Memorial Day on Mountain Road

Garret finished up his time at Ft. Irwin and came into town Sunday night and said he could stay for a few days. Sweet! Because I need help getting things ready for the wedding. There's some heavy lifting and as much as I pride myself as being a, "I can do it MYSELF!" kinda person...it comes in handy to have a guy's help every once in awhile. But first we decided we should start Memorial Day weekend at the beach. So we got up and headed to the beach around 9:00. We knew it'd get crowded fast and by the time we hit PCH...the crowds had already made their way in. It was bananas! So that's why I like going to the little cove off Mountain Rd. Not too many people know about it, it's really just occupied by those staying at the small hotels right there and a few locals. I love it!

 It was really cool because about an hour into being there these two guys on parachutes came zipping by. Except they looked like they were parachutes attached to lawn chairs with an airboat motor on the back. It sounded like a lawn mower going over our heads. All the little kids on the beach were fascinated by them and the guys were low enough to notice and wave to the little kids. 

And for those with fair skin, they know the reality of being at the beach and "laying out" kind of like this. I used to fight it as a teenager. I hated that my friends could pour on Hawaiian Tropic OIL and just lay there and bake and get tan and I'd just fry to a lovely shade of crispy lobster red. Needless to say I wised up quickly after many tear-filled, painful, nights and I knew tanning was not in my present or future.

 Hey, at least I'll look really good when I get older, right?At least not as wrinkly.

 By the time we decided to go my cute little "hidden" cove started to really fill up. And as you can see from this picture you're probably thinking "filled up?" but this beach really hardly ever has anyone on it. It's wonderful and it's why I come here most often. So this...yes this is filled up. But Main Beach and Aliso Creek were just ridiculous as we drove by. You couldn't even see the sand there were so many umbrellas and they were literally all touching, it was like a can of sardines. That is not fun to me. It reminds me of that movie Summer Rental with John Candy when he's trying to find his wife at the beach and he's stepping over everyone having his cooler leak cold water on sunbathers. Good movie...bad in reality. But Garret and I had a really good time.

While I was at the beach the love of my life sent me a text letting me know that he was finally able to hike like he had been wanting to for some time now. I feel so bad because, before I moved things had gotten so busy with finding renters, his finals, packing up, his graduation....we just were never able to find a time for a hike. So when David sent me a text saying he was finally on a hike, with Adam and Katie, and then sent me this picture, I couldn't have been happier. It looks like it was beautiful day up Bell Canyon!

We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying a late lunch with my dad having his favorites, BBQ ribs, corn on the cob and potato salad for his...YEP.....his 60th birthday! My mom and I had gotten him an Edible Arrangement, since he LOVES those, and this arrangement came with a couple of balloons. My dad really doesn't like to make a big deal of his birthday and since he said 60 just sounds old, we told him we'd play it low key this year. But first...I made him take a picture for my blog!

60!!!! OH NOOOOOOO!!!!

And now it's back to continuing on wedding plans. I'm just about done with my wedding favors. I actually ended up making a mistake half way through making them which turned out to be better and now I think they are cuter than I originally had in mind. I have a few other things to do in the backyard, I have to pick up pictures in a couple of days, a few more things in the backyard and really I'm almost done. I really didn't think it'd come together this quick. In my madness to rush I over-estimated how much time it'd take me. So all my long days proved to be beneficial because besides the stuff I really can't do until a few days, if not the day of, the wedding...I'm almost done. Almost. 

I had to post this picture though.

 I had been going back and forth between where to host the rehearsal dinner. My sister's was in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in SLC and it was so pretty, had such a great view and everyone had a good time. I had been debating between a more "formal" setting or a park in Dana Point with an amazing view of the harbor. In the end David said it'd just be one more thing for me to plan and worry about and with everything else on my plate he voted for the restaurant. So, Elizabeth...looks like no evening at the park for us. Bummer. (I'm so glad I have you to go to when I need a girl's opinion with wedding decisions!)

But when I went to restaurant the manager insisted I try the plates that we would have as options on the personalized menu. So at one point I had 12 plates in front of me, as I sat alone, while people at other tables were looking at me with very funny looks on their faces. It was so embarrassing! I looked like the hungriest girl ever. But he was so nice, we decided on a menu and now things are set for our families the night before the wedding!

