Today and every day

Almost five weeks have passed since our wedding.  

Over 2000 pictures have been sorted through, about 400 of which have finally all been posted, and Pete and I have watched our ceremony video just a few too many times.  

It is now all beginning to fade into a distant memory.

So I decided to make a little video to capture our perfect day in time, and to share it with those who were unable to be there (without having to sort through a 35 minute video and 2000 photos).

 

I present to you, May 22, 2011.

Be warned: You will probably need tissues.

 

Next up, Honeymoon pictures!!! 

And even shorter hair. :)

But the tigers come at night

It is almost 3 AM and I cannot sleep. The house is silent, and has been for hours, and I am left alone with my thoughts.

 And still I dream she'll come to me, and we can live the years together.

But there are dreams that cannot be and there are storms we cannot weather.

 

No other words need to be said.

I miss you, Mother.

He Didn't Have to Be

Happy Fathers Day to all you awesome daddies out there.

And specifically, to my amazing Husband, and to my big brother Nathan, and even to my sweet Grandpa, these song lyrics were written for rare men like you, who did not have to be fathers to someone else's child...but chose to anyway.

When a single mom goes out on a date with somebody new
It always winds up feeling more like a job interview
My momma used to wonder if she'd ever meet someone
Who wouldn't find out about me and then turn around and run 

I met the man I call my dad when I was five years old
He took my mom out to a movie and for once I got to go
A few months later I remember lying there in bed
I overheard him pop the question and prayed that she'd say yes 

And then all of a sudden
Oh, it seemed so strange to me
How we went from something's missing
To a family
Lookin' back all I can say
About all the things he did for me
Is I hope I'm at least half the dad
That he didn't have to be 

                     -Brad Paisley


I love you each so much for being the kind of men that step up to the responsibilities that so many others have neglected.  Happy Fathers Day <3

An Open Thank You Note from the Newlyweds

We did it. 

After 2 years of dating and a 15-month engagement, we finally made it to Vegas and were married. 

And it was perfect.

But it wasn't easy.
Despite my insane level of planning, the 3 days leading up to the wedding were less than perfect.  They were stressful, and emotional, and a lot of things did not go according to plan.  The low point hit at 24 hours prior to the ceremony, when we were facing the possibility of not even having the reception we had planned for the past ten months.  After three days of stress, that was news I just did not know how to handle. But luckily, I was blessed by people who did know how to handle it...and now I would like to say Thank You.

To our wedding guests:
Not only did you all get time off work and spend lots of money to travel to Las Vegas to be there, but you also changed plans once you were there, offered up favors left and right, and did everything you could to help deal with the hectic situations we were faced with.  People made and answered calls, dealt with vendors, took care of Ryan, dealt with my crazy instructions, spun napkins, made dozens of cupcakes, transported stuff, and drove all around Vegas for us. My amazing bridesmaids hugged me, dried my tears, wiped dirt off my dress, made me eat food, and made me laugh constantly.  Pete's two awesome groomsmen helped keep him calm, dealt with putting a 4-year-old in a tux, and made way too many trips between hotel rooms. Without Becky, Nathan, Angela, Mary Jo, Nico, Ryan, Ked, Rebekah, Rob, Pete's parents, and maybe even people I'm not aware of, we would not have even had a reception. And without the help of Brittany and her parents, our siblings/babysitters in Colorado, and those who graciously gifted us with honeymoon money, we would not have had the amazing honeymoon we had. 

Pete and I often feel very alone in our daily lives in Arizona. We are far away from our families, finding a babysitter is close to impossible so we rarely spend time with friends, we never have help when Ryan, or the two of us, are sick, we planned our wedding (and completed the giant list of wedding projects) by ourselves, and neither one of us are people who like to ask for help or to depend on others.  Yet, when it came down to the wire of our wedding day, we were forced to rely on you, our family members and friends, even people we had literally just met, to help us do the things we could not do ourselves...and we were blown away by the amazing feelings of love and support that surrounded us. After our reception, at 3 AM, Pete and I returned to our empty suite. We sat down together and marveled at the day we had. Our wedding day was everything we wanted it to be. It was beautiful, personal and meaningful, and we were surrounded by the people we love.  But looking back on it, we knew that none of it would have turned out that way without the help of so many friends and family members who went out of their way to be there, and to help us create the wedding day we imagined. We both agreed that the best wedding gift we received was the realization that we are NOT alone, we are loved.  So, to everyone who gave us that gift, we thank you.

Love,
The M Family.