wedding day [part 4]

Here is Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

Eventually someone showed up to unlock the building, which allowed everyone to breathe a little easier.  [And sweat a little less.]

Tim's parents had an amazing lunch prepared.  There were all kinds of delicious things, but my favorite part was the tri-tip steak sandwiches.  [Mmm...it's making me hungry just thinking about it.]

We talked and laughed with everyone and wondered when it was going to start feeling real.

After the luncheon, Tim and I had a stop to make before we headed up to Prescott for our reception.  Bahama Buck's.  We ate our delectable shaved ice as we drove and smiled ridiculous smiles at one another.

On the way up, we kept saying things like, "We're married!"

"You're my husband!"

"You're my wife!"

Once we got to Prescott, we briefly stopped at my parents' house so I could say a decent hello to my grandma and my aunt, knowing I wouldn't have much time to talk to them later.  And after about 10 minutes of talking, we were already out of time.  We headed over to the stake center [church building] where we would be having our reception.

I knew it would be beautiful, because Nicole Mangum was in charge of decorations.

But because I hadn't been there to help set up, I didn't know exactly how it would turn out.

Which was why when I walked in the doors to the cultural hall, my breath caught in my chest and I stopped dead in my tracks.

It was more beautiful than I could have ever dreamed.

I took a few minutes just to walk around and look at everything.  [And now I wish I'd spent even more time so that I could remember every single detail.]

our wishing tree guest book

pictures hanging on doors

centerpieces

 bunting and lights

[See what I mean?]

I started to get nervous, knowing that for the next few hours, Tim and I would be the center of everyone's attention.  I've never been very good at that.  Then I started to worry about making sure everything was perfect.

Then Tim did something he's done for me every day since.  Whenever I get worried about something, to this day, Tim changes modes.  It's the I-will-do-everything-in-my-power-to-make-sure-Katie-is-happy mode.  He calmed me down, took over everything I was worried about, and sent me to change into my wedding dress.

I hunted down my mom [which was no small task] and dragged her into the bathroom to help me change.  She and one of her friends fixed my hair and my make-up, and before I knew it, it was time for the reception to start.

I found Tim and he gave me one of his reassuring smiles.  He put his arm around my waist and led me back into the cultural hall.

I could already tell this was going to be a perfect night.

*Stay tuned for details about the reception!*

wedding day [part 3]

*If you haven't already, you might wanna read Part 1 and Part 2 first.*

We stepped out into the scorching sunlight, hands clasped tightly together, for the first time as Mr. and Mrs. Devey.

[Disclaimer: I have no idea who those people behind us are.]

We were expecting everyone to be waiting for us at the bottom of the steps, as is customary, but because it was so hot, everyone was huddled under any bit of shade they could find.

And even though it was hotter than all get out, our hearts smiled magnificently.

I don't know that I'd ever felt so much love in my entire life.

My dear friend Chantal took all these lovely pictures, and she was incredible at telling everyone where to stand and how to do it quickly so we wouldn't have to be out in the heat for any longer than necessary.  [And believe me, no one wanted to be outside any longer than absolutely necessary.]

Our family and friends.

My lovely bridesmaids.

Our wedding party.

Immediately after taking pictures, everyone scurried to the building across the street, where we would be having our luncheon.  Before I walked over there, however, I needed to get a key from my mother to be able to get all of my things out of my locker in the temple.  But there was only one problem.

My mom was no where in sight.

Tim walked with me into the foyer of the temple while my dad rushed to find my mom.  After about 15 minutes, Tim left to go find my dad.

Which left me standing by myself in the foyer of the temple in my wedding dress.

I could sense the questioning stares from everyone in the foyer.  Why is she here by herself?  Did her groom leave her?  

It was an awkward few minutes, let me tell you.

Finally, they returned with the key and my recommend, which allowed me to gather all of my things.

We hurried over to the luncheon, expecting everyone to be inside the building, wondering where the heck we had been.

