The Most Magical Day...

I suppose that it is time for my brief (and unintentional) hiatus from the blogging world to come to and end. To say that life over the last six months has been busy and exciting, would be nothing but an understatement. Two moves, a wedding, and a new job for both Andrew and myself is just the tip of the iceberg.

I've been finding myself really missing the blogging world, and now that Andrew's unit is back into full-swing training, I think it's a good time to reintroduce myself as the newest Mrs. Dolan!

Of course, the biggest milestone of the past six months was August 4th, our wedding day. People constantly ask me if it was the best day of my life, and it's a question that's hard for me to answer. Was it the best party of my life? Yes! The most fun I've ever had? Absolutely! But I will always have a very special place in my heart reserved for a mere six months and twenty eight days prior to our wedding day... Andrew's safe return home from his first deployment. It's impossible for me to chose between the two as my "favorite day", and truthfully I consider myself so blessed to have that problem.

Click here to view our Wedding Video!

Deployment Positive Thursday- Week 44

This week has been absolutely fantastic. I have the best friends and family in the entire world, hands down, but more on that later.

Yesterday marked ten months of deployment gone boy. SCORE!

Today, our unit welcomed home our very first soldiers from Afghanistan! These are the times I wish more than anything that I was living down at Fort Knox, I can't even imagine the joy on those families' faces when their soldiers returned home to them. It was just a small group, but the wave has started, and will continue over the next two and a half to three months.

Our FRG (Family Readiness Group- the wives of the soldiers in the unit) is sending out more emails than ever lately, all with new messages about homecoming and block leave and returning to "normal life" once the brigade returns home. It's oddly comforting to know that there really is a light at the end of this seemingly never-ending tunnel, it's not just me imagining it's there. Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in a moment in time, and I forgot that this deployment will eventually end. It's almost our turn!

Now, onto the most amazing weekend EVER!

On Saturday morning, Mom Dolan and I set off for a Scrapbooking day at Dottie's (her best friend who lives a few towns away) house. I had my huge scrapbooking box with me (decoupaged with newspaper clippings from the Sox 04 World Series Run- one of my favorite home-made projects ever!) and as we walked in the door I was slapped in the face with the sound of "SURPRISE!!!!!" by what seemed like a million women.

I'll admit, the three seconds before I realized what was going on felt like they lasted for-ev-er. I walked into the room, and put my box down, just as I realized "oh, is this all happening for me?" and as I put my sunglasses on my head, I saw them. My girls. My roommates from college, and my best friend since the first grade. Not to mention the countless family (Em, that includes you!)

It's one of the strangest feelings in the world, and I'll never quite be able to describe it, but seeing people I cared so deeply about, here in an environment that I had never seen them before (nor did I ever think I would see them before our wedding) absolutely blew me away. Thank you thank you thank you girls for coming down and making me feel so loved. I am so very very blessed to have you all in my life.

The last time we (my seven roommates and I) were all together was our graduation from Stonehill in May 2009. I was a wreck. We all were. We had just spent the 4 best years of our lives with some of our greatest friends (and senior year with a couple of legitimately crazy boys living down the hall who loved to put fireplaces in our stairwell) and none of us could accept the fact that that chapter in our lives had come to a close. We huddled. There was nothing else to do, we didn't want to let go of that moment.

So what do you think we did the moment we were all 8 together again for the first time in nearly two and a half years (after I got over my initial shock, of course)? Yup! We huddled!

My Bridal Shower was nothing short of phenomenal! I can't describe the joy I felt that day! I really wish I could post a video of my reaction, but I'm having technology issues at the moment, hopefully I'll figure it out someday.

Thank you so very much to everybody who made this day happen! I feel so blessed to be loved by my family, my friends and to be coming into a family who is so loving as well. Saturday was probably one of my favorite deployment days, and I can't help but smile when I think of myself walking into that room and being completely bombarded with love!

Here I am with my Lexa Lou and my rehearsal bouquet! She did an awesome job!

RANGER +1 Year

Today I'm just happy. I got a solid 10 emails in with Andrew this morning after I woke up and before communication got shut off; we seem to be out of the path of Hurricane Irene; I met with and put a deposit down for my florist for our wedding (she is wonderful, and sees everything exactly the way I do- I couldn't be more thrilled about using her and would be more than happy to recommend her to any brides who are still looking); and, a year ago today was the happiest moment of my life (to that point).

It's amazing how much can change in a year. I was Andrew's girlfriend, I had just been through the longest summer of my life (or so I thought) hanging on every letter, dashing to the mailbox as soon as I got home from work (twice on days that I stopped home for lunch), and never knowing exactly what was going on in Andrew's world. On this date, 365 days ago, I had the honor to pin that Ranger Tab on my soldier's shoulder. I don't know that I've ever had a prouder moment. He had worked so hard for that tab, and every lonely night and re-read letter was completely, totally, 150 million percent worth it to see that smile on his face when I told him "you did it babe, no matter what, nobody can ever take this away from you, Congratulations, Ranger!"

