The new job!

I have now been at my new job for 9 days & I'm really enjoying it!  I was a little nervous about going back to work as a dealer only because I haven't dealt in 2 years. Once I dealt my 1st table, I realized that there was nothing to be nervous about & everything came back to me. I love dealing & am so happy that I finally got a dealing position!
I am still having some trouble with being back at work. My last job was just a cashier job with Target & I was only there for 3 months. I have been a stay at home mom for the past 18months & I think it's kind of hard to adjust to being at work so much instead of being at home. My first 2 days of work were just orientation classes. It was especially hard because it was 8 hours for 2 days of just sitting there. All I could think about was how much I missed my babies. Now that I'm actually dealing it's alot easier. I'm very happy to have a great job after so long & it makes me feel great that I'm finally contributing financially to our family! My shift is still incredibly hard (2am-10am) & it's very difficult to work those crazy hours & come home to two little kids. Garyn's doing an amazing job watching the kids so I can sleep for a few hours when I get home & a few hours before I have to leave for work. I want to switch to the swing shift ASAP & was told that there are 6 dealer positions open so once they fill those positions, I should be able to switch shifts!

Working at Vee Quiva has made me realize how much I miss working at All Star Lanes & Casino. Vee Quiva is not very big especially compared to Wild Horse Pass but it does have many slot machines & about 16 table games but no Craps or Roulette. I always really liked the fact that All Star was just a card room. The biggest thing I miss is the no smoking policy. When I got hired at Vee Quiva, I didn't think the smoke would bother me but it does...ALOT! Especially since alot of people aren't considerate when they smoke so it goes right into my eyes & makes them water. Plus when I get off work, I smell like smoke so badly that it almost makes me sick to my stomach. Finally, I really miss the variety of games All Star had. During a shift I'd deal Spanish 21, Pai Gow, Three Card Poker, Blackjack &Texas Shoot Out. Vee Quiva only has 14 table games & 12 of those are Blackjack. Usually by the time I get to work at 2am, they've already closed Pai Gow & Three Card Poker. Again, I love my job as a card dealer but I really liked the variety of games that All Star had. I was told that Vee Quiva will be bringing Spanish 21 in & they are thinking about bringing Texas Shoot Out in as well. I don't mind dealing Blackjack & I really love being a dealer but I get bored. :) All Star is where I took the dealer class & got my 1st dealing job & returned in 2007. I had my share of minor problems there but have alot more great memories from there. Now that I'm no longer there, I realize how much I miss it!

I realized over my 9 days of work so far that the pay at Vee Quiva is great! Gila River has 3 casinos, Wild Horse Pass, Lone Butte & Vee Quiva. I found out that out of the 3 casinos, Vee Quiva is their biggest money maker. I found that hard to believe because it's the smallest of the 3 but it's true. The main reason for that is it's location. It's in Laveen, AZ & it's the only casino in that area. I was hired as a dual rate dealer which means that most of the time I will deal but I can also be a pit supervisor. Out of my 9 days of work, I've dealt 8 of those days & floored 1 day. My average in tips so far for dealing is about $200 a night! I prefer dealing over flooring just because I think time goes by faster when I deal but when I floor I get $19 an hour! I will be dropped to 3 days a week but it's better than nothing. I would like to get full time but only if I can get on the swing shift so I'm hoping that in about 2 months I'll be able to move to the swing shift & then get full time. We are very grateful that I was able to get a job that I love & pays well. We've really struggled the past 2 months & just what I made in my tips alone in those 7 days was enough to get caught up on all of our bills & have a little bit left over! Now I'm just hoping that it won't be long before I'm moved to swing shift & can get full time. I think we'll be okay if I'm just working 3 days a week but I'd like the extra hours & tips of the other 2 days. We're both just so happy that I finally started & did so well this 1st week! I think that for the 1st time in about 2 months, I'd not over-the-top stressed out.

