The Wedding Details

I can't believe how fast time has gone.  Keith and I have already been married for nine months, but it seems like just yesterday we were getting hitched.  I was recently putting together our wedding album and began thinking about all of the little things and detailed I failed to mention when I posted about the wedding months ago.  My thoughts made me want to post about the wedding again, so I am.  Only this time I am going with a more in-depth approach.

The Ceremony

After always dreaming of getting married in the Salt Lake Temple, Keith and I choose the Mount Timpanogos Temple, due to it being a mid point for my family and his (those living in Utah, that is).  In the end, I am so glad that is where we decided to be married.  We were planning on having the sealer on duty marry us, but as Keith was gathering addresses, he found out that his mission president was a sealer there.  We quickly asked him to do the honors, and he was free and willing.  The day became that much more special because of Keith's connection with President Hill.  Yes, the temple at the time was going through some exterior redecorating, but that just made our pictures a little more unique.

The Day

We were married on a Friday afternoon.  The ceremony was at 4:00, which left us as the second to last marriage of the day.  This was wonderful because not only did I basically have the bride's room to myself, it made taking pictures easy because we weren't bumping into other groups.  We were not rushed at all.  We choose to have it this late in the day because we had decided not to have a reception.  We wanted our guests to be able to go from ceremony to pictures to dinner without too much lag time.  The day itself was perfect.  Even though it was mid-August it wasn't as hot as it could have been, the sky was blue and clear, and a little cool breeze was blowing.  The afternoon sunshine made pictures perfect with hazy light and bright colors.

My Dress

Funny bit about my dress--for three nights after I bought it, I had nightmares that I had picked the wrong one.  It had come down to two dresses: the second dress and the last dress that I had tried on.  I liked the last dress because it was simple.  I liked the second dress because when I put it on everyone (my mom, my sister, and the sales girl) said "Wow".  I choose dress number two, the more traditional option, and it was anything but simple.  It was lacy and flowery and sparkly, basically everything I didn't want in a dress.  But after those three terrifying nights, I began to love my dress for everything that I at first was worried about.  I loved the lace and the sparkle and the flounce.  It was definitely the best choice.  And it made me feel beautiful, just as it was supposed to.

My Shoes

I bought these beauties while I was a missionary in Taiwan.  At the time, I was living with my oft mentioned friend, Erin, in Taoyuan.  For some reason, we were obsessed with finding shoes to fit our big American feet.  When I saw these ones, and they were my size, I just had to buy them.  They were sparkly, and red, and sequined, and awesome.  I think I always had the idea in the back of my mind that I was going to wear these on my wedding day.  And they were perfect, especially because they are a nod to my short life in Asia.  In Chinese and other Asian cultures, red is the color of weddings, symbolizing joy and good fortune.  So, with my white and Western wedding dress, my shoes are a token to Eastern tradition.  (And I was able to find a perfectly matching tie for Keith.)

My Bouquet

I ended up letting my niece take my bouquet home, so I don't have a great memory of it, but I loved it.  It was the right size and the right color and perfect.  I was almost tempted to buy the flowers from the florist and put the bouquet together myself to save money, but then I decided to forget the few extra dollars, save myself some stress, and have a professional do it.  It turned out exactly as I'd hoped for.  I'm glad I went with my sister's advice to stick to a white bouquet with a little bit of color.  I think the pinky/purple flowers are astilbes, and the white flowers included chrysanthemums, ranunculus', and hydrangeas.

The Dinner

After the ceremony and pictures, guests made a short drive to the Blue Lemon.  There we cut the cake (made by the Blue Lemon), and had dinner.  Dinner was delicious!  We had a buffet spread that included Caesar salad, fresh fruit salad, chicken roulade with risotto, flat iron grilled steak with fingerling potatoes, with cupcakes and wedding cake for dessert.  I would definitely recommend the Blue Lemon to anyone for a wedding dinner.  They took care of everything and all I had to do was show up and eat.

Overall

Overall, it was a perfect day.  I know every one says that about their own wedding, but it is true.  It was a practically stress-free day and I didn't worry about anything going wrong.  The only hiccups we had were when I spilled about 100 bobby pins all over the temple lobby, how my hair accessory refused to stay put, and the fact that our wedding cake was still a bit frozen when we tried to cut it.  But those were all minor things and are now small memories that made the day real.  Everything else was wonderful and perfect and exactly as it should have been.

