Gah!

Ugh, has it been awhile. I've been spending more time on my other blog and unfortunately Stephan and I have been so busy we havent had much time for anything that warrants a blog post. However, I wanted to take a minute and share this picture of us that I found today. This picture was taken by Sara while we were in Germany in 2008 for Oktoberfest. We were in a bar (no surprise there) at a hotel in Berlin. That was such an awesome trip!! Hopefully someday we will go back!



Love,

A Calming Effect

**Side note: Yes, I know. Stephan and I are slackers and we have yet to document our wedding on this blog. Things have been somewhat chaotic in the Zapien household (it’s so much fun to say that!). Between work, school, family, and everything else in between, we have yet to come up for air. BUT sooner or later, we will get to it.

In the meantime, I want to share a moment of our wedding day with you. Let me preface this by saying that the week leading up to the wedding was pretty stressful for us and I know I had little sleep. Arriving in NH helped a bit because at least the travel part was over but coordinating schedules and preventing me from losing my mind wasn’t so easy. I guess that’s why I get a kick out of the moments leading up to the wedding start…

On the day of our wedding, I spent the 90 minutes leading up to our ceremony walking around talking to people, calm as calm could be. My pastor approached me and asked me how I was. I replied, "I’m great!" He looked at me funny and asked me if I had taken anything prescribed to calm me down. I said, "Nope." I had finally stopped sweating the small stuff. I was going to enjoy my day. What was important is that I was about to marry my best friend and nothing else mattered that day! Everything fell into place perfectly and we are so very thankful to those who made our day perfect… We just can’t say enough Thank You’s.

Love,

The Blessing of The Hands

As part of our wedding ceremony we asked that Rev. Setzer recite The Blessing of The Hands. I accidently had come across this beautiful poem when Stephan and I were in the early stages of planning our wedding and I knew that it had to be a part of the ceremony...

The Blessing of The Hands

These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever.

These are the hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your future.

These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch, will comfort you like no other.

These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief fills your mind.

These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow, and tears of joy.

These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children.

These are the hands that will help you to hold your family as one.

These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it.

And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.

Love,

We're Back!!

...And we are married!! I know everyone is dying to know how our 6 day wedding extravaganza was and we are just dying to share all of the details. I'll have to admit, we are somewhat exhausted and we've had a few things going on since we have been back. As soon as I have a few minutes of down time, I promise an extensive blog with pictures and all the details! In the meantime we have some unpacking to do, thank you cards to write, and a marriage to settle into!! But just so you know, it was absolutely perfect!! Stephan and I couldn't have asked for a more perfect week! Here is a teaser from our wedding!!

Love,

5 More Days!!

We are down to the wire. The last couple days have been so much fun in preparing for our 5 day wedding extravaganza. We had the chance to spend some time with great friends on Saturday evening and it was so much fun to hear everyone’s well wishes and to know that the next time we see each other, we’ll be married just like them…lol. My mom and I finalized the menu last night so meals are good to go. There are just some last minute things that I need to do today and then I think we are almost good to go. It’s a little nerve wracking because I keep thinking we are going to forget something that is so absolutely crucial to our wedding like our birth certificates or the rings, or something!
Stephan’s parents arrived this morning. I know I have said it before but I am just so excited to show them my hometown. We are going to have such a great time and as of right now, the weather forecast looks perfect!! Yay for sunny days and 75 degree weather! 2 more days until New Hampshire! 5 more days until the wedding!

Here is a picture of the M/S Mount Washington cruising along on Lake Winnipesaukee!



Love,

9 More Days!!

9 more days!!! I cannot believe how quickly time has flown by. Everyone said it would and I didn’t believe them. It almost went by too fast! There is still SO much to do. Slowly but surely we are checking things off of our to-do list and it is all coming together so perfectly!

