Just 42 more days!!!

I know everyone ALWAYS feels this way, but where the H did the year go? Really, it's been about 86 seconds since last Christmas. But I'm not complaining. So siree. I LOVE Christmas. But I think this year is going to be extra special because now I have my own little tiny family. A.K.A. Matt & I. We will still be w/ the fam most of the time, but we get to start our own traditions for this Holiday Season.

We have already purchased our first Christmas decoration. We were in Albertsons one night looking for Cinnamon Syrup so I could jack the Starbucks Caramel Apple Cider recipe. Well, we had no luck finding it, but we did, however find a 3-foot tall Mickey Mouse dressed as Santa for 29.99 and bought that mother then. It's pretty sweet, and he is now residing royally on a side table in our front room.

We have a plan for our first Christmas tree. We are going to buy a tiny, sucky, Charlie Brown tree this year, and decorate it all up with random things that could be ornaments, but probably shouldn't be ornaments. But then right after Christmas, we will go find a nice artificial (it sucks to say fake, but everyone knows that it's what artificial means... :( ) tree with lights already built in. And then that will be our family Christmas tree for then until it falls apart.

We are so excited for the Christmas season. Not only do we get to celebrate the humble yet miraculous birth of our Savior, but we get to:

-bundle up in sweaters and beanies and scarves,

-drink hot chocolate,

-cuddle,

-find that PERFECT gift for someone you know,

-make fun of houses with really sucky lights on em,

-count the number of houses with lights on em when you are going from point A to point B,

-see your breath at night,

-go to the mall and not shop, but people watch,

-watch the already awesome, but a little more awesome cooking shows,

-be around lots of family,

-not go to school/work for at least a week,

-still after all these years not be able to go to sleep on Christmas Eve,

-and other Christmas-like activities.

So I dare any of you to try to tell me that there is a holiday better than this one. I triple-dog-dare you! ;)

Flopping...

Matt had a huge test yesterday, so when he got home from school, we just flopped (my family's work for just sitting around). Our friends Rick and Heather brought us back a pomegranate from his family's house. We got two bowls and the pomegranate and headed upstairs. We spent a whole hour peeling the thing and watching Criminal Minds. I love ppeeling pomegranates!! It's almost as satisfying as scraping popcorn off the ceiling, pulling feathers out of a feather pillow (Heather), or peeling glue off of my hand in elementary school. Plus, we found out that these mothers grow really well in Vegas, so Matt and I are looking into planting one in our front yard...

King Cutler. Does that make me Queen??

Well, life's been pretty normal lately. I'm working and Matt is going to school. Yadda yadda yadda... But a few big things have happened since...

A couple weeks ago was Matt's Homecoming week at UNLV. He was involved with a lot of activities, and was even nominated Homecoming King! He had to go through a lot to continue in the process. First, the club he is apart of nominates him. Then the committee checks his GPA and all that jazz, and once he is past that, he has an interview and also makes a banner to promote himself for Homecoming King. From those that complete the interview and banner, they are awarded points and the top 5 boys and top 5 girls advance to court. Then, the school votes. For a whole day, student get online and vote for who they want to win. At halftime during the football game, the winners are announced. Matt knew he wasn't going to win, but he did think a guy named Marco was going to. He had a lot of support from his frat brothers, and had a pretty good chance. Well, I guess at UNLV, they announce the runners up, which I think is a huge insult. That's saying, "Hey! You ALMOST won!!!" a.k.a. HUGE kick in the face. Well, the runner up for King was Marco! Then I really started to get nervous! Then they announced, "The 2008 UNLV Homecoming King is Matthew Cutler!!!" I couldn't believe it! Well, I guess I could, cause my husband is a freaking hottie with a body... ;) Everyone at UNLV knows and loves him, and he's pretty dang involved. He was shocked. And the other LDS girl on court, Ilse Zuniga won as well!!! It was such a fun night, and Matt rocked that crown and gay scepter like no one's bid-ness. And then we went home and went to sleep, cause that's how married couples roll. ;)

Matt and Ilse with Chelsea Milko. Matt is such a tard.

Matt with Ari, his campaign manager for that week. ;)

Free Handbags... SO CUTE!!!

Hey guys, Handbag Planet is having a promotional contest on October 15, which is their opening date. They are giving away one handbag every hour for the full 24 hours!!! Check out the website, and register to win one:

www.handbagplanet.com

My Husband is the BOMB

This post won't be big, but I just want to let everyone know that it is so nice to be able to have a husband that loves me and that cares. I know Heavenly Father cares so much about me, cause He showed me that this little goof ball tard from Idaho, would be exactly what I need.

