It all has to start somewhere!

There is not much that is certain about the day we get married, the date...the colors...the "feel", & ::drum roll:: the junior BRIDESMAID & junior GROOMSMAN. In all of my years of planning my "one day I will have a wedding when I meet a boy I like with no commitment problems" I had never imagined having a junior anything like that but! We are really close to their family & they were a major part of Heath & I's first summer together, we love them so much & plan to have them close to our lives for many years to come. So, the only public & permanent decision we have made is this. We went over to their house (where Heath & I first saw the starsss!) last Friday evening with a glow sword & a glow fairy wand with these 5X7 pictures attached.Miss Grace Lynch
Mr. James Lynch



1 down. 398493849834837 to go.

Once upon a time...

Wow
I always have said that the time I become a fiance... & more importantly a future wife I would start a blog, not really for anybody other than myself & my own personal need for documentation. SO! The time has swiftly approached me! I am engaged! I am the future Mrs.Downing. Which isn't terribly different than Duggins... Still 8 letters..still start's with "D" ... still 2 syllables... which means my initials will still be A.D.D. the rest of my life. How ironic ;)






Now, I have had several requests for how Heath actually proposed, well what could be a better story than that to start out this blog!

Once upon a time, we decided to go to Vail, Colorado for a weekend to recieve the full feeling of Christmas.. (since we are both pretty much obsessed with Christmas)So we had a wonderful 4 days together!
Heath told our resort that he was planning on asking me to marry him (I was 100% oblivious!)
So they graciously gave up a free upgrade from the standard double bed room to the luxury suite - fully stocked with anything & everything we could ever imagine.

Our resort ^
We didn't exatly know what we were getting into, pulling up after a 10 hour car ride, generic soda & yoo hoos, fast food bags and trail mix falling out of the car when the valet parker man opened up Heaths door "Mr. Downing, can I get your bags & your keys?"
Here I am spouting off a million excuses why we don't have a bmw, or a mercedes (like all of the surrounding cars) & why I wasn't adorned with a FUR COAT (like all of the surrounding ladies) but we managed to get through. :)


After a few wonderful days, Heath & I went to Beaver Creek Resort to go ice skating.
The perfect Christmas village, Christmas music in the background, happy families ice skating, outdoor fireplaces circling the icerink that was placed in front of a big Christmas mansion, it was straight out of a Christmas movie. After hobbling my way around the rink a couple of times we returned our skates and walked over to the fireplace facing the rink & the mansion.








All of a sudden Heath was acting really really strange & I noticed him digging in his pocket.
My heart started to beat uncontrollably, my hands started to shake, my eyes began to wonder, & I hear "You know I will always be in love with you,right?" As his right knee began to sink to the ground that's when I knew what was about to happen. After a beautiful little love speech he asked me to marry him & be his wife. Of course, I said "Yes!" and we hugged and giggled about like little lovers do!

One of my favorite parts was 2 younger girls, actually resembling Caroline Mayhew- skated up & said "Congratulations!, It's going all around the ice rink"


As we are driving out of the resort, a furry antlered reindeer walks out in front of our car & we are completely awestruck by the moment.


So yes. That is the beginning of the beginning.


August 7th, 2009
I will become Audra Dawn Downing.