Instead, we found everyone waiting outside the building, wondering why the heck the building was still locked.

Continue on to Part 4.

wedding day [part 2]

*If you haven't read Part 1, go here.*

My heart stopped for what felt like an eternity.

As my mom checked her purse again for her recommend, I wondered if there really was a possibility that she might not be able to see me get married today.

She checked her suitcase.  Looked through her purse again.  And then started tearing apart the car.

My heart started pleading a prayer that my head couldn't verbalize.  Please...

"I found it!"

I let out a sigh of relief and almost started crying.

"Let's go," she smiled.

We walked together towards the temple doors that I'd only been through twice before.  Soon after entering them, I saw him.  He smiled, and I thought for the millionth time today that I might start crying.  My heart felt like it might burst with happiness.

We were quickly ushered away to take care of some paperwork, and then we were separated so we could change.  After changing, we were lead to a hallway where we could wait for our sealer.  We held hands and giggled quietly with anticipation.  Despite my nerves, I'd never felt so happy in my entire life.

Finally, our sealer came to talk with us.  He made some small talk at first, then delved into more personal things.  Then he asked if we were ready.  We nodded, not quite trusting ourselves to speak.

He lead us into the sealing room.  My breath caught in my chest; this was the most beautiful sight I'd ever seen.  Family and friends were packed into this tiny room, all glowing and all smiling.  I'd never felt such a strong spirit.  It felt as though angels were right there with us.

It was a simple ceremony.  Simple, but beautiful.  It took every ounce of willpower I had not to cry through the entire thing.

Afterward, everyone lined up and gave us each a hug.  I was tempted to cry again as so many of the people we loved congratulated us quietly.  We spent a few more moments with the sealer and with our parents in front of the mirrors.  The eternal nature of this relationship became very apparent as there was a distinct feeling that those in our family who had already passed on and those who had yet to come to this earth were very aware of this day.

We separated once again to change.  In the bride's room, my mom helped me smooth out my dress and my hair [only giving me a mild heart attack when she left me alone in the room for a few minutes to look for something].  Finally, I was lead back to Tim at the front entrance of the temple.

He took my hand and smiled his heart-stopping smile.

"You ready?"

Continue on to Part 3.

wedding day [part 1]

Remember that time I got engaged?  [You can read about it here, here, and here.]

That was a pretty good time.

But what was an even better time was that day I actually got married.

I told you about the day before I got married.

But I haven't told you very much about the day of, have I?

In truth, writing about it scares me a little bit.  I don't want to leave anything out or get anything wrong or do a bad job writing about it.  But there is a higher chance of that happening the longer I wait, I suppose...

August 5, 2011: The Wedding Day

In theory, sleeping by myself in our new apartment the night before our wedding seemed like a good idea.  But in actuality, it would have been way nicer to have other people there.  For one thing, my nerves were far beyond what I wanted to deal with on my own.  And for another thing, trying to fix a hot water heater by yourself is way harder than it sounds.

Wait...what?

Ok, let's back up a little.

My eyes flew open as my 6:00am alarm sounded, and I realized immediately that I wouldn't even need the other two alarms I'd set.  I took a minute just to soak it all in.  A fresh bought of nerves and excitement hit me and I immediately wished I'd taken Katie's offer to spend the night with me.  Or that my parents had gotten to Mesa early enough for me to spend the night with them.

Promptly at 6:05am, the phone rang.  I smiled.  Tim is always right on time.

"Hello?" I said, knowing full well who it was.

"Hey babe," said a sleepy voice.  "Happy Wedding Day!  Were you asleep?"

"Hey," I said, my smile growing larger by the second.  "No, I actually wasn't.  But thank you for the wake-up call just the same.  I'm so excited!  I love you."

"I love you, too.  I'll let you go so you can get ready.  But I'll see you soon, ok?"

