Memorial Day Twenty.Twelve.

I had to work this memorial day, which is nothing new for me, but usually I am lucky enough to only have to work a few hours and still get most of the day to play. This year I wasn't so lucky, but I still made the best of it. Tyler and I woke up early and headed to Pleasant Grove to go to my Grandparents' graves. I still feel their loss daily and so I love memorial day and the chance it gives to reflect on their lives again. It makes me sad knowing that my kids and Tyler will never know how sweet my grandma was or hear her cute little giggle, but I'm sure grateful for what she taught me and that I knew her. I will forever cherish the moments I had with her just before she got sick. She told me all about the day she got the call that she was getting my dad and how neat it was to bring him home. They'll also never know my grandpa and how funny he could be or know his love of music and they may never know what happens when you say "Grandpa, I'm your friend." I'm glad though that even though it won't be the same, I can tell them stories about the wonderful people they were.

I also feel very lucky that I knew so many of my great grandparents. We didn't have enough to go to the Springville cemetary, but thankfully we did get to visit my Grandma and Grandpa Bullock's grave too (they're buried right next to my Grandma and Grandpa Schaefer). I don't have a lot of detailed memories of them being that they died when I was in the 1st grade, but I do remember going over there house frequently, after dance and on Sunday. They had the funnest closet to play in and a fun tree swing in the backyard. They were so kind and loving...its no question where my Grandma got it from. My grandpa was and still is, no doubt, my Dad's hero. We still hear stories from him about time he spent with his grandpa and how he never went over there and didn't work. He always said, "If you don't work, you don't eat." Its sure great to know where you come from and how lucky we are to have known such great people!

Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day too!

Anniversary Post

I can hardly believe it, but its already been a year since our wedding day! In some ways, it feels like it has been way more than a year, but at other times I feel like it was last week! Everyone told us that the first year would require a lot of adjustments, but I really don't feel like it has and Tyler will agree. Maybe there is something wrong with us, but it has been nothing like what were told it would be like. When people have asked us how we like married life or other questions about being married, somehow its always come out that we found it to be an easy adjustment and that once we were married it just felt like we'd been married the whole 2 1/2 years we'd been dating too. Everything just sort of started to blend right together and its almost weird to think that we weren't husband and wife back then. Last year, not long after the wedding I started to write down everything I could about the day and I just couldn't do it. I couldn't get it quite right and write it the way I wanted to so I never posted it, but I realized even if it isn't perfect, I want to remember it the best that I can and so writing it or posting it somewhere is better than not at all. Sooo here it is...

December 29, 2010

I never imagined I would get married in the winter let alone in December, but now I can't imagine having it any other way, because the day was simply just like a fairy tale and completely perfect.

I woke up VERY early that morning. It was about 3:45am and sadly I woke up to a large amount of snow. I had prayed and prayed there wouldn't be any. I am not a  winter person and hoped it would be sunny and as warm as it possibly could be given that it was December, so I won't lie, seeing the snow got me a little down and a little worried, because I had refused to buy any kind of shawl or jacket to wear over my dress. I had figured I hadn't picked out my dress simply to cover it up and that yes (mom), I would rather freeze and show it off than be warm...so I was hoping I wasn't completely crazy and wouldn't totally freeze.

Joelle showed up just after 4am to do my hair and make up...around 6am I was all ready to go. Tyler arrived shortly after to head up to the temple. Once we were in the car, it finally set in. I was getting MARRIED. It was really happening. I was very excited! Once we had passed the point of the point of the Mountain the snow had eased up and we were able to increase our speed. As we approached Salt Lake, I began to get very very nervous. This was the only point I ever had cold feet. I began talking...without breathing inbetween...just nonstop talking. Tyler asked me if I was oay, and it wasn't until then that I realized how much I had been talking. I confessed that I was nervous and continued to talk nonstop until we arrived. Thankfully, there was no snow on the ground as we walked across the street from the parking garage to the temple, but it was very windy so I was very worried for my hair.

Once we got into the temple all my nerves were gone and instead I felt very very calm (this word basically describes the way I felt the rest of the day) and I knew everything was okay. We were very lucky to be the only 9 o'clock wedding and I got the brides room all to myself. After I had changed and was all ready Tyler and I were able to sit in the Celestial Room for almost an hour before the ceremony. I loved every minute of it. Our ceremony was beautiful and simply felt surreal. We were the first people to come out of the temple that day and it was amazing to have the Temple grounds all to ourselves, being that that is sooo rare at the Salt Lake Temple I felt especially lucky. Not only that, but the winds had pretty well calmed and we could not have asked for better weather.

