Reminiscing about the proposal

A coworker's daughter is soon-to-be-engaged, or at least that's what we think. The daughter's boyfriend contacted my coworker and her husband a few days ago and is taking them out to dinner tonight; it's all we could talk about this afternoon every time I popped my head in her office! (Ha, I'm pretty sure she doesn't read my blog, considering I've never met her, so I'm not ruining any surprises!)

Naturally our conversations turned to wedding planning, which usually brings me back to the fun, once-in-a-lifetime experience of getting proposed to, myself, and the nine and a half month engagement Mark and I lived while planning the next chapter of our lives together. So fun!

I'll never forget the morning he proposed (does anyone really?) -- the worry I felt when he left the Adoration Chapel to take a phone call (at 4:30 a.m.), the confusion I felt when he strolled back (unhurriedly, so it could not have been someone sick or dying) into the chapel with his backpack and a piece of paper in his hand, the silence that fell when he told me to "come here" and held my hand to pick me up off the floor (I had been prostrated) and sit me into a chair, the love I felt when I began to read his beautifully written and sincere letter he handed me, the way my heart skipped a beat when he looked at me with focus just before he knelt down on one knee, the sound of his voice when he asked me to marry him, the embrace we shared after I said "yes," the blessings I felt as we prayed the joyful mysteries of the rosary and the enthusiasm with which I had in proceeding to call my family and best friend as we left the chapel and headed to IHOP to take in what had just taken place.

What joy I feel for my coworker this evening as she begins to dream about her daughter experiencing, in her own way, what I've just described!

How could I have been so lucky?

Aug. 29, 2008 -- the morning Mark proposed. Fancy IHOP breakfast following.

30, flirty and thriving

I have so much knowledge about being 30 years old -- a whole 11 hours worth of knowledge so far, only four of which have been while awake. :) So far, however, it's been fabulous! I've got the best loved ones for whom anyone could ask, and I've been blessed way more than I deserve. Here's to this year and all the years following, please God, being the best yet. I'm so thankful I have a loving, generous and kind husband with whom to share them.

Recapping the 20 most memorable experiences of my 20s (not necessarily in order, except for No. 1!):

20. Graduating from the University of Texas at Austin Journalism School.
19. Founding the Catholic 20-Somethings Ministry.
18. Owning my first house.
17. Buying and paying off my first car -- my fabulous Toyota 4Runner.
16. Going through the Christ Renews His Parish Retreat experience.
15. Kidnapping my best friend, Angela, from her husband and galavanting around France together.
14. Experiencing heartburn for the first time and going to the doctor, aka Rico Suave, in Monaco.
13. Traveling to Europe with the hubby -- Italy, France and England.
12. Developing a love affair with wine.
11. Becoming a godmother to the three most precious children -- Austin, Reagan and Anderson.
10. Becoming an aunt to the three most beautiful nieces -- Violet, Kenna and Olivia.
9. Living with the best sister for whom anyone could ask, Allie.
8. Working for the Catholic Church.
7. Working for a country music magazine that provided me the opportunity to meet countless famous music artists.
6. Getting certified to scuba dive and diving in Cozumel, Cancun, Destin and the Barrier Reef in Belize.
5. Raising my adorable, little, tired pomeranian, Blondie.
4. Being within 30 feet of and blessed by Pope Benedict XVI.
3. Going on a mission trip to Monterrey, Mexico.
2. Seeing, with my dad, U2 in concert.
1. Marrying the love of my life, Mark.

 June 13, 2009

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Wooster!

Becky and Andrew Wooster were married April 2! What a beautiful Nuptial Mass at St. Theresa Catholic Church and fun reception at The Fed. The two are such a great couple, and Mark and I felt blessed to witness such an important and wonderful occasion in their lives. I especially loved the delicious ceviche at the reception -- my favorite! May God bless your marriage and grant you many years of joy, laughter and peace together.

Andrew and Becky Wooster, April 2, 2011

30-day birthday for my 30th!

