Our First Gift!

We got our first wedding gift a couple of weeks ago from my Aunt Cindy and her husband Tim that live in Memphis! We are so thankful of them! They gave us 2 Lenox place settings and 2 accent plates that go with them. They are beautiful!

Maggie & Grant

THE STORY OF US

The Meeting: by Maggie Hendrix

It was December 2003, a friend of mine from high school, whom I had not talked to in over a year, called and asked if I wanted to hang out with her and her boyfriend and some of his friends. I agreed to go and waited over at her house for her boyfriend and his brother (Grant) to pick us up. When Grant walked in with Ryan, my heart sunk....he was so good looking! He was wearing this navy blue sweater with a hole in it (I still kid him about that!) and just looked so handsome. We hung out all night long and had so much fun together. I never gave him my number but figured that if he wanted to call me...he could find my number some how. Well that next weekend my girlfriend called and said that Grant and his brother wanted the two of us to go to the movies with them...so of course I agreed. The four of us couldn't agree on one movie so Grant and I went to one by ourselves. Luckily Grant had driven separately than his brother, so after the movie was over, Grant and I just drove around Decatur and talked all night long, literally all night...until 4 in the morning. Well that entire next week...He never called me! Ugh I was so mad...and I didn't call boys so I wasn't going to call him! Well that next weekend was my mom's birthday and I was going to come home from school anyway....so it only made sense that Grant and I should see each other! But how would he know that I was coming home if I didn't call and tell him?! Well my friend Erin was cooking for me and a couple of other girls and was the one encouraging me to call Grant, even if I never called boys. According to Erin, you always make exceptions when it comes to cute boys. However, on the other hand, my little angel friend Holly was telling me not to call him...because nice girls just don't call boys. Well thank goodness I didn't listen to Holly, because when I called Grant he was thrilled that I was coming home and we spent all weekend around each other. Ever since then...He has been the one to call Me and we have been inseparable!

The Engagement: by Grant McKelvey

Two years and some odd months later, Maggie and I had acquired that look in our eyes that excites your parents and but annoys all your friends. We knew what would become of our relationship and often discussed what it would be like WHEN we got married. Maggie also joked that since I had recently taken a job working for her grandfather she would be able to tell when I would be popping the question (please note at this time she wanted what every sorority girl wants, “A Candlelight Ceremony”) so I should just go ahead and ask. I accepted the challenge and assured her she would have no clue, to just be patient, and that the candlelight was not that important. Little did I know the repercussions regarding the later part of that statement, but we won’t delve into that. Anyway, one Tuesday afternoon in late April I told Maggie’s grandfather my intentions, and asked for a couple of days off. I also asked that he and anyone else in the office give her the run-a-round when she called, just to let me know what they told her so I could play along. I left early Wednesday morning, with my mother and her best friend, in search of the perfect ring. Once the search was underway, the sweat started mounting. I was very confident in what I was doing, but had never been so stressed out in my life. Twenty jewelry stores and a hundred diamonds later I found the perfect combination of stone and setting. I stayed up all night staring it up and down and contemplating where to go from here. Thursday afternoon I made the call to her parents and asked them to meet me that evening for dinner. I wasn’t that nervous when I asked for their daughter’s hand, but once I started they made it easy. That was a moment I will always appreciate and remember, especially asking her younger brother as well. Then came Friday (yes I was on a roll and I couldn’t wait to get that ring out of my hands), I asked my parents to set up a candlelight setting at our river house while I got all the food and picked Ms. Clueless, a.k.a. Maggie, up. She thought we were just going out to a movie; again, CLUELESS. I conveniently changed the plans telling her I picked up some food and wanted to cook for her, and that I wanted to go to the river house so we could be alone; still no clue. She walked into the house to find candles, rose petals, a white table cloth, table fully set, and white chair covers with little bows on the back (Thank you Mom and Dad). I thought that would tip her off, but not so. I cooked, we talked, and right before we finished, in keeping with tradition, I got down on my left knee (Think she figured it out now?), told her how much I loved her in the most mushy of fashions, and asked her to be my wife. She cried, said YES, and called her mother. All of this accomplished just in time for her to have that cherished “Candlelight,” and as of that Saturday we are now set to be married June 30 of this year. Man, what a week!

