catching up.

hello lovelies. thank you for your patience with my blogging hiatus the past month. work has been wearing lately, and when i get home in the evenings, i feel as though my brain is fried. i feel like sitting like a lump, or i'm busy with the kids' wedding invitations, etc. there are many exciting things for you to read now, and i will try to do better in the upcoming month. more exciting happenings are in store with dee's birthday this week, jen's baby shower this weekend, christmas, and then justin & lindsay's wedding!

thanksgiving 2008.

this weekend was spent with family and friends at mine and travis's parents' house. it was, of course, our first thanksgiving together as an engaged couple, and our first thanskgiving with lindsay. travis and i had lunch with travis's family first; justin and lindsay did the same with her family. we then all met up for thanksgiving at my parents' houses. we had a full house with all of the us + my aunt penny (always known as "nanny").




to copy jen's example, i want to mention the many things we have to be thankful for and leave you with other pictures of our thanksgiving celebration.

- our recent engagement and the excitement surrounding our future wedding and marriage
- each other
- real friendships
- we will add a new member to the family in the upcoming month
- families we love and adore
- wonderful relationships with friends who are like family to us
- our good health
- provisions for the day-to-day necessities of life

we hope you had a wonderful thanksgiving surrounded by those you love. we were thinking of you.

november 21, 2008: going to the chapel!!!

when i first met travis, he sent me a bouquet of flowers with a card that said "heard any good fairy tales lately?" and it was signed on with his phone number. on friday i received a beautiful bouquet of flowers with a note that read, "are you ready for your next fairy tale?" david and karen thought we needed to look through the flowers for an engagement ring. karen was ready to destroy the bouquet! i insisted that we weren't getting engaged and that travis is just a hopeful romantic. kristy kept saying, "you're getting engaged. have a good weekend engaged girl. call me when you get engaged." i kept insisting that it wasn't about an engagement; travis was just being sweet. i spent the last few hours of the day admiring my beautiful bouquet; five o'clock finally came, and i loaded the flowers in the car, carefully securing them in the seat with the seatbelt. i called my mom on my way home to brag about my flowers. i told her that several people thought i was getting engaged, but i just felt lucky to have a great guy like travis who could send a bouquet like that for no reason at all. when i got to the apartment there was a note on the door that said, "please finish your phone call outside." i figured travis was on a phone call or watching a movie. i got the door unlocked, walked in the living room and sat down the flowers. i didn't see travis, but before i had a chance to say anything the beginning of the movie "sweet home alabama" begin playing. "sweet home alabama" was one of the first movies that travis and i ever watched together, and we used to watch it over and over again. we often quote it being silly. the movie was cued to play right at the moment when dakota fanning asks the little boy, "what do you want to be married to me for anyhow?" his response, "so i can kiss you anytime i want." at that moment, travis walked around the corner and said, "are you ready for your next fairy tale -- he then got down on one knee with the ring in hand -- as my wife?" i couldn't believe it! it didn't seem real. i quickly walked across the room, and said, "yes! of course!" we were both a little choked up. travis put the ring on my hand and i couldn't believe how beautiful it was (is).

we didn't have a lot of time at that moment to call everyone to announce it because we had to be in muskogee by 7:00 so that i could shoot a commercial for my parents' pool hall. i jumped in the shower, quickly got ready, put my jumper on, and away we went. my phone has never been busier. we didn't call our families because we wanted to surprise them when we showed up.

i was able to reach jen, shannon, mandi, and claudine. i could not reach amelia (for two days!!) and andy and kasi didn't answer immediately, but they both called me back and screamed when i told them the news. my friends were so excited for me, and they could never know how much that means to me.

when we got to the pool hall, the camera man was already set up and waiting for me. i kept trying to get my mom and dad to notice, but we were there for almost an hour before my mom said anything. she was actually at the far end of the counter when she suddenly slammed her hand down on the counter, exclaimed, "oh my gosh!" and came quickly to my end of the counter. she had a huge smile on her face as she grabbed my hand. she said she didn't realize what it was earlier, that she had seen it, but just thought i was wearing jewelry for the commercial. my dad saw her face and came over to see what the excitement was about. he never says much, and in keeping with character, he just smiled. i was glad that he smiled though, and seemed to be okay with the engagement.

