Monday, August 5, 2013
One year down, an eternity to go
We made it through the first year of marriage, making our marriage longer than most Hollywood couples ;)
To celebrate this accomplishment, Jeff and I made the trip down to the place where we sealed the deal--beautifully hot St. George, UT. We decided we wanted to keep our trip low key and not plan too many things, however the one thing we made sure to plan into our time was a sealing session in the St. George Temple on our anniversary, August 3. We couldn't think of a better way to celebrate and reminisce our own sealing.
A lot of our wedding day is a blur because so much was happening all at once. I remember the happiness that I felt as I knelt across the altar from Jeff and how surreal it was to be pronounced "man and wife, sealed for time and all eternity", but I don't remember exactly everything the sealer said, and Jeff and I didn't get the opportunity after to sit in the Celestial Room and soak it all in after. This time it was different. Jeff and I first did an endowment session before doing sealings. This allowed us to go and sit in the Celestial Room together before heading to do sealings. The really cool thing about the St George Temple is the sealing room where we were married is right off of the Celestial Room, so we were able to go right into the room where our lives together began and sit down to reminisce. It was surreal to stare at the altar and think back on that day a year ago, and all the many wonderful blessings that have happened since that day. As I stared at my husband I was overwhelmed with feelings of deep gratitude to my Heavenly Father for helping us find each other. It still surprises me to think how short of a time Jeff and I dated and were engaged before we got married. It went against everything I believed and yet I always felt so calm and assured about my decision to marry Jeff. Sitting next to him one year later in the temple, that feeling was multiplied times 100. For lack of a better term, Jeff is my soul mate. He completes me and makes me better. He always knows what to say or do to make my day brighter. I couldn't ask for a better husband or father for my children.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
5 years later
This post was written on March 6, 2013. Because of information in this post I had to wait to publish it for awhile to keep my secret
I am so grateful it was me. So grateful that I was the lucky one in a million who would walk by a Coke truck the exact same second a hand dolly decided to fall off. Why? Because I love pain? Oh heavens no! It's because I love where my life is now and I owe so much of it to this event in my life. This accident changed my way of thinking and viewing my life. From that moment on, I decided to live with no regrets, because who knew when the next hand dolly was going to come and attack me. I realized it needed to stop being about what I thought I wanted and instead I needed to focus on what the Lord knew I needed. It caused me to more seriously consider those quick and fleeting thoughts of a mission, to the point that a year later I put my papers in. Because I went on a mission I became who I am today. I learned more about myself in those 18 months than I had the 21 years prior. I also learned more about my Heavenly Father and my Savior and for the first time in my life, developed close relationships with them and by learning how to truly pray and worship them. I learned how blessed I am to be born where I was to the family I have. Because of my mission I received the promptings to go to BYU, where I received an amazing secular and spiritual education, and was able to find my true passion and major. Because of my mission I also received the unexpected blessing of my husband, who I happened to have met in the MTC. All because of a hand dolly....
I found the best way to celebrate today. I went to a doctor's appointment and got to see my little baby raspberry for the first time and see it's little heartbeat on the ultrasound screen. 5 years ago today, here I am, married to an amazing man and 8 weeks pregnant.
And it all started with a hand dolly.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Between a rock and a hard place
(This is a post I completely forgot to post last semester)
Do you ever feel like no matter what choice you make, it will be wrong?
That has how I have felt these past few weeks.
My major source of internal conflict currently: motherhood and career
It seems like lately this is a recurring theme in my life, that is brought up anywhere and everywhere. My marriage and family class talks about the importance of mothers being home and that the prophets have insisted all women stay home. All the lessons in Relief Society also go along the same lines. But then I head over to the business school (at Mormon BYU mind you) and I hear a different story--women need to pursue careers and reach their full potential and you can find that balance between raising a family and having a career.
So what is the right answer? Or is it actually that there isn't one right answer for everyone?
