Home Sweet Home!

This weekend Jason and I began a house hunt to look for our first home together. Even though the buyer's market is great right now, we decided to rent for a year or so in order to decide where we truly want to put down roots and to save up for a down payment on a house. After a long day of looking, we found these townhomes located in the Galleria area right down the street from where I live now. They are relatively new (built in 2000), in a nice gated community and perfect for us! The townhome has two bedrooms plus a study/den and two and a half baths. It also has a great open layout, a nice balcony in the front and a cute patio in the back perfect for grilling. Once we move in on the first of May we will have plenty of room to entertain friends and family, so feel free to stop by anytime!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Yesterday, Jason and I celebrated St. Patrick's Day with Christen and Keith at Kinnealy's Irish Pub. We had a great time having a few green beers, listening to the band and enjoying the perfect spring weather on their patio. Here are a couple of pictures from our day!

Jason and I

Christen and Keith

Valentine's Day!

Saturday was our first (and only!) Valentine's day as an engaged couple. On Friday, Jason surprised me by sending 2 dozen beautiful red, pink, and white roses to school. Since it wasn't actually Valentine's day yet, I was very surprised when the office called to tell me I had a delivery. The flowers were gorgeous and Jason's thoughtfulness really made my day! :) On Valentine's night Jason had another surprise for me; he had made reservations at Benjy's, one of our favorite restaurants. We had a delicious four course meal and ended the night with a glass of wine at Sonoma. It was the perfect Valentine's day with the perfect Valentine!

My beautiful Valentine's roses!

Registering

Last Saturday, Jason and I decided to spend the day... registering! Jason was actually the one who suggested it and I happily went along. We headed to Bed, Bath, and Beyond where we had a wonderful experience with their sales representative, Bill. He helped us to pick out a china pattern that we both love (Jason is very contemporary and I am very traditional, so neither of us could believe that we actually found something that we both really liked). Next was crystal and flatware. Crystal was a relatively easy choice but flatware was another story. Bill was very patient, but I thought was going to kill us both when we pulled out the hundredth pattern and still couldn't find one that we agreed upon! We finally came to a decision (for now!) and then he turned us loose with the gun to explore the rest of the store. We had the best time walking around each department and picking out everything that we will have in our first home together. When we finally left the store it was 7:00 (we had gotten there at 2:00) so we headed to Escalante's for dinner and a well deserved margarita. It was truly a wonderful day!

Viva Las Vegas!

This week, Jason and I took our first trip as an engaged couple. It was also my first business trip with Jason's company as an unofficial "spouse". Jason and his dad had a convention in Las Vegas and Sheila (Jason's step-mom) and I were invited along to join in on the fun! Although we were only there for two nights, we did and saw a lot! We arrived in Vegas on Tuesday afternoon and kicked off the trip by going to the show "Jersey Boys" (the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons) that night at Palazzo. It was Jason's first Broadway musical experience and everyone loved it! The show was fantastic and seeing it in Vegas was so much fun. In fact, Frankie Valli was in the audience at the show right before ours! Wednesday, while the guys were at the trade show, Sheila and I treated ourselves (or rather, Baker and Associates treated us!) to massages and facials at the hotel spa. It was a nice day of pampering and exactly what I needed after all of the wedding planning! That evening, after a little gambling at Ceasar's, we went to Prime, an amazing restaurant in the Bellagio hotel. Somehow, Jason's dad worked his magic and we were seated at the best table in the restaurant, right in front of the window that overlooked the Bellagio water show. The food was spectacular and the view of the water show was even better! After dinner, we spent the rest of the night hotel hopping and gambling. It was a great trip and I am looking forward to many more in the years to come!


Here are a few pictures from our trip. I wish I had taken more, but we were having so much fun that I completely forgot about my camera! :)

Jason and I in front of Ceasar's Hotel and Casino.

The Bellagio Water Show from our table in the restaurant, Prime.

How It All Started...

How We Met...
Jason and I met at a Christmas party on December 1st, 2006. We were introduced by mutual friends and instantly hit it off. We had our first date on December 12th and have been inseparable ever since!

The Proposal...
On Friday, December 12th, 2008 Jason and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary. Jason took me to Brenner's on the Bayou (one of our favorite restaurants here in Houston). Before dinner we took a walk around the outside of the restaurant which has a gorgeous pathway that leads around a small waterfall and to a beautiful gazebo decorated with garland and Christmas lights. Jason led me up to the gazebo, got down on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him! I was so thrilled that I said yes before he even opened the ring box! ;) When we came into the restaurant, they had a bottle of champagne waiting at the table for us and we had an wonderful dinner. Little did I know, the night was far from over! After dinner, we went to Sonoma, my favorite wine bar. Jason led me to the private party room in the back and when we walked through the door, I was greeted with the surprise of my life. Both of our families and a huge group of our friends were there waiting! I couldn't believe how many people were there to celebrate with us! Everyone was so excited to hear the story of how Jason proposed, see the ring, and take tons of pictures.

The Blog...
The night that Jason proposed began a whirlwind of fun and exciting activities. Parties, celebrations, planning our wedding and our new life together. Although Jason proposed on December 12th, he wanted to wait until after Christmas to officially begin planning the wedding... we all know that was impossible for me to do! My mom and I immediately dove headfirst into all of the wedding details and planning. Now that Christmas has passed, Jason is on board as well and we have had a ton of fun looking at venues, meeting with photographers and caterers and going to tastings. I decided to write this blog as a way to keep everyone "in the loop" with all of the wedding planning and as diary or journal to look back on from the year that Jason and I were engaged. I am so lucky to have found such an amazing person to share the rest of my life with and I can't wait to be the "Future Mrs. Baker"! :)