Sunday Blessings.

Just a few blessings I'm feeling grateful for this Sunday.

1. Our apartment.
I know what you're thinking, and you're right. There have definitely been a few moments where I have not been so grateful for our apartment. But after teaching the sunbeams "I am thankful for my home" today at church, I'm feeling happy that I have a clean, safe place to call my home. Living where we do has been a huge blessing in my life.

2. Education.
Education is so important to me, and I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to go to college to become a teacher. I'm grateful that I'll get to teach my own students once I graduate.

3. Sunday Dinners with Family.
Best. Thing. Ever. We get to have fun and spend time with our families, and eat fantastic home-cooked meals. (No matter how hard I try, I still can't cook as well as my mom or my mother-in-law).

4. Lean Cuisines.
An odd thing to be grateful for, but they really are a fantastic invention. They're pretty much my go-to meal to pack for lunch at school. Try the roasted turkey and apples - you won't regret it!

5. Daniel.
Seriously, what would I do without him? He's my greatest support. The past few weeks have been super stressful, and just when I think I can't take it anymore, Daniel steps in and tells me it's all going to be okay. And you know what? It will be. Especially when he cooks super-yummy homemade dinners for me (which are better than Lean Cuisines).

Oh, and one last thing:
Today, Daniel and I ended up sitting in the back of the chapel because we were running late. Little did we know, President Monson also prefers the back of the chapel. Daniel nudged me a few minutes into the meeting and I watched as the prophet himself took a seat right behind us. I could have reached out and touched him! It may sound silly, but I had never officially met the prophet before and I really, really wanted to shake his hand. When we got up to leave, I got my wish! The man sitting next to us introduced us to President Monson. I got to shake his hand!! He even told me that he liked my bag! Apparently yellow is his favorite color :). I'm still a little starstruck about the whole thing - can you tell? Other prophet posts here and here.

Teacher gift and first two days.

So...I've officially started student teaching! The first two days have been amazing. Mrs. H has let me teach a lot, which has been so much more fun than sitting at my desk and watching. I can't believe how much I love my class already. I can only imagine how it will feel at the end of the year. 

Also, I have to show you the cutest, sweetest thing ever:

Can you believe my sister-in-law made that for me?! I'm dying. She dropped off that cute vase with gorgeous sunflowers yesterday to wish me luck with my student teaching. It makes me so happy every time I see it on my desk :) And guess what? She even posted about how she made it on her blog, so you must got check it out. She might be the most creative person ever.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Confessions of a Teacher-in-Training.

I have a feeling that this "confessions of a teacher-in-training" post is going to be a recurring one on the blog this coming year. Every now and then, I'm going to write down a few of my experiences and adventures (both good and bad) just to document them and keep you all updated. And don't worry, I won't use any names!

Here are a few of my "confessions" from this past week:

-  This week has been pretty much surreal for me. On Monday, I attended my very first faculty meeting! I met the new principal, and got introduced to all of the teachers and staff at Mill Creek Elementary. On Tuesday, I attended my first all-day teacher workshop where we talked about changes to the curriculum this year. I also spent several days with my site teacher (let's call her Mrs. H) setting up our classroom!

-  I absolutely LOVE Mrs. H. I can tell she's an amazing teacher. She has so much experience, and I'm super excited to learn from her. She even invited me to go out to dinner with her tomorrow! How cool is she?!

-  Mrs. H's last student teacher was pretty much awesome. I've met her, and I've heard a lot about some of the things she did. I really, really hope I can do well this year, because I think I have some pretty big shoes to fill. (gulp.)

-  When I got home from the school today, Daniel told me I smelled like a teacher. What does a teacher smell like, anyway? Pencils and textbooks? Because that's what I think I smell like. 

-  I can't believe I'm only a few days away from meeting our class of 6th graders. I'm excited and nervous at the same time! I hope they like me. I hope I do a good job. I hope it all starts to come naturally, because sometimes I feel like I'm going to be totally lost once there are kids in those 26 desks! It's going to be so weird to start answering to Mrs. Sorensen.

One Year.

August 16, 2011

Dear Daniel,

I can hardly believe this day is here! Happy anniversary sweetheart!! It's crazy to think that an entire year has passed since our perfect wedding day last August. We've been married for a year! When we first got married, I always thought that a year would be such a huge milestone, and it definitely is. We've experienced so much together already, and I wouldn't change a thing. Being sealed to you has been the greatest blessing. You make me want to be a better person every day. You are always so supportive of me and my endeavors, and I'm so grateful for that. Thank you for being so patient, loving, and kind. Thank you for being worthy to take me to the temple, for honoring your priesthood, and for helping us put the gospel first in our lives. Thank you for the wise, calming spirit you bring into our marriage. Thank you for being so honest and hardworking. Thank you for your sense of humor and for laughing with me all the time. Most of all, thank you for loving me every single day and for making me so, so happy. There is no one I'd rather go through life with than you. Happy one year anniversary, Daniel! I love you so much. I can't wait to see what the next years have in store for us!

