We’re over half of the way through 2020 and I’ve just got to say WOAH! What a year it’s been so far. From getting engaged to buying a house to hunkering down and surviving in the middle of a global pandemic, this year has really been one for the books and a life update is definitely needed. Life is moving so fast but at the same time so slowly. Things are changing around here. We’re growing together and also as individuals, and we’re making our life into everything we envisioned it to be. So here is a little life update for you–where we’ve been, what we’ve done, and our plans for the future.
The Magical Proposal + Wedding Planning
On March 20, 2020 Alexa got down on one knee at the top of Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC and I said YES!! I seriously spend so much time thinking about how truly epic that moment was. Alexa nailed it with the perfect proposal. She managed to make it so uniquely us! It was literally a dream. I know you probably have a few follow up questions–You can read our full proposal story here on The Knot’s How They Asked where we get into all the details of that special day. But first, a quick excerpt:
when I looked back she was standing there with something in her hands and she just looked at me and said, “This moment feels pretty epic doesn’t it?” And then she got down on one knee and continued with, “The world is going through a really difficult time right now (re: COVID-19) but I can’t imagine waiting another day to ask you to marry me. I love you so much, Cassie. Will you marry me?”
( Read the full story here)
Epic is definitely the word I would use over and over again to describe our love and our journey as a couple. From surviving cross-country long-distance to buying our first home together, everything has been pretty epic.
So now, to answer some quick follow up questions I’m sure you probably have:
When will I (Cassie) be proposing to Alexa?Great question: We decided that there would only be one proposal. Our proposal was just as much for me as it was for Alexa. You can hear us talk more about it on this podcast we recorded with Bustld where we shared all about planning a proposal as a same-sex couple.
Have you set a wedding date yet? Yes!! We have officially set a date! We’re going to keep the specific date to ourselves for a little, but we can tell you that we will be getting married in October of 2021 (keeping our fingers crossed for that COVID vaccine).
How has it been planning a wedding during COVID? Interesting! It was hard to get started since literally the day after our engagement the DC area pretty much shut down. Luckily we knew we didn’t want to have a wedding until the following October so that gave us some flexibility with not having to jump into the wedding planning game straight away. The one thing we did do right away was book the photographer we used for the proposal for our wedding! Can’t wait to party with you next fall, Adam!
All in all, we haven’t done a ton of wedding planning (booked the photographer and the venue) and will be starting to really focus on planning again in the coming months.
COVID-19 and Staying home
In March everything shut down due to COVID-19. Both Alexa and were fortunate enough to not experience too much of a disruption to our lives aside from moving our jobs to full time work from home. I’m not going to lie, being at home full-time was hard in the beginning. I tend to be a little more introverted and really need and protect my alone time. We figured out ways to make our 2 bedroom apartment work for us for the long run. It’s been five months since that transition and we’ll be working from home for the foreseeable future.
We’ve been doing our part in helping to slow the spread of COVID-19. That looks a little something like this:
- Wearing a mask when out and about in public places
- Practicing social distancing
- Wearing a mask
- Being okay with having to put certain things on hold for the time being
- Wearing a MASK
- Be cautious if/when traveling (we’ve only driven places and limit our social interactions)
- WEARING A MASK
As hard as this time has been (let’s be honest, it’s emotionally draining sometimes) it’s also been a blessing. When Alexa and I moved in together last fall we were just coming off of 15 months of being long-distance (11 of those being from DC to Seattle–nearly 3,000 miles). It’s been a nice change of pace to really get to spend a lot of quality time together and even has given us ample time to focus on launching our Etsy business!! (read more below)
Crystals everywhere!
Prior to the world shutting down, Alexa and I took a trip to New Orleans for a little winter getaway. We traded in chilly DC for jazzy New Orleans and treated ourselves to a little getaway. On the flight down, magic was born. We dreamt up the idea for our Etsy Shop: Modern Little Mystics on the flight down and spent our time in NOLA enjoying the drinks, the weather and a new found inspiration. It’s only fitting that this new business venture get’s mentioned in our little life update as this amazing business has become a focal point in our lives.
Modern Little Mystics has proved to be a beautiful melding of my need to create things with my hands and Alexa’s passion for geology (she’s really a geologist y’all!). I’ve watched Alexa blossom in her creativity over the last few months and have been able to witness the joy our shop brings us. We set out on a mission to create healing home decor through nature’s beauty, and our shop is a collection of experiences. Like rocks and crystals, we’re all unique individuals with a unique story to tell.
We craft our products with love, care, and all the good vibes. Stay tuned for some content on using items from our shop in your home!
Oh and we also bought a house!
As if 2020 wasn’t already a big year with getting engaged, starting a business, and a pandemic…we decided to make it even bigger and purchased our first home together. Talk about a big life update! We’re leaving our DC bubble and will be calling the Annapolis area home! I cannot express how excited I am for this next chapter of our lives. This will be the house where we start our family together. The home where we make memories together for years to come. I couldn’t be more jazzed.
Owning a home is a big responsibility. I’m looking forward to learning all the ins and outs that come with owning and maintaining a home. I grew up helping my dad around the house and I’m so excited to take the things I’ve learned from him and put them in to practice in our new space. We both have so many ideas for the house and things we want to update. The Zen Manor is going to be the place to be!! Can’t wait to see it all come together!
Moving forward in the future
If you’re still reading this, thank you. I know this post is longer than our usual ones but it’s a life update…so you knew it was going to be a long one. We’ve been reassessing our online presences and evaluating what truly brings us joy. And this is it. Sharing our life with everyone in a way that is authentically us.
As we grow our interests change and we are constantly exploring new interests as they arise. It’s all part of the experience of being HUMAN. So stick around our instagram @twofemmegems for love and cat videos and keep an eye on the blog for some awesome content to come.
Sending you all the good vibes,
–Cassie
What a great post! You both have been so busy this year. And with major life changes! You gals seem to be doing good with celebrating your wins. Keep celebrating!!
Random resource for you, if you don’t have Melody’s Love is in the Earth rock books, you NEED to get them!! They are some of my favorite rock resource books.