It was a very long process for me to get this position (I went through 5 interviews). I was finally hired on 7/7 & started on 8/31 (orientation) & 9/2 (dealing). Garyn & I are both incredibly happy & thankful that I finally got this job. It's really tough but we are adjusting as best we can. Garyn is not working at the moment so when I get home at 11am, he stays out in the family room with the kids while I go catch some sleep. Then around 9pm, I go lay down again in hopes of catching a few more hours of sleep while he stays with the kids & get the ready for bed. He's doing a great job at the stay at home Dad thing. He really wants to find a job again & is thinking about several options. He's applied to many jobs already & even had an interview but because of my schedule, he's very limited to the hours he can work. We will not put Rya & Hayden in day care so as of right now, Garyn's either looking for something that will work with my hours or just enjoy some time off until I can switch to the swing shift. As hard as the crazy hours are & as much as I miss being around my babies 24/7, I really love being back to work & a job that I love & could do for the next 10 years. We are both so incredibly thankful that the Lord blessed me with a great job!

Doctor's Appointments

Today both Rya & Hayden had doctor's appointments. Hayden was going in for his 15month follow up appointment & Rya was going in because I'm concerned that she's such a picky eater. Here is what  happened at the doctors plus my August update on my babies.

Hayden is doing great! He's 25lbs & 31" long. He's in the 47th percentile for his size. He did very well today, he didn't really fuss at all when the doctor checked out his ears, eyes, mouth & belly. She said he is very healthy & looks great. He is walking & climbing. He says a few words & knows what they are (Dada, Mama & Uh Oh). She said he is right on track with his mobile development. He still wakes up 1-3 times a night so she suggested that he only gets water at night to get him back to sleep & that I don't pick him up. He needs to stop waking up so it's fine to put him in the other room, close the door & let him cry for about 10min. I will definitely try that because I haven't had a good night sleep in about 17months! We definitely need to get him off his bottle 100%. He can use a sippy cup & needs to start using them all the time so as soon as I can, I'm going to go buy him a bunch of sippy cups & toss all his bottles. He's not very dependant on his binkie, he really only uses it to fall asleep. She said it's fine for sleeping but try to not let him use it much when he's awake. Hayden did get 2 shots. He wouldn't let go of my arm as I was laying him down. Poor little guy was screaming but as soon as I picked him up he stopped. Tough little guy!

I'm very happy that he's on track with his milestones especially since he has the extra fluid in his head. That is just something that will go away on it's own. Hayden is doing so well! He loves sitting in his booster seat. He wants to eat alone & prefers if no one helps him. He eats just about anything. It's so cute when he plays peak-a-boo! We love watching him walk around the house. It's so cute! The way he walks, we call him 'Dump Truck'. Not sure why but it just suits him. I do believe he has some seperation anxiety problems but I'm hoping that that will pass when I go back to work. He is such a joy & so sweet! He isn't much of a cuddle bug which makes me sad but he'll cuddle on occasion when he's tired. As he gets older, I am still seeing how much fun it is having a little boy. He is such a character! We get such a kick out of him! I'm so happy & thankful for our little man!

