hello again

So.... it's almost been an entire year since I wrote a blog post. So much has happened in between now and then. It was fun to be able to go back through old pictures and remember how good the past year has been to me... and it was also hard to pick and choose my very favorite moments to share. So bare with me! 

Picking up from where I left off... we had our second annual Friendsgiving! Food was delicious but the company was better.

Women's Chorus continued to be a blast and such an incredible experience. There is nothing quite like singing praises to God with so many beautiful and spiritually strong women. I also had the best fans and friends supporting me all the way through! I was sadly unable to fit it into my schedule this year and miss it everyday. 

Our apartment had a J fettish. Meet J, Jonny and James. Not featured in this picture were Jason and Joseph, who were also amongst the room's dating friends. Suzie didn't have a man to claim since she was getting ready to leave on her mission, so she said that she would just be dating Jesus for the next year and a half.  

Then the day I never thought would come, finally came!! My best friend and sister got home from her mission. It is definitely in my top 5 happiest days of my life. After getting home, Katie came and roomed with me. We got some much needed catch up time. 

And of course our Candy House tradition lived on. But this year I got to share it with someone very special. As you can see... we don't take candy house business lightly. 

Due to all the craziness of Katie being home and us getting ready to head back to Orlando, my dad and I only got one ski trip in last season. But there's nothing like hitting the slopes with my favorite ski buddy! (Even though it was -3 degrees...)

Then we headed out to Orlando, FL where we met Harry Potter World, Animal Kingdom and of course some of Katie's converts and ward members from her mission. It was great to be making memories as a family and expanding our family borders to another state. Here's a video recap I made of our trip. 

If it wasn't already obvious, this whole time I was progressively falling more in more in love with Jonny Stuart (all over again). Over Valentine's Day weekend, we went to California with a group of friends. I couldn't think of a better Valentine's Day than to be with my love, my toes in the sand and the wind in my hair. I'd say he did pretty good. ;) 

The Women's Chorus was asked to participate in the ACDA (American Choral Directors Association) Conference this last Spring. We spent the entire year working on our music leading up to the moments that we had the opportunity to perform in Abravenal Hall and the Tabernacle at Temple Square. Those are moments I will never forget and so spiritually empowering. 

Not long after, I got news that I got admitted to the Advertising program at BYU! I am currently in my first semester and loving it. It's good be using my creative side again. 

And although I can say most things in this last year, were wins. There were a few losses too. I said goodbye to my girl Suzie for 18 months. I no longer get my daily update on One Direction or any celebrities for that matter... It was especially hard to say goodbye knowing that she was going to be missing one of the biggest days of my life. 

 We had to say our goodbyes to our Snowflake. She was my puppy since I was 5 and I still miss her when I go to visit home. She will always be a part of our family.

And I had to say goodbye to my beautiful, angel of a Grandmother. She is the greatest example in my life of Christ-like service, love and dedication. I hope to be half the woman she is to live up to her legacy. One of the last things Grandma said to me was that she promised that she would be in the temple when I got sealed.... and she was.

And through it all, I had the most amazing man by my side to help me get through it. I received the news of Grandma's death at midnight and Jonny didn't even think twice but headed right over to be with me. On his way over on his longboard, he hit a pothole in the dark and had to wear a sling for a few weeks. This selfless man didn't even say anything when he arrived. It wasn't until like 15 minutes after he'd gotten to my apartment that I cleared my eyes enough to notice he was scratched up. I really am a lucky girl to have someone who loves so selflessly. 

Then that amazing man got on one knee and made me the happiest girl in the world. He took me on a hike where we had our first date when he got back from his mission. Up at the top was a table set up with a giant puzzle that I had to put together. Each piece had a reason of why he wanted to marry me. I was so.... all the above emotions that I couldn't think at all and my puzzle making skills were about -5 so he had to help me a lot. Once the puzzle was completed, he put a back on it and turned the frame around. On the other side it said, "Will you marry me?" and he got down on one knee and made me cry. Happy Easter to me!

