Wedding Wednesday: The Ceremony

Happy Wednesday, time for another Wedding Wednesday!

As I was planning our wedding I tried to make sure that the ceremony was meaningful, because that is truly the heart of the wedding. We kept ours pretty traditional and I loved it. 

My dad walked me down the aisle and it was such a surreal moment. I tried to take it all in, I remember looking at my family and friends in the seats and also looking at my future husband. What a special moment. 

Our pastor said some great words and one part that stands out was him talking about how from this moment forward we have to always put each other first in our lives...that our partner will come before any job, activity, or other friend. I laughed, thinking of my best friend who I am extremely close with (she jokes I am the third person in her marriage), and turned to look at her and our photographer caught this picture, priceless. 

We wrote our own vows and when C said his he cried the whole time. He could not keep it together. It made me tear up seeing him cry, basically everyone was crying their eyes out...talk about water works. I made it through mine without crying. I think it was just full on 'teacher mode' with public speaking.

We did a memory box that we placed letters in from our family members and each other. We are going to display it in our house and open it in 10 years. I wanted something different and unique so that's when I found this idea. 

I remember feeling so relieved when we finally got to have our first kiss and walk back down the aisle as husband and wife. It was official, we were married! 

Linking up! 

Thanksgiving Week.

It doesn't seem like Thanksgiving week to me. I'm not sure if it is just because I have been so busy, but the time has seriously flown by. I feel like it was just summer time. Anyways, whether I believe it or not, it's already Thanksgiving. I wanted to take a minute to talk about things that I am thankful for, because there are so many.

Jesus. He gave me life, gives me everything I could ever need, and truly loves me.

My husband. My other half. The one who hold me when I cry, tickles me when I need a laugh, supports me in everything, and loves me unconditionally.

My best friend. The one I can count on for anything and everything.

My job. Teaching is so much more than a job, its a passion. My kids fill my heart every day and without a doubt they have changed my life and continue to  each day. My job also provides me with an income that allows me to have enough money for anything that I need and most things that I want. I also have the best coworkers, so blessed.

My family. I have two parents who love me, siblings who I have great relationships with, and extended family who all care about me. We may not all get along, but we come together when we need to and all love each other.

My apartment. As much as I am eager to get into a house, I love our little home together. It's clean, warm, and comfortable.

My friends. I have such a strong group of friends who I know will always have my back and are only a phone call away. We might not see each other often, but there is a depth to our friendships that will always remain.

My church. My husband and I have both been getting more involved in our church and it really is starting to feel like home. I am leading a group of high school girls now and he serves in the worship band. We are meeting more people and I am loving it even more.

I hope all of you are feeling as blessed and thankful as I am this week. Sometimes even when it's hard, it helps to focus on the good, because there is so much good in our lives even through the difficulties. 

Friday Favorites: Stress

This week has been incredibly overwhelming. My teaching partner had a health emergency last week so now I have to run a two person program solo. I think this week was worse than I thought it would be so I'm hoping that next week is easier. Here my favorite things that kept me going through this week.

Carrie! 

I'm obsessed with this cd. I listen to it non-stop in my car. It's hard to pick a favorite because I love them all but I'm going to go with 'Dirty Laundry' and 'Heartbeat'. 

Piglets!

Aren't they the cutest!? A lot of my stress is coming from these little creatures, but how can you not love them at the same time? 

Thanksgiving Break 

Knowing that next week is a 3 day week is giving me some hope and energy to make it through. 

Tylenol Cold

This is the best stuff on the planet. I've been sick all week, on top of this stress and this is the one medication that I take. It makes me at least be able to survive the day. 

My husband. 

I love him so much and he has been such a trooper with me this week. He knows how to handle me when I'm stressed, comfort me when I'm sick, and make me smile no matter what. I love him so much. 

This weekend I have some plans with my best friend and my mom, but other than that I really need to rest. I'm so exhausted and mentally worn out. 

Linking up with my favorites this week with Amanda!

Wedding Wednesday: First Look

After a crazy morning of getting ready it was finally time for the first look! From where I was getting ready in the locker room of the country club I could peek outside and see C as he got ready for the first look. The photographers had him standing along this path near the trees. As I was walking up to him I said a silent prayer hoping to be able to take in everything throughout the day and really soak it all in. I wasn't nervous, but I was so excited to see his reaction and it was absolutely perfect.

When he turned around he couldn't stop smiling and looking at me, it was the cutest thing. He told me that he loved my dress about 20 times. It was great to be able to talk about our morning and the night before because we hadn't see each other all day.

After that we went right into all of our pictures and it was a lot of fun. Our photographers were wonderful in making us feel comfortable and giving us good direction to get great shots. They also let us be ourselves and take any pictures that we wanted.

I actually wanted to go into the forest to try and get some pictures and those are some of my favorites. We enjoyed the time and it went by really fast. After first look we went right into our bridal party and family pictures. I'll share those next week! :)

Linking up! 