And now, here we are. A full year later. I am no longer Andrew's girlfriend... I'm his fiancee and planning our wedding while he is deployed. It's days like today that make me so happy... remembering the joy we felt last year, not only at the graduation ceremony, but also two days before when I surprised him on his 8 hour pass. Literally the moment I saw him I screamed and nothing else mattered. That goofy grin on his face, shaking his head as we pushed through the sea of dirty camo and reunions all around us trying to get to one another; that moment made every tear and every worry I had had that summer disappear. Being apart didn't matter- we were together for that moment.

When people say to me "I don't know how you do it" or "well, I could never do that", I actually feel sorry for them. They don't feel the love I feel, they don't get to prove to their significant other every day how much they care. The military tests relationships, the strong survive and the weak falter, and we are lucky enough to not only have survived the tests the military as thrown our way, but we have grown from them. 

I love our life, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I love that my future-husband stands up and fights for what he believes in, and will do anything possible to attain his goals, even when the road is not easy. The separations and voids I feel from him being gone are filled by the happy faces and giggles of six beautiful little children that will tell you all the pride they can possibly muster: "my uncle is a RANGER! He's fighting in Afghanistan so that we can be safe!"

Well this post got long and mushy in a hurry. Definitely not my intention, but you get what you get, I guess. I suppose all I'm really trying to say is that I can't believe a year has gone by, and I am so excited for this time next year when I will officially be Mrs. Ranger.

Deployment Positive Thursday- Week 29

Well what do you know, I'm still slacking on my blogging. No excuse except a good clean fun all-American summer. Last week we were at Stone Harbor, New Jersey (although I only went for the last few days because I had to work) with the whole extended Dolan family. Unfortunately we forgot cardboard Andrew here... It would have been way more fun to have the real guy with us though. Instead we decided to pay tribute to our favorite soldier by dubbing our set up at the beach FOB Dolan:




Pretty sweet, right?!? Plus we thought that with eleven children under the age of 10, this would be a great way for any of our little wanderers to find their way back to the family! Plus it made me beam with pride every SINGLE time that flag caught my eye!

When we returned home life returned to normal. I was thankful to have the family home (being home alone is DEFINITELY not as much fun as Macully Culkin (spelling is totally off, but you get the idea) makes it out to be) and also so excited to flip the page on yet another month of this horrid 2011. August is finally here and I couldn't be happier!!






Today is probably my favorite day since Andrew has left. Not only does it mark the 200th day of deployment, but August 4th will forever be a special day for us. On this day 366 days from now (2012 is a leap year, the irony is not lost on me. Remind me to thank the universe for that extra little reminder that I'm not in control of anything in my life) Andrew and I will be married. I am absolutely overjoyed that I finally am within a year of our wedding date and that now the real countdown can begin. Some people might not think a pre-versary is worthy of celebration, but ummmm hello?!? I'll take any excuse to celebrate the days going by at this point, plus it's SUPER EXCITING!!!!

To celebrate, a few of us went to look for wedding gowns today! It was so fun and something about wedding dress shopping can turn any day around! I am one lucky girl. I feel so blessed to have so many wonderful things to look forward to in the next year and so many more in the future. I have a man who loves me very much and even though I don't get to see him as often as I would like, I know that he is living his dream, and I am so proud of him for that.

I can't wait to marry my best friend, my true love and my hero one year from today! Nothing (except possibly his safe return home to me this winter) could make me happier.

NWY

Deployment Positive Thursday- Week 23

23 June 2010 was- to that point- probably the hardest day of my life. It was the day Andrew was recycled when he was 40 hours away from completing Mountains Phase at Ranger School. Him calling home to report the news was the single worst phone call of my life, and at the time we both had an impossible time being positive about anything. It was the hardest thing in the world for me to hear the sound of such sheer and utter disappointment in the voice of the man I loved so dearly, knowing there was nothing I could do to make it better.

At that time, I didn't think there could be any worse feeling. A year later it still stings, but now I feel as though everything has been put into perspective. On Sunday there was an incident involving one of our closest friends in Afghanistan that hit a little too close to home. Everyone is alive and "okay", but my world was completely shaken.

I am not going to get into detail because it's a private matter for the family involved; but ever since I heard the news, I haven't been able to shake the "what if's" from my head. It made the fact that Andrew and some of his our closest friends are over there at war. Not just playing games with guns. This week more than ever, I just feel so thankful for the little blessings in life. The way Lillia came running to me and jumping into my arms when I came home the other day. The sheer pride I feel for being an American. Even the fact that Andrew is thousands of miles away from me means so little when there is the promise of a life together on the other end. When Andrew was recycled, the 9 additional weeks he would spend in "the bad place" felt like an eternity. Now looking back, it seems like the blink of an eye. I can hardly believe that we are almost halfway through this deployment, and I know that the moment I see him and wrap my arms around him that same feeling will return. Where did the time go?


