The truth hurts...

Sooooo... my new husband changed his Facebook profile picture to this.

It's pretty amusing, I must admit!

Just married...

It's done!!

It's official!!

We are married!!

We had a BEAUTIFUL day that couldn't have gone any better!

Our sealing was amazing, and we had so many wonderful friends and family members with us! I am now married to the one man that I truly love for eternity. It's almost beyond comprehension. The reception was completely overwhelming! We had a constant line that went out the building and around the corner. The wait in line was anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half. It was insane! Everyone we invited must have shown up! The reception was supposed to end at 9:00 p.m. but we had people there until 10:00 p.m. We had so much support! We both felt very humbled and loved.

What a GREAT experience!

Zero...

Zero. Nada. Nothing.

Today is the day!

Well my friends, today is the day. I'm going to finish the vanilla Zinger that I'm eating while watching SpongeBob SquarePants (guilty pleasure) and blogging at 7:45 a.m. (don't worry about me being too unhealthy. I'm washing the Zinger down with a diet Coke) and then go outside and water my flowers. I need to shower, wash and dry the massive hair, put on my face and make sure I have everything gathered together for the day.

Ken's coming over to my house (mine for a few more hours) and then we'll make the short 5 minute drive to the temple.

Wow!

I cannot believe that we are FINALLY to July 27th.

I told Ken last night that I'm in denial the day came because I figured I'd either die or the world would end before we got there.

Well, wish us luck!

Here we go!

One...

Today is my only day left to run a few errands.

Tomorrow is the big day!!

Tank's rescue...

This afternoon I went outside to water some plants and of course, Tank followed me outside. He loves to play with the hose when it's turned on. He likes to flip water all over himself. Last night, I had coiled the hose in the flowerbed that sits right against a window well. When I turned the hose on, Tank attacked it as usual. Only this time, he obviously wasn't paying attention to where he was. His back paws went over the 4 foot window well and down he rolled into the bottom. He was wet and muddy and unable to get out. The window well is too deep for me to reach in and get him out either. I went downstairs to try to pop the screen out to get him out but had no luck. I called my dad and he came over with screwdriver in hand to save the day. It's a good thing my parents live close!

Poor Tank!

In the 3 years I've lived in this house he's never gone near the window wells.

He was a little shaken and a little dirty, but a bath, some "hugs" and some treats fixed the problem.

As requested by Ken, here are two photos I snapped of the "rescue".

Out popped the screen and in came Tank, happy to be saved!

Two...

Two days to go.

Coming out of the closet...

One of the "projects" that has been looming over my head is making room for Ken's things. Don't get me wrong... I'm not upset about clearing out the space, I just hate sorting through everything and deciding what to keep and what goes. Like everything else right now, cleaning out a closet and drawers that have been exclusively mine for years and years seemed overwhelming. Well guess what... IT'S ALL FINISHED! There is finally space for Ken to move in to.

Two giant bags full of stuff to take to D.I.

My side of the closet.

Kens side of the closet.

Ken's side of the chest of drawers, all ready for him!

Whew! Glad that's taken care of!

Classroom complete...

One big project that is crossed off my list is finishing setting up my classroom. It's all ready to go! I didn't sort through things or get as organized as I would have like to as I was moving everything. With the wedding, I felt overwhelmed. Tearing down everything, moving it to another room, and setting it all back up was about all I could do. I'm glad it's finished!

I bought this kiva (seating area) from my friend Allison who taught with me last three years. I love all of the storage for my books on the back of it! She moved to Arizona but I think of her every time I see it. I like having a little piece of Allison in my classroom!

All ready to go!

My reading table.

Here's to another year in first grade!

Three...

Three more days.

Today I REALLY need to spend some serious time in my yard. It looks so sad. I'm not sure how the lawn is going to get mowed while we're gone on our trip. I hadn't thought about that until just now. Great! One more thing on my plate.

Four...

4 more days.
Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

Today has been a pretty good day.
I got up this morning and went to the Mt. Timpanogos temple with Ken. I am grateful for the knowledge I have of my Heavenly Father's plan. I'm truly blessed with the opportunity of being sealed for eternity to a man I love. I am thankful that he is able to take me to the temple to begin our journey together as an eternal family. I love the amazing spirit that is only felt in the House of the Lord. There is always a feeling of such peace, love, and clarity. I was so happy to be part of that with Ken today.

