Blind spots are for sissys

Well I'm all moved into my parents house! Moving out of my apartment was a pain. My parents and Kendrick helped move all the larger items last Sunday, but on the last day of my lease…. I was alone. With so much more stuff to take. My car was literally packed from ceiling to floor, I couldn't even see out of any of my back windows! Unsafe much? I took back roads and luckily made it home alive and in one piece.

That night Kendrick and I went to Target to register for wedding gifts! Is it pathetic to say that it was so much more tiring and exhausting than I could ever have imagined? But we managed to have fun with it, and agreed on almost everything that we zapped with the fun little laser gun.

Keyword: almost.

Put a bow on it

I just wanted to quickly show some of my recent purchases that I absolutely LOVE! (I'm pretty excited about them, if you can't already tell.)

THIS DRESS. I'm practically in love. It's a wonderful length, and I love the crisp white with the pop of pink at the bottom. The back has a visible zipper, which I think is adorable. My mom did have to take in the sides a bit on the bust (that has never been my most "endowed" region), but other than that it fit like a glove. It's from Gap, and best part- half off for only $30! (Oh, did I mention it has pockets?)

THESE SHOES. Seriously, if angels flew down from heaven and sculpted a pair of shoes out of fairy dust and rainbows, these would be them. Too far? Maybe. But I've coveted these shoes from J.Crew for over 2 years, but the $98 price tag was always a bit high for me. Finally, I snagged them on clearance from the J.Crew Factory website with an additional 20% promo code that I stole from Kendrick (it was sent to him for his birthday, thanks babe). But these shoes... Did you notice the bow? Everything is better with a bow.

As for the other items in the picture: shirt: H&M ($10!), and necklace: Very Jane 

On Tuesdays we wear plaid

Tonight was a relaxing and wonderful night. Kendrick and I headed up to his family's cabin in Oakley (it's about 20 minutes past Park City). That cabin is just about the cutest little place I've ever seen! It is completely secluded in forest, with a rushing river in the backyard that has a small bridge going over the top of it. The atmosphere in Oakley is beautiful and refreshing. The air is clean and breathable, the trees go on for miles and miles, and there's a horse ranch in walking distance. My favorite part is the spring that has the coldest and freshest water that I've ever tasted!

We enjoyed a fun night with the family, going on a walk, picking raspberries (so delicious!), playing cards, and eating dinner and gigantic apple fritters.

I'm bummed that today is only Tuesday because Kendrick and I both would have loved to spend the night. It's been raining all day, and what's more cozy than snuggling up in a cabin with a fire going while the rain is pouring outside? Basically nothing.

Well I'm headed back to the apartment to finish packing up my stuff to move back home. Here's to many more Tuesday nights that make me wish it was the weekend.

Here comes the bride...

Yesterday was surreal… I finally got my wedding dress! But let's just rewind a bit….

I had Friday off from work because the 24th was a holiday, and who turns down a four day weekend? Not this girl! So I spent the day at my parents house, altering clothes with my mom and getting my car registered. Then at 6:00 I headed out to Provo to sleepover at Harmony's house and work on some wedding decorations!

We had so much fun! Our first project was homemade paper lanterns made with yarn, round balloons, and lots of glue. It was so messy, but we had fun with the challenge. We also looked through piles of junk at the DI for anything that could be turned cute for the reception. But half an hour later and we left the store with only a gold picture frame and some darling orange high heels in hand.

Saturday morning was the day I've been waiting for- wedding dress shopping. Nicole and mom met us at Harmony's apartment, and then we hit the road with a list of about 10 dress shops that Harmony had researched.

