I found a Boy...and a photographer

Happy Monday!

This weekend Justin and I took engagement photos! Terry Carter of Jeanette's Photography took our portraits at Forsythe Park. Here's a few of our favorites.

Any preferences?

Making Plans

 Last Friday, I flew to Idaho to make plans for our wedding. We are getting married in the Idaho Falls temple and are having a reception that evening and one in Natchez the next weekend. 

 The summers in Idaho are gorgeous. Not too hot during the day and cool at night; the only thing you have to worry about is the wind. Because an outdoor reception is basically not do-able down south in July, we decided to have it outside up north.

  We're going to have our reception at a park next to an art museum. Its' got a gazebo for dancing.

It overlooks the Snake River, and has lots of trees.

It even has something small for the younger crowd.

I'm so excited. This part looks gorgeous in the summer when all of the trees and flowers are in bloom.

The night before I left to fly home, my family threw me a bridal shower.

I got a "salad" bowl.

Josie made me an owl apron and matching kitchen towels. She's amazing!

Four generations of my family.

I had an amazing time. I'm glad to be home, but can't wait to go back this summer!

On a last note....I found a wedding gown! No pictures. It's going to be a surprise.

Monograms Part Deux

I did some more work on my monograms earlier this week. I finished painting them. I was initially worried that the color I picked was going to be wrong, but it turned out fabulous.

I have become infatuated with buttons. Antique buttons, to be specific. I ordered some on etsy last week and they got here on Monday. Aren't they gorgeous. They're worn and chipped...absolutely perfect.

 I cleaned them up with some good ole soap, water, and a tooth brush.

 I used craft glue to put them on my M's.

I'm going to find some scrapbook stickers or something that say "Mr." and "Mrs." to put on them; I tried to paint it and it just didn't look good. So, I'll try something different.

I want to hang them from the back of our chairs at the reception(s) with my turquoise ribbon. I don't really want to drill some holes in them. Does anyone have any ideas how I should do that?

Scavenger Hunt

For family home evening (FHE) our YSA group went to the mall and had a photo scavenger hunt. Justin and I really had a good time, even though we were ran out of a couple of stores because they didn't want us to take pictures of their products.

Justin wore something from the baby department.

I found a hat with a feather in it.

Posing like a mannequin.

Trying on formal wear.

Looks like fun, right? We definitely had a good time. I got a laugh at Justin asking a sales person for the time, and I asked a stranger for their autograph.

On another note, always true to form, I didn't touch my monograms again until today. I painted the back of them, and I'm waiting for them to dry so I can do another coat. 

Well, that's all for today. I hope you enjoyed our scavenger hunt pictures!

Monograms

 If you didn't know already, I'm a very frugal person. I find it hard to pay money for something that I could do on my own. So, this may become my Achilles' heel when it comes to my wedding. Why pay $30 for something that I could make for $5? Ha. We'll see.

I've been clippin' coupons for local craft stores, and have been slowly buying supplies for all of the ideas in my head. Today I started my first project. It's going to take me a while to complete all of these projects, because I only have 15-20 minutes here and there to work on them. So, maybe over the next 4 months they'll get done. We'll see.

 

I found M's for less than $2 each, and bought chocolate brown paint!  

I can't decide what I'm going to do with them. They could look cute hanging from the doors of our reception venue.  OR I could write Mr. on one and Mrs. on the other and hang them from our chairs. Well. We'll see...

About a Year Later

I've gotten a few comments from people lately about my sorry little blog. I have a blogger account so I can follow other people's blogs, and I really haven't caught on to all of this. So, I've decided to maybe pick this back up...we'll see.

It has been almost a year since I posted, and my last post was quite embarrassing.  I do believe I was complaining about being single (something I was doing a lot a year ago). Shortly after that last post, I swore off caring if I was single and alone. Literally less than a month later I had my first date with Justin McClure. I was a little hesitant about going out with him for two reasons (1) I had a bad experience going to see a movie with him a few months before and (2) he asked me out through facebook.

To make the story short, we've been dating a little over 11 months, and this July I will become Mrs. Justin McClure! WooHoo!

Well, I don't know where I'm really going with this whole blog thing, so stay tuned!

Something about the Weather

So, I'm pretty sure its something about the weather lately that has gotten me in a bad mood. It may be the culmination of things just not working out lately (i.e., non-progression of my projects, boring classes, etc.). I'm ready for spring to come so that it will help me get out of my funky mood.

My perpetual singledom has been painfully brought to light lately. The passing of the dreaded Holidays and Valentine's Day can be quite rough for some of us. I have been trying to focus on myself while I'm waiting for Mr. Right (I fully intend to ask him, when he comes, why he was dragging his feet!).

In the January and February issues of the Ensign there have been more articles that directly address Young Single Adults, and I've really enjoyed them. In January, there was an article called "Being independent, Being Prepared." The one that I liked the most was from February; its called "That They May Grow Up in Thee." If you don't know me, then you'll soon learn that I'm very stubborn and independent. This article focuses on adulthood markers as behaviors and not marital status, which is a refreshing view.

I'm really thankful that the Ensign is featuring talks that speak directly to single adults. Sometimes we get really tired of hearing about and having lessons on families and marriages. It just reminds us of how very single we are. For me, I'm holding on tightly to the words of these inspired Saints, at least until the weather changes and brings along my spring fever!