Yesterday marked 4 weeks until the wedding....which of course means I am now in total freak out mode trying to get everything put together. And let's just say that murphy's law is in full force as it seems lately that EVERYTHING seems to be going wrong. I went to get my dress altered, only to find out that thanks to a lovely thing called birth control that the top part of my wedding dress no longer fit. The seamstress took it out, however she went a little crazy with it and now the top is too big. The worst part is when I tried it on again, I hated it, but she managed to convince me in the moment that it looked fine. But now I can't stop thinking about how horrible it looked and how unhappy I am with it. With only 4 weeks to go and bridal pictures coming up, the last thing I need is to be unhappy with my dress.
Another major stumbling block we have run into is my aunt volunteered to do our wedding announcements at cost. I was weery at first, but jumped at the chance to save some money. Now I'm regretting that decision. My aunt is very opinionated and knows what she likes and wants to do, which works well for the businesswoman she is, however it is a major challenge to deal with when working with her. Jeff and I went to her house last week, armed with a sample of EXACTLY what we wanted. Unfortunately, my aunt also had a sample of what she was envisioning, and it was far different. Before I knew it, she was drawing up an announcement based on her sample, not ours. I stressed to her the important things I wanted on the announcement and she said ok, but I had a sick feeling in my stomach when we left that the announcements would end up being nothing close to what we wanted. Unfortunately I found out today I was right. The announcement looked EXACTLY like the sample she had shown us, and NOTHING like the sample we had brought and left with her. With so little time left and wanting to get announcements out by the beginning of next week, I am beyond frustrated and stressed out right now. It just feels like control over the wedding planning has completely slipped out of my hands and there isn't anything I can do about it.
Jeff, seeing all my stress over the wedding planning, put together a whole day date for us yesterday since we both had the day off. We went swimming in the morning at his apartment. When Jeff came to pick me up after we both got ready, he surprised me with a dozen beautiful roses! We then hadbrunch at Einstein Bagels. After eating we drove over to Trafalga where we played some mini golf (I totally won...that is if highest score wins, which in my version of golf, it does) and won some tickets playing the games. After that we drove over to the movie theater to see "The Amazing Spiderman". And I must say, it is quite amazing, definitely better than the old ones. We finished the day off with Jeff cooking me dinner and then getting together with my roommates and other people in the ward to watch "Ferris Buellers Day Out" outside in our parking lot--very cool :)
I know I need to see the bigger picture now and not get so lost in the small wedding details, and instead of focus on what's most important. It's like Elder Mautz told me...no matter what, the important thing is we will be married. Less than four weeks from now, I get to marry my best friend for time and all eternity. What's there to be upset about?
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
More engagement pictures
Here is a sampling of some of our favorites!
His first present to me was a Squeez-it on Valentine's Day-he used it as an excuse to come and see me while I was studying
Monday, June 18, 2012
Engagement pictures!
I am having a hard time choosing between the one on the left and the middle one. Jeff likes the left, I like the middle, and everyone in my family can't agree either. Who knew it would be this hard to choose one little picture--maybe its because I know this picture will be all over fridges across America, France, and New Caledonia...
Friday, May 18, 2012
"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive."
This past weekend was a wonderful weekend spent with my mom's extended family in Park City for our annual Mother's Day celebration. I think for us all it will be a weekend we will never forget because it would also mark the last time for many of us that we would get to see our grandpa alive. Wednesday evening at 6:25 p.m. our grandpa Ruggles passed away.
I received notice that my grandpa had been hospitalized tuesday night the next morning at work. Needless to say, I was beside myself and unsure what I should do, since I live an hour away from family now. I spoke with my manager and he told me to leave whenever I wanted to. In the end I decided to stay, telling myself I would just leave straight for the hospital after work. Unfortunately, grandpa took a turn for the worse around 5 pm and I wasn't able to leave work until right before 6. Jeff and I rushed to the hospital, but with the hour drive ahead of us, deep down I knew that I would not be given the opportunity to say goodbye to him. Around 6:20 my sister texted me telling me to hurry because it wouldn't be much longer and about ten minutes later I received a call from my brother telling me that my grandpa had passed away. It was surreal walking into the hospital and seeing all of my extended family gathered around hugging and crying. My mom saw us and ran right into my arms bawling. Together we walked into the hospital room to see my grandpa. It is amazing how quickly death can change a person's appearance. Gone were the mannerisms that made grandpa who he was-his little smirk, chuckle-like laugh, and squinted eyes that made it hard to tell sometimes if he was paying attention or had dozed off-all replaced with a cold hard body. Even after seeing him it still seemed so unreal that he was actually gone.
