9 Weeks, 2 Days, and a Wake up!

We're almost down to the 9 week mark. WOW. This last month has flown by so quickly! On Friday it had been exactly 1 month since Todd proposed. Where has that month gone??

As far as wedding plans go, we're doing pretty good!

Here's what we have done so far:
-Booked the Temple
-Booked the Lion House for the luncheon
-Booked Carmelle Reception House
-Talked to the florist
-Ordered tuxes
-Taken our engagements
-Taken my bridals
-Chosen our honeymoon spot (San Diego!!)
-Chosen my cake (Thanks to Carrie, who is going to make it)
-Ordered my wedding band
-Found a duplex for us
-Got a new job (YAY!!!)
-Talked to the caterer


Here's what we have left to do:
-Have our photographer custom design our wedding invitations
-Finish our wedding mailing list
-Finish the sealing and luncheon invitation list
-Mail invitations
-Clean my dress (grass stains from my bridals!)
-Find bridesmaid dresses
-Taste test icing/batter for the cake
-Finalize honeymoon plans


I can't think of anything else at the moment. So far, so good! I took my bridals on Thursday and had such a WONDERFUL time! I went with a western-Victorian style. My dress is a mermaid style with lots of beading, and pleating at the bottom. To put western twist on it, I wore brown riding boots!! I also took my pictures up at a horse ranch, which totally topped it all off. I loved it.

I keep having these little moments where I stop and say, "wow...I'm ACTUALLY getting married." It still hasn't quite sunk in! All in all, I am so excited. Excited for the wedding day, excited to live with Todd, excited to start our new life together. 9 Weeks, 2 Days, and a Wake-up....but who's counting?

My love languages

You guys, I have become a TRUE believer of the 5 Love Languages!

Gary Chapman's book "The 5 love Languages" has totally changed me. It has helped me see what I should and shouldn't be doing in my relationships, especially in mine and Todd's relationship. I took an exam online at http://www.afo.net/hftw-lovetest.asp and got these results:


33% Physical Touch
27% Quality Time
23% Receiving Gifts
10% Acts of Service
7% Words of Affirmation

How to Interpret Your Profile Score
Your highest score indicates your primary love language. Your second highest score indicates your secondary love language. If two scores are identical, you are bi-lingual(you have two Primary love languages). If the scores of your primary language and your secondary language are close(for example, 10 and 9 respectively), it indicates both are important to you. The highest possible score for any one love language is 12. Having a clear picture of your primary and secondary love languages will explain much of your past behavior. Think back over the past and ask yourself, "What have I most often requested of my spouse?" Chances are your answer will lie within the scope of your primary and secondary love languages. You have been requesting that which would meet your deepest need for emotional love. Your requests, however, might have come across as nagging or criticizing and thus drove your spouse away.

It's totally true. I am a very physical person when it comes to how I express my love to people, especially to Todd. I love it when he hugs me, holds me, holds my hand, or snuggles with me. I love it when he slides his hand on my back as he walks by. I love it when he kisses me out of the blue, and feel loved when he does it.

My next one, Quality Time, is a big fit too. If I can't spend time with Todd, or feel neglected because we didn't get to spend time together, I'm a wreck. Yes, it is possible for us to be apart from each other...but I don't like it one bit. It means so much to me when he goes out of his way to do things with me. I love it when we get to go do fun things together, or just sit and watch TV.

As for Receivig Gifts, that one came as a total shock to me. How did I find out that this was one of mine? The love of my life brought me....ROSES! No special occasion, he just gave me roses one day. I'll tell you what, I was on cloud 9 for the rest of the day. Now, I realize that I GIVE most of my deep love through gifts. I love writing Todd little love notes, or giving him lunch. Now I just hope he will learn and catch on to that...because it's the little things that count. Nothing big. Just meaningful.

With Acts of Service and Words of Affirmation, the do mean something to me, but they're not life altering experiences every time. I love being told that I'm beautiful, or wonderful, or sexy, or talented, but i don't NEED to hear it. I appreciate when he serves me and goes out of his way, but I don't NEED for him to do that, especially without asking. I don't mind asking. Kinda interesting!

So...yeah. I just thought I'd share that with y'all. YES I know I have posted 3 times today. SORRY! I'm just in the sharing mood :)

My suggestion to everyone...?

READ THE 5 LOVE LANGUAGES!!!!

Never thought it would be this hard

When people said marriage was hard, I had no idea how real that was. Of course it's not the big things that make it SO hard. It's the little things.