The first shop was called 'The Bridal Shop' (10 points for originality). The sales lady asked her what I was looking for, and I showed her the picture of my dream dress: cream lace, quarter length sleeves, and a gorgeous train. Five minutes later, and the lady pulls out THE DRESS. I demanded I try it on immediately, and pulled Harmony into the dressing room to help me get in. Once I stepped out in the dress, Nicole and my mom were near speechless. I got up on the stand and looked in the mirror…. And this was it. This was THEE dress. The dress I would be in on my wedding day. It honestly couldn't have been more perfect. It was gorgeous cream lace, half sleeves (with solid cap sleeves underneath for garments!), and it fit my body like a glove. Seriously, the only alterations needed are the sleeves need to be tightened a bit, which my mom can do, and the dress needs to be hemmed. We put the sash on, tied in in a big bow in the back, and threw on a veil. I looked at Harmony and Nicole and those turds were starting to cry, so on came the water works and I started crying. As much as I hate the phrase “bridal moment”, but I was definitely having one.

(Please excuse the headless pictures- my crying face has never exactly been my best one.)

So after finding my dream dress in the first shop we went to, the first dress I tried on, we realized we had quite a lot of time ahead of us. (Oh and after an $1,000 credit card payment- thanks mom! Yikes!) In search of a veil, we headed over to a bridal liquidation sale at a shop that has now become a piano store. Within 5 minutes we had found a stunning cream veil with a glittery, beaded trim, and on sale for $17. Seriously, it was scary how well the day was going. We also walked away with some $30 full size dress forms, a handful of gorgeous broaches for the bouquets ($2.50 a piece!), a bag of crystals for $0.25, and a few other odds and ends for a steal of a deal.

For the next few hours we picked up the fabric for the bridesmaids dresses, picked out some earrings and a bracelet for my dress, got my shoes, ate some lunch, and returned to the bridal shop with my heels to have the dress pinned to be hemmed.

Things were wrapping up around 5:00 and I was ready to fall on Harmony's couch and sleep for a week straight. But I was anxious to see my fiancé, so rushed home while I was able to keep my eyes open.

The wedding is 2 months away! It takes off so much stress knowing that I have the dress of my dreams. A few more things ordered and I can sit back and enjoy being engaged to the man of my dreams.

forever and a three day weekend

let me tell you about this sweet man of mine. he is the sweetest guy I've ever met and treats me better than I could ever even hope for. he is constantly putting my needs before his. he has the most adorable smile that makes me want to smile back no matter how badly I want to be mad at him. he has such a strong testimony of the church, and I've seen nothing but the love that he has for the gospel. I trust him with everything and know that he will never let me or himself fall. he is one of the funniest people I know and will leave me laughing for hours. he let's me be my complete self, even though sometimes it gets a little strange. he puts up with all my quirky and annoying ways and habits, like how I will never order fries when we go out to eat because I always intend on just eating all of his (anything to save a dollar, right?) he tells me I'm beautiful everyday, and never fails to remind me of how much he loves me. he believes in me and wants to see me grow as a person, and be successful in the things that I love. he supports me in absolutely everything and is there for me no matter what. he shows so much love and respect to the women in his life. he loves my family and they all love him back. he is one of the smartest people I know, and I absolutely love that I can ask him anything and he almost always has an answer. he is driven and motivated, and works hard to be where he wants to in life. and on top of everything, he puts up with me. through the dreadful shark weeks, the unexplainable crying, the unreasonable fights, and the tmi conversations, he never fails to show unconditional love. I sometimes wonder how I scored such a loving, sweet, handsome, funny, smart man, but I know the Lord was looking out for me when He sent me kendrick. He knew what I needed, and knew all the ways that kendrick and I could raise each other up and be so great for each other. it's just sinking in that I get to spend forever with my best friend, and at this point, forever can't come soon enough.

we'll be back for you

yesterday was our last full day in hawaii, and as luck would have it, we all woke up to drizzling rain outside. oh but that didn't stop us from making the most out of the day!

kendrick had a take home test for math to work on, so his parents took james and I out to breakfast! we went to zippy's where I ordered some pancakes with whipped cream and strawberries on top. I had seriously been craving pancakes the whole trip.

