Our first shower of love!

So today, thanks to the hard work of Kathy, Cindy, Jennifer, and Allison, Trevor and I had our first official wedding shower. It was wonderful. I went and was surrounded by so much love and wisdom. Instead of the typical shower games the women gave me advice and it was really special. We also got spoiled rotten. People say we should enjoy it and we are. How could we not feel absolutely happy when people love us so much.

After the shower me and three of the bridesmaids spent all afternoon (not an exaggeration) plugging away at getting the invites done and we finally succeeded at like eight in the evening. Katie and Michelle are the queen bird gluers and Jo was an awesome ribbon tyer. It is hard for me, but I am finally asking for help with getting this wedding ready (being how it is two months away). The girls helped me so much and it made it so much more fun than just being by myself. My mom and Trev's mom have also been so awesome about keeping me in line and focused. I need them.

Thanks again to all you women (and Jamal) who came. I couldn't have asked for a better time.

The Save-the-Dates are out and I would like to say to any new person who may be interested in this site as a result, hello and thank you. Trevor and I wouldn't be the people we are today without you all, and if that is the case we wouldn't have this site, because we wouldn't be getting married. I love every person that helped shape who Trevor is, because I love Trevor so much, and he loves me.

Also, new wedding news, we have officially ordered our wedding cake, from a really cute bakery in Bentonville suggested to us by our friends the Lampkins and we have prospective shower dates... the Christian Fellowship/Vintage/my mom's friends shower comes first on March 28, and then the Little Rock crew/ Jodi's friends follows on April 25th. I am almost positive these are the dates, but I was sort of winging it via memory and the calendar on the computer.

The Save-the-Dates are in the mail! Hooray!

New addition!

So Trevor and I are now the proud and loving parents of a half great dane half lab puppy. He is precious and wonderful. He, Louis Shulman, is already, at around eight weeks old, potty-trained and he sleeps through the night. I love him, so very much. We both do. He lives with Trevor, but he is over at our house a lot. My dad surprisingly enough really likes Louis and lets him be around. An accomplishment for a man who has sworn our family will never have a dog. He, Louis, really likes the Bates' house too. Their chocolate lab Ginger and Louis play so well together which is funny to me because Ginger is full grown and our baby just thinks he is. Anyway, I don't know how to post pictures, but maybe Trevor will after he reads this. I did put some on my facebook for those of you who can find me on there.

Wedding related: I need to send out the save-the-dates. pronto. and that is pretty much what has happened since the last time either of us has written.

We just spent a fabulous night in Little Rock working on our invitations. They are going to look beautiful and it is all because of our friend Cathy who is doing them as a gift to us. I was blown away when she initially made her offer and continue to be so impressed with her. Having Cathy in our lives is such a gift, as I feel like all of the Little Rock families are. There is such a close friend network in LIttle Rock that I have been immediately accepted and loved right into just by being with Trevor. It is like a family and it is so beautiful. Most people miss the whole village rearing idea these days, but it definitely exists in Little Rock and it's a really great thing to see and to be a part of.

Also, on another note, I bought an ipod nano with my Christmas money. It comes with a free engraving and I had it engraved "Elly Bates" because really, that it is forever, and in so soon of a time. Strange, but almost painfully exciting.

Space Bible With Volume Lumps

Merry Christmas to those both on and off of our celestial space! Elly and I could not have imagined a more merry celebration than the one we enjoyed this year with our families and friends.

Your loyally engaged couple exchanged gifts on the eve of Christmas Eve. Elly gave me a great light jacket, a hand-knit scarf and warm hat, and a slide guitar that has consumed most of my time as of late. I gave Elly the first and second season of Art 21, which documents the work of contemporary artists, a 1973 printing of the Narnia series, and a tiered basket for our future home.

Christmas Eve, the Bates and Denny clans converged on J.D. China for a feast worthy of a mighty, "Wassail!". We took a stroll around the square and then back to the Denny home for carols and Elf.

The Burdens came to my parents home for Christmas. I was at the house early Christmas 'morn, then, after the economy-stimulating exchange of gifts, I went and swooped up Elly and brought her to the Bates' Christmas Dinner. We wassailed far into the night.

December 25th: BOXING DAY!!! The Denny's come to the Bates for a small continental breakfast when, SURPRISE, a family shower is thrown! Elly and I were so surprised and felt very blessed to be loved so much. There are a few less things to get on our registry now, so ATTN. ALL SHOPPERS: Save on Trevor and Elly's wedding gift by visiting any one of our registry sponsors and remember, our economy is in the can.

So I, Elly, hate to post, but I sort of made a deal with Trevor that we will alternate posting turns and I am up. I have to pleasure to say that our Save-the-Dates came in two days ago and they are beautiful. Trevor's best friend since second grade has a wonderful mother who is doing all of our invitation stuff as a gift to us. She really is so great (thanks Cathy!) Anyway, we will be collecting addresses and they should be in the mail before New Years... I haven't really thought about them too much at this point being how I am in the thick of finals, but in like two days I have a month to not have to worry about school at all.

I am obsessed with oncewed.com. It is a blog where pretty much really great original weddings are showcased. These weddings aren't the grand events that are in, say, the Wedding Planner, but they are funky, eclectic, and much more to Trev and my taste. We have gotten a lot of ideas from this site.

Trevor is really into picking the music for our wedding right now. It should be an interesting mix, but very much a representation of us-- the music maybe him more, but he is a vital part of "us."

I don't know how to add more things on to our blogsite, that is all a little bit beyond me, but I will ask Trevor to do it because we have more registries then just Crate and Barrel now. We are registerd at Bed Bath and Beyond, Pottery Barn, and Williams-Sonoma as well. I am sure that list will grow because it is still early in the game of pre-wedding bliss and we haven't found sheets to our liking yet, so just you all wait.

To end this post I will just say thank you all so much for anything and everything that you all have done for us, together or individually, I wouldn't be the person Trevor fell in love with had it not been for the influences other people made on my life and the same goes for him. So thank you, that is what we want our wedding to portray to you all, an intense gratitude.