Big Announcement

It's official! We will welcome Baby McFarland into the family sometime in early July! The doctor's first due date is July 4th, my dad's birthday, but we will see if it changes. I am now about 13 weeks along, and am just getting over all the first trimester fun! I never got morning sick, but was nauseous at night and extremely exhausted. We can't wait to find out what we are having in February, and we can't wait to welcome the first grandchild in both the Peterson and McFarland
families!

McFarland Christmas Letter

This year has been such a whirlwind for the both of us. We met in January, spent countless hours driving back and forth between Ogden and Lehi, vistited both our families, got engaged, and then got married in Salt Lake on June 27th. Our honeymoon consisted of a 2,000 mile drive from Utah, down to Costa Mesa, and back up the coast, stopping in Laguna Beach, Newport, Huntington, Santa Barbara and L.A, to Taylor's parents for our open house. We then drove another five hundred miles to Boise, for our reception there. After that it was back to Utah to pack up our stuff for the move to Kansas.

We have been in Kansas for five months now, though it seems longer. Taylor is enjoying his masters program in Sports Administration and even got straight A's this semester. He works so hard, and balances an Internship as well. As for me, I have adjusted to teaching first grade here in Wichita. Some days I come home and wonder what I was thinking, but most days I love it. We have also enjoyed our callings, Taylor in the Elder's Quorum Presidency and me in the Primary Presidency. We have made some good friends, and even been invited to watch some BYU games with them!

We have enjoyed a visit from my mom, and visited Taylor's family in California for Christmas. Though Taylor really wants a dog, I convinced him that a flat screen would suffice for now (there wasn't much convinving I had to do). We have loved being married and are approaching our 6th month anniversary. This year has brought such wonderful blessings, and we know there are many more to come in 2010.

What's Goin' On?

It's been awhile since we updated, so I figured I've give you all lucky readers the low down of our lives in good ole' Kansas.

We had so much fun going home to California for Thanksgiving. It was so nice to be with family, and to be with Taylor for five whole days. It was just the vacation we needed. The morning after we got there we had family pictures. Taylor is not a fan of pictures and thinks that our wedding pictures should fill up the picture quota for the next 10 years, but he made it through and there were some really cute ones. The next day, we had a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner, complete with fancy table settings, chocolate turkeys, tons of food, and delicious mashed potatos (my favorite). By far the highlight of the weekend was getting to see Wicked in San Fran! My in-laws knew how much I wanted to go see it, so they got tickets for the girls to go. The guys drove us down and then decided to go too! It was great that Taylor got to go cause he has heard me talk about it non-stop, and he liked it more than he thought he would. I think his exact words were "That was better than that modern dance show!". We loved being with the McFarlands for Thanksgiving and can't wait to see them again!

This past weekend Taylor and I roadtripped down to Norman, Oaklahoma for the UofA vs. Oaklahoma basketball game. We stopped in Oaklahoma City for lunch and to check it out. After leaving we were thankful that we are in Wichita. Sometimes I get homesick, but Wichita isn't that bad! We feel fortunate we ended up here, out of all the other choices. Overall it was a fun day, but all the driving reminded me of our endless roadtrip this summer (and coming again next summer!) We watched a blowout game, but to Taylor it was the "game of a lifetime!" Can you tell he loves sports?

We are gearing up for Christmas, and 13 whole days with my family! I am so excited. Only a week and a half of school to go! Today we got our first taste of a "Midwest Winter". It was freezing rain today when I left, and the roads were so icy. To me a winter storm isn't a storm without snow, but today was pretty scary driving into work. They are even talking about cancelling school if the weather gets worse! The best part is, we wouldn't have to make up the day later!

It's hard getting in the Christmas spirit without a tree, without my mom's decorations, but knowing that I get to go home and see family and friends, makes it feel a little bit more like Christmas!

The most emotional people I have ever met... and not in a good way.

First graders may be some of the most emotional people I have ever met, and not in a good way. Daily, I have at least a handful in tears. "She touched me" "He laughed at me" "He stepped on my fingers!". It never ends. It doesn't help that I have one that doesn't care about anything I say and will frequently tell me, "I don't care what you say". I have a handful that stomp around, pull their hair over their eyes when they are mad at me and glare at me. I have a few that if I ask them to sit in thier chair the right way, will fall over into a sobbing melting mess on the floor. It's daily walking on eggshells. I'm tired, sick, and need a break. Thankgoodness we only have 4 more days of school before Thanksgiving.

