i've seen lots of these posts going around lately -- which got me thinking.
i started this blog while i lived in St. George... at least, i think i did. yes. that's right. just a little before i moved back home. those last few months in SG, i was pretty isolated. didn't have friends-- mostly because i didn't want any. not the kind that you find down there, anyway. i just couldn't seem to find any genuine people that were worth my time.
so blogging was a place to vent. someone to talk to, in a sense.
i also feel like there is a lot of power in the written word. there are things that cant be explained by showing, or experiencing. they have to be written. with that being said, i also feel like language is very limiting... but i do feel like i'm an adequate writer (whether this blog exhibits that or not), and i also feel like i understand the importance of writing. it's powerful. i also feel like when i write, i am more eloquent. i can get more thoughts down then i can when i say them, or just think them through. i can construct my thoughts, and make sense of them. i can keep track of my ideas. i also think that once i begin writing, and i get into my "groove"... more thoughts follow. thoughts that probably wouldn't have followed, had i not been taking the time to think and write out the original ones.
so my blogging is a way of appreciating the written word.
i also blog, because not only is it extremely helpful and therapeutic to keep a journal, but we've also been counseled by Prophets and Apostles to do so. I feel like it's important. no matter how insignificant or minute my posts or thoughts may be, it's important that some of them are recorded. for history's sake. my posterity will appreciate reading these in 100 years. i'm sure they'll get a kick out of it. plus it's nice to keep track of life. i get a little caught up some times. i appreciate that i have written down so many memories, that may have otherwise been forgotten.
so i blog to remember.
i also feel like there is a lot of good done in my little corner of life. a lot of amazing people, doing a lot of amazing things. i feel like that should be shared and recognized. i feel like good people deserve the attention. i feel like devin's unconditional love should be appreciated by people other than me! he deserves to be noticed for how great he truly is! i also feel like there is a whole lot of happiness to be shared-- and i've gained a new take on life this past year that i feel is much more positive and optimistic-- and i'm more than willing to share that!
so i blog to be grateful. and to spread the love :)
i love to blog. it's freeing. it's therapeutic. it's fun. it's a great time-filler... haha. but i will be honest-- i don't blog for you, dear readers. i enjoy your company and sweet comments, but this is for me. i think of this as my journal... but a censored version, clearly-- since i would never be bold enough to write down all of my true thoughts and feelings. the ones i keep are too personal and important to me -- but i did it on purpose for other people to enjoy. so if you do, that's great. if you dont-- why are you reading my blog?! hahaha but the point is-- this really is for me. it's important to me that i have this here. and i love it! i love my blog. i love adding to it, reviewing it, changing it.. and i've loved watching it grow. i'm so surprised at how many hits my blog gets every day. my stat counter goes up every single time i look at it, and i think it's really cool that people like hearing about my life. i have never felt it was exciting enough for people to so hastily inquire, but you do! and i love it. so keep doing it. make yourself known! i wish i knew who all these readers were!!! my followers are great though -- i love you all!
so i blog for me.
and a little bit for you :)
now tell me... why do you blog?
or.. why don't you?!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
almost
i've done all the packing, moving, organizing, bow-tying, phone-calling, counting, and errand-running i can handle.
but i think it's safe to say that we're set for the wedding!!
wellll... that is, after we put the screws in the frames, tie all the ribbons for the frames, pack for the honeymoon, call val, kitty and linda, exchange my slip, move the last few things into the APT, pick up my dress, and get a manicure...
BUT... we're almost there.
today was pretty much a constant pase of CONSTANT. i had a little bit of time after i finished moving in that i watched an episode of grey's anatomy, but that's about it.
devin had gone to his bachelor party, but i was at the apt moving in. i finished just a little bit after he left... but i missed him too much to go home! so what do i do? i finished hanging up clothes while i'm listening to a very devin-made playlist, and watch his favorite show.
he came home earlier than i anticipated (thank goodness!) and we watched the voice (LOVE that show).
it was nice to have a little bit of time to relax, especially with Devin.
other things about today:
Christian and Sarah had MOLLY!!!! I've been waiting for this little girl forever! I think i've been almost as excited as her parents. I am such a nerd. Hopefully, Dev and I will have some time tomorrow to stop by and meet her! From the picture I saw, she looks just like her older sister, Joanna! I love babies. I can't wait!
sophie has a giant crush on my almost-husband. she keeps telling me that i'm not marrying him, because she is. and i told her "no soph, we're getting married on thursday. i even have a wedding ring" and she hesitated for a second and said "well. he's getting mine tomorrow"
hahahaha
even better was when i was pulling some engagement photos out of an album to take home for some decorations, she was looking over my shoulder. she saw a picture of us kissing and said "no fair!!"
it. was. hilarious.
my 6 year old cousin is in love with my fiance. hahaha
claire saw a picture of a kissing, and her eyes got big and she started to clap. it was adorable! hahaha
they had come to be babysat by grandma, and naturally, wanted to visit "cool dude" haha they played the wii and stayed long after devin had gone to the party. they are so sweet. i loved having them over!
it was a good day. i got a lot done, and had a good time.
there is so much intense anxiety and anticipation going through me right now, that i feel like the next 2 days will be pure restlessness.
i know it will be hard to sleep tonight... which means that tomorrow night... i'm not even gonna try!
i just want to be married! plus also-- i'm SO ready for that vacation. i just want to spend some time with Devin where there are no other things in the way, like there always are at home. it will be so nice.
i don't know how or why honeymoons became a tradition-- but it's genius. it's the perfect way to celebrate, plus... it's becoming so much more obvious how necessary it is to have some rehabilitation time after the last 3 months i just had!
can't wait to be Katie Ashby!!!
but i think it's safe to say that we're set for the wedding!!
wellll... that is, after we put the screws in the frames, tie all the ribbons for the frames, pack for the honeymoon, call val, kitty and linda, exchange my slip, move the last few things into the APT, pick up my dress, and get a manicure...
BUT... we're almost there.
today was pretty much a constant pase of CONSTANT. i had a little bit of time after i finished moving in that i watched an episode of grey's anatomy, but that's about it.
devin had gone to his bachelor party, but i was at the apt moving in. i finished just a little bit after he left... but i missed him too much to go home! so what do i do? i finished hanging up clothes while i'm listening to a very devin-made playlist, and watch his favorite show.
he came home earlier than i anticipated (thank goodness!) and we watched the voice (LOVE that show).
it was nice to have a little bit of time to relax, especially with Devin.
other things about today:
Christian and Sarah had MOLLY!!!! I've been waiting for this little girl forever! I think i've been almost as excited as her parents. I am such a nerd. Hopefully, Dev and I will have some time tomorrow to stop by and meet her! From the picture I saw, she looks just like her older sister, Joanna! I love babies. I can't wait!
sophie has a giant crush on my almost-husband. she keeps telling me that i'm not marrying him, because she is. and i told her "no soph, we're getting married on thursday. i even have a wedding ring" and she hesitated for a second and said "well. he's getting mine tomorrow"
hahahaha
even better was when i was pulling some engagement photos out of an album to take home for some decorations, she was looking over my shoulder. she saw a picture of us kissing and said "no fair!!"
it. was. hilarious.
my 6 year old cousin is in love with my fiance. hahaha
claire saw a picture of a kissing, and her eyes got big and she started to clap. it was adorable! hahaha
they had come to be babysat by grandma, and naturally, wanted to visit "cool dude" haha they played the wii and stayed long after devin had gone to the party. they are so sweet. i loved having them over!
it was a good day. i got a lot done, and had a good time.
there is so much intense anxiety and anticipation going through me right now, that i feel like the next 2 days will be pure restlessness.
i know it will be hard to sleep tonight... which means that tomorrow night... i'm not even gonna try!
i just want to be married! plus also-- i'm SO ready for that vacation. i just want to spend some time with Devin where there are no other things in the way, like there always are at home. it will be so nice.
i don't know how or why honeymoons became a tradition-- but it's genius. it's the perfect way to celebrate, plus... it's becoming so much more obvious how necessary it is to have some rehabilitation time after the last 3 months i just had!
can't wait to be Katie Ashby!!!
Monday, May 23, 2011
best birthday ever
and it wasn't even mine!
DEVIN, as we all know... is my amazing fiance.
and I only have to call him that for 2 more days!!!
I was originally planning to dedicate this post to the perfection that is Devin Ashby, until I realized that I do that in practically every post. And if you don't have an idea by now of how great he is... we have a serious problem. I've made myself pretty clear.
I also thought it would be funny to do a stats post about him, like all my mommy-friends do with their cute babies on their birthdays. But to save him the embarrassment... and me the torment... that was quickly scratched off the list, hahaha
SOOOOO... my other option was to do a post like I usually do. Which is write about my day. And this is a day, I can assure you, you want to hear about.
First of all... let me remind you that I have been planning this day SINCE DECEMBER. Okay? That's a loooong time. I had it planned down to every little detail.
But since I planned it in December... most/all things were subject to change. And most things did.
Improved is a better word.
So I slept in this morning, knowing that I had until around 5:00 to have everything ready, because Devin still had to work today. At noon, Kylee came over and I was getting ready. We were about to head up to SLC to get Devin's birthday cake when I get a text from him that says he got off work early... it's 12:30... I called him to make sure he wasn't teasing me.
He wasn't.
He asked me what I wanted him to do, and as I tried to hide the PANIC in my voice, I said "give me 15 minutes, and I'll call you back."
called Danica for Ryan's number. no answer.
called Val-- gave her a brief breakdown, and she gave me Shawn's number.
called Shawn -- he changed some plans around and made it happen. Diversion set.
