Wedding!!!!

YAY!!! Lance and I are finally married. Seriously, I thought it would never happen. But it did, and we have now been married for just over three weeks. I have a ton to write about, but not a lot of time, so I'm going to just give a brief outline. We don't have our official wedding pictures yet so the ones in this post are from Lance's mom and grandma.

First of all, our wedding day was perfect. I could not have asked for anything better. We were worried all week because it was supposed to be raining (we even bought a really cute umbrella we could use in pictures if we had to), but it was beautiful and sunny the whole day. That morning was crazy; I had to get up at 6:30 to make sure I was ready on time. I spent the whole morning rushing around (thanks to Marissa and Becca for being the best bridesmaids and dutifully helping me!). We got to the temple at one, and our sealing was at two. The ceremony was beautiful, but I don't remember much about it. We were so glad that many of our family members and friends could be there with us. After the sealing in the temple, I changed into my wedding dress and Lance and I came out of the temple. I actually found out later that he came out without me to shave beforehand:(. Anyway, walking out of the temple with my husband was the best feeling I have ever felt.
We couldn't stop smiling. Lance kept staring at me and telling me how beautiful I was-- it was adorable. We took lots and lots and LOTS of picture for the next two and a half hours.













I was so impressed with our bridesmaids and groomsmen- they were so patient! By the time we were finished we were exhausted but barely had time to grab some Burger King and head straight to the reception.

The reception was amazing. SO much better than I could have imagined. Seriously I had a blast. The music was awesome (we picked it out :)), the decorations beautiful, and the cake delicious.














We didn't really have a receiving line, but instead just wandered around talking to guests. We had our first dance as a couple to our song, "Two is Better Than One".






Lance taught me how to two-step and I didn't even mess up!






Then we had a father-daughter dance, which was great. My parents are amazing. They helped out so much with everything.




My dad even built us a mini wishing well to put cards in which in now on our front porch and I will keep forever.









Our cake was beautiful, with our awesome Mr. and Mrs. Smith-style cake topper-- perfect for us.

Luckily Lance was a gentleman and didn't shove it in my face.












We also did the bouquet and garter toss, which was a lot of fun.










All the wedding flowers turned out BEAUTIFUL, which was good because I really wasn't sure how they were going to look, but I loved them.At the reception my father-in-law also sang 3 George Strait songs (he is a King George impersonator) which were great. We actually started a spontaneous line dance to one-- that's what you get with a bunch of Texans in the room! He also sang "I Cross My Heart" which Lance and I slowed danced to. It was soo romantic. I have never been so happy before. We are so grateful to all our friends and family, they did so much to help us, especially our grandparents who put in so much effort to be there. We ended up leaving the reception around 9:45.
Lance's siblings decorated the rental car we were taking--it was so cute. One of Lance's friends boxed up some food from the reception, which was great because it was delicious and we didn't get to eat any there. They also had everyone make a tunnel and cheer as we ran out to the car.

It was so much fun. Lance and I stayed in the honeymoon suite at a hotel near the airport that night. We had to get up at 5:30 the next morning to catch our shuttle to the airport. The day was a fairy tale but very long and we were so tired.

Under 2 weeks!!!!

The good news is, I survived my wisdom teeth removal. Barely. Actually, it really wasn't that bad. I was only on pain meds for a day and a half. Lance was sooo sweet and took really good care of me. He even wrote a blog because I asked him to. What a sweetheart. Anyway, here are a few other updates from the past couple weeks:

Bridal showers:
Marissa threw me pretty much the best bridal shower EVER. All my friends/roommies/sisters that were in town came (and others were very much missed). I got fantastic presents (lots of cute lingerie!) and we played fun games like Kelly Scene-It and the Lance/Kelly answer match game. We also burned our kissing map with stickers on all the states where the boys we kissed were from. It was a great way to move on from the past....

My aunts also threw me a really great shower for all the extended family that I have in Provo. I got so much great kitchen stuff including a pizza stone, dutch oven, ice maker, donut cutter-- all traditional Larsen favorites. Yum!