After much prayful consideration, I feel it isn't as black and white as either side is making it seem. This realization hit me hard a few weeks ago at a mentoring luncheon I attended for the Women in Business club. Two days prior I had been infuriated in my marriage and family class when my teacher had insisted that all women should stay home, and then opened it up for our thoughts. I sat there angrily shaking as I listened to all the girls talk about how they had sacrificed the idea of pursuing majors they enjoyed, to instead find a major that would let them be at home with their kids. Although noble, I found the whole idea ridiculous. Are we not hear on earth to pursue our dreams and goals, and to better ourselves? So if I have passion and desire to learn and understand business, should I not pursue it, because according to my class the only major a women should pursue is either family studies or the infamous M.R.S. degree at BYU? I raised my hand and questioned what the professor was saying. I told him I didn't understand why a woman couldn't pursue what she really wanted to do like a man could, and that isn't there a way to just find the balance between both a family and a career. He admitted that we couldn't use blanket statements, but also said we can't ignore what the prophets' have said Needless to say I left class angry and frustrated. Two days later I had my mentoring luncheon. I thought that I would finally find peace of mind because I would hear exactly what I wanted to hear--that women can do both and find success in a career and in their families. I did hear that, but unfortunately that wasn't what stuck out to me. All I heard were things that confirmed my worries of having a career. The keynote speaker said, "I know I can't be there that often for my kids, but I do bring them money and that's important." I was on the verge of tears, as my hopes for doing both seemed to be crashed down by both sides of the argument. If I stay at home, I can't pursue my dreams, if I go to work, all I will bring into my kids' lives is money.
The problem is, it seems both sides are looking at it from the extremes. I look at stay-at-home moms and have nothing but admiration for what they do because I honestly don't know if I have the patience for it. I almost feel like I will need that mental break of work to help me be a good mom. And then I look at these amazing career women who have accomplished so much and broke so many stereotypes about women in the workplace. Women like them have proven to all that women are capable of doing anything that a man can do. Truly, both of these types of women are my heroes for the things they accomplish. Why must we say that one is better than the other? I know that both are just trying to do their very best. Who are we, as a society, to frown upon their decisions. Do we know their circumstances? Do we know the personal revelation that they have received? That's the beauty of revelation and this gospel--it goes down to such a personal level. And it is in this fact, that I finally found my peace between my rock and a hard place. I don't have to know right now what I will do once I have a family. All I know is when that day comes, Jeff and I will seek out the Lord's help and find out what is best for our whole family.
Do you ever feel like no matter what choice you make, it will be wrong?
That has how I have felt these past few weeks.
My major source of internal conflict currently: motherhood and career
It seems like lately this is a recurring theme in my life, that is brought up anywhere and everywhere. My marriage and family class talks about the importance of mothers being home and that the prophets have insisted all women stay home. All the lessons in Relief Society also go along the same lines. But then I head over to the business school (at Mormon BYU mind you) and I hear a different story--women need to pursue careers and reach their full potential and you can find that balance between raising a family and having a career.
So what is the right answer? Or is it actually that there isn't one right answer for everyone?
After much prayful consideration, I feel it isn't as black and white as either side is making it seem. This realization hit me hard a few weeks ago at a mentoring luncheon I attended for the Women in Business club. Two days prior I had been infuriated in my marriage and family class when my teacher had insisted that all women should stay home, and then opened it up for our thoughts. I sat there angrily shaking as I listened to all the girls talk about how they had sacrificed the idea of pursuing majors they enjoyed, to instead find a major that would let them be at home with their kids. Although noble, I found the whole idea ridiculous. Are we not hear on earth to pursue our dreams and goals, and to better ourselves? So if I have passion and desire to learn and understand business, should I not pursue it, because according to my class the only major a women should pursue is either family studies or the infamous M.R.S. degree at BYU? I raised my hand and questioned what the professor was saying. I told him I didn't understand why a woman couldn't pursue what she really wanted to do like a man could, and that isn't there a way to just find the balance between both a family and a career. He admitted that we couldn't use blanket statements, but also said we can't ignore what the prophets' have said Needless to say I left class angry and frustrated. Two days later I had my mentoring luncheon. I thought that I would finally find peace of mind because I would hear exactly what I wanted to hear--that women can do both and find success in a career and in their families. I did hear that, but unfortunately that wasn't what stuck out to me. All I heard were things that confirmed my worries of having a career. The keynote speaker said, "I know I can't be there that often for my kids, but I do bring them money and that's important." I was on the verge of tears, as my hopes for doing both seemed to be crashed down by both sides of the argument. If I stay at home, I can't pursue my dreams, if I go to work, all I will bring into my kids' lives is money.