Crisis averted.
we put some air in my tires (thank you, guy at the gas station for teaching me how, and for not making me feel like a COMPLETE fool).
and were up to Salt Lake, at the french bakery, and back in about an hour and a half.
I got him a tiramisu cake from a french bakery called Gourmandise-- they are totally authentic, and have amazing food and dessert. it's impossible for devin and i to be in salt lake without stopping by for a slice of the best tiramisu in the state!
they even asked if i wanted a message on it-- uh, YES! so a nice little french man wrote "happy birthday devin" on some chocolate pieces and put them on the cake. sooo cool. i was ecstatic.
we got back to Orem and headed to the apartment, where I picked out what I wanted Dev to wear with a note that said "wear me!" and put a "use me!" sign on my favorite cologne.
then... i put a sign on the door that said something along the lines of "i love you, but now you need to leave"
devin getting off work early made for a whole lot of improvising.
so did that freak thunderstorm this morning! (original plans involved a treasure hunt ending with a picnic at south fork).
once the coast was clear, kylee and i headed back to the apartment and built what would be forever known as THE COOLEST FORT EVER.
the broom worked awesome. also-- that's a lamp. which made the fort look awesome when it got dark outside. and look how roomy it is!
yes. i'm not joking. we built a fort in the living room. it was AWESOME. and actually, quite spacious. i had been brainstorming all morning, and i even google-imaged "living room fort" for ideas.
a broom works GREAT for holding up the middle, by the way.
i ordered take-out from La Jolla Groves, and we grabbed some ginger ale at the grocery store.
kylee left, devin came home, and he was so surprised, i think!
we decided that would be the first of many, many forts in the living room.
we ate, and then decided we were too restless to watch any of the red box movies i had brought, so we went to my house, where my parents had a present for him -- A DUTCH OVEN. BOO-YA!
next, dev wanted to go to this game store and find a nintendo 64. yes. i'm serious. he's been in the mood to play old-school video games lately. and i've been surprisingly supportive of it. they were sold out, so he decided we're rome around best buy instead.
so... what did we do?
WE BOUGHT A WII!!!!!!!!!
we justified this purchase as buying it was dev's birthday money from his grandparents... but you should have seen him. remember how I said that I was like kaden at christmastime opening powerminers with my bridals? dev was worse. he was SO excited!
we took it home and set it up immediately.
had a blast making our mii's, and then we played Bubble Bobble and Galaga.
in our fort.
we're 7 years old.
it was AWESOME!
nights like that with devin will be the ones i always remember.
after we had our gaming fix, we watched due date, in our fort... and only knocked it down twice. after the second time, we were done and cleaned up. we did a little bit more bridal picture framing (we have been framing a LOT of pictures for the wedding. like... a LOT.) and then called it a night! BUT... not before i remembered that we hadn't even taken a picture of us!!! now that a think about it, though, it's sort of silly. we have several pictures together, but it's usually just a picture of us. our faces. so you can't tell where we are... what we're doing... maybe i need to start branching out, so have a better variety. ha, oh well!
we're tired, but really cute!!!
oh, plus also: i got devin a giftcard which sounds impersonal, but is actually very personal, seeing as i could never pick out exactly what he wanted, and he would much rather pick it out himself anyway... but the giftcard represents ALL. NEW. FISHING GEAR. the works! cabela's, here we come! we'll get it just in time for the Grey's in July!
also... I got him a Dundee. it's still isn't here, but I told him about it. yes. You can order dundee. I got Devin "Hottest In The Office"...i'm hilarious sometimes.
there are a few other little things he hasn't gotten yet, but will, very soon! ;)
Dev: Happy Birthday, love. You are amazing. I hope it was a great day! (we bought a wii!!!) I love being with you, and I am excited for the many, many birthdays to come!!! I love you!
DEVIN, as we all know... is my amazing fiance.
and I only have to call him that for 2 more days!!!
I was originally planning to dedicate this post to the perfection that is Devin Ashby, until I realized that I do that in practically every post. And if you don't have an idea by now of how great he is... we have a serious problem. I've made myself pretty clear.
I also thought it would be funny to do a stats post about him, like all my mommy-friends do with their cute babies on their birthdays. But to save him the embarrassment... and me the torment... that was quickly scratched off the list, hahaha
SOOOOO... my other option was to do a post like I usually do. Which is write about my day. And this is a day, I can assure you, you want to hear about.
**********
First of all... let me remind you that I have been planning this day SINCE DECEMBER. Okay? That's a loooong time. I had it planned down to every little detail.
But since I planned it in December... most/all things were subject to change. And most things did.
Improved is a better word.
So I slept in this morning, knowing that I had until around 5:00 to have everything ready, because Devin still had to work today. At noon, Kylee came over and I was getting ready. We were about to head up to SLC to get Devin's birthday cake when I get a text from him that says he got off work early... it's 12:30... I called him to make sure he wasn't teasing me.
He wasn't.
He asked me what I wanted him to do, and as I tried to hide the PANIC in my voice, I said "give me 15 minutes, and I'll call you back."
called Danica for Ryan's number. no answer.
called Val-- gave her a brief breakdown, and she gave me Shawn's number.
called Shawn -- he changed some plans around and made it happen. Diversion set.
Crisis averted.
we put some air in my tires (thank you, guy at the gas station for teaching me how, and for not making me feel like a COMPLETE fool).
and were up to Salt Lake, at the french bakery, and back in about an hour and a half.
I got him a tiramisu cake from a french bakery called Gourmandise-- they are totally authentic, and have amazing food and dessert. it's impossible for devin and i to be in salt lake without stopping by for a slice of the best tiramisu in the state!
they even asked if i wanted a message on it-- uh, YES! so a nice little french man wrote "happy birthday devin" on some chocolate pieces and put them on the cake. sooo cool. i was ecstatic.
we got back to Orem and headed to the apartment, where I picked out what I wanted Dev to wear with a note that said "wear me!" and put a "use me!" sign on my favorite cologne.
then... i put a sign on the door that said something along the lines of "i love you, but now you need to leave"
devin getting off work early made for a whole lot of improvising.
so did that freak thunderstorm this morning! (original plans involved a treasure hunt ending with a picnic at south fork).
once the coast was clear, kylee and i headed back to the apartment and built what would be forever known as THE COOLEST FORT EVER.
yes. i'm not joking. we built a fort in the living room. it was AWESOME. and actually, quite spacious. i had been brainstorming all morning, and i even google-imaged "living room fort" for ideas.
a broom works GREAT for holding up the middle, by the way.
i ordered take-out from La Jolla Groves, and we grabbed some ginger ale at the grocery store.
kylee left, devin came home, and he was so surprised, i think!
we decided that would be the first of many, many forts in the living room.
we ate, and then decided we were too restless to watch any of the red box movies i had brought, so we went to my house, where my parents had a present for him -- A DUTCH OVEN. BOO-YA!
next, dev wanted to go to this game store and find a nintendo 64. yes. i'm serious. he's been in the mood to play old-school video games lately. and i've been surprisingly supportive of it. they were sold out, so he decided we're rome around best buy instead.
so... what did we do?
WE BOUGHT A WII!!!!!!!!!
we justified this purchase as buying it was dev's birthday money from his grandparents... but you should have seen him. remember how I said that I was like kaden at christmastime opening powerminers with my bridals? dev was worse. he was SO excited!
we took it home and set it up immediately.
had a blast making our mii's, and then we played Bubble Bobble and Galaga.
in our fort.
we're 7 years old.
bubble bobble. remember this game?!
galaga-- dev totally beat me at both of these games.
it was AWESOME!
nights like that with devin will be the ones i always remember.
after we had our gaming fix, we watched due date, in our fort... and only knocked it down twice. after the second time, we were done and cleaned up. we did a little bit more bridal picture framing (we have been framing a LOT of pictures for the wedding. like... a LOT.) and then called it a night! BUT... not before i remembered that we hadn't even taken a picture of us!!! now that a think about it, though, it's sort of silly. we have several pictures together, but it's usually just a picture of us. our faces. so you can't tell where we are... what we're doing... maybe i need to start branching out, so have a better variety. ha, oh well!
oh, plus also: i got devin a giftcard which sounds impersonal, but is actually very personal, seeing as i could never pick out exactly what he wanted, and he would much rather pick it out himself anyway... but the giftcard represents ALL. NEW. FISHING GEAR. the works! cabela's, here we come! we'll get it just in time for the Grey's in July!
also... I got him a Dundee. it's still isn't here, but I told him about it. yes. You can order dundee. I got Devin "Hottest In The Office"...i'm hilarious sometimes.
there are a few other little things he hasn't gotten yet, but will, very soon! ;)
Dev: Happy Birthday, love. You are amazing. I hope it was a great day! (we bought a wii!!!) I love being with you, and I am excited for the many, many birthdays to come!!! I love you!
stratosphere, anyone?!
today. was. great.
i woke up and did a little bit of wedding-day-list-making with my mom, and then got a text from devin saying he forgot to set an alarm (which meant he missed his ward's meeting time).
i was definitely not bummed at all, because that just meant he got to come with me!!! it's fun to go to my home ward with devin. i love going to church together. i love listening to the speakers, singing hymns, taking the sacrament... i love doing all of that with devin. it is so important to both of us, and it just means even more when we can do it together.
plus it's nice to have a hand to hold, and a shoulder to almost-fall-asleep on... :)
after sacrament, devin went home and i went to marriage and family relations with my parents, as usual. today our lesson was on children. it was a great lesson that talked a lot about raising kids with the right attitude. realizing that no parent is perfect, and no child is either. it will be a great help in oh... 3 years. haha
my mom taught the lesson in relief society about not letting stress get the best of you, and not let the things that stress you out get in the way of life. she is a fantastic teacher, and it was just the lesson i needed to hear!
after church, i headed to the APT, and pulled up the same time as Shawn! i was so glad to see him, and excited that he was our first official guest! Devin gave him a grand tour while I worked on framing tons and tons of pictures for the reception.
at 4:00 we had our luncheon! Vicki and Gaylon had put so much work into making this luncheon great! Vicki planned a delicious meal... including salmon cooked on a cedar plank (uh-mazing) and some of Nana's broccoli salad... which is a new favorite! Also had mini cheesecakes... which are the best! Gaylon had done all kinds of landscaping and things in the backyard, and it was beautiful!
