honeymooning

We finally made it to Punta Cana! The plane rides really were not too bad but we were so happy when we pulled up to our beautiful resort. We promptly went to eat something and had our first taste of the REAL pina colada! We had probably 5 a day each our entire stay. They were delicious :)

I love this picture! This sea weed was all over the beach. That was until a cleaning crew came a long to clean it all up! The beaches were perfectly white and clean.

Of course we had to get a picture of our feet and the ocean! Almost every day was sunny and gorgeous. We enjoyed kayaking, and para sailing (which I didn't get a picture of because my camera battery died!).

Look at those gorgeous palm trees behind us! They just look fake. One of our days, we took an excursion to the other side of the Dominican Republic. We sailed on a catamaran our to this gorgeous island. There, we had a delicious bbq and drank from fresh coconuts.

Look how gorgeous that is! We decided we were going to take a little excursion into the jungle to explore. Well, we didn't get very far before Lance was chuck full of mosquito bites! He had 13 in a matter of seconds.
On our way back on the speed boats, we stopped in at the "natural pool" which is a large area of shallow water clear out in the middle of the ocean! It was so neat and Lance was like a little fish. He went off to find treasure and shortly returned with this starfish. How cool!

We really enjoyed our time in the Dominican Republic which is where Lance's brother, Madsen, is serving on his mission. We wanted to go visit him but found out when we got there that even though he was only 80 miles away, it would have taken 10 hours one way on a bus! We were sad we couldn't visit him but all in all, our trip was so much fun! We cant wait until our next vacation.

bridals

This last Saturday we headed up to the Garden Park Ward in Salt Lake City to take bridals. We chose the perfect day- the last day with any real warmth in the season.

The neighborhoods that this is hidden in are gorgeous! They have the most perfect feel of old and new. The streets are lined with large oaks that make a sort of tunnel to drive through. And with the leaves falling by the bag fulls, we could certainly feel that fall was just about over.

Here are a few of my favorites. I have saved some of the very best ones for the wedding...















Melissa took the pictures again. Aren't they gorgeous? Thank you again Missa! You're amazing. I have had so much fun with these pictures in Photoshop! Its my new favorite past time.

Less than 2 weeks! We can hardly believe it. And each day I feel like I couldn't love him more. I cant wait to spend forever with you babe!

I'm Marrying Mr. Incredible!

This Halloween probably topped every Halloween I've had so far! Our good friends Jenna & Dave went all out with us this year. We bought the outfits at several stores, namely Walmart and Savers :) Then we got the felt at joAnns for a whopping $4! And, for a total of $20 a costume, I would say we got a pretty good gitup! Not to mention first prize in the costume contest :)

Lance & I didnt tell my family anything about what we were being, and when Lance came waltzing in with his puffed up chest and entire spandex outfit, my family about died! We were all laughing so hard we were crying! And Lance loved it. He made comments all night like, "Mmmm, that kiss was INCREDIBLE!" All in all, it was a pretty memorable evening.







Probably my favorite thing about the entire outfit was Lance's slicked back hair. You are so hot babe! Why don't you do that more often? This pic was when he was taking off the mask. Hmmm...didnt quite come off like it went on.

engagements

We headed up to this gorgeous amphitheater behind the state mental hospital (don't worry, no mentals escaped while we were there) with my sister-in-law, Melissa, to take engagements. Thanks Missa! She is so talented and did such a beautiful job. Here are just a few of our favorites.






There were just so many good ones, it was hard to choose the ones we wanted to send out! So we ended up choosing five different ones. I cant wait for bridals!

wedding bliss

I have never been the typical girl that had her wedding colors and details planned out before she even had a serious boyfriend. But I have to admit, now that the time has come for me, its all I can think about! I love looking for ideas and finding new projects for the DIY bride. Here are some of the things I've been finding inspiration in...



One of the projects I'm most excited about are these moss-covered monogram letters. How cute is that? I'm also really excited about the monogram wax seals that will go on each invite; just to add a little personal touch.


Here are the bridesmaids dresses which are gold. They were actually the first thing I bought long before Lance and I were engaged. And I'm thinking a little embellishment around the bottom edge (lace, perhaps?) would be darling and so easy to do!


I will be wearing my mom's wedding dress. It fits me like a glove and is so beautiful! We found an amazing seamstress in Salt Lake that is making a few changes to it. I love the thought of being sealed to my sweetheart in the same dress my mom was sealed to hers in 27 years ago. Its classic vintage too; ivory from age & gorgeous lace.... I can't wait to see the final project! I'll post when we get engagements and bridals taken. In the meantime, thanks fellow bloggers for your love and support! :)

Our engagement: so romantic!

So I thought that since Lance and I are engaged now, I can officially join the world of bloggers! Yay! I'll start things off with our engagement story. It's a good one too...

We had been planning a hike with our friends Justin and Lindsay (and little Turin) for awhile. And because of comments they had been making all week, I thought there was no way he was proposing that night. I was a little bummed because I had really hoped to have a ring. So we were hiking along and almost to the top when I noticed a red table set with fine china and candles overlooking the city. I didn't think much of it til I saw Tosh and Keith and then I just knew this had to be it!


Tosh and Keith with Turin

Justin, Lindsay & Turin

But.... we finished dinner and still, no ring! We started hiking back down the mountain and, being the impatient person that I am, I asked him if this was just for fun or if he was really proposing. He loved it! He kept me in suspense until we came around the corner on the last leg of the hike. And there, on the ground, were candles all around a blanket. He had written me a song on the guitar. It was the sweetest thing.


Then, he got down on one knee and proposed. I was so excited I practically yelled yes! We had chosen the setting and diamond together but I had never seen them together and it just took my breath away. I couldn't stop looking at it all night.

Oh how I love him. We are so excited to start our lives together.
Mark your calendars for November 21st :)