Easter Weekend

I'm a little late posting since it's already Wednesday, but hey better late than never right?
On Friday night my mom and I went to a local high school to watch my little brother's "After School Program Extravaganza". Everyday after school he goes to this program where they do activities for all the kids. It's pretty great because it's easier than him going to a babysitter. A few of the other elementary schools in the district were planning a movie themed program where they each choose a film and dance to the music from it. Gentry's school did Grease and it was absolutely adorable.
The kids were all so cute, you can tell they were having a blast up on stage.
I was so proud of Gentry, he looked so handsome in his white greaser tee with his hair slicked back. My mom said he had been practicing the hand jive for weeks, and he was awesome!

My cousin's husband was at the show as well and got this awesome shot of little G-man. Isn't he so handsome?

Mom and I waiting for the show to start.

Easter Sunday was nice, it is the second Easter that Taran and I have spent together as a married couple. I put together his basket really quickly because I'm one of those huge last minute shoppers, but it still turned out great. He got mine the same night because he is also a last minute shopper. We both got each other Disney movies which is adorable. After exchanging baskets we watched Frozen and ate chocolate for breakfast because we're adults.
Later that day we went over to a friends house for dinner. I made my first attempt at cake pops which made us pretty late to the dinner party, lesson learned: don't bake something for other people unless you know 100% what you're doing. My cake pops ended up way too moist and wouldn't stay on the stick to dip in frosting, and the frosting made a huge mess. I mean, they tasted fine but they weren't pretty. I decided to just leave them home for us and try again another time. Trial and error. I'll do better next time.

We had a great time spending Easter with friends, Taran and I even helped with the Easter egg hunt for the kids.

Oh, and I can't forget to mention that Sunday was also Stella's 4th birthday. Yes I put a candle on a treat for her, what else would I do?

AND Sunday was also the day we adopted Mila one year ago. (Look how much she's changed!)
We sure love our goofy little fur kids. So grateful we have them in our lives to keep us happy and entertained.

Lately

Top: Charlotte Russe
Skirt: Thrifted (Plato's Closet)
Shoes: Forever Young
Tights: Wet Seal

Well, since the weather froze over, I survived another holiday in retail and it became a new year not a whole lot in my life has changed.
Except, as luck would have it, I was able to snag myself a full time job! Hooray!! It's a call center, nothing extremely glamorous, but I had gotten in inside my head that I was going to spend the rest of my life doing nothing but retail. Getting this job has actually helped my self esteem when it comes to my range of work experience. I was hired on as a temp, but even if I do get laid off I'm confidant enough to have a fuller resume to help me find something else. Currently, I'm really enjoying this job. It's new, different, challenging, something I've been hoping to stumble on. Did I mention it's full time? I couldn't be more thrilled to finally have 40 hours of a set schedule every single week!

Other than my job news Taran and I have been having a pretty normal, boring married couple life. We eat a lot of breakfast burritos and watch a lot of tv series. (Supernatural, Breaking Bad, The Vampire Diaries, etc etc) Our puppies are their normal playful selves, they crack us up constantly with their funny personalities. 

I'm mostly focusing on getting my life into a nice routine. It's definitely a lot easier to be a grown up when you have life under control. Work, bills, friends, family, dates, it can be overwhelming when you're still new at the domestic life. I've gotten better at cooking, I've learned to clean up after myself more often and I'm doing my best daily to be a good wife, not just for Taran but for me. I'm reaching that point where I'm happy with things, instead of feeling like I can't keep my head above water. I guess people do say the first year of marriage is the hardest, which I can understand. We're getting the hang of each other, of marriage. I'm pleased with the direction we are headed in.

 

One

Hello, yes it's me. Remember when I used to actually post on this blog?
Here's the thing, I've had a pretty busy few months. I've had things come up that were a little more important that blogging. On top of that I go through phases where I feel like my life is so uninteresting and not worth blogging about. I've had to tell myself multiple times that I have a lot to talk about besides my daily life and this blog doesn't have to be strictly daily life updates.
On that note, I will dive into a post sometime this week to rehash what Taran and I have been up to for the past couple of months. Today I'm writing about something else.

