well then
The last 24 hours have been A Day, that's for sure. Not in a bad way. I spent the afternoon with Mom yesterday, and it was really good. I missed her a lot. I'm glad she's home. Even though sometimes we get worked up in our conversations, even when we're agreeing about something (which is almost all the time), she essentially calms me down and I feel more secure with her around. We went to the distribution center and spent a lot of time with a very nice lady who was trying to get me sized for everything, and I let her do so even though I knew I'd want not only a smaller size, but petite, but no no no 34 was the right size and away I went. They gave me half-off everything to celebrate my first trip to the temple, so that was nice, and Mom got a new temple dress since she's had her other one since she first went through the temple 8-months pregnant with me, so she was happy.
Ames came to the house at like five and we went to the temple at five-thirty. It wasn't even scary one bit. I'm kind of really confused why so many people felt it necessary to "warn" me or whatever about any kind of weirdness that I might be surprised by. 1. It wasn't weird. 2. It wasn't scary. 3. There were no animal sacrifices or nymphs dancing naked around campfires. 4. Since we were within a week of our wedding, Ames got to participate with me much more than he otherwise would have, and more than I even expected him to be able too.
It was actually really interesting. Of course I felt the spirit and it was a beautiful-- but also comfortingly realistic (in the sense that it was okay to laugh off nerves and talk about wedding plans with the other soon-to-be brides)-- experience, but mostly I was fascinated by the whole ordeal. I loved the inititory, you guys. Honestly, I foresee myself visiting often to participate in that quite often. There were a handful of very nice, very soft-spoken ladies to help (aka spoil) me along the way. I overheard one of the workers talking with my mom when I changing my clothes (for the 80th time-- Mormons do love to change clothing haha) about how she felt a very strong spirit with me, beaming from my "huge, beautiful brown eyes." That made me feel very nice and very special and that Heavenly Father was there with me the whole time. Which He was. And I know that.
There were two other girls in my sesion going through for the first time who were very nice, but kind of timid. When the assistant temple matron asked if we'd had a temple prep class, they said they hadn't completed the Sunday School class, which made me feel even more grateful that I felt so prepared. Of course I didn't know the step-by-step of it all, but I didn't feel surprised by anything. Honestly though, I'm not sure I would have been exactly "surprised" by anything, even if I hadn't been well-prepared.
By the way, my temple dress is just about the prettiest ones ever. To be truthful, I felt so pretty all day yesterday, and even though I know it's just a stupid girl thing for me to avoid mirrors (I typically do-- maybe I'm a witch or vampire or whatever), whenever I'd actually look and acknowledge myself, I was just taken aback by how beautiful I felt and know that I looked. I don't even feel vein admitting that, because as they say, the spirit is a great beautifier and I was where I needed to be, doing the things I need to be doing, and my image reflected that. It's amazing how the spirit can, and does, so absolutely manifest itself physically.
A final note on temple-related things: I was right about the 34 Regulars. I went back to the distribution center today for 30 (Petite on the bottom) and HURRAH FOR ISRAEL they actually fit. It was laughable before. Seriously swimming around in drisilque. Seriously so funny.
Oh, and then Ames came over and we sat on the couch for a while because I was just WORN OUT, and somehow we ended up snoogling on the floor and kind of fell asleep and I almost thought he wouldn't even leave, and I think he almost thought he wouldn't even leave, but he finally left at like 2, and I felt great about having him with me there for that long entirely.
This morning I got up early to start curling away at my hair for the bridal photo session that was supposed to take place. After all the sponge curlers were in place, I decided to spend some time on facebook while my hair dried, only to find a FACEBOOK MESSAGE from our photographer that we'd have to reschedule. It was the worst, most sinking feeling in the world, mostly because there's already been drama and I knew my parents would probably just lose it. Mom came over for a different reason entirely, whereupon I started bawling, and then she went all Mama Bear on the world. It was great. I love my mom so much. Then Ames was there and there was a lot of love and loving and I love them both (in different ways, obvi).
I went ahead and practiced my hair anyway, and determined I'll probably have to let it set overnight, which I'm fine about, but even today as I have it all pinned up and everything, I like it a lot. I put on the dress with the veil-poof at HCTO when I went to try on petticoats, and it looks great, and I had friends there to coo over it, and Ames to pout behind the curtain that he couldn't see, and so photography drama aside, life is pretty great.
