Timpanogos Temple

It's official. I am now an endowed member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints :) It was such a neat experience to have my family and a close friend there to be with me. I think I most enjoyed the initiatory (spelling?). What amazing blessings we are given then! I can't wait to be able to go back and do that for someone else.

It was also really neat to look over and see Nick, the person I'll be sealed to for eternity, across the room and smiling back. My mom was my escort and Beth, Debbie, and my Dad met us in the endowment room. It was incredible to see every person there dressed in white I felt like I was in a group of angels. I believe I really was.

I am so grateful for a Father in Heaven who loves us so much that he has provided a way for us to return to him as families. He loves us enough to let us be able to be close to him in his house and to learn what we need to do in this life to gain all the things he has prepared for us.

Here are a few pictures of us after the session:

I've got two beautiful momma's now :) Love love them both

Bridal Shower

So my wonderful soon-to-be mother-in-law and sister-in-law threw me a bridal shower up in Heber City on Thursday. It was so fun to see everyone, talk and laugh, and realize how close this wedding is getting! I wish I would have taken pictures of the food because it was SO delish! We had 7 layer salad, mom's homemade rolls, and a few of Debbies yummy noodle salads. Aunt Elaine brought some mini cheesecakes, Erin brought creme puffs, and mom brought her chocolate-covered chocolate-cake balls. Yum!!

This is mom and Nick's Aunt Coleen

Nick's mom Debbie and her sister Elaine

This one is a little blurry (I guess that's what happens when the 13 year old is in charge of all the picture taking :P This is Annie, Mom, and Shanon.

Okay don't mind the nasy face but this was the game my mom brought. She asked Nick a ton of questions and for every one I got wrong I had to put another piece of gum in my mouth. Now I know you are thinking that judging by the size of that hunk of gum I got a lot wrong (10 wrong to be exact) but it wasn't my fault. Nick answered a few of those totally faulty I believe. But, it was funny anyways!

Totally gross I know :P

I think this might be the biggest present I've ever gotten wrapped (minus the time my parents wrapped my 16th birthday vehicle)

Here a few pictures we got of Nick and I. I sure do love this guy...

Savannah, Mom, and I after all was said and done and everything was cleaned up.

Thanks so much for everyone who came and who helped out. It meant so much to see you there! We'll be seeing you all again on August 12th!! :)

Thanks Tom

I am learning more and more that there are things that will be said and done that I have absolutely no control over. I am so lucky to have a guy that can help me realize this more and more and to always be there for me. I'm so grateful for friends that I know I can call and talk to and who will be there for me no matter what. It's been a bit of a rough day but reading this just made my day a little bit brighter. Maybe it'll help you too.

There are cycles of good and bad times, ups and downs, periods of joy and sadness, and times of plenty as well as scarcity. When our lives turn in an unanticipated and undesirable direction, sometimes we experience stress and anxiety. One of the challenges of this mortal experience is to not allow the stresses and strains of life to get the better of us—to endure the varied seasons of life while remaining positive, even optimistic. Perhaps when difficulties and challenges strike, we should have these hopeful words of Robert Browning etched in our minds: 'The best is yet to be'
- L. Tom Perry

I'm getting ready to start this next chapter of life with Nick and I can't imagine what is yet to be but I do know we have so much  to look forward to together.

Happy Little Things

Life has been so hectic and busy lately but with such happy things! Here are some things that have brought a smile to my face lately.

Being engaged to this guy ....

... and knowing he still loves me even after I make this sicknasty face :)

Going to get ice cream at this place with a few good friends and talking for hours.

Looking at this picture and actually realizing I have studied enough to finally know where those arrows came from, what they're doing, and where they are headed!

Spending some time with these guys at parades, dinners, and campfires.

Mailing out 475 of these to people we want to share our special day with.

Laughing with Nick while we took these.

Seeing Nick happy after we bought him this hat.

Going out to dinner spur of the moment with this girl.

Recieving my patriarchal blessing.

Deciding with Nick that for our friday night date we'd make dinner together and cuddle up to watch this movie. Love love it.

Realizing that in less than 3 weeks ... I will be here.

Flash-backs and Flash-forwards

Okay so the past 3 days have been absolutely lovely.