My 21st birthday was also a few weeks ago. Lance and I celebrated it quietly, but he did make me an angel food cake and decorated my kitchen! We went to dinner and saw a movie later on. He also got me the cutest present: a blanket that has a baby picture of me woven in to it. It was so unique and matches one that he received as a present a while ago. I think we are going to display both of them at the reception.

Easter/General Conference. Awesome. I LOVE Easter. It has always been my favorite holiday. Celebrating it with Lance was the best. We made Easter baskets for each other, dyed hard boiled eggs, and even made a Easter bunny house! (kind of like a gingerbread house...new tradition? I think so.) We has a delicious Easter dinner with Shay and Britta (Lance's brother and wife) and Stuart and Genevieve. We also really enjoyed General Conference. I managed to stay awake for almost all the sessions, and Lance loved priesthood session.

I am soo happy that I am finally done with school! I took my last final yesterday and I just have to finish writing one paper. It feels great. Now I can focus on work, moving, and wedding stuff! We are almost done with everything! There are just a million little details that need to fall into place. It's actually really starting to stress me out, especially because I can't control everything. But I'm so excited about it all.

Bad news: I'm worried about BYU football. Lance and I went to the Blue and White scrimmage last weekend. It went okay, but most of the team is just so inexperienced and we don't even know who the quarterback will be. And the real blow: Harvey Unga is withdrawing from BYU. NOOOOOO!!!!! He was pretty much the glue (and the talent) of the team. He and he girlfriend are withdrawing for "honor code violations." Guesses anyone? I'm so upset. It's going to be painful next season.

Today was my last Sunday in a BYU singles ward. What a sad part of my life to end... NOT. I realized that I managed to make it 3 years without ever having to give a talk one. How lucky. Lance and I are going to visit our new ward next Sunday. I'm so excited-- it's a family ward!

My friend/roommate Annie (who would have been the 6th bridesmaid) left on her mission this past week. I miss her already. She is going to be awesome.

Yesterday Lance and I went to the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point for the first time. It was really really beautiful. There were so many unique flowers that I had never seen before. Unfortunately we don't have a working camera right now so we didn't take any pictures except this one on my phone of super mini daffodils! So cute!

Clearly, we have been super busy the past few weeks, and it's only going to get worse I think. Tomorrow after work I have dentist and shopping to do, and I'm going to start moving my stuff into Lance's condo! Honestly I can't wait to get out of this house... Next week can't come too soon! I'm going home in nine days....can't wait to see my family!!

Wow long post. Sorry folks :)

And the countdown has begun...

So Kelly had her wisdom teeth removed today, and she's currently sound asleep, which has given me the perfect opportunity to provide a quick update on our oh-so-interesting lives :).

So we're down to less than three weeks before the Big Day. We've handled just about all of the loose ends that were driving us crazy: we've managed to stay pretty current on thank-you notes, we've resent returned invitations, we've firmed up reception/decoration details, Kelly finally heard back from the flower lady and lined up the flowers, and I finally got my tux. I have the wonderful privilege and distinct honor of wearing a blackish tuxedo with a purple vest and purple bow tie...a very masculine shade of purple of course, but that should go without saying :).

We had a nice little family dinner on Easter with Shay and Britta, Stuart and Genevieve, and some other friends, and now we're just about sick of left-over ham :). As part of my "Easter basket" (a foreign concept to me I must admit), Kelly got us tickets to the "Man Expo" for this past Saturday, and it was a blast...all kinds of cars, off-road vehicles/toys, exhibitions (wake boarding, skate boarding, vehicle demolition, etc.), and a few firearms and accessories. Way too many nutritional supplement booths if you ask me though...

This morning Kelly was scheduled to have all four of her wisdom teeth removed. After hearing horror stories from Stuart and Genevieve and Shay and Britta, we were a little nervous as you can imagine. But as it turned out, Kelly's top two came right out without any problem whatsoever, her bottom two weren't quite ready, and the Doc didn't feel comfortable removing them since they were still embedded in the nerve. As the Doc was outlining the situation to me, he explained that Kelly's breathing had been somewhat restricted during the surgery so far and asked if Kelly snored. Kelly, still in the surgery chair in another room, yelled adamantly with numb mouth and slurred/grumpy voice, "I don't snore!" The doc and I just started laughing. :) It was adorable. Of course, the nurse stated that Kelly would probably not remember much of the next 24 hours...but we'll see.