Our China Patterns!

We have registered for two everyday patterns because we love them both and we can mix and match them. The more formal everyday pattern is called Woodland by Spode. We are getting the dogs, quail, ducks, deer, and turkey. It is really a great china to use for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

This is one of my everyday chinas. It is called Juliska, by Juliska. It is their only dinnerware pattern. The colors in this picture are not necessarily the colors that I am using, however. I am getting brown chargers, white dinner plates, green salad plates, and brown bread & butter plates. This is all going to mix and match with my Spode. The Spode dinner plates look soooo good with the brown chargers and green salad plates.

This is my formal china. It is called Federal Platinum by Lenox.

My Bridesmaids!!

This is me and Kristen Hulse Price. Goodness, I don’t even know where to start with her. I still remember the first time that I met her, we were both 5 years old, and we shared the same best friend, Jessica Slocumb. Little did we know that we would soon become best friends for life. It took her a while to warm up to me though…When we were in elementary school, I don’t know if she ever made it through a night at my house without calling her sisters or her mom to come pick her up. Most of my junior high and high school memories are with her. Among so many other things, she taught me how to cook, drive a 4-wheeler, and do really cool dives off the diving board. She also introduced me to soap operas (Sunset Beach!!). When she turned 16, she would come to my house everyday after school in her black convertible mustang and we would drive to Sonic to get slushes. That was so much fun. For almost all of junior and high school, before she got a really serious boyfriend (who is now her husband!), we would probably spend 30 out of the 52 or so weekends together. I laugh every time I think about her, she is just so spontaneous, cares so much about other people, and always has funny stories to tell. She is also the best mother in the whole world; I think I tell her that every time I talk or see her…which is at least once a week. She has two gorgeous little girls; the oldest is my flower girl, Kendall, who is in the picture below.

This is me and Elizabeth de Shazo. Elizabeth was one of my first friends at Alabama. We became close friends when we both pledged Alpha Chi in 2002. When I first saw Elizabeth, I hate to admit, but I didn’t think that I would like her. She was another red-head, she was beautiful, and she was dancing with this really cute guy….so basically I was pretty jealous. But it turns out that she has so many more qualities to be jealous of other than just being beautiful. She is smart as a whip, extremely ambitious, and would do anything for you. Anytime that I need help or just need someone to talk to, she is always there. She is also always up for anything, whether it be studying, going out, or….(I hate to admit this too) just spying on certain people!! I cannot count the many, many coffees and green teas that we shared while studying at Crimson Café, although it seems as though studying always came second to all the crazy conversations that we would have. Needless to say, Elizabeth and I can go anywhere and do anything and still have a blast, even when we are out in the middle of no where and doing absolutely nothing in Selma, Alabama!

This is me and Anna Corum. Anna and I were friends in Jr. High, but really became a lot closer in high school. Actually in the 6th grade, it was kind of understood that we just didn't really hang out together. I was the sassy cheerleader and she was the mean basketball player (so we thought)! But as we grew up, we weren't so sassy and mean and actually had a lot of fun together. Anna is probably one of the most down to earth girls that I know. She has a very dry sense of humor (which I love!). One second she is laid back and serious and then the next she is bouncing of the walls ready to do something. Anna also has a really big heart for a whole lot of people. She will go out of her way to help you in any way possible (she came to my rescue many times in Tuscaloosa!) She is always coming up with some sneaky prank that will make you laugh so hard your stomach hurts. She is just simply so much fun to talk to and be around! She is a soon-to-be physical therapist!!

I don't have a recent photo on my computer of just me and Rachel (because I NEVER get to see her anymore!)...but I have plenty of group pictures and I thought this was a good one of her. She (Rachel McAbee) is the 2nd from the left. Rachel and I have been friends since the 6th grade. We knew each other in elementary school but really became "friends" in Jr. High. Since then we have gone through a whole lot together and basically experienced growing up together. Rachel is a stand-up comedian, really, there is no person that I know that can match her humor. She is also extremely outgoing and charismatic, within 15 minutes of being around her, you feel like you've known her your whole life. No matter what the subject of conversation is, she is going to make you laugh. She has always included everybody, no matter what the circumstance. If you feel uncomfortable, she is the one who makes you feel comfortable. I honestly don't know a single person who doesn't like her. She graduated from Auburn this past May and currently lives in Atlanta with a great job!!

