One. Twelve. Fifty-Two. Three Hundred Sixty-Five.

That's right folks... today is THE Anniversary!

We have made it to 

one year. 

twelve months. 

fifty-two weeks. 

three hundred sixty-five days.

of marriage.

I honestly can't believe how quickly this day has arrived. 

Does anyone else ever feel like that with their own anniversaries? How about with their first anniversary? 

Or maybe.... am I just crazy? (...that's a strong possibility...)

Seriously, some days it feels like we have only been married since last week! 

Okay, okay, so maybe more like - since last month...

But a year? No way! Is it really March? Is it 2013? 

Has it already been a year since I married Mike?

As hard as it is to believe.... (for all of us..) yes, I have been married to my Mike for one year today!

The time really has flown on by!

It's true what they say, "Time flies when you're having fun!"

I think it should be more like... "Time goes by faster if you're happy."

I know, that doesn't flow the same way.. blah, blah.

I like it better.

I guess I am grateful this year has gone by quickly. Can you imagine if this post were more like.... 

"This has been the longest year of my life!"

That just sounds depressing! And there is nothing depressing about being married to your very best friend.

It's the greatest decision someone ever makes.

True Story.

If you're married to your best friend.... are you going to argue with me?

There are some days that I feel like we have been married for longer than a year, though.

it is the weirdest feeling, really.

I don't feel that way because I feel like time is moving by at snail speed...

It's more like...

It feels like I have known/been with Mike for much longer than the 2+ years he has really been in my life.

(I don't count anything before January 2011 - 

I didn't know him... I knew his family. 

And him telling me to "shut up" at 6 am while I was doing Ashley's hair for her wedding..

hardly counts as a conversation!)

In reality, yes, I've known of Mike since 2006-ish...

But I didn't know him until 2011.

He got my number. he sent me a text. we hung out.

the rest is history.

His mom kinda set us up.

His sister gave him my number.

I agreed to a "hang out", but had no idea what was coming.

[a blip of our story with the entire engagement story can be found HERE.

as if you're not bored enough! ha ha]

Is it weird to say I really do feel like I knew Mike back in the pre-mortal life?

Of course I don't remember it... or remember him...

But I just feel like maybe my spirit recognizes his spirit.

And maybe that's really weird or maybe even really lame to say.

But I just feel like he and I have known each other, on a personal level, for much longer than we really have.
And maybe that's why the first time we hung out it was the most comfortable I have ever been with someone.

I know he is who I am supposed to be with for eternity.

And I am grateful to our Heavenly Father, every day, for softening my heart.

So I could marry such an incredible man. Who loves me more than I can even understand.

When we got married... some of the advice we were given was to write in a journal... 

I've never been a journal writer... ever... so the three journals we received... are still empty. 

I.am.sorry.!

Along with that advice... was to write down every thing that happened on the day of the wedding.

--Jeanette, that was AWESOME advice... but I still haven't done it.--

Whoops.

So... a year later, I am going to do it.

Right here.

**As a side note... We did a dinner the night before in place of a luncheon on the day of the wedding. I am a big fan! To anyone who asks.... I strongly suggest it. It was one of the smartest things we did in the planning process. Because of that- our Sealing Ceremony was at 11. We got to "sleep in". (ie: we didn't have to get up at 4 am to start getting ready- like people I know....) and we got to enjoy our day. Not once did I feel rushed to get things done. Kade and his whining about being hungry and ready for lunch doesn't count as feeling rushed. I just ignored him. ;)**

One year ago today:

