Greetings fellow brides!! <3 I am so excited for 2009. I know it's been forever since I have updated my blog on here, but I have been a crazy little bumble bee! First of all I want to share some amazing news with you guys!!!!! My best friend Jill just got engaged and she is getting married in September 2010. I know it seems like a long ways away but she has left me in charge of the wedding details. It has been a long time since I planned weddings the last one being my own (the big wedding 2 years into our marriage). But I've finally decided to go back to doing what I love on top of photography and she is giving me the inspiration. So please stay tuned as you see her beautiful dreams come to life.... Today we start with the chart!! <3 I'll give you guys updates!! 

love always,

Cindy 

Carrie Bradshaw "I've always written about finding love, now I want to write about what happens once you find it." 

I always wondered that myself. I remember asking my mom when I was sixteen and fresh out of high school, "when am I going to find my prince charming?" My mom just looked at me like I just announced I was pregnant or something. "what?" I remember her shouting. "You are so young and already thinking about your prince charming? Honey, slow down. Love will happen when it happens. Don't go searching for something you think you will find, Love is not something you find, it's something that just happens. Live your life and it will come." Wise words. Although my mom was right, for some reason I was out on a mission. I dated and while in college had my heart crushed a lot. Here I was getting ready to turn 18 with a heart as steady as a wild horse. Hard to tame. I just felt like there was no hope, each date, each jerk, it felt never ending, so finally I said to myself "No more boys!" I started to focus on my life. I busted my ass in high school to graduate early at 16, started college immediately and instead of focusing on my dreams I focused on guys. I was over it. So Junior year of college, my girlfriend asked me if I wanted a pen pal. She said her fiancee and his roommate where getting ready to ship to Iraq in a few months and if I wanted I could be his roommate's pen pal because he had no special person to write too. I was like "Ok, but if this is a set up, I'm kicking your ass. I really don't need a guy to distract me!" She promised. So the letters began and soon letters turned into 8 hour phone conversations, endless emails, about everything and anything. Of course there went my heart falling faster then a tornado hitting the ground. I was slowing falling head over heals for the guy. We had only been talking for about 2 months when a friday rolled around, and I remember him saying to me "I'm training this weekend, I can't call you, but as soon as I get back on Monday I will give you a ring. I'll miss you, so sweet dreams, and good night." With the happy thought that he would truly miss me, I slept with the sweetest dreams I could ever have dreamed. All of a sudden "knock, knock, knock." It was 8:30 a.m and some one was at my door. I opened it, and to my shocking surprise there he was, flowers and all! He had lied to me about training and had driven 19 hours to Texas to come meet me in the flesh. He got down on one knee and said "I know this is crazy, but from the moment we spoke I knew, will you be with me?" I couldn't breathe. I mean what kind of man would do this for a woman? A crazy man? Or just crazy in love? I fell into his arms. It wasn't a stranger I was holding it was Matt my pen pal, the love of my life. So a month later (total of 3 1/2 months talking) he came to texas to meet my folks. On a sunny afternoon, August 8, 2005 he took me to the lake. A romantic picnic I thought, but oh no. As soon as I got there on the sunset cliff, he got down on his knee once more and asked me to share my life with him "Baby, I know things are going so fast, but I'm leaving soon, and nothing would make me happier then to know that I'm coming back to the love of my life. Will you marry me?" Just like that, I was in heaven. I just remember the boats honking their horns and the people shouting, "say yes." I threw my hands in the air and shouted "yes, YES!" Things did move fast, we were married a week later with the blessings of my family at the civil hall and celebrated at Olive Garden. It was truly perfect. About 2 weeks later, I got a call that my husband (blush) was leaving early for Iraq. I felt crushed, I knew he was leaving, but we didn't know the commander had changed his mind and was sending the boys early. I remember the night he left. My world was turned upside down. I remember my father telling me. "Sweety, love is everything, love is you and love is him. You keep loving him and he will be back safe and sound ok? I promise. You knew what would happen being with him, and this military lifestyle, and you accepted it. You will be ok, because he loves you more then anything, and you will be his reason for coming home." I don't think I cried as much as I did that night, EVER in my life. I couldn't sleep for the first 7 days at all. I wrote him 263 letters. A letter for everyday he was gone. When he got home, it was a dream come true. There he was skinny, mal-nurished but beautiful. Standing there was the love of my life. Now almost 4 years later, we are out of the Marine Corps living a normal life in Texas enjoying each other just as much as the day we met. He is my life and nothing or no one could ever change that. Finding love is a journey. It's everything that is you and him, together. Forever. I will never get tired of his "I love you's." His little sweet messages on post it notes all over the house, his chocolate chip pancakes in bed, his sweet impersonations of my father, his giggles, his romantic dinners, his singing on the top of his lungs, his dimples, his sweet forehead kisses and above all else, his arms when he holds me close every night. I simply adore him. I pray that everyone of you finds that special love and holds it close to your heart. Enjoy the journey of finding love, and embrace the journey that happens when you find it. 

Love always,

cindy 

(this is the short version :-) I really hope you guys enjoyed it.)

There's always one thing I love the most about fall/autumn, and it's weddings! Fall weddings are so special to me because it's one of my favorite times of the year. There's nothing like the smell of cinnamon or pumpkin to light up a room or the fall colors of brown, orange and red. I have a few weddings lined up for the end of this month and the beginning of next and I am so excited. My great client turned awesome friend Jody is having her wedding this Saturday and I can't wait. The cool breeze on my neck and the leaves falling onto the ground will set the perfect scenario to the perfect wedding. She is having an outdoor, cottage wedding. The temperature will be perfect, a mere 68 degrees. During spring and summer it's always a wedding frenzy.. but do you know all the amazing discounts fall/autumn offers? Oh goodness, nothing screams love like autumn with your hot cups of cocoa, warm blankets and late nights of cudding up on the couch watching your favorite movies... or laying out in the hammock in the cool breeze. I know that I have my candles and blankets ready... my hammock is ready as well.. I am just so excited fall is finally here. I hope that all of you have a great love to stay warm with... I will post some pictures up after this weekend. Take Care and God Bless.

xoxo

Cindy

Sometimes the most precious moments are the unexpected ones... the ones filled with absolute surprises... Now this is a true story about my 2 amazing friends... They have been together for several years (5 to be exact) never once talked about marriage... or engagement... they just have always been... "go with the flow" they are just happy being together... and when you see them... it's like "why can't we be like that." they just scream "perfect". Now the reason I'm writing about them is that tonight was Luke's b-day... and our dinner tonight was a complete mess...(our order was a complete nightmare) so we were running behind on some surprises we had planned for him... I just sat accross the table and amongst all the chaos I watched closely how she embraced his hand held it to her heart and whispered "I love you." As if the entire of episode in front of them did not exist. She stood up... went into the kitchen came back with a slice of cake... and told him... "who cares if our order is messed up. Cake makes things better." They hugged, kissed and told us all to just calm down and enjoy each others company...it was at that moment... that I realized they knew something I think a lot of us forget to remember. "That it's not about how long we've been together or where we are going, because nothing in life is certain... all that we know is right now and what and who we love is right in front of us. Enjoy the moment...and just let time go with the flow."

xoxo

Cindy

I hope you all have a love like that.