Close to your heart

Luke and I have been house sitting for Nathan and Robyn while they are in Tokyo till the 23rd. It has been a lot of fun. We have done many things thus far. We have taken Sparhawk and Toki on a walk to Carterville park. We have gone camping over the weekend. We went to Starvation beach twice. We even swam to swam to the booie. I am very happy that Luke and I are given an opportunity to watch children for a long period of time to easy into some day having kids of our own.

Simply Alturistic

Let me know what you think of my new logo for myself. I am trying to beef up my portfolio. Let me know if you have any ideas about that also. I really need to get into school. I am working on my pell grant. I am going to have my mom over look it for me to make sure that all of the information is correct. Hopefully I can get that done and start this fall. :D

Focus

I am trying to find my focus for my portfolio. Last night I tried to think of what I strive for in life. I thought specifically of a time when I was nine:
"How dare you?! Go to time out!" Both Jamison and Sequoia stood stunned by my abruptness. They just stared up towards the form behind me. Robyn stepped up closer to my back.
"May I speak with you?" she whispered in my ear. As we stepped away from the children I felt proud and strong of my standing. I was right. They should both be sitting in time out right now because of the wrong they had acted towards me.
"Julianie," Robyn started in, "you are not their Mother. I am." The sting from those words hurt the most. I once hear that people will not always remember what you said but they will always remember how you make them feel.
So, as I was trying to find my focus I thought of this moment. Where, she is right, I am not their mother. But, from then on I have always assumed the position of Mom. In my group of friends, at parties, and with people that I barley know. I think that I am going to try to make this my focus. I am going to write stories, paint pictures, and alter photos to show a mothers love. Tell me what you think...

Goodbye OLD Friend

On Monday the 5th of July, Luke and I were driving on the freeway up to Sandy to look at a condo for rent with our time off for Independence Day. On the way Luke started to hear a whirling whine noise. I was completely oblivious with my head out the window. Shock lifted me off my seat as with a clank and a clutter a huge metal piece fell of the engine. Simultaneously, the car bump and jumbled over the metal. Quickly, Luke reacted by forcing his fists into rock on the steering wheel to keep up steady. We both thrusted towards the emergency lights. We slowly put-put-puttered to a stop in the small left shoulder of the freeway construction before Bangerter Highway. We assessed the situation firmly and quickly. I am sure that now hearing this story you can understand that we now own a new 2006 Honda Civic. We absolutely love and adore it.



Her name is Denna. Can't wait for you to meet her! :P

Spread Wings and Opportunities

So, it is summer and hotter then ever! Luke and I have been hanging out with friend’s and family. We have been working a lot as usual.

I feel like we have have had a ton of opportunities to get out and do a lot of things. I am glad that mostly we have jumped at these instances. For example, Luke and I will be staying at Robyn and Nathan’s house while they are in Japan for about a week. I am very scared. Don’t get me wrong I LOVE everyone in that house. But, it will definitely be an experience for Luke and I to not have the kids go home after babysitting. Luke is very excited to show how we are going to be awesome parents. I still stand scared out of my shorts. Also, as you may have noticed Luke and I took the hot weather as an opportunity to shop all of our hair off as soon as we arrived home from our honeymoon.

We are still learning about the differences of being married. For instance, we can literally do ANYTHING that we want. We could go to Vegas right this moment if we wanted. The freedom is endless. Luke is looking into a few Job openings to hopefully get into the career field that he wants to be in. We looked at houses for a while but decided that we would like to be a little irresponsible for now. So, we are looking into place for ourselves. We are currently living with Joel and Christina in their home in Provo it is awesome. But, I can also not wait to spread my wings a little further. So, let us know if you see a good deal somewhere close! :P

The Married Life

It has already been a month since we got married. In the last month we have gone camping, played hookie, and stayed up late. We have been working on getting all of our bills paied off. So, far we are doing pretty darn good.

At the end of next month we will be able to start looking at homes. I would really like to look at a few condos in eagle mountain. Then hopefully a few months after that we will have the down payment for one. Wish us luck!

I am very excited to be able to share everything with the most amazing person in the world. We talk about everything all the time. Some nights all I want to do is stay in and talk to him. It is so amazing to me that he will do that if I want to.

Luke is working at Security Metrics as a Support Rep. He is training to be a Scan Tech and loving every moment of it. I am working at Farm Bureau Financial Services as a Sales Associate for two Agents in Lehi. I love being able to do what I want to do instead of being forced to do anything.

