Engagement pics

Happy American Thanksgiving to you all :)

Amanda and I are still in a food coma at the moment, recovering from a great day of fun, food, football, and more food in Appleton, Wisconsin with the Messerschmidt family (Amanda's mom's side of the fam).

Our evening with the Hoogendam family was very enjoyable - it was great to catch up with some relatives I hadn't seen in a while, and introduce Amanda to them at the same time. We also got to briefly check out Niagara Falls, which was partially hidden behind the billowing clouds of mist. At any rate, we can check that one off the list. Maybe later when we're rich and famous (either/or would really be quite alright, actually) we'll come back for a second look and stay a little longer.

On our way back to the States, we stopped off near Guelph to visit my Aunt MaryAnn and check out my old stomping grounds. It was great to see her as she wasn't able to make it to the Vyn gathering on Saturday!



Now to the initial reason for posting... the new engagement pics. Tyler Jones, our awesome photographer, just posted a sampling of our engagement pictures to his blog (see: http://www.tylerjonesphoto.com/blog/?p=228). I've selected a few of our favorites so far and posted them here. Thanks again Tyler - looking forward to seeing the whole batch!


Never knew we could look so good ;)


Aspen grove we spotted on our way to Squaw Pass


Yes, we live in Colorado, and it is B-E-A-UUU-T-I-F-U-L !!!







This was a fun experience, and even more exciting to have such tangible memories. It was getting pretty cold as we made our way toward the pass, but we survived, as did our two valiant photographers - thanks Tyler and Dusty!

Amanda's first trip to Canada!

This weekend I've been showing off my fiancée to the extended family. Not only had Amanda not yet met my extended family, she hadn't ever been to Canada before. Since I have the whole week off for American Thanksgiving I figured this would be the perfect opportunity for her to meet everyone. Although she was disappointed by the fact she couldn't get a stamp in her passport as we crossed the border, she has enjoyed meeting everyone and hasn't been too scared off yet. I recognized the potential risk in having her meet everyone before we're married, but then again I don't have any crazy aunts or uncles that might want to jump in her lap and lay a wet one on her (here's to you Aunt Rhonda!). Anyway, we had the party with the Vyn side last night, and now on to visit the Hoogendams tonight :)

In other news, we found a home that we absolutely love on the south side of Denver, and are currently under contract. We're in the final stages of gathering up all the paperwork to get approval for our mortgage, and we'll hopefully be closing when we get back home at the end of the month. It's a really cute ranch with a fully finished basement apartment - so if any of you are looking to make a trip out to colorful Colorado, you're more than welcome to stay with us. Here's a few pics to give you a quick glance: