Merry Christmas!

Yes, I know I am a bit late. It still counts though, right?

Christmas was wonderful, as usual. We got the tree up soon after Thanksgiving and I decided that I must be getting better at my decorating job, as it only took me less than 2 hours to transform my house into a winter wonderland, tree and all.



We were unusually busy this month, with something going on every weekend. We were asked to decorate the ward Christmas party, which shouldn't have been hard, but it was. Alexander was also the guest of honor that night as he was transformed into Santa Claus. I made the suit and was actually quite surprised at how good he looked! Oh, and most of the kids loved him. ;)






On Tuesday, Dec 22, we decided to keep one of the puppies from my parent's dog. Alexander must really love me a lot, because he wasn't too thrilled about the idea. The puppy adds quite a bit of excitement to our quiet home and it will take a some time to get used to her. Alexander named her Lady Godiva and she has been a pretty good pup, all things considering. Right now we are working on teaching her to do her business outside, don't nip or bite, and not to chew on cords, shoes, etc. She is learning fairly quickly and with a little bit of time she will be a very good dog.





We spent Christmas Eve visiting my grandparents and singing carols together. I think this is a nice tradition that we should continue. Plus, they loved the puppy, who was so good, she slept the whole time.

Christmas morning we slept late and took our time getting ready. I made a nice breakfast and we opened presents, letting Godiva have the wrapping paper. That afternoon we went down to my parent's house for dinner and games.




All around it was a wonderful holiday, and a great relief from work.

Wedding Planner: The person you pay to be stressed out for you

I have been MIA for the past few months. I did think about writing, and then I thought about how I had nothing to say.

Life is going about the same as always for us, busy and crazy. As can tell from the Elegantly Expressed blog, we have had a good amount of weddings. They have all turned out well, though some were more insane than others.

I have been getting more and more into the wedding planning aspect of things. It's much more difficult and requires an insane amount of patience, effort, organization, and time. As I am naturally rather bossy, it works out well. However, the wedding I did on Nov 27 was enough of a challenge to convince me that had I been a novice, I might have died.

For this particular wedding I was hired on towards the end of the planning process as a "day of coordinator". This means that the bride plans everything, gets all her vendors, and does most of it herself but hires someone to make sure everything runs smoothly that day. It usually involves some decoration, some floral design, and a lot of energy. I am truly convinced that this is much more difficult than if I have planned the entire wedding. Even though I'm hired for "one-day", I am not only working the wedding day, but also the whole week before to coordinate schedules with the florist, the cake decorator and the caterers and various other types of prep work.

This wedding day was sort of a mini disaster. I was in charge of decorating tables, chair sashes and overlays, and a chocolate fountain with all its yummy dipping foods. Everything I was supposed to do turned out awesome, but because I wasn't able to recommend my preferred vendors, the ones the bride contracted were sub-par and over-priced.

First case in point: the florist. This supposedly professional florist was paid very well for specific items and to deliver and set-up, but the week before, the florist claimed to not know she was supposed to deliver them. She was going out of town and it was impossible. Let's pause for a moment and discuss professional responsibility: IF YOU TAKE ON A WEDDING, YOU ARE BEING HIRED FOR THAT DAY! YOU SET IT ASIDE IN YOUR SCHEDULE. IF IT CONFLICTS WITH SOMETHING ELSE, DON'T TAKE THAT CLIENT! Okay, excuse my rant. I called the florist and informed her that the flowers would be delivered and I would be expecting them at 4:00. She could not refuse.

The flowers arrived at 4:00, delivered by the florist's sister who knew next to nothing of what she was doing. She expected me to put all the centerpieces together, but I didn't get paid for that nor did I have the time so I kindly asked her if she could take care of it. She spent the next hour on the phone as her sister walked her through everything she was supposed to do. I thought the flowers looked good (not knowing was was expected by the bride) and sent her on her way. Soon after, the mother of the bride arrived and promptly freaked out about the centerpieces. They were supposed to have 6 calla lilies in each of them. Instead, they had 3 callas and a huge bunch of bear grass. I explained that I would be happy to help if desired, but there was little I could do about missing flowers.

Ten minutes later I get called away from my current work again because there was no cake topper. They had ordered a cake topper of white flowers but the florist hadn't brought one. I had to create something for it so I rounded up a couple of spare flowers and created an elegant topper. I was actually amazed that it looked as good as it did.

The caterers in the kitchen had no idea what they were doing and had brought none of their own equipment. They kept asking me where various things were and if I had any of what they needed. That frustrated me because I was also catering the chocolate fountain portion and I always bring everything I will need with me. Then, they left early before everyone had a chance to eat and took all the food with them. I couldn't believe it.

Because this was a Hispanic wedding, a Mariachi band was hired, but the singer's mic was way too loud and he was always flat. I had a headache within minutes. Oh, and to top it all off, during the dancing, the DJ got super annoying by cutting out in the middle of EVERY song and making people sing a couple lines A Capella. I can understand the occasional YMCA, but after ten songs like this, it gets really old.

Despite the drama, the actual reception went really well. The mother of the bride was so pleased with my staff and I that she gave us a very large tip. However, the next morning I awoke with a very nasty cold, obviously the result of stress. Such is my life.

