I'm a DIY Bride

'Tis true.

And I am totally okay with that. I've always been what I deem a wanna-be creative person. I have all these ideas bouncing around up there in my little noggin but due to sheer laziness, being intimidated, lack of funds, or a combination of all four, I rarely really craft like all the amazing blogs I follow on here (confession time real quick: I secretly want to 'bloggy famous'. I know. It's embarrassing, right? But, what can I say? I just really want to have one of those cute blogs that has bunches of tutorials and readers and know that someone likes what I write and create...Ok...back to non-embarrassing items.) 

Now that we have THAT awkward confession out of the way...let's move back to the task at hand. So, I have this awesome opportunity to be a DIY bride, right? I get to have a hand in everything that goes into my wedding. I've always been a the-knot.com stalker (okay. confession #2. I've been stalking that website for years. Okay. Stop laughing now.) but I've never really had a solid idea of exactly what I want. But now that I have a budget, a date, and that one important thing...a groom ;) I can finally dream!

We're going to be having a romantic, rustic vintagey themed wedding (I hate that word. Theme. Blech. It conjures up visions of hot pink zebra print or butterflies everywhere or crystals dripping from everything because it's a crystal themed wedding. Alright, I'm stopping before I loose anyone else who had a themed wedding) 

So, we're going with a rustic feel to the reception. And to accomplish that we're (hopefully) going here: 

(source) 

I say hopefully because they don't set their prices until Mid-November for the next year. Meaning, they don't actually start booking dates until they set their prices. Stressful, hey? But, I'm confident it'll work out. ;) 

The inside will be filled with twinkling lights 

(pinterest)

Said lights will be bought right after Christmas to save $$$. We all know that the day after Christmas, those suckers go on sale. The word 'Sale', by the way, is a DIY-Bride's favorite word. 

I'm also making my own centerpieces and will be arranging the flowers myself after buying them from a wholesale shop that's down the street from my house. This week (after I recovered from being on my death bead) my mom and I drove all over Utah to pick up these puppies: 

(actually, they're the white ones to the left, but you get the idea) 

And some cute ribbon to match our colors (honeydew green, tulip pink, and chocolate brown) to tie around them to add a pop of color.

I've got a few other ideas bouncing around in my head (thanks a lot to pinterest really) that I'm going to be working on in the next few months. I'm really excited to continue planning and to see this turn out to be a wonderful day. But, in all honesty, as long as I get married in the Temple to my best friend, the rest is just icing on the cake. Because let's face it...my future hubs is all kinds of adorbs isn't he?

well this is awkward...

Can I just review my last week and a half with you by the numbers? 

1 visit to the Urgent Care

6 times the stupid hospital swabbed my throat for strep. Why does that hurt SO MUCH?! 

3 emergency room visits (two past 10 pm. awesome) 

3 ER doctors that told me that there was nothing wrong with me when, in fact, I had strep throat. 

102 - the highest my fever spiked

1 nervous mama bear who flew 1,600 miles just to take care of me

1 amazing fiance that took wonderful care of me until mama bear rescued him

4398573498573- hours slept in 7 days 

34984739857349857 - number of pills I took to keep my functioning. 

8 days to get me back to feeling like I was human. 

Worst. Week. Of. My. Life. 

I wasn't feeling all that awesome last Sunday but by Monday evening, I was feeling better even though my sore throat was still there. It all spiraled down hill from there. I was so sick...and the doctors told me it was just a viral infection therefore nothing they could do. 

Have you ever tried to swallow razor blades? I don't recommend it. Because thats what it felt like when I was sick. Ew. 

In true to Jacky form, I did take a bunch of pictures to put up here so I had something worthwhile to blog about. Yep. I worry about what I'm going to blog about when I have a 102* fever. Never say I'm not dedicated to my blog ;) 

I love my Post Secret app on my phone...I save the secrets I like the most. Especially when they apply to me! :) 

In the ER. At least I had a TV to keep my company at 2am?

He just wants to snug. I just want to watch tv and sleep! 

Truth. Again, I love Post Secret :)

Fiance and pup snuggles! :) 

 done and done ;) 

She couldn't quite figure out why my Mac wasn't charging. ;) 

And to top it all off, I missed T's 27th birthday because I was so sick! Bummer. :( So, I made it up to him with a cake and presents the day after. :)

Oh. And I found a wedding dress. It's in my closet at this very moment. And no, you do not get to see it. :) 

Dear Mr. Jeffress, I do not, in fact, belong to a cult...

