Rain Rain Come and Stay!

I absolutely LOVE the rain. Most especially thunderstorms. I think thunderstorms may just be what I miss most about Missouri. Missouri has the BEST freaking thunderstorms!

Yesterday was probably the best Sunday Johnny and I have had for a while. We were a little late to church (we're still adjusting to the 9:00am time) but we had our records read into the ward and got to see a baby blessing. I think baby blessings are my favorite! We came home and had an awesome brunch. I kind of snarfed a few of the pancakes but I ate those ones so it was okay. Then we both laid down and took about a 6 hour nap. I can't tell you how much I have been needing sleep lately. We got up and had dinner, watched a movie, and went back to bed. Sleep is good!!

I had to work today so I left the hubby with a honey-do list including laundry and caulking the kitchen baseboards in the upstairs apartment. It has been pretty slow because of the holiday and I am not complaining. It stopped raining for a bit but I hope it picks back up so I have another night of snuggles and movies.

I love the rain!!

Big Step

Johnny and I finally took the plunge and got a joint phone account! I know...its pretty serious. I've been on my mom's family plan since I got my first phone at 16 and have had the same number ever since. I was kind of sad to give up my 417 area code and the number by which I have been identified for the last 7 years but since Evan is home, he needs a phone, and I live in utah so....bah. I'm not the happiest camper since we are still with SPRINT but my phone is really cute and has an MP3 player and camera so I can still be excited!

If you haven't received my mass text my new phone number is: 801-750-8744.

In homemaking news: we finally got our plates last night and switched out the broken ones. I'm pretty excited cause they are so nice and my grandparents were so wonderful to buy two sets for us! We discovered that shopko also carries them so we can get the expansion serving set and big ice cream/soup mugs. We also got our fabulous cookie-making-kit from my cousin and made-of-honor Annie! I don't think I've ever been so excited to make sugar cookies. Johnny and I keep picking up the pail to see what fun shapes we can find in the cookie cutters.

We still need to get a few more picture frames and get stuff up on the walls. They are looking more and more naked as we get stuff settled and put away. I can't wait until we start our big project of putting in a washer and dryer. Sending Johnny to his parents' once a week to wash our undies makes me feel like an inept wife. Maybe I'll venture to the laundromat this week just to feel a little more domestic!

OK: So I feel like Johnny and I skipped the entire honeymoon phase of our marriage. He has been really stressed about finances and chores with building maintenance so his fuse is even shorter than normal and I never know when I'm going to say something that upsets him or when someone around him is going to set him on edge. I'm mowing the lawn for him tonight and going to make the house spotless. Any suggestions on how I can make him happier / relieve his stress level?

Dum Dum Da Dum

It is official. We have been sealed for Time and Eternity and we have walked down the aisle and exchanged rings and one hot and steamy kiss! Ok not really hot and steamy...but sweet and simple. It was so much fun...except certain people refused to dance...LAME!

My wedding party is awesome and they looked fabulous! We definitely partied...especially when we busted out the karaoke! I have to thank them for the car decorations....most specifically the sardines-EVIL CARLOS!! I don't have any good pictures yet. My mom has some from the temple she is supposed to be emailing me when they get home so it may be a couple days before I get those. Carlos has posted quite a few on facebook. I'm not sure when I'm going to get my bridals and official pics from my photographer but I'm most excited to see the pictures from when our cake toppled. Yes...ahh smashed cake. But it was still delicious!! :D

The temple was amazing! I love Nauvoo!! I Can never get enough of that place! The weather was perfect. It had been 105 the day before so I was a little leery of wearing my dress outside but it dropped and it was a gorgeous 85 on our wedding day! We were able to see the Pageant the night before we were sealed and there was a couple sitting in front of us that just as the lights came up on the temple he got down on a knee and popped the question...now THAT is a mormon Proposal!! We met a lot of the cast members before and after the show, several of whom we saw the next day who wished us well and remembered everything. Johnny and I did some touristy Nauvoo stuff after our sealing which was fun, got the brick, the prairie diamond rings and the rope. They don't do wedding candles anymore and I was VERY sad about that. But we did get the mini horseshoe since it was our day!

Our Open house in Carthage got rained out so no bonfire. We just all gathered in the house and we still got to have our fireworks so I was happy! We had a lot of friends show up and it was so good to see everyone! Especially several people I hadn't seen in years! I'm kind of bummed that a couple people weren't able to make it but I understand that life takes place...its all good!

So now Johnny and Halley live together (WEIRD) and are back to work. We're actually living a married life. The project that has been my focus, obvious and underlying, for the last year is now over. I have to do thank you notes and everything...but I don't have a big project anymore. Guess we'll have to start trying for a new one if you get my drift ;)

Speaking of! My sister Caitlin came up for the festivities and brought my adorable little nephew, Justice. He's almost 4 months and I just love him! He was blessed by my daddy on sunday and Johnny got to assist. It was pretty cute. Daddy held him as he slept through sacrament and he just couldn't stop staring at his grandson...ADORABLE!!

There is of course more but this is getting a little long. I'll be back with more details later...Happy days!

10 Points to whoever can tell me the significance of this post's color scheme!

2 Weeks!

We are getting SO CLOSE! I can hardly believe it! I have been so busy at work with the privacy stuff and I just haven't had time to post so...I fail. They did find the tapes on July first so that is way good news. However people just don't seem to care. You tell them and expect them to say...oh nevermind then. Instead we get more of the "yeah. but that doesn't mean anything." Ok these guys are IDIOTS! one tried to put one of the tapes in the VCR thinking it was like home-made porn or something. The Sheriff is quoted in the news as saying "I don't think these men could find their own rear-ends with two hands." So we've slowed down a bit but we're not out of the woods yet. We also got all the returned mail (all 250,000 letters) that we needed to sort between forwarding address and non-forwarding address and now go through and update any of the ones with forwarding addresses (about 20,000). I am SO glad I only have 6 days of work before I head out of here. Can you believe that its almost time for me to be Married?! CRAZINESS!!

Our apartment is slowly but surely becoming our first home. We finished painting the bedroom last night and we put our bed together. Its very pretty. Now we need a ceiling fan...and some nightstands. BUt those aren't too important. We are half-painted in the kitchen, the bathroom hasn't even been started yet, and our living room is all but complete. Our makeshift TV stand will eventually have to be replaced but it works for now. We got our gorgeous plates from my grandmother. Target or UPS did a not so awesome job of shipping though and 5 of the 8 dinner plates were broken and one of the bowls. We have a replacement on the way so hopefully we'll have dishes soon.

Wedding planning is done....its all planned...its the execution of the wedding planning that has me ripping out my hair at this point. It will all work....I know this...but that doesn't calm the wedding coordinator inside me. I just figure that by the time all the ring ceremony and reception stuff gets here it won't matter because we'll already be married.....holy shizrick wixfoz!


On a very sad note, Grandpa George (pictured below) passed away Sunday. He had suffered a stroke last week and his poor little body just couldn't handle it. Johnny actually woke up at the exact minute that it happened. I'm so grateful though because the lesson in Relief Society and Priesthood that day just happened to be about comfort at the time of someone's death. Does Heavenly Father know us or what?! I'm so glad we were able to spend some time with Grandpa George in June and what a beautiful picture of him with Johnny. Would you just check out that smile! Johnny is of course upset, especially since we can't make it down to the funeral today. But the important part is that he will be put to rest with Military honors and the fun-loving joker will be able to walk and run again. Something he hasn't been able to do since he returned from Vietnam.

I think that's all I've got in me today. I'll try and get some pictures of our home posted soon. Oh! and I got Johnny to agree on a girl name! CUTE!

Sorry About That

Ok so first of all I love love LOVE my fiance! Everyone talks about Edward Cullen like he's the best thing taht men could ever be...but I just laugh at how much Johnny Ray and he have in common sometimes...plus he's not a vampire so Bonus!

Recap: Johnny's grandmother passed away on June 7th so we spent a week on the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico. It was educational to say the least! A lot of the res runners were confused by the random white girl at the family meetings but they were very nice and welcoming. One of his grandma/aunts (its an Indian thing) told me I had to watch out for the red ants cause they don't know me. I'm white so they might want to try something new. hahaha...of course I got a little sunburnt and we decided I was an official Redskin. We first went to Albuquerque and saw his Grandpa/Uncle George and spent some time in Old Town. The picture up top is from us playing in a touristy hat shop.


This is Johnny and Grandpa George. Grandpa George is in the Spinal Cord unit at the VA as a result of Agent Orange used during the Vietnam War. Johnny was very close to Grandpa George when he was younger so they spent the visit talking and laughing about the pranks they used to pull on his Grandmother. Heaven help me with this man's children is all I can say!


It wasn't the happiest of reasons be visiting family but we did have a good time. It also means there was a week on the reservation so wedding stuff is a little behind right now but we'll get it taken care of.

When I got back to work I was informed that the morning of June 2, 2008 2.2 million patient's billing information was stolen out of a courier's personal vehicle. As a privacy specialist this means I've been working everyday. I will have 20 hours of overtime this week alone. Its stressful but it is definitely a blessing for our finances.

Our apartment is shaping into a very nice home. We painted our living room and have a sofa. It looks great! I'm so excited to have furniture! We've gotten half of our kitchen painted, we bought a mattress (Side note: It is amazing how much better you sleep on a mattress when you haven't had one for 2 years!) We also ordered our bed and it will be ready for us in July.

Here's the forecast: I'll be working A LOT over the next couple weeks; we're getting our engagements taken sunday morning (if Ryan comes through), invitations will be stuffed and sent on monday and tuesday; I have to get my dress altered and shipped to my parents' house; I have to get shoes for my wedding day and my tiara; I need to stop eating in my stress; and about a million and a half other things. Stress Stress Stress but it will be worth it......it will.....just breathe!.... :D


PS Jenny you're adorable and I heart you!

OH MY LANTA!!

GAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!



More to come.....just breathe!

Transition

So I'm in our new apartment. It's so big and I have nothing to fill it with. We get to paint and I finally get to pick out the color I want the rooms to be and have someone else pay for it! Hooray! We got a kitchen table...its an octagon which I think is pretty sweet. We found it on Craigslist for 40 bucks! We don't have any chairs for ti yet....but we have a table!! My bed is still sitting under a tarp in Johnny's backyard. We're planning on getting a bed so we just need to move the mattress over to my place so I have something to sleep on. I slept on blankets on the floor last night. Luckily we have nicely padded carpet so it really wasn't too bad. We're trying to get settled and find furniture, and juggle our budget, so it can get a little stressful but we're really coming together as a couple. Johnny has been so cute about "our place." We were at the store tuesday night getting some necessities and he got really sad looking all of a sudden and just kept saying "I hate this."...."I hate this" I couldn't figure it out....finally he told me he was bummed cause he couldn't move in with me into our place yet. It was really cute. I really kind of love him.

In other news: My little brother Evan came home last night from his mission in Africa. I'm kind of excited to have him at my wedding! And I'm excited for him to help me with my french (it has suffered greatly in the 4 years since I went to France)....now I just have to get him to be nice enough to slow down and not make fun of my non African Accent. Johnny and I still have his TV so I have a bargaining chip!

OH! And my sister Brittany is having a boy, Tristan Nelson Coons!

Otherwise not really too much going on. Just getting busy trying to set up my home for my husband...63 Days!!! <3

1 Move Down 2 To go!

OK. So we signed a lease on our apartment tuesday, and I move in this coming Tuesday. We are going to be living at 2263 South 800 East #3 in Sugarhouse, Utah. It's the two bedroom one we looked at last week that doesn't have washer dryer hookups. Johnny looked at the other place but it is OLD and has original windows and wiring so utilities would be beastly high and He decided he'd rather pay low utilities (gas was only 50dollars at it's highest this winter) and pay for his laundry. We're still hoping that we'll be able to get washer dryer hookups put in. I'm so excited to just get in there and be in our first home. Granted it will be pretty empty for a while since I have basically No furniture but it will still be nice. I'm basically done in my house. Johnny came over last night at 9 to find me lost and unmotivated. So we finished packing up my room, he helped me carry out my bed frame and television and we loaded up both of our cars and took it all over to his house around midnight. Tonight after work I have to: Pack up my dishes, put the last dozen bags/boxes in my car, finish cleaning and vacuuming and head over to my sister's in West Jordan (oh! and try not to annoy the pregnant woman!)

We got our invitations on Wednesday and I couldn't stop looking at them! They're awful cute! We don't have our engagement photos yet so they aren't ready to be stuffed or sent yet....but they will be awesome! :D

Unfortunately no matter how cute my invitations are there are certain members of my family that will be declining. I found out on sunday and I am rather offended. ESPECIALLY because the reason they gave for being unable to attend. Not that they've actually said anything to me or my mother...oh well. Its still gonna be a rockin' party!

10 Weeks from Today!! :D is everyone excited?!!?

And We're Back

I know its been a bit of a sabbatical ( I love that word) but I have resolved to get a post out by EOB today! (I started this monday...I fail) It hasn't snowed to the point of sticking since mayday...the mountains and hills are still white most of the time but the roads aren't. In fact down in the valley its been quite toasty the last couple days. I was beginning to think we'd bypassed spring and jumped right in to summer but its cool and rainy for the rest of this week.

