JANUARY
let the wedding planning begin! and the 4th semester of graduate school, but that was significantly less fun...
- By the end of this month, the reception and ceremony locations were chosen.
- R moved into our apartment this month.
FEBRUARY
february was a jam-packed month!
- our sweet friends Nathan and Emily got married! R was a groomsman in their wedding (and Nathan was later a groomsman in ours)
- i bought my wedding dress! sister and i both took an afternoon off and drive to the woodlands so i could show her a dress i found in dallas that i liked. however, we ended up with a completely different dress and bought it on site.
- we celebrated valentine's day with a delicious dinner and sweet conversation over {my very favorite} dessert and coffee. if you haven't had a chocolate strawberry tart from Cafe Eccell in CS, change that immediately!
- R spent a week in Arizona for Spring Training with the Rangers. another check off the bucket list!
MARCH
march was a sweet month- i spent spring break at home running wedding related errands and hanging out with my boy.
- i spent a week in nashville at the gaylord opryland for the Applied Ergonomics Conference. my team for a class project won the national student ergonomics competition and a trip to this conference was part of the prize. it was a really great week- i learned a lot, networked even more and enjoyed exploring one of the coolest hotels in the US (while carrying around the trophy below). then momma came and we spent the weekend exploring nashville an going to see my cousin and his family.
APRIL
april was a quiet month for us. rangers baseball was in full swing and i was finishing up the last of my time in college station. i had a major final project due (that took the place of a thesis) and finished my time serving with Breakaway ministries in CS.
MAY
i finished up finals and moved back to dallas! my last semster (summer) classes were all online and i was given the opportunity to do my internship from home in dallas. such a blessing!
- we had a couples shower to celebrate my sweet friend kristin and her guy, kenny, on cinco de mayo.
- sister graduated from texas a&m! whoop!!
- R and I also started our pre-marital class at watermark church this month. 8 weeks of getting to know my guy better and preparing for our life together-- challenging but so encouraging!
JUNE
this month was full of rangers baseball, pre-marital counseling and other weddings!
- kristin's bachelorette party fell at the beginning of this month. we spent a weekend at the lakehouse laying in the sun, riding jet skis, playing games and catching up. loved every minute!
- my cousin david married liz in boerne, texas this june! it was a beautiful wedding and a sweet weekend with my enitre family {R included} in the texas hill country-- doesn't get much better!
- kristin got hitched in june, too! kris has been my friend for over 20 years now and i can't tell you how much fun it has been to watch her fall in love with kenny and be able to stand next to her as she promised life with him. it was an incredible wedding filled with so much laughter and love-- thankful to get to be a part!
JULY
july was another crazy month filled with wedding-related events. both of Russell and i's wedding showers were in the same weekend.
- first up was our couple's shower at my aunt and uncle's house. it was perfect! the food was wonderful, decorations were precious and so many of our closest friends and family were there to celebrate with us! not to mention, we were incredibly blessed by the gifts given to us.
- next we had a shower at the church R grew up in! this one was thrown by 10 ladies that know and love the McLaughlin family tremendously. once again, we were blown away by the love, encouragement and gifts we received. Insanely thankful!
- R's brother trey married kali at the end of this month! we took a quick trip to longview to be there to celebrate them!
AUGUST
- my sweet friends + sister threw me a bachelorette party this month! we hopped on a bus and took a tour to three local grapevine wineries-- plenty of great wine tasting and dinner were provided! then we ended up back at the house for gifts, cake and time to relax. it was so great!
- i graduated from graduate school!! i completed my MPH in Environmental Health and Safety with a concentration in Occupational Health this month. it's a mouthful, but i'm so thankful to be finished and debt-free!
- the talented sara&rocky also took my bridal portraits this month! so.much.fun.
the rest of the month was a blur with vendor meetings, last minute wedding preparation!
SEPTEMBER
the wedding is here!!! obviously, my favorite month of 2012 :) we had an incredible rehearsal, rehearsal dinner and a wedding day! all of which, i owe you more detailed posts about... coming soon!
- we spent a week in mexico this month for our honeymoon. i did actually blog this sweet time so feel free to read the recap!
- this was also the beginning of one of the best aggie football season's in a very long time!
OCTOBER
the rangers season sadly, came to an early end this month. however, that meant more time with R-- can't complain about that! october was a fairly quiet month for us. we spent time unpacking boxes and finding a home for all of the gifts we were given.
- we also started our small group at church- we have 4 couples + a mentor couple to walk through this season of life with. so far, it's been such a blessing and we are so thankful for these people and authentic community.
NOVEMBER
november was another great month for our family. the beginning of the month was quiet, but the end held R's cousin jessica's beautiful wedding to nelson! followed by a very full thanksgiving weekend. i blogged about that, too, if you'd like to go back and read about it.
2012 was an incredible year! the Lord grew us both tremendously and prepared our hearts to spend our lifetime chasing after Him together. He established our little family and these months as a mclaughlin have been some of the sweetest in my life. That being said, i can't wait for all the things that 2013 will bring. R and i have a family meeting planned for later today to set up our budget, outline our goals and dream a little together-- loving living life with this man!
that's all for now,
kate
Loved this post and LOVE you more Kate!
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