Five... (and a new bed)

Five.

Five days.

Now that countdown officially begins on one hand.

Today I don't have much planned. I need to clean out part of my closet and some of my drawers so poor Ken has a place to put some clothes. The new king size bed came this morning at about 8:45 a.m. It is so much taller than my old one and seems gigantic! I got the new sheets washed and blankets put on it, and also the bedding. Although my last bed was a queen, I purchased king size bedding so the quilts on the outer part fit the new bed. If Ken and I decide to change the look of the bed I'm fine with that. But for now, the year old bedding which I LOVE stays. One less thing to purchase.

Aside from cleaning out closets and drawers, I'm going to clean the house a little and do some laundry. My friend Kim and I are planning to go grab some Mexican food for lunch in a little bit.

Here are a few pictures of the new bed...

(Yeah... I know the bed is pretty junked up with pillows. People make comments all of the time about the massive amounts of pillows I have. Ken cracks little comments every now and then as well. But I like it that way... that's all I can say!)

The picture below is my old queen size bed, now known as "Shari's bed" which was mved to a room downstairs. Don't worry... I have a bunch of matching pillows to junk up this bed too!

Five days to go!

Six...

Six days.

I don't know what is happening, but I feel like time is speeding up.

And I'm talking about warp speed here.

Let's see... with six days to go, I am meeting with the photographer himself today. Evidently, Ken and I are a bit of a "mystery" to him because we don't want all of the cheesy traditional wedding poses. We want the bulk of the time he will be shooting spent on group shots and family pictures. And, the photographer will be dealing with a groom who despises having his picture taken. Ken has been nicely and ever so lovingly "warned" (anyone who know me knows THAT'S my style - ha ha) that he needs to be on his very best photo behavior. I just want some nice photos of the one wedding I'll ever have, with a husband who looks happy it took place. On the other hand, the paper that is in our file with the photographer has the words GROOM IS GROUCHY (not joking) written on the top in nice, big, underlined letters. The photographer has been equally warned that Ken hates pictures and that he had better take them quickly to ensure the bride stays sane, happy, and married. And I wonder why the photographer wants to meet with me today? Go figure!

Tonight for Young Womens (I teach the Mia Maids) it is a combined activity and they are throwing me a bridal shower. Cute, huh? Not sure exactly what's going to happen, but the girls are super excited and that's all that matters. They have spent a lot of time planning and making invitations. I'm glad they're excited about doing it. I'm looking forward to spending the evening with them. I have really grown to love those girls!

After that, my good friends Kim and Tiffany are letting me borrow their husbands for a little bit. Nate and Dusty will be coming over to dismantle my sleigh bed, haul it all downstairs, reassemble it, and then get the box spring and mattress down as well. Why, you ask? THE NEW BEAUTIFUL KING SIZE BED COMES TOMORROW! Soooo excited to see it! You know I'm going to post a picture tomorrow for sure. Plus, Ken's mom is super excited for her "Shari Room" downstairs. I hope she comes and uses it often!

Seven...

Seven more days.

One week from today.

Today I'm getting my hair cut and highlighted. Let's hope it turns out with only one week to go! I'm going to a new hairdresser who my friend Kim recommended so cross your fingers.

Later today, I get to spend a little time with my friend Allison at her baby shower. So exciting!

Also, Ken and I are picking up his sister Cortnee (and her date to the wedding) at the airport tonight. They're spending the night with me before they head down to Lake Powell tomorrow.

Still a lot to do... only 6 days to do it!

(the 7th day doesn't really count

to get things done, you know? It's THE day.)

Eight is great...

Eight days. That's it.

I remember when the countdown ticker was in the 150's.

What happened?

We went and got our marriage license today. I am totally appalled at how easy that was! If it were more of a process, maybe so many people wouldn't be getting divorced! We were finished and out of there in 5 minutes. We both filled out a half size sheet of paper, showed drivers licenses, and signed verifying our information was correct. Ken paid the nice lady $50.00 and out the door we walked with marriage license in hand. We both looked at each other like "that's it?" Yep. That was it. I felt like I needed to show them proof that we love each other or even remotely like each other or something. You know, receipts for gifts and dates, or some sort of journal as proof of our "outings" together. I don't know... maybe we should have been interviewed separately and quizzed about each other. I'm not sure. It just seemed too easy and weird. But, getting the license is one more hoop we jumped through. Only 8 days until we use it!