It's funny because I can already feel this year blurring together in my mind. It is one of the strangest feelings ever. I find myself forgetting what month it is, or what time of year; something that is very out of character for me. It's hard to explain. For instance, yesterday I heard something on the radio about a band coming to the area in September. My initial thought was "why are they advertising for something 8 months away?" Apparently in my brain it is currently February. But then last week I thought it was November for a split second. I have to really concentrate and think to figure out what month it is. I don't know what's going on, but it's a very foreign feeling to me. I've always been the one in my family and in my circle of friends who remembered the exact dates of things that have happened in my life. This deployment; no such luck. I'm not even remembering if things happened before or after Andrew left. It's freaking me out a little bit to be completely honest. Has anyone experienced this when dealing with long separations?

The positive of this all is that by the time 2012 gets here I'll probably be being treated for mental illness and I won't know which way is up. In all seriousness though, I am longing for the true feeling of "where did that time go?" and "I can't believe it's all over!" I pray each and every day that that day will hurry up and get here already, but I know this is just a small step in our journey. A journey that I am so excited to officially start as husband and wife just over a year from now.


And, incase you're wondering:  click here to recap what was going through my mind a year ago today...

May the Seventeenth

I have never been one to believe in signs or messages from beyond, but ever since meeting Andrew there have been a few things that have stood out to us that make us sure that if there are such a thing as signs, they're pointing to us being us forever. One of these impossible to ignore signs is this very date: May 17th. This day has been one of the most important days of each year since we have known each other.

Let's take a stroll down memory lane, shall we?

2008:
After studying abroad in Italy for four months, I returned home to the arms of Andrew, who surprised me by picking me up with a beautiful bouquet of flowers at Logan Airport in Boston. My time in Italy was a big test for our relationship, we had only met three months before I left so I was gone for longer than I had known him. I remember my first days in Florence, I couldn't stop talking to people about him (it just kept coming up, like word vomit- name that movie!) everyone was shocked when they found out our relationship was so new. We knew if this was ever going to work for us, long-distance would be something we would have to get used to and Italy was a great test run for that. Plus, looking back, it was a good experience for me to be the one away from home and him to be the one waiting for me. Every single separation we've had since then has been the other way around, so I think it is good we each know what it is like to be in the others' shoes. (er, well, if you take away the war aspect of the equation, I  suppose)

Coming back home and running into Andrew's arms and the fact that the second we got into his truck it was like we had never been apart told me that this was for keeps. I already knew that, but it just validated everything I had been thinking for the past few months.

2009:
Goodbye, College! We graduated from Stonehill in 2009. Emotionally, I had a harder time with no longer living with seven of my best friends than anything else, but it was an adjustment time for both of us. I was such a wreck on graduation day, I didn't even want to take pictures with my family or Andrew for some reason. My parents will get a kick out of this, but: YES I REGRET IT! It was just such an emotionally draining day, but spending time with our families together after the hooplah was all done was a great way to relax.

The night before graduations was hands-down one of the best nights of college. All of the graduation seniors went up to Donahue Hill, which is basically the only hill with a mansion on it on campus, and hung out up there all night. Somebody brought a keg, somebody else brought DJ equipment, it was such a fun time. It started raining at one point and nobody cared, we were all soaked and stayed out til 4 or 5 in the morning when we had to be up at 7:30 for graduation.

wee morning hours- 17 May 2009

2010:
Ranger School Day 1. Something Andrew has been looking forward to for years on end. When I found out last January that Andrew had orders to start "the bad place" on that day, I couldn't believe it. Three years in a row, three huge life events! And arguably the three biggest events in our relationship up to that point (save when we actually met, the first time I kicked his butt at Mario Kart, etc...) it's pretty incredible if you really think about it. Ranger School was another test for us. It gave me a chance to prove that I wasn't going anywhere, even when facing weeks with no communication other than letters, and I think it had a lot to do with us getting engaged when we did.

17 May 2010

A few months ago we also found one more goose-bump inspiring connection to May 17th. Andrew was going to get my engagement ring appraised and insured and took out the certificate of authenticity and my diamond was certified on May 17, 2010. Andrew had no idea when he bought it.

I don't know, maybe we are just looking for reasons to love May 17th and it's all some weird, funky coincidence, but I find that hard to believe. Last year at this time, Mom, Shannon and I were thinking maybe May 17, 2014 (a Saturday) would be our wedding date (that's when I was still convinced Andrew would make me wait til after his first deployment to get engaged).

Today as I drove to work, I was expecting to feel uplifted and happy that we reached another May 17th and that we are 4 months and 1 day into this deployment. Instead I was a little bit let down to not have something really exciting to look forward to today. I think Andrew's unit is on a communication blackout because I haven't heard from him since Sunday night, so when all is said and done, I will count it as a huge victory to get one little email tonight with three little words from a solider who I love very much in a far away place.

Deployment Positive Thursday- Week 13

Hello, Keystone State!!

As of Tuesday at 12:42 PM I am officially a resident of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania! Of course this was a long time coming, and I am a little upset about giving up my first-in-the-nation-primary by losing my New Hampshire Residency, but overall I am very excited to officially be a Pennsylvanian! Mom Dolan came down to the DMV with me on my lunch break (she was one of my proofs of residency) so we decided to document the time we spent there:

 Here I am with Lenny, who was oh, so happy to help us. Not really.

 Taking my vision test... which I told him I didn't need to take because I am blind, but he made me take anyways. And I almost failed.... WITH contact lenses in.

