Wedding Snapshot

I promised I would post a few wedding details and progress so far. These past couple Saturday's I have spent gathering information and ideas at bridal shows. My mom, Danielle, Ashley, and I went to the bridal show at the Salt Palace and to lunch at Macaroni Grill. It was so much fun to have a girls day and gush over all the fun aspects of planning a wedding. I even won $300 certificate for a DJ. Then last weekend we went to the bridal show at the Grand America hotel. It was fun, but we got there at the end and spent post of the time running around getting a paper signed by all 106 booths to enter in for the contest. We did it, but didn't win the grand prize. Dang. We have one more bridal show at the South Towne Expo Center next week, which I'm excited to go to. I love planning a wedding, its hard to stick to just one idea.

Jeff and I decided we want to have an outdoor reception and keep it pretty simple. We want it to be more of a party then the typical "meet and greet" Mormon receptions. My cousin Chelsea had such a fun wedding last March. People were dancing and talking and having a great time. I hate going to wedding receptions where you go through the line, get a piece of cake, and then go home. There is no fun in that. We are going to have a ring ceremony in the early morning, so we can have the whole walking down the isle and my family can see me get married. Then we will get sealed in the Salt Lake temple and we will have a lunch following. Then we will do a backyard reception in Jeff's parent's backyard. We will have an hour for the "meet and greet" line and then it'll be dancing and a party for the rest of the night. The colors we chose are actually Jeff's favorite color and my favorite color combined: Red and Aqua! We want it to have a retro feel to it. Here's some picture collages I have gathered as my inspiration.

I know this is with orange...imagine with red. I really love the "LOVE" sign and font.

Please comment and let me know what you think. Any other ideas, suggestions, or advice? It would be appreciated.

Run...Run...Run {AKA No Time to Sleep}

Exhausted, overwhelmed, and I couldn't be happier. As I said in my last post things are changing and changing fast. I work 45 hours a week as a Comcast Account Executive, pretty spiffy title huh ;). I love my new job and the benefits are so amazing. I have so much vacation, holiday, and flex time I can't possibly think how I would use it all (longer honeymoon!) Did I mention I also get free cable and internet (the best packages they offer too). But there are great important benefits as well which is a comforting thought. I just love my new job; the people and the company are amazing.

Since I work during the week I don't have time to get anything done and it all has to be pushed to Saturday. So every Saturday till who knows when is packed filled with running errands trying to plan a wedding and finding a place to live. Fortunately, my mom was willing to follow me around and took me to lunch this week. Running errands isn't so bad when you have someone to tag along. I am going to miss hanging out with my mom so much when I'm married. She's always been there for me and she is my best friend.

Today I was sitting in sacrament meeting today and a girl was speaking about prayer. I have spent so much time praying for my worries and fears to go away and that some of my dreams/hopes to start coming true. This economy has been really hard and this past year was a struggle. I put my faith in heavenly father that he would help me and things would work out in the end. I truly believe that if you believe and want something bad enough it is possible with the help of heavenly father. He will be there to help as long as you are willing to follow his plan and put forth the effort needed to get there.

In a Blink of an {Eye}

I cannot believe how fast things can change for the better or for the worse. All I can say is I'm glad its for the better this time. The last couple of years have been hard and definitely filled with trials. This year has already been amazing and I keep finding myself saying things are actually working out in our favor. First of all, I recently got a new job that makes a ton more money and is full time hours; plus it has great benefits. Technically I currently have 2 jobs (as I didn't have a chance to quit my other job), but I think I might keep both for a little while just to get the extra cash.

The next great news is that wedding planning is in full swing. Jeff and I have been planning and figuring out details left right. I will post more about what we have come up with soon, when I have more time. I have been to 2 bridals shows and have 2 more to go.

Finally, Jeff and I between jobs and wedding planning have started looking for a townhouse/condo to buy! Yes, buy! Its such a scary thought and process, but the market today makes the monthly payments the same (and even cheaper) than rent. Its kind of stressful, but a lot of fun. We are still considering both options, but we are leaning towards buying at the moment. Wish us luck!

More to come soon....

Our Holiday Season Breakdown...a little late

I absolutely love the holidays despite how crazy and busy they are. Jeff and I tried to plan our "plan of attack" out, but like life it didn't work out how we planned. First of all I was extremely sick and exhausted the whole week of Christmas. I didn't want to get out of bed or talk or do anything for that matter. It really sucked. However, it was a wonderful Christmas weekend.

Sunday before Christmas (and before I got sick) was the Moosman's Santa Christmas party. We all got together at a cute little building we had to rent out (proof there is a mob of us). It was great to see everyone and visit. I love getting together with them and seeing all the new faces that seem to appear between each gathering. I got to see Cassidi's baby for the first time and she is so so adorable and sweet. I can't wait for all the baby's that are still to be born in the next couple days...to months. Congratulations to all.

Thursday was Jeff's oldest sister's wedding reception held at Biaggi's Italian Restaurant. It was a small intimate gathering of their closest friends and family. It was a great night and I was so glad to meet Cathy and Lene.