MARRIED!

I can't believe it, I'm officially a married woman! :)

My wedding was everything I dreamed of. When I got to the venue and was able to look at everything all set up, it was more beautiful than I expected. My dress fit perfectly, I loved my make up, and it was a sunny day. I'm going to go into more depth through posts later on, but here are some of my favorite pictures. How amazing is it that my wedding was 10 days ago and I already got my wedding photos and video?!? I picked a great crew. :) Enjoy!

We went to Hawaii for our honeymoon for a week and it was wonderful and relaxing. Now I'm already getting back to work, headed to a retreat today. I can't wait to come back and share more of my wedding. It was the best day ever. :) 

June Goals

I love setting goals & I wanted to have something different that just my monthly wedding lists. Here are my goals for this month.

1. Get back on track with reading my bible daily.

I have a One Year Bible and I fell way behind last month and have about 20 days to catch up on. I know it's not realistic to catch up in a matter of days but if I am dedicated I can easily get back on track by the end of this month. 

2. Make my health a priority.

I know that I need to start working out and dieting, but I still struggle. I want to start making the changes before it's too late. I don't have a ton of weight to lose and I know that I can do it, I just need to be dedicated. I don't want it to be July and me be upset with myself for not trying harder and me not feeling good about how I look. 

3. Make intentional time with C

We have so much going on in our lives with work and the wedding but I don't want our time together to fade. I want to make sure we still have at least one 'date night' and that we spend time with just each other, not always surrounded by family and friends. 

4. Finish the school year strong

I want to try and keep a positive attitude with my kids and keep them engaged up until the end of the year. 

5. Achieve my wedding goals: book a day of coordinator, florist, make up artist, and start DIY! 

Did you set goals for this month? Leave a link in your comment! :) 

Five on Friday: Looking Forward

Spring break is over! :( I'm so sad, but I am going to make this day great and enjoy the weekend. Instead of being negative I am going to think about five things that I'm looking forward to this spring. 

One. 

My bridal shower! 

This is happening in June and I can't wait! My MOH is the best and I know she is planning something wonderful. Also, the mother of my flowers girls was actually my 6th grade teacher and then I was a nanny for her girls and she is almost like a second mother. I know that she wants to spoil me so it is going to be a wonderful time. Plus I will get to see all of my friends and family, I'm so excited! 

Two.

Memorial Day with my best friend! 

One of my best friends lives in Oregon and is attending graduate school so I am going to spend the long weekend with her while C goes and teaches drum corps. We are planning lots of shopping, a day trip to the beach, and probably seeing a movie. I can't wait to just hang out with her and spend time together. 

Three.

State FFA Convention

Myself and my partner teacher will take about 30 students to our FFA State Convention in May. We will be staying in the dorms and the kids will be competing over the span of 4 days. It's high stress, but also high energy and so rewarding. I love watching the kids get excited for FFA and have fun running around a college campus for a week. The lack of sleep and stress is so worth it. 

Four. 

Celebrating our Anniversary

*us on 5/30/09

C and I will celebrate our last 'dating' anniversary in May. 6 years and going strong. I think the date will always be significant to use even after we get married. LOVE LOVE LOVE. 

Five. 

The Last Day of School! 

I feel like a terrible teacher saying this, but the last day of school is going to be a GREAT day. I love my kids and I love teaching but I have so much to look forward to this summer that I'm so ready for it to be here. 

Happy Friday, Linking up! 

weekending: the ocean!

This weekend was such a blast, we took advantage of the extra day off and headed to the ocean!

When we arrived on Saturday afternoon we walked along the beach and through some of the little shops in town. We watched the sunset on the beach and then went out for a fancy dinner for Valentine's Day.

On Sunday morning we got up and headed to Cannon Beach, known for their famous Haystack Rocks. We walked along the beach for a while, it was so nice to just walk and talk and enjoy the scenery and the sunshine! I must say we lucked out with weather. It was sunny and unseasonably warm, lower 60's, all weekend. It was amazing. :)

Sunday afternoon we played some games at the local arcade and then enjoyed happy hour in a bar with a view of the ocean. We watched the sunset again and it was a breathtakingly beautiful.

It was such a simple weekend but it was so special because it was just us, we were someplace different, and we were making those memories together. I loved every minute.

Linking up with Meghan! 

Valentine's Day...take 7.

I was thinking back on all of the Valentine's Days that C and I have spent together and realized we are on number 7! I thought it would be fun to write about all of them from the very beginning when we weren't even officially dating yet! 

2009.

We went on a double date to a Mexican Restaurant with his friend Anita and her boyfriend. They aren't together anymore, but we are still really close with Anita. I remember that we went straight from a basketball game and I felt like a slob and she looked really pretty, thankfully he still liked me. :)

2010. 

