Here I sit in my new house while Chris puts up shelves in the great room. The cats are tearing around the place as if they have lived here all their lives. Granted that is a bit different than the meows that emitted from their mouths for the 24 hours they were closed in a room while we moved and while they adjusted to the new house. Those meows sounded like the cats were being endlessly tortured. It was awful and woke up Chris and my parents numerous times throughout the night. Not me. You could drop a brick on my head and it wouldn't wake me up. But I digress...

It has been a whirlwind of a week. Chris and I decided to take on the task of painting the entire house. We took last Monday and Tuesday off from work and finished with the paint at 10PM Tuesday evening. We spent the next few nights packing only to finish yesterday morning about 5 minutes before our first helpers arrived. The moving began at 9:00 in the morning and didn't end until 4:00 when the last box was carried into the house. My parents graciously offered their time and drove down to help us. My mother, bless her, stepped off the plane at 5AM from a week long conference in California. My dad picked her up and they drove straight to our townhouse and starting moving boxes and furniture.

It is now late Sunday and Chris and I took off this Monday so we could spend the time unpacking our loads of boxes that filled the 26 foot truck. I never realized how much junk we have. It is amazing how much stuff two people accumulate when they get married a bit later in life. We don't even want to consider how much more challenging things must be for couples with children!!

Chris has been hanging pictures and I have been organizing what I once thought was a big closet. I have an embarrassingly huge number of shoes that somehow had to fit. I did manage to add one pair to the garage sale pile that will take place in Wheaton, IL Memorial Day weekend.

The clothes have been tucked away as well as the sheets, towels, and kitchen utensils. All that is left are the contents from the "miscellaneous" boxes and all of the candles, picture frames, pictures, and little odds and ends that need to find the perfect home. Thankfully this is the fun part and since Chris and I have similar taste in decorating, it should be relatively easy. Our house is slowly becoming our home and we are enjoying every minute of it.

Southern Hospitality

Chris and I have spent 32 hours working on the painting project known as our house. We took up the ridiculously huge project thinking it wouldn't take half the time it has already taken. We have two days left since we took Monday and Tuesday off from work and we will probably need the better half of the time. Thankfully little angels, Wayne and Kim, have descended upon us and made our job that much easier.

We were in the middle of taping the great room when I thought about when my family moved into the house in Wheaton, IL 20+ years ago. As my parents were loading our boxes in the house, the Vandermolens arrived with cookies in hand to welcome us to the neighborhood. Their daughter and I became fast friends since we were the same age and our families have stayed friends ever since. I had the thought that it would be so nice if someone were to welcome Chris and me to the neighborhood. I quickly laughed off the thought since welcoming someone to the neighborhood happens about as often as someone walking over to borrow a cup of sugar.

Then it happened. Southern hospitality in Indiana.

Not ten minutes after thinking about neighbors, Wayne and Kim came into our lives. Kim is in her mid 40's and Wayne is in his early 60's. Their backyard faces our backyard. They walked over to welcome us to the neighborhood. They were very sweet and the next day, Kim dropped off brownies straight out from the oven. She said that brownies are needed to help sustain us as we worked on painting the house. She also said that we were invited to dinner at their house the next night and they were picking up chicken from KFC. The KFC dinner was tonight and they went over the top in making sure there was enough food. They also loaned us their bright lamps to make painting at night easier and offered to loan us movies from their huge collection to watch after we move in. They are amazingly generous.

Kim keeps asking if so and so from the neighborhood has introduced themselves to us yet. When we say no, she informs us that so and so should be stopping by anytime. Apparently we already have friends who know us via Wayne and Kim.

And so the Southern Hospitality in Indiana goes. Chris and I will continue to get to know Wayne and Kim and will undoubtedly invite them over for dinner or dessert. In the mean time, we will be curious to see who else we will have the chance to meet in this wonderfully friendly neighborhood of ours.

Packing

Packing. It is quite possibly one of the most detested activities in life for me. Trips are fun but anyone who knows me prepares for the endless amount of moaning and groaning that occurs from the time I think about having to pack until the task is complete.

It isn't that packing itself is difficult. It is my own personality quirks that make packing about as appealing as poking my eye out. I am a highly organized person. My mother loves it because when I come home I frequently organize things in her house that are driving me crazy.

When I arrive at my destination during a vacation, I am usually happy because I have exactly what I need. I don't overpack although occasionally I will underpack. I choose exactly what I am going to wear for each day and place it on my bed as if there were a person lying on my bed wearing the clothes, earrings, necklace, and shoes that sit on the floor as it they were filled with feet.

Now imagine what is is like beginning the process of packing the house... Chris and I try to do a little each day so we won't be overwhelmed once moving day arrives. Of course our differences are now showing their face.

I said we shouldn't seal any of the boxes. Chris packed up the kitchen and sealed the boxes. He also packed up almost all of the food. Aren't we supposed to live here for another week and a half? Where are the pot holders? Did you pack all of the spatulas? Chris ended up opening the boxes.

This morning we spent more time packing. Chris kept working on the kitchen and I was in the living room. I walked into the kitchen and saw all of his packed boxes that were unsealed. He walked into the living room and saw all of my packed boxes sealed. I thought we weren't sealing any boxes? Well...we weren't...but you sealed some. Yes, and I unsealed them. Oops. Broke my own rule. Thankfully he is forgiving.

