Quelle joie!

Being engaged has been such a joy! I can't wait to be married to Dale.

Recent happenings:
First pre-marital counseling session with Pastor Scott Iken. Over a meal of fajitas and chimichangas, Dale shared some of the reasons he loves me (and later, reasons why I love him). I feel confident about our relationship because our foundation is our desire to love and serve God and one another. Additionally, Dale has a huge heart, he is ridiculously good looking and he's the least annoying person I know. :)

Wedding dresses. I tried on my Mom's Priscilla of Boston dress as well as my Grandma's dress. Both are BEAUTIFUL and caused some of my North Oaks mothers to shed a tear when they saw me in the gowns. I considered wearing one of their dresses, but I decided that I wanted a more contemporary look. Despite the fact My Mom had had surgery the previous week and was wearing a HUGE red cast, we zipped around town and looked at dresses at Brides of France in Edina, David's Bridal at Har-Mar, The Bride Center in Oakdale and finally, we ventured to The Wedding Shoppe on Grand Avenue in St. Paul.

Initially, trying on the dresses (which ranged in price from $300-$4,000) was stressful for me. I want to look and feel stunning, but even if I had billions of dollars, I couldn't in good conscious spend even $1,000 on a dress. However, Misty, our Wedding Shoppe guru, guided me to the dress I have chosen. It fits beautifully, it is elegant yet a little edgy. Wow factor rating: 10.

Graduation. In addition to looking like a babe, Jill was in Madison's top two percent. Jill makes me so proud; my heart swelled when they announced her name. I also really like her boyfriend Al.

Kitchen supplies. Kae Bjorklund, Laurie Chalmers and Brenda Glassow threw me a surprise engagement party complete with a cake and gifts! I received a hand mixer, mixing bowl and a variety of kitchen spoons. While sitting in a wheelchair with her leg fully extended, my Mom and I navigated tight store displays as well as the china departments at Galleria. Her in/out of the car gymnastics routine will soon be ready for Beijing 2008.

I am so blessed.

Details still in the works:
Suit or tux?
Ann Hallstrom Gentry or Ann Klosterman Gentry? Thoughts?