Rya was very good at the doctor today too. She is 30lbs. They didn't measure her height. I was kind of disappointed because she's so tall (she's the same height as our friend's 4 year old niece!) that I was really curious but oh well. She goes in again at 3 years old so I'm sure she'll get measured then. She didn't fuss at all when the doctor was checking her out. She said that she is very healthy. That's all I wanted. I just wanted to make sure that depsite Rya being a picky eater, that she was still healthy. I'm doing something right! The doctor made some suggestions for how I can sneak fruits/veggies into Rya's diet. She said cut up small pieces & hid it in the food she does like. We had Rya on a vitamin called Polyvisol. We added it to her juice every morning. We can now switch her to either a gummy vitamin or something like the Flintstones. I will pick something up next time I go to the store. She also said that I can make her smoothies. Sadly, I don't have a blender but I'm planning on buying one as soon as I can. When I worked at Bon Appetit, my smoothies were the best! I'm hoping she'll like them. I also asked about the Pediasure but the doctor said not to give her those. She said it's basically a milkshake that's more for kids that need to gain weight so to stay away from those. I'm just going to start sneaking fruits/veggies into the food she does like & I'll make smoothies once I can buy a blender & pick up some vitamins. I'm just so happy & relieved that despite her picky eating habits, she's incredibly healthy.
Rya continues to amaze me everyday with how smart she is & how incredibly beautiful she is! I've lost count of how many people have said I should get her into commercials or modeling. I would love to but it's so hard to find a real agency. I'm still looking into it & thinking about it. She is also incredibly smart! She knows 10 colors & 16 body parts. My favorite body part is the arm pit. If I ask her where her armpit is, she smiles & raises both her arms up above her head. She can drink from a regular cup but I don't let her do it often because usually she'll drink a little & dump out a little. She says so many sentences. My favorite is if she's in the family room & Garyn's in the bedroom, she'll say "I gotta go see what Daddy doing". She is just the most precious & beautiful little girl ever! I've actually cried while talking to her or watching her because she is just so cute. I can't believe that in about a month, I'll be planning her 3rd birthday. She told me she wanted a Rapunzel birthday party with a Rapunzel cake & even a few gifts she wants. I can't believe that she'll be 3 in November but I'm so looking forward to having another awesome party for her!

It was definitely a challange having 2 kids only 18months apart. We didn't want that but God had different plans & I'm so happy He did. I love both my angels beyond words! I'll look at them & I can't believe how much I love them! Rya & Hayden are so fun, sweet, loving & adorable! I always remember growing up that I knew I wanted kids someday. Now that I have them, I realize what a true blessing being a parent is. I'm also very thankful for such wonderful kids. So many people have complimented me on how well behaved & polite our kids are especially for their ages. We are truly blessed to have such a happy & loving marriage & a beautiful & amazing family. My kids are my world & always will be! They are our #1 priority & ALWAYS will be! We love them so very much & I can't believe how blessed we are!

How we met

Today is the day that Garyn & I celebrate when we met. Thinking about this day 5 years ago always brings a smile to my face. I think it's a great story & I realized I don't think many people know how we met. So I decided to write a blog about it & share the details for those who don't know.

I was in the Army & stationed at Fort Irwin in CA. Myself & my coworker, Jennifer were offered to go to Fort Lewis, WA for a month for scrub tech training. Fort Irwin had a tiny hospital so we only did minor surgeries so this was a great opportunity to learn more about different surgeries that we didn't do at Irwin. I was super excited to go because I did my Phase 2 training there so I was already familiar with the base & the barracks (as was Jennifer). Plus I could go home on the weekends & spend time with my little brother, Dad & stepmom. Fort Lewis had a beautiful hospital that I really enjoyed working at & everyone was so helpful & really took to teaching us everything they could during our month there.

Since I'd lived in WA for the past 12 years, I still had many friends in the Tacoma area. It was our 2nd weekend at Madigan & a good friend of mine, Megan was talking to me about going out that Friday night. Jennifer had friends on base so she had plans & I was excited to hang out with my BF in WA. She wanted to take me to this club in Shoreline that she & her sister go to alot. They knew all the security guys there so I thought it'd be a good place to go & have a good time.

I got off work at 3pm & met  Megan at her work to pick her up. We went to her place to get ready, picked up her sister & headed off to The Drift on Inn & Casino. It's a great club/bar & downstairs is a restaurant & card room. We had a blast drinking, dancing & just enjoying a wonderful girl's night out. The bar was closing & we were heading downstairs for a 2am breakfast & some gambling. Megan was talking to one of the bouncers named Jim. He was very friendly & protective & was in great shape. I ran to the bathroom & when I came out, Jim handed me his cell phone & said "Here, talk to my son". I still remember thinking 'Jim looks like he's about 35 years old. Why would I want to talk to his 10 year old son?'. I answered the phone & heard a deep voice say "What up, girl?".

