Bridals.

People.  Jalene Taylor is our photographer and is the bomb dot com.  Seriously I am always blown away by her work.  And she is so so nice and easy to work with! :) Here is a preview of our bridals session.  I'm in love.  This picture warm my heart so so much.

can it... you little liar!

..and that's how babies grow?


hahah.  This video.  Oh, it makes me laugh so hard.

a love story

this story is long overdue on this blog.  (and a warning, this is LONG) 

i kept quiet about this whole thing. {dating that handsome man of mine}.  i guess i didn't want to jinx it because i liked him way too much.  oh, and because on our 3rd date or so he told me he had found and read my blog.  you better believe there was no way i was going to blog about him after that lovely announcement.

but here we go.  

it all started back in August of 2011.  I was attending my home ward at the time and was in the Young Womens Presidency.  Getting to hang out with the beehives twice a week was one of the best things for me.  One morning I woke up and knew I needed to go back to the singles ward... (going to the home ward is a different story all together.  it was the best thing for me at that time.  i will treasure the 18 months i had there always!)  So I told my sister who had been begging me to come back to the singles ward for 18 months and told my parents and finally got up the nerve to tell my young women and my bishop.  That was so sad.  I didn't want to leave. But I knew I needed to.  So off I went. 

Starting September 3, I was back in the singles ward scene.  I decided before I went back that I would jump in head first.  I didn't want to be one of those people that attended the singles ward but didn't ever go to activities or be social.  I went to all the activities.  I joined ward choir.  I got a new calling.  Life was pretty great.  And then the end of September, my little sister decided the best thing for her was to go on a mission.  On the outside I was really supportive of her decision, but secretly I hated it.  I didn't want her to leave.  We did everything together and I knew that would be really hard to have her gone.  (sheesh.  I can't type about this anymore, I'm tearing up..)  Before I knew it she had her papers in and received her call. 

Dallas Texas Spanish Speaking.  

We were all elated for her.  We had 7 weeks with her before she left for the MTC on December 14, 2011.  

The next Sunday, while at choir practice, I noticed a very handsome new face walk into the chapel.  He was blonde and I decided right there that I needed to get to know him.  That same Sunday Anna had to make her announcement about her call over the pulpit.  After sacrament meeting, new boy came up to Anna and said that he had just gotten back from the Dallas Texas Spanish Speaking mission.  I didn't notice anything (I wasn't around), but Anna told me about this new boy in our ward who served in her mission and she was going to pick his brain before she left.  I didn't think anything of it. 

The next Sunday, Dallas mission kid (what I had nicknamed him.. I still didn't know his name) joined the ward choir.  A few weeks later, I was asked to switch from Soprano to Alto.  I happily obliged because I would be sitting right in front of the cute kid.  Over the next few weeks I would get up the courage to say hi to him before we started singing, and finally asked his name.  Chase.  And before I knew it, Anna was in the MTC and I was so so sad.  I decided I would feel better after talking to Chase.  He was my go-to for all the information I would need about where Anna was going.  I talked his ear off every week before choir would start.  

fast forward a few months

Every month we had a sing-along where we would go to Dan's house (he's uh-maze-zing at sight reading and playing pretty much anything you ask him to) and sing while he played the piano.  We usually had 20 or so people, but that day in February we only had 3 girls, Dan, and another boy in our ward.  After awhile I decided we should call Chase (we all kind of sat together in choir, and I thought it would be fun) and invite him.  Someone had his number and I talked to him and demanded he come over.  A few minutes later he was over.  We talked for a few minutes and by the end of the night, something switched.  I decided that I liked him.  After I had made that decision it was like I suddenly became 12 years old again.  I got so nervous thinking about talking to him.  I worried about what I was wearing and how I did my hair (I made sure it looked different every Sunday. See? 12 years old..).  It was a nightmare.  I hardly even knew him, but for some reason this was a big deal to me and I didn't want to mess anything up.  