A Photo Catch Up

As promised, here are a few photos of the last little bit of our lives. One rainy weekend we decided to go to the Kansas State Fair, about an hour away. We enjoyed walking around and seeing the exhibits, eating the yummy fair food, and going to the petting zoo. Though we were quite disturbed that they were selling hamburgers in the same place they had the cow exhibit. We did not consume any that day!

My mom came for a visit. She, a newly empty nester, couldn't stand the though of all her children being so far away, so she said she had to come to "stock our pantry". She also treated us to Sushi, a movie, and almost bought a nice "pleather" (plastic and leather) jacket for herself at Target.

Tay and Me at Sushi

Mom loves the popped collar...seriously.

That weekend we also created a Facebook Monster: MOM. She is now on the good ole' FB. I never thought I'd live to see the day. She's pretty cool now. Watch out.

We have also enjoyed our Saturday date night tradition and have found some great places to eat here in Wichita. This is Taylor showing off our "Boba" at one of our favorite little Tai/Asian fusion places. It's a smoothie/shake with these gelatinous little black balls at the bottom. It's supposedly all the rage in Asia. I had to try it (What was I thinking...I'm the one who can't handle weird food textures), took two sips and was done. It tasted nasty and then I got a boba, and I was done. Needless to say, it was a waste. But worth the adventure!

Lastly, I have to rave about my husband for a minute. He is so sweet to always come to my school. He usually brings me lunch once a week, and comes when we have special events like popcorn parties and our Fall Party. This little boy loves "Mr. McFarland" and is always quick to latch on to him and not let go. The kids love him, but I love him more!

Life in Wichita is good thus far, though we don't want to be here our whole lives. We are excited for what the future has in store for us. Hopefully in the next few months we will be making some life decisions that will map out the next couple of years. We can't wait for Thanksgiving and Christmas and being with family.

Fall Favorites

I love fall. I love the crisp weather. I love the trees changing color. I love wearing sweaters. Last night, I unpacked all my fall/winter clothes and I don't think I've been that excited about switching my wardrobe in a long time! I was near giddy and Taylor patiently listened to me talk about all the new outfits I'd have to wear!

Things I don't like about fall: the weather makes my students crazy. I always know when it's going to rain or snow because the decibel level in my room goes way up! Another thing i strongly dislike is Halloween approaching and trying to wrangle them to actually sit still and focus. There has been more tears this week than I can handle, and when one shut himself in his locker yesterday, I just about quit. Today I am teaching my own class, but watching over a 3rd grader that has in-school suspension. Got to love fall!

To celebrate Fall, Tay and I carved pumpkins, drove around aimlessly trying to find a pumpkin patch, made lots of chili and grilled cheese and tomato soup, cuddled on our couch in our freezing apartment, and tonight we might just hit up the circus (not really fall, well with all the freaks it might as well be halloween under a tent!). Tomorrow we are celebrating Halloween by going to a a college soccer double header, where Taylor is the administrator in charge. That means I get to sit in the press box and read, grade papers and hang out. I'm just thankful I made it through another week.

I am savoring fall because I know all too soon the leaves will die and fall off the trees, the ice storms will come, and I'll be hating winter. At least it will mean one more season before summer!

Quick Catch-Up

Lots has been going on around our house lately, but with no internet, I have had to wait to catch you all up. People have called just to make sure we haven't fallen off the face of the earth, and to them thank you! We haven't fallen off the face of the Earth, just been insanely busy. Seriously.

Last Sunday Taylor got called to be the First Counselor in the Elder's Quorum. He is doing a great job so far. Unfortunately, his meetings start at 9:00 a.m. and mine, for Primary, start at 10:00, so we don't really see each other until after church.

