Christmas Holiday(s)

I am finding it hard to sleep... I have just been laying in bed smiling about how wonderful this Christmas was. I did receive a lot more gifts then I was expecting and I prefer not to go into too much detail about that. All those great presents can't compare to how great full I am to have Daniel.

I spent most of the beginning of the week dealing with a cold & the sores that come with it, but of course Daniel was great. He drove me to and from work a few times.Other then already planned family activities we weren't able to see one another as I would have liked. I did get good work hours. But once I was starting to fill better, he had about 24 hours of sickness from some food not agreeing with him and heart-burn. It's weird to see Daniel in so much pain, he is rarely sick. He had to leave early on Christmas eve because he just needed some rest. Which also meant he wasn't able to attend church service with my family. I was so sad! My first thought was, "it's my favorite church service at a church I hadn't been to since the previous Christmas and I don't want to attend it without him." Then I became mad because I didn't want to go to the service, I wanted to be laying at his side to get him whatever he needed! Like he always does for me!By morning he was more coherent to life and his surrounding. He opened presents in some pain, but it was AMAZING being able to lean a few inches to get in a quick cuddle or a small kiss. It was my favorite thing! I can see all the presents to remind myself what I received, but the most memorable thing about Christmas was just having Daniel there. He finally got better once I got to my house & gave him some back and body medicine. (Wish we would have thought of that earlier) I am more then sure that all I will want in my life for the next *hundred* Christmas with just be able to cuddle with Daniel*

((Merry Christmas & I love you, Daniel))

*Thanks to Kayleigh & Michael for the canvas of a snapshot of our engagement, its really artsy & I will treasury it forever!* ((Loved everyone else's gifts too, but that one dealt with Daniel & I))

Daniel & I will be leaving for Tampa early morning on Thursday December 31 to go on a western Caribbean cruise...will try to blog again before then!*~

Twilight & "Real" Love

For the past year I have thought Twilight fans were crazy. I have tried once to read the book and struggled in the first few pages. People told me to get past it and the rest would be amazing. If you know me, you know I rarely read. Like Daniel, I prefer books in movie format. So knowing the main concept of Twilight dealt with Vampires and Belle was played by Kristen Stewart I felt like there was no way I could enjoy it; definitely after seeing Kristen in person at Comic Con. But once New Moon came out to theaters I found myself checking up on it a lot.

So last Monday I caved and watched it with Daniel. I do admit that is could have been a better movie. But the love Belle (Kristen) felt for Edward (Robert) was timeless. It was automatic attraction for the both of them. Something that I know is easy for everyone these days. But their love was not easy and never would be. Daniel pushed me away so many times our first year because he wanted to full-fill a career that did not leave much time for love. Daniel was intriguing, he knew he was sweet and he knew he could love, but more then most like Edward, Daniel was trying to protect himself. I am not really sure really what broke him and allowed me into his heart. I do know I am thankful for his love everyday.

Without giving too much away of New Moon, Edward does leave Belle because he thinks he is protecting her. Belle, of course, is heart broken. The only man she has and ever wanted to love has left her, making her days lonely and her nights filled with anger. To know how love can make you feel so alive, but so easy to feel dead. Even with Daniel gone in California, I never got as bad as Belle did. Daniel & I made sure we talked daily & in the night. We occasion would meet via webcam; it always helped to see his face. But I understand how she felt. I find it so hard to get to sleep on a nightly basis because of how much I long for Daniel. I can go for hours not hearing his voice, but once I am ready for sleep I miss him to the extremes. Nights like this I log back online to write or facebook "stalk" to I am too tired to keep my eyes open. I hope no one thinks that is pathetic. Daniel shows me the light of living each day and it will be amazing when every night once we are married that we will always come home to one another at night.

So in twilight's defense and in my love for it... its not about vampires or how attractive the cast is, but how real the love is between Belle & Edward.