The avoidance of Bridezilla

I'm really trying not to be a Bridezilla. I really am. I find myself simply getting quiet when moments of frustration and anxiety and tiredness hit me. I might have snapped at my sister a time or two or five, but she's my sister so it's a given. I've been trying to get my parent's backyard ready for the wedding and with my mom down for the count after having her whole left knee replaced and my sister resting comfortably in her bed as she recovers from having two things on her body "enhanced" (just a little further north and let's just say it was "elective" surgery) I've been left to do it all by myself.

It's a beautiful backyard and for Orange County its a large backyard and the landscaping is beautiful...when it's all maintained. It hadn't been for sometime because of my mom's knee. She just hadn't been able to get out there and maintain for quite some time so A LOT had been neglected. There's a lot to do. Lot's of weeding, planting, trash to throw away, painting, sanding, digging, lifting, etc. etc. I work in the yard at least 6-7 hours a day, so far 6 days a week, and believe it or not...it doesn't get the entire yard done. Oh, no, no, no. I'm working my way around the yard in a U-shape and I take it section-by-section. After almost two weeks here now I'm hoping to be to the middle point, by next week.

But I felt that Bridezilla moment coming after long days in the sun, frustrated that I'm the only one back there working, trying to be understanding and patient with everyone, but you hit that moment where you're tired, you're working so hard, so incredibly hard, you're sunburned, you feel like for all your hard work does it even look like I've made progress? And then the opinions start rolling in. I,  "should really be doing it this way, or that way, you should really..., why don't you...., how about if you did this instead...." And then I got some news that hurt me and I took it a little too sensitively than I should have. And it was because not only am I am tired, but because I am working SO hard to make sure it's beautiful for me, for David, for our families and with this one comment, not only did it really hurt my feelings, but I snapped. For all my hard work, for all the times I go out of my way, it felt like it was all for nothing. I had that moment from Father of the Bride when George Banks totally freaks out. The only difference between this moment and mine is mine included tears while talking to David on the phone.

George: I'll tell you what I'm doing. I want to buy eight hot dogs and eight hot dog buns to go with them. But no one sells eight hot dog buns. They only sell twelve hot dog buns. So I end up paying for four buns I don't need. So I am removing the superfluous buns. Yeah. And you want to know why? Because some big-shot over at the wiener company got together with some big-shot over at the bun company and decided to rip off the American public. Because they think the American public is a bunch of trusting nit-wits who will pay for everything they don't need rather than make a stink. Well they're not ripping of this nitwit anymore because I'm not paying for one more thing I don't need. George Banks is saying NO! 
Stock Boy: Who's George Banks? 
George: ME! 


David keeps telling me I need to take a "me" day but I feel like I just can't. I have it in my head that the last 2 weeks before the wedding I'll take it easy, get my nails done, relax, do a few fun wedding decoration projects that I found on Pinterest, so I press on...to the point of insanity, apparently. I will say that when it's all said and done, after all the sunburns and tiredness, it will be the wedding I always dreamed of. And I really will not care if anyone finds our wedding not their taste, or odd. It will be my version of perfect. I have the perfect dress and the perfect setting and the perfect guy. And like David tells me, "Even if everything goes wrong or doesn't get done, what's the most important thing? You and me And we'll be married.. That's all that matters." And he's right.

So the long days I end up looking like this-

And the 500 trips back-and-forth to Green Thumb and Plant Depot to get all the plants needed (and some not so needed but are just really pretty and really I only plan on getting married once so why not) then getting to the car and thinking, "Now how do I get this to fit into the trunk of a Camry?"









 And taking something, like a neglected side yard, that started out looking like this -

And turning it into something that looks like this -

Will all be worth it, because all that matters is that David and I will be married.

I probably won't post much else until after the wedding and honeymoon. I'll try, but my days are filled to the brim. I can confidently say that when we return from our much needed vacation/honeymoon I will be in much better spirits and will have lots of fun pictures to post!

Hooray!!!

Guess who graduated? Hooray!

The graduation ceremony for the whole school. The keynote speaker was Edwin Catmull, who is the current  President of Disney and Pixar studios. He gave a really good, insightful speech and we learned a few stories of Pixar films that would have been. He told the graduates that sometimes "failing" at things in life, or seeing things as not going the way one had hoped, is a good thing because it is from those failures that we find solutions that are even better than our original plan and we stretch ourselves to our full potential.