My next wedding is a bit of a risk for me in a number of ways, but we can discuss that later. In the meantime we will just cross our fingers. :)

Random Ramblings

Today I am sooo tired! I just want to crawl back into bed and cuddle with my sweet husband. There's no real reason for the tiredness, a sure sign I am getting old.
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Last night I went to a viewing of my Grandma's sister. It reminded me all over again why I avoid my father's side of the family. Oh, and as a side-note, I am so sick of my younger cousin being the favorite simply because she was stupid enough to get pregnant at 19 and has a little baby. While attempting to speak with my grandparents, my grandma ignored me and began to tell the woman next to her about her granddaughter who just had a baby. Ugh!
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I am in charge of the Elders Quorum activity (one of those wifely-support callings). I decided we will have a Halloween Carnival. I am in the process of trying to make it sound really fun so my family will help me... I am so pathetic...lol. However, the carnival should be fun, complete with cake walk, bean-bag toss, homemade skee ball, and anything else I can think of.
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Last Friday I had my performance review with my boss. She said that when I first applied for the job and came in for the interview the thing that stuck out most about me was how gracious I was. She said that I have an eloquence and grace that will allow me to conquer the world. I was astonished.
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One of my managers just gave me a white cheddar cheese puff to try. It was delicious! Yesterday he had us try little treats made of sesame seeds and honey. He just moved into the office across from me and I think I am beginning to like the arrangement. :)
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I am having a hard time with friends who can't hang out with me because they have homework. I have a couple of friends who went back to college after I had already graduated and I just can't get a handle on that. I feel like we should all be in the same place. However, this will probably never be the case. Eventually they will be done with homework, but I will be in Grad school and have my own homework. This is a bad cycle. Who needs homework anyway?
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I am wearing a scarf today, my first for the Fall/Winter 2009 season. It makes me feel trendy. :) To top that off, I also wore my new, white, wool coat to work. Pure Happiness! :)

Cast Away

As you may or may not know, on Monday I got my cast taken off (hallelujah!). The doctor was pleased with the progress and warned me to not do anything stupid or clumsy. He obviously doesn't know me very well.

The doctor had stitched it up using traditional thread, rather than dissolving stitches to reduce the scarring. I am embarrassed to say, that when the doctor pulled them out, it hurt more than a little bit and I honestly nearly fainted right there. The doctor was talking to me about what I was supposed to do and then he suddenly stopped and ask me if I was all right. I really wasn't, so he made me lie down, jokingly telling me that it was bad for business to have patients fainting in the waiting room.

After regaining some dignity, I left. Later that night, once the pain had gone down a little bit, we took off the wrap to see how it looked. Honestly, I don't know what to say other than it was disgusting. We decided to take a picture so that all of you who missed out would still get to see. However, most of the pictures are too graphic, so I will just show one from a different angle. I had bled a lot and my foot was dyed kinda red and the skin was majorly dry. You can also see where the doc wrote "yes" on my foot to reassure himself he was cutting the correct one.



Here is a better image after we soaked and bathed it, not nearly so disgusting.



For now, I have to keep my ankle wrapped up and protected. It is still swollen, so my normal shoes don't fit. Luckily I have a very fashionable (so sarcastic) surgical shoe to wear until I can force my foot in a shoe. My recovery is going well, I just have to continue being careful with how far I push myself and hopefully I will be good as new soon.

And finally, here is a pic of me on Alexander's birthday, 2 days after surgery.

Some Animal Magnetism

Yesterday my darling, sweet husband indulged me and took me to the zoo to see the baby animals. I had been begging for weeks, but he had been reluctant due to my being a cripple. I convinced him that we could rent a motorized wheelchair and he consented. So, bright and early, (11:00am) we headed up to the zoo. The weather was perfect, warm with a light breeze. I was VERY excited. I refused the crutches knowing that it wouldn't be a far walk to the fancy wheelchair and hobbled up to the ticket window. After purchasing our tickets we sidled over to the bored teenager working the wheelchair place.

Bored Teenage Boy: "Uh... we don't have any... I think... Yeah, uh, you can get the regular one and maybe like trade it in later if one shows up and just pay the difference."
Alexander: "Oh, will they let us do that?"
Bored Teenage Boy: "Actually, I don't really know."
Alexander: "I see. Well, I guess we will just take what you have then."

He was my hero! He was willing to brave the hills and the trails pushing me up and down just because he loved me! I need to write a ballad of that feat.

We saw the three baby tigers, the snow leopard cub, the baby giraffe, and the baby elephant (plus all the regular sized animals). They were so adorable!

Here are some of our favorite pictures:


He was close enough to touch!


BABY SNOW LEOPARD!! :)


I am in love with the Red Pandas!


Hey, I'm just chillin'!


Hey Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom!


Boy this skin is itchy!


Love these mud baths!


Peek-a-boo!


Surprise, it's wet!


Umm...Help? This guy was a hoot!

It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times

Fortunately, it was Friday.

Unfortunately, I still had to go to work.

Fortunately, it didn't take me long to get ready.

Unfortunately, even though I had slept through the night, I was still exhausted.

Fortunately, I was able to lie down for a few minutes after getting ready.

