Saturday, June 30, 2012

A Long and Lovely Day!


Today, the wedding (Daniel's brother's)! Yay! It was a great day! We definitely had some good family time. We had some silly times and some serious crying times, but it was truly a happy day. Of course, today made Daniel and I that much more excited for our big day, and excited to get the ball rollin' and plan, plan, plan! The wedding, the day, the bride and groom, the venues, the laughs... Were all so beautiful. We certainly learned a lot today! We're so tired from the long day and we are ready to sleeeeeeeep!! Tomorrow, a long day of driving to Ocala and then back to Orlando. Please pray for safe travels! Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend! Good night and God bless!

Friday, June 29, 2012

A Wedding!


I was finally able to see Tori again today! It was so good to see her, she jumped on me! Great to see her! This weekend is about my brother. He's getting married, which obviously just makes me want to even more. Tori was so stunning today, my princess! And seeing Tres as happy and excited and nervous as he was just makes me ready to take it on myself! Today was their rehearsal dinner. I wasn't suppose to have made it because of business but I told my boss that Tres' rehearsal dinner was today and he said, "Well you can't miss that" with a smile on his face. So I was able to surprise my brother and show up for everything. What a blessed life we all have, so excited to welcome a new sister into the family! So happy for Tres to have found someone to love and be loved by! So happy that I got to see my beautiful future bride along with the rest of my family today! And so thankful for all God's blessings in general! Truly an amazing God! BYE!

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Driving, driving, driving!

Hey Everyone! I am currently on my way to North Carolina with Daniel's family! So, I am writing the blog from my phone, I hope it works ok!

I'm so excited to be a couple states closer to Daniel! And a couple hours! Probably 12 from now! Eeeee!

Today, I woke up, packed up, went to class and drove to Ocala! Then, spent a few moments with my beautiful mother and then hit the road! North Carolina bound!

We stopped at Cracker Barrel for dinner. Yum. Banana whole grain pancakes. Oh yeah. ;)

We just passed SOUTH OF THE BORDER a little while ago. Hahaha. Hopefully we will be arriving soon! We've been having an absolutely great time joking and laughing, but I'm pretty sure we're all ready to be there!

This morning, I watched some Capture Studios videos and came close to balling because it's all so real now! (and I terribly miss Daniel) I haven't watched any of those videos since we've been engaged. Which is very surprising. Lots of catching up to do since I haven't watched them in months! :)

The picture (if it works) is from New Year's Eve night in Winter Park. It's one of my favorite date nights. We went ice skating and then to this amazing Thai restaurant! And we walked around some. Then, actually drove back to Ocala barely on time to see the ball drop! It was a good night.

Well, I'm gonna go back to sleep now! So sooner I'll see my wonderful fiancé! Hahaha. Goodnight and God bless!

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Baltimore!



Well, good morning Baltimore. I will be waking up here tomorrow. My first business trip out of state. I miss Tori and at the same time am kind of excited to be here. It is definitely good for our future plans for me to be here!

Anyways, Tori has been being extra secretive lately... and she has been watching say yes to the dress... both pretty good indications that she has a pretty good idea of the style she wants and is honing down on the exact one! I can't wait to see her wear it! She's gonna look so good, no matter what it is! :)

The picture is of us skyping! For us, this was a life saver as far as the long distance portions of our relationship thus far. And it continues to be, we just got off skype about 30 minutes ago!

Well, that is all for today! I hope you are all having a great week and are excited for the weekend! (My brother is getting married! Exciting!) Goodnight and God Bless! :)

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

He's perfect.


This is the man of my dreams. All I ever hoped and prayed for. He is so amazing. He spoils me like crazy. He makes me smile and laugh when I feel like I've forgotten how. He knows just what I need and does everything he possibly can for me. He holds me when I need it most. He is a man seeking after God. He takes care of me. He makes me better. He's perfect.

Today he was going to bring me flowers when he got home, but he forgot and feels so bad! It's the thought that counts! ;)

Tomorrow he's leaving for Baltimore! :'( Early morning to drive him to the airport! BUT I'm so excited to meet him in North Carolina this weekend!!

The picture is from the Forest Military ball over a year ago!

Goodnight everyone!

Monday, June 25, 2012

My First Song to Tori!



Today I am going to write about a song I wrote for Tori! :) It is actually a song that I wrote before we were dating. You have to remember that we were long distance at the time, that adds to the depth... haha. Okay, here it is!