I love spring!!

YAY! Spring is finally officially here. Today was beautiful. After church Lance and I went to the park and threw around the frisbee for a little while. It was soo nice. There were a ton of other people there though so it was a little crowded. Last fall, I planted a bunch of flower bulbs in the little dirt patch outside my door. The daffodils are starting to bloom! I love spring! It is totally the best season. And work is starting to get fun again instead of miserable and cold. Hopefully no more shoveling snow-I'm an optimist! And only three more weeks of classes!

The big news for us this week is that we FINALLY, after hours and hours of work, got invitations sent out! We are all done with them except for maybe 10 we need to hand deliver. What a great relief. It was stressing me out so bad. The only real big thing we have left to plan is flowers. Only 40 more days left! Oh and I think I found the centerpieces I want for the reception. They are super cute and pretty cheap.

I am excited too because we got our first Bed Bath & Beyond present from our registry from Lance's grandma, Mumsy. She is so sweet. I'm excited cause our registry is pretty awesome, if I do say so myself. She also sent me some birthday decorations and a bridal shower and wedding scrapbooks! She really is so thoughtful and generous.

Speaking of bridal showers, I am sooo excited for mine this weekend. Marissa has gone all out- she really is the best Maid of Honor a bride could ask for. She has been so great and supportive this whole time, and she has come up with some great shower ideas (some of which she wont tell me about....). This weekend is going to be awesome with my shower and then the Festival of Colors after and then next Tuesday is my birthday! I will finally be 21! Lance wont tell me anything he has planned. ugh. I hate surprises. Not really. But they are hard for me.

Last weekend was really cool. Lance and I hiked the Y (he had never done it before. 8 years of living in Provo. And he is so outdoorsy. How is this possible? He claims he just like to avoid cliche things. I guess that's a possibility.) at sunset. It was a beautiful view. On Saturday we had to go up to Salt Lake to take care of some stuff, so while we were up there, we saw the new Alice in Wonderland movie in the Imax theater in 3-D. It was really good. I would recommend it to anyone. Then we went to Tucanos for dinner because I had a free coupon for my birthday month. Tucanos is delicious. One of my favorite restaurants because it is all you can eat of like 10 different meats cooked Brazilian style, plus a salad bar. Mmmm....

This weekend was pretty low key for us. To reward ourselves for finishing invitations, we took a little break from wedding planning. On Friday night we got to babysit my niece, Chiara. She is sooo cute but unfortunately doesn't like me much (shes only 4 months. shes hasn't learned yet that i will spoil her outrageously.). So of course she cried a lot, and of course Lance was the only one who could get her to stop, so he would put her to sleep and then I would hold her. It was tiring but still fun :) Stuart and Gen are such great parents.

Church was really good today. Annie gave her farewell talk. She is leaving for her mission in England in just a couple weeks. I cant believe it. Sunday School was really good too cause we started a new marriage prep class and it was just such good discussion. The teacher had us make lists about characteristics of ourselves and our fiance(e)s. Lance put some really sweet stuff about me but I laughed out loud when he said athletic. Does he have me confused with someone else? I sure hope not. That would make things awkward on the wedding day.

Speaking of Lance, I asked him the other day if he would ever write on this blog. He said he wouldn't mind, but he didn't want Merrill to think he was wussy. Haha. He prolly has a valid point. Hi, Jamie. Please show this to Merrill. I miss you and Darci. On that note, I hope everyone has a great week! Happy Monday!

Wedding Plans

So for those of you that are not tracking my every move or are far away from me, do not worry, I will keep you updated on my totally consuming wedding plans.