Unfortunately, I fell asleep for 20 minutes.

Fortunately, I was able to walk down the stairs by myself.

Unfortunately, I didn't actually walk down the stairs by myself. I fell down half of the stairs and Alexander had to help me the rest of the way.

Fortunately, I didn't break anything or cry (out loud).

Unfortunately, it just convinced me that I really should have stayed in bed this morning. Some mornings are not meant to be spent out of bed.

Fortunately, my boss has been very nice about me being late this week (which has been nearly every day).

Unfortunately, I was already nearly an hour late for work.

Fortunately, I finally got to work and found no emails or phone calls waiting for me (it was a miracle!).

Unfortunately, I am at work.


Here's to hoping the weekend doesn't suck!

The Consequence of Being Stubborn

My husband has reminded me that I haven't actually taken the time to explain to everyone my current physical condition. I tried to explain that I did updated my status on Facebook, a lot, but he says Facebook doesn't count.

About a year ago (June 2008) I severely sprained my ankle running down my stairs (yay me!) and a week later jaunted off to England to promptly ruin it. After two weeks of walking on the hugely swollen appendage I essentially closed all possibilities of ever healing properly.

Fast forward a year to June 2009 when I decided enough was enough. I took myself to the orthopedic doctor and set out to correct my problems. He fussed about my flat feet, my swollen ankle, took x-rays, gave me a cortisone shot (so painful!) and orthopedic inserts and we waited. The ankle got worse.

Two weeks ago I got an MRI to see how bad the damage really was. On Monday, Aug 17, I went in to the doctor to discuss the results and they weren't very pretty. I had torn my anterior ligament and a cyst had formed. I also had a bone spur in an inconvenient location. He recommended immediate surgery. So on Wednesday, Aug 19, I went in early in the morning to get everything fixed.

Needless to say, I was a nervous wreck and my poor, sweet husband almost made me cry as they wheeled me to the operating room. It wasn't really a big deal, but it felt like it was. I woke up an hour later as they were wrapping my foot up in a very warm cast. I remember thinking how nice the anesthesiologist was as he acknowledged my awakening.

Turns out the damage was even worse than they had expected. The ligament was torn almost all the way through and was only being held together by a few "threads". Had we waited much longer I would have inevitability tripped doing something stupid and it would have torn completely apart. That would have been much worse.

I was kept in recovery for awhile as they tried to keep my breathing up. This was actually a valid concern as my body didn't feel the need to breath and my oxygen levels kept dropping. They finally released me to go home a few hours later.

I am doing much better now. I am able to get up and move around provided I have the support of crutches. I also was blessed to be able to borrow a wheelchair for those places where a lot of walking is necessary. I am still exhausted and sore but thankful to be off of the percocet which made me very ill. I have to keep the cast on for four more weeks and get it off on Sept 21. At that time I will finally be able to see if I have a cool scar.

Let this be a lesson to all of you who think that things will always heal themselves and that doctors are quacks. :)

Blue Tinted Glasses

Today I am sad. Maybe it's because my emotional well-being has been spliced together with the pain of my ankle. I'm not really sure. I would blame the pain meds, but I stopped taking them (my doctor is not pleased with this decision). I guess I just feel a bit like a loser.

I have always had a very high sense of self-worth. Usually this is a healthy thing, although I am sure that it has also allowed me to justify when I don't quite measure up on every scale. I have always felt like a very capable individual with lots of talent and potential. However, very rarely, I sometimes feel like a big failure, like all the potential I had was wasted and thrown out the window with the dishwater. This is how I am feeling today.

I started thinking about all the things I have succeeded at and then how I was able to screw each one up horrendously. Like, for example, today we had a salsa competition at work. Not really a big deal, more like a game than anything. However, I really needed a win in my court. I tried to create something unique, something that my co-workers wouldn't be able to deny voting for. The result was strawberry salsa and it wasn't half bad. People even seemed to like it. However, the same guy that won last year won again this year. Typical. Not a big deal, and yet...

I used to be a co-host on a game themed podcast. I loved it! I was awesome and funny and the listeners liked me. And then I got in a rather serious disagreement with the director. I was hurt, offended, and belittled. I couldn't think of ever returning to do the show with him, so I quit. That was a month ago. Today all I can think about is how much I loved what I did and how fun it was. I miss it. Missing things makes me cry.

A couple of weeks ago I attended a luncheon at a conference my work was holding for master trainers. I couldn't help but notice the conference planner scurrying around, making sure everything was ready and perfect. I used to be the one planning conferences and scurrying around. I also left that job of my own volition. Granted, I had a good reason, but I was reminded by how much I truly enjoyed being in charge of everything for a "live event". My current job has me still planning events, but they are nation-wide trainings and I never get to be on-site. So I miss being a conference planner too.

Today I am even sad for things I have never had as an adult like a backyard, children, a puppy, a pussy-willow kitten face kitten, and a master's degree.

I hope you understand that this is not my usual state of being, that I am not always down and depressed. However, writing is cathartic for me and so it seems that when my emotions differ from my usual sunshine outlook I need to write them down. Because this blog is my space to do that you may see more of the sadness than the sunshine.

Tomorrow I will probably be back to "normal" and the foolish tears will be gone but for now I am sad and I guess that's okay.