And I mean, there's the issue of our house that's "not for sale" even though it's now being represented by a realtor, and the price has gone down drastically, and it's listed as "Low Price for Quick Sale!" sooo... we're going to sit down with the landlords who live above us, and who assured me not two weeks ago that we/they won't be moving, and who said they'd give us three months notice "if" we need to move, and ask these questions:
1. Do we need to be looking for a new place to live?
2. Does this mean we need to have a new place by November (aka three months)?
3. Why did we sign a contract for July 2010 if we're going to move by/before November 2009?
4. Whether or not we're moving, can you please finally put that outlet into the bathroom?
5. Also fix the door?
6. Also fix the windowsill in the living room?
7. Also paing the front door?
8. Also fix the sink in the bathroom, all like you said you would?
9. If not, we're assuming it's cool to just give you $550 for September rent, since you gave us a break for August since none of that stuff was done yet?
10. Seriously, why did you even tell me we weren't even going to have to move?
After all this drama with our photographer, I'm just so set on being assertive from now on so that no one will walk over us anymore. Not that anyone should ever be walking over anyone, I'm just not going to be one of those people ever again that can be taken advantage of just because I'm nice and try to be understanding and dont' like confrontation. It's not okay. They shouldn't have let us sign a year-long contract if they knew they were going to sell the house. I'm sorry, but it's become painfully obvious that they cleaned up this apartment not for us, or any of the other 30 applicants, but to sell the house faster. It's a really bum deal, and I kind of don't know how anyone could do that to other people.
Anyway, so there it is. Now I'm just sitting in our back room, pretending to go through these boxes real quick and intent to clear lots and lots of stuff out this afternoon since Seven Peaks was closed today (HOORAY! THE CHURCH IS TRUE!) and I don't have anything else to do, AND because Ames is at his apartment packing up things to move in today!!! I'm so happy to have his stuff sleeping here this week, even if he can't sleep here too.
I love that boy. I love my wedding dresses (it's cool to have two. I'm pretty excited about that, and also recommend it). I love my house because it's mine (at least for now), and I love being a grown up. I love the church and the Lord for being okay with me taking on new responsibility. Things are a little bit up and down, but it's only the little, fluffy details that are up and down, and they hardly even matter.
Plus there will be custom fortune cookies at my reception, and how epic is that?
Ames came to the house at like five and we went to the temple at five-thirty. It wasn't even scary one bit. I'm kind of really confused why so many people felt it necessary to "warn" me or whatever about any kind of weirdness that I might be surprised by. 1. It wasn't weird. 2. It wasn't scary. 3. There were no animal sacrifices or nymphs dancing naked around campfires. 4. Since we were within a week of our wedding, Ames got to participate with me much more than he otherwise would have, and more than I even expected him to be able too.
It was actually really interesting. Of course I felt the spirit and it was a beautiful-- but also comfortingly realistic (in the sense that it was okay to laugh off nerves and talk about wedding plans with the other soon-to-be brides)-- experience, but mostly I was fascinated by the whole ordeal. I loved the inititory, you guys. Honestly, I foresee myself visiting often to participate in that quite often. There were a handful of very nice, very soft-spoken ladies to help (aka spoil) me along the way. I overheard one of the workers talking with my mom when I changing my clothes (for the 80th time-- Mormons do love to change clothing haha) about how she felt a very strong spirit with me, beaming from my "huge, beautiful brown eyes." That made me feel very nice and very special and that Heavenly Father was there with me the whole time. Which He was. And I know that.
There were two other girls in my sesion going through for the first time who were very nice, but kind of timid. When the assistant temple matron asked if we'd had a temple prep class, they said they hadn't completed the Sunday School class, which made me feel even more grateful that I felt so prepared. Of course I didn't know the step-by-step of it all, but I didn't feel surprised by anything. Honestly though, I'm not sure I would have been exactly "surprised" by anything, even if I hadn't been well-prepared.
