Single Digits

As of today, we have 9 days until the wedding...FINALLY! Today is also the start of many much waited for and anticipated events...including:

1. Mark getting to Utah (YAY!!)
2. Going through the temple for my endowments (this is another one of those 'finally!' sentiments)
3. Driving to Missouri (A little nervous about this, but excited for it as well)

...and of course, the wedding in California NEXT WEEK! I feel pretty excited because instead of 1 day to celebrate, I get several weeks of events all tied to the wedding - from moving to MO, to flying to California and then back to Utah and Missouri. I have time to take it all in and enjoy the beginning of this new stage in life! Mostly I'm just excited that Mark and I don't have to be separated by 2-3 states worth of distance...and that when we go anywhere, we'll mostly be traveling together rather than away from each other.

The past couple of weeks have been filled with packing and planning for the next several days (If you could see my room right now, you'd probably wonder what on earth I've been doing all this time because it doesn't look like I've made any significant progress... but, trust me! I've been working on it!!) and it's nice to finally be able to carry out those plans. It all starts tonight, circa 730 P.M. as I head to the airport to pick up Mark. :) (Except for the fact that it really started around 1030-11 am as Mark got ready to catch his Shuttle...long day of travel!!)

Halfway Through

Another stressful semester is finished. While I won't find out my grades for a couple more weeks, it feels great to be done with finals. The picture to the side is all my notes from this semester. To be honest I don't think the picture does justice to all the material we covered in my classes. For example, my outline (the summary of all the information we covered) for Business Organizations was 94 pages. Too long? Absolutely. But it was necessary to have information about all the topics we covered (Agency, Partnerships, Corporations, and Securities).

I am so happy to be done with this semester and to be halfway through law school. Now to focus on the next big event: January 6, 2011.

Engagements - A Sampling...

The Waiting Game

So the past couple of days have been spent in anxiety...

Pictures should be here any day now and then we'll finally get to see how it all turned out. I think I'm TOO excited...Mark would say that I'm guaranteeing my dissatisfaction because I'm letting my expectations get too high. I really think we're going to be happy with the way the pictures turn out....BUT just to be safe, here's my attempt at lowering my expectations:

1. I blinked during the perfect shot

2. Mark is right when he says that he really can't smile in pictures

3. I had lipgloss on my teeth, Mark had pepper in his teeth. (Where it came from, I have no idea since we didn't eat until after the shoot, but no matter...it was there!)

4. As beautiful as the scenery around us is, we end up as just blah...

5. The camera ends up catching Mark's eyerolls and my mouth stretches - for every shot.

No, this is not an attempt to fish for compliments, but just a way to keep me down to earth, so that I'm pleasantly surprised. I'll let you know if it worked.

*UPDATE: Here's a good low expectation from Mark: "On the one picture where we are actually smiling, your dress is bunched up or my tie is off to the side." ...Just a few more days to keep our fingers crossed...

Mark in Town!!

This past weekend Mark flew to UT for a much needed weekend together. 8 weeks is the second longest amount of time we've spent apart and we've both determined that it is not something that should happen often. Lucky for us, I get to see him in 3 weeks when I fly to Cape for Thanksgiving. (22 days and counting...)

After 8 hours of travel door to door, Mark was finally back in UTAH...and that made me VERY HAPPY. Thursday night was spend driving back from the airport after a quick stop at Downtown Salt Lake. The construction makes for a very interesting drive, but it's incredible to see how quickly it's all changing. When is that supposed to be done again??

Friday was a busy, busy day! Mark and I met for a quick breakfast before I headed into work for a few hours. After work, he and I had to finish preparations and get ready to take our engagement pictures! We had originally planned on doing them Saturday, but because of the weather forecast, we moved them to Friday. It was a good thing we did because Saturday afternoon was cloudy, rainy, and gray. Friday's weather by contrast was BEAUTIFUL! Blue skies, sun, and fall colors. We went to the Utah County Courthouse - a place Mark and I would walk to almost daily when he was here during the summer, the oh-so-popular brick wall at Sammy's (someone was getting her bridals taken when we got there...Actually, she was also at the courthouse...), and Utah Lake (we beat the bride to the Lake though :)). We're both anxiously waiting to see how the pictures turned out - but it was a fun experience. Heather was wonderful to work with and she even made Mark smile during some of the pictures.

That evening, we headed back to Salt Lake to see Ballet West do Carmina Burana. I am a fan of the ballet...I have even taken a few lessons throughout the years. But I enjoy going to the Ballet and watching the pros make steps that are incredibly difficult look effortless. Their grace and strength always amazes me. It was a selfish date, but I was really happy to be able to share something I love with Mark.

