Taylor

loved- by my groom, by our families, by our friends.  by those who have sacrificed for us to spend this important day with us and to help us.  thank you.

excited- to marry the man of my dreams. to have the day i have hoped for since i was young. to walk down the aisle. to get ready with my mom.

nervous- not to marry kyle.  in regards to that, i have no reservation.  but nervous in the sense of- we’ve been planning constantly for months and i want it all to come together nicely.

overwhelmed- by love. by hope. by trust. by how truly blessed i am.

joyful- full of laughter. full of smiles. full of fun. full of love. full of happiness.

Yup that’s me…….Well maybe not.  But I did manage of this weekend to make muffins, clean our apartment, do laundry and dishes, clean the car, do some last minute grocery shopping and get some packing done.  I’m pretty impressed with myself.  (Just don’t look at the condition of my closet!)

Now I’m taking a 5 mintue break and to listen to Kyle yell at the Bears in the middle of his husbandly duties (example: Check all the suitcases that were out in our storage unit to make sure there is no dead mouse).

Later, I shall go beautify myself.  I love that my best friend went to school for esthetics.  I will have beautiful eyebrows on my wedding day….and after all….isn’t that what’s it’s really about?  Killing yourself a few months before your wedding to achieve shoulder muscles, flawless skin and beautiful eyebrows?!   I mean- nobody really does that many flies and chataronga push-ups in 2 months other than a bride who wants shoulder muscles.

On a side note, has anybody seen the movie “Hachi” with Richard Gere?  It’s about a dog and that’s never a good thing.  Not only did I cry during the movie but I cried an hour later just by thinking about it.  And it makes me sad just to write about it so I’m gonna stop.

Next time you here from me I’ll be in Vegas, baby!

————

“Hey baby, let’s go to Vegas
Kiss the single life good-bye
Hey baby, let’s go to Vegas
Bet on love and let it ride”

…and a candlestick maker?!   Lots of jokes are floating about regarding this name change (most stemming from my father) .   And I will admit it IS quite funny that I’ll now have 2 occupations for a name!  At least I didn’t marry a man with the last name “Taylor” like we assumed would happen all my life.  Taylor Taylor just doesn’t have a ring to it.

I love that I get to change my name.  I realize it’s becoming more and more old-fashioned, but when have I EVER done what everyone else is doing!  I love and feel honored to have my husband’s last name.  It’s like this.  In the world full of men who really are not that special and are not that respect-worthy….I have found one of the few!  One of those who really is a man worth loving.  A good man.  A really good man.  Of course I want to take his name….I’m the luckiest girl on earth

——————-

“He’s gonna marry me
And we’re gonna go to town
We’re gonna buy some real good car
And we’re gonna drive around
We’ll hold hands an’ touch ‘n’ hug
He talks so sweet to me
Cause he knows a lot about love and stuff
And he’s gonna marry me”

I love how you can feel music in your heart.  It’s when that ‘just right’ song is playing and you feel your heart flop like it does when you first fall in love.  It’s like music butterflies.

Sometimes I think life’s a lot more simple then we make it out to be.  We remember the bad and forget the good.  We concentrate and where we’re going or where we’ve been and forget to look at where we are.  We keep a tally of everyone who has wronged us and forget the simple acts of kindness that others have shown us.  And we look at the chaos and forget the beauty…..beautiful things like music butterflies.

The next 10 days before we leave for Vegas are going to be crazy. Not only are we finishing all the details for our wedding and working full time, but I got thrown two graveyard shifts in the middle of it! And anyone who knows me knows when my sleep is messed with I turn into this:

And that’s not that pretty.

Therefore, in order to prevent meltdowns, pimples, falling asleep at random moments, and making my fiancee despise me a few days before my wedding I’m taking the initiative to take care of my body and to simplify.  My weapons in this are:

Healthy vegan frozen food:

Lots of zzzzzzs:

Some yoga for relaxation and sexy wedding arms: (I look that amazing when I’m doing it too….ya right)

The hope of seeing this movie:

Put these all together and you get a happy me, a happy Kyle, and a happy 2 weeks before I do

———

Cause I’m country strong
Hard to break
Like the ground I grew up on
You may fool me
And I’ll fall
But I won’t stay down long
Cause I’m country strong

I love my days off.  I love cleaning up and getting things accomplished.  I love going out to get coffee and bagels. I love wearing comfy clothes and eating and drinking whenever is convenient to me.  I love running errands and baking things. I love the smell of dishwasher detergent and dusting spray.  I love to walk into a bathroom that smells like windex.  I love when I’m feeling a little sleepy in the afternoon I can lay down and watch a chickflick.  I love playing games and buying shoes.  I love making dinner instead of buying dinner.  I love catching up on emails.  I love being able to do a full workout and feel good about myself. I love not dealing with bossess, employees, or customers.  I love reading blogs and books, and listening to a new cd.

I just love days off…..too bad I have bills to pay.

——

“It’s a great day to be alive
I know the sun’s still shinin when I close my eyes
There’s some hard times in the neigborhood
But why can’t every day be just this good?”

1. A strong marriage full of love and respect

2. A meaningful job (ie something I’m passionate about) that I can do from home!

3. A few children that I can love and teach and learn from.

4. A life devoted to good things. Uplifting things.  Creative things.

5. Living a life loving God and loving the things he loves.

6. A life balanced with production and relaxation.

7. More laughs and fewer tears.

8. A good reputation.

I love living in a city that has snow.  I also hate living in a city that has snow.  See, it’s absolutely gorgeous.  It becomes a winter wonderland and I look outside and wonder how I could ever have lived in a place where I couldn’t look at the wonders of that which falls from the sky.  It makes me want to grab a blanket, a book, and some tea and cuddle up and watch the snow fall all day.  It makes me want to become a photographer so I can capture the beauty.