Today I went and got my hair done as a "trial-run" for my bridals. It went really well, and I was really happy. However, by the end of it all, I was famished! I called Todd to let him know that I would be over to his apartment soon. He told me he was out getting food and he would be back soon as well. I didn't think anything of it, but I guess it began to stew in me.

I got back to his apartment a little bit later. By this time I just didn't feel well at all. I needed food, badly. And of course, when I need food, whats the first symptom? I become the grouch.

I walked in and saw that Todd had gone to 5 Guys for lunch. My first thought? "Oh....I thought Todd and I were going to go the together to try it...oh well." My second thought? "I wish he would have at least asked if I wanted something to eat. I make meals for him almost every day, and we're not even married. He could at least pick up lunch for me, when I haven't had anything else to eat." I started to get upset. But, of course, I didn't want Todd to know. So I bottled it up and just told him I was fine. He knew I was lying, but knew that I didn't want to talk about it right then, so he gave me some space. He went to work and I was left alone at his apartment to be pissy, hungry, AND alone. Great combination.

After letting myself be angry for a while, I decided I wasn't handling this in a very "healthy-marriage" sort of way. So, after pondering it a bit more, I decided to send him a text. I told him that I was sorry for being in a bad mood, but that I was hungry and needed food, and I got frustrated that he just picked up a meal for himself and didn't think about me. I told him that I didn't want to be upset about it, and wanted to talk to him so he could simply know how I felt and why. He text back and felt really bad, he expressed that he's just not used to having to take care of two people yet. That he should have thought about me, but just didn't.

I didn't text back right away, because I had started writing this post actually. LOL. Just a minute ago, however, I got a second text from him. He just said, "I hope you still love me."

AH, only he can melt my heart like that. I wrote back and told him that of course I still loved him. And that I understood that he wasn't used to being "US" instead of "HIM" all the time. That will come in time. I also accepted my part in it, that I could have asked him to pick me something up when I called him, and that I could have been open when he asked me what was wrong, rather than pushing it aside and letting it simmer.

Why am I telling this to you guys? Well- simply stated- DON'T LET THE LITTLE THINGS GET BETWEEN YOU. Yes, Todd could have been more thoughtful. Yes, I could have been less moody. Moral of the story? He simply didn't INTENTIONALLY hurt my feelings. And I get to be sensitive to that.

Easier said than done, but we're working on it. I never imagined that those were the kinds of things that I'd get the most hurt and upset about. It's going to take some practice, sacrifice, and hard work to keep our marriage healthy and happy. We can do it. It just take patience, love, and a little self sacrifice.

Thanks for letting me vent, y'all! :)

Life, Life, Life. It never stops comin!

So things have been a bit crazy. Good, but crazy! Luckily I'm not in school right now, or I'm sure I'd have shot someone by this point in the semester. (NO, I am not psychotic. LOL). I just thought it was about time I give you guys an update on whats been happening lately.

I got my wedding dress back!! It was being altered, and they finallyl finished it.

Thats it! :) The ivory one.

Also, Todd and I took our engagements last week. It was SOOOOOOO ( can I add any more O's?) much fun! We went out to the west side of Utah lake where we watched the meteor shower last month. When we got out there with the photographer, we realized that it looked completely different in the day than it did at night. However, this worked GREATLY to our advantage. There was a huge collection of old, cement, road blocks that had been stacked up on eachother in various shapes and patterns. It had a very cool, rustic, industrial-life feel to it. We decided to take the bulk of our pictures there while the sun was setting. That was a blast.

Then we miandered over to a field where there was pretty much nothing but a few scraggely trees and bushes. VERY pretty.

We headed to the shore and took some pictures in the reeds after that. I think those will turn out rather exotic :)

Ok guys....here come my favorite part....

Little did Todd know, I had schemed with the photographer the day before. I told Brock that I wanted to push Todd in the water and get some candid pictures with both of us wet. Brock was way excited! He thought that would be AWESOME. So, we finally found a place to go stand in the shallows. We took some normal pictures...then all hell broke loose :P

I turned to Todd and asked, "How much do you love me...?" While asking this, I sneakily wrapped my foot around the back of his leg. When he gave me a very confused look and was about to ask what I meant, I used my foot as leverage and threw him backwards into the water! I kinda went down with him, so he grabbed me and flipped me over him into the water. We got some AWESOME pictures of both of us sopping wet, playing and posing in the shallows. I haven't had so much fun in a very, very long time.

