The only way to ensure an elegant wedding is to throw it in Idaho.

The Love Story of Freddo and Hansie Bear

Part 3- The Wedding.

Freddo and I spent about 9 months planning our wedding... we decided to have it in Idaho near my family... Our hope for our wedding was that it would be a real celebration. We invited our closest friends... and had people attend from China, Chicago, Switzerland, Canada, New York, etc...

All of our friends pitched in and helped... My Aunt and Mom made all of the food... Si-Fri made the most insane and extravagant dessert bar... Elz-a-Bells coordinated and did all of the girl's make-up and hair... Sweet friends sang... and precious friends took ridiculously amazing photos... 

It was amazing! Truly everything we had hoped for. By the end of the weekend friends from all over felt like one big family!

The wedding reception took place in a little red church....

The boys in front of our little red church

Freddo and his boys

Me and my girls

Right after we were announced!

We had our reception at an old mansion right on Lake Coeur d'Alene...

Yum.... the food!

The insane desserts by Si-Fri!!!!

reception before the sunset

Lights hung in the big tree over the dance floor.

And of course... What reception is complete without "Thriller"?!?!?

And then an after party at a Wine Cellar downtown...

The Hubs and his boys

Hansie & Rachey Pooh

Dance circle...



Living it up with the best friends in the world!


We were so blessed by the day...
It has definitely been my favorite so far.

Luff you-

Hansie Bear

What to do when Italy isn't romantic enough...

The Love Story of Freddo and Hansie Bear

Part 2- The Proposal.

Freddo and I had been dating for about a year when we were invited (along with about 8 other really good friends) to attend a wedding in the English countryside.

Of course we couldn't pass the chance up... So we all agreed that we'd use this little wedding as an excuse to take the trip of a lifetime.

My two roommates at the time, Si- Fri and Elz-a-Bells, and I packed up our backpacks and spent a week in Paris and Florence before heading to Rome to meet up with a few of Freddo's really close guy friends.

some of the crew

Freddo, at the time, had been working on his post-doctorate in another state and told me that he wouldn't be able to get off of work in time for Rome, but that he would meet me in England for the wedding.

So, the girls and I hung out with the guys visiting every major landmark in Rome and eating our way through every gelato shop.
It was lovely...

Me, Si-Fri & Elz-a-Bells at our fav gelato place! Yum!

On our second day in Rome everyone decided that it would be fun to get a bit dressed up and head out to see the Trevi Fountain...

I had been talking non-stop about how beautiful the fountain was and couldn't wait to show everyone...

**The first time I'd every traveled abroad, I had the opportunity to visit Rome and the Trevi Fountain...

From the minute I saw it, I was in love... to me, the Trevi Fountain encapsulated all the romance the Europe had promised... I loved how tradition promised that if you threw two coins over you shoulder, one would ensure that your return to the fountain and the other would ensure that a wish came true. Of course, like and good romantic... I tossed my two coins in hoping for the best...**

It was so wonderful to find myself in front of the Trevi Fountain years later with some of my closest friends... but I was desperately missing Freddo. 

Ugh... to be in such a romantic place withOUT the boy that you loved... lame.

Of course my sweet friends promised lots of gelato and did their best to distract me while we watched other couples "canoodle" in front of the water...

My friend Jason trying to distract me from Freddo behind him!

At one point my friends asked me to read the little blurp that was written about the history of the Trevi from our travel book... I was slightly obsessed with reading from the travel book, so of course I jumped at it... And, while I read from the book my friends began to walk around the edge of the fountain to lead us to a less crowded spot... When, all of a sudden, 4 beautifully perfect red roses were placed on the pages I was reading!

Hooray!

I looked up, and there before me was my Freddo!

Immediately he got down on one knee and proposed... all while my friends stood back ans snapped photos...

Guys- I was freaking out! I have never shaken so much in my life! It was seriously one of the sweetest most precious moments of my life!

So happy!

After the proposal, we all went out to a nice dinner to celebrate!

And after dinner, Freddo and I went off on our own and found ourselves at a quiet little cafe near the Colosseum where we listened to Frank Sinatra and sipped cappuccinos... 

It was magical... and it was perfect.

Sigh.

And that lovelies, is how I got engaged... stay tuned tomorrow for our wedding!

Amore sempre,
Hannah

Two years and counting... we are so long term!