The problem is, it seems both sides are looking at it from the extremes. I look at stay-at-home moms and have nothing but admiration for what they do because I honestly don't know if I have the patience for it. I almost feel like I will need that mental break of work to help me be a good mom. And then I look at these amazing career women who have accomplished so much and broke so many stereotypes about women in the workplace. Women like them have proven to all that women are capable of doing anything that a man can do. Truly, both of these types of women are my heroes for the things they accomplish. Why must we say that one is better than the other? I know that both are just trying to do their very best. Who are we, as a society, to frown upon their decisions. Do we know their circumstances? Do we know the personal revelation that they have received? That's the beauty of revelation and this gospel--it goes down to such a personal level. And it is in this fact, that I finally found my peace between my rock and a hard place. I don't have to know right now what I will do once I have a family. All I know is when that day comes, Jeff and I will seek out the Lord's help and find out what is best for our whole family.
Accomplishing the Impossible
Last semester something happened to me that has never really happened before. I won a competition! My career preparation class, comprised of about 200 students, decided to have a competition with on of our assignments. The assignment was to complete a career plan that outlined where you wanted to go in your career and how you planned to get there. Along with that we had to create a 60 second "elevator pitch" that we could use in any business networking event. The assignment was required for all students, however if you chose you could go and pitch your plan to the teacher and ten students would be selected to present their plans in front of the whole class, plus 10 business executives. The top three winners were to receive $250 scholarships.
Naturally, my original plan was to do just the bare minimum-do the assignment, turn it in, and be done with it. Unfortunately for me, my teacher had other plans. The day after I turned in the assignment she called me personally and told me she was really impressed with my plan and would like for me to try out for the competition. I laughed and told her basically thanks but no thanks. However, I made the big mistake afterwards of telling Jeff about my teacher's call, and even worse, about the scholarships for those who win. Jeff told me I should definitely go for it-what did I have to lose?
So, without even thinking, I signed up to pitch my plan. The night before I furiously worked on fixing my presentation because the original one I had submitted I had hurriedly finished thanks to an unexpected trip to the E.R. When I pitched my plan I was so sure that I had bombed it and was silently grateful I would never have to present in front of the whole class. Unfortunately again my teacher had a difference in opinion. She told me she loved my presentation and told me it was the best one she had seen so far. As happy as I was to get such a compliment, deep down I also knew this meant I would have to present next class.
Sure enough, I was in the top ten, along with eight guys and one girl (got to love Business School-we women always represent at about 20%). I was the third to go and was so grateful to get it over with quickly. The whole presentation could only be three minutes, but it was definitely the longest three minutes of my life. As I sat there and watched the other people present, I was convinced that my presentation had no chance of winning. It came as a complete shock when I was called up on stage to be in the top three. Relief and happiness overwhelmed me because I knew I had just won $250, a huge blessing at the time because my trip to the E.R. was going to cost Jeff and me $300. I didn't even care to here who was 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, since we would all be receiving the money. To my complete shock again, they named the two guys next to me as second and third place, making me the winner of the very first "My Career Plan Competition." But here comes the best part--the announcer turned to me and said that I had two choices--I could take the $250 scholarship, or I could take the mystery prize. Everyone in the class immediately starts shouting at my to take the mystery prize (easy for them to say-its not their money). Jeff had come to watch me present so I immediately searched for him in the crowd. Of course he was among the few shouting at me to take the scholarship. At the moment I did something that may not have been great for my marriage--I ignored my husband and took the mystery prize. I opened the envelope and counted out $300 in cash! The man congratulated me and told me in business, you should always take the risk if you hope for greater reward. Thankfully that risk definitely paid off!