We just kept it small. our immediate families and grandparents. It was nice to have family there! The Morris' even made it down! (kelli and sean... the morris'! ha! love it).
while we were there, Jared (photographer) dropped off our CDs of pictures!
most photographers... all photographers... will probably... never ever do this. But Jared gave us all the images, raw, and is allowing Devin to edit.
I am so excited about this! I love pictures, and having 450 of them at my fingertips is like seeing Kaden get powerminers for christmas!!!
i was so antsy to get back home and look at them! Which we did. they are amazing. AMAZING. I love our bridals so much. I can't wait to show everyone how talented Jared, and Devin both are.
I love Jared's composition. We were at the Salt Flats... which is 40 miles of salt. It is pretty hard to be creative, I would think. But we have such an awesome variety of pictures, and it was so hard to pick favorites! Jared does amazing work with lighting, as well.
Plus also-- Devin's editing style is PERFECTION in my opinion. I love the way Devin edits a photo. He keeps all of the integrity of the image, and enhances it. The lens he uses makes a photo beautiful exactly the way he took it, so to think that he can make a few minor changes that completely improve the image is pretty awesome.
These two guys' talents combined have made for some pretty amazing photos. I am obsessed. I can't stop looking at them!!!
we also finished watching slumdog millionaire... which i didn't pay much attention to the last half (because of the bridals...) but it was such a great movie! i loved it. i'm sure i'll love it even more when i see the whole thing.
after that, devin and i did a lot of being ourselves... which includes a whole lot of laughing... and watching some tv shows about burgers, that were making us hungry!
i love devin. i love how close we are. best friends. really. there is no other explanation. i hope everyone marries/married their best friend. i hope everyone has this kind of happiness. i feel bad for anyone missing out on it. it is an incredible feeling to be so completely in love with your best friend.
in 4 short days, we'll finally be married!
tomorrow (or i guess today, since it's 12:11) is devin's birthday! he'll be 24! i have been planning his birthday since December, and my plans have changed a little bit since, but I am so excited! I can't believe I've been keeping this secret for him so well! I hope it's a birthday he will never forget!
he is so amazing, and deserves the best birthday ever. i'm excited that we'll be celebrating all week, too! tuesday is my dad's birthday, and thursday we are married, and then we'll spend 4 days on vacation celebrating it all!!!
i'm so excited for our honeymoon. it's going to be SO much fun! plus... it's definitely time for a vacation! i think we deserve it, too! devin's been working so hard, and i have been stressed to no end. it's definitely time to unwind and go some place warmer.
plans are beginning to include some serious thrill ride riding. CANT. WAIT.
stratosphere, anyone?!?!?
i woke up and did a little bit of wedding-day-list-making with my mom, and then got a text from devin saying he forgot to set an alarm (which meant he missed his ward's meeting time).
i was definitely not bummed at all, because that just meant he got to come with me!!! it's fun to go to my home ward with devin. i love going to church together. i love listening to the speakers, singing hymns, taking the sacrament... i love doing all of that with devin. it is so important to both of us, and it just means even more when we can do it together.
plus it's nice to have a hand to hold, and a shoulder to almost-fall-asleep on... :)
after sacrament, devin went home and i went to marriage and family relations with my parents, as usual. today our lesson was on children. it was a great lesson that talked a lot about raising kids with the right attitude. realizing that no parent is perfect, and no child is either. it will be a great help in oh... 3 years. haha
my mom taught the lesson in relief society about not letting stress get the best of you, and not let the things that stress you out get in the way of life. she is a fantastic teacher, and it was just the lesson i needed to hear!
after church, i headed to the APT, and pulled up the same time as Shawn! i was so glad to see him, and excited that he was our first official guest! Devin gave him a grand tour while I worked on framing tons and tons of pictures for the reception.
at 4:00 we had our luncheon! Vicki and Gaylon had put so much work into making this luncheon great! Vicki planned a delicious meal... including salmon cooked on a cedar plank (uh-mazing) and some of Nana's broccoli salad... which is a new favorite! Also had mini cheesecakes... which are the best! Gaylon had done all kinds of landscaping and things in the backyard, and it was beautiful!
We just kept it small. our immediate families and grandparents. It was nice to have family there! The Morris' even made it down! (kelli and sean... the morris'! ha! love it).
while we were there, Jared (photographer) dropped off our CDs of pictures!
most photographers... all photographers... will probably... never ever do this. But Jared gave us all the images, raw, and is allowing Devin to edit.
I am so excited about this! I love pictures, and having 450 of them at my fingertips is like seeing Kaden get powerminers for christmas!!!
i was so antsy to get back home and look at them! Which we did. they are amazing. AMAZING. I love our bridals so much. I can't wait to show everyone how talented Jared, and Devin both are.
I love Jared's composition. We were at the Salt Flats... which is 40 miles of salt. It is pretty hard to be creative, I would think. But we have such an awesome variety of pictures, and it was so hard to pick favorites! Jared does amazing work with lighting, as well.
Plus also-- Devin's editing style is PERFECTION in my opinion. I love the way Devin edits a photo. He keeps all of the integrity of the image, and enhances it. The lens he uses makes a photo beautiful exactly the way he took it, so to think that he can make a few minor changes that completely improve the image is pretty awesome.
These two guys' talents combined have made for some pretty amazing photos. I am obsessed. I can't stop looking at them!!!
we also finished watching slumdog millionaire... which i didn't pay much attention to the last half (because of the bridals...) but it was such a great movie! i loved it. i'm sure i'll love it even more when i see the whole thing.
after that, devin and i did a lot of being ourselves... which includes a whole lot of laughing... and watching some tv shows about burgers, that were making us hungry!
i love devin. i love how close we are. best friends. really. there is no other explanation. i hope everyone marries/married their best friend. i hope everyone has this kind of happiness. i feel bad for anyone missing out on it. it is an incredible feeling to be so completely in love with your best friend.
in 4 short days, we'll finally be married!
tomorrow (or i guess today, since it's 12:11) is devin's birthday! he'll be 24! i have been planning his birthday since December, and my plans have changed a little bit since, but I am so excited! I can't believe I've been keeping this secret for him so well! I hope it's a birthday he will never forget!
he is so amazing, and deserves the best birthday ever. i'm excited that we'll be celebrating all week, too! tuesday is my dad's birthday, and thursday we are married, and then we'll spend 4 days on vacation celebrating it all!!!
i'm so excited for our honeymoon. it's going to be SO much fun! plus... it's definitely time for a vacation! i think we deserve it, too! devin's been working so hard, and i have been stressed to no end. it's definitely time to unwind and go some place warmer.
plans are beginning to include some serious thrill ride riding. CANT. WAIT.
stratosphere, anyone?!?!?
Sunday, May 22, 2011
it's times like these...
i love that Devin and I leave the APT together, both in jackets... but by the end of the night, we are walking out to the car... and i'm wearing his jacket, and carrying mine.
today, i sewed the bridesmaids skirts with my grandma. devin was there the whole time, helping! and he helped a lot... whether he was seam picking, threading elastic... or stopping a potential break-down when i realized i had made a mistake. he is so good at that. he can see the stress coming, and stop it before it gets to me. I can't even do that for myself! (they are done, and look fantastic, by the way!)
we went to Shoga for dinner with his parents -- SO good. I love Japanese food, and my Ashby parents. It was exactly what we all needed, i think! plus... tempura vegetables are delicious.
the luncheon is tomorrow. jason (amanda's husband)'s sister, Cassie is getting married the day before us, so we all want to be there for her and D, and the day of our wedding, we don't want to feel rushed at all... so we figured sunday would be best. which i agree with. we're having a small family BBQ at the Ashby's... i'm so excited. it's perfect! very us.
i cut endless amounts of ribbon, while Devin put pictures (our absolutely amazing bridals!) in frames while we started a movie.
which was slumdog millionaire. we only started it... but it's amazing. i love it already. the cinematography is awesome. can't wait to finish it!
around 9... and up until about half an hour ago... (12:45... way passed my wedding-week bedtime) we were at Danica's. celebrating her engagement to Ryan (!!!!!!JULY!!!!!). and sharing tons of hilarious stories all night while avoiding all the sugar in front of us... (only because devin and i had brownies drenched in fluff during our movie-- yummmm, but were both sugared out)
i love devin. and i love our amazing friends. they are the best.
speaking of amazing friends-- mine threw me a bridal shower last night!!!
Kylee spearheaded... with all of my best friends' help! Kaylee York Case, Valeri Winn Jones, Alli Allred, Shelly Peavler, (Tracey Peavler Clegg and Chelsey Ingersoll in spirit) and even my sister Kayla came to celebrate! It was sooo much fun. Not to mention one of the funniest nights ever. Full of all sorts of informative, awkward, bachelorette-party-ness.