Wow, my hubby loves me. My family has always had a tradition of having a "birthday week" where we get to celebrate our birthdays for a week-ish. Otherwise, it passes so quickly! It's not like we make a big deal out of every day; it's really just a way of saying it's my birthday week, you should be nice to me. :-p

Well, this has been a foreign concept to Mark since we've been together, as he doesn't take birthdays as seriously as I do. For my 30th birthday, though, the man has lived up to par and beyond.

On March 15, 2011, 31 days before my birthday, which also happened to be our weekly Date Night, Mark gifted me a journal he made himself -- "30 Presents in 30 Days: Jen Crowley's 30th Birthday!" Mark invited many of my friends to participate in this 30-day birthday celebration of mine that entails my being showered with love by someone different on a daily basis, 30 days leading up to my 30th birthday. I get a whole birthday month! I love it! This guy knows me well. :)

He gave me a sweet card (he doesn't do cards and knows how much I love them), reading that he hopes that in the next 30 days I realize how special I am every day. In the journal is a page for every day where I'm supposed to record what I received that day. He's so creative.

For his 30th birthday a few years ago, I gave him 30 small gifts, so he certainly stepped it up a notch for me.

It's been so fun being surprised every day by someone new with some kind of affirmation letter, gift or prayer. I've been humbled by the incredible love shown to me by those in my life.

Words can't describe how much I love this birthday gift from my wonderful hubby. I love this man.

July 4, 2008

Couples to Behold: Erin and David Osman

The Osmans are a fabulous couple to know! They're a ton of fun, very kind, have the hearts of servants and great faith and are strong-willed. I've known Erin and David since I met Mark, so about five years now. He's known this great pair since Erin was in middle school. Basically forever. Erin and David were high school sweethearts, I'm pretty sure. Adorable!

One of the most admirable qualities about the Osmans is that they definitely know how to have fun and make sure everyone else around them is having a good time, too. A lot of people joke that when their friends get married, that couple becomes boring and doesn't do anything anymore but sit at home and hide out from the world. Not the Osmans. They often throw shindigs at their home, make it out on the town, travel to fun places like New Orleans ... they are out and about quite often.

Remembering to keep the fun in a relationship and remain social with the outside world are things from which all couples would benefit. No one likes a boring pair. The Osmans are anything but. :)

David and Erin Osman; Jan. 8, 2011; D'Mello wedding

Disagreeing in a healthy way

My brother-in-law sent me an article he thought went well with my marriage blog, so I thought I'd post a link to it! I appreciate the suggestion, Paul. :)

It is an article about ways to disagree ("fight") in a healthy way. Definitely some good points to note, especially:

"This is important to me. Please listen."
"I overreacted. I'm sorry."
"I realize it's not your fault."
"I'm sorry."

We could all use this reminder about trying to communicate in a loving way when we don't always see eye to eye right away.

Read more here.

Couples to Behold: Jen and Ruben Garza

Wow, I know a lot of wonderful couples! How blessed am I?

The next couple is Jen and Ruben Garza! They are newlyweds themselves, having gotten married Nov. 6, 2010.

I've known Ruben almost five years; he was my boss when I worked at the Cathedral, and I couldn't help but become friends with him outside of work. Ruben is like no other, truly. He is sincere, loves to have a good time, a man of great faith, one of the strongest men I know (resilient) and loves U2 even more than I do. What's not to love?

I met Jen when she and Ruben began dating, and I loved her right away! She's beautiful, supportive, loves to have a good time and has a great spirit. They're a perfect pair, if I do say so, myself.

One thing I admire about Jen's and Ruben's relationship is how they illustrate what it means to be supportive of one another. Like Nikki and Steve McMinn, Ruben and Jen really seem to have down pat that part of a relationship. You can instantly tell when interacting with these two that they believe in each other's dreams and endeavors and would do anything to help support those ideas. They want the best for each other, and they are so encouraging, uplifting and even challenging the other to want to help the other get the best out of life.

They're a fabulous couple from which to learn.

Jen and Ruben Garza; Nov. 5, 2010; the day before they got married