This weekend Taran and I celebrated our first anniversary. It's insane to me that I can say "I've been married for a year". We're past the newlywed stage, we have moved onto the actual stage of 'The Griffith's'. I've had a year of being somebodies wife. No longer a fiance, a girlfriend or "that girl from math class that I like-like".
Marriage is a crazy, phenomenal constant uphill battle. It's definitely not easy, but it's something that is so fulfilling every single day that I look forward to improving and growing.
As you may know Taran and I opted for a simple wedding at the courthouse in favor of something elaborate that required a lot of planning. Now that a year has gone by I am still incredibly glad that I made that choice.

We were lacking in the finances to do anything too extravagant to celebrate this year, however money doesn't matter when you're in the company of someone you love. Sound cheesy? It's true. I had such a fun weekend and I think we may have a couple traditions started that I'm looking forward to continuing.
We spent the day (March 1st) down in the city where we got married. Since we were there for the wedding they've built so many different things. The day we were there the previous year we had to avoid construction to get our wedding pictures (which turned out amazing anyway.) and they really only had built a restaurant and movie theater. We thought it would be a fun tradition to go have dinner at the same restaurant we went to last year. It was a great choice because the food was delicious!
After dinner we visited the little fountain where our pictures were taken and had someone snap a new picture in the same spot.

 We spent some time wandering around the mall, shops with giant candy bars and some with wall to wall accessories (my dream!)
Once it got dark we decided to head home for some wine and Breaking Bad. (Which we finished this weekend by the way...amazing? Amazing. I think I might have ptsd from that ending...I keep thinking about it.)
On our wedding night we stayed at a really nice hotel where they gave us a bottle of wine for free. The hotel also had a free wine tasting in the lobby that night and we had plenty of it. When we got home we decided to hold off on cracking open our free bottle and to save it for our one year since we didn't have the traditional first layer of cake or anything like that. We were nervous about the quality of the wine, considering we've never saved a bottle before, so we stopped and bought a couple fresh bottles just in case. It ended up tasting great though and it was nice to toast our one year with our wedding night gift.

Sunday we spent the day in pajamas finishing up Breaking Bad and simply enjoying each others company. I had such a great time with my husband. I'm truly so lucky I snagged that one, he's the best.
Speaking of, did you check out my gorgeous anniversary gift in the photo above?
 I've had my eye on those necklaces for awhile now and he remembered! I'm in love, it's beautiful!
Thrilled to have been married to that stud for a year. To many many many more!!

Planning.

As you know, Taran and I eloped in March.
This was not a shotgun wedding, or a "we can't wait any longer" wedding.
I had dreamed of a nice real wedding for so long, but that all came to a halt when I found out my grandma didn't have much time left.
I didn't have my elopement to impress anybody or to hurt anybody's feelings. We did it so my grandmother could see me get married before she passed.
It was the best decision I made and I will never regret it for the rest of my life.

That being said, I still want that wedding. I don't plan on doing this again and I want to have that party with dancing and toasts and a dress.
So I am having a post elopement reception.
I know I've mentioned doing it before, but I mean it.

I didn't get to do the fun wedding planning stuff. I never got to have a bridal shower, or a rehearsal dinner. I didn't get to pick out dresses with my bridesmaids or walk down an aisle.
Like I said, I don't regret my wedding at all...it was lovely and perfect and knowing my grandma witnessed it made it even better. She knows I wanted to have a wedding, and she would want me to have all of this. Putting it all on hold was worth it for her because the intimate part is over, she was there. She saw me take Taran as my husband and I as his wife. That will never be replaced, and I'll be able to tell our children how much my grandma meant to me because I couldn't bear to marry my best friend without her there. Her name is on the marriage certificate. I am 1,000% happy with how we did things.

I just want a damn reception.

