Tuesday, February 24, 2009

September 27, 2008

September 27, 2008 is when Brett & I got married. We were engaged for a whopping 9 months, and while it made planning easier, I wouldn't reccomend it to anyone! It is just way too much time for anyone to be scrutinizing tiny details that one day really won't matter (i.e. the flavors of each cake teir, the exact green color for the linens, ties, ect, exactly what time the flower girls will strut down the aisle . . .) I'm sure Brett will never forget the days of me stressing over the tiny stuff, or falling asleep during movies from thinking too hard. But I still enjoyed planning the whole thing, none the less. I even had a little, well big, binder that I hauled around with tips, pointers, do's and donts', plus all of my vendor info & color samples & everything else. But, as I learned, you can only be in control & plan for so long because when that big day finally comes, you're just along for the ride, and you just have to hope that everyone else follows "the plan". What I will say is that it is actually kinda sad, I mean I spent so much time planning & worrying that everything wouldn't be "just right", I kinda lost sight of what I was planning, ya know? And it's something I kinda lost sight of until like the day of, and then it was like, " oh yeah, I'm marrying the guy of my dreams today, I love him, I'm so excited I can barely stand it, and who cares if my hair is perfect or the DJ doesn't play the right songs or heaven forbid it should rain? I get to marry him today, and life goes on beyond today!"
Speaking of rain, on that day, the clouds were threatening us. And it was something to worry about, because we had planned an outdoor wedding. Months before had I had found a website (something to do with NASA maybe?) which could tell you aprx. how the weather would be on any given day in the future, along with what time the sun would set in your area, ect. I followed it like a religion and was assured it wouldn't even sprikle. Yet coem September 27, the skies were cloudy & stormy looking, and throughout the day I would just keep chanting, please don't rain, please don't rain, please . . . It actually sprinkled a few hours before, way to go weather people, as usual! Luckily it did not rain during the ceremony.
I was also running a little late for my own wedding, everyone was waiting & ready & I was still trying to shove my dress on . . . but as my photographer reminded me, they really couldn't start without me. And after all the months of planning, everything really did turn out "perfect" and beautiful. I mean yeah, the cake was slightly crooked, I wasn't really happy with my hair, and we didn't get all that specific pictures we wanted, but it was perfect anyway. I will never forget how his face looked as I walked down the aisle, it may sound cliche but he was all I could see. And Judge Eves did such a wonderful job with the ceremony. My most favorite part of the day was the ceremony, and after it was said and done, Brett & I walked back down the aisle & we had that little moment, that feeling of, "We did it!" --though it wasn't quite suken in yet!(See picture 1 above)
After that the evening was even more of a whirlwind, we didn't get one bite of the food, I didn't get a gulp of the lemonade or whatever it was. The one thing I did get a bit of was the cake. And by the way, we made a pact not to shove it in each others faces! Of course the crowd told us to though! But we walked away clean. And the cake was so good! Hope our frozen piece still tastes good in 6 months! lol Our first dance was to "Pretty Lady" by Kalai. It was beautiful. The bridesmaids were beautiful & I still love their dresses, and they all helped me so much that day (and the night before--Cami! Cami stayed up until well past 1:00 am the night before, creating flowergirl baskets & giving advice) with everything from decorating to support to helping with my huge train. But even 5 months later, while it was all beautiful, I couldn't be happier than knowing that I truly am his now, and we have our new little life together with more adventures to come.

Another Birthday

Brett's 20th birthday was August 20th 2008. Yes, he is a year younger than me, if you didn't already know. Anyhow, his mom had a party for him with all the fam. memebers. He got tons of movies, clothes ect. I got him an old school super nintendo---mario is the best & Brett wasn't going to have a gaming system when we got married, because the playstation is the families. I also got him clothes & movies. It was a fun time, and I can't wait until August 2009 because then it will be my turn to throw the party at our own little home!



This is the new tool belt his parents got for him. I think it is sexy & am always begging him to wear it home one of these days . . . still no luck.

Blowing out the candles . . . check out Chris's face . . . too funny ^
Aren't I good? All 3 fast & furious-es-es . . . . .

And a hat . . .

