Wedding Shower and Sunday's Adventures at the house

Last Friday my big sister Melinda threw my open house bridal shower. I had to work all day so I had texted her eariler to see if she needed help with anything. Of course she told me no. But around noon I got a call from my mom asking me to pick up some ingredients to make the punch drink. I got off work around two and called to make sure I still needed to stop at the store on my way home, so I got home close to three. By then I was tired and starving.

Melinda was already at the house, frosting the different kinds of cupcakes she'd baked for the shower. We got caught up on a few things while I made myself some lunch and then helped her out by doing the dishes, helping to set the table, and then bringing things in the house when Grandma and Grandpa Condie arrived. They had my present for me, which was the same thing she made for Alex and Maggie. I'm not sure what you call it...and I'm having a brain freeze day because I can't seem to understand a word people are saying to me today. In one ear and out the other I suppose. It happens every once in a while...at least once a week. Usually people don't notice because I just smile and nod at everything they say while not taking anything in. Usually my eyes go blank as my mind wanders and that can give me away, but that doesn't happen very often. Usually I am a very good listener. :)

Anyway Grandma, Grandpa, Melinda, Mike, and I had picked out pictures that we liked and Grandma had Grandpa put them in small individual slots on a picture screen type thingy for display at the shower and reception center. Sorry if that isn't right but like I said I don't know what it's called. I didn't know which pictures Melinda had selected so when Grandma asked me if I liked them I admitted that I hadn't had a chance to get a good look at them yet. So she told me to go look at all the pictures, and it was probably a good thing I did. In one of the little photo spots there is a paper that says Candace and Mike and then our wedding date below it. When I read that I blinked and read it again, but I was not mistaken. It said 27 November 2007. According to that little piece of paper we are already married and have been for almost two years. I told Grandma so she made me go make a new one with the right date. I had a hard time trying to find the same shade of blue she picked - and of course she didn't remember so I was going through blue after blue trying to find a shade I liked. Then when I printed it out it didn't look big enough and I didn't like the shade of blue that much so I had to search for a different shade of blue while making the font bigger so you could see it better. It was one of the things Grandma told me to do since I was fixing it anyway.

It didn't take me long and we hung out in the kitchen and talked for a bit, but not long after that Brent came with dinner for Melinda and Mom. Grandma said Grandpa was bringing her dinner in a few minutes so she was waiting for him.

The first guest arrived for the shower was Sue Olsen. She got there about quarter after five and we all chatted with her. She ignored the "Give Candace Advice" table because she said she doesn't give advice. A few minutes after that my friend Melissa Moyer arrived. She and I talked and got caught up with each other. She asked where the party was and I said besides Sue and the family that was it so far. She thought that was funny. She grabbed a cupcake and we went and sat down in the living room, still talking. I was so caught up with Melissa that I didn't notice when a lot of other people arrived. It seemed like one minute it was just the two of us, then Sue Hardy arrived and she had to explain her gift to me, especially her 'house wife' scrub brush. I put that by the sink in our kitchen and told Mike that that was what I was going to look like in a year's time after being a house wife. He thought that was funny. I took her out of the flower dress packaging though, so now she's naked next to the sink. Mike thinks that's funny too. Not that she's naked, because it doesn't show anything, but because I said she's naked.

Rose showed up a little after six, and I think she wanted a little break from the baby because she stayed later than any of the other guests. Missy Mauch came as well and it was good to see her. And I got to see the trio from the old ward Susan, Tammy, and Lisa. It was really nice seeing them there. None of them have changed much and that is something I'm really happy about. I've always loved them just the way they are. Gae showed up not long after they did but couldn't stay because she and Blake had something else they had to go to. But it was wonderful just seeing her there as well. Susan went out to the car for her camera before I got to the Victoria's Secret bag that I knew held the gift from my sister. I was hoping for a smaller crowd when I opened that one. Of course, when I did my face went bright red when the first thing I lifted out of the bag was a pair of royal purple lacy underwear. I dropped that quickly back into the bag and lifted out the top but not before everyone laughed at my embarrassment. Rose was still there after everyone else left and she and I talked for a bit, she said my face was so funny. I don't think she has ever seen me embarrassed like that before and she couldn't believe how fast my face went red.

