blog change

it official - the blog address is changing. i decided we should have a blog for us both, not just me. (not that brans will ever post anything... maybe he will... we will see.)

so as of now, it will no longer be www.shannaa.blogspot.com. (it will still be accessible, but probably not updated.)

i will now be using:

www.bransonandshanna.blogspot.com

so let it be known and spread the word! and check it out for upcoming pictures and updates of life since june 12th!

R2D2

while bored at work, i stumbled upon one of the most amazing things ever:

an R2D2 cake. yes, c a k e.

here's the proof.

i am so going to make this cake someday! i can't wait!

davison photography

my good friend lauren came to my wedding and took lots of pictures for us! here is a link to go check a few of them out!

davison photography

it came!

it came! and it was perfect!

what a great day!

we haven't gotten many pictures back yet, but i thought this one was quite cool. that's us! in front of the temple! hooray!

more pictures to come!

less than 48 hours

less than 48 hours
i think i'm almost ready!

wow... its almost here!

longer weekends

6 days and counting! its coming quick!

and can i just say how excited i am that its the weekend? granted, i wish weekends are longer! and mine is packed! i have too many things to do... hopefully i can get them all done.

weekends should be at least a day longer. wouldn't you agree?

but on that note, i am grateful for the two days off. when i worked at the bakery, i worked saturday mornings at 5am. brutal. just brutal. so i should count my blessings that i have saturdays off. and i am super grateful for that. if not, i definitely would be ready for this wedding on time.

but i think i'm pretty close. i should be at least. only 6 days left! but out of those 6 days, really only a couple are left to do things. i decided early on that the day before my wedding would be peaceful and relaxing. so everything will be done by then. but with a funeral on monday, its kindof upped my time frame. monday will be a day with family, so i'm down to 3ish days. saturday, sunday, tuesday. i can finish by then. yes sirree.

just pray that the cleaners get my dress done on time and that the photo printers print in the time frame they claimed they would. then i will be just fine.

nervous-less

in officially less than one week, brans and i will be married! i cannot fully express my excitement!

i know i've said this a million times, but i honestly can't believe how quickly it came! with all that's been going on, its almost as if i have forgotten the time. days seem like mere hours to me and weeks are more like single days! the time has just zoomed past me, leaving me to wonder how it went so fast.

but its almost here. i'm so relieved and excited and thrilled beyond belief, but not nervous or dreading it in anyway. the most frequently asked question lately has been, "so, are you nervous?" and honestly - not at all. i couldn't be less nervous! its the culmination of everything i've dreamed of and worked for my whole life. my dream is coming true!

and i just love branson. more than i ever thought possible. he is my best friend and i'm so grateful for him and for his support and for all that he does for me. i'm excited to have him forever. i think we will be slash are an excellent team. we have a lot of fun together and we've learned how to work together. i love spending time with him, even if its doing the dishes together, cooking, tearing down wallpaper, playing games or even just watching the news together. he is the best!

so 6 days and 20 some-odd hours... it can't come fast enough and has come far too swiftly at the same time! sigh... ready or not... here we come.

one week! yay!

peacefully heartbroken

Loren William Ashcraft

1919-2008

grandad passed away yesterday at about 11:30am.
he was released from his suffering
and was reunited with grandma.
what a joyful reunion that must have been!

when my mom's dad passed away, she described her feelings by saying she was "peacefully heartbroken." i think that sums it up fairly well. we are all peacefully heartbroken - sad that our time on earth with grandad is over, but thrilled with the knowledge that we will see him again, and we are all at peace.

i arrived at grandad's house shortly after his passing, and for about a half hour sat with my great aunt lila in grandad's room, talking and reminiscing with her. we both commented on how incredible the feeling in the room was - the spirit was definitely present. at one point, we commented on the great reunion of grandad and grandma, and all of the other loved ones who would have greeted him. aunt lila laughed and said, "oh i'm so jealous. they are having a party without me." it was the sweetest thing.

grandad was a great man. still is. one of the greatest. he is such a phenomenal example to all of us and he will be missed. however, in our peacefully heartbroken state, our sadness won't linger long. his memory will hopefully encourage us all to be like him and follow in his footsteps.

we love you grandad

grape juice, not grapefruit

lately my grandad hasn't been doing very well. he's in a lot of pain and doesn't have very much strength. most of the family will be surprised if he lives through the week.

he's had prostate cancer for the past twenty-some odd years and it hasn't really been a big issue. but in the past few months it has gotten much, much worse. it makes me sad to see him suffering so much. i know he's ready to go home, ready to see grandma again, but something is keeping him here. and i hope it lets him go soon.

with all the medication he's been given lately, he's had quite a few episodes of hallucinations. he sees objects that aren't there. but through it all, he has kept his sense of humor.

saturday and sunday afternoon, we went over to his house. a few of his brothers and sisters had flown in from out of state to see him. it was fun to visit with them and hear stories from their childhood - stories that often included grandad. at one point, i was inside sitting with grandad while the aunts and uncles were in the other room talking. he asked for alona, my aunt, so i sent bryson to get her. when alona came into the room, she started talking to grandad asking him if he wanted something to drink. he asked what she had, to which she replied, "i have some grape juice." but i guess he thought she said "grapefruit" and grandad hates grapefruit. so he declined and said, "i don't like grapefruit."
"no, grape juice."
"no grapefruit."

it went back and forth for a minute or two, and then he finally understood, "grape juice" and said, "yeah, i'll have a sip of that."

the exchange made me smile.

i just hope his suffering isn't prolonged.

june disbelief

i can't believe its already june. the 2nd of june... i get married in 10 days. a week and a half. and only a few more things to do. i am still on top of things, i think. i'm trying to get all the last minute things does, so that at the last minute, i will be relaxing with my mom. i think its a good plan.

ten days... its almost here!

wedding nightmares

you know how they say that before a big event in your life, you sometimes dream about things going wrong? well, i had the most awful dream last.

it was my wedding day. i got to the reception and started greeting people and i realized i didn't make my wedding cake. so i started to freak out and run frantically around looking for an oven to bake the cake. as i started to bake the cake (no idea where ingredients came from... i guess thats what happens in dreams), i realized, not only had i forgotten the cake, i had also forgotten my shoes, the sign in book, and most importantly - branson. he was no where to be found. but have no fear! i had an apron, so i wouldn't ruin my dress.

ridiculous. i woke up at 3:02am so confused. that's the thing about dreams - it felt so real! for a minute, when i woke up, i really had to convince myself that it was still two weeks away, and it was going to be fine.

but then, in my semi-conscious, confused state, my mind wandered to the thoughts of thing like, is branson not going to show? and i really going to forget something big? am i going crazy? is this some sort of foreboding?

it took me a minute or two to relax and i fell back asleep - only to have a different version of this nightmare! this time, my ring was missing, my dress was dyed pink and some little boy put gum in my hair, so to get it out, they chopped and butchered my pretty hair!

i woke up again at 4:17am.

these nightmares have got to stop!

the good thing is that, in the end, i realize its only a dream... but come on! a girl needs her sleep!

two weeks from now

exactly two weeks from this moment
i will be in the temple
being sealed
for time and all eternity
to branson.

we will be surrounded by some of the most important people in our lives. others will be waiting outside for us. and others will be at the reception that night. its going to be a great day. i'm so full of anticipation, and excitement, and i'm nervous and have butterflies, but could not be more confident in the decision we have made to get married. and there's nothing like the feeling of knowing you are on the right path.

i'm well on my way to being ready. i've started to do all the last minute stuff now, so when it is last minute, i won't have much to worry or stress about. i've been quite organized. my mom is pleased. and i owe a lot of it to my mom and dad. my mom's encouragement and my dad's eye for detail has kept me on the ball. so thanks, mom and dad. you're the best!

