colour of the week // aqua

i'm kind of all about this color right now, for obvious reasons.

isn't it interesting how sometimes aqua is more blue v.s. green?

anyway, it's a simply gorgeous color and i'm completely inspired by it.

oh, and for the record,

i think the stationery on the bottom left was created just for us!

{via}

a family wedding

we celebrated my cousin's wedding on saturday with our whole family . . .

the ceremony ended just minutes before the rain

from hurricane irene began to fall!

i couldn't help but think about mr. wonderful and how we're going to be

saying our own vows in just a few months-

it made me miss him terribly!

no time to wallow though- this crazy family hit the dance floor!

even my mother, who never dances in public, cut a rug

with all her brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews {and me}

as the rain poured around our tent.

it was a great night of family love and happiness . . .

my heart felt so full.

isn't it great to be blessed with family?

our proposal story

i didn't see it coming at all.

the truth of the matter is i knew he was going to ask me . . .

and hopefully soon.

we'd been talking more and more surely about it as the months had gone by

and i knew he wanted to, was looking at rings and had decided on something-

working with a jeweler in new york to design a ring just for me

because he couldn't find what he wanted to place on my finger.

as the days of his visit to new hampshire went by,

i bounced between two thoughts.

yes, he has to or else he has to wait until he comes back again in a few months

but no, he won't; his memere just passed and there is no way he is finished working

on the ring so soon.

so when he asked me to go to boston with him on the last friday of his visit,

he said we should dress up and go somewhere fun to eat.

i thought for sure something was up, especially when i suggested

we had been so busy that we should stay more local and he insisted we still go.

on thursday, the day before our special date night,

i went to his parents' house for dinner and to help his sister-in-law

bake john's dad's birthday cake.

i arrived and met johnny and hannah outside . . .

hannah was going to stop with her daughter {also named abby} over at

the neighbors and johnny suggested we walk before dinner.

it was gorgeous out and walking with johnny is one of my favorite things to do-

it's how we unload our day's problems and anxieties to one another,

discuss our hopes and dreams and just plain keep active together . . .

it's how we spent almost every summer night last year when we were

first dating and we've grown to love that private time together.

perfect! i thought and we started down the road away from the house.

we stolled along and i chatted his ear off about who-knows-what,

he seemed totally himself and told me about what had transpired while i was at work-

his sister was flying in that night for his memere's funeral,

when we should meet for the service, he was going to play a song during it.

we ooo'd and ahhh'd at the pretty sky and as

we came to the intersection between two roads,

he claimed it was the best hilly outlook in the neighborhood.

we stopped.

the sun was shining, the power walkers we had passed

moments ago were long gone and

johnny snuggled me into one of my favorite johnny hugs

when he arms circle around me and my head fits into the crook of his neck

and we sway back and forth together.

you're my best friend, he said, you want to be my wife forever?

of course, babe. you're my best friend too.

{and the sweetest most handsome man i know . . .

but i didn't get to say this because it was at that moment that i noticed

how hard his heart was beating, since we were hugged so close and all.}

and i thought to myself, wow, we need to go walking more often

because all this cardio is really killing us. am i sweating???

and then all of a sudden, johnny was pulling out of our puzzle-piece hug and holding

a sparkling round object in his hand.

it didn't even register to me as to what it was.

and i honestly don't even remember what happened between that moment and

my next memory, which is johnny down on one knee

asking me to marry him.

i barely remember saying yes! and johnny tells me i immediately

followed my response with "is this for real?!"

like a guy would pretend all that or something . . . seriously, abby?

next i knew it, i was squealing, "we're gonna get married!",

all teary-eyed as we hugged outside in front of the whole neighborhood.

who knows if anyone was passing by at this point-

i didn't care.

all the while i guess i forgot that proposals came with rings and he had

to stop me and fight the ring onto my excited little finger.

more jumping up and down, squealing and other

girly responses that he'll have to endure for the rest of our lives.

back we went to his house,

where his entire family and the neighbors were waiting,

cheering as we neared the driveway.

lots of hugs, jaw-drops over my pretty ring that he worked so hard on,

and laughs about how we're going to manage with

two abby wallaces in one family.

we called and texted and facebooked our news to everyone we love.

and that's the proposal that took me off completely guard.

the perfect proposal that started this new journey with my favorite man

in the whole wide world.

tell me . . .

what's your advice?

i'm taking my cue from my fiance's post today

and asking for your wisdom for couples in the thick of wedding planning.

what are some things you did or didn't do that you think were important?

what were some of your biggest struggles?

how did you overcome them?

what did you find was the most important to

you and your guy {or girl}?

let it out, sweets, i'm sure i'm not the only one out there

who wants to know!