We ended the call, and I walked into the bathroom.  There was a note from Tim.  Of course, I should have known, I thought.  He'd been sneakily leaving me notes in random places, sometimes accompanied by presents, for the past nine days.  Today it was just a sweet note telling me how excited he was to marry me and how much he loved me and couldn't wait to see me.

I smiled again.  [You'll notice this trend throughout the day.]

I went to turn on the water to the shower.  Huh, that's weird, I thought.  The water isn't heating up.  Maybe I'll turn the knob the other way.  Nope, that isn't working, either.  Uhhh...I don't really want to take a cold shower...

I called my dad in a panic.

"How do you fix a water heater?"

My dad groggily tried to explain what to do, but it's pretty hard to explain such a thing over the phone, especially when the receiver knows as little about appliances as I do.  Eventually, I gave up and resigned myself to a cold shower.  [At least it was invigorating?]

After I'd done my make-up and dried by hair, I headed over to the house where I was getting my hair done by the lovely Ashtyn.  [That's right.  She took our engagement and pre-wedding photos and did my hair.  Talent, I tell you.]  I showed up late, but I figured Ashtyn was probably used to my tardiness by now.  She welcomed me graciously and got my hair done with twenty minutes to spare.

During the drive to the temple, I wished for the hundredth time that I wasn't by myself.  I called my mom and begged her to get there as fast as possible.  Once I got there, I sat in the parking lot and tried to be patient.  I called my mom again to see where she was.  I organized everything in sight.  I made sure I had my temple recommend.  I made sure my dress wasn't being squished.  Then I called my mom again.

After what seemed like an hour, my family drove into the parking lot.  [It was probably more like 15 minutes.]  I got out and excitedly hugged my mom and practically screamed "hello" to my brothers and dad.  They told me I looked beautiful, and I smiled.  I felt beautiful today.

"Umm...I can't find my recommend."

I stared at my mom.  "What?"  I said, dumbfounded.

"I hope I didn't leave it in Prescott."

"What?" I said.  [Stress brings out the eloquence in me, obviously.]

If my mom didn't find her temple recommend, that would mean that she wouldn't be able to go into the temple with us.

Which would mean she'd be waiting outside.

Which would mean that my mom wouldn't be able to see me get married.

Continue to Part 2.

lack of motivation

Would you like to know why I haven't been writing very much lately?

Maybe you don't care and are going to quit reading my blog immediately.
Maybe you are a stalker and care entirely too much.
Maybe you are a blog stalker, in which case, it's ok.  [I do it, too.]
Maybe you are a friend and actually care about my life [but in a non-pathological way].

Well, enemies, creepers, blog stalkers, and friends...

...there is actually no good reason that I haven't been writing lately.

School stopped, and therefore, so did my brain.  And my drive.  [If I ever really had any to begin with.]

But, in case you were wondering, I got the highest GPA I've ever had in my life this semester.

What the.  How did that happen?

Also, Tim and I sang at a wedding this last weekend.  Actually, to be more specific, we sang during their ceremony.  Because Samara is my friend and my coworker, and because it was their wedding [no big deal], we were more than a little stressed.  We wanted it to be perfect for them.

And it really was.

Everything was so beautiful, and I'm pretty sure there wasn't a single dry eye as they both cried through their vows.  Talk about touching.

Don't they look perfect?  [And there we are, chillin' in the background.]

[I stole borrowed this picture off Samara's facebook.  I hope nobody gets offended.]

Speaking of weddings, I just wanted to show you this:

And this:

Ok, fine, and this, too:

Ah yes.

Being married is the best.

I get all teary-eyed just thinking about how lucky I got.

Ok kids, I'll see you when and if my drive comes back again.

In the meantime, Happy-Five-Days-Until-Christmas!

[Again, nobody sells signs that say that.  I am definitely starting my own product line.]

items of business

I have a few items of business I would like to discuss.

[Ahaha.  Sometimes I make myself laugh.]

