More Engagement Pictures

We received some of our engagement prints and I can't help but keep looking at them. I am so excited to go frame shopping. Here are just a few more of our favorites. Again, we had such a great time and the park was a perfect spot. I am so glad we have some professional casual pictures. The next time we take pictures like this will probably be when we start having babies. And that will hopefully be a while...........

Congratulations to A Bride's Storey for receiving the Ruthie's Award for Favorite Bridal Shop for Rutherford and Cannon counties.

Is your love tank full??

While spending so much time on a plane, I have been reading some great books lately. Mark and I both read The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. I have gotten this for several couples as engagement gifts but had never read it myself. I really enjoyed this book as we both prepare to spend the rest of our lives together and share our love for one another. I want to make sure my husband knows how much I love him. And I want to know what he desires and how I need to speak his love language so that he knows and sees my love for him. Everyone talks about how the "in love" experience fades after your married. I don't think that has to be the case. I believe this book will help us keep that "in love" experience much longer. I have listed The Five Love Languages below. The book goes into much greater detail on each language.

1. Words of Affirmation -- Your love tank is full when your spouse is showing appreciation to you, thanking you for the things you do, sharing words of encouragement, using words that build up (Thank you, I am so proud of you, You look very nice in that suit)
2. Quality Time -- You desire spending time with your spouse, probably not watching TV or multitasking but true quality time where you have conversation with one another and nothing is distracting you, giving your undivided attention.
3. Receiving Gifts -- You like receiving gifts from your spouse. These gifts don't always have to be expensive, they can be your favorite candy bar, a simple card, which he took time to pick out specifically for you.
4. Acts of Service -- Here your love tank is full when your spouse shows an act of service. He mows the yard, washes dishes after dinner, irons your clothes, or does the laundry.
5. Physical Touch -- This is self explanatory - you desire to be touched by your spouse. This could be holding hands, reaching out to you as he passes by, or randomly kissing your cheek.

I suggest this book to anyone in a serious relationship, engaged or married. It really can bring out some things you may not otherwise know about your spouse and what makes them tick. You could possibly be speaking your language but not the language of your spouse. Things you may be doing, could be meaningless to your spouse. If they desire Acts of Service and all you are doing is giving them gifts to show your love, you are not speaking the correct love language. Although, giving gifts may be your love language, it's unlikely that that is also your spouses love language. Read the book and take the test to find your love language, you may be surprised, but it could help or strengthen your relationship.

Bob That Head

A couple of weeks ago, Mark and I along with his sister Melanie and her husband, Richard, went to see Rascal Flatts and Taylor Swift. They have this concert every year and all ticket proceeds go to the Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt. They had several patients there from the hospital with their families. It is a great cause and they had a sell out crowd. The stage pretty much took up the entire floor at the Sommet Center. The set was great! Taylor Swift puts on an awesome show. She is so confident in front of such a large audience. It's amazing she is so young.

New Name

Taking a new name is going to be very difficult at first but millions do it everyday so it will just take some getting used to. The thing I dread the most is calling and changing my name for credit cards, banks, drivers license, insurance, social security, etc. And I really dread the change at work with email and phone calls. Some of you may not know but my last name will be Rogers. Is that great or what!?!?!!?!? I love Stooksbury but you have no idea how great it's going to be to say Rogers and not be called Stocksbury, Stockberry, Stuburg, etc. It's pretty simple, Rogers, R-O-G (no D) - E-R-S. YES! And you may ask, are you going to hyphenate? - Heck no! Are you kidding me!?!?! Would you? I will be Mrs. Katie Stooksbury Rogers. Mark and I were talking about this a few months ago and he could not believe I was keeping my last name and ditching the middle name. He didn't know that's what people do. This is his first time at this marriage thing, ya know. :) He just doesn't have a clue. Although, he has been so helpful and supportive in all the planning, he is the greatest! I just have to explain things sometimes. :) I cannot wait to marry him!

Wedding Update

We have been going full force with the wedding plans. We are pretty much just waiting on the day to get here. Here are a few things we have checked OFF the list!

1. The location has been chosen for both the ceremony and reception, we have also selected the cake design (tasting to follow), flower bouquets, centerpieces, dinner menu, ceremony decorations, linens, invitations.


2. Booked the photographer and booked engagement and bridal sessions.


3. Bridesmaids dresses have been chosen and ordered (set to arrive before Thanksgiving).


4. My gown has been ordered, set to arrive mid-November, with bridal portraits to follow.


5. We have purchased our wedding bands.


6. The preacher has been booked, counseling to start after the new year.


7. Shower dates have been set. We will register in January, giving time to get all that Christmas stuff out of the way.


8. Mothers dresses have been purchased.


9. Drew is sitting up (right on schedule to be walking by April :) )

There are still some things to complete but again, the bulk is done and we are enjoying this time and anxiously waiting on the day!

Well, as I mentioned in a previous blog, we did have our engagement pictures taken and we did NOT choose Bell Buckle, TN. We did however have them taken at Old Fort Park in Murfreesboro. This was the exact setting we were looking for, outdoors, creek, greenery, rocks, trees, etc. Click on this link then click on Katie and Mark for a slideshow preview of some of the pictures taken. I am still waiting on my digital negatives to post some others but this will give you an idea. We absolutely love them and had such a great experience with our photographer. Mark was really dreading this session and we got in the car afterwards and he said "Ya know, that wasn't bad at all. Not at all what I expected." Whew, what a relief. :) We know the wedding day will be just as great and even better.

On the Go!

The past few weeks Mark and I have been going non-stop. We had our engagement pictures taken a couple of weeks ago then I left for Baltimore and Mark left for California. After that week, we spent Saturday together and then I left again for Phoenix/Tucson and Mark when to Chicago. We finally are back in Tennessee and it is so good to be home! I love to travel but traveling back-to-back so much would definitely get to me very quick (traveling for work, not leisure, of course). I don't know how our sales guys do it. This is our busiest time at work and I'm still trying to catch up from being out. I hate having my inbox so full of things to follow-up on. I am loving fall, although I really haven't been here to enjoy it. I love the changing leaves and the cool weather. And I CANNOT believe it's already October! I have tried to keep up with other blogs, now I just need to work on updating my own. :) Have a great day!