{via}

gluttons for punishment

this is the big question i've been getting lately,

other than "how did he propose," which i promise

i will get to telling soon.

but, yes, the original question:

when are you getting married????????

well, sweets,

johnny and i have all but officially set our wedding date.

and i only say 'all but officially' because

all the other details are way up and flying around in the air,

so i can't totally say for absolutely sure.

but i am pretty sure.

very, very pretty sure.

about 4 months from now,

i'm going to be a wallace.

start panicking . . . now.

colour of the week // wedding white

please tell me you weren't expecting this.

so many things to think about . . . so much to do,

so here is a little "white" to drool over

while i plug away at sifting through frilly wedding treasures

{and try not to get tooooo girly on poor johnny}.

a new kind of date night.

friday was our first date night out as fiance & fiancee.

celebration dinner was definitely in order,

and since john had spent all day at his dear memere's wake,

we kept it simple by heading downtown to one of our favorite spots,

republic, for a tasty outdoor dinner for two.

their flat bread pizzas are tasty and the perfect size for two to share.

we also devoured a bistro salad {also perfect for two} which has the

most wonderful, light and tangy dressing i've ever had.

later we grabbed a sweet ice cream cone

and finished the night off at johnny's brother and sister-in-law's

place for a fire pit party with his family.

we love hanging out with his parents and siblings . . .

especially on cool summer nights in front of a warm fire.

it's hard when we're in a big group not to start talking about wedding planning . . .

wow, i can't believe this is already starting.

even though johnny is back in nashville and i'm here in new hampshire,

i have such a peace knowing that our time apart is coming to a close soon.

holy cow, we're getting married!

boston creme pie

why is it called boston creme pie when it's really more of a cake?

this confuses me greatly, sweets.

my future sister-in-law, hannah, and i baked this delish recipe over the weekend

for johnny's father's birthday.

ohhhh my goodness, was that mouth watering.

these last few days have been difficult ones . . .

johnny's memere passed away early last week

and we spent saturday celebrating her life with his family at her funeral.

it was a beautiful service full of joy and rejoicing but also sadness as loved ones

mourned her loss in their everyday lives . . .

she was truly a huge influence in johnny's life and he will miss her

more than words can express.

if you have a chance, read his post about her legacy on his blog.

it will touch your heart.

also, johnny's last full day in new hampshire was on sunday

{he's on his way back to nashville now} and it was really hard

saying goodbye to him . . . especially now that we're engaged.

but, takeabigbreath, 'cuz a lot is going on here in new hampshire

and we'll be together again before we know it.

i hope you all enjoyed your weekend off . . . happy monday to all!

is that what i think it is?????

y.u.p.

he asked last night and i said yes!

{of course!!!}

i know, i look totally shell-shocked.

i didn't see it coming AT ALL.

i know i've fallen off the grid this week,

but i'll be back to blogging full force on monday, i swear!

until then, i'm off to spend time with my mr. wonderful

and our families.

wait . . . i this means i get to be MRS. wonderful???!!!

yesssssssssssssssssssssss.

happy friday, sweets!

smile big again.

hello, sweets.

thanks so much for all of your kind notes and prayers.

i had my root canal yesterday and it wasn't half bad.

if not for the whopping bill,

it really would be nothing.

i remain confident that God will provide and

everything will turn out just fine in the end.

never too old.

we joined johnny's brother, sister-in-law, their adorable daughter little abby

and our good friend kelsey for a fun couple of hours

at our local science center over the weekend.

i think the place is obviously geared towards the kiddos,

but we were definitely having the most fun

out of everyone there.

let me tell you,

playing in the center's bubble pool made me want to create one of my own

with a coat hanger and a big tub of dawn detergent!

fiddling with instruments that react to the current in your own body,

gawking at a huge lego layout of our town . . .

we probably could have spent all day, i tell ya'.

what did you do this weekend??

eat your heart out, andie walsh.

and ode to my favorite john hughes flick.

happy friday, everyone.

hope your weekend is grandddddd.

{via here, here and here}

the bold and the beardless

last night, after lots of peer pressure, johnny gave in and

trimmed down his gigantic beard

with all of us watching.

video was recorded and laughter was shared.

if you were a fan of the big beard, fret not.

for hair grows back.

{this is what i tell him every time i contemplate

a pixie but he doesn't seem to take it the same way.}

edit: for the record, i think he's ridiculously handsome

with or without the beard.

but sometimes it is nice to have something

fluffy to rest your cheek against.

vacancy for one

maybe you noticed that there is no

colour of the week post this august 10th of 2011.

oh no, we {i} skipped it this week.

so there.

i'm taking a little break today to spend time

with my sweet momma during my usual

morning blog time and

hanging out with my amazing man and his great family

now that he's back in town.

can't promise that there will be much up here for the next

couple of days, but i do hope you stop by to check.

can't blame a girl for a tiny blog vacation,

can you?

{via}

what makes me cry.

the other day johnny (aka mr. wonderful)

told me he bought a present and then

held aloft a double-decker cupcake carrier.

