Fun in the Sun

Last weekend we went to Florida for Erin and Will's wedding.  Will has been a close friend of Josh's since high school and he was also a groomsman.  The weather was amazing and the company was even better.  I had a great time getting to know some of the other "girlfriends" better while Josh did whatever it is groomsmen do. :)  The wedding and the bride were both gorgeous!  It was my first beach wedding and it was a great experience.  The entire weekend was a blast, and it made me even more excited that I'll be marrying my best friend in a few short months.

                                  The girlfriends and fiances at the rehearsal dinner.

                       I hope Josh isn't getting nervous?  He looks deep in thought! :)

                                  Super windy weather didn't make for a great hair day!

                                             Last morning at the beach--see you soon!

The BEST surprise

Engaged.  Fiance.  Words I thought I might never use in the same sentence as "me" or "I."  But somehow, it happened.  And boy did it happen BIG.  Here's the story of how he liked it and he put a ring on it, 5-star style.

Our one year anniversary was coming up and we knew we wanted to do something fun.  Maybe Nashville for the weekend or go to his dad's in Florida.  Finally the week before our anniversary I wouldn't quit asking him to finalize some kind of plan.  I guess I was probably driving him nuts because he told me to calm down and that he MIGHT have something planned.  I am like a kid on Christmas when it comes to surprises--and he wouldn't budge.  Not a word or a hint until I tried to start packing.  "Hot, maybe some rain, bring a couple nice outfits.  And we'll be flying."  That's all I could get out of him.

On Thursday morning on the way to the airport he finally told me he'd been planning this trip for 2 months and had been working with my mom and my aunt (whom he'd never met!) to make this happen.  We were flying to New Orleans to stay with my wonderful aunt Patti and have an amazing weekend in the Big Easy.  I LOVE THAT CITY and miss my family who live there.  I, of course, immediately started crying.  Emotional is an understated way to describe me.

The weekend was incredible.  I got to show Josh around and take him to all these great places and restaurants.  It was so wonderful to see my family.  On Friday he told me he'd made reservations at my absolute favorite restaurant, Commander's Palace.  It is a serious 5-star dining experience, and just happens to be owned by one my mom's best friends, Lally.  We were getting ready upstairs and he kept telling me how beautiful I looked.  I was thinking what a great guy he was and how incredibly lucky I was to have him.  As I was walking out of the bedroom, I put my hand on the light switch and I heard him say, "Babe?"  I don't know what it was, but I could hear something in his voice.  When I turned around, he pulled the ring box out of his pocket and got down on one knee JUST LIKE A FREAKIN' FAIRY TALE.  I laugh now when I think of my initial response, which was "Shut up!  Stop it are you serious???  Shut up!"  He had a smile a mile wide on his face.  I practically tackled him and said yes over and over.

It was amazing.  Perfect.  It makes me smile just to type this story.  We went to dinner and had champagne and a three course meal and two of my favorite desserts.  We laughed and had a great time. I got teary-eyed again several times throughout the night as I looked across the table at him.  He was really mine.  I had waited so long for this man to come into my life and it was DEFINITELY worth the wait.

Sometimes I have to pinch myself.   It really does feel like a fairy tale and I don't think that feeling is ever going to go away.  I wake up everyday and am so thankful for my prince charming.  In just a few short months I'll be Lauren Lynch and, of course, we all know what comes next in this story:  "And they lived happily ever after."

                                         Right after he asked me to spend forever with him.

History

As promised, here's the story about WHY this has been a real-life fairy tale.  Three years ago I became a 4th grade teacher at Sandersville, which is where I met him.  We both had other things going on in our lives and it wasn't until the winter of 2011 when things started to shift a little.  I don't know exactly when it happened, but suddenly he wasn't just Mr. Lynch from down the hall.  He was Josh, this really funny guy who I loved being around.  I started to put more time into picking out my outfits in the mornings and I would get kind of excited when I realized it was time for him to come in and collaborate in my science class.  It was like a force of nature when it hit me--I want to spend every second with this guy!  I couldn't wipe the smile off my face--and I LOVED it.  It was what I had wanted for so long, and there he'd been, right under my nose!  Well, actually, way above my nose since he's 6'8, but you know where I'm trying to go.

Fast forward one amazing year later and we're getting MARRIED!!! I honestly never thought I would find such a wonderful, kind, funny, thoughtful, caring person--and I definitely don't think I deserve him.  I wake up every day and my heart just smiles knowing he's mine.  Hope I haven't bored you with all the details but if you're going to follow my blog, I just thought you should know a little about me.  I'll share our engagement story soon--it's a good one!

According to Merriam Webster, the definition of a fairy tale is "a story in which improbable events lead to a happy ending."  Even though I don't know the ending yet, it's been a ridiculously great ride so far and my fingers are crossed it just keeps getting better!

Never say never!

Well, I couldn't resist.  I tried to look the other way.  I tried just reading posts and blogs from others and when I heard that little voice that said "you should do this, too" I tried to silence it, push it deep down inside, but it didn't work.  So, here I am blogging world!  I must admit I'm a little nervous.  I mean, I feel kind of like the new kid at school.  I really want everyone to like me but what if they don't?  What if my posts aren't cool enough or I don't talk about the right kind of makeup (especially mascara, for those of you who know me well!), and what if I'm not funny??!  I guess all I can do is go in and give it my best shot so here goes!

This is my short intro but this blog is going to backtrack a bit so you can all get a better understanding of why I named it "Once Upon a Time."  That's how all fairy tales begin, right?  Well, my life has been nothing short of a fairy tale for the past year.  So, I plan to fill you in on that and other random happenings in my day-to-day life.  I can't wait--hope you'll join me!