Engagement Pictures - Sneak Peek!

Our photog posted one picture as a preview on her website... I kinda love it. However, more than one person has said "umm... aren't you supposed to be in the same picture for your enagement pictures?". But... I still do kinda love it.

A quick recap of our engagement pictures day... believe me, it didn't get off to any great start. I decided to wake up early, do my hair, and head off to the mall. You see, earlier this year when my sister was up visiting, she went and got her makeup done at Bare Escentuals and they did such a fabulous job, I thought I'd do the same for pictures. This ended up being a VERY bad decision. Not only did they go over on time, but before I could swipe the brush out of the makeup "artist's" (AHAHAH ... yea right) hand, I had two very dark (pretty much black and blue) eyes. So I ran out of there, hopped in the car, and started rummaging around for napkins to wipe the skank-eye off my face. While trying to hold back tears, trying to wipe my makeup, and just get home - I hear a siren behind me. I pull over. The siren pulls over. He gets out of his car. "How fast do you think you were going?". "ummm... 35 maybe?"... "Wrong, 37 - I'll need your license and registration". AGH. Luckily I had never been pulled over before (statistically I am a better driver than Brian;)) and was let off with a warning. As a note to all of you Christmas shoppers - Bellevue Way cops will pull you over for going 37 MPH.

Luckily my lovely fiance had already gotten the dog ready, was ready himself, didn't comment on my crazy eye makeup that I was still scratching off, and we made it to pictures on time (and without skank-eye).

We ended up taking pictures at the UW Arboreatum. Cool mossy bridge, beautiful trees, crisp autumn leaves, and broken down freeway structures covered in broken glass and left over hobo homes. A little strange, yes... but we're still pumped for the pictures.

Can't wait to share them with you (plus, I'm just about the least patient person in the world, so I'm DYING to see them).

About 7 months till the big day:)

Engagement Pictures - Location?

Here at the Murphy/Watson household we're in full swing "workout like crazy because our engagement pictures are in less than two weeks" mode. Luckily we joined the brand-new, beautiful, clean, wonderful (can you tell I really like it??) YMCA in Newcastle. Anyways, while we're going to look great ;) for our pictures, we're still trying to settle on a location. A few things to keep in mind...
- We're taking our pictures in November...in Washington. Weather is iffy, might be cold, but it's the only time we have.
- We aren't really "urban" people - so probably not looking for a city location.
- We are bringing the crazy (aka: Atilla) with us for some of the pictures.

Here's a few of my location ideas:
- Marymoor park in Redmond - lots of trees, cute river nearby, random structures (including a windmill), and completely dog friendly
- Golden Gardens park in Ballard - great park, but it's on the water and will be windy - so I would have crazy hair in all pictures
- Bellevue Botanical Gardens - beautiful location, but... have done Watson family photos there in the past
- Discovery Park in West Seattle - similar to Golden Gardens, it's near the water and will be windy/probably really cold.

Any other ideas/suggestions? Or even places to completely avoid? We don't want to look completely out of our element, but we also don't want to look freezing and annoyed.

Frosting Overload

Although Brian and I are doing this "untraditional" destination wedding, we didn't want to miss out on some of the traditional planning items... namely - cake tasting. So, following the advice of Amy, we decided to sign up for the Trophy Cupcakes wedding cake tasting. Holy frosting overload. (Holly and her sister, Heidi, were there to attest to this)... the first few mini cupcakes went down delicious-ly, however I can safely say that I will be staying away from buttercream frosting for a while. We tasted about 10 different types of cupcakes - personal favorites (minus the frosting overload) were snickerdoodle, vanilla chocolate, and carrot. Cupcakes themselves were awesome, something we're considering replicating down in Akumal!

And The Winners Are...

