Wow.
2012 is already a year to remember… and we are just a handful of days in!
First came our engagement… and what better way to celebrate than a rockin’ NYE party?!?!
Champagne? Don’t mind if I do!
Ryan’s buddy (and coworker) Zack hosted a festive get-together at his new house, and we all rung in the New Year together in style.
Piñata-style!
Zack and Sara
Two of my best girlfriends came, and they were SO excited to hear the proposal story in person. Along with family, they were some of the first we told! Let’s just say, there were a lot of squeals when we saw each other.
Girls will be girls
Gail and her beau, Tim
Channing and Gail
Gail, me and Rachael!
A.dore.able
As time went on, we decided to make good use of that piñata…
Boys will be boys
Don’t be fooled…
This was not a piñata favor.
But these were…
Yeah. I’ll let your imagination run with that.
Ryan and I had a blast sharing our news with everyone –we definitely were basking in the “freshly engaged glow.” Heck, we still are! And to tell ya the truth, I don’t think I’ll ever tire of recapping the events that happened that day.
The next morning, we continued the celebration by waking up and going ICESKATING!!!!
During the winter months, downtown Charlotte (which is actually dubbed “Uptown” for reasons that still confuse me…) hosts an outdoor ice-skating rink. This year was our first year going!
I’ve only been ice-skating a handful of times in my past, and each time I go it’s as as I’m stepping onto the ice for the first time ever.
Trying to play it cool
But most of the time, I looked like this…
MVP, Team Awesome.
Seeing as Ryan is actually pretty skilled on the ice, he dragged me around in circles a few times. I know. We’re so romantic.
Ryan is probably holding me up so I don’t fall in this picture. What a man.
Nevertheless, by the end of our time out on the ice, I was skating (slow, but steady) loops around the rink!
No falls = success!
After skating, we took a walk around uptown
Oh Charlotte, you are so pretty
So yes, a NYE party and ice-skating are surefire ways to celebrate and have a good time.
But you want to know a (possibly even) better way to celebrate?
How about… a plane ticket to New Orleans to be on the field during the BCS National Championship game??
Yeah, that’d make a pretty sweet deal. (Well, for Ryan, at least. I know nothing about football).
Lucky for Ryan, he actually got to do just that. For work. WORK, people. Any job that sends you to the BCS National Championship game (and has you stand on the sidelines?!) is flippin’ amazing.
Too bad neither of the teams were Arkansas…
Turns out, though… things actually got better than just standing on the sidelines for Ryan.
Ryan got to step in as referee for the sponsorship give-away during the half-time show.
Oh heyyyyyy… that’d be my fiance (!!!). On national television. During the BCS National Championship Game.
No big deal.
I saw him a handful of times (although very briefly each time), waving his arms.
Thanks to twitter and Facebook (and the countless number of notices and texts) Ryan and I received, I felt like I was engaged to a celebrity.
It’s safe to say Ryan has been having one pretty dang good year so far, all things considered.
As for me? Well, I haven’t been doing so bad myself. Not only am I still floating on cloud nine about our engagement, but I am also head-over-heels in love with my new job (and my new co-workers!!). The work is, in a word, one-hundred-percent heartwarming. And so, so fulfilling. This video explains why…
I’ve gotten chills while at work a countless number of times, solely by hearing my coworkers talk about the stories and updates their donors share with them as they go through the bone marrow donation process. This work is truly incredible.
Here are some pictures of my new digs (mainly because my mom has been asking to see…)
Can’t wait to get my white-board!
I <3 my office area. It’s so fun to see how my co-workers have theirs all decorated, too. We sure are a creative bunch of folks!
So yes, as you can see, things are going exceptionally well so far this year. And making this New Year even sweeter is the fact that Ryan and I get to go on that trip that was up in the air a few weeks ago.
Tomorrow after work, we embark on the long twelve hour drive (one way…) to visit my mom and Gerry on Sanibel Island for a little over a week!!!!! I am *beyond* excited, as I haven’t spent quality time with my mom since last Christmas season! Let’s just say, there are a lot of fun plans in store. I’m sure y’all can guess what some of them are 
. There certainly is no better way to celebrate than being on “island time” and soaking up some good ‘ole Florida sunshine.