Saturday was a great day to relax, enjoy the weekend, and cross a few items off of our to-do list. We had lunch with our friend Shelley at Rumbi's, did some window-shopping, and watched a few football games. Sadly, Mizzou lost and USC lost. Shelley was also able to help us decide on what flavor of cake to do for our Utah reception. We had 3 options and the unanimous favorite is..... a surprise! You'll just have to come and taste it for yourselves. :) We also stumbled upon an invitation store in the University Mall...by the end of the night, not only had Mark and I agreed on a style we BOTH liked, but we had also ordered proofs, and hopefully within the next couple of weeks, we'll be able to check one more thing off of the list!

Sunday was the dreaded day...Mark had his flight back to MO. Having a weekend together is always wonderful, but just as you get used to having the other person around, you get that email reminding you that it's time to check-in for your flight. It's always so disappointing! Mark leaving this time is made better by the fact that I'll be seeing him soon and that in 66 days we won't have to be apart anymore.

One last thing before I close up this really long post...I am so thrilled for Mark and his internship! After seeing all of the work that he's done to get an internship lined up for next summer, I am very happy that he's not only chosen which one to take, but that he had options from which to choose from. I love how happy it has made him and I hope that it'll be a great experience for him!

Shamberg Johnson & Bergman

Going into law school I tried to lower my expectations. My goal was to get through. Doing it in the normal three years would be nice. So far those low expectations have worked out pretty well. Not only am I in good academic standing but my grades are good enough that I've been able to interview with quite a few firms on Campus. This is very fortunate considering the current economy.

Yet those firms have really varied. Some were in rural areas of the states, others in St. Louis and Kansas City. The firms I received callback interviews from were either Big 4 Public Accounting Firms interested in law school students to do tax work or Trial Attorneys. Polar opposites. However even with their differences (or perhaps because of them) it has been challenging to make a decision which direction to go. Each has its pluses and minuses.

My decision: Shamberg Johnson & Bergman in Kansas City, MO. The attorneys I met there all seemed very bright, they are well-known and well-respected in the trial attorney community, and I feel that my experience there will help teach me how to be a real attorney. So I anticipate a steep learning curve this summer but I am excited for the experience.

Now if anyone has tips on affordable apartments in Kansas City, please let me know.

My new favorite wedding site...

Utah Bride Blog ... check it out, you won't regret it.

PS - the latest post features wonderful Heather Bliss, who will be taking our engagement pictures in a few weeks. I'm VERY excited!

Things To Do In The Newport Beach Area

As we continue to make wedding plans I am excited that we are going to be able to get married in Newport Beach and that our family members are making the extra effort to travel across the country to be there. Previously I had written up a short list of things that individuals might consider doing while they are in the Newport Beach area. Here are some of those ideas:

• Amusement Parks: Disney, Knott's Berry, Lego Land
• Downtown Disney: Shops and restaurants plus an amazing fireworks display every night
• Crystal Cove State Park: A short drive to the South. A beautiful hike near the ocean
• Orange County Great Park: Urban park twice the size of Central Park. Used to be El Toro Marine Base. Great Orange Balloon ride is FREE and takes you 400 feet into the sky
• Shopping: Irvine Spectrum and Fashion Island have every store you could want
• Beach Bonfire: We would have to reserve a fire pit but I am sure all of the young pyromaniacs would enjoy it
  

Law School - An Update

The first few weeks of my second year of law school have been busy! I'm taking a few more credits than last year so keeping up with classes requires constant effort. Add in a part-time job clerking for a local attorney plus helping with the Board of Advocates and it makes a busy semester. One of the nice parts of this semester though is participating in on-campus interviews. While the interviews add stress about getting call backs and job offers, I like it because if helps me see the light at the end of the tunnel. That someday if all goes as planned I'll have an interesting job that pays good money. At least that is the hope to which I cling.

Falling Into Place...

The events of yesterday deserve a post. Our conversations over the past few nights have been discussing different options and deciding on which one would be best and then yesterday was the day of action. We finalized our travel dates, our engagement photographer, when Daniela is going through the temple, and the time of our wedding. Here's a summary:
October: I'm headed to Utah. We'll have our engagement pictures taken on the 30th by Heather Bliss. We're open to suggestions as to locations for pictures. Let's hope for nice weather.

November: Daniela will be in Missouri for Thanksgiving. We plan to be sending out invitations over the break and so expect to see us on the living room floor stuffing envelopes. Of course, anyone who wants to help is welcome to join in the fun.

