A little about us...

1. What are your middle names?
Charles and Renee

2. How long have you been together?
Seven and a half months.

3. How long did you know each other before you started dating?
A few weeks…not long at all!

4. Who asked who out?
Joel said “I don’t want this to be weird, but I like you.” And I said “I kind of like you too.” So, I think Joel did the asking out. We went out on our first date a few days later. After our friends gave us the thumbs up, that is.

5. How old are each of you?
Joel will be dirty thirty in July. Kristen will be twenty-six (read OLD) in April.

6. Did you go to the same school?
Nope. We didn’t even live on the same side of the country.

7. Are you from the same home town?
See above. Absolutley not.

8. Who is the smartest?
Me,..duh. Ok, just kidding. We've got different kinds of smarts. Joel is an Engineer, so he is super brainy smart. I am a liberal arts degree-holder, so I have tons of useless knowledge that has served me well on Jeopardy.

9. Who majored in what?
Joel majored in Environmental Engineering, and I was a double-major in Political Science and History.

10. Who is the most sensitive?
Actually, we both are. I am more sensitive off the bat, but Joel is a dweller.

11. Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
The United States! From Germany, that is. We visited Joel’s parents in Oregon in December. In Europe (because we met in Germany) the farthest we have travelled together is Rome.

12. Who has the worst temper?
Me. Hands down.

13. How many children do you want?
Joel wants to have two. That’s all nice and well, but I am undecided. I like sleeping in on weekends. So, the final number is still up for discussion. But, we will most likely settle for one. MAYBE…

14. Who does the cooking?
We do our even share, but Joel probably picks up a little more kitchen duty than I do because I love his breakfast skills.

15. Who is more social?
Joel says that I am. I would like to be MORE social, but I am also a homebody. Go figure…

16. Who is the neat freak?
Joel is probably more so than me, but he would hire a maid in a heartbeat. There are certain times where I get super anal and MUST clean, but more often than not I am not a clean freak.

17. Who is the most stubborn?
I am more stubborn for sure. But Joel definitely has his moments.

18. Who wakes up earlier?
By far this is Joel! Although I love waking up to kisses, I would prefer an extra hour or four on occasion.

19. Where was your first date?
It was at a funky restaurant called the 21 Lounge, which is the tallest restaurant in Kaiserslautern. Joel made me brownies and we went back to his house (minds out of the gutter, people!) and we had dessert. It was really sweet and innocent.

20. Who has the bigger family?
Joel. He has two siblings to my one.

21. Do you get flowers often?
Pretty often. I could always use them more, but I bet I get them at least monthly, even if they are a potted plant and we have no yard.

22. How do you spend the holidays?
We live overseas right now, so we have no routine. And with a military lifestyle, we probably never will.

23. Who is more jealous?
Probably me. Joel is the guy with all of the female friends. I am not psycho jealous, but I definitely stick my nose up at his extensive female friend list.

24. How long did it take to get serious?
Umm…we said we loved each other after two weeks and we are getting married right before our ten month anniversary. So…pretty quickly. But, when you know you know! And we are very happy with our relationship.

25. Who eats more?
We both have healthy appetites.

26. What do you do for a living?
Joel is a Civil Engineer for the Air Force, and I am an Admin Officer for the Army. So we basically save the world…KIDDING!

27. Who does the laundry?
Mostly Joel does because there is an evil clown that lives in the basement. No, there seriously is.

28. Who's better with the computer?
Joel.

29. Who drives when you are together?
Joel. Unless it is a beautiful day. Then I take my convertible out for a spin.

30. What is your song?
God Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts. It speaks volumes to what our relationship means to us.

45 days...but who is counting?

Yep, that's right folks. Forty-five days until the wedding. I know..O...M...G! Not that I am freaking out about getting married. Marrying Joel is the easy part. That is the part that I don't have to think about. And I thought that getting married in a place where they do 90% of the legwork would be easy. But it's really not. I am STILL a little stressed. Let me tell you why...

The Dress - STILL don't have one. Nice places like David's bridal don't ship to APO addresses (thanks for supporting the military, ugh!). I have ordered two dresses to be shipped here, but neither one has arrived as of yet. So I have to hope that one shows up and fits, and if it doesn't, that I can get alterations done in a timely manner.

Photographer - We are getting married in a very small ceremony. I think the last headcount was 14. We don't need a big ceremony, hence we don't need an ultra fancy photographer session. But photographers hear wedding, and want a massive fee just for shooting the wedding. Boo. We just want memories of our special day.

Meeting the Parents - Joel is meeting my parents four days before the wedding. FOUR DAYS. Not that I think they won't like them (what's not to like?) but the whole issue kind of stresses me out.

And I am sure that there are more but that is depressing enough. Hopefully everything will go smoothly and we can enjoy our last week in the states as the cutesy married couple we will be.

We have a date!!!

And it is...

MAY 4, 2010!

Why the rush, you say? Well, we say...why wait? We had been trying to get stuff together to get married in Germany, and it was just too much. Joel and I are going to Indiana in May so he can meet my parents, and we both agreed it would be easier to just get married while we are there. So, the plan is this. We found an adorable B&B in Southern Indiana that takes care of most of the wedding prep for you (or in this case, us). We will be getting there just mere days beforehand, so this is relatively stress free for us. God love Joel's parents, because they are coming down from Oregon to be with us on this special day. My parents will be coming, along with my three best girlfriends and their SOs.

We are going to get married at this adorable little gazebo on the grounds. This is it not set up, but you get the point. We are going to do cake and punch at the reception area, then everyone is welcome to join us for dinner at a nearby restaurant, yet to be decided. I am so excited! It is going to be very simple, small, and intimate. I know it seems rushed, but we are both 100% sure that we are "all in" so there is no time like the present! I love Joel with all of my heart, and I can't wait to be his wife.