Tuesday: After work Nick and I finally got around to picking up our invitations from ProDigital Photos. They are amazing amazing for any prints by the way with such cute stuff! Highly suggest. After we picked them up we were off to Heber City to put em all in envelopes, seal them up, and send them out to all of our friends and family. Once that job was done (we sent around 475 invitations) it was time to pick out some pictures of my Nicky Wayne for the wedding vid. Ohmagosh. Can I just tell you what a cutie pie he was?? He used to have blonde hair growing up. All his baby pictures totally look like he does now with those cutie ears :) It was fun to go through those and his mission letters home and stuff. I'm so proud of him for everything he has overcome and the person that he has allowed himself to become.

Wednesday: Wednesday's are my day off, and Nicks day to work 16 hours. I miss him bunches but I sure do get alot of wedding stuff done on those days. This Wednesday I slept in till 9ish then decided to wake up and get going. First it was off to Mom's to give her our half (more like our 3/4) of the invitations to get mailed out. I hung out with her and Savannah for a while then went to visit Nick at work. I brought him a book I found for him on Amazon that he has wanted to read for a little while. Amazon, by the way, is one of my favorite finds. This book for example was at Barnes & Noble for 20something dollars and I bought it for 8.73 after taxes and shipping on Amazon. Love saving money where we can! Anyways, it was good to stop by and see him and steal a kiss or two. After that I went to work to pick up my check and drop off the wedding invites to my work friends. From there it was errands at Wal-Mart. I texted Shaylynn and decided that we should go get some food. We went to Sensuous Sandwiches in Orem which is one Shay and I like to visit often. After enjoying the sandwiches and good conversation we got us some snowies and headed to her floral warehouse to check out some hard goods for my bouquet. Seriously, that thing is going to be aweseome. And so worth the money that Nick might be thinking is a little too much for flowers :P The rest of the night was spent studying physiology and catching up on a few of my favorite shows: Cougartown and Castle. Love Love.

Thursday: Yesterday was so great! I worked till 4:30 (which was not so great because it seriously felt like time was moving backwards) But nonetheless, 4:30 did come and I went over to Nick's place. We decided that tonight was the night to check out some apartments so that we aren't living on the streets when we return from the honeymoon. We looked at quite a few and I was getting pretty discouraged about it. I had a feeling that it was going to be fine. I kept hearing Debbie and her positive attitude reminding me 'The Lord has what we need ready for us, and the right time for us to find it'. Well Debbie, you were right. It was the last one we were going to look at. A basement apartment which I didn't love the idea of but I thought hey, why not just look. We pulled up and I loved it! It's a 3 story home close-ish to Mountain View and Orem elementary. It's a cute red house with white pillars and black shudders. SO cute! Our apartment is the newly remodeled 2 bed 1 bath. there are big windows in every room making it so it doesn't feel like a basement. I kept flashing forward to our new lives together and everything we have to look forward to. We left and I told Nick I was in love and had a really good feeling about it. We called Max, our new landlord, a few hours later and told him we would take it! I am such a girl and already have decorating ideas for our new love nest :) Huge stress lifted off Nick and I's shoulders. Finding such a nice place, lower than our expected price range, with such a nice landlord I feel like is such a blessing. It's amazing what can happen. After the apartment hunt we stopped by and talked to Nick's brother Ryan for a little bit and it was off to Wilson Diamonds. I bought Nick's ring and he bought my 2 wedding bands (one for each side of course!) They bring so much to my ring and it was fun to see Nick with a ring on. I'm SO excited for him to have that sucker on. (P.S. Who's idea was it anyways to have the girls appear to be taken by the wearing of the engagement ring but the guys have no sign of his no-longer-single status? Hello!) Anyways, after the ring shopping we went and grabbed some food at the Training Table, which is not as good as I remember it being by the way. At 9:30 we met up with some good friends at Farr frozen yogurt and ice cream. We got kicked out at 10:15 and finally got in out cars at 12:35. We sure do like hanging out with Scott and Sarah!

It was a little rough to wake up this morning let's be honest, but so worth it! After work today it's time at the gym for us two lovebirds and then it's off to PG Pool to enjoy some much needed sunshine :) P.S. Only 20 days!!

Relax? What's that?

Okay things have been pretty stinkin busy as of late. Saturday Nick and I did our bridals together in PG which turned out aweseome. I am currently in the process in choosing which ones I want edited and such. Beth (who is the greatest) only took 264!! :) Lots of cuties to choose from! Here's a few that Beth took and I played around with. Cant wait to see what the edits will look like!

