welcome home!

So, Mitch and I have been searching for apartments.
We researched many (at least 30), went and saw a few that we really really liked, and ended our apartment searching day discouraged with no leads. Neither of us felt at peace with any of the ones we'd seen that day, or seen online previously.
We had both been looking around on Craigslist, the classifieds at CLC, and also calling friends who had basement apartments, or knew of people with one.
In the end though, we still did not feel at peace with any of the options we had. Although we would have loved living in some of the places, it just felt that God wasn't calling us there.
So we prayed and we waited and we were just hoping that the right place would just come at the right time.
And then Mitch found one in Germantown on Craigslist, and we set up an appointment to go look at it. When we saw the floorplan and the details of the apartment we both instantly felt that this could be "the one." We arrived at our appointment, and they showed us an apartment. We both loved it and could see that all of our major (and minor) preferences were all lined up. So we asked them to put it on courtesy hold, so we could go home, pray, and make a decision.
Mitch and I both felt God calling us to this particular apartment, and we both feel completely at peace with our decision to get it. So yes, we have found our first home!!

Our move-in date is Sunday, September 20th.

We are both so excited, and trusting that God will continue to provide the finances, the logistics, and even a job for me. If you could, please be praying for these things. We are in faith the if God has called us somewhere, He will make a way for it.

meetings, meetings and meetings, oh my

This weekend was the weekend of meetings.

On Saturday, Mitch had a meeting with Ken and Joselo, then the sound team work day, then we had a meeting with the wedding administrator, and then we had our engagement meeting with Erik Sheffer. After our long day at the church, we went to Yoyogi for sushi and chicken teriyaki. You can guess which was for whom.. lol. Then we decided to burn off our meal by going roller-blading in a parking lot at a playground in Kentlands. I'm still not very good at roller-blading, but I am actually getting a little better. Maybe next time we go out I'll be able to stand up straight and not stare at my feet the whole time.. haha

Sunday Robin Boisvert spoke from Proverbs 2, then Kenneth Maresco taught at Starting Point on Pastoral Care and Ministry. My parents came up to visit, and we all went back to Mitch and Rhea's apartment for lunch. Mitch's mom, Tita Nilda, made a fantastic meal, and then we played corn hole. We also went to Maggie Moo's for ice cream. I had never been to Maggie Moo's before, but I think it's kind of like Coldstone.



Afterwards, Mitch and I went to Kensington to visit a friend of his from MC. She lives in Arizona now, but she was back in town this week.

pizza and swimming and sports

On Sunday, Mitch and I went to the first service, because I started taking Starting Point this week. And Mitch is going with me, which is really sweet of him, since he's already a member. We were in Eric Sheffer's group, and Robin Boisvert talked about Servanthood and Stewardship. I thought it was really good, and I'm excited about the next 8 weeks.

Afterwards, we went to Ledo's with Charles and Emily. It was great to catch up with them over pizza, and talk about our wedding plans, and our lives.

Then Mitch and I went to Nike park to talk and then swimming in the pool at his apt. complex. While we were swimming, we talked about doing some sort of sport together, and I said I wanted to roller-blade! So we walked over to Target, found some roller-blades, and attempted to ride back. This was my very first time ever on roller-blades, and I really have no balance or athletic coordination at all. Mitch, of course, is really good at everything, so he was teaching me. We were getting it pretty good, when we came upon this small hill. But small hills on roller-blades turn into big hills, especially when you don't know how to stop. Mitch did his best to stop me, but I was going really fast. So we crashed.. but he saved me from getting really hurt by breaking my fall with his knee. I only got one scrape on my elbow and a sore tailbone. Mitch got a decent bruise on his knee, and scratched up the palms of his hands. But it was my first time, and I only fell once. I loved it though, and I can't wait to learn how to use them (and the brakes) so we can actually go out and use them. We're thinking of riding around DC and going by the Potomac River.

Any other suggestions of flat, paved places with no hills and people for us to go roller-blading?

great date and a wedding

Wow, what a weekend! Mitch and I had a GREAT date on Friday night!!! We went to Lakeforest Mall to get Panda Express, because I was craving Orange Chicken. I think Panda Express has some of the best orange chicken I have ever had.
Mitch really likes to play chess with the people at the Mall, so I wanted him to go and play. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was having so much fun. One day I hope to learn chess and to be good enough to play with him. Maybe I'll even win one time ;)

On Saturday, we went to Peter Dunne and Patti's wedidng in Philadelphia. We pick up some friends, Charlie and Melissa Jackson, their daughter Anne, and another friend Kaleb. The Jackson's flew in from Wisconsin and Kaleb drove up from Lynchburg, VA that morning. I borrowed my mom's van so we could all drive together to the wedding. It took us 3.5 hours to get there and about 3 hours to get home. The wedding was nice and it was good to catch up with friends who live far away.

Anne in the car
Mitch driving
Melissa with Anne
Charlie and Kaleb
:)
The happy couple: Patti and Peter Dunne

Why didn't the penguin buy a tuxedo for the wedding?