Meet Mrs. Harding

We are MARRIED! It has been about a week and a half now. But, you didn't really expect me to run to my computer right after the ceremony did you? :D Luke and I had an amazing trip on the Carnival Paradise Cruise ship to Ensenada Mexico. I have put pictures up on facebook if you would like to see them. Now, we are just trying to settle into our new lives as the Harding family! Hopefully I will get more time to give you details soon!

BRIDALS~BRIDAL SHOWER~5DAYS LEFT

I can not really put a picture up for this entry... due to the fact that Luke could happen upon them... I will definitely put some up after we get back from our honeymoon.

The Bridal photos turned out PERFECT! I was really concerned about everything working out: dress, shoes, hair, makeup, and flowers. There were a few bumps in the road, like the fact that I completely forgot to call the florist and let her know when we decided to do the photos... But, everything turned out fine and we were able to get all of the photos that I wanted. I can't wait for you to see them.

The Bridal shower at Oma and Opa Haines' house turned out alright. I never want to chew gum again, my jaw still hurts. LOL! I got a lot of amazing gifts from everyone and we all had a blast. The food turned out amazing also!

I can not believe that there is only 5 days left till Luke and I meet at the alter... I have moved out of our room and into my parent's house for the week before our wedding. I think this will help with the whole "distance make the heart grow fonder" thing... so far it has been pretty difficult. haha and it has only been 24 hours!

Well, I better be getting some sleep... tomorrow is my Bachelorette party. :D

T-Minus 30 days

30 days left?! Holy WOW! Everything is going pretty smooth. I sent out a huge chunk of the invites today. So, hopefully everyone starts to see them soon. I created a facebook event for the wedding. I'm not really sure how to use the facebook creator. So, I don't think that my event is very good. If you have any questions about it just email me. :D

I am planning on "moving out" on the 1st. I will be couch surfing till the wedding date.

The information for the OPTIONAL dinner went out to immediate family yesterday. If you need to RSVP please text back to Christina (she is the one that sent it). She will be keeping a head count for me.

I have been working out with Stacy, trying to stay in shape so that I will fit into my dress. *cross your fingers for me*

I am going to be doing Bridal photos with my auntie Sandra on the 8th of May.

My Bridal shower is being headlined by Stacy. This will be taking place on the 13th of May at Oma and Opa's house in Mapleton. If you need an invite or directions please speak with Stacy.

My Bachelorette party will be on the Saturday before our wedding.

This is a pretty short entry.... but that is pretty much all.

Invitations ~Coming to a home near you Soon~

So, on Friday last week I went to Allen's Camera to get our invites printed. They told me that if I got them in by 3pm they would be printed on Saturday. Well, I go there at 6:30... So, I had to wait till Monday. They said that on Monday I would be able to come in to proof the final work. After a very long weekend I showed up at Allen's at 10am. They then told me that the proof would not be ready till Noon. I went home a took a nap and then headed back to find out that the wording was completely off... I called my mother letting her know that we needed to go back and fix the wording. She said, "I don't like the whole thing." Back the the drawing board.... Later that night I came back with the revised version. They then told me that the next proof would be ready at 3pm on Tuesday. OUCH! But, okay... So, today I go in to proof the FINAL work. After I okayed the work they passingly let me know that they will be ready to pick up at 6pm tomorrow... UHHHH.... alright... LAME

Makeup, the world of the unknown

So, I need help deciding on what I should do with my makeup. I want my eyes to POP! Above are some examples of what I have seen so far. Please comment on which you like or post new pics of what you think I should do. My colors are pink and green, my main flower is the star gazer lilly, and my dress has a small amount of pink on it.

Getting Closer, I can feel it

First off, I wanted everyone to notice that our layout has changed. I spent most of my day yesterday trying to choose and change a ton of different ones. Then Chrissy helped me edit it a little bit more so that now it is the bestest (stupid mstar). The only thing that slightly bothers me about it is that those rings are not ours. So, I have posted the best picture that I have of my ring to show it off.

Luke got his ring yesterday. And in an attempt to show me that it was not too big he started flailing his arms around like a mad man. The ring popped off his finger and bounced across our kitchen. Nice try, Luke, the ring is too big.... I asked Morgan Jewlers if they could resize it. They said that tungsten can not be resized. Hurrah, we just put $50 down the hole! :D

I am very very scared that something is going to happen to my dress. My dress is the only part that could put a huge damper on my wedding. The dress is currently located at my mothers house. This would normally not be an issue. But, where as she has grandchildren over all the time that (lets face it) like to cause havoc... It makes me very uneasy.

