Our sunny and windy wedding day

Photos: Cole Maxfield Photography

We got married in the Boise, Idaho LDS Temple.

I made a joke on my Facebook status a week before my wedding saying that it was going to rain on my wedding day according to the weather. And even though I was joking, I was secretly bummed out. My hair turns into a fluff ball with rain or humidity. And let's not leave out the make up that would be ruined. I was telling this to my aunt the night before the big day and she said that she wish she had rain over her windy wedding. The day of my wedding was the complete opposite than what I thought! It was so sunny that it made some of the pictures have glare and so windy that hair in the group pictures were all over the place. Good thing I chose an up-do hairstyle! (Even though my hair kept getting stuck to my flower crown)

So, you know looking back maybe rain wouldn't have been so bad. But what I got instead was perfect. I wouldn't have it any other way.

bridal pictures

Photography: Cole Maxfield Photography

This whole time I was nervous about getting married in the winter... having my engagement photos in December, and my Bridals photos in January, and the receptions in February. If you are a resident of Rexburg, no... scratch that, IDAHO, you'd know that it's bound to be snowing during my wedding season. On my Pinterest make-believe wedding board it consisted of summer themes with carnival lights, showed wedding dresses with short-sleeves covered in lace, and spring pastel colors. Overall winter wouldn't mix with my ideal wedding planning. Well... sometimes things don't happen when you want it. Like your wedding. I did end up picking a dress with lace sleeves KNOWING that I was going to freeze (I didn't!). I chose a pastel-y color: peach, and another spring color: green, regardless of how the condition was going to look outside (the weather was perfect). And you know what? Everything worked out perfectly. When I post up my wedding pictures you'll know why. 

I guess the cold never bothered me anyways?

We just about died when we got these bridal pictures. DIED. Nate gawked at every picture giving me several compliments. Regardless to say these turned out way better than we were expecting, which we were betting that these pictures were going to be exceptional.

taking stock 4.16.15

Such a good idea to write down current thoughts/feelings to read later. I'm going to try to make a series every month so there's a consistent update on my life! Found this on The Daybook blog, but the original post can also be found on Meet Me At Mike's blog

Making: another blog post. You're welcome.
Cooking: just made chocolate cookies with peanut butter chips. I saved some to add in my husband's lunch for tomorrow. Am I a good wife yet? I do good wife things.
Drinking: water. Always water.
Reading: the ever so classic Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. I highly recommend picking up a copy, and let me know when you do so we can be reading buddies.
Wanting: Nate to transfer his work over to a closer location.
Looking: forward to the semester ending... it hasn't even begun yet!
Playing: Corner by Allie Moss. Oh and Blood by The Middle East is good too.
Wasting: time. I really should be washing the dishes but instead I'm here chilling on the couch.
Sewing: no sewing machine currently or I would be mending a few shirts.
Wishing: that the entertainment center will be built so our TV isn't living on the floor any longer.
Enjoying: the natural light that shines through the window.
Waiting: to go to bed with Nate.
Liking: that Nate hugs me to his chest in the middle of the night in his sleep. He's a huge teddy bear and I couldn't be more lucky.
Wondering: why it's so hard for me to state things under a lot of pressure? Does anyone else have this problem? I wish I wasn't so passive.
Loving: our wedding pictures we just got back! Can't wait to show you my favorites!
Hoping: that Nate and I can get everything we need done this week.
Marveling: how magical and romantic married life would be, and now that I'm here it is a part of every day routine. There are some magical moments that happen day to day that I cling to. Oh how I love my husband.
Needing: more chocolate in my life. I miss Easter candy, especially the post-Easter half off sale. I know I did make those cookies but it's just not the same, ok?
Smelling: clean laundry.
Wearing: jeans. It should be warm enough to wear shorts soon!
Following: a to-do list.
Noticing: school is starting next week...
Knowing: that I only have one more month with a one-year-old
Thinking: about my grocery list and potential recipes for dinner. I'm still new at this cooking thing.
Bookmarking: baby girl clothes. All gooey-eye over those tiny Easter dresses! And no, that doesn't mean what you think it means.
Opening: a jar of coconut oil. If you haven't already got yourself some, let me tell you I can't imagine my life without it.
Giggling: at my own excitement over the new Star Wars VII trailer that came out today. Oh. Em. Gee. I can be such a nerd sometimes.
Feeling: strangely peaceful even with the first day of school rounding the corner.