After the competition, the ten finalists were able to go to lunch with the business executives. It was such an amazing opportunity to talk to all these amazing professionals who have made it big in their chosen fields. They offered great advice and counsel, and we had a great conversation specifically about women in business and finding that balance between career and family. Later an article was written about the competition. The writer asked me a whole bunch of questions, but once the article came out, it barely even mentioned I had won :) Insult to injury-he spelled my last name wrong too ;)
The biggest lesson I took away from all of this is the reason why I won over everyone else that presented. Many of the executives came up to me after to congratulate me and told me that what they really liked about my plan was it was flexible. Yes, I had presented a step by step plan for our how wanted to end up in training and development in a company, however at the end I concluded my presentation by saying that throughout my life as I work towards my career goals, that I would never become so set in one thing that I couldn't see opportunity around me. I would be willing to change direction at any time if other opportunities arose. The executives said that is what set me apart--this understanding that our greatest opportunities are not usually planned and that we need to be open and willing to be flexible. How grateful for all the life lessons that have shown me that yes, we can and should make goals and plans; HOWEVER, be prepared to change anything and everything if the Lord asks. My life "plan" is far from the plan that I put together growing up. So many bumps and twists have come along the way. The beautiful thing is, those bumps and twists are some of the most rewarding parts of my life that I wouldn't trade for anything because it has made me who I am and put me where I am today. Whether it be in career decisions or overall life decisions, how crucial it is that we work for what we want, but also allow the Lord to make any changes to these plans to guide us to what we need most.
Naturally, my original plan was to do just the bare minimum-do the assignment, turn it in, and be done with it. Unfortunately for me, my teacher had other plans. The day after I turned in the assignment she called me personally and told me she was really impressed with my plan and would like for me to try out for the competition. I laughed and told her basically thanks but no thanks. However, I made the big mistake afterwards of telling Jeff about my teacher's call, and even worse, about the scholarships for those who win. Jeff told me I should definitely go for it-what did I have to lose?
So, without even thinking, I signed up to pitch my plan. The night before I furiously worked on fixing my presentation because the original one I had submitted I had hurriedly finished thanks to an unexpected trip to the E.R. When I pitched my plan I was so sure that I had bombed it and was silently grateful I would never have to present in front of the whole class. Unfortunately again my teacher had a difference in opinion. She told me she loved my presentation and told me it was the best one she had seen so far. As happy as I was to get such a compliment, deep down I also knew this meant I would have to present next class.
Sure enough, I was in the top ten, along with eight guys and one girl (got to love Business School-we women always represent at about 20%). I was the third to go and was so grateful to get it over with quickly. The whole presentation could only be three minutes, but it was definitely the longest three minutes of my life. As I sat there and watched the other people present, I was convinced that my presentation had no chance of winning. It came as a complete shock when I was called up on stage to be in the top three. Relief and happiness overwhelmed me because I knew I had just won $250, a huge blessing at the time because my trip to the E.R. was going to cost Jeff and me $300. I didn't even care to here who was 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, since we would all be receiving the money. To my complete shock again, they named the two guys next to me as second and third place, making me the winner of the very first "My Career Plan Competition." But here comes the best part--the announcer turned to me and said that I had two choices--I could take the $250 scholarship, or I could take the mystery prize. Everyone in the class immediately starts shouting at my to take the mystery prize (easy for them to say-its not their money). Jeff had come to watch me present so I immediately searched for him in the crowd. Of course he was among the few shouting at me to take the scholarship. At the moment I did something that may not have been great for my marriage--I ignored my husband and took the mystery prize. I opened the envelope and counted out $300 in cash! The man congratulated me and told me in business, you should always take the risk if you hope for greater reward. Thankfully that risk definitely paid off!
After the competition, the ten finalists were able to go to lunch with the business executives. It was such an amazing opportunity to talk to all these amazing professionals who have made it big in their chosen fields. They offered great advice and counsel, and we had a great conversation specifically about women in business and finding that balance between career and family. Later an article was written about the competition. The writer asked me a whole bunch of questions, but once the article came out, it barely even mentioned I had won :) Insult to injury-he spelled my last name wrong too ;)
The biggest lesson I took away from all of this is the reason why I won over everyone else that presented. Many of the executives came up to me after to congratulate me and told me that what they really liked about my plan was it was flexible. Yes, I had presented a step by step plan for our how wanted to end up in training and development in a company, however at the end I concluded my presentation by saying that throughout my life as I work towards my career goals, that I would never become so set in one thing that I couldn't see opportunity around me. I would be willing to change direction at any time if other opportunities arose. The executives said that is what set me apart--this understanding that our greatest opportunities are not usually planned and that we need to be open and willing to be flexible. How grateful for all the life lessons that have shown me that yes, we can and should make goals and plans; HOWEVER, be prepared to change anything and everything if the Lord asks. My life "plan" is far from the plan that I put together growing up. So many bumps and twists have come along the way. The beautiful thing is, those bumps and twists are some of the most rewarding parts of my life that I wouldn't trade for anything because it has made me who I am and put me where I am today. Whether it be in career decisions or overall life decisions, how crucial it is that we work for what we want, but also allow the Lord to make any changes to these plans to guide us to what we need most.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Where has the time gone?
