Should I get a wedding video?

8.5.17

8.5.17 will always be my favorite day. It was a day of of peace, happiness, and joy. I had known that I was supposed to marry Tyler, but never had I felt such peace and surety about any decision I had ever made. I walked into the temple, saw him standing there, and thought, "Wow. God really does want me to marry him."

Moab Trip

My favorite weekend is the weekend my dad comes to Utah. Usually, we just hang out in Provo, but this time we decided to adventure Moab. We have been a couple times, but this time was exceptionally fun because it was the slow season. We rented a Jeep for half off and, we basically had Canyonlands to ourselves. The world is so beautiful and healing. It was a much needed break away from Provo and school. It is nice to have my dad away from distractions of work. He works so hard and it is fun to watch him have a little "me time" every once and a while. He is seriously amazing, giving, and fun. I am so grateful he is my dad. Here are some pics from our weekend (it is so hard to capture the beauty of Moab on camera):

Home for the Holidays

Home is my favorite place. I love being with my siblings and my mom and dad. I wish I lived closer to them. I loved having Tyler with me. It was our first Christmas together and it was one to remember. :)

Bridals with Brushfire Photography

Tyler and I had some extra money in our budget for the wedding. I thought it would be fun to do some more bridals, and I really wanted mountain pictures. I had been following Brushfire on Instagram for a while. I loved their photos. They edit their photographs with the perfect amount of contrast and light. The cool thing about Brushfire is that they photograph in both film and digital. I decided to email them to see if they were available my one week off from EFY. They were :) I was immediately impressed with them. When I told them I wanted photographs in the mountains, they had a list of places we could go. They ended up doing a hike in Big Cottonwood Canyon, and said that I would love to take photos there. I really did. Utah Valley described the location when they featured us:

My Perfect Dress

Finding the perfect dress was extremely hard for me. I lost 20 pounds in 8 months, and every dress that I tried on looked bad on me. I kept on thinking, "I am going to have to buy a dress and then spend hundreds more altering it." Granted, I only did go to 2 bridal stores. haha I found dresses that I LOVED on Etsy, but I was afraid to order one and not like it (most Etsy stores don't do returns because the ship to size). And I would most likely have to spend more money to get it altered. My sister-in-law, Jordan, had hers made. I then had the idea to get mine made as well.

3 Months

Being married to Tyler is my favorite thing. I have never felt more loved, appreciated, and valued. The only time I have been sad in the last 3 months is when Tyler came home at midnight (it was a tragedy). haha Our marriage is for sure not perfect, but it is one full of love, and everyday, I love him more.

My 3 month tricks to marriage (since 3 months obviously makes me an expert. jk):

Bridals with AK Studio Design

I could hardly sleep the night before we took our bridals with Whitney. I was so excited and nervous. I was excited for Tyler to see my dress, to see how the flowers would turn out, and get my makeup done with Julia Price.

The Pumpkin Patch

Dolby Elementary had a tradition for those in Kindergarten. Each year they took a field trip to the Pumpkin Patch. My mom was going to be our Field Trip Mom and I was seriously so excited. I dreamt for days about the pumpkin patch and how I was going to be able to eat a Lunchable there. It is honestly one of my most vivid memories.

Engagements with AK Studio Design

When planning for our wedding we decided to go to a bridal fair in Salt Lake City. Tyler and I entered every contest we could find. It was slightly overwhelming. However, we passed one booth that really stuck out to me. Their name was AK Studio Design's and I loved looking at their photos! They were so bright and had great contrast. That was exactly what I wanted for my pictures. I remember going home and looking at their website and thinking it would be awesome to use them. A couple days later I got a text message from their owner, Abbey, asking if I would like to be in their competition to win a free photography package. How could we say no? It was an amazing deal and it felt like fate to me.

One Year.

I can honestly say that I can not believe it has been one year

since I returned home.

Where did the time go?

Sometimes, it feels like yesterday.

Other times it feels like I never went on a mission at all.

That I never walked the streets of New York City or Brazil.

It feels as if it was just one huge dream:

A great dream and a nightmare.