Wedding Wonderfulness.

I have a confession: I have gotten so behind in blogland that it's difficult to even begin a blog post.  

Let's start with the obvious.  I'm the new Mrs. Hall and I couldn't be more happy about it.  

I know newlyweds say this all the time, but married life is absolutely incredible.  I think I have, hands down, the best husband in the history of husbands.  Caden has been so great through the entire wedding planning, wedding day, honeymoon, and post wedding.  

Pre-wedding was stressful.  I did really great up until a week before the wedding.  I attended my first day of class for my last semester of RN school.  They unloaded an insane amount of homework that threw my emotions for a loop.   I had a quiz to do that was 100 questions.  The questions were anything and everything related to nursing.  Just a tad overwhelming.   I took it, got a 60%.   Took it again, got a 69%.   Cried.   Took it again, got a 72%.  Cried some more.   Took it again, got a 74%.   At this point, I'm bawling hysterically.   The questions are different every time, so there is no way for me to cheat.  I'm trying to google answers.  Trying to look them up in text books.  Caden is helping me google questions on his phone.  My mom is trying to rationalize answers with me.   I take it again, get a 79%.   I need an 80% to pass this blasted test.  So, I call my professor and I'm sobbing hysterically.  I explain to her that I can not possibly take this test one more time.  Each time I take it, it takes me 2 hours.  I've spent a total of 14 hours on this test.  ALL DAY LONG.   She tells me to take it one more time, if I don't get an 80% she will consider it a "learning lesson" and give me credit.  I take it one more time, for the SEVENTH time, and I finally get an 80%.    And that's just the first day of RN school, folks.   Holy hannah.    We do one of those quizzes every week.  Sometimes, it's two quizzes a week.   Each time it takes me at least 3 hours.  Each time it involves lots of crying.   And every time, it involves Caden at my side helping me anyway he can.  What a gem.

Wedding day was absolutely beautiful.  I woke up to a sun shining day.  We had heard it was supposed to rain all day.  I refused to have a rainy wedding day.  So, by the power of prayer and faith--we had sunshine.   :)    I spent the morning with my sisters and Caden's family setting up for our wedding.  We put up tables, chairs, decorations, candy, cakes, cupcakes, etc. all in about 3 hours.   Caden and I were both in our comfies and both completely relaxed.   I kept asking him, "You nervous?!" and he would smile, kiss me and say "No way."    And truth is, he really wasn't.  Neither of us were.   I felt completely at ease.  Totally relaxed.  And so excited I felt like I would wiggle right out of my dress.   

After setting up, I left Caden and told him the next time he'd see me was at the alter.   My sisters and Mom and I left Caden's parents and went home for some ham fried rice from maple gardens.  My most favorite pleace ever.  HEAVENLY.   Could this day get any better?  Ham fried rice.  Spending the day with my mom and sisters.  Marrying my best friend.  Uhhh, I love it.    I got dressed and ready in about an hour.  I didn't trust anyone enough to do my hair or makeup, so I locked myself in the bathroom and wouldn't come out until it was done.   An hour later, I was ready to rock and roll.   

We had my entire line of girls at my house getting dressed and applying make up.  We finally piled into my mom's care and we headed back to Caden's parents for the show to begin.   I sat in Caden's Mom's room and Caden stayed downstairs.  I didn't want him to see me before the ceremony, and I didn't let him see my dress.  Everyone headed outside, the ceremony began, and I waited for my cue music.   When I finally saw Caden, I didn't see anyone else.  I got tunnel vision and I only remember me and him.   He smiled.  I cried.  And before I knew it, we were husband and wife.   It couldn't have gone any better.  It was absolutely beautiful.   I was a happy, happy, happy bride.   It was completely magical.

We spent our first night together as husband in wife in our apartment.  We had it ready for us to stay in, our stuff was moved in and we had minimal groceries.  Just enough to keep our tummies full until we flew to mexico the next day.   Saturday we woke up, opened ALL of our presents, packed our suitcases, and headed to Mexico.   

Mexico should be an entirely new post.   It was the best time I have ever had with another person.  Caden made me laugh ALL day long.  We would just lay in bed and laugh together.   We did a lot of the tours: we went to the Mayan ruins of Chitza Nitza, we shopped at playa de carma, we snorkeled in the reef, we spent the day at the pool, and we laughed and laughed and laughed some more.   No phone.  No computer.  No anything to worry about.  Just me and my Caden in Mexico.  H E A V E N L Y.   

Now we are home and life is just as incredible as I could imagine.   Caden is the best husband in the whole world.  He makes me dinner while I'm at school, he does the laundry, he paints the house, etc.  He spoils me rotten and he makes me happier than anyone can ever make me.  

Life is incredible.   This blog needs way more attention and way more detail to explain everything.   We don't have internet and I don't have my camera with me, but eventually I will post the pictures.  I'll tell more detail.  And you will know how incredible all this is.   

The end, for now.

Mormon Message: Chats with Janelle.

The other night I was visiting with one of my BFFs. She and I got on the topic of religion, somehow someway. We talked about how she was raised in the church, and how I definitely wasn't. And we talked about how I've come to feel about the church, now that I've become active again and grown up a bit.


My thoughts about the church are mostly this: Even if it's 100% hogwash, even if it's completely untrue and some bogus religion that someone made up, even then I still am grateful to be a part of it because it's changed my life for the very best. My religion has set some goals and some boundaries for me that have put my life on a better track and helped me to better myself. That can't be a bad thing, right?

When I was not active, I thought the church was only for the best of people. I thought the church was for those people who were perfect, did nothing wrong, or those who lied about their "sins'. I wanted no part in that because I wasn't ready to live a perfect life. And now, I realize how silly that is. People used to tell me that the church was for sinners, not saints. I remember thinking that was such a silly thing to say, but now I can understand what they meant. The church has helped me to better myself by setting some goals for myself and setting limits. I know what I want to do and where I want to go with my life, and I know what I don't want to do and what I don't want in my life. The church gives me some awesome counselors and guidance teams to help me progress to where I want to be. All for free, by the way. Uhhh, sign me up for that, please.

Lastly, the church has an incredible support system unlike anything I've ever seen. When my Grandpa died, the people in my Aunts ward brought over loads and loads of dinners and sweets to make sure we didn't have to cook during a difficult time. People were willing to help with the services, to transport flowers, to do whatever we needed of them. For the wedding, people from the ward have offered to serve our treats, to help set up tables, to be there for anything we need. Whenever someone is sick/ill/hurt, it's announced in our Sunday service and people come out from the woodworks just to help in any way that they can. It's an incredible system and I love everything about it.

How I've lived my entire life without the church is beyond me. Even if you take away the God, the prayer and the eternal marriage; even if you take away the temples, the ceremonies, the scriptures; even if you take away all the incredible 'church' things about the church, it's STILL an incredible place to be. Now, add all of those awesome spiritual things on top of this already incredible church and it blows my mind. What an awesome thing to be a part of and I'm so very grateful I found the church when I did.

Amen.