When I see her
When I hear her voice or think of her
Day to day, I'm swept away

Head over heals
I don't turn back I like how it feels
Oh you heal

My body and my soul
Without you there is no control
So I miss you, whenever you're gone

And whenever I'm gone

So tell me you believe me when I say
I really want to be there for you
There for you

Tell me you can hear me when I say
I really want to be there fore you
Cause I do

(So this part is kind of a little twist and deserves a story first. The day before I wrote this second half, I asked Tori to be my "girlfriend." Well, I don't know where the confusion came from, but I thought she said no. But really, she didn't "need time to think about it" she "needed time to let everyone know before we made it facebook official and everyone found out that way!" haha. So she called everyone the next day and let them know we were dating. Then she called me and let me know that it was all good and everyone was happy for us. Well I had spent all day mourning the loss of this relationship! Oops. And I mourn by writing songs...and now, the second half)

She's my angel
A night in shining armor I want to be
But she won't see

How I strain to stand and yet I fall
My courage is the underdog
When she's built up a wall so high

And though I try I can't climb
And now it's time to say goodbye
To what could have been

And hello what will be

So there it is, the first song I actually ever wrote for Tori. We look back at it and it's kind of funny. One day I will rewrite the second part to something more realistic. But for now, that is the way it is!

I chose the picture because I thought it was cute! Especially Tori! It is of us on our date night celebrating our 6 months of being together. I took her to Ipenema! It was super good! :) Well I hope you all have a great day!


Sunday, June 24, 2012

Rainy Day!


Hey everyone! So, Daniel's sisters ended up staying another night tonight because of the weather! Woohoo! Here was our day! We woke up, got ready and went to IHOP for breakfast! Yum. We ate a lot! Too much. Haha. Then we went to church, which was also great! After, Daniel and I went to get some things for lunch and made capreses and a bunch of little side things. Because of the weather we didn't get to do a whole lot... but we drove around, hung out, ordered pizza, watched a movie and made cake pops! Hopefully next time it will be sunny so we can take them to the lake and pool and such! We are so glad Daniel's sisters were able to spend some time with us this weekend!!

The picture was taken of the four of us in Siesta Key last summer! Soooo ready to be back there!!!!

In other news, I start my astronomy class tomorrow... So I suppose that is exciting. Not so exciting, Daniel is going to Baltimore this week for business for a few days. I'm going to miss him bunches! Well, I think that's about all I have for now! Good night and God bless!

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Sisters!


Hooray! Today Tori and I were visited by my sisters, Kristina and Sophia. They left Ocala this morning to spend time with us this weekend. We went to my aunt, Titi Carmen's, house this morning for breakfast! Delicious! She has such a servants heart; she's a wonderful woman. After breakfast we went to a small mall in Orlando to buy us some time. Then we went to Baldwin Park so I could show my sisters the spot that I proposed to Tori! Of course they were thrilled!

What happened next was pretty intense! But in a good way! We went to a little family reunion on my father's (the Ramirez and Spanish) side. There were probably double the amount of people that that house could really hold, but that just meant double the laughter. Everyone was so happy and joyful, it was really a great experience!

After the festivities at the family reunion, we decided to go explore UCF a little bit so Sophia could see the campus. I really love it there. Then I took the girls to their surprise, which was the movie Brave (now playing at a theater near you). I for one thought it was a great movie. Once we got home, we started to make cake pops which we will finish making tomorrow!

Well, that is it for today! I hope that everyone is having a fantastic weekend so far and is looking forward to Sunday! God bless!

Friday, June 22, 2012

ZOO!


Here was our day today! We ate breakfast (which Daniel made) and then watched a couple episodes of LOST! After being lazy for the morning, Daniel and I decided we wanted to do something... So we went to the Central Florida Zoo! Though it was super humid, hot, and stormy, we had so much fun! This was both of our first times at a zoo!! We saw lots of birds, reptiles, big cats, monkeys and many more. BUT, most importantly, we saw four two-toed SLOTHS!! Woohoo! Which made up for yesterdays sadness. We had a blast just walking around and looking at the animals! More pictures coming soon! The picture above was after we ordered our lunch at the zoo.

After the zoo, we drove back, rested up, cleaned up and went grocery shopping! Only for a few things. Anyways, together we made chicken fried rice for dinner and it was pretty good! We then watched a movie, which wasn't the best movie ever, but we still enjoyed it! We also had ice cream halfway through the movie. SO GOOD. OREO BIRTHDAY CAKE.

Hopefully tomorrow Daniel's sister, Kristina, will be coming to Orlando to hang out with us! Yay! We will be hanging out with some fam, eating some good food, maybe do some paddle boarding/kayaking, if the weather is alright, and going to see BRAVE! Looking forward to a great rest of the weekend and hoping for some sunshine! Gooooood night!

P.S. I'm crazy for this Daniel Ramirez guy. ;)


Thursday, June 21, 2012

A Wonderful Day!



So, we went to Melbourne today! It was really fun. Tori sat at a coffee shop for four hours waiting for me to get off work. Then she went to the mall and...I don't really know what she was doing there. Then she went to a bridal store for fun. Just for a few minutes though before she came to pick me up from work.

