Showered (with Chocolate and Phone Booths)

I have to say, 4 Bridal showers is perhaps a little excessive. This last weekend I was thrown my fourth and final Bridal Shower by my dear friend Heidi. She went to quite the effort to make such a cute video of Mark answering the traditional "game" questions. Thankfully they didn't make me eat something every time I got something wrong. That was getting old. So nice to be remembered!

Funny part was at the end of the shower as we were finishing up the goodness of the chocolate fountain! We learned that pretzels in the motor don't work out so well. Funny though. :)

We're down to just over a week now. Prize goes to Brooke W. and Lesley for winning! First to add my "and" to their blog lists. Technically the deed hasn't been done, but I love that they're all on top of it. Our world wide apologizes to those who didn't get their announcements. Chances are yours was lost in the mail. If you haven't contacted Mark or I, then we assume you've received it. 450 mailed out, there's bound to be more than 10 mistakes.

Lastly, This is for Lauren. A little late, and I promise I won't post a YouTube video every posting these days, but I'm STILL laughing. The best part of the movie. Well, there's a lot of "best" parts, but this really makes me laugh still.

Girls Weekend

How I love a little "girls" goodness. Dearest Lauren, my bestest girlfriend from my college days, flew down for our last pre-wedding ho-ra-ra. Nothing like relaxing, Disneyland, Cheesecake Factory, and the wonderful yogurt bar near my house. Doesn't seem to matter what we do, we're always thinking the same thing. Pretty sure we finished each others' sentences more than once. She is so fun!

The above shot is from Small World! Disneyland just renovated the ride so now it has all newly painted children AND they added several of the disney characters in their appropriate countries. Oh how lovely. And, it must be said, the ladies behind us sang the "It's a small world" song the ENTIRE ride. Not just in the english part, but through the ENTIRE ride. That wasn't annoying. :)

A cute shot in front of the castle. Although slightly cold, it was a beautiful day. I took the most beautiful picture of the cherry blossoms, it makes for a great desktop background. And a shout out to the W for its supply of fabulous Minnie shirts. :)

I can't say enough about my new obsession of these self-serve Yogurt Bars that are popping up around Southern California like bad acne. I am totally addicted. You fill up your bowl with all your wants, and then they charge you by the ounce. I had to apologize to Mark for trying out the new one without him, but I must say, it is comforting to know that it is close. Can I get them to cater my wedding? Is that possible? It should be.

Utah

This past weekend, Mark and I headed up to Utah to visit with his family and a flurry of wedding planning. We visited several of Mark's old friends, ate more than we should have, and received gifts to stock our kitchen at the Morrell Bridal shower. I hit up the bridal stores too in search of the dress, and after the first store turned out to be quite the disappointment, the mecca of bride stores in Orem Utah, turned out to be the gold mine of dresses. I love it! Of course I won't post the picture. If you want to see its goodness, you should plan on attending! But let me say I'm going to be pretty darn stunning. I'm the bride, I can say that about myself.

Lauren Kammeyer threw me the first bridal shower with some of my dearest college friends and my cousins who I haven't seen in too many years. What a delight to see Lorie and Lisa! We need to be better friends! Lauren's decorations were so cute. We had a great time.


My mom flew in from Clayton too, mostly for the dress shopping experience. It was fun to see her. Thanks again Lauren, and all my girlies who showed up.

Then the Morrell's had a family bridal shower where they tied a quilt for Mark and I and then showered me with other great gifts. Mark has such a great family. His sisters are AWESOME and his brothers equally amazing. I just adore each of them. A shout out to Malissa and her talent in embroidery. I love my new apron. And I AM domestic!

Of course, classic of Mark and I, other pictures were not taken. We stink. But it was a successful and fun weekend none the less. Some highlights include:

• A rousing game of "Squeek" of which I won one round
• Laughs and games with the nephews
• Conversations around the dinner table
• Homemade German food
• Homemade Brazilian food
• Cloverfield and a sleepless night
• Looking through old boxes and sifting out "junk" from "save it"
• Lots of snow. Pretty and white.
• More eating out
• More friend visits
• Mission "farewell" for Brad Pitt--or so it seemed. (That building was PACKED)

On the drive home I was able to stop in St. George and visit another dear friend Lanelle who I haven't seen in a year. I just love opportunities like this~reminds me how wonderful she is. What a great friend and how lovely to see her again.

Lastly, it HAS to be said. I LOVE what Utah does for my hair. It is so great. I feel like California is bringing out the static lately. Utah created a great, shiny, controlled, beautiful number! Yeah for that.

Next stop: announcements, gift registration, apartment hunting!

Las Vegas!

Halloween weekend presented another opportunity for me to take a quick trip up to Las Vegas. Mark had some time off work and was in need of a get-away so off we went with a bag of Milky Ways and Trolli Sour Worms to end our Sugar Fast with a flare! (actually, we gave up on that sugar thing several days ago, but whatever!)

Our first stop was at the Calico Ghost Town. Once a thriving city with millions of dollars in silver and coal, now this historical landmark is seen only by the tourists. Fortunately for me, Mark enjoys a bit of history himself, so I didn't feel bad when I wanted to walk in every building and read all the signs. Most of the attractions were free that day, possibly because it was Halloween, so we got to go into Maggie's Mine and Pan for Gold at no additional cost. Bonus! We got to Vegas in the early afternoon, met up with a few of his fabulous friends, and headed over to the Las Vegas temple to enjoy the Spirit there. A stop at the superb Cafe Rio made the evening even more spectacular if that is possible following a Temple trip! So great! Good suggestion by Mark and great navigation by Brandon got us safely there! Delicious!