These girls have been amazing friends since day one. i love them so much! the best friends i could ask for!!! all of my MV friends (ky, val, chels, alli) and I have stuck together. i love that we have been friends all these years and stayed so close. best group of friends ever! plus.. shelly, tracey and kaylee have been AMAZING additions into my circle of friends. i feel like i've known them just as long!
we had the best time-- i seriously don't think any bachelorette party will ever top that! but... what happened during that party wasn't meant to be shared... hahaha... moving on...
i did some moving in this week. mostly clothes. completely filled the closet. my half is stuffed, devin's still has some wiggle room that i may or may not bribe out of him.
my abnormally large collection of high heels line the top shelf of our closet -- it actually looks really cool... haha
i will have to move everything else in this week! devin has his bachlor party on tuesday, so that will be the night, hopefully. there isn't a whole lot left anyway.
plans are all in full swing. everything is coming together, and working out. i just have the next 3 days to make it all happen! it's stressing me out to no end, but i know it can all be done. i know i will have the most amazing wedding day. and i know that no matter what the problem is, devin will always, always be by my side to do what he can. no matter what.
i love that about him. he's such a... fixer. and he just gets me. he just understands. i can't even explain it.
with that being said -- about all the stressfulness -- i miss the temple already. it's been what, 2 days? and i just want to go back. i wish i had time this week to go do a quick session or something. it is such an incredible privilege to go to the temple with devin. there is nothing i'd rather do! i can't wait to be there with him again in the very, very near future. especially since next time we're in the temple... we'll be getting sealed for time and all eternity.
oh yeah, remember how i'm getting married to my best friend in 4 days? because if you forgot, i can most definitely re-inform you.
4 DAYS.
UNTIL I AM MARRIED.
IN THE TEMPLE.
TO MY VERY BEST FRIEND.
so many things i could say. but they've either already been said, already been attempted to be said, or can't be explained.
i just want that feeling back. that feeling in the temple that absolutely nothing else matters.
devin and i have been getting quite a steady stream of cards in the mail from family and friends these past couple weeks, and i just have to say thank you, thank you, thank you! i think it is so thoughtful of people to send us a card to congratulate us, even if they aren't going to be able to make it to the reception. we are surrounded by so many great people. i am amazed!
it's times like these that i want to
laugh
cry
shake my head
break down
scream
sigh
smile
so many emotions going through me this week. being engaged has become completely over-rated. i almost want to apologize to all my engaged friends, because they will find out quickly how un-fun it becomes!
well, not necessarily that it's not fun... it's just that marriage becomes much more realistic (obviously) and "engaged" just doesn't cut it anymore.
i just want to finally be married. i want to finally be able to call devin my husband. to live in adorable house. to make him breakfast. and fight over the good parking spot. and watch our backed up tivo.
it's gonna be a good life :)
got dev's wedding ring (did i already mention that?) it's awesome. i love it.
plus also-- now that all the wedding plans are really coming together... can i just say: dang.
good luck having a cooler wedding than ours.
it's going to be everything i ever wanted and more. i already know it.
today, i sewed the bridesmaids skirts with my grandma. devin was there the whole time, helping! and he helped a lot... whether he was seam picking, threading elastic... or stopping a potential break-down when i realized i had made a mistake. he is so good at that. he can see the stress coming, and stop it before it gets to me. I can't even do that for myself! (they are done, and look fantastic, by the way!)
we went to Shoga for dinner with his parents -- SO good. I love Japanese food, and my Ashby parents. It was exactly what we all needed, i think! plus... tempura vegetables are delicious.
the luncheon is tomorrow. jason (amanda's husband)'s sister, Cassie is getting married the day before us, so we all want to be there for her and D, and the day of our wedding, we don't want to feel rushed at all... so we figured sunday would be best. which i agree with. we're having a small family BBQ at the Ashby's... i'm so excited. it's perfect! very us.
i cut endless amounts of ribbon, while Devin put pictures (our absolutely amazing bridals!) in frames while we started a movie.
which was slumdog millionaire. we only started it... but it's amazing. i love it already. the cinematography is awesome. can't wait to finish it!
around 9... and up until about half an hour ago... (12:45... way passed my wedding-week bedtime) we were at Danica's. celebrating her engagement to Ryan (!!!!!!JULY!!!!!). and sharing tons of hilarious stories all night while avoiding all the sugar in front of us... (only because devin and i had brownies drenched in fluff during our movie-- yummmm, but were both sugared out)
i love devin. and i love our amazing friends. they are the best.
speaking of amazing friends-- mine threw me a bridal shower last night!!!
Kylee spearheaded... with all of my best friends' help! Kaylee York Case, Valeri Winn Jones, Alli Allred, Shelly Peavler, (Tracey Peavler Clegg and Chelsey Ingersoll in spirit) and even my sister Kayla came to celebrate! It was sooo much fun. Not to mention one of the funniest nights ever. Full of all sorts of informative, awkward, bachelorette-party-ness.
These girls have been amazing friends since day one. i love them so much! the best friends i could ask for!!! all of my MV friends (ky, val, chels, alli) and I have stuck together. i love that we have been friends all these years and stayed so close. best group of friends ever! plus.. shelly, tracey and kaylee have been AMAZING additions into my circle of friends. i feel like i've known them just as long!
we had the best time-- i seriously don't think any bachelorette party will ever top that! but... what happened during that party wasn't meant to be shared... hahaha... moving on...
i did some moving in this week. mostly clothes. completely filled the closet. my half is stuffed, devin's still has some wiggle room that i may or may not bribe out of him.
my abnormally large collection of high heels line the top shelf of our closet -- it actually looks really cool... haha
i will have to move everything else in this week! devin has his bachlor party on tuesday, so that will be the night, hopefully. there isn't a whole lot left anyway.
plans are all in full swing. everything is coming together, and working out. i just have the next 3 days to make it all happen! it's stressing me out to no end, but i know it can all be done. i know i will have the most amazing wedding day. and i know that no matter what the problem is, devin will always, always be by my side to do what he can. no matter what.
i love that about him. he's such a... fixer. and he just gets me. he just understands. i can't even explain it.
with that being said -- about all the stressfulness -- i miss the temple already. it's been what, 2 days? and i just want to go back. i wish i had time this week to go do a quick session or something. it is such an incredible privilege to go to the temple with devin. there is nothing i'd rather do! i can't wait to be there with him again in the very, very near future. especially since next time we're in the temple... we'll be getting sealed for time and all eternity.
oh yeah, remember how i'm getting married to my best friend in 4 days? because if you forgot, i can most definitely re-inform you.
4 DAYS.
UNTIL I AM MARRIED.
IN THE TEMPLE.
TO MY VERY BEST FRIEND.
so many things i could say. but they've either already been said, already been attempted to be said, or can't be explained.
i just want that feeling back. that feeling in the temple that absolutely nothing else matters.
devin and i have been getting quite a steady stream of cards in the mail from family and friends these past couple weeks, and i just have to say thank you, thank you, thank you! i think it is so thoughtful of people to send us a card to congratulate us, even if they aren't going to be able to make it to the reception. we are surrounded by so many great people. i am amazed!
it's times like these that i want to
laugh
cry
shake my head
break down
scream
sigh
smile
so many emotions going through me this week. being engaged has become completely over-rated. i almost want to apologize to all my engaged friends, because they will find out quickly how un-fun it becomes!
well, not necessarily that it's not fun... it's just that marriage becomes much more realistic (obviously) and "engaged" just doesn't cut it anymore.
i just want to finally be married. i want to finally be able to call devin my husband. to live in adorable house. to make him breakfast. and fight over the good parking spot. and watch our backed up tivo.
it's gonna be a good life :)
got dev's wedding ring (did i already mention that?) it's awesome. i love it.
plus also-- now that all the wedding plans are really coming together... can i just say: dang.
good luck having a cooler wedding than ours.
it's going to be everything i ever wanted and more. i already know it.
Friday, May 20, 2011
it finally came
i have waited for this night, for as long as i could comprehend love for the Savior.
i have spent years and years working my way to get here.
i have said countless prayers.
i have prepared in as many ways as i possibly could.
and it finally came.
today, I was endowed.
today, I went through the beautiful Provo temple, where my parents were married. With my Mom at my side every step of the way, family and friends all around to offer love and support: to congratulate me, and spend this special time with me.
but most importantly, I went through the temple with Devin. who is described on my recommend as my "intended groom"-- but is much, much more than that.
like i said: i have been working my whole life toward this day. setting my sights on the temple. trying my best each day to get closer to this goal. and i finally reached it.
i finally found a worthy man, that loves me as much as i love him. that was as anxious as i was to go to the temple together.
Devin took me to the temple tonight. And for that, I will be endlessly grateful.
There is nobody else I would have ever wanted to experience that with. It is truly amazing. Nothing can describe those feelings, and I know Devin knows how much it meant to me to have in there, holding my hand, sitting by my side, smiling at me by the end of the session.
amazing.
i can't wait to go back.
i told Devin today that if we do nothing else on our honeymoon, I at least want to do a session in the St. George Temple while we're there. That temple has meant a lot to me. It was the view of my apartment balcony while I lived there. Close enough, that my 3-times-a-week run consisted of running to the temple, around the temple block, and back home.
I can't count how many lunches I ate on that lawn, or in that parking lot.
I've walked around it at least 200 times.