It's interesting to watch how we all deal with the pain of losing someone. For some in my family the pain is masked through using humor, even at the most inappropriate times. For others, uncontrollabe tears. And for some, anger against the deceased and a feeling of not receiving the closure that was needed. I'm not sure if I fit into any of these categories. I have found that a mixture of humor, tears, prayers, and the gospel have helped me get through the past couple of days. As for anger or resentment, I feel none towards him. My grandpa was not the most openly loving person and I can't recall a time he ever told me that he loved me and it was on a rare occassion that we would hug, but that doesn't mean he didn't love me or any of us. My grandpa showed his love in more subtle ways. He was at our baby blessings, baptisms, weddings, most of our graduations, farewells, and homecomings. When I think of those big moments in my life, my grandpa was there supporting me...even if he was sleeping ;) (can't really blame the guy, I had a big graduating class). Whenever I made a point to sit next to him at gatherings he would always ask me questions about myself. The first time he met Jeff, before we were even engaged, he asked him how he intended to support his granddaughter. My grandpa wasn't perfect, but frankly who is? As my dad said last night, we all learn how to be parents through our parents examples...for good or bad...and that grandpa wasn't given the best examples of what being a good parents means. But one thing that grandpa did have was a good heart and he truly did love his family. He will be very missed.
Yesterday Jeff and I made a spur of the moment decision to walk around Temple Square. We ended our walk in the visitors center, staring up at the beautiful statue of Christ. How grateful I am for the doctrine found in 1 Corinthians:
"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive."
Christ lives. Thanks to Him, death is not the end. Because of Him I will get to see my beloved Grandma and Grandpa Hurst and Ruggles again. Through His power and gospel our family has been sealed for time and all eternity. What comfort it brings me to realize that although the sting of death hurts so much for those of us on this side of the veil, how wonderful it must feel for those that pass through to the other side, now finally being able to rest from their earthly pains and troubles and reunite with loved ones that have already left.
"In the end everything will be okay. If it's not okay, it's not the end." Thanks to the gospel of Jesus Christ, truly everything will be okay in the end.
Monday, April 2, 2012
April Fools...on me!
Yesterday definitely did NOT go how I was planning....
A few weeks ago Jeff got me a fake diamond ring that I started wearing around to fool people-I know, horrible. But the ring gave us inspiration for the best April fool's joke on my family--we decided Jeff was going to fake propose on April Fools when we were at my parents' house for my birthday party.
That was the plan. Turns out Jeff had another idea...
There we were. Me, sitting in the armchair with Boston opening up my birthday gifts, the rest of my family gathered around on chairs around me, and Jeff across from me on the couch. I, or I should say Boston, quickly opened my birthday presents from the rest of my family, and then I set Boston down and I tried very sneakily to catch Jeff's attention to nudge him to do the fake proposal. But he just sat there, taking his precious time while everyone else started talking and losing interest. And then finally he got up. He announced that there was one more thing for me. He told me he knew how much my family meant to me and how he knew I would want them here for this (the whole time he is talking I am laughing inside because I think he is just hamming the whole fake proposal up). He then pulled out a beautiful little wooden box and got on one knee. He then asked me if I would marry him and then opened the box. There, sitting in the box, was MY ring, the beautifully perfect engagement ring that Jeff and I had looked at weeks ago. Jeff had sneakily gone and bought the ring without me knowing a thing and had told my family he was going to propose so they were all ready with cameras to capture the moment. Just when I think I'm going to be pulling a prank on them, the whole situation turns around and it turns out I was the only one who DIDN'T know I was going to be actually, legitimately proposed to.
So yes, it was in a sense an april fool's joke...on me! Instead of getting fake proposed to, I got the real deal!
We will be married in the St. George Temple (my favorite temple since I was young) on August 3. We will be doing a reception that night in Riverton in my aunt's backyard and the following morning we will be flying out for our surprise honeymoon (thank you future in-laws!), followed by a reception in Indiana on the 12 (although Jeff is from New York most of his family is in Indiana).
A few weeks ago Jeff got me a fake diamond ring that I started wearing around to fool people-I know, horrible. But the ring gave us inspiration for the best April fool's joke on my family--we decided Jeff was going to fake propose on April Fools when we were at my parents' house for my birthday party.
That was the plan. Turns out Jeff had another idea...