Last Tuesday was Tay's birthday. The big 2-7! We celebrated all weekend by going out to dinner, treating ourselves to a movie and popcorn, and being together. On his actual birthday, I had to work and he had school (ugh. Midterms), so when he got home (two hours early!!!) I had the house all decorated, his presents all laid out, and dinner in the oven. I even attempted to make an ice cream pie, but because he was 2 hours early, it didn't really have enough time to set. It was yummy anyways. Now that he is 27, Taylor says he's an "old-man" and has been going to bed before me! Who would have thought I'd ever see that day!

Today, after work, I am headed up to Topeka with a few other teachers to attend a conference. It will be our first night apart! It seems wierd to think that I slept by myself for so many years, and now I don't know if I'm going to be able to do it. Taylor said last night he rolled over and got an elbow to the eye. I don't think he'll mind having the bed all to himself for one night! But I do know he'll miss me.

This week is also parent teacher conferences, which I am NOT looking forward to. Though it does signal that we are already 1/4 done with the school year, I am not excited about sitting down to talk with the parents of some of my "naughties". Taylor was reading my notes for conferenes, and just laughing. Yep, some days I wonder why I chose this. I guess I'm just a glutton for pain.

On a positive note...5 1/2 weeks before we go to California to see the McFarland Clan, and 9 1/2 weeks till we go to Boise to see the Peterson Posse. I'm so excited!!!!

An Indoor Tornado

I reached a new level in my teaching experience today. I had a tornado in my classroom. A child who had been expelled from another school was placed in my class on Wednesday. Today, as we were finishing our spelling test he became frustrated. I quickly took the rest of my class to P.E. and left the student with the nurse and another teacher in my room. When I came back it looked like a tornado had been through the room. Desks were overturned, computer monitors were on the floor, and he had a chair over his head, which he proceeded to throw at the computers. We had to call the police to get him escorted from the room. Let's just say, on Monday my class will have one less first grader.

I have never had that happen in my classroom. It was interesting trying to figure out how to talk to the rest of my six year olds about how their classmate made some bad choices. They were very sad because they had tried to help him. One kid said, "I tried to help him, but he just said no." I of course cried. Anytime I get a surge of adrenaline, I cry and shake. I was shaking like never before. But now we are watching a movie. We all need a little break. Plus I called Taylor and told him tonight I just need to relax.

Goodbye Internet

No, we didn't drop off the face of the planet (though sometimes it feels like we did) we just have no internet at home anymore. Long story. Let's just say you get what you pay for. Now we are reduced to having to come to the university to use the internet, and that's not always the most convienent. We now have to scheudle time into our day to go on dates to use the internet. At first it was hard, not being able to check everyone's blog when I wanted to (heaven knows I never have ANY time at school to blogstalk!), but we have gotten into a routine without it. Now, that being said, I'm not opposed to taking donations to the "poor teacher and student internet fund". Until we actually get internet (and who knows whent that will be) all you faithful followers, all three or so of you, will just have to deal with pictureless, infrequent, and all too short posts. Sorry!

Oh, the Freedom

I used to be very daring. Well at least I think so. I used to shoot guns, play sports, play with worms. I was the only girl on my T-ball team. I have been to Mexico, swam with sting rays in the Caribbean, lived with 8 other girls (that's pretty daring). Met and married my husband after only dating for three months...I'd say I'm slightly daring. Lately, my daring meter has been stuck at 0. Absolutely none. (Unless you call moving halfway across the country to the middle of nowhere daring).

Today I felt more daring than I have in a long time. And it was by far very lame. I drove from the mailbox to my apartment without my seat belt. Laugh it up. I know, that's not what you were expecting was it. But, if you knew me, you'd know that was a big deal. I like to think of myself as the seatbelt police, and may have been accused of the title by my own father. Driving without a seat belt (through the apartment complex, mind you) was the most freeing thing I have done in the last few months. I think I may do it again tomorrow. Call me a rebel.

Haircuts, Comforters, Butterflies, and A Nice Treat

Oh, is it only Tuesday? Really? Can't it be Thursday? Or better yet Friday? I guess I'll just have to be patient. I can't believe it's only Tuesday.

