UMass

UMass.

I could end this post by just saying that.  Some of you may never know how much UMass shaped us.  How much it changed us individually and as a pair.  Then there are the few that know what it means to us because they were there along the way.  The relationships we gained and how we changed during the best years of our lives.

But again UMass.  There are countless stories that we will never forget.  Little adventures such as walking to the Campus pond and feeding the ducks and watching the squirrels.  Well known fact,  Samantha loves loves loves squirrels. All of these things happened because of UMass.  It brought us together and formed us into what we are today.  It gave us our degrees (My 1 and her 2!).  It made us grow up.  It was again some of the best years of our life.

Why did I choose UMass? How did my life events add up and allow me to meet my beautiful fiance?  I chose UMass because I wanted a big school away from home but not incredibly far so I could go home.  I wanted a school that I could go to with a clean slate and be and become whoever I wanted to be.  Grow and learn from myself about who I was.  Create new friendships that would hopefully last a lifetime.  I went there and had my great College experience.  I met a ton of people. I had some great classes.  Changed my major not once but twice.  Found a degree I loved and through all the love and support that Samantha gave me, I received my degree.

Meeting Samantha is a whole different story.  This is about UMass.  Im sure every other person could tell you something else about the Zoo that changed them but to me, UMass made me.

There was walking to class and walking around campus in the shining sun, the deep snow, the slush or soy sauce (had to go there).  Walking in the fall as the leaves changed colors.  The crisp fall nights walking to parties, the DC, sports games.  Orchard hill, enough said.  Music on the hill, enjoying the sun.  Large group dinners at the DC.  Fitting 10 people to a table that should only sit 6.  Puffton 99.  Good times were had there.  There was also Rolling Green.  That's all I have to say to that.  I could go on and on and have a story about almost every building on campus or about every single person I met but I won't.  I miss the Bluewall, Antonio's,  the huge library, the Mullins center.  I miss the dorms I lived in and the dorms I visited.  I miss Halloween, I miss riding the buses.

Now that we have graduated and moved away from campus, every so often I drive by campus and it reminds me of how much I miss it.  How much this campus shaped me and became part of me.  UMass never change.

I am going to post a video below.  It is kind of long (14 mins) but it describes what the Zoo meant to me to a T.

We will never forget UMass.

Diamonds are a girl's best friend.

For a very long time I fantasized about what my wedding ring would look like. I had these dreams of having a huge rock in the center surrounded by other smaller but not too small rocks with some crazy expensive setting from Tiffany's.

It had to come in that pretty little blue box, I couldn't imagine anything less. I'm not entirely sure where this obsession with having a Tiffany's ring came from, other than the fact that I love the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's and they are a well known jewelry company.  The idea of having a huge engagement ring started in high school; my friends and I would always say "It's going to be so big I won't even be able to hold up my hand without a truck". Okay, so we were a little crazy but isn't that the kind of thing you think about when you're a teenager and have no sense of what life is really like and where your priorities will really be?

I think I totally freaked Ethan out with my fantasy ring. I had got it into his head that anything less than that Tiffany thousand something dollar ring wouldn't be good enough. Plus there's that whole, you have to spend 3 months salary on it, myth thing; which I totally perpetuated. When in reality all I wanted was for him to "put a ring on it".

Winter Storm Nemo

This past winter while Sam and I were both working at the Elementary school, we had a Nor'easter.  It was so delightfully named Winter Storm Nemo.

It began on a Friday.  We had a Snow Day.  Remember how great they were as a kid?  Well they are 100 times better as an adult working in the school system.  We stocked up with essentials.  Beer and food.  We had our shovels ready and winter clothes out.  It began to snow, lightly at first.  It picked up late afternoon and steadily got heavier as the night went on.

We took a mid day stroll through Greenfield to see the goings on.  The Governor issued a driving ban so the state essentially shut down after about 2pm.  All businesses were closed early and the roads were empty.

We bunkered down with movies and drinks to pass the time.  We decide to go on a late night adventure.  We put on our warmest winter clothes and headed out.  We got onto Main St and it was a ghost town.  The only trucks we saw were plow trucks, heavy machinery, and the occasional fire truck.  It was a miraculous sight  A usually busy town empty.

After out late night adventure we bunkered down until morning when we were able to see the aftermath of the storm and unbury our cars.  

When all said and done, I measured 18" in front of my car.  

Oh, we also took a time lapse of the storm through our front window.  Check it out!

This was a great time had by us and something we will never forget.  It shows how close two people can become when kept indoors by a winter storm.

And so it begins....

First welcome to our wedding blog.

I am not sure where this blog will take us but the adventure is beginning.  We will recap events that have happened in the past as well as things that are currently happening.  Share funny, loving, and important stories about our relationship.

It has been a long 4+ years to get to this point.  It will be a quick 2 years until the wedding.  Time will fly.

2009

2013