Christmas Eve was pretty quiet, because the Longson Family Christmas Eve party was canceled. It is sad to see traditions we have had our whole lives evaporate, but that is what happens as the children get older and get married. Its hard to get families together when your family grows apart.

Christmas Day I had planned to split my time between all my families like I have in the past. However, scheduling conflicts intervened. Between trying to keep going and being sick it was an exhausting day. I didn't make it out to Utah County to see my family (and my dad) till a couple days later. The winter storm didn't help either. Christmas night we had dinner at Jeff's home with his family, cousins, and the missionaries. It was wonderful dinner and full of laughs. After everyone left Jeff's immediate family and I decided to play a game. The game of choice was called Things; basically each turn someone draws a card, like "things you shouldn't say to your kids," then everyone rights down their response and the person who drew the card reads them out loud twice. Then everyone (except the person who drew) goes around and tries to guess who wrote each response, if someone guess what you said right then you are out. Last one standing wins the round and the one with the most points wins the entire game. It was a ton of fun and hilarious to see who said what. Poor Jeff didn't do very well, I know him so well I got him out pretty much every round. (Sorry babe.) After the game we all watched Despicable Me. It was a great night and I can't wait for years to come. Plus I'll be better at bringing a camera and taking pictures of what is going on....I still suck at that.

During Christmas we get a lot of presents and I wanted to brag a little bit. Jeff and David both got scuba and scuba lessons to take together. Jeff was so so excited and has ALWAYS said how much he wanted to be scuba certified. Now for sure where we decided to go on our honeymoon will revolve around the ability for him to scuba dive. Nerd. My mom gave Jeff and I a 40" flat screen LCD TV for when we get married. It was very generous of her. Jeff is hard to get away from the TV though. Jeff and I together bought a nice Sony Bluray and about 10 different movies for it. We got a lot of Ute gear and some things for when we're married (including enough money for my KITCHEN AID!!!!). The most generous and sweetest gift I received was from Jeff's mom. On the outside of the package was a little note explaining it significance. It was a picture book called A Christmas Dress for Ellen. It a beautifully illustrated book that is retold by Thomas S. Monson. If you have not read it I highly recommend it for your the Christmas season.  Linda said since she was my age she had collected picture books and wanted to share that with me. It meant a lot to me she would want to share a personal thing with me and I hope to continue the tradition for years to come.

Finally, New Year's Eve we spent with the Foster Family playing Bunco, as we have for years. It was a little bit crazy and hard to play consecutive rounds with everyone. However, it was a lot of fun and a great way to start the New Year. I am so excited for this year and it is already turning out to be a great year. Jeff and I have really started working towards our wedding and have gotten a lot accomplished already. I will tell more at a later date. Happy New Year's and hope it is a wonderful year for everyone!

Days 28-30: Growing through the Last year

Day 28: How I've Changed in the Last year

In the last year I guess reality has really set in as to life as an adult. Jeff and I had originally planned to be married December 4, 2010; but because of the challenges in life we had a couple set backs that caused us to wait longer. It really sucks to have to postpone something you dream of from a really young age and wanting to not have to go home every night. It sucks, but oh well. We have learned how to balance, save, and stick to a budget. We still have some learning in the financial department, but I think everyone young and old has more to learn. We have grown a lot of the past year as a couple. We know where we want to be and how we want to get there. We have finalized what we want to do as careers this past year. Jeff has decided for sure he wants to be a nurse and specialize in something after a couple years. He wants to work with children and would love to work at the University of Utah hospital or Primary Childrens' Hospital (though he does love working at South Davis Community Hospital and might decided to just stay there.) I am discovered my love for teaching this past year and am going to continue to work towards being a teacher. I still have plans to go to law school as that is my true love in life. I might want to do family law or educational law.

Day 29: Makes me Smile

 I love pictures of us dating through the years. This picture is probably one of my favorites. I love remembering our great memories and looking forward to more to come. I love you honey so much and I can't wait to spend eternity with you at my side. You will be an amazing husband and father. 

Day 30: Who we are?

In your 20s I think you really discover who you are or at least who you want to be. I am the daughter of Michelle Longson and Kay Moosman. I love to teach and help others learn. I have a passion for justice and the criminal justice system. I believe in this country and am so proud to be an American. I love to travel and want to discover new places. I am 21 years old, but a kid at heart. I would pick a Disney princess movie over any other movie any day. I love the Harry Potter series (I'm a nerd. ha). I am argumentative and often moody. My feelings get hurt really easily, but I usually won't say and will hold it in. I am a dreamer. But most of all I am me and wouldn't want it any other way. 

Jeff is sweet and kind at heart. He love children and can't wait to have a bunch of kids to play with. He loves his family and friends and would do anything for them. He puts others first above all else. He has a SERIOUS obsession with football. Serious. He is laid back and pretends to not care, when he really does. He is a kid at heart too. He is strong and determined. He holds his emotions in, but you can still tell something is wrong. He is an amazing man and I couldn't imagine my life without him. I am so lucky that he loves me back. He has such a strong heart and testimony and I love that he shares it with me.