Will post more on Monday but here's a little something that I'm thankful for. My military friends and family will REALLY understand this. Thanks to all the troops past, present and future for all that they do. 

I cannot promise you every night of my life. 

I cannot promise to be beside you for every difficult moment, every trial, and every hardship. 

In truth, I can promise you that I will not be with you for most. 

I will leave you at inconvenient times. 

Any special date to us may be tainted with the anniversary of the death of one of my friends. 

I will ask you to take over whatever... life we have built together for months and years at a time. 

And will then crash back into that life that you have used your sweat, your tears and your heartache to keep together, and try to take it back as I knew it before. 

I will shut you out at times because it will be the best way for me to hold it together at that moment. 

I will lie to you. I will tell you I don't know things when I do. 

I will not always tell you where I am going, when I will be back, or who I am with. 

I may not call you for weeks and months and you will not be able to call me.

You will ask questions that I won't answer. 

You will know answers to questions that you will hope you never need. 

I will share things with my brothers and sisters that you will never understand. 

They will know things about me that you never will. 

They will be a support to me in some things that you cannot be.

I will miss birthdays. 

I will miss anniversaries. 

I may need time to process things that seem natural to everyone else. 

It will seem that someone - or something - will always take precedence over you.

 I will uproot you and ask you to re-establish our family anywhere in the world, in any season, at any time - over and over again. 

Sand and mud will be tracked through your halls from the boots I am too tired to take off.

I will leave you when you beg me not to. 

I will stand at attention while you cry beside me. 

I will not turn my head and I will walk away. 

I will knowingly break your heart. And I will do it again - and again. 

I cannot promise you all of me. 

I cannot promise you much of anything. 

But if you will have me, I can promise that as I march away from you, it is not without sharing your heartache. 

I promise you that every time I break your heart I will be breaking mine. 

Every time that I cannot answer you I will be protecting you. 

Whenever you want to call and you have no number to dial, I will be wanting to do the same. 

I will protect everything that we have created together with every fiber of my being while you do the same back at home. 

I will honor you in everything - every moment that we are apart and every moment that I am with you. 

I will fight harder and push further knowing that I do so for you. 

And I will carry you with me in everything, until my boots once again sit just inside our door. 

E is for Emily

Good Evening everyone! 

As you may have read here, Mr. H and I were going to use our friend, Erika as our wedding photographer. But life threw us a curve ball. 

Erika is marrying Dave FIVE weeks after us (Mr. H is a groomsman), she will have a lot on her plate, so we have selected Emily of ES Photography. 

You can find Emily's website here.

Isn't she just too cute??? 

The search for a new photographer was quite easy if I do say so. 

I had emailed about 30 people, and after hearing prices, narrowed it down to about 10. 

Emily was the first that I set up an interview and after a short thirty minute consultation, I was smitten. 

(Good thing I snagged her when I did because she's now booked THREE weddings in June already).

She even thought about us when she shoot another wedding recently. She actually happened to shoot another shabby chic at our exact venue and was nice enough to send me a message with some photos for inspiration for when we decorate the venue. Isn't that so sweet??? 

Tonight I leave you with those shoots so you can see a sample of her work. And you'll just have to wait and see what we use for ideas when we decorate The Villa for our wedding!!!

Hope you enjoyed them as much as I do!

Love,

Katie

(All photos are courtesy of  ES Photography or her website).

Not Up to Sharing

So, blogging is something I thought I'd jump up of bed everyday and do, but as bloggers know, it's not that easy.  After almost four months of hiding living, I'm BACK!!!

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August and September were very difficult months for both me and Mr. H. We lost his brother (Oh, Billy boy, we think about you everyday), had to have our well re-dug (yep, no water coming into the house), and  had to have our cat put down (diabetes did him in). No point in dwelling up that experience again, but the truth is without Mr. H by my side, I don't know where I'd be right now. I'm glad we have each other to fall back onto.

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But now, onto wedding related topics: I said YES to my dress, and my mom got hers. (Ironically, it's the green of our wedding choices AND my Grammy wore green to my parent's wedding) Like I talked about here, I have been in love with a dress since day one. And, well, it's the one I got. When I put it on, mom and I both teared up and I didn't want to take it off. I can't wait to get married in it. No spoiler alert, though, because I will not be posting pictures of it until AFTER the wedding.

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Mom and I have also be designing the favors and decorations for the reception. It's been a lot of fun, with only one little snafu, so that's a major blessing.

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Next month, the wine will be sampled and chosen  bought for the reception. January is the bridesmaid's dress shopping trip, even though the girls and I already have our favorites. April is my first fitting, and that's exciting and scary all in itself. It's really starting to since in that I'm going to be a MRS.

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Well, that's all for now, but more to come, in the next couple of days (not month, I promise).