I got a lot of really cute things from the shower. I love the dinosaur cupcake pans Rose gave me, the apron from Trisha (and I don't even like pink that much), the cookie cutters from Tammy (Mike likes those too, we are hoping to do holiday sugar cookies when we have kids - and for Mike. And they will be great for homemade play dough, something to keep Mike busy while I'm cooking dinner :) ) I loved the storage jars from Missy they are perfect, I loved the cook books I got, I can't pick a favorite because I love the book itself that Arla gave me but I love the fun creative ideas, especially in the kid's section that Missy gave me. I'm excited to try some myself. I loved the gifts from Melinda and Grandma and Grandpa Condie of course they were both perfect, even if I was little embarrassed by the lacy underwear. I loved the house wife scrub brush, I plan on using it to be my role model of how a house wife should look after being only a house wife for a year. Mike still thinks that's funny. And of course all the food storage and pans, muffin tins, and cookie sheets are all perfect. I was so grateful for everything I got. I know I'll be able to easily use all the cooking utensils/cutlery items I got with as much as I cook and now our walk in pantry doesn't look so empty thanks to all the baking goods that people gave me. It actually looks like we have food in our pantry I am so excited! I'm going to have to take pictures of the house and post them on here some time.

So Saturday, having the day off, I spent most of the day working on thank you cards and packing up my goodies from the shower so I could take them down to the house. That was until dad and I got in a fight. So in desperation I went to my room, but was only there about ten minutes when Mike arrived. I bounded into his arms and told him I couldn't stay at home, so we drove out to the house. We didn't bother loading the packed boxes, rather saving them for the next day. I just grabbed my computer and we left. We both fell asleep watching Jaws at the house and then we decided to go to his parent's condo to watch a couple of other movies. We selected The Horse Whisperer and Hoodwinked. We only watched The Horse Whisperer though. Mike had no idea that it was so long and it was after 11:00pm by the time we finished it. I figured it was late enough to go home so Mike dropped me off right around midnight. I told my mother good-night and curled up in the bed with Jack. He snored all night so it kept me awake. I tried watching a scary movie, but Jack Nicholson was in it and with the way his eybrows are curled and his eyes are always slightly narrowed it gave me the creeps. So I rolled over and fell asleep with the movie still playing.

After church on Sunday I quickly heated up a roast, baked potatoes, and rolls for lunch and Mike and I waited to hear from Victoria since she wanted to go to the house with us that afternoon. She called me a little after five and said she'd be ready by five-thirty. So Mike and I loaded up the boxes in both of our cars and he said he'd meet us up there. I loaded Jack in the back seat and we went and picked up Victoria. We got there a little after six and we worked on unpacking everything from the shower and setting up the kitchen. Mike and Victoria just talked and let me set up the kitchen and pantry as I wanted. I think they were afraid to help in case they put something where I didn't want it. Victoria told me that I changed things around in the cupboards three times. I'm having a hard time trying to figure out where I want things. Who knew that setting up a kitchen could be so frustrating?

The house was getting really cold because Melvin hasn't been in to install the new furnace yet, so the four of us went upstairs to watch some Supernatural cuddled up underneath my Supernatural blankets. Jack sprawled out on my lap and he is very heavy. He was trying to be as close to me as possible all evening. Even when I was running back and forth between the items on the counter and the pantry he followed me like his nose was glued to my pants. After one episode of Supernatural however, I was tired enough to call it a night, and so was Mike. So we loaded Jack back up into the car, I kissed Mike good bye and Victoria and I started for home.

I dropped her off at game night since it was still fairly early and Jack and I went upstairs in the empty quiet house. Dad had gone to work and mom was spending the night at a friend's house so I had the house to myself. I decided to finish the scary movie. I didn't make it. I fell asleep just after one-thirty. But when I woke up at five the next morning I finished it. It wasn't even that scary. I was rolling my eyes and shaking my head most of the morning. So disappointing. Guess next time I'll have to find something scarier. Guess I should have known. Stephen King's books are so boring it is no wonder that his movies are the same. I don't see why they scare so many people? Of course Dean Koontz books aren't much better. My friend promised me a good scare with this book - and I was so bored the whole time. There is no way I'd read another one. I've seen scarier things than those books on Supernatural, and Supernatural isn't even scary! I don't know...maybe because I was always terrified of everything when I was younger I've just come to face my fears and I know the difference between reality and fantasy.