Things That Make Me Happy :)

Summer thunderstorms - the smell of the clean air, the anticipation of the next crack of thunder, the calming rhythm of the rain.

My husband's smile when I walk in the door after a long day of work - he is adorable and I love him!

Pussywillow Kitten Face - the name I gave the sweetest little kitten that lives on my parent's back porch.

Swimming in solitude - nothing can compare to being encased in glorious water while enjoying the company of only your closest family.

Singing at my fullest capacity, sailing over the high notes without effort.

Tomatoes and cucumbers, together with salt..yummy!

Weekends where I don't have to work (unfortunately, they are few and far between).

Completing a wedding and knowing it was exactly what the bride and groom wanted.

Traveling - going anywhere and doing anything. Road trips are simply awesome with my husband. We have the best time!

My incredible bed, especially after the traveling. Nothing says welcome home like the cool, clean sheets of my intelli-gel bed. It was well worth what we paid for it.

Birthday Memories

When I was about 5 years old or so, my parents had a little birthday party for me. I remember sitting in the kitchen with kids from the neighborhood. I remember eating cake and wondering why there were so many kids there.

When I was a couple years older, maybe 7 or 8, I had requested the Barbie Makeup Head. Supposedly it came with real makeup that you could put on and take off. I was very excited when I opened up the present from Mom and Dad and saw the shiny, fake hair and plastic smile of the "life-sized" Barbie head. When I opened the makeup, however, it was also shiny and plastic. This was simply not good and I was heartbroken. I cried and threw a temper-tantrum. I distinctly remember the sadness on Mom's face as she said they couldn't afford the "real-make-up" doll. I went to my room and came back 5 minutes later feeling very contrite about the selfishness of my actions. This birthday memory has haunted me ever since.

When I turned 8, I received my first hair crimper from my cousin. It was pink and marked a life-changing event in the history of my hair. The lovely crimper served me well for the next 15 years. That same day we had a party in my Grandma's backyard, complete with blue tarp slip and slide. Totally worth the bruised knees!

On my 10th birthday, I had a birthday party with my friends from school. I had just discovered the amazing-ness of Moose Bars and boldly told my mother that I did not want ice cream for my party, only Moose Bars. Glorious little treats, I think my mother was actually relived to not serve ice cream.

On one of my pre-teen birthdays (I can't remember which), Grandma came to my house and told me that a good thing to do on my birthday would be to do "A Hundred Pick-up" (also known as cleaning up). I told Grandma that it was my birthday and I didn't want to clean. Then I felt bad and cleaned up anyway. Stupid guilt trips...

On my long-awaited 16th birthday, my friend Marie invited me over to her house. After a couple of hours, she said she had a camp meeting so she had to take me home (she could drive almost an entire year before me). Upon arriving home, I walked into the family room only to be ambushed by all of my friends. It was awesome and the only surprise party I have ever been given. We had water balloons and a pinata and I was overwhelmed by how awesome everyone was. I still love all you guys!

Ten years after my 16th birthday, I am at work, sitting in my office. I am trying to act cool, like today is just any other day, but I really appreciate the special attention my friends, family, and co-workers have shown me. When I arrived this morning at work, I was greeted by the banner and bouquet my co-worker had brought me (she rocks!). All the girls here at work went out to lunch to celebrate and we ate gelato. Around 2:30, everyone from our department came in singing Happy Birthday and making a lot of noise. Most of my siblings have called or texted, and dear friends have sent birthday wishes via phone calls and facebook. And finally, but not least of all, my sweet husband took me shopping yesterday and made sure I was taken care of. So thank you to everyone who made me feel special today on my 26th birthday.

Hopefully we can spend many more birthdays together sharing our friendship and happiness. I love you all!!

Current Emotions

No matter how old I get, it's always hard for me to endure the disappointment that comes from expecting and wanting something so badly, only to find that no matter what you do, you can't have it. Even as an adult, this is difficult. Or maybe, ESPECIALLY as an adult, because I fully recognize the sort of dwindling hope I still have and consequently I have to consciously buoy it up in order to save myself from total despair.

This is made even more unbearable by the realization that what I want is something so many other people have. Something that can be easy to obtain for others, but is seemingly impossible for me.

I feel very vulnerable and inadequate. As I am a firm believer in God and the role he plays in my life, I have to believe that there is a reason for my requests to be denied or postponed. However, I don't know the reason and I feel instead unworthy, not good enough to receive my heart-felt desires. Faith argues to be strong, to wait it out. The natural man inside of me struggles, fighting with logic and asking how long I should wait and why no one has explained it to me.

In a few minutes I will put my smile back on and pretend I have no worries, no sorrows, and no lingering self-doubts, because I have to. I have to keep going, to endure it well.

**Note: This post is not intended to evoke pity or sorrow from the reader, rather it is a self-exploration of emotion. To understand myself better and thus continue to carry on as I have for so long now.

Slightly Hysterical "History" about the American Independence Day

Being an aspiring historian with expertise in Colonial America makes the 4th of July a very interesting holiday. Already knowing all the history and tiny details surrounding our nation's birthday allows me to sit back and watch everyone else who is still attempting to learn that history. In most cases, this turns out to be pretty funny, especially since people generally have a great deal of pride they are trying to protect. One cannot seem weak or unintelligent in today's world, so they pretend and think no one else is smart enough to know the difference.