Garyn & I talked for a few hours that night. He lived in OR so we decided that he'd come up the following weekend so we could meet in person. We kept talking through the week. The day of 8/18/06 I got off work, met Megan & we went shopping. I bought a gorgeous new shirt at White House Black Market & we went back to her place to get ready. Then off to pick up her sister & then to meet Garyn. We arrived at the club about 45min after we were supposed to be there but we're women so we have to be fashionably late. We met outside & went in to enjoy a fun evening. In between dancing & having a few drinks we chatted & got to know each other. A few months prior, he had gotten out of a long relationship & I hadn't been in one for awhile due to bootcamp, AIT & work. We didn't really think anything would happen after that night so we just enjoyed getting to know each other. It was really nice just to get out & hang out with friends & meet new people.

I was really impressed with Garyn because he was so polite all night. He paid for my drinks, paid for breakfast & comforted me when I got upset because I had to go back to CA & was going to miss Megan. We ended up meeting a few days later at an Applebee's near Fort Lewis. We wanted to talk some more without the noise & distractions of a club. We just sat at the bar & he drank water while I had 2 strawberry margarita's. I was again impressed with him when he offered to pay for my margaritas even though he only drank water. We made sure to exchange numbers & continued talking. Of course there's more to the story but this is just about how we met on 8/18/06. We will always remember the day we met & cherish it.

I can't believe it's been 5 years since that fun night in Shoreline! I wish we still lived in WA for many reasons but 1 is because I'd love to return to The Drift every 8/18. I will always remember something Garyn told me right before we got engaged. "They say you can spend your entire life looking for that one person who will bring a world of happiness to you. I've found mine in 22 years." I still feel very blessed to be married to such a loving, thoughtful, generous & handsome man. I have everything I've always wanted ~ love, a happy marriage & 2 beautiful babies. I never imagined that a fun night out of drinking & dancing with my friends would bring me everything I've wanted. :)

Can't wait but can

I got the phone call on 7/7/11 that I got the casino job. I literally fell onto the chair next to me because I couldn't believe it. I got all the information about the drug test the following day & the orientation a few days after that. As soon as I hung up the phone, I hugged Rya & just started crying. Rya & Hayden have a great life. They are greatly loved, totally cared for & their parents are still in love & married. But we want so much more for them! Garyn's been doing an amazing job working as much as he has been but his current job doesn't pay much.

A huge reason we wanted me to get the casino job is because the pay is amazing! Unfortunately, it'll still be a few weeks at least before I start working but as least I got the job. I already did the drug test, orientation &  turned all my paperwork in. Now we just sit & wait for Human Resources to call me & tell me that my gaming license has come in. Once it has I go in to pick it up, go through 2 days of orientation & pick up my uniforms & then I can start working. When I turned in the paperwork the gaming license tech told me that it can take anywhere from 2-6 weeks for the gaming license to go through but since I've already had one in Arizona, she believes it should only take 2 weeks. Also because I'll have the same numbers as last time. I'm really hoping she is correct & I'll get a phone call around August 2nd saying my gaming license is in.

I'm still so excited & happy that I got the job but still so stressed out since I'm not actually working yet. Once I start working things will be so much better. I was a little disappointed to find out I was only hired part time but that's better than nothing. I'm hoping to get full time within a few weeks of starting. The hourly pay for this dealer position isn't the best ($5.85 an hour) but tips makes up for it! I was hired as a dual rate dealer which means I'll usually deal but I can also be a pit boss. When I do floor, I'll get $19 an hour! This casino is the only one in it's area so the tips are very good. Plus I love going home after each shift with money.

I just keep thinking about how excited I am to go back to work but know it will be very difficult. I've been a stay at home mom since March 2010. Anyone who thinks it's easy is so wrong! I love it that I'm always around my babies & I don't miss anything but I do miss the adult social time that goes along with working. I like to make my own money even though Garyn & I are married & we consider everything to be ours. I still enjoy making my own money. I know that when I finally find out when my start date will be, I'll be so upset about having to leave my angels but it does help that they'll be at home with their Daddy & not at some daycare or with a babysitter. I know that I'll miss my babies so much when I'm at work but it's all worth it. I can't wait to start working so we can get a better car that has AC that actually works, a new place that is a little bit bigger & cleaner & finally pay off some debt so we can raise our credit score & hopefully buy a home someday. This job opens so many wonderful things! I will totally miss my babies & I hope they don't do anything amazing, super cute or awesome while I'm at work but if they do, at least we own a video camera.