You may have heard about Pastor (although, I use that term loosely after his comments) Robert Jeffress calling the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (he said the 'Mormon' Church. It's not the Mormon Church, sir) a "cult". 

At first, I laughed. I'm used to hearing people question, criticize, and misunderstand my faith. But then I got to thinking...what gives this guy the right to go out on a national stage, where there are millions of people watching and listening to his every word, and call a religion a cult without a single legitimate reason?

People fear what they do not understand. The comments of this man are a sign that he does not understand our faith. And by him expounding on his fear by taking the national stage and calling a church beloved by millions a 'cult' he is creating more fear and more misunderstanding. 

When I think of a cult, I invision a charismatic leader that requires his (or her) followers to worship him (or her) alone. I invision vulnerable people being isolated and alienated from their families for the benefit of the cult's leader. I invision dangerous and disturbing acts done for the betterment of the 'group' all in the name of the leader of the cult. 

When I think of a cult, I do not see a Church that is centered around being more Christ-like. I do not see a Church that is so family focused. I do not see a Church that is dedicated to service of fellow man, no matter their faith. I do not see a Church like The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 

He aslo made the comment that Mitt Romeny is not a Christian. According to the Merriam-Webster's dictionary, the term 'Christian' is defined as "a person who believes in the teachings of Jesus Christ." If you've read my blog for a while, you'll remember the series of posts I did detailing my conversion story (you can read all of the parts here). I was raised in a Christian home and have always desired a relationship with Christ and my Heavenly Father. I have also struggled so much through my life with my faith. It was not until I found my way to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints that I truly found my faith and was able to feel a true and deep connection with Heavenly Father, Christ, and the Holy Ghost. 

I understand that not everyone is going to agree with me or share my faith. I understand that there are people that have had negative experiences with the Church. I bet there are people that had negative experiences at the church that Mr. Jeffress preaches at as well. I think that the comments he made were hurtful, hateful, baseless, and completely unfounded. They were also inappropriate. To bring religion into the political arena is not acceptable. We have the first amendment for a reason after all. 

I do not expect everyone to agree with my religion or faith. I do expect common courtesy and respect, especially from someone is a position of power such as Mr. Jefress.

(image source) 

slightly late

I'm going to keep this weeks party list short. 
- I'm engaged and I get to marry my very bestest friend and spend the rest of my life with him. 
:) 

oopsie

Remember this post from a week-ish ago? About how amazing the discovery of baked bacon? 

Well, I have a little tip to add to that...

Make sure you watch the bacon closely in the last few minutes of cooking. Or else you'll burn it. And fill your apartment with bacon smoke. And freak your dog out, making him run around the house trying to find a non-burnt bacon smelling spot.

...Not that I've ever done that or anything...

SHUT. UP.

Today was arguably one of the best days of my life. 

It wasn't the 10,000 mile walk in the rain with a dog and boyfriend to see a Temple ground breaking that made it awesome. Although, that was pretty cool. Or, I imagine it was. We left before the program even started. It was 45* and rainy. I'm a wimp. Don't judge :p

It wasn't the amazing car ride through Provo canyon, Midway, and Heber. Although the clouds touching the tips of the mountains were pretty cool. See for yourself: 

Definition of 'puppy dog eyes' right there. He doesn't look pleased. He was loving the car, don't let those eyes fool you. 

The part that made my day so amazing? 

This: 

and this:

that's right! WE'RE ENGAGED!!!!! 

(I promise I'm working on the entire proposal story right now.) 

happy friday!

Last night these guys: 

(source)

beat the Yankees to advance in the Playoffs. Now, if you know me, you know that I really don't follow baseball. In fact, I think it's kind of boring. But, there's something about watching the team from your home town kick butt and shut A-Rod down. It's satisfying. ;) 

And Sunday, these guys: 

(source)

Are going to try to go 5-0. Yep. The Lions. Who have barely been able to put together one or two wins A SEASON for the last few years are undefeated. The last time they started the season out 4-0? 1980. 1980 PEOPLE! That's a very long time. 31 years actually. That's longer than I've been alive. How can you not get excited about that. (I may have started yelling 'SUPER BOWL! SUPER BOWL! after their win last week.) 

And the Red Wings are looking really good too. Overall, Detroit seems to be kicking butt in sports as of late. Last night, T texted me 'wouldn't it be funny if the Lions won the Super Bowl, the Tigers won the National Championship, and the Wings won the Stanley Cup the year you leave?!' 