After being picked up, we decided we didn't really have any plans for the day so we went to the beach! We just walked around a little bit talking about what we were going to do for the rest of the day. First thing we decided to do was go to Incredible Pets store, they have a lot of exotic pets. Above you can see a lemur (top left), a skunk (top right), a chameleon (bottom left), and a giant tortoise (bottom right)! The lemur was the coolest to me! Everything was great except for what is shown next, Tori and the empty sloth cage...


Luckily the rest of the place was too great for us to be too upset about the absence of sloths. Apparently they had recently been sold (a mother and two babies), good for them, not so great for us. Oh well!
After the pet store, Tori and I decided to head to the UCF Cocoa campus... But on the way there, I saw a little apartment complex that caught my eyes and so we pulled in! Since living in Melbourne is more of a reality we decided to ask a woman in the front office for more information. So we got a tour, and actually were very pleased with the results. It is exciting that we can be looking for potential living for after we get married without feeling ridiculous! The prices were very competitive and it was a great location! They also had great benefits! :)

Next, we decided to get food, so we used Applebees giftcards that we had gotten from the Engagement party and it was wonderful! I always love date nights with my fiance! (Even before she was my fiance)


After eating we decided to go to the Historic Cocoa Village area, but went about five miles out of the way (GPS's fault) but it lead us to a really nice area that we were happy to see! The village was very quaint but nice. It sort of has a St. Augustine feeling to it and sadly, everything was closed.

Last (before heading home) we went to Ron John's Surf Shop in Cocoa beach and it was enormous! Lot's of Toms! haha

So that is it for today, I hope you all enjoyed that! :) Goodnight!  

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Current Reads!


Hey y'all! So, not a whole lot to talk about... But I'm super excited for Melbourne tomorrow! And the possibility of seeing a sloth is blowing my mind! Hahaha. Anyways, I bought a book today for Daniel and I to read! We've heard a couple people talk highly of it, so we had to get it! It's called Love & Respect! I'm very excited to get that started! Speaking of reading, Daniel and I finished Song of Songs today! (We also read Proverbs and Ecclesiastes recently) Now we are on Isaiah, which I'm also pretty excited for!

The picture was taken at UNF one weekend when Daniel came to visit! What a good weekend! I loooooove me some forehead kisses. ;)

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Melbourne and... Sloths?




Hello everyone! I hope you are all having a wonderful week so far! :)

Tori and I have decided that Thursday we are going to explore the Melbourne area (Melbourne Florida... not Australia). There is a slight possibility that when I graduate, I will have a job in Melbourne. There are a lot of engineering locations in that area that haver RF engineering opportunities! I was debating over whether or not to go looking around the area with Tori not knowing whether I will have a job offer. But a coworker suggested that I bring her down for a day to see if she likes it. That way if I get a job offer I can make a quicker "YES!" response! So that's exactly what we are going to do!

Aside from that... As many of you know, Tori's favorite animal is a sloth. Well, in Melbourne, there is an exotic animals pet store and there will hopefully be sloths there! So she is very excited about that!

The picture is from Riverside Park the day I proposed! She had no idea it was coming! The park is really nice though, but there is a better one a little further down the road. Just incase anyone wants to go park hopping in the Orlando/Oviedo area, now you know!

Monday, June 18, 2012

Sweet and Short!


Hey everyone! Here's a picture from the engagement party! :)

So, today while Daniel was at work, I got to look at one of my bridal magazines that his mom gave me yesterday at the party! While I was looking at the magazine I was getting so many ideas! Very excited to figure out the venue so we can start making definite plans! I started making a list of crafts that I want to do for the wedding! :) I found a really cute site with custom bridal apparel (for example bride to be or Mrs. Ramirez). Looking through the magazine also got me even more excited to go dress shopping.

My parents have started a collection of champagne bottles. Now there collection has three bottles; one from ours, my brother's, and their engagement party. I just thought this was a sweet story to tell you all. :)

The icing on our cupcakes melted in Daniel's car this morning... All twenty one of them.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Engagement Party!





Today we had our Engagement party! It was so great to see Tori’s family and my family spending time together and getting to know one another. Tori’s parents worked very hard to make it perfect and it was! We had soooo much food! Tori’s mom baked and made pretty much everything and one our friend Laura made cupcakes! I wished my parents could have been more involved but unfortunately my grandfather was in the hospital which definitely comes first. PLEASE keep him in your prayers. My parents did still come for a bit though. They are great! Tori and I are blessed with such wonderful parents! Family is so important to us! :)
On another note, I have almost asked all my groomsman to be my groomsman. So far I have my Uncle Jason, my cousin Benny, Tori’s brothers Ben and Jason, and now I have to ask one more, who will remain nameless just incase he is reading this and then finds out through my blog post... 