December: As of yesterday, Daniela is schedule to go through the Mount Timpanogos temple on the 30th. So I will be out there for that and then Daniela and I will make the drive to Missouri together. Twenty hours in the car together should serve as a final warning to Daniela of what she is getting into with marrying me.

January: The most exciting part of yesterday was finalizing the scheduling for the Newport Beach temple. The marriage is set for January 6th at 12:00pm. What a good feeling it is to be excited about the future!

THE Dress

So I've been getting a lot of questions as to what 'the dress' looks like. And at first, the reason I hadn't posted it was because I wasn't sure myself - I had fallen in love with 2 dresses but they were both out of my budget, so I thought that I'd have to keep looking for something else. Well, the wait is over...as of last week, the dress has been purchased and I couldn't be happier!

FRONT

BACK

So I know I will have to add sleeves to make it kosher, but I loved how the dress felt and looked on me and so far everyone that has seen me in it, has approved of it as well. This was the first dress I tried on and I'm glad that the consultant showed it to me because it wasn't even among 'my picks.'

The dress is from David's Bridal (T9579) and totally over my budget, but thanks to lots and lots of googling, I found it for a price I could afford - it is a little bit of a risky proposition - I mean, I'm putting a lot of trust that a Chinese seamstress named Fiona, will make a dress that looks as good as it does in real life, but I'm crossing my fingers and staying optimistic. Everyone that has used them in the past has been very pleased by the work they do. I'll let you know how it turns out. :)

Too Many Ideas!!!

This picture makes me happy inside. Why, you may ask? Because for the first time in the last couple of weeks, I'm seeing what I've been picturing in my head outside of my head.

So I'll be the first to admit that this whole wedding planning bit isn't my thing. I like helping people that organize the events, but I struggle with being THE person in charge. There are just too many cool/cute/unique/[insert adjective here] things you could potentially do that it's very easy to get overwhelmed. VERY easy.

I've been looking at some books and magazines to try and narrow down things a bit and to be honest, it only sort of worked. There are so many ideas floating around in my head that I've been dreaming about wedding details for the past 3 nights. Not the most restful sleep I've ever had.

So thank you to my friend's friend's picture for giving me some hope that the ideas in my head might turn out better than ok when actually executed... Maybe tonight I'll even dream about running away from aliens who are trying to take over the world!

P.S. Guys in the families get ties. Girls get ______ ??? This is what I'm thinking for the girls... Emily, Julia, Sarah, Tara - What do you guys think?

Wedding Plans

When?
Thursday, January 6th, 2011

Where?
Wedding
Newport Beach, CA
Receptions
1. January 8th, Provo City Library at Academy Square
2. January 15th, Cape Girardeau, MO

An Ode to My Car

Often at the end of the day I try to think about three good things that happened that day. After completing the 1,230 mile trek from Provo, Utah to Columbia Missouri in a 17 hour driving marathon yesterday, the performance of my car was on my list of three good things.

After thinking about it a little more I realized that my 2002 Honda Accord has had quite the year. Last August it carried me (and everything I owed packed into the back) from California to Missouri (1,749 miles). In December it transported Daniela and I to Washington D.C. and back (1,702 miles). In May it made the trip back out to Utah (1,200 miles). Over the summer it spent lots of time on I-15 cruising from Provo past Las Vegas to Newport Beach, CA and back (1,288 miles). And then yesterday it carried me from Provo back to Columbia. By my count, it has been on roadways in 16 different states in the last year.

So kudos to my car. It has been a great car to drive the last five years. And because of its dependability, the biggest question when planning a road trip is whether I can find a good audiobook to which to listen.

My Before and Afters...

So when Mark and I made the decision to continue our relationship long-distance last August, we had 3 goals we wanted to start working on. One of them was to start then and get healthy and lose whatever weight we felt we needed/wanted to. I tried for those first couple of months to exercise and watch what i ate, but i didn't see the results I wanted. In fact, I still managed to gain weight...hence my 'Before' picture. (So that's where 20 lbs can hide!)

February was the turning point. Thanks to a little thing called Livestrong that Mark had just found out about, I started tracking my calories and losing the weight-FINALLY! It's amazing how that made all of the difference! Because I had a calorie number to work towards and I could look up and see exactly how many calories were in that cookie, cupcake, or sandwich, I thought twice (and sometimes 3 times) about what i put in my mouth. When you have only a few calories to eat during the day, you don't want to waste them all on one meal, or one treat. (Another thing that is amazing - how many calories those treats pack in!!)