Since everyone else is doing it, I might as well...

I know that since season premiers are all over the place this month, I just want to give a shout out to my favorite show. The Office. Boom, done. I don't care how trendy this show is, it is the FUNNIEST show on the face of this beautiful earth. Let's take a look at Laura's favorite moments of the past seasons:

-When Michael took Jan and the other business man to Chili's and ordered an "Awesome Blossom, exrta awesome"

-When Michael burned his foot on the George Foreman grill, "I like to wake up to the smell of cooking bacon, sue me!"

- In the same episode when Michael invited the handicapped (couldn't move legs) man into the office for a seminar and asked him, "How long does it take for you to brush your teeth in the morning?" and the handicapped man replies sarcastically, "I don't know, about 30 seconds." and Michael then looks at the employees and says, sadly, "That's 3 times as long as it takes me..."

- When Dwight was bouncing on the work-out ball at his desk, and Jim gets up very non-chalantly and pops it with a pair of scissors.

- Michael is an idiot: "Wikipedia is the best thing ever. Anyone in the world can write anything they want about any subject. So you know you are getting the best possible information."

- When Jim printed out Dwight's security name badge incorrectly: "Jim, my middle name is Kirk, not FART." And made the name badge 30 times too big.

-When Jim came to work dresses as Dwight, and then when Dwight came to work dresses as Jim. "Identity theft is a crime Jim!! MICHAEL!!!!!!!!"

- The episode that went over all the pranks that Jim has pullen on Dwight. My personal favorites is the nickels in the phone receiver. If you do not know this prank, you should watch it again.

- "What smells like up dog?"

- So, Mr. Scott, would you say that you have been directly under Ms. Levinson the entire time?", "That's what she said", "What was that?", "THATS--WHAT--SHE--SAID"

These are just a few of the funniset moments in my life. Cherish them.

New Calling!!

Well, Matt and I are in the Tropicana Ward in the Paradise Stake. There aren't many members in that ward, so naturally, we have more than one calling. Matt and I both teach the 12-13 year old Sunday School class. We love it. It's fun, but trying at times. Let's face it. They are 12 and 13, and don't give a crap about anything but the opposite sex and video games. It's hard to get through to them at times, but when they answer a question seriously, it's very gratifying. We love that class. We are both involved in the Young Men/Young Women programs as well. He is the Teachers' Quorum advisor and I am the Beehive class Advisor. I love this calling as well because I get to go to GIRLS CAMP!!! It's pretty much my home away from home. I love going up there and getting dirty for a week. I'm at work currently preparing a lesson for Sunday for the Young Women. I get to teach about Marriage Standards. Nice. It's all fresh in my mind, so this should be pretty good.

Since then...

Well, Matt and I moved into out new house and our friend Melanie has a friend Kristen who was moving, and didn't need the couches she had, and was planning on giving them away. She thought of us and we were able to pick them up!! They are great, too!! We also hung crap up so it actually looks like a home! We hae had friends over for games, and dinners, and all that other host-like stuff. It's so fun to have your own place and decorate it how you want, clean it how you want and walk around in whatever you want. HAHA, kidding... kind of. Well, also since the HM, we have gone to the cabin my parents have in Duck Creek. Matt and I were able to have a lot of time to ourselves and we went quading for a while. We went to a place called Strawberry Point, and saw one of the most increadible views known to man. We also went to Panaca, Nevada for Pioneer day at the end of July. My brother in law is from there, and it was soooo neat! Matt won a potato sack race, and got a dollar in quarters, which we so childishly spent on snow cones. We also went to Idaho for the Eastern Idaho State Fair where I won third place in an arm wrestling championship. I was the only girl in my weight class, so they had to bump me up to the next weight class, with the big burly biker chicks from Idaho. But I won third and got a plaque and a really cool shirt. We watch bull riding, and ate all the fair food we could get our hands on. It was a freaking fun weekend. Since all that, we've just been working and going to school and all that other schtuff.

HONEYMOOOOON!

