Friday, March 26, 2010
Oxbow Regional Park
We have officially chosen a venue and a date for the wedding! We will be getting married August 1, 2010 at Oxbow Regional Park in Gresham, Oregon. Tony and I visited the site last week and we will be visiting again soon with some family and friends to get an idea of how everything is going to come together.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Destination: Costa Rica
My wonderful mother is organizing an amazing adventure for Tony and I. One day we were talking about what Tony and I should register for. The problem is - from living independently for the past five years and living in dorms, we have the typical registry items.
Toaster? Check. Blender? Check. Mixer? Check.
So, my mom brought up to me this fantastic idea of registering for a honeymoon. Originally Tony and I were planning on spending a few nights camping or going somewhere local... now we are thinking Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica.
Costa Rica is such a beautiful place. For those of you who do not know, my father is Costa Rican (hence the last name Flores). I visited there when I was a child and fell in love. I am so excited to be able to share this beautiful place with Tony.
So what we are going to do is create a honeymoon registry page and family and friends can gift a part of our trip. For example, you can send us snorkeling! Tony and I will post pictures of us enjoying your gift and personally thank you! I will post a link when the site is made. I am very excited for this and it would be such a meaningful gift to us both.
I spent today looking at wedding websites like www.offbeatbride.com with my friend Amber. We found really fun ideas like wrapping tables in construction paper and having crayons on each table for guests to doodle. Anyways, that is all for today. Hope everyone is doing well!
Toaster? Check. Blender? Check. Mixer? Check.
So, my mom brought up to me this fantastic idea of registering for a honeymoon. Originally Tony and I were planning on spending a few nights camping or going somewhere local... now we are thinking Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica.
So what we are going to do is create a honeymoon registry page and family and friends can gift a part of our trip. For example, you can send us snorkeling! Tony and I will post pictures of us enjoying your gift and personally thank you! I will post a link when the site is made. I am very excited for this and it would be such a meaningful gift to us both.
I spent today looking at wedding websites like www.offbeatbride.com with my friend Amber. We found really fun ideas like wrapping tables in construction paper and having crayons on each table for guests to doodle. Anyways, that is all for today. Hope everyone is doing well!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Tomorrow..
Tony and I are going to be visiting some possible venues! I am excited! I think we are going to be looking at two parks.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
A question...
Hey guys, so I have gotten tons of positive feedback from this blog! Thank you! So, now that I know people are reading this.... I would like to ask some advice. So COMMENT! This is meant to be an interactive blog :)
Where should Tony and I get married???
Things that are important to us:
1. Outdoors - we are talking state parks, campgrounds, backyards... we are not looking for some immaculate, well-manicured place - it needs some character :) so, do you know some amazing, little gem of a park or someone that has some property that is wedding friendly?
2. Trees. The bigger, the greener, the better.
3. Close to a river, lake, creek, or something of the sort.
4. We need to find somewhere that can handle 100+ people.
5. Picnic tables. Please.
6. Electricity.
7. Parking.
8. Dog friendly.
Where should Tony and I get married???
Things that are important to us:
1. Outdoors - we are talking state parks, campgrounds, backyards... we are not looking for some immaculate, well-manicured place - it needs some character :) so, do you know some amazing, little gem of a park or someone that has some property that is wedding friendly?
2. Trees. The bigger, the greener, the better.
3. Close to a river, lake, creek, or something of the sort.
4. We need to find somewhere that can handle 100+ people.
5. Picnic tables. Please.
6. Electricity.
7. Parking.
8. Dog friendly.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Wedding Ideas
Here are the thoughts so far...
- Outdoor. We currently looking at Milo McIver State Park which is about 45 minutes outside of Portland. Camping themed wedding? I think so.
