Here's to a new Dunagan woman!

Well, my little brother is engaged. Yes, my little brother. But honestly it really is not a strange or difficult concept to adjust to. I always assumed it would be hard to see my brother in any serious relationship. I assumed it would raise up all kinds of protective feelings. I mean, would any girl be good enough?? There was never even an ounce of those feelings when I met Amanda. Maybe it is the sense of calm that the two of them bring to each other or that it is perfectly clear to me that they truly enjoy being in the other's presence. I think too, Amanda possesses a grace and a sense of dignity that quite frankly you rarely see in young girls today. Something I so desperately wanted for my brother! So I can't even tell how relieved I was when he introduced me to this beautiful, selfless, classy girl, with such a sweet spirit she reminds me of a character from a Jane Austen love story.

But I think there is another reason why there is absolutely zero shock or concern with the idea of my brother getting married. He's ready for it. You have never seen loyalty, selflessness, concern for others, thoughtfulness, sincerity, or simply what it means to be a man, until you've met my brother. I mean, take two very close older sisters, an attentive mother, a loving father, the boy had no chance but to grow into such a well rounded extraordinary man! I'll save all the stories of playing dress-up, making up dances and playing with my hair for wedding toasts. (that's right, Tyler you knew those would come out one day, lol!)

So they say if you want to know what kind of man he is, see how he treats his mom and sisters…If that's the case, then Amanda you are marrying one hell of a guy!! But girl you already know that, which is why I love you :)

"Baby, I'm glad you're a meat lover!"

So I was a little curious as to exactly how often I would blog and exactly what I would blog about. Especially considering that we don't have any children, I'm not pregnant, we're not moving into a new house, we don't really have anything major going on (besides the wedding!) Well...

I get home from my evening kickboxing class and Steven greets me at the door with a weird smirk on his face. He told me he had stumbled upon something today as I follow him into the kitchen to see two men on their knees in front of our fridge taking everything out of the freezer. Immediately I'm thinking OH NO! A pipe busted or the fridge is leaking or a deadly outbreak of mold has infested the freezer, yet Steven still has that goofy smirk on his face. (which is NOT his "something else is broken" face, cause I KNOW what that face looks like!!) He then proceeds to tell me about these two men who work for a free range, hormone free meat company in Chattanooga that was delivering meat to some customers in the area and they had these extra cases of meat that their boss said they could not come home with, so they were just knocking on doors offering this meat at an extremely discounted price! And they knocked on our door...

So, we now have 60lbs of meat exploding from our freezer! Yes, that's 60lbs of chicken, pork and beef. Anyone up for a cookout??

The man whose name I'm taking...

Steven has to be the most patient, loving, hard working man I know. He has a heart like no other and his loyalty and ability to forgive inspire me everyday. I have already learned so much from him and I know that will continue to be a life long event! He is the love of my life.




Steven owns Old Havana Cigar Company with a location in Rome and Cartersville, GA. http://www.oldhavanacigar.com/ He graduated from Berry College in 2002 with a degree in Psychology. But then an interesting turn of events led him to work at Cubana, a cigar shop in Rome located on Broad Street. The owner saw something in Steven and took him under his wing, kind of like an apprentice if you will. Steven was introduced to the world of cigars and tobacco. He learned how they were made, from the planting of the seed to harvesting the leaves and the handmade art of rolling them into completion. He has visited multiple tobacco farms in places like the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Nicaragua. And he basically fell in love with the tradition and history of cigars and what they represent, a taste of the good life. So, instead of continuing on to graduate school, in 2003 Steven bought Cubana which he then named Old Havana Cigar Co. I don't think he's ever regretted this path, actually I know he hasn't! Everything Steven has earned and accomplished is from his unbelievable work ethic, his honesty and his passion for life. He opened up the second store in 2008 and will continue to look for opportunities to grow!

Yes, I get to marry this man :)

The McDowell Way...

Hi! I was going to wait until after I got married this May to start a blog for friends and family to follow my new life as Mrs. Lindsey McDowell. But I thought, why wait! There is going to be so many things going on in the next three months. And please don't forget to check out our wedding website: www.mywedding.com/stevenandlindsey.