So, we headed out with reception food in hand and a bag of "GOODIES"from Markus and Shylo. ;) We went over to Green Valley Ranch and checked in. We had a great time there, and the hotel room was beautiful and we had an awesome view of the pools below. We slept in the next morning and when down to the concierge's desk and they looked up an LDS church that started at 1. They map-quested directions and then we were off to church, and Matt was excited because he was fulfilling his Priesthood duties! So was I because we were going to a church far enough away from our family and friends, so we wouldn't see any one that we knew. We were just trying to avoid any awkward glances that said, "Hey, I know what you did last night..." So we showed up to a ward in Anthem and sat in the back. Then our friends Brandi & Seth popped out of no where. We talked with them for a while, and were grateful it was them and no one else. We had an awesome time talkin with them. After church, we went home and finished packing our stuff. At 10 pm that night, our friend Brittany, and one of my bridesmaids brought us to the airport. I still had no idea where were going at this point. Matt has kept this a secret for a long time, without budging!!! I was very impressed. So we got to the place where we check in, and the airline name was Mexicana. So there was clue one. I finally got my ticket, and it said "Mexico City". I was confused, but Matt assured me that it was just a stop... Whew. I slept on the way to Mexico City, and when we stepped off the plain into the airport I wanted to die. I was soooooooo cold. I thought Mexico was hot and miserable and humid! Anyways, we had a layover for about an hour, which was just enough time to go through customs and get lost and then get to the right terminal. Wow. So then, our next ticket says Cancun.... Interesting... But Matt let me know that it was just another stop. I was confused. I would have been JUST FINE with Cancun. But we got on the plane again, then got off the plane again... And we had to get off the plane and right onto the tarmac. Once I stepped out, WHOOSH, my curly hair was flat and I was sweating in about 3 seconds. So we went and got the baggage and made it through customs again, we were off, we took a car to our resort... It was about an hour to our resort and the ride there was pretty interesting. Taking in the surroundings as I looked out the window, on one side of the highway were these extravagant entrances to the resorts along the beach. I mean these things were huge, and probably unnecessarily large. Fountains and all this other stuff. They were cool and all, but whoa. The almost are trying to top the Strip. And on the other side of the road, there is nothing but run down shacks, in which people live, and litter and weeds. It is so weird to see that. Two different worlds on the different sides of the road. But anyways, we get to the resort and it is absolutely beautiful! It's HUGE and there are people there waiting on us hand and foot to assist us in any way. As soon as we got there, there was a lady there with drinks for us, and they already had our bags, and checked in and we were on our way. We got to our room and sat down for only a minute and then we went out to explore. Okay, I know this is boring, and sounds like a freaking journal entry, so I am going to finish up this honeymoon story that happened a million years ago so I can get on with the rest of my life. SHEESH!!!
So the resort was amazing (& ALL INCLUSIVE, which meant FOOD, whenever we wanted!!!) The beach was beautiful and all that jazz. We booked a few tours to go on around the Mayan ruins there in the Yucatan Peninsula. We went to Coba, the largest Mayan ruin on the peninsula, we went to Tulum, which is an incredible ruin on the coast. We also visited Xel-Ha, which is kind of like a Mexican Wet N Wild. There are many places there to snorkel, cliff jump, tube, scuba, and all that other fun water shite (the ''E'' is there on purpose). We went canoeing, rappelling, swimming in fresh water caves (cenotes), zip lining, hiking through the jungle, and so much other cool stuff. Then one day we went to the town Playa del Carmen where we did our souvenir shopping, layed out on the beach, walked for an hour in the pouring rain (on purpose), visited the local Wal-mart, and saw the other sites of the city. Another day, we hung out at the resort and layed on the beach there, snorkeled again, and ate all the free (kind of) crap that we wanted. I ate sooo much guacamole, and then we decided to go to dinner. I ate one bite of my filet mignon, and I threw up. I swear. I got one step into the bathroom, and threw up on the wall. I felt bad cause there was a cute little Mexican girl that just got done cleaning the bathroom, and she had to go off and clean it again. It really was sad. Anyways, the honeymoon was INCREDIBLE, and we had the vacation of a lifetime. I am sick of writing about it now, and I'm not going to go back and make it cute and colorful cause I am just sick and tired of this post already. If you would like to know more about my honeymoon, feel free to ask me. HAHAHA Maybe I will even put some pitcures in this post after a while.