 Waiting for my temporary license! This guy was a resident of E-town too and kept telling me "Welcome to Elizabethtown," (even though we were in Lancaster) "I'll see you in all that traffic." I wasn't really sure what he was talking about because we live in a small town, with almost no traffic, but I just smiled and nodded and said "thank you, sir!"

The newest Pennsylvania Resident!

So excited to have my new License! All-in-all not a bad hour!

Even waiting for an hour in a ridiculous line at the DMV (which, let's be honest, pretty much everyone hates), Mom and I had such a fun lunch break! We got all my forms sorted out and proofs of identity and residency and then just had one of our great chats!

My next step is to get my registration and license plate squared away (to do Friday!) and then get Little White inspected and I'll be all set! It feels great to have all of this out of the way.

In other news, Andrew is doing well in Afghanistan. He got his Easter Care Package on Tuesday that I sent out last Monday, which is pretty much a miracle as far as deployments go. Only 8 days!! I didn't even have time to tell him "do not open until Easter", since I thought it would take at least another week or so! Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come as far as mail is concerned. The Battalion Commander writes an email to all family members each month stating how things are going and what is to be expected in the coming weeks and in last month's email he said that since the weather is getting better, mail will also be getting to the troops faster since it won't be delayed due to snow storms and such. Fingers crossed no more month-long waits for Care Packages!!! Here is a picture of the Easter package I sent him: complete with a chocolate bunny, Easter eggs, Easter grass, a Red Sox Yatzee game, more candy and- of course- ARCHER!

Today was also a great day because on my lunch break I finally went to have my engagement ring appraised (so that we can have it insured- after almost 6 months I think Andrew was about to have a heart attack thinking about me walking around with that uninsured rock on my hand. And I was all too familiar with the phrase "that's the only one you get, if you lose it or break it before it's insured its too bad, so sad!"- the romance never dies) I also got it cleaned for the first time since Andrew proposed that magical, freezing cold day in Boston Common, and boy oh boy does that sucker shine now! I haven't been able to take my eyes off of it all afternoon! It's so nice that no matter what goes on in my life and what stresses I'm facing each week I can look down at the promise of a life together. It makes everything else go away and those stresses just seem to be lifted off my shoulders. 

Deployment Positive Thursday- Week 9

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!!

Today I am happy to be celebrating one of my favorite holidays in the most Irish City in the country! 

I love Boston. I love everything Irish, and I can't wait to have that strong Irish name in about 16 more months! 

Today also makes me smile because of one of my favorite memories from my Senior Year at Stonehill. St. Patty's fell on the first nice day of Spring so pretty much everyone was outside enjoying the amazing weather! There was a bagpiper coming by in a kilt, everyone wore green, and I ate a clover plant to prove a point. And you know, what? I'm pretty sure it was excellent luck! 

So raise your glasses, have an Irish Car Bomb (the nastiest drink ever invented: Guinness with a shot of Baileys and Jameson dropped into it) in honor of my favorite soldier and his buddies, and may the Luck of the Irish be upon you today!

When Irish Eyes are smiling you can hear the angels sing

Deployment Positive Thursday- Week 8

Week 8?!? Really? For a second I thought I was counting wrong (which wouldn't be a huge surprise, to be honest) but wow, this coming Sunday really does mark 8 weeks since Andrew left! I never thought I'd say this, but time really isn't dragging as much as I thought it would! I love going to write my Thursday entries each week to see how far we have come! I can hardly wait for double digits! WOAH!

Okay, stream of consciousness over, I promise. Just had to include that little sidebar. Focus Kristina! I guess I'm just caught up in all the positiveness (possibly not a real word) going on this week! I work best with lists, so here we go:

• No more cuddling with the Muzzleloader! Last Friday, Mom and Dad Dolan got home from their two week trip to Florida. While they were soaking up the rays and living it up in the warm sunshine, their son was worried about his one and only back home (alone) with a non-functioning garage door (E-town Dolans know what I'm talking about here) and workers always in and out of the house. I felt safe at all times, but Andrew was sure to tell me exactly where the muzzleloader (aka big huge gun) was and that I should be sleeping with it in bed while they were away. At first I thought it was silly, but I did it anyways (obviously not loaded) and by the end of the two weeks, kind of actually felt comfort in having it by my side at all times.

• 50 Days came and went. Last Monday officially marked the passing of 50 days and nights since I have hug, kissed, laughed with and held my soldier. I keep reminding myself that each of these small milestones add up to one big huge gigantic party called homecoming!

• Two Months is also fast approaching! Next Wednesday to be exact! Just another benchmark to check off!

• Surprises have a tendency to drive me absolutely bonkers, but Andrew's parents came to dinner after bowling on Tuesday and told me there was a surprise waiting for me at home! My initial thought was "Andrew's Home!!!", but I knew they could never keep a secret that big, or leave him home when most of his extended family was out to eat! It was driving me nuts all night, but when I came home, I was so excited to see a tv hooked up in my bedroom! I hadn't even asked for it! I was so excited, and to make it even more perfect, the show that just happened to be on when we turned it on for the first time: FRIENDS! 