 On this day two years ago... the Hubs and I both said "I do".

Hooray hooray!!! Happy Anniversary to us!

In honor of our anniversary I thought it'd be fun to share our story with you... How we met... Got engaged and then married... So, without further ado...

The love story of Freddo and Hansie Bear.

Part 1

Freddy and I met in November of '07 by what some would call a “fluke”… An old friend from college e-mailed me asking to do her a HUGE favor… She’d been talking to a guy she met on-line and they were just about to exchange their contact information when her “free week trial” ran out… Frantically, she e-mailed every single friend she had hoping someone would sign up with her as a referral giving her 3 extra days on the site… She e-mailed me a few times before I finally agreed to sign up… “Only weird people date on-line!” I thought to myself as I quickly filled out the bare minimum on the site… 

By plugging in my name and e-mail I was automatically given a free week trial myself… Having recently moved across the country from Idaho to Chicago all because of a broken heart, I was in no state and had no desire to be swept off my feet by one of the “charmers” that the website boasted… Maybe I was being idiotic, but the older gentleman who had a tropical bird on his shoulder in every picture and the 4’9” unemployed jockey weren’t exactly the men of my dreams that I’d been looking for… I ended up letting four days go by on my free week trial before I found myself bored to tears one late afternoon at work… 

That afternoon I found myself perusing the dating site and was surprised to find a few cute guys living in my area… Quickly, I completed my profile with a new resolution to wait and see what this “free week” might bring… so… Internet dating was still for weirdos… but I  was finding there was something to be said about “shopping” for a boyfriend on-line!

Later that day I got an e-mail from Freddy. A tall, cute Asian guy who happened to be on a free week trial as well… within a couple days we had exchanged e-mails and a couple of weeks later found ourselves at the local Starbucks meeting each other for the first time in person. Having seen enough episodes of “Unsolved Mysteries” I secretly dragged along my two roommates and had them camp out on the other side of the café making sure I would ONLY be receiving free coffee that day… Our planned 1 hour coffee date turned into 4 hours (much to my roommates chagrin) and rolled into months of the most beautiful relationship we've ever been blessed to have!

Freddy is everything I am not. 

He is Chinese and urban. I am white and suburban. 

He has a doctorate and 1 sister… I spent my post college career traveling the world and have 8 siblings. 

He likes his clothes baggy. I likes mine fitted. 

He is laid back… I tend to "spaz" out. 

But- We somehow are able to strengthen each other's faith, hearts and dreams! 

We are opposites in so many ways, and yet we are the perfect fit. 

Freddy loves Hannah... and Hannah loves Freddy. 

And that, Lovelies, is how it all began... 

Stay tuned for the best engagement story you've ever heard on Thursday!!!

Smooches-

Hans

Midnight Gardening: 5 for 5

So many great things this week....hmmm....

My number one for wonderful thing would have to be the playsuit I made for Kristopher and mine anniversary today. Because clothes for me is something we can both enjoy.

Number two: My sister-in-law's house on Thursday night. She was baking up a storm for a baby shower she is throwing and there was cake everywhere. The kitchen, the bathroom, the man-den...

Number three: This swimsuit. That. I. LOVE.

Number four: Being done with my animal behavior exam. Fun Fact: The presence of Alpha male mouse urine causes female mice to ovulate.

Number five: If I had these shoes I would sleep in them. And walk in them.

lurve-
ra-cha

P.S. My husband and brother are out behind our apartment midnight gardening.Those cute little beans are planting strawbs.

I love him so much: I would use his skin to wallpaper my room

This was the cover

When Kristopher and I took poetry together last semester this was one of the lines in one of the love poems I wrote:

"oh, the scent from your neck

is my wrists great perfume.

And with the skin

from your palm

I would paper my room."

Needless to say, people got creeped out and I was forced into early retirement. Which was too bad, because that  verse was part of a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure love poem. Groundbreaking stuff.

Husbot and my first anniversary is this friday and I am making something SPECTACULAR  to wear. I can't wait to show it to you guys...well, mainly I can't wait to show it to Kristopher but....THEN you guys, you guys are definitely the second people I would show it to.

loaf-

Rach

p.s. I've been working on the EttaGrace bloomers that are set to arrive mid-may! Keep those eye-lipticals peeled.

p.p.s. I am making this cake for family dinner on wednesday. Let's hope it turns out as purty....