Pre-Wedding Happenings...

Before I get in to pictures and details of our wedding, we had some pretty awesome things going on before the big day that are worth documenting...

We got a new dog! Russ had 2 dogs when I met him-Lady and Ruger. Ruger was his buddy since he was little like 14 years old and in June Russ had to have Ruger put down because she'd gotten so sick from old age. It was rough at first without Ruger and Lady especially had a hard time and as a week went by we realized she really needed a buddy. So we went to a man in Fairview who Russ had gotten Lady from years back. We went in hopes of getting a little puppy but came home with a 3 year old male dog named Crush. He was already hunting trained and we were so impressed with how smart he was we couldn't pass him up.
Welcome to the family Crush!

My bridal shower- my awesome mom and sisters threw me a bridal shower on June 29 and it was so fun! They did western decorations to fit the wedding theme and made delicious food! SO many people came and it was so fun to see everyone and Russ and I went away feeling very blessed!Thank you to everyone who came!

 

 4th of July! Working in the health care field it can be a rare occasion that I get a holiday off, and/or days surrounding that holiday off. Lucky for me this year I got the whole 4th of July weekend off! Russ and I went camping with some of his family and friends down by Ferron Lake and we had a blast! We spent our days 4-wheeling, fishing, shooting, and spent our nights around the camp fires, or huddled up in the camp trailer playing games while it down poured outside : )

 (man made see-saw)

I got 3 weeks off work! So seeing as how my birthday was a week before the wedding I had requested a few days off for it before we even got engaged. Then when we set a date I had wanted the week before and the week after the wedding off. Kinda confusing but to say the least I had enough PTO and a great boss that gave me my whole birthday week off along with 2 weeks I'd requested for the wedding. I was in heaven those 3 weeks, and the rest of the events to be mentioned happened during that time.

I turned 25. Nothing like turning 25 years old to make you feel old and question having a mid-mid-life crisis! I had a great day-relaxing at Spanish Fork Reservoir with my little sister, wedding planning with my mom, and then Russ took me to dinner that night and spoiled me with presents.

 (this was to show how we greatly underestimated the size of floaties we'd bought)

Celebrated the 24th of July. No doubt about the fact that I LOVE rodeos! I was lucky to remember far enough in advance to get tickets to the Pioneer Days Rodeo in Spanish Fork for the 24th this year (they sold out last year and I wasn't so lucky). Russ, myself, and 3 of my siblings went and the rodeo didn't disappoint.

Jason Aldean, Jake Owen, and Thomas Rhett Concert. Channy had surprised me with tickets for this concert months before-she bought us PIT tickets aka right by the stage. She had done it as a birthday present/last weekend as a single lady present to me along with a pre-mission present for herself. We got to the arena early enough that when the gates opened we were first in line and ran right up to the stage. We were close enough that they would high five us and grab our hands etc... It was definitely our kind of party :)

The first few days of the week of the wedding I spent moving. I had lived in this particular townhome with a good friend from my old job for a little over a year and as I went and left the key one night after all the cleaning and moving was done it felt very strange. It was very exciting to realize I no longer had to live the roommate life, but strange at the same time since it had been all I'd known for the last almost 7 years. But change is a great thing and so far I love my new roommate living situation!! Thank you to all my amazing family who helped me move!

Friday August 2-My last day as a single lady! My sisters are pretty amazing and planned to spend the whole day with me. Ash and I went shopping that morning to find her a shirt for the wedding (can you say procrastinator?!). That afternoon my mom treated us, and my grandma, to lunch and we went straight to the nail salon after. After our fingers and toes were all pretty we went to pick the kids up to go swimming. My brother in law Jake gets a free hotel stay at a Marriott every once in a while and he was nice enough to give it to us for the night! We stayed in a suite at a local Marriott and took the kids swimming (while Jake and my bros ran off to meet up with Russ for his bachelor party), ate pizza, and after the kids went home to the babysitter us girls soaked up the hot tub and relaxed watching bridal movies all night. It was the perfect day and night which was just what I needed to relax before the big day. Thanks again for the hook up Bro!

The next morning we got breakfast, checked out, then I went and got my ring cleaned before heading to my moms to help with finishing touches. My dad's cousin was nice enough to let me get ready at her house which was right around the corner from the Barn. My amazing friend Brynn did my hair and make up and got me all pretty for the day, then channy got me into my dress and we were off.
August 3, 2013 really was the best day ever! Its just that good that it deserves a post all to itself!