- Hanging lanters, string lights, and all sorts of artsy illumination
- Dog friendly :) This is my dog Gunnar who will be in attendance. Sadly, our venue is in a protected wildlife area so no pets are allowed :(
Our Story
My and Tony's story is of the most dramatic, soap-opera caliber. He was my roommate's ex-boyfriend. Yes, that is as terrible of an idea as it sounds and all sorts of drama ensued, but it turned out alright in the end :)
See, this particular roommate had already been with a new boyfriend for several months and had even made the comment, "Tony is such a great guy I would be so happy if any of you dated him." I didn't give it a second thought as I had never even met the guy. My other roommate however one day came to me and said, "Leah, I kind of have a crush on Tony. What do you think?" I thought about it, and then replied, "Well, she said she would be happy if any of us dated him, but you remember how upset she was when they broke up; it's probably not a good idea."
Five months later I had my first date with Tony. Whoops.
The summer between my sophomore and junior year of college I was at my parents' home and was horribly sick. I spent an entire week in bed and surfed the internet on my laptop to keep myself occupied. I happened to come across Tony's facebook profile and added him as a friend. He then sent me a quick note and told me that I had been his awesome tour guide a few years ago when he came to visit the college. I replied...
These brief comments soon turned into full paragraphs, then messages, then phone calls, and me obsessively checking my email every five seconds and asking friends "Does he like me? I don't know... do you think so? I think he likes me, I hope he likes me. Didn't the way he typed 'hi' made it sound like he likes me?" I was insufferable.
Our first date was going to see the movie Die Hard 4: Die Hard or Die Trying. I drove to the wrong parking lot and face planted on the stairs. We sat in the parking lot talking for hours until a vespa-riding security guard kicked us out for it was the wee hours of the morning and they were closed.
The next month was a whirlwind. We both worked during the week, and then would squeeze every second out of the weekend being together. We went on hikes, to the movies, the Scottish Highlands Festival, the Oregon Zoo, the Apecaves, and every time I came home I asked the obvious, "Do you think he likes me, he wouldn't ask me to do all of this stuff if he didn't like me, right? Maybe he is just friendly... Maybe he doesn't like me at all and I am being stupid. Maybe we are just being good friends."
One month later he invited me to go camping with his family. His cousin asked if I was his girlfriend, he replied quickly, "Oh, she is just a friend." I felt like I got the wind knocked out of me... I was just a friend! This situation would be remedied before the day wore out. At the campfire that night he asked if I would like to go on a walk with him. There was a beautiful, full moon and we walked through the quiet campgrounds without the aid of a flashlight. He reached for my hand and we strolled by the lake, our fingers interlocked. We found canoes overturned on the bank which are rented out during the day to campers. Tony asked if I wanted to take it out on the lake. I said yes (However, I was terrified because I thought we were going to get yelled at for taking the boats without permission - but in the midst of my internal conflict, weighing the risks and rewards - I decided to get in the boat with the very cute boy).
We pushed the boat into the lake and got engulfed into the mist. It was truly the perfect moment for a first kiss <3 He then said, "I have really enjoyed spending the last several weeks with you and I wanted to know... if I could see you... a little more permanently." I grinned and said, "I would like that."
See, this particular roommate had already been with a new boyfriend for several months and had even made the comment, "Tony is such a great guy I would be so happy if any of you dated him." I didn't give it a second thought as I had never even met the guy. My other roommate however one day came to me and said, "Leah, I kind of have a crush on Tony. What do you think?" I thought about it, and then replied, "Well, she said she would be happy if any of us dated him, but you remember how upset she was when they broke up; it's probably not a good idea."
Five months later I had my first date with Tony. Whoops.
The summer between my sophomore and junior year of college I was at my parents' home and was horribly sick. I spent an entire week in bed and surfed the internet on my laptop to keep myself occupied. I happened to come across Tony's facebook profile and added him as a friend. He then sent me a quick note and told me that I had been his awesome tour guide a few years ago when he came to visit the college. I replied...
Leah Flores Hey, thanks for the great tour review! How is your summer going?
Tony Michael Ell It's going pretty dang well, just hanging out, working and playing basketball. How is yours? Did you stay in Portland for the summer?