Hours and hours spent on those beautiful grounds. The only temple grounds, I think, with palm and pine trees... haha...
it was a bit of a sanctuary to me while i lived there-- it being the only place i felt any sense of relief or home.
and I feel like I owe those special times a trip inside. I owe it to myself to go there. I earned it, I think. I spent so much time staring at that incredibly big, white building, pondering about going inside. Wondering when I would be able to. And now I can. And I couldn't be more excited!
it was a beautiful night. My parents, grandma and grandpa Houston, vicki, gaylon, virginia rae, grandpa willis, jason, amanda, sean and chloe were all able to come with me tonight and share this experience with me. I am so, so grateful they all came. It meant so, so much to me to have them there. More than they will ever know. I love them all so much, and I wanted them there more than anything. I made sure to tell them that, too. And give them all a big hug :) even a reluctant Sean... haha (just kidding).
i hope the feelings i felt tonight never leave me. i hope i make it back often.
i have never felt as peaceful as i did sitting in the temple, holding Devin's hand. that is the first time in my life that i have ever truly wished the moment wouldn't end. nothing compares to the spirit inside the temple.
it was an amazing night. one i will never, ever forget.
i have spent years and years working my way to get here.
i have said countless prayers.
i have prepared in as many ways as i possibly could.
and it finally came.
today, I was endowed.
i didn't take this photo, but its beautiful. i feel like nobody gives this temple enough credit. it is so pretty. i love it.
today, I went through the beautiful Provo temple, where my parents were married. With my Mom at my side every step of the way, family and friends all around to offer love and support: to congratulate me, and spend this special time with me.
but most importantly, I went through the temple with Devin. who is described on my recommend as my "intended groom"-- but is much, much more than that.
like i said: i have been working my whole life toward this day. setting my sights on the temple. trying my best each day to get closer to this goal. and i finally reached it.
i finally found a worthy man, that loves me as much as i love him. that was as anxious as i was to go to the temple together.
Devin took me to the temple tonight. And for that, I will be endlessly grateful.
There is nobody else I would have ever wanted to experience that with. It is truly amazing. Nothing can describe those feelings, and I know Devin knows how much it meant to me to have in there, holding my hand, sitting by my side, smiling at me by the end of the session.
amazing.
i can't wait to go back.
i told Devin today that if we do nothing else on our honeymoon, I at least want to do a session in the St. George Temple while we're there. That temple has meant a lot to me. It was the view of my apartment balcony while I lived there. Close enough, that my 3-times-a-week run consisted of running to the temple, around the temple block, and back home.
I can't count how many lunches I ate on that lawn, or in that parking lot.
I've walked around it at least 200 times.
Hours and hours spent on those beautiful grounds. The only temple grounds, I think, with palm and pine trees... haha...
it was a bit of a sanctuary to me while i lived there-- it being the only place i felt any sense of relief or home.
and I feel like I owe those special times a trip inside. I owe it to myself to go there. I earned it, I think. I spent so much time staring at that incredibly big, white building, pondering about going inside. Wondering when I would be able to. And now I can. And I couldn't be more excited!
it was a beautiful night. My parents, grandma and grandpa Houston, vicki, gaylon, virginia rae, grandpa willis, jason, amanda, sean and chloe were all able to come with me tonight and share this experience with me. I am so, so grateful they all came. It meant so, so much to me to have them there. More than they will ever know. I love them all so much, and I wanted them there more than anything. I made sure to tell them that, too. And give them all a big hug :) even a reluctant Sean... haha (just kidding).
i hope the feelings i felt tonight never leave me. i hope i make it back often.
i have never felt as peaceful as i did sitting in the temple, holding Devin's hand. that is the first time in my life that i have ever truly wished the moment wouldn't end. nothing compares to the spirit inside the temple.
it was an amazing night. one i will never, ever forget.
Devin and I right before we went inside.
after the temple, we were pretty hungry, so we picked some things up from his parents' house (fluff from NH... :)...) and dropped some things off at ours... we grabbed some McDonald's... which I hate that we love so much, but such is life... and we went to my parents' to eat and look at bridals!!!
i love our bridals so much. we were trying to order prints, and narrow down our picks, and we just ended up printing almost all of them, because we love them so much. they are amazing. Jared does great work, and I am crazy about the ones that Devin took, too. We had amazing lighting, a killer sunset, and perfect clouds. Couldn't have asked for a better background. They are beautiful!
we'll see more of them tomorrow, and i am equally excited for those! i love pictures. i love that they are our pictures, too. I've spent so long oggling over everybody else's engagements and bridals... but it's even more fun to look at my own!
so, if you ever need a good photographer, and Devin is already booked-- ask me about Jared. He is awesome. So great to work with. So professional, and fun.
it's been a good day.
one of the happiest days of my life, no doubt.
in 6 days, i will be married in the salt lake temple, and I am even more excited than I was before. it will be such a privilege to be devin's wife. an honor, really. i am so lucky. i love him so much.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
pasta and babies.
i made devin dinner last night.
it was a miracle!
he said he was hungry, and i was in the mood to cook.
so what did i do? i flipped through my cookbook... found an easy fettuccine alfredo recipe, double-checked to make sure we had all the ingredients (which we did!) and whipped it right up!
i had never made this pasta before, and i was making it from scratch...and you know what? it turned out pretty good!!! the sauce had too much parmesan, and the garlic bread had too much garlic, but hey. it was pretty dang good for a first-timer!
i was impressed with myself. and so was devin.
we spent the night watching old VHS tapes -- hours of footage of devin and his friends camping, climbing, rocking out... it's awesome.
i only wish that i didn't have to end the night with a headache! like i have the past 4 nights. no clue what's wrong?!
especially bummed, because literally 10 minutes after i walked out the door, Jared (our photographer) emailed Devin all of our bridals!
really?
ugh. so now i'm DYING in anticipation to see them. dying.
and i am almost meaning that literally.
in other news:
Chris and Katie had their baby last week! ELLIE ROSE!!! She is absolutely BEAUTIFUL. She has an angel face, and is soooo sweet. I can't wait to meet her.
AND
Timmy and Megan had their baby TODAY!!!! Baby Jacen!!!! This little guy... is going to be a riot!!! I can't wait to finally hold baby J! I will be his favorite surrogate aunt, I already know it!
AND
Chrisitan and Sarah and scheduled to have Molly 2 days before Devin and I get married, so I have been crossing my fingers (quite obsessively) that she comes early so they can all make it to our wedding!!! Molly is going to be just like her sister, I already know it. And that is perfect! Joanna is a BLAST. I love her so much!!!
I love babies. And I'm glad that all our friends are having babies, because I don't want my own yet :) hahaha so hopefully theirs will hold me over for oh, at least 3 years!
also, after watching all those videos of Devin's... i am aching to go hiking/camping/rock climbing...
i picked up devin's ring today... i love it! so i immediately took it over to show him, and he loves it too. it is awesome! he didn't want to take it off, but he had to. i can't wait to finally give it to him though!
it's been a good day. and the rest of the week will be just as great, i think. i am so excited for all the plans happening this week.
endowments out tomorrow.
bachelorette party friday.
work/sewing saturday.
luncheon sunday.
devin's birthday monday.
moving in tuesday.
relaxing/golfing wednesday.
GETTING MARRIED thursday.
honeymooning friday-tuesday.
can't. freakin. wait.
i love my life :)
it was a miracle!
he said he was hungry, and i was in the mood to cook.
so what did i do? i flipped through my cookbook... found an easy fettuccine alfredo recipe, double-checked to make sure we had all the ingredients (which we did!) and whipped it right up!
i had never made this pasta before, and i was making it from scratch...and you know what? it turned out pretty good!!! the sauce had too much parmesan, and the garlic bread had too much garlic, but hey. it was pretty dang good for a first-timer!
i was impressed with myself. and so was devin.
we spent the night watching old VHS tapes -- hours of footage of devin and his friends camping, climbing, rocking out... it's awesome.
i only wish that i didn't have to end the night with a headache! like i have the past 4 nights. no clue what's wrong?!
especially bummed, because literally 10 minutes after i walked out the door, Jared (our photographer) emailed Devin all of our bridals!
really?
ugh. so now i'm DYING in anticipation to see them. dying.
and i am almost meaning that literally.
in other news:
Chris and Katie had their baby last week! ELLIE ROSE!!! She is absolutely BEAUTIFUL. She has an angel face, and is soooo sweet. I can't wait to meet her.
AND
Timmy and Megan had their baby TODAY!!!! Baby Jacen!!!! This little guy... is going to be a riot!!! I can't wait to finally hold baby J! I will be his favorite surrogate aunt, I already know it!
AND
Chrisitan and Sarah and scheduled to have Molly 2 days before Devin and I get married, so I have been crossing my fingers (quite obsessively) that she comes early so they can all make it to our wedding!!! Molly is going to be just like her sister, I already know it. And that is perfect! Joanna is a BLAST. I love her so much!!!
I love babies. And I'm glad that all our friends are having babies, because I don't want my own yet :) hahaha so hopefully theirs will hold me over for oh, at least 3 years!
also, after watching all those videos of Devin's... i am aching to go hiking/camping/rock climbing...
i picked up devin's ring today... i love it! so i immediately took it over to show him, and he loves it too. it is awesome! he didn't want to take it off, but he had to. i can't wait to finally give it to him though!
it's been a good day. and the rest of the week will be just as great, i think. i am so excited for all the plans happening this week.
endowments out tomorrow.
bachelorette party friday.
work/sewing saturday.
luncheon sunday.
devin's birthday monday.
moving in tuesday.
relaxing/golfing wednesday.