• My First Care Package came! Yep, folks! You heard me right! It came, meaning Andrew sent it from Afghanistan to me! I knew it was coming, and I knew what would be inside (lots of DVDs he can get for a pretty cheap price over there) but seeing this box, beautifully wrapped in more Priority Mail tape than I ever knew existed, waiting for me on the dining room table when I came home yesterday absolutely made my day! Plus there was a little extra something in there that I didn't know about: aNOTHER Valentines' Day present! I am such a lucky girl! He sent me a blue stone native to Afghanistan, called the Lapis Lazuli in a heart shaped pendant! It is beautiful and I love that he picked it out just for me! That boy sure does know how to make me smile!

• Once again: Dolans are amazing! Not just Andrew's immediate family, but his extended family as well. I am so excited to take the Dolan name and finally officially become a part of this incredible family. On Sunday, Andrew's Aunt Lori and Uncle Dave were having a dinner for their son, Ryan and his new fiancee, Brittany, who had just gotten engaged a week before. They are still in college, so it was nice to have them home for their spring break and talk with another bride-to-be about plans, thoughts and ideas (oh my!)! Aunt Lori cooked a whole turkey dinner that was to die for and when it was time for cake, they all started singing (to the tune of the happy birthday song) and every single Dolan sang "Happy Engagement to AJ, Kristina, Ryan and Brittany" during the third line. They brought the cake over and they had included our names on the cake as well. I was just excited for Ryan and Brittany to be celebrating this joyous time in their lives, I certainly did NOT expect anything like that, but it was a really nice surprise! Sometimes it is a little tough to be spending this engagement thousands of miles apart from each other and not get to celebrate the way most normal, civilian couples do, so it really meant a lot to me that our names were included on that cake. (I am fully aware that this is the timing I practically begged for and we as a couple decided would be best for us- and I wouldn't change the timing of this engagement for anything in the world- I just want to make it clear how thankful I am to be marrying into a family to recognizes our situation and embraces and welcomes me into their lives each and every single day) It was also hilarious that when I walked in on Sunday I noticed Ryan and I had matching shirts on (white and blue stripes), then I walked into the kitchen, and Brittany was wearing a matching shirt too! I felt bad at first, thinking I crashed their matching shirt party, but apparently they hadn't planned it either! Of course we had to take lots of pictures (and Mom even ran home to get mini-AJ) so that he could be there enjoying the cake too!

We all spent the rest of the night going over potential wedding venues for Ryan and Brittany, dates, colors, flowers, guest list, everything under the sun! It was a great night full of more laughter than imaginable and lots of happy celebrations!

Deployment Positive Thursday- Week 6

For once: A wayyyy early edition of DPT! In fact: I started this before midnight, so I'm kinda cheating, but I was just so excited about this one, it couldn't wait.

So here it is, the BIG ANNOUNCEMENT:

I finally faxed our wedding contract over to the Hotel Hershey today! Deposit is officially put in, and we are just waiting on the event manager's signature before we officially have August 4th, 2012 reserved for our wedding reception!!! I could not be happier if I tried! This is all starting to come together and everything is falling into place!

I feel like I want to shout it from the rooftops and run up to every stranger I know and tell them! This makes everything official! I am so excited, there are no words! We are so incredibly lucky to have such amazing families who are making this beautiful wedding happen for us! And I am so lucky to have my dad to talk to these people about all the nitty-gritties of the contract; definitely something I am NOT good at! 

Other than that, the biggest news in the past 4 months, I have been so thankful for family and friends this week! On Monday, I met one of my first college friends at the King of Prussia mall for an amazing dinner/catch up session! Keels- LOVE YOU, I'm so glad we got to finally meet up! It was totally worth the long drive home in the snow when Etown plows decided not to start working or salting yet even though there was over an inch of snow on the road. Oh well, positives, right Tines? It was so great to catch up on everything I have been missing from home/Boston lately. I can't wait to get up there and see all the girls again, I am long overdue for a trip. Here we are Freshman year of college, first semester. I love this picture:

Tuesday night (as always) was Bowling and Hennigans. Tonight I had a special sushi date with Andrew's cousin, Michelle and her 3 kids, as well as Gavin, who I was watching for Shannon while everyone else was at CCD. I had gotten wind that Michelle's almost-three-year-old, Landon, loving Spicy Tuna Sushi, so obviously I had to eat some with him; as that particular flavor just happens to be my favorite, too! It was so fun, and I love having someone else in town to get sushi with! I have been looking forward to that for so long. It was a bit crazy with 4 kids 4 and under but we still had a blast and the boys couldn't have possibly had anymore fun trying to use chopsticks on their sweet-and-sour chicken (Gavin's was more like ketchup chicken, as usual)! So fun to watch them all having such a great time! 

So with this week officially more than half over, I am heading to bed. I had one of the best workouts I've had in a long time at the gym tonight and I am pooped! So excited to see what this weekend has to offer.... 