Because he was already wearing one!!! hahaha :)

Well, Mitch isn't a penguin, and neither are any of his groomsmen, so we went the other day to pick them out.

It was pretty fun to fill out the forms and look through the magazines until we found the one that we wanted. Mitch tried on this shirt, and I thought he looked hilarious with his shorts and flip flops on with it (sorry the pic doesn't capture that though.) We were flipping through the magazine and pointed out the one we wanted and learned that we chose the same one as Charles and Emily, which was cool. The vests are the same "wine" color as the bridesmaid dresses, with a wine colored tie. I think that Mitch is going to look so handsome in his tux, I can't wait to see him in 81 days at the end of the aisle waiting for me!!!

After going to Men's Wearhouse, we had dinner at Qdoba, and because we showed them our Student IDs, we got a free drink (they have pretty good iced tea there, if you were wondering). And, if you go on Monday and show your ID, you get a 1/2 price meal, and a free drink, so we're going to go back on a Monday sometime soon.

Mitch looking through the tuxedo magazine

wedding wire

We've made a wedding wire website!!

www.weddingwire.com/mitchandallie

"No, sir. I'm not a terrorist"

The other day Mitch and I went to the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the Montgomery County Judicial Center to get our marriage license. (You can get one up to 6 months before your wedding). We weren't sure what time they closed, so around 4:15 I called to ask. We were driving up 355 and were like 10 minutes away when we found out they closed at 4:30. Ah!
And of course, we hit like every single red light. lol
So we pulled at 4:28 and Mitch dropped me off so he could park the car and I could get in there before they closed. I ran full speed up the stairs and into the building. The secured government building. With metal detectors and security guards.. the whole thing. Except for I didn't quite realize all this until 2 or 3 security guards immediately notice me running, with my bag tucked under my arm.. "Ma'am!!, Ma'am!!" they all yell. Whoops! lol
Anyways, I was so determined to get the license that day, I just sorta tossed them my purse and tried to continue on. However, the man needed me to get my phone and camera out of the bag so they could run it through the scanner, and they needed me to walk thru the metal detectors. I sorta dumped everything out , handed him my phone/camera, gathered everything else and jogged to the License Department. (I explained my rush to the guards, and then they told me to hurry up, because they knew it was closing). All in all, a truly funny experience. Word to the wise: Never go running into a secured government building. Always walk, it makes you look way less suspicious. ;)
I stepped in the door and the man behind the desk says "You have 30 seconds.." After many explanations of why he didn't have enough time to do it now, or asking his co-workers if he should, I eventually begged him to please just enter our info., Mitch can just walk in and sign his name, and we'll be on our way. Took me a few times, but he eventually said he would (after he learned that I live 2 hours away from MC and it would be "so impossible for us to come back at another time"...). lol
Anyways, Mitch thinks this whole story his hilarious, but we're so happy we actually got the license and we don't need to go back again.

Psalms and counting down..

Thanks to my dear friend Emily I got this great idea to do a "We're engaged!" blog, and I also got this idea to read the Psalms backwards as a countdown. Charles and Emily started with more than 150 days til their wedding, so they will be able to read all of the Psalms before their wedding. Mitch and I have 89 days, so I'm gonna start at Psalm 88 tomorrow morning in my quiet time and continue on from there. Thanks Em, for the idea.

Also, big ups to Ashley Taylor for wanting to do my hair and make-up on the big day :) Thanks Ashley!! Love you!
And, does anyone know of good-priced florists in the Gaithersburg area? Or a florist that is willing to travel there?

love is the movement

So, it's 90 days til we get married!!

This weekend was a full one. We went to Target and Bed Bath and Beyond and set-up our gift registry :D Seriously, that was so so so fun. Then we went and picked out wedding rings... also fun :D Really fun...

We spent 4th of July at JP's house for a cook-out/pool party with my family and then we drove to watch fireworks with Nick and his gf Britt at the MC fairgrounds. We went to a friend's house after wards and played this game called "Set." It was fun but it made my brain hurt from thinking so much. We also played Apples to Apples which was hilarious, as always.


Church was awesome with Josh intro-ing Proverbs and Solomon's life with Maggie Grant coming up to visit. We went out to Potbelly's and then to bubble tea and Anthropologie and Old Navy and it was so fun. And I got to ride home with Maggie and we met up with my mom at Panera and went out to dinner with her, it was so great :)

I personally think these are funny :)

ninety.four.and counting.

I know it's been a long time, but we've been really busy. Since the last post:

- We've gotten bridesmaid dresses picked out and ordered,

- We found our invitations at Target,

- We booked a reception place,

- And we decided on a caterer.

I also got a 2nd job as a Nanny and Mitch led the band at Summer Celebration while working two jobs.

On Monday we made paper link chain countdowns for each other, one for each day.

We are just so so excited to get married!!! I love my man so much, and I'm so grateful to God that He is the giver of all gifts, and He has given me Mitch as a gift.