I mean the big bad wolf used to scare the daylights out of me - and now wolves are one of my favorite animals! I faced my childhood fears and I learned all about them, even did a report on them for my wildlife biology project in high school. I think people would be less afraid if they just faced what scared them. I know I did, now I'm hard to scare. I get creeped out just like everyone, but there's a monster outside the bathroom door at night that's just waiting for me to open the door so it can grab me...those days are long gone. Now I can go watch a movie like My Bloody Valentine or Friday the 13th and come home to an empty house after dark and be totally ok to be alone. I've got friends who are older than me who went and slept with their parents because they were so scared. Kind of makes me laugh that those kind of things don't bother me anymore.

This Thursday's adventure at the big house

Well, it wasn't an 'adventure' adventure, but it was pretty funny. As usual Victoria had Thursday off, so after work I came home to pick up Jack and Victoria as well as a few things to take over to make dinner with. When we got there Mike wasn't there so I let us in and started to fry up the stew meat. Victoria busied herself with putting the DVD's back that she had borrowed and browsing in my library while drooling over my Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles signed photos in the library. Jack kept me company in the kitchen, licking his lips and sneaking closer and closer to the oven. I was expecting Mom to come and see the house for the first time as well, so I was trying to tidy up a little bit while keeping Jack away from the garbage can since I had thrown the container that had held the meat in there. He was curious about the fresh blood smell.

When the meat had browned all the way through I put it in the crock pot to simmer while I cleaned up bits of spattered grease from the stove top and then chatted with Victoria about Alan because she thinks he is cute. Mike came over right before I put the meat in the crock pot, and it was then that I discovered I had forgotten to get sour cream. So we all got into Mike's car. Victoria started to open her door and I pushed it closed again so Mike could do what he feels is polite and open the door for her. She isn't used to being treated like a lady because all the guys she knows are jerks and don't treat her well. So she keeps forgetting to let Mike open and close the doors for her.

We ran down to Smiths and got some sour cream and I quickly put it into the pot on our return home. We let Jack out of the library, where he bounded down the stairs happily, easily forgiving us for shutting him up in there to keep him out of trouble while we were gone. We went to the living room on the second floor and discussed which movies we are going to do for our scary movie night on Halloween. Victoria is bringing The Ring 2, then we are going to do Cry Wolf, Boogey Man 2 & 3, and if we have time The Village. But I'm sure we will be tired by the time we finish the first four.

Not too long after that Mom arrived, Jack barked furiously at the door and when I went to open it I saw why. She had Mike with her. I had not seen Mike since January when we went and saw My Bloody Valentine in 3D together. He said he was replaced by a younger Mike - but I told Mom to keep Mike on call just in case I need a back up. :) They got a kick out of that.

We gave them the grand tour of the house, walking them through each level, teasing Mike (not my Mike) about his height as he is taller than the rest and can't always go as far in as we could...at least not without ducking his head.

After they left I served dinner and we ate the beef stroganoff and potatoes. Jack licked his chops hungrily so I quickly grilled him up a chicken breast and he gobbled it up. It is better than him licking the floor. He also ate a giant fly for dessert. He found another one upstairs. :) It didn't take him as many tries to get this one down as it did the one on Sunday.

We went to the library after that with a flashlight, turned off all the lights and read scary stories. But it didn't scare any of us. I was falling asleep on Mike's lap when Victoria relieved herself. She blushed an apologized. Mike started to laugh and me, being only half conscious, could feel the laughter bubbling in my stomach. When she apologized again and when Mike asked for what and she again relieved herself it brought me closer to consciousness and Mike and I both broke into a fit of laughter. Victoria was rolling on the floor and we all laughed about it. The scary stories mood was broken, so we ended the reading session.