So kind of a funny story… In order for Stephan and I to get our marriage license we need to have our birth certificates. Now usually, this very important document is kept in a VERY safe place, out of harms way. Well, I have done so much moving in the last 5 years that my birth certificate has also been moved around. So after destroying the house looking for it, I ventured to the attic to do some serious searching. First let me tell you that on Sunday morning it was 100 degrees already by 9am. Now imagine getting into a hot, stuffy, dusty attic only to search through dusty boxes that were poorly packed from a very quick move. Yep, that was my Sunday morning. At first I was finding everything from my hospital bracelet when I was born to my grade school drawings, pictures, & yearbooks to my college pictures and memorabilia. I even found my perfect man list that I had written at one point (Stephan fits every single one of my requirements, phew!)…So as clear as day I could picture the envelope that contained my original birth certificate and finally, at the bottom of one of the boxes, I found it folded in half. So all excited I go to open it only to find that it wasn’t there. Oh the madness… So I kept searching and FINALLY I found it, folded up in a metal beer bucket. Go figure.

I am so excited to get home to New Hampshire and show Stephan and his family why I love New England so much. It’s just so beautiful and so amazing during all 4 seasons but I think summer is the best! I took a sneak peak at the weather for next week and right now there is a chance of rain on Thursday and Friday. Let’s just hope that its clear skies and sunny… So keep those fingers crossed!!
Stephan and I are just so excited to begin this stage in our lives and to share it with friends and family. Everyone has really come together to make our wedding weekend spectacular and there aren’t enough words to really convey just how thankful we are.


Love,

Better When We're Together

I decided today that Stephan and I need a quiet night together, enjoying each other’s company with no TV or phone distractions. With that being said, I grabbed a couple specialty items from the grocery store and came home to make some yummy dinner while Stephan was at work. On tonight’s menu: Chicken & Cream Cheese stuffed Jalapenos, Mini Pizza with pesto, Canadian bacon, red onion, tomato, and black olives, and tomato & mozzarella salad with black olives. I also sliced up some gouda to snack on. What a yummy palate!!! I can’t wait for him to get home.

I decided to look through all of my CD’s as I recalled that I had created several love song CD’s in the past. I am now listening to them, drinking some wine and reminiscing… one of the songs was Better Together by Jack Johnson. It brought a smile to my face because I know that Stephan and I are PERFECT together. I love him so much!! :-) I can’t wait for him to get home tonight so we can begin our weekend together.






Love,

Wahoooo!

16 more days until the Big Day!!! I cannot believe how fast the time has gone. Everyone said that the time will fly by and at first it dragged but man, the last few weeks have flown by and now I can’t believe it’s so close. There is still so much to do to plan for out of town guests, wedding rehearsal and the wedding itself but it is all coming together nicely. We just can’t wait for the I Do’s and to really begin our lifetime together!

We have been busy working on all the “little” big things like groomsman shirts, rehearsal dinner, flowers, caterer, and gifts. Our to-do list is getting a bit smaller as the days countdown but there is still plenty to do. We still need to orchestrate our music, confirm guest arrival times, and I need to go pick up the unmentionables and my shoes! I have booked my mani/pedi for the day before we leave, which felt so amazing. A little pampering before the trip is just what I will need! So excited!

My mom was in town for almost the whole month of July. We had a great time with her and I know she loved spending time with us. My mom and I were able to take a day and go fabrics shopping for my dress. I just can’t wait to share the pictures with everyone. My dress is absolutely beautiful! While my mom was here we enjoyed some yummy food, spent some quality momma/daughter time together, and enjoyed this lovely Texas heat. I joked with her and called her the “Crazy Lady” because she drove ALL THE WAY from New Hampshire and back just to spend a month with her daughter and soon to be son-in-law. That’s some crazy right there!

A big Thank You goes out to my lovely coworkers at the Craig Ranch Information Center. They threw a beautiful surprise wedding shower for me last night. I was SO surprised, felt so special and am so grateful to have such a great group of ladies as some of my closest friends. They really are the best!

