11-22

We went to a wedding reception this past Saturday that was truly wonderful. I love weddings because they are full of love. Everytime I go to a wedding it always makes me reminence on our wedding day, which was perfect if I do say so myself! So todays post on love is the expanded version of what happened on our wedding day. I think it's important to write down what happened on your special day because lets face it, 50 years from now are you really going to remember the little things that made your day extra special?

My day started with only four hours of sleep...if that. I spent the night in our new apartment sleeping in my bed with my best friend who drove up from college to spend the day with me. I didn't expect to sleep at all that night but someone sleep did come but was short lived by my alarm at 5:30 (p.s. even the day of my wedding I wanted to hit snooze). My brother Tad, who was so awesome to us that day, picked me up 'round 6:15 and took me to th store to get a sprite, turns out I don't have nerves of steel and was nervous. We headed to my parents very crowded house where my dad was cooking my favorite breakfast, my cousin Lea was doin' my do, and my Mac girl, Sarah, was doin' my makeup. I couldn't eat. My stomach was doing flips and it wasn't because I was scared or nervous...I was anxious. Today was going to be the day that the rest of my life (and then some) was going to start.

I don't remember what time I left the house or much of the drive up there. I just remember having so much thanks in my heart that it wasn't raining and that I was going to get to see David in a few short moments. I wish we would have driven to the Temple together. I would have been so much better for my anxiety. I FINALLY got to see David as I got out of the car inn front of the Temple. Right then and there everything was at peace. Nothing mattered anymore except that he and I were there together. Shortly after we were together we were split up again so we could go change. I was now elated. I was so happy and wished that it would have happened faster because I wanted to be back to David! When we were both ready we went into waiting room where just him and I got to stand. He saw me for the first time all done up and on his face was nothing but love. He later confessed to me that they (his escort and father) left him there alone for 5 minutes where he started to worry if I was going to show up!

We were sealed that day together as man and wife for time and eternity. A blessing that is so amazing that there is few words that can be formed to discribe it. I think for each person trying to describe that most gracious blessing it's different too. No two couples feel the same thing.

After it was all done and said we were ready to party. I didn't want our wedding to be remembered for anything normal or stereotypical (especially LDS weddings!!! heehee). I wore rainboots under that big ole' poofy dress as did all my girls. I planned for a November Washington wedding but instead got an early fall wedding, it was chilly but gorgiously blue outside! I don't remember being cold as we endured a LOOOONG photo shoot but everyone else says it was freezing. My heart was on fire with love and nothing was going to stop it!

We had an odd lunch host by my inlaws. We ate at a restaurant in Federal Way where no one had really ate before. Sad to say, they assigned only one waitress to a party of 50. Not smart. David and I again didn't eat anything because we were having too much fun talking and giggling with everyone, and of course, not leaving each others sides.

At this point something happened that is still a big secret to my family because they would have MURDERED us if they found out. My best friend on the whole wide west coast did something for us. She went and got us RED Slurpees which we throughly enjoyed in the backseat of my moms car. I had angels looking out for my poofy white dress that day because not a drop of the blood red Slurpee landed outside my mouth! We guzzled them down and headed to our apartment so I could grab a few last minute items that we were going to be needed for our honeymoon. My friends, my brother, and the two of us had to be quite a scene rolling up to our one bedroom where we laughed inside for an hour. It's not everyday you have a newlywedded couple laying on the floor in the full wedding get up.

Our reception was everything I wanted and more. It wasn't sterotypical. It wasn't in a church cultural hall. We didn't have cream puffs! We danced. We laughed. We hugged. We didn't eat( haha!). We were elated by all the love shown to us. Normally for an LDS wedding reception you expect about half the people you invite to show up. We far surpassed that number. The little Point Defiance Pagoda was bursting at the seams and we will forever be eternally gratiful for every single person who showed up. I remember seeing people I love from every stage of my life in that small former train station. My oldest elementary school friends, my high school teacher, every young womens leader who served me, my team fubar boys, college besties, all my secondary mothers, and so many more! It's a blessing to share the more important day of my life with all of these people who helped shaped me into the person I am. I know David was also gratiful. We were in such a state of shock. It was surreal. The whole evening flew by so fast. Before we knew it my dad told us to go change and we left. Just as quickly as it started, it ended. But it wasn't really the end. Maybe of that night but as we walked out I thought "this is going to be the best adventure ever!" And you know what? Two years, One month and twenty-six days later it still is.

**As a side note: I don't even know how my wedding was put together. I planned every tiny detail out on paper and gave so many assignments to willing people but when it came to the day of I didn't do anything. I said nothing to the people who served us, gave no directions, added no input. It was a miracle. Years of knowing awesome people paid off. I swear the people who helped (family and friends) are all miracle workers. They knew every little detail that I wanted. I was so blessed that I was able to wear my poofy dress all day and just prance around like a princess. To all those people: YOU are my heros!