How To Survive Six Months of Marriage

Yesterday marked six months of marriage for us! That pretty much makes us experts on the topic. Although some may disregard any advice I might give, being so young and newly-married, I still thought I would share some things I've learned thus far.

1. Make holding hands a priority. Andrew is way better at this than I am. He always reaches out for my hand when we're walking, driving, falling asleep, etc. It's such a simple gesture, but something that let's the other know that you care. It also reminds me of when we first started dating and when holding hands was such a thrill! I want to always be giddy about dating my husband.

2. Learn each other's love language. My love language is physical touch, which is why holding hands is so important to me. Andrew's love language is words of affirmation. I try to write him sweet notes and funny cards to surprise him. It can really be as simple as that. A little reminder that you're thinking about your spouse is sometimes all it takes.

3. Never go a day without kissing each other. Obviously. Do I really need to expand on that one?

4. Continue being best friends. Your spouse should be your partner in crime, your confidant, and the person you go to for advice. Don't forget about the friendship that most likely kick-started your relationship. Being married to your best friend sure makes it easier to go through the rough patches of life.

5. Laugh together. It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day tasks that need to be accomplished. Sometimes, it's best to stop with the grocery lists and never-ending house chores and instead, be silly together. Build a fort out of sheets and watch a Disney movie together. Have a ketchup fight (10 points to whomever knows that reference). Doing something that makes you both giddy is always a good idea.

6. The small things still matter. Do you remember when you first started dating, and you would go out of your way to do things you knew the other liked? Whether it was cooking their favorite meal or watching the ridiculously stupid T.V. show they liked? There's no reason to stop doing those things once you're married. Andrew will take me to Texas Road House on date night (I love it, he doesn't think it's that great) and I will humor Andrew by watching his favorite silly movies. Sometimes the simple efforts go the longest way.

What is your advice for having a solid marriage? I would love to know! 

Please comment below and share!

We gonna party like ish your birthday.

July is a big month for birthdays around here. My younger brother turned 18 on the 10th. My older brother had his birthday on the 24th. Mama Snow celebrated her's yesterday. And...

Tomorrow is Andrew's 28th birthday!

Isn't he just the cutest?

I don't think there are words to explain what he means to me so I'll keep this post simple. (Warning: Look away if you're not into love and mushiness.)

Dear Andrew,

You are my everything dear. I'm so glad we met in the men's restroom that fateful December day. Every day, I wake up and wonder what I did in life to be blessed with such a loving and supportive person as my husband. Thank you for your kind and thoughtful ways.

And shout out to Mama Snow and her part in birthing and raising such an amazing kid!

Reception: The Rest

Reception: The People

We were blessed to be surrounded by so many loving and supportive friends and family on our wedding day. I decided to dedicate this reception post to showcase all of the wonderful people who came from near and far to celebrate with us.

Reception: The Details

I was going to jam pack all of the reception photos in one shot and wrap these wedding posts up, but I decided what's the rush? I loved my wedding and this is my blog so I'm going to drag these reception photos out into three posts. Today is all the details of the reception. We held it outside in a family friend's backyard and it turned out perfect! 

Gilbert Temple Exit Photos

We're finally done with all the bridal photos so on to the next set of wedding pictures! Most of you know that we were married in the Gilbert Arizona Temple. Here are the photos of us exiting as an official married couple after the sealing. And, of course, pictures with all our supportive friends and families who where there with us!

Wedding Bridals: Part 3

Here are the final photos from the bridal shoot! You can see the first part here and the second part here if you missed those. It's hard to pick favorites since I love all the photos, but I think these ones may be my favorite of the bunch. We went out to Papago Park and hiked up to Hole in the Rock in our wedding garb! It was definitely worth it when we saw the end result!

Wedding Bridals: Part 2

Happy Memorial Day lovelies! We are spending our day unpacking the last of our boxes and addressing the final thank you cards while watching some Office episodes. We know how to live it up.

For your viewing pleasure this fine day, I present round two of bridals.

(If you missed the first round click here to see them.)

Wedding Bridals: Part 1

I am ecstatic to share the first part of our bridals! There are so many pictures that I had to break it into three parts. Our photographer was amazing, which I knew from the beginning, but I was still so shocked at how perfect our pictures turned out. Sorry for the overload, but these had to be shared.