The group sitting on the stage to the left you'll notice an empty red chair, because the President of the school is at the pulpit, the gentlemen in the yellow and black gown, which is Edwin Catmull and the gentlemen to his right in the plain black gown. That is the governor of Utah, Gary Herbert. It was David that pointed out that out of all the distinguished people on that stage, the governor is the only one that has no higher education to allow him to wear anything but a black gown. Hahahaha!

What do you mean you can't find Waldo? Okay, I'll give you a hint. Find the lady in the black and white striped shirt, count three people to the left and two people up. There he is! 

And then the graduation ceremony for his college, Fine Arts.

I like that my camera started taking clearer photos at the same time David decides to celebrate with his "Blue Steel" look.

Celebratory Kiss!!!

I am sure proud of my smart and handsome man.

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." Dr. Suess

This week was about rushing. Rushing to get papers done and submitted to classes, finalizing the contract with our new renters and handing over the keys.....oh and a 2 hour jaunt to the school that turned into a whole ordeal that had David and I walking into the school at about 3:45 and leaving about 11:55PM. I went with him to the school for "2 hours" because he had to get a business final project done and his portion was to edit their film of each of them presenting their portion of their business mock-up. Well one problem led to another, which led to another, which had David practically pulling his hair out and we were there late. I came along thinking that I'd just hop on the computer next to him and do a paper that was due for my class. Which I did. Then I was on Facebook, Pinterest, Craigslist...etc., etc.. Then I got bored so I decided to walk around and stretch my legs while my poor love tried to figure out a solution to his mounting problems with a very uncooperative tape and program.



When I was attending UVSC, now known as Utah Valley University, my roommates and I watched this show called, Felicity. We loved it and were absolute die-hard-never-miss-an-episode-watchers! Well there's this episode in Felicity where they are studying for finals and everyone in the library is really quiet that for part of the show there are subtitles because the characters are whispering, but there's this sense of stress, anxiety and pandemonium as everyone studies. That pretty much sums up the U of U computer lab...minus the whispering. This place is NOISEY! It's in the library but I guess because it's an open computer lab there isn't any noise control done which made it more interesting to start seeing all the kids sleeping in chairs at the computers.  I would've taken more pictures of sleeping studiers but then I didn't want to be the creepy picture taking girl. So I snapped a photo of the guy sitting at the table next to David and my table. I applaud his form and grip on the table as he sleeps. Please note the yawning man in the very back. Computer labs should really be marketed as the place to go for people suffering from insomnia.




The next day we headed to Wendover with our friends, Adam and his wife, Katie, to see a Penn and Teller show. But before we left I decided to treat myself to a little mani-pedi. The girl asked me if I had any big plans that weekend and I said, "Why, yes...yes I do. I'm headed to Wendover and Saturday is my bridal shower. So let's go pink. BRIGHT pink!" And I then picked the loveliest shade of 1984 hot pink that they had!

 

Who doesn't love hot pink nails in the spring time?!!!



The Penn and Teller show was so great. It was funny, sarcastic, intelligent and I just really had a great time. I'd recommend their show to anyone. Afterward they were standing outside offering to take pictures with the audience, so I grabbed Katie's hand and went to take a picture with Teller. It was weird to hear him talk but the reason I'm laughing in this photo is because he had just made a comment about loving the idea of taking a photo with two lovely ladies and was placing his hand precariously close to my tush! Fresh!!!


Then Saturday was my bridal shower! It was weird to think it was for me. Well... maybe not weird, but surreal. All my girlfriends are married. They have been for some time now. Most are just about, or totally done, having their kids. So I have been to quiet a few bridal showers in my time and now it was my turn! My sister put together a simple, Tiffany-theme bridal shower. She put white flowers around and used silver serving ware and it was actually perfect. It was age-appropriate, simple and I LOVE my Tiffany and Co. jewelry, so I thought it was great.



I even got a cake that looked like a Tiffany box!



Because my shower was a few days before I move out of town Amy had coordinated with everyone to get me a gift card and then put the gift cards in Tiffany blue boxes. I actually really liked that idea. As much as I'd appreciate a gift that someone took the time to pick out just for me...well let's admit it..sometimes gifts get returned or exchanged and I don't have time to do that with last minute packing and cleaning. And we are so packed to the brim with what seems like 5000 boxes, that we can't fit anymore, so gift cards were great!