6:30 AM- My alarm went off.
(like I had really been sleeping!) 
6:35 AM- Climbed in a shower
7:00 AM - put some sweats on
7:05 AM- I started on my hair!
(Yes, I mostly did my own hair...)
- first I blow-dried it
-then I curled it
(I have a LOT of hair and I like the curls that you get when you wrap your hair around the barrel of the iron, so that always takes a long time... but it only took about 45 minutes to curl! I was happy! ...It might have had something to do with the 4 "practice rounds" in 3 weeks that made it quicker than normal...)
7:55 AM-  I started on my make-up
(I don't normally wear much make-up... quite often it's only mascara... but not many people can get away with that on their wedding day... so I went all out.)
Concealer.
Foundation.
Powder.
3 eye shadows.
Eye liner.
I filled in my eyebrows.
(I have some bald spots... don't judge!)
blush
...........and...........
lip stick.
(the stuff that lasts all day. Brilliant.)
8:30 AM- I got dressed for reals.
(they frown upon people showing up to the temple in sweats... so I had to put on a skirt and shirt... 
I had my aunt make me an outfit to match the bridesmaids for this specific reason. 
I wore it to and from the temple.. to lunch with Mike.. and to and from the reception.) 
8:45 AM- I had something to eat.
(I don't remember what it was.)
9:10 AM- We left for the temple.
9:20 AM- We arrived at The Oquirrh Mountain Temple.
-I love living in Utah... where the temples just aren't that far away.
-I had Mike's recommend, so we had to wait for him to get there.
- of course they were running late.... ;)
- The Stake President forgot to enter Mike's recommend into the system... (idiot.)
- They finally let Mike in... but it was touch and go there for a second.
-When I walked past the recommend desk and into the temple, one of my dear friends, Debi, was standing there. I didn't know she was a temple worker, and I especially didn't know she would be there that day.. standing there. It was so fun to see her. She gave me a huge hug and it was such a sweet moment.
One I hope to never forget.
(I met Debi while I worked in the salon, she came in shortly after moving to Utah from Georgia. Her husband got a job with the church. A few months after she started coming in to have me do her hair, I quit the salon, but we got each other's information and I would make trips to the Scadden home and do hair all day. All 8 of them. It was so fun! They would entertain me, feed me- always making me try new things, and they were always so kind! I love the Scadden family. And I honestly miss hanging out with them so much.)
- My mom came with me back to the Bride's Dressing Room and helped me get ready.
(We bought me a temple dress when I went through the temple for my endowment, so that way, every time I go to the temple, I can be in the dress I got married in. It is such a sweet little reminder. And I love it. I get to wear my "wedding dress" all of the time.)
10:00 AM- We met with the temple Matron. (the Temple President's wife)
- There were only two of us who got married that day... and they were both at 11 a.m..
- The other Bride was the sister/sister-in-law/aunt to a family in our ward.
10:30 AM- Mike and I were waiting to be taken to the veil.
(since I went through the temple in October, he had to walk me through the veil.) 
- As we were sitting at the top of the staircase waiting, my friend Kimberly (who is also a temple worker) surprised me and gave me a huge hug! I totally forgot she worked at the temple on Wednesday mornings!
It was such an awesome surprise and so fun to see her!
10:40 AM- The Veil.
10:45 AM- My favorite part. While we were waiting for our guests to all arrive...
we got to sit in the Celestial Room together. It was just the two of us in there.
Even the temple worker assigned to us left us alone for a minute.
**I had a friend from hair school, who got married a month before me, Kelsie, send me the cutest email a couple of weeks before our wedding to tell me a few of her favorite parts that she thought I would like to know. Kels... if you happen to read this... THANK YOU!!! I am so grateful for that information. Kels told me her favorite part was when they let her and her new husband, Nick, sit in the celestial room together and just have a few minutes alone. --I will be eternally grateful for that heads up.--**
Mike and I have had a lot of people close to us pass away. Mike has lost all of his grandparents. I have lost 3 of mine. My "best friend", Blaine, who passed away a year and a half before. And a few others.
As we sat in the celestial room... I knew they were all there with us. You could feel every single one of them. You could feel the weight of their hugs. It was the coolest feeling.
Mike and I said a prayer together and then our attendant came to get us.
11:00 AM- We met Brother Walker. The wonderful man that sealed us.
11:05 AM- We walked into the room of our loved ones.
- I don't remember everything that was said in our sealing...
but even though we didn't know our sealer, I knew what he was saying was meant just for us.
- He reminded us to always act kind to each other.
- To always be supportive of the other.
- To continue to stay strong in the gospel.
- He reminded us to attend the temple often.
- To be forgiving.
-To raise our children in the gospel and teach them to love the temple.
--I cried through the whole thing--
We held hands across the alter and promised Heavenly Father that we would love one another for the rest of Eternity.
We became husband and wife.
We kissed.
We looked at each other in the "infinity mirrors".
We exchanged rings.
Our ceremony ended and we hugged all of our family and friends.
(So grateful for such loving and supporting people in our lives.)
11:30 AM ish- We parted ways and my mom and two sisters came to the Bride's room with me to help me get into my other "Wedding Dress".
- It laced up the back... it was quite the project and needed a lot of help.
-Misty helped me put on my socks and boots..
-Mom and Kacey laced me up.
-Kacey had to finish my hair and do the waterfall braid.
(in the temple, you have to wear a veil, I didn't want it to mess up my braid and have to re-do it... 
it was kind of a huge pain.. poor Kacey.... 
so I just left it down and curly for the ceremony.)
-We put my hair flower-piece-thing in.
- Touched up my make-up
- And did one last check in the big mirror to make sure I looked okay.

12:00 PM-ish- We walked out of the temple doors, hugged everyone some more, and took a million pictures!
2:30 - 3:00 PM ish- We were done with pictures and Mike and I headed to lunch.
-Mike wanted to go to lunch for our very first date as a married couple.
(That's why we did the dinner the night before. I promise it isn't what you're thinking. We wanted that to be special.)
-We went to Costa Vida for lunch.
-It's one of our favorites.

(This was at Costa...)