Entertaining historically inspired situations that enlivened my weekend:

- Turning on the History channel Thursday night I learned that the Masons founded the United States of America and are still working on achieving their "New World Order" which consists of them running the world their way. The sad part of this is that many people think that if it's on the History channel, it must be true. I can only imagine how many conspiracy nuts were created by the airing of this fictional documentary.

- In a separate documentary I also learned the the secret society of the Skull and Bones at Yale is the primary rival of the Masons and that they are far more successful in terms of infiltrating the political system than the Masons currently are. This one might actually be true... ;)

- A guest at a get-together I attended was downright upset when the host said that the 4th of July wasn't as big in her family as the 24th of July. He promptly freaked out and refused to listen to the rational reasons the host was struggling to provide. The real reason why her family (and mine as well) celebrates the 24th more exuberantly is not because of Pioneer Day exactly. It really has to do with the fact that our hometown city celebrates Fiesta Days on the 24th, and boy, as a child that was one of the best days of the year! (I actually told this guy we weren't patriotic just to make him mad...)
*Note to readers: Patriotism is NOT a religion and saying you enjoy a different holiday more than Independence Day is NOT blasphemous, nor should people be offended by it. Personally, I might actually argue that it's blasphemous to be so patriotic.
***For more info on my personal opinions on Independence Day, please refer to my blog post of July 5, 2007.

- Later, this same guest was again upset at my husband (a genius of a historian) when Alexander told him that the 1812 Overture, that annually plays as the background music of the fireworks in DC, was actually written about the war between France and Russia and not the tiny skirmish in the US that happened to be a spill-over from the European War. Quote of the night: "No, it was written by a Russian, but it was about the American War of 1812. That was an important war. Why else would they play it at the fireworks?"
Why indeed? For the record, Alexander and I really hate American-centric thinking. We laughed the whole night home about his assumption that a Russian would care enough about some random new country thousands of miles away to write an entire, beautiful orchestration for it.

- While watching a re-run of the finale of the DC fireworks, the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps came out to play in typical colonial fashion. They were dressed to the nines in wigs, tricorn hats, and button-up shoes. Their uniforms were spot-on perfect, but they were wearing red coats. In light of the fact that the only thing most Americans know about the colonial British are their "Red Coats" I thought it was slightly funny. When I decided to make a joke about how ironic the outfits were, the same passionate person mentioned above thought it would be a good idea to argue with me. Second quote of the night: "What are you talking about? The Americans were such a rag-tag army that they wore anything they could get their hands on, so you can't say they never wore a redcoat."

Hmm, well, in actuality, the musicians of the army wore opposite colors of the regiments they were assigned (the revolutionaries wore blue accented with red, so the band wore red accented with blue) so the uniforms really were perfect. Despite this (since I doubt he knew this history) his argument is still lacking. While it is probable that the American army wore whatever they could find, if they had picked up a British red coat they probably would have turned the coat inside out so as to guarantee they weren't shot by their own side. Plus, I seriously doubt an entire regiment would be wearing only the red coats that they salvaged off the battlefield. Regardless, in light of the average American's knowledge or colonial uniforms, I still felt validated for making fun of it.

Anyway, despite my semantics and urge to debate, it was a fun weekend and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. We stuffed ourselves to the brim with hamburgers, bratwurst, Kalua pork and snow-cones and went to bed each night happy, contented and worn-out. I need more weekends like this. :)

Four Years Ago Today...

It was a beautiful Saturday and I had talked my boss into letting me get off work early to go to the last day of the Ancient Mediterranean exhibit at BYU. By 3:00 I had pulled into the parking lot and was ready to do some exciting historical studies.

Waiting in line at the ticket booth, I noticed a handsome, blond guy in front of me. He was wearing an expensive green polo style shirt and looked comfortable with his blue backpack in his hand. After paying the $3.00 fee, I walked in and was surrounded by the soft light and hushed voices that seem to always accompany our ancient treasures. I was greeted by archeological finds from Ancient Rome and was quickly immersed into my own personal study of each object on display. Lips pursed and brows knitted together, I barely noticed the people around me. Suddenly, 3 small children rushed by me, delighting in the opportunity to explore and play. Their loud laughter broke my concentration and I realized that I had been following the handsome young man I mentioned earlier. After peering in the same cases at the same time, I felt I should break the silence and acknowledge his existence.

"I don't think all these figurines were used for 'religious purposes'. I bet these were just their action figures."

He was kind enough to laugh and we started talking. I tried to show off a little bit of my historical knowledge when we came up the Minoans section (since I had written a large paper on the Minoans) and was surprised when he knew just as much as me. Further conversation proved that he could correctly pronounce Greek and Egyptian words and knew fascinating tidbits about everything in the entire exhibit. I was impressed and so when he invited me over to his apartment to watch a movie he had made, I agreed.