The Reception

When I got to the church, I changed back in to my dress, and made my way to the cultural hall where my family was. I walked in, and didn't know where I was. Kristine Peart was the decorator, and transformed the place, and it was absolutely GORGEOUS!!! It was exactly what I wanted. The colors were very vibrant, and there were gerber daisies EVERYWHERE!!! Well, everyone in the Wedding Party was supposed to arrive at the Church at 5pm that evening. The reception started at 6, and we needed time to take more pictures of family and what not. Well, Matt's family didn't arrive until anout ten til 6 because his brother in law was sick. So we made do with the time we had, and took some pictures of the fam. Then people started trickling in. Slowly at first, but then by 6:20, the place was packed, and no one was leaving!!! Haha Apparently our Wedding Reception was the place to be that night, cause there were SOOOOO MANY PEOPLE! We had a great time standing in the line to greet our family and friends that came to see us. Then, when my feet felt like I was walking on coals, we dissolved the line, and went out and had some fun. We cut the cake, and I thought all was safe after about 3 bites, and then Matt looked as thought he was going to go in for the kill with the stupid shove in the face act. So, instead of giving him the satisfaction, I beat him to the punch, and he had cake up his nose. Hahaha. Then he got it all over my forehead. I knew that his sight was a little sketchy, but my forehead?? Wow. Then there was the boquet toss. I got all my girls lined up behind me, and tossed that mother like there was no tomorrow (I had to be careful of the drop ceiling of course), and my friend JJ was the one that caught it (A little update on her, the weekend after my wedding, JJ got engaged!!! I guess it really does work!) Then the garter um... thing? Matt told me previous that he didn't want to take it off with his teeth, and I was just fine and dandy with that. Until he knelt down... He was seriously just going to take it off with his hands?! Heck no. I grabbed his head, and shoved it under my dress. I don't think anyone (including myself) was expecting this... But FREAK! It was FUNNY! The I had the dances with my MEN (Daddy and Matthew Blaine). Then we peaced the freak out! It was so fun! His best man, Markus Oler from Idaho, and his wife made us a little care package for the night. We had a lot of fun looking at the stuff in the bag, and confessing our confusion for a lot of the items. So that was it. We were officially on our honeymoon!

The Day.

I woke up with Heather, my sister, at about 5 am. Hair takes a freaking long time to do! So we were doing my hair, and I was wide awake!!! So we all started to get ready, and it was almost time to go! I wasn't really that nervous, just excited. We hopped in the car and drove to the Temple. Surprisingly, I didn't forget anything! We got to the Temple, and they brought my parents and I into a room where they check to make sure you have everything (Marriage License, etc.). We were supposed to arrive at the Temple by 7:45 am. And what happened? Matt was late. By 7 minutes. I was calm as heck, cause I am used to this... ;) But he was late because he forgot almost everything!! I thought it was precious. He was sitting in the chair next to me in the little Temple office, and he looked so dazed. I don't think he knew what was about to hit him. We got then went into the dressing rooms, and then waited to go into the sealing rooms. The ceremony was beautiful. I was bawling, and Matt still didn't know what was going on. It was wonderful to see all our family and loved ones (especially Matt's who all traveled from Idaho). Then, when we were officially, Mr. & Mrs. Cutler, we got dressed in our social attire (Wedding dress & Suit) and walked out the Temple doors to see our families and friends all there waiting for us. Luckily, we had already taken all the Temple photos 2 weeks earlier, when the weather wasn't 278930 degrees. So we took a few with the families and friends and what not, and then left the Temple. We had all our family meet us at a Mediterranean Grill called The Olive. It's our favorite restaurant, and we have had many special occasions there. So we had a whole half of the place reserved for our party, and everyone LOVED the food! Then we followed our family back to our house so we could give anyone who hadn't seen it yet a tour... We have no furniture downstairs still, so everyone stood around, and that lasted about 10 minutes. So then they all left... And then we were home alone ;)

The night before...

Most girls would be sitting at home, lying in bed, unable to sleep because she is too dang excited for the next day. Well, my story is a little more interesting... My best friend, Amber got me a massage for the day before so I'd be all relaxed and limber. ;) So at about 6pm I went and had a hour and a half massage. It was freaking incredible. I had never had a professional massage, so this was a good time. Then, Matt's family (some were staying at our new home for the weekend) wanted to play Catch Phrase (the best family or friend game in the world. Seriously, go out and get it now. It's $26.49 at Target) so I had to bring my game over to our new house. I already knew that my sisters had an interesting night planned for me when I got home, and I knew that they were waiting for me, so I wanted to make the stop quick. I dropped the game off, and was relieved to get out of there so quickly, not that I don't love his family, but I was excited to get home and spend some time with my sisters. So as I was driving home, I was side swiped by this really old dude in a Ford Focus. We pulled into a parking lot, and he got out with his cane, and swore that he was in his lane, but he really wasn't... I wasn't in the mood for this. He was really apologetic, and I couldn't be angry with him. I have a soft spot in my heart for old folks. He was precious, and let me know that he was in Las Vegas for a confrence for magicians. Lovely, eh? Well, that crap was settled, and then I headed home. When I got there, my sisters were waiting there for me with pizza and bread sticks from Little Caesars. I LOVE that shiz. When that was all said and done, my sister, Heather, pulled out a cute bag that said "BRIDE" on it, and started going through it's contents. I was blushing for most of it, and laughed as hard as I could when she pulled out a CD entitled "Love Making Mix" Hahaha she explained why each of the tracks was on the CD and we laughed for what seemed like hours. Since two of my sisters are married, we had some interesting talked about my brothers. Nothing graphic or inappropriate, but hilarious, nonetheless. So then we all got ready for bed, and had a little slumber party. We watched Clueless and the Brady Bunch Movie. Unexpectedly, I didn't have a very hard time falling asleep. I think it was the massage...