((I think I will give the books a second chance during my cruise, I don't think I can wait until June 30th to see the third movie))

Positive Vibe

Tonight, as I finish watching the movie Serendipity I am reminded of a facebook message Daniel received from a former actress. Although her initial request was "different," it brought something to my attention. She wrote the following;

Happy Holidays to you and your sweetheart! You guys look so happy and cute! WIshing all the best and thanks for the positive vibe that comes from your pics and couple:)
I have a question...I'm sorry if I sound weird,but I hope you will have time to reply or maybe Amber will give me tips:) You're a Taurus and a Dragon. I don't know you well enough,but I have the best opinion about you and you seem like you're always super focused on work, loyal,nice to people, but at the same time pretty much keep it to yourself and very serious about your relationship as well.

What's the best way to be a super girl for a Taurus-Dragon? I know we all different and all,but like what is the most valuable and things not to do to push "Taurus/Dragon" away))))) I'm writing this and laughing hard

I wanted to answer this, in my opinion....

Daniel has a brilliant mind, we all know that. He has natural talent, but he knows he still has to work hard and to gain contacts and respect from different kinds of people. He really is tolerate of everyone. Loyal to myself, his family, and his friends. Every day he try's his hardest to make his life worth being alive, no matter what it involves. But I think what really makes us enjoy life and our relationship is we never take hardships too seriously. Sometimes when we are together we act junior high aged. We stay in the boundaries of being responsible. And now I am having difficulty trying to explain it....

When you first meet someone, you are always trying to show them your good aspects of being human. We try to smile more, not take things so seriously, always look our best, etc. But being human is being perfect. So we can't expect one another to always be happy, always look like a "million dollars." I know I have had my days where I felt like it was the end of the world, but after we have got to are lowest points, the only other way is up. So now after four years of being together, just knowing that he is still standing by my side and I support everything he does. And how easily he can put a smile on my face or vice versa. It's about finding that positive vibe and never taking things too serious in a relationship. There is no reason to get angry or fight over uncooked or burnt cookies. No reason to yell if the other forgot something important. Things happen, real love doesn't let them get in the way. We work hard to achieve whatever makes us happy. And supporting Daniel & what can be a very uncertain film business- well I wouldn't have it any other way. :-)

((Looking forward to seeing you on Sunday, Daniel))
**amber

One of a Kind Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!*~








Like I mention in the previous blog, we started a new Thanksgiving tradition. We woke up to begin our adventure with the adventurous filmmaking of Robert Zemeckis and The Polar Express. Amber had never seen the film but like Daniel had grown up with book. Although the book was expanded upon with multiple scenes of train-racing excitement, the film succeeded at starting up our engines for the day. We did however need to complete some cleaning of the living area and running of some forgotten errands, most notably to Meijer for some paper towels and gift boxes. Because Thanskgiving activities with the family will take up most of the actual Thanksgiving day tomorrow, we decided to have our own special meal today. What was the meal, you ask? Brinner! A.K.A, breakfast-for-dinner! Bacon was the first course, although our new griddle made them either burned or severely under-cooked. Scrambled cheesy eggs for Daniel were actually made to perfection, thanks to a quick Googling of the recipe beforehand. Cheesy smokey-links were baked in the oven, although in the end they were a little too strong tasting to jive succesfully with the rest of the meal. Bannanas were unwrapped, sliced, and covered in sugar. Hash browns were attempted, but trying to cook all of them at once in a short amount of time made them mushy and not very edible. Finally, some blueberry eggos were thrown in the toaster and delightfully enjoyed. For our beverages, Daniel had a tall glass of milk. In addition, we both sipped on small glasses of Fuzzy Navels, or orange juice with a dash of peach schnapps. Were definitely going to be that couple who makes lots of cooking mistakes on their early journey through adulthood, so thank goodness for emergency restaraunts such as Steak N' Shake and pizza!