Saturday I was trying to save me and my grad-student husband a few dollars by getting my hair cut at a "discount/thrift" hair place. We are talking the walk in, wait, and get whoever is next, kind. Though I was nervous I convinced myself it would be fine, and that I would be saving us a few dollars. Well, I learned not to do that again. I asked for 1/4 of an inch off and got about 3. I asked her to shape up my layers, and I got LOTS more layers. I asked for a bang trim, and lets just say I got much more than a trim. By that point I was not going to pay an extra $5 to have them blow dry it. I came home completlely upset and soaking wet. My sweet husband tried to tell me he "didn't see a difference". Oh, he saw a difference after it was blow dryed. It's not the end of the world, and thank goodness I didn't dye it! Now I just have to let it grow, sigh.

Sunday I got called to be the 2nd counselor in the Primary president. I guess I'm just bound a determined to be with children 6 out of the 7 days of the week. I'm excited for the new calling, but sad that I won't be able to go to Sunday School with Tay anymore. He has become quite the church history enthusiast (which has made Sunday School very fun!)

Yesterday I decided to wash our comforter. Tay had washed it in the washing machine a couple of weeks before, and it was just fine. But of course when I do it....the washing machine EATS our comforter. It started making the most horrendous noise. I pulled it out and lets just say it was shredded not to mention SOAKING and full of soap. We quickly put it into the tub to rinse it. By this time it was past bedtime, and I didnt' know what to do with it. We just left it in the tub. I'm still trying to figure out what to do with it (which means I'm assessing my sewing skills. Jenni, no comment!)

Today, well today was a rough day at school. The morning was rough, so I knew the afternoon was going to be rough too. One exciting thing: a few weeks ago my students found caterpillars, so we put them in a jar. I came to school after the weekend to find them both in their chrysalis. Today one hatched (is that the right word?) into a beautiful monarch butterfly. My kids were SO excited, which made getting our work done tricky. I'm hoping it was just the excitement of the butterflies which made them so crazy/cranky today.

But, alas, today one of the moms in my class came in carrying about 7 bags of groceries. Snacks for my little ones. Not only did she bring snacks for them...she brought me chips and salsa and a 24 pack of Diet Dr. Pepper. Oh, what a gem. What a nice treat on a hard day! I had never gotten a "school" gift like that. Wow.

My mom is coming on Friday...if we make it.

Learning to Breathe

School started this week. I'm not complaining because I had the best summer of my life. But, I quickly realized a few things as I have gone back to the daily grind.

I realized how much I miss Geneva. I miss my friends. I miss second graders. I miss working for my principal. I miss being trusted with my own classroom. A few tears have been shed and my darling husband has been so nice to just listen to me whine.

I have realized that first graders and second graders are a world apart. I love the little ones, but I was in for a shock that first day. To their credit I think I only had 3 kids cry. (After what their parents told me, I was planning on many more!) I have never met kids that are not phased by anything. I have a group of really cute kids that want to learn and want to please, and then I have this group of boys that is going to be the death of me. NOTHING PHASES THEM! They laugh when I discipline them. When I ask them to walk with "quiet feet" they stomp. Completely defiant, and they try to argue with me. If I say it's white, they say it's black. We had to have the "I'm the teacher, I went to college" talk today. I don't think it made a dent. On the positive note, I didn't cry today like I did the first day!

I am working at the after school program a few days a week. So far I have actually looked forward to going. It's fun to meet the older kids, to just hang out with the students and unwind. I figured since Tay was going to be in class till 10 I'd better keep myself occupied.

I don't mean to sound negative. I love my job. I really do. All the hugs, the drawings the kids make for me, the smiles, make up for all these rough moments. I wouldn't trade what I do for anything. It has been the most rewarding thing I have ever done. I love working with disadvantaged kids, because the rewards are that much greater. It's going to be a long first week, but I'm going to make it. I'll be darned if these kids are the end of me. I'll show em!

P.S. Thanks to all who have called and texted with your support. Your love means the world.

Random Musings

So lately I have been thinking. Bear with me and my random thoughts:

-It is HECKA hot here. We are talking 100+ with humidity to top it all off. We have gotten used to being sweaty. When we work out I am literally SOAKING! But it kinda makes me feel like I worked harder than I really did!

-Our neighbors above us are the HEAVIEST WALKERS EVER! It honestly sounds like they weigh 600 pounds and have bricks strapped onto their feet! Either that or they just like to stomp around just to bug us.

