54 days!!

You guys... 54 days until I marry that boy of mine! And I cannot wait. Things are starting to really come together, and feel really....real! We spent the weekend getting engagements taken and that was lots of fun! ...And really tiring. Ryan could work a 15 hour shift and still have all the energy in the world afterwards, however, two things exhaust that guy more than anything #1: Shopping--#2: Picture taking. By the end of Friday, he was beat! We went over to say goodbye to Nate, Amanda and the babes and he just laid there on the floor--exhausted. Oh man, he's cute.

So, on behalf for 54 days left until the greatest day to date--- here are 54 reasons why I love/can't wait to marry Ryan Christian Brady! 

I know it's cheesy....It's my blog--I get to do what I want! 

1. I'm so over saying goodnight to him at the door. Seriously, it's getting old. 
2. He makes me laugh like a fool, every single day. 
3. He is so dang handsome. I can't wait to see that mug of his every morning and night. 
4. Sometimes I ask for foot massages...and RARELY does he turn me down. It's glorious. 
5. He's a hard worker, I know no matter what, I will always be taken care of. That's a great feeling. 
6. I love his family! I can't wait to be a Polatis! (Though I am unusually sad about giving up Jensen) 
7. He helps me de-stress and come back to earth. Sometimes I get a little anxious.. 
8. You guys...I LOVE it when he prays. It's seriously the most attractive thing. 
9. He's going to be the BEST daddy! Watching him with my nieces and nephews...melts my heart.
10. He's going to let us get a kitty..... this is a big deal. 
11. I love that he's always dinking around on his guitar when not busy, our house will be filled with music! 
12. I don't cook often OR well. But when I do, he always tells me how awesome I am. 
13. We have fun! Doing nothing, going to the grocery store, watching a movie....we always have fun. 
14. Sometimes we get in deep conversations, and I always end up learning stuff... he's so smart! 
15. When he's lying or trying to keep a secret, he pretends like he's chewing gum....mind there is no gum in his actual mouth....he just does the motions so he won't smile. It's stinkin hilarious. 
16. I can't wait to go on honeymoon vacation with this lad!! It's booked and waiting for us... but he refuses to tell me where it is until our wedding day. 
17. On that note, he's good at surprising me... which is not an easy task! 
18. He loves to be near me, he's always snuggling me or kissing me no matter where we are. 
19. He's got mass amounts of integrity.. he's always going to do the right thing no matter how hard it is. 
20. He's got road rage...but not scary road-rage...just hilarious road rage. It's a good time. 
21. Literally, he can talk to anybody and everybody. He makes random friends everywhere we go. 
22. My family loves him. That's always a bonus! 
23. He's athletic and when I'm not influencing him to go with me to Taco-Bell...he's a healthy eater! 
24. However, he eats a lot. I love that, because I eat a lot! But he eats more! That is important. 
25. He's got a massive, huge, gianormous heart. He's sympathetic and empathetic to strangers. It's cute. 
26. He's the biggest smart Aaaaa... I know. Call me crazy, but I love it. 
27. He loved his mission so much. Sometimes, when he talks to me about it, he gets wattery... adorable. 
28. I can't wait to play trick on him all the time living together...I've got some good ones in mind! 
29. One day...in the very far future, we will start a family. And he's the type that's going to cry when we have our babies... I just KNOW it! I can't wait for that :) 
30. He's a momma's boy... he loves her so much, I'm so grateful for that. 
31. He loves my brothers and sisters like his own already. He's always asking about them and concerned. 
32. He's a gentleman to the max. Rarely does he let me pay for things, or open my own door. Shauna-na raised him right! 
33. Sometimes, those Georgian roots of his shine through and he says ya'll, or wears his hat a sillly way. It's the cutest thing. That was one thing that attracted to me when we first dated... "ya'll" 
34. Speaking of hats...he looks SO GOOD in one. I love it. Love it a whole lot. 
35. He listens to all my problems and stresses with open ears....usually after he tells me I'm just being a girl about it all, and that it's really not THAT big of a deal. Usually, he's right. 
36. Sometimes, for no reason at all, I get in these terribly grumpy moods. And I'm not very nice to him. He handles it well, he usually just dismisses himself from the situation until I realize I'm being dumb. 
37. He's the quickest person I know to apologize. And it's always a very sincere apology. 
38. He sings so good! I hope our children get his talent... 
39. He is sooo hairy! When we first started dating, he shaved his legs. That lasted a few weeks because I told him how I loved hairy guys. I don't think he likes his oober hairy legs, but I sure do! 
40. His hair is also SO thick. We both can relate to the stupid hair dresser comment "Oh my gosh! Like, you have like the thickest hair!" .... Our kids are doomed. Or blessed? 
41. He reminds me every night to say my prayers. 
42. I cannot wait to do little house projects with him. The boy loves to fix up a house! 
43. His relationship with his brothers is really important to him. I love that. 
44. He respects his dad like nobody's business. Respect, or fear.... whatever it is, He's got it. 
45. When we rolled the fourwheeler, and I was in tears/shock and after realizing we were both OK, was so concerned about the fourwheeler, he was not concerned with the fourwheeler at all. He probably asked me 45 times in 20 minutes if I was OK. 
46. He's very protective of me. 
47. We are completely opposite... he mellows out my crazy...I crazy-up his mellow. 
48. When we fight, and we do... it lasts MAYBE 30 minutes. Maybe. 
49. He reassures me all the time he does think i'm nuts....but he still loves me anyway. 
50. He puts up a hard front, but really, he's a big softy. 
51. He's SUPER competitive. It's attractive and annoying all at the same time. 
52. He makes the most delicious garlic bread. 
53. I feel like a million bucks when I'm with him, he's always telling me how pretty I am. 

