Erika & Jared

Here are some photos of our day.  Thanks to all of you that came to celebrate and helped with all the preparations and Vancouver cleanup.  The decorations were beautiful and the food and cake was yummy.  It was a very memorable day!

… and I can hardly wait.  We are getting close to the big day and want to answer the most common question….

“How did you guys meet?”
In early April we where matched by one of the LDS online dating services.  I had tentative plans to go to Lacey to visit my parents so I thought it would be fun to meet up with Erika.  The social Erika invited me to her party hosted at her house.  To this day I am still surprised I agreed to go to a party with a bunch of strangers.  Needless to say, I am sure glad I did.

A couple of weeks later Erika came to Utah to ‘help her sister’ with her new baby.  (Thanks Penny!)  We both have spent way too much time on an airplane spending almost every weekend together.  We are looking forward to living in the same town.

It has been fun discovering just how many times our lives almost crossed.  We have found that we have common friends and close calls in meeting years ago.  It truly is a small world.

Looking forward to partying with our friends and family.  See you soon.

-Jared

PS.  For those of you planning on attending the Lacey open house, we will be available to greet people that are on their way to the Stake Temple session scheduled for that same evening.

As many of you know, I enjoy making greeting cards and I have helped many friend design and produce their own unique wedding invitations.  I always knew that I would do the same for myself.  However, I had expected that when I met the man I was to marry that He would live closer than 788 miles away and that we would share many of the same friends.  This was not the case.  As we began to compile the list of friends and family we wanted to join us in our celebrations, I realized that I needed to design something that could be assembled easily.  I would not be layering, stamping, or embellishing.  So I asked a friend to help me design some computer graphics and then Jared and I designed and printed our own unique invitations.

My parents were enlisted to help us assemble, tie the knots, stuff and seal the envelopes.  Thanks for all the help Mom and Dad!

Now that I am engaged, I need to choose a gown.  I wanted something that was simple yet elegant.  After visiting a few stored and an extensive search online I found the dress that was perfect!

I was able to find a bridal shop in the Salt Lake area that carried the dress so I took my sister Penny and went to try it on.  If fit perfectly!!!  It was just what I was looking for.  The only thing that I will really need to do is swap out the sash and possibly adjust the hem (or find a comfortable pair of heels).

I have included a picture.  So Jared.. don’t look!  🙂

After many rumors and two family reunions, Jared proposed to me.

This afternoon we packed a small pack with some water and snacks and started up the trail to Summit Park Peak. This is the highest point in the area with a wonderful 360 degree view of the mountains and the Salt Lake. It was a great temperature for a hike… not to hot for a native northwesterner like myself.

We arrived at the top and stopped to catch our breath and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Once I was comfortable Jared dropped to his knees in front of me and asked me to marry him. I responded “I would love to marry you!” He then presented me with a temporary ring so that I could choose the actual ring.

We continued to sit and enjoy the moment until an approaching thunderstorm forced us to head down the mountain.

Note From Jared:  Check out that ring!  It is the best $14 I have ever spent!