-It was so fun! There were only about 4 other people there (not including the employees) and no one had any idea we had just gotten married a few hours before.
3:40 PM- We finished lunch and headed to the reception center.
4:00 PM- We got to the reception center and started helping set up!
-Vases were filled
...each table had 3 vases filled with something different....
--strawberry and green apple gummy bears
--pink lemonade, green apple, and root beer tootsie frooties
--bubble gum, green apple, and root beer gum balls
--pink and green sixlets
--a sunken tulip

-the kids were dressed
-adults were dressed
-bride and groom were dressed
-flowers handed out
5:30 PM- A million more pictures were taken.

 

6:00 PM- The reception started
- I'm a brat and didn't want a "line". So our parents had to stand in another part of the room from us.
(I hate going to weddings where I only know the bride/groom, but can't say "hello" because their parents are talking to John Doe that they knew from Kindergarten, haven't seen for years, and are catching up on life. 
IN THE WEDDING LINE.
My parents are guilty of this scenario to some extent.... so to avoid torturing our guests, I gave the parents their own line! I, at least, thought it was brilliant!)
- I can't believe how many people came to see us.
- The line was to the door the entire 2 hours.
- Our gift pile was insane. We were so very, very blessed.
(And we are very grateful! Even though I am a huge slacker and haven't gotten all of my "Thank You" cards out... SORRY! I am working on them! I promise!)
- People told us to cut our cake halfway through the reception, but I couldn't justify leaving line for it.
- We had people take pictures in a photo booth to put in our "book".
-There are some awesome pictures! I am so glad people participated!
8:00 PM- We got to the end of our line!!
- We cut the cake.....

(Ask Mike how it is to have cake up your nose. Oops! :) )

- We had our "First Dance" to "Are You Gunna Kiss Me or Not" by Thompson Square
- My dad and I danced.
-Mike and his mom danced.
-Mike's dad and brother danced....
(They think they're funny...)
-We opened up the dance floor!
-We talked with people
- We had some brownies and ice cream... and Walt's chocolates!
(I have the best aunt and uncle ever! My uncle makes AMAZING chocolates, so he made my favorite kinds to have as a treat at our wedding! If you don't know what "Walt's Chocolates" are... you're missing out on the best thing in life!!)
-We talked with more people
-We forgot to throw the bouquet and garter, so we fake threw it to my cousin and his wife for pictures.
(Big thanks to Travis and Shay! I know it was silly, but I am so glad you would do it for us! Not to mention miss school and work to come down from Idaho for our dinner and all of the wedding... in the middle of the week! I was so happy to have my "twin" there!)
-We changed.
-We went out to see our car.
(It was a disaster. I cried. and I am still angry about it.) 
-We helped clean up.
(only a little bit... while we were waiting for the car to be cleaned out... It took awhile... it really was bad.)
- We left the reception.
- We stopped at our house to change into sweats and grab some things for the hotel and we left for Anniversary Inn.

It was a long, long, LONG, looooooooong, long day. But its crazy how quickly it went by. Everyone tells you it will. And they are right. It passed in a flash! And now... here I sit... a year later. It really is so hard to believe! Sometimes I wish we had a pause button on life. I would love to be able to just enjoy some moments a little bit longer. I know this feeling will only increase when I have kids of my own. (that's a long way out still, don't get your hopes up.) But for now... I will try to remember to enjoy the moments we have with each other.

Now...

Things I have learned in a year of marriage:

- we will never fold the towels the same. Ever.

- men don't know there is such a thing as organizing your closet.
- they don't understand why there would/should be, either.

- splitting time between families never gets easy.
- folding laundry is not a man's strongest point.
- men will never understand the number of shoes women have.
- men don't do "sick" well.
(I am sorry, honey, you just don't.)

- My husband is more patient than anyone should have to be.
- Mike makes me feel so loved and treasured every moment of every day.
- I married the best man for me.
- Mike is actually the best man ever.
- Married life is the best decision anyone will ever make.
- I never knew it was possible to love someone so much.
- I fall in love with Mike more and more every day.
- I am more in love with Mike now, than I was a year ago.
- Mike is my very best friend and I wouldn't have it any other way.
- If one of you doesn't sleep well... neither of you do.
- Losing sleep is worth it, if you can help your spouse feel better.

I am so grateful for this year of bliss. So grateful for the man I married a year ago.

We've got one year down, and an eternity to go, Sweet Pea!
I love you, Mike!



Oh! Tonight we are going to the Melting Pot to celebrate!
(we went on our honeymoon one of the nights we were staying at The Anniversary Inn on 5th South!)
Saturday night, as soon as Mike is off of work, we are driving up to Logan and spending a night at
The Anniversary Inn up there!
We are excited! We think it will be so fun!

This was at the Melting Pot on our Honeymoon...
Don't ask about Mike's face.. I have no idea.