Engagement Party!

Last night, my 3 best friends (Sarah, Amy, & Stephanie, through cyberspace) threw me & Nathan an engagement party! It was seriously perfect (except for the fact that Steph wasn't there). It was a fun, classy evening full of wine, cupcakes, and friends. Sarah made the BEST cupcakes I've ever had, Gretchen made brownies, Dan made tea-cake, Amy/Caroline made fruit pizzas, and Shauna made pumpkin cookies! I might be forgetting something.... but it was all SO good! And, we made some tasty sangria to share with all the guests.

My favorite part of the evening was definitely the toasts. Amy read Stephanie's toast, and I was so deeply touched. Nathan & I saved the copy of it. =) I loved all her cute jokes, and also the sweet, encouraging things she said about my relationship with Nathan. She has played such a huge part in my life & thus in my relationship with Nathan, and it was an honor to have her toast us. Next, Amy & Sarah made an adorable candid speech, which I loved in every single way. It made my heart so happy to have them standing there with me. They, too, have been huge influences in my life & my relationship with Nathan. I can't say how much those 3 girls mean to me.

Nathan's best friends also toasted! His friend Sean gave one of the most touching speeches I've ever heard. He called Nathan his soulmate and said all sorts of wonderful truths about how much of a wonderful man Nathan is. I'm so blessed to have Sean as a friend. He's a great listener, a great thinker, and one of the sweetest human beings I've ever known. He's taught both Nathan & myself a lot in our time as friends, and I'm thankful that Nathan has had him as a friend for these 4 years.

Nathan's other friend & roommate, Ian said some sweet things, too. Ian is such a tender, gentle soul, and I'm so happy that Nathan's last "roommate" experience is with Ian. I love coming over to their place and watching them have conversations with one another. They're such great friends for each other, and Ian has quickly become one of my favorite friends. I was so glad he made a toast.

All in all, the night was better than I could've ever imagined. And, what better way to end the evening than going to McDonalds for a large french fries? Yes, we totally got fries on the way home. No shame. =)

A few pictures from the evening! More to come!

Me & my Allison!

Just being silly!

Me & my man!

Me & my dear friend Dan.

Both of the Beccas!

Wonderful friends: Shauna, Cole, and Becca.

We're both engaged!!!

The crew, at Amy's ADORABLE house.

Me & sweet Hailey.

The DELICIOUS assortment of desserts. =)