justin and lindsay arrived while i was on the phone with kasi. i put travis on the line with her, and we thought justin realized what was going on. it actually took them a few more minutes to catch on. after we told them, we headed to the house so that i could show sierra. justin and i were the only two who went in the house. i kept petting the ivory and asking sierra what was on the dog's stomach trying to get her to notice my hand. when she did finally see it, i thought she was going to pass out! she shouted when she saw and grabbed my hand for a closer look. she gave me a huge hug and told me she was so happy for us. i gave her the story and then we had to head out to dinner with lindsay and justin.

the waitress noticed my ring, and travis told her that we weren't the only newly engaged. he told her that justin and lindsay had just gotten engaged a couple of weeks ago. the waitress was excited for all of us and congratulated everyone.

we weren't able to do much else after dinner because justin had to work the next morning. i didn't mind, though. i was basking in the glow of being engaged! :)

we stayed the night at my parents and headed to travis's parents the next morning. we were there for a while before anyone noticed. as i've mentioned before, steve asks us every visit, numerous times, when we are to get married. of course the day we have news, he neglects to bring it up. he was out in the garage rebuilding the engine to dee's truck, so he was a little preoccupied. when he came in travis told him that i had received flowers at work friday from a strange guy. steve's response, "that's a good way to keep that finger naked for a long time." i was then able to tell him that i had, in fact, gotten clothes for my finger just the day before. i held out the ring and he said, "i see that. it looks a little overdressed to me." sheesh ... there is no pleasing that man. =) dee frowned at him when he said that, and then told me that it was very pretty. we had to leave for a bit, but when we came back, dee came over, kissed my forehead and told me congratulations. she said she wasn't expecting it right at the moment that we told them and she felt she was too distracted by the upcoming family reunion and thanksgiving to respond the way she would have liked. she told me that she was proud of us and happy for us. we told amanda while she was at work, and we thought she was going to pass out. she panicked at first, but later told us that she was happy for us (and that she loved me).

it was fun sharing my news with everyone at work. kate screamed when i told her, and she wanted to hear all about it. the guys keep saying i need a crane to carry my hand around. i'm having so much fun!

travis and i would like to get married in the spring, but we're thinking it will probably be october 2009. we haven't set an official date, but of course, you will be some of the first to know when we do.

thank you for all of your well-wishes and loving words of kindness!

love, travis and rhiannon

11.09.08: lindsay's bridal shower.

lindsay's shower was held on a sunday, and my weekend leading up to it was crazy. travis had gone to muskogee, so i did most of the running around on my own. my aunt brenda, mandi, and i hosted the shower at mandi's house, but we didn't get to see each other much beforehand because everyone was so busy. the week of the shower my aunt had two dinner banquets and another luncheon that she was hosting. the day of the shower, i rushed around picking up last minute items and hoping that i would have time to get everything ready in time. i met my mom in owasso and we headed to mandi's. the colors i used for the shower were shades of pink, chocolate, and splashes of lime. everyone had a good time, and i got to meet lindsay's sister sarah and her mom for the first time. i also met her grandmother. they were all very sweet and seemed to have a good time getting to know one another. i was excited that the event was a success, but was sad when i realized i didn't get pictures of several of the focal points of the shower. i had candles and pictures of the kids on the coffee table and a large 11 x 14 frame on a stand and it's own table. lindsay and justin received some wonderful gifts for starting their new life together ... now they just have to unpack and put them all away.

weekend review.

what a great weekend. too short, as most weekends are, but a great weekend nonetheless.


it started out a little rough on friday when i had to leave work because i was in a lot of pain and on the verge of passing out. i came home around 3:30 and went straight to bed. travis woke me a few hours later when he got home from work to give me some advil. it didn't help the pain, so i called my doctor and he put me back on lortab.

on saturday travis and i both slept until almost 1:00; this is not usual for us. once we woke up we spent the afternoon around the apartment, and then we headed to muskogee. we spent some time at travis's parents' house where we had a really good visit with everyone. we waited for justin to get off work and then helped him and lindsay move some of their furniture into their new house. i was starving, but by the time we got everything moved, it was time for the latest showing at the theater, and everyone decided they would rather see the movie and grab dinner after. we watched body of lies. it was pretty good ... long, but good. i think that i got tired before the last 20 minutes of the movie, and grew anxious for it to be over.