(tomorrow we'll upload a picture from the party, so this is just a random picture of us at downtown Disney!)

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Fun-filled Weekend!


We had so much fun looking at venues with my dad today! We really liked everything we saw! Though I think we're both leaning towards Golden Ocala! It was so beautiful and I get that tree I want! Hahaha. We are super excited for our engagement party tomorrow! We had a great time preparing for the event today! I love having my brothers in town as well. Jason went to church with Daniel and I tonight and service was great! We really enjoyed getting the chance to meet and pray with Pastor Ron tonight! (So many exclamation marks! Hahaha.) I bought some mochi bonbons for Daniel and I yesterday. Red bean flavor. SO GOOD. The picture was taken a while back one day after school my senior year. Gosh, I love that handsome man! Well, that's about all I have for today! We're are keeping pretty busy this weekend! I'M SO SLEEPY! And I'm not looking forward to the homework I still haven't done yet. Oops.



P.S. For our followers out there, please keep Daniel's family in your prayers. His grandfather was rushed to the hospital today, and they're still not sure what is wrong. He has shown progress, so praise the Lord! Thank you!

Friday, June 15, 2012

Looking for Venues!



Sorry, but I really don't have much to talk about today! I can say that Tori and I are very excited for this weekend. Tomorrow we are going to go looking for venues. Here is our plan! First, we will be going to Golden Ocala! Second we're gonna go to The Hedges! After that, we're probably going to go to some places on the lake! Yep, that's the plan! And it is much more exciting than it sounds! No matter how many exclamation marks I put!!!!!

Also, I got a haircut today. I did it for Tori. She likes it. In honor of my haircut, the picture I chose for today is of us on a day I really needed a haircut. Tori and I spent the day in Jacksonville (back when she was living there) and this was downtown! And I know that my hair is in need of some maintenance, but look how beautiful Tori's is! WOW! Anyways, I hope everyone had a great week and is ready for a fun weekend! Goodnight!

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Laughter


One thing I absolutely love about our relationship is that we just love to have fun. Anytime, anywhere. It's great to have someone with me all the time who is just as silly as I am. We've noticed people in public so concerned about what other people are thinking, WHY? You can't be having fun acting that way. You can find Daniel and I skipping or dancing down the aisle of the grocery store or singing ridiculously in the car. We laugh at the thought that people are probably thinking we are immature. Haha. We're not. We just really like to have fun and we don't really care if someone is thinking we are weird... or whatever. Hahaha. That's something that we never want to grow out of, just loving to be happy and have a good time. In fact, we just had like a 30 minute tickle fight. Except, I don't really like to call them tickle fights, more like tickle domination, since I'm so small and helpless compared to Daniel. Some of the best moments in my life have been with Daniel, and especially when we are oblivious to the world around us. Besides, NO ONE can make me laugh like he can, that's for sure. God knows what he's doing, that's also for sure. Haha. You have the chance to make your greatest memories today, without a care in the world. ;)

The picture is from my graduation party last year, which was a "senior citizen" party. Pretty enjoyable.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

A Lovely Visit :)


So for today, all I can think to do is tell you all another story. Tori and I had been dating for about a week and I came to visit her in Ocala, from Orlando. It was a short visit, which was kind of depressing. I went to Ocala on a Friday after class. Of course, Tori and I spent the rest of that day (after she got out of school) together! It was so wonderful, first weekend back in Ocala since we had started dating. Good to see the family and such. That night, we went out to dinner with some of my friends. First we went to Ruby Tuesdays, then we went to Starbucks. After Starbucks we went to my house to watch a movie! I don't remember what the movie was though... Anyways, the next morning Tori and I decided to have breakfast together, so we did! We ate at Wolfy's and then headed back to her place. Then I had to say goodbye because I had a Robotics Club meeting in Orlando and our project was behind so I had to go! So I drove back, boring drive, then I sat at the meeting, boring again. And I was thinking, man I wish Tori was here, or I was with her. FINALLY, I could leave the meeting after 4 or so hours. So on my way home I called Tori. "Hi," she said. "Hello" I said. Then I told her that I thought I was going to go out to eat somewhere. She suggested that I go home to "save money." So that's what I decided to do. As I pulled up to my Grandparents house, I noticed my friends car in the driveway.... Then I was thinking "is my grandpa fixing his car?" Then I saw him come out! I was so excited that he had come to visit me! No one (besides Tori in my previous post) had come visit me. So it was great to see him and refreshing at the same time because of the long day of driving and sitting in a meeting. I said to him "so do you want to see my room?" And he said "sure!" I took him to my room and BAM! Sitting on the edge of my bed was my beautiful new girlfriend (Tori) ;). I had never been more surprised in my life! I literally couldn't speak it was so surprising to me, that they would have come to visit me! Yep, this is one of my favorite memories! And I thought I might share it with you all! Later that evening we went to Downtown Disney and ate at the Rainforest Cafe. What a great night! :)

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Missions!