after that, we picked up kendrick and all headed to diamond head. diamond head is a pretty hike that takes place in an inactive volcano, and the top gives you a view of the whole island. It was a pretty easy hike, except for how hot and humid it was. the end of the hike has you walk up a hundred stairs, which isn't all that fun when you feel like your whole body is drenched from sweat and moisture.

but once we got to the top, oh it was so worth it! that view was breathtaking. I wish we could have stayed a bit longer, but at this point, I was eager to jump into a cold ocean.

our next stop was waimea bay! we figured this beach was the prettiest on the island, so why not return for our last day in hawaii? we snorkeled a bit, and I saw some colorful, tropical fish, which was pretty much the coolest thing ever. the other day, kendrick saw a huge sea turtle and swam with it for a little, which I am so jealous of! but, while we were sitting on the beach, we saw tons of dolphins and sea fish jumping out of the water and playing in the distance. it was amazing! why are sea creatures so fascinating?

we swam and played in the water for about four hours, and then packed up to leave around four. we then drove to the kamiya's house and all showered and got ready for some sushi dinner. It was such a cool sushi place! all the dishes were on a conveyer belt, and you just grab whichever ones you want, and then they add up your total at the end by the colors the plates are. such a cool idea! and kendrick was in sushi heaven. of course, I don't like sushi so I grabbed some curry from the restaurant next door.

after sushi, we all went out to ice cream, and then headed back to the kamiya's house to pack up our stuff. sadly, we had quite an early morning and flight to catch.

And there's where I am now, on the plane! It's been about 4 hours so far on this flight, so there should only be about one more left (fingers crossed). However, it was my lucky day, and the seat next to me is empty! So I've had my head on Kendrick's lap and my legs stretched out on the 2 seats. Perfect for napping.

Well that's a wrap, the ending to the most perfect vacation in the history of vacations. But don't you worry Hawaii, we'll be back for you.

the best seashells are on the beach

today was our last full day in hawaii. pretty tragic, if you ask me. kendrick got an email saying we can “check in” to our flights, and he said it was the saddest thing he's ever read. I'd have to agree.

yesterday was such a fun day! we went to kamiya's singles ward at nine in the morning. church is so cool in hawaii! every speaker starts their talk off with an “aloha!” and the whole crowd replies with an enthusiastic “aloha!” back. I loved it, it's just such a loving and inviting environment.

after church, we headed off to zippy's and got some snacks. then we met up with kendrick's parents and we all headed to downtown honolulu to take a look at all the shops. goodness gracious, I found a kate spade store. I was dying to buy something, since it was my first kate spade store experience, but the cheapest thing I could find was $60 (a pair of stud earrings), and things are cheaper on the website anyway. so I settled for a picture with the store itself, and that sufficed.

after walking around through the endless high-end stores (chanel, dior, gucci… in your dreams, kim) we headed back home to the kamiya's where we all had a delicious bbq!

following the bbq, we headed to haliewa beach to watch the sunset. It was such a gorgeous beach! I spent most of the time searching the crashing waves for pretty seashells. kendrick helped me, and found ones much better than mine! apparently getting yourself half drenched in the ocean isn't as effective as just finding shells already laying on the beach.

we got in a quick photoshoot before the sunset (picture below), and then headed back to the kamiya's house where we roasted marshmallows and chatted. what a perfect ending to a perfect day.

sun, sand, and a diamond ring

well I'm sure the title gives away what this post is about… I AM ENGAGED! seriously, it's unreal. part of me feels like it is still trying to register in my head.

and here's the story… we were packing up our stuff and leaving the beach last night. we were in an absolutely gorgeous spot- a rocky black shore line with waves crashing against the edge. it had just finished lightly raining, so the air was fresh, the sky was beautiful, and the sun was starting to set. kendrick and I started following behind the family, but I noticed him hesitating. as we climbed up the hill a bit more, he told me that his phone was missing. he looked through his bag, and I tried calling it, but no luck. so he took my hand and asked me to help him find it, and we headed back to the spot on the beach. once there, I started to look for his phone. “I don't see it!” I told him, but he didn't reply. I turned around to see him getting down on one knee and pulling out a ring box. I couldn't believe it! as he opened the box, the ring fell out on to the sand! haha I had to interrupt his sweet words to let him know. but he told me that he loved me more than anything and then asked me to marry him. I said “of course I will!” 