We decided to call it an early night because there was no new Supernatural episode this week (stupid CW already putting reruns on) so we packed up Jack, what was left of dinner and we went home. I still laughed to myself about the library incidentj, and Victoria and I giggled about it half way home. Man...the things we release around friends. :)

Maybe there is some truth to the song?

Maybe there is some truth to the song "The Cat Came Back"? I always thought the song was kind of crazy, but fun to sing - the cat dies a million different ways and always manages to come back. But hey, maybe the person writing the song knew from experience that sometimes the thing you are trying to get rid of has a habit of popping up again.

When Jack and I got down to the house today, Mike was already there - and he had news for us. Fred had shown up again this morning. Yep, Fred. That silly little bird who likes to bang his head on the windows to try and escape our house. Mike had managed to chase him out before we got there and finally boarded up the window that Fred keeps getting in through. Hopefully Fred will be smart next time and won't return. As nice as it is to see an old friend, even a silly one like Fred, he belongs outside in the wild.

The most exciting thing that happened besides Fred's return today was that Mike and I managed to get our DVD shelf put together! Yay! We had run into a snag when we had picked it up from Wal-Mart over a week ago. There were no holes for the pegs in one side so we went and bought a drill gun today and made our own holes. They worked and now our DVD's are a bit more organized. Or they were. I had had them all done until Mike surprised me with some DVD's he found in the garage. Now I've got more work to do on Thursday. Guess its a part of life though - just when you thought you finished something, something happens and you have to do it all over again.

Adventures at the house

Well these past few weeks have been interesting. Very trying at times, especially with some people that have really been pushing my buttons. It is has been really frustrating but I usually end up biting my tongue and counting to ten - then, when that doesn't work I recite Metallica lyrics in my head and count the beats to their songs and that helps calm me down.

Mike and I have been busy moving my stuff down to the big house downtown where we will be living until we move to Florida in June. Yes Florida. It's offical now. Mike is going to work on saving up enough money so we can afford to move down there, but Disney has already said they'll take him back so we will be moving down there so he can finish school. It'll be a change - but hey, no more snow! I can live with that. :)

This past week we've had a couple of adventures up at the house. Thursday for instance, my friend Victoria wanted to go up and see our house again, so after work I stopped and picked her up, grabbed a few things from the house and we headed up. When we got there I was a little surprised that Mike wasn't there yet, so I gave him a call. He said he'd be there in a few minutes and that the basement door was open. Not that it matters because I have a house key. So I went in through the basement and started up the stairs, hesitating a little when I heard something banging upstairs. I am still getting used to the noises of the house so I shrugged it off and let Victoria in.

The kitchen is just inside the main doors on the main level and I usually leave my bag there. So imagine my surprise when I walked into the kitchen and something smacked hard against one of the windows. It was a bird! It had flown in through an open window upstairs and was trying desperately to get out. Victoria and I tried to shoo it towards the back door but the poor thing was too scared to think straight and kept smacking into the windows, finally flying into the parlor and living room, trying different windows. I had an idea on how to get it out, so I opened the front door, closed the kitchen doors, the parlor door, the living room door and any other door I could in a chance that I could chase it to the front door, but it could still go upstairs so I was doubtful. At that point Mike came in, in a very bad mood, and I told him we had a new pet. When he simply looked puzzled I pointed to the bird hitting the far parlor window. Mike frowned and walked back into the kitchen to grab the broom to try and shoo the bird towards the front door. I told him we named the bird "Fred". He said Fred wasn't the first bird to come in the house, and I'm sure Fred won't be the last. Once we chased Fred from the parlor he saw the open front door and made a break for it. Fred flew away and was very happy to be free. Hopefully Fred won't be back.