So, it's decided. We'll have a small "ceremony" where Taran and I will just exchange vows {not real vows, just handwritten ones, which is what I wanted for our real wedding} and we will have a party. I'll have bridesmaids and a shower...the only difference in it is that we're already married. Who cares?
Plus, there are many family members who were unable to come to our tiny courthouse ceremony that I know would have loved to be there. This will be the chance for them to see us celebrate our love for each other.
It may be way after the actual wedding, and it may be weird to do so, but I don't care.
My grandma would want me to have this and it's what I want, what Taran wanted....

A Proud Wifey

As most of you may know my husband makes a living as a welder. It's something that just sort of fell into his lap a few years ago after he posted his resume online. He got hired on at this company and after a few months of getting the hang of the job he realized that it was something he loved doing and wanted to continue to do. He's spent the last 3 years at the same company now, with some ups and downs, he met his former roommate there as well as another good friend. The place wasn't the best, they were stingy with raises and he didn't get any type of benefits but it paid the bills and he had job security because of his seniority there.
However, a couple weeks ago a friend sent him a message about a job opening at a different welding company and he was asked to come out and do a weld test. Three days later he got a phone call asking him to start asap! This job will offer more money, better hours, better stability and he'll get benefits! It's something he's been wanting for awhile now but when he would browse for jobs nothing seemed to come up.

His first day is tomorrow and I'm so proud of him! I know it will be another stress reliever to know he's working somewhere more beneficial in many ways. Glad that this ended up working out with him because he deserves it, he is very talented and a very hard worker so they will be lucky to have him as an employee. And I'm so lucky to have such a talented, hard working husband!

Month 1

We've officially been married for one month now. March flew by, and between me going to Nevada to visit Randi and Taran working a lot it's no wonder I'm shocked that it's already April.
Even though it's already been a month, not much has changed between us besides the fact that we each have an extra piece of jewelry to wear. I've gotten used to the word "husband" but I don't exactly feel like I'm somebody's "wife". Partially because I haven't had a chance to go get my driver's license or social security card changed, so nothing really screams "you are now Mrs. Griffith!" I'm hoping I can do that soon though, because I want to be able to sign things with my new name.

Sometimes it hits me though, when I hold Taran's hand and I feel his ring, I think "oh. I'm really married". When it does hit me I can't help but smile, I am so happy that Taran is my husband, that we are Mr and Mrs.

I'm not sure if being married was supposed to change anything, but it really hasn't, and I'm perfectly fine with that.
I'm still as lovestruck as I've been for 3 years, it just gets stronger every day.
I still can't cook. Although I'm learning.
I still have a shopping addiction. I've developed some self control though, which is a big step for me {haha.}
We still don't want kids yet.

Month 1 is down, and I can't wait for another, and another. Then for a year, and another year. And for the rest of our lives.

Mr. & Mrs. Griffith

That's right! I am officially a married woman, and I couldn't be happier!
My simple, small, planned-in-a-week wedding was perfect and I wouldn't have changed a thing, because no matter what I was standing at an alter looking my now husband in the eyes and vowing to spend the rest of my life with him. That's perfection to me.
Not everyone got to make it, but everyone was so understanding about the situation and it makes me feel so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends. I am grateful for the people who were able to come and share our special day with us.
Even more than grateful I am elated. My grandma was there and she looked beautiful, proud, happy...just what I wanted. She even got to sign our marriage certificate as a witness, so that is one thing I will be able to cherish for the rest of my life.

After the wedding we all went to a restaurant called "ParkStone Wood Kitchen" in Farmington. It was pretty good and laid back, nothing to fancy but I had a great time with everyone. My awesome boss/photographer joined in on every part and she captured some fantastic pictures. Outside of the restaurant they were building a gorgeous courtyard type thing with fountains and a fireplace so we got some good shots there. I'm excited to see the rest! Especially all the family pictures.

