Life as we know it...crazy!

It has been three months since Spencer and I were married! Can you believe that? I wanted to take a minute and reflect on the fun times of learning, growing, and laughing (Spencer if you read this, don’t be embarrassed!). I am not doing this to admit our faults or embarrassing things we do. Being married is wonderful and so eye opening.  Now, I am no expert in marriage, nor do I ever plan to be. However; my marriage is important to me and I am going to work to be an expert in my own marriage. Being married has proven to me that the love you have for one person can grow everyday whether you notice it or not. Coming from a family of all girls, I had no idea what living with a male was like. In fact I was quite clueless to some things. With the high expectations of what the movies can set up for us on what marriages should be like, please know that they will lead you to some false hopes (which you will learn to laugh at later). Let me give you some examples. In the “perfect ma...

As I have reflected on the past year, so many wonderful things have happened that have changed my life for the better. 2014 forced me at times to go out of my comfort zone and find new ways to handle situations. I have never been so grateful for a the trials and struggles that were put in front of me then for the ones that I faced this year. In the blink of an eye, this year was over, but I wanted to share the most exciting and most memorable moments of 2014. -In January I decided to have some fun and go to the Bridal show with my twin to open my eyes to planning a wedding that would shortly arrive 10 months later. The joys of getting my dress a week later helped me get excited for what was coming later in the year. I learned to value my family and how much they did for me to help me prepare to become married to the love of my life. -As I continued to go to school full time up at the University of Utah I was able to finish a year long project with teenage mothers with the best group...

Well as I had promised in my last post, it's all about Christmas this time! Christmas is one of my favorite holidays, not because of the gifts, but because it reminds me of my Savior's birth and how that birth has changed the world. It brings out the good in people (even the ones that seem they could never be good), it is the perfect season to get all cozy and have as many friends and family members over, it is inevitably full of Christ, as it should be (and so should every other day of the year). Whether or not you believe in Him or not, how can you not be full of His spirit around this time of year? I love Christmas! I could go on and on about the Christmas traditions that I love or stories that have shaped me to the person I am today. I will spare you of all of them except for a few. When I was younger there were quite a few years where I longed for many presents from Santa. I wrote him long lists, like every child expecting every last little thing on that list to be place...

In our tiny apartment here in Midvale I had been feeling as if it were missing something. I couldn't figure out what it was though, I had my husband, my kitchen put together and my bed set. When we received our pictures back from our wedding I knew that is what was missing... Pictures on the wall! I could hardly wait to get nails and make Spencer help make hang them up. I kid you not it was like Christmas Eve when I opened the box of nails and marked up the walls on how I wanted  the pictures hung up. We don't have very many walls to hang up pictures, but I tried to use my space wisely. It felt so nice to hang up pictures and make our 620 sq. foot apartment feel more like a home. "Home is where you story begins" why not tell a story with pictures on the wall? Not that we have many visitors, but for me, the story I want to tell is the love I feel when I come home from a long day at work and my husband is there. Cheesy, yes I know, but I am a newly wed so it's oka...

Friends and family! It has been far too long since I have posted anything on the blog. I have so much to tell you and update you on. I do apologize, but give me some slack, I was planning a wedding while working a full time job and trying to stay updated with all the local gossip and of course stay sane. I hope I can entertain you, so sit back and enjoy what has been going on with the new Shiveley family. Over the past month much has happened, and honestly it was the fastest month of my life. I will be forever grateful for this month, it taught me many lessons and brought me closer to my family and my new family. Ready for my bullet point list? -Both Spencer and I were endowed, which was exciting we could be there for each other. -We had our bridals taken by the talented Lexi Bills up at Tibble Fork Reservoir, with our luck we barely missed the storm. I love all of the pictures and look at them very frequently. - I was spoiled by my sisters who threw me two wonderful bridal shower...

Friends, family, neighbors, can you believe that there is only 100 days left of this adventure? It has been so crazy the past little bit, but I am so grateful for everyday. I do apologize for not posting prior to this but... this whole getting married thing is way more important! I would love to catch you up on things though, and quite frankly there is a lot to catch you up on, but I'll spare you the boring details and skip straight to the fun ones! Spencer and I have been engaged for almost two months. I thought I had a lot planned before we got engaged... no it was all in my head, but now... now everything is planned and coming together smoothly. It's crazy how fast time has gone, I am not complaining at all though. I will admit though, being engaged has brought some stress (mostly expected stress, and only currently engaged or married women will understand this). Trying to coordinate everything from the flowers I hold to the linens on the tables, down to the last speck of ...

Well friends and family the moment we've all been waiting has arrived! Life has brought me such joy that I couldn't help but share. I will apologize, things will get ooey gooey and I will probably share more pictures and others things about my updated relationship status. But hey... I am in love so give me a break okay?? I am sure you are all dying how the engagement happened, so grab a snack, sit back, and relax (it's okay if you tear up, love stories always get to me too). This is from my point of view, so it's only what I know :) How it all began: April 2012 I got a new job at the Rec Center in South Jordan as a front desk staff employee. I was working nights at the time and really loved what I was doing. I started to get to know other employees that worked the same shifts as I did. A few months into my working, I noticed that there were a few life guards that I thought were really cute, but I worked the front desk... they were life guards. Slowly I began to talk ...