2 weeks
13 days
335 hours
20160 minutes
1209360 seconds

until i get married!

i'm so unbelievably excited!

three amigas

elizabeth, rachel and i at chili's. not an uncommon event. in fact, i don't remember the last time we went to dinner and didn't go to chili's. its become our "place". now we just need to get the same waiter/waitress everytime so we can just say we want "the usual" - which consists of chips and salsa and then both kinda of molten cake. mmMmm! i'm hungry already!

the three of us went to high school together, kinda rotated through the same groups and ended up becoming best friends. we are all super sarcastic with each other, but we have so much fun together. i laugh more with these two than most people. love them.

our friendship is funny - we can go years without talking or seeing each other, but as soon as we do, we're right back where we left off. we've all gone off and done our own thing, but when we get together we always have a good laugh and enjoy each other's company. they're the best.

friday night, they threw a shower for me. it was really sweet of them. and it was fun to see people i hadn't seen in a while.

so thanks to those two. they are great! and i love them endlessly. they better not cut me off when i get married or i'll be seriously upset. ha ha they wouldn't... or would they? ha ha nah, we'll be friends forever. they'll be surrogate aunts to my children and we'll have set dinner dates at chili's every month or so and it will be great. you can't cut off family right? yes. so since we're practically related, too bad for them. their evil plan is foiled. ha ha!

shanna, elizabeth and rachel
friends forever...
or something like that.

grocery shower cont.

food! glorious food!

we got so much! it was awesome!

grocery shower

so on wednesday night, my home ward threw me a grocery shower.

the

greatest
shower

idea

ever!

seriously! it was awesome. so many generous, kind friends and neighbors came and i ended up with more groceries and food and household items than i ever even though existed! i was in awe! and so was brans when we brought it all home. it wouldn't fit in my car, so we packed my parents 12-passenger van. it was full! unbelievable! we'll have a stocked pantry for at least the next year!

i took pictures of all the loot after we piled it on, under and around a table in our family room, but i can't find my cord to connect my camera... so i will post a picture as soon as i can. it was so much! i couldn't say thank you enough! i don't even know the amount of money people spent, but i can imagine it was a lot!

people are so kind and generous. i feel like a thank you card isn't enough to truly express my gratitude. perhaps i will have to make them food with the food they gave me... ?? maybe? probably not. but hopefully people know how grateful we are. honest, truly ..."you're the answer to our wishes... truly scrumptious, you're truly, truly scrumptious..." a little chitty-chitty-bang-bang for you there.

anyway, it was great. i am so blessed and loved - beyond what i could even imagine!

i'll post pictures soon!

exactly 3 weeks

my cousin jason and cute lizzy got married this morning.

it was the first temple marriage i have been to, and it was amazing!
lizzy was stunningly beautiful and jase was the happiest i have ever seen him. they were both radiating happiness!
if its possible, my excitement to marry branson has doubled!
the experience was incredible and throughout the whole thing, i couldn't help but keep thinking that in exactly 3 weeks it will be me and branson.


exactly 3 weeks from this very moment, i will be sitting down in a beautiful room at the joseph smith memorial building, eating lunch with 60 people who i love dearly. and after that, i'll be taking a nap and getting ready for the reception. but by that time, the most important part will be over. we will be married in the morning - the culmination of both of our lives coming true! i am filled with joyous excitement! i can barely contain it! i just want to shout from the rooftops how much i love branson and how excited i am to be his wife for not only time, but throughout all eternity. i can't help but grin.


3 weeks!

calm and waiting

well, its about down to 3 weeks... and i gotta say, i am much more calm than i thought i would be. in march, at the start of all of this engagement business, i foresaw me being crazy about this time... completely overwhelmed with everything i have left to do, stressed with the next-to-last-minute details and just getting nervous all together. but that hasn't been the case.

people don't believe me when i say this, but planning is done. finished. the reception is squared away. boys have been fitted for tuxes. branson's ring has been purchased. invitations have been sent out. all that i have left to do is print and frame pictures, bake a mighty big cake and wait.

the waiting is the hardest part. while the big day is only 22 days 21 hours and some odd minutes (i could figure it out if you're truly curious), i want it here now! i'm ready... mostly. will be sooner rather than later.

but still, i wait.

caught off guard

last night while branson and i were talking
there was a brief pause in the conversation
and he turned to me and said,
"did you know that i think
you will make a wonderful wife and a fantastic mother?"
it caught me off guard. i couldn't help but grin :D

23 days. i can't wait.

preview

here's a little preview of what is to come and why i love my daddy:


10 reasons why i love my dad
(in no particular order)

1. he is supportive
2. he is super knowledgeable
3. he taught me to know truth and whats right
4. he makes faces with me
5. he is all about the details
6. he has an excellent sense of humor
7. he taught me how to work hard and the value of it
8. he is very talented - jack of all trades
9. he is always willing to help anyone with anything
10. i'm his little girl...

the list could go on and on for eternity

shanna+branson

compliments of mike lyman photography

snobbery

i'm a snob.

this isn't the first time i've self-declared my snobbery. and it probably won't be the last either. i've realized that i'm very particular about certain things and the way those things are done. (lately pertaining to a wedding...) i'm not saying that my methods are far superior of others, just that i know what works in regards to some things and am confident in that knowledge.

i've been having an inner battle recently because i've realized the time and energy it takes to explain exactly what i want to someone could be better put to use by just doing it myself. while i am deeply appreciative of the help, i, being the snob that i am, would be less frustrated and less worried if i just did it myself.