Today Jack and I went down to the house, hoping to finish cleaning the kitchen. Mike said to just head down whenever, so after quickly getting ready and prepping lunch, but not cooking it, Jack and I piled into the car and headed down for the house. Mike was still in church so while Jack napped on the kitchen floor I bustled about grilling two chicken breasts for the homemade chicken pot pie. When Mike arrived I was just putting it into the oven. Mike was in a very good mood after church today so we talked while we finished cleaning what was left to clean in the kitchen then sat down and waited for the pie to finish. After lunch we went upstairs to watch a movie, cuddled underneath two of my Supernatural blankets. Mike brought all the cushions from the loveseat downstairs into our small living room on the second floor so we had some extra comfort. The room was chilly, so Jack snuggled up next to me under the blanket and Mike curled around my other side, I was sandwiched quite comfortably between them. I never finished the movie, and Mike didn't either. All three of us took a nap curled up together. We woke up a couple hours later and I was disgusted to see a large fly had flown into the room and was sitting on the carpet not far from me. I told Jack to go eat the fly, not thinking he'd do it. But once he actually understood what I wanted he pounced on the very large fly, licked it up, spit it out, pounced on it again, licked it up, spit it out, pounced on it a third time, licked it up and it was gone. I couldn't stop laughing while Mike was trying hard to hide the disgust on his face. He didn't do a good job but I was laughing too hard to pay much attention. Jack looked pretty pleased with himself and came over and sat on my lap. He is such a mama's boy.

The house is starting to feel more like home now. All my books and movies are down there. Mike and I decided that the library will be my study, so I have set it up as such. And thanks to some organization it actually looks like it has some stuff in it while still looking neat. Victoria was drooling over my signed Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles photos on Thursday. I took my first bouquet of roses from bridal pictures out this week and now that I know that Mike and I are going to be doing the beluga whale tour again on our honeymoon I pulled out my Arctic tour experience frame and will put a picture of us in it when we get back.

Mike and I hung out in the library after a quick game of cards this afternoon. We read scary stories from one of my books and then had fun giggling at some poetry books I enjoyed when I was little. After that Mike wanted to read some more so I selected Wait Until Helen Comes from my large selection of books and I read the first chapter to him. We decided to make reading with each other a habit, something fun and relaxing that we can both enjoy. I read the first chapter to him, but then we decided to call it a night. He has one assignment he has to turn in today so he wanted to go get that done.

Hopefully we will get more done this week, but that could be doubtful. What with his school and me working full time and then the bridal shower this week...I can't believe it is here already. Time has been flying so fast...I'm going to be married before I know it.

Say Cheese!

Mike and I had a very hectic few days this week. Thanks to the bad weather last week we had rescheduled to do engagement photos on Tuesday and were still planning to do bridals Monday. I didn't think I was going to be so stressed out for doing the photo shooting that I was looking forward to the most.

I had invited a friend to spend the night Sunday since I didn't have to work the next day and figured I could sleep in a little and we could do a Supernatural girl's night. I fell asleep shortly after 10:00pm but woke up because she was still wide awake watching Supernatural at 2:30am. I finally managed to get to sleep sometime after five, and then woke up half an hour before the alarm went of at 8:00am so Victoria could get ready for me to take her down to work. So I was pretty tired.

I was really relieved that I didn't have to really worry about hair or make-up because Sue and Tina had said they could do it for me, which took a lot of stress off my shoulders. So all I had to worry about was getting down to The Old Meeting House to pick out our decorations, and then he would follow me home where I could get my dress and accessories then he'd take me to Sue's parent's house where I was meeting Tina and Sue for hair and make-up and where they were going to help me change into my dress.

The lady who helped us at The Old Meeting House was very curt and acted as if she really didn't want to be helping us. It made me very irritated but I didn't say anything about it. Mike and I showed her the cake we wanted and decided to go with the buttercream frosting instead of the fondant, were told we need to bring the 6yds of ribbon in by last week of October, then talked to her about the ceremony since we wanted to have a back up plan. We need to do a rehearsal sometime earlier that week - so we want to try for the Monday before since I usually have those off.

After we finished there Mike followed me home, I ran upstairs and grabbed my dress bag and the bag with my slip and veil and took it back downstairs where Mike and I got it situated in the car. We left around 2:10pm so we got there fairly early. We talked in the car - I was excited to see him in his tux and he was excited to see me in my dress. As the time got closer to three I reluctantly took of the protection amulet I've worn 24/7 with only a few rare occasions where I took it off and gave it to Mike so I wouldn't loose it. I told him not to loose it either so he hung it from his rearview mirror. I felt very naked with it off - he laughed when I told him that.