Now for bridals! I'm having my hair appt to see what hairstyles will work. Wish me luck!

Over and out.

I Said Yes!

My head is still spinning. The events that have taken place over the last week have left me in a whirlwind of excitement, nerves, and emotion. Let me take you on a journey through my week.
PICTURES TO COME!

Sunday
Todd and I arrived at his parents house for dinner after visiting with the Bishop about getting married. We sat eating dinner, feeling the whole time that I could cut the air with a butter knife. I knew his sister was dying to ask us if we were engaged, and his parents (who already knew) were just sitting there patiently waiting for US to bring up the big news. Eventually, it came up, and I was welcomed into the Parris family with open arms. We then spent the rest of the night talking about dresses, colors, and looking through Todd's baby pictures for our wedding video. By the time we finished it was nearly 11pm. Since we had to be to my dad's house the next day by 8am, Todd and I decided to just stay at his parents house for the night. We went downstairs, put in Bill Cosby, and laid held hands while across the space between our two couches. (Todd and I made a commitment that if we're going to watch a movie, we're going to sit on different couches, just so we're careful.) We eventually fell asleep during the movie and just spent our short night out on the couches.

Monday
We woke up early that next morning, showered, and headed to my Dad's house. My siblings had NO idea what was coming! My dad, being the sneaky man he is, organized a so-called "Labor Day Breakfast) and invited all of my in-state siblings. Todd and I arrived, greeted the family, and began to help fix breakfast with everyone. My dad pulled me aside and asked how and when I was going to break it to the family, which I had no answer to. I was at a complete loss! My sister-in-law was going to be leaving in ten minutes, and I wanted to tell everyone while she was still there (although she already knew the news). We gathered the family, had a breakfast prayer, and I said "Well, I'd like to thank dad for being sneaky and organizing this breakfast. Now, I guess I better tell you what the real reason is for this breakfast..." I could feel the excitement in the room suddenly raise as my siblings listened to me talk. "Todd and I are engaged!" Screaming filled the room as my sisters jumped up and down and my brother-in-law said "OH SNAP!" repeatedly. My sisters and I then began talking "wedding talk" until Todd and I left a couple of hours later.

Tuesday
After thinking about it, Todd and I both decided that it would be better if we took the semester off of school. I didn't know how that would be possible for me, however, because I had already taken out a student loan and paid my tuition in full. We went to the school office, picked up the forms, and were told to come back later when financial aid opens. We left, took my car to the shop, and returned to UVU. When we sat down with the counselor, we realized that everything would work out. They would return my loan, and refund my tuition in full! I felt relief wash over me, releasing the tension I had been feeling for the last couple of days. Todd and I decided to go get lunch at the Olive Garden before he had to go to work. While there, Todd received a phone call from the jeweler telling us that my ring was finished. We just looked at each other, confused at how that was even possible. They had only sent it out the day before to have the diamond put in the setting! Todd dropped me off at my apartment and stopped by Kay Jewelers on the way home. He called me when he was done and told me there was a misunderstanding and that my ring wouldn't be in till next week after all. I didn't think much of it and soon put it out of my mind.

Wednesday
As Wednesdays are Todd's days off, we designated them as our "to-do-list" days. We started at 10:30 and began looking at reception halls. We checked The Colonial House Lehi (where my little sister's school holds their classes) and thought that it was nice. It wouldn't be a very nice place for pictures though. We then went to Taylorsville and looked through Aspen Landing. It was very pretty, with very good prices, but it was very small and cramped. Again, not ideal for pictures. We then went to Carmelle Reception House, the one I'd been dying to see. It was the very first one I found online, and the first one I fell in love with. Drove to Holladay, parked at Carmelle, and entered the side office. The woman showed us into the main room where we would wait for the wedding coordinator to show us around. We walked through the doors and were immediately in shock of the beauty of the place. I turned to him, he took my hand, and together we said, "it's perfect!" We got a tour, talked prices, and left. Todd said that he wanted to go visit the Joseph Smith Memorial Building just to find a couple more options. We drove downtown, parked, and made our way into Temple Square.
As we were walking between the Temple and the South Visitor's Center, Todd took my hand and pulled me over into a shady spot on the grass. He turned me around and held me from behind with his arms around me. After a minute, I felt him dig into his pocket for something. My breathe caught. Could this really be it? How could he possibly have the ring? At that moment, he leaned into my ear and said, "I think it's about time that we make this official." He help the ring box open in front of me. He then spun me around so we were facing each other, and I hugged him and kissed him...and hugged him and kissed him some more. We looked in each other's eyes for a moment before he knelt down on one knee in the grass. "Jewely, will you marry me?" "YES!" I held his face and kissed him, laughing. I was shaking from excitement and joy. It had finally happened. The man of my dreams had just proposed to me. He stood up and we held each other for what felt like an eternity before we made our way back through Temple Square to his car.
No- we didn't end up going to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building- that was his excuse to get me to Temple Square. He then took me to Rodizio Grill to celebrate our engagement. I found out that the jeweler had gotten bored on Monday, and decided to just do the ring himself rather then sending it out to the workshop. Todd has actually picked up the ring, and decided to propose early, so that I was completely suprised. Well, it worked!

