Big Bro's Engagement-- Part Two

You can thank this miserable winter weather that we're having here in NC for my back-to-back blogging this week! I think we're out of school for like the 8th or 9th day since mid-January! Last winter we missed 0 school days for inclement weather, so this is crazy! I'm not making any promises that this "2 days-in-a-row" of blogging will keep happening, but I don't hate it! It feels good to be
back :)

Ready for the Part Two of my brother's engagement story from this past weekend? Catch up on Part One here!

So, where were we?

Well, we were all super nervous on the Friday night before the proposal because miss Hanna was staying the night at our house, and no one wanted to be the one to ruin the surprise!

We had a couple of close calls---

1) Hanna had spotted all of the fruit in the fridge, which I told you about yesterday!

2) Apparently a week or so earlier Hanna had gone up to look for something in B's room, and he remembered that he'd left the receipt or some of the paperwork for the ring out!

3) Kyle and I had not gotten our story straight about our "plans" for Saturday...I told Hanna we had afternoon plans with them while Kyle had said it was "dinner"

4) We were all acting super awkward on Saturday morning because we were trying to get Hanna out of the house without tipping her off!

Luckily, Hanna thought nothing of it! She and I decided to walk the "Loop" at Wrightsville Beach, which was perfect because her apartment is right on the way home, so I knew I could have an excuse to drop her off on the way home so that the party preparation could begin!

Hanna and I had a great walk, and I was SO nervous but trying to play it super cool! She even asked me what shoes she thought she should wear to the dance lesson and made some joke about wanting to go in yoga pants and sneakers! I was like, "You should totally wear heels so you can practice in the shoes you might actually wear!" I think she said her mother had given her the same advice!

Once I got home for the walk the real work began! It was an "all-hands-on-deck" kind of day, and we were so thankful for Kyle and Eric, who did a lot of work despite the fact that they needed to rest up for their half marathon the next day! But, the biggest "helper awards" go to my pregnant cousin Kathleen, who is due in April, and my dad, who is still recovering from surgery and confined to crutches or a wheel chair!  Both worked like champs to help us get ready, and it was a total team effort!

Seriously, could not have pulled off the party without Kat and Eric...and Addison, who kept us smiling and laughing all day!

We were working up to the last second, and I literally had to force my dad out of the kitchen to change into his party clothes since he was still rocking his sweat pants when the first guest arrived!

But, I think it turned out so well! Here's how we set it up...

And, we were all waiting anxiously for the happy, hopefully-engaged couple to arrive! At one point, I finally had to text my brother with the simple question of, "Thumbs up?" just so that we could rest easy that all had gone well with the proposal! Luckily, the answer was "YES!"

B and Hanna arrived, and some of us couldn't even wait for them to get inside! Lots of happy tears in the driveway!

Hanna and my momma hugging!

Addison, our cousin's daughter, loves B and Hanna!

The proposal had gone off without a hitch! They even got it all on video! We celebrated with lots of friends and family, and there was just so much happiness and love surrounding this sweet couple!

B, Hanna, and us!

B, Hanna, and my parents! Dad shed the crutches for the photo and hid his cast well!

Hanna showing the video to my mom and grandparents! FYI my grandparents ADORE Hanna, too! Especially since she convinced B to dress up with her and go visit them on Halloween, which is also my grandmother's bday!

Some of my favorite stories from the weekend/engagement include...

*The fact that Hanna was totally not expecting a proposal and therefore didn't shower after our walk before the dance class! She may kill me for posting this BUT she shouldn't because there was not a more beautiful girl in the room because she just naturally lights up a room with her joy, and add that to the natural beauty of a girl in love, and no make-up/showers are needed!

*I guess B was trying to hide the ring box in his pocket, so he kept his blazer on the whole lesson! Hanna said he was sweating up a storm!

*I still can't get over the fact the my brother took a dance lesson and was coordinated enough to pull of getting down on one knee in the middle of a dance!

*My brother is a HUGE NC State fan, and they ended up playing in the ACC tournament on Saturday at 3:30pm, which was right in the middle of the lesson! Hanna was so sweet and even offered for them to reschedule their lesson....little did she know!

*Not all of our cousins could make it down, but we face-timed with them later in the evening! The funniest face-time moment was with our cousin Daniel, who just happened to be getting a massage at the time! We died laughing!

Needless to say, I could NOT be happier for my brother and Hanna! 

And, Kyle and I are so happy to have some partners in crime for life!

Congrats, Bryan and Hanna!