The flowers have been ordered with the help of my mother, Charles and Felicia. I am super happy that this big part is mostly out of the way.

My Bridal shower is being headlined by my sister, Stacy. We are thinking of having it at Grandma and Grandpa Haines' house. There will be games, fun, and potatoes! What more could you want? I will give more details when I have them.

Luke's Bachelor party is pending...

My Bachelorette party is in the first stages of planning via Paige and I. If you have any ideas please let me know!

My wonderful mother is trying to complete the little girl's dresses and figure the final wording on the invites before I get them printed. Also, she will be making the cake to get decorated by

I should probably list this at some point, so here is everyone that is in my "line" (although we are NOT doing the thing where the bride/groom/family line up and shake everyones hands):

Bride: ME

Groom: Luke (of corse, scared you didn't I?)

Mother: Susan

Father: Randy

Mother: Felicia

Father: Charles

Mother: Kim

Father: Roger

Best Man: Jaren

Groomsman: Scott

Groomsman: Dylan

Maid of Honor: Paige

Bridesmaid: Chelcee

Bridesmaid: Angie

Ring Bearer: Jason

Flower Girl: Chloe

Ushers: Tyson, Kele, Shellbie, Ashling

Helpers(junior bridesmaids and junior groomsmen): Sequoia, Sibhana, Jamison, Benjamin

All of the people above will be getting flowers and expected to be in pictures the day of.

Flower "Final"?

My mother and I were supposed to meet last Tuesday to compile the complete list of flowers that we will be needing. BUT, the floral place that we have decided to go with, have to reschedule for this Friday. Friday rolled around and she needed to reschedule AGAIN. I do not know when we are "planning" on doing it this time.

Then we also got all of the cloth for the little girl's dresses, boy's vests, and the table clothes. My mom has already started making some of this stuff.

Luke ordered his ring last week and it should arrive on Monday.

So, pretty much that is a quick update on where we are with the wedding planning.

Engagement Pics

Mississippi Serenade

This is the Hotel room that Luke and I will be staying in. I just Booked it for the night after our wedding. We will only be there for a night but I really like this room. I know that this picture is crappy. So, if you would like to see the 3D model click here and let me know what you think! My favorite part is the jetted tub with a waterfall!

General Update

Currently, I am attempting to finalize the flower order with Bed of Roses (Orem Location). They are supposed to be sending me a Cut sheet right now of all of the flowers that we have requested so far.

Luke and I were able to do quite a few things done this weekend:

Firstly, we were able to get our money situation in "order" so things are a little bit less stressful on that front.

Secondly, we decided that the Bishop in our area will be marring us.

Thirdly, our WHOLE honeymoon is PAID for! (excluding the one night stay in SLC, taxi services, and boat/mexico extras.

So, I think that we are going to end up being okay. I've said it before and I'll say it again as long as Luke shows up and I have my dress I will be happy.

Random Updates:

We wend to the Seamstress and she confirmed that we can not hem my dress without causing major issues.

My dress is getting Steamed at David's Bridal and will back to me on the 12th.

I was able to get a larger slip so hopefully with that it will be tall enough to not need a hem.

Luke and I were unable to do engagement photos this last weekend because of the Snow. I am going to try to reschedule for this coming weekend. We need to get the invites out, like now....

My mother, Luke's Dad, and I are ready to start paying for flowers.

We need to start making the little girl's dresses and little boy's vests now so that they will be ready in time.

Luke and I found a "DJ", Justin Anderson. He is more then capable of pressing the play button and fading the music at good times. We will need to schedule a weekend to go up and make sure all the cords and everything are long enough so that he can sit in the crowd with everyone else.

I am going in for an eye lash per and tint tonight to make my eyes super flashy for our engagement photos.

I realized today that for my bridals I will need to be able to have my hair up and everything so these may have to wait.

I am going to be making my first nail appointment soon. Someone please stop me! :D

Money Update

With everything all that has happened with Chi (click here to see the story) Luke and I will be struggling to even get by. That is not including being able to pay for all of the stuff we "need" for the wedding. But, I have said it before and I will say it again, "As long as Luke shows up, I will be happy." So, at least we have that in our favor. Although, money-wise, we are hurting pretty badly. We have a long 2 ramen-filled-months a head of us to try to get our heads above water again. If you have any money saving suggestions please let me know. Currently, I would like to be able to do engagement photos, announcements, bridal photos, and start paying for flowers. It seems as these kinds of things will have to wait... for now

PS my mother made the photo above. Isn't it awesome?!

