Wedded bliss!

I can't believe its already been a month of wedded bliss. Things are a blurr so I wanted to make sure I blogged it all. :) We got married on June 26, 2009; then had our reception the next day. Sunday morning we took off for Hawaii. Three days in Oahu, and seven days in Maui. It was a whirlwind of adventure. We got back from our honeymoon, opened the presents, packed, and drove to Northern California. We will be living in San Lorenzo, CA for the summer, and then returning to So. California so I can start school in September. Matthew will finish working for SAFEWAY in October, on his anniversary date, so he can secure his retirement and get his 5 weeks vacation and then join me down south.

The wedding was wonderful. Friday started off with me having a migraine headache, not good, I was really worried I wouldn't make it to the temple. I was staying at a nearby hotel with Emily and she ran home and got my medication and then Matthew and his uncle came by to give me a blessing. In this instance it was good luck for him to see me before the wedding. While I was getting my makeup done, I started to feel better. The temple ceremony was incredible. Sitting with him in the celestial room before the ceremony was just so calming and peaceful. I didn't know they had you do that before you got sealed. We were all alone in there, and it was just such a quiet, peaceful time for us to reflect and feel the spirit. I couldn't stop crying during the ceremony and my mom didn't help it any. I just felt such joy and happiness. I felt like I have never felt before. Everything seemed so clear, and though I don't remember everything, our sealer did a wonderful job will all that he said to us at the ceremony.

The rest of the day passed pretty quickly. We were the last wedding of the day so we had the temple grounds to ourselves, which was good, even thought the sun was really too bright for very good pictures. We also went to a nearby park and took some fun photos. Then we had a family/friends beach party. My oldest brother Shawn cooked tri-tip that was delicious and he also cooked corn on the cob. Matthew’s family was happy to get to enjoy the beach (they are from Oregon) and we were treated to a wonderful sunset. That night we stayed at the Hyatt Hotel. We had reserved just a regular room but they upgraded us to the PRESIDENTIAL SUITE! It was awesome. This place was huge! It had a kitchen, dining room, 2 living rooms, a master bedroom, a grand sunken tub (my dream), showers, hallways, sitting areas, fireplace, and a balcony that went around the entire front of the hotel. It was immense. We felt like royalty. Beverly Hills 90210 was filming a party scene at the pool we could see outside our bedroom window. That was surreal. The next morning we ordered breakfast and ate out on the balcony overlooking Huntington Beach in our luxurious Hyatt robes. It was awesome. The food was served on silver trays and it was so fancy. The hot chocolate was the best I have ever tasted. Neither of us wanted to leave.

But we had to leave about noon to get to our reception. The reception was perfect. Sister Koller, from my ward, and my friends did an amazing job on the flowers and decorating. The backyard was stunning! WE had the ring exchange first with a family and a few friends. It was really beautiful. My friend Rachel, who introduced us, sang "When I Fall in Love". We both cried. My brother Shawn, said beautiful things about the symbolism of rings and then both our fathers spoke and gave advice. Matthew and I also exchanged "vows" or basically just said how we felt. It was really amazing. Then we cut the cake and started the reception. The cake was beautiful and yummy. We took a lot more pictures. The food was really good. My older brother made this fruit display that was so cool looking and the fruit was excellent. He is a wiz! Really, I don’t think the reception could have been better. I didn’t worry about a thing. We wandered around and talked to people. I felt so happy. I just had a great time. It was like a huge party and everyone seemed to just be having fun. We left amidst bubble blowing and were on our way to Hawaii!

We spent two days in Oahu. Our room was right on Waikiki Beach on the 16th story. The view was out of this world gorgeous. We had another sunken tub, which I loved! We went to the Polynesian Cultural Center because Matthew had never been, and it was really fun. Maui was the greatest though. We had this ocean front room that was about 20 feet from the ocean. It was so beautiful. It was a condo, so we had a kitchen and we would cook meals and eat on our patio and enjoy the view and watch the sun set. We rented a mustang convertible and cruised everywhere in style. We went on a bike ride down the Haleakala volcano, went to a Luau, did a fun dinner cruise on the 4th of July and watched the fireworks from the boat, drove along the road to Hana (despite a flat tire), and did lots of snorkeling and beach bumming. It is a beautiful island and was just such a relaxing, fun time. I was sad to leave. But also know it is just the beginning of many adventures together.

It was all just so perfect. The temple, the beach party, the reception at the Kettley's, the honeymoon. Everything. It was all I wanted it to be and then some. It exceded my expectations. And I am not just saying that. I really just had such a fabulous time. And I know my family and friends had so much to do with making it all be so perfect. Emily and her sister Marie were angels to me. My brothers and their families were all amazing. My friends from school, Kristen and Jaime, were so great. The ladies in my ward who all helped - just wonderful! And my folks who helped me put it all together and were so supportive - I love them so much!

And, of course, my wonderful husband who was by my side the whole way through and who I know will continue to be. I truly feel so blessed to have found him. Matthew and I just have such a great time together. He has really become my best friend, which is as it should be. I guess I am just in constant awe that I have found this wonderful person to share my life with. And though I am sure there will be many trials and things to deal with, I feel happy to know that I found someone who will weather the storms with me. It’s such a cool feeling.