{"id":12609,"date":"2016-06-10T02:17:00","date_gmt":"2016-06-10T02:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gonzalezj.com\/?p=12609"},"modified":"2023-11-14T04:16:59","modified_gmt":"2023-11-14T04:16:59","slug":"outdoor-engagement-photos-at-national-arboretum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gonzalezj.com\/outdoor-engagement-photos-at-national-arboretum\/","title":{"rendered":"Outdoor Engagement Photos at National Arboretum – Marian & Rob"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even though it started pouring right when we were about to get started with Marian and Rob’s session, it cleared up quickly and turned into the perfect afternoon! Aren’t these two just the cutest?! We can’t wait for their wedding this fall!<\/p>\n

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The First Date<\/h4>\n

Marian remembers:
\nHonestly, we didn\u2019t really have a first date. We got to know each other through my best friend, Sarah, who was dating Rob\u2019s roommate and fraternity brother at the time. The four of us would hang out a lot, so Rob and I grew pretty close. We became best friends before we ever started dating. If I had to choose a \u201cdate\u201d I would say when Rob invited me to his fraternity\u2019s brother date. Sarah and her boyfriend were going to the brother date and Sarah really wanted the four of us to go together. That was probably the first time I realized that we could be more than just friends, but it still took several more months for us to take the plunge and start dating\u2026 and look at us now!<\/p>\n

First Date – Rob’s Version:
\nOur first date was a double date with the maid of honor and her boyfriend at the time. All of us went to Wal-Mart together to pick out a board game to play. We settled on Yahtzee, which Marian had never played before, but I said I would teach her. As soon as we started playing Marian and I began to dominate the game even though Marian didn\u2019t really understand what was going on. Our first date ended when Marian and I won!<\/p>\n

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Little Things<\/h4>\n

Rob:\u00a0 Marian has the ability to watch movies and TV shows over and over again and still find them new and interesting. The next time she watches it, she pays more attention to the details and if she watched it over a year ago, she probably doesn\u2019t remember the story line at all. (I\u2019ve had to remind her several times that we have definitely watched a movie together, to which she denies ever watching it. Then 30 minutes into that movie, she says \u201cOh! I think I have actually watched this before!\u201d) She loves to put on Harry Potter and have it playing in the background while she bakes or works on a project. I\u2019m envious that she\u2019s able to do this because I can\u2019t bring myself to re-watch anything, which really limits our options. I remember movies and TV shows so vividly, but I wish I could re-watch them and have it be a basically new experience again.<\/p>\n

Marian: Rob does this thing\u2026 which he actually did this morning after I left for work. His side of the room is always pretty clean, but I throw things all over the place. He\u2019s too nice to ever actually get mad at me for being messy (I do always clean it up once it gets to be too much!). I\u2019ll either get a Snapchat or a text with a picture of what he names \u201cMount Kilamakawenah,\u201d where he piles everything on the floor that\u2019s mine and makes a mountain. This morning he drew a rainbow over the mountain in his photo and said, \u201cit\u2019s big enough that it has its own rainbow.\u201d He gets a kick out of it and it makes me laugh every time!<\/p>\n

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Something They Love About Each Other<\/h4>\n

Rob:\u00a0 Marian has many great characteristics. She\u2019s very thoughtful and considerate of others, always taking other people\u2019s opinions into account. She has strong goals and works hard to reach them, which is probably my favorite part about her. I would also have to say that she has the best red hair.<\/h4>\n

Marian: My favorite characteristic of Rob is that he is always so calm. I can get frustrated, upset, angry, and he is always there to calm me down. In the end, he\u2019s my rock and he\u2019s really the only person that I have ever met who can keep so calm in stressful situations. If I make a mistake, misunderstand something, or just generally mess up, he always says something along the lines of \u201cit\u2019s okay, we\u2019ll figure it out, we always do.\u201d I also have to add that I love how hardworking and kind Rob is. He\u2019s worked hard for everything in his life, he has extremely strong values, and doesn\u2019t take any of it for granted.<\/p>\n

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Their Special Song<\/h4>\n

Rob: A special song for the two of us would be anything by Frank Sinatra, because it\u2019s one of the only things I can dance to.<\/p>\n

Marian: This is going to sound extremely odd, but I would consider our song to be \u201cMean\u201d by Taylor Swift. First, you have to understand that we tease each other a lot.<\/p>\n

There was a time in both of our lives when we studied abroad, forcing us to be long distance for seven or so months of our relationship. Rob left for Antwerp, Belgium for three months and I left a few weeks later for Paris, France for five months and then Florence, Italy for another two months. Before we left for Europe, \u201cMean\u201d was extremely popular and it would come on the radio a lot. Rob would tease me that Taylor Swift told him that she wrote this song about me because I was so mean to leave him for another three months while I stayed in Europe. Over our time in Europe, and even once we both came back to the States, I would answer that Rob left me by leaving Europe after three months. Rob left for Europe first, so I also always said in my defense that I followed Rob to Europe, then I would say that Rob was the one who left Europe first, so he actually left me. It was constant playful banter, but it always made me smile because it showed me how much he cared and how much he missed me.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t worry, we don\u2019t plan on choosing \u201cMean\u201d as the song for our first dance! We also love Frank Sinatra, Rob even took us to the show Let\u2019s Be Frank: The Songs of Frank Sinatra at the Kennedy Center. Hopefully, in the coming months, we will find one of Frank\u2019s gems to dance to on our wedding night!<\/p>\n

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