Jon & Andrea Carey! Officially the first two plane tickets have been purchased to get to this crazy wedding! Andrea posted on FB that they were good to go and made my day. There will be some kind of prize in Mexico for their preparedness.
For those of you wondering about the actual dates - we'd love to have you for any and all of the time we're in Mexico. Brian and I will be in Mexico from Tuesday - Tuesday with our families and the bridal party (well Brittney will be there a little less, as she'll be finishing up her MBA). We're not planning on having large, organized group activities (because we're not that kind of people), but we will fill everyone in on general plans and keep it nice and casual. Between the properties we've rented we'll have 3 pools and a lagoon for snorkeling, so at least plan for a little time to hang out! Oh, and the wedding is on Saturday, July 3 - so please make sure to be there for that little event :)

About 8 months away... yay :)

A Quick CONGRATS!

Yes, this is a little late (okay, embarrassingly late). However, in the spirit of this blog (wedding, duh), it's completely important to note three important things that happened in the last month:
1. Zach and Megan got married! Congrats again to both of you, it was a wonderful ceremony in Sammamish! I've known Zach since about 7th grade (or whenever he moved from Montana to Sammamish), we both went to WWU, both went to Australia, and actually survived living with each other for half of a year (in one of the crappiest apartments ever). So happy for both of you!
2. Brian & Amy got engaged... in Hawaii! I've known Amy since Freshman year at Skyline - we were both on the swim team, and her group of friends was the Beaver Lake Middle School equivalent of my group of friends from Pine Lake Middle School. So excited for your big day.
3. Broderick & Holly got engaged! Holly and I have been friends since 6th grade - thats about 13ish years (no way are we that old...). Holly, Lauren and I were inseparable throughout middle school - we have the awkward pictures to prove it. Thrilled for her and Broderick (plus, it's just about the cutest proposal story I've heard in a long time!)

All wonderful people who, no doubt, will have/had beautiful weddings and lives together.

What we did on Sunday...

Much to Brian's dismay, I had completely planned out our morning last Sunday. For those of you who either grew up with Brian or know him very well... Brian is NOT a morning person. Especially if he hasn't had breakfast yet. ESPECIALLY if you take him shopping early in the morning, without breakfast. However, we are about 9 months our from our wedding (EEK... must. plan. more.) so it was time to register for gifts. Luckily, Crate & Barrel was having a registry event - before the mall opened, with food for the boys. Registering is weird - picking out gifts that you want other people to buy for you... it's just strange. However, we did have a good time planning for our future. We also stopped by Macy's, which wasn't nearly as fun as Crate and Barrel. Macy's was unorganized and not very helpful - but we still managed to find a few items.

To find our registeries visit: Crate & Barrel and type in one of our names, or Macy's - same thing, type in one of our names.

Note: We consider your attendence at our wedding the best gift you can give us... but we have been asked about our registry, so felt it was time to do something about it.

Hotels, Resorts, and Condos - Where to stay in Akumal?

Maybe you’re trying to decide if you want to come down for the wedding, and obviously cost is going to be a consideration. There are a variety of accommodations for a wide range of budgets. Below is a list of hotels and resources for accommodations priced as low as $89 nightly. Also, we’re looking into getting a block of rooms in a nearby hotel (if there is enough interest). Let us know if you have any questions about the areas these hotels are in relation to the wedding and other things to do in Akumal.


Hotel Akumal Caribe: Beachfront hotel rooms. Room rates for a double - $109 USD nightly; triple - $124 USD nightly; Bungalows: double - $89 USD nightly; $104 USD nightly
Gran Bahia Principe Akumal: All inclusive resort – double - $230 USD nightly
Vista Del Mar: Beachfront 2 bedroom condos from $110 USD nightly
Las Casitas Akumal: 2 bedroom condos from $220 USD nightly
Akumal Beach Resort: All inclusive resort from $90 USD per person, nightly
Loco Gringo: Great search engine for reasonably priced, well-maintained condos and houses for rent.

Fun Facts: Bridesmaid - Laurel

Laurel and I have not always seen eye to eye, mostly because I'm taller than her. Even though we have had our differences in the past, I am genuinely happy to have my wonderful sister as a part of our special day!

