Life

Well, the wedding is over...the honeymoon is over...I guess this is where real life begins.
It's hard to believe it's really over. The wedding was amazing! I loved the whole day and really only felt stressed once or twice. My bridesmaids were perfect and were there to take care of any little thing that I had a problem with. I loved being with Simon all day and just being happy and excited and celebrating with our friends and family (I realize that was kind of a run on sentence...oh well!). I had many favorite parts from that day, but here's a few highlights for the annuls of time:
* During the ceremony, I just remember staring into Simon's eyes the whole time. It felt like this really private intimate moment, then I'd realize that there was a whole room full of people staring at us and people taking pictures and stuff like that. It was weird but really nice all at the same time.

* The cake was......MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM! They were both so beautiful. The wedding cake was white with black decorations, and the groom's cake was chocolate with chocolate ganache spilling over the sides with chocolate curls on top and two flags (England and Texas) sticking out of the top. They looked amazing and tasted even more so. I wish we had some more!
* I loved dancing with Simon. I've always loved dancing with him, but being all dressed up and knowing that we had just committed our lives to each other made it that much more special. I really just wanted to do that all night (well, that and eat cake).
* We walked away (instead of driving) since our hotel was right across the street. As we walked past a restaurant with tons of people eating outside, they all began clapping. It was so amazing! I felt like I was famous!!!
* Monday morning we headed out to the airport and found out where we were going on our honeymoon...Puerto Vallarta! It was so beautiful and we had such a good time.

And here we are...back to life, back to reality. I'm looking for a job (not very hard, but looking none-the-less). Simon's back to work. It stinks to be away from him all day, but I guess someone has to pay the bills! Married life is great and I highly recommend it! We're getting settled and figuring things out. It's an adventure...for sure! I'm just glad I get to take my best friend with me.

Wedding Prep

Alright, so tonight I tried my dress on, completely, for the first time since the fitting after the adjustments. (I tried it on then and it fit just fine.) Anyway, my mom came in and...

could not get the zipper up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hadn't been too worried about it fitting since it laces up in the back and I hadn't had any problems with the zipper before. So, she got it up about half way.

Needless to say......I'm basically not going to eat for the next week and a half! I figure it's a small price to pay to fit into the dress I paid way too much for. ;)

I'm having some deja vu...

About seven years ago, my brother was getting married and his wonderful Carla asked me to be a bridesmaid. The dress arrived about 2 1/2 weeks before the wedding. It had two pieces and I got the skirt on just fine. However, the top was quite a bit too tight. So, I began eating nothing for breakfast or lunch except homemade fruit smoothies (basically fruit and ice). Also, I'm pretty sure that there were quite a few trips to the gym.

So, it's back to the wedding diet for me. Good thing I have the time. Well, wish me luck!!!!

The only thing that stays the same...

Change is an interesting thing. I moved a lot growing up and love moving around. I enjoy change. In fact, I get bored with things fairly quickly. So, I'm excited about the next step in my life. On Friday, I will head out of the state of Utah and back to the state that I love. I'm also excited because it's one step closer to marrying the love of my life. Just three weeks after getting back to Texas, we will tie the knot. I can't wait to begin our life together.
On the other hand, change means leaving things behind. Today I turned in my pass and key at work. I said good bye to a few people at the school (crazy people at school during their one week off!) and drove away for the last time. For the past 11 months, I have practically lived at that school. I have grown to love and appreciate my co-workers. I learned a lot in that building. I'm so grateful for the experience that was given to me.
I've also spent all week packing up my apartment. I've really enjoyed living alone. It's been quite the experience living on my own this past year. I love my place. It's been an exciting year...quite the roller coaster. It's hard to think about leaving it all behind.
So, as shocked as I am to hear myself saying this, I am going to miss this place. Utah is a beautiful place with so much to offer and experience. Again, don't get me wrong...I am thrilled to be moving on with my life. I know that there is much more excitement and joy in the future, which I am so looking forward to. But at this time, I pause to reflect on the greatness that was my time in Utah.

The Greatest Surprise I will Ever Pull Off...