Like Mark, I also have a few last pounds to get rid of before the 'Big' day, so I'm also going to issue the invite for you all to join the two of us. Mark and I did this together the first time and it was great to have him give me advice and to motivate, encourage, and celebrate the little victories - because really that's the only way to do it - one pound at a time.

Let Round 2 begin...

Join Us In Shedding A Few Extra Pounds

One rewarding experience that Daniela and I have both had over the past year is losing a few pounds. Hopefully the difference between fat me (left - January - 184 lbs) and skinnier me (right - March - 164 lbs) is illustrative. We've learned that exercising is important but counting calories is a much more effective way to lose weight.

With our wedding on the horizon we have both resolved to lose a few more pounds. To do so we are returning to our tried and true friend, the calorie counter at livestrong.com.

If you would like to join us in slimming down over the next few months we would love it. Plus you'll look great for pictures!

The Surprise...

It WAS a surprise! Mark had sold me on this story that his fellow intern (and accomplice), Aaron, had invited us to come along with his family to St. George. We were meeting them bright and early at a golf course, so we left Provo at 4 AM. It wasn't until we are driving past St. George that I realized that something else was going on. I asked Mark where this golf course was and he tells me it is just past the city - we were almost there. Now, I'm not a golfer, so for all I know, there really is a golf course just past St. George, but from what I recall from that drive, there is nothing but desert and rocks. A few minutes go by and he finally gives me a box and tells me to open it. Surprise! We are headed to California and he's got the whole weekend planned. Now this was a tipoff that something special might happen this weekend, but at the same time, I could easily think up of reasons as to why it wasn't going to happen then. I decided to opt for Mark's philosophy and keep my expectations low and just enjoy a quick weekend getaway.

The rest of the weekend went mostly according to plan - we spent more time at the Chilean consulate than I would have liked so there was no San Diego Zoo - but it was great to be in California with Mark again! I got to meet some more of his friends, see fireworks up close and personal, and spend time at the beach. I couldn't ask for better. Mark really treated me all weekend. So Saturday came around and based on "the plan" we had a bike ride, dinner at BJ's, and watching the sunset at the beach scheduled for the day. Now, if I was to bet money on when he would propose based on when I first saw the weekend schedule, I'd pick sunset at the beach, but again, I was trying not to get my expectations too high, so I tried not to hope too much. The bike ride was wonderful...people in southern California are spoiled!! I can think of no better way to spend a morning, afternoon, or evening than riding along the beach with the sun, ocean, and palm trees.

So sunset comes around and we're hurrying to the beach so we don't miss it. We find a parking spot, walk past the crowds having bonfires, get our feet wet in the waves and find an empty lifeguard tower (tower C). While we watch the sun disappear and the sky turn from pink and yellows to blues and grays, Mark gives me a letter "written in anticipation of this moment." I open my letter and start reading. I force myself not to see too far ahead but my eyes are itching to get to the end...I think I know what's coming...and sure enough, the letter ends with "Will you marry me?" I turn to Mark and ask him, "Really?" and he tells me "Yes." He brings out the ring and I'm completely surprised that it's really happening. I remind him that he needs to put the ring on my finger and tell him "yes, absolutely, of course." (Why wasn't it convincing, btw? I told you 'yes' in 3 different ways) We made our way back and had a great dinner at BJ's. :)

The Engagement Story - Location, Location, Location

Growing up my family went on vacation to the Oregon coast and visited a rural beach town named Neskowin. Just off the beach in Neskowin is a rock that you can walk to during low-tide, climb up the back side of (a fairly steep short hike), and enjoy the beautiful view at the top looking out over the Pacific Ocean with the waves crashing against the rocks below. The rock is aptly named Proposal Rock. From the time we first visited Proposal Rock it had been my intention to propose there.


However Neskowin is a 15 1/2 hour drive from Provo and besides taking long walks on the beach and watching the sunset, there isn't a lot to do in the small beach town. So instead I decided to propose on the beach in Orange County, California. It's closer (only a 9 hour drive), the weather is wonderful, and Orange County is the place where Daniela and I first met. With the location decided, then it was only a question of how to pull off the surprise.

It Begins

In high school I played around with creating websites, in college and beyond I have been on Facebook (but as my Facebook friends can attest, I rarely visit the site more than once a month), and so now that Daniela and I are engaged I thought it was time to move on to a Blog.

And hopefully this will help planning and coordinating the big event a little easier... We'll have a date to plan around soon.