It was so amazing having so many family and friends there to greet us and celebrate with us. It was almost overwhelming and afterwards I realized how many were there that I failed to take pictures with. I of course had wanted to and planned on it, but in the moment my mind was somewhere else I guess and I just flat out spaced it. To be honest, I probably would have forgotten more if it hadn't been for my photographers suggestions (Sorry if you were one of those I left out! I really was so glad to have you there and am so sad that I didn't take pictures with you!)

The entire time we took pictures on the temple grounds I just felt funny. I felt like it was all not real and I wasn't really taking my wedding pictures and it couldn't possibly be my wedding day. Everything just felt like a blur.


Thankfully, The only thing that ever got cold was my nose and my hands...the rest of me was just fine and was very grateful that the weather was as good as it was.

We really lucked out and got some amazing pictures and as we were finishing it began to get very very windy. Had we been married even an hour later we would not have the great pictures that we do, so I remember feeling so lucky and so grateful for them!

We left the temple and headed down to Orem for our luncheon and the roads were so yucky and snowy, so again I felt soo lucky that the temple had gone so well.

Our luncheon was great and gave us a chance to talk a little more to family and friends. We had just enough time to go home to change quick before we had to be off again and head over to the Bungalow. Once on our way, I remember thinking that the snow had kind of cleared up and the roads weren't nearly as bad. I even mentioned it to Tyler and said that it would sure make it nicer for people who would be coming to the reception. Little did I know it was the calm before the storm.

We literally pulled up to the Bungalow and I called my mom to see where she was at with my dress. In the 2 minutes I was on the phone, over and inch of snow had come down. And from there on out, it hit pretty fast. My mom ended up being late, because she had to turn around and go back home because of how fast the snow was coming down, so they traded in her van for my dad's truck. Thankfully they made it there okay. Because of how bad the snow was that evening a lot of people weren't able to make it to our reception. We missed them, but the night was still pretty perfect. We were able to get a lot of cool snowy pictures so I feel like I got a little of everything, a morning of great weather and clear skies and a night of freshly fallen snow!

The day was amazing and pefect and if I could, I would definitely love to go back and relive it! And since I can't I'm so glad I have my pictures and video to help me remember!!! Special thanks to my photographer Stephanie Sunderland and videographer Brandon Orton. They made the day even better for me!

To watch our wedding video you can  CLICK HERE

Today, December 29, 2011 I am very grateful for Tyler! Our first year has been awesome and I owe that to him! I couldn't ask for a better husband! I can't wait for all the many more great years to come!

Here are some more wedding pics just for kicks and giggles...

Happy Anniversary to my awesome Hubby!

10 Years Ago.

10 years ago today I was 12 years old.
I got up early and got ready for school, as always.
I was almost ready to go and my parents had the tv on in their bedroom.
I went in there and my parents were watching the news.
I saw tower 2 on fire...I didn't even know what the world trade center was.
I watched as the 2nd plane hit into tower 1.
I remember my dad shaking his head and saying it was an act of terrorism.
He was pretty angry.
I didn't even know what a terrorist was.
I went to school where most kids didn't even know about it yet.
I sat in my 7th grade Art Class and we did nothing but watch the news.
We watched as both towers fell...we watched it over and over.
We went to the rest of our classes and watched it again and again.
We watched the coverage at the Pentagon.
I knew it was bad, but I couldn't really comprehend.
I really didn't understand how many people were inside or how disasterous the event was.
I remember after school my mom asking me if I was scared.
I wasn't sure what I was feeling, but it wasn't fear.
That evening my dad took Kevin and I to a medical study we were asked to participate in.
Several of the nurses and people there were from New York City.
I remember them talking about how long it took before they heard from their family.
One woman had just barely heard from her brother and how relieved she felt.
I remember the days after...just being a daze...watching as much of the news as I possibly could.
Hearing the death counts. Becoming obsessed with the information.
Still not knowing how to feel.
I remember feeling anger and being glad when we went to war.
I remember 4 years later, going past ground zero and wishing I felt even a portion of what people who were there felt. Just so I could understand how it was for them.


...that's how I Remember 9/11.

Today, I find myself again obsessed with the story...I've spent every minute I can watching the History Channel and any other program I can about that day. I keep thinking how I will be sure to tell my children about it and make them understand how horrific it was. At least as much as I can--I know I will never comprehend how awful that day was at ground zero. But I believe that history should never be forgotten.