By the way, my temple dress is just about the prettiest ones ever. To be truthful, I felt so pretty all day yesterday, and even though I know it's just a stupid girl thing for me to avoid mirrors (I typically do-- maybe I'm a witch or vampire or whatever), whenever I'd actually look and acknowledge myself, I was just taken aback by how beautiful I felt and know that I looked. I don't even feel vein admitting that, because as they say, the spirit is a great beautifier and I was where I needed to be, doing the things I need to be doing, and my image reflected that. It's amazing how the spirit can, and does, so absolutely manifest itself physically.
A final note on temple-related things: I was right about the 34 Regulars. I went back to the distribution center today for 30 (Petite on the bottom) and HURRAH FOR ISRAEL they actually fit. It was laughable before. Seriously swimming around in drisilque. Seriously so funny.
Oh, and then Ames came over and we sat on the couch for a while because I was just WORN OUT, and somehow we ended up snoogling on the floor and kind of fell asleep and I almost thought he wouldn't even leave, and I think he almost thought he wouldn't even leave, but he finally left at like 2, and I felt great about having him with me there for that long entirely.
This morning I got up early to start curling away at my hair for the bridal photo session that was supposed to take place. After all the sponge curlers were in place, I decided to spend some time on facebook while my hair dried, only to find a FACEBOOK MESSAGE from our photographer that we'd have to reschedule. It was the worst, most sinking feeling in the world, mostly because there's already been drama and I knew my parents would probably just lose it. Mom came over for a different reason entirely, whereupon I started bawling, and then she went all Mama Bear on the world. It was great. I love my mom so much. Then Ames was there and there was a lot of love and loving and I love them both (in different ways, obvi).
I went ahead and practiced my hair anyway, and determined I'll probably have to let it set overnight, which I'm fine about, but even today as I have it all pinned up and everything, I like it a lot. I put on the dress with the veil-poof at HCTO when I went to try on petticoats, and it looks great, and I had friends there to coo over it, and Ames to pout behind the curtain that he couldn't see, and so photography drama aside, life is pretty great.
And I mean, there's the issue of our house that's "not for sale" even though it's now being represented by a realtor, and the price has gone down drastically, and it's listed as "Low Price for Quick Sale!" sooo... we're going to sit down with the landlords who live above us, and who assured me not two weeks ago that we/they won't be moving, and who said they'd give us three months notice "if" we need to move, and ask these questions:
1. Do we need to be looking for a new place to live?
2. Does this mean we need to have a new place by November (aka three months)?
3. Why did we sign a contract for July 2010 if we're going to move by/before November 2009?
4. Whether or not we're moving, can you please finally put that outlet into the bathroom?
5. Also fix the door?
6. Also fix the windowsill in the living room?
7. Also paing the front door?
8. Also fix the sink in the bathroom, all like you said you would?
9. If not, we're assuming it's cool to just give you $550 for September rent, since you gave us a break for August since none of that stuff was done yet?
10. Seriously, why did you even tell me we weren't even going to have to move?
After all this drama with our photographer, I'm just so set on being assertive from now on so that no one will walk over us anymore. Not that anyone should ever be walking over anyone, I'm just not going to be one of those people ever again that can be taken advantage of just because I'm nice and try to be understanding and dont' like confrontation. It's not okay. They shouldn't have let us sign a year-long contract if they knew they were going to sell the house. I'm sorry, but it's become painfully obvious that they cleaned up this apartment not for us, or any of the other 30 applicants, but to sell the house faster. It's a really bum deal, and I kind of don't know how anyone could do that to other people.
Anyway, so there it is. Now I'm just sitting in our back room, pretending to go through these boxes real quick and intent to clear lots and lots of stuff out this afternoon since Seven Peaks was closed today (HOORAY! THE CHURCH IS TRUE!) and I don't have anything else to do, AND because Ames is at his apartment packing up things to move in today!!! I'm so happy to have his stuff sleeping here this week, even if he can't sleep here too.
I love that boy. I love my wedding dresses (it's cool to have two. I'm pretty excited about that, and also recommend it). I love my house because it's mine (at least for now), and I love being a grown up. I love the church and the Lord for being okay with me taking on new responsibility. Things are a little bit up and down, but it's only the little, fluffy details that are up and down, and they hardly even matter.
Plus there will be custom fortune cookies at my reception, and how epic is that?