I couldn't be happier.

Engaged to be Engaged

Well my friends, it has finally happened. I have eternally left the dating world! I KNOW you're just dying for the details, so here they are:

A few weeks ago Todd and I were talking outside his apartment. We had a wonderful conversation in which we shared with each other some very personal and private things. To my surprise, my revealing these struggles did not push Todd away, rather, it brought us closer together. We laid there on the grass, talking about life with its many struggles and trials, joys and pleasures, when it happened. He looked at me and said, "Jewely, I have no doubt in my mind that you are the woman I want to spend a very, very long time with. Even eternity."

WHOA.

I just sat there looking at him, stunned. I wanted to say yes, yet there was this doubt creeping in the back of my mind about whether Todd really was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. After looking at him for a moment, I decided to be honest. I told him how I felt- that I hoped we could get to that point, but that I didn't know if it was right yet.

That was probably on of the hardest moments I've been through.

Again, to my surprise, Todd responded to my confession in a gentle manner. He assured me that there was no pressure in my decision. He only wanted me to be completely sure of my answer. So we decided to wait

Over the next few weeks I prayed, and prayed, and prayed. Slowly my heart began to soften. I felt the answer coming slowly, but surely. The real turning point for me was on Wednesday during our institute class. We listened to a talk by Sister Julie Beck, where she talked about the importance of the family and our divine purpose on this earth to form and keep families. I felt in my heart that there was no one on this earth that I'd rather have a family with than Todd. I felt that I had received my answer. But what was I supposed to do with it? How was I supposed to tell Todd my answer?

Well, my opportunity came that night. Todd has Wednesdays off, so we've made that night our date night. That night we decided to go out to Los Hermono for dinner. I got all dressed up and could hardly wait for a date with my man! We went to dinner, then blockbuster, then back to my apartment. We had so much fun. After watching the movie, we sat cuddling and talking on the couch.

Suddenly, I felt the air change. There was something tangible in the air. My heart started beating faster. I looked up at Todd, who was watching me, and our eyes connected. Once again, he told me that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. I took a deep breath and said, "Well...guess we better start looking at rings then, huh?" We embraced and talked and laughed. Right then we started planning our wedding and marriage.

We're tentatively planning on December 19, but will move it earlier that week if we can get out of school. So folks, better book your calendar! Week of December 19, Salt Lake Temple, two extremely happy people being bound as one.

Everything has just fallen into place. The next day I went to try on wedding dresses. Heather chose one, and when I looked at it all I could think was...oh my gosh, this is hideous. But I tried it on, and am so glad I did. It was MAGNIFICENT. It was perfect. It was MY wedding dress. So, the next day, we went back and bought the dress, a veil, and a full length cape. Also on that same day Todd and I went and looked at rings. Low and behold, the first ring that caught my eye ended up being the one we chose. I tried on some rings that I though I'd like, and they just didn't feel right. The jeweler was wonderful. He guided Todd and me through the process of finding that special ring that symbolized our relationship together. I decided to try that ring on, the one that caught my eye. It was a simple by-pass white-gold band, with a single, small marquise set on top. I fell in love with it. I knew that was the one. We decided to put a 1/5 karat round diamond in it, rather than the 1/20 karat marquise that it came with. We found his ring, got financed, and that was it! We bought both of our rings for under $500. I couldn't be happier with our choice. My ring is in the shop, for the to switch out the diamonds. It should be back in a week!

Todd has some sort of proposal up his sleeve. I'm so excited, and very jittery. We already told our familes that we were engaged, and received a better response from them than we could ever imaging.

It feels good. It feels right. It is all working out so easily.

Well, that's my story! Sorry for the lengthy post, but I hope you enjoyed hearing our love story. More to come, as soon as he proposes!! :D

Over and out.