My dad and stepmom pitched in to get us a honeymoon suite at a fancy hotel in Salt Lake City. The room was very nice, and they gave us a free bottle of wine, plus $10 credit to the food in the room {I forget what it's called...oops}. The hotel also offered a free wine hour in the lobby so Taran and I went down to have a couple glasses. The assistant general manager gave us his card, told us congratulations and gave us a $50 dining credit to our room. He was such a nice guy and we weren't expecting that, but they know how to take care of newlyweds :)

It was such a perfect day. I am so happy with how it ended up and I'm so happy to have such a wonderful husband. I've waited for this day for so long and now we are finally married and, although it doesn't feel too different, I love being a wife!

Overwhelmed.

I know I haven't updated since my post about my decision to get married, but things have been crazy. Since I made my choice I sat down with Taran and we decided to do this as soon as possible, and that meant this Friday.
March 1st we will be getting married.

I was unsure how everyone would react to the news, but my heart is filled with gratitude because everyone has been so supportive and understanding. The moment we chose the date, I was beginning to panic thinking we wouldn't be able to pull it off. Luckily I have some incredible people in my life who have gone out of there way to make sure this day happens.

My mom has taken most of this under her wing and helped me get Taran's ring, a dress, shoes, Taran's tie, and the actual ceremony.
My dad is paying for Taran and I to have a honeymoon suite in a hotel for Friday night.
My sweet future step-mother-in-law offered to make me a bouquet.
My amazing boss (who happens to be a photographer) has figured the entire schedule out so that I could have my day off and this Saturday as well. She is also going to take pictures of the whole thing.
My mom's best friend and basically her sister is letting me wear her headband she wore for her wedding and her mother's diamond from when she married her father.
Friends and family have taken the day off and swapped their schedules around so they could come.

It is literally going to be a five minute courthouse ceremony, but so many people have helped out and shown such love toward us that it is truly going to be a very special day and I can't wait.

I will be wearing teal shoes, Taran's tie is teal and I just got my nails done teal. In honor of my grandma's favorite color and it is also the ribbon color for Ovarian Cancer Awareness.

I'm not a big crier, I hate it actually, but it's been hard for me to hold back tears this past week because I've been so overwhelmed with happiness and gratitude. I am so thankful for everyone in my life and for my future family that I am gaining on Friday.

I can't wait to marry the man of my dreams, my best friend and my other half.

Thank you all for everything, I can't express how much all this means to me.

choices

Throughout your entire life you will make choices. They are simple things starting from childhood such as choosing vanilla or chocolate ice cream. As you grow up they get a little tougher, like where you should live, what car should you buy, etc. Some decisions you make will be for another person or simply for yourself.
There are some things; however, that you will come across in your life that will be out of your control and you won't get choose.
Three years ago doctors discovered my grandma had cancer, and for those three years she has had to suffer from something that was out of her hands. She didn't choose cancer, and if I could I wouldn't choose it for anyone else on this planet.
Now, there is absolutely no choice. She is at the end of the road, and what's left of the pavement in front of her is untouchable. It's inevitable. My heart won't stop breaking over this, and I don't know how long it will take me to recover. Even after her time is up, which I can't ever bring myself to think about. My brain won't even let me try.

The moment I heard the news, this haunting news about how there is nothing left to do for her I haven't been able to breathe right. One of the thoughts that surfaced to the top of my constant swimming thoughts was the simple fact: my grandma will not see me get married.
If you've ever felt like your chest was being crushed by a steamroller, you know how I feel.

Then came the time for me to make a choice.
Do I push the date forward so the most wonderful person in my life can be there?
The answer is yes.