However, just because it snows on a particular day, does not mean that I have the ability to stay inside with my book and tea and watch the beauty.  Sometimes, I have to go out into it and drive through it.  Herein lies the unfortunate problem:

Snow is freaking cold.

Like eat through your bones cold.  Like having layer upon layer upon layer of clothing on and STILL feeling like the snow is going to make your fingers and toes fall off.

This is quite an adjustment for me.  I’m used to summers that are so hot that they MELT off your limbs.  This is a whole new extreme.  My new best friend is my columbia jacket. and my North Face gloves.  and my ugg boots.  I love warm things.  Screw fashion!  I want some heat!

But then again, it’s an incredible experience to walk out and be SURROUNDED in white.  It feels clean, and fresh even though the plants are dead.  Its the most amazing sight.

All this to say, I’m not sure if I love snow or hate it.  That is why I changed my blog header to a snowy pic.  I’m sharing the beauty of it with you, while keeping the cold away

“When it snows, ain’t it thrilling,
Though your nose gets a chilling
We’ll frolic and play, the Eskimo way,
Walking in a winter wonderland.”

This time last year I was making New Year’s resolutions to learn how to cook, how to relax, and to keep up a blog for a year!

I did REALLY well in the learning how to relax category.  I still got MANY things done this year, but I learned how to chill in between doing things….  And being ok with not doing the dishes for one night, in order to watch a movie with my guy.   This was a SUCCESS.

The learning how to cook category is special.  I feel like I am still not a “cook”, nor have I cooked each night.  HOWEVER, I have made MANY more attempts than I ever would have, and have learned a thing or two!  I’ve made successful dinners, and not so hot dinners.  But I’ve been trying…and that’s what counts!  So I still call it a SUCCESS!

The blogging thing went really really well til Kyle and I moved and we became engaged.  I was SO on a roll up til then!  My life has just been incredibly hectic.  And I let that slide.  But I miss it.  So I will conclude this to be a PARTIAL SUCCESS.

Other things I learned:

-How to laugh through hard times, instead of just cry!

-How to say no and not feel guilty.

-How this family that we’re creating comes first….always.

-And how much I truly love working out!

For this year, I’m re-uping my blogging challenge.  This is such an exciting time in my life- I don’t want to miss documenting it.  Also, I want to spend more time playing, listening to, and writing music. That is what I LOVE to do, and I always let it slide.  It’s the first thing to go when I get busy.  Not no mo’!

How will I accomplish these??  I’m gonna start posting my blogs to facebook again.  I feel like that kept me accountable.  Plus, before I got swamped, I was having quite a daily readership.  I want that again!

As for the music, I’m going to be wall mounts for our guitars….We’ll put them in our nook/office area.  They’ll look cool, plus when they’re out I’ll be more likely to use it.  Also, my cool brother Wyatt bought me a gorgeous journal for Christmas…and that will stay by my bed so I will actually WRITE! And finally, at the end of each blog I want to put lyrics to songs I love, or new songs I’ve found.

I’m excited for 2011.  I will become a wife in this year! I will hopefully rekindle my blogging abilities and I will produce some awesome new music and enjoying playing just for the hell of it!

Lots of love to you as we all step forth to this New Year!

Tay

“Your mercies are new every morning
So let me wake with the dawn
When the music is through or so it seems to be
Then let me sing a new song, old things gone”

-Nicole Nordeman

I have almost lived twenty years and by the world’s standards I probably haven’t learned enough to be considered wise enough to pass on what I know.  But I am under the belief that everyone’s life journey takes them through unique experiences that gives them a personal wisdom.  I may be young, but I have learned some valuable things in my almost 20 years.

So here is what I know.  What I have learned in my single life, as now I approach on married life.  What I have learned as a child and a teen and a young adult.  Some of these are funny and some came with painful lessons.

1. The sun is beautiful and useful.  That’s how God designed this world…including us.  Many people forget that they are beautiful and get caught up in just being used.  And others forget that they can be useful and just get caught up in being beautiful.  They should be balanced.

2.  Carbs are necessary.  CARB isn’t a 4-letter-word!

3. People who profess their faith and condemn sin through bullhorns and microphones aren’t successful.  It’s just obnoxious.

4.  Faith is a choice, not a feeling.  As is love.

5.  Always lean your head outside of the car when you feel you have to throw up.  Never lean your head over to your brother’s lap.

6. My parents have the strongest marriage I have ever seen.  My father unconditionally loves my mother and is honest with her, and adores her.  My mother unconditionally respects my father and is right by his side.  Not only are they still married on paper, they genuinely enjoy each other.

7. When people think they know the Bible well enough to tell everyone else how wrong they are….they’ve entirely missed the point.  Jesus himself didn’t condemn this world….how dare anybody else think they have the right to.

8. Walls aren’t meant to be parked on.

9. Enjoy the small things.  Pretty sunsets, good dessert, playing a card game with someone you love, laughing.

10. Real love is brighter than the stars, warmer than the sun, and bigger than a trash can (this one I learned at 2 years old).

11. It pays off to eat healthfully. You feel better, you live longer.  No downside.

12.  Workaholism is not something to be admired.

13.  Finding a good man is simple.  When you look for a man think to yourself, “If I die early, will I want this man to raise my children by himself?”.

14. I am a strong woman.  But that does not mean I think I should have any EXTRA privileges than a man, nor do I think women are better or smarter than men.  We are equal and we were made with strengths and weaknesses.  We balance each other out beautifully.

15.  Finally, this life is short.  It goes by faster each year.  I want to live it to the fullest.  I want to meet people, see things, experience adventure.  I want to laugh and to love.  I want to be loved.