Daniel and I have been on two mission trips together, one to North Carolina and the other to Jamaica. The pictures are both from our trip to Jamaica this past December. We truly have a passion for helping others. We are planning to do mission work at least once a year when we get married. Daniel will hopefully have vacations from work and I will have breaks from school (until I start teaching, then I'll still have breaks from school) when we will go. On the top of our list is Africa, but we will go wherever we are called. We recently have heard of an opportunity to go to Brazil, which I really feel is where we need to go. Though, there is a battle in my mind between passion, reality, emotion and hearing from God. With the upcoming wedding, classes and finances of this next year, we surely don't know of it's true possibility. Fortunately, I'm not worried at all. I know that if we are meant to be there, we will be. There's no doubt about that. I'm at peace knowing that God has such big plans for us, He's moving in us and that He is in control. I'm thankful for the burdens and passions he has given us. I'm so excited for what is yet to come!


Monday, June 11, 2012

Updates!



So for today, there is not much for me to talk about. All I can think of are updates! I talked to a couple of my groomsman this past weekend and they said yes! I have three more and am looking forward to asking them! Last weekend Tori and I went to look at some venues but it was pretty rainy all weekend making that difficult. Because of this, we will be checking out venues with Tori's dad Saturday morning. Which is exciting! That's pretty much it as far as updates for the wedding. We will really be able to start making bigger and more definite plans after the venue is selected. The questions where and when seem to be the main first two questions when beginning a wedding. And as such, they are our main focus at this stage!

The picture was taken at a concert that Tori surprised me with for our anniversary last October. It was a Josh Groban concert. He can certainly sing, and I had been wanting to go to one of his concerts for a while. So she did a good job picking those out! We really enjoyed his performance! :)

Again we are so thankful for the feedback we have been getting from the site and look forward to hearing any advice, comments, or questions anyone might have!

Sunday, June 10, 2012

My Testimony and More


Ladies, today this post is for you! If you're a guy reading this, keep reading too. Daniel and I have been overwhelmed with the amount of people who are actually following our blog. God is certainly using our blog and that is just so awesome. Last week, I got a message on Facebook from a girl I went to high school with, who I hadn't talked to in years. She told me about how the blog has really blessed her and inspired her to make a change in her life. We exchanged several messages back and forth and a few days later, she had ended her unhealthy relationship with a man who was not leading her to God. This amazed me and has really inspired me to share my testimony with our followers. Though I have shared this with many of you, more of you probably do not know how God has changed me radically.


Many of you know that I grew up in church, my father was a pastor, and I had always gone to church in someway or another. However, by the time I had gotten into middle school, I had already been a cheerleader for a year and I had already made some not so great friends (not blaming cheerleading). Like any middle school girl, I had such a low self-esteem, even though anyone would have told you I was so confident in myself. Because of this, eating disorders had flooded my life. Fortunately it was never full blown, but I had gone through several stages and periods of both bulimia and anorexia until my sophomore year in high school. That's 5 years. Five years of ignoring the fact that God had something better for me.  There was always a constant battle in my heart between the world and what God was calling me to do. Even being so involved in youth groups and having tons of friends, it was so easy to hide all that was going on in my life. I didn't want anyone to know that I was struggling, because I was afraid of what they might say. It took way too long for me to realized that I am fearfully and wonderfully made by my Creator. It took way too long for me to accept the fact that I was SO valuable and that no one else's opinion mattered. I only found my confidence when I found my confidence in my Savior.


One thing I love about this all, is that it proves God is amazing in so many ways. After I had stopped fighting myself, I had gained quite a bit of weight. Obviously, this was difficult but I knew God had bigger and better plans. I had to learn correct portions, normal habits, and healthy foods. Aside from all this I was chasing guys. I can promise you I was in search for a man to marry, but that was the problem... I was searching! When I finally came to my senses, I decided that I needed to give everything to God. There was no reason for me to be in search for my husband, God will place him in my life.


And that's exactly what he did. It wasn't long after I decided to focus on God, and that everything I am is for His purpose and glory, that I met my Daniel. Even when I first met Daniel, I was crazy about him, but I was so cautious. I kept telling myself that I didn't need to chase after him, and that if it was meant to be... It would happen. That took time, and doubt, but it happened. God went above and beyond, Daniel is absolutely perfect. Better than anything I could have found on my own and it all happened in His perfect timing. Remember my insecurity and weight gain? Yeah, Daniel fell in love with me when I was at my heaviest point!! He saw beauty in me when I couldn't see it in myself, but I was beautiful and I am, because I am fearfully and wonderfully made, because I am a valuable daughter of the King!