I had a couple great girlfriends (Jennifer and Christina) from my days working at Matheson Courthouse, Joanne Parker (Amy's MIL, and David's old boss/director from his days acting in Joanne's Children's theater) I had my old roommate (Christy) from my UVSC days which is so neat that we still keep in touch since we lived together back when we were just 19! I had my friend Katie come and my lovely future family Elizabeth, Ashley and future mother-in-law, Pam, all come. It was so great that they were all able to make it! Amy did a funny game where she tore brides from a bridal magazine then glued teeny tiny faces of celebrities in the place of the model's face and we all had to guess who the "bride" was. Christy made me laugh because she kept thinking they were all Sarah Palin and then thought the "bride" which was actually RuPaul was Lady Gaga. She had me laughing...she was a good sport.

Elizabeth won the prize for guessing all the "Brides" and not cheating (which we were all doing!) and she received a necklace. A gift from my sister and my mother was another necklace that says "Moffitt and Co." kind of like Tiffany and Co, and a pearl for the month of June....just minus that extra "T" on Moffitt...oops! Oh well. It's getting engraved again and I can't wait to wear it!

Later that night we had a double date with Daniel and Elizabeth and lil Miss Avery. We all went to dinner then came back to their house to relax, seeing that David and I no longer have furniture to even sit on since everything is packed and ready to go. Avery was having the greatest time with her Uncle David as they did their "jazzercise" moves. That's why they came out a little blurry-he had her arms going back and forth in a frenzy and it was so stinking cute hearing her laugh her head off. It's just the greatest sound to hear when you get a baby to laugh like that. She LOVES her Uncle David. 

And then David helped her try on her daddy's shoes. She thought that was especially great and perplexing all at the same time.

Sunday we packed up the final items in our house, so we can clean it Monday and have our renters move in Tuesday, the 1st. I had to take a picture of our closet because it felt so final to me. After I had either bagged clothes up or placed them in suitcases the only thing left, really, was David's cap and gown ready to go for this Friday's graduation ceremony. Our house is empty, things are packed away and there hung his graduation gown. What felt like forever getting here, seems to be coming upon us so quickly. David walked up to me as I was packing up the closet and said, "So what should we have as our very last meal in our place?" and I have to roll my eyes and admit...I started to tear up. Our last night here? Our very last night in the first home I bought. Who knows if we'll ever live in this condo again, let alone Utah. I just began to kind of cry. This is the home that he proposed to me in. There are so many great memories in this place. David started laughing at how emotionally sentimental I was getting and kept giving me kisses. But...we're finally here, it's finally done, we're ready to move on to bigger, better things for us career-wise and for our relationship. 

It's going to be exciting!

"Happiness is the secret to all beauty; there is no beauty that is attractive without happiness" Christian Dior

I am such a slacker for not blogging. Here I am writing blogs about goals and how I'll write a post a week....FAIL! Oh well, it's not for a lack of trying. We have had our hands full. David got a job working with Spike TV on a home flipping show so he has been working 12-16 hour days, he then comes home, opens up his laptop and starts studying for his finals. Tonight he'll just go straight to the school to meet with some classmates for a team project that is due. He left at 7AM and maybe I'll see him before midnight?? Probably not. Because of his work schedule, finals at school, then his graduation ceremony next Friday we actually had to move this past weekend since it was the only time we had to do it.
 
But before we moved I have to say I did something very exciting...I made bread! From scratch!

 
 
I'm sure thousands and millions of people do this every day, but I don't and it was my first solo try. I found a recipe for sandwich bread off of Pinterest.com and decided to give it a go. I don't know if I had the yeast and the lukewarm water quite so luke-y, because my bread turned out kind of dense. I suspected it might when it was turning in the mixer for the 8-10 minutes and it kept unlocking the top part, heating up the machine and at one point I thought I smelled smoke coming from the kitchenaid. So I wasn't surprised when it made a very audible "THUD!" when I dropped it on the counter after it was baked. But here's the thing,  every time the recipe called for it to rise 10 minutes here and rise 20-30 minutes there, and to do it in a warm spot, and I did...there was absolutely no difference in the size of my dough. So I pressed on thinking, "Well maybe it's a subtle type of rising." Nope. The bread was good if you put it in the microwave for 15 seconds so it made it all warm and soft and chewy. Room temperature...let's just say you had better have a large glass of water handy to get that bite down. I'll try again when we're officially moved into our new home.