So...it's been awhile. Since I last wrote I got married, went on a wonderful honeymoon, moved, and started school and am now about halfway through. So, yeah, nothing new with me ;)
For all those who are not satisfied with my two line catch-up summary, I will go into more detail.
Jeff and I were married in St. George. We drove down to St George Thursday afternoon and had an amazing wedding dinner that night at the Black Bear Diner with the friends and family who had traveled all the way down to St. George for our sealing. I loved having such a small number of friends and family there because it was so much more intimate-every person there had made such an impact on our lives. Both of our parents came, as well as all of our siblings (minus Jeff's brother who is on a mission) and my sisters-in-law. We also had Jeff's grandma and grandpa Duerden, my grandma Ruggles, a few of our aunts and uncles, Jeff's childhood friend Matt, my amazing friends Holli, Caitlin, Laurel and her husband Phil, Britney and her husband Adam, Alli, and Lynzee. My mission president, who happens to live in St. George, and his wife also came to the dinner and sealing.
That night I barely slept, partly because half of my family was all staying in one small hotel room, and partly because I was so nervous for the next day. It was surreal to think that the following day my life would change forever. My dad gave me a wonderful father's blessing which brought me peace of mind and comfort as I started to get anxious about what a big decision this was.
The next morning I woke up at the ridiculous hour of 5 a.m. and left with my dad to go have my hair and makeup done. I sat in a chair for hours as Kelli transformed me from the walking dead to a bride. Once she was done, my family picked me up and we drove over to the St.George temple.
As Jeff and I sat in the waiting room next to the sealing room and watched as all our guests made their way to our sealing room. What was amazing about our sealing room is it is right off of the celestial room, so all of our guests were required to dress in white. It was a beautiful sight to walk into the sealing room and see a room full of our loved ones all in white. As corny as it sounds, it was like getting a glimpse of heaven, especially when considering the significance of the ordinance done in that particular room. Jeff and I sat down next to each other and listened as our sealer spoke about the sealing ordinance and the importance of the covenants we have made and would be making with each other. We then were asked to go kneel at the altar. Words can't describe how it felt to look across the altar and see Jeff and hear the words "I now pronounce you man and wife, legally married for time and all eternity." The wait was over, and were now married.
After the sealing we exchanged rings, and then we all left the room together. I was escorted back to the beautiful bride's room where my mom was supposed to meet me to help me get my wedding dress on. Yeah, she stood me up. I got the dress on by myself and the nice temple worker helped me hook it and put my veil on. I then walked out to the foyer and met up with Jeff. We waited for a bit and then walked outside to meet all our guests. And then came the most awkward moment of my life (which is saying a lot for me); all of our guests just continued to talk pictures with NO ONE coming to greet us. So Jeff and I stood there awkwardly as our pictures were taken 100+ times (I now understand better what celebrities must feel like...). After everyone decided to stop being awkward, we took a million pictures with our family and friends, doing our best to stay out of the blazing St. George heat. And then came the time to make the 4 hour drive back up to Salt Lake for our reception in Draper.
The reception was amazing and it was so great to see so many of our friends and family throughout the years. We had a candy buffet that was a huge success, as well as a photobooth. It was just the fun, casual reception we had hoped for. Apparently it was a little too casual because when it came time to cut our cake, turns out we had completely forgotten to get a knife to cut it. Being the resourceful person that he is, my dad offered us the back of a fork, and it actually got the job done. Word to the wise who are planning a wedding--don't waste money on a cake knife and server--the handle of any utensil works just fine.
Before we knew it, the reception was over and we were rushing to our car and driving away to go to our surprise honeymoon (courtesy of Jeff's parents) to Key West, FL, Cayman Islands, and Jamaica!! We flew out to Florida first and boarded the cruise ship there. It was absolutely amazing and better than any honeymoon I had ever imagined. We had a great time together and enjoyed all of the islands, even Jamaica where the people are far too pushy (but we found the secret to avoiding them is simply speaking French to each other and they leave you alone). The week flew by and before we knew it we were heading to Indiana for our second reception with Jeff's side of the family.