Sue got there right before three so I followed her to Tina's, who lives right next door to Sue's parents, and Mike went home to change and then to go grab the flowers. Sue and Tina got to work right away, curling my hair and then doing the pull-overs that gave it the effect I loved so much when Sue and I experimented that day. Tina asked me what I wanted in make-up, and as I so rarely wear it I had no idea. I told her to just do what she thought would be best.

Sue had a lesson she had to go teach so she had to leave before I was all the way ready, but Tina had no problems helping me into my dress without messing up my hair or smudging my make-up. The vail kept getting in my face so I couldn't see my feet to do up my buckles so Tina had to help me with my shoes. I was ready just after 4:00pm. I knew the flowers wouldn't be ready until 4:30 so I figured Mike would be around to pick me up at quarter to five or so since the flower shop wasn't that far.

Unfortunately my phone died so for the next hour and fifteen minutes I was borrowing Tina's phone trying to get a hold of Mike and Sydney. Mike was stuck in horrible traffic then got lost twice on his way to pick me up so I tried to tell Sydney we were running late, but could remember her number. In desperation I called my mom and Melinda. Mom gave me the number to the place where she took her car to get fixed and I couldn't get a hold of Melinda so I left her a message to call me back. I then remembered I had Sydney's number in an e-mail from when Melinda sent me wedding information. So we pulled up my e-mail account and I was able to call Sydney and leave her a message telling her we were running late and to call Mike's phone when she got the message. Just then Melinda called me back on Tina's phone telling me she called Mike's phone and gave him the number and Mike pulled up in front of the house. Sue and Tina hurried me out to the car - I felt like Cinderella trying to race to her coach before it turned back into a pumpkin.

Mike got lost three times trying to find Memory Grove, but we managed to make it there a little after 6:00pm. Sydney was outside of her car waiting for us. I was shocked to see she had her foot and lower leg in a bootie - she told us she broke her leg taking pictures for someone. She'd stepped in a whole and had twisted her body so as not to break her camera by landing on it and had instead broken her foot. So she was really dog dodo conscious as we started in to Memory Grove because it is a dog park and people don't pick up after their dogs like they should - she especially didn't want to step in it with her boot because she always steps in some when she goes up there.

Mike and I had a great time doing pictures. I loved the way the flowers turned out. I was worried that the crystals in the roses wouldn't look the way I wanted but they were perfect.

After we finished pictures Mike and I stopped by his place to show his parents how we looked and how the flowers turned out - sort of a sneak peek kind of thing. Arla's eyes bulged when she saw us and she jumped up from the couch where she'd been watching TV with Albert. All she kept saying was how beautiful I looked. I thanked her for the flowers, they were exactly what I wanted. Albert kept saying I looked really really nice in my dress. I learned later that all Arla talked about that night was how beautiful I looked, and that was what she talked about most of Tuesday as well.

On our way back to my house we decided to stop and see Melinda and Brent if they were still up. I called and Melinda said they wanted to see us so we stopped by. Melinda and Brent were both in their pajamas but were so excited to see us in our wedding clothes. They said they both really liked the flowers. Then Melinda discovered an icky earwig on my dress so I flicked it onto the floor. Brent got a kleenx and crushed it. I hate earwigs. We let them head back to bed and left so we could show my parents and then change so we could go to bed.

Mom kept telling us we looked like the toppers on the wedding cake, and she was tearing up a bit. Dad took lots of pictures with me just seperate and with both Mike and I together. After that Mike helped me with my shoes, mom took my bouquet and hung it up to dry, and I took off my vail and walked Mike to the door. We were both so tired. After he left I went right up where mom helped me out of my dress and undid my bra for me - even though it feels like a corset and not a bra, and I got into some pajamas. Then I talked to her about how Mike and I might be moving to Florida next spring got some dinner and went to bed.

I will post the exciting and very funny adventures of our engagement photos later. :)

Florida?

