Goin' to the chapel and we're gonna get married

I don't even know where to begin this post! Mikey and I decided to head to Hot Springs, Arkansas, for the Labor Day weekend. His dad grew up there, and he spent a lot of time there as a kid, so he'd always told me that he wanted to take me there. It really is a gorgeous place to visit. We stayed at the historic Arlington Hotel, which is where Mikey's dad and grandmother both had their senior proms. The trip started out marvelously when we got upgraded to a huge room with a gigantic living room area. On Saturday morning, we walked along Bathhouse Row and toured a really neat bathhouse that's been preserved as a museum of what they used to look like. Then we saw Mikey's grandma's old house (and probably freaked out the residents when we took a look at the backyard) and went to McClard's Barbecue, which I have been hearing about for ages. Their sauce is very spicy, but it was good. And the cobbler was delicious. We waddled out of there and headed to a tower that's on a mountain. As advertised, there were excellent views from the top. For some reason we decided to take the stairs instead of the elevator on the way down. It was rather pleasant until the unidentified animal droppings started becoming more and more prevalent! But we made it down and then went back to the hotel so Mikey could witness a little college footballl and take a nap after all that food. Somehow I managed to wake him up for a tour of Hot Springs on one of those vehicles that can travel on both land and water. That part was neato, but the tour itself was a tad bit lame. Oh well, it was an experience! We cleaned up and got ready for a lovely dinner at an Italian restaurant. I felt horrible tearing Mikey away from the A&M vs. Clemson game, but he insisted that he wanted to go. I chowed down on my dinner, while he took a few bites and then said he was done. When we left, we took a walk on the promenade that runs parallel to Bathhouse Row. We were up there for a while that morning and found it to be quite pleasant, but it was different at night. It felt a little like walking in Memorial Park after dark. I mean, there were some lights and a couple of people here and there, but all in all, I was sketched out. Then some local kid told us it was dangerous up there, and I'd had enough. So we high-tailed it to the street and went back to the hotel to watch A&M lose. That night, we enjoyed the musical stylings of a band in the lobby of the hotel. They were pretty good, but we were exhausted!

The next morning, we woke up and went to experience a real hot springs bath. Men and women are split up, and you go from a whirlpool bath in 100 degree water to a variety of other stations that utilize the water from the hot springs. I even got to do a steam cabinet—it's that thing like in "I Love Lucy" where the ladies' heads are the only things that stick out of a huge box. After being bathed, steamed, showered, etc., you get a 20-minute massage. All this for fifty bucks. What a deal! After so much relaxation, we went on a picnic at West Mountain, a scenic overlook that both Mikey's dad and a lady at the hotel had recommended. We finished our food and stuck around for quite awhile after that. I noticed that Mikey was very aware of all the other people around us, and he seemed frustrated every time a new car would drive up. It's a popular place because the view is amazing (the picture of us was taken late in the day at West Mountain—it was even more beautiful at midday, which was the first time we went). After an hour or so of taking in the view, Mikey suggested we go for a walk. Turns out the hiking trail nearby starts off going straight uphill. We did it in our flip-flops and laughed at how winded we were. Once the trail got a little easier, we took in the scenery and chatted about random stuff. At one point, I noticed that he had stopped walking for some reason. When I turned around to see what was up, he got down on one knee and proposed to me!!!!!!!!!!!!! I always thought I would cry when he proposed, but I was just so darn happy that I didn't cry at the time. I was totally shaking, and I didn't even see the ring at first. He had to put it down, probably because I was about to knock him over in excitement. Naturally, I said yes, and we stood there talking for a while longer. In addition to being way happy, he was very relieved that the deed was done. It turns out he was going to propose after dinner on the promenade, but I ruined the mood by being so freaked out. Whoops! But it ended up being better because we were all by ourselves, and it was in such a gorgeous setting. We spent the afternoon calling friends and family (his phone calls were about two minutes long, while I couldn't shut up—big surprise!). That night, we had dinner and some sparkling wine (the closest thing we could find to champagne) and then went to the Bath House Show, a campy but cute family-friendly music and comedy show.

Once we got home the next day, we had dinner with both of our families. I was so glad we were all able to get together and celebrate. We are very lucky to have such great families, and it made me extremely happy that everyone got along so well.

If you've made it this far, I applaud your attention span! Now I must go read some wedding magazines. I already had three, and my mom bought me three more today. And that's not to mention the two books. The wedding craziness is in full swing, but it's been lots of fun so far! Thank you to everyone for your kind words and notes this week. I can't tell you how much it means to have so much love and support sent our way.