Wedding Idea Scrapbook

So... I'm gonna use this as a way to post and keep some things that I love -  related to weddings - to help me get some ideas for my wedding! Feel free to comment :)

 yum!

 So Cute!

LOVE this bouquet! 

 Some pretty hairstyles 

 Save~the~date~06.08.13!

Funny picture... I don't love the shoes though...

LOVE the orange flowers... roses aren't really my thing though

 love Love LOVE the cake!!! so simple yet gorgeous!!

cute lil bouquet

so... any thoughts or comments? I want pink, orange, and kiwi green... summer-ey colors! I love gerber daisies... and the tropical BEACH! 

What if...?

VS

Ever wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone?


What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?


What if we flipped through it several times a day?


What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?


What if we used it to receive messages from the text?


What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?


What if we gave it to Kids as gifts?


What if we used it when we traveled?


What if we used it in case of emergency?


This is something to make you go....hmm...where is my Bible?


Oh, and one more thing.


Unlike our cell phone, we don't have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill.


Makes you stop and think 'where are my priorities? And no dropped calls!


When Jesus died on the cross, he was thinking of you!



Some random quotes that represent how I'm feeling right now...

The Adventures of Ben Blend'n, the Magic Bullet!

So my awesome present for my birthday was Ben Blend'n the Magic Bullet.

Now let me tell you a little story. Ben is a Magician. Ben is also brisk. And upon arrival at my house, Ben has tried to blend in as much as possible. Though in my opinion, he is a star to be noticed!

This morning he provided me with a delicious and nutritious smoothie consisting of:

Strawberries
Peaches
Blueberries
Orange Juice
Yogurt
Soy Milk

What a clever guy to think of combining those ingredients to pleasurably precise proportions. YUM!!

Then this evening he graced me with his presence again accompanying my cheeseburger with a delectable dessert.  This time it was a fudge-caramel milkshake. De-LISH!!

So far, it has been an honor to have Mr. Blend'n in our humble abode.

Can't wait to see what other concoctions will be whipped up!

I'll keep ya posted :)

Happy Birthday to ME!

So yes, it is officially my birthday. I'm OLD(er) haha it's been my birthday for about 41 minutes.

Not much to say.... not in a fabulous mood. Though hopefully it will get better when I get to talk to Elder Strange in about 5 hours! :) I miss him so much! Though he has been talking about being homesick lately. So I need to figure out how to help him with that. I just want him to be happy!!

Well, I'm trying to figure out a goal sheet to try and get myself in a better position in life this next year. I need to get in shape mentally, physically and spiritually. I've recently realized that I haven't really had a "friend" that is a girl since I moved away from my old friends in Oregon and lost contact with them. So obviously things need to change.

My goals for October 2011-October 2012

1. Pray morning and night
2. Read my scriptures every day
3. 30 sit-ups and 20 push-ups every day (to start off with)
4. At least 2 hours of cardio every week
5. Make 1 really good friend (girl)
6. Attend Church every week
7. Write Al every week
8. Learn a new song on the guitar
9. Read the Book of Mormon all the way through
10. Keep my journal updated with important events

We'll see how well I do with those 10.  Well, it's time to finish my letter to Al and then off to  bed. Only to enjoy a day full of school and church.

good night!

Home Sweet Home!

Well, sitting here in Texas, you wouldn't think it was so, but the clouds have finally burst open and are pouring down their love!  This summer we went through a pretty long time without any rain, and broke some heat records too.  Well, this past week we finally got some rain.  On Monday it was FABULOUS! It was so overcast and cloudy and drizzly.  

It reminded me of Oregon!  The second I got out of my car and felt that feeling of the looming threat to rain, I couldn't help but do anything except smile.  It was great to feel like I was in Oregon again.  

And all of last night it POURED!!! Woke up at 3am to the sweet sound of thunder and bright streaks of lightning. 

What a great day it will be today to get to go to school in this! :D

Bleh

Well, life continues to go on and on...

So excited it's Al's birthday on Saturday! Sure hope he gets the package I sent in time! On the 4th he'll have been out for 5 months... and then on November 4th it will be his 6 month mark. That's a quarter of the way there! I can't believe it! I just want him to come home to me so we can start planning our wedding. I fall more and more in love with him every day, and am excited for when he returns with honor!

I got to talk to him via emails today because it was his p-day. It was super nice to get to talk to him. Made my whole day awesome! He was actually having a pretty bad day as well until we talked. He had lost his key to the church which had a keychain on it that he loved.  Hopefully he found it!

I spent 12 hours at school last wednesday between classes and a statistics study group... that was a long day indeed.  But leaving the school at 8pm, I got to see a cool thing! Apparently the side of one of the buildings has these special lights where they alternate blue and white in different patterns.  It was really pretty! It actually made the whole day worth it.