Ok, first things first.  See my new little blog button there on the side?  Don't take it yet!  [Is that bad publicity?  Alas.]  It's not quite perfected yet.  But.  I'm working on it.  [Or I should say, Tim is working on it.]  I'm not very savvy at all this hip blogger stuff yet.  [Obviously, if it's taken me this long to get a button, eh?]  I'll let you know when it's ready a.s.a.p.

Second item of business.  I was given two blog awards!  Well, technically, I think I was given the same blog award twice [by two different people - Emma from Race & Emma and Ashley from All Things Ashley].  The Versatile Blogger Award.  I'm so happy!  I love blog friends and blog lovin'.  So I believe I'm supposed to tell you seven random things about me and then nominate some people for the same award.

1. I am naturally a very shy person.  Over the years, it's gotten to the point where most people can't even tell [at least, I don't  think so].  But it takes a lot of work on my part sometimes.  I think now I can be relatively outgoing without a ton of effort, but occasionally I just revert to sitting in the corner quietly.

2.  I love food.  [Wait, was this supposed to be things you didn't know?]  I don't consider myself a "foodie," because let's face it - I am not discriminatory.  I love almost all food.  [Minus seafood.  I know that's a pretty large group to rule out, but I think if you read this post, you'll understand.]

3. I used to play the trumpet.  True story.  5th-8th grade.  Back in the glory days.  [Not.]

4. I once swallowed a penny.  When I was five.  And it got stuck in my esophagus and I had to have a bronchoscopy and stay in the hospital overnight.  Awkward.

5. I am a Mormon!  And my new Mormon.org profile is now up and running.  You can get to it by clicking on that "I'm a Mormon" button on the upper-right hand side.

6. Tim and I love Psych.  Like, love love love it.  Enough that we got two pineapples, two Season Four DVD sets, and a pineapple clock for wedding gifts.  I have this dream that we could spend an entire day with them, quoting '80s movies.  [And don't try to tell me that they aren't real.]

7. I am a singer.  Or more like I used to be.  I've done years of choir, but in high school, I did a few years of singing lessons.  And would compete in Classical and Musical Theatre competitions.  It was kind of intense and took a lot of the fun out of it for me.  But.  I still like to sing, but now it's more informal.  Sometimes, Tim and I sing on Mill Avenue in Tempe, AZ for fun [and we even get paid for it...suckers].

And there you have it.  Things you never wanted to know.  Now for the nominations.  [Our third item of business.]  This is really hard for me because I love so many blogs.  So many talented, creative people out there.  But here we go:

Katie from Scruples

Alexis from Alexis Laughs

Siri from Of Pumpkin Thieves

Katie from Harrisness

Kara from Not a Couple's Blog

Chelsea from Perfect in My Mind

Bridget from Being Quiet in a Loud Way

[I didn't actually know how many I was supposed to nominate, so I did seven - the number of random facts about myself.]

Ok kids, now it's your turn!  Seven random facts about yourselves and nominations!

Fourth order of business: Camping was awesome.  I will have to tell you all about it a.s.a.p.  [But not now, because this is turning into a freakishly long post.]

Fifth order of business:

A wedding picture.  For fun.

Kbyenow.

i need YOU, kids

I have all kinds of things that I want to write about, but almost all of them involve pictures.  Pictures that I don't have with me right now.  Which means I can't write them right now.  [Well, I guess I could write them, but I wouldn't be able to post them, so what's the point, eh?]

Anyways.  Today I just have a question.  A question I really want to know the answer to.

I bought Thank-You cards for all things wedding-related a few weeks ago, but since school started I just haven't had the time to write in them.  Or consequently, send them to anyone.  I am planning to block aside some time for it this weekend, but I would just like to know...

What is a good [or a bad] amount of time in which to send Thank-You cards?

I know in the South, there is some sort of unwritten rule on this that everybody just somehow knows inherently or something.

But what is good etiquette on this, people?

I got married on August 5th.  Today is September 14.  Too short?  Too long?