since the movie lasted so late and since justin had to work first thing the next morning, we headed to our respective homes.

sunday was an excellent fall afternoon. we spent time shopping for travis new pants. we went to the mall and spent some time there. we went to sam's and got a membership. there are some serving platters there that i am trying to decide whether or not to purchase them. after sam's we went to a restaurant that is near and dear to our hearts -- el tequila. if you've read our "100 things" you'll know this is where we spent several of our first dates. the food was delicious; it had been a long time since we had been there.

after dinner we did some more shopping at target and then headed to blockbuster to pick up some movies to wrap up our evening. i was pretty tired by the end of the shopping spree. i didn't make it through the movies. i was taking my medicine again and trying to do the bills ... may i advise you to not do the same. =) i noticed i put a $48.67 purchase down as $19.99 -- there was no purchase for $19.99! sheesh.

today it was back to the grindstone at work. i'm looking forward to the upcoming holidays and wedding festivities ... though, it does mean that i have my work cut out for me over the next few weeks.

catch up.

where has the time gone? the past few weeks seem to have flown by, and i've found myself completely exhausted. as soon as i get home from work, i seem to fall into a drug-like sleep, one that is impossible to fight, and hard to drag myself out of. i've missed blogging, though, and apologize to those of you who keep up with us on a regular basis. my resolution is to do much better these next few weeks.
our past weekend has been consumed with justin & lindsay's save-the-date cards. we made some last minute changes and then had printer issues trying to get them completed. travis was a champ, and even more excited about them than i was. he is so glad that i am finally starting to do my design work out of our home. he's been suggesting that i do it for quite some time now until we are able to get a boutique open. the wedding has forced me to get back to designing (and for that i am thankful). i have more designs to come up with -- bridal shower invitations are going out tomorrow, and then i still have the wedding invitations and the wedding programs. wedding programs are always a pain and a half to create ... but they're one of my favorite things at the same time, don't ask me why.
once i have several designs, i plan to seek help in designing a website. we are able to get web hosting through travis's office, but there is no one who does the design work. i have an idea of what i would like for it to look like ... just getting someone to help me is the kicker.
travis also wants to do more pc work on the side as well. we're working on getting a flyer put together for his neighborhood pc.
yesterday we went for a walk together around one of the parks in muskogee. the weather was nice and it felt good to walk. with my back injury and then my surgery, i have been a lot less active than i like; travis, too. we both want to get back in shape, and just healthier.
we went to an aikido class last thursday night and observed. it's something that travis has been interested in for a while. it was pretty interesting. i think that he is going to start the class in november. i am still contemplating. if i do, i will be the only woman in the class ... and i'm not sure that i am as into it as travis; actually i think i am intimidated and afraid of looking dumb.
we wished today that we had more friends in the tulsa area that we could spend time with so that we don't have to go to muskogee every time we want someone to hang out with . it's hard to find couple friends, though, and i've always been more of a quality, not quantity kind of person. while i have quite a few acquaintances, i don't know that i have many people i would consider close friends.
the weather is turning cooler, and right now i am hoping that we won't skip right over fall and go into winter. we've had several "fall" days, but definitely not a season's worth and there have already been a couple of days when it felt like you needed a heavy coat all day long.
the holidays are coming, along with the wedding, and many changes are in store. it's going to be an exciting few months.

december 27, 2008.

below are the save the date cards that i designed for lindsay and justin's wedding. i had quite a bit of trouble getting them to post on the blog for some reason. the only file that has the correct coloring is the first picture. for the following three images, you will have to use your imagination a little bit. the cards are 4.25" x 6." i wish they would have posted a little better, but you get the idea.

i believe this is the save the date they plan to go with.

proof no. 02

proof no. 03

proof no. 04

a quick photoshoot.