Opening his super nintendo & realizing what it is.
Please note that at the time my camera was still new to me & I didn't know all the functions. So it was acting up & took a ton of blurry pictures :(




Wedding Planning & Dress Confusion

Wedding planning can be a blast, most of the time. But when it all comes together in the end it's worth every ounce of time & work. I actually changed my colors once, my dress choice 3 times, wedding location & time twice! Here's some pictures I ran across from the planning process . . .

Assembling invitations . . . the two of us made an assembly line.
I never thought it would take so long! Oh, and finding people's addresses
and stamping & licking envelopes is time consuming too!


This is me @ Brett's house, putting our pictures together for our slideshow. We had so many pictures, and Brett's mom actually paid for the slideshow, so she had to pay extra just because of how many pictures we had. But it turned out really cute!

This is my first wedding gown that I almost ordered, only in the ivory color not white. I absolutely loved it. The problem started when I started to notice that a whole lot of other people liked this "rueshed" or bunched style, including my cousin Laci. I hadn't attended her wedding, but when I saw pictures of her beautiful dress, I decided to do something different. Didn't want to copy :) But I so did love this one . . .
This is the second dress I gravitated to. It wasn't in stock yet, because it was a new design. I had only seen it in a catalogue but really liked the Cinderella, poofy princess look of it. Also loved the corset detail in the back, and I don't know if you can see it in the pic but it also has layers of lace all over. When it came in stock & I tried it on, I decided against it. Some things are just very different in person, and when worn on a different person.
This was my final dress (yes these two pictures are of me). I loved this dress becaue it was unique. It has an amazing, big, pleated train and lots of beaded detailing. Believe it or not though, I actually had the style of dress changed. But this is the finished product. Too bad you pay so much money just for them to sit in a closet, eh? And by the way some of my indecisive-ness on this issue was due to the fact that I worked in a bridal store and had the opportunity to try on & look at any dress I wanted, any day!
Oh, and this dress was due to come out a couple of months after my wedding. In all honesty, and I know this is bad, but I almost think I would have chosen this one, had I had the choice. But it wasn't even in stores yet. And I do still love my real dress :)























My 21st Birthday--July 23, 2008







The same week as my family bridal shower was my 21st birthday. Ever seen the movie enchanted? I freaking love it lol so Janet bought me an ice cream cake with an "Enchanted" picture on it. We had enchilladas (yum!) & I opened some presents. Brett went shopping for my presents that very day, which is typical (he'll tell mehe does it so that I won't find out what they are, but I know better). Anyhow he got me a new digital camera & a memory card that holds 700 pictures (no joke), so sweet! The funny thing is that I am always begging for a puppy. Badly want one. So he thought it would be funny to leave my present outside. He came in & got me & told me it couldn't wait, I had to "open" my present early & that it was outside. I was thinking maybe, just maybe he got me a little puppy! We head ouside & sitting on the porch is my new camera in a Wal-Mart bag, along with Mac-n-Cheese crackers. Nice wrap job honey! He got me the crackers 'cause I saw them on t.v. & wanted to try them. The crackers were kinda sick, camera was great. Thanks honey! He told me afterward that he considered wrapping my presents in a blanket with a little leash hanging out. Cruel, don't push your luck, hon. Funny story about being 21 . . . . So Brett's family & I were at AppleBees one night. I decided I wanted to order a "beverage" just for the sake of ordering it. I told the nice waiter that I wanted a Mudslide. Looking confused he says, "Oh do you mean you want a sundae?" I said, "No, I want that mudslide right there." Still looking confused he says, "You mean a virgin mudslide?" I then repiled, "No, I don't want a virgin. I want that one." Looking troubled, he finally asks for my i.d. It was pretty hillarious, but not too surprising since I look young for my age.