So, this past Thursday (June 18) was Simon's birthday. For about a month, I had been planning to visit him for the weekend....without him knowing. Obviously, I had to get a few people involved (rides from the airport, figuring out plans for the weekend, etc) and every person I told made me more and more nervous. I was sure that one of them would slip and he would find out. Also, I am a terrible liar and had to work really hard to convince him that I was so upset that I was going to miss his birthday. I lived in almost constant fear of saying something like, "My mom and I are planning to....this weekend" or "I talked to Kim about Saturday night and she said...." Thankfully, I made it and never let anything slip. I was still unsure about everyone else. I was a little afraid that Simon had found out and that he was still playing along for my sake.
So, Thursday morning, I drove down to Salt Lake and boarded a plane for Dallas. I texted Simon a nice "happy birthday" message (which could have easily been done from school) and headed on my way. Shortly after arriving in Dallas, I received a text from him saying that he was having a terrible day (on his birthday, no less!) and it was awful! I wanted to call him to reassure him but I'm pretty sure that would have given away the fact that I wasn't at school. So, I met up with Kim and we headed to Simon's office.
One of my other fears was that Simon would be in a long afternoon meeting and wouldn't be around to casully spot me. His desk looks out into the atrium in his building, so my plan was to walk up to the window and stand there until he spot me. I walked up and....no Simon! I looked into the office and finally spotted him in his boss's office with a few others. There was another guy standing between him and I, totally blocking his view. I stood patiently, debated going to the water fountain and coming back, and moved around to attract a little more attention. Finally, someone else walked by a few times and, I guess, mentioned to the people in the office that they had a "fan" at the window. After a couple of mentions, the guy between Simon and I finally moved and he saw the person in the window. I watched as his face went from total confusion, to utter shock, to finally relief. He came out and gave me a ginormous hug. He was shocked and dazed. Even 15 minutes later, he was unable to express himself in words and complete sentences.
I was utterly thrilled with the success of the surprise. We had a wonderful weekend together, celebrating his birthday and father's day with both of our families, hanging out with friends, and just being together. I love that man! When we're together, it's a wonderful thing.

Kids say....

So, the other day I took my kids out to recess and returned to find a student still in my classroom. I wasn't too concerned since they occasionally stay in and I'm cool with that. This particular student is great, so I just went about my work and let him do his thing. I noticed that he had taken a piece of paper out of the recycling bin and had torn off a small strip (long and narrow). He then proceeded to walk around the room, stop occasionally, and write something down. I grew curious and asked what he was doing. He told me that he was going to walk around the room and write down the names of everyone in our class. Then, when he would play with someone at recess, he would make a tally mark next to their name. He said that he wanted to make sure that he played with everyone.
He was so matter-of-fact about it, but I was so impressed. He has a very kind and gentle soul. He was so excited about making sure that he played a little with everyone. As I watched him continue to write down names on his paper, I felt a little tingle go up my spine. What a truly special child!

Because I know that everyone is dying to read an infinite number of posts about my wedding plans...

Alright, so I realize that no one is really interested in a daily (or even weekly for that matter) account about my wedding plans. But, I feel like writing about them, so here I go.
I actually feel like I've paid a lot of attention to wedding planning this weekend. I think that my attention got turned because of the bridal shower. As a result, I've thought about registries, thank you notes, and a whole host of other things. Also, I'm trying to make sure that the announcements get out on time, so Kim (my maid-of-honor) and I will be working on putting announcements together this weekend. As a result, I've had to think about photographs and addresses.
I am, most definitely, a list person. I thrive when I have a list organizing the things I need to do. Thus, my wedding will be full of lists. I began making them long ago and have only continued through the process. Today I began making lists about the time near the wedding day, as well as the wedding day itself. It's fun for me to keep things in order and think about the things that will be happening that week and the day itself. It's getting me all kinds of excited.
Unfortunately, I'm here, teaching, for another four weeks. It won't be too bad. It's kinda weird to be winding things up. But it's good. I'm ready to finish out the year and move on. I've loved my time here, but "now it's time to say good-bye".

Back in the Saddle

Hi everyone!
It has been a very long long time since I wrote and much has happened. First, I moved to Utah where I've been teaching second grade. I love living here. It is so beautiful! Just the other day, I set of on a driving adventure, touring parts of my city that I hadn't even been in yet. I just kept looking around at the mountains and the Great Salt Lake and kept thinking how beautiful they are. I'm gonna be sad when I have to leave them....
But not too sad because I'm leaving to be in the same state with my honey....and to get ready to get married. I'm certainly excited about that, even if it means leaving the beauty of Utah for the amazingness of Texas. I miss Texas...and Simon.
Anyway, life is good. Wedding plans are coming along. I had my first bridal shower yesterday. The wonderful ladies I work with put it all together and it was so much fun! It was just an open house type during lunch at the school. It was fun to feel so loved. Next on the list of wedding plans to conquer is invitations. Hopefully I can get them done next weekend and sent out not too much longer after that. That's the goal anyway.
Well, I suppose that's about all the highlights. I'm gonna keep more on top of this now, so watch for more updates!