Honeymoon Update

So, we went and saw the “All About Honeymoons” Guy (Tony) last night:

I guess we are not going on the Princes Cruise line, I guess we are going on the Carnival Cruise line. This kinda put a damper on it for me (only kinda) its so much cooler for me to tell Chloe (my niece) that we are going on a Princess boat. Not so much fun to say that we are going on a boat with Carni’s. I will get over that though.

We were able to see all the kinds of activities that we will be able to do while we are on the boat. There is a freaking Theater! And still multiple swimming pools. Although, Tony did let us know that our boat is going to be fairly crowded because of the date.

Luke and I have never talked to a Travel agent before so it is hard for us to feel comfortable with him asking for our credit card information. Don’t worry, I always watch my statements very closely. Also, the price that he gave up two days ago has already gone up by $100. On top of that, the deposit for the cruise is due on Saturday! Then, we need to buy the tickets soon because those are going to be changing prices like mad too!

All in all it is a good experience for us to get out of the country and I will not allow us to let this opportunity to pass us by. We have already submitted our passports, there is no going back now.

We are still very very excited it just makes things tighter (money-wise) till the wedding.... We will get through it though. :D

Money Needed

So, I realized today that I already owe $450 on my Credit Card. Hurrah for buying engagement clothes and food! UGH! I need to slow down big time. But, I need to buy decor next paycheck then announcements after that. Then Flowers after that. Wedding planning is stressful.

But, I think that if you were rich and had all the money in the world that you would ever need it would be fun. (the Grass is always greener on the other side.) On top of all of that luke and I are trying to figure how we are going to pay for the honeymoon. We will probably eat plain noodles exclusively for the first year of our marriage. (im okay with that)

I am exaggerating (a little) and I do NOT want hand outs. I’m just stressing cause it is between paychecks. I usually get like this about this time.

Breath.... Breath.... Breath.....

Honeymoon

The boat that you see above is a “Princess Cruise Line” Boat. Luke and I will be on one of these boats! I am SO SO SO excited! Luke and I were able to call “All About Honeymoons” today and talk to Tony! Oh, my goodness!

Luke and I were able to call “All About Honeymoons” today and talk to Tony! Tony, was VERY helpful. He was able to get us a cruise in our price--range without any problem.

Here is how everything is currently laid out:

Date: Where: Arrive: Depart:

Thursday (20th) Anniversary Inn, SLC, right after reception x:xx PM 9:00 AM

Friday (21st) Salt Lake City Airport x:xx AM 11:00 AM

Long Beach, Los Angeles Airport 12:00 PM 5:30 PM

Saturday (22nd) Ensenda Mexico 9:00 AM 6:00 PM

Sunday (23rd) At Sea All Day All Day

Monday (24th) Long Beach, Los Angeles Airport 8:00 AM 4:30 PM

Salt Lake City Airport 5:30 PM x:xx PM

Tuesday (25th) Home (Do not Disturb) All Day All Day

Wednesday (26th) Home (Do not Disturb) All Day All Day

Luke and I are so excited to go! So, please let it come soon!

Flowers, Dress, and Tuxes

I’m sorry that it has been so long! I have been JAMMED full of Wedding stuff! I actually started having nightmares about my dress arriving late.

My mother and I were able to get my dress ordered two saturdays ago. It should be coming in on the 10th or March. So, the “big dog” is over with. When we were walking out of David’s Bridal I was so relieved! It did end up costing quite a bit more then we had planned. This was because we had found a sale on the dress that I wanted, but the sale was just for the larger sizes. How LAME is that?! The BIGGER dresses are less expensive when it take MORE material to make it! UGH! I hate marketing loopholes!

Luke believes that he has found the Tuxedos that he would like him and his Groomsmen to wear. I am not allowed to see he tux, as well as, he is not allow to see my dress. I think it is fair that way.

The flowers have not been paid for but they have been chosen. I can not wait for everyone to see the amazing bouquet I am getting. I have decided not to preserve the flowers though. The biggest reason is that the Star Gazer Lilies that I will be using will turn Purple.... They will not match my colors if they do. I think that I am going to take really good photos and then recreate it in fake flowers. The preserved flowers look like fake flowers anyways. Then I can have my Dad make me a shadow box frame and I know everything will fit. Also, if the box ever get hurt it will not destroy the flowers inside.

There are a few things that I need help deciding on;

How to wear my hair.

What to get my Bridesmaids

Heels vs Flats

and where to have the Dinner (the night before, for immediate family)