Living with Less

***This is one of those Details posts I mentioned I wanted to write.  More to come about the wedding, my apartment, my life, and just living in Canada in general.***

While vising my in-laws last month, my MIL took me shopping and kindly bought me a new shirt.  This was the first new item of clothing I have acquired since getting married nine months ago.  Those of you who know me know that me not buying clothes for so long is highly unusual.  There are a couple of reasons for this.  First, Keith and I are on a tight budget that doesn't include unnecessary clothing or other purchases.  And second, when I moved my life a thousand plus miles and to a new country, and I had to downsize, reduce, hand-down, toss, sell, slash, chop, and lessen my belongings significantly, I realized that I just don't need to have so much.

For the last many years prior to my marriage, I had been living at my parents' home, with no debt and a large walk-in closet.  Do you know how much a single girl with no bills can acquire and stuff into a closet in just a few years?  While I was preparing to move, I honestly got rid of over two-thirds of my belongings, including, but not limited to: clothes, shoes, books, movies, CDs, jewelry, toiletries, household goods, etc.  Even now, I go to my closet and think, "Did I bring that with me?", or "I might have left that at home."  Let's just say that my sisters, nieces, friends, and DI were all very happy once I began cleaning out my closet.

It's a good thing I got rid of so much, too, as our apartment is rather small.  It is just a one-bedroom with a small kitchen and stuffed closets.  But we've made it work.  While in Taiwan and living out of two suitcases, I learned that you don't need a lot of stuff to survive or be happy.  It is nice to finally be able to put this policy into practice in everyday life and living.

So, even though we live in a small space with old clothes and older furniture, we are pretty darn happy and snug.

Now, if only we could figure out how to live on less food and cut our grocery bill in half...

Family Visit

I have not yet mentioned that my sister and her family came to visit me a couple of weeks ago.  It was the first time I had seen them since my wedding, so I was really excited to have them come.  I had been highly anticipating their visit for weeks, yet they still managed to surprise me by showing up on my doorstep a day earlier than I expected. Everyone (Keith, the neighbors, my other family members) where all in on the secret, and surprisingly no one spilled the beans.  Imagine my shock when I opened the door to see my nieces and nephews instead of the UPS man!!

Unfortunately, I didn't take many pictures, but we sure had a wonderful time together.  Jennie's older three kids camped out on our living room floor, while she with Nick and the youngest slept at the neighbors' (we have great neighbors).  We ate meals around our tiny kitchen table, played games on our even tinier end table, and were generally squished, melted, and happy together in our small and hot apartment.

Their visit did fall a couple weeks shy of the official opening of summer (and most activities) in Edmonton, but we still managed to have fun.  We walked across the High Level Bridge, visited the farmers' market, enjoyed the Muttart Conservatory, walked around the West Edmonton Mall, played glow-in-the-dark miniature golf and 5-pin bowling, and just had fun.  It was great!

I love my family!!

P.S.:  We know have two blowup mattresses that fit snugly in our living room.  We LOVE visitors (hint, hint).

Dear Mom:

Thanks for believing in us, putting up with us,

and straight up loving us.

Happy Mother's Day!

Spring, the Sequel

We pretty much skipped spring

and went from winter straight to summer 

here in Edmonton.  

Last Wednesday it was snowing 

and by Saturday 

it was in the high 80's.  

Luckily, it has cooled down 

to a more manageable temperature 

within the last day or two.

I think spring has finally arrived

in our cold Canadian town.

A Whodunit Delight

I've slowly been watching through the old TV show Murder, She Wrote.  I love detective stories, and I like Angela Lansbury, so I thought I'd give it a try.  Can you believe that the show lasted for 12 seasons?!  I'm only on season 2, so the thought of slogging through 10 more is a little daunting, but on the bright side, think of all of the hours of entertainment before me!

Anyway, I found a list of 13 reasons why we should all rewatch Murder, She Wrote.  I thought it was pretty funny and accurate, so I thought I'd relist it, with some editing...

#1:  The delightfully cheerful opening theme song. You can't hear it without wanting to hum along.
#2:  The reliable formula of death, sleuthing, and satisfying discovery.  Someone always dies, and Jessica always figures it out.
#3:  The magical population math.  Cabot Cove's a small town, and after 12 seasons, everyone should be dead, but they aren't.
#4:  J.B. Fletcher's array of alias personas.  She does disguise so well.
#5:  Jessica's bad(edit)self.  Basically, she kicks butt.
#6:  Jessica's moments of genius.  There's an Ah ha moment in every episode.
#7:  The adorable friendship and never-to-be love affair between Jessica and Dr. Hazlitt.  They're just so cute together.
#8:  The delicious near-death moments she always escapes when snooping around for clues.  You think every episode will be her last, yet she survives on.
#9:  Jessica's range of fabulous faces.  AL is a great actress.  People don't act that way anymore.
#10: The parade of before-they-were-famous cameos.  And after-they-were-famous, too!
#11: The fabulous fashion statements.  The 80's.  'Nuff said.
#12: Jessica's fun sidekicks.  And they are all terrible policemen.
#13: 264 episodes of nail biting suspense.  Amen.