i personally think we're a great looking couple! :)

fake height

oh yeah

eeew

ends with a kiss

orange peel 2008

this weekend i made the trek to stillwater for orange peel. it was the first time i had really seen amelia since she moved back. i got to see her cute new house and then we headed to gallagher.
we didn't get there for the start of the show since amelia and i both had to work. when we arrived at the arena, kelly pickler was just finishing her set and then motion city soundtrack came out. both artists did a great job, but everyone was anxiously awaiting sugarland. this was by far the best orange peel. other years there were a couple of good artists, but the show always had places were it would drag. that was not the case this year.
i don't think i have yet come down from the excitement we had at the concert. sugarland puts on a great show. jennifer is adorable! and she and kristian have so much chemistry. the entire crowd was very into the show, and you can tell that the band has a great time and really cares about their fans. amelia and i have already said that we will definitely have to make it to another of their shows.
on saturday, travis and i spent most of the day together running errands around tulsa and just driving around. we both did not want to spend another day couped up in the apartment. we eventually found our way to muskogee where we picked up my breakfast table and chairs. we originally had not planned to use a table in our apartment since it's much smaller than our last one; we were just going to use the bar. we both have grown weary of just sitting on the couch, though, and we were looking at the space we have and felt like we could accomodate a small table.
we went by the lears where we spent most of our time with amanda. everyone was at the house. dee was cooking and steve was waiting to go to work that evening. we had fun catching up with amanda. usually we see her for a moment or two before she's out the door or we're headed back to tulsa.
we waited around town a bit longer waiting for justin to get off work. we met him and lindsay at red lobster for dinner. everyone has been a little upset that we haven't had much time together lately. we had fun and dinner was good, but everyone at the restaurant, especially our waiter, all seemed to be having a bad night. we also had to hurry because justin and lindsay had told everyone to meet to ride. travis stayed in town to ride with them, and i went back to the house to visit with my mom. i stuck around for a few hours, and she and i both vented. i wish now that we had spent our time together in a more pleasant manner since our time together is so limited, but i think it's good that we both had someone to talk to. travis got home late last night (but really only about an hour after i did). he carried the table and chairs up and i helped get them into the house. neither of us slept very well tonight. we fell asleep talking and i think it left a lot on both of our minds.
today travis has to work all day long. i slept in a little after he left since i didn't sleep much last night. now i'm doing little chores around the house to make sure everything is ready for the new week. my plan is to come up with several proofs of justin and lindsay's save the date cards so that we can get those sent out, hopefully by next weekend.

follow up.

this afternoon i left for the doctor in muskogee for my first check up since the surgery. halfway there i got a call saying that the doctor would not be able to make our 1:00 appointment and instead would like to meet with me at 3:30. since i was already halfway there, i didn't want to turn around, drive back to tulsa, work for an hour and then turn around and leave again. when i got to town i called my mom to see if she would like to meet me for lunch, but she was unable to. i was going to call dee and see if she had eaten lunch yet, but my mom and i ended up being on the phone for well over an hour. by the time we hung up, it was well past lunch. i went to hobby lobby because i've needed to check on some frames and other accessories for a while, but never have the time to go in. i spent time walking around, talking to mom about justin's wedding, and trying to get inspiration for his and lindsay's upcoming wedding events.

i got to the doctor's office at about 3:15 ... and didn't get to see the doctor until a little after 4:00. i thought i was going to fall asleep in the waiting room. when i did finally see him, dr. powell explained everything that had been done in my surgery. i had heard it all before from my family, but not from him, since i was still under after the procedures. he assured me that everything came back clear and that the only thing we have to worry about right now is everything developing and growing again. he also said when it is time for me to have children, i may need to have a few procedures, nothing that he seemed too concerned about, however.

i was headed out of town and back to tulsa when my mom called and asked if i could come by the house to discuss the save-the-date, wedding invitations, bridal shower, and registry while justin and lindsay were both at the house. it was a very short discussion. justin was not into it at all ... which was a little surprising to me. i've always pictured him as the kind of guy who would be excited about all the details and interesting in being involved. not to say that he's not involved; right now i would just say he is more focused on the new house and furniture for it.

after our wedding discussion, he asked sierra and i to come with him to show lindsay the new range he had purchased for their kitchen, along with a dining set. after that, he called the realtor and asked him to please let us in the house so that i could see it. i was excited to get to see the inside. travis and i had driven by and seen the facade, but nothing more. i think it's a great house for them in a great neighborhood. i think they're eagerly anticipating the day they receive the keys and can begin making it their home.

tonight, i am exhausted. i was ready for bed at 9:30 and even laid down, but travis and i started talking, and i find myself still awake ... not for much longer, though. i just realized it had been a few days since my last post, and i want to stay in the habit of posting. tomorrow is friday ... i couldn't be more thankful.