Christmas on a budget

I'm sure everyone was faced with a smaller Christmas shopping budget this year and we were no exception. Determined to find a way to fill the space beneath the tree, Melissa started researching creative gift ideas online and found something fun and affordable that we simply fell in love with. Using some of our wedding photos and other reminders of Christmas, we made personalized magnets out common craft materials and we'd like to share the secret with you.

We found all of our supplies at Hobby Lobby. Our shopping cart included a bag of 3/4" magnets, one bag of flat clear marbles (two sizes were available), a handful of holiday tins at 50% off, and clear glue. The glue actually proved to be quite the headache in the beginning. Our first attempt was a clear sticky glue that reacted with the ink on the images and left a blurry smudge. We switched to a clear silicone sealant found at Home Depot and that fixed the problem.

Our first step was to pick all of the images and print them off in 3/4" or 1" circles to match our marble size. I have a handy adobe software suite that lets me do this with little effort. I'm sure Microsoft Word will do the same. Step two was to cut out all the tiny little circles which Melissa did in a flash. Step three was to craft an assembly line process to glue the images between the magnets and the marbles. We stumbled across this by accident but found the perfect way to assemble our treasures with speed and accuracy. Using a cookie sheet, we first glued the images to the magnets by placing the images upside down on the cookie sheet. The magnet holds the paper and glue completely together for a seamless bond. After several hours, we then flipped the magnets around and glued the marbles to the top of the image and let the cookie sheet hold everything still while it dried.

The final step was to package our personalized treasures in the holiday tins and Melissa added some chocolates for the finishing touch. On Christmas day, the gifts were a huge success and we didn't go bankrupt in the process. We can't wait till next Christmas when we can find another gift idea to explore!

Beyond the Ceremony

We are back home from our one night stay at the Hilton & Convention Center at the Branson Landing. We enjoyed breakfast in bed and a relaxing morning as we recovered from all the activities at the wedding. This last week has been exhausting, but all of the hard work that we and so many others put into the planning and preparation was well worth it! The ceremony and reception went off without a glitch and it seems like everyone in attendance had a great time. We had a few close friends and family who simply could not be here, so we were able to do a live webcast of the ceremony on the Internet. We've recorded it and have placed it on our site for you to watch. Melissa and I cannot express how thankful we are for all the generous people in our lives. Thank you for all that you've done to help make this day so special for us. We will not forget it! Enjoy the video.

Her answer was yes

All great answers begin with a great question. In my case, both changed my life forever. Lucky for me, her answer was yes. I wanted the night to be perfect. I wanted to give her the memory that girls talk about when they are ten and dream about when they are sixteen. Sometimes, that can be an overwhelming task that stifles man's imagination. We want it to be sincere and sweet without seeming too cheesy. Short of jumping out of a plane, I let my creative mind roam the realm of possibilities. In the end, it was sentiment that won the prize.

Our first date was a picnic in Jordan Valley Park. It was the first night I think we both knew our lives were about to change. We ate pasta under the stars on a soft blanket. Next to us burned a single candle and my iPhone played a special playlist I had created for the event. This was our first date but it wasn't the first time we met each other. Our first meeting was actually more like a first sighting. It was at Maria's Mexican restaurant, and we didn't even speak to each other. I guess words aren't always necessary because a glance was all we needed to know that this was something that wasn't going to pass unnoticed.

So as I searched for places to go and words to speak, it only seemed fitting to go back to where it all started. We ate dinner at Maria's. Afterwards, I convinced her that we just had to go check out the Christmas lights at the Jordan Valley Park. Unbeknownst to her, one of my friends was already in route to set up a heart-shaped luminary amidst the lights (you gotta love the invention of texting). Somehow I managed to walk us through the park without her suspicion towards the center of the park where the surprise was waiting. About thirty feet or so from the glowing bags she finally caught on. We stepped into the center of the heart and there at our feet sat a small beige box. I finally had to pick it up because I think she was afraid of it. On one knee, I told her that there was no one else in this world I would want to spend my life with than her. It seemed to do the trick because she uttered something to the tune of yes and squeezed the life out of my neck. I didn't care because all I heard in that moment was yes. Of course, the hours following this I practically didn't exist because everyone had to be called or texted to spread the good news. I'm just glad for Facebook because I was able to tell my friends with a simple update to my profile. Don't you just love technology?

So that is our story. It's only the beginning, and I'm sure that life has many more great stories ahead of us. We invite you to share in those with us.