Ring-a-ling

John and I just wrapped up a great weekend of seasonal bliss!! We squeezed in nearly the last of our Christmas shopping, weathered our first snow together in Issaquah and had a great Holiday dinner with John's family and friends in downtown Bellevue, including an overnight stay at the Hyatt. Good times, good cheer! On top of that, we spent some quality time at Alvin Goldfarb's in Bellevue picking out our wedding bands. There are so many choices out there, so many beautiful designs and sparkly options...how do you choose? Making the decision to use some of the diamonds from my mom's wedding band did help narrow the choices (there is only so much you can do with square-cut diamonds)...and John and I landed on a beautiful custom design that will incorporate my mom's diamonds while at the same time, create something fresh and new for us. It's just beautiful! John has a favorite in mind too...but may want to look a little more before we seal the deal. ;-) We also picked out my permanent engagement band, and hopefully I'll be wearing that before the new year! So exciting...one more thing to gleefully check off the list. This weekend will mark 6 months from our engagement and 1 1/2 years dating...time truly flies when you're in love and having fun! ho, ho, ho!

The Save the Date cards are outbound!

This has been a busy and exciting week in the Coffemacher household. Not only did we finalize and mail out our save the dates...BUT, we also booked our airline tickets! The kids have been booked both ways (thank you, thank you, thank you Ian!), and John and I have secured our "to" flights. John, Skyler, Spencer and I all head out on October 3, 2009! In only 323 days, we'll be sitting on a plane bound for beautiful Maui! It's 72 degrees in Maui right now...pure bliss.

Some of our friends and family have already started booking airfare and accommodations (in the Valley Isle, yahoo!) as well. It all makes it so real and truly, truly exciting. I can't believe I get to marry this man and spend my life with him. I can't believe I get to exchange vows with him on a beautiful beach in Maui, surrounded by family & friends. Magic. It's all going to happen...in just 328 more days.

Happy 16 month Anniversary!

It was 16 months ago today that Mr. Coffer and I had our very first date at the Purple Cafe in Kirkland. Wow. It's a little overwhelming and extremely exciting when I take a moment and think about how much has changed in my life in 16 short months.

John and I are in love. He is my best friend. We are engaged to be married next October. Wow. We now share a warm and almost-moved-in home together, which is simply awesome. I now have 2 very funny, sweet, strong minded and smart kids in my life that I love and have responsibilities for. I go to flag football and soccer games on Saturdays, and cut up oranges for snack day. I have a great, new family that lives in Covington and Ocean Shores who have welcomed me with open hearts and a ton of great memories already.

All the changes are blessings, every single one of them. It's just so crazy to imagine my life before John. And, let me tell you....I had a GREAT life. INCREDIBLE and supportive friends. A wonderful and loving family. A fantastic job, a wonderful home. Seriously...it was amazing! But, if its even possible, and by some kind of miracle, being together makes everything even better. The sun is truly warmer. The sky is really bluer. The rough days melt away much quicker after spending a few moments with him. I always knew love would be incredible, but being with John has exceeded any of my expectations, any of my dreams, and life...life is just good.

Here's to the next 16 months and beyond!

365 Days from Today!

GLORIOUS!! It's 10 am right now and 81 degrees in Lahaina...sunshine, blue skies and just lovely (this is a picture from a live webcam)! So....let's hope that in 365 days...we are as blessed!

Finally, the 1-year countdown begins. We've made great progress on the planning, and you should be receiving a "save the date" in the mail soon (probably the first week of November).

Here's to all of us lifting a delicious Lava Flow together next year at this time!

We're booked at Valley Isle!!

This morning we happily confirmed our stay at the Valley Isle resort in Kahana (just north of Kaanapali). We'll be arriving on Saturday, October 3, 2009 and will have Spencer & Skyler with us though October 10, 2009. We'll head home to Seattle on October 17 or 18 and spend the last week honeymooning in Maui. Ahh....2 glorious weeks. What a way to celebrate getting hitched. Here are just a few more pics of Valley Isle...

If you're interested, you can find great deals at the Valley Isle resort through http://www.vrbo.com/ or http://www.valleyisleresort.com/. There are studios, 1 & 2 bedroom units available, almost all with ocean views. These are all private rentals, so the furnishings & prices will vary depending on who you book through. I've found the rates are roughly $125/night for a studio, $165/night for the 1 bedrooms & $230/night for 2 bedrooms.