This is me and Jessica Slocumb Prater. She just got married this past weekend so I had to put a picture of her in her beautiful dress! Jessica and I have such a long history together. I feel like she is more my sister than my friend. Jessica moved to Hartselle right before we started kindergarten, directly across the street from me. She loved dolls, playing mommy, and staying extremely clean and I liked horses, playing outside, and getting dirty (really, nothing has changed)! Somehow we still became best friends. We rode to school together, home together, and then stayed at each other's houses all day every day. Every year on the first day of school in Jr. High, we wore the exact same outfit, except she always looked so beautiful and I just looked geeky. Jessica has always been the most nurturing person I know and a spitfire. You really don't ever want to get on her bad side:) She has more love in her heart than anyone could imagine, and she has always taken care of me. A girl hit me at school one day and Jessica hunted her down and I really thought she was going to kill her ;) Shes such a good friend!

This is me and Erin Faust (and our dogs) before the AXO/Phi Mu Tacky Christmas party this past year. Erin transferred from Auburn sophomore year and we instantly became best friends. She was the biggest goofball that I had ever met and no one could make me laugh like her. Her personality is so contageous and everyone is drawn to her. She looks and acts just like Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blond...her dog is even named Bruiser! She was a Crimsonette at Alabama and yes, I take credit for that :) We stayed up together day and night for several months while she practiced for tryouts, having to fight off mean old men and everything! In our single days, Erin was the only other person that I knew who was just as boy crazy as I was, and I knew we were meant to be best friends! She met her soon-to-be husband at my 21st birthday, they are getting married December 16, 2006.
This is me, Holly, and Lauren Furlong Strickler at her wedding. Lauren and I met when we both pledged Alpha Chi our freshman year. We didn't become really close until our sophomore year however. When she learned to like exercising ;), we would take many walks together! She is very classy and well put together. Lauren never says anything bad about anyone and puts a positive spin on every situation. She is very laid back and I know that I can always depend on her to keep anything that I tell her quiet. If I wasn't eating supper with her and her husband our senior year, she would always offer me left-overs! Shes a great cook! She graduated in May with an MIS degree and will soon be moving to Birmingham!
This is me and Holly Willis also on New Years...and this is the night she met the love of her life! (Actually, that night, Grant and I interduced her to one of Grant's best friends, Blake Garrett, and now they are getting married December 23, 2006)! Holly and I met at cheerleader try-outs at Alabama in March of 2002. We met up again at the beginning of our freshman year and became inseperable. We went through rush together and were both very torn between Alpha Chi and Phi Mu. We were sticking together no matter what and in the end chose Alpha Chi! She is my crazy friend...she is constantly laughing, even when there really isn't anything to laugh about! Everyone enjoys being around her and there is never a dull moment. She is so sincere, smart and mature. She is a 4th grade teacher in Gadsden, Alabama.
This is me and Ashley Witherspoon "Spoony" on New Years 2006. She and I cheered together and had all of our classes together in highschool. She is brilliant. She recently got all of her hair chopped off and gave it to Locks of Love...its so cute! Ashley is always always smiling and never has anything negative to say about anyone (except maybe some ex-boyfriends :)) She was one of my best friends in high school and still is. I always love listening to all of her stories about the crazy things that happen in her life. She is an exceptional cook, a great athelete and probably the hardest worker I have ever known. I miss her so much because she is and has been at Mississippi State and stays in Mississippi over the summers to work. She will graduate in May 2006 with a degree in Biomedical Engineering.