These brief comments soon turned into full paragraphs, then messages, then phone calls, and me obsessively checking my email every five seconds and asking friends "Does he like me? I don't know... do you think so? I think he likes me, I hope he likes me. Didn't the way he typed 'hi' made it sound like he likes me?" I was insufferable.
Our first date was going to see the movie Die Hard 4: Die Hard or Die Trying. I drove to the wrong parking lot and face planted on the stairs. We sat in the parking lot talking for hours until a vespa-riding security guard kicked us out for it was the wee hours of the morning and they were closed.
The next month was a whirlwind. We both worked during the week, and then would squeeze every second out of the weekend being together. We went on hikes, to the movies, the Scottish Highlands Festival, the Oregon Zoo, the Apecaves, and every time I came home I asked the obvious, "Do you think he likes me, he wouldn't ask me to do all of this stuff if he didn't like me, right? Maybe he is just friendly... Maybe he doesn't like me at all and I am being stupid. Maybe we are just being good friends."
Our first picture together using night vision on my camera while in the Ape Caves.
One month later he invited me to go camping with his family. His cousin asked if I was his girlfriend, he replied quickly, "Oh, she is just a friend." I felt like I got the wind knocked out of me... I was just a friend! This situation would be remedied before the day wore out. At the campfire that night he asked if I would like to go on a walk with him. There was a beautiful, full moon and we walked through the quiet campgrounds without the aid of a flashlight. He reached for my hand and we strolled by the lake, our fingers interlocked. We found canoes overturned on the bank which are rented out during the day to campers. Tony asked if I wanted to take it out on the lake. I said yes (However, I was terrified because I thought we were going to get yelled at for taking the boats without permission - but in the midst of my internal conflict, weighing the risks and rewards - I decided to get in the boat with the very cute boy).
We pushed the boat into the lake and got engulfed into the mist. It was truly the perfect moment for a first kiss <3 He then said, "I have really enjoyed spending the last several weeks with you and I wanted to know... if I could see you... a little more permanently." I grinned and said, "I would like that."
It has been 2 years, 7 months, and 12 days since that night.
2007 - Toys 4 Tots Benefit Dance
2008 - Looking suave before a hike in the Columbia Gorge
2009 - Just being us :)
2010 - Hiking through old logging trails in Washington State.
P.S. Here is an adorable picture of my man and soon-to-be brothers. Can you guess which one is Tony?
Friday, March 12, 2010
We're Engaged!
Hello everyone,
My boyfriend, Tony Ell, proposed to me this past weekend. I thought that starting a blog would be a great way to keep everybody updated on the planning, any details, and just keeping in touch! We are very excited and planning on getting married August 1st, 2010. We are searching for a venue right now and are trying to keep it within one hour of the Portland Metro area. I will be updating this regularly so please stop by and check often! Feel free to comment - share ideas and love!
Tony proposed at Wildlife Safari, and animal park in Winston, Oregon. It was amazing! It is a drive-through park where you are in the enclosures with ostriches, zebras, camels, giraffes, etc. It was pretty fantastic and a pretty amazing place to be proposed to at :) Oh! I love the ring! I am not a jewelry kind of girl and wanted something much more organic. Tony found a beautiful ring that is made out of Maple wood and is locally crafted in Portland, Oregon! A little nontraditional, but I love it!
My boyfriend, Tony Ell, proposed to me this past weekend. I thought that starting a blog would be a great way to keep everybody updated on the planning, any details, and just keeping in touch! We are very excited and planning on getting married August 1st, 2010. We are searching for a venue right now and are trying to keep it within one hour of the Portland Metro area. I will be updating this regularly so please stop by and check often! Feel free to comment - share ideas and love!
Tony proposed at Wildlife Safari, and animal park in Winston, Oregon. It was amazing! It is a drive-through park where you are in the enclosures with ostriches, zebras, camels, giraffes, etc. It was pretty fantastic and a pretty amazing place to be proposed to at :) Oh! I love the ring! I am not a jewelry kind of girl and wanted something much more organic. Tony found a beautiful ring that is made out of Maple wood and is locally crafted in Portland, Oregon! A little nontraditional, but I love it!
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