this isn't a new thing for me, either. in high school and jr high, there are an abundance of group projects where you are forced to complete and assignment with 3-5 other people. most people love group work - it means less work for them because it is spread out among so many others. except me. i hate group work. for me, group projects meant i left part of my grade up to some one else. which wasn't ok with me. seeing as i held a good gpa (3.8 overall), i wasn't about to leave a large portion of my grade up to some lazy, selfish student who didn't do homework. no way. so more often than not, i would volunteer to do the group project myself. i knew it would be done correctly and on time. the time i would spend otherwise worrying about whether or not it was being done correctly, i spent on the project itself. and i always did well. i enjoyed the satisfaction of that 'A' at the top of the group sheet, as well as the voices of appreciation from the less grade-obsessive students in my group.

so its been something i've always had issues with. and i haven't had many problems with it, truth be told. its always worked out in my favor. until now. when i changed my ways and let the group project out of my hands.

i probably sound crazy, and i'll admit that i'm slightly obsessive compulsive, but lately i've just felt the stress that accompanies relying on others. people have different priorities and different time schedules. which is fine. i understand. but i have my priorities and my time schedule. and waiting on other people and compromising aren't my strong points.

so i reach the proverbial fork in the road. do i do things myself? or do i let others help me? do i step on toes to do exactly what i want? or do i settle on something i don't really like and spare feelings? hm... interesting dilemma. selfish vs appreciative... can i be both? can i appreciate the help, but be selfish about the result? good grief! i don't know what to do. i've begun to freak out about this. and i'm sure it will pass soon, but until it does, i'm stuck at the crossroads. i honestly don't know which is better. although the angel on my shoulder tells me feelings are more important. but i gotta say, i'm starting to lean towards the selfish devil looming on my shoulder. she's much more convincing at this point.

self control

wedding stress is on! less than a month until the day! i'm truly in disbelief! it feels like it should still be so far away - it seems like just yesterday i was counting down at 93 days... and yet at other times, it seems like its not coming fast enough.

but i seem (at least to myself) to be handling the stress alright. i'm down to the wire almost, but things have gone according to plan, and i think i'm right on schedule. keep your fingers crossed that it continues to go that way. i'm down to pictures mostly. hopefully the invitations will be done this time next week, and i'm taking bridals this weekend. i am so excited!

however, this brings me to my latest quandary. so a little known fact about me is that i tend to eat when i get stressed. i've always been a decent eater - i take after my mom. back in the day, she could eat a horse. in fact, i recall several stories of her out-eating my dad when they were dating and first married.

funny story: so the first time my dad brought my mom home to meet his family, they had a home-cooked meal made by my grandma. my dad is the youngest of 5, and his two older brothers constantly tease anyone and everyone. so apparently at dinner, when they thought my mom wasn't looking the kept loading up her plate. but my mom, being the secretly sassy woman that she is, would just keep eating and eating. she amazed the brothers and got their vote of approval.

digressing, i've always been able to hold my own when it comes to eating. i'm no dainty eater by any means. but when i get stressed, all i want to do is eat. i find strange comfort in food. not like chocolate or usual comfort food. i like heavy meals - multiple courses and variations. so the stress comes and here i come with a fork, ready to feast. its a bad habit. particularly at this time of life. i'm getting married in 30 days. i have a dress that was altered to fit me perfectly - at the time of the fitting. that was a month ago. do you know what happens to a girl who eats when she gets stressed and she's a month away from her wedding? yup. scary thought. a perfect dress, a million photos to be taken, and an imperfect girl. horrible combination. so i'm trying to control myself.

my dad keeps reminding me - in fact, he came into my office this morning to drop something off, and my boss, scott, was standing at my desk, i introduced them, they made small talk and then my dad said this: "don't let her have any candy on her desk. she's got a dress she needs to fit into." thanks, dad. i really appreciate it...

so i'm trying to exercise and not gorge myself due to stress, but i'll have you know it is painfully difficult for me. i've never really believed in diets because i've never needed one. i was blessed with the hebdon metabolism growing up which helped keep me thin. don't get me wrong - i'm still proportionately small, but not as small as i used to be. that blasted bakery and all this stress did me in.

and now i have a deadline.
30 days till hundreds of people see me in my dress.
4 days until i take pictures in my dress for everyone to see.

that's not a lot of time.
now i'm stressed again.
self control and discipline, shanna. self control.
maybe i'll just quit work and go work out everyday.

ha ha who am i kidding?!

self control. i've got this.

my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit. my dress will fit...
--- the power of positive thinking: if i say it 5o times, it might be true... ha ha ha


actual comments from this week at work: "no, i don't want to go to lunch today, coworkers. i have a dress to fit into." "please don't put those donuts on my desk." "no, i don't think an 'all-you-can-eat' is a good idea for lunch."

one month

i get married one month from today!

31 days!

i can't believe it!

mike lyman photography

we went and shot some pictures with mike on saturday.
these are some of my favorites!

mike did and awesome job!

isn't this romantic?
it looks like the perfect shot out of a chick flick. aww, branson and i could be a chick flick. ha ha ha

i love it.
the angle.
black and white.
the rain...
(trick: not actual rain.
yup, mike's that good.)
fantastic.


this was my most favorite of brans.
he was actually smiling.
and i'm laughing.
i think its a really cute picture of us both.

and the light sepia mike used on it made it ever better!

don't worry, this one will be blown up in a frame at our reception! i can't wait!

and for the record, the chain didn't break.
i was slightly concerned at first.



branson decided to swing over my head. truth be told, it made me really nervous. so i tried to duck so he wouldn't hit me.

its too bad that his arm is blocking his face, because in my worrisome state, i made a pretty cute face. not to mention how pretty my hair looks! ha ha branson's blasted arm. ruined the picture.

but i still think it looks pretty cool. its got a kinda vintage advertisement look to it. like something you would see in a magazine or as a poster in a subway station or something.



mike did an excellent job with color, too. this brick wall actually was branson's old apartment building. its up in the avenues and had that old brick look to it. we thought it was pretty awesome.

and i love the green plants with the red blossoms. its lovely.


i have a feeling that this is a pretty typical face i make at branson.

once again, i think my hair looks lovely. and its just too bad that you can't see branson's face.

but for some reason, i find this picture endearing and probably very accurate of what we usually look like.



this picture is in dire need of explanation - see, i make this face i call the "muppet fish face" and branson told me to make it, so i did.

branson tried to copy me, but failed miserably. he just looks like he's in pain or dying or something. his face makes me laugh.

so this picture is entitled 'our fish faces'. me, being a muppet fish. and brans being and old fish whose tail fin must have just been bitten off by a shark.

anyway, we had a lot of fun!

mike is a great photographer and he's so much fun to be around. he's one of our most favorites. we owe him a lot. he's the best! he's been a great friend over the past year for me and multiple years for branson. we love him. and his camera. thanks mike!

stress

the stress has started to hit.

i've had a headache for a while now, and i'm contributing it to the fact i'm doing to many things. i'm working full-time, planning my wedding, making wedding cakes, teaching piano and still trying to make time to spend with branson every day. yikes. after reading that, i realize how crazy i am.