Pre-Wedded Bliss

Disclaimer: If you are a boy, I'll warn you right now, this post is going to either put you to sleep, or convince you that you NEVER want to be around when the woman you love is planning a wedding (Andrew definitely had the right idea with this whole deployment thing)! But you really can't complain all that much, because I write about sports, too! It's not all girly and flowers and rainbows and pink around here all the time.

This was the wedding weekend extravaganza that I have been looking forward to for months! I planned everything around the Hershey Bridal Expo at the ACAA (Antique Car Museum) and things kind of unraveled from there! Friday night, Mom Dolan and I kept it low key and went for manicures and pedicures and out to dinner- where we had one of our famous hours-long conversations and nearly shut the restaurant down! It was the best!

On Saturday morning, my mom flew into BWI from Manchester, where my brother's girlfriend, Emily (future-Olsen, as I introduced her as this weekend), picked her up. Emily lives just outside of DC so she picked up my mom at the airport and they drove up to little-old Etown together. They met me, Mom, Lisa, Shannon, Lillia and Alisia at the Bridal Emporium on Market Street. I'll admit, it wasn't overly thrilled with their service or selection of gowns. Last weekend we went there and it was a totally different experience, but something was off this week. 

After a quick lunch at Subway, we drove down to Lancaster to go to a new Bridal shop, In White. I was expecting the quality and price of their gowns to be higher than other shops I had visited because of what I had seen online and from driving by, but decided to give it a shot anyways! I can't even explain how happy I am that we went there; everything was top-tier... except the prices!! What more could I ask for? They didn't even have the gowns in cheapo plastic bags to protect them, but they just let them hang there so you could really get an idea of what each one was like! Of all the gowns I've tried on (probably 30-35 at this point; I'm not very good at decision making) none of them even compared to the 5 I tried on at In White! AND to top off my perfect experience there, they had the exact color (Infantry Blue) I was looking for for bridesmaid dresses! We even brought a blue cord with us to see if we could find a perfect match! Overall, Day 1 of the weekend extravaganza was a raging success!

Today (Day 2) started out great as well! My mom and Emily stayed here at the Dolan's house for the night (in the midst of a kitchen remodel!) We woke up and Dad Dolan made us all Mickey Mouse waffles (I got Magic Mickey for the first time ever!) and then went to church were I introduced them to fifteen Dolans in about 30 seconds before mass started! After mass, we were off to Hershey for the expo!

It wasn't like anything I could have ever imagined! The best part was that when we bought our tickets, we said we have 2 brides in our party and they gave Emily all the bridal stuff I was getting too! (My brother would have my head if he found out about this, love ya Marko!) It was so much fun to see all the vendors and get ideas of things I had never even considered yet! I definitely got to a point where I was just done and exhausted so we went to get lunch in Hershey. We finished up around 4, came back to E-town and my mom and Emily hit the road so that my mom could catch her flight back home. 

For dinner we went over to Sean and Lisa's for pizza. I finally gave the kids books that Andrew and I have had for them since before Christmas. The books were little age-appropriate stories about being a flower girl or ringbearer or junior bridesmaid (in Alisia's case). For Jared we decided to go the cool-route and get him a book all about soldiers from different eras and wars and branches of military; also they really don't make any sort of wedding book that would be appealing for his demographic. Inside each book we wrote a note officially asking the kids to be a part of our wedding! The girls were overjoyed, Jared was instantly enthralled in his soldier book, Quinn was jumping up and down, Austin was more concerned with the Real-tree camo wrapping paper we used, and Gavin unwrapped and then headed right back to his game of mousetrap--- that he was playing against himself! I explained that Uncle AJ and I have very important jobs for them to do in our wedding, and if they would like to, we would be thrilled if they would like be a part of such a special day for us! It was an overwhelming YES from the whole crowd! Lots and lots of hugs and kisses and "thank you, Aunt Tina"'s going around! It was such a fun moment, but totally bittersweet because I didn't get to share it with Andrew. I meant to have someone video tape it so that we could send it over to our favorite solider, but in the excitement of the moment, I completely forgot (really sorry, babe!). Sean did manage to snap this one picture (after Gavin left the party on the couch) which I absolutely LOVE! I can't wait to officially be these kiddos' Aunt! 

In other news, my better half, over in Afghanistan is doing great. Well, he is really, really cold! They've been getting lots of snow in his province, and a buddy of his who is only about 70 miles away is complaining about the seventy five degree weather! It's crazy! We are still talking online every night and every morning which I will always count as a blessing!

Benchmarks

In my family, I have always been known as the Queen of Dates. If my mom wants to know what year we took a certain vacation, or my dad wants to know the date (and year) of a second cousin a gazillion times removed's birthday, I am the go-to-gal. That is just the way my brain works for some reason, I'm really good at remembering dates.

So imagine my chagrin when Andrew Dolan comes waltzing into my life almost three and a half years ago. The boy can hardly remember his own birthday, let alone anyone else's- or any other milestone! (I have so many stories to demonstrate my point, but I can't let myself get into them... it is simply too embarrassing and heartbreaking for all parties involved). We physically could not be more different in this aspect.

Today marks exactly one month since Andrew left for Afghanistan, and it is almost hard to believe that we have made it to the first huge milestone! I am so relieved this first month is over and we are getting into the swing of this deployment.