The movie showed a silly side of this too-good-to-be-true guy and I enjoyed getting to know that aspect of his personality. When it was over, we continued our conversation about anything and everything. Right as I was feeling awkward over whether to stay or go, he asked me out to dinner at PF Chang's. By the time dinner was over, I was clearly head-over-heels for this guy. I didn't want to leave so when he suggested a movie, I quickly accepted. We saw Hitch and laughed so hard we cried. Later we went for a walk around BYU. Surprising both of us, he kissed me in front of the Bell Tower and I knew right then that this was something special.

Seventeen months later on October 1st, 2006, the cute blond guy took me up Provo Canyon to Nunn's Park and proposed to me. We were later married on January 5, 2007.

Although it is not our wedding anniversary, I have always considered June 4 to be a very special day for me. It was the day I was blessed to meet my sweetheart, Alexander, and the day we unofficially started our life together. So, thank you darling for these 4 years of bliss and happiness. I will love you forever!

Bridal Etiquette: Chapter 1

The day dawned with a glorious light, deceiving me into thinking it would be a marvelous day. I awoke early, anxious to finish my big task of sewing table runners. The morning sun peeked through my living room curtains and the machine stitched away as I watched a revival of Saturday morning cartoons eerily familiar to those I watched 20 years ago. Strawberry Shortcake and Transformers graced the TV bringing back forgotten memories of childhood.

The revelry collapsed with the last stitch and reality crashed back as I rushed to accomplish everything I had to do. The next hour was comprised of running up and down the stairs to and from the basement to make sure everything was remembered, put in a box and checked off the clever inventory list I had created the day before. With the last wire and lantern in place we continued with our duties. Running to K-mart in desperation, I found the perfect black button-up shirts for all three of my employees (the boys) and ran to finish loading the trailer.

By 1:00 we were on the road to Salt Lake City, ready to conquer another wedding. However, the traffic was against us and we didn't arrive until nearly 3:00. My poor boys carried 8 heavy pillars up two flights of stairs. Luckily, the other things fit in the elevator. We rushed to put up two backdrops, hang lanterns, put on chair covers and ties and set up the chocolate fountains.

At 6:00 the reception was set to begin. As I was adjusting the chocolate fountains, I glanced over at the main floor, only to see a member of the bridal party attempting to move the backdrop back a foot. I recoiled in horror as my carefully crafted waves of fabric and yellow drape were pulled apart, leaving the pillars stripped, like bare bones. Running across the room, my frustration evident on my face, I approached the bride.

"What is going on?!"
"My dance floor isn't big enough. I need a bigger dance floor"
"Couldn't you have moved the tables back?" To this I received a blank stare. "Well, it's broken now, I have to fix it."
"Well, I didn't like where it was, so I had to move it....." She continued on her selfish mumbling as she sauntered towards a bridesmaid who would probably assure her that moving the backdrop one foot back was the right thing to do.

Tears stung my eyes as I grabbed my duct tape, the only tool available to me, and began my attempt to hurriedly fix the sad disaster. Behind me I could hear the bride exclaiming that her reception was supposed to start 10 minutes ago. Thoughts of frustration and hurt whirled through my eyes threatened to spill down my cheeks in the form of tears. I swallowed the lump in my throat and kept working. When it looked mostly decent, I ran back to the fountains to ensure they were running correctly.

And now to the bright spot of the evening: the chocolate fountains ran perfectly. Even when they were low on chocolate, the rivers ran evenly down the sides in a lovely cascade of brown satin. The only thing missing was the other food. I had not been contracted to do any of the dipping food. I looked around for one of the surplus bridesmaids and inquired as to who was in charge of the other food.

"Oh, uh...I don't think anyone is. We just thought, that, it would...kinda happen..."
Kinda happen? Really? It was immediately evident that they had expected me to do all the food. The bridesmaids huddled and realized that they were the only ones who would do it, so they scuttled off to the kitchen where Alexander was melting chocolate.

Please imagine your most typical valley girl voice direct at my patient husband: "Aren't you the caterer? Why aren't you working? None of this food is done!"

"Actually, I'm a decorator and I'm melting chocolate. We were not contracted to do any of the other food besides the fountains."

Finally, the food was brought up on platters by girls with scowls on their faces. Such lovely girls. We soon realized that they didn't have anyone clearing tables either, which flabbergasted me. It wasn't my job, but I decided to help, so I cleared off the tables and attempted to make the situation better.

When it came time to dance, no one but the bride was interested, so she kept going up to the DJ and telling him to announce different dances that would make people dance. "And now, for the dance of the bridesmaids and the groomsmen to dance together..... And now for the dance for the bridal party that everyone must dance...." etc. It was sort of hilarious. I could have promised her that no one would dance, but some brides insist on everything being exactly the way they imagine it.

I have decided that I really must write a book about bridal etiquette spiced up with excerpts of my exciting job. Does anyone else have any funny stories about wedding etiquette gone wrong?

All in a Day's Work

I am exhausted, but very proud of myself. I did a wedding today that had a new, very difficult feature. It had a dropped ceiling, and it actually looked good. It took a massive amount of time to figure out exactly what would be the best way to put it all up, but in the end we did an excellent job. The credit really should go to my best brothers, Bryce and Tyler who spent a good 5 hours working on the project with me. New things always take time to learn, and now that we know what we are doing we can cut the time in half for next time.

