDatXaSQxg04LuDkIDesqjTMLBF5-wLyggGjtnApS711_-2lsRUjc/s400/engagement+ring+001.JPG" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">MUCH to my surprise, Joel asked me to marry him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHiIRz0J1c6F3vpTWqL-ZZ54A9ZQzocX_dPUlgwzX9g5sViScfFutKhwJ85hMteLrLQIDrl4e0WDH0jTUlJXH1MS5al6oc9Pbl0VgDR5i72lbKMt-EYNKJa3x2bDtJizyHL3IVnZ4nQjM/s1600/engagement+ring+016a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHiIRz0J1c6F3vpTWqL-ZZ54A9ZQzocX_dPUlgwzX9g5sViScfFutKhwJ85hMteLrLQIDrl4e0WDH0jTUlJXH1MS5al6oc9Pbl0VgDR5i72lbKMt-EYNKJa3x2bDtJizyHL3IVnZ4nQjM/s400/engagement+ring+016a.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div>And I definitely said yes :).

wedding It All Started With a New Tradition

Every year for Christmas, our local radio station starts to play Christmas music 24/7 beginning one week before Thanksgiving and ending shortly after Christmas.  Every year I look forward to this.  The same songs played over and over again for 6+ wee…

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