Engagement Reunion

Instead of celebrating Valentine's Day each year, Matt and I decided to celebrate something that had a little more meaning to us....our engagement weekend! It was hard to believe that a year had gone by already, but of course, we needed to celebrate! We were very excited to join the Pepper family at their condo in Breckenridge in early February. They had just purchased the condo not too long ago, so it was a perfect place to enjoy friends, snow, and of course the skiing! Phil flew out, as he had been a part of the big weekend the year before. Carly went with Carol and the girls early, while Amadee and Ana followed slightly behind. Matt and Phil came the next day, but ended up having an adventure of their own when their rental car spun around and went off the road, down a 20 ft embankment, and into a snowbank on I-70! Carly was slightly worried, but the boys were safe, and that was all that mattered. They finally made it to the condo and were tired and HUNGRY! It was a wonderful weekend....Colorado is so beautiful!

Fun in Boston

Of course Matt and I continued date night once we returned...sometimes it was the only time we really had for each other! Matt was so busy with his Masters' thesis but we wanted to make sure that we were still making our relationship a priority. We both have ice skates, and a love for skating, so we found a little rink that had skating one night and went for a spin! We got pretty good at taking pictures of ourselves!

Our Return to Boston

After going to Wisconsin, and driving all the way back to Boston in Hugh, Carly's dad's BIG green van, we were pleasantly surprised! Our wonderful but sneaky friends had been in our apartment and left us lots of goodies! We had a welcome home feast fit for kings, wonderful smelling candles, as well as chocolate! Couldn't forget the chocolate! Dessert was for me, however our friends know us well enough to know Matt doesn't do dessert, but second dinner. Of course since we had been gone for a while, we hardly had food in the house, so breakfast the next morning was also taken care of! They truly thought of everything! We are so blessed!

The Mini-moon

Matt and I weren't able to take a long honeymoon right after the wedding, however we were able to take what we affectionately call a "mini-moon." We spent four days and three nights in a little cabin in Door County, Wisconsin. Yep, you can tell I am from Illinois, we vacationed in Wisconsin. Doesn't everyone from Illinois go to Wisconsin??
It was a great little trip...although it seemed to go so fast! Matt and I enjoyed our first few days of marriage together, but then all too soon were pushed back into reality. Matt and I went back to Chicago, packed the BIG GREEN VAN, and headed back to Boston. Matt needed to work on his master's thesis, and I needed to get back to work as well.

Cathching up...our wedding, December 30, 2006

Many of you were able to come to Chicago to celebrate with Matt and I on one of the most beautiful days ever of 2006! It was a magnificent wedding, made possible with the help of family and friends, not to mention our Lord, Jesus Christ! Matt and I became man and wife, and together we started a wonderful adventure. I'm not kidding about the adventure part either...so much has happened in the last 8 months!

If you weren't able to make it to the wedding, but would like to peruse pictures, here is the website that includes not only our professional pictures by Kenny Kim Photography, but also pictures submitted by family and friends! Enjoy!

http://halewedding.googlepages.com/home

The Hale's Have a Blog!!!

Hello everyone! It is high time that Matt and I joined the technological world, so here is the launch of our new blog! We thought we would catch our family and friends up on what has been happening in the last year, as there have been many changes! There are more to come, especially as Baby Hale makes his or her way into the world. Our little family couldn't be happier, and more thankful to our Heavenly Father for all His blessings!

We are sad that you are so far away, however know that our thoughts and prayers are with our friends and family always! Hopefully this will be a way to keep you updated on our lives!

I hope you enjoy reading, commenting, and of course sharing our blog with others!

With love in Christ,
Carly & Matt