Wedding Post

Okay, I have finally found some time to post about our wedding, but I'll warn you: it's very short and brief, with only 3 pictures from what I took of days leading up to the big day. I'm working towards getting pictures from people via facebook and myspace, which takes me a good amount of time.

Anyway, the post is at my new site:

http://mmbailey.blogspot.com

That is also where most, probably more like all, of my future posts will be.

I may even try to import this blog into that one so I only have one address but I'm not getting around to that either for awhile!

9 Days

We're 9 days away!!! We did the paperwork yesterday for our marriage license, so we won't just be having a big party, it will be legal too.

The real reason for the post: because it has been my journal over the last year. I've finally hit that point of feeling that there is a lot left to do. I just heard back from the campus lady about all the stuff I emailed her about almost 2 weeks ago and now have just 5 days to finish everything she needs. The caterers added a bunch of stuff to our contract, which we've never signed a copy of, so know I am going through what we had decided on originally and making the new contract match it again.

I'm trying very hard to be positive about it, because the wedding is supposed to be a celebration and I don't need it to be causing me stress. I'm just ready for the next 9 days to pass, so it can FINALLY be May 30th.

On a more positive note, I decided today that I'm most excited for Marcel to see me walk down a very long aisle in my beautiful white dress and exchanging the letters we've written to each other, which aren't going to be shared until the wedding; and not to mention:
our honeymoon in Las Vegas!

Other countdowns I've started:

2 days: Marcel graduates

3 days: Sisters arrive

4 days left of work

5 days until everything has to be into campus

6 days until I'm on vacation

7 days: Bachelorette party & Mom arrives

8 days: Dad arrives & rehearsal dinner

9 days: WEDDING

I've Been Thinking

Since last night's Grey's Anatomy my mind has been running. It was such a good episode in terms of television season finales, and it was also very emotional and relational. I feel pretty sappy that a TV show can affect me like this, but I can't deny it; plus those of you who really know me already know this about me!

Since the day Marcel proposed to me we've prayed to always realize what is really important in the wedding (to us, hardly anything, besides the vows) and that the bigger thing is the marriage. The show made me re-realize a few things:

• We will forever put the other person's hopes, dreams, desires, needs and wants before our own
  
• Life will get messy and we'll face things we never could have dreamed, but God prepares us for all our challenges
  
• God brought us together nearly three years ago (1 week shy!) and He'll keep us that way if we keep him in our relationship
• There are rewards to marriage that you can never imagine until you are experiencing them firsthand
• I'm blessed to have found Marcel when I did, so that we could experience everything in life together.
• Marcel loves me more than I ever thought someone could be loved--he told me today that he loves me 85 trillion times more than I love him!

I'm only 15 days away from becoming a wife and am continually praying, not only with Marcel, but in my own prayer time, that as the wedding gets closer and closer I lose focus on the little things and the wedding things, but instead take time to consider the bigger things: the vows we'll be taking when we commit ourselves to each other and finally become husband and wife.

Bridal Shower Weekend

This last weekend, my mom and sisters(Emily & Hannah) were in town. The main reason they came was to help me move into my new apartment and we all had the brilliant idea to do double duty and have a bridal shower for my very upcoming wedding. My mom and sisters did a great job planning the thing, with the help of my bridesmaids, Amy and Kelly. We played a lot of fun games and had good food, just what a party should have! I had a lot of good friends at the shower, including Marcel's mom and aunt who drove down from Washington. I had seen our wedding colors together in a magazine, but until the shower I had yet to see it together. They were even able to find fake pink and orange daisies for decorations--it was a relief to love how it came together so beautifully!

My wonderful sisters & maid of honors

My awesome roommates & bridesmaids

The girls of my family

Enjoying the party they planned so perfectly!

The bouquet for the rehearsal dinner

The Bridal Party

A priceless picture to the photographer

High school buddies

(the original MB2--squared!)

The guests

Sunday, the day after the shower, we went into town and I was finally able to wear my dress again! They finally brought it from Idaho, and we went to David's Bridal because I decided I wanted a veil for the big day. It was nice to have it on--it made me realize May 30th is actually going to be here and I'm not planning for a day so far away. I cropped the picture below to cut out my dress even though Marcel doesn't know how to read my blog just to keep everyone in suspense. Only my mom and sisters have seen it on and it will be that way for 40 more days!

My lovely sisters who have been tremendous help the last 7 months!

Bridal Shower Preview

I'm exhausted and we still have a TON to do before my family leaves tomorrow but I took pictures from their cameras and am so excited about them, so here's one of us!