Back to School Someday

I decided awhile ago that I really want to go back to school. I want a degree & a career. I never knew what I wanted to do & I didn't figure this out until I was 25 years old. I want a Bachelor's Degree in Interior Design. I think I'm finally starting to figure out when I want to go back to school.

I was just hired at Vee Quiva casino as a dual rate dealer & I'm thrilled. While I love dealing, I don't want to do it for the next 30 years. I won't mind doing it for 5 years since I do enjoy the job & the pay is wonderful but I want a real career & I don't consider dealing cards or even being a pit manager a real career. I am super excited about my new job & it will definitely help me save money to go back to school.

I think I have decided that I want to work for at least a year & towards the end of the 1 year mark, I'll start looking into different colleges & programs & start the process of getting enrolled in school. At 1st I thought I wanted to do an interior design program at Sheffield School but after my sister, Sarah looked into the program, she highly suggested that I not waste my time & money on that program. This program takes about 6 months & at the end I would only be certified. She believes that I should spend the extra time & money & get a real degree. It will take me about 3 years at least. The hardest part is that it will probably take longer than that because by the time I start classes, I'll be working, Garyn will be working plus we have Rya & Hayden & we won't put them in daycare so I'll probably only be able to take 1 or 2 classes at a time. Due to the fact that I won't have alot of time, I wanted to do an online program & get my degree that way but Sarah suggested not to get my degree online. Once I get closer to enrolling in school, we'll be able to figure out when I can take classes.

I'm very excited to go back to school & while it won't be for awhile I'm really happy that I finally figured out what I want to do & that when I graduate, I'll have a real career & a wonderful way to help support our family. I have no idea what colleges I will look at but there are a few around & right now The Art Institute of Phoenix is my top choice but who knows what I'll decide next year!

Wedding Vow Renewal June 2012?

Around our 2nd wedding anniversary, we decided that we'd really like to renew our wedding vows someday. We agreed that our 5th anniversary would be perfect for that. Now that we just celebrated our 4th anniversary & our 5th is a year away, I can start figuring things out about renewing our vows. We aren't 100% sure if we will be doing this but it is definitely something we are thinking about.

There are several reasons we want to renew our wedding vows:
#1 We had the most beautiful wedding but we want a fresh start. We didn't have a nice house to go home to since we were moving to Oregon right after the wedding. We struggled alot for the 1st 4 months of our marriage. We're in a better place right now than in 2007. We still face the everyday struggles but we're doing better now & things will just get better between now & June 2012.
#2 I wasn't totally happy with our photographer. He did a fine job & I'm very happy he video taped the wedding but he didn't do anything special, he didn't come prepared with a list of traditional wedding poses so we missed getting those & he didn't do any unique poses. If we do the vow renewal, I would hire a much better photographer & get alot more pictures & more of what I want.
#3 There were alot of people that missed our wedding & have said that if we chose to do the vow renewal they would definitely come. Our wedding had a small turn out but it was still beautiful & perfect. The renewal ceremony would give everyone who missed our wedding a chance to come to this.

Since I've been a stay at home mom for over a year & we decided 2 years ago that we wanted to do this, I've had plenty of time to start getting ideas. Again, not 100% sure we'll be doing this next year but it's fun to think about it & start planning it. I won't start making any official plans until it gets closer but for now, I can have fun coming up with ideas. So I thought I'd share what I've come up with so far. Before I share my thoughts, let me start by saying that I've been doing alot of research on proper etiquette for a wedding vow renewal ceremony & there really isn't any. So that gives me the freedom to do whatever I want.

LOCATION - We aren't sure where we would do this at. I wanted to have this at Christ the King since that's been my church for years & that's where we got married. Neither one of us was planning on moving back to AZ in late 2009. I would have it in AZ but a majority of the people that want to come are in WA, the church is in WA & the photographer I want is in WA. That is a decision that is totally in the air & can be changed no problem. Definitely unsure of where it'd be but again, everything is up in the air & won't be decided or booked until it gets closer to June 2012.