There we were. Me, sitting in the armchair with Boston opening up my birthday gifts, the rest of my family gathered around on chairs around me, and Jeff across from me on the couch. I, or I should say Boston, quickly opened my birthday presents from the rest of my family, and then I set Boston down and I tried very sneakily to catch Jeff's attention to nudge him to do the fake proposal. But he just sat there, taking his precious time while everyone else started talking and losing interest. And then finally he got up. He announced that there was one more thing for me. He told me he knew how much my family meant to me and how he knew I would want them here for this (the whole time he is talking I am laughing inside because I think he is just hamming the whole fake proposal up). He then pulled out a beautiful little wooden box and got on one knee. He then asked me if I would marry him and then opened the box. There, sitting in the box, was MY ring, the beautifully perfect engagement ring that Jeff and I had looked at weeks ago. Jeff had sneakily gone and bought the ring without me knowing a thing and had told my family he was going to propose so they were all ready with cameras to capture the moment. Just when I think I'm going to be pulling a prank on them, the whole situation turns around and it turns out I was the only one who DIDN'T know I was going to be actually, legitimately proposed to.
So yes, it was in a sense an april fool's joke...on me! Instead of getting fake proposed to, I got the real deal!
We will be married in the St. George Temple (my favorite temple since I was young) on August 3. We will be doing a reception that night in Riverton in my aunt's backyard and the following morning we will be flying out for our surprise honeymoon (thank you future in-laws!), followed by a reception in Indiana on the 12 (although Jeff is from New York most of his family is in Indiana).
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Just When You Least Expect It....
So much to say and I don't know where to start...
As I blogged about a month ago, my boyfriend and I broke up. I was an emotional wreck after and wished I could just understand why it needed to happen and why neither one of us felt it wasn't right. He and I broke up on a thursday and then on saturday got together to try and talk things out to see if we could figure out why. We had a good talk and I learned a lot of things about myself and about him, but come tuesday, we both just realized that we had given it our best shots and it just wasn't meant to last between us. It was a hard reality to face, but immediately after I drove away from him that night, I felt immediate peace and confidence that everything was going to be fine.
So here is where things get really interesting...but first a little bit of background information:
About 2 1/2 years ago I entered a little place called the MTC...a place full of homesick missionaries and all you can eat cafeteria foods...truly a dream come true ;) In the MTC there is only one French Zone that includes all the missionaries that will be speaking French. Since my district was so small with just my companion, our solo elder, and me, we would get combined with another district for different things. We became pretty close with that district and were sad when they left three weeks before we did, especially since we wouldn't be seeing them again for about two years. About two weeks after they left, I was VERY surprised when I received a letter from one of the elders in that district--an Elder Receveur. Elder Receveur was an elder from New York who went to the Belgium/France mission.
And so it began. I'll admit that it took me a few months, but I finally wrote him back. And then he wrote me quickly back....and it soon became a competition to see who could write back the quickest. We ended up writing each other all the way through both of our missions--that's right, once I got home I still continued to write him. My companions were quick to realize that I would receive many letters from one specific elder and would tease me and tell me we would end up dating after our missions. I just laughed it off and told them it was nothing, that we were both missionaries who needed someone to write. But I couldn't deny the big smile on my face every time I'd see a letter from him waiting for me.
Fast forward to June 2011. My intentions upon coming home were to date as much as I could and stay single until January-when I would be seeing Elder Receveur, Jeff, at BYU. I know it seems a little crazy that I would want to wait for an elder I hadn't ever dated before, but something just kept telling me that I would regret not going on a date with him. But then the unexpected happened and a boyfriend from my past came back into the picture and I fell in love. We ended up dating long distance for about 4 months and then he moved to the state and we dated exclusively. This was a hard decision to make, once again because of one elder. But I felt I should give my current relationship the best chance it could have, so I "wrote off" Elder Receveur in my mind, telling myself that nothing was going to happen anyways.
Fast forward again to February 2012. After many prayers and temple visits, TJ and I both realized that we just weren't right for each other and things weren't meant to be. We broke up and the NEXT day I ran into Elder Receveur...Jeff...on campus. My first thoughts were "Heavenly Father, what are you trying to pull?!" We ended up going to lunch with some of my old companions and then talking outside the library for over 2 hours. Timing wise, it wasn't the best day for me to see him because I was still such a wreck from the break-up the night before. Thankfully we ended up hanging out later once I received my closure from my break-up, and I was finally able to start enjoying dating again.
And boy have I enjoyed dating :) For a month now Jeff and I have spent every day together, and are with each other any time neither one of us has class (or sometimes I go to class with him, I know, I'm a nerd), work, or needs to sleep. It's crazy to think we've only been dating a month because it feels like we've been together so much longer than that. I guess that's the benefit of living close and being able to spend so much time together. I love all the fun things we have done or are planning to do. He loves adventure just as much as me so our weekly date nights are always fun and different :)
I feel so different in this relationship than I have felt in the past. Things feel so right and everything just seems to be fitting together...kinda like finding that missing piece to the puzzle. It's just amazing to see the Lord's hand in all of it.