I would be horrified if anyone thought I wasn't thankful for all of their help/time/gifts, because I totally am.

And ok, ok, since you asked....

...another wedding photo.

Ok so no one actually asked for this.  But I'm sure it's what you all were hoping for, right?  ...Right?

p.s.  Ok one more question.  I keep hearing lately that so many people hate kissing pictures.  I actually can't even fathom that, because I love looking at kissing pictures.  I just think they're so romantic.   [Usually, anyway.]  I think that when people hate kissing pictures, it's akin to hating Disneyland or furry animals or chocolate or something.  Thoughts?

i wrote a guest post

Ok, ok, I know it's a holiday and everything, but...

I wrote a guest post.  And you can read it today.

So enhance your holiday celebrations by clicking on that link!  I'm sure you won't regret it.

[You also won't regret spending some time on Emma's blog.  Lots o' fun, kids!]

[This is my first guest post ever.  Whaaaat!]

the day before the dive

August 4, 2011: The Day Before Our Wedding

The Plan:

Move everything into our new apartment and then drive up to Prescott to help set up for our reception.  Then drive back to Phoenix that night.  Stay with my parents at their motel room.

What actually happened:

I woke up early [though still later than I had planned - it's a weakness, I'll admit], and tried to hurry and get my [endless] list of last-minute tasks done.  Melissa [Tim's sister] and her boyfriend, Brad, got to my house a little early [being late is not a weakness of the Devey family].  Then Tim arrived and the moving began.

At first everything seemed to be going so well; Melissa and Brad were a big help and later more of the Devey family showed up to help.  [There are a plethora of pluses marrying into a 10-children, very sweet family.]  Then, all at once, time seemed to slow.  We just weren't getting things done in the time-frame we had hoped.  [I attribute this to the fact that I own way too much junk memorabilia.]  We finally finished at 3:30pm.  I called my mom, frustrated.  If we left right then - dripping sweat and all - we would get to Prescott by 5:30pm.  Which meant if we were to get back by a decent hour, we'd have to leave Prescott in a very short two hours or so.  Conclusion: not worth it.  We were to stay in Phoenix and let our family and friends do all the set-up.  [Confession: I still feel guilty about this.  I wanted to help.  I really did.  And I really wanted to get a glimpse of what my reception might look like.  Thank goodness for good friends and picture messaging, I suppose.]

After we finished moving everything up three flights of stairs in 110 degree torture [I'm amazed Tim's family still wanted us to get married], we all went to eat at In-N-Out.  [There was absolutely no way we were going to be able to cook anything in our unpacked, disorganized kitchen.  Not that anyone expected us to.]  Then we went back to the apartment and tried to clean and organize a little bit.  [We didn't really want to come back from our honeymoon not knowing where anything was.]

It was an odd feeling.  The apartment was ours but not quite.  It was the place where I would no longer have girl roommates.  Combine what had been "his" and "hers" into "ours."  Home - almost.  It was getting so real.  Our excitement was almost tangible.

My family called to say that they would get to Phoenix much later than expected, so I decided to just stay at our apartment that night.  I said goodbye to my fiance for the last time, and prayed to God I would get some sleep.

p.s.  Blogger keeps redlining "Devey," as if to inform me that my new last name isn't spelled correctly.  Suckers.

Editor's Note: The entire day was made far more manageable because of a smoothie made for me in the morning by a certain best friend/roommate.  She is welcome to make me those even now that I am married.  You know.  If she wants.

i'm back!

Actually, I was back a few days ago.  I just decided to take a blogging hiatus.  Because, well...

I just didn't feel like it yet.

But here I am, in full blogging glory!

...Or something like that.

Long story [very, very] short?

I LOVED my wedding dress.

I LOVED my wedding pictures.

I LOVED my wedding day.

I LOVED my reception.

I LOVED all of the little details.

I LOVED being able to see so many family and friends.