Sunday was mom's birthday so Nick and I spent that day with the family. At 5 Nick, my parents, and I drove to Provo to get my patriarchal blessing. It was such an amazing experience. I feel like a different person with new found confidence and priorities. I'm so blessed.

Only a few more weeks of school, which will be SO nice to have a break from. I sure do love the girls I've got class with though!

In 22 more days I'm officially Mrs. Chadwick and i can't wait! Everything is coming together and now all we've got to do is wait. Picking up the invitations this afternoon! I am so lucky to have such an amazing guy by my side. He's such an example to me and helps me to be the better person that I know I can be. I love you Nickie Wayne! :)

About Me's

These are always kinda fun to fill out and look back on. Here's one to look back on someday and take a trip down memory lane :)

1. What is your best friends name?
     Nicholas Wayne Chadwick
2. What color shirt are you wearing now?
     Black scrubs

3. What are you listening to right now?
     Fox News
4. Whats your favorite number?
     Three
5. What was the last thing you ate?
     4 pot stickers
6. If you were a crayon what color would you be?
     Multicolored
7. How is the weather right now?
     90's. Perfect.
8. Who was the last person you talked 2 on the phone?
     Nick

9. The first thing you notice about the opposite sex Nick?
     First thing was his height, followed shortly by his pretty teeth and blue eyes.

10. Do you have a significant other?
     We'll be married 4 weeks from today
11. Favorite TV/ reality show?
     Oh gosh, probably Castle and what not to wear as my favorite shows. Reality shows is Bachelor/bachelorette, Jersey Shore, Wife Swap, Jersey Couture, America's Next Top Model, SYTYCD, and Food Network Challenge :) Yikes I sure do love my reality shows.
12. Siblings?
     Taylor who's 16 and Savannah who's 13
13. Height?
     5'2" on a good day
14. Hair color?
     Dark brown

15. Eye Color?
     It says hazel on my drivers license.
16. Do you wear contacts?
     Yes, my eyesight is awful.
17. Favorite Holiday?
     Does Strawberry Day's count?
18. Month?
     August for sure
19. Have you ever cried for no reason?
     I'd like to think that I have a reason when I cry. It might not be a good reason, but there's always a reason.
20. What was the last movie you watched?
     Dispicable Me. So cute!
21. Favorite Day of the Year?
     August 12th!
22. Are you too shy to ask someone out?
     Nick is the shy one of the 2. If I remember right I pretty much kissed him first :) What can I say? I wanted it ... and I got it!
23. Can you do a headstand (not using the wall)?
     Yep!
24. Hugs or Kisses?
     Both. Yes, definietly both.
25. Chocolate or Vanilla?
     Vanilly
26. How many pillows do you sleep with?
     One small pillow
27. Do you like to travel by plane?
     Yes, minus the rockin headache and nausea I get
  
28. Are you right or left handed?
      Right

29. What books are you reading?
     I'm reading my physiology book ... way too much.
30. Piercings?
     Just the ears
31. Favorite movies?
     I love love cartoon movies. Up, Madagascar, Dispicable Me, Monsters Inc, etc.
32. Favorite football team? I just enjoy watching football. I think I'm inheriting the Eagles fanhood through marriage haha

33. What were u doing before this? Wedding stuff.

34. Butter, Plain or Salted popcorn? 2X Butter

37. Dogs or cats? Dogs Dogs Dogs

38. Favorite flower? Daisies and cala lillies

39. Been caught doing something you weren't supposed to do? Mom always used to catch Dad and I stealing the chocolate chips from her pantry. It used to drive her nuts because when she needed em, they were gone!

40. Do you have a best friend of the opposite sex?
     That'd be Nicholas Wayne
41. Have you ever loved someone?
     With all my heart
42. Who would you like to see right now?
     I would like to not see my self at work right now and to see myself in the sunshine.
43. Are you still friends with people from kindergarten?
     Absolutely!
44. Have you ever fired a gun?
     Many many times

Yesterday Was Awesome

Okay, yesterday was a long day, but aweseome. I woke up early (my definition of 'early' is debatable, but just go with it) and went to Pleasant Grove to pick up my buddy for the day. I babysat Malia while Kelly and Beth celebrated Beth's birthday. I just have to say, she is the cutest thing ever! Yes, I understand that I am totally biased but she is so fun. First we went to Wal-Mart and 3 people stopped me in the store just to say how cute she was while little miss put on a show that melted everyone's heart.

