663- The number of days it’s been since John and I started dating

1 – The number of Carats of the perfect solitaire engagement ring John gave me

545 – The number of days until we take the vow to spend the rest of our lives together

Last night John decided that we should go to dinner at Salty’s ( which is my favorite) so he went ahead and made reservations. We got ready and had some time to kill so we went up early so we could go for a walk down Alki.  It was dark but you could see the reflection of the lights from the city and it was beautiful.  I turned around to see where John was and when I looked he was down on one knee.  He asked me if I could do him a favor and spend the rest of my life with him. Well, duh, I said yes. He then gave me my amazingly beautiful diamond solitaire and there was nothing I could say. I was speechless and well for me not having anything to say is a big deal. We then went in and had our dinner in shock. It was really a good surprise.

This morning came picked a date July 17th, 2010. We have about a year and a half to get things ready. I’m sure we’ll keep you updated on the details as they come through 

These past few weeks have been pretty stressful for me. I have had this looming stress of my pending graduation. And it 1.5 hours it was over. I still have one month of school left, but it’s not much. I am pretty much just waiting for my mouse cells to grow.

My best friend got married the very next day after graduation. It was held at the Lodge at Mt. Rainer and it was amazingly beautiful, and so was she. It still amazes me that we are that grown up already. Marriage? Really? Are we old enough for those shenanigans? Well, she is and I couldn’t be more proud of her or happy for them. They have an unusual yet bomb proof relationship and I can’t wait to see them this happy in 50 years.

So, when I let things get to me and get me stressed out, like a wedding and graduation in the same weekend, I get really emotional. John and I were watching T.V. and we saw this commercial for the WA State Lottery, and it brought me to tears. John looked at me like I was crazy, but I think it’s really cute. I will let you judge it for yourself and let me know what you think!

“Whatever does not destroy me makes me stronger.” — Friedrich Nietzche

    This past year has been a roller coaster ride of events for our family. None of us could have foreseen what was in store for us this year.

    and Becky didn’t get the chance to race the dogs much at all last year. About a week before they had planned to leave for the Wyoming race, Jessica had to be taken in for emergency surgery. She was originally scheduled to have her gall bladder taken out in February. Her body didn’t seem to want to wait that long, so after many trips to the E.R., they decided to just get it out of her a.s.a.p. It took her a few months to get back to normal but she is doing much better now.

    Then, in March of this year, Joe hit the big one. That’s right, 50. We had the black balloons, black beads, and black cake to celebrate. We took him out mid-night bowling and he had a great time. Although he had received his present about 9 months before his actual birthday, he was still in good spirits. In case you didn’t hear about his big present, Becky bought him a 2007 Firefighter Special Edition Roadking Harley Davidson. I think it’s the best present he has ever received. He loves it and they take it out every chance they get.

    In April, Joe took a trip to the Doctor for a sore throat that would not go away. This led to many tests and the eventual prognosis of tonsillar cancer. He had the tonsil removed and was given 8 weeks of Radiation and Chemotherapy. It was hard on his body and he lost quite a bit of weight. It was a chore to try and eat. Unfortunately, the only thing he could eat with out too much pain was chicken noodle soup. The ordeal was hard on us all. This is the strongest man we know, the one who runs into burning buildings to save lives, so it was quite hard for us to see him in pain. A few months after the treatments he went back to the Dr. for another PET/CAT scan where he found the cancer had gone into remission. He is now on an amazing road to recovery – unfortunately for us, as he has begun to recover we have seen his appetite return in full effect – we can barely afford to feed him.

    September was a stressful yet exciting month for us all as well. On September 22, 2007 Leanne and Jeff were married. It was the event of the year. The wedding was beautiful and so was bridezilla, I mean the bride. We were all so happy to be part of that magical day. After the wedding they fled to Maui for 10 days. They loved it so much and had such an amazing time; they didn’t want to come home!   

All in all the year has been a test for us. It tested our strength as humans and as a family; however, it seemed to be a bit of a blessing in disguise. We had so many people who offered to help us in anyway they could. Thank you everyone for your support through the tough and joyous moments of this past year.

Happy Holidays everyone, and a wonderful New Year to you all.

After a six years together and a year and a half engagement, Leanne and Jeff are now Mr. and Mrs. Oxborough. Saturday September 22, 2007 at 4:00pm was the wedding and the reception started at about 4:15pm. It was beautiful. It was held at Lake Lawrence Lodge in Yelm, WA. We got the key to the lodge on Friday at noon.It only took about 3 hours to turn it into the perfect wedding hall. It was hard work but between our family and Jeff’s family, we got it done with a quickness. Saturday morning was full of hair and makeup, then we got dresses on at the lodge and pictures to follow.

The ceremony was short but sweet. They had a very close friend of theirs perform the ceremony for them and she did an absolutely amazing job. It was so surreal, but beautiful to see them up there together. It was a long time coming and it was worth it. I am SO happy for them.

The food was from Casa Mia and so delicious. The Cake was amazing too. Gosh, we had so much fun. It was a blast. The only that my sister said she really wanted to have at her wedding was fun. Mission accomplished. Of course It was a sappy day and I cried about 50 different times, like when they said their vows, when my dad walked her down the aisle, the father daughter dance, and the speeches. It was an open mic. for speeches so I tried to make a good one but couldn’t get too many words out. It was an amazing day.

So CONGRATULATIONS to Mr. and Mrs. Jeff and Leanne Oxborough!

Leanne and Jeff

Leanne and Dad

Me and the Bride

The Cake