Engaged Encounter Weekend

Cara and I are looking forward to our wedding in Spokane on October 17, 2009. In an earlier blog, I wrote about our recent progress in the wedding plans. Well, we have checked another big “to do” off the list since then. On March 6th through 8th, we attended our Catholic Engaged Encounter (“CEE”) weekend in Carson Springs, TN. Carson Springs is located about 45 minutes east of Knoxville in the Smoky Mountains and it was beautiful, serene setting for our retreat. Cara and I had heard lots of good things about the retreat from our friends (Scott & Hanna and Colin & Brenna), so we were looking forward to it.

For those of you unaware, the CEE is retreat is a required pre-marital step for a Catholic wedding. The goal of the weekend is to give couples an opportunity to explore and discuss their faith, views, perspectives and goals with a focus on the marriage as a lifelong commitment and sacrament. Our particular retreat had 8 “participant” couples, 2 “presenting” couples, and a priest to help guide us through the “journey.” Overall, the weekend was not quite what we expected. There was very little time provided for discussion and sharing in a group setting with much more of an emphasis on individual and couple time to think/write/talk about the topics and issues raised. Although, this was certainly a great time for Cara and I to grow closer to one another (and we did), we would have enjoyed an opportunity to be exposed to multiple other viewpoints and perspectives. Even the presenters seemed a little bit guarded and scripted in their presentations (they read all of the presentation materials), which created a bit of a dampened energy. However, we were told from the onset that the weekend would be “what we put into it” and it lived up to the billing. Cara and I enjoyed the time away from the mad rush of our lives to focus on us. It was a perfect weekend.

To top it all off, we met a friendly couple that also lives in the Knoxville area, John and Elizabeth. Cara and I had a great time socializing with them in-between sessions during the retreat weekend (John was my roommate) and we left for home with plans to meet up soon. And meet up we did. Two weeks ago, we took them up on an offer to grab some sushi at Nama downtown. It was an awesome night all-around. Good food. Great drink. Wonderful company and conversation. Cara and I are excited for our next “engaged encounter” with our fun new CEE friends!

Wedding Checklist? Check, Check (again), and Check (back later)

Okay, so it's not completely finished, but we checked quite a few things off the "to do" list yesterday afternoon:

• Wedding bands. Cara and I returned to Markman's (the store where I purchased Cara's engagement ring) to price our wedding bands. I had Cara's engagement band designed by the in-house jeweler so we will have him special design her wedding band to exact match and fit and we are waiting on his price estimate and some CAD images! Turning our attention to my band, we started browsing the selection not planning on making any quick decisions (however, I do have to admit we were both leaning to getting all of the rings from Markman's). Well, we ended up making a quick decision afterall selecting this fancy little number (see left inset). The ring (for those wondring) is 14K white gold and Cara and I both think it pairs amazingly with her bridal set. After making a small down payment, we've got this little guy on layaway for the big day! After seeing it on my finger, I am so excited to get further acquainted. It feels and looks awesome...and most importantly...I am thrilled to officially become Cara's husband! Status: CHECK
• After surprising ourselves by getting the rings checked off our "to do" list, Cara and I ventured out to the local Men's Wearhouse to get me fitted for my buddy Quinn's upcoming wedding and to look at tuxedo rentals for our own wedding. Long story short (I'll spare the gory details to avoid bad-mouthing anyone in such a joyous blog!), we barely got my measurements before we couldn't stand the poor service (hopefully just a bad day for the store/associate) any longer and hit the road. In the end, we wrote a scalding email to the Men's Wearhouse customer service department and we're back to square one trying to figure out what we'll be doing for tuxedo rentals. Men's Wearhouse is on thin ice at best right now for our wedding business. Status: CHECK (AGAIN).
• The last wedding update item actually has nothing to do with our Saturday afternoon errands. Cara scheduled us for our Engaged Encounters retreat a few weeks ago and the retreat weekend is fast approaching (March 6th-8th). We have heard great things about the Engaged Encounters retreat from our friends (Scott and Hanna) and we are both looking forward to the experience. I'm sure Cara or I (or both of us!) have a story or two to share about the weekend on our blog(s) after the big weekend! Status: CHECK (BACK LATER)

So there you have it. Another weekend closer to the big day. Another "to do" list item or two checked off the list. Another 236 days and I'll be Cara's hubby! WOOP! WOOP!