Single digits...

Nine. That's all I'm saying.

Chidester-Adams isn't so bad...

Not sure if you remember the segment on the Jay Leno show where he would show the marriage announcements from the newspaper where the bride and groom's last names just don't quite work together.

Just a little humor in the midst of a little bit of my stress.

12 more days...

Two...

weeks from today!

I am starting to feel some slight stress and nervousness.

Is that normal?

(I mean, this is an eternal life altering decision.)

This one's for you, Amy...

Amy, this post is for you!!

My good friend Amy and I have one thing in common.

Two words...

Dell Schanze

We love yammering on about this guy!

(and Chuckie... but that's ANOTHER post)

For those of you non-Utahns, Dell Schanze is a local former business owner of Totally Awesome Computers who refers to himself as "SuperDell" and is always trying to get into the headlines one way or another. Between his attempts to run for politics, paratrooping over the freeway in his motorized hang glider (not in the article below), or speeding through a neighborhood while waving a gun, the state of Utah should be just about done with him.

Dell's mugshot - not joking!

Super Dell in court

"Totally Awesome" Headlines of the Past

(courtesy of the KSL Website)

This certainly isn't the first time Dell Schanze has made headlines. Some of his "Totally Awesome" ads have been controversial through the years, but so has he.

Love him or hate him, he definitely is memorable.

Maybe it's his spiky blonde hair, and his over-the-top delivery, but the first time you saw Dell Schanze, you couldn't forget him. His style made him sort of a mini-celebrity, who's troubles also brought him attention.

Dell Schanze: "They're full of bunk, though."

Even during controversy, Dell Schanze seemed to love the attention.

One of his best... May 2006, when he was charged with reckless driving and pulling out a gun. Dell Schanze/May 2005: "I was absolutely shocked when I found out they were going to press charges against me, instead of the bad guys. Hello?"

Residents in a Draper neighborhood say he was speeding through streets full of children playing, so they confronted him. He says he pulled out his gun for protection, but that got him trouble.

Dell Schanze: "You can't trust what they're going to do."

In October 2003, he made Utah Native Americans angry, when in an ad he said the fictitious Shiffer Indian tribe died because they were intellectually challenged. Of course, it wasn't the first time Super Dell got super attention. In January 2004, he criticized Provo for wasting taxpayer money on supposedly inferior computers.

Four months earlier, he crashed his motorized glider in Magna.

And in May 2001, the Better Business Bureau gave his Totally Awesome Computer company a negative listing for misleading ads on warranties.

Of course, Schanze fought it, holding a rally outside the Better Business Bureau's office.

Dell Schanze: "Every company on the planet claims to be the best."

But even those who claim to be the best, eventually fall.

Seriously grossed out...

The other morning I was watching Good Things Utah. It's a local, hour long show that focuses on Utah based stories and businesses. If you're not familiar with it, it's kind of like a cross between the t.v. shows The View and Good Morning America but without the major celebrities or Hollywood stories. It's kind of annoying but there wasn't much on the television.

The other day I was completely floored when they aired this story.

In a nutshell, there was a guest on the program who will come to your house for $175.00 and spend 2 days with you as she takes your "harvested" placenta (yeah... the one you put in a Ziplock bag and toss in the baby carrier along side your newborn, I guess) and make an anti-depression "medicine" out of it to help you with the baby blues.

click below to see it on the Good Things Utah link:

Placenta Encapsulation Link

Basically...

someone comes to your house, dehydrates your placenta (insert horrified shiver here), encapsulates it, and leaves you with a bottle of "medicine".

When Ken and I have a baby, I ASSURE you there will be no medicine made out of ANYTHING that comes out of my body that day, or any other day for that matter.

Look... if you're "into" that, great.

This is my blog (you sought me out... I didn't contact you) and I say it's weird and disturbing.

Three...

weeks from today!