Why I Will Marry Him Anyway

On Sunday, I will marry Daniel.

Marrying him means there are some plans I had for my life that I have to lay down--perhaps forever. But I will marry him anyway.

Marrying him means there are some favorite dinners of mine that I won't be cooking much because he's not as fond of them. I will marry him anyway.

Marrying him means there are some very special people who will choose to step away from my life. I will marry him anyway.

Marrying him means I won't go to the coffeehouse I love as often as I used to. I will marry him anyway.

Marrying him means knowing the pedestal I put him on got knocked over a long time ago. I will marry him anyway.

Because marrying him means learning that sometimes there are other things besides myself which should be important to him. It means loving each other through the times that we want to yell our faces off because each of us thinks the other is being so, so bullheaded.

It means understanding that vowing "till death do we part" means forfeiting the lone escape clause. It means choosing to vow "till death do we part" anyway. It means loving each other through better and worse, even when the "worse" is unthinkable. It means understanding that "worse" can be a tired heart, another love, an addiction, a habitual sin, or a fervent desire to just walk away.

It means laughter and happiness and heartache and frenzy and grief and fear and compassion and empathy and companionship. It means being there through the 19th nervous breakdown...and the 20th...and the 21st. It means watching football on the couch, even though I don't like football. It means chick flicks on the rug, even though he doesn't like chick flicks. It's washing dishes and sweeping the floor. It's midnight feedings and taking turns helping our kiddo figure out the potty. It's seven-year itches and mid-life crises and lovingly symbiotic senility.

But it also means, "it is not good for man to be alone". It means, "he who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD". It's, "wives, respect your husbands" and "husbands, love your wives". It's, "my lover is mine and I am his". It's, "many waters cannot quench love" and, "rivers cannot wash it away".

I understand the great cost of binding my life to that of another. But I love Daniel, I trust him, and I trust the Lord's wisdom in providing me such a wonderful, wonderful man...


...so I will marry him anyway.



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Happily Ever,
~Ashley Michele~

I've Not Failed

"I've not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
-Thomas Edison

Edison had the right idea, y'all. This is my new mantra. I will carry it with me into my happy place whenever something dreadful happens...like when I pick the perfect park for my wedding--one that has charm and sentimental value and is very conveniently located--and Dallas Parks and Recreation evidently has only ONE person in the entire city that can reserve the park for me. And then that lady takes my reservation and tells me there won't be any problem. And then that lady doesn't return any calls for two or three more weeks.

And then that lady tells us that our wedding reservation has been canceled...in favor of a children's soccer game. (Yeah, really.) And I will continue to repeat Edison's words of optimism to myself even as I am told that she was going to tell me earlier, but she wanted to see if the principals would change their minds about the game first.

Then I will set that mantra to music and sing, hum, and whistle the dickens out of that thing in order to pacify my nerves as I make phone calls and order frequent brainstorming sessions with my fiance and wedding planner in an effort to scramble and find a new venue that suits our needs in time to have the invitations printed.

And then maybe it will set in...that indeed, I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that my carefully planned and lovingly crafted wedding ceremony will NOT work. And then I might decide that that's just too much optimism for one month, and then I'll have my melodramatic fit anyway.

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I finally have another wedding venue that's gonna work. The only thing is, it's in Oklahoma. I guess that makes this something of a hillbilly destination wedding, yeah? *shrug* While Daniel and I were furiously trying to find a Plan B for the wedding (which is now just a scant 17 days away), one of us had the idea to call the reserve where we planned our honeymoon. The manager had mentioned that they've hosted some small weddings on the property. It's a lovely area, set in the hills with the Ouachita National Forest just off to the side. Scenic highways, rustic cabins, and a beautiful creek that runs through the property are just a few of the reasons why we love this place. I'm getting excited about my wedding again.

Now, unfortunately, this does mean that we won't be able to celebrate with as many people as we had once wished (see my previous post for more on that), so we're currently planning a second wedding reception, to be held right here in Dallas. It won't be the formal to-do that accompanies the wedding day...we're currently thinking a potluck fellowship would be less of the "look at us!" kind of party and more of the "celebrate with us!" environment that we wish to create. The upside to this plan is that we will be able to host many, many more of our loved ones than we would've initially been able to invite, had we held an entire wedding here in Dallas. Check back with the blog periodically for more details on this. We're excited. :-)


Happily Ever,
~Ashley Michele~

To Everyone I Know: An Open Letter

Dear All,

Due to several determining factors, it is with great chagrin that we inform you that we will be cutting back our guest list. Unfortunately, our venue will only accommodate a limited number of guests--many fewer than we initially anticipated--so we will be celebrating the day with a much smaller gathering of friends and family. If we are unable to extend you an invitation, please know that it was with regret and that your presence truly will be missed on our big day. It is our hope that you will still celebrate with us in spirit and remember how dearly loved you are.

With much love and appreciation,
Daniel and Ashley

Engagement Pictures Are Here!!

...and not a moment too soon. I was getting antsy, but they were worth the wait. The full photo album can be seen here. But if you favor the highlight reel over the play-by-play, here are some of my favorites:


















This one might be my favorite:



The reason? Well, dear readers, this is not any ordinary spot in Addison Circle Park. This is THE spot. As in, the spot where Daniel dropped to one knee the first time. The spot where he produced a little Taco Bell hot sauce packet from his back pocket. The spot where he put a ring on my finger and danced with me under a streetlight even though there was no music. The spot where we stopped dog-walking strangers so they could take a picture of us on the most awesome night of my life (so far). But this is what it looked like the first time around...



Yikes, I'm just so happy with him...what did I ever do with myself before I had Daniel?