A slight change of plans led us over to the Titanic artifact exhibit the next morning, meeting up with my dearest friend Lauren and her husband Aaron. I had been there once before so I didn't lag too far behind, managing to read only 3/4 the signage posted. That was kind of me! I have always been fascinated by Titanic so it was a good thing all around.

Our last real adventure was at the Bellagio hotel, still by far my favorite on the strip. Lauren and Aaron suggested we hit up the Buffet there as their selection and food is the best. The price was a little more than the others, but I must admit the food was exceptional! Mark and I do share an addiction to the desserts, which I haven't decided if this is good or bad! I was even thinking about the dessert bar before we had even decided on which buffet we were going to! A shout out to the sushi there too. I was surprised at how delicious it was.

So--that's how I spent my Halloween this year for those who wondered. Vegas was wonderful fun and a great chance to just get away, see friends, enjoy some history, and spend time with my favorite person! Thanks to Brandon and Michelle and opening their home to us. We appreciate your generosity.

Utah Summer

And thus Summer has begun. I've got trips planned like you wouldn't believe! One down, Four to go! First round was up to Utah to visit my best girlfriend Lauren! She and I have been friends since my first year at BYU. And for the record, she is the BEST travel buddy ever! We decided to take a little drive from Orem down to Moab for some sun and natural beauty. No trip is complete with out our gossip magazines. We love them! So we stalked up and sat by the pool the minute we got there!

When the hunger pains began to be more than we could handle, we set off to find something delicious to eat in Moab. I would highly recommend this piece of goodness where I ate my weight in fried food! Delicious!

Off to Arches the next morning. We tried to get out early to beat the heat. We were unsuccessful.

I'm a risk taker! Balancing Rock
Hiking to Delicate Arch. It must be blogged that apparently Moab has a very high draw to the French populations. While visiting, Lauren and I felt like minorities! No exaggeration! Seriously. Everyone on the trail with us spoke French! Oh, except for the Austrians who took one of our pictures for us! Seriously, who knew Moab was so popular among the foreigners.Finally, despite the heat, we made it to the Delicate Arch. It was really a magnificent sight.
Appreciating Earth!And for those who know, I am a sucker for historical sights! So of course, we have to stop! I do love history! How convenient since it is a major part of my profession!

What a wonderful weekend it was! So fun to spend time with Lauren again with laughs and new memories. Many more good times to come...of course!

Whew!

I'm due for another break! I'm exhausted and we're only half through. This month sure did hit the ground running. Starting off in Florida right after a big move, then the trip to Idaho for the Bro's graduation! This event has been a LONG time coming and we were all thrilled to congradulate the new graduate! Way to go Dave! It was great to see the family, and even made a stop to the newly dedicated Rexburg Temple. Beautiful of course!

The whole family was able to make a stop. Look how cute the nephew is! And I must say, he has a bit of California in him.
On the way home, dearest Lauren and Aaron saved me from the airport where I would have had to wait for 8 hours! A big thanks to them. We drove around Salt Lake, took in a movie about mummies, stopped by the Salt Lake cemetery to pay tribute to President Hinckley and other past prophets. I guess I loved it so much cuz it was full of historic tid-bits. Good choices Lauren!We fell in LOVE with Brigham's farmhouse. Why did I never visit Heritage Park when I lived in Provo? What a great little gem!

And here's our picture from Mars; or something like it! A shot my friend Tyra Banks would be proud of! We're pretty much ANTM ourselves. We're even standing the same, totally unplanned! (Shout out to the renound photographer Aaron)

This is the Life

This weekend Lauren came into town and once again we celebrated life together! We just seem to know how to have fun no matter what the circumstances. We headed down to San Diego stopping by Mission San Juan Capistrano on the way. Of course a stop by the Hotel Del Coronado was needed since we are practically celebrities ourselves. And it was decided that I need to go there for my honeymoon. Done and done.
Pretty much it was beautiful. And my heart hurt with potential romance. In case you're unfamilar, the Del is the only standing wood hotel, opened in 1888. Many a film stars vacation there and we could easily see why. It was so swanky. We both felt like we were on the Titanic just walking up the stairs and around the lobby. So great! And it has to be said, we had the most surpurb weather and some kind of great parking ju-ju going on. No matter where we went we found a place to park, and the sun was out and warm.
On the way back we stopped by Balboa park to see the International cottege festival. And of course with St. Patricks around the corner there was the House of Ireland shin-dig. Lauren and I both decided that the first (and probably only) great reason for moving to Ireland is that there would be a pleortha of men like the one shown below. We call him Darby O'Gill. Naturally...

Here's to another Lauren/Kaylinn weekend. Many more goodnesses to come!

Special Delivery

Lauren Kammeyer-

Thank you so much for the most amazing display of floral arrangements delivered to my desk this afternoon! I've always wanted a delivery of flowers to come while I was at school, all unexpected. And on such perfect timing; words can not express. Your thoughtfullness definatly lifted my spirits.

Lets get together! The usual. You get the Pizza since you've got pipeline right there, i'll bring the.....beverage!

Here's to the best girlfriend a woman could ask for.

--me

Good Days!

There are lots of good things in life, but few can compare to the goodness of great friendships and getting together. Lauren and I spent some time together this past weekend doing what we do best: laughing, eating out!; talking; eating out!; watching movies; eating out!; and forgetting to sleep! Oh I love that girl. Usually she and I have some kind of celebrity run in, as we are pretty much magnets for them it seems. HOwever, while in Park City's annual Film Festival, we didn't have such luck. PRobably because we were stuck in the Hungry Moose Grill for 2 hours or something crazy! 20 minute wait my foot!!! Luckly, my chicken Pieces were good and Lauren and I can make a good experience out of just about anything! All in all, "good times were had by all!"