We Did It!!

Yes we did! On July 23rd, around 5 pm on the beach in Tulum, Mexico, we said those two small words that speak volumes of the love and committment we have for each other: "I do"

More to come later, but for those of you dying to see a few pictures from the amazing day, here is a link to a sneak peak that our friends & photographers, Daryl and Christin, posted for us: http://chrisdaryl.blogspot.com/2009/08/makayla-rich-sneak-peek.html

What, Exactly, is there to do in Ohio?

Funny you ask, because we did too.  Turns out there are enough people asking that an entire website exists just to list out all the great things there are to do in Ohio:  http://www.thingstodo.com/states/OH/index.htm  (Columbus and Cincinnati are reflected in the Central and Southwest links)

Here are a few things from the site that we'd like to highlight:

Cincinnati Reds - Playing the Florida Marlins Thursday-Sunday (September 17th-20th).  We're thinking about organizing a group outing on Sunday, the day after our reception, for anyone who is in town!!  Stay tuned for more details as we get closer to the date...

Carillon Historical Park (Makayla's Personal Favorite!) - The Park is a 65-acre outdoor museum with 23 exhibit buildings and structures, and is the site of the 57-bell Deeds Carillon, Ohio's largest. The highlight of the collections is the 1905 Wright Flyer III, the world's first practical airplane, and a National Historic Landmark.

US Air Force Museum - Over 300 aircraft and missiles, along with thousands of artifacts are on display at the United States Air Force Museum. These exhibits present the history of military aviation from the first pioneers and their daring adventures to aircraft development of today's jets and their evolution in design and engineering.

Jeffersonville Prime Outlets - Truly the highlight of Jeffersonville, a collection of the best discount shopping to be found between Cincinnati and Columbus.

The Scoop on our Reception

Don't interpret the silence on our blog as a lack of progress in planning our wedding and reception, we've been very busy, and now have some updates to share with you!  As we've already posted, the reception will be in Ohio on September 19th.  Now for the updates...

We will be having the reception at the Sebastian Hills Golf Club in Xenia, just a few minutes from Makayla's parents house.  For those that haven't seen it, it's a really pretty 18 hole course in the middle of the country.  We haven't confirmed the time yet, but it will be an evening event.

For everyone coming in from out of town, there are just a couple of hotel options:  The Hampton Inn and the Hearthstone Inn & Suites.  We've got 20 rooms blocked at the Hampton Inn, but aren't able to hold rooms at the Hearthstone.  They're both about the same distance from the golf course.  The Hampton Inn is by the freeway and the outlet mall, the Hearthstone Inn is in the town of Cedarville.

For anyone flying in from out of town, you have your choice of 3 airports:

• Columbus International Airport (CMH)-Located approximately 62 miles north of the reception location
  
• Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)-Located approximately 80 miles south of the reception location 
  
• Dayton International Airport (DAY)-Located approximately 42 miles west of the reception location
  

We'll let you decide which you prefer...

Paparazzi

Some friends who are starting a photography business offered to take our engagement pictures for FREE if they could use some of the pictures on their website.  Who can turn down an offer like that although we're still trying to figure out why they wanted OUR pictures?!  So, six hours, three wardrobe changes, and plenty of people "stares" later, we finished.  Follow the instructions below if you want to see the results of our photo shoot! 

Steps to Follow:

-Go to http://www.chrisdaryl.com

-Click "Enter Site"

-Click "Client Gallery"

-Password is "makayla"

Save the Date(s)!

Yes, we have chosen the "Big Day". We consulted palm readers, the farmers almanac, Makayla's large pile of destination wedding books, and a travel agent who specializes in planning destination weddings, and decided that Thursday, July 23rd, 2009 will be OUR day. Some time around sunset if we have our way.

Where, you ask? Very near a town called Tulum, in Mexico, at a resort called Dreams Tulum. We've added some links on the right to the resort, a map of the Mayan Riviera (Tulum is near the southern end of the coast), and a site about the town itself, all for your surfing pleasure.

For those of you that have expressed interest in joining us in Mexico we will email you with more details, special rates for the resort, etc.

If you've read this far, and are still interested, we have another big day for you to mark on your calendar: on September 19 we will be having a Reception in Ohio for family and friends that couldn't join us in Mexico. (If you're already breaking out the 2009 Buckeye football schedule, we have confirmed with Pam & Gary that it's an away game!) More details to come later...