You should watch it.

Because it is that good.

You Might be a Housewife If...

My days aren't usually very exciting.  As I am currently unable to work (as I wait for my permanent residency) and don't have any children, some days I just don't have a lot to do.  I stay home, cooking and cleaning and couponing, and while I enjoy it, it makes me a little crazy at times.  Last night, as I was trying to fall asleep, I began compiling a list of all the weird things I do/know now that I am so involved in housewifery.

So, you might be a stay-at-home housewife (like me) if...:

• You know exactly how many loads of laundry you need to do every week.
  
• You brag about what you are making for dinner on Facebook just so you have something to write in your status (sorry about that...)
  
• Your favorite day of the week is Friday because that is the day that the grocery ads come out.
  
• You are willing to shop at Walmart, even if you don't want to, just because sometimes it is cheaper.
  
• Editing your brother-in-law's college papers that he sends you via email is the highlight of your week.
  
• You begin memorizing recipes because you make them so often (brownies or pizza dough, anyone?).
  
• You nag your husband to buy you a sewing machine, not because you know how to sew, but because it gives the impression that you have greater domestic talents than you actually do.
  
• You can clean the bathroom, scrub the tub, and mop the entire apartment in under an hour.
  
• You do at least 3 batches of dishes everyday.
  
• You keep a running inventory in your head of all of the food, toiletries, cleaning supplies, etc., in the house and know what needs replenishing each week.
  
• You own more aprons than pairs of shoes.
  
• Your favorite store is Ikea, regardless of the feelings of claustrophobia and over-stimulation you experience while shopping there.
  
• The thought of canning season makes you giddy with anticipation.

It's a good life :)

What Do LDS Women Get?

The recent debate about LDS women being ordained to the priesthood has made me think, and I feel like I need to comment.  I feel completely at peace with being a woman in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and not being able to hold the priesthood.  I personally believe that women do not need to be ordained unto this power, for the power is already within them.  What is the priesthood?  It is the Power of God.  Who is God?  He is our Father, a powerful and loving being.  Who are we?  We are His daughters, created in His image, patterned after Him, in our mortality and nature.  If this is true, that we are His daughters, and that we are like Him, then we inherently have the Power of God within us.  We might use that power differently than our priesthood brothers, but it is there, nonetheless.  We are still privy to the companionship of the Holy Ghost, we are still entitled to revelation, and we are still able to move that mountain.

We squeak and squawk about equality in life.  Equality in the work place.  Equality in the military.  Equality in religion.  But women and men are never going to be equal.  Until we become a biological androgynous species, there will always be a difference between men and women.  We were created differently for a reason.  We have different roles and responsibilities, different purposes that we are on earth to fulfill.

Sister Sheri Dew explains the roles and rights of women in the Church perfectly, answering the question of equality and ordination. She, of all people, knows the privileges of being a woman in the gospel, as she has served faithfully beside the priesthood leaders of the Church for years.

I am so grateful to be a member and woman of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  I am grateful for the difference between men and women and the chance I have to righteously fulfill the measure of my creation.  I know that, even though I have never been ordained to the priesthood, that the Spirit and Power of God reside with me.  And I can call upon that power when needed.  I am grateful for the opportunity we have to listen to living prophets this weekend during General Conference. They are led by God and speak with His voice.  We can feel God's love and know of his will and plan as we listen with our hearts and spirits.  He will direct and guide us.

Happy Conference Weekend!

Missing

Last Sunday I left my husband.  Left him in cold, cold Edmonton, as I traveled to warmer climes, that is.  It's been fun hanging out with Keith's family in the thawed out Okanagan without him, but, five days later, I'm really starting to miss the guy.  Too bad I'm not scheduled to go home for another five days. Next Wednesday can't come soon enough.

The Details

I'm been feeling kind of bad because I have not properly recorded the details of my life recently.  Sure, I've written a bit here and a bit there on the blog, but my personal journal has been suffering.  At one time, I wrote in my journal every day for over a year.  True, the entries were never anything spectacular, but I wrote.  And recently, I have been a huge slacker.  I feel like I need to press the "Pause" button, and rewind the tape back to May of last year.  So much has happened since last summer/year and I feel like I've only mentioned the bare minimum in my public record and absolutely nothing in my personal one.  I need to jot down all of the details before I forget them.

I guess what I'm saying is, if my writing here seems to go back in time or repeat something I have already mentioned, just humor me, okay?  I'm just trying to get my history in order.

Spring!!!

Or not...

Don't mind my crazy eyes; I  wasn't sure where I was supposed to look.