Because I am always thinking about dates and things that have happened in our lives, each month I find myself looking forward to a few key days. Always having something to look forward to definitely makes time go by faster! This deployment, I have 5 main days every month that I really look forward to; and they all serve as benchmarks to another mini-milestone that has passed.

4th- One month closer to our wedding day: August 2012

16th- X-Day: this deployment officially started: January 2011

19th- Our "dating anniversary"/first kiss: October 2007

22nd- Andrew Proposed in Boston: October 2010

27th- Ranger School Graduation: August 2010

I know that some people, including my betrothed, think it is silly to celebrate an anniversary each month (actually, truth be told, I think that is silly, too), but there is a difference between "celebrating" something each month (with gifts and cards and extra lovey-dovey-ness) and just looking forward for that date to come (and pass) each month. I will say that I, by no means, keep track of how many months we have been together as a couple or anything like that, but there is something nice and refreshing about having each of these days come around each month. To me, it means one less of those "days" are left until we can finally be together again... and that has been making time F-L-Y!

Deployment Positive Thursday- Week 2

As another Thursday rolls around, its time for another weekly positive! I have found in the past few days that I have been spending a lot of time (when driving, or trying to sleep, etc.) thinking about what my positive will be for this week! I think it is a good thing to be always thinking about the positives, rather than dwelling on the negatives.. Shannon told me once that studies show that that generally leads to happier people!

Even though this week's positive I knew a long time ago, I also have a few more to add.

First and definitely most important: Our favorite show, Archer, had it's second season premier tonight. We have been looking forward to this for close to a year and even though I haven't watched it yet- not to worry, its on the DVR- I am absolutely giddy with excitement. Some of the fondest memories of my visits down to Knox and Benning were when Andrew and his friends would just quote Archer episodes over and over again. I'd be lucky to insert one or two lines before they would all finish the quotes for me. It was sure to put me in stitches every time.

Second: I got the contracts for the Hotel Hershey today! It needs some adjustments, but as long as we get it back to them signed, sealed and delivered by February 14th, that baby is ours!

Third: Shannon called me today and said that she was doing a lot of thinking today after being able to communicate with Andrew last night. She made me realize how lucky we are to have instant communication even though we are thousands of miles away from Andrew. I will admit, I have done my fair share of complaining about missing Andrew by a few minutes or only getting to say a few things to him each night, but when you think about it that way, we've been spoiled rotten! I would never trade places with a military family from a previous war and have to wait weeks or even months for a single letter... heck, we all know how crazy that made me after only 15 weeks of Ranger School this summer. And that was with a phone call every few weeks, as well as a 3 week period with phone calls almost every night.

I also thought a lot about my maternal grandparents. (Background: My mother's entire family is German, she was born and raised there, just like all the previous generations of her ancestors. She came to the US for a temporary job in her late twenties, met my dad and after a few years of dating and her moving back and forth from there to here, they got married, had us kids and the rest is history) My grandfather was a Luftwaffe pilot in the Second World War. He flew over 1,000 combat missions and was one of the most decorated German pilots of his time. I have a lot of pride in what he did for his country, but also know that the people who were leading that country were very bad people and did a lot of bad things, which leads to me having a lot of mixed emotions on the subject. But, as Andrew always tells people- he fought mainly on the Eastern Front, so he was just ahead of his time-- he wasn't bombing any Americans, so we should really be thanking him.

My grandparents were engaged in November of 1944 and 13 days later they were married. He had two days leave and then it was back to war. Just before the war ended he was actually captured by the Allied Forces and held as a Prisoner of War. When the war ended, because he was so honored- by friend and foe, alike- he was released. (I have been told they later killed all of the POWs where he was held, but I really don't know the validity of that story.) He walked (and I'm guessing somehow caught rides with people) back to Germany to his wife, who for 6 weeks had no idea if he had survived. She often tells me how hard it was in those days and how she would wait weeks for a letter. Their story is heart-wrenching and I ache for her, because I can only imagine the pain she must have gone through in those weeks, and throughout that entire war.

So the next time I go a day or two without talking to my soldier, you can bet I will be counting my blessings that we live in an era of instant communication and lots of planes bringing letters and care packages galore to and from Afghanistan almost every day!

The Sweetest Place on Earth. . .

Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, that would be Hershey, Pennsylvania! (hehe, get it?!) This weekend my parents drove down from New Hampshire so that we could all start on the wedding preparations! For the most part things went really well, and once I get the final "OKAY" From Dear olde Dad, I'll be ready to put a deposit on our dream wedding reception location-- the Hotel Hershey. 

I can't wait to welcome our out-of-town family and friends to Hershey in grande style! The Hotel will be the perfect place to celebrate our love and dance the night away with everyone who is important to us and helped us along in this journey called life so far! 

It was a fun weekend with my parents and Andrew and I even had a chance to get our engagement pictures taken! I've only seen a few of them so far, but I am absolutely in love with them! Shannon's good friend, Amy (another Amy--- they are seriously dominating my life lately; but I kinda like it!) agreed to do our photo shoot last minute (since that's the only way the Army lets us plan anything) and they really came out great. The last location was a field near the State Game Lands and I was only in a short sleeved shirt, so I was freezing cold, but she did an amazing job capturing us and the goofy goons that we are!