not to mention the fact that i get married in 36 days. yup. 3 6 . that's not very many. i feel like there are so many things left to do. when realistically, there aren't a whole lot. i've basically gotten it down to pictures and sending out invitations. oh and a sign-in book. but i'm working on that. so really, i've done well organizing and getting things done. i'm pleased with myself. but i have recently realized how tired i am, and i'm afraid i might be getting sick because i'm constantly on the go. so after this wedding cake is done on friday, i'm officially going to do everything i can to relax. no big deal, right? its just a wedding... ha ha ha i make myself laugh.

i have to admit, though, its been mostly fun - all of the planning has gone very smoothly and i haven't had too many unexpected things happen, so its been good. even enjoyable at times. ha ha hopefully the trend will continue and everything will continue to run smoothly. i can only hope.

but blast this ridiculous headache, making me just want to sleep and not do anything! its dampening my plan! go away headache! i don't need you... oh well, looks like exedrin is going to be my good friend today...

red mango

more people in the world need to learn customer service. particularly girls at rocky mountain chocolate factory today. i'll just leave it at they were awfully rude and inconsiderate, not to mention unprofessional for someone who could have given them a lot of business.

____________

on a completely unrelated note, i highly recommend red mango to everyone. it is absolutely delightful. its a little frozen yogurt shop - i went to the one in fort union today. its actual yogurt frozen. it tastes like vanilla yogurt. not frozen yogurt sometimes confused with ice cream, actual yogurt. it is delish! i am already craving more and its only been a few hours... not a good sign.

they have different sizes and the original is the only way to go as far as yogurt goes. but then they have beautifully delicious fruit to add to it, as well as other fixin's such as graham crackers, chocolate chips and other good things. what makes it even better is that it is better for you than ice cream - the small size is only 90 calories. now, i'm not the girl who counts calories, by any means, but only 90 calories and its delicious? a definite find, if i do say so myself.

weekends

weekends just aren't long enough.

because really they are only one day long. saturday. that's it. sunday is church and family day. friday isn't really the weekend, because you still have to work all day. so saturday is really all there is to a weekend. and how can you be expected to get everything done that you need to in one day? can't. impossible.

this 'weekend' was branson's birthday. and i made him the best chocolate cake he has ever tasted. aren't i nice? ha ha

in the morning, we went and took engagement pictures with our photographer slash mechanic slash good friend mike. it was a lot of fun. i haven't seen the pics yet, but as soon as i have a digital copy, i'll post them for everyone to admire. smile. it truly was a lot of fun. brans was in kindof a goofy mood which made it more fun. so we laughed the whole time. it was fantastic.

then we went to pf changs (best lettuce wraps ever) for lunch as a birthday/thank you lunch with mike. and then we made an appearance at kadee's graduation party. so by that point, our day was shot.

no laundry got done. no cleaning even thought about. and no time for planning either.

i need another day of the week where i don't have to work and can just run errands. with a few of my friends graduating, i've realized what a blessing it is that i took this semester off. i've been so busy without school. if i had finals the past two weeks as well? probably be dead i would. (a little yoda phrasing for the star wars fantasmagorics of the world) good grief! i'm already losing my mind just thinking about it.

so lets consider this a disclaimer, shall we? if i seem absent-minded, or focused on other things, its with good reason. "i've got my country's 500th anniversary to plan, my wedding to arrange, my wife to murder and guilder to frame for it; i'm swamped." false. but i do have wedding cakes to make, my wedding to finish planning, wallpaper to take down and walls to paint and so much cleaning to do, i don't want to think about it. i really am swamped. but i'm sure it will all turn out fine.

i hope it all turns out fine.

may day

may first.
austin's birthday. also, wendy and maygen.
becky and andy's wedding anniversary.

and today there's snow on the ground.
snow! on may first! Its supposed to be well into spring, not winter! what's the matter with this climate that i live in? seriously. i woke up to a layer of white gloom covering everything outside. i wanted to cry.

blasted snow. all i have to say is that if this may snow doesn't bring june flowers, i'm going to be irate.

6 weeks and counting

6 weeks and counting! i can't believe how fast the time has flown by! there's still so much to be done! but on the other hand, i think i've been super productive and organized. (at least that's what i've been told.)

i'm so excited!

today my sisters' dresses will be finished.

this weekend we're taking engagement pictures.
next monday i will have my dress back.
next week, the final reception details will be figured out.
in two weeks, i'll have bridal pictures...

man. its getting close! i'm thrilled! (and a little nervous...) but mostly excited.
44 days...
here we come.

organization process

so we painted our room - almost completely. i still have to do the built-in bookshelf, and the closet doors.

but we're well on our way to making it "ours"! we've started to move things into the kitchen and the organization process has begun. its a little crazy and chaotic, but exciting at the same time.

_______________________

in other news, only 44 more days! i'm so excited! its gone by so fast! almost too fast at times. but things continue to come together, and it will be here before i know it!

abc's tag

apparently tags are the cool thing to do. and due to my faithful daily blog reading, i've been tagged for the second time. so here goes:

a. attached or single? very much attached to branson! :D

b. best friend? my mom, austy and brans (obviously). honorable mentions include: stu, elizabeth, kadee, angie and kiley, and alex & sarah - they all know me the best.

c. cake or pie? either as long as its not chocolate. but a nice lemon or strawberry rhubarb pie is always good.

d. day of choice? saturday if there's not a lot going on. but always sunday. sundays are never bad - time with family, church, sunday dinner. seriously, what's better than that?

e. essential items? chap stick, gum and my phone

f. favorite color? green

g. gummy bears or worms? i feel like i can eat more bears because they're smaller, but truthfully i think gummy worms taste a little better. (yes, bears and worms taste different. trust me.)

h. hometown? salt lake city

i. indulgence? i'm afraid there are too many to list. but i'm a sucker for lemon bars and on a non-edible level, tv series like alias, the west wing and friends. i get way into them.

j. january or july? truth be told, neither. i'm gonna say june. january is too cold, and july is too hot. june is always nice. hopefully june 12th will be perfect...

k. kids? no not yet. i have to get married first! then in a couple years...man! i'm gonna have cute kids! ha ha

l. life isn't complete without? brans and my family.

m. marriage date? june 12th! hooray! 47 days and counting...

n. number of brothers and sisters? 5 brothers. 2 sisters. soon to be 1 sister-in-law and 4 brothers-in law.

o. oranges or apples? if the choice is between a red apple and an orange, i'd take the oragne for sure. but if its, say, a gala or granny smith apple, i'd take that. but clementines are better than both.

p. phobias or fear? i'm afraid of ice cream trucks. i'm also claustro- and agoraphobic.

