Saying Yes to the Man of my Dreams

It has been almost a week since I said yes to the man I will call my husband in August. You heard me right...I am ENGAGED! I must say that since I was a little girl I imagined how my husband-to-be would propose. I would dream about the time of year, what I would be wearing, how he would plan the most beautiful question I have ever heard.

I couldn't have dreamed of a better proposal than what Sterling had planned.

On Sunday, December 22, Sterling told me that he would be taking me on a fun date for my Christmas present. We have a bucket list of dates we want to go on, and I took him horseback riding for his Christmas present. Now it was his turn to surprise me. He told me to dress nice. In all honesty, I thought we were going to see The Nutcracker.

The night started at dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Nicola's. He told me that later that night he had rented a limo to take us to go look at Christmas lights. I was so excited, and I still had no clue. We had talked about a possible engagement in January. Little did I know what was coming next.

Because of the busy time of year, "our limo ride" wasn't scheduled until 9 that night {or so I was told} so we had to kill time. We decided to go get dessert at Cedar's Woodfire Grill, one of our favorite restaurants. This restaurant is where we also reconnected after college. We sat at the same table we did many months ago, and Sterling made me rush through my dessert {I still had no clue}.

Many times at the end of our dates, Sterling and I found ourselves in the Prestonwood chapel talking about what God was teaching us. So after dessert, Sterling suggested we head over to the chapel to talk about our quiet times. I was up for this plan, and we headed out to the church. As we neared the chapel, I noticed two people sitting in there, and I told Sterling we couldn't go in.

He insisted we continue to walk into the chapel, and after a closer look I realized that they were two of my best friends - one from Baylor and one from post grad. This is when I realized what was happening. Sterling had only told me two things about my proposal. One, there would be candles {my request}. Two, the proposal would involve a journey.

My friend from Baylor, Rebekah, took me up to the first stool, had me read a letter Sterling had written me, and then she prayed over me. My friend, Meg, then took me to the second stool, had me read another letter written by Sterling and prayed over me.

Sterling then walked back up to the stage and walked me down the stairs where we sat as he told me what I meant to him, what our marriage would look like and then he prayed over us. I remember making myself listen to exactly every word he said, because I wanted to remember that moment forever. He then got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. In the midst of all my tears, I said yes and became the future Mrs. Sterling Shanks. {I really like writing that}

He had an after party with some of our family and friends waiting for us after the engagement. I can't imagine a more perfect way to begin our journey than with some of the people that mean the most to us. I will continue to blog about my journey as a bride and a future wife to Sterling. What an incredible gift I have been given. This truly is one of my most blissful entries.

When You Need a Fashion Fix

As a lover of all things fashionable and stylish, I have always envied those who can afford to have personal stylists. I don't know about you, but as a 20-something living in DFW, I don't have an opening in my budget for "Personal Stylist." But the other day, I learned about a service that brings a personal stylist to your doorstep!

My personal stylist comes from Stitch Fix. This service provides a stylist who picks out clothes and ships them to you based on your personal style profile. When I heard about the style profile, I thought the questions would just be about my favorite color or if I liked A-line or pencil skirts. But this style profile was incredibly in-depth, asking me questions from how often I wear work clothes to how I like specific articles of clothing to fit. My favorite part of the style profile was the section where you can add a link to your fashion Pinterest board and your Twitter account, so your stylist could learn even more about you.

Now you are probably wondering how much it costs. Get this...it only costs $20 for Stitch Fix to send you a box of 5 items! When you fill out your profile, you decide how much you want to spend per item, and I have found that mine average around $50 an item. But the $20 you spent to send your box is $20 that can go to your purchase. If you buy all the items, you get a certain percentage off. If you want to send some items back, you can put them in the postal bag provided and drop it off at a post office drop off location 3 days after you receive your package.

My favorite aspect of the service is the referral program. For every person you refer, you receive a $25 credit to your account when her first fix ships. So basically when you get friends on board, you get free clothes! {yes, you heard me right}

I got a fix in today, and you have to see some of the adorable things I got!

Let's face it, what is fall/winter without an Aztec cardigan? 

This dress is perfect with some tights and boots in the winter or wedges in the summer!

A good skinny jean is a staple in any closet.

After I get my fix, I log on to my account and give my stylist feedback on each item so my fix can be even better next time.

I have loved using this service, because who doesn't love a big box of clothes picked out just for you sitting on your doorstep? Crazy people, that's who! I like to think of it as a present to myself :)

If you are interested in getting your Stitch Fix, check it out! If you have already used Stitch Fix, what are your thoughts?