I haven't been blogging cause I don't want it to be a whine-spot and I've been feeling a little stressed lately. I have to be out of my house next week and we still have not found where Johnny and I are going to living post-marriage. We were going to buy....but without a sufficient down-payment we weren't going to be able to afford anything worth buying. So we were going to rent...but then we found an application for a down-payment grant from the government so we're in limbo. Luckily there are a couple of girls in my ward at church that I can stay with for a while-up to a couple months until we find something. We actually found a great place last night. It's right over in sugarhouse, its big, low utilities, well maintained....the only problem is it lacks the hookups for laundry. This is a major problem. NOT because I'm a princess!! The issue is that Johnny is a chef and only has so many jackets and pants and they always have to look nice....he does laundry about every 3 nights. We talked with the landlord about the possibility of putting those in either the kitchen (which is big enough to put a shutter closet around a stackable) or in the back bedroom closet. He said he's thought about it before and is more than happy to have it priced out but that he didn't want to promise us anything. He was actually really great and the girl that lives in the apartment now actually knows Johnny and I from the ward that we're in. She said the ward was awesome, they're only moving a few blocks away and will still be in the ward. It was honestly the first place we've looked at that I really liked and felt like I could live there and be happy with it. But the washer/dryer issue is an issue. So we have another one that Johnny is going to see tomorrow ( I might if I can get out of work for a little bit longer of a lunch break). SIGH....I just want to move in!

We have been so busy at work this week! We took over a new call center that includes two of the biggest clinics and we've been slammed all day long! I left early yesterday with a migraine. Nerves and stress plus crazy busy= nausea and headaches for Halley. But today is a short day and I'm going visiting teaching...so hopefully I'll be buoyed up and blessed by finding a house we can afford! Oh I hope!

Around the May-Pole in Snow Boots

Yes....it is May Day....and SNOWING. It snowed a little bit yesterday but just the little snowball pellet things and only very briefly. But today there is snow sticking to the ground....I'm having some deja vu from my childhood in South Dakota.

But on to bigger and better subjects: I haven't blogged in a bit because I got tattled on for venting about my future MIL in a venue where they will never see it...but I have repented. I should probably take the post down or make it private...maybe.
Since I haven't written in a bit a lot of schtuff has gone down! So get settled in for a blog-tastically long post...or just leave. No skin off my nose.

A) Most importantly I am FINALLY an Auntie!! My sister Caitlin Reed Sageng gave birth to Mr. Justice Kyng Braithwate on April 29 at 5:18pm. He was 6 pounds 13 ounces and 20 inches long. Caitlin did a great job and I am very proud of her! The labor was definitely not an easy one, Justice was face down so she was having back labor and had to have an epidural. A couple hours later Justice was still being stubborn and didn't want to come out. It turns out the cord was around his neck and started to go into distress, his heart rate dropped into the low seventies so they wheeled Caitlin into the OR and did an emergency c-section. It was a little scary but Mommy and Baby are both doing well and are beautiful!















They're from a camera phone so they're a little blurry. But these are the very first shots.










B) My Class at the Youth Theatre is finished. I don't think I have ever been so proud in my life! As of the wednesday before class they were still not off book or even close to as ready as they should have been three weeks before. And they got a little bit of a bum chewing. But Friday they were awesome!! They went for quite a while without any missed lines and when someone did miss they caught on and covered. The audience was laughing and they were all having a good time. I was afraid they all just thought I was the mean old lady that yelled at them once a week and that they had no fun or learned anything. The day of the performance they were all happy and having a blast and I caught them playing a round of "Big Booty" before the show....so if they learned nothing else, they learned big booty.
































If that last shot doesn't scream "THEATRE KIDS!!" I don't know what does.


C) Johnny is back at work...and we're trying to be very careful with his back. He's on some medication that is supposed to help build up his muscles for the next month or so and then we'll look at more physical therapy or maybe injections to get that herniated disk taken care of. He's been kind of grumpy because he's in pain but it has been quite nice to spend so much time with him. And we've been cooking some delicious dinners. A couple of sundays ago he made a portobello wellington, wild rice, and carrots & parsnips. here are a couple of shots of him (all messy and not happy I took his picture hee hee) and a shot of dinner to make you salivate.






















Trust me it was delicious!
Until next time. HAPPY MAY DAY!!