After some errands it was off to the mall. I needed to find me some jewelry to wear for my bridals on Saturday. Little miss and I (mostly I) got hungry. We shared some food and juice at the mall. That may have been the best part with her. She is such a character and is so funny! Anywho, from there we went to Icing to look at some jewelry. Oh. My. Gosh. Malia was in  H E A V E N. Her eyes got all big and she didn't know where to look! All she could say was "Ooh ... sparkles!" over and over again at every new thing she pointed at. She kept giggling when she'd see something new. I put some bulky pink pearls on her and she just about died! She's definietly a girl! I bought her a little flower clip for her hair. It was so so fun and I even found what I went in there to look for. We walked around the mall for a little longer looking for something for me to wear to the wedding luncheon to no avail. Little miss did, however, LOVE the sparkly floor of Forever21.

After the mall we went to Momma and Poppa Stika's house cause I needed to print a few things off. We got there just in time to see Dad, Taylor, and Savannah leave for youth conference at Flaming Gorge. They were so happy that they got to see her. When we went inside the house little miss immediately fell in love with Sabastain (my parent's bichon). You know how when people talk to babies they get this high voice and get all cuddly? She did that with the dog saying "Hi pretty puppy! Hi pretty puppy!" She laid a doily on him and helped him go 'night night'. I gave her a little piece of chocolate, or two, and ooh she loves that stuff! (Beth I know you are reading this and laughing ... It's my job to spoil her right? Right. hahaha)

I needed to get my nails done and I thought hey, I'll take little miss and she can get hers done too. Can I just tell you how much she love love loved getting that done?? They pulled up a chair next to me for her and did my nails first. She asked about a million 'what's that' which was so cute. She was super curious and was SO good while they did my nails. While mine started to dry it was her turn. She sat so still and kept saying "Sadey! Sparkles!" They painted her toes and nails hot pink with some sparkles over them and a few little white flowers. It was killing me how cute they looked! After that we paid and said goodbye to all the ladies in the nail salon who were dying at how cute little miss is :)

After the nails it was time to drop little miss back off at Nana's for a nap. (I sure do love that Nana by the way. She's such a sweet lady!) It was so much fun to spend the morning with that cutie and really see her smiling. I love you Malia!

So you are probably reading this thinking Really? Is this girl almost done?? Well, just in case you are really wondering that, the answer is no. I have more to say!

After dropping off little miss it was time for more shopping! I usually am not a huge fan of shopping. in fact, I find it to be pretty much a pain alot of the time, but if I'm in the mood for shopping, it's nuts. I met up with Nick's momma and little sister Haley at 2:30 at TJ Max. Debbie is looking for the dress for the wedding, I was looking for a dress to wear to the luncheon, and Haley was looking for more clothes to fill up her closet :) I found the dress there which was aweseome. It's super classy. Love it. After that it was off to Dressed in White and the Distribution Center to look for a temple dress. What an aweseome experience. I'm going through all of this for the first time and it really is amazing. I'm so blessed to not only know what I know, but to have the opportunity to learn so much and grow like I have lately. It's been an aweseome thing to see such a change in myself. Anyways, we found the temple dress (which got me teary eyed in the dressing room I admit). After that I had class ... which I sluffed. Sometimes, you just need a break, so I took it! Debbie, Haley, and I went to see Nick at work and bring him lunch. I showed him my jewelry and dress finds which I don't think he cared much about but he said they were cute and I'd look beautiful in anything anyways. He melts my heart ... Sigh ... okay, I'm back. After that the 3 girls went to eat us some Chinese Food. We tried out a new place next to Sensuous Sandwiches in Orem. It was heaven! Legit chinese food that was aweseome! It's only a few blocks from Nicks place which I am very happy about :) It was off to Burlington after that. We were there for-eh-ver. We all tried on a million different things, found baby Ayden the CUTEST black suit and tie and some toys, looked at jewelry, and even took a second to sit down on a bed in the home furnishings department lol. After that it was time to say goodbye. I have so much fun with those girls. I'm so grateful for a soon-to-be mother-in-law that I get along with so well and look up to so much.

I ended the night with cleaning, a little reality tv catch-up, and some Nick time. I'd say all-in-all, yesterday was awesome.