-I am slowly coming into this whole "wife" thing. I love to cook, but am constantly complaining about how it takes an hour to cook dinner, 15 minutes to eat, and then 30 minutes to clean up. I have been enjoying trying new reciepies. We have had Ranch Pork Roast, Cafe Rio (homemade!), Honey Chicken Drumsticks, Tortilla Soup, and other fun things.

-It's funny how we divide up the "home" tasks. We never really talked about it but Taylor does the laundry and takes out the trash. I cook dinner (not all the time). We both share on all the other household duties. I consider myself SO lucky to have a husband that will do the laundry (and is willing to pull out all my laundry that doesn't get dried).

-Poor Taylor is starting to get bored. He doesn't start school for another two weeks. He has really taken to my church history books. And there is always the X-box to keep him entertained. He's always relieved when I come home from work cause he doesn't have to entertain himself anymore!

-I have been working like crazy in my classroom and feeling like a first year teacher all over again. I guess I got so comfortable at my old school, and I am getting frustrated with myself because I can't "read" my principal. After a minor scare that I may have to move schools and possibly grades because of enrollment, I have been able to breathe and focus. I love my job, but sometimes I wonder WHY anyone would want to do this. Like today, when I had to sit through my THIRD new teacher training. Gotta love it.

-I visited an experienced teacher's classroom where everything was already set up, and the room looked very homey. I realized that my classroom is not ready, I'm not ready either. It also reminded me that I have no idea what the next few years is going to bring. I'm a planner. This doesn't sit well with me. I take a deep breath. Remember that it will all work out, and thank the Lord that I have Taylor.

-Being at school has made me miss my Geneva friends. I have a great partner teacher, a wonderful mentor, but I miss my good ole' Geneva. Thanks Jenni for calling me with all the "updates!"

-I want to take pictures of our cute apartment, but as soon as I clean, it seems to be messy. Not messy, but I'm kinda a freak and I don't want to post pictures if they are not perfect. So look for pictures to come. We are constantly amazed by how much laundry, dishes and trash we have. And there is only two of us!

One Month

We can't believe it's been a whole month! What a fun month it has been. I can't remember another in my whole life that was happier, crazier, and more enjoyable. To celebrate we went to eat at Olive Garden (thanks Gma and Gpa!), got ice cream, and rented a movie. It was a perfect evening. One month down, eternity left to enjoy!

Moving to Kansas

This is the only picture we have from moving. Somewhere in the middle of Wyoming. I had to stop and get a 50 cent ice cream cone!
Yes, it's true, we made it to Kansas. After visiting my parents for a few days we loaded up the truck and made the two day drive to Wichita. We couldn't have done it without my dad and my little brother. First of all, my dad is a MASTER PACKER. I knew we couldn't fit everything in the truck without his help. He made us pull everything out first so we could inventory what we had to pack. Then a few hours later the truck was ready to roll.

We drove through Wyoming, which is gorgeous, but we decided we didn't want to live there. Then we drove through Colorado, stopped to sleep in Limon, and woke up early the next day. Upon hearing that Kansas was compltely flat, Taylor was beyond excited when we saw rolling hills. I heard numerous times, "Look there are hills!" That day we had a special mission: Atwood, Kansas. About an hour out of our way we went to pick up this guy:


Meet Duke. He is a rare Fox Red Lab. He's kind of a strawberry blonde color. We then proceeded on our journey, not really knowing how it was going to work having a puppy in a hotel.

We got to Wichita and were greeted by 50 mph winds and a great thunder and lighting storm. I was slightly nervous about this grand entrance. Wednesday morning Tay and I woke up at 6am to go apartment hunting and had signed a contract by 10:30am that day. As we drove around we saw these yellow ones that looked kinda worn down, and we just passed them by. The second time around I may Taylor stop and look at them. Although they are not the cutest from the outside, we walked in and fell in love. Huge living room, dining room, kitchen. two bedrooms, two full size bathrooms, and.....the clincher....our own washer and dryer! We signed immediatley and were moved in by the next day.

We have done alot in the week we have been here. Here's a brief recap:

• Looked around Wichita State a few times. I snuck frozen yogurt into the computer lab!
  
