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. :)