Wedding Morning: Getting Ready

The morning of the wedding, I got ready over at my mom's house. I did my own make-up and then the lovely Lisa (my brother's girlfriend) did my hair. She is fantastic. The whole morning seemed to go by so sloooww because I was so eager to get on with the show. I wanted to see my handsome groom and get my marriage on. Here are the first of many, many wedding photos.

And so it begins.

Mushy Monday is back. At least until we get through all these wedding/honeymoon/family posts... which there are like a million photos to be shared so be prepared. To start out, I wanted to share this video that Andrew's sister Stephanie put together for our reception. You can see how fat I was as a baby and how adorable Andrew was.

 

Come back next Monday for the start of wedding photos. I'm so excited to share them!
(Update: click here to see more wedding photos.)

I'm a married woman.

We did it. We tied the knot.

I even changed my status on Facebook to "married" and updated my last name, so, you know, it's official and all. 

Our wedding day was perfect, the honeymoon was so much fun, and now we are back to reality and trying to get caught up with life. My new semester starts today and we are both facing towering work piles. Not to mention unpacking. I mean, who really needs to put clothes away in a dresser when they're already conveniently packed away in boxes? 

I have a ton of pictures to sort through and edit and once that's done, Mushy Monday will again be a thing on the ole' blog. Until then, here's one lousy cell phone picture for you all. Thank goodness for tags on Facebook.

Engagement Photos: Part 2

Here is the second half of our engagement photos on this fine Mushy Monday:

Engagement Photos: Part 1

Mushy Monday continues- you're not getting rid of it that fast. 

Here's the first half of our engagement photos shot by the talented and wonderful Jonathan Gibson.

Engagement Story

Back story: Andrew's dad once read us a children's book called The Trip To Panama. It's about Little Bear and Little Tiger who go on a journey to find Panama. The underlying theme is that no matter what happens to you in life, as long as you have your best friend by your side, everything will be alright. Throughout the book, they repeat the line, "With a friend like you, I don't have to be afraid." We always quote that to one another and Andrew has taken to calling me Little Tiger. It was a very touching experience having Andrew's dad read that story to us and the book has become dear to our hearts. 

Now on to the real story...

The Inevitable Love Story: Part Seven

Welcome to the final installment of The Inevitable Love Story. If you need to catch up: 

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six

July 27th, as we were laying on my rooftop watching shooting stars and lightning off in the distance, we decided to become "official". I say we've been dating since that night, but somehow Andrew claims we've been dating since June (I have no idea where he came up with that). Regardless of when it all started, things progressed quickly from that point on. Those three little words "I love you" came on September 14th. Wedding talk came about in October. Dates were had, trips were made, and our lives slowly fused together.

He asked me to marry him on November 29th and we're planning on forever starting April 12th. 

Read about the day we got engaged here.

The Inevitable Love Story: Part Six

Previously on The Inevitable Love Story: Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five

Things were going well as "friends". We texted each other during the day and occasionally hung out in the evening that week. We kept it very casual. That is until July 14th. After church that day, as we texted back and forth, I expressed to him that I felt things were still a bit awkward and no matter what we said about there being no pressure, there still was. We both tried to brainstorm ideas on how to fix this dilemma. I finally told him I had an idea, but was a little embarrassed to tell him what my solution for our problem was. He obviously wanted to know, but I said that I wasn't going to tell him over texting and he would just have to wait to find out.

That night, we got together a group of friends. We watched Despicable Me and made rootbeer floats. Once the movie was over, we were anxious to find something exciting to do. Next thing you know, we're all in the pool after jumping in fully clothed. We spent hours swimming and playing games. Once we realized that it was one in the morning, everyone parted ways. It was truly a fun evening and for once, there felt like absolutely no pressure. It was a carefree and easy night between us. Once I got home, I received a text from Andrew saying that he had hoped we would have at least a few minutes alone so I could tell him my solution and he was wondering if I was still up for talking. I decided to be brave and said he could come over even though it was nearing 2 AM.