I'm sure that you've heard the little triangle analogy, that as you run towards God (the top point), the closer you and him become. You'll know, when you're running hard after God and turn your head to see the man of your dreams running right next to you, in the same direction. Daniel and I believe that our faith is the real reason we are so in love and that our relationship works, we've never had an argument or fight (not saying that they're not gonna happen) and we've never had any serious issues.


Furthermore, I know Daniel and I have said that a God-centered relationship was the only way for us to be in a relationship. We knew that if our relationship was not focused on Him, God could take it away just as easily as he placed the other person in our lives. Ladies, you need a man you can spiritually lead you and seek God's will for the both of you, and you've got to be willing to follow that. And guys, you need to be that warrior for our King. There is no ifs, ands or buts about it. You cannot be with someone who cannot offer those things to you and it's not something you can change in someone. A man has to change himself (or a woman herself). A perfect relationship is possible, it may just take time, prayer and wisdom (at least my definition of perfect...).


My final thoughts are that I want you to know that there is a love greater than anything on this world and there's only one way to find it. I want you to know that if you are struggling, there is hope. God has not given up on you, he is working on you and he wants to use you. If you haven't already found your future spouse, be praying for them. Be praying for them, even if you have found them! God may even be calling you to a single life. No matter what, remember, YOU ARE VALUABLE.




P.S. The picture was taken at the Church at the Spring's Freedom Fest, last Summer.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Victoria!




In the morning, I'm all alone
Though miles away theres a smile on my face
When I think of home

For just a minute or two, I am broken right through
I'm half way here but I'm halfway gone
Because you are on my mind

Victoria, I wish you were here
Singing right next to me, where only I can here
You whispering baby, it's driving me crazy
I'll hold you closely, tell me you love me
Victoria

When you're next to me, my heart skips a beat
The smile on your face, melts my heart away

And even though, we're so far apart
I still see, how beautiful you are

Victoria, I wish you were here
Singing right next to me, where only I can here
You whispering baby, it's driving me crazy
I'll hold you closely, tell me you love me
Victoria

I can see us now, when we're old and gray
And I still have butterflies, when I see your face

You're still the most beautiful, when you're in the room
Even after all that life has put us through

But for now, I'll just have to pray
Some call it hope, and others say fate

And though this time apart, causes my heart to break
I want you to know, honey you're worth the wait

Victoria, we're finally here
I'll be right by your side for the rest of our years
We'll have a few babies, and when life gets crazy
I'll hold you closely, tell me you love me
Victoria

This is a song that I wrote about Tori (Victoria) when we had first started dating. Since this was at the beginning of our relationship, it was long distance, so that's why it was extra sad sounding. I don't want to say too much about the song, so that you can interpret it for what it is to you. And hopefully it can mean something to you as well! I hope that everyone has a great day, and thank you for following along!

Friday, June 8, 2012

Bridesmaids! and stuff.


Hello all! Today, we looked at Sholom Park very briefly... it was beautiful! Though we were in a rush, we still had a great time, even in the humidity! Haha. I got my hair done today and my dresses altered, successful day! Also, in success, I have officially asked all of my bridesmaids and they all accepted! YAY. Not like I gave them the option. ;) I certainly love that everyone is so excited for us! Daniel's sisters cried so hard, it was absolutely precious! We met with Brooke earlier in the day, to ask her. That girl cracks me up! I always enjoy her high-pitched squeals. Hahaha. Maggie and Gabby met Daniel, his sisters and I at Starbucks this evening to ask them. We had so much fun, joking and laughing. Afterwards, we went to my house to watch a movie! It is official that Nathaniel and Oakley Evans are going to be our ring bearer and flower girl!! Tomorrow we are going to Katie's graduation party for a bit and then headed to back to Orlando! We're excited to do a little shopping! Haha. It was nice to be in Ocala for a bit, I miss it sometimes! Also, GOOD MEALS. Hahaha. Daniel and I have been on a pretty darn tight budget the past two weeks, so it's always nice to come home. Not to mention, I miss both of the families! I can't wait to find a venue, that's when the planning will really begin! Next weekend will be fun! We will hopefully find our venue! We will have our engagement photos taken! And have our lovely engagement party! :D Well, that's all for now. My next post should be more exciting then my last few... Hahaha. Have a great rest of the weekend!!

As for the photo, this was Daniel and I in our matching outfits, doing a photo shoot in the back yard after a service project for our mission trip last Summer! Hahaha. Notice Forest photo-bombing in the back.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

So Long, Long Distance!