Before my bridal shower

50

Today is a special day, and not in the sense that Marcel and I always mark our "special day" (anniversary, but month style--the 22nd of every month we take special care to make sure we are together and can simply have some time to talk, catch up, and realize how much we love each other). It is now 50 days until our wedding! I've been waiting for this day simply because its the next chain link I'm saving, along with 100, 75, 25, and 1-10, but also because I know 50 days means its right around the corner! With everyday I'm discovering another reason why I can't wait for May 30th! Yesterday's reason: no more grocery shopping for 2 houses!

Some planning still has to get done, like another pack of invitations for addresses we're still missing, and confirming our menu and details with the location, but I trust fully that everything will fall into place perfectly in plenty of time so I can sit back and simply enjoy the big day!

What's left of my chain:

The Last Session

Yesterday Marcel and I had our very last pre-marital counseling session. I walked out of the meeting feeling very emotional, partly because of something we were talking about, but partly because it was the last one.

They gave us their parting advice and while the mentor husband's came with a warning that it was super cheesy, I felt particularly moved by it. He quoted a Bible verse (to which I can't remember the reference) about love covering all. He then reminded us to realize that we are each other's life partners. That nothing can ever come between us if we don't let it. God has called us to experience the roller coaster of life together and that as long as we keep loving each other, we can make it through anything. He then closed our last session with a heartfelt prayer about our last minute wedding planning, because even if it is only 1 day, it is a celebration of what God has planned for us, for our upcoming marriage, and for us to always have our hearts open for hearing the direction God wants to move each of us individually and as a married couple.

We feel extremely lucky that we were able to work with the mentor couple we did and that it was God's timing that brought us together with them. It has deepened our relationship in a way I was never expecting from going through these 8-10 sessions. It has opened our eyes to the work that we have to consciously put into our marriage in order for it to be as loving as God has intended.

The people I have shared with about us being in a pre-marital counseling group have more or less laughed at it, but we both realize the experience it has been for us and we would never change it for the world!

Cake Tasting

Yesterday Marcel went to Tacoma for Pacific's girls basketball playoff game. After the game, he was able to stop by his house and pick up some cake samples that our wedding cake baker sent with Marcel's mom (We know the baker through Coco--they work together).

Today we had a date to eat some cake! I was surprised to see that we had 3 decent sized cakes, not just small pieces of each kind. I can't explain why, but 2 of them were the same flavor, but it happened to be the kind we liked: Strawberry Swirl. It is very similar to what we had told him we wanted, just a little fancier than the out-of-a-box kind we're used to. We had our first experience with Red Velvet cake, which neither of us liked.

Enjoy the pictures; they can't be as good as the cake, but I hope they suffice!

Our 3 cakes!

Before the tasting!

Yummy Strawberry Swirl!

Engagement Pictures

Last Sunday, we took advantage of a sunny day in Oregon (in November they don't come around too often here) and had one of my friends and roommate and even bridesmaid to take some engagement pictures at the same park where Marcel proposed. Thanks Kelly, you're the best and we'll cherish these always! We even wore clothes in our wedding colors (pink & orange) that we picked based on our flower choice (daisy).

There are tons of good ones, even of us being very much ourselves by being silly kids at heart! Here are some of MY favorites in no particular order, even a little disorganized based on how I uploaded them. I'm too tired to fix them :)

This is where he actually popped the question!

Kisses forever

I told you a better one of my ring would come one day!

Somedays this is all of his hand he'll let me have!

The classic engagement picture!

Us being our fun, silly, kid selves

Love :)

Probably my absolute favorite...
the swing I was in when he proposed!

Hooray for the swings

Wedding Update

Yesterday I turned in an application for reserving a location for our wedding. After what feels like forever of trying to pick a place, we made a very logical decision to get married at:

PACIFIC UNIVERSITY

It has been our home for the last 4 years and without it we wouldn't have ever met. We are both so proud of our university (my alma mater now!) and couldn't think of a better place to take the next step in our relationship. The plus side to being on campus instead of somewhere else is that we are also able to reserve something inside just in case Oregon weather acts up that weekend!

FYI: The date is still Saturday, May 30, 2009! Save the Date cards will be sent out shortly :)

Engagement Pictures

I told you they were coming so here they are! I still haven't quite wrapped my head around how real this is. We've been talking about it for what seems like forever but it finally happened and I couldn't be happier.

Marcel Drew + MaryBeth = FAEA

(Forever And Ever Always)

A not very good picture of how beautiful my ring is! (More attempts to come)

The first kiss as an engaged couple

Look at my pretty ring ;)

My happiness always comes with tears

Wow, I can't believe this is happening!

Happily in love (no flash!)

Happily in love (with flash!)