So let's take this slow...

I am not going to blog the Wedding Day, the Reception, the Honeymoon, and moving in to our new house, and all that Jazz in one foul swoop... So I'll take it slowly. I hate getting all behind like this, because it's like getting behind in your journal writing. You miss a month, and then it takes you a month just to write about what happened in that month that you miss, and by that time, you have even more to write about, and it's a huge mess. I hate it. So forgive me if the MOST IMPORTANT DAY OF MY LIFE is a little abbreviated, I will come back and edit this blog to add more, but I hate sitting at a computer for more thatn like 20 minutes at a time... SO it might take a while, plus I don't have a lot of the pictures yet, so I will wait til I have them all on CD to add any. Whew. I am already done... Hahaha

Waiting much???

Well, I know that it's been forever since I have blogged anything for a LOOONG time. I still have to update all of you on the Wedding, the Honeymoon, the getting the house put together, and all that other good stuff!! I'm sorry it's been a while. We don't have internet at the house, and I don't have much time to blog at work, so it's hard to find time to play around anymore. I'll work on it, and I'll maybe even go to the school when Matt is being his big bad Senate President self at his meetings. Or maybe I will just sit at home and watch Oprah, and crochet. Hm... That's a thought.

Closing in...

There are a few things that I've been doing/thinking about lately. First off, I went to Pei Wei yesterday with my co-workers. If you've been there, you know that by the soft drinks, they have a basket FULL of fortune cookies that you may take as you please. I LOADED up on those mothers. So I sat down and while I was waiting for my food, I opened a fortune cookie, and read the fortune inside. Of all the things it could've said, it said, "ALMOST THERE". Heck YEAH! I got all stoked and then opened a few more, but didn't actually eat the cookies, cause who does that?? So that was a pretty tight. In case those of you reading this hasn't read any of my other blogs, or don't know me or my current situation, I am getting married in 36 days, and it feels like it's been forever since I've gotten engaged. So the fact that I'm ALMOST THERE makes me pretty excited. So that's the first order of business.

SECONDLY, the house stuff is all underway. Our lender got all of the information that he need from us, and we are going to CLOSE ON OUR FIRST HOUSE next Wednesday! Until then, I'll be looking at appliances such as ovens and refrigerators.

I finally figured out how to put songs on our profile. It's kind of a hodge podge of songs that Matt and I like. "Stealing Cinderella" is a song that my dad has told me time and time again reminds him of my and Matt's situation. He thinks that Matt is "ridin in and stealing Cinderella". As sad as I know that me leaving the nest makes my dad, he helps me to feel better by telling me that he wants to dance with me at our wedding to this song. I thought that it was really sweet of him to come up with this idea himself. My dad is big buff "I'll kill you if you touch my daughter" kind of guy, but when it comes to his little girls, he is a big softie. "Beautiful Girl" is always a song that Matt and I have liked. It came on during our first date while we were eating at "The Olive" (The BEST Mediterranean food in the world). So when we hear it, it reminds us of our first date. "The Luckiest" is a song about how we feel. Not just about our relationship, but about many things: the Gospel, our education, our jobs, our sense of humor, and our families. "I've Just Seen A Face" is from the greatest movie of ALL time. Across the Universe is incredible. SO go out and rent it. Please. Plus, Jim Sturgess is a total stud. "Let it Be" is also another Beatles song that Matt and I both love. "Collide" is a song that Matt plays on the guitar and sings for me, and it's probably a contender for one of the first reason's that I fell in love with him. So that's the story of the songs on our blog as of TODAY.

I am currently writing this blog because I am putting off studying for my Anatomy & Physiology final exam tomorrow. I am getting out of this class about 2 weeks early, but I am still putting off studying like an idiot, cause it's the end of the semester, but I'm pretty much burnt out. After I dumb my brain down for a little while typing out this blog, I'll get back to studying.

Matt's at UNLV studying away as usual. Most of you might think that this blog is for both me AND Matt, but you don't really hear much from Matt, or about what he's doing. Well, if I wrote about him studying and going to class, and teaching his classes everyday, you would all get pretty freaking bored. That's all that he really does lately, so I won't bother to tell you any more about that...