my ring… oh, my ring. probably the prettiest and most perfect ring I've ever seen, and it's mine. I love it because it's rose gold rather than silver, and the main diamond has a light pink tint to it. because let's be real, I'm obsessed with pink. It's the perfect ring for me, given to me by the perfect guy for me (he picked it out and everything!)

I will be marrying the man of my dreams in the salt lake temple on september 26th. 

does life get better?

five hundred feet in the air

today has been a wonderful day! it started off early with wishing kendrick a happy birthday. the big 24! and can you even think of a better place to spend a birthday? I think not. I let kendrick open his birthday present- a twenty six disc set of every james bond movie ever made. on blu-ray. yeah, I did good this year.

breakfast was followed by a quick stop at pearl harbor. such a beautiful place but it's tragic to think of the lives that were lost there while serving our country.

after that, we headed out to do some parasailing! seriously, one of the coolest things I've ever done. right below sky diving, of course. we were at least five hundred feet in the air, it was amazing looking down and seeing nothing but deep blue ocean. as we soared back to the boat, the parachute made us take a quick dip in the ocean, which felt amazing!

after parasailing, paul decided he was craving sea food. kamiya directed us to a little sea food restaurant on the shore of a beach. we were seated outside on the patio underneath a large canopy, and had a gorgeous view of the ocean while we ate. I ordered a cheeseburger, since I'm not a fan of sea food, while kendrick ordered marlin. my cheeseburger- probably a four out of ten. but kendrick's marlin- a straight ten! can you believe it? I tried fish and liked it. heck, I loved it. It tasted just like chicken, but pretty much melted in your mouth. no fishy taste at all! kendrick told me that “good” fish doesn't have the fishy taste. so clearly I need to get myself more “good fish”.

pineapple is always better in hawaii

wow today was such a busy and long day! it started at six thirty am (keep in mind this is ten thirty in salt lake time… hawaii didn't miraculously turn me into a morning person). kendrick, me, and paul ran to walmart to get some needed items. for me, that was bobby pins, fiber bars, and a new necklace.

once home, we all got semi-ready for the day- because let's be real, there's really no point getting ready in hawaii when there's a beach just minutes away. the day started off at the dole pineapple plantation, and it surely did not disappoint. it was so beautiful! outside of the plantation was a booth where you could pick an oyster to crack open, and the pearl inside would be yours to keep. kendrick paid for me to pick one, and inside the one I chose ended up being a black pearl- the rarest kind! they gave you the option to turn your pearl into a piece of jewelry, but that literally cost an arm an a leg- so a single pearl it was!

afterwards, I picked up some souvenirs for harmony, my fellow pineapple lover, and then we all treated ourselves to some dole whips. 

after that, it was beach time! we drove to waimea bay. seriously, the most gorgeous beach ever. and I mean, ever.  since it's a bay and the middle of summer, there weren't many waves. you could be thirty feet up, look down, and see the ground through crystal clear teal water. we spent a good four hours there, snorkeling, swimming, and laying out on the sand.

at about three thirty, everyone was finally ready to leave. my hair was disgusting, filled with salt water and sand.  trish lent me some body wash which I used as shampoo, and it surprisingly did wonders! I changed in what I am sure was the nastiest bathroom I've ever stepped foot in, and then did my make up in the car. next place on the agenda- the hawaii temple! (after a quick pit stop at a snow cone place, of course.)

