enchanted. delighted. ecstatic. you name it.

I am very excited to be able to announce... MICHAEL AND I ARE ENGAGED!

On September 21, we went to College Station for an overnight trip. That evening we went by our old apartment building where we were once neighbors so he could pick up his grill. It had been chained up there since we both moved out earlier this year.

Right there on the sidewalk where we first met, he asked me to be his wife.

I can't find the words to explain how amazing it is that this incredible young man wants to spend the rest of his life with me.

It's crazy to think how far we've come since a year and a half ago. We knew none of the same people when we first met and now we are surrounded by amazing friends and family who constantly demonstrate their love for us. Thank you so much for all you do.

God has been so wonderful to us. He has blessed us beyond measure and I look forward to the plans He has for our marriage.

With MUCH LOVE,

Lauren

blending and pinning.

Recently (and I'm talking very recent - like in the past 3 days) I have discovered the fun of making smoothies. I can count on two hands the number of times I have used a blender, and one of those times I was trying to crumble oreos to make oreo balls. Hint: don't waste your time, it does NOT work. It was always nice when my Dad would get the urge to blend up a milkshake and I definitely would partake in the consuming act of this process, but not the producing. Blenders have never interested me much.

I got sick this past weekend (no surprise there) so I drug Michael to the grocery store with me to load up on fruit and orange juice. While we were there one of us (I'd like to say me but I'm sure it was him) decided we should make some smoothies instead of just noshing on fruit all day long. As much as I love fruit, I can't eat a lot of it without feeling like I'm forcing myself to do it. So we nabbed some bags of frozen mixtures, some fresh bananas, peaches, and strawberries and some orange juice and headed back home. Within 5 minutes I was gulping down a delicious smoothie. I am currently drinking my second smoothie of the day. It's safe to say my parents blender is going to be put to good use from this point forward.

With my new found hobby on the brain, I decided to find recipes online so I can start making all kinds of liquid goodness. Here is where Pinterest comes in. I discovered Pinterest about a month or two ago and have been in love with it ever since (thanks to a famous blog I follow). On this site you can create virtual pinboards of anything you'd like and organize them into different categories. Here is a view of my newly created smoothie board:

I can't wait to hit the blender and try all of these delicious looking recipes (especially the pumpkin one). If you don't already have an account, I encourage you to go to Pinterest and request an invite. I have already created 18 boards and I'm sure more will follow.

With much love,

Lauren

running.

I used to say, "the only time I'll ever run is if someone is chasing me with a knife or I'm chasing the ice cream truck". The closest I ever came to running for leisure was speed walking through the mall. I tried so many times to "run" and quit after 5 minutes. So I thought I should share this little tidbit:

I have started running.

Yes, I get off of my big fat butt a few nights a week and move my legs! I can't believe it either. I'm not talking about anything special here. I am not fast. I do stop and walk to catch my breath because if I don't I will fall over and get hit by a car. But - I am so proud of myself that I'm actually doing it and I actually enjoy it. I am signing up for a 5k next month and am very excited about it. I am certainly not a "runner" but at least I don't have to consider myself a "sitter" anymore, either!

With love,

Lauren

PS - If anyone in the area is interested in running this particular 5k to support our fallen heroes, you can register here.