Write Me Away From Here

Kiddo... you are so young and there is no need to rush this whole growing up thing. Wipe off all that make up.  You look like a clown. High school is so important to you right now and you are spending way too much time trying to fit in, make lots of friends, be the most popular... just relax. I know it seems like the most important thing in the world to have the best clothes, be the prettiest, the skinniest, the most athletic... but one day you'll realize these traits are so superficial and insignificant. None of them matter when you walk out of those high school doors for the last time. Start listening to Mom and Dad. They aren't trying to make your life miserable on purpose. It's just that they've been there, done that and don't want you to make the same mistakes they did. One day you'll get it. You'll never be the most popular, the prettiest, or the three sport varsity athlete. You'll spend so much time feeling like you don't fit in. Life...

Did I tell you Nantucket is my favorite place to visit? I think I did... multiple times. The endless hydrangeas, the bike paths, the beaches, the boats, the cobblestone streets - swoon city.  Obviously getting engaged was the highlight of our most recent trip to the island... and I don't think any future trip will be able to top this year (unless we get married there)... but the rest of our vacation was also so much fun. I have such a hard time relaxing at home... there are always things to do, something to clean, errands to run, food to cook... and there is nothing better than going on a vacation with nothing at all planned.  We spent our days biking, eating ice cream (multiple times a day), wandering around the town, sitting on the beach... just enjoying each other's company. That's the best part of being engaged (I love that I get to say this now) to your best friend... no matter where we are or what we're doing, we spend the majority of our time laughing... ...

Remember when I told you recently how excited I was about our upcoming Nantucket trip? Well this past week was the most amazing of my life... a trip I'll remember forever... the love of my life asked me to marry him!!!  It still hardly feels real... like I'm in a dream and soon I'll wake up and look down and this rock on my finger will be gone. My goodness, I hope that doesn't happen. I feel like the luckiest girl in the entire world.  So, to be honest with you, this post is really for me... It will be filled with lots and lots of pictures, everything I was thinking and every little detail I can remember so one day I can look back and relive it all.  You know when you're little and you daydream about what your life will one day become? My daydream involved a hardworking, handsome man... one who listened to me and made me laugh and was patient and loving... someone who never settled in life... someone who made me feel safe and whose arms wrapped around...