The first of many...

We wanted to start this blog so we could update our friends and family on what is going on in our lives.

This first entry will start with the announcement of our ENGAGEMENT!!!

Yay!!!

Matt and I got engaged on Wednesday the 5th of Dec. at the Vienna State Opera House. So here's the events leading up to the big moment!

Pre Matt's return from Iraq...

Matt had a couple of things in the works before he returned from his deployment which are part of our engagement story. He began to hint to me that we would be going on a trip shortly after I welcomed him home, as much as I tried to coax trip details out of him he wouldn't budge and kept telling me it was a surprise (this was COMPLETELY frustrating!!).

About a week before I was leaving for Germany to welcome him home he told me that I was to go to a local Nordstrom's Department Store, and meet up with a lady there who had all the details on an outfit I needed for the trip. When I showed up at Nordstrom I spent the next couple of hours in a dressing room surrounded by formal dresses, shoes, jackets, furs, jewelry, and other accessories. My job was to pick out a dress and all the accompanying items for a "very formal event." I had a ton of fun sorting through everything and trying things on, I ended up finding a dress that I absolutely fell in love with, it was a completely amazing experience!

So basically that was it, that was all the info I had, I was going on a trip and there was a "very formal event" involved.

Our surprise trip!

We started off our trip in the Tirol region of Austria for some skiing! I absolutely LOVE skiing so this was the perfect way begin this adventure. The weather was amazing and the scenery was beautiful. We had the best day!

Our next stop was Vienna! Vienna was actually the location of the very first trip that Matt and I had taken together some 3 years ago, so it was wonderful to be back there. While in Vienna we spent the days and evenings walking around the city, visiting

palaces

museums

and, of course, the Christmas Markets!

Our last night in Vienna was a night at the Opera (yes, the night we got engaged!). Matt was able to get tickets for the best seats in the house, we had box seats and were front and center! He wore his tux (an looked incredible) and I wore the outfit I got at Nordstrom. He also surprised me with a pair of opera glasses which were really fun! After the show ended Matt waited for everyone in the house to leave then he surprised me with the best surprise of all and asked me to marry him! It was so romantic and perfect and the ring is incredible!

The final stop was Salzburg, Austria! This was a gorgeous city and we stayed at a beautiful little Schloss (castle) just outside of the city. Ok...our room in this place was unbelievable! It was a suite and had a music/game room w/grand piano, a bedroom/bathroom, and a salon. The picture below is panoramic of our music/game room so you have just an idea of what it was like.

We had a great time walking around the city visiting the fortress, churches, and again Christmas markets!!

So! That was our trip! It was wonderful, romantic, and fun!

Keep checking back every once and a while for our updates, we are excited for the life that God has in store for us!

P.S. I promise that future posts will not be this long!! There was just SO MUCH to cover!