{over ichat, of course, hence the visuals from nashville}

and i was so happy and excited that i

literally burst into tears.

i think it was more the realization that he really listens to me

and thinks of sweet and thoughtful things to make me happy for no reason at all

more than the actual cupcake carrier that set off the water works.

especially when i'm so tender-hearted as of late.

and because i miss him so stinkin' much.

tonight i'm picking up my best friend/awesomesauce boyfriend

at the airport and i'll probably cry then too.

another thing that makes me cry?

your lovely well wishes, kind words and prayers

in response to my little request last week.

i can't tell you how much it has meant to me

to receive encouragement and prayers from you lovely dears.

what a neat thing that we can come

around one another in times of need, huh?

a little update: looks like i may need a root canal after all.

the financial implications of this scare the you-know-what

out of me, but i need to believe that it will all

work out okay of for God's purpose.right?

continued prayers appreciated, as always.

you all are a fab group and you, too,

make this callous new england girl cry.

cake us to catalyst!

i dunno if it's because they're bakers {girls after my own heart}

or because their goal is to attend a conference that

God has used to move in my life so many times . . .

but i caught wind of this over the weekend and really want to see them succeed.

two girls baking their way to the catalyst conference in atlanta.

if you're looking to be a blessing in some one's life,

consider buying a sweet treat from these two ladies.

on being brave {or lack thereof}

oh, sweets, it's time for a more serious post . . .

i know these don't surface too often,

but reading this post made me think that maybe opening up

a little to this small blogosphere community

may be a step in the right direction for me.

over the last month and half,

i've been battling against some odd health issues,

lots of fear and just feeling plain overwhelmed.

right before i went to nashville,

i had a bunch of unhappy but necessary dental work completed . . .

while i was on my vacation visiting mr. wonderful,

i began to have a great deal of jaw discomfort, stiffness and tooth pain.

once back at home, i went back to my dentist

{who i've been seeing since i was a kiddo and is incredibly good at what he does}

who couldn't find much wrong other than the need for a bite adjustment.

suspicion: night time clenching and grinding.

okay, fine.

the clincher- while i didn't have an abscess, he suspected i'd irritated my gums

near one tooth by all of my night time tension.

if pain didn't go away, i might need a root canal.

WHAT???????

well, after a short freak out, my pain while chomping went away and my

teeth began to feel normal again . . .

except the pain in my face.

since that time, i've had frequent bouts of pain

on the right side of my face,

especially in my sinuses, ears and cheekbone.

a visit to my doctor a week ago yielded antibiotics and a diagnosis of

a sinus infection.

if i didn't get any relief, the nurse practitioner said, i'd need a cat scan.

WHAT??????

now i'm done my antibiotics and my facial pain is no better.

i am so discouraged- i just want to feel better again.

i am incredibly afraid of the debt from all the tests and procedures

mentioned by everyone who looks at me.

i've been working so hard to get OUT of debt . . .

all this would be a crippling set-back.

not to mention, i've always been pretty healthy,

but a frightening ER visit last winter for some female issues

and losing my grammie to a sudden and unexpected diagnosis of leukemia

has made me incredibly gun-shy and, quite frankly, paranoid.

i need lots of prayer right now,

and i'm asking you {as such friendly readers} to help a girl out.

for healing, relief from pain, for bravery, clarity and good decision-making,

financial provision and peace when i go to sleep at night

and trust that my God holds me in the palm of His mighty hand.

colour of the week // true blue

lately i've been eating blueberries non-stop by the carton

before the season is over . . .

plump, juicy ones with tons of sweet flavor that remind me

of being a kid and eating 500,000 when my mom would take

us to a farm to pick during our summer vacations.

if i see that we're running low on them at the house,

i straight up take the rest of the box to work with me

and snack on them at my desk.

no doubt they were my inspiration for this week's post.

check out here for past colour the week posts.

and a happy wednesday to you as well

{already halfway through the week!}.

{via}

another countdown begins.

only a week til' this handsome fella' comes to

visit us in new hampshire for a little bit.

needless to say,

i'm excited to the point of stupid.

no, i'm serious; i caught myself with perma-grin the other day,

which totally confirmed you do lose brain cells when you fall head over heels for someone.

don't even ask me how i'm going to be productive

come next tuesday,

cuz' quite frankly i just don't know.

glorious

the ocean couldn't have been any more beautiful this weekend.

sunny and warm from the start of the morning and all throughout the day.

here are a couple of pictures i snapped with my phone

and then played with after i returned home,

all sticky with sunscreen and sand

{don't you love that feeling?}.

anyway, maybe they look a little corny to you,

but i'm digging this easy space textures effect.

all those celestial bursts and pretty blues!

sunday afternoon was spent lounging on the grass, chatting

and laughing at amanda's

with some of my favorite people.

i don't think i've been quite that relaxed in a long, long time.

i have to say that i can't believe it's already august 1st.

where is our summer going?

don't get me wrong, i love the fall

{and would mind winter much less if not for driving in snowstorms}

but i'm not wishing this summer bliss away for anything.

don't you feel like it's flying by too fast??