Hello!!!

Hello Blogging World!
So I've been stuck in this mindset that if I don't have the pictures ready and the right mood and words to write, I shouldn't blog. The last 2 weeks without internet at home has changed that belief! So I obviously still need to write about that kind of big, important day we had 2 1/2 months ago, but for now, I'm just going to catch up a bit.
Josh and I had a wonderful wedding. It seemed perfect to me and that belief didn't tarnish when friends and family started telling me how many things went wrong after our weekend in Springdale. It was my perfect day and I'll never forget it. I'm very grateful for good friends who hid the weather, a car accident, a broken frame, and drama from me all day long!
Springdale was in a word, perfect. The room was beautiful and we had such a great time relaxing and decompressing that I forgot to take pictures of it. Oh well. Our hotel was nestled between the Court of the Patriarchs and West Temple and the weather was sunny and balmy despite the disastrous storm in Cedar the night before. Matt, Ashley, Andy, and Jan gave us a couples massage for our wedding. I knew I needed one and had tried in vain all week to get one, but Josh had no idea what he was missing! We agreed after that it was a perfect gift!
We checked out two days later and had a lovely breakfast with Jake and Ashley before they jetted back to Chicago.
Josh and I settled into what should have been quiet domesticity but our lives have not slowed down! Rather they accelerate daily and I'm still fighting against time to get our thank-you notes out!
Well, that's all for now. More to follow.

16 Days!!!

We're almost there!
And no, I don't have time to blog.
The To-Do List seems to get longer, not shorter.
Why is that?

So for those who don't know, we didn't get the sealing clearance approved so we're having a civil ceremony. Obviously it's a little different than what I always thought it would be, but I'm very happy and still so excited! However, this does throw a whole new wrench into my already extremely overheated gears because I've never thought much about planning a ceremony so it's a whole new adventure! I've been watching wedding movies while I assemble favors and beg for addresses to get ideas and keep the stress to a minimum. I think we're almost there, but I'm sure I've forgotten something!
I'm excited for everything that will happen on March 13th, marrying my best friend and the best man I could ever hope to spend forever with is obviously number 1, but next on the list is definitely having all my friends and family gather together. I love parties and gatherings because there's something very sweet and heartwarming about seeing all my friends reunite and my cousins play together. It makes me really, really happy and I'm so excited to see so many loved ones all together...in 16 Days!

Random Ramblings

It's a really good thing Josh and agree on just about everything, or this whole plan a wedding thing would be oodles harder.

I'm trying to be patient for the Sealing Clearance...but I just found out the time I wanted is taken. A month ago this would have been a trainwreck (well, I guess I would be a trainwreck), but I'm not, because I think I'm finally learning a concept that I've struggled with since birth: If I can't control it...I don't need to freak out about it. Imagine that! Not freaking out about things I can't change!! Whoa!

I had a girl at work be extremely rude to me on Saturday. I didn't show the girls that I was upset, but it really bugged me because she and I have had a good relationship in the past. I have to admit, it kinda ruined my night.
She gave me a very tender apology yesterday. It was nice.

For something so destructive and scary as blizzards and rainstorms, they sure leave a beautiful footprint in their wake!

I really suck at returning phone calls. Once I set a goal to not let the time between a call and a return call exceed 2 days. It worked for about a month. I feel really bad about it. It might be a new resolution.

Well..that's all folks!!

The Lovely Bones

Despite a long night of creepy Stanley Tucci-infused dreams, I found The Lovely Bones deeply moving and at the same time emotionally harrowing. I had an intense emotional reaction to Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz's brilliantly human portrayal of how it might feel to lose a child to a brutal murder. I identified with the main character's quest for understanding, closure, and peace. The effects were stunning but not pretentious and the cameo performances were great. As it turns out, Susan Sarandon plays a great crazy, drunkard of a grandma. The movie had all of the technical lovelies of a horror film, but without gore, pop-outs, and blood, so it was unnervingly suspenseful, but not necessarily scary. The movie had heart. I loved it. Go see it.

It's a good thing.

Today I experienced a lovely feeling. Balance. I love balance. At Sunrise, when the girls graduate they select a word that defines their experience at Sunrise or their lives in general or just their personality. Mine would be Balance. Today I had the blissful feeling of balance between solid fun and sweet productivity.
Bobbe (Josh's mom) and I had what Josh and his dad called a "marathon shopping day." We shopped for twelve hours for invitations, material for the bridesmaid sashes, material for the quilt she's making for us, her dress for the wedding, groceries, ribbons, engagement-picture outfits, and much, much more. We fulfilled the productivity quota by completing our entire list and then some, but we also had such a blast! I had so much fun looking at tons of fabric and ribbon and decor and my natural zeal for color went into hyper overdrive in almost every quilt store in St. George. Bobbe taught me that my eyes were going crazy because the color POPS
and she needed me to focus on patterns and designs too, which I eventually did.

I called Josh when we got home and filled him in on the day. He was astounded by all we accomplished and when I told him how fun it was he remarked, "It's a good thing you and my mom like each other so much!" I kind of stopped and thought about it and realized it really is a good thing we like each other! I've loved Josh's parents since the day I met them, and I realized (again) today how lucky I am that we get along so well and that Bobbe and I aren't like so many mothers and daughters-in-law who can't stand dinner with each other, let alone twelve hours of shopping! :)