GETTING MARRIED thursday.
honeymooning friday-tuesday.
can't. freakin. wait.
i love my life :)
7 days
been feeling pretty reminiscent today. probably because i've been compiling all these photos of devin and i from when we were dating to make a slideshow for the wedding. we have only dated for 6 months... but we had some GOOD times.
like on our first date, how we gave up on math homework, and had grilled cheese sandwiches at Sammy's with Dane, Jordan, Ryan and Danica. and we played angry birds for at least an hour and half in there.
and how every night when we'd leave the library after homework, we would hug forEVER. because we just didn't want to let go.
and when you took me with you to Sean and Chloe's to give them a space heater, and we ate muddy buddies and Sean kept calling me Sarah.
and when we carved pumpkins with them, and it was stinky and gross.
and when we had a Halloween party and Danica's, and ate s'mores with reese's from the grill, and Ryan was officially not allowed to start/play with fires. and we sat on the couch downstairs forever playing angry birds.
and when you would post music on my facebook page for me to listen to, and i instantly became andrew belle's number one fan.
and then you took me to his concert. and it was the best date ever.
and how we ran into someone you knew everywhere we went.
and we would go to your single's ward together, and be annoyed by all the whispering people that were always right by us.
and sunday naps.
and sitting quietly and patiently while you did mountains of homework.
and making blueberry pancakes and bacon for dinner 5 out of 7 nights a week.
and how quickly you wanted to introduce me to your parents.
and how you asked me to be your girlfriend in the middle of a sentence, while you were sitting on me in the super comfortable chair in your parents' living room. and after i said yes, you just kept on with your story-- which was completely unrelated.
and all our countless drives up south fork, the majority of them being in the rain. just so we could sit up there and talk and listen to music. and i would complain about your tiny car blanket. and you would just laugh and smile.
and how you caught me off guard one night up there, by asking me to marry you. and how happy we were when i said yes :)
and eating dinner at Zupa's with cameron, because Olive Garden doesn't rush your wait time if you're newly engaged.
endless hours of the office.
and pearl jam.
and driving.
and shopping.
and cooking.
and organizing/making fun of your OCD-ness
and andrew belle
and greg laswell
and wedding plans
and inside jokes.
it seems like a whole lot longer than 6 months.
like that time, after our first date, when i was in St. George. and you said "talking to you is like talking to an old friend, who just gets it."
and how true that's always been.
how you're my best friend.
and always will be.
and how i still can't, and probably never will be able to, comprehend just how this happened. how every little detail in our lives aligned to lead us to each other. in the way that they did.
and how i pray every day to the Lord in gratitude for the greatest blessing i have ever recieved, which is you.
and how tomorrow we will go through the temple, and be 7 days away from getting sealed.
and continuing this amazing eternity together.
i am truly, truly blessed. i love you so much, dev.
you are the best. and i mean that.
like on our first date, how we gave up on math homework, and had grilled cheese sandwiches at Sammy's with Dane, Jordan, Ryan and Danica. and we played angry birds for at least an hour and half in there.
and how every night when we'd leave the library after homework, we would hug forEVER. because we just didn't want to let go.
and when you took me with you to Sean and Chloe's to give them a space heater, and we ate muddy buddies and Sean kept calling me Sarah.
and when we carved pumpkins with them, and it was stinky and gross.
and when we had a Halloween party and Danica's, and ate s'mores with reese's from the grill, and Ryan was officially not allowed to start/play with fires. and we sat on the couch downstairs forever playing angry birds.
and when you would post music on my facebook page for me to listen to, and i instantly became andrew belle's number one fan.
and then you took me to his concert. and it was the best date ever.
and how we ran into someone you knew everywhere we went.
and we would go to your single's ward together, and be annoyed by all the whispering people that were always right by us.
and sunday naps.
and sitting quietly and patiently while you did mountains of homework.
and making blueberry pancakes and bacon for dinner 5 out of 7 nights a week.
and how quickly you wanted to introduce me to your parents.
and how you asked me to be your girlfriend in the middle of a sentence, while you were sitting on me in the super comfortable chair in your parents' living room. and after i said yes, you just kept on with your story-- which was completely unrelated.
and all our countless drives up south fork, the majority of them being in the rain. just so we could sit up there and talk and listen to music. and i would complain about your tiny car blanket. and you would just laugh and smile.
and how you caught me off guard one night up there, by asking me to marry you. and how happy we were when i said yes :)
and eating dinner at Zupa's with cameron, because Olive Garden doesn't rush your wait time if you're newly engaged.
endless hours of the office.
and pearl jam.
and driving.
and shopping.
and cooking.
and organizing/making fun of your OCD-ness
and andrew belle
and greg laswell
and wedding plans
and inside jokes.
it seems like a whole lot longer than 6 months.
like that time, after our first date, when i was in St. George. and you said "talking to you is like talking to an old friend, who just gets it."
and how true that's always been.
how you're my best friend.
and always will be.
and how i still can't, and probably never will be able to, comprehend just how this happened. how every little detail in our lives aligned to lead us to each other. in the way that they did.
and how i pray every day to the Lord in gratitude for the greatest blessing i have ever recieved, which is you.
and how tomorrow we will go through the temple, and be 7 days away from getting sealed.
and continuing this amazing eternity together.
i am truly, truly blessed. i love you so much, dev.
you are the best. and i mean that.
Monday, May 16, 2011
bear with me
my mind is ALL over the place.
and will be for the next 10 days. (consider that your warning)
i'm getting my endowments out on thursday, and have been so focused on that. preparing, anticipating, the whole sha-bang.
i'm making 4 skirts for the bridesmaids. which is a daunting task.
i'm anxious to see bridals, and our family photos. which is unfair of me, because i of all people should know the kind of work that goes into getting those photos ready for clients-- i watch devin go over every little detail, so painstakingly, before he feels he has provided a quality image.
plus also, every single night gets harder and harder to say goodbye to Devin!
i used to think that the little things throughout the day that bugged me (like getting stuck behind mini vans, or dealing with incompetent people at work) were the Lord's way of testing my patience.
but now, I think that all of those little things were practice. specifically for the next 10 days of my life.
it has been a challenge of patience. the biggest i've ever had! the more anxious i get though, the more i come to realize how much I love Devin, which is more, and more every day. It's exponential. It will never stop!
So... bare with me. The next 10 days will be the longest, hardest, more frustrating days of my life... but I can't complain, because for the next infinity days after them.... will be the best days of my life :)
i've already said it: i don't like being engaged.
but i know this wait will be oh so worth it.
today was a success: devin got off work the same time as me, and we headed straight to the County Clerk's Office and got our marriage license. I had been so worried about it. Dealing with government things has never been easy. Taxes.... anything close to the DMV makes me gag... I wasn't expecting this to be any different. Plus also... I couldn't find my social security card.
BUT... we were in and out of that office in about 15 minutes. License in hand. And I found my ss card in my wallet while we were there! (in case you were wondering... you don't need it when you get your license. you just need to your know ss number...)
also... we went to lunch after. devin quickly decided that i have to choose-- since i never choose, because i'm so indecisive... and i started brainstorming. he agreed to let me pick three, and he picked the final. like multiple choice. so my first choice was panda express. after that, he said i didn't necessarily have to choose anything in the provo area...
naturally... my next two choices were a hot dog stand in NYC and an authentic Hawaiian grill in Oahu.
i think i'm funny.
we ended up at smashburger, which i ate a lot of when i lived in SG and grew sick of quickly... but i guess that blew over, because my sandwich was delicious!
after running a couple other errands, including ordering Devin's wedding ring (i think i'm more excited than him!)... we had some dinner, and then did some organizing/cleaning/hanging in our house, and ended the night watching Holmes on Homes while Devin made watermarks for his images. if you read this and steal his photos: stop. it's not allowed. and it's creepy.
tomorrow, Devin and I will go together to each of our stake presidents and get our living ordinance recommends for our endowment, and i'm so excited to know that gets us one step closer to going to the temple! on wednesday, i'm going to get my temple clothes, and i am just as excited for that as i was when i got my wedding dress!
it's going to be a great week. busy, but great.
plus also: on top of all of that...
after that long list of to-do's... plus many, many more which i didn't mention...
and after that super, super long weekend i just had....
i was trained in some different areas of my job, which brings on a lot more responsibility. it's a lot to take on, but i am excited about the changes.
it's going to be rough! but in a good way.
and will be for the next 10 days. (consider that your warning)
i'm getting my endowments out on thursday, and have been so focused on that. preparing, anticipating, the whole sha-bang.
i'm making 4 skirts for the bridesmaids. which is a daunting task.
i'm anxious to see bridals, and our family photos. which is unfair of me, because i of all people should know the kind of work that goes into getting those photos ready for clients-- i watch devin go over every little detail, so painstakingly, before he feels he has provided a quality image.
plus also, every single night gets harder and harder to say goodbye to Devin!
i used to think that the little things throughout the day that bugged me (like getting stuck behind mini vans, or dealing with incompetent people at work) were the Lord's way of testing my patience.
but now, I think that all of those little things were practice. specifically for the next 10 days of my life.
it has been a challenge of patience. the biggest i've ever had! the more anxious i get though, the more i come to realize how much I love Devin, which is more, and more every day. It's exponential. It will never stop!
So... bare with me. The next 10 days will be the longest, hardest, more frustrating days of my life... but I can't complain, because for the next infinity days after them.... will be the best days of my life :)
i've already said it: i don't like being engaged.
but i know this wait will be oh so worth it.
today was a success: devin got off work the same time as me, and we headed straight to the County Clerk's Office and got our marriage license. I had been so worried about it. Dealing with government things has never been easy. Taxes.... anything close to the DMV makes me gag... I wasn't expecting this to be any different. Plus also... I couldn't find my social security card.
