JIMMY AND I ARE ENGAGED!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!
I could not possibly be more excited. I am so in love with him and cannot believe I am lucky enough to spend every single day with him for the rest of my life. I know you guys don't know Jimmy as well as you know me, so I wanted to tell you a little bit about him...
Jimmy is the happiest person I've ever known. Every single little thing I do is better when he is around. He has the best attitude, and he just makes things more joyful. He has this laugh that is my favorite sound. It's so loud and infectious. He makes me FUNNIER because I want to hear it. He makes this really loud hoot and then doubles over and just starts laughing so much. Sometimes, if it's really funny, he cries. That's when I know he is happiest. He once laughed so hard that he fell on the floor crying. It's a trait he shares with the rest of his family. I love being with all of them. They are all just as happy as Jimmy, and when I am with them I laugh so hard that I cry too!
That's the main reasons I got to all the Phish shows with him. I clearly LOVE Phish... but I was really more of a "go when they are near Atlanta" type girl. Then I met Jimmy. He travels to see them all the time. This Summer will be his 100th show. We have been to tons of shows together. All my family and friends say, "you've heard them so many times, how can you possibly want to go anymore?" I want to go to see Jimmy's face. It just lights up... He gets so excited and dances around and just loves it... and that is my favorite time. I love seeing him happy more than I love anything else. I would gladly go to a hundred more shows if I got to see him that happy.
My other favorite thing about Jimmy is that he loves me the most in the world. Sometimes when he looks at me it just makes my heart want to explode because I know how much he loves me without him even having to tell me... and I love him that much too... and now I get to be with him for the rest of my life. He is the answer to all of my prayers. I am the luckiest girl in the entire world... AND I KNOW IT!
Would you like to know how Jimmy proposed to me?
We went on a walk with our dog Charlotte. We were on the trail at Westminster (where I went to high school) and Jimmy stopped at a bench. I had no idea why he was stopping... then he pulled this huge box out of his pocket. He got down on one knee and said "I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?" Then he opened the box and showed me the most amazing ring I've ever seen.
I said, "yes," and then I just looked at the ring and said, "is the for me?" I think I was in shock! :) The ring is so much bigger and so much more than anything I've ever dreamed of getting. But you know the best part about it? It's Jimmy's great great grandmother's ring. I feel so honored that the Macauleys would trust me with something so important. I will take such good care of it. It is such a honor to be able to wear it. A huge thank you to Jimmy's sisters and parents for helping him make such a great decision.
Jimmy and I went over to Murphy's after the proposal, and so many people we love came. It was sort of an impromptu celebration, and it was perfect! We had champagne and toasts. Then we went over to Atkins Park to meet up with some of our other friends. Everyone was so happy for us, and we were so happy too!! I felt like my face was going to fall off from smiling so much!
On Saturday we did the most appropriate thing EVER to celebrate: Jimmy Buffett! It was such an amazing treat to have everyone with us. We had members of my family and Jimmy's family, and Mac (basically Jimmy's brother) and some of his family there. I couldn't have asked for anything better.
On Sunday we went to tell Ya. Ya has worked for my family for 28 years (since I was born). When we told her the good news her exact words were, "Praise Jesus," and "When are you having a baby?" Some things never change.
After we saw Ya we went over to Jimmy's house. We had dinner with Mac (who we love so much)... took the three remaining Jello shots from Jimmy Buffett...
... and watched Kenny Rogers on stage with Phish at Bonnaroo. It was the perfect end to a perfect weekend. Thank you so much to everyone who made it so special! Thank you to our wonderful families and friends. We loved getting all the Facebook posts and notes of love and encouragement. This will be the most fun year of our lives, and I can't wait to share it with all of you.
-Blayne
P.S. One of the first things I did was change the name of my pinterest board. DUH.
Meet the Parents + Prettiest Kitchen!!
First up? Thank you all so much for your heartfelt notes and comments about me keeping the blog! I really do love this blog. I think every blogger hits a mark when they begin to questions the reasons why they are writing. Based on all the feedback I got, I am going to make a few changes, but keep blogging. I really do appreciate the support. It means so much to me that you guys care. :)
Next??
Jimmy's parents are coming to Atlanta this weekend to meet my parents!
That's a big deal!
Ever since the famed "Meet The Parents" movie series came out, this whole process had gotten a bad wrap (or is it bad rap? I don't know).
Luckily, I adore each and every parent involved, and I am confident the process will go swimmingly.
I actually got a little preview of the meet at greet this Christmas when my dad and Missy met up with Jimmy's family for a quick coffee. I was so pleased. Everyone seemed to get along well.
This weekend they are meeting my mom for the first time.
I'm really excited about that actually. I talk about her all the time, so it will be nice for them to finally meet her. I asked Jimmy if he thought they would be surprised by how much we look alike... yes, I know my face is fatter. Mom has a very tiny head!!
We are planning a nice weekend for everybody. Both of our moms love to walk, so we thought we could take them over to Westminster for a little stroll around campus.
Westminster is so pretty. I am actually really looking forward to showing it to them. I have been spending a lot more time over there now that Lindles and I are "training" for the Peachtree Road Race (i.e. taking the dogs for a walk until they get "too hot").
My dad is taking Jimmy's dad to play golf at the Atlanta Country Club, and then we are going over to have dinner at Dad and Missy's. I am really looking forward to that as well.
That means the only thing I am responsible for is lunch at my house on Saturday.
FREAK OUT! ... Or at least I was this morning.
Last Spring when I shot my house for Decor Demon, it looked like this...
A year and half later the house looks, well... lived in and "hom-ie." I wish I could wiggle my nose and Bewitch my house back to "magazine ready." Of course I can sweep and mop and put away... but you know what I really need? FLOWERS! Flowers make everything better!! I can, of course, go BUY flowers, but I have no idea what to do with them when I get them home. Flower arranging is an AMAZING TALENT. Of course I thought of the best flower arranger I know, one of our top agents, Linda Williams. She very generously offered to come over tomorrow and help me get the flowers together. What a lifesaver! I think she also understands that this is a really big deal to me. It will also be the first time Jimmy's parents see my house... so it has to look it's best. Obviously.
When I was on the phone with her I remembered to ask her about featuring her new listing (140 Churchill Drive) on the blog. YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE IT. It's one of the prettiest houses I've shot this year! You have got to see the kitchen!
See? I told you. To see more pictures from this listing, please click here.
Thank you Linda for offering to help me since I have NO flower skillz.
Wish me luck this weekend! Any advice?