Happy kisses

I'm lucky to get to kisses from him for the rest of forever

2 of my 5 bridesmaids! Missing: Emily & Hannah Shoemaker, Allison Scofield

ENGAGED!

I've been thinking about getting to post this on my blog for quite some time but the time has finally come! Marcel proposed to me tonight! I can't wrap my head around all of the emotions running through me right now. I feel so loved by him and all my family and friends.

How it happened:

I kinda saw it coming. One week ago we went together to the jewelry store to look for rings. I always said I never wanted to do that, but it was an experience of a lifetime. Sharing that with Marcel is something no one can ever take from me. The lady there even let him look at wedding bands so that we were playing fair: if I got to try on rings so did he. Yesterday, I had a Sunday School Open House after church so Marcel left me there to go to "shoe shopping". Last night, he asked for my car for today to run some errands. It kinda gave it away but with him not having a car there wasn't much he could do! He decided that we needed to go swinging tonight--that's what sort of clued me in...He knows I'm a big fan of swinging but I've never got the impression that he is. We walked from campus to a nearby park to swing. After he took 100 pictures of me swinging, he pulled out the box while I was still swinging to which I replied, "I think I need to stop swinging now." I am a "scaredy cat" so I can't jump off swings so I had to try to slow myself down enough to get out and go kiss my boyfriend (still was boyfriend at the time). Tears didn't come until I got out of the swing and got to Marcel. We moved away from the swings and he got down on one knee and said those 4 famous words. Of course I accepted and continued the crying! We stayed in the park and took tons of pictures of me, the ring, us as an engaged couple. What a night I ended up having!

There are 200 pictures of the night (if you don't believe that Marcel loves being behind the camera, read my blog about my birthday) but my camera battery is dead so I can't upload the rest of the pictures until tomorrow. Don't worry the better ones are coming!

Here's one for the night...

Marcel trying to entertain me by swinging with me. He looks pretty silly but I love him anyways and am very glad to call him "my dork".

Labor Day 2008

Marcel and I took advantage of the long weekend and headed back up to Olympia. I left work early Friday to try to beat the Portland traffic, which we did! I don't think 3 days is enough to warrant a trip, even going only to Washington but Marcel's dad got married, so we had the perfect excuse for the traveling. The ceremony was beautiful and marked the 4th one I attended this summer (#3 with Marcel)--let's just say I'm learning lots about weddings :) It was also Harbor Day (or weekend, I'm not exactly sure) in Olympia and Snoh (Marcel's little brother) was very excited to go and see the pirate boats. We were even able to tour one of the boats from "Pirates of the Caribbean". It's fun to do activities with little kids; they make it so much fun! Now it's back to my last week of work in my summer job and I have yet to find something else. I'm working on it and have applications turned in like crazy but nothings happened yet. Only time will tell I guess :)

These are just a few of the best pictures. I have 250+ from the weekend because that's what happens when I let Marcel be the photographer :)

Me and Marcel at his dad's wedding.








Enjoying a Labor Day date at Priest Point park. What a beautiful place Olympia is!






Still at the park; isn't he so handsome? I had to include a picture of just Marcel :)








Little brother, big brother with "Say Cheese" Faces








Me and my other family with some pirates on the pirate ship! Snoh was a little distracted with the little boy it looks like. He had a great time.





Snoh with all the pirate accessories







Marcel set Snoh on the trunk to open the door and without missing a beat he decided the roof of my car looked more fun.

Weekend in Idaho

This last weekend, me and Marcel were able to spend some time in Idaho. We left early Friday morning (up at 3:30am to drive an hour to the airport and then catch our flight) and had to leave early afternoon on Monday. We were able to go to Roaring Springs, take Marcel to his first ever rodeo, enjoy some shopping, attend Jenny's wedding, and even spend some time simply hanging out. It was very short but still very worth our time to go and lots of fun. It's always nice to get to go home, even though it doesn't happen often enough.
Here are some of my favorite pictures of the weekend...Enjoy!

Me and Marcel at his first ever rodeo!

Mom, sisters, and 2 boyfriends

Enjoying a nice wedding and slow dancing only :)

Me and the beautiful bride, Jenny Brown

Our first return-trip flight together...This trip was the only one we've taken that included airplanes and we forgot a picture on the way to Idaho; I blame it on the fact that our flight was at 6:30am.

Let the Season Begin

Saturday I attended the first wedding ceremony of my summer, which was also the first one I had been to in ages. While I didn't know the bride or groom all that well, (I was Marcel's guest) the ceremony was touching. It was beautiful to see two people so in love and to be able to start a new chapter of their lives together like God has planned for them. I'm excited to be able to witness this come true for 2 more couples before the summer comes to a close.