And now we are off to figure out what color we want to paint the living room... This should be another bloggable (is that a word?) experience.

Food, folks, and fun

I am very lucky to be married to a man who not only enjoys to cook but is wonderful at it. He also enjoys entertaining which I am horrible at. I get all tense and nervous having people over mostly because I am NOT a wonderful cook. Chris and I have come up with the perfect solution. He cooks while I talk to our guests and pour everyone wine. Side note: We think we are wine enthusiasts but confess we poured the cheap stuff this weekend because good wine wasn't in the budget.

Anyhoo, Chris and I had Hannah and Scott over for dinner. I have known Hannah for a few years as we have done multiple modeling gigs together. If Hannah is with me, I know we are going to have a good time. Last night wasn't any different. Chris cooked sun dried tomato and goat cheese stuffed chicken along with cheese and sweet onion orzo pasta. Both were out of this world. Hannah brought chocolate cake from a bakery nearby and that too was delicious.

When dinner was over we sat around and played a board game Hannah and Scott had brought with them. Imaginif needed at least three players but required the names of eight people. We brainstormed and came up with the four additional names we needed for the game. George W. Bush, the Easter bunny aka: Bunny, Helen who is our modeling agent, and Jesus were all excellent choices. The game turned out to be funny and a wonderful argument starter between the couples as we had to guess what other people would say if put in a certain situation.

Example: Imaginif Torrey were a soup. Would she be chili, french onion, won ton, chicken noodle, and a few other options I don't recall at the moment.

Me: "You said I would be french onion? I hate french onion soup."
Chris, trying to recover: "But french onion sounds sophisticated."
Me, trying to sound irritated but really laughing: "French onion soup has that soggy bread with the dump of cheese hanging limply over the side. What are you trying to tell me?"

We had a wonderful time. And Chris learned I am NOT like french onion soup.

In the beginning...

For most engaged females, the first thing they do shortly after becoming engaged is create a website for themselves on theknot.com which has great tips and is a creative way to tell others about how you and your fiance met, got engaged, etc... What follows is a little bit of what was on our webpage.

ABOUT TORREY
I remember the day I met Torrey. She walked in the orientation for our graduate program. She was the most stunning woman I have ever seen. With that said, we talked only on a surface level for most of the summer and fall semester. When we had the opporutunity to talk on my birthday, really talk, and learn about how we shared so many of our passions, activites, and most importantly our values and beliefs, something happened that I have trouble putting into words. Torrey is an example of God's grace. Her love is something that I did, do and will not deserve, yet she still does. She is, without a doubt the most amazing woman I have ever met. I can honestly say that her beauty has nothing to do with how she looks. Her heart is tremendously big and her passion she has for her calling as a social worker is humbling. Her constant awareness of her journey with God and her understanding of how our relationship will not flourish if God is not there makes my heart smile. There is never a day that goes by where she doesn't amaze me. My love for her goes far beyond what can be encapsulated by emotions, it is engraved on my heart. I only pray that God will give me the strength to reciprocate the love she has and will continue to give so freely. Thanks everybody. :) I know I am not telling anyone who knows Torrey something you don't already know, and for those of you who haven't had the opportunity, I can't wait for you to get to know her. You will fall in love with her as easily as I have. I am absolutely a blessed man.

ABOUT CHRISTOPHER
I am having difficulty putting into words how I feel about Christopher and what he means to me. How can one describe virtual perfection? When people ask me about Chris, all I can say is that he may not be a perfect man, but he is the perfect man for me. We connect on so many different levels. We can laugh and be silly and a few minutes later, be involved in a serious discussion about what it means to be a Christian in this postmodern era. He challenges me intellectually and motivates me to be a better person. His personal losses in his life have only made him stronger, more compassionate, and more loving. He is a man after God's own heart and Chris continues to keep our relationship focused on where it truly needs to be: Jesus Christ. I love Chris more today than I did yesterday and I will probably love him more tomorrow than I do today. I can't wait to be his wife and to begin our journey together as Mr. and Mrs. Ray. I hope that his parents would have been proud of us and our decision to commit ourselves to one another for the rest of our lives. I only wish they were here to share in our joy. Christopher Andrew Ray is an answer to prayer. He couldn't have come at a better time and he couldn't possibily be more amazing than he is. I love him dearly and will continue to love him for as long as I live.

HOW WE MET
Christopher and I met in our graduate program for social work. We were friends but the kind that talk during break between classes where nothing of real substance is said. December 3rd, we ran into each other at the university. It happened to be his birthday so I invited him out and said I would buy him a drink. We ended up meeting that night and had our first "real" conversation. We connected first on a spiritual level and it only got better from there. We quickly fell in love and knew we were going to get married.

HOW WE GOT ENGAGED
Christopher took me out for dinner and the entire time, I was waiting for him to propose. When we got back to his place and he hadn't proposed, I decided it wasn't going happen and I forgot about it. We started talking and he said he wished he could afford to buy me an engagement ring. I told him that the ring wasn't important. I said all I wanted was to marry him and that he didn't need a ring to propose to me. With that, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I said yes and only then did he pull out the most beautiful ring in the entire world.

Welcome to just a little bit more about Chris and Torrey.