My whole life I've looked up to this woman, and my whole life I'm imagined her watching me walk down the aisle. Never in my life did I picture it without her. And I still can't picture it, so I won't.
I am 1000% head over heels, over the moon in love with Taran. The day he asked me to marry me, there was never a question of whether it was right or not. He is the man of my dreams and he is who I want to spend the rest of my life with. Whether that happens next year, next month or tomorrow, it doesn't matter to me.
Sure, this isn't my favorite choice. God knows I never wanted a quick wedding, but I never wanted a wedding without my grandmother either. And she is more important than a gown, than a cake, than flowers....the goal is the same either way. I will marry Taran.
So it came down to choosing: small ceremony for grandma or large ceremony next year without her? It's a simple choice really, even though I've been beating myself over it for a week now. But the more I've thought about it the more I've realized how much I don't care about a wedding as much as I care about the marriage.

The decision has been made. Taran and I will have a small intimate ceremony and be married, but we will still be keeping our September 2014 date for a big reception and we'll probably even read our vows again.
Think of this as a selfish decision, maybe it is, I'm doing this for me. But I have the most supportive fiance who wants to marry me regardless and knows me well enough to tell me I would regret not having her present to see me take a big step in my life.

I'm hoping that no one will think less of me because of this and we won't get any hard feelings. If you would like to be present for the ceremony I would love to have you there. I just hope you will all understand my choice and my reasoning for doing this and will respect us for it as well.

Here comes the bride...

That's right folks! We have finally set a date! I know it's been such a long time coming and it's still so far away but you have no idea what a huge relief it is to finally have a real date to look forward to.
We sat down and talked it over for awhile today and decided it was time. We've been engaged for a year now and it was getting disheartening waiting around to decide when we were going to tie the knot. It seems like we've got all the previous burdens behind us, such as vehicle troubles, certain bills and living situations. Now the only thing I want to focus on before the wedding is getting my teeth fixed, which will hopefully happen soon-ish. *crossing my fingers*
Awhile ago we came up with the idea of having a fall wedding, mainly because our colors fit, plus I want it to be outdoors in the warmth. Early fall in Utah would be lovely, and perfect for an outdoor reception. September of this years seems too soon, and I know it's still a long time until our date but it gives us plenty of time for smooth planning and I am so thrilled! I can't wait to start getting things prepared and I especially can't wait to marry my best friend!!

bling

I realized the other day that I haven't posted in almost 2 months. The reason for my hiatus is mainly the fact that it is holiday and I work in retail. Mall hours are ridiculous and I feel like I hardly get to see Taran or my friends, therefore blogging sort of got placed on the back burner.

Here I am though....with a big announcement, and the reason I'm back!

I'M ENGAGED!!!

Yep, it's true! Taran popped the question! I am ecstatic and it still feels surreal, but it happened. I am getting married. It's something that the two of us have talked about for a long time, and here it is...finally happening.

I can't picture my life without him and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life by his side. I am truly so lucky.

Now I know you're all dying to know what and how it happened. I promised I would tell so here it is!

Last Saturday the two of us decided to go Christmas shopping and have dinner together. It's rare that we get to spend a full day together and I had the entire weekend off so I wanted to enjoy it with him. As we were doing some shopping we noticed that F.Y.E is going out of business, random yes, but it is the reason the ring happened.....just keep reading.

We decided to go the Ogden mall since I don't work there and I almost never go shopping there. It was crazy busy because Christmas is coming very soon, since we weren't in a rush for anything we just browsed around and enjoyed each others company. {Like always.} 

As we were getting toward the end of the mall we noticed one of the jewelry stores had giant yellow signs hung up stating that they were having a 'liquidation sale'. Thinking that it was another unfortunate business that was going under we decided to go in and take a look. One of the signs said "Up to 80% OFF!" - and marketing really works, because it drew us in and made us look. We found one case of rings that were gorgeous. Normally we just look around and then I point out what I like then we leave, so that was how I assumed it would happen. The next thing I know we're sitting down talking about a down-payment and costs, and lines of credit and then suddenly we were filling out paperwork to have our credit checked. It was happening....

However, the salesguy told us he wanted some more money for the down payment. Taran said that it was fine and he would have the money on Friday, then he would release the ring.

{Seriously you guys, it was like giving a child the coolest toy ever and then ripping it away from them. I was so sad!} 

It worked out for the best though, since Taran was kind of disappointed that I was there. I liked getting to pick it out though.