Our next activity was putting together our first tree as a couple! The previous day, we went to the luxurious Wal-Mart and bought a bargain-hunters delight of a 6' tree for only $20. But surprisingly enough, the tree came together nicely and looked wonderful. We decorated the tree with many of Daniel's Batman ornaments that had been collected over the years, then polished off with special ornaments that we picked out together in the previous weeks. Silver balls and white snowflakes filled in the gaps, while special ornaments of each's choosing were dotted here and there; Amber hung glittery ornaments such as a random blue key and many colorful phrases such as "HOHOHO" and "BELIEVE". Daniel picked put a special Christmas bird to hide towards the top. Finally, it was finished with a bright star on top and 200 white lights. We also hung up our first purchased stockings, highlighted with the a silver pinned "A" for Amber and "D" for Daniel. They will be filled on Christmas Eve night with each of eachother's favorite holiday candies.
In the evening, we snuggled up in our newly bought holiday pj's (seen above) and watched some more holiday movies. Daniel picked out Lindsay's favorite "Prancer", a definite tear jerker! Then they watched a new inspirational film called "The Christmas Cottage," telling the story of a young Thomas Kinkade and his town's Christmas in 1977. Alhtough it felt like more of a "tv movie" with some random and dry parts, it ended with an inspirational message of cherishing one's creativity and humility! Then we made another quick dash to the video store to return some movies. Now we are ending our night with the our new-traditional Thanksgiving film of "Love Actually." We look forward to spending quality time with our family over this year's holiday season! Once again, happy Thanksgiving! This is Amber and Daniel signing off, reminding all of you to take time to enjoy one another's company and love eachother to the fullest!

I am writing to inform you of what has been talked about and what for sure is coming up for Daniel & I.

Wedding planning has been very much put on hold. Not knowing where Daniel will be headed has kept my parents from deciding on a budget, and the same goes for even coming up with what we really want. I mention every so often on another game plan. I am not like every other girl, I do not want a fantasy over done wedding, I want a marriage. I want to know that no matter how busy Daniel & I can get during the day, that at night we'll always come together. We've don't mind the idea of having a very intimate ceremony with just our family. We would rather spend the money to visit Europe. We also do not know what kind of job Daniel will have after he graduates and I will go where he goes. We also don't want to be apart for months. I think the plan is for him to find a job, move out there, then for me to start looking for a job out there & when prospects seem good, then we could start planning that intimate wedding with just a few weeks notice.

But anyways...

This Thanksgiving will be the first Thanksgiving Daniel & I will actually get to spend some time together. We are going to be starting a new tradition that we will carry out once we are married. Daniel, as many of you know, does not like turkey. For the past few years his mom has had to make him grilled cheese on the occasion. This year we will be having Brinner (breakfast food for dinner). This year since we are still close to family will be celebrating being thankful for each other the day before Thanksgiving. We plan on shopping, baking, & setting up our very first Christmas tree next Wednesday! We both are really looking forward to it! On thanksgiving we will be seeing his Dad's side of the family in Carmel, then doing another helping at my house. Hopefully I will have time for a nap, because most likely I will be working the night shift. Stay tuned for our Thanksgiving blog with pictures!!

Beginning of the Holidays*

Halloween was last week, and Daniel & I finally one with some tradition. The first year we met, I worked on Halloween. It was was also the first night that my parents met him, he was dressed up with Tyler has the brothers of Boondock Saints. I remember my mother asking me after he left if the tattoos were real!
The following year (our senior year), I ended up ill and went home during my first class. I was Batgirl, and he was the Joker, but at that time we were having issues. So it was me trying to look good in a Batgirl suit ;-)

Of course we weren't able to be together our Freshman year in college. I am not sure what he did that evening, but I attended a college party dressed up like a bubble bee*


Sophomore year we celebrated Halloween in California. Daniel did have a film set that weekend, so we had no big plans. He did put together a nurse joker costume from the Dark Knight movie. It turned out amazing! So he was dressed up while we carved fake pumpkins that we still have today.


So this this year we were both in the same state & knew our friend Alyssa would be having a party to celebrate her 21st birthday. Daniel allowed me to pick what we wanted to be, so as soon as I saw a french girl costume I had to be it. Pictured below is our costumes, we had a great Halloween! It will be the start of many more to come~ next year we'll have to do pumpkins too!!*~

Uppercase Living

While I was on my way to school today, a car in front of me had a huge window decal advertising Uppercase Living. But I am looking through their online catalog now & I can just picture a lot of these items in our future place. The have a lot of quoted products- my favorite so far:

"the heart of marriage is its memories"
"happiness is being married to your best friend"
"wake me with a kiss"
"today's moments are tomorrow's memories"
"from this day forward/ i do"

*amber

http://www.uppercaseliving.com/downloads/PhotoPrints_09.pdf

Our First Dance Song

I have the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Two on, and a background song was the song Daniel & I decided to do our first dance to. From the beginning I told Daniel that our first dance song needed to be unique. So here is the story of our FD song. So here is the story...