Fun facts about Laurel:
-Laurel majored in recreational therapy at UNH.
-Laurel has just (as of Oct. 2009) completed an internship in Colorado during which she worked with groups of people with disabilities on outward-bound like trips.
-Laurel once dropped a pitchfork on her foot while wearing flip-flops.
-Our dad used to refer to Laurel as “Henry.” My mom asked him to stop after Laur started to beleive it was her real name.
-Laurel used to have the best bowl-shaped haircut a girl could ever wish for.
-Laurel calls our mom “Karen,” even though her real name is “Mom.”
-Laurel loves cowboy stuff, like tractors, boots and goat-ropin’ music.
-Laurel played a lot of sports growing up, including soccer, basketball and hockey.
-There was a cow in the road.
-Laurel once chipped my tooth by jumping on my back when I was brushing my teeth. Take a close look; you can still see the bonding line. I looked like Jim Carey in Dumb and Dumber.
-We used to fight… ALL THE TIME.
-Laurel was obsessed with Vin Diesel for a long time. We think it was because of his man-boobs.
-Laurel beat up my friend Tim after he bet her that she couldn’t. He was wrong.
-Laurel loves working with kids.
-Laurel hates the color pink. Get over it, you’re a girl.
-Laurel refused my friend Matthew’s request to go to prom with him, more than once.
-Laurel once ripped the oil-tank off of the barn with the plow when asked to move the truck.


Bottom-line: Laurel is a thoughtful, caring sister who takes crap from no-one, has a great sense of humor and is always there when you need her. We can’t wait for her be part of our wedding!

Location! Location! Location!

At this point we've started introducing you to our wedding party and given a quick (well, maybe not so quick) insight into how this crazy relationship started. Probably time to provide some details about the wedding location!

When we started planning the wedding, we knew right away we'd be going away. Key considerations were: somewhere tropical, hopefully even distance from the west and east coasts, somewhere that there was lots to do, and something within our small budget. After a LOT of research (that Krystle did) we landed on Akumal, Mexico. Neither Brian nor I have been to Mexico, but we've heard great things - especially about Akumal.

About Akumal:
Akumal is about an hour south of Cancun, pretty close to the border of Belize. It's less touristy and more rustic than Cancun and surrounding areas, but close enough to the bigger attractions to get groceries and go to Costco (yes, there is Costco in Mexico). Akumal is known as the "Place of Turtles" as it's where the sea turtles go to lay their eggs. There are several beaches, cave diving, open water diving, and historical attractions nearby. The Watson and Murphy families will be staying at the Romero Compound on the Yal-Ku Lagoon. The Lagoon is actually a marine sanctuary with excellent snorkelling. We're still researching other activities and will keep everyone updated on what looks interesting to us!

Other logistical items we'll be working on over the next few months include: flight options, transportation from the airport, and hotel accommodations for additional guests. If anyone has additional points we should consider, please let us know!

Fun Facts: Groomsman – Jared Long

It was always my dream as a future groom to compose my side of the wedding party with as many large, red people as possible. Although the inclusion of Grant prohibits me from filling the spots with three as I would have preferred, our third groomsman more than makes up for it. Enter: A. Jared Long.


Fun Facts about Jared:
-Jared has danced around in a leotard more than once.
-Jared has big, dopey, loving dog named Echo, who is Attila’s best fried/boyfriend. Jared gets mad when they make out.
-Krystle’s mom purposely makes more food when she knows that Jared is coming over.
-Jared has a long-term friendship with Brittney, the MOH.
-Jared once ate over 20 chicken drummies in a single sitting.
-Jared has a sweet cabin on the Hood canal, which is pretty much why we’re friends with him.
-Jared and Krystle have known each other since he was 9 months old.
-Jared was Brittney’s (the MOH) date to homecoming sophomore year.
-Jared drills things for a living.
-It takes Jared 13 bullets to kill a rabbit.
-Despite what he may think, Jared is not a good singer on Guitar Hero. Seriously.
-Jared loves tank-tops.
-Jared also answers to “Jare-Bear.”
-Jared is afraid of gypsies.
-Jared had to run after Krystle when she tried running to Jack in the Box one night, which included across a busy street in front of a police car.
The Bottom Line: While we (mostly Krystle) make fun of Jared a lot, we have actually missed him since he went to Montana to work over a month ago. We’re excited to have him as a member of our wedding party, and can’t wait to tear it up in Mexico with him!