I can't believe it was almost a year ago that Tori was graduating from High School. This is an important time in our relationship because it started a chapter in our book called testing. Tori had decided before we started dating that she wanted to go to the University of North Florida, but I went to the University of Central Florida. Our relationship started as a long distance relationship, but we were closer now and long distance really wasn't fun anymore. The first semester she was there was terrible, the second was worse. There were a lot of tears but we made it through. When she first told me about going to UNF, I considered trying to change her mind. Ultimately, I decided it was a choice that she needed to make. We had only been dating for a short time before the choice and so moving to Orlando to be with her boyfriend wasn't exactly the best reason to give up a year or so long dream. So I decided to be patient... She was, and is, so worth the wait. Now, one year later, we are engaged and she moved to Orlando to go to UCF! Go Knights!

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

'Tis the Season!


Hi! No fun story for today, but here are some recent things and we want to hear some suggestions from you! Daniel and I are going to look at some outdoor venues this weekend! Woohoo! I've also been looking up some bridal shops, hoping to go with mom in the next couple weeks! I've found some potential bridesmaids dresses, so that's nice. I'm so so so wanting to do TOMS for our bridal party, though that adds a good amount of money to what they will already be spending. Daniel and I finally finished the brownies tonight. I'm going to get my hair done, it's been a while. I'm also going to get some dresses altered this weekend for the upcoming weddings of both of our brothers! 'Tis the season for weddings it seems! We have SO many friends who are engaged right now! So, if any of you know of any great bridal shops in the Orlando area or any outdoor wedding venues in Ocala, please let us know! You're suggestions are much appreciated! Also, the picture has no significance, just a cute one we took a while back.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Our First Kiss!


Okay, so this picture isn't our actual first kiss, it's just our most popular one! Haha.

The first time I knew that Tori wanted to kiss me was one week before we actually did. I know it sounds a little old fashion, but I wanted to be dating before we kissed. Especially since I knew it was going to happen, and because well, I'd never had a kiss before and I wanted it to be perfect. Tori and I had been talking for a while, and she wanted to come visit me in Orlando. Instead I kept coming home to Ocala to visit her. I knew that if she visited me in Orlando, we were definitely going to kiss. So I decided to make the trip every weekend. Once I decided that I would ask her out, I made my final journey home (before we were dating). I needed to visit her so I could meet her parents. Which didn't go very well, because I was actually really sick. But they still accepted me. That Saturday, Tori and I spent the whole day together, which was the first time we spent that much time together at once. Then I asked her out. It was now okay for her to come to Orlando. She came on a Friday after a short day at school and she looked so beautiful! I suggested we go to UCF, and so we did. It was fun, and we labeled a bridge "our bridge." After UCF, we went to Waterford Lakes Town Center. While we were in the parking lot, I leaned over and gave her a cute little eskimo kiss! (when your noses kiss) Which we did several more times after... This was the closest I had been to her lips, or any girl's lips. We spent all day together again. We went to my grandparent's and my aunt's houses, so she could meet them all. Afterwards, we went to the Mall at Millenia just to do some looking around. We went back to my grandparents house (where I lived) and we started to say goodbye. We were in my room, because I was putting some stuff away, and then the timing was perfect... She was looking at me with this big smile, and I was probably returning the favor. She wanted it, I wanted it. Then we hugged. Yep. That's it, just a hug. Then I said "well, you should probably be heading home." So I walked her to her car, and I opened her door for her. Timing was perfect again, just another hug. So I said to myself "Come on Daniel!" Then, I closed the door, and she rolled her window down to say goodnight. Then I leaned in a little, then she leaned up a little, then I leaned in more, then her, and eventually... it happened! And then it happened one more time! And I was smiling so big! She was laughing so hard at me because she said I was smiling from ear to ear, but she was smiling pretty big too. She was smiling so big because she was my first kiss! And I was smiling so big because she was my first kiss! Then I told everyone. The end! :)

Monday, June 4, 2012

"Yes sir, I'll drive safe."


Fun story for you all! The photo above is the first picture of just Daniel and I. The photo was taken on a chilly night in October by Daniel's mom at a Forest football game that we went to. We went to watch his sister do her thing as the mascot, Wilma Wildcat. Daniel had already started school at UCF and was home for the weekend. This was about a week and a half before we started dating. We were leaving the game early when he got a phone call from his dad (who was still in the stands). I couldn't hear the phone call, but I heard Daniel say, "Yes sir, I'll drive safe." His dad was actually telling him to put his arm around me and keep me warm, which Daniel was already planning on doing. Haha. So he hung up the phone, and FINALLY! What I had been waiting for ALL NIGHT! He put his arm around me on my shoulder and I instantly interlocked my fingers with his on my shoulder. Daniel said that my instant reaction gave him the best feeling. When we made it to his car, he opened the door for me (and still does), and we left for some Starbucks coffee. But before we had even left the parking lot, Daniel laid his hand facing upwards on the shifter to hold hands. After a couple high fives, I grabbed his hand and VIOLA! The first time we held hands! Hahahaha. It was so hard to let go for both of us for the rest of the night. Nothing ever felt more right than being with Daniel.

