Married

I'm married! 

I now will be blogging on our family blog, click on the link below and you'll be taken to it.

The Alder Family

Kenny and Ellie Come to Visit!

This past weekend we headed down to Provo to finish up some wedding prep with my family.  I got to do a trial run on my hair, and I absolutely love how we decided to do it!  Then while mom and I went and bought everything I need for the temple this Friday, Michael took Mary out to lunch.  

We then went to Salt Lake to pick up Kenny and Ellie!  The kids were so excited to be off the plane and able to run around that it was hard to get any decent picture of them...

I know it is blurry but this captures the excitement at the airport

We had to really bundle up the little ones

Kenny chilling out on the luggage, waiting for the shuttle

Michael and I took on the responsibility of watching these two while Patty worked.  We had loads of fun! We were amazed at how sweet the kids were to each other, and loved the cute things they would do.  

Sunday night we decided to make Gingerbread men with the kiddos. 

After showing them how, both Ellie and Kenny rolled out their own dough and cut out their Gingerbread people. 

 Ellie loved frosting the cookies, Kenny on the other hand just wanted to eat the frosting. :D

 Every time Ellie would eat a cookie she would bite the head off first, it was really funny.

Kenny and Ellie's Gingerbread girls and boys

By the time the weekend was over, Michael and I were exhausted! I think every engaged or newlywed couple should have to watch kids for a couple of days to realize that they need time together before they have kids.  I appreciate my time with Michael so much better now!  Hats off to Amber and Joey, they truly have the sweetest little kids, we loved being able to spend time with them. 

Just Life.

 This past week was the ward Christmas party.  Each table was responsible to make a gingerbread house, and then the bishopric judged them... ours didn't win.  They had a few people sing some songs and play instruments, and then we ate chili.  For some reason to me it doesn't feel much like Christmas yet, I wonder if I just am so excited for the wedding that maybe it overshadows the Christmas aspect of this month.

Jonny working on the gingerbread house

Michael just sat ruining the tables centerpiece

I think Michael has hit a record amount of cereal boxes at one time.  In his pantry he has 14 boxes of cereal...this was what he bought himself at the store this week.  You'd think I wasn't making him any food, I have no idea when he actually eats cereal.

We had our last interview for our temple recommend that we need to be sealed in the temple.  I have been trying to prepare to go to the temple for the past month, and I have learned so much.  In some ways I am a little anxious about making such big covenants, but I am really excited to receive the blessings by being able to go there.  I am so grateful for such a loving bishop and stake presidency, they have been very helpful as I have prepared.  I am also really grateful for Michael, I love knowing I can go to him with all of my questions about the gospel, he helps me study them out and understand.  It is such a blessing to be able to marry a priesthood holder who centers his life around Christ.  It has already blessed us in so many ways, and he is an amazing example to me.

I spent Friday and Saturday in Provo with my family doing some last minute wedding preparations.  It is really coming together, and I can't wait to see how it all turns out.  My dress, shoe's, and veil are all ready for me to wear which is a huge relief.  I'm trying to finish up getting everybody's outfit's together in the wedding party, and next weekend I will be doing a practice run on my hair and makeup.  We should be assigned our house in Aggievillage this coming week, but unfortunately I still haven't been able to sell my contract.  We need lots of prayers for that right now.

Only 15 more days! :)

The Crazy Weekend in Kaysville

 It all started last weekend with a phone call from Patty (Michael's mom) on her way to drop Joe off in Wyoming, her car had seized and was needing to be towed. On Thursday morning there was a horrible wind storm that knocked the power out and caused major damage to her house. We were planning on attending the Faddis family Christmas party this weekend, so we headed down as planned to help out.  We got there to find this...

Jonny scoping out the fallen chimney on the deck

Michael mourning over the hammock.

The boys checking out the snapped trees

 Thanksgiving weekend we had just moved Patty back into her old house, so luckily the other house that we just moved all the stuff from had power. We ended up camping out over there, going to bed every night hoping that in the morning the other house would have power.  Unfortunately every morning all weekend the power was still out. 

Michael, me, and Patty eating food

 Originally the Christmas party was supposed to be held at the house, but because of the storm we all gathered at Aunt Sue's church-house. I had fun meeting all of the family, and spending time with them.  We had to leave half-way through to work out some stuff for the wedding, so the relaxing at the party was short-lived. 