DRESS - I am planning on wearing my dress again. The dress is so breathtakingly gorgeous & expensive that it needs to be worn more than once. I want to dress it down a little so I won't wear a veil & the train will be bustled the entire time. I want to wear my jewelry & shoes that I wore for the wedding day as a fun memory. As it gets closer I'll decide on the smaller things like hair style. I'm determined to fit into the gown again especially since we will be paying for this ourselves, I want to save the probably $200 it would cost to alter the gown. I'm already down to my pre baby weight & know I can get down to my wedding weight in a year. If it needs to be altered then so be it but I will find a cheaper place.

When I 1st started thinking about this, I wanted to order the same tux for Garyn & one for Hayden. Now that I think about it I don't want to rent a tux for my boys. Since we will be paying for this ourselves, I'm trying to figure out ways we can cut cost corners as much as possible. I figured renting a tux for Garyn & Hayden would probably be upwards of $300 or so. Plus they both would be incredibly hot especially if we do it in Arizona! Instead, I want to buy both of them khaki pants which will tie in with the champagne color of my dress, a white button down shirt & a light blue tie. The way I shop & the places I shop, I can probably find all of that for around $100. Plus I think it would look so awesome! Garyn looked so handsome in his tux but I think this would be better for a vow renewal ceremony.

I want to order a little dress for Rya. I wanted to get her the same dress our adorable flower girl, Kaylee wore but I've already checked David's Bridal & they no longer carry the dress. I do want the color champagne in Rya's dress so it will match mine. I'm sure we'll be able to find her a sweet dress & she will look so beautiful. Kaylee was a wonderful flower girl & looked so cute!

RECEPTION - We will most likely not do a reception, nothing big anyway. We will most likely just have a gathering of the people that attended at the location of the ceremony. A big reason I want to do this is get alot of wonderful pictures that we didn't get at our wedding so we'll most likely get some before the ceremony, mingle with people afterwards & then finish getting pictures done. If we do this in WA, I have a photographer that I really want! We went to high school together & we on the cheer squad together & she's the most amazing photographer! I love her work & really would love pictures done by her. If we do it in AZ, then I want to try to find someone with the same style as hers.

Since the reception won't be anything big, we won't do dinner. I definitely want lemonde to drink (maybe coffee too, small details that would be figured out later) & cupcakes. I loved our wedding cake & at 1st I wanted a small replica made for the renewal but looking around online I found these cupcakes that would be perfect. Plus I thought cupcakes were more laid back than a cake & that's what I'm going for - a more laid back & casual feel. I want to order cupcakes like the ones pictured which will be perfect! They have the yellow & blue colors of our wedding & the little dots on each cupcake is perfect because that will represent the dots that were on our wedding cake!

We won't be ordering alot of flowers either. Most likely something for the alter that will hopefuly resemble our original alter flowers. I would like a small bouquet to carry. Just a few white roses & blue carnations which is what my wedding bouquet was made from. That will most likely be it for flowers. Since there really won't be a reception, I won't need to order flowers for centerpieces. Since this is just a renewal, I don't think it's necessary to order a boutineer. I think we will order yellow rose petals just to scatter on any tables that are set up or maybe just a few yellow tulips. I will definitely order a single yellow rose in memory of my Mom. We had one at our wedding & it was very special to me to have that there & have it again. Definitely not many flowers but a few.