This week has been a little bit easier, and crazier in ways. Mike and I had scheduled to get engagement photos done on Monday evening, but I got a call early Monday morning from our photographer Sydney. She said the weather was supposed to be bad and she was worried that if we went through with them our photos wouldn't look very nice. She wanted to see if I would be willing to reschedule. At the time the rest of our week was pretty much booked so I asked her if we could try for the 22nd of September. She was fine with that and we decided to play the rest of the day by ear. If the weather permitted we'd still do pictures that day. Around 1:30pm I told her we'd just plan on the 22nd because the skies were just getting darker and darker. It's a good thing we did too because not long after that the clouds finally opened up and we had a heavy downpour.

Things didn't work out with our other wedding plans as well this week. Tuesday I was running for the bathroom every twenty minutes so I had to call up Ramey (who we'd made an appointment with to go look at invitations) and reschedule with her because there was no way I was going to make it. Mike stayed at home trying to work on homework and get it finished for his class on Wednesday.

On Thursday after I got home from work I invited Mike over for our Supernatural night, and he told me he wanted to talk to me about some school related things. It turns out that he learned that ITT-Tech has cancelled his major so he will no longer be able to get his bachelor's there. They said if they got enough people to sign up for it they'd pick it up one last time but Mike said that the possibilities of that happening are slim. Most of his classmates are looking at their other options now. Mike told me that he'd been looking into schools in Florida. We won't know until March for sure, but he wanted to know how I felt moving to Florida next spring.

I was a little surprised that we would be moving out of Utah so soon. I had expected a little bit more time here, but I knew we'd probably be moving eventually. In fact Florida was one of the places I knew were in the possibilites pile. I told him that I didn't see any sense in looking further into the houses we had liked in Eagle Mountain if we might be moving to Florida next year and he agreed. He had already talked to his mom about letting us move into the main house downtown until we know what is going on. She told us we might as well because she isn't having any luck trying to sell it. So for now Mike and I are planning on moving into the main house and will be looking further into Florida, just in case things don't work out here.

Besides being a little anxious about not knowing anyone down there, and leaving friends and family behind I know that this is happening for a reason. Nothing happens for no reason - there is a purpose behind everything. So we will look on the bright side of things. I think that the dogs will enjoy the warm weather, I know I certainly will no more snow! :) Mike really enjoyed Florida when he lived there before and he knows the area well so he can help me get to know Florida better since I've only been there once, and after the honeymoon twice.

We decided to skip the cruise to the Caribbean Islands for our honeymoon and instead are going to Disney World, Sea World, and Universal Studios. Mike is very excited - he signed us up for a backstage tour with the dolphins. He has wanted to do something like this since he's seen our vacation photos from July where I was in the pool with the beluga whales.

Glad I'm Only Doing This Once

Well if today wasn't enough to put me off getting married nothing is. Mike and I have been having problems getting his temple clearance so we can get married in the temple, so we decided to go ahead and set up a back up plan, just in case things don't work out for us. We figured we could always get sealed next year, even though neither of us want a civil wedding. But it's better to be safe than sorry, if the clearance does come through for us we are planning on having a ring ceremony so friends who can't come to the temple can be there.

Well, Mike agreed to call The Old Meeting House today while I was at work, which I was sent home after a few hours because the holiday this week had cut back on our already low mail volumes thanks to the economy being the way it is right now. So I took my paycheck down to the bank, depoisted all of towards my car, picked up some dog food and went home, I figured it was going to be a good day.

Mom and I had been talking about getting a back up plan in case we couldn't get clearance so I told her we were planning on doing it - and if his clearance came through we'd just turn the wedding ceremony to a ring ceremony. But a few minutes later I got a text from Mike saying to call him asap. So I called him and he said that The Old Meeting House had booked us for the wrong day, November 5. Not only that but they had booked someone else on our day.

I was very angry when I called The Old Meeting House back and after a long heated conversation with the girl on the phone, she said that they were only booked from 2-4 that day and she could have the decorations changed for us in an hour and a half. She kept insisting that we said November 5, and we had never said that. We had booked this and put down a deposit on this day in July, as well as confirming our date when we went in to look at invitations in the middle of August. So neither of us were very happy. But since we are still able to do our ceremony at 6:00pm with about an hour to do pictures before the reception starts we calmed down a little.

I'm glad we are only doing this once. I think being engaged and planning a wedding are highly over rated. Can't wait for it all to be taken care of and over with.