A Very Big Surprise

Wow

 After the weekend Mrs. Stefanie Bushore (formerly Lauer, our very own Monday blogger) and I have had, this post is gonna be short and sweet and very very sentimental.

I had the most wonderful weekend planning my best friend's SURPRISE WEDDING.  I REPEAT,  she had NO IDEA she was getting married.  

This was not an easy feat especially after sending out almost 200 invitations and having 180 guests there, I am SHOCKED and totally proud that WE ALL pulled it off. She had no clue...NONE. She went to crossfit only a few hours before her proposal...yea not a clue.

Oh man--her face seeing us there was priceless...and then when she found out it was her wedding day in that moment of confusion, enlightenment and pure joy I saw how much her heart filled and I know she felt how important and special she is to all of us who love her.

The day couldn't have been more perfect. Every moment was amazing...every tear...every kiss...every fill of the wine glass from the amazing winery where it was held. I am told I was a major part in this day (yes I am very humble and I always think I could have done so much more), helping with all the little details, pouring my heart into making my best friends day perfect and special and EXACTLY what she would have ever wanted as if she planned it all herself...and guess what that's exactly what I did with the help of some pretty amazing people.
You know who you are.


What I've learned during this journey is that if you put your heart into anything and everything you do, it becomes extraordinary moments you enjoy.  And when those moments are paired with someone you love more than words, that love will come back to you tenfold. Throughout these years (we've known each other since we were just little girls!), Stefanie and I have become more than friends--we have become two people who love and support each other through every mountain valley, hill, and plateau. I could have never imagined in my wildest dreams that I would have such an amazing best friend. Shoot, I never in a million years thought this was possible...... sometimes dreams do come true and I am so glad it happened to such a beautiful soul who deserves it more than she knows.
(yes Stefanie you deserve every bit of it)

Tonight my cup runnith over, and my best friend became a wife to the man she's always loved. If that isn't a love story, I don't know what is! Congratulations Ryan and Stefanie Bushore, I love you guys <3

Surprise! You're getting married today!

On Saturday morning, I woke up thinking I was going to a wine tasting in Temecula with a bunch of lawyers from Chicago. A friend of my boyfriend, who was in town for the weekend, had invited us to Wien's Family Cellars to partake in an extravagant 14 course meal and pairings. Knowing that they were wine connoisseurs, I didn't think much of it.

I had planned to go check out my friend Heather's CrossFit gym in the morning and then head to the wine tasting afterwards. I had a horrible migraine, so I decided to not do the WOD, but my boyfriend Ryan still did. After working out, we headed home to get ready and were out the door by 1:30pm. I was driving and was soon frustrated by the traffic as Siri said we would be over 20 minutes late for the party. Ryan had been texting his friend "Adam" the entire drive, giving him updates on when we would be arriving and finding out exactly where we needed to go when we got to the winery.

The moment I saw the ring!

We got out of the car and headed in through a side gate, when Ryan pulled me up to a stage that overlooked the vineyard, where he said we should take our normal selfie picture as it would probably be dark when we were done with the tasting.  This was a common occurrence for us and the majority of our pictures are self taken.

We posed and he extended the camera in front of us and there was a HUGE ring on his finger.  He asked if I wanted to upgrade the one that I already had.  In the commotion, he recalls asking me to marry him, but I don't remember!  It's all a blur.

STILL thinking that I was wine tasting with "Adam", we headed into the cellar room where some of my close friends and family were.  Ryan pointed to a dress hanging from a wine barrel and told me that my wedding was at 5:30pm, so I better go get ready!  He handed me a glass of champagne, told me how much he loved me and then rushed me to the bridal suite to get ready. (All of this coming from a guy that said he would NEVER get married)

This amazing man thought of EVERYTHING!  I had three dresses to choose from, shoes galore, jewelry, a hair stylist, a make-up artist, you name it and it was pretty much waiting for me. As the night progressed, I kept finding out little tidbits of information, like the fact that my mom and best friend Andrea had been conspiring with him for nearly a year and my dear friend Heather who played it up and asked if I wanted to go to lunch after CrossFit or the fact that she wouldn't give me wardrobe advice for the wine tasting because she wasn't invited!!!!

When it was time to walk down the aisle, I was greeted by 180 of my closest family and friends, ALL who started cheering when I walked up.  Taken aback by their support, I started crying for the millionth time of the day and headed towards my soon to be husband!

The ceremony was perfect, Ryan telling me how sorry he was for keeping this all from me and how our relationship is starting off with lies and deceit; but also how much he loves me and the only way he could truly express his love was by doing the one thing that he has always said he would never do!  All I could say was what an AMAZING gift this was and how I am floored that someone loves me this much to surprise me with a wedding!

The rest of the night was us trying to say hi to everyone, dancing, hilarious speeches, awesome food and fabulous beer, wine and champagne! It was a night that I will always remember and tear up every time I think about it!

My life is forever changed.  I can't tell you how much I love this man!
 
So many people worked hard to make my day perfect, from the beautiful decorations and rustic romantic ambiance that Andrea some how found the time to make, the amazing cupcakes from Cakes by Marian, the countless hours John put in for the invitations, beautiful bouquets made by Bertha Owen, the friendships that have been created with Christine Pierce at Wiens, Christi for the fabulous chocolate chip cookies, Tony for being our emcee for the night, Phil for standing up in front of everyone and marrying us, Evan, Rob, Kristina and my Mom for being such an amazing support system and helping with everything...I'm sure that I am missing so many and I'm sorry!

To all those that were there to share my day, THANK YOU!  You have no idea how honored I feel that you would all show up in hopes that I said yes!

To the love of my life, THANK YOU.  I can't tell you how much this really means to me and how I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you!

P.S.  Paybacks are a bitch!  I love you!