We went on a double date with our friends Jamie and Josh to a super fancy Italian restaurant in Idaho. We got this special Valentine's day meal which included Sangria and I remember being all freaked out because I wasn't 21. We also got some delicious dessert and I'm pretty sure he gave me a rose and a teddy bear I still have. It was super cute. 

2011. 

I can't find any photographic evidence of this year and I'm pretty sure we didn't do anything. I had turned 21 two days prior so we partied a lot that weekend. I think it was on a Monday which means I had chapter so I probably just met up with him afterwards, low key Valentine's day.

2012. 

We went out to dinner to a different Italian restaurant in Idaho (if you wanted better food you left our college town and made the 8 mile drive to Idaho...who would have known they have better food). 

2013. 

We were dating long distance at this point and I went to visit him where he lived. We went out to a fancy restaurant, italian (I'm noticing a theme i hadn't even seen before) and I'm not sure what we did afterwards. He gave me a shovel that said, 'I dig you' with a bunch of chocolate. It was the cutest thing. :) 

2014. 

We were finally living together! We went up to the family fun center and played video games, mini golf, and laser tag. It was fun embracing our inner child. Afterwards we went to black angus for dinner (not italian!) and had the campfire feast. You get SO MUCH food, but it's delicious. 

2015. 

We are heading to the Oregon Coast this weekend and it's hard to believe, but this is our first trip together with just us. We've been on family trips, band trips, and trips with friends but never just the two of us so it's been really nice. 

Happy Valentine's Day! Wishing you all a wonderful day full of love. 

MLK Day Thoughts

Today I have the day off from school in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and I have been thinking a lot about this day. At school on Friday we had an assembly honoring MLK day and when they were playing the 'I have a dream' speech it hit me a different way this time.

Now don't worry, there aren't kids on the way, but one day they will be and they will have the potential to be judged by the color of their skin. To me, color doesn't matter. Since I was little my best friend was black, then I dated and am now marrying someone who is African American. I love to think about what my kids will look like, but I know they won't look like me and I know this world will judge them and treat them differently.

I know that I can't speculate and worry about what will happen. We are blessed to live in a country where we have so many freedoms and while everyone may not be free from all bias, I will let nothing hold my children back.

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day and I hope everyone who has the day off enjoys it!

A look back at 2014.

It was so much fun looking back at the past year and all of the fun things that happened. It really was such a fun year. A lot of things in life stayed the same, friendships, my job, where I lived, but I also feel like I grew up a lot this year and obviously the biggest event of my life so far...I got engaged! Here's a look back at 2014.

January
I think this was the most uneventful month of the year. We were still getting settled in our apartment and I was really successful at my new years resolution of working out and eating healthy...at least that's what my photostream shows me.

February

We celebrated my birthday with a small gathering and C bought me an ice cream cake. :) 

March

My cousin got married and he was the first of the cousins to get married so I flew out to New Jersey for the wedding. It was a beautiful wedding and so much fun to see all of my family who I only see once a year at the most. 

April

We went to Vegas for my best friend's bachelorette party. It was my first trip to Vegas and it was a lot of fun. I definitely want to go back because I felt like there was so much more I wanted to do. 

May

Mobile Food Rodeo! We went to a festival with over 50 different food trucks and ate our way through the day. It was also a reunion of my college roommates and our first time seeing being together in almost two years since one moved away to Hawaii! 

Two of my students were invited to participate in the White House Science fair. I got to chaperone them and show them my favorite places in the city. This was a moment where I really felt like an adult; flying two students across the country is a little scary for a first year teacher but it was an awesome experience. 

June

I finished up my first year of teaching and got to see my little brother graduate from college! 

July

We went on a vacation to Hawaii with my mom, her boyfriend, my brother, and my fiance. We went snorkeling, to a luau, hiking, and enjoyed watching the sunset every night.  It was 10 days in paradise.

I was hoping for a proposal in Hawaii and it didn't happen. It didn't take long though, two weeks after we got home, he was down on one knee. 

August

My best friend got married and I was her maid of honor! She looked absolutely gorgeous and it was such a fun day! 

Brought C to his first Major League Baseball game with a group of friends for Coug day at the Mariner's. 

September

We took our engagement pictures this month and wedding planning was in full swing. I also started my second year of teaching! 

October

I took 18 students to the National FFA Convention (along with another teacher and chaperones) and the team that I coach won Nationals! This was a life goal, and I accomplished it in my first year, with my first team. It was amazing. 

November

We had a great Thanksgiving with C's family and then headed over to our small college town for Apple Cup! We enjoyed the football game and tailgating all weekend with some of our best friends. 

 December

 I tried really had to start some Christmas traditions this month. We decorated our apartment together, went to see Scrooge, and enjoyed Christmas with my family. It was a great Christmas season. 

2015 is the year that I turning 25, finishing my second year of teaching, earning my Masters degree, and getting married. It's going to be a big year and I am so excited for all of it.