David is going to kill me for this. Uhmmmm...I wonder if I should even put it on here....yeah, I'll risk it. I just don't want to forget these little messages I get from him every now and then. I am seriously the luckiest girl in the world to have someone so incredibly sweet and romantic and quirky. But I swear this is the last one I'll put up. (Lover...I swear this is the last one :) David's quotes are in white. Mine are in blue.

Then we started packing our place up. Luckily David and I live quite the nomadic lifestyle because it was bearable packing up. The only thing that got tricky was although the majority of or stuff was going in a storage unit until David drives it down in the Uhaul, we still had to leave enough stuff to live off of for a week and then divide what we wanted to pack, what was going with David while he stays in Utah for a few more weeks working on the show, and what I was taking with me to head to California to work, and crash with my parents, until David moves down. Phew! So that got a little confusing especially when you use the tried and true method of Hefty 30 gallon trash bags to shove your clothes in. But as many times as I've moved, it works. You can shove those bags so full, they don't take up room like boxes do and let's face it...David and I don't exactly wear custom-made couture clothing made just for our bodies. Nope. Clothes from Urban Outfitters and Old Navy can go in bags.




And then the madness hit. We put everything in our livingroom so when our true best friends came to help us load up the truck everything was good to go. Adam and Katie, David's classmate and racketball buddy, Jim, and the best little brother ever, Michael, all came to help. Now I don't mind helping people move. I really don't. But I will say it bugs me when I help someone move and things are everywhere, you don't know what to grab, most things aren't even in boxes yet...I just think it shows a lack of respect for the time someone is generously giving you to help. So David and I made darn sure things were prepped and ready to go. For someone who likes to live in simply decorated spaces I can't even begin to say how I had to find my happy place living in this chaos for a day.

(Look how cute and caught off guard he is. Oh my goodness I love that face!)

 

 Amid the stress of moving, jobs, school, finals, packing, and planning a wedding we decided to take a moment out and plan something fun to take our mind off of the stress. Well my stress, and David's busy schedule. So we decided to make it an annual thing to go to a Dodger game on the 4th of July. We did it last year and had such a fun time. We went and had lunch on Olvera Street, we went to the Griffith Observatory and then headed to the stadium where we watched the game and the fireworks afterward. Last years fireworks were awesome and went on and on and on. The day was so-much-fun! So I snapped a photo of some cheap seats (we paid for fancy pants seats last year...but this year I decided 19 dollar seats from Stubhub are good too) sent it off to David who was working a very long day and I got a text back from a very happy boy.

 

 So now it's just a few days until our renters move in next Tuesday, David graduates from the University of Utah next Friday and I move back to California the very next day. I'm glad it worked out that I can see him graduate. We have worked so hard for this moment. David spending long days and weekends at the school just working so hard, I was working 2 jobs at one point just so David didn't have to work, so he could take more classes and could just focus on his homework and grades. So...yes...we BOTH worked hard for this moment and I told him, I know it sounds silly, but I can not wait to take the photo of me standing next to him in his cap and gown. To me it's that moment of "Finally! We did it!"

And then I'm off to California for a new job and last minute prepping for the wedding. It's weird to think that in less than 60 days we'll be married. Which means in less than 61 we'll be in Playa del Carmen relaxing from all this madness. Now that will be nice! We got our photobook back this week from Shutterfly and it turned out so darn cute. We put all our engagement photo shots in one book and we're going to use that as a sign-in book for our guests when they arrive. I love it!

 And to end with...a sneak peek at my dress. I LOVE my dress! I can not wait to wear my dress. It is seriously the most beautiful thing I have ever worn and I feel so beautiful in it. I can't wait for David to see me in it!

And 2 talks that I think are worth reading whether you are LDS or not. I think they are just good talks to read. I like to read things from General Conference just as much as I like reading things from other religions. I think ANYTHING uplifting is worth reading, no matter the source it came from. Whether from an LDS apostle or the Dali Lama. Here's two that I really liked:

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/the-laborers-in-the-vineyard?lang=eng

and I really liked this one:

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/the-merciful-obtain-mercy?lang=eng 

I think when you read talks that this it's easy to think, "Oh I bet so-and-so really should read this." or "This really applies to so-and-so." But... I think its important to read something like this and think, "How does this apply to me? How does this apply to my life and my relationships with those in my life and not in my life anymore." I think when we read uplifting things it's important to look within.