We sat on my couch and I tried to avoid the topic. I was scared to tell him. He eventually got me to admit my thoughts as I blurted out, "Just kiss me already!" He was taken aback, completely confused. He thought I was going to tell him that we should give up and stop trying to possibly get back together in the future. Boy, was he wrong. I explained to him how I felt kissing would ease a lot of the pressure. We both knew it would come eventually, might as well get it out of the way. He tried to be a gentleman saying that he didn't want me to question his intentions. I told him that I appreciated that, but to knock it off and kiss me. And so he did. He grabbed my face in his hands and went in for the kiss.

And you know what? It worked. My solution worked. After the kiss, we were completely relaxed with each other. We stayed up until five in the morning laughing and talking and occasionally kissing. It was perfect.

Although we weren't "officially" back together just yet, we became inseparable after that night.

Read part seven here.

The Inevitable Love Story: Part Five

But first: Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four

As soon as I got home from work, I sat myself down on my couch and started counting down the minutes. When I finally heard his knock on the door, I wasn't sure what to do and almost started to panic. I quickly pulled it together and forced myself to answer the door. Andrew was standing there with a nervous expression on his face. I couldn't help but notice how cute he looked, but quickly scolded myself and regained my "I hate boys" attitude. We sat on two different couches and we both remained silent for several minutes, willing the other to speak first.

Andrew finally began. Much was said, but the gist of our conversation was that he believed that he bored me. He was used to seeing me laughing and having a good time with big groups of people in our ward. I explained how I  had been shy and unsure of how to act around him. He then continued on to ask if he had completely ruined his chances with me. I was quite taken aback by this and told him he couldn't ask me questions like that. It was completely unfair of him. This sent him into a frenzied explanation. "I know Alicia. I don't expect you to answer. I just had to ask. You don't have to tell me and don't feel pressured to say anything. We weren't good communicating our feelings the first time around so I felt like I needed to tell you everything today. I didn't think I'd even get this far. I fully expected you to yell at me and send me on my way. I had to ask. But I don't expect an answer."

This was followed by my silence. I could see in Andrew's eyes that he was aching for me to say something, anything, back to him. But I was busy discussing things in my mind. I didn't know how to process all this information. After a few minutes, I decided to tell him my side. "You say we weren't good at communicating so I'm going to tell you everything that I am thinking right now. Some of it I really don't want to tell you, because you don't deserve to know, but I'm going to tell you anyways." I told him about the first time I saw him and how I instantly started referring to him as my future husband. I told him about freaking out when he messaged me his number on Facebook and when he asked me on our first date. I told him about how confused I was when it ended and how devastated I was. And then I told him about my dream where he told me I needed to wait for him.

At this last statement, his mouth dropped. I reasoned in my head that this must have been too much, that he was now seriously freaked out and regretting his decision of coming over. It was now my turn to desperately wait for him to tell me what he was thinking. His words were rushed. "Alicia, you don't have to believe me in any way, shape, or form, but one night when we were dating, I got a very strange feeling. I didn't know why and I couldn't figure out what would make me feel weary of dating you. I was happy and I liked you. but the feeling wouldn't go away. So I prayed about it and all I walked away with is that we needed time. It didn't make any sense to me in the least bit. Even though I didn't get why we might need time, I couldn't shake the feeling. So I broke up with you. I regretted it the second I did it, thinking it was my own thoughts and I was scared and trying to find a way out of a relationship. But hearing your dream, it makes sense to me, or at least I feel at peace with the prompting I had. I've talked to my parents about you a lot, expressing my fear that I ruined all chances of us. Usually they dismiss my ramblings, tell me to move on, that another girl will come along, but with you, they kept saying that maybe with time, things would work out. I understand this is all very convenient for my side of the story, how your dream works in with my promptings, but I won't be offended if you put zero to no stock into it."

Again, I was taken completely off guard by his comments. My mind couldn't decide what to do with all this information coming my way. I told him I really couldn't decide anything about us or if there was a chance to repair what had happened, but Andrew asked if we could at least consider ourselves friends again. I agreed.

After a restless night filled with never ending praying and thinking, I asked Andrew to come see me again. I told him as much as I would like to deny it, I still liked him very much and that I could see a possibility of dating sometime in the future. We decided that we would avoid the pressures of dating and become really good friends and get to know each other better before attempting anything else.

Read part six here.

The Inevitable Love Story: Part Four

Don't forget to read part one, part two, and part three first.