A little more on the new CASA

So I got some better pictures of the Cutlers future casa. Here are a few for you to feast your eyes on. Once all the remodeling is done, we will add more before and afters. So, let's get on with the show...

Pretty much the living space. Pretty good size. About 17' x 17'

A little more of the living room.

The HORRENDOUS oven that WILL be gone.

And here's the front yard!!

Hellooooooo terrible popcorn ceiling. Don't worry, that's the first order of business...

This is where the LINENS will go.

Our BEDROOM!!

Yeah, the MINT GREEN is soooooo gone.

I fell in love with this stairway.

The Results are IN! And the winner is.....

MATT CUTLER!!! A few weeks ago, my man was elected Senate President of UNLV. Pretty dang exciting. I'm still not really sure what his job description is, but what I do know is, I get a mortgage payment out of it every month, sometimes we get to go to AWESOME shows like BLUE MAN GROUP, for free, might I add, he has to go to a meeting every week, and that' really all I know. So, from what I can tell, I am benefiting from this little endeavor of his. It might get a little more hairy as the weeks pass, but for now, it's a pretty good deal.

So the night that we found out, we went to Raising Cane's for dinner with Ronnie and Shannon. That place is the BOMB, and you should go there if you even have the chance. So that was also the night that we found out that our friend Ronnie, really was going to pop the question to his girlfriend, Shannon, and that it was going to happen soon. So that's pretty exciting. Since I am the first one out of my friends to get married and Matt is pretty much best friends with UNLV and his BOOKS, it's pretty relieving that we will have another married couple to hang out with. They should be getting married at the end of June.

So now, Matt is not only studying his BRAINS out, he's going to meetings with the new executive board of UNLV, and interviewing people to be representatives, and yadda yadda yadda... So I get Matt about 13 minutes out of the week. But the semester is almost over and then I'll have him a little more... THANK GOODNESS!!!

So that's the scoop on Matt's election thus far. We've got his inauguration and dinner to go to in a few nights, so he gets to get all 007'd out. I'm stoked. He's a STUD in a suit. Also, since you have read this far about his election, you might ust be interested in reading the article that the REBEL YELL wrote about this Stud Muffin:

http://www.unlvrebelyell.com/article.php?ID=11869

Enjoy!

Almost there...

We are now 40 days away from the BIG DAY!!! We've come a long way in wedding preparations. We FINALLY found a place to live!! It's near UNLV, but is in a cute little neighborhood. It's 2 bedroom, 2 bath and a little over 1,200 square feet, and there really isn't much we need to do to it. Just get a new oven, get new countertops, new vanities in the bathrooms, paint a little, and scrape the POPCORN off the ceiling. Matt, the strapping young man he is, used to build houses in Idaho when he was younger, so he'll be able to do most of the work, thank goodness. Save a few dollars that we don't have. ;) The previous owners are also leaving their furniture for us!! There is an AWESOME oak table, an armioure, desk, dingle-berry lamp, king sized bed, and other odds and ends. I guess we won't be at D.I. as long as we thought...

Our announcements came in and we have almost finished addressing them. We are waiting on a few more addresses, but they should be in the mail by next week! That's been the big project lately, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel!!! My dress, and the bride's maids dresses have come in, and the altering is miminal, thank HEAVEN!

All we are really waiting on is the approval from our lendor, telling us that they are going to give us $ging-wah$ to buy this house!!!

We had our Bishop's interview last weekend. He started the interview with, "So, you guys finally decided that you couldn't stand to be without each other, eh?" Our bishop is one of the funniest guys we know. If you have seen Office Space (I wouldn't recommend it unless it's edited on TBS), the boss is just like our Bishop. He talks kinda slow, but boy, he's got a GREAT sense of humor.

As for the HONEYMOON, that's still a huge mystery. Matt wanted to do it all himself, so he's got it booked and all, but the only thing is, I don't know where we are going. And I won't know until we are at the airport, ready to get on the plane... All I know is that I had to get a passport (which came in in two weeks!!), I have to pack a swim suit, and it's in South America. That's fine with me. He's soooo good at surprising me. I can't wait!

Everything else is pretty much donzo. I'm meeting with the flower lady later to finalize that stuff. Matt is going to buy a new suit soon so we can go the the bridal portraits done. I've never seen anyone make a bigger fuss about talking some FREAKING pictures. He's all, "I don't want to see you in your dress before June 7th." Well too bad, kiddo. I don't want to stand outside the Temple in June in the HOT sun taking pictures. I'd rather get it done before then.