This is me and Nichla Clark at the beach this summer...she actually got engaged about 10 minutes after this picture was taken! Nichla has been one of my best friends since I was in the 8th grade and she was in 9th. We cheered together all through high school and did everything else together; we really were joined at the hip. Everyone who meets her loves her because she is so caring and kind to everyone. I would have to say that she is my most unique friend and can literally make a room full of 180 people roll on the floor laughing (she actually did this once!) She doesn't care what anyone thinks and is herself 100% of the time. We were both Alpha Chi's at Alabama. She is graduating from Alabama in December 2006 with a degree in Apparel Design (shes really good)!
This is me and Katie Hill when she came to visit me for one of the Alabama games...I think this was her first one! She and I have been friends since the first grade, but became best friends our senior year of highschool. It is amazing how much we are alike in everything! She always makes me laugh so hard I cry telling me about all her stories and how many times she has had to stick her foot in her mouth! She is so real and down to earth and I would have to say the strongest person I know. She remembers everything that I tell her, and remembers to ask me about it even after I have forgotten! Katie is so kind and I am very lucky to have her as my friend. She graduated from Samford University and is now a second grade teacher in Ashville, North Carolina. I miss her!


 This is Maggee Oliver. We met the summer before our senior year of high school at UCA camp. When we got to Alabama, we had Chemistry II together and she soon became one of my best friends. We were both Chemistry majors so for the next 3 years we had all of our classes together and became pretty much inseperable! She truly knows ALL of my secrets and everything about me, and still loves me anyway! :). There is no one in this world like her, she remembers everything about everyone, is very observant, and is so compassionate. She always gives great advice and knows just what to do in every situation. She can be so serious and then be SO crazy fun. We had so so much fun and great memories at Alabama and I'm really sad that its over! She is also a soon to be pharmacist!!
This is me and my sister Lizzie at my graduation from Alabama. She is my maid of honor and is a sophomore at the University of Alabama. She has such big heart and is a very calm and collected person. Lizzie is an extremely smart and beautiful person and is so much more responsible and thoughtful than me. Growing up she was always really shy but ever since she has been at Alabama, she has turned into this independent go-getter who can talk to anyone. She is also one of the most charismatic people I know. Unlike me, even when shes having a bad day, she doesn't let it show, she is still so kind to everyone, even her sister. She has so much going for her and is a soon to be pharmacy student at Samford!

This is a closer picture of my ring!

My and 3 of my best friends' hands who are either engaged or married! From left to right: Lauren Strickler, Erin Faust, Me (yes, the ugliest hand, but a beautiful ring! :)) and Maggee Robinson.
This is a picture of some of the girls in my pledge class!

When I got engaged, I told very few people because I wanted to have a candlelight at my sorority house. This is where a sign goes up on newsboard that someone is having a candlelight (meaning someone got engaged) later in the week. So everyone talks amongst themselves all week long trying to figure out who it is. Then usually after chapter on Wednesday night, the sorority gets in a huge circle and passes around a candle while singing our sweetheart song. After the candle goes through the entire circle once, everyone claps. On the second time around, the girl who is engaged blows out the candle, everyone cheers and then she gets to tell her story!

So before I go more into the wedding details, I'll focus more on me and Grant and put up pictures from our engagement...He asked me on April 29 at his house on the river, his parents had actually set up everything while he went to pick me up in Birmingham. He cooked me the most wonderful steak kabobs (my favorite meal that he cooks) and a sweet potoato (also my favorite). Little did he know how long a potato takes to cook...so I never got around to eating the potato because it was time for us to go to my brother's ballgame and it still wasn't finished cooking! To see about how we met and a list of all our bridesmaids and groomsmen, go to http://weddings.theknot.com/pwp/view/co_main.aspx?coupleid=104067273275780

.....And this picture was taken at the rehearsal dinner!

Nationwide Coverage is the band that will be playing at my reception. I first heard them at my friend's rehearsal dinner and fell in love!! They kept me on the dance floor all night long! To see more about them go to: http://www.gigmasters.com/rock/NationwideCoverage/

I am having the most amazing violin ensemble play at my wedding. They are known as the Lamb family which consist of 3 girls and one boy. To listen to their music, go to www.lambfamilymusic.com

I have been trying to make as many decisions as possible early on because I'm afraid that I will get caught up in school and not have time for decisions before too long. Bridesmaids' dresses have been one of my latest decisions. On the left is the dress that I have chosen!!



....Haha just kidding! To the right is the is the real bridesmaid dress. It will be in exactly these colors...it matches my church perfectly!!