Monday, March 29, 2010

Bridals

I think I might have had one of the best weekends of my entire life. Yes, I know that's saying a lot, but Disneyland didn't even compare to the happiness I had this last weekend. It just finally seemed that things were starting to click the last couple of days. I haven't felt this good about the marriage thing for a very long time. The mono I was diagnosed with almost 2 months ago is pretty much gone and I've recovered from surgery, so now I can start living my life again! I'll never take my health for granted again.

This weekend I travelled down to St. George for some Bridal shots with my loved one. I mean who can resist dawning their white wedding dress and taking pictures against the beautiful red rocks?! I couldn't, and neither could my cousin photographer who offered to come down. So, on Friday I prepared to take my bridals. I made my own bouquet, of course, and I just wanted to thank Costco for being so wonderfully cheap and having the best flowers. My homemade bouquet looked something like this:


We had some trouble with the weather down there, and so for the first night of shooting we went to one of my favorite places - the Jacob Hamblin home. I used to run there all the time when I lived with my parents. It just so happened that the tree blossoms were in full bloom and it was quite gorgeous! We ignored the many shouts from the cars that drove by and had a fun time taking some bridals. They turned out kinda like this:




LOVE IT! No, seriously. I'm in love with my pictures. And it's not because I like looking at myself. It's because I think my cousin is an AWESOME photographer and can make anything look absolutely stunning. (even me.) So after we got the shots by the blooming trees, we headed over to the St. George Tabernacle and got my favorite shot.

See what I mean? He knows how to make me look good. It's quite amazing.

The next morning we planned to get up before the crack of dawn and head to Snow Canyon to take pictures of the red rock. Little did we know it would be FREEZING cold, and the wind would be worse that morning then it was the night before. But we braved the cold and wind, and came up with these lovely pictures.




Thanks for being a trooper, mom. She was an excellent umbrella holder and gave us all a good laugh.

So there you have it. We got our bridals done, and we had a good time doing it. Here's a big thank you to Michael for being such a fun photographer to work with. I hope we helped you build your arm muscles this weekend.

Not only did we get our bridals done, but Daniel's parents finally met mine! It's been a long time coming but we finally found a time where we'd all be around and everyone was in good health. Daniel and I were a little nervous about the whole thing, but I was just too tired to care after awhile, and he got over it pretty quickly once he saw how our mom's got into easy conversation and our dad's talked about their boy bands from the younger years. It turned out to be a blast. I'm excited to marry into such an awesome family. I love Dan's parents and can't wait to be around them more.

Today I've just had an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for my family, my friends, and those who are so willing to help with the wedding. Daniel is always willing to make phone calls, go shopping, ANYTHING if it meant that it would make me less worried. While I was at a baby shower on Saturday, he washed my car, filled it up with gas, and then checked all the tires without me even asking. I love how much he cares about me and my safety. I love that he's so protective. During our photo shoot on Saturday morning in the canyon, I started turning blue because it was so cold - he saw how cold I was and said we were going to wrap it up because I was going to get hypothermia, and gave me his jacket while letting me use him for warmth in between shots. I love this kid with all my heart. Okay, enough of cheese. But I really do want to thank anyone who is reading this who has been an amazing friend, a good relative, and a caring sibling. Thank you Susie for helping with all the shopping! It was you who found the perfect tie - Dan loved it. Thank you mom and dad for pretty much everything. I'm amazed at the amount you sacrifice for your children and the well-being of others. Thank you Jay and Kenz for giving me shelter and food. I owe you guys babysitting for the rest of my life. Thank you Daniel's parents for accepting me so readily and working so hard to make the open house wonderful! Thank you Kellen for working hard on the invitations. Thank you Jenny for doing my hair for pictures. Thank you Lindsey for being by my side for the last 3 or 4 years...wait how long has it been? You've gotten me through a lot, and I'm so glad you'll be there at my wedding. Thank you to all those who are planning showers for me in the next month. And last, but not least, Thank you Michael for taking such wonderful pictures and being so flexible! I love you all.