Because We Know You Can Shake It

We are making our play-list and need some help.
So if you wanna hear a song that night, let us know and we will add it to our play list!

chicken tetrazzini

So earlier in the week I had made all this pasta...oops, I forget there is only two of to feed at times. So I had to think of some way to use all this pasta and not let it go to waste! On Saturday morning I decided I would make "Chicken Tetrazzini" because I knew it would use up all my pasta I made. I was all excited to make it too bc I remembered my Aunt Lori gave me that recipe. So when I was flipping through my cookbook (I got at my shower with amazing recipes from friends and family) I found it...and on the note card it said something like, "Chicken Tetrazzini"- thanks to Grandma Chicki. And all of the sudden I got really nervous and felt all this rush of emotion and pressure. I wanted to make it, but I wanted to honor her and make her proud too. This was huge for me, I am just learning how to cook little by little, and getting much better by-the-way...Derek says so! And I am making a recipe from my grandmother (who was one of the best cooks...mmm I loved everything she ever made)...the pressure. But at the end of the day I had so much fun doing it and cooking, I felt a little closer to her that day!

Well I hope I made her proud while making it and with the outcome. I know at times she was probably looking down laughing at me, esp when I couldn't get the wine open..me and that wine bottle had a major struggle! But all in all I thought it was good and soo did Derek, and like a true Italian, I made lots and lots!!!

Thanks for the recipe Aunt Lori!

She Did It!

Derek and I got to go to Blake's Graduation!
Here are more pics of her success! Click on them to enlarge.
One is of her Snr. Thesis! She is Amazing!!!

mother's day

We spent Mother's Day at the Berry Hill Estate, it was such a great visit and the food was great too! :O) We are just more excited for the Wedding to be here!

this is where i work

this is where i work & i have my own office and deer come and visit me too! i am designing and using my degree. truly a blessing!

Graduation Pics!

A little bit of everything that has happened, lately.

I moved back to the Burg and into my temporary town house, started my new job and graduated all in the same week. AHH!!! (May 4th - 10th)


This past Friday, Derek and I drove to B•ham to be with the Family and watch Blake graduate from Samford! It was so fun and we had such a Great time staying with her in her adorable apartment and spending time with family and friends, Celebrating!!!


We got back to Lynchburg around 2 am on Sunday and after work on Monday we got to pick up our keys to our new apt!!! We picked up dinner and had our first meal in our new apt. the other night.


Derek and I have been extremely busy these past couple of weeks, with lots of traveling/driving, late nights getting things done, and work...we both caught a bad cold and are slowly getting over them.

With all the driving we have been doing these past couple of weeks (which means lots of money to gas) Derek has been threatening to get a motorcycle, which soon may come a reality. I'll keep you posted on that one later! :O)

Back in the Burg

Im all moved in....back up in good old Lynchburg!

I started my NEW job on Tuesday & I love it! The company is called Meriwether Godsey! Check out the website to see what we are ALL about! I am pretty sure you will be impressed! I drove up to my office and the first thing I said (out loud literally to myself) was, 'how cute is this.' My office building is great! Its in one of those old VA homes that has been refurbished and turned into our office building! I have my own office (not a cubicle, an actual office)...good size too! I am in the basement with my boss Leslie, she is great, sweet, & funny! And of course all the food is down here in the basement...ahhh! I can just see the pounds coming on :O/

This job has been a true blessing! God really cares for me and my hearts desires! Right when I was getting so discouraged and coming to terms with the fact that I wasted my parent's money on college to just be working at Starbucks (not that Starbucks is a bad place to work, its Great! The benefits are Great and its decent money!) for the rest of my life. And right when I wanted to lose all hope in ever getting a "real job" the Lord 'shows me'! (sooo dramatic i know)

Here is how...
My friend Ally who I went to LU with and we studied in the same program and had classes together, contacted me and said she was leaving her job in the burg and moving back home and I was her first recommendation for the position! I owe her BIG time! I know the Lord is going to bless her in this new chapter of her life! Ally trained me for a week and is now gone (i miss her) But she is staying on contract with us, to help me out esp when I am gone for my wedding and honeymoon!

The Lord Blessed me at the most perfect time with this job!
I am thanking Him everyday.
And truly enjoying where He has me right now!

My Line Up!

Maid Of Honor: Blake Airdo - twin sister and best friend since birth.
Bridesmaid: Sarah Hale-Byron - cousin
Bridesmaid: Carly McBride - Grooms Sister (future sister-n-law)
Bridesmaid: Monet Mustain (Soon to be Mrs. Sandoval) - Best Friend
Bridesmaid: Janette Marin - Best Friend

We are Registered!

Crate and Barrel

Pottery Barn

Bed Bath and Beyond

And a Wish List at Anthropologie.com with just a few things for the home on there!

Save the Date

Please pass on the word to family and friends to Save the Date.
July 26, 2008

Wedding Update!!!