We got to Indiana really late because of a very delayed flight. Despite the late hour, Jeff insisted we head over to Steak and Shake because it is something he really misses from Indiana. So, at 11:30 at night, we ate dinner with his family. We then drove over to his grandparents Receveur's house and spent the night there. The next day we had another fun reception at his grandparents Deurden's backyard--this time instead of having a photobooth, we had a cotton candy machine :) I got to meet many of Jeff's relatives, which was way fun because usually we only see mine since we are in Utah.
The honeymoon was definitely over once we got home to Utah, since we both went back to work right after, and then school started. This semester has been crazy for both of us and hasn't allowed us to spend much time together, which makes those once-a-week temple nights and date nights highly anticipated. Jeff is an amazing husband and I am so thankful that things worked out the way they did for us because I can't imagine life without him. He is by far my better half.
For all those who are not satisfied with my two line catch-up summary, I will go into more detail.
Jeff and I were married in St. George. We drove down to St George Thursday afternoon and had an amazing wedding dinner that night at the Black Bear Diner with the friends and family who had traveled all the way down to St. George for our sealing. I loved having such a small number of friends and family there because it was so much more intimate-every person there had made such an impact on our lives. Both of our parents came, as well as all of our siblings (minus Jeff's brother who is on a mission) and my sisters-in-law. We also had Jeff's grandma and grandpa Duerden, my grandma Ruggles, a few of our aunts and uncles, Jeff's childhood friend Matt, my amazing friends Holli, Caitlin, Laurel and her husband Phil, Britney and her husband Adam, Alli, and Lynzee. My mission president, who happens to live in St. George, and his wife also came to the dinner and sealing.
That night I barely slept, partly because half of my family was all staying in one small hotel room, and partly because I was so nervous for the next day. It was surreal to think that the following day my life would change forever. My dad gave me a wonderful father's blessing which brought me peace of mind and comfort as I started to get anxious about what a big decision this was.
The next morning I woke up at the ridiculous hour of 5 a.m. and left with my dad to go have my hair and makeup done. I sat in a chair for hours as Kelli transformed me from the walking dead to a bride. Once she was done, my family picked me up and we drove over to the St.George temple.
As Jeff and I sat in the waiting room next to the sealing room and watched as all our guests made their way to our sealing room. What was amazing about our sealing room is it is right off of the celestial room, so all of our guests were required to dress in white. It was a beautiful sight to walk into the sealing room and see a room full of our loved ones all in white. As corny as it sounds, it was like getting a glimpse of heaven, especially when considering the significance of the ordinance done in that particular room. Jeff and I sat down next to each other and listened as our sealer spoke about the sealing ordinance and the importance of the covenants we have made and would be making with each other. We then were asked to go kneel at the altar. Words can't describe how it felt to look across the altar and see Jeff and hear the words "I now pronounce you man and wife, legally married for time and all eternity." The wait was over, and were now married.
After the sealing we exchanged rings, and then we all left the room together. I was escorted back to the beautiful bride's room where my mom was supposed to meet me to help me get my wedding dress on. Yeah, she stood me up. I got the dress on by myself and the nice temple worker helped me hook it and put my veil on. I then walked out to the foyer and met up with Jeff. We waited for a bit and then walked outside to meet all our guests. And then came the most awkward moment of my life (which is saying a lot for me); all of our guests just continued to talk pictures with NO ONE coming to greet us. So Jeff and I stood there awkwardly as our pictures were taken 100+ times (I now understand better what celebrities must feel like...). After everyone decided to stop being awkward, we took a million pictures with our family and friends, doing our best to stay out of the blazing St. George heat. And then came the time to make the 4 hour drive back up to Salt Lake for our reception in Draper.
The reception was amazing and it was so great to see so many of our friends and family throughout the years. We had a candy buffet that was a huge success, as well as a photobooth. It was just the fun, casual reception we had hoped for. Apparently it was a little too casual because when it came time to cut our cake, turns out we had completely forgotten to get a knife to cut it. Being the resourceful person that he is, my dad offered us the back of a fork, and it actually got the job done. Word to the wise who are planning a wedding--don't waste money on a cake knife and server--the handle of any utensil works just fine.