I am really excited to have a new product to offer my clients, and I feel that I can now have a really competitive edge. While I was putting the finishing touches on the room, the woman with the cake came. She looked around at the decorations and was really impressed. She told me that she is getting married in August and she loved my decorations so she got my name and phone number and promised to call. Awesome!

Anyway, tell me what you think!

Yay for Spring Bridal Fairs!

On Saturday I was able to participate in my fourth bridal fair. Like all the fairs before it, I suffered from lack of sleep and mild insanity. It seemed like everything was against me last week. I started out sick and behind the game, and I never really caught up. However, everything worked out.

I decided to play with the same color scheme as the last fair mostly because I love it so much. I decided that this was the only time I really got to do something fun my way, so I lived it up. I used the teal blue and lime green and added a touch of summer with dashes of coral. Oh how I loved it! I also tried out a different look with the backdrop and I liked the end result. Apparently my booth was one of those love it or hate it things, because one really rude girl exclaimed very loudly about how ugly it was. Oh well, I don't accept clients like that anyway.

We had a blast throughout the day. I was able to do some much needed networking with other vendors and, of course, met some awesome couples. I am very pleased with the end result and now I have my work cut out for me as I line up consultations and work out the crazy summer schedule.

Here are some pictures of the booth:





I was very proud of this one, as I put it together all by myself :)

Random Reflections

I have been so busy the last few weeks. I love being busy because it makes me feel like I am useful and that I am contributing to something. Unfortunately, this kind of busy has left me exhausted and vulnerable.

On Wednesday, without any warning at all, I got very sick. I thought it was a sinus infection because I had a sinus headache and all the bad stuff that goes with it, but then I think it turned into the flu and I have been rather miserable. Along with the sickness comes a forced break. I haven't done ANYTHING in 3 days! My house is a mess, my husband is forced to eat like a bachelor again, and my to-do list is getting longer and longer.

I cannot stand being forced to sit and do nothing for days on end. The only thing keeping me confined to bed is that I feel really yucky, which sounds like a lousy excuse to me. Out of desperation I finally called my mom yesterday to ask her for advice on miracle treatments to make me better within the hour. She didn't have any, but she did reprimand me for not telling her I was sick. Two hours later she was at my door with a pot of homemade chicken soup and fresh homemade bread! My mother is amazing!

So I sit here alone while my ever-faithful husband is at church fixing other people's problems. I have just run out of orange juice and I am trying to be reflective and religious while in my pajamas. It is Easter after all, the special day when we remember Christ's atoning sacrifice for man-kind. I am struck by the fact that the pain and sickness that I am currently enduring, Christ also suffered for me in Gethsemane, so that He would best "know how to succor His people." This is such an important piece of knowledge for me; it brings such comfort, yet it makes me sad that there are so many others who do not have this knowledge.

How blessed I am to know that Christ lives and to know that He is aware of me in my trials, however small they may be. I pray that we will each feel His spirit with us in our daily lives, whatever our current situations may be.

Despite my runny nose and cough, I cannot help but proclaim in my heart, "Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most High God!"

I Was Good, I Promise!

And that is basically all I have to say about our trip to visit the in-laws last week in Phoenix. I was good. It almost killed me, but I was good...mostly.

Sebastian (Alexander's brother) came home from his mission in Atlanta on Thursday so we drove down there to see him before life becomes busy for him again. It was pretty good. Despite that I had horrible allergies that turned into bronchitis, it wasn't a bad trip.

On the down we stayed in Vegas in the Stratosphere and while we were eating lunch in the restaurant at the top, the fire alarm went off. I had visions of running down 110 flights of stairs, but luckily it was a false alarm.







On Thursday we went to meet Sebastian at the airport. We thought we were 10 minutes early, but Sebastian's plane had arrived early as well. We got to the gate 30 seconds before he walked out of the gate. Phew!





I helped by keeping Sebastian's sunglasses safe while he got his luggage.



We were lucky to be able to stay at my in-law's cabin in Black Canyon, which is in the middle of the desert.

From the deck:


Trying to be cute:


In the Front Yard:



On the drive home we stopped at Montezuma Castle. This home was built by the Sinagua (which means "Without Water" in Spanish) around AD 1100 and is about 2 hours North of Phoenix. It's always nice to check out the local culture. We stopped here the last time we were in Phoenix two years ago, but we had forgotten the camera, so we had to come again.

Introducing: The Wedding Planner

*I apologize in advance for the long post*

Let me tell you about my job. Not my full-time Corporate Event Coordinator job, but my "part-time" wedding planner job. I have recently been accused of doing a job that "anyone can do" and of being a "cultural hall decorator" (which was said disdainfully and thus I take to mean that they think I have low quality decorations and no taste). In this post I hope to be able to enlighten my friends and family about what I am actually committing to when I take on a client. Hopefully I don't bore you to death with the tedious details. My job is a lot more complicated than simply putting up Christmas lights in a cultural hall.

I love, absolutely love, being a wedding planner/decorator. It has become a major passion in my life. My absolute goal is to always make the wedding better than the bride imagined it would be. Sometimes I am limited by the bride herself, but I strive nonetheless. If some of the weddings I have done are less than perfection it is only because I have been restrained by clients with small budgets and low expectations. I get giddy when a bride leaves a consultation really excited for her wedding. It means that I have done my job right and am earning my paycheck.