Fun Facts: Bridesmaid – Caitlin

Caitlin Murphy, who is the youngest of my two beautiful sisters, is taking time out of her busy schedule as a student at the University of New Hampshire to be part of our wedding party!


Fun Facts about Caitlin:-Caitlin is studying hospitality at UNH.
-Our entire family used to call Caitlin “Gus,” after the tubby mouse in the Cinderella Disney Movie.
-Caitlin has a lasting obsession with John Travolta.
-Caitlin has literally taken a class on how to smile; not that she needs it.
-Caitlin is "Pooh-Bear" to Laurel's "Tigger" and my "Eeyore."
-Caitlin was once trapped under a high-chair by Laurel. She was traumatized by this event.
-Caitlin loves taking road trips! She has driven to Washington, Colorado and Florida.
-Due to dietary restrictions, Caitlin can not digest gluten.
-Tequila does not contain gluten.
- When Caitlin was small she always wore more food than she ate. My mom claims that she was the dirtiest little kid ever.
-Caitlin worked/studied at Disney World for a semester. I am now scared of the Disney corporation.
-Growing up, Caitlin had a fear of Halloween masks.
-Caitlin has a beautiful singing voice, ask her to sing something for you when you see her.
-Although it is not proven, there is a theory that Caitlin and Laurel kept PacSun in business for several years.
-Yes, Caitlin’s hair is naturally that blonde.
-Caitlin, Krystle and Laurel can recite nearly every line from all 10 seasons of Friends.

Bottom Line: Caitlin is one of the most genuinely happy people that I know; she is a wonderful person and has always been able to spread her happiness to me. I know that Krystle is as excited to be her newest sister as we are to have Caitlin as a part of our special day!

Fun Facts: Groomsmen - Grant

Grant Watson. Hmmm… well he let us put him in the dog crate once, he’s gone several days without showering before, and has tipped over Honey Buckets. Somehow, he’s still managed to wrangle a place in our wedding party. We actually are pretty excited about it too. Is something wrong with him… or with us?


Fun Facts About Grant
- Until Grant was about 6 or 7, he watched the following movies almost daily: Lion King, Beethoven and Homeward Bound. It’s no wonder that Krystle can still recite most of the lines to those movies.
- Grant used to be able to make a noise that sounded exactly like a dolphin. Then his voice changed. He can no longer make said noise.
- Grant’s a master of the obvious. Case in point: Krystle, Jared, Ryan, and Brian on a chairlift. Grant: “Guys, when there’s snow on the trees it means it snowed recently”.
- Grant had the best imagination growing up. He would use his toys to make scuba gear and mountain climbing gear to go on expeditions. He was typically summiting the stairs. With the dog in tow. 
- Grant loves dogs – he received stuffed animal dogs several years in a row for Christmas and always had names picked out for each of them ahead of time.
- Brittney (MOH) thought Krystle trained Grant to like her more when he was little.
- Grant prefers hiking up a mountain and skiing down, rather than taking a chair lift like normal people.
- Grant drives a car that is the same age as him – 1990 Ford Ranger.
- Grant broke Brittney’s finger when he was little by smashing it with his toy guitar.
- Grant loves to ski, snowboard, scuba dive, wakeboard, mountain bike, and hike. He’s not really a “team sports” kind of guy. Probably a reason why Grant and Brian get along so well.
- Grant once sold Krystle his bike for $100. The bike was broken. Krystle was unaware of this at the time of purchase.
- Grant’s been letting Brian borrow his really nice Trek road bike. Note: Brian does not wear the stretchy shorts like all other road bikers do.
- Grant already has the name picked out for his future German Shepherd: Jerry Lee.
- Grant is a freshman at Oregon Institute of Technology.
- Grant loves fireworks. He’ll be in charge of the Mexican fireworks at our wedding. Is this a bad judgment call?
- Bottomline: Even though he does have the tendency to text his friends whenever he’s hanging out with Krystle and Brian, he’s a pretty great little brother. He’s always willing to watch the dog for us, come hang out, and is actually very helpful. We’re so glad he can be a part of our day – plus he’s always wanted an older brother… so he’s kind of getting one now.

