Finals

So things have been really hectic lately with wedding plans, work, group projects, and trying to study for finals. I kinda envy Daniel right now because he only has one final to worry about. But because of that, he's been picking up my slack in the wedding area. He does a lot of stuff I can't find the time to do, and I'm so grateful for him. We only have a few weeks left of this engagement thing, and I couldn't be happier! I'm SO ready to be married. We send out our announcements this week! Daniel and I haven't seen each other since Conference weekend and probably won't be able to see each other until I go through the Temple on May 1st. It's slightly depressing, but he has to be at work, and I have things to do here. We figure once we see each other it will be all the sweeter...right? I'm feeling like I'm going to skip out on a final early just to see him...or skip out on work and spend money I don't have on gas just so I can take a trip down. Talking on the phone doesn't cut it for me. I need a hug. If anyone is reading this who is single, NEVER have a long distance engagement. The end. So here's some pictures my cousin worked on from our engagement photo shoot.

You'll just have to wait and see which ones will be on our announcement!

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.

Happy Valentine's Day

I was never a fan of February 14th. When I was in high school, I detested the day and watched as all the beautiful girls got roses, candy, and cards from the admiring boys. (I was never one of those girls.) In college, I tried to make the best of "Single Awareness Day" and make a romantic dinner for my girl friends who were also single. Having been on both sides of Valentine's Day, I would definitely say that being in love and with the one you love on that day, makes it a million times better. I say that on the verge of going to Instacare again (I think it's strep this time), and unable to do anything but sit around. The thing that makes this day so great even though I feel like tearing my tonsils out, is I get to sit around and be lazy with the most wonderful, amazing boy I know. He comforts me, doesn't mind that I look like junk, or that I smell of garlic, and wants to be with me even though I'm a dead beat. I can't believe the amount of love this boy has for me. This morning he showed up at my doorstep with a piece of paper folded with my name on it and gave it to me (I felt all excited, like how I used to get in high school when I got a note from the boy I liked.) On the inside, he had written down all the reasons why he loved me. Now how's that for a great Valentine's Day gift?! I seriously think I got the better end of the deal in this engagement/marriage thing. :)

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!!! Enjoy it, even if you are single.

I think its time...

for a new post. You know that saying, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder"? Well, it's true. Daniel and I have only been doing this long distance thing for about a month and a half and I can't believe how much our love has grown even though we're not even with each other. Many times our talks on the phone have helped us communicate better. I think it's good practice for when we are married. I'm hoping we'll be able to talk everything out and enjoy our talks with one another, even if they aren't always pleasant. (I'm still dreading all the money talk we'll be doing...) His voice has become one of comfort for me. He could probably sooth any problems of mine just by laughing and talking me out of it. I really am so grateful for him.

Other bits of info - Wedding planning is going forward! We finally settled on where we're going to have our Open House in St. George. (Yay!) We also smuggled our way into scheduling the Stake Center for our wedding dinner. (I love that my dad still has connections! Thank goodness!) But also...I found my wedding dress! Yes. Yes I did, and boy, is it gorgeous! I know I shouldn't be getting such a fancy dress when I'm only having a wedding dinner and open house, but I couldn't resist, and neither could my mom. Plus, it was on sale. :) So, after I justify myself, I feel better about the purchase. I think it's ridiculous that I'm having a harder time finding shoes, than I did finding the dress. We also found a great photographer for everything! My cousin takes great pictures and I'm so glad he's agreed to do our wedding. I can't wait to start posting pictures of our engagements and our bridals.

That's pretty much it for us. Dan is still working and going to school, and I'm doing the same. I've been really sick this week, but I'm hoping I'll be all better for this next weekend when I go down to St. George. (Which just happens to be over Valentine's Day!) I know this is cheesy, but I've never spent Valentine's Day with anyone I've dated, liked, or loved, so this is a first for both Daniel and me! I'll post pictures of the weekend later. I'm out!

Wedding Plans

I should be doing homework, but I thought I'd write a quick update on our lives.

For the most part, we're just trying to stay happy being far apart and planning a wedding we both don't really know how to plan. More than once Daniel has had to deal with my "freak outs" and "stressful binges." He says it just makes him want to be with me even more, but I think in his head he's really thinking "Man, what am I getting myself into?" He is more than I could have ever asked for. He cares just enough about the wedding plans that he's helpful and not too much that it's hard to make decisions. I even flipped through a wedding dress catalog with him this last weekend to see what kind of dresses he liked for me. (Luckily, we have the same taste.) I think any boy who has that much patience is a keeper!

We're still trying to figure out housing in Provo after we get married. It's tricky when he lives down there because he can't be of much help to me with looking for a place. I just can't seem to find the time to go look with my full schedule of school, work, and helping my siblings out with babysitting and such. I'm trying to balance everything, but most of the time there are just things that get left out.