We have our LOCATION & DATE!
Be EXCITED! We Are.
We are having it at The Berry Hill Estate in South Boston, VA.
It's about an hour from Raleigh, NC and Lynchburg,VA.
My Dad found this location on the internet, when searching for places in VA to have a wedding; we fell in love with the location over the website, so I had to send Derek over to look at it. Derek went to the location and fell in love with it too and he even took some pictures! What a Great Guy! And....the BIG DAY is going down on July 26, 2008





Derek's Pictures

My Valentine's Day

Well my soon to be hubby, got me a plane ticket to go visit the Burg for 10 days. But hey I did my part too, and found a really good priced ticket...$130. It was a much needed visit for the both of us. I got to stay at one of my Best Friend's house, Janette and her new puppy Mika. We also had a girls night, which was so fun catching up with all my loves and eating junk food. (i miss you girls)


For Valentine's Day Derek took me to a favorite restaurant of ours, Meriwethers. It was such a fun night, and we brought home dessert for Jan and watched a movie and relaxed. It was a great night just spending time with one another, in person (not over the phone!)


Thanks Again For the Ticket Derek!
It was a great visit. :O)

A Gift from the Marins!

The Marin girls got this for me during Christmas. I love them! They are so thoughtful. Words do not express how much Derek and I love them! You all are a true Blessing to us.

Bride & Groom Cookbook

Thanks to Aunt Karen & Uncle Doug we now own the "Bride and Groom Cookbook" from William and Sonoma! They also got us a stand to hold the book while we cook and some cooking utensils and an oven mitt!
(click pictures to enlarge)

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Derek & I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

And we are wishing you all a Happy New Year!

We are excited to see what this new year brings.
We are praying the Lord blesses each one of you who have
played a huge role in our lives and in our relationship.
Without your encouragement, support and prayers
we wouldn't be the individuals we are today!
We love you.
Lauren n Derek

This Christmas

So Christmas has come and gone... For us it was a little sad and let me show you why...


Lauren was home in Lighthouse Point, Florida, and I was back in the busy city of Snohomish, Washington. Ahh the beauty of a long distance relationship.

However, it was so nice to spend time with my family. For the past few years I have not been able to get home very often. This Christmas, it was nice to go home, if only for a few days. I wish that I could have been to home #2 (Salt Lake) because I miss them equally! Luckily I was able to visit them earlier this fall when my dad and I went on a biking trip to Moab, Utah (pictures will be coming soon i promise! - Check back).

Well, to both of our families, I will sign off with this:

We love you all, and we want to wish you a very Merry (Late) Christmas, and a wonderful New Year!

My Priceless Christmas Gift

Click to View what my Hubby sent me Christmas Morning!

http://merrychristmas.modestlybold.com/

My College Experience

So, as of right now I am a College Graduate!!!
Well, I didn't get my diploma yet, but I did finish my last final.
And it really hasn't hit me that I am done with my college career for now.
I don't think it will hit me till, I am no longer on Mom and Dad's health insurance! (haha)

My college experience has been great and a true blessing!
It was a total God thing that I ended up at Liberty. My plans were to stay in FL, but Mom and Dad wanted me to try going away and if I didn't like it they said I could come back and go to school in FL. So my plan was to go to LU for a year then return home, but the Lord had other plans for me and oh how His plans are always greater and better than the plans my mind comes up with!

My freshmen year was a challenging one, from being away from home for the first time and actually separating from Blake for the first time, to getting kidney stones after a month of being at school...which caused damage to my GPA, which I spent the rest of my 3.5 years trying to bring up. But we can't forget what did happen to me that November during my freshmen year... I met Derek and we actually began hanging out and talking on the phone. (whoo-hoo) And the rest is history with us... 3 years later he asked me to be his wife!
We are still writing our history and it is so fun and such a great adventure with him.

I truly think I got all I could out of my college experience at Liberty University! I became a prayer leader my second semester of my freshmen year. What a prayer leader entails is, to lead a small group of girls on Thursday nights in a small Bible study and prayer, sometimes we would just talk about our days and encourage one another, but it was a time to get together as a small group and grow in our walks and relationships with the Lord. Then during my second semester of my sophomore year I became a Resident Assistant. of dorm 19.2 which I did all the way until my second semester of my senior year. Which was such an amazing growing experience. I got the opportunity to serve with great leadership teams and also meet two great people, who have taught me so much and were my two most favorite roommates; Jen(Landis)Bennett & Kate Pate! (love you both) Being a RA gave me so many opportunities to be apart of campus events and truly get involved. I truly enjoyed living on the dorms and it was such a great, fun experience. I spent majority of my afternoons in the spring time, out at the baseball games through all nine innings, for the most part! For my last semester at LU, I made the decision to move off campus and live in a town house with four other girls, where I shared a room with Katie Brown (love her).

And I have to mention that living off campus would not have been possible without my parents helping out with rent of course, but also my Grandpa giving me a car for my birthday; a more then generous gift, that I don't know how to thank him for, because to me, just saying Thank You doesn't seem sufficient. ( i love you so so so much, papa & not just bc you got me a car!)

I also have to Thank... Dad & Mom for paying for my college tuition!
Derek and I both get to enter into our marriage without any college debt!
Another HUGE Blessing!

The Lord has truly blessed the both of us with wonderful parents and grandparents who have helped us out along the way during our college experience! Whether it was paying for our tuition, sending us goodies in the mail, putting extra cash in our accounts, or just with encouragement...we are truly THANKFUL!!!

Check out our Websites.

Check out our websites and see our work we have done!
Enjoy!

Derek's:
www.modestlybold.com


Lauren's
www.theolivedesign.modestlybold.com