Wedding preparations

So now that I'm engaged and the initial shock has subsided, it's time to PLAN A WEDDING!!! I have had so much fun so far! I have been engaged only for about 3 weeks, but have almost everything done! Here's the list of stuff checked off: Date (06/07/08), Place for wedding (Las Vegas LDS Temple), Place for reception (Tropicana LDS Chapel), Wedding Dress, Temple Dress, Bride's Maids Dresses, his ring, people to do cake, flowers (Gerber Daisies), food, decorating. I've made lots of appointments, and have searched through millions of magazines! I do love it though.
I am, however, still searching for a photographer that knows all about Mormon weddings.

The aftermath.

So he finally asked me. We talked for a little bit, kissed, hugged, and then finally made our way out to my car. As we were leaving, he said, "There is just one thing." I asked what he was talking about, and he said, "You can't tell your dad, because I didn't have time to ask him." Regardless of how intimidating fathers are (my dad happens to be the most intimidating of them all), it is a huge NO NO to not ask the father's permission. I started to freak out, and told him that either he has to go to my house now and ask my dad, or I have to give him the ring back. He went on with his story for another minute or two, and then finally told me that he had asked my father the day before. I about lost my mind on him. I am NOT gullible, except for when it comes to him!!! I was ticked, but not because I knew now that I was definitely going to marry the man of my dreams!!! We went back to my house at about 10:30, to anxious and very excited parents. We talked with them for a while, and them I reluctantly took him home and kissed him goodnight. I had work the next day, but didn't know how I would sleep!!

Getting pretty anxious... And then BAM!!!

Well, I knew that Matt and I were meant for each other, but since I'm the girl, I couldn't do anything about it... He would drop little hints that he was going to finally pop the question, but never did. My co-workers had me convinced that he was going to ask me to marry him! We even went to a ring store in the mall so he could get my exact ring size!! So I was convinced it would happen soon. Well, the weeks went by, and I thought everyday, This could be the day! And, it wasn't. Matt has always been about being random, and full of surprises, and so when Valentine's Day rolled around, I knew he wouldn't do it then. I worked all day on the 14th, so he said that he wanted to get together the night before, and give me my gift then, so that I could "enjoy it on Valentine's Day" I agreed, and didn't think another thing of it. So the night of the 13th came around, and I picked him up, and was so anxious to give him his gift that I pretty much threw it in his face when he got in my truck. I got him the top of the line basketball shoes that were all fancy with straps and pumps and what not. The last pair of new basketball shoes he got were when he was in high school... (He is now 25, so do the math...) Yeah, he desperately needed them. I thought I was the best girlfriend at the time, and that I would be scoring some major brownie points for this one... Well, we went to dinner with our friend, Brittany Warnock, and then went to the LDS Institute to play games. It was getting pretty late, and everyone was starting to leave the institute. He pulled me into the Relief Society room (where we first talked, and he asked me to hang out for the first time) and he sat down at the piano. He started to play one of my favorite songs that he wrote, but this time, there were words! He sang about the relationship that we have had so far, and how he wanted to continue it! I started to cry as the song was very personal and beautiful. When the song was over, he sat me down at a chair and told me to close my eyes and hold out my hands (which is common with him). As I was sitting, wondering what he possibly could do for me that Valentine's Day, he was rooting around in this backpack. He finally zipped it up, and I heard him shuffle around. I finally felt his cold, shaking hand touch and turn over my left hand, and my mind went NUTS! I thought, OH MY GOODNESS, THIS IS IT!!! I felt a ring on my finger, and as he slipped it on, He said, "You can open your eyes now!" I forgot that I was squeezing my eyes shut, and I opened them to hear, "Laura Lee, will you marry me?"

Our life as a couple...

So we started dating, and we were having so much fun! We were going on dates and getting to know each other a lot better! His family came down from Idaho to participate in UNLV's Family Weekend. We all went to dinner, a football game and then had dinner at my house that Sunday. I met his dad, sister, Ashley and her fiance, Nate. We all got along great and were having a lot of fun. Because Matt is the genius that he is, he was spending a lot of time at UNLV, studying and since he is a Senator there, was putting together events and what-not. But we spent as much time as we could together. I went up to Idaho to visit with him and his family over Christmas and New Years. I met some of his childhood friends and watched some of the home movies that all teenage boys make. I saw another side of the man of my dreams, but it was hilarious! We took longs drives (my favorite), went snowboarding, met his grandparents and had a blast. We were in love, and at the peak of our relationship... Or so we thought...

Idaho is a Magical Place...