Michael and I sat at the cool table with Kenzie and Jonny

On our way home from the party we decided to brave the cold and take Shauna (Joe's daughter) and her family around to look at the lights on Temple Square.

Shauna, Shaun, Taylor, Collin, Patty, and Joe

Mike and I

Jonny, Michael, and I

 It was a spur of the moment outing, so we weren't really prepared for the freezing temperatures...it was quite cold.

 We decided to go up and look at the Christus statue while in one of the Visitors Centers. It was super busy, and there was a long line up but Taylor was determined and pushed her way to the top.  As soon as she was told that the statue was Jesus she quickly pushed her way up and just stood there looking up at him from every angle.  It was really cute to watch.

Taylor's first time seeing the Christus

 Church was cancelled on Sunday because the power was still out, and the debris from the storm were still all over the place.  Everyone ended up spending the day trying to figure out how to keep their pipes from freezing, and cutting down their trees.  Every where you went we passed trucks with their backs full of tree branches. 

The line of trucks with fallen trees

 Even though the house was freezing, and we had no light we really wanted to set the christmas tree up and decorate it.  On Saturday we had gone and boughten a new tall Christmas tree to replace the old one, so with flashlights in hand and winter coats on we all worked together to get it all set up. Somehow this is as tall as it got...

Michael checking to see if there were supposed to be only 3 parts or 6...

Come to find out we had only gotten one of two of the boxes of branches.  Needless to say it felt like everything that could go wrong had gone wrong.

 There was a winter storm warning so we had to head back to Logan pronto.  We left the house with no power, the christmas tree still undecorated, and Patty and Joe on a mattress on the floor with no clean laundry or food not knowing when they'd be able to go back to their house. 

It was a very long tiring weekend, but we all were able to be together and in some ways it made things bearable.  Despite everything going on her life Patty still keeps pressing on, she amazes me and I look up to her ability to not give up.  I couldn't have asked for a better mother-in-law to be, I love her and hope that I can live up to be a woman as positive and strong as she is. 

Rachel's Mission Call

Me, Rachel, Mandy, Allie, and Jane

 I can't believe it but my best friend Rachel is going on a mission! I am so proud of her, and can't wait to read all of the wonderful experiences she has while she is in the field. The day before Thanksgiving she opened her mission call and we all were able to be there to hear her read where she was headed.  It was fun to reconnect with my friends from high school as well who were also there to support her. 

She was called to serve in the Arcadia California mission, and she is reporting in March!

Mary and Rachel

I sure am going to miss her a lot, but I know this is going to be the best experience for her! The other perk is that she is able to be in the sealing room with me when Michael and I are sealed! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Michael and I went to Thanksgiving dinner at my house this year.  Michael made crepes for my family in the morning, it is now his new specialty. :)

 My sweet dad worked all day long on his amazing pies! He made about 8 of them from scratch, we tell him all the time that he needs to sell them.  They were absolutely delectable like always.

After Grandpa carved the turkey, we all sat down together to eat.

Tyler got stuck on the old people's table.  Michael and I got to sit with the little people on the other table...

across from Mary...

 and Brandon. :)

After we ate the boys played Wii...

While Michael got lessons on how to play the ukelele with Grandpa.  

Sisters

 It was fun to be around the family again, and Michael was such a trooper being drilled by all of my grandparents and extended family. 

Mary and Dayne

We ended the night by playing a couple rounds of Nertz, and Michael did awesome for his first time. 

I have so much to be grateful for this year.  I have my wonderful family that is sacrificing a lot so that I can get married, my new future family that I already love so much, and Michael who never ceases to make me a better me. 

So. Many. Envelopes.

This Thanksgiving weekend was full of wedding preparations for Michael and I.  We got to work away at addressing our wedding announcements. My mom was awesome and had already gotten about 1/4 of them done for us which was super nice of her.

We had a system going where my mom and I would write the addresses

and pass the envelopes onto Michael who would put the announcements in, put the stamp on, and seal it. 

We did get a brief dinner break thanks to my grandparents who bought us each a burrito from Costa Vida.

  

We ended up having a little over 400 invitations that have been officially mailed out.  We were laughing about how weird it was that that many people would have our faces hung on their refrigerators for a month. I couldn't have done it without Michael, and my mom, we are super relieved to have it out of the way.