Bride Freak-Out #1

So yesterday it happened... I freaked out. My freaking out then subsequently freaked someone else out. Nope, it didn't freak Brian out - I scared the crap out of some random girl working at a bridal shop.

So here's the story:
I received an email from I Do Bridal about a sale they were having. I then thought to myself - "Wow, I haven't really heard anything about my wedding dress or what my next steps are". So I sent a reply back to I Do Bridal mentioning that I was confused why I hadn't heard about my dress and was curious if everything was okay. About 10 minutes later I started received phone calls from the same number, and finally a voice mail. Upon listening to the voicemail I heard a frantic sales girl telling me to call her back immediately.

So now I'm freaking out. Big time. About to go crazy if something is wrong with my dress and I have to start all over again (Yes, I realize the wedding isn't for another 10 months, but COME ON - this is THE dress). So I call the girl back. She informs me that my name isn't in any of their records, they don't know what dress I ordered, and they definitely don't have anything on site of mine. I start telling her that my mom already paid for the dress, that I was in around January, and that I couldn't believe this was happening. So she asked what brand of dress it was. ...and here's where the stupid part happens... I tell her what brand (sorry, can't say it here - don't really want folks to know yet!). "Ma'am, we don't carry that line here. Are you sure you didn't buy it somewhere else?".

WHOOOOOOOOOPS. I bought the dress from Princess Bride (don't laugh at the name, my dress is killer). Not from I Do Bridal.

It's a little scary that I'm already going crazy 10 months out. Maybe Brian should reconsider keeping my insanity around for life.

An Introduction to the World's Greatest Dog

Even though he won't be with us on the day of our wedding, it's still important to us to point out how big of a role our fabulous dog, Atilla, plays in our life. Atilla is the cutest, snuggliest, most awesome, and one of the dumbest dogs ever. He'll curl up on your lap and fall asleep (yes, very cute), but then he'll roll off of your lap and fall down (yes, very dumb). He's afraid of the vaccuum cleaner, lawn mower, and broom. Most of the time he thinks that he is a human. Sometimes he moves his mouth and looks like he's trying to talk to us. It's all very strange. However, we do treat him like our child - so it makes sense. Here's just a small sampling of the crazy/dumbness that is our dog:

Asleep in the back of Jared's truck with his best friend (and possibly boyfriend) Echo.

Wearing his shoes and looking stylish.

Being extremely cute/naughty on teh beach.

Not realizing that his lips are supposed to be out of his mouth.

Yup, he's a special boy. We'll miss him on our wedding day. Brings me to another point - anyone know a good dog-sitter/want to watch our dog for a week?

Fun Facts: The Best Man

What is a best man? Is it a person who is big, red and loves beer? In our case it is! Even before I had proposed to my lovely bride, I knew that my best man could be none other than my best friend, the incomparable Jon Carey!


