The beginning of the story of the Storeys

Leave it to me to get engaged and then disappear into the wilderness without leaving the story or pictures. Here’s my attempt at reconciliation to those I’ve left in the dark:

On a bright sunny afternoon in the beatiful lakeside city of Queenstown, Philip and I were quite busy making plans for our upcoming two week vacation in Fjordland on the south island of New Zealand. In typical Carmen fashion, I was frantically flipping through guidebooks and huffing at the prospect of having to walk around the streets in search of a payphone to make our reservations. Always quick with a solution, Philip assured me that we had passed a phone near St. Joseph’s Church, a beautiful quaint chapel up on the hill. It wasn’t until we made it to the steps of the chapel that I looked up from my guidebooks and noticed Philip’s suspicious behavior. Overlooking Lake Wakatipu, with the summit of Mount Te Tapu-nui behind him, he asked me to marry him and I said yes.

There's the story in a nutshell, though details, pictures, and celebratory squeals are all options for those of you I haven't been in touch with yet. We're incredibly excited and are looking forward to a wonderful wedding in May of 2008!