engagement party recap!

"You are my very greatest earthly blessing." -- Martha Finley

This past Saturday was our NJ engagement party hosted by my lovely future in-laws, Rosanne and Alan. Everything turned out quite perfect, from the food to the dancing to the fellowship. And speaking of perfect things, that boy of mine said all the right things all weekend... He always makes it so hard to leave him, and he makes me wanna marry him right now!

We both would like to thank everyone who came out and made the event so enjoyable for us, whether you traveled for hours by car or train, or whether you just took a stroll down the street... We're glad that you were able to share in our happiness and we're very blessed to have you all in our lives. And of course there were many that were missed, but there will be plenty of time to celebrate over the next year! And in the midst of all the picture-taking and people-greeting we did, we were told that that was just a small dose of what we'll have to do at our wedding, so any interim celebrations will be good practice! :) . Here are a few pictures for your enjoyment, feel free to email us others at alphonse.katrina@gmail.com!

Click to enlarge.

For more pictures, click here. And a few other random tidbits that I wanted to share: (1) congrats to my se17-mate Len, who recently got engaged (I think this captures the moment pretty well), (2) as of this afternoon I'm through with another one of those dreaded med school exams, and (3) someone bought the toy car that Al added to our registry (now we're waiting in anticipation to see who did it!)

"I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings" -- 1 Corinthians 9:23

i'm with the band...

"My idea is that there is music in the air, music all around us; the world is full of it, and you simply take as much as you require." -- Edward Elgar

It's been a week since my last entry (which is forever in blog-land), but in my defense I did spend the last 7 days traveling to NY and back, spending a lot of time with my sister and my honey, and studying for yesterday's medical school exam... so it's been a busy past few days! But now that I finally have a few moments, I just wanted to give you a couple of exciting updates about our planning...

1) The band is booked! We've chosen The Infernos, a lovely 13-piece ensemble of Jersey's finest. Check out their website for more info and to hear a few of their songs. Now we just have to pick a few "must-have" songs for our big day...

2) Another engagement celebration is in our midst! Stay tuned for a post-engagement party photo recap in a few weeks.

The Infernos

Overall, I'm very excited. Things are moving along little by little... even though there's still so much to plan! And with medical school taking over all spare moments of my life, I'm feeling like a bit of a wedding planning slacker. But alas, things always seem to work out as they should in the end, and I'm sure this is no exception. :)

Also, in addition to being a wedding planning slacker, I might be a blogging slacker over the next few months as I adjust to medical school. But fret not, check out our long-distance relationship blog (spearheaded by miss rhea) or Al's sports blog for reading entertainment in the meantime.

"My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music" -- Psalm 57:7

a belated party recap.

"Love is to the heart what the summer is to the farmer's year - it brings to harvest all the loveliest flowers of the soul." -- Author Unknown

Since I'm not sure when I'll find my camera cord (or give in and buy a new one), I've decided to give you a pseudo-picture summary of the July engagement/meet-the-family get together (before it becomes too untimely...) There were seashell inspired centerpieces and the lovely country backdrop for a little relaxation, family photos on display for old and soon-to-be family to view, a swimming pool for a fun break from the heat, lebanon bologna and other tasty local foods for hungry bellies, state-war volleyball games for bragging rights, tents for shelter, bug spray for warding away pesky guests, champagne and vino for toasting, and a late-night bonfire for 'smore making. And thank you again to everyone who came, especially those who traveled from NJ and MD and other far off places! Soon enough, it'll be time for the next engagement/meet-the-family party!


"As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease." -- Genesis 8:22

making a list, checking it twice.

"On with the dance! let joy be unconfined; / No sleep till morn, when Youth and Pleasure meet/ To chase the glowing hours with flying feet." -- Lord Byron

On Sunday afternoon Alphonse and I sat down for dinner with our parents. Several hours later our bellies were full and our guestlist was nearly complete. When we were trying to decide who to invite we started naming family and close friends that were absolute musts-- people who were involved in our lives since before we could remember and others who showed up much later but played an important role in one way or another. And then there were friends: classmates from elementary school through college, and even current colleagues. Half way through, the task of narrowing our list down to 200 people or less seemed somewhat daunting. At the end of it, there were, of course, countless more people we wanted to invite, but we realized we couldn't-- weddings are expensive! Still, we want to share this whole experience (from the engagement through the marriage) with as many people as possible. To do so, we were initially planning to just invite everyone to the engagement parties, however, some sources say that doing so is poor etiquette. So instead, we'll hold a few casual get-togethers for everyone to meet both of our families and still take part in this adventure of ours, even though we wish we could invite everyone to the actual wedding!

"May God give you of heaven's dew and of earth's richness— an abundance of grain and new wine." -- Genesis 27:28

party time!

"Celebrate love. It is the breath of your existence and the best of all reasons for living." -- Author Unknown

So baby steps... the engagement parties are finally set (dates and locations)! When we were deciding where to hold the engagement party we couldn't settle on a location that was easily accessible to our friends (who mostly reside in Rockland, Manhattan, and NJ), his family (mostly in NJ), and my family (mostly in PA), so we decided to have two parties!

• Sunday, July 6th, 2008 in Mohrsville, PA
• Saturday, September 13th, 2008 in Nutley, NJ

Everyone is definitely welcome to both! Details to follow...

"They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness." -- Psalm 145:7