Our second year together, so senior year, Daniel bought us tickets for Christmas to see The Fray, one of my favorite bands. The band before them was Mutemath. Now I don't remember much of the music they played on staged, but Daniel ended up buying the cd. Mutemath has become one of our favorite bands as a couple. They are know starting to get a little more popular, they have their first concert set of their new album that came out a month ago. Daniel and I will be attending their first stop in the USA in Cincinnati, this upcoming Tuesday.

Anyways the song is call You are Mine, by Mutemath (click link below to listen)

http://www.imeem.com/xspeeness/music/jHEHIMfT/mute-math-you-are-mine/

Locations in Mind

After seeing an ad for Fountain Square Theater, I immediately fell in love with it. It is on the south side of Indianapolis, just off of I-70. It is a huge space, with wooden floors, and the walls painted as if you were in a European country side. FST I don't think is ridiculously over-priced, but with the small wedding I had in mind, it might be too expensive.
Check out the website...

http://fountainsquareindy.com/theatre/index.asp

Another place I liked was Graften Peek, located in Greenwood. Although a little longer drive, it is located on a second floor, has wooden floors, huge windows, a balcony. The smaller space equals a smaller rental price, which would be a smarter investment.
Check out the website...

http://graftonpeek.com/

But all together Daniel & I want something simple, but not cheesy. We prefer wood floors, instead of some ugly carpet. Somewhere close to Indy/Brownsburg. Most likely we will visit these two places towards the end of October to make sure it looks good in person and to get the cost estimation, so when my parents decide on the given amount, we know what we could afford. :-) Any ideas on places??

Daniel says hello!

Hello! So we have started brainstorming ideas, and come to find out I'm actually pretty picky! For the reception, I would really like it to be at night, or someplace inside that we can make look like night. I like the idea of the ceremony being bright with sunlight yet the reception being dark and filled with moonlight. The reception mood could be set with low lighting and candles to create a glow effect, very romantic. Wooden floors is also a big must for me in regards to the reception room, something elegant. Our search will continue, but I like the Fountain Square idea too. The fake buildings on the walls creates a European small town feel, which is cool, and looks cool in their nighttime lighting. My artistic style and cinematic vision will hopefully aid us in making a really cool setting at still a low budget.

On Dress - Amber hasn't actively started looking for dresses yet, but luckily she is OK with me seeing it as long as it's not ON her, which is good. Not being able to see it at all would be worrisome. But when she does start looking, she is looking for something simplistic and maybe lacey. Her favorite one from a magazine is one from Trudys, though she might be embarrassed to show it because she is under the impression that it is like $3k. But anyways, here is a photo, it at least will help her to show people the idea of the dress she wants *note, the picture includes a huge bow thing that she would take off*



That's it for now, talk to you soon.

-Daniel

First Post

Hello Friends & Family!*~
I have found myself buzzed again about being engaged to Daniel. The stress of getting back to school mode weakened the excitement for a bit but now I am back in full gear. I hope you received our engagement announcements, if not please email or facebook Daniel or I your address. I was really happy with the way the announcements turned out. We plan for our friend Emily to take some engagement pictures through out Downtown, Indianapolis in the next month.
In the last few days I have been searching for a ceremony location, for pricing reasons. I don't foresee my parents giving us a lot, but I still want it elegant. I do keep coming back to Fountain Square Theater, look at the following links for pictures;

http://fountainsquareindy.com/theatre/index.asp
http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v113/220/97/41703206/n41703206_30624986_9989.jpg

The walling is incredible, and Daniel likes it too. The problem is: it is some what expensive. Would it be cheap of me to ask the guest to pay for their alcoholic drinks? It would probably be the only way I could afford Fountain Sqaure. Please post comments. Also we are really thinking about having a Sunday Wedding, saves $500 at Fountain Square.

-Amber