Saturday Blogging

WOW!!! Its been April since I've last posted! Wow, guess that means I've been busy - or lazy - either one is really probably true. :) BUT here I am, back at it and I'm hoping to make this a weekly thing. I've found that one of my downfalls to productivity is my own living room. I get home from work or working out and I sit down, "just for a few minutes," turn on the tv, and the next thing I know its 9:30 and time to get ready for bed! So, in an attempt to rectify that situation, I've decided that once a week I will leave my apartment, get a cup of coffee and sit somewhere pleasant and blog. My apartment just doesn't have that writing, inspirational fung shui feeling about it.

So here I sit, 6 pm on a Saturday evening, in a booth at McDonald's, drinking my yummy mocha coffee drink, blogging. Now, McDonald's isn't exactly what I'd call an inspiring place to sit and muse on my life happenings, but alas, there are very few options for coffee shop venues in our small but lovely town. There is a nice little bakery/book store just down the street from my apartment, but it has odd hours and is closed a lot. I just heard on the radio today that Russell Stover Chocolate factory, also not far from my place, is newly remodeled with a lot of extra perks - including a new coffee bar! But, again, it was closed this evening. Hopefully in the future I will be able to get myself motivated before the early evening hours on the weekends, and be able to make it more often to what I hope are more inviting and quiet atmospheres. But, nevertheless, I am successfully blogging - and boy do I have things to share!

When I left off on my last post I was rejoicing in the season of Easter, and I had been reading and writing about daily scripture. I have recently stopped reading daily scripture and now what I'm enjoying is a book that one of my accompanists gave me, "A Woman After God's Own Heart." So far I really enjoy reading it and I've found that its helping bring to mind many of Christ's goodness in my own life.

I suppose the biggest piece of news to discuss is my engagement! Yes, its finally happened and I couldn't be happier. The wonderful man I've written about, Eric, asked me to marry him in early August. I couldn't imagine being with anyone else who has ever made me so happy! I have it made for life, to be able to share my life with him and for us to be able to grow further together through Christ - I am so blessed!

The way he proposed was so creative and thoughtful - he sent me on a scavenger hunt to a bunch of our special places around town, each place having a note explaining why he had picked that place and giving me a special insight to his love for me. The journey ended where we met, at the high school football field, and he was waiting for me there on the track in a suit and tie (in 106 degree heat!), where he then got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I remember thinking throughout the whole trip, "when he gets to the proposing part, remember to focus and pay attention, you'll want to remember what he says to you forever!" Haha - I was so excited and shaky and I couldn't breathe! My ring is beautiful, its perfect and I couldn't wish for anything more beautiful! He met my sister that same day - just a couple hours before I started the scavenger hunt actually! - to pick out and buy the ring. I had no idea! I knew that it was going to happen sometime soon, but that day it was the furthest

thing from my mind. We had plans to eat dinner together, but when he called me and told me that he needed me to go down to my car to get a note he had left me, "and oh, by the way, you'll need to go put some socks and shoes on," I knew something was up. It was so sweet and wonderful, he said it went perfectly, just like he wanted, and I couldn't imagine it any different.

So, now we're deep in the wedding plans! We've scheduled our date for June 23, 2012, we've started meeting with the priest for our marriage prep, and we've chosen our bridal party. I've got all kinds of ideas for my dress, bridesmaid dresses, colors, party favors, music - oh the music! One thing that's definite about two music teachers marrying each other, the music portion of the wedding is sure to be outstanding! We have been talking music possibilities since the night we got engaged. And of course, he's extremely involved and opinionated about this specific topic. He told me, "you know how they say that women have been planning their wedding since they were a little girl, well never in a million years did I think I would marry another music person, so I've been planning the musical portion

of my wedding for a really really long time!" Haha - he's so darn cute! We've tossed around ideas about what we want, and I can't wait to experience our ceremony, especially the music we'll have! I think the biggest challenge we'll have (aside from having to choose between college musician friends) is walking the fine line between beautiful ceremony vs. matrimonial concert! Hahaha. We'll see what happens I guess.

My mom met Eric's parents last weekend, and it went really well! I was a little nervous going into it, but not for the same reasons that people are usually worried about meeting the in-laws. Its been 2 years since dad died and mom keeps facing new and difficult situations that are meant for her AND her husband. Although I can still get choked up and emotional from time to time, I think I've dealt relatively well with the fact that I will not have my daddy to walk me down the isle at my wedding and give me away, but its a different story for my mom. Meeting the parents is something that is supposed to be done by both the mother and the father, and I think that preparing this wedding and all that it entails without my dad will be very difficult for her. However, despite this emotional and challenging event, she did extremely well, and the first meeting was very successful! My mother and Eric's mother both have very similar styles and views about many things, and I think that planning this wedding with both sides of the family will go off without a hitch! We all laughed and discussed and really enjoyed one another's company - it went very well. We're all very blessed :)

Speaking of my mother, she had eye surgery yesterday. She has muscle problems in her eyes that make them focus in 2 different places, so without her monstrously thick prism glasses she sees things in double. So to help correct this, the surgeon shortened some of her eye muscles and reattached them so that her eyes would focus in the same direction. I spoke to her yesterday - after the 10 minute procedure - wow, technology - and she says that while its still changing a little, she can already see better and the double vision is much better w/ out her glasses! So here's hoping that this procedure works and she can see again without as many problems as before.

School has started again, and we're already more than 4 weeks into events, rehearsals, football games, tests and all the things that being a music teacher requires. So far this year I have a great group of kids all the way around, and it should be a terrific year!

I've also recently started selling Mary Kay! Its an exciting new adventure for me, and I hope I do well with it. My first financial Mary Kay goal is to make back the money that I took from my savings to invest in inventory - I'm not close yet, but I'm well on my way, so here's hoping! If you need a Mary Kay cosmetic consultant, you can call or write or visit my personal MK website - marykay.com/kesteinert :)

Its fall already, and tonight I will go home, clean and then decorate for the season! I love this time of the year, the crisp autumn weather and the gorgeous colors of changing leaves. So with that I will wrap up this post, and I look forward to writing more frequently in the future.