Catholic Engaged Encounter

I can't believe it's the third week of June already, we've been engaged for 4 months and it's been a whirlwind of activities.  We got a lot of things accomplished in regards to locking down vendors as well as meeting all the church requirements.  

Friday afternoon we made the drive up to Oceanside to attend the Engaged Encounter weekend at the beautiful Mission San Luis Rey.
But first, we went to dinner at Felix's BBQ with Soul and I gotta say the corn bread muffin and chicken is outstanding.  We checked in and were assigned different rooms, we also met with our roommates, a younger couple from Irvine whose getting married this fall.  

They meant business because 30 minutes after checking in, topic talks started immediately and went on until 11ish.  Man it was a pretty long day.  

So sum up the rest of the weekend it involved waking up early (6:30) breakfast, listening to topic talks, reflection and conversation with your partner,  repeat until lunch, continue until dinner and repeat until bed time (10:30).  And of course snack every time you get a chance to stand up because everyone took it really seriously when the paperwork recommended us to bring snacks, I mean there was everything you can imagine, from bottled coca cola to homemade cookies.  We were also provided 3 meals on Saturday and 2 on Sunday.  It was pretty good, tasted like home cooking!  oh, the 24 hr coffee house also helped a lot.     

I gotta say it's pretty intensive, some topics do get repetitive but overall it's a wonderful opportunity to spend time with your significant other, away from all distractions.  The weekend provides you with a chance to discuss issues you and your partner should come to consensus prior to making the big leap.  


When Sunday afternoon came around, I honestly didn't want to leave.  The Mission was so peaceful and beautiful with the lush lawn and wonderful rose gardens.  It was also really nice to have Dave all to myself, away from cell phones and laptops was a nice luxury.  

As we drove back to reality, it was Father's day and we made it home just in time for dinner.  I want to thank you sweetie for experiencing this weekend with me.  It reminded me what a great team we are, how well we can work together in a very unconventional way and what I appreciate most is how we compliments one another in our similarities as well as differences.  I love you very much and can't wait for what the future has in store for us.