Things that are done:
-temple: Denver, of course! Lucky me :)
-colors: purple and silver (if you couldn't already tell from this blog). But dark purple. Not light.
-wedding dress. It is beautiful (ivory with a ton of beading)
-engagement/bridal pictures. Genevieve did SUCH a good job with my bridals and Rebecca, Annie and Marissa were awesome to spend two hours helping me with them.
-reception (mostly) Eagle Trace Golf Club in Broomfield!
-HONEYMOON!! I am sooooo excited. We are going to St. Francis Resort in the Bahamas for a week and a half. It is sooo beautiful. I even got my first passport!
-bridesmaids (Marissa, Becca, Mindy, Laura, Maren) and their dresses. They are purple with silver jackets- super cute. And groomsmen (Shay, Sam, Arturo, Michael, Evan and Eric).
- Cake- a lady in my home ward is going to make a purple velvet cake! Mmmm....delicious. Also, we bought the most freaking awesome cake topper ever.
Totally appropriate and completely applicable.
-We have also bought some furniture for Lance's condo (dresser, bookshelf, filing cabinet). He has most everything else. I can't wait to move in there.

What we still have to do:
-flowers. Ugh. This is a big one. I have been talking to a florist in Broomfield but so far nothing concrete. This is what I'm thinking though.
-invitations: are actually almost done. Actually Lance just texted me and said they are finished being printed, and I have finally basically finished the address lists. So all we have to do is address the envelopes and send them out! Hopefully in the next few days.
-We are trying to finalize hotels and transportation and such. It's stressful. But I'm pretty excited about it.

So basically, planning a wedding is the most stressful thing I have ever done. But it's also the most fun. Lance has been so great with this whole process. He has been very involved, which is great cause I know a lot of times grooms are really apathetic. He has actually surprised me a couple times with his interest and opinions in some stuff, but the input is great. Also he makes sure that we stick to our budget, which is hard for me sometimes. He is great :) So that's where we are at in terms of planning. We have got a lot done but I know it will only get more stressful. Less than 50 days now!

How did we get to this point?

Well. I will tell you. Lance and I have a lovely love story. It all started waaay back around the middle of August. I was working on the carpet cleaning crew. We were cleaning the law school library one evening. Since it was during the summer, there were only a few people there, and I didn't pay much attention to any of them. (Although Lance will tell you differently. All lies.)The library closed at 8, so everyone was gone except us and I was having an engaging conversation with my sister-in-law when a man walked up, said "I got a love note for you" and handed me a piece of paper. He walked away before I even had a chance to look at him. The note said: Call me. Name's Lance, with him number and a smiley face. True story. I still have the note. Lance has told me since then that he was checking me out all night, and debating whether or not to give me his number. He is convinced that I was eye flirting with him all night, which is absolutely not true. Anyway, I was naturally curious about this person who handed me the note. I figured he was probably some nerdy law student (not really my type) but I thought since he was brave enough to give me the note I would give him a shot. I texted him a couple minutes later, we texted all evening and then he called and asked me out to dinner for the next day. I agreed, because I still had no idea what he looked like and wanted to find out if he was cute. We were both a little thrown off when we found out there was a 7 year age gap between us, but figured one date couldn't hurt. WE had a quick diner the next day. I was impressed by his maturity, stunning good looks, intelligence, and, of course, his money :). He could help me fulfill my lifelong dream of becoming a trophy wife! Unfortunately for Lance, I was dating/interested in several other guys at that point, so I put him on the back burner for a little bit. We went on a few more dates over the next couple weeks. I was kinda trying to figure out how to let him down easy, but my roommates and friends convinced me to give him a chance (thanks Mitch and Marissa!). Even after our first kiss (5th date maybe?)I still wasn't sure I wanted this to go anywhere, until later that night when we had one of the most intense, personal, and best conversations of my life. That was when I realized I might actually like him. I started to realize that he was actually the most amazing person I had ever met. That is also when he realized he was falling in love with me, but didn't tell me that till later. That was right at the beginning of September. We have seen each other every day since September 4th, became official September 6th, he proposed on December 4th, and we just celebrated our 6 month anniversary last week. I am happier than I have ever been. We are literally counting down the days until we get married and can be together forever!



I apologize for the length and extreme sappiness of this blog. I cannot promise it wont happen again. Read at your own risk.