the details

We got our wedding pictures back!! 800 pictures later and I have NO idea how to share these. I have looked through them probably 10 times and I love them too much not to share. Seriously, I teared up looking through them the first time. I considered just posting the proofing log in and password, but decided that was a little TOO much access. With this post I am going to focus on the details. My Mom did such an amazing job with all of the details and my Dad made the backyard look beautiful. I really am so loved and will be forever grateful for everything they did to make it perfect.

When we decided to get married there was no doubt in my mind where I wanted it to take place. I love backyard weddings, and lucky for me my parents have a pretty great backyard.

Not being able to eat cake because of gluten, and not even really liking cake, I opted for something different. The whole idea was "burgers, fries and cherry pies." My Mom and aunts spent hours making 120+ assorted personal size pies. I'm a little bit disappointed there are no pictures of them. For those not wanting pie we had some other yummy treats that are favorites of mine- rice krispies, macaroons, etc.

Burgers Supreme did the catering and I couldn't recommend them more. It was super tasty and they were awesome to work with.

Don't forget the Ice Hut!!

What would a wedding with hamburgers be without personalized mini ketchup bottles?? (I LOVED these)

(they read:

 "Happiness is ketchup on fries

Caroline & Spencer

06.16.2012"

I asked the bridesmaids to all find raspberry colored shoes for the wedding. They all looked super cute!! Spencer may kill me for telling people this, but a woman at his work had on raspberry sandals and he asked her where she bought them. TARGET!! As a gift to the bridesmaids, we gave them all a pair for the reception. Nice find, Spence!!

I've mentioned this before and I'm sure it will come up again & again: Spence LOVES fly fishing. To incorporate a little more of him into our wedding the men all had "fly" boutonnieres (in the correct colors, of course)

One of my very favorite things done for the wedding was the bouquets. I wanted peonies, but didn't want to pay for peonies and wanted something a little bit different. I'd seen fabric bouquets before, mentioned it to my Mom and BOOM! She delivered. They were BEAUTIFUL. I don't feel like pictures even do them justice.

That is about all of the sharing I have in me for today. Thank you SO much to everyone who helped our day come together so perfectly. The countless hours my parents put in on everything, Annette and her mad sewing skills, the baking and last minute perfections from my Aunts and Grandma, my bridesmaids climbing in trees, the men unloading a ton of chairs, and on and on and on and on. Every kind act was felt and will be remembered. I am so blessed.

one month of pure bliss

We have been married a month now!! Woo!! Let me start this out by saying that I LOVE being married. Mostly, I love being married to Spencer. (awwwwe....) During our pre-marital counseling we did through Calvary, the people we met with mentioned they STILL go out every month to celebrate their marriage. I am all about celebrating, food and spending time with Spencer so we are going to try and do the same. I LOVE Tsunami and Spencer LOVES me so I put on a dress and we splurged for our one month anniversary. I spend more time with Spence than I do anyone, but it was nice to make it a special occassion and reflect back on the last month.

While reflecting... here are a few tidbits I've learned/become more aware of since June 16th.

1. Cereal and ice cream could be their own food groups in Spencer's world.

His diet concerns me. My concern for his diet concerns him. I'm not some crazy health freak, but I catch myself monitoring his late night snacks and making jokes like "I can't wait to administer your insulin one day." Still, I can't help but smile when he comes in to our room with his text books and moose tracks.

2. I rule the TV.

I don't know if this is just some honeymoon treat that Spence is providing me with, but I don't feel like I can ever go back now. He says that he hates the Kardashians, Snooki and all of the Pretty Little Liars... I'm not buying it.

3. Sharing money with someone is weird.

When deciding if we should keep our finances separate or combine them, we didn’t hesitate to combine. That is NOT a decision I regret, but it is one that is taking some serious getting used to. Turns out as newlyweds, in school and getting settled MONEY CAN BE TIGHT. Every penny counts. I know it has made me more accountable for every dollar spent… and more neurotic. I have had to learn (and am still trying to learn) to keep myself in check. I am WAY more likely to log in to the accounts and to have a follow-up interrogation to call to my husband… ‘you spent $4.82 at Maverik??’ Note to self: check yourself, Caroline.

This can sometimes be closely related to my next tid bit …

4. Spencer is patient. Like, really patient. Sometimes too patient.

Truthfully, I struggle with patience in certain situations. I’m working on it, but I am blaming it on the “red” personality. I'm efficient!! Good thing I married a yellow… or a blue… or whatever he is. I’m gonna have to have him take the “Color Code” quiz.

5. I like Mexican food. Sue me.

I don’t think I like it anymore then the next American, but Spencer SWEARS he has consumed more mexican cuisine since marrying me than ever before. It has resulted in him referring to himself as Spencer Martinez. He does include Taco Time, however, so his interpretation is loose.

6. Conflict is not (always) a bad thing

Being a people pleaser, I’ve always hated conflict. I’ve avoided it at all costs. In fact, I’m pretty sure that I thought if there was conflict in my relationship, it meant that I had a bad relationship and that I was a bad person. I mean, that’s how it works... right? You have conflict, you can’t seem to resolve it, and then you break up. In marriage, I’m learning that conflict actually can benefit us if I’m willing to engage it. We talk about it. Maybe even argue. Maybe even raise our voices (or cry, in my case). In some cases it has made me feel closer to him when it is all said and done though.

7. I miss my Mom.

Really, I miss my whole family. I know they live no more than 10 minutes away, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't cry half the nights of the week after leaving their nest and moving in with my husband. I never thought I was ANYTHING like my Mom, but getting married and moving out of her home has really reminded me of how awesome she is... and we have THAT in common. Good thing I have my phone and car.

I love you, Spence. Thank you for the last month. I look forward to many,many, MANY more.

PS: I'm a blogging ruhtard. Hopefully I get the hang of this....