• Worked in my classroom. I thought my old school was in the ghetto. Was I ever wrong. Let's just say I heard that the staff was very excited to get air conditioning last year. (WHAT?)
  
• Put together our apartment. (Picture tour coming soon!)
  
• Went to our new ward. Trying to remember everyone's name.
  
• Got a Sam's Club membership (Dang. No Costco)
• Looked at all the gorgeous homes near where we live.
  
• Went bargin hunting at thrift stores.
  
• Ate at Jason's Deli (Thanks Leslee and Sean!)
  
• Bought a used X-Box. To keep Taylor entertained for the next month before school starts.
  
• Worked out at the fitness center at our complex.
• Enjoyed (kinda) the most intense thunder and lightening storm ever.
  
• Getting invited over to dinner by someone in our ward (yeah! we will have friends!)
  
• Witnessing a near fire at the pizza place on date night.
  
• Figuring out where the RedBox is. (That's a must).
  
• Enjoying the ridiculously low gas prices!
  

So far we have been impressed by Wichita. We are excited to explore our new town, make new friends, start school and work, and just settle into our routine!

The Honeymoon

Our honeymoon was fantastic. We really were on vacation for two weeks (on account of visiting both of our families). We put 2,000 miles on my car, stayed at 5 different places, and ate out more than anyone should in a year. Here's a brief recap of what went down.

Sunday: Woke up and drove to Vegas. We stayed at the Paris hotel which was amazing, but we both realized that we don't really like Vegas. It's crowded, dirty, hot, and you have to walk through about a billion clouds of smoke just to get anywhere. We did ride up to the top of the Eifel Tower (at the hotel) which was fun. We ate a delicious meal at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. Needless to say the next morning we were kinda looking forward to saying goodbye to Sin City.

The top of the Eiffel Tower

Monday: We drove to Costa Mesa, California where we stayed for 3 days. We stayed at the Marriott, which is always a good choice. Upon learning that it was our honeymoon they brought us sparkling cider and strawberries. That night we drove down to Laguna Beach, walked around the beach, ate some dinner, and just enjoyed being together and being on vacation.

The first thing we did when we got to California: Laundry!

Laguna Beach

Tuesday: We went to a waterpark, which looked promising in the ad's, but turned out to be pretty mediocre. We only stayed a few hours after our backs took a pounding on one of the rides. Not to mention it was windy and not the warmest day. The warming pool was our best friend, until the lifeguard told us we couldn't sit "face to face". What? After that we went to the Irvine Spectrum, a huge outdoor mall. I discovered my love for Pinkberry frozen yogurt, and I insisted I have it the next day too. Then Taylor's parent's friends, Orin and Melinda, took us out to a delcious mexican dinner. It was great to meet them and hear stories. Orin reminded me of Taylor because at the resturant he had to sit where he could see the TV with sports on. Oh, and Orin has inpsired Tay's "Man-Cave/Sports room" which he has been working on at the new apartment (more to come). After dinner we went to a movie, The Proposal. It was pretty good, but Taylor fell asleep.

The Pier in Huntington Beach

Wednesday: We drove up to Newport Beach and Huntington and looked at houses. We spent the day at Balboa beach and just relaxed. Taylor got FRIED. We rented beach cruiser bike and rode up and down the board walk. We ate more great food. Hung out, and nursed Taylor's near 2nd degree burns.

Balboa: Laying on the beach and riding beach cruisers on the boardwalk

Thursday: We woke up early and drove to L.A. It was in the wake of Michael Jackson's death so downtown L.A. was pure craziness. We bought a Star Map and attempted to look at the homes, but we just saw alot of security gates, and got carsick driving through Beverly Hills. 8 hours later we finally made it to Santa Barbara. We relaxed, ate at one of Taylor's favorite little Italian places, and reminisced about his time in Santa Barbara.

L.A.: Trying to avoid the Michael Jackson craziness, finding star's homes, and paying $12.50 for an hour of parking.

Friday: We drove around Santa Barabara, walked around the UCSB campus (well everything was closed for the 4th). Then we started the long drive up to Taylor's parent's house. It was a fun week, and we were excited because we still had a week of vacation left!