One thing I really regret was that we never got a honeymoon. After the wedding, we flew back to AZ & had to leave a week later for OR. Neither of us liked AZ & Garyn was offered a job in OR that he used to do & loved. Since we had to be in OR for Garyn's new job, there was no time for a honeymoon. We still haven't taken one & it really bothers me. Our 1st anniversary we spent the weekend in Seattle but that doesn't count as a honeymoon since we only lived about an hour from Seattle. Idealy, I'd love to do our renewal ceremony & leave the next morning for a small delayed honeymoon. Obviously, depending on where we lived & do the ceremony would depend on where we'd go plus we'd need someone to watch the kids for those few days & I think that will be really hard. I think I might just need to accept the fact that we won't get a honeymoon for another 18 years or so. LoL

Anyway, that's really all the thought I've put into this so far. I would love to do this ceremony but it's a long time away so we'll start saving & planning & hopefully we'll be renewing our wedding vows for our 5th anniversary next year!

I've already figured out about what this entire thing will cost. The most expensive thing will be the photographer but it will be worth it. Again, this isn't a for sure thing but something I'd love to do next year for our 5th anniversary if we can afford it. If not, then we will just wait until we can afford it & do it then.

Reminicing about June 22, 2007

Today is our 4th wedding anniversary! I noticed that the past few days, I was thinking alot about our wedding & reminicing about all the planning we did for it & the actual wedding & reception. We had such a gorgeous wedding & reception (Thank you Pop & Kim!!). Just thought I would share some of the things about our wedding. Like how we came up with the date, how we chose the colors & flowers & some other things. It's fun for me to think back on all this & I thought it'd be fun to share it.

DATE - Garyn propsed on December 8th 2006. I always thought it'd be sweet to get married on my parents annivsersary which is also my grandparents anniversay, February 23rd. But I realized that I wanted a summer wedding so we wanted June 23rd. That way I'd get my summer wedding but it's still on the 23rd. Unfortunately, the place we chose for our reception (The Kitsap Golf & Country Club) was booked on the 23rd. The 22nd was available & it was as close to the 23rd as we could get.

COLORS - This was one of the 1st decisions we made & one of the toughest. My 1st choice was pink but since it was Garyn's wedding too, I didn't want it to be too girly. We threw out pink & purple. I knew I didn't want red because EVERYONE does red. Black wasn't a summer color. I then chose green & yellow but Garyn wanted blue & yellow. We agreed that blue & yellow were the perfect colors for a summer wedding! The only problem we had was finding the bridesmaid dresses in the perfect color. We ordered the tuxedos from Men's Warehouse so we were going off that shade of blue. I finally found the perfect bridesmaid dresses. They were short & sleeveless so they also fit in perfectly with the summer theme. Unfortunately, since I had to ship 2 dresses to WA & 1 to CA, the saleslady told me there wasn't enough time to have the dresses shipped & sized to each bridesmaid. We ended up finding great dresses at JCPenney for only $30 each! They matched the groomsmen tuxedo's perfectly & looked great with the yellow tulips & the champagne color in my dress!

CAKE & FLOWERS - At that time, the only wedding I remember going to was my sister's wedding in 2004. I loved her flowers & her cake was delicious! So we chose the same people for our wedding, Safeway.

The flowers were easy, tulips are my absolute favorite flower! We chose yellow tulips for almost everything to make sure the color was incorporated in the wedding. I wanted my bouquet to be a beautiful waterfall one with blue flowers. They did an amazing job but it was heavy! I remember being nervous because it's hard to plan a wedding in another state. We were living in AZ but getting married in WA. I think I called serveral times just to make sure they had my order right. To save money, I did the centerpieces myself (another idea I got from my sister). I found the vases at the $1 store & just ordered yellow tulips. We arrived at the reception hall the morning of the wedding to drop of the cake, check out the decorations & set up the center pieces. It definitely saved alot of money doing it ourselves!

The cake was another easy decision. I wanted the same flavor my sister had at her wedding. We did a vanilla cake with fondant frosting. It was so good! I didnt' want the bride/groom on the top of the cake because I did want a few things about my wedding to be different. We had Safeway floral department make a beautiful flower arrangement for the top of the cake. It was breathtaking!