oh my, the temple was hands down gorgeous. completely breathtaking. I can't believe I was able to cross this one off my bucket list! I love how the palm trees lined the path leading up to the temple. when we got close to it, I noticed the immaculate gold detailing lining the edges of the temple. such an amazing, peaceful place. we had joked with my mom beforehand that we were just going to elope there while in hawaii, she told me that she wouldn't talk to me for ten years. so, being the turd that I am, I sent a picture to her of kendrick and I in front of the temple saying “we did it! see you in ten years.”

following the temple, we drove to the polynesian cultural center, which was only a short drive away. it was such an amazing place on the outside, and I couldn't wait to see what it looked like from within! with the help of a few old friends of chase's, we were able to get inside for about half the normal admission and attend a luau- a legit hawaii luau. as we walked in, they draped beautiful purple flowered leis around our necks. the food was pretty good, I tried a couple of new things, but most of the food laid out looked a little too risky for my taste (I'm definitely not adventurous when it comes to meat that I can't identify). 

when we finished eating, there was a brief show of hawaiian dancers. the lady with the microphone asked if there were any birthdays at there, and as luck would have it, kendrick's birthday was the next day. so we all made him go up there, and he proceeded to learn how to hula right in front of everyone. I certainly learned how well he can move his hips, haha! so very, very funny. 

after that, the lady asked if there were any people celebrating a honeymoon. only one couple raised their hands, which then james yelled out that kendrick and I were “engaged”. (I'm living a lie), so the crowd pushed us to go up front with the other couple. then, the “lovers song” was played, as we were instructed to slow dance in front of everyone. I'm pretty sure that Kendrick was scheming his revenge on James for the whole dance. the funniest part is that I'm always (jokingly) trying to get Kendrick to slow dance with me in public- while we are in line at the grocery store or in the middle of a restaurant, I grab his hands and try to get him to dance. but he never will! he's too embarrassed. so I guess you could call this karma. ;)

after the luau, we walked around a bit, and then made our way to the polynesian show. It was amazing, but I was so tired! I fell asleep with my head on Kendrick's lap. It was super uncomfortable, and I woke up to half of the stadium getting out of their seats. hopeful, I asked kendrick if it was over. I was eager to get into bed! he informed me that it was only the intermission. oh boy. the show started up again after about ten minutes and I fell right back to sleep. however, I did wake up for the ending, which was an amazing fire dance. I now aspire to move to hawaii and become a fire dancer.

the drive home was about an hour, but I slept the whole way. once home, I crashed instantly. I have never been so tired!

aloha waikiki!

today was a beautiful day in hawaii and a great way to kick off the vacation! it started at six in the morning, which I realize sounds drastic. but six am here is ten am in salt lake, which is considered sleeping in. so we all got to sleep in until “ten” on the first day of our vacation, when it was actually six, meaning we had the whole day ahead of us.

great, right? however, it's only nine pm right now and I'm already in bed about to fall asleep, because it's one am in Salt Lake time. so along with this little nifty time change miracle, the mornings start early and the nights end just as early. so, in conclusion to my little rant, there is a downside.

it began with us going to the military base to pick up our rental car. security was super tight there, so we all had to get checked, along with the car. inside the base, there were plenty of shops to browse though, filled with all kinds of fun trinkets. I found a cute fedora that I was debating on getting. it fit my head just right, which is hard to find when it comes to hats. I showed kendrick and told him how much I liked it, but wasn't sure about getting it (i'm always super careful when spending money at the beginning of a trip, out of fear that I'll want something else later on). while I was looking in the mirror, the sales lady came over and told me how much she liked it on me, and then she ripped the price tag off it. I was like, oh I still need to pay for this! and she replied, you're boyfriend already did. seriously, I'm dating a sweetheart. I love his little thoughtful surprises. I literally didn't take off that cute hat for the rest of the day.

our next stop- waikiki beach! the ocean in Hawaii is breathtaking! it's so clear and the water is a gorgeous shade of teal. also, it's like ninety degrees, so I had zero hesitations when it came to diving in head first.