Anywho, at the rate that I update this blog it won’t be until after the wedding when you will hear from me again….. However, I just might pop in and update y’all because I am really going to try and be around a little bit more!!

Love,

Invitations are a'comin!

Well, the invites went out on Monday! Thank goodness but OH MY! Now that the invites have been sent out and people have started to receive them, it definitely feels more official. We are SO excited and can’t believe that our big day is less than 3 months away!

Stephan and I have been busy planning with the help of our families. I’ve definitely been up and down on certain topics and trying to plan a simple but awesome wedding is certainly not easy. Everything from the guest list to the food, to music, & décor…it’s been nuts! We have decided that the wedding is Garden Party themed. We are going to have an awesome menu of hamburgers, hot dogs, and chicken with some yummy side items and an awesome dessert of cupcakes and ice cream! Stephan and I are looking forward to spending an afternoon with family and good friends; this is also our vacation after all!

My mom is coming into town the end of June to make my dress! The pattern was picked out back in April and we have an idea as to what type of material we want. She is going to be here in Texas for a week and a half, making my dress and spending time with Stephan and me. We can’t wait!!

Things are spectacular for Stephan and I. We’ve been busy working, watching the Stanley Cup finals (because Hockey never ends in our home), getting psyched up for the FIFA World Cup, spending time with friends, and most importantly just being together!

I guess that’s about it for now. I wish I had more exciting things to report but I’m sure as we get closer, I’ll have some more wedding updates.

Love,

The Meeting of The Parents..

..Went off without a hitch. My parents arrived on Thursday, April 15th and Stephan’s parents arrived on Friday, April 16th. Our parents spent most of the weekend getting to know each other, which seemed to flow very easily. I have determined that my mom and his mom could be big trouble together! By the end of the weekend, both moms were sharing baby & grade school pictures that they had kept in their wallets all this time! The men spent some time outside doing yard work and bonding over tree trimming.
We spent the weekend exploring new places and enjoying home cooked food. On Saturday, we ventured up to the new and improved Choctaw Casino and enjoyed lunch in a 50’s diner. Sunday we met up with a friend for brunch in Watauga, TX at the Chef Pointe Café, which has been featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives (FoodNetwork). We had some very yummy comfort food there! We took some time and drove around the new Cowboy Stadium and then it was back home for a homemade rib dinner!! I swear all we did was eat throughout the whole weekend!! It was back to work for both Stephan and I on Monday but we were able to spend time with our families on Monday night, before his parents left on Tuesday.
I’m so very excited that everyone had such a great time! We will all be together again in just a few short months!! I’ll have some pictures soon!!

Love,

Wedding #1

Yes, that’s right; we are going to have TWO weddings! I will never forget Stephan’s and my trip to Mexico City in March 2008. Stephan and I had only been together for 4 months and we traveled to Mexico City for a Quinceanera. I had never met Stephan’s extended family before but it didn’t take long for Stephan to get the seal of approval and then we were bombarded with questions about getting married and the planning had begun. I quickly learned that we would get to have 2 weddings. Two years later, we decided to have one wedding in NH and then one in Mexico City in 2011.

Our NH wedding will take place on August 14, 2010. It is going to be casual and fun, which totally represents what Stephan and I are all about. What better way to celebrate our special day than to be surrounded by our close family and friends in my hometown. Stephan has never been to NH in the summer and this will be his parents first time to NH so I’m really looking forward to showing them around. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we can spend some time on the lake!We are so very excited!! 133 more days!

This is a picture of Meredith from Meredith Bay...

Love,

Introduction

Stephan and I wanted to start this blog so that our friends and family who are near and far will be updated as to the goings on in our world, especially with all of the wedding planning and the chaos! We had started a personal wedding website but it wasn’t nearly as fun updating it as I am sure this will be. This blog will also be one that will journey with us through our wedding planning adventures, our travels, weekend fun, day to day craziness and eventually when we start to plan a family. We are really excited about starting this and we hope you enjoy sharing it with us!

Love,