q. quote? "if music be the food of love, play on." - shakespeare

r. reasons to smile? a million. but to list a few (or like 20...): branson, mom, daddy, austin, taylor, bryson, tanner, braden, brindy, pieface, shannon, harold, kendyll, brad, wesley, dane, chad, blake, piano, sunshine...

s. superman or wonder woman? superman. he's more attractive to me. and he's superman... nothing tops that.

t. tag 5 people: angie, christie, frances, mckensie, teresa

u. unknown fact about me? i am double jointed in all of my fingers except my thumbs. and i taught myself how to play the organ when i was 13.

v. vegetables? i love all vegetables. except radishes.

w. worst habit? probably procrastinating and going to bed really late.

x. xray or ultrasound? ultrasound. they're much cooler. when i was sick in 9th grade, they did an ultra sound to figure out what was wrong with me. it was pretty cool.

y. your favorite food? i have so many things that i love to eat. but the top 5 right now are: creme brulee, sushi, sukiyaki, chipotle burritos and lasagna.

z. zodiac sign: aries.

tagged with pet peeves

**note: i apologize, before you read this, at the length. i got a little carried away.**

i've been tagged. christie tagged me to list my pet peeves. but truth be told, i'm a little uneasy about it. i have this deeply embedded fear that as soon as people know about them, they go out of their way to do them around me. so here's hoping that doesn't happen.

in no particular order, here are my top 10:

1- recycled air. this may sound ridiculous - isn't all air recycled, shan? no. i mean air directly exhaled out of living things. particularly humans and dogs. you know, when its warm air and is right in your face. i hate that. it makes me want to drowned in a sea of boiling lava. that's how much i hate it.

2- disrespect. particularly to people who deserve it the most. like parents or teachers, church leaders, etc. (i must admit i'm guilty at times, but not very often, and usually not entirely on purpose.) but in the past few years i've noticed it more than ever. people don't show respect and it really, really bothers me. especially to parents and teachers. you parents gave you so much your whole life, and you repay them by showing them no respect? nuh huh. that just doesn't fly with me.

3- swearing. i know a vast majority of the populated world uses some sort of profanity in their daily speech, but really? aren't the other words you could say? i just think it makes people sound unintelligent. if you can think of a better way to describe something or how you feel than with select 4-letter words, you seriously need to expand your vocabulary. seriously. go pick up a dictionary and read it until you have better verbal options.

4- incorrect alignment of things. i hate when things aren't straight. pictures. books. lines on a piece of paper. you get the gist. i'm slightly ocd about it. i have this need to fix it if it isn't straight. its a curse, really. however, this curse seems to leak out into other areas of my life, thus making me a fairly tidy person. (i have my moments of slobbery, but in general i'm pretty neat.) just do me a favor, when you hang pictures on a wall, or draw a map for someone, make sure they're straight. or i just might go insane.

5- when other people think they are more important than other people. for example, at my job, i answer the phones, but frequently find my calls interrupted by my fellow league staffers. they come up to my desk and just start talking loudly. i just look at them, holding up a finger to signal them to wait a minute while i finish my current call. but they just keep on talking, apparently thinking that that finger signal i gave them meant "please talk louder". its so distracting and then the person on the phone wonders whats going on and the remainder of my call consists of my grumbling how stupid and ignorant people are. its really just no good. who's to say they are more important that whoever i'm talking to on the phone? i mean, come on. wait a minute for me to finish and then you can yap in my ears. grr... it irritates me so much. have a little patience and courtesy, seriously.

6- ear touching. ever since i was little, i have hated people touching my ears. there's not a logical reason for it. i just don't like it. it really bugs me. in fact, in 8th or 9th grade, my friend johnny thought it would be a funny idea to sneak up behind me and touch my ears. little did he know, i was an excellent karate chopper. he flicked my ear, and right as he started laughing, i swung around and hit him in the chest and kicked his knee - completely out of reflex! so don't mess with me - "i know karate" (classic line from 'while you were sleeping' - thank you joe jr.)

7- squeaking sounds. like chalkboards or old brakes. hate it. it makes my ears hurt.

8- fake people. although i used to be quite good at it, i hate when people pretend to love you. there is a distinct difference between being polite and being fake. its polite to be courteous and not rude to other people, but that doesn't mean you have to be their best friend. in high school, i was surrounded by a few people like that. they were your best friend when no one else better was around... yuck. just be polite... not fake.

9- snow after february 15th. winter should end on valentines, snow should melt on the 15th and then summer should last from the middle of february until the beginning of july. i hate cold weather at the end of april - its supposed to be warm! its spring, for crying out loud. so no snow after valentines.

10- poor volume. i hate when things are too loud or too quiet. there IS a happy medium for sound. people talking on the phone shouldn't yell, but shouldn't whisper either. music in public places should be loud enough that patrons can hear what song is playing and easily recognize it, but it should be soft enough that said patrons can have a normal-volumed conversation. concerts should not blare noise out of speakers just to prove how loud the speakers can go. if the music is too loud, you can't enjoy it. its painful. and while we on the subject, why at every concert do they want the guitars and everything else louder than the vocals? i know that was a generalization, but i've been to a fair amount of shows and it seems to usually be the story - the bass and guitar have to drowned out everything else, even the drums! now, this isn't an attack on either of those instruments. i just so happen to love the guitar and the bass. i just also love pianos (when present in bands) and vocals. what's the use in writing words and singing them at a show if the audience can't hear them because the guitar is much too loud? dumb.

now that i've gotten my top 10 irritations (as of late) out, here are my top 10 things that bring my joy:

in a very particular order:

1- my family: daddy, mom, austin, tay, brysey, tanman, braden, brin, and pie face. they have always been my favorites and will be forever. i have the greatest family ever! we have our quirks and weird family idiosyncrasies, but we have so much fun together. always. my favorite memories are either around our dinner table laughing together, or trying to read scriptures or have family prayer but get so caught up in laughter we all end up crying on the floor because we laugh so hard. i love it.

1- (yes i know there are two #1's, but due to recent events in my life, i couldn't put branson and #2, now could i?) you guessed it, branson. he is my utmost favorite. i love him so much. and i'm so excited for these next 48 days to pass so he can be mine for eternity. he is so great to me and i can't think of anything i'd rather do than be with him. just the other day, he came to my house with a cup-full of tulips he had picked out of his yard for me. how sweet is that? it made my whole day.

sidenote: branson's family is also included in #1. they have quickly risen to my favorites as well. i know i haven't known them long, but i'm so grateful they are also mine for eternity and i'm looking forward to spending more and more time with them as their new daughter and sister in law. and i'm super excited to be an aunt! i'm sure wesley will warm up to me sooner or later... ha ha

3- the temple. i love the temple. nothing compares to the feeling inside the temple. it can't be duplicated anywhere else. and can't fully be described in words. but i love it. and can't wait to go again. i need to go soon! (this one also includes my love for the gospel, and the church of jesus christ of latter day saints... thanks to which, we have temples. so its all inclusive.)