3 years ago today..."Heidi meet John"

It was 3 years ago today that John and I met for the first time. Wow. Three years. We met at Mark & Mechelle's rehearsal dinner...and cleverly (I think), we were seated next to one another. I hadn't laughed that much in a long time, and I was instantly drawn to him...in fact, I left that night with a little flutter, something I had never felt quite like that before. I fell asleep thinking of him, and couldn't wait to see him the next day (and we ended up spending most of the wedding together). Maybe it's true...perhaps there is love at first sight....I'd believe it. Three years...wow. Happy Anniversary Mark & Mechelle, and thank you.

10.08.09....it's official!

You wouldn't think it would be difficult to pick a wedding date when you have over a year to plan...but, well...it is. You have to consider family schedules, timeshare availability, blah, blah, blah....it's complicated, but, we've done it!

So, mark your calendars for Thursday, October 8, 2009. And yep...still getting married in Maui. We're thinking we'll stay on the north end of the island in Kaanapali, although we haven't booked our condo yet (the condo is actually in Kahana). Our timeshare is at the Valley Isle Resort, just outside of Lahaina. http://www.valleyisleresort.com/ We won't be able to confirm that we'll be staying there until roughly September 3 or 4th (the earliest we can book our timeshare), but that is currently the plan. We are planning on arriving either Saturday, October 3 or Sunday, October 4 with the kids. Still some details to work through...but that's what we're thinking.

3 Months....

So, John is convinced that I'm going to have the entire wedding planned (locked and loaded) within three months, and then hit total burnout. I'm fairly certain he's wrong about the burnout, but he may be right about the planning.

It's so fun. Every time I think about marrying him, I just feel a perfect blend of excitement, joy and emotion. It's distracting. How in the world am I going to make it until next October? I mean, seriously? Anyone else want to just head to Hawaii this October?

And is there anything quite as incredible as being in love? Whether it's being in love with a precious newborn angel, or the love of your life, or the family of friends you choose to create memories with...Love is just simply...Magic.

MAUI 2009!

Ok, ok...I'll admit it can be perceived as a little cliche to get married in Maui....so much so that there's a line in the movie, Forgetting Sarah Marshall that says, "Oh, a wedding in Hawaii...real original"....but, we can't help ourselves.

It's just so beautiful in Hawaii. It's as if God set out to make the most romantic, lovely place in the world-- it's in a word...GLORIOUS. The islands have so many special memories for us, both as individuals and as a couple. Last October we celebrated our 4-month anniversary in Maui for Dave & Aubrey's wedding. It was spectacular and amazing and wonderful. The memories are as fresh and special as if we had been there last week.

So, where else could we exchange our vows? How could we choose anyplace else? Just thinking about standing on a beach, feet dug in the warm sand, holding John's hands and making our promises to each other, surrounded by our family & close friends, with the incredible sound of the waves in the background makes me feel warm inside. Warm and sappy and happy...all good things when you're planning a wedding.

It's a done deal...we're in! Maui, here we come...

We're close to picking a date...think Fall 2009, and stay tuned for more details soon.

We're Engaged!

It was the most beautiful, surprising, romantic proposal possible. On Saturday evening, June 21st, John surprised me at my house with a dozen red roses and what would be the beginning of an evening that I will never forget. He had originally told me we would be having dinner at Jak's in Issaquah with the kids, but he arrived at my house alone and explained that Mark & Mechelle would be watching the kids so we could have the evening just to ourselves. We hustled in the car (I was sweaty and of course running late) and he drove right past Jak's....surprise #2. We ended up at Purple Cafe in Kirkland, which is where we had our first date (and definitley the best first date I've ever had) 1 year ago that day. About 2 months earlier, I had tracked down a bottle of the wine that we had on our first date, and we enjoyed a wonderful dinner sitting on the patio with a very special bottle of wine. After dinner, John asked if he could move seats and sit on the other side of me, so he could better see all the people walking by on the sidewalk. I thought he was being a big weirdo, but later would learn that it was a sly move so when the moment was right, he would be able to get down on his knee....so, after dinner, we were debating over if we should order dessert and a special dessert wine...as we pondered, I gave John my gift, which was a pewter heart that says "always". I told him I had given him my heart long ago, but this was a symbol of that for him to keep. He then gave me a card and told me I had to read it all the way through (ah, how he knows me). What I read was a true love letter, outlining our path to find each other, the special relationship we share, and our dreams for the future. At the very end of the letter, he said he couldn't wait for me to be his wife...and thought we should get that done, given it was our 1 year anniversary. He hoped I would say yes...I was shocked, floored really. It was totally unexpected and incredibly romantic. I looked at him, and he was down on his knee, and said he had my dad's approval and wanted to make all my dreams come true, and would I marry him, and slipped a perfectly sparkly ring on my finger...OF COURSE I SAID YES!!! It was incredible. Beautiful. Amazing. The waitress brought us over 2 glasses of champagne....it's still sinking in. Just amazing.