Well, bedtime. Going running tomorrow at 6am!! *think thin*think thin*

Pluggin Along

So, Al has been out over 3 months now! So crazy how the time has managed to fly, but to drag on at the same time... only 20 months left. I know... 23, doesn't seem to add up to a full mission, but apparently in Norway because of the way they do their transfers or whatever, they get to choose whether they want to go 23 OR 25 months... Al decided on 23 for now so he can come home and help me plan the wedding sooner, but he may change his mind the more and more he falls in love with his mission.

Driving the ferry:

Things are going great for him! He wasn't hurt in the building bombing, but it's only because the Lord really does look out for His missionaries.  Al's companion actually was in Oslo for a training session which was only 2 blocks away from the bombing.  Apparently the windows and blinds actually blew out in that building, but his companion, Elder Bischoff, wasn't hurt either.  Al should have been walking those streets probably right around that explosion, but actually was still in their city Arendal for a baptism which was about 3 hours away.  I'm so grateful that they were both so blessed to have avoided being in harm's way.

I pray for the families who lost loved ones... The aftermath:

Oh! I'm sending Al out a "greenie" package tomorrow. all sorts of awesome green stuff!! pictures to come soon hopefully :)

Jeg elsker deg, Eldste Strange!!!

BIG Changes Ahead

Well things are getting pretty crazy right now...

Al is getting ready to go on his mission!!! He reports to the MTC on May 4th... only two more weeks...
He went through the temple today with his friends Kevin, Kyle and Eric.  Everything's getting official.  Norway is lucky to have such a great guy coming their way for two whole years! :)  I'm so proud of his decision to serve a mission and his commitment to it.

Some interesting things we have recently found out about Norway:

• It isn't as cold as people make it out to be - Summers are still swimming suit weather.
• They don't have showers - they have public bath houses that are basically a steam room to open your pores and then you jump into a ice cold bath.
• People often call it "The Most Beautiful Country"
• He will get to see the Northern Lights in certain areas

I am going to miss him so much.  My only comfort is knowing I'll be super busy for the next two years with my Nursing classes and planning a wedding!!!!!

I'm spending as much time as possible with him and glad that I can be visiting him during this exciting time!!!

Over-due Update

So, I was good at this posting thing for a while and then I got lazy. So it's been forever! And so much has happened! (Sorry, this is going to be kinda long)  A few little updates... 

I AM ENGAGED!!!!!

Yes, Al proposed to me on December 10th 2010. A day that I had been longing for! It was so romantic! He picked me up from my apartment with the idea of going to dinner and then to see the lights at Temple Square.  We went to the Cheesecake Factory in Salt Lake and, funny enough, we saw my aunt, uncle, cousin Reed and his wife all eating there, and we got to sit next to them! What a treat! THEN... it came time to pay and our waiter told us that my aunt and uncle picked up our check. How unexpectedly sweet!! So we left for Temple Square in an even better mood! We walked around for a while, and then ended up right where everyone was in line for the Horse-drawn carriage rides...
he told me we were going on them!!

 It was so romantic!!! Our horse's name was Smith and it was about a half hour ride all around the square. The lights and temple were BEAUTIFUL!!

But I think he was a little nervous or something... :)

But we still had fun...

After the ride, we walked around for a little longer, but it was so crowded with people, it was hard to get anywhere... so we walked a little ways away from people and sat down on a little cement bench.  We had a gorgeous view of the temple...

... and we just sat and talked for a little.  Throughout the night I had little thoughts in my head like... "is this the night? is he going to propose?" and I sware I was hallucinating seeing a ring box and everything. I even pat down his pants pockets at the beginning of the night, making sure he didn't have anything. So then I convinced myself that he wasn't going to propose. He then proceeded to pull this fake proposal thing that he's been saying for a few months now.  He always says "Amanda, will you just marry me already?" and I always say yes. He then proceeds with "Dang, I wish I had a ring right now!" and we both giggle.  He pulled that earlier that night and I said yes as usual.  A few minutes later he stood up while I was distracted looking at some lights.  He got down on one knee and said

"Amanda James, will you marry me??" and pulled out the RING this time!!!! I was so surprised, I could only nod yes with wide eyes and we both giggled.  He put it on my finger and then I finally said "yes!!"

On the ride home we called his mom (who was already in on it) and he was texting all his friends who already knew what was going down too!  We got to his house and I finally got a chance to call my mom and tell her the good news! But that wasn't even the end of the surprises!  Since I was going back to Texas for Christmas, we decided to do Christmas early at his house.  I opened a few FANTASTIC presents from his parents, but could hardly focus on them because I was so distracted by what I had just been through.  All in all, I had a fantastic night and definitely will never forget it.  I love him so much!!!! and can't wait to marry him on

June 8, ...2013!!!