kendrick and I swam out pretty far on our boogie boards, and road the waves as they came in. so much fun! I got a lot of tanning time in as well. scratch that- I got a lot of burning time in. let's be real, I don't tan.

the airport scene

believe it or not, but my day started at five thirty am. before now, I didn't even know the world existed before eight. at six, we all loaded into the adam's suburban and headed to las vegas. I laid on kendrick's lap and slept probably 85% of the trip. that's one of the few perks of being small- you can fold and bend in multiple positions and practically fall asleep anywhere.

once in vegas, we stopped by kendrick's grandpas house. he fed us some delicious fettuccine and spaghetti (great breakfast, I know), and then came along with us to the airport so that he would be able to take the car back to his house afterwards and park it there. we were at the airport two hours early, and as luck would have it, check out and security went extremely fast, leaving us sitting on a bench with a two hour wait before the plane boarded.

of course, with it being vegas, we had to spend at least some money on a slot machine. kendrick doubled his ten dollars, and I lost my six. the flight from vegas was a short one, as we had a two hour layover in los angeles...and that's where we are right now, good 'ol las angeles airport, waiting to board out flight to honolulu. only about thirty minutes left! I'm ready to be in Hawaii, the airport scene is getting old. real old.

hawaii, I'm ready for you

this will be a quick entry because I'm packing for hawaii, and up until about ten minutes ago my room was a complete disaster, and even though I have everything in a suit case, I still feel like I'm missing a bajillion things. but I guess just as long as I have the basics: deodorant, toothbrush, underwear: check.

my room is currently five hundred degrees. okay maybe not, but I'm burning up. I'm taking a small packing-break, sitting on my bed with a small 12" fan blowing on me, making a mental check list of everything that needs to be done.

kendrick and I are leaving tomorrow right after work, and then heading off to richfield. wednesday morning we will wake up early and drive to vegas, where our flight will be taking off.

goodness I am excited. tomorrow better go by quick! 

hawaii, I'm ready for you.

one vacation down, one to go

today was a simple, relaxing Sunday. it began with sacrament meeting at eleven at Kendrick's family ward. my parents left around seven the night before, so at this point it was just kendrick, me, harmony, jeff, and keegan. after church, we all sat around in the beautiful backyard talking and playing games. afterwards, kendrick and I headed out to cocomotive (his parents candy/catering business) wherewe helped his dad make a delicious dinner. glazed chicken with pineapple, sweet carrots and peas, bacon coated potatoes, and a selection of fruit = heaven. the rest of the night was spent talking with Kendrick's family and planning our hawaii trip.

… oh yeah. I'm going to hawaii in 2 days! It still hasn't sunken in… maybe once I'm packing it will sink in. or when I'm on the plane. or possibly once I'm in the ocean swimming with the fishys.

I can't wait for a week away from work, taking in the beautiful sun and flowers, and being on a tropical island with the love of my life.

also… there has been word that Kendrick is going to propose in hawaii. but then there was word that there was a problem with the ring so it wouldn't be there in time. I guess we will just find out. I want it to be a surprise anyway!

anyways, the hike that was planned last night fell through because we were all so tired and worn out! I was majorly burned from watching the parade under the hot sun, so being out in the sun even longer didn't sound too enticing. to make up for it, kendrick took me, jeff, and james out on a four wheeling ride in his SUV. Seriously, that car can climb steep heels, and go down them even faster. It was a blast! james's arm left an imprint on the window from how hard it was pressed up against the glass, haha.

once we were home, we got in an intense game of uno, and frankly I am surprised that any of us walked away still being friends after the way that game went. ;)

the night ended on a great note when Kendrick surprised me by taking me to his cousins house to get my nails done. his cousin's wife does nails professionally, and Kendrick knew how badly I wanted my nails done for hawaii but I didn't have the money for it, so he set up the appointment and paid for me to have them done that time and another time. (which I will probably use for the wedding, assuming there is going to be one, haha) how did I end up with the sweetest guy in the world? 

yeah, I don't know either.