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.