4- playing the piano. although lately i've been frustrated at my level of skills. i have seriously lost part of my talent, but i'm slowly getting it back. practice makes perfect, right? right. but i love being able to sit down and play. i love reading a piece of music for the first time and knowing that i can read it and play it right then and there. pianos are such great instruments. they're so versatile - from classical to jazz to pop to rap songs that include piano. great. i love it.

5- cooking. i love making food for other people. i love the satisfaction of making something, having other people eat it, and knowing how good it is. i love it. i mentioned this a week or two ago when branson and i had chad over for dinner and he basically licked the creme brulee pan clean. that made me so happy. it bring joy into my life to make other people happy with food.

6- extended family. our family is quite unique in how close we are. my best friends are my cousins. that's how its always been. we all get along quite well and have so much fun together. ping-pong tournaments with 20 people crammed in one room, running around yelling, "paddle head! paddle head!" ha ha or just gathering together for some good food and good chats. my family is great.

7-good friends. i have great friends. i've made a lot of friends throughout the years, and most have moved away or i've left behind. we probably don't keep in great contact, but when big life events happen, the lines of communication are always open and people are notified and allowed to catch up a bit. these are the people who have helped me grow - i've had a lot of great examples in my life to look up to.

8- perfect fitting jeans. in this day and age, everyday it seems to get harder and harder to find jeans that a) fit well and b) are modest. its so hard! i'm so short that i have a hard time finding jeans that are the right length. they can't be too short - they have to cover my shoes. but they can't be too long, or i trip. so you can imagine the complexity of my jean shopping excursions. along with the length, i'm picky about color. i hate blue blue jeans. i prefer really dark washes or really really light ones. none of this medium blue-ness. so you can imagine my joy when i found the perfect pair of jeans yesterday. they are zana di jeans and are a dark stonewash. they're fantastic.

9- good music. lately, a lot of minimalistic jazz - madeleine peyroux and melody gardot are my current favorites. can't get enough. but also noteworthy (ha ha i made a joke): big bandish jazz - i.e. michael buble, harry connick jr, ella, frank, the classics. acoustic jams. chill pop - i.e. jack johnson, colbie caillat, donovan frankenreiter, missy higgins, paulo nutini. i love it all.

10- sports. i really love watching a good sports match. baseball particularly, but also basketball, football and soccer. lacrosse and rugby also make the list. i love a good competition between two good teams. like say the angels and the red sox. (angels beat the red sox today 7-5, bytheway. yay!) a good baseball game, a bag of peanuts or seeds, a tall glass of water, and i'm set. take me out to the ball game. i'm ready.

melody gardot

amazing.

at 19 she was hit by a car while riding a bicycle.
the injuries sustained left her with the need now
to wear dark glasses and carry a cane.
her doctor believed in the power of music therapy
and encouraged her to pursue music
so she recorded an ep from her bedside entitled
"some lessons - the bedside sessions"

but man, the girl can jam.
she's incredible and truly inspiring.
and beautiful.her melodies

bosch universal plus

i have the greatest parents in the world. i believe i have mentioned that a few times before.

my whole life, i have always wanted a bosch mixer. my mom had one. grandma had one. carlene and kiley used one... i just wanted one of my very own when i grew up.

well, as my wedding present from my parents (along with my wedding and all the money they are forking out...) they gave me the bosch universal plus 800w mixer.isn't it lovely?! i love it. its so sleek and powerful! I can't wait to really use it! last night they let me open it (i'm making two wedding cakes in may and they thought it could be useful for that...) and then suggested i make smoothies with it for everyone.

it works like a charm. i can't tell you the great joy that fills my soul when i hear it working. seriously. i think i giggled. ha ha

but now i have 4 different kinds of whisks/paddles: the wire whip, the batter whisks, the cookie paddles, and the dough hook. i can make anything! ha ha its so exciting! i can't wait. branson's going to love this present the most - he gets to reap the benefits.

i can't thank my parents enough. they're so great to me. maybe the first thing i make should be something for them. yes, good idea, shan. but now, what to make...

ready to go

anyone else hate friday at 4:00pm like i do? its the longest hour of the whole week...

4:01pm...

4:03pm....

4:04pm...

seriously. will this work day never end?
i'm ready to bail. in the immortal words of john denver...

"all my bag are packed, i'm ready to go..."

sharing a car

so branson and i are sharing a car...

did i mention that branson and i are sharing a car? hm... its mostly hard because we work at different ends of the valley.

but on the plus side, i get to see him every morning before work, and he picks me up from work every day.

i can't wait until our sharing a car doesn't consist of picking each other up in the morning or dropping each other off at night... it will be much better when we leave from the same house every morning.

and he better know that this is a telltale sign of my deep and devoted love for him... i don't share cars. in high school, sharing a car with my brother austin caused quite the rift between us at times. so brans, feel special. i must love you a lot...

(laughing quietly to myself...)

harassment

if one more person i work with gives me crap about getting married, etc... i'm gonna go insane!

seriously... you would not believe how often someone harasses me about it. please make it stop!

rusted fingers

yesterday marked a moment i've been waiting for for far too long. my piano was fixed!!! hooray! the hammer broke on b flat a while ago, but i haven't had time to get it fixed. but yesterday, my piano tuner anne came out and fixed the hammer, re-glued some of the notes and tuned it. it sounds lovely! i was so excited to sit down on that turquoise bench and play that turquoise piano like it had never been played before...

branson made fun of me a little bit - he said i was like 5 years old again; wanting to help and watching anne's every move, shooting off eager glances at her every minute. i can neither confirm nor deny those accusations, but i can say i was absolutely thrilled when i got to help out.

as soon as she left, i rushed over to it, wanting desperately to tickle those ivories. however, after i sat down, i realized how truly out of practice i've gotten. i'm awful! it was a rude awakening. although, i should probably clarify - i'm still alright. i haven't lost complete dexterity in my fingers, i'm just not as quick as i once was. my fingers are rusted. i just haven't used them like i used to lately. but, now that my piano is fixed and that i am living under the same roof and don't have to play at someone else's convenience, i'm going to get back to where i was. a step above average. that's what i'm aiming for. cause right now, i'm just at average. man, i used to be so good...

let the practicing begin! i'm so excited!

last night after anne left, i played for close to 2 hours. poor branson. he was probably bored. but he humored me and sat and listened to me the whole time. it made me happy. (even though i was hitting wrong notes left and right...)