Nomads and Holidays

I feel like the theme for this holiday season should be "On the Road Again." With all the activities, I feel like Sterling and I are nomads. I keep my weekend bag out ready for what the next weekend holds.  But there is also something special about constantly driving on the road and filling our weekends with activities. It means memories with friends and family. Did I mention I just love this time of year?!

There is one DFW holiday event I try not to ever miss-- The Gaylord Texan ICE! This year, the theme was The Nutcracker, complete with a bonus room featuring Christmas in NYC. Carved from over 2 million pounds of ice, ICE! features beautiful ice sculptures, and this year the sculptures depicted scenes from one of my favorite ballets. While you wait to go into ICE!, you can look at the festive Gaylord Texan fully decked out for Christmas. 

Thanksgiving was the next week, and we had two Thanksgivings planned in two cities and a wedding in a completely different city. We kicked off Thanksgiving with a Dallas Mavericks game.

Then it was onto my hometown for Thanksgiving lunch and then back to Sterling family's house for Thanksgiving dinner. What a wonderful time with such special people! 

I have so much to be thankful for this year {well every year for that matter.} I can't even begin to think of all the blessings I have in my life. How did you spend Thanksgiving this year? 

Culinary Masters

Have you ever watched the Food Network and thought, "Wow, I want to do that!" Well ladies and gentlemen, that is my boyfriend. He LOVES cooking, and I'm not complaining. So when his birthday rolled around his gift was a no-brainer - a cooking class.

I had taken a cooking class at Sur La Table before with some friends, and I knew he would love it. Sur La Table has a variety of classes from knife skills to date nights. We signed up for the Romantic French Dinner date night class.

Try not to drool as you read this yummy menu:

Mixed Green Salad with Goat Cheese and an Olive Vinaigrette 
Peppercorn Steak with Cognac Sauce
Potato Leek Gratin
Fallen Toasted Almond Souffles with Cocoa-Nib Cream


We first started out by preparing the leeks for the gratin, because this would take the longest to cook. After cooking the leeks and layering the potatoes, we were ready to move onto the salad portion of our meal.

We whipped up a delicious olive vinaigrette and poured it over some beautiful greens. We, along with all our fellow classmates, raved about this vinaigrette. Speaking of classmates, another wonderful perk to the class is the size. We had 4 instructors and only 5 other couples other than us. Since my culinary confidence isn't high, having a great amount of one on one attention helped ease my nervousness.

After the salad, we prepared the steaks. We also need to address at this time the teacher's pet - Sterling. I felt like every second that man was called up to perform some task in front of the group. It was fine by me, because I always enjoy watching him cook :) Sterling was able to coat the steaks in the peppercorns before they cooked and cut the meat.

The steaks were served with the potato leek gratin. And if Sterling and I had to choose our favorite part of the meal, it would have been the potato leek gratin. We could have easily eaten our own dish, but we had to save room for our final course, the fallen toasted almond souffles.

The dessert was beyond delicious. It was light and fluffy, but it was sweet at the same time. I am normally a heavy dessert girl, but this was outstanding. I didn't feel like I had just eaten a brick. {By the way, that is the feeling you have after eating a large dessert}

Needless to say, Sterling and I LOVED the cooking class, and we are already planning on when we can attend another one. I will say they are not cheap. For a date night, they cost around $69-$79 a person, but it was worth the experience and the yummy food. You also get the recipes to take home so you can recreate your tasty meal.

Let's Catch Up!

I have imagined this blog to be a place where I talk to you like we are sitting down at Starbucks enjoying lattes and catching up like old friends.

So grab yourself a cup of coffee..and let's catch up!

I have been in the DFW metroplex for a year now. It feels like it was yesterday, but then again I feel like I have been here forever. I graduated from Baylor University last May and began my job search.

Because our God is so faithful, He led me to the perfect job for the next stage in my life. I became a Media Relations Associate at one of my favorite non-profits, Operation Christmas Child.
There is nothing quite like working for something you feel so strongly about. 
{I can get behind telling children about Jesus any day!}
I worked with the most INCREDIBLE team both here in Texas and around the country. 

Because my position ended after the busy season in December, it was back to the job applications and interviews, and of course the Lord intervened again and provided me with a social media job.

I know...perfect, right?! It so is!

While in DFW, I have found the best group of friends. Living in community with other Christians is something I have always tried to find in every stage of life, and the Lord has provided that for me this year. Throughout this year, I have also been able to keep in touch with friends that have played a huge role in my life. 
If I had to pin a theme on this year, it would be the Lord is faithful. He is brought me to and through every stage. I cannot wait for what this year holds {I will blog more frequently so I am not cramming a year of my life in one post} 

And that my friends, is my first blissful entry.