(the best) Engagement Par-tay (ever)!!!

I love being a fiancée for all the obvious reasons.  Knowing that you have found the person you were planned to spend forever with is an amazing feeling.  Planning a wedding- the desicions, the shopping, the creative details, are all really exciting.  Taking pre-marital classes & understanding how our marriage will be built through our faith & life journey together is something I can't wait to begin.  While I somewhat anticipated these feelings, I didn't really appreciate or understand how it would feel until it became my reality.  That being said- one aspect of being engaged that I didn't expect to impact me the way it has- is the excitement that our friends & family have shared with us over the past several months.  

I say this because since getting engaged, I've been overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness of our friends & family members.  From snail mail notes to facebook messages, a happy hour toast to a random phone call- we've been reminded of what a blessing true friends & close families are, and how even the smallest of acts can be so impactful.  The day we returned from California as a newly engaged couple, my parents drove from Illinois to congratulate us in person, and we went out for a celebratory dinner with them & Doug's parents.  It meant so much to be able to share that time with the people who have, through strong example, taught us what successfull marriages are all about.


This past Friday, Doug & I kicked off our engagement festivities with our first party- A "Stock the Bar" themed Engagement Party, hosted by three of my girlfriends- Sara, Lauren & Jen (who doubles as a friend & sister).  I have yet to think about the party without smiling- it was absolutely wonderful, from start to finish.  While the little details- food, cocktails, iPod playlist, etc. were all fabulous- it was the people who were there that made the party absolutely perfect.  It was a melting pot of all of our favorite people- high school & college friends, co-workers, former roommates, "camp" friends, & others we've been blessed to meet along the way.  It was so humbling to see how everyone came from different places to share our happiness & celebrate us.

On Monday, one of my girlfriends who had been at the party sent me a message that said ""I think you have some of the lovliest & most genuine friends."  We couldn't agree more.... another reason our glasses are half full.  While I'm fairly certain that many of our friends aren't avid followers of the (half) full glass of cab blog, I still want to say thanks to all them for being such a tremendous blessing to us.

And now, the part you've all been waiting for- the end of the copy, and the beginning of the pictures. I did a terrible job of getting group shots during the party- but believe me, it was a big, incredible group of lovely people.  They all "played well together", which reminds me of how sweet our reception is going to be, with so many well acquainted, awesome people in one place at one time.  We.can't.wait!


Fiancé & Fiancée at our Engagement Party.  Please note my (half) Full Glass of Cab.  You may be surprised to learn that was not planned.

 

Two of our beautiful, gracious hostesses- Jen & Lauren.  Jen drove 10 hours roundtrip to/from the Quad Cities just to help throw the party, while Lauren went above & beyond to provide the venue for the party & made sure it was in perfect condition- before and after the bash.  Based on the conversation I overheard between them at one point in the night, it's safe to say these two are a dynamic duo together. 


 

Our third hostess & (hot!) mom to be, Sara.  (YAAAY for Baby Terwelp!)
Sara admitted that initially it was a bit strange to be at a party where her drink options were limited to club soda & bottled water, but she made up for that & kept busy by whipping things out of the oven & refreshing the apps like it was her job.  (Seriously- the girl didn't sit down all night.)

 

It only seemed appropriate to include a snapshot with Sarah on this post, seeing as though she received the unofficial award for traveling the farthest.  She flew from (pure) Michigan just to celebrate with us.  Amazing?  We vote yes. 

Porterfield brothers & Koch Sisters.  We're only missing Ethan & Anna to round out our sweet sibling group.  Side Note: Doug & I are so excited to have Jeff back in St. Louis!  He made the official move the first weekend in January!