After the semester ended, we both moved back to Bountiful and participated in the Alumni Show that was put on in honor of Janet Cook for her retirement from the WXHS Drama Department. Jonny, Ryan (Jonny's younger brother) and I decided that we would be in all of each other's shows that we did... plus a few more we all just wanted to be in. This accumulated to us being in basically 90% of the show. 

As you can see, we no longer had our high school stamina... It was exhausting but such a fun experience. It made me wonder how I ever had the energy to do that every single day on like 4 hours of sleep in high school.... does that mean I'm getting old? 

But I got to sing my Ariel song again with my girls. (And wear a pretty princess dress)

But the best part about it was that I got the best and my favorite partner in every dance. 

Doing the alumni show definitely made us miss performing, but we had a lot more on our plate coming up. Maybe in the future we can perform in something together again. 

Then the day after the Alumni show, my mom and I flew out to the Big Apple for a week. It was a dream come true and something I'd been waiting all of my life to do! We went to museums, the Statue of Liberty, rode the subway, did the 9/11 memorial, the Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park, Chinatown.... and of course we had to see some broadway shows! We got to see Les Miserables with Ramin Karimloo as Jean Val Jean. We also saw Matilda and Finding Neverland with Matthew Morrison. It was such an incredible experience! I could have watched broadway shows all day everyday! It was also really great to be able to spend some girl time with my mom. A final hurrah before I got sealed to the man of my dreams. 

And as fun as it was, I missed my man SO much. Thank goodness for FaceTime I don't think I could have made an ENTIRE week without him. He was also a little trickster when I came home. He told me he wasn't going to be able to make it to the airport... but he surprised me there and I could not wait to be back in his arms!

Then all focus was on the wedding. Talk about a hectic time thanks to my OCD and micromanagement problems. haha But it was all worth it! One step in the process was that we were blessed to be able to rent out the perfect little one-bedroom home. We love it and it's the perfect size for us. 

Then we ended up being able to go to San Francisco for a weekend. I went to my first MLB game at the Giant's stadium! But let's be honest the real reason we were there was to see the One Direction concert! Man I love them. Even over thousands of screaming girls.

Then more must do's before the wedding day. My Maid of Honor and lovely sister planned me the greatest Bachelorette party! So clean and Disney themed. Just my liking. And I had all of my sisters there except one (yes all of these girls are considered my sisters). Love them! :)

Then of course Jeffrey had to come home from his mission in Guatemala. None of the festivities could truly start without all of the family there! 

Then I had to have a GNO with my gal pals. It had been so long since I had hung out with just my besties from high school and it was like nothing had changed. Callie still is obsessed with her cat and Abby still talks about planets. I love those girls!! 

Oh and they took me to get my first little pink bag... ;)

Then we did that thing, ya know we got married. Which I personally believe deserves its very own blog post. So ya'll will have to wait for the details on that AMAZING day! :) But here's one picture in the mean time... 

But the fun doesn't end there!! It's just getting started! ;) We went to Cancun for our Honeymoon where we got to spend time on the beach, at our resort, getting massages, going to Chichen Itza to see the Mayan ruins and of course listening to Jonny talk to all the natives in his Spanish. 

And honestly, we were just super stoked to finally be married. It seemed like the wait was forever and we finally made it!

But coming home meant coming home to the last days with Ryan. We spent some time in Bountiful so we could be with him and the family. And then the day came that we all piled in the car and dropped him off to the MTC. He is currently in Texas for one transfer as he waits for his Visa and then he will be heading to Argentina. He's doing great and following in his brothers' footsteps! :)

And before school got all crazy, Liz took us to the Luke Bryan concert which was so much fun! Even without drinking beer like everyone else!

And then I finally got to cash in on my Christmas gift from last year where Jonny took me to see the Taylor Swift concert. She is seriously amazing and knows how to put on a show! 

We still go on adventures all the time, and I have many more stories to tell... but this blog post is already long enough. I love being on this adventure of marriage. I grow to love Jonny more and more everyday as he helps me become more of the woman I want to be. 

Props to you if you actually made it this far. Expect more blog posts to come and pray for me that I can actually stay on top of it this time!!

xoxo

Angela STUART! :D