So on to more wedding planning for me. I am starting to have an image in my mind of how everything will be, and let me tell you, I AM LOVING WHAT I SEE! This long engagement is turing out to be a blessing in disguise because I don't have to stress about time lines or anything yet. Once I book the Church (still up in the air) and the Hotel I really don't have to start doing anything for nearly a year; but knowing me, I'll definitely want to start diving into this right as soon as the deployment starts!

The one and only hang up we are having is the notion of the Saber Arch. I think it is the most romantic part of a military wedding, and I drool over the pictures we could get from it! (here is a sneak peek I found on Google):

Unfortunately, my groom is not too keen on this idea, but lucky me; I've got 20+ months to convince him otherwise! Plus we have a picture of my grandparents walking out of their wedding in the middle of The Second World War underneath a sword/saber arch (not sure which they call it in German). It's a beautiful tradition and gosh, the pictures would be to die for!

As Promised, The Story of our Engagement

Andrew and I had been planning on a trip to Boston for almost a month now. My roommate from college, Amy, and her boyfriend are planning on running the Disney World Marathon in January and were hosting a fundraiser in Boston on October 22nd. We knew this might be one of the last times we got up to Boston before the deployment, so we were both really looking forward to the trip. A few weeks prior to the trip, Andrew had said that he wanted to take me out to a nice anniversary dinner (our three year anniversary was on the 19th) so he asked me to make reservations at a place I've always had my eye on, KO Prime.
  
We flew into Manchester (from Baltimore) on Friday morning and my dad picked us up at the airport. It was a VERY early morning flight so after he dropped us off at home I was ready for a nap and I think Andrew watched TV for a while. When we finally decided to get our acts together, we drove down to Boston (about a 50 minute drive) and parked at a T-station outside the city. We took the T to our friend Laura's apartment and left our overnight bags there before heading downtown for our dinner reservations. 
 
It was a brisk day, so we decided to get some coffee-- Dunkin' Donuts, our favorite) and walk around Boston Common for a while before we had to be at dinner. We were sitting on this bench:

overlooking the common and a fountain and we were talking about the future and the deployment and about the possibility of if we would ever get to live in Boston (if Andrew could get an ROTC gig at BU for a few years). 
  
Then Andrew said, "well you know, I was thinking, this is going to be a really long deployment and it's going to be tough on both of us" and I said I know, but I love him and he knows that and I'm not going anywhere. He said "I know, I was just thinking, maybe you need something to keep you busy." 
 
He got down on one knee and I immediately started crying and said "Oh my Gosh, are you SERIOUS!?!" and he said, "Yes, Kristina, will you marry me?!" I screamed and cried some more and hugged him and kissed him and said "YES, OF COURSE!" and "are you serious?" about a million times before holding out my left hand for him to place the ring on my finger. 

Finally, Andrew said "stop crying, girl" as he wiped away my tears, "it's too cold for tears!"

The ring was perfect, I told Andrew it is the exact ring I would have picked out for myself! He did such an amazing job- and it fit my finger perfectly (thanks mostly to Shannon being super sneaky!) I was so soaked up in the moment, it was unbelievable! 
  
Andrew said he saw some guy taking artsy pictures of that fountain and whenever he proposed he turned around and started taking pictures of us! He said he should have chased him down and asked him to email them to us, but we were too focused on each other! So instead of those pictures we had a random couple take this very first picture of us as an engaged couple. It's not great, and I look about 100 pounds heavier than I actually am, but I love it anyways because of how happy we look (and also how cold we were!) 

The next thing we did was call our Moms- because our dad's already knew (Andrew had sneakily asked my dad that morning- which meant the world to me!) and then we headed over to KO Prime. 

Within the first minute of sitting down the waitress complimented me on my ring and I said "thanks, he just proposed like 20 minutes ago!!!" so she went out of her way to make our evening SOOO special! Free champagne, appetizers, wine upgrade, the whole nine yards. On the dessert plate they wrote "congratulations" in chocolate and all the waiters and staff signed a card for us and gave us a $20 gift card! So nice of them! 

After dinner we went to see all the girls at Amy's fundraiser and we were the first ones there so I got to show her first (and asked her to be my MOH) and then waited with my hand in my pocket for another half hour for the rest of the girls to get there so that I could show them all together! Everyone was so excited and I was so thankful to be able to celebrate it with all of them! It was seriously a perfect night! 
  
Here are a few of my favorite shots from the rest of the night:

Showing all the girls at The Greatest Bar... LOVE their reaction!

Asking Ames to be my Maid of Honor!

Goin' to the Chapel. . .

And we're gonnnnnnnnaaaa get MARRIED!!!!!!


Andrew Proposed this weekend!!!! More details to come, but I had to put it out there for the whole world to know! I'm sooooooooooooo happy! And so very very in love!

Here is a little teaser:

YAYYYYYYYYYYYY :) :) :)