Fun Facts about Jon:
-Jon and I know each other through Troop 3: the Groton, MA branch of the Boy Scouts of America.
-Jon was a fat kid, like me!
-Jon is married to Andrea. She is more attractive than he is.
-Our aforementioned fatness may have come from sharing numerous pizzas and cases of Mountain Dew while watching movies and forsaking any sort of physical activity (this is speculation, as it still has not been proven beyond a reasonable doubt).
-Jon and I went to Australia together; and although he may tell you otherwise the whole thing was my idea.
-I was the best man at Jon’s wedding, where I got a little tipsy prior to my speech and may have referred to Krystle as “chemically imbalanced” – I don’t remember this though.
-Jon has been known by many names… actually he hasn’t, but I just wanted to refer to him as a beer-robot again.
-Jon has the uncanny ability to get A’s in school without doing much work, or at least procrastinating until the very last second.
-Every time I have attempted to match Jon drink for drink I have ended up with a multiple-day hangover.
-Jon and Andrea have a cat named Finn.
-Jon is allergic to cats.
-We are both Eagle Scouts, and although Krystle does not believe me, we don’t do a bird call when greeting each other.
-Jon will be moving to Washington sometime in the future: he does not have a say in this matter.
-Bottomline: Jon is the most loyal friend I know, and I could not think of another person whom I would consider to stand beside me as my best man on my wedding day!

Fun Facts: The Maid of Honor

Ah the Maid of Honor - a time honored tradition where one extremely lucky girl gets to take care of the bride all day (basically be my slave). For our wedding, it had to be the fabulous Brittney Ericka Watson (aka: Krystle's sister).

A few fun facts about Brittney:
- When she was little, she threw the world's most intense hissy fits
- She cried every single time Krystle got a birthday gift
- Brittney thought Krystle trained their little brother
- Krystle and Brittney used to get the mail before their parents, if there was a dentist appointment reminder they would bury it in the backyard
- Krystle and Brittney would always want extra snacks and cookies - so one of us would distract my dad while the other grabbed cookies and ran upstairs
- Brittney was the valedictorian of her high school class
- Brittney is awesome at soccer and can run further than most people we know
- Brittney and Jared (one of our groomsmen) have known each other since they were under 1 year old
- Brittney is awesome to have with you on arrivals day at Nordstrom Rack - she will literally plow through other people to grab that perfect pair of jeans for you
- Brittney and Krystle always watch Friends whenever they are together
- Brittney is the queen of dessert making for Christmas Eve (if you've never had Christmas Eve at my parents house - there are typically about 11 different desserts)
- Brittney doesn't drink beer and she loves very girly drinks
- Brittney doesn't prefer for her food to touch on a plate - in fact, our parents had an old baby plate of grants with separate sections that she often eats off of
- Bottomline: Brittney is quirky, crazy, fun, super smart, and a wonderful sister - we're so excited to have her with us (especially since she'll be travelling from grad school in Virginia to be there) on our wedding day.

A step back in time...(part II)

Last post I gave you the run down on how we met... now to more recent history... In July of 2008, we moved in together in a little apartment in Issaquah, WA. Two days after moving in, we had our first addition to the family - Atilla the English Springer Spaniel (and greatest dog in the world). Brian started subbing for the Issaquah School District and I continued to work in communications - everything was great. Then, in the middle of December - things got even better... Brian proposed. Here's the official story: We were about to have a snowstorm, it was already snowing a bit and we decided to go for a walk. As I was downstairs, ready to go - Brian, as usual, was taking forever to get ready. He yelled down to me "do you see my jacket?", "do you see my watch?", "do you think my hat is down there?" - just as I was about to tell him to find all of these items himself, he was hurrying down the stairs and kneeling in front of me. Completely floored, I barely remember him asking "Will you marry me" - and apparently I kept saying "Are you serious?!" over, and over again. As Brian put the ring on my finger, the dog grabbed the ring box and ran around (typical). We then went for our walk and then started calling our friends.

Pretty immediately we knew we were going to get married in a different way than the past weddings we had been to. Although the weddings were all fun - we had geographical concerns and wanted to re-live a bit of the beginning of our relationship. So Mexico... Here we come!!

