Check out my new wedding blog here!

The URL is www.ecovintageweddings.com – add it to your favorites, put this site in your Outlook RSS feeds, and follow me as I plan my wedding!

I will also be showcasing the creative endeavors of others in the form of DIY goodness, stunning photography and eco-chic elements. I chose to make the theme of my site “eco-friendly vintage weddings” because I am extremely uncomfortable with how wasteful weddings can be. It’s important to me that I select bridesmaid dresses that my pals can wear again. It’s important to me that I use recycled paper for my save-the-dates, my invitations, and all of my other stationery. It’s important to me that I also incorporate my appreciation of tradition and of old things in my wedding.

Jordan and I haven’t selected a wedding date yet, but we’ll keep you posted on our progress on Eco-Vintage Weddings!

Check it out now!

Much to my chagrin, being engaged doesn’t make the world stop – I am currently in Milwaukee for a work trip. ACE is hosting its 22nd annual ethanol conference & trade show this week, and the staff and I are working our tails off to try and make this conference a success, despite the economic downturn.

Jordan’s been working like crazy these past few days, which is probably a good thing – keeping him busy  and out of trouble :) this is my longest time away from Wyatt, though; I miss my puppy!

Also, I have some exciting news:  in the coming weeks, I’ll be starting a brand new blog on my adventures in wedding planning! :) I’ll be sure to let you all know when that site is up and running.

Unfortunately, because I’ll be spending most of my time updating the other blog, I may not update this blog as often. But, fear not! I promise that the new blog will provide as much (if not more) satisfaction and interest than WhatAboutSara. Everyone loves weddings, and who wouldn’t love to read about them? :)

Best wishes to you all for the week ahead,

Sara

I have wonderful news to share:  JORDAN AND I ARE ENGAGED!

He proposed to me last night, August 6, after sending me on a scavenger hunt to stores all around Sioux Falls. It was a very memorable night, and I feel so blessed to have a wonderful man who makes me feel special day in and day out!

A night to remember began with pink roses and, as I like to call them, “Nathan & Haley flowers” (purple flowers frequently seen in One Tree Hill). Tucked inside the flowers was a card, which Jordan handwrote my first clue, telling me to head to “a bookstore frequently referred to by two letters.” I quickly figured out that it was Barnes & Noble (B&N), and despite my efforts to help my coworkers prepare for our conference next week, I was promptly kicked out of the office to follow Jordan’s scavenger hunt!

After arriving at B&N, I told the cashier my name, and she smiled and handed me a gift bag. Inside were three Moleskine notebooks (which I LOVE), and another card, which told me both the purpose of the notebooks (to foster creativity!) and my next destination:  “a place where they wear red and is represented by a bullseye.” Off to Target I went!

Upon arriving at Target, I told the customer service desk person my name, and she too smiled and handed me a gift bag. Inside the bag was a 1,000-piece puzzle and another card. The card told me the symbolism of the puzzle (each piece represents a piece of our relationship coming together), and my next destination:  “a store just down the street that we frequent together often.” HyVee, here I come!

Jordan’s mom Nachole works at HyVee in the Wine & Spirits section of the store, so my card directed me to that section of HyVee. Nachole wasn’t working, so I was forced to tell an older gentleman my name. He looked at me blankly for a moment or two, then smiled and reached for another gift bag. Whew, that made me nervous! Inside that bag were my favorite candies (Riesen chocolates!) and another card, which again told me the significance of the gift (our relationship was founded on flirtation surrounding candy) and my next stop:  “A good friend is holding a green bag for you at a store I used to work at!” On my way to Triple Play Sports Cards!

Dennis, who is Jordan’s friend that owns the card shop, was indeed holding another gift bag for me. Inside this bag was another card, and an ALBERT PUJOLS t-shirt!!! J For those who don’t know, me and Albert are forever friends (that’s a lie, I just like him a lot), so this present was WONDERFUL. Plus, it symbolized Jordan and my common love for sports in general, but mostly for baseball. The card told me to head down the street to “a store with a blue sign and a yellow price tag; they sell TVs and stuff.” Off to Best Buy!