I LOVED my honeymoon.  [Hi, HAWAII!]

And most of all?

I LOVE being married.

Seriously.  I get to hang out with my best friend all.the.time.  And we giggle all.the.time.  And I'm happy all.the.time.

I know what you're thinking...that I won't always be this happy.

But I'd like to see you try to convince me of that right now.

p.s.  Weren't my guest bloggers fun?  I just love them.  [Wait, what?  You didn't read their posts?  Oh well go and check them out, silly kids!  Or, ahem, perhaps more appropriately, check their blogs out.  But I'm not one to judge.]

p.p.s.  More details to follow.  Promise.

wedding and guest posters

Ok kids...I'm getting married tomorrow!

I really wanted to write a blog about how waiting to get married is like waiting to go to Disneyland when you're a kid...

...but I don't have time to draw all of the comparisons.  But you can imagine that it would have been a very insightful post.

But in the meantime, just remember that we have a few guest posters (about every other day), so be sure to show them some love!

wedding teaser

Ladies, THANK YOU for your comments on my last blog.  They were very much appreciated.

I am happy to inform you that I am much less emotional and much less stressed today.

And frankly, I am getting freaking excited.

Now for some news: [I already mentioned this, but for those of you that might be new] Tim and I took our pre-wedding pictures, oh, like, two weeks ago.  We did that so we would be less stressed on our wedding day.  Not to mention the fact that I didn't want to get up at the [butt] crack of dawn so it wouldn't be scorching hot [#Arizonaheatkills] [#okmaybenotreally] and be exhausted and cranky the rest of the day.

And now for the actual news:

We got the pictures back last night!

And I love love love them!

I don't know if anyone else does this, but I felt pretty during the picture-taking, and then starting immediately afterwards, I had myself convinced that I probably looked really ugly and that my hair was completely messed up and that my dress made me look fat.

It was a pleasant surprise, then, when we got them back last night and I thought, "Oh, I don't look as bad as I thought I would!"

In fact, I felt quite pretty again.

Oh, imagination.  Oh, self-esteem.

And now for a little teaser [because you just know that my blog will be ridden with them for months]:

Is it ok for me to show you that before the wedding?  Oh.  Well.  I just did.  At least you can't see every little detail, right?

And finally, as you might recall from this post, I would like to have some guest posters during my honeymoon.  I already have a few, but I would love to have a couple more if any of you would like to!  This is your last chance!  [Does that sound dramatic enough?]

p.s.  Last night I was showing this girl all of my wedding pictures and she oooed and awwed in all of the appropriate places.  Then when we got to the above picture, she said it made it look like I was stalking him.  Like he was just chillin' at the temple and I showed up in a wedding dress just hoping that someone would be there to marry me.  And that made me giggle profusely.  [#creeperrrr]

p.p.s.  We get married on FRIDAY!  [Friday, Friday, Gotta get down on Friday!]

you're gonna miss this

Ever since I was a little girl, bad things have happened to me when I don't get enough sleep.

I get tired.  [#obviously]

I get emotional.

I get sick to my stomach.

And sometimes just sick in general.

Then puberty hit and you can imagine what happened.  [#magnifiedby1,000]

And if I'm at all stressed, everything is magnified once again by 2,567.

Keep all of those factors in mind whilst I tell you:

I had a nervous breakdown of sorts yesterday.

I was tired, emotional, sick to my stomach, and feeling the beginning symptoms of a cold.  Then I found out that we wouldn't be able to move into our apartment until August 5th.  [Oh yeah, you know.  The same August 5th as our wedding day.]  That was the straw that broke the camel's back.  [I was tempted to throw in something about a needle and a haystack - e.g., that was the needle from the haystack that broke the camel's back - but I'm pretty sure that's a completely different metaphor.]  That opened the floodgates which I have had trouble closing ever since.

I felt totally overwhelmed, which I am completely positive came across through our cell phones.  Tim tried to calm me down, reassuring me that even if we didn't know how things were going to work out, that they would work out.