A step back in time...(part I)

In the last post, I mentioned that Brian and I (clearly it's Krystle writing this thing... come on, folks) have been dating for five years. However, there are some of you who may not know the full story of how Brian managed to land such a classy girl, like myself. Since I'm guessing you're dying to know, and let's face it - I'm a little bored today, I'll give you the facts.

Once upon a time, a girl named Krystle had a dream to go to Australia. Some folks said it couldn't be done. Too bad for them - she did it anyway. So she got into a study abroad program (Australearn) and started planning her trip. Luckily, her parents had several thousand frequent flier miles and gifted her the ticket. The only downside - she would fly separate from the rest of the group. So she got on a plane, by herself, and was off. While in the sky a creepy dude who had gotten deported from the US rubber her feet while she was asleep. Yup, that was her first introduction to Australia. Brian is pretty lucky she didn't just turn around there. Annnnnnnnnyways... after spending a night alone in Syndey, she was finally going to meet up with the rest of the group. Upon spotting a fellow WWU student (Megan Strobel, now Megan Lervick), she got pretty excited and apparently (and CLEARLY not typical) started talking rather loudly. Little did she know that two awesome dudes from MA overheard this exchange and were commenting to each other about how loud that girl is over there (they probably thought it was pretty cool... right?).

Little did Brian (who was one of those dudes from MA - the other is the best man) know - that was the girl he'd choose to spend the rest of his life with. So as they all took off to go north to Cairns and spend a week up there - lives were changed for ever. (No... I don't think I'm being over-dramatic) They hung out in a large group together in Cairns and then headed down to the beautiful section of Australia known as Townsville. It was in this army-base, barren, nothing-like-the-pamphlet town that Krystle and Brian really got to know each other. Soon enough Brian asked Krystle out to dinner (they went to an Italian restarant and had very awkard conversation), they walked on the beach, and continued to date throughout their time in Australia. As the trip was approaching it's end (they spent about 5 months in Townsville) - Krystle made the bold move of suggesting they try to stay together back in the states. The only problem? Krystle lived in WA, while Brian lived in MA. Upon heading back to the states - they worked hard to have a relationship over the phone, Brian came to visit in January, Krystle went to visit Brian in March (and have an interview at Emerson College in Boston to get her master's degree), Brian opted out of a trip to Hawaii to watch Krystle graduate from WWU... and they kept the relationship going. As life continued, Krystle moved to Boston - got her degree, worked at a horrendous company; Brian got his degree, started teaching...and life looked pretty good. Then Krystle decided to up and move to San Francisco for another job. Too bad Brian refused to life in CA. So he did the best he could - moved to Seattle and waited for Krystle to return. Luckily, a client needed onsite support in Seattle and Krystle got to move back 9 months into her stay in SF.

Yes, this is a long story... it's a complicated story... but it's made us who we are today.

In the next edition - their first apartment in Issaquah, the proposal, and where we are today.

What's up with the wedding?

Yup, it's true... after FIVE years of dating, living together, living across the country together, and everything else in between... we're getting married! We're hoping to use this blog as a place to provide information to those who are planning on joining us, those who are unable to join (but are curious to see just how awesome this wedding will be), and probably let some creepy internet stalkers hang out too.

So here's what we know so far:
Date:July 3, 2010
Location: Casa Romero, Akumal, Mexico (both ceremony & reception)
Time: TBA (probably pre-cocktails around 5:30, ceremony at 6)
Bridal Party (more specific details on these wonderful folks in later posts): Maid of Honor: Brittney Watson; Best Man: Jon Carey; Bridesmaids: Laurel & Caitlin Murphy; Groomsmen: Grant Watson & Jared Long

We'll be posting details on flights, hotels, things to do in Akumal, trivia about ourselves and the bridal party. In addition, feel free to use the comments area - we'll check back to answer questions.

Can't wait for the big day & hope that you can all make it!