BUT... we were in and out of that office in about 15 minutes. License in hand. And I found my ss card in my wallet while we were there! (in case you were wondering... you don't need it when you get your license. you just need to your know ss number...)
also... we went to lunch after. devin quickly decided that i have to choose-- since i never choose, because i'm so indecisive... and i started brainstorming. he agreed to let me pick three, and he picked the final. like multiple choice. so my first choice was panda express. after that, he said i didn't necessarily have to choose anything in the provo area...
naturally... my next two choices were a hot dog stand in NYC and an authentic Hawaiian grill in Oahu.
i think i'm funny.
we ended up at smashburger, which i ate a lot of when i lived in SG and grew sick of quickly... but i guess that blew over, because my sandwich was delicious!
after running a couple other errands, including ordering Devin's wedding ring (i think i'm more excited than him!)... we had some dinner, and then did some organizing/cleaning/hanging in our house, and ended the night watching Holmes on Homes while Devin made watermarks for his images. if you read this and steal his photos: stop. it's not allowed. and it's creepy.
tomorrow, Devin and I will go together to each of our stake presidents and get our living ordinance recommends for our endowment, and i'm so excited to know that gets us one step closer to going to the temple! on wednesday, i'm going to get my temple clothes, and i am just as excited for that as i was when i got my wedding dress!
it's going to be a great week. busy, but great.
plus also: on top of all of that...
after that long list of to-do's... plus many, many more which i didn't mention...
and after that super, super long weekend i just had....
i was trained in some different areas of my job, which brings on a lot more responsibility. it's a lot to take on, but i am excited about the changes.
it's going to be rough! but in a good way.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
remember that one time...
that i just barely posted about how when we took our bridals, Devin took a few pictures with his camera too?
well... since Devin only took 5 or 6, he's edited them, and added them to his portfolio already, and I am so excited about them that I honestly just can't help but share with you. So this is all you get. Just one.
Just one, from me directly that is. If you went out of your way to find the 2 others, you could. But I picked my favorite to show you, anyway...
this also counts as a dress spoiler... because it looks AWESOME in these pictures. i love my dress. LOVE it. it's perfect in a lot of ways. dropped waist. it's light. it's just poofy enough. it's lace (which was a firm condition) and embroidered beadwork (on the lace) and it's white. which i liked better than ivory for my color scheme.
SO... without further ado... here it is. a sneak-peak bridal picture. reminder: this picture was taken by Devin (www.capturedbydash.com), not by our photographer, Jared. The pictures of Jared are coming later. This picture is also copyrighted. So don't steal it. (Captured By Dash Photography, LLC 2011) Even though I may or may not have just done so myself. But i'm the subject... and have an "in" with the guy that took it. So I'm an exception. And I'm just going to keep writing so you have to keep reading, so you can probably see the picture, but you still haven't looked at it, because you're still reading, but wish I would stop, because you just have to finish reading before you look at the picture, but I'm still writing, and you're still reading, and you still haven't taken a good look at that shot. Or maybe by now you have... maybe you gave up on me.
Nonetheless... I entertained myself by doing so.
many, many more to come!!! i'm so excited to see the rest of them... but Devin... good job. i love it. you're amazing. And even though you only took a couple of shots... you nailed it :) love you.
well... since Devin only took 5 or 6, he's edited them, and added them to his portfolio already, and I am so excited about them that I honestly just can't help but share with you. So this is all you get. Just one.
Just one, from me directly that is. If you went out of your way to find the 2 others, you could. But I picked my favorite to show you, anyway...
this also counts as a dress spoiler... because it looks AWESOME in these pictures. i love my dress. LOVE it. it's perfect in a lot of ways. dropped waist. it's light. it's just poofy enough. it's lace (which was a firm condition) and embroidered beadwork (on the lace) and it's white. which i liked better than ivory for my color scheme.
SO... without further ado... here it is. a sneak-peak bridal picture. reminder: this picture was taken by Devin (www.capturedbydash.com), not by our photographer, Jared. The pictures of Jared are coming later. This picture is also copyrighted. So don't steal it. (Captured By Dash Photography, LLC 2011) Even though I may or may not have just done so myself. But i'm the subject... and have an "in" with the guy that took it. So I'm an exception. And I'm just going to keep writing so you have to keep reading, so you can probably see the picture, but you still haven't looked at it, because you're still reading, but wish I would stop, because you just have to finish reading before you look at the picture, but I'm still writing, and you're still reading, and you still haven't taken a good look at that shot. Or maybe by now you have... maybe you gave up on me.
Nonetheless... I entertained myself by doing so.
Kell's Wedding/Bridals (sorry, i'm not feeling very creative today)
i wrote this post while i was still pretty tired. so it's more informative than it is entertaining, but it needed to be shared! 2 extremely long days right in a row will do that to you, I guess!
My sister's wedding was beautiful.
I woke up at 5:00a.m. on Friday, along with the rest of my family, and Devin. We left Orem at about 6:30 and headed to Layton to pick up Kelli and a bunch of wedding things. We then drove to the Birch Creek Golf Course in Smithfield, which is just past Logan.
When we got there, (this kills me) My dad, Kyle, Devin, Sean, Sean's brother Derek, and Sean's Dad... WENT GOLFING.
The morning of the wedding, the groom and his bro's go golfing. Not. Surprised. At. All. So while they golfed, Kelli got her hair done, Mom ironed tableclothes, and Kayla and I did a few other things to get the reception ready, which included, but was not limited to: eating our weight in a variety of teal and red colored candy that were for the candy bar.
Once the boys were done, and Grandma and Grandpa got there, we finished setting up for the ceremony, and then headed to the Luncheon. My great uncle Todd and his wife Kathy were there, which was really nice, because uncle Todd is a member of the Quorum of the 12. It was so sweet of them to be able to stop by. I had asked uncle Todd if he would seal Devin and I, but he wasn't able to since the 12 meet every thursday with the first presidency for several hours in the temple. I told him they could all come to our sealing as a break from the meeting! haha Not gonna happen, but hey, it was worth a try! haha
The food at the luncheon was so good! I saw lots of old family friends, and so many great people that made the drive to Smithfield for Kelli and Sean's special day.
After we finished eating, Devin and I snuck out to the lobby and he fell asleep on the couch for awhile. Poor guy was exhausted. It was such a long day!
We made it back to the golf course and finished setting up a few minor details, and then Kayla and I helped Kelli get ready with my Mom. It was the weirdest feeling to be there helping her get into her dress and fix her hair, and then realize she's about to get married, and I then had to go sit down and watch! haha
After Kayla and I sat down, my Mom came in a few minutes later, and then the music started. My Dad walked Kelli down the aisle with tears in his eyes, to a beautiful song. Kelli didn't even cry, or at least, not that I could see! She was smiling so huge all day, and so was Sean.
Sean's bishop married them, and at the end, he pronounced them husband and wife and said "you may now kiss the bride" and Kelli jumped back and said "can we put our rings on first?!" it was hilarious! They forgot to exchange rings. So funny. It all worked out though! Right after the kissed, this awesome song by weezer blasted and everyone cheered -- it was basically just like a movie! It definitely described their personalities and their relationship. It was really cute.
After that, we all swarmed them with hugs and kisses and then they were off to take pictures while we took down chairs and set up for the reception.
The reception was in full swing fast, and Devin and I were getting SO hungry. So what did we do? We snuck over to the clubhouse grill and ate hot dogs. Surprised? You shouldn't be. We laughed the whole time, because we really are that funny.
We spent a lot of time eating way too much candy and desserts, sitting on the patio with my cousins--it was hot outside, and I loved it! After we got restless, we went down to the putting green and I showed Dev how awesome my short game is :) haha the little kids joined us and we had a good time. As soon as we cleaned up and Kelli and Sean had left -- we were outta there!
ironing tableclothes. sooooo fun.
kayla thinks Devin and I are a really cute couple, and she takes pictures of us. all the time.
my little brother and sister. they don't even look related.
actually, they look more like they're dating.
yup.
sleeping after the luncheon.
HAHA! I love this. My cousin's baby Haley making a funny face, unintentionally, for the camera.
she is so cute.
but not as cute as us!!!
i love this. also, our eyes are the exact same color in this picture.
claire-bear.
i let sophie take pictures, and she is in love with devin, and only took pictures of him. this is what we ended up with.
this is blurry, but i love it.
sophie's got some serious talent.
i love this picture. Devin golfing, and me holding claire... haha so cute.
oh, kyle.
toothless sophie and her boyfriend, devin.
i guarantee this picture was taken as Devin was saying "oh yeah!" am I right? yes.
best picture ever.
kelli's cake! well, the top 2 layers. her friend jordan made it, and used henna designs for the piping!
we look EXHAUSTED. don't blame us.
The wedding and reception were both beautiful and I am so, so happy for Kelli and Sean. They are perfect for each other, and I am so luck to have them both in my life. They are a great example of love.
Once we left the golf course, Devin and I stopped at the Rock Haus, which is a climbing gym in Logan. The owner, Trevor, is a good friend of Devin's, and we left an announcement for him. After that, we made a point to stop by Clark and Michelle's. I had never met them, but Devin talks about them all the time! Clark and Devin served together in the NHMM, and I have heard SO many stories about their time as assistants! It was so good to finally meet them, and I definitely hope we can spend more time with them in the future.
As far as Saturday goes... we had put aside the day for Bridals. We had our wedding day photographer, Jared Medley take them for us, instead of Devin. We had been wanting to go the Salt Flats, and we knew Jared had done a lot of work up there, and knew the ropes pretty well. So that afternoon, I went to Val's salon and she did my hair and make-up. Then, Devin, and her husband, Garrison met us there and we all headed to PG, and picked up Jared, and then drove 2 hours, almost to Wendover, to the Salt Flats! I had never been before and I was pretty fascinated. 40 miles of SALT. I just couldn't get over the fact that it was just pure salt. We were standing on allllllll salt. Should I say it again? Salt. Just salt. It was SO cool. The mountains in the background are so pretty, too.