As far as updates go, Daniel and I have chosen our bridal party and have been looking at apparel for those lovely people. Our guest list is still growing, haha. I guess we forgot to mention this earlier, but we asked John R. Evans to marry us within hours of being engaged, he accepted with honor and we are super thrilled about that. I believe that is all for now, have a blessed week everyone!

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Faith!





I love that I am able to say “Tori and I.” I also love when people say “Daniel and Tori” or “Tori and Daniel.” I love it because one day, a day coming sooner now than ever, we will be joined; a family of two. Independent of others but dependent on each other, and more importantly, on God. From the very inception of our relationship we vowed to keep Him first. From finances to purity, we have decided to put our wants and desires aside to follow His will for our lives. It is our belief that because of this commitment and our strong desire to do what is right He has blessed us beyond anything we could have asked.

One of the greatest gifts that God can give, is the gift of confirmation. Psalms 20:4 says “May He grant your hearts desires and make all your plans succeed.” This is a verse that impacted Tori's and my relationship. Around three months after we started dating, we were already making plans for our future. Something that is really pressed hard in youth groups is NO DATING in high school. Fighting with this fact while knowing that I wanted to keep God first and then us talking about our future....it was starting to all get confusing for her. Then, I got a call one evening while I was in Orlando and Tori was in Ocala doing her chronological bible study in the church parking lot. She was so excited and happy to share the verse she had read, Psalms 20:4. From that moment on, we knew that God knew our hearts desires and supported us and so we continue to keep Him first in everything that we do.

There is one week in particular that I will always remember when God really seemed to be blessing us for our commitments to Him. Within seven days, Tori found out that she was accepted to UCF, that her housing would be free for the Summer, and that I had a job interview for a Summer internship, which later proved successful. The day I received the call for the internship was the day after I had paid my tithe for the last two months, which I had set aside. That Wednesday I had the job, and found out that it was dramatically more than what I was currently making.

My biggest prayer for us is that now and forever we continue to keep Him first in our lives. So if any of you (our friends, family members, or even complete strangers) would like to include us and our days to come in your prayers, Tori and I would very much appreciate it.  

Saturday, June 2, 2012

The Perfect Ring, the Perfect Man!



I got the engagement ring back today from being resized! FINALLY! The ring is from the Love Vera Wang collection and is so sparkly! One thing you can't see in the picture is the blue sapphires on the side that represent “everlasting love.” Believe it or not, I am a size 4! Yes, I have baby hands. Daniel originally ordered a 4 ¾ and since it was under size 5, they had to create an entirely new ring. Which is awesome, because the ring was made just for me! It's so perfect! I only had the ring for a few days before we took it to be resized, and I was already attached. I kept feeling like something was missing all week! Without the ring, I had to keep convincing myself that this was real, not a dream! Haha. Needless to say, it's nice to have it back. Haha.

Also, Daniel is going to make the greatest husband in the world. He's been showing me that since the day we met. Just the past 24 hours can tell you something! Daniel came to my apartment and made me dinner last night, breakfast this morning, and lunch this afternoon! As if that's not enough, he did the dishes and cleaned my room while I was in the shower. He loves me. I know it. I'll never doubt it.

Friday, June 1, 2012

First Few Years and Brownies!



Some of the greatest bits of advice have come to me from my father. One of these, which may have been the greatest, was given to me about a month ago. I had driven from Tori's house to my dad's shop to help him with his sail boat, and of course we talked a lot! I was sharing with him my plans for the up and coming future, within the next two to three years. I expounded on the BMW, Mercedes, or Lexus I would have, the beautiful apartment, and most importantly the loving, caring, and selfless wife I would have. So my father worked and listened, and what he said radically changed my view of my future. By simply downgrading two of my plans and adding one more I now knew exactly what I wanted.

Now, as a side note, you should know that Tori and I have been day dreaming together about traveling all over the world. Sure it's a fantasy, but hey it was fun to talk about. The relevance of this fact to my fathers advice is what was covered in the adding of another plan. By simply getting a cheaper car and a smaller apartment, we could possibly have enough money to see the world together. Then, once we are ready to have a baby, get the car I want. Children will be a blessing, and they will also tie you down to a city at which time it would be best to buy the nice car and the nice house.

So as of right now, those are exactly our plans for the first few years of our marriage!

Also, We made brownies today! (The picture!) It was a blast! We laughed so much! Sometimes you can have the best time messing things up. It felt like it was just one thing after the other kept messing up. From melting the butter to not having the right amount of things, it seemed like nothing would go right. But the great part is, we had fun! And so, after we baked the brownies, I said something pretty deep... It's not important that you get it right, it's important that you have a good time. Of course, this isn't always applicable, but sometimes, as in when we made the brownies, it is so relevant! :)