Wedding Preview

Just a few of the centerpieces for the reception!!

So i know that everyone in the world is DYING to know what kind of flowers will be at my wedding and all of the other many details that have gone into my dream wedding..... No? Well i will share anyway. My mom has a student who is from Dubai and he is a master florist! So instead of doing real flowers and worrying about the availability of flowers and colors and if they will wilt in 100 degree weather, we decided to have Mustafa do the flowers. He has done a fabulous job! We have tons of centerpieces and bouquets and boutonnieres strewn about the house, but thanks to Mustafa everything is finished ahead of schedule and is beautiful. I think everything else is pretty much finished... cupcake tasting, dress fitting, venue checks, and rentals! Now we just have to wait it out! I am SOOO glad we didn't have the wedding right after school! I think I would have gone insane! We have already had the chance to spend time with family and enjoy the amazing weather we have had here in Florida. I am sure the next two weeks will be crazy, but it will all pay off!

The Temple

This is my mom, me, Derek and his mom

So last Saturday I had the chance to go to the Orlando Florida Temple. It was an amazing experience that i had the chance to share with my parents, Derek and my wonderful future-in-laws. It was a long and somewhat stressful morning, but it ended up being perfect! Afterward we all enjoyed some Panera and Derek slept the whole ride home :) I feel so blessed to have the fullness of the gospel in my life and to have to opportunity to learn and to attend the temple!

Insomnia

So i have inherited many great things from my mother: I love to talk, work, read, laugh, watch corny chick flicks and i love to teach. However, along with those attributes, I have discovered that I have also inherited some of her quirks: claustrophobia, organization skills, migraines and yes... insomnia!! I remember coming home as a teenager and thinking my mom really just wanted to wait up for me at 2 in the morning. Now I understand that it wasn't about me as much as it was about the fact that she would wake up ten times in the night. It really isn't too bad when I am in the middle of the semester and totally exhausted from work, school and life. But since i froze my gym membership and decided to start sleeping so i passed finals, i have found myself in a world full on online TV, blog stalking, and obsessively packing and repacking what i think i might need for the next forty five days of my life, all in the middle of the night. However, despite the long nights alone in my thoughts, I have found that the extra time i have is going to good use. I have come up with clever ideas for organizing our ridiculously small and closetless house, reviewed more than ever for my finals, and gotten myself EXTREMELY excited for my upcoming wedding! I review all of the little details... hoping that it will all come together somehow! Sometimes i cant believe it has been almost six months since we got engaged! I keep forgetting that i didn't always know that Derek was the one, even though i think my family swears they did. I guess what this all comes down too is that despite the fact that i am up at 3 am with just my thoughts, my thoughts always seem to come back to the biggest blessing in my life, my future hubby! Derek is funny, smart, witty, talented, and always strives to be the best person he can be... He really makes all of the hard times seem easier and is a saint for putting up with me! I cant wait until May 23rd!

The New Place

As of March 3rd, Derek and I officailly have an apartment! Dont worry, we dont live there yet, but we have had the chance to move in the furniture we have bought and get some of the things that we have all moved in. Its humble, but we love it! Here are some pictures of the place!

Updates

So I have been a total slacker lately when it comes to the blog. Life has been keeping me so busy! Between school, wedding planning, Derek and not wanting to do anything but be with Derek, I have found myself with very little time. In summary, here is what we have been up too.

1. Finding our first apartment! Yes, we found the place we will be living and I cant tell you how excited I am. For any of you who have ever looked for married housing in Provo, you know why I am thanking Heavenly Father everynight we found a place. Within a week, Derek and I looked at over ten apartments and they were either uninhabitable, werent renting for the summer, or already taken. I spent day and night on craigslist, and felt like giving up. The last night we went to three houses and the first wouldnt have fit a couch, let alone a bed. The second had a washer and dryer in place of a dishwasher in the kitchen and smelled like mold. The third house, was GOLD!!! We walked in and right away fell in love! Dont get me wrong, its small and the washer and dryer are in the bathroom not the kitchen, but it is perfect for just the two of us and just in our price range! It is connected to a house i Orem about three miles from campus. It was such an answer to my anxious prayers!

2. Furnishing our first house. I was a little worried that once we found a place, I would have to do all of the work in finding furniture and making it look like a home, but Derek has been wonderful! Our last few date nights have consisted of us with our note pads sitting in the ailse at Target, Wal-Mart, IKEA and D.I. trying to figure out what looks half decent and is in our price range. We have so much fun just dreaming about what the house will look like. We cant wait to move in.

3. Figuring out what "finances" really are. Derek's ward advertised a seminar that BYU is hosting that povides financial advise and knowledge to any BYU students. So, for a whole $6 and three thursdays, we signed up. It has been so good for us to learn about 401K's, taxes, budget and for me to learn that clothes at Target cant fall into the necessary category of my budget anymore. We have really set goal and learned about each other's familys and lifestyles in a suprisingly low stress atmosphere. It has been so good for me to set goals and realize that although Derek may like my shirt, he will like dinner that night even more :)

5. Planning a wedding in Florida from Utah. I dont think I really need to elaborate, but for any of you who know me well, I am struggling with the whole not being able to make sure everything looks just right problem. I dont know what I would do without email and cellphones. So far everything is falling into place and I know it will be beautiful. I am so grateful to my mom and future mother-in-law who are being more helpful then I could have ever dreamed.

4. Falling in Love. I know its cheesy, but honestly, I feel like most of my time is spent learning about Derek and caring more for him. I am sure we are still in the "honeymoon phase," but I feel like we are really coming to know each other and accept each other, whatever that may entail.

5. Being Grateful. I have to add this in last because I know that everything that Derek and I have is a gift from our Heavenly Father. I am so grateful for his continuous love and presence in my life. I am so grateful to have found a honest, good man who will take me to the temple to be sealed for time and eternity. What more could I really ask for!

So that is the last month in a nutshell! Sorry for the lack of graphic excitement!

Engagement Pictures

While we were in Florida we had the chance to take our engagement pictures. Neither Derek or I love to have our picture taken, but we did our best to stick it out for an hour. Luckily we got a few keepers!

Our Chrsitmas

This year Derek and I got to celebrate Christmas several times. I think my favorite was our own Christmas which we celebrated in Provo before going back to Florida. It was so fun to sit around the tree and exchange the games we had gotten for each other. I got Derek Mancala, one of my favorites, Connect Four, his favorite, and Scrabble. Derek got me Pictionary and to my suprise a digital photo frame was inside! Its a perfect addition to our growing collection of things for our house. We are so blessed and I am so glad I had the chance to spend Christmas with the boy I love!