Before we knew it, the reception was over and we were rushing to our car and driving away to go to our surprise honeymoon (courtesy of Jeff's parents) to Key West, FL, Cayman Islands, and Jamaica!! We flew out to Florida first and boarded the cruise ship there. It was absolutely amazing and better than any honeymoon I had ever imagined. We had a great time together and enjoyed all of the islands, even Jamaica where the people are far too pushy (but we found the secret to avoiding them is simply speaking French to each other and they leave you alone). The week flew by and before we knew it we were heading to Indiana for our second reception with Jeff's side of the family.
We got to Indiana really late because of a very delayed flight. Despite the late hour, Jeff insisted we head over to Steak and Shake because it is something he really misses from Indiana. So, at 11:30 at night, we ate dinner with his family. We then drove over to his grandparents Receveur's house and spent the night there. The next day we had another fun reception at his grandparents Deurden's backyard--this time instead of having a photobooth, we had a cotton candy machine :) I got to meet many of Jeff's relatives, which was way fun because usually we only see mine since we are in Utah.
The honeymoon was definitely over once we got home to Utah, since we both went back to work right after, and then school started. This semester has been crazy for both of us and hasn't allowed us to spend much time together, which makes those once-a-week temple nights and date nights highly anticipated. Jeff is an amazing husband and I am so thankful that things worked out the way they did for us because I can't imagine life without him. He is by far my better half.
Monday, July 23, 2012
First set of groomals
So last Sunday I came home from church to an email from my photographer, stating she was clearing out her calendar because her father-in-law was diagnosed with brain cancer, and would therefore be unavailable to do our pictures that Wednesday. Needless to say I may or may not have had a meltdown. Yet another thing that seemed to be falling through last minute. My amazing roommates immediately went to work to search for a photographer in my price range that would be free that Wednesday--not an easy task! While they searched, Jeff and I went to our interview with my bishop. After he gave us some advice he had Jeff leave so we could do my temple recommend interview. Before he could even start I just started crying and asked him for a blessing because I had reached my limit. He gave me a beautiful blessing and immediately I felt so much calmer and knew things were going to work out.
And I'm happy to report they did! Holli got in contact with her freshman roommate who is a photographer and she was able to switch her schedule around to take our pictures Wednesday night. I was nervous about just going with a photographer who I hadn't really looked at their work, but Jeff and I were desperate. But I can't tell you how pleasantly surprised we were when she posted the first sneak peak to Facebook. It was EXACTLY what we had wanted and the picture looked flawless. And it just got better when she posted even more pictures later to her blog. We decided we liked her style so much better than our original photographer.
I was telling my dad about the chaos of trying to get our pictures done and how in the end it all worked out beautifully, and my dad just laughed and asked me when I would stop being so surprised when everything works out, since it always does in the end. How right he is. Time and time again Heavenly Father shows me who truly is in control, and I just need to learn to stop and remember that BEFORE I enter stress out mode.
Here's a sampling of our groomals from the amazing Lora Grady:
http://www.loragradyphotography.com/blog/2012/07/21/harmony-jeff-provo-wedding-photography/
And I'm happy to report they did! Holli got in contact with her freshman roommate who is a photographer and she was able to switch her schedule around to take our pictures Wednesday night. I was nervous about just going with a photographer who I hadn't really looked at their work, but Jeff and I were desperate. But I can't tell you how pleasantly surprised we were when she posted the first sneak peak to Facebook. It was EXACTLY what we had wanted and the picture looked flawless. And it just got better when she posted even more pictures later to her blog. We decided we liked her style so much better than our original photographer.
I was telling my dad about the chaos of trying to get our pictures done and how in the end it all worked out beautifully, and my dad just laughed and asked me when I would stop being so surprised when everything works out, since it always does in the end. How right he is. Time and time again Heavenly Father shows me who truly is in control, and I just need to learn to stop and remember that BEFORE I enter stress out mode.
Here's a sampling of our groomals from the amazing Lora Grady:
http://www.loragradyphotography.com/blog/2012/07/21/harmony-jeff-provo-wedding-photography/
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Stupid Murphy
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?
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?
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