but the sound of this piano is phenomenal! its such an old piano - the board was cast in 1904. over 100 years ago! and it sounds great. its got that vintage, old, full sound. i am in love with it. and its in great condition. the pins weren't ever doped (back in the day, people used to put a lubricant of sorts on the pins to get them to move easier, but it would rust the strings after a while) which is great. every thing is wood... i'm proud to say there's no plastic in my piano. (a lot of new pianos are made with plastic pieces. some say that the plastic is more durable and is better, blah blah blah. newsflash: its not.) and its fairly clean, considering how old it is.

now i want to go play some more... blasted full time job that keeps me from my piano during the day. boo...

santiago chile north

i can't fully express how excited i am to have two brothers out on missions. my brother austin (as previously mentioned) will be in toronto, canada. and branson's brother chad got his call last night to the santiago chile north mission. two different hemispheres... crazy! but i am so excited for both of them.

last night, we met up with brad, kendyll and wesley and we all went down to provo to see chad as he opened that white envelope. he lives in the dorms, so we were crammed into the common room with, what seemed like 50 byu students. in reality, there were probably only like 15 or 20, but it felt like more. but it was cool to see how much support chad has down there. he is quite the popular kid... girls were all over him (i have to laugh at myself for a minute - when all of these different girls were hugging chad, crying, etc... i found myself taking on the role of "the older sister", which is what i am, though i'm not sure that's how chad sees me. i'm probably just his brother's fiance. anyway, i found kendyll (who's the oldest and only girl in their family) and myself sharing expressions and wondering who were these girls? what are they doing all over chad? are they good enough for chad? etc... it was funny to me. but its only because i love chad like my own brother and i just want the best for him...)

it was fun to spend time with brad and kendyll. i love them. kendyll and i get a long really well, and i'm so glad! i was a little nervous when first meeting her - what if she didn't like me? or what if i didn't like her? but i think this is the start of a beautiful sisterhood. i can't wait to spend more time with her!

anyway, yay for missionaries. chad is going to be a great missionary. i'm really excited for him. and i'm so excited for austin. my two brothers on missions. they'll be great.

god bless those 19 year old boys...

moving

so monday marked the start of our move. and by our move, i really mean my move. branson will move in june. however, we moved over all my stuff monday night and then spent last night moving boxes from room to room, trying to get somewhat organized.

now, don't let this lead you to believe that we are close to being done working, because that would be a silly, silly lie. we have so much to do! last night i started cleaning what will eventually be our room. when its done, it will be awesome, but currently, its dusty and dirty and gross. it was an old family room that kinda turned into a storage room for a while - with old bookshelves, cedar chests, futons, chairs, books, books and more books, and other stuff. but, it has a fire place, two windows, two closets and is a rather large room. it will be delightful. i just need to finish cleaning, paint the awful wood panels a lovely shade of white, and scrub the fireplace.

i feel slightly like cinderella.

sidenote: when i was younger, i'm not sure why,
i distinctly remember my baby brother braden singing (in a very gusgus like voice),
"shanna-relly, shanna-relly, night and day its shanna-relly,
make the fire, fix the breakfast, wash the dishes, do the mopping"

anyway, its fun, though. i'm so excited to be finished. we'll paint this week hopefully, and then can go from there. its so exciting! we have a home! i think our biggest project will be the bathroom, however. it needs SO much work. essentially new plumbing, new shower walls, a new sink, new flooring (its got lovely pink carpet at the moment, complimented by the lovely lavende-colored walls. branson loves it. ha ha just kidding.), as well as shelves. and a deep clean, might i add.

man, good thing i like to clean. i've got my work cut out for me.
but i can't express how excited i am to bask in the joy of a clean, new-to-me house. i'll be sure to put up before and after pictures. its going to be unrecognizable.

bill of rights

so every once in awhile when i check my email, an article on the side catches my eye. for some reason, an article entitled, "the wife's bill of rights" was what caught me this time. its pretty entertaining - i found myself laughing quietly to myself a few times... so here are the highlights:

the wife's bill of rights

by jill adler

preamble: "we, the wives of america, love being married to the husbands of america. we know we have our faults, but with our ever morphing roles these days, there's a lot of pressure on us to be superhuman. we care for our families, manage the home, keep ourselves attractive, and even bring home our share of the bacon. we know we sometimes las out, but we really do want to 'live happily ever after' with you. our mutual acknowldgement of these amendments can go a long way toward achieving that"

"amendment III: we have the right to demand you finish a household job... if you wash the dishes, do them all and clean the sink, too. don't just bag the trash, take it outside to the bin. if you start a load of laundry, put it in the dryer and fold it too. we don't like nagging anymore than you like hearing it."

"amendment VII: we have the right to keep and bear tons of girly bathroom products. you have your tools; so do we. these items are enpensive and to be used sparingly. it brings no joy to see your $15 bath bar shrunk down to the size of a quarter after two passes on your chest and legs." ha ha ha

"amendment IX: we have the right to flirt. not the kind that makes you jealous, but the healthy practice of connecting with another person on a non-sexual level. light banter is fun, quick-witted, and encouraging to our self esteem. it might even remind you of why you fell in love with us. and if it gets us a smokin' deal on that new furnace or a free stay for the family at a million-dollar ski chalet, so much the better."

others include: the right to keep small secrets like hair color and lame tv shows we watch, the right to talk to our girlfriends every day, the right to be grumpy once in a while, and the right to clean air. (for the whole article, click here.)

but, gentlemen, do not be disgruntled. you have your own bill of rights as well. here are the highlights from that:

the husband's bill of rights

by craig playstead

"preamble: we, the husbands of america, do not claim to be perfect. we're far from it. while we love being married to the wives of america, we have a few things that we'd like to straighten out. we're not asking for the world here. we understand that things like following our college football team to every away game is out of the question, as are after dinner cigars. however; there are a few minor things that we'd like to clear up to make our marriage a happy one."

"amendment II: we reserve the right to dislike your friend's husbands. we promise to give the guy a fair shot, but when he starts acting like a moron, we can no longer authorize events with that family. and yes, wives have the same freedom to blackball when the tables are turned. it doesn't mean we like your friend any less, it just means that... we don't want to spend our rare time off with them..."

"amendment III: we have the right to have a few things of ours in the house. everything we hold near and dear to us shouldn't all be in the garage. while we understand that our framed KISS concert poster might not make it on the living room wall, at least throw us a bone. the scene in 'juno' where jason bateman realized that everything he held near and dear was in a 200-square-foot room was a gut-shot to us all."