The drive up worried me. It was SO windy, and it was raining a little bit. Jared and Devin both kept telling me that the weather would clear up where we were going, and I was trying to be optimistic, but it was getting hard. When we got there, it was still windy. The wind was so strong, it would throw you off balance. We were at a rest stop area, and Val and I went into the bathroom to put my dress on. Everything was going fine, and then the button fell off the bustle! Luckily, Val had a genius idea to just use the very bottom button along the zipper, and it turned out fine. While we were buttoning up the dress, a lot of women kept coming in and asking "oh my gosh! you look so pretty! are you getting married today?!" ...uh... yes. I'm getting married right here at this quaint little rest stop. Please come to the reception afterwords. We're having slim jims and flat cream soda.
really? maybe they thought i was getting married in Wendover... but still. If that were the case, I can assure you, I would not be stopping to get ready in this gross little rest stop bathroom... I mostly just got a kick out of it.
We sat in the car for about 20 minutes... and the storm totally cleared up! I couldn't believe it! It was warm and the lighting was PERFECT. There were tons of cool clouds, and a beautiful yellow-y sunset. It was so much fun to work with Jared, too. He is a great photographer, and made it easy to feel comfortable. The only hard part was when he would ask me to stop smiling and just have a serious face. It was impossible, because half the time, I could see Devin out of the corner of my eye, and I can't help but smile at him.
Val and Garrison left early, and once the sun started to go down, it got cold... but that's when we got some of the coolest shots! I can't even describe them... I will just have to post everything whenwe get them after the wedding (i'm posting it all at once, i promise). They are seriously amazing. I am so impressed with the work he did. Also, Devin brought his camera and took a few pictures of me too. I am excited to be a subject in Devin's portfolio, and maybe after this shoot, I won't be so resistant when we tries to take pictures of me. It was really fun, but such a long day.
When we were done, we decided we might as well just drive to Wendover, and we got some dinner and then drove home. Jared sat in the back seat on his laptop editing photos the whole way home, and he showed us a couple. I can't say enough how thankful I am that he did these for us! They are going to turn out so great. I am seriously amazed. I had told Devin earlier that I definitely expected amazing pictures from Jared, because I knew he wouldn't let us down. He is very talented with what he does, and his style is really tasteful.
This week is going to be busy, in the best way possible. This week, all the wedding planning is consumed by making skirts for the bridesmaids, and taking out my endowments. It will be such a great week!
Today in church, I finished reading the temple prep guide, "Preparing To Enter The Holy Temple" and I feel like it was a huge help. At first, Devin and I would read it together, and then I would ask questions along the way as we read, but now it's just been me reading on my own time, and we discuss everything after. I feel like that guide helped me a lot to have a better understanding of what I can expect, and how sacred these ordinances really are. I am so excited to be able to share this with Devin. I wouldn't want it to be with anybody else.
5 days until I go through the temple.
11 days until I get sealed to my best friend for eternity.
the countdown hasn't by any means sped up. It seems to be dragging slower than ever, but now that it's coming down to the wire, and there are plenty of things to get done before the 26th, I am comfortable with having 11 days to do it in. I need the time anyway!
My sister's wedding was beautiful.
I woke up at 5:00a.m. on Friday, along with the rest of my family, and Devin. We left Orem at about 6:30 and headed to Layton to pick up Kelli and a bunch of wedding things. We then drove to the Birch Creek Golf Course in Smithfield, which is just past Logan.
When we got there, (this kills me) My dad, Kyle, Devin, Sean, Sean's brother Derek, and Sean's Dad... WENT GOLFING.
The morning of the wedding, the groom and his bro's go golfing. Not. Surprised. At. All. So while they golfed, Kelli got her hair done, Mom ironed tableclothes, and Kayla and I did a few other things to get the reception ready, which included, but was not limited to: eating our weight in a variety of teal and red colored candy that were for the candy bar.
Once the boys were done, and Grandma and Grandpa got there, we finished setting up for the ceremony, and then headed to the Luncheon. My great uncle Todd and his wife Kathy were there, which was really nice, because uncle Todd is a member of the Quorum of the 12. It was so sweet of them to be able to stop by. I had asked uncle Todd if he would seal Devin and I, but he wasn't able to since the 12 meet every thursday with the first presidency for several hours in the temple. I told him they could all come to our sealing as a break from the meeting! haha Not gonna happen, but hey, it was worth a try! haha
The food at the luncheon was so good! I saw lots of old family friends, and so many great people that made the drive to Smithfield for Kelli and Sean's special day.
After we finished eating, Devin and I snuck out to the lobby and he fell asleep on the couch for awhile. Poor guy was exhausted. It was such a long day!
We made it back to the golf course and finished setting up a few minor details, and then Kayla and I helped Kelli get ready with my Mom. It was the weirdest feeling to be there helping her get into her dress and fix her hair, and then realize she's about to get married, and I then had to go sit down and watch! haha
After Kayla and I sat down, my Mom came in a few minutes later, and then the music started. My Dad walked Kelli down the aisle with tears in his eyes, to a beautiful song. Kelli didn't even cry, or at least, not that I could see! She was smiling so huge all day, and so was Sean.
Sean's bishop married them, and at the end, he pronounced them husband and wife and said "you may now kiss the bride" and Kelli jumped back and said "can we put our rings on first?!" it was hilarious! They forgot to exchange rings. So funny. It all worked out though! Right after the kissed, this awesome song by weezer blasted and everyone cheered -- it was basically just like a movie! It definitely described their personalities and their relationship. It was really cute.
After that, we all swarmed them with hugs and kisses and then they were off to take pictures while we took down chairs and set up for the reception.
The reception was in full swing fast, and Devin and I were getting SO hungry. So what did we do? We snuck over to the clubhouse grill and ate hot dogs. Surprised? You shouldn't be. We laughed the whole time, because we really are that funny.
We spent a lot of time eating way too much candy and desserts, sitting on the patio with my cousins--it was hot outside, and I loved it! After we got restless, we went down to the putting green and I showed Dev how awesome my short game is :) haha the little kids joined us and we had a good time. As soon as we cleaned up and Kelli and Sean had left -- we were outta there!
The wedding and reception were both beautiful and I am so, so happy for Kelli and Sean. They are perfect for each other, and I am so luck to have them both in my life. They are a great example of love.
Once we left the golf course, Devin and I stopped at the Rock Haus, which is a climbing gym in Logan. The owner, Trevor, is a good friend of Devin's, and we left an announcement for him. After that, we made a point to stop by Clark and Michelle's. I had never met them, but Devin talks about them all the time! Clark and Devin served together in the NHMM, and I have heard SO many stories about their time as assistants! It was so good to finally meet them, and I definitely hope we can spend more time with them in the future.
As far as Saturday goes... we had put aside the day for Bridals. We had our wedding day photographer, Jared Medley take them for us, instead of Devin. We had been wanting to go the Salt Flats, and we knew Jared had done a lot of work up there, and knew the ropes pretty well. So that afternoon, I went to Val's salon and she did my hair and make-up. Then, Devin, and her husband, Garrison met us there and we all headed to PG, and picked up Jared, and then drove 2 hours, almost to Wendover, to the Salt Flats! I had never been before and I was pretty fascinated. 40 miles of SALT. I just couldn't get over the fact that it was just pure salt. We were standing on allllllll salt. Should I say it again? Salt. Just salt. It was SO cool. The mountains in the background are so pretty, too.
The drive up worried me. It was SO windy, and it was raining a little bit. Jared and Devin both kept telling me that the weather would clear up where we were going, and I was trying to be optimistic, but it was getting hard. When we got there, it was still windy. The wind was so strong, it would throw you off balance. We were at a rest stop area, and Val and I went into the bathroom to put my dress on. Everything was going fine, and then the button fell off the bustle! Luckily, Val had a genius idea to just use the very bottom button along the zipper, and it turned out fine. While we were buttoning up the dress, a lot of women kept coming in and asking "oh my gosh! you look so pretty! are you getting married today?!" ...uh... yes. I'm getting married right here at this quaint little rest stop. Please come to the reception afterwords. We're having slim jims and flat cream soda.
really? maybe they thought i was getting married in Wendover... but still. If that were the case, I can assure you, I would not be stopping to get ready in this gross little rest stop bathroom... I mostly just got a kick out of it.
We sat in the car for about 20 minutes... and the storm totally cleared up! I couldn't believe it! It was warm and the lighting was PERFECT. There were tons of cool clouds, and a beautiful yellow-y sunset. It was so much fun to work with Jared, too. He is a great photographer, and made it easy to feel comfortable. The only hard part was when he would ask me to stop smiling and just have a serious face. It was impossible, because half the time, I could see Devin out of the corner of my eye, and I can't help but smile at him.
Val and Garrison left early, and once the sun started to go down, it got cold... but that's when we got some of the coolest shots! I can't even describe them... I will just have to post everything when
When we were done, we decided we might as well just drive to Wendover, and we got some dinner and then drove home. Jared sat in the back seat on his laptop editing photos the whole way home, and he showed us a couple. I can't say enough how thankful I am that he did these for us! They are going to turn out so great. I am seriously amazed. I had told Devin earlier that I definitely expected amazing pictures from Jared, because I knew he wouldn't let us down. He is very talented with what he does, and his style is really tasteful.
This week is going to be busy, in the best way possible. This week, all the wedding planning is consumed by making skirts for the bridesmaids, and taking out my endowments. It will be such a great week!
Today in church, I finished reading the temple prep guide, "Preparing To Enter The Holy Temple" and I feel like it was a huge help. At first, Devin and I would read it together, and then I would ask questions along the way as we read, but now it's just been me reading on my own time, and we discuss everything after. I feel like that guide helped me a lot to have a better understanding of what I can expect, and how sacred these ordinances really are. I am so excited to be able to share this with Devin. I wouldn't want it to be with anybody else.
5 days until I go through the temple.
11 days until I get sealed to my best friend for eternity.
the countdown hasn't by any means sped up. It seems to be dragging slower than ever, but now that it's coming down to the wire, and there are plenty of things to get done before the 26th, I am comfortable with having 11 days to do it in. I need the time anyway!
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