Bridal Shower . . . April 2008











When I was in the beggining stages of planning my wedding I asked my good friend Mandy Wing to be my Maid of Honor. She agreed, and I was so excited for her to help me with it all. A few months later Mandy felt she needed to go on a mission. She put in her papers and got called to Japan! She is in Japan right now, as I type! I was very excited for her soon to be amazing experience & know she is doing a great job out there. SO brave. Since she was scheduled to leave for the MTC in June, and my wedding was to be in September, she obviously could no longer be my moh. But she is still an honary bridesmaid to me! My mother in law & Brett's grandma were planning a bridal shower for July (see previous blog), and I was bummed that Mandy, Cami (whose husband's job keeps them on the go during the summer), Lundi (who was going to China for a semester, couldn't come to the later shower. So they threw me a very early shower in April (April showers . . . ha). There were only a few of us but it was very fun. I got a few "naughtier" gifts that prob. would have been embarrasing in front of family. It was held at Pizza Factory----oh so yummy! It was a fun little get together, thanks so much guys! P.S. Cami, I had to borrow some pictures from your blog because I didn't have my copies scanned, thanks :)

Bridal Shower . . . July 2008


Brett's Grandma Malachowski really wanted to throw me a bridal shower, so her & my mother in law did it. They did such an awesome job, but that's only to be expected considering Brett's grandma spent months planning it, doing things such as tying little ribbons around mini sawns necks (they held the favors) crocheting (spell) dresses for birdemaids dolls & bride, finding games, making little prizes, ect. She is so cute. Brett's mom hosted the party & invited tons, I mean tons of friends & family. Brett's Aunt Dara & kids came all the way from Missouri for it, because they couldn't make it for the wedding. Brett's other Aunt Cindy & kids came too, along with Brett's other Grandma Barbara. So it was a house full of people. And the kids even helped to decorte. Janet also ordered a cute cake with our picture on it & bought balloons to tie on my chair. I am so grateful for both of them for doing this & many other things for us. The guys were all supposed to go downstairs & play pool or watch movies in the theater, but somehow they never made it down there! So there were a few awkward presents to open in front of guys, but we mainly got loads of kitchen & home stuff. Seriously, we got a housefull of presents, all of the presents filled half of Brett's room & some of the pantry. I also got my ring back that very same day. If you're wondering what I mean, my diamond was loose & they couldn't tighten it, so they had to make me a brand new ring. It took a month or so for them to make it, and I was so excited that it came in just in time for the shower. We had a great time & are so thankful for everyone's thoughtfulness. Thanks Janet & Camille!!
















Me & my new ring, finally!



Kylee helping me open one of the many presents


The pretty little dolls Brett's Grandma Camille
made--she is so sweet!



Me with some of our presents. Including the deep fryer
Janet & Chris got us so I can make yummy eggrolls!
!

Brett's cousins & I watching "Little Mermaid" before the guests came.

Brett & I

The kids deorated this banister. Cute.

One of the games Camille thought up.





























Fun in the Sun--July 2008


Looks posed, but it was really more of an, "I caught you"
picture. Which could explain why he doesn't look too
thrilled . . .


Brett's youngest brother, Anothony



Brett's parents

Brett's Grandma's husband, Chris & his brother on one of the seadoos.

Brett's mom, Janet, Brett, & his brother Mathew

Mathew, ready to go tubbing, which I was not brave enough to do!

My water shoes, it's very rocky so you have to wear them when you're out in the water. I got them out of the kids section, which is why they're pink!

I look sick in this pic, but we'd just spent an entire day at the lake
& were hot, exhausted & sun baked! :)

I love this picture, we took it on the
boat at the end of the day.

Out in the water . . . when your feet can't touch the ground
I always have flashbacks of movies like "Jaws" & get nervous,
even though, yes, I am aware there aren't any sharks in freshwater lakes.
So, Brett's Grandma Barbara (mom's side) owns a river house on the Colorado river which is on the border of Laughlin, NV (can't spell) and Bullhead City AZ. Every summer Brett & his younger brothers go & have fun in the water & sweltering heat. They've got a house boat & seadoos & tubes . . . I didn't get to go last time, so July was my first time. It sounded fun so I was pretty excited to go. Little did I know that it is like way below sea level so it is a sweltering HOT HOT HOT pit. So you spend a lot of time running around in swimsuits & tank tops, I made the mistake of packing jeans . . . ha, yeah right! It was so much fun though, it was also my first time on a seadoo, and that was pretty mch my favorite! The guys also went fishing, and caught a cat fish & some others. We spent our evenings huddled under AC & fans, along with BBQs. One morning Brett's Grandma made us a HUGE wonderful breakfast with pancakes, all kinds of fruits, whpped cream, toast ect (she's famous for that). We also spent most of our time on Lake Mojave which is actually the best for seadoos. All in all it was a pretty great time, check out some of our pictures & see for yourself!