MY GOWN - I had come home in December for Christmas. The day I had to go back to CA, my stepmom, Kim & I went dress shopping. This of course was what I was looking forward to most about planning the wedding. We went to Benita's in Silverdale. They had a pretty good selection & I was happy with the attendant that helped me. The first 3 dresses I tried on were okay. The 4th dress I tried on was it! I rememeber my jaw hitting the floor in the dressing room. I came out to show Kim & she was in awe of this dress. I loved it anyway because it was exactly what I wanted. It was strapless, corset top with alot of detail. When the salesgirl showed me the train, I was sold. This was THE dress! I knew I didn't want anything under the dress (tulle or a hoop skirt) because I knew I'd get too hot. My sister offered for my something borrowed to be her veil. It matched my dress perfectly & I loved the idea of wearing her veil. I also didn't want alot of jewelry because I wanted the main focus to be the dress. The only jewelry I wore were a gorgeous pair of diamond earrings my stepmom gave me that belonged to her. I still treasure those diamond earrings! The dress was amazing & I felt so gorgeous in it! We are planning on renewing our wedding vows on our 5th anniversary next year & I'm planning on wearing the dress again!

THE RINGS - When Garyn propesed to me in December he didn't have a ring yet. Once he told me why, I was happy he chose to wait. He said he wasn't 100% sure on what kind of ring I wanted & he wanted to make sure I got exactly what I wanted. He knew I wanted white gold but that was about it. Once I moved to AZ, we went to the mall one day & he took my hand & led me into Fred Meyer Jewelry (our go-to place for all our jewelry). The saleslady was wonderful. I told her what I wanted & what our budget was & she fully kept that in mind. Garyn showed me the ring he had picked out. It was a round cut diamond with 2 smaller ones on each side. I did like it but everyone has that ring. I like to have things that are unusual. I chose 3 rings that I loved & told him to pick one. He chose the ring that is now on my ring finger. I love this ring so much! The engagement ring was a set & came with a beautiful wedding band. Unfortunately, I no longer have my original wedding band. A couple years ago, a diamond fell out & instead of them just replacing the diamond, they wanted to give me an entire new ring. We didn't like the new band so thanks to layaway, I got a better one that we love even more!

There are still so many wonderful memories I have about our wedding. Garyn & I chose not to do bachelor/bachelorette parties because the typical party wasn't our thing. We also think they are rather immature. Instead of a bachelorette party, all my bridesmaids & I met up at Azteca for margaitas & then we went & got our nails done. It was so nice beause none of my bridesmaids knew each other so it gave them a chance to meet & I hadn't seen any of them in awhile so it was so nice to chat over margaritas & pedicures.

I think my favorite thing about the wedding (besides becoming Garyn's wife!!) was getting ready. All my bridesmaids & I got our hair & makeup done about 2 hours before the wedding. We then went to the church to get dressed & ready. It took awhile to get into my dress but once it was on, I knew that I chose the right dress & I was so happy to finally be wearing the most gorgeous wedding dress & marrying the man I love!

My favorite thing about the reception (everything was my favorite) was the crystal decorations hanging from the ceiling. When I was home for Christmas, my Dad, Kim & I went to look at the reception hall. It was perfect. I loved that it was at a golf course, there was a beautiful pond in the entry way & plenty of space for dancing, tables & the cake. When we walked in they must have had an event coming up because the crystals were hanging up & that's when I saw them & mentioned to my Dad that I wanted them. The morning of the wedding, Dad, my bridesmaids & I arrived at the reception hall to drop off the cake & set up the center pieces & I remember walking into the hall & seeing the crystals & getting tears in my eyes because for some reason I thought we forgot to order them. I was so beyond excited! The Country Club did an amazing job! I had called several times to make sure everything would be set up in time & that they didn't have any questions for me. We just had white table cloths with blue napkins & the yellow tulip center pieces. We also had yellow lemonade at each table which I thought was a fantastic idea since it went along with the summer theme & the yellow color. I wanted candles but didn't want to spend much so we just got a big bag to tealites & they were perfect!

We had such a gorgeous wedding & reception. I'm still so thankful that I'm able to look back on our photos & the video & not have any regrets about the wedding. It was everything I'd wanted since I was little. I'm so happy that we are now celebrating our 4th anniversary & know that we have many more ahead of us!