54. "I love you so much honey. I just want you to know that everyday. Not just from hearing it but from me showing it to you. I can't wait until June 15th. It's going to be the happiest day of my life! I'm excited for everything. Even the hard times. You are the one and only person I want to go through them with. We are going to have mountains to climb but I'm excited to accomplish lifetime and eternal goals with you Kaitlen Paige. I love you so..." 

Our Story: Late One Night

I got home from work one night at eleven and everybody had gone to bed. I poured myself some Sugar Puffs cereal and sat at my counter checking emails, Facebook, etc.

A few minutes later I got a message from none-other than that brown-haired, awkward returned missionary, Ryan. He asked if I told Cam I received the package and I replied that I had. One thing led to another and we ended up chatting for the next two hours about all sorts of stuff.

We made plans to set him up with my friends.
We talked about his love for the Dodgers and my love for the Angels.
We talked about his football team the Broncos and mine Greenbay.
We talked about high school and which one of ours was better.
I laughed so hard I worried about waking my parents up.
We talked about his mission and my time spent in Thailand.
We talked about his girlfriend that had "Dear Johned" him.
I laughed and laughed and laughed.
I poured myself another bowl of cereal.
We made plans to hang out with his friends and my friends when the girl I wanted him to date was in town.

I told him about the dream and made him promise not to think I was a creep.
We laughed about the dream.
And talked about "Dream dating" and what we would do in each date.
Which included time spent in Greece...and penguins....I don't even know.

Then I got tired and we said goodnight.

I went to bed smiling. 

Our Story: The First Meeting.

Some people say that the day you meet your person, is a day just like any other. Some say, they knew that day was going to be different. I met Ryan on May 26, 2012 and when I woke up it felt like any other day--because it was. I slept in a bit, layed out, got ready for work in a hurry, throwing on a little makeup, throwing my hair up in a headband, tossing on my red polo shirt and running out the door to work. 

I was twenty five days home from Thailand---and I looked like it. Ryan was one day home from Brazil and well, he acted like it. 

It was slow at work, allowing me to dink around on my Facebook for a little while. Shortly after, I learned that one of my good friends and past summer love interest had been killed along with three other boys in our community in a small plane crash at the airport. I was shocked to say the least and called my mom in tears to tell her what happened. Work from there on out was a struggle to say the least. Between teary phone calls setting up room arrangements for his family to come down the following week for funeral arrangements, and onery guests...I was ready to call it quits for the night.

I got a call from my mom about an hour and a half after I had told her the news and she said "Quick! Make yourself look presentable, one of Cam's old companions is coming to drop off a package to you." 

A bit thrown-off that a package was on it's way from Cameron, seeing as things had been a bit rocky with us for the last couple months and dealing with the days events, the last thing I cared about was looking "presentable" for a newly returned missionary who I really didn't care too much about. So I threw some chap-stick on and adjusted my headband just a bit. 

I remember thinking it was weird my mom didn't just take the package for me and give it to me once I got home, and instead sent him clear across town to hand deliver it to me. 

Not too long after an awkward brown-haired boy holding a brown box walked through the door with two side-kicks lagging behind him, This had to be him. We introduced ourselves, HE SHOOK MY HAND. hahahaha still makes me laugh... and he handed over the package. We chatted for a little bit about how it was to be home, and the plane crash. As it turns out one of his high school friends was involved as well. I noticed his smile, it was nice. But I do that... I notice smiles. I also noticed how awkward he was and promptly wanted to get him out of my lobby. We wrapped things up and he and his friends walked out of the door--never to be seen or heard of again....or so I thought.