Love always and forever,

Mandy

p.s. Coincidence that the wedding album we ordered four months ago just happened to arrive on this very day? I think not ;)

wedding week: the festivities

the festivities.

Luncheon: The Lion House

Reception: Red Butte Garden

When we went out hunting for reception venues, I fell in love with Red Butte right away. It was exactly the kind of magical summer atmosphere I had in mind for our wedding. It also may have helped that a beautiful butterfly landed right on my hand while we were there.

Here are some of our favorite photos from the reception:

tidbits

Another tidbit that is more like a story. I think this happens to pretty much all couples, but we ended up not having time to eat much during the reception. So, when we stopped at my house to grab a few things after we left, I told Daniel to grab a little bag of Honey Nut Cheerios for us to snack on. When we got back out to the car and started driving, I asked Daniel for some of the Cheerios. He reached into his bag and pulled out a gallon-size ziplock bag full to the top with Honey Nut Cheerios. He had taken the entire box of of cereal and poured it into the bag! Hungry, much? Haha!

wedding week: the fun stuff

this post is all about the fun stuff. 

The white dress.

The gray tux + yellow tie.

The "something old" shoes + argyle socks.

The bouquet.

The best friends.

The greatest family.

The behind-the-scenes shots.

The cake.

The flowers.

The bridesmaids.

The groomsmen.

The cutest nieces and nephews in the world.

The rings.

The favors.

tidbits
1.  My grandmother sewed every single one of the bridesmaid skirts by hand. Did I mention there were nine of them? She will forever be my hero.
2. My sister-in-law Jessica made the darling ties for the nephews, and the cutest outfit and headband for my niece. She's super creative! (Check out her blog to see more!)
3. Daniel's aunt Caytie made the darling flower rings we gave to the bridesmaids as favors. Do I know some talented people, or what?
4. I'm not kidding when I say my mom and I went to every bridal shop from Bountiful to Provo looking for dresses. I probably tried on hundreds of them but none of them seemed like me. I always felt like I was wearing a costume, and I didn't want to feel that way on my wedding day. It was all worth it when I finally found my dress.
5. Also - my dress was originally sleeveless.
6. I procrastinate. I bought my jewelry two days before the wedding. Eek!
7. If you thought the jewelry was cause for a panic - the alterations on my dress were also finished two days before the wedding. Whew!
8. My mom and I did all the table flowers ourselves! White Ikea vases, candles, and yellow spider mums did the trick. (p.s. I call them "firework flowers")

wedding week: the ceremony

the ceremony.

Our ceremony was at 10:20 in the morning in the Salt Lake Temple. That morning, I was so, so happy. I've never felt anything like it before or since. Right before we got married, Daniel and I got to sit together in a room while our guests were being seated. That short, quiet moment in the temple with Daniel was so sweet and special to me. I couldn't believe it was all happening.

tidbits

This tidbit is more like a story. We were so lucky to have Daniel's grandfather be our sealer. In fact, Daniel's grandfather was actually the very first person we told that we were getting married. When we decided we were going to tie the knot for sure, we figured out that we had a lot of time constraints with school starting and bridesmaids being out of town. It turned out that there was only one week in August that we would be able to get married, and we'd have to do it at the beginning of the week if we wanted to go on our honeymoon.

To make sure we got our date, I actually called and scheduled the temple about three weeks before we got engaged! When I called, they asked if I wanted to have a specific person as our sealer, and Daniel had told me to request his grandfather. When I told them, the lady on the phone said "Oh, wonderful. We will let him know the next time he comes in." Eek! We weren't even engaged! I called Daniel in a panic. I really didn't want Daniel's grandfather to hear the news from a receptionist at the temple! Daniel and I decided that we would talk to him before and tell him our plans - even though it wasn't "ring official" yet. When we talked to him, he was so happy for us and absolutely supportive. He kept our little secret for weeks!

wedding week: engagement photos.

our engagement photos.

After we got engaged, it was time for all the planning to begin. For our photography, we decided to go with Lindsey Jane Studios and chose Sarah to be our photographer. She was absolutely amazing! We are so, so happy with our pictures, and the studio was wonderful to work with. We'd recommend them any day. Want to see a few of our favorites from the shoot?

M's outfit

scarf: j.crew

shirt: shade

cardigan: j.crew

jeans: lolabella boutique

shoes: dillards

D's outfit

polo: nordstrom

jeans: lucky brand

shoes: nordstrom rack

M's outfit

shirt: nordstrom

jeans: lolabella boutique

heels: nordstrom

D's outfit

shirt: banana republic

jeans: lucky brand

shoes: nordstrom rack

tidbits

1.  Sarah, our photographer, was nine months pregnant when she took our pictures. Such a champion!

2. During our shoot, we discovered that we are not models, and we are capable of some extremely awkward pictures. Exhibit A:

3. We also discovered that we can't do serious faces - especially Daniel. We just look downright angry!  Definitely had to practice that one in the mirror before our wedding day. (If you're wondering - just a hint of a smile is the key!) Exhibit B:

up next: planning the basics.