I have discovered that in order to be good at my job, I need to be really in-tune with my perceptive skills.

Before each consultation I take a careful study of what outfit I should wear. Because I have already figured out what kind of a person they are, I try to dress in a way that will gain the confidence and respect of my potential client (a consultation is simply a long, fancy advertisement to convince people to "buy my product"). I can tell when some brides want an over-the-top planner, like the ones they see on TV, and so I dress in classy (expensive-looking) black with modern accents. Some brides are shy and afraid of being intimidated. These people I try to connect with on a friend level and will wear trouser jeans with a hip blouse and dangling earrings.

Between the time I first talk to them on the phone and when we meet for a consultation, I need to have already developed a sense of who they are and what they want. In most cases I have only talked to them for about 10 minutes on the phone before they show up at my house. However, 8 out of 10 times I know which backdrop they will love and choose before showing them a single picture. I judge how well I am doing by how many pictures I need to show them during a consultation.

This is all before they even sign a contract! Getting a client to sign and commit is the number one, hardest part of the job but once it's signed, we celebrate. Getting a sale is cause for celebration for anyone in this tough economy.

With a signed contract and deposit in hand, I then proceed to buy the most expensive looking materials for the cheapest price. I am a highly-valued club member of Roberts, Michael's, and JoAnn's. I always shop with a 40-50% off coupon in my hand and at Robert's the cashiers know me as "the wedding decorator". I roam up and down aisles that I have been up and down dozens of times, trying to get my mind to work up a better way to make something new. At Michael's the staff now know that I'm not lost and that I will probably bug them about getting in 15 vases when they only have 2 in stock.

The week before a wedding I go crazy. Literally. I have 3 different lists and my work load ranges between 3-15 hours of last minute projects. If I am lucky the boxes are loaded, in the car with minutes to spare before driving at break-neck speeds to get to the venue on time. Once we are at the venue things are great if it is only me and my crew there. If family or (heaven-forbid) the bride herself is there, the stress level jumps about 10 notches. The average wedding takes about 3 hours to set-up, despite the fact that we run everywhere we go and I have 3 helpers. It just takes a lot of time. Sadly, about 2 hours of that I am standing on a ladder with my arms above my head trying not to poke wire underneath my fingernails.

Once the wedding is set-up I breathe a sigh of relief and pray nobody touches anything until I return that evening. I have been known to seriously lose my cool if I return to clean up and find tablecloths on the floor and LED lights missing. I just remembered that I forgot to include that clause on my contract: "Everything stays where it is until Elegantly Expressed returns to clean up that evening. I don't care if you ended 2 hours earlier than you thought, that is not my problem. You will sit and wait until I arrive before you even THINK of touching a table or a pillar."

Each wedding I do brings an immense satisfaction. I love being a part of the most important day in most couple's lives. It is a blessing to be able to contribute to their happiness.

So thanks for those of you who support me with encouraging words and positive comments. And those of you who think I am an amateur? Please tell me if you find anyone more devoted to their job than I am.

Shar's Wedding

I have known Sharylann for years, we used to work together planning conferences and workshops for a university. Her wedding was so exciting to plan, and it was a blast to be able to take part in all of the preparations.

Shar's colors were red and black with a real modern twist on traditional elegance. I think this wedding actually turned out to be one of my favorite's. We put up our most popular backdrop, draped it in gorgeous red (just like the for the Valentine's Dance) but I added some extra swag to the front to create a more graceful effect. To add a modern twist, I also added red and black spangle branches that I used in the centerpieces. It really tied the room together nicely.

The backdrop behind the cake was draped in black with a shiny red ribbon running through it. I loved it! It turned out perfectly . :)

In a clever attempt to decorate a blank wall, we put up large frames, scrapbook paper, and Shar's bridal pictures to create a collage effect and dress it up a bit. In the end it really added a lot to the room. Kudos go to Alisyn for making it look so awesome. This was her project and she mastered it. What would I do without her?

On top of decorations, we also provided two fountains, one chocolate and one nacho cheese, oh and of course the punch fountain. I have to tell you how much the guests raved about the food! I even found comments on Facebook about how great it was. :)

All in all, it was a really fun event. In the end it's really all about making the day as perfect as possible for the couple getting married, and it's always wonderful to have a hand in that.

Main Backdrop:


Cake Backdrop:



Pictures on the Wall:


The Tables:


The Room:


Finally, the food..somehow the chocolate fountain didn't make it into this picture, oh well:

The Valentine's Dance

Tonight Alexander and I hosted a Valentine's Dance for the Elders Quorum (and their wives). It was a very successful evening and everyone had a lot of fun. I created a great play-list with a variety of songs that made for the perfect dance. We also decorated the joint a little bit. I really enjoy decorating when I can do it the way I want it to be. :)

Here are a few pics of the night:

Some of the Decorations:









My cute parents who volunteered to babysit all the kids:



Everyone got their pictures taken in front of the backdrop, including our guest DJ's, my brother and his adorable girlfriend:



Oh yeah, and I get to do it all again tomorrow night for a Stake dance... ;)