Later that day, Tim came over to my house to pick me up so we could buy some ingredients for dinner.  He explained to me that he had called his family and [with all of their help] figured out a way to make our apartment/moving situation work.  [Did I mention that we'll be living in a month-to-month apartment while we continue looking for a house?  Oh.  Well.  We will.]  Then he started telling me about a country song he heard on the radio about how eventually you're going to miss the situation you're in now.  I knew immediately which song he was referring to.

You're gonna miss this

You're gonna want this back

You're gonna wish these days

Hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now

But you're gonna miss this

As I thought about the familiar lyrics, I remembered how willing Tim's family had been to help us move.  I remembered the bridal shower my sweet coworkers had thrown earlier that day and how generous every one had been.  I remembered my bachelorette party and all of my sweet friends there.  I remembered how much work my family and friends are doing to prepare for our wedding.  I remembered Tim and his constant willingness to do whatever he can to make sure I'm not stressed.

And suddenly I felt very selfish.

Then I thought, "You probably really are going to miss all of this."

It was one of those proverbial slap-in-the-face moments.

That realization hasn't fixed everything.  I still feel totally overwhelmed.  I still feel emotional.  I still feel tired.  And I still feel a little sick.

But I am trying to enjoy the moment.  And I'm trying to be less selfish.

Because you know what?  These are some good times and I really am gonna miss this.

And heck, I get to marry my best friend in 8 days.

I am so very blessed.

the marriage license

A couple of weeks ago, Tim and I decided to go get our marriage license.

We had no idea, but this...was quite the process.  For a few reasons.  Let me enumerate:

1. I don't know if this is true everywhere, but in Mesa, the Maricopa county clerk's office was absurdly hard to find.  That or Tim and I are just directionally challenged.  But given a choice, I would prefer the former.

2.  The security to get in the building is like unto that of an airport.  You know - x-ray machines, security wands - the works.  [Just a little tip: when they are about to scan you with the wand and say, "Put your arms up," they don't mean straight up.  And when they tell you to turn around, they probably don't mean the full 360 degrees.  And if you do either of those things, you might get called a "troublemaker."  Just hypothetically speaking, of course.]

3.  After you finally get through all the security, you get sent back to a little office where you fill out some paperwork.  Strangely, this is one of the parts where they don't make it difficult to get your license.  They only ask for the very basics: name, social security number, and address.  The "quite the process" part came in afterward:

Clerk:  Raise your right hands.

Me:  ....Really?

Clerk: *raises eyebrows* Yes.

Tim: *tries not to laugh*

Me:  Oh, uh, ok.

Clerk: Do you swear that all of the information you have given me is true and correct?

To be honest, I'm still not sure if she was just joking.  But either way, we still raised our right hands and made it look darned official.  And somehow, she knew we were LDS.  I'm still not sure about that part either.  [Probably because we were young.  And smiley and kinda hyper.  #itwasearlyinthemorningok?]

What the official!

p.s.  This post is mostly dedicated to Jeff and Emma Jo Yeager, whose marriage-license-picture inspired the above marriage-license-picture.  And without the above marriage-license-picture, I probably wouldn't have written this post.  And you would have never heard the marriage-license-picture story.  And we all know that would have been a great misfortune.  Because who doesn't love a good marriage-license-picture story?

the nails that were fake

This:

is proof that I am not very good at saying "no."

Or perhaps in this case, that I am not very good at saying "yes."

Let me explain.

When I was in high school, I decided that I wanted fake nails for my wedding.  I thought they were too ridiculously expensive [for my measly budget] to have on any other occasion.

So I waited.  [Very patiently, might I add.]

Fast forward: I am getting married.  This means I will be having a wedding.

Do you see where this is going?

That's right.

I got my nails done yesterday.  I had pictures today, so I got my nails done yesterday.

Eh, Pacha?