The greeter inside the door at Best Buy was holding another gift bag for me. Inside this bag was the movie Tin Cup, starring one of my favorite actors, Kevin Costner. According to the card, Jordan chose this movie because Costner’s character doesn’t realize or actualize his potential in the game of golf until he meets a woman who draws out his potential and leads him to lasting happiness. In a very humbling moment for me, Jordan said that this is how he feels about me! Wonderful words. The card told me that I had one more stop on my journey, and that was to head to “our city’s namesake” – Falls Park.

I drove conservatively through the hard rainfall, but was so excited to see Jordan upon arriving at Falls Park downtown. Just 1.5 years ago, Jordan and I sat in his Jeep and he gave me a promise ring (in the rain!) that promised to love me forever and illustrating our ultimate goal of marriage. And yesterday, we were back again at the place where everything really became more serious for us.

As he walked toward me with his green umbrella and a smile beaming on his face, I realized how lucky I am. And as he said so many wonderful, sweet things that I’ll never remember, I couldn’t help but think, “I’ll never forget how I feel at this moment.” I began shrieking with joy as Jordan got down on one knee in the rain, and with raindrops hitting our umbrellas, I shrieked, “YES!”

We embraced and walked slowly, enjoying the rainfall. After a quick reunion with Wyatt the dog (who I wish could understand English!), we went out to dinner at Spezia, where we ordered champagne to toast “to forever.”

It was an AMAZING night, and I feel so blessed to have the support and excitement of my friends and family! I plan to start a wedding blog VERY soon, so look out for the link to that!

Much love,
Sara

I apologize for my drought in posting lately; I’ve been a very busy girl!

Here’s a few things I’ve been doing lately that have swept up all of my time:

1. Traveled to Lincoln, NE, to visit my friend Jessica over the Fourth of July. Who knew that Lincoln had such wonderful chocolate, ice cream, popcorn and antique stores?

2. Watched the Sioux Falls Canaries in action 2 or 3 times this summer. I have at least one more game to attend, starting next week!

3. Baseball, baseball, baseball. Brian’s team (sadly) lost in regionals, so their season has ended, therefore marking the end of my brother’s career in athletics (he’s decided not to play in college – he’s heading to South Dakota State University this fall to probably study engineering).

4. Softball – Jordan’s team sure is fun to watch this year! On to the playoffs!

5. Jason Klam profile piece – many, many edits, and I have a few more to go before it’s ready to try and sell. I’m really excited about the way it’s turned out! :)

6. Work, work, work – ACE sure has been keeping me occupied this summer! In less than two weeks, the rest of the staff and I will be heading to the annual ethanol conference and trade show event! This year, the event will be held in Milwaukee, WI; I’ve never been there, so I’m excited to experience life in Milwaukee for a week!

7. Friends! I have been on many a dinner and coffee date in the past two months; yay for having time to spend with friends! :) That’s one benefit to not being in school anymore = free time.

8. Omaha Zoo! Jordan and I made our annual summer trek to Omaha, NE, last weekend to visit the wonderful Henry Doorly Zoo – yay for penguins and giraffes, boo for big crowds of people :/ It was a great day, though :)

9. As of Monday, July 27, Jordan and I have officially been together for 2.5 years! We celebrated by spending a few hours eating, drinking and chatting at Old Chicago, one of our favorite restaurants in Sioux Falls. It’s hard to believe that 2.5 years have passed, but I’m excited to see what’s next for us!

10. Thoughts of law school have resurfaced, yet each day, I go back and forth between the prospect of a law degree and the excitement I feel at pursuing creative writing. I don’t plan to attend graduate school until the fall of 2011, so it’s a good thing I have plenty of time to figure out where my heart truly lies!

Well, I hope that explains my lack of blog posts in the past few weeks; here’s to enjoying the last shreds of South Dakota summer!

-Sara

I have to admit that as a Democrat, I was thankful for Sarah Palin’s mess of public speaking catastrophes this past election cycle. But at the same time, there’s something about her that mirrors how I feel when hiding my eyes during the Saw movies:  it’s horrific, but I just can’t stop watching.

Click here to read Dowd’s column.