"amendment X: we have the right to still use chivalry. yes, we know women are strong and independent, and we dig that. but allow us to open the door for you, or give up a seat and act like a gentleman once in a while. the world will be a better place because of it."

others include: the right to watch the big game, the right to not be scolded like children, the right to have as much bathroom reading material as we need, and the right to teach our children how to defend themselves. for the rest of the article, click here.)

ha ha i'm laughing again! i can't help it. the writers were very clever, and i have to admit, i think both sides have valid points. and like it says in the wife's preamble: our mutual acknowldgement of these amendments can go a long way toward achieving that happily ever after we've all dreamed about.

so here's to understanding
and working towards that 'happily ever after'

sunday dinner

so last night we decided to have branson's little brother chad over for sunday dinner. after church, i made a fresh garden salad, a delicious pot roast with red potatoes, carrots and green beans on the side and my most favorite thing, creme brulee, for dessert.

after i stuck the pot roast in the oven, we ventured down to provo to pick chad up (aren't we nice? i think so...) and then got back in time for dinner to be ready about 30 minutes later. it was so fun to hangout with chad. he is one cool kid. he is currently at byu, finishing up his freshman year. he gets his mission call this wednesday. i'm so excited for him! it will be cool having two brothers out serving missions - my brother austin, who will be in toronto, cananda. and chad, wherever he's going. i can't wait to find out. its so exciting!

anyway, i had decided to have dinner at the house (sidenote: we are having a hard time coming up with a name for it. while its still my grandma's house, we have kinda a hard time calling it that. i mean, she lives next door. that's 'grandma's house' now. but we feel kinda weird about calling it 'our house'. but i guess if we're living there, it kinda is our house minus the financial ownership. ha ha we'll figure something out. but i guess for now i'll just call it 'our house'.) then we wouldn't have to worry about disturbing mary and brad who were having dinner at the condo i currently live in. so 'our house' it was.

it was so nice! we set the table with nice plates and glasses, and for a minute or two, it felt like our home. branson and i love our house and we are so excited to live there. i've been excited to live there for years, but yesterday was the first time i finally felt the first little feelings of being in our own home. shanna and branson's home. aww...

dinner was great. the food turned out well. the pot roast wasn't one of my best, but still was decently delicious. but the hit was the creme brulee - chad had never had it before. before dinner, i let him help brulee the top with my torch. i started out doing it, but chad looked so interested, so i asked him if he wanted to try. he was hesitant at first, but then was excited about it. branson took over for a minute and chad made fun of him, pointing out the spots branson was missing. ha ha it made me laugh. but when it came time to eat it, chad basically licked the plate clean. he loved it! i was thrilled. it was the best one i've made yet.

and i decided that nothing is better than sunday dinner with family. here's to many more...

happy birthday

yesterday was my birthday - and what a birthday it was!

i spent most of the day with branson. i needed a new drivers license (mine expired yesterday) so we went to the drivers license division in sandy and then went and picked out tuxes for our wedding.

fyi: they're gonna look good. so just know that out of the 13 men in tuxedos, the one who will look the best is getting married that day, two have been off the market for 20+ years, two are going into the mtc during the summer and are off limits for two years, two are date-able - their names are taylor and blake - check them out, one is a 14 and wishes he was date-able but alas he is not, one is 12 and already has 6 girls chasing after him, so you'll have to take a number or just knock out your competition, and one is 10 and will be the one greeting you at the door. when you see him, say something along the lines of "braden, you look good!" it will be fantastic.

and last but not least is the cutest of them all...
the dreaded pirate roberts. thats right. wesley.
he'll be the little boy running around in a tux.
i can't wait.

after that, we met branson's sister kendyll at cafe rio for lunch. i just adore kendyll. she is so cute! and so nice. truth be told, i've always been nervous about having a sister-in-law. what if she didn't like me? what if i didn't like her? that would be unfortunate. but fortunate for me, i am getting the best sister-in-law ever! i couldn't ask for a better one than kendyll. she's great. i'm so lucky!

after lunch, we went back to my place and watched a few episodes of the west wing (if you didn't catch by now, i took the day off of work. and it was totally worth it) because we had a little downtime. i ironed a dress and we watched the episode where president bartlett gets sick and has an "episode" (if you watch the show, you know what i'm taking about. and if you don't, well, too bad for you because i'm just gonna leave it at that and if you're truly interested and promise to take good care of the discs, i'll let you borrow them. maybe.)

and now on to the best part of the day. better yet, the best day of my life.

so i'm getting married in june, right?
and my brother leaves on his mission the week after, right?
right. so we both, at some point, needed to go through the temple. so we talked to our bishop and stake president and cleared it with them to go together and do it on my birthday. and can i just say that it was the best birthday present ever! it was such an amazing experience. i can't even fully explain how wonderful it was. and not only was i with my brother, but a lot of people that i love also came. my grandparents and most of my aunts and uncles were there, my cousin kiley came down, my cousin jonny and my cousin kathy, our good friends alex and sarah, our south carolina chef mock too. but most importantly,
branson was there with me.

i can't tell you how overwhelmed with joy i was when i walked into one of the rooms and saw my family there waiting for me. it was the most amazing feeling. i definitely saw a glimpse into heaven. that's what it will be like. me and my family and the people that i love. yup, that's heaven to me.

i wish i could think of the words to express how i felt. but i'm afraid my vocabulary is much too limited to do so. just know that it was the best day of my life. and that it couldn't have been better.

after the temple, we went to dinner at sizzler. taylor brought the rest of the kids and we rushed in right before it closed. it was nice to be there with the rest of my family. i love them. seriously. i have the best family in the world. we all took full advantage of the salad bar and all-you-can-eat shrimp and ate too much. and then went back to my parents house.

i just have to take a minute and say how much i love my parents. i know everyone loves their parents and thinks their parents are the best, but i really think mine dominate everyone else. they are so generous and kind. they do so much for everyone! ask anyone who knows them, they'll tell you that they are great. see, its not just my biased opinion. anyway, they are so good to me and i will be forever in their debt. i owe them basically everything. i'm so grateful for them and i hope they know how much i love them and am so glad that they are mine forever!

on top of everything else, they had gotten me a few presents: the long awaited, thought-it-would-never-be-published, amazing transcripts of george winston. now, if you don't know who george winston is, i highly recommend that you find out. he is a phenomenal pianist. i'm not lying when i say he's one of the best. and trust me, i know good from great, and he is quite great. (and part of the excitement is due to the fact that the man has not ever published sheet music or anything. any songs of his i play are because i learned them by ear. so you can imagine the joy i felt when i saw the actual notes!) i'm so excited to play his songs! (and guess what?! my turquoise piano is already in the house we're going to live in... so i'm even more excited. playing george winston on my turquoise baldwin upright grand... can life get better than this? i submit that it cannot! ha ha ha) but not just that - my parents also bought me a knife. not just any knife, though. a cutco knife. but not just any cutco knife. the santoku knife. i have been in love with that knife ever since i saw our south carolina chef mock use it when he made us dinner. he swears by that knife, and so do i. and now i have my own. i'm in love with a knife. ha ha.

basically it was the most amazing birthday ever. i couldn't have asked for a better day. and to top it all off... it felt like spring! it was sunny and fairly warm most of the day.

just another way it was a great day.

happy birthday to me.