Our honeymoon may have been a lot of driving, but it was fun because we were together. We are used to driving an hour each way to see each other, so the fact that we got to actually drive together was fun. It was also fun to have Tay show me around his old stomping grounds. We really needed another week just to explore everything. I'm sure we will be back in California before we know it.

The Draper Reception

The whole wedding party. Taylor's family, my family and my cousins Erin and Jill.

Tay and my dad cutting up strawberries for the ice cream bar.

Taking a break and putting my cousin Bridgette to sleep. Don't worry, we won't have one of these for a while. Sorry moms!

After a long (but wonderful) morning, we left the temple and headed to my Aunt Ronna's house to help set up for the reception. Well at least we tried to help. Every time we asked what we could do we were told to sit down and relax. So much for that. It was fun to see all the projects Erin, Ronna and I worked on up around the yard. I had planned all these details and was so excited to see them work together.

Me and my Daddy

Tay and his Mom

We figured the Draper reception would be fairly small, mostly family and a few close friends. We were very surprised by the turn out, and glad that we had made lots of food. It was fun to see old friends, family that had driven lots of hours to see us, and just relax and have some fun.

My lovely bridesmaids: Kelsey (my sis) , Erin and Jill (my cousins), Megan (Tay's sister)

The handsome groomsmen: Jon and Matt (Tay's brothers) and Rob (my brother)

I loved our cake (too bad we didn't get to eat any. I heard it was delicious!)

Two hours flew by. We cut the cake, (but didn't get to eat any), did the customary throwing of the boquet and the garter (well, it was really a baby headband cause we couldn't find the garter), and headed off into the sun in our car that was decorated with frosting, rolls, and whipped cream, completed by strings of coke cans from the back.


This post wouldn't be complete without a shout out to this beautiful lady:
I am so lucky and blessed that she agreed to help me with all this crazy wedding stuff. She is one of the most talented women I have ever met. I mean did you see those centerpieces? She not only let us use her home, but gave so much of her time and talked me through a lot of decisions. Thanks Ronna for everything. We couldn't have done it with out you. We love you!

Emerging as the McFarland Family

After the temple ceremony we came out of the double doors as THE MCFARLAND FAMILY! It was so wonderful to have so many people in the temple, but I was amazed at how many people were waiting for us outside the temple as well. We took lots more pictures, gave lots of hugs, and tried to take in every moment.

The Morning of the Big Day

The day started very early with hair and makeup. We decided to do our pictures before we got married, to have more time to prepare for the reception. My mom and I picked up Taylor at his hotel, and headed down to Temple Square. I got ready in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building while Taylor....

waited so patiently for me. Didn't he look so handsome? He was very particular about his clothes, and now I see why. He looked very GQ in his suit and tie.

Then they turned Taylor around as I came out and I tapped him on the shoulder. It was so cute to see his face as he saw me in my dress for the first time.

Then we took pictures for a few hours. We walked around feeling like celebrities for a little bit. We walked around with our entourage: my mom, Tay's mom and sister and our photographer and videographer. It was way hot out, but after seeing the pictures and video, it was worth it!

The Family Dinner

Friday night before we got married we were lucky enough to celebrate with family, friends and delicious food. Stacy (my mother in law) created a magnificent atmosphere with no detail over looked. It was nice that all Taylor and I had to do was show up. I told myself I wasn't going to cry. That didn't last long.

We loved the food, the caramel apples and pretzel favors, and the slide show of growing up. The thing we loved the most was being with family and friends. We were completely overwhelmed with how much we are loved and the sacrifices people made to share our special day with us.

WE ARE MARRIED!!!!

What do you say about the most perfect day of your lives, other than how wonderful and amazing it was. As we watched the storms roll in Friday night at dinner, out the enormous windows of the Joseph Smith Building, we wondered what the next day would bring. We were blessed with beautiful sunshine. The day was perfect, hectic, but perfect. Our favorite part was sharing it with all our friends and family. We were SO lucky to have so many of our friends and family join us on our special day. Taylor and I talked about it our whole honeymoon. How lucky we are to be so loved. We also can't wait to see more family at the upcoming open houses. Every day we are so thankful to be married to our best friend. There is nothing better than waking up right next to the love of your life. One week down, eternity to enjoy.