In March, I decided I would finally get up the courage and talk to him again at church.  My heart was pounding, but we said hi, how are you, and I went off to Relief Society.  To me, that was a successful conversation and I was so brave.  A bishopric member's wife overheard me tell the story to one of my RS friends, and asked me to tell her who I was so twitterpated over.  I told her, and she told me where he worked, and that he worked during the day.  I usually worked every day of the week, but that weekend I had Friday off.  I decided I would go pay him a visit at the Lord's Bookstore and "get Anna some much needed items" (I think I got her a Spanish Hymn Book?).  Anyway, after an awkward encounter with him, (and embarrassing I might add. ...I was SO nervous!) I left feeling a little hopeful.  

That night, I got a text from a random number asking me to go to the indexing class instead of Sunday School.  It was Chase, and I was thrilled.  We texted a little bit that weekend, I went to the Sunday School class, and each time I talked to him got a little more brave.  

The next day at FHE, he and I started texting (that's another story) and I asked HIM to go get ice cream.  (it happened to be his birthday, too.  Who goes to FHE on their birthday? ;)  We went to the Purple Turtle, and talked, laughed, and got to know each other for a few hours one on one.  It was a perfect, no-pressure date.  (well, in my head, it was a date.  he paid, after all!)  At the end of the night, he asked if he could ask me out sometime.  I said YES.  hard.  I ran to my friend Tali's house and told her about my night and that I could really see something happening with Chase.  (call me crazy).  There was something different about him that I really liked.  

Over the next few weeks, we went on lots of dates.  Saturday, March 17 was our first official date.  We went out again the next Tuesday, that Friday.. and then the next Tuesday we went with his family to see the hunger games.  He held my hand in front of his family and at that point I knew he meant business.  (ha!)  When we got back from the movie, he asked if I wanted to watch another movie.. (suspicious, much?).. Of course I wanted to spend more time with him, so I said yes.  After the movie was over and he needed to take me home, I turned to look at him and he just kissed me.  (My heart was pounding soo hard).  It was perfect.  After that, we saw each other pretty much every day.  

5 weeks later, however, I would be leaving for 6 weeks for a study abroad in Italy.  So, Yes, I liked him  (obviously.  I don't just go around kissing people I don't like), but I didn't think about it too hard and decided to just have fun until Italy and we would see what happened after that.  

Those 5 weeks flew by, and we had lots of fun going on more dates.  Things were just easy with him.  He was fun to talk to, was crazy funny, was nerdy, AND loved to sing duets. (did I mention we blasted Saturday's Warriors on our first date?.. hah!)  I liked him lots.  And all of a sudden it was May 1 and I was on a plane to Italy.  

My heart hurt.  I didn't think it would, to be honest.  I didn't really talk to him for the first 13 days I was gone, and my heart hurt.  I can't explain it, but it was not good.  (don't get me wrong, I LOVED Italy and would go back in a heartbeat.  I LOVED the people and miss them like crazy. )  We started to skype about every 10 days for hours at a time.  I missed him like mad (I didn't think I would!) and decided I was head over heels.  

When I got back from Italy, he picked me up from the airport.  Ever since June 9, we haven't been apart one day.  I wanted to tell him I loved him on June 9, but I'm old fashioned and wanted to wait until he said it first.  

So I waited.  

and waited. 

and waited.

:)

and finally in September, he said it.  And I said it back. (it felt so good) And just a few short weeks later, he asked me what I would say if he asked me to marry him.  (it just caught me off guard!).  

After not talking about it for days, and then some talking, and praying, and more talking, I said Yes.

a few weeks later, we went to Disneyland with my family, and he proposed with the ring.  

Of course I said yes again, and he slipped the ring on my finger.  

And now, in 4 weeks and 6 days, we will be getting married on December 14, 2012.  

I cannot wait!  He is perfect for me, and we are always talking about how we are the luckiest couple ever.  

I also think none of this would have happened if Anna had not gone on a mission.  She won't be here for the wedding, but it wouldn't have happened without her!  Everything happens for a reason! 

at Disneyland

I love him like I love some baby. (inside joke)

and there you have it.  The semi watered-down version of our story.  :)