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I suppose that concludes my post for today. Until next time, beloved, I remain...

Happily Ever,
~Ashley Michele

Of Soirees and Squarepants

My status on Facebook currently reads: "Ashley is applying to jobs online and barely tolerating the obnoxious squall of Spongebob Squarepants that's littering the background."

I suppose it would also be accurate to add doing laundry, considering kitchen color schemes, and pondering outdoor wedding reception decorations to the list of things that "Ashley is..."

Last week Daniel and I (along with Daniel's parents) went and checked out a potential venue for the reception. It's a park in Arlington and I think we like it enough to book it...just working out a few more minor details. Pictures here:










While we were looking at the pavilion, we met another bride who was working out some details for her upcoming May wedding. There's an adjoining clearing to the pavilion that's going to make a gorgeous site for her ceremony, and then they'll move the entire party under the luminary-lined pavilion after dark for the reception. Sounds like a gorgeous idea to me.

For my reception, however, I'll probably be bound to daylight hours, as it will be on a Sunday, and my church wedding will have to take place between the morning and evening services that my Grandad's congregation observes, leaving us with a late-afternoon reception with our families.

And, thusly, I fear that I'll have to forfeit the custom-dyed Chinese rice paper lanterns I had once wished for. (Click here to catch my vision.)

But it's okay, 'cause I have other sources of brilliance from which to draw. Specifically, Offbeat Bride. Jeezygracious, I really love this place. It's inspired.

Anyway, all that to say, we might have a reception site chosen, I'm struggling with decoration ideas, and I'll keep you posted with further "Eureeka!" moments as they roll in.

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And that, dear ones, is all she wrote.


Happily ever,
~Ashley Michele~

Curling (and Bridesmaids)!

Daniel and I took a curling lesson last night. (I can hear some of you now..."Curling, Ashley? Really?? You're a dork." Yes, I am a dork who loves curling. Now hush yourself.)

Daniel and I have made a point to catch every Olympic match we can find on TV. This is the first time that I've actually been able to watch it with any intelligence. Daniel taught me all the rules when we started watching and I made the astonishing discovery that it's actually a far more enjoyable sport to watch when you know the rules. :-P (Fancy that...)

To be honest, when we initially planned on taking a curling lesson, I only expected a scant few would turn out for such an event...however, there was a veritable mob waiting outside by the time they were ready to open the rink. I'd guess maybeeee....slightly south of 200 people? Of course, that meant we only got to learn on a half-rink for a limited amount of time (evidently, the curling league didn't foresee such a turnout either...they had planned at least twice as much time for instruction as each student ultimately received), but it was a lot of fun. And for $10, it was a great introduction to the sport.

This is me, curling my first rock. (I did it all wrong. But I reveled anyway. Go me.)



It doesn't look like we'll be able to join the instructional league that's starting their spring season in just a couple weeks...but we're filing this experience under "Things We'd Like To Try More Of Later".

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I thought that, as long as I'm sharing videos, I may as well share this video as well...



The story behind this one:
Back when "Laura-my-future-sister-in-law" was just "Laura-my-awesome-friend", she was planning a wedding herself. And when she wanted to ask her girls to be bridesmaids, she did it in an extremely cool fashion. One morning, I woke up to find a mailbox on my doorstep, hand-painted in orange and blue--Laura's wedding colors. Inside there was a strip of pictures that looked like they were taken in an old-fashioned photo booth, each one of Laura and Don holding signs that spelled out "Will you be my bridesmaid?" In addition to the message, there was a picture of Laura and me, a letter with a more detailed version of the aforementioned proposal, and a bridesmaid's handbook.

I thought it was the sweetest thing ever. I loved it and I'll keep that mailbox and its contents forever.

I wanted to find a special way to ask my dearest friends to be my bridesmaids too. And so I got to thinking...I don't have a ton of resources right now...but I know how to write a song. So that's what I did. When the video was ready to upload, I posted it on YouTube and I sent out an e-mail to everyone on my list that included a clickable photo of Daniel and me, framed in our wedding colors...



The link in the photo took them to the video. :-) I was quite proud of my little idea.

And thus, it is shared. Feel free to dote on my brilliance in the "comments" field provided at the end of this post...

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And now, my friends, I must leave you again. Real life beckons.


Happily ever,
~Ashley Michele~

Post 1.0

Once upon a time, I had this great idea: "Hey, I'm engaged...gonna get married soon. Gee, a lot of cool stuff is happening. I should write it all down somewhere. Eureeka! I'll start a blog!"

But then I started the blog. And then the big, bad, empty text box came around, and the leering, blinky glare of the wicked insertion cursor loomed intimidatingly before me.

"Wh-what have I done?" I stammered.

And that, dear readers, is where you find your heroine today. But here I will remain! Standing my ground in the face of the ugly monster that is a yet-written blog post, dedicating my life and service to smiting that great behemoth.

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To start, my name is Ashley. My fiance's name is Daniel. Here is a picture of us:




And here is another:




Daniel enjoys football and apologetics. I like coffee and acoustic guitars. We make a pretty cute couple.

He popped the question on November 28th, 2009. It was two days after Thanksgiving. He did it in a very cool and impressively sentimental way. (For more on that lovely tale, please refer to my other blog, The Quintessential Ashley Michele.)

The purpose of this blog is to archive all memories and thoughts pertaining to my engagement, wedding, and happily-ever-after to ensure that I don't ever forget a drop of it. And if I may satisfy the curiosity of some interested loved one or ease the boredom of an internet-surfing acquaintance? So much the better.

Dear readers, this is my life, abridged. I hope you find something here to enjoy.


Happily ever,
~Ashley Michele~