the first look

Photography: Cole Maxfield Photography

Nicole did a good job capturing this moment. I was secretly hoping Nate would cry at the sight of me in my wedding dress, but he was too shy in front of the camera. Shortly after the photoshoot he gave me a good, long talk on how our life together will be wonderful, that I am the woman of his dreams, and how beautiful I am. He made me cry.

the pumpkin patch date

Nathan planned this double date with some friends to drive out to Idaho Falls to pick out some pumpkins. He's huge into Halloween so we were excited to start our carving festivities for following week. It was the CUTEST little pumpkin patch complete with a kiddie straw maze, hay structures that children crawled all over, kittens, a shop with homemade donuts, and a plot for picking. We searched the place and took our sweet time looking at the over-picked plot. The patch we walked around didn't have any good pumpkins. While we were looking, our friends separated to find their pumpkins somewhere else. There were a few different plots for pumpkins scattered around the main area with the shop.

We regrouped with our friends to be told that they found a nice selection. We followed them to the other side of the patch where there was a loaded truck dropping off fresh pumpkins. I'm over here thinking, "why didn't we start looking here in the first place?" Our friends picked up a burlap sack from a pile and started looking through a pile of potatoes. Potatoes? We didn't come for potatoes! So I dragged Nate over to a row of pumpkins. There sat the perfect pumpkin. Orange, round, big, not many dimples... I examine the other side to find out that it was taken by someone else.

"Nate! This pumpkin is already carved!"

"Really? What does it say?" His voice shook so bad. He was nervous for obvious reasons, but at the time I didn't even take notice. Why didn't I ask him why it mattered what the pumpkin said? I don't know!

By this time of night, it was super hard to see anything at 7pm in October. Only the lights from the shop, the lit tree, and the moon could make things visible let alone readable. "I think it says 'turn around...'?" And like the goof I am, I stared singing 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' while turning my head to look back at Nate to see if he understood my joke. Nate was partly squatted only to stand back up and told me to read the rest of pumpkin. By now you'd think I'd catch on to what's happening, but I totally fell for it. The pumpkin read 'Turn around Hayley', and when I correctly recited it, the reality hit me. I gasped "no way!" a few times. There was Nate, on one knee smiling at me. 

"Will you marry me?"

I was still in the middle of saying "no way", so it came out as "No...... uh, way! Yes I will marry you!" I hugged him while he was still kneeling. Our friends joined us and told us how when they separated from us, they set up the pumpkin in its place, which was hiding in the back of Nate's jeep the whole time.

What got me convinced that he wasn't purposing that weekend was the knowledge that Nate is a horrible liar. So when he told me that we were going to have Taco Bell for dinner and go workout at the gym afterwards I thought there was NO WAY going to be a super romantic proposal. I did get suspicious when I saw on Facebook that Nate was awake at 4am... meaning that he was up to something (carving the proposal pumpkin, that's what), but Nate swayed me of thinking anything with his smooth lies. 

But there you have it! Cute and simple just the way I like it. Nathan did a good job surprising me when I thought I'd totally expect it! Definitely memorable.

expanding my horizons and a small update

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A lot is going on this wonderful year of 2015, and sometimes the best way to keep in touch is to keep an eye on my goings-on through social media. I conveniently linked my profiles above. Speaking of which, my talented husband has his own IG account. He'll be posting his artwork, so be sure to check that out! All I'm going to say is that you'll like what you see, and he's open for suggestions as well! ;)

Just a heads up: my husband's account hasn't started yet but will soon be posting!

School is starting up again and I feel like there is too much to do. All this running around shopping, constant phone calls, forgetting and remembering small tasks, and calling parents for help every couple of minutes has got me exhausted. Nathan and I are still trying to find a direction we should take for during/after college life. But what is most important is that we stick to what we love and follow the path of what God plans for us. One step at a time we will figure life out. Like,  follow your dreams sort of thing.

Here's to moving forward in life! Not knowing what to expect!

Now if only I can finish unpacking.

engagements part 2

Photography: Cole Maxfield Photography

   The weather in Rexburg is usually below freezing in winter. We took these pictures the first of December, and you would think by looking at these pictures that it was freezing out! But the it was a surprising 36 degrees and snowing! We couldn't be luckier with the weather/temperature combo. That's why there's only a few pictures with the jackets, because we didn't end up needing them. I'm digging the snowflakes in Nate's hair.