Stay tuned for more exciting updates ;)
As I blogged about a month ago, my boyfriend and I broke up. I was an emotional wreck after and wished I could just understand why it needed to happen and why neither one of us felt it wasn't right. He and I broke up on a thursday and then on saturday got together to try and talk things out to see if we could figure out why. We had a good talk and I learned a lot of things about myself and about him, but come tuesday, we both just realized that we had given it our best shots and it just wasn't meant to last between us. It was a hard reality to face, but immediately after I drove away from him that night, I felt immediate peace and confidence that everything was going to be fine.
So here is where things get really interesting...but first a little bit of background information:
About 2 1/2 years ago I entered a little place called the MTC...a place full of homesick missionaries and all you can eat cafeteria foods...truly a dream come true ;) In the MTC there is only one French Zone that includes all the missionaries that will be speaking French. Since my district was so small with just my companion, our solo elder, and me, we would get combined with another district for different things. We became pretty close with that district and were sad when they left three weeks before we did, especially since we wouldn't be seeing them again for about two years. About two weeks after they left, I was VERY surprised when I received a letter from one of the elders in that district--an Elder Receveur. Elder Receveur was an elder from New York who went to the Belgium/France mission.
And so it began. I'll admit that it took me a few months, but I finally wrote him back. And then he wrote me quickly back....and it soon became a competition to see who could write back the quickest. We ended up writing each other all the way through both of our missions--that's right, once I got home I still continued to write him. My companions were quick to realize that I would receive many letters from one specific elder and would tease me and tell me we would end up dating after our missions. I just laughed it off and told them it was nothing, that we were both missionaries who needed someone to write. But I couldn't deny the big smile on my face every time I'd see a letter from him waiting for me.
Fast forward to June 2011. My intentions upon coming home were to date as much as I could and stay single until January-when I would be seeing Elder Receveur, Jeff, at BYU. I know it seems a little crazy that I would want to wait for an elder I hadn't ever dated before, but something just kept telling me that I would regret not going on a date with him. But then the unexpected happened and a boyfriend from my past came back into the picture and I fell in love. We ended up dating long distance for about 4 months and then he moved to the state and we dated exclusively. This was a hard decision to make, once again because of one elder. But I felt I should give my current relationship the best chance it could have, so I "wrote off" Elder Receveur in my mind, telling myself that nothing was going to happen anyways.
Fast forward again to February 2012. After many prayers and temple visits, TJ and I both realized that we just weren't right for each other and things weren't meant to be. We broke up and the NEXT day I ran into Elder Receveur...Jeff...on campus. My first thoughts were "Heavenly Father, what are you trying to pull?!" We ended up going to lunch with some of my old companions and then talking outside the library for over 2 hours. Timing wise, it wasn't the best day for me to see him because I was still such a wreck from the break-up the night before. Thankfully we ended up hanging out later once I received my closure from my break-up, and I was finally able to start enjoying dating again.
And boy have I enjoyed dating :) For a month now Jeff and I have spent every day together, and are with each other any time neither one of us has class (or sometimes I go to class with him, I know, I'm a nerd), work, or needs to sleep. It's crazy to think we've only been dating a month because it feels like we've been together so much longer than that. I guess that's the benefit of living close and being able to spend so much time together. I love all the fun things we have done or are planning to do. He loves adventure just as much as me so our weekly date nights are always fun and different :)
I feel so different in this relationship than I have felt in the past. Things feel so right and everything just seems to be fitting together...kinda like finding that missing piece to the puzzle. It's just amazing to see the Lord's hand in all of it.
Stay tuned for more exciting updates ;)
Saturday, February 18, 2012
One week later...
Crazy how much things can change in one week. Last saturday i was an emotional wreck as I tried to deal with the sadness from the break-up. But then after a good talk Tuesday night I finally found complete peace. And I've been great ever since! I know without a doubt it was the right decision for both of us, and that our time together wasn't meant to last. I'm thankful for all the things I learned about myself these past months, and all the learning and growing that came. I'm ready to face the future and accept and embrace whatever the Lord has in store for me. I hope I can do better at seeking out the Lord and listening to the Spirit so that I can receive that confirmation that the Lord is pleased with the path I'm taking.
Side note: I finally got a "well done" on a midterm! Best Valentine's gift ever!!
Side note: I finally got a "well done" on a midterm! Best Valentine's gift ever!!
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