Anyway.......we left the store and I was in a daze. I couldn't believe he had just {somewhat} purchased a ring. We shopped around a bit more and then realized it was getting late and we were both exhausted. I had planned on us going to see Christmas lights but we ended up changing our mind and going home. For the next day he kept teasing me and saying that he should wait a couple months before proposing so it was more of a surprise. Honestly that would have possibly been the death of me!

Sunday night we planned on seeing the lights again, unfortunately we sadly had to bury our family dog. Our little toy poodle Belle had died earlier that day. My brothers were crushed and I felt completely drained, it was so so sad. We decided to just stay home and relax until I had to take Taran home.

I couldn't stop thinking about the ring and Monday night while I was at work Taran text me and asked which day I would be free this week to go see lights. Honestly I thought it was kind of odd and I was suspicious. Mainly because our schedules clash so much because mine isn't consistent and he works the same hours all the time. Because of that we only get to see each other for a good amount of time on the weekends, but occasionally when I don't work late I'll go over to his house and we'll watch a movie or something, just to get a chance to spend some time together. Normally though, it is me that initiates this, and he just agrees because I'm the one that has the weird schedule. So, when he asked me, I got a little curious.

Yesterday evening I picked him up and we went to the little Christmas village in Ogden. It was freezing and he kept saying that he wished it would snow a lot. We still enjoyed looking at all the little displays and twinkling lights, laughing at silly things that only we would get. After searching around for a spot to get some hot cocoa it finally started to snow. He mentioned that there was something 'new' in the village this year and that we should try to find it. Thinking nothing of it I agreed and we took another walk around the paths. I enjoyed the snow, it was beautiful and fitting for that moment. I would lift my head up and let the flakes fall onto my skin and sip my warm drink. We made it back to the beginning of the path near the place where we parked. When we first walked in I noticed a light statue that was a moose, I thought it was adorable and I pointed it out right away. It was a little bit off the path so we just saw it in passing, but on the way back Taran steered me over towards it wanting to 'look at it'. We stopped near the moose and some trees, the snow was falling, and he told me to look up at the snow. I gazed up and tried to catch some flakes on my tongue, not thinking about what was happening, just enjoying the atmosphere and being with the person I love.

I looked down and in Taran's hand was my ring.

Immediately I gasped and clapped a hand over my face and I could feel my eyes welling up with tears. He told me so many sweet things, but I was in shock and I can't remember the order in which he said them. He said: "I love you so much" "I want to spend the rest of my life with you" and "there will never be another you" then after a pause he said: "Bryana Weaver, will you marry me?"

{side note: typing this up and reliving it is giving me butterflies and making me teary eyed}

I, of course, said "YES!" and we kissed and hugged and told each other how much we loved each other...you know all that icky stuff. {Hehe} 

And there it was, the ring on my finger, my other hand intertwined with his and we left the beautiful twinkling lights engaged. 

Afterward he told me that he was so nervous. He didn't get down on one knee and I think it was because he was so nervous! I'm not sure why because he knew I would say yes! I guess he just wanted it to be perfect. He also said he was going to say that the proposal was the 'new thing' but he forgot out of nerves! He is adorable.

The whole thing was just how I had always envisioned it, romantic and intimate...just us two. It was absolutely perfect and I have never been happier.

Isn't my fiance just insanely handsome? :)

My beautiful ring!! It is perfect.

And to answer all your lingering questions:

• No we haven't picked a date yet. I want a long engagement. I want time to find a place for the two of us and time to plan. I'm in no rush.
• I want a spring/summer wedding, outdoors.
• Yes, I already have a photographer. I had her picked even before I knew I was getting married.
• Yes my parents highly approve. He is a winner!

 Thank you all for your sweet and kind words and for all the congratulations! I am so happy and I can't wait to marry this boy.
I will keep you updated on anything wedding related and I'll try not to slack on the blogging!

Much much love
♥