After we became friends again, we both decided that it would be nice to visit Idaho before school started up again. He thought I was kidding when I told him to book the flights. I was dead serious, and 2 weeks later, we were flying to Idaho. As we met with his family and friends, I realized that I really wanted to marry a guy like this. We were lying outside (we camped out in his backyard) in the middle of the night, and he leaned over and said that he couldn't do it anymore. I asked him what he was talking about, and he said that he couldn't just be my friend anymore. I agreed, and so our relationship began.

2 Months of Death...

Matt and I were best friends, and he had just broken up with the girl from Idaho, and I was still emotionally tied to the missionary. I asked him to go with my family to our ranch in Utah for Easter. He came with us, and during the trip, I was getting the vibe that he wanted to be more than friends, but I wasn't ready for that... We talked about it, and I told him that I wasn't ready to date exclusively. Matt was polite about it, and life went on like normal. He threw a birthday party for me that May, which I thought was extremely sweet because I hadn't had a birthday party since I was 12. We had a great time that night.
Then all of a sudden, Matt wouldn't talk to me, and wouldn't answer my phone calls. I was really confused. I had NO idea why he wouldn't talk to me. I tried a million times to call him and talk to him in church, but he would ignore me. This went on for a few weeks, and I just ended up giving up, but if I saw him at a church activity, I would say hello and try to start conversation, but he would fina way to get out of it. I went on about my life as normal. I met new people, and had some good times, but I missed my best friend.
After two months of Matt ignoring me, I decided that one Sunday that I was going to get to the bottom of it. I cornered him after church while he was playing the piano. I walked up to him and made small talk, and mentioned that my family missed him. He told me that he was late for a meeting, and I let him go. One of his roommates finally told me the reason Matt didn't want to talk to me anymore. He said, "He is whipped, and doesn't know what to do." This finally made sense to me, but I didn't realize before that he really liked me that much. Then he said, "I think you too should date." I was starting to like the idea of Matt and I, because by this time, I had gotten over my missionary. I was invited to game night that at his apartment, and after all his friends left, one of his roommates suggested that Matt walk me out ot my car. He surpriningly accepted and we walked outside. We spent the next 2 and a half hours talking. We talked about out friendship and how we both missed it. After much crying and hugging, we were back at square one: best friends again...

Where it all started...

Technically, the very first time we met was at church on February 25, 2007. I bore my testimony and mentioned that I had one leg shorter than the other because I have no hip socket on one side. He cornered me in Sunday School, and told me that he, too, had a hip problem and that one of his legs was shorter than the other!! He told me that his name was Matt, but throughout class, people were calling him Cutler. The hole time I heard "Color" and was very confused, and asked myself a few times, "What kind of hippie parents would name their kid Color?"
To start our real story... I had just sent off a missionary and he had a girlfriend. I met him a few days after my missionary left, and Matt wanted to help me get out, have fun and meet people. He was in the Relief Society room at the UNLV LDS Institute. I was in the rec room, and I heard someone playing the piano in the next room. I asked my friends if they knew who was playing the piano, and added that I was a sucker for a guy that can play. They told me that his name was Matt, and asked if I wanted to meet him. I suddenly got shy and reserved and declined. They dragged me into the room, where I saw a strapping and studly young man tickling the ivory. We talked for a little while about my recent break-up (with the guy I sent on a mission). I told him that it was hard, and that I needed to get out and have fun. He drew directions to his frat-pad, and asked if I wanted to go to the UNLV basketball game that night. I had to go, because he was a cutie, and it would help me get my mind off the missionary.
I went to his apartment that night, and he and I walked the 1/2 mile or so to the Thomas & Mack. During our walk, we talked about everything from cheese, to forklifts. I soon realized that this guy was really down to earth, and I really, REALLY liked talking to him. We had a great time at the game, and he even invited me to the game the next night! We went to the game, but I forgot to wear REBEL RED. So, we had to walk back to his apartment so he could find me the right color shirt. We talked again about cheese, and found out that he pretty much loves the stuff more than life itself. After the game, he took me to Cugino's Italian Deli, where he told me that it was really refreshing to meet someone like me, because he was having a hard time knowing if his girlfriend was the right one for him. He said that he didn't have much to talk with her about, and he couldn't have fun just being with her, they had to be doing something. He said it was nice to meet me, because he knows that there are girls out there that he really can talk to. I thought that this was a sweet comment, but didn't think anything could of would come of it. He walked me to my car, and as I drove away, I looked back in my rear-view mirror, and said out loud to myself, "What a great guy".
From that point on, we were almost inseperable, and became quick best friends.