And here we are, back to the point of all this nonsensical rambling: the fact that I can't say no.  Or in this case, that I couldn't say yes.

After the very-nice-Asian-man-whose-accent-I-couldn't-entirely-understand cut down the tips, he asked if I wanted them shorter.

I replied that I did.

He cut them shorter.

Then he started filing.

There was only one problem: I still wanted them even shorter.

But he had already started filing.  And he seemed like such a nice man.  And I didn't want him to have to start all over again with the filing.  And, you know, maybe I didn't really need them to be all that short anyway.  I could probably enjoy them this length.  I mean, they still looked good, right?

The man must have noticed me staring intently at my nails, because he said, mid-file, "Oh no, you want them shorter, don't you?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do," I thought.  "No," I said.

"Whaaaa?" I thought.

And there you have it, my friends.  How I came to have much longer nails than I had so long envisioned.  [Ok, so they're not really that long...right?  Comfort me here, people.  I don't look like the Wicked Witch of the West now, do I???]

And now we've finally come full circle - back to the point.  Usually my problem is that I can't say no to people, because I am a major people pleaser, people.  I just would rather see someone looking happy than someone looking sad.  Even if I'm paying that someone to, oh, you know, put acrylics on my nails, or something.  [Hypothetically speaking, of course.]  And instead, this time, I said no when I actually wanted to say yes.  [Confused?  So am I.]

Moral of the story?  Sometimes it's ok to say no.

[Another] moral of the story?  Sometimes it's ok to say yes.

[Not really a] moral of the story?  I will probably continue to do things simply because I think it makes someone else happy.  All of this nonsensical rambling soul-searching probably won't change any of that.

p.s.  I would just like to give a shout-out to Tim, who sat right there in that nail salon with me the entire time I was getting my nails done.  And only laughed a few times - but mostly when my feet were being scrubbed with that, er, whatever-that-thing-is-that-gets-dead-skin-off-your-feet, and I couldn't stop giggling.  [It's ok, everyone else was laughing at me, too.]

p.p.s. If you don't like kissing pictures, you probably shouldn't look at that picture.

p^3.s.  Oops, too late.

pinching myself

Engagement story still coming...promise!  Just waiting for pictures and a [very sneaky] video.

But in the meantime, I have been compiling a [very long, very detailed] to-do list [it's the only thing that keeps me sane!], picking colors, and deciding on décor.  And a million other little things.

Tim called the temple yesterday to reserve a date.  And the date will officially be...

August 5, 2011!


[If I could insert a thousand smiley faces right there, I would.]

I wish I could tell you how hard it was to choose between Friday, August 5th at 10:30am and Saturday, August 6th at 1:30pm.  It doesn't seem like it should be a hard decision, but it totally was.  [Or totes was, if you want to be hip.]  Tim called me at work, and we went back and forth like 134 times.  Or something like that.  Long story short: it will be very hot in Arizona on either day at either time.  So in the end, it came down to the fact that we didn't want to travel for our honeymoon on Sunday.

And, at the risk of making you think we're crazy, we are thinking about buying a house.  [Saying that makes me feel grown-up.  Actually that's not true.  It makes me feel like wow-that-sounds-really-grown-up-but-I-still-feel-like-a-little-kid-and-can't-be-doing-grown-up-things-like-that-yet.]  Yes, we will both still be students.  Yes, we are in our early twenties.  Yes, we both only have part-time jobs.  But.  It's so tempting right now because the market is so down and because the mortgage payment would be about a third of what we would be paying for rent in an apartment.  For more square footage.  So we are doing some research and we will see.

It all feels so surreal.  Sometimes I have to pinch myself [figuratively, not literally...but that would be interesting] to remind myself that this is actually happening, that I am not 10 years old anymore, that I've found the love of my life, and that he wants to marry me.  It's weird when something you've been dreaming about your whole life actually happens.  Weird, but awesome.

49 days, people.  49 days.