One Good-Lookin Family

Nick and I went with his family to Lagoon on the third . It was a blast! I didn't bring my camera so his sister has all the pics but here are the two we got in Old Town Lagoon :) I've never done these before but I love em!

Softball Fun

Thursday my Dad called Nick and I up to see if we wanted to play some softball. Of COURSE we said yes! It's stake ball and dad's ward is such a fun one to play with! There's a lot of us that play ball still so we are pretty stinkin good, if I may say so myself. We won Thursday which meant we played again Friday. We lost the first game by one but won the next and now it's on to regionals in a few weeks :) All us oldies have still got it! (I of course am not included in this "oldies" category seeing as how I am the youngest by a 5 year gap haha)

I love to play softball with my dad. It's fun because he's usually always the pitcher and I'm either on third or second so we get to razz each other a little. My relationship with my Dad is aweseome with alot of joking and teasing involved :) It was also my first time playing a game with Nick. I think he might have even hit better than my Dad? (Don't tell him I said that, he might get a big head haha) We had such a fun time together. Thanks everyone in the ward for a fun time, and thanks Ryan, for the grounder to the shin.

Good Wth the Bad

This picture doesn't necessarily have anything to do with this post. I just like it :) Anyways ... onto blogging!

There has been alot of good thing happening lately! Alot of stressful things thrown in there too. Take the good with the bad right?

Good: Nick and I were able to go to Lagoon with his family on the 3rd of July. We thought it'd be packed but turns out we got to walk onto just about every ride! It was a blast! Nick, Maddy, Jerry, Erin, and I all got to ride the sky coaster. We all loved it!

Bad: My head didn't love it. I was motion sick for 3 dang days! Not fun.

Good: nick earned us some extra $$'s by umpiring the RMSB Firecracker Tournament in Park City.

Bad: Sunburned lips and a MIA fiance.

Good: Wedding plans of course! That's what I think about 95% of the time anyways right? Invitations are made and about to be printed. The address list is just about complete. The food has been decided. My dress is back from the tailors and at the dry cleaners. Centerpieces are bought. Flowers chosen. It's actually turning into a wedding!

Bad: The stress of getting all those things together. I don't know how people plan weddings so dang fast. Mine and Nick's engagement will have been 5 months by the time we get married and I can't imagine doing all this with any less time!

Good: I studied for my physiology test.

Bad: Class average was a 58%. Guess it doesn't make me feel so bad when everyone else did pretty crappy too. It's the dang test questions that are more like a riddle I need to solve than a question.

Good: Nick and I are getting married in 5 weeks!

Bad: Looking for apartments is a pain in the patootie!

Life is good! :)

Learn, Prepare, and Live

This quote was just what I needed today. I've been thinking alot today about these 3views of life.

Past: I have a love/not-so-much l0ve relationship with my past. I was raised by a wonderful family and have always been surrounded wiIth amazing people that I have been able to look up to. I've hit rock bottom and didn't think there was even a way back up ... but there was. There always is. Those lowest of lows has given me some of the greatest memories and hapiness that I will forever cherish. I am who I am because of the past I hold, and for that, I am thankful for it.

Present: I tend to look at this view a little less than I should. I've thought alot about the present today and how incredibly blessed I am. I have an amazing fiance who treats me with such respect and love. I have a family who I love with all my heart. I have my new family in Heber who is just an extension of my own and examples that I know are irreplacable. I have the opportunity to go to school to someday be able to do what I love and enjoy. I have a job that is perfect for me and is truly a blessing in my life. I have friends, new and old, that I sometimes think I'd be lost without. I have been blessed to be a part of the only true church and have a Father in Heaven who I know loves me more than I can even comprehend. I am alive.

Future: I have always been a little afraid of looking at my future because what I saw wasn't where I wanted to be. I can't remember a time looking into my future and being completely content with where I was headed. I can say, now, that I am. I am going to be sealed to my eternal companion in 6 weeks. I couldn't have even imagined someone better for me. I know that with him by my side, anything is possible.

Take a moment to reflect on the past, enjoy the present, and plan for your future. Look at all the blessings that have been, are, and will be because of the choices you've made in your life.

I'm going to end with the words from a very smart and old tortoise:

Quit, don't quit? Noodles, don't noodles? You are too concerned about what was and what will be. There is a saying: yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the "present."