...yeah dear...REAL FUNNY... 

Anyways, tonight we're going to the Salt Lake City home show and I'm making my momma's famous pot roast for dinner. Saturday, we're going down to the ground breaking for the Payson temple just south of Provo and then up into the mountains to see the leaves changing. Sunday will be church as usual. And Lions football. :)

Overall, it's should be a wonderful weekend. Lets just hope I don't ruin this pot roast! 

;) 

Did you know you can BAKE bacon?

'tis true my lovely readers. You can, in fact, cook bacon in the oven. 

I had some bacon that I bought with the intention of frying, but never did. It was coming close to expiring and I didn't want it to go to waste. I don't remember how I ended up finding the wonderful news that you can make it in the oven, but somehow, thanks to the internets I did. 

Start with a cookie sheet. Line it with aluminum foil (Use two sheets. Trust me. Just use two.) The aluminum saves you mucho time on clean up afterwards. 

Lay the bacon on the sheet. Did you notice that I didn't tell you to preheat the oven? I meant to do that. DON'T preheat the oven. I don't really know why, but just listen to the recipe, kay? ;) So, put the bacon in a cold oven, turn the heat up to 400* and walk away. Set a timer for 17 minutes and come back and check it. The recipe said to cook for 17-20 minutes but mine was done at 17 minutes. The bacon will burn quickly too, so watch it. Also, the closer to the bottom of the oven (or wherever the heating unit is in your oven) the crispier the bacon will be. I had 2 sheets in there. The one on the lower rack was nice and crispy the one on the top was more soft. 

PERFECTLY COOKED BACON! Without the nasty jumping burning grease that I am terrified of. 

The best part? 

You can crumple up the tin foil afterwards. It makes clean up a breeze. :) 

I've still got 5 minutes!

I haven't done this in a few weeks! 
- It was Conference weekend (I blogged about it earlier here) - I have a job interview on Wednesday! - The Payson Temple ground breaking is Saturday and we're going! (yeeeeeay!)- I discovered you can cook bacon in the oven (it's really good guys) - Snow is in the forecast for the next few days.-It should finally feel like fall around here. (I've had enough of these stupid 80* days) 
:) I hope everyone has a spectacular week :) 

Conference Weekend! Yay!

This weekend was Conference weekend! And it was my first General Conference in Utah. T's mom got us tickets to the Saturday morning session. I can't tell you how blessed I felt that I got to go to a session my very first year in Utah. We got up far too early and got there far too early (I blame my mother for making me paranoid about being late to everything. ;) ) But it was way cool. 

I got to hear a Prophet speak. I got to hear the second Provo Temple announced and felt the goosebumps when the entire conference center gasped at the same moment. It was a pretty gosh darn good session, and it was only the first one!! 

I had a lot of 'favorite' talks this conference. I always do. I can usually find inspiration from all of the talks but President Uchtdorf's talk on Saturday morning was one of the best. (I about jumped out of my seat when he was introduced. He's one of my favorite general authorities.) 

Some of my notes from that talk (these aren't direct quotes, but close to them. I didn't edit anything that I put in my journal) :

We are nothing compared to God, but to God we are everything.
No matter how meager your appearance, you are not invisible to Heavenly Father. He knows your humble heart and he cares for you.
What you experience now is not what it is going to be what it's like forever. 

God sees you as his child. You matter to him. 

How awesome is it to think about those things? We DO matter to Him. No matter how forgotten, invisible, or sad you feel, you are not forgotten. You are not invisible. You will not be sad forever. 

Another one of my favorite talks was by Elder Niel Anderson. It was about the family, children and motherhood. His talk gave me two of my favorite quotes: 

"Motherhood is not a hobby. It is a calling." 

&

"Having children is not something you do if you have time, having children is what God gave you time for." 

I cannot wait to be a mother. I can't wait to start a family. Elder Andersen's talk reminded me of that and he reminded me of how important the family is to our happiness. 

In other picture related news, I failed to take ANY pictures of me & T at conference! Bummer dude! But here are some pictures from after. :)

Sunday morning, I watched the morning session by myself. It was nice to roll out of bed, roll onto the couch, turn on the TV and listen to amazing men and women teach me. I watched the afternoon session with T and his family. As much as I liked watching it alone, I like being with other people while watching conference too. :) 

We went on a little drive before dinner. Every day I have to pinch myself to remind myself that I do really live in this beautiful place. 

I hope everyone else enjoyed their weekend!!! :)