After deciding to trust that things would work out, I threw myself into all other aspects of my life to avoid thinking about Andrew. I re-dedicated myself to my calling, attended the temple more, made new friends, went on a lot of dates, started writing on the blog more, took a few trips, attended blogging events, took every opportunity with my etsy shop, got a temporary second job, volunteered to help in a twice-weekly reading program, and moved into a house. To say I was busy would be an understatement. I didn't have any extra free time. And I loved it.

I would run into Andrew at church functions. For the most part we were civil (there may have been a few times that I purposely ignored him- oops), but after getting over the undeniably fact that we would still be present in each other's life, we established a friendship that was acknowledged by occasional passing head nods. As much as I tried to avoid him, we would constantly bump into each other. Our timing was impeccable when it came to showing up to activities at the exact same time. It was quite infuriating, but I secretly liked it.

(Side story: With all the happenings going on in my life as well as the big decisions that seemed to be flying my way, I was worried that maybe I wasn't making the right decisions. I knew that I was making good decisions, but were they the best possible decisions for my life? I decided that I wanted the comfort and assurance only a priesthood blessing could bring so I asked Andrew if he would be willing. He was and I was able benefit from his priesthood power. I will forever be grateful for his worthiness and willingness.)

The civility and politeness continued over the course of a few weeks until one fateful Sunday. It was fast and testimony meeting and although I hardly ever (see: never) work up the courage to bear my testimony at the pulpit, I had an undeniably feeling to get up. So I did. As I turned to face the congregation, the only person I saw was him. Mister Snow was seated directly center in the very back row. The way he stared at me as I bore my testimony was quite unnerving and once I sat back down, I was more than a little shaken from the experience. I told myself not to think about it, but that proved to be impossible. As the rest of the church meetings progressed, I ran into Andrew a ridiculous amount. Every corner I turned, there he was. I could not avoid him. I was more than relieved when I was able to go home. I just couldn't handle it.

I was able to put it out of my mind until I received a text message from Andrew on Tuesday asking if we could talk. Being stubborn I told him there wasn't really anything that needed to be discussed. But he insisted, saying he had some questions for me. I relented and he said he'd be by around five that same day. My stomach was in knots.

Read part five here.

The Inevitable Love Story: Part Three

Remember to read part one here and part two here first. 

After deciding to become exclusive, Andrew and I spent the weekend apart due to the Easter holiday. Monday came and I was excited to see my "boyfriend". He texted me that night and asked if I was able to swing by and talk to him. I quickly drove myself to his parent's house where he was located and immediately knew something was wrong when he was already waiting outside for me. I tentatively got out of my car, afraid of what was coming. He asked how my day was then proceeded to tell me that he had been thinking a lot. Thinking is never a good thing so I prepared myself for the worst. He said he felt things were "weird" and that he thought we should just be friends. At that, I told him goodbye and drove myself home.

I was in complete shock.

As a side note, when we were discussing future possibilities, Andrew(who was 26 at the time while I was only 21) was upfront that he was looking for marriage and that I was someone he could see that happening with. I was a little hesitant of the idea as I had gotten out of a very long-term relationship a year earlier, but after discussing it with Andrew, I felt comfortable with the idea. It was something that I wanted to be sure of though so I prayed about it a lot during this period. I had a resounding feeling that I should date Andrew and the jokes about him being my future husband seemed that much more serious.

So as I was driving home, I had no idea what to think. Why had I felt so strongly that it was the right thing to date him if it was just going to end three days later? The only thing I could think to do was to pray. I asked why things turned out completely different than I thought they would and why I received one answer that was different from the outcome. All I wanted was reassurance. If Mister Snow wasn't the one, I just needed to understand why I felt so sure about it in the first place. I wanted to understand.

That night I had a dream. One that absolutely infuriated me.

It started out like a normal, nothing special, wouldn't be remembered, dream. But right before I woke up, Andrew approached me and told me I just needed to wait for him.

I woke in the morning thinking that I absolutely would not wait for him. He was the one who left me with no explanation. God must have known I'd be stubborn because the same occurrence happened in my dreams the following two nights.

And so I decided that I would be patient with Andrew and trust in God's timing.

Read part four here.