At least we have the Temple scheduled. That's about the only thing set in stone at the moment. Gotta love planning a wedding with such an indecisive Bride! Good thing we have a long engagement. I'll keep an updates on our plans.

How we met...

Our love story is beautiful, but quick. I think the most frequent question I've gotten is: "How did you meet?" So this post is for those of you who don't know how Daniel and I met.

A long time ago, I moved to St. George for the semester. A few weeks after I moved down there, my cousin, Mike (Who is an aspiring play write) asked me to be in a play he had written and that would be performed in October. I kinda laughed, but agreed to the absurd request to be in it. Sure enough, a couple of weeks before rehearsals started in September, I was debating about telling him I couldn't do it for some lame reasons, but mostly because I really knew I couldn't act. But I stuck through it and on September 9th, rehearsals began. The first rehearsal was at my Aunt's and as we sat around the table to do our first read through, I looked around at everyone at the table. I'd like to say that I saw Daniel, our eyes connected, and it was love at first sight but...it wasn't. I simply went to rehearsal, and came home. Didn't think anything of it. A couple of rehearsals later, more people were getting to know each other. I'd make casual conversation with everyone and actually started running with another guy in the play who was getting ready to go on a mission. (I thought "Well, this kid's safe to hang out with, he's younger than me.") I had just started to date someone up at BYU at this point, and wasn't interested at all in anyone else. But Daniel was easy to talk to, and through long rehearsals we found out we had a lot in common. We became really good friends. When I needed help with a dance number, I always asked for his help even though I felt bad for asking. (Little did I know, he was always hoping I'd ask for his help.) He told me later that he was always trying to find ways to talk to me, to help me out, and just to be close to me.

Here's a funny little side story. After a couple of rehearsals, I was in the market for a ukulele. I needed something to do with my free time after work. Since I didn't have any friends down there, I decided to pick up the ukulele and play like a Hawaiian Princess. (Wait, does Hawaii even have princesses? Oh well, it sounded cool.) So I went to Bert Murdock Music. I walked in, looked over at the cash register, and there was Daniel. I was like "Hey, that guy looks familiar." He noticed me at about the same time, and we both made the connection we were in the play together. He then helped me pick out "Jake," my wonderful ukulele. He was very patient with me as I took FOREVER to pick the right one. Thanks babe!

One of my favorite memories at rehearsals was towards the beginning when I was searching on my little lap top on the internet for songs to learn on the ukulele. I was laying on my stomach debating which ones to learn, when Daniel came and laid on his stomach next to me and suggested songs I should learn. (This is the first time we realized we had the same taste in music.) It was also the first time I really was like "Hey, this kid is pretty cool."

Daniel was always doing things to catch my attention at rehearsals, such as putting pizza boxes on his head, or jumping on a mini trampoline wearing a black Korean wig. I just thought the kid was hilarious. (And maybe a little obsessed with cars...) Daniel knew I had a boyfriend, but told me later he just couldn't stop pursuing me. He often got after Matt (Mike's younger brother, and my cousin) for not introducing him to me earlier. (Matt and Daniel were friends in high school while playing in a band together.) That's how it all began, really. We were in a play, we became good friends, and eventually fell in love.

Thank you to the Wiest family for encouraging Daniel from the very first rehearsal to go after me! I owe it to them. Love you guys!

So, that's pretty much how we met. Stay tuned for more fun stories!

Goodbyes

I hate them. In fact, when I have to say goodbye for any reason, I usually just ignore it by acting normal. Some might have a problem with that, but for me, that's how I deal with things. While it was a little sad to say goodbye to Amber Lyn and all the employees I love so much, my excitement for school overshadowed the sadness. I thought the hardest goodbye was going to be with Daniel, but I think we both took it really well. We've planned out the weekends we'll be traveling back and forth to see each other and now I feel like my whole life revolves around those few weekends. Gotta love the long distance love!

Before I left, Daniel stayed by my side helping me pack and keeping me company while I went through boxes of junk. I couldn't help but take pictures of him doing all sorts of stuff like...trying on my clothes. Which looks something like this:

Or this:

I have to admit, I think he can wear this jacket better than I can. Don't we look perfect together? I think he's wonderful for helping me through it all. I hid him under my bed when we were done so that he wouldn't have to drive to South Dakota this week for work. But he was found, and had to drive there anyway.

A couple of days before I left for school, we took a drive to Gunlock, and boy, was it gorgeous! I love St. George because it's not bitter cold and the scenery isn't covered in white and gray snow. Here's some pictures of our fun.

I love this next picture because it's totally a candid moment and a complete genuine smile from Daniel as he tried to remove the hair from my face. It's not a good picture of me, but I love it of him.

Here's to you and Rex, babe! I'll see you again in 2 weeks.