My Exquisite Honeymoon-P. 1

What you are about to read is an account of the happiest week of my life. 

We arrived in Denver Sunday evening exhausted and starving. Well, what were we to do but to go to the Cheesecake Factory?

It was so divine! We were incredibly hungry. Luckily, the menu is so big they have to bind it with spiral binding.

 Matthew took home a Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Cheesecake and we left a happy, full couple. 

Beautiful, isn't it?

Monday

We decided to just enjoy being in Denver on Monday. That night we decided to visit A Taste of India.

It was so fun! Bollywood music videos were playing in the background and the food was so yummy!

 

That night, after eating our fill of chicken and vegetable curry, garlic naan, and some kind of deep fried potato curry thing, we found this car!

It says "Just Married!"

Tuesday

This was our wander-around-downtown-and-enjoy-the-sunshine day. We walked the 16th Street Mall, played on the pianos lining the streets, and watched the street performers. 

We went shopping...

 ...and walked the Pavillions..

 ...and ate the best dinner of our lives at Maggiano's.

 It was so cozy in there!

 And the food was delicious.

We left to find ourselves in a twinkling dusk as the lights on the 16th Street Mall burned through a soft rain that was falling.

Of course, we stopped at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory on the way home. Matthew got a peanut butter bucket.

I got an English toffee caramel apple.

Wednesday

Wednesday was going to be our zoo day, but the sprinkle from the night before turned into an all-out deluge. Instead, we decided to go to Cherry Creek! We rushed down to the bus station, grabbing a couple of bus tickets and a bus schedule on our way.

I found a darling headband...

...Matthew, a turban.

I found a cute hat...

...Matthew, a waffle wallet...

...and some excellent glasses...

And then, my dear, the incredible happened...

Matthew bought me a necklace from Tiffany's!

Gleeful doesn't even begin to describe how happy I was! It was such a dream come true!

After shopping to our hearts' content, we rode the bus home and scarfed our leftovers from Maggiano's while watching Monsters v. Aliens (which, by the way, was an absolutely horrible movie).

Like the rain outside, happiness continued to fall down upon us.

My Lovely Wedding--Part 2

Have you ever worn a 20 pound dress, tall heels, a veil, and a corset? Have you ever worn said accoutrements outside when it's 19,000 degrees outside? Then you, my dear, know how the afternoon of my wedding day passed. Following our sealing, I rushed out to the annex of the temple to a small room where my mom and grandmother were waiting with my dress, shoes, flowers, and veil, all the while exclaiming, "I'm married! I'm married! I'm married!" 

Finally, it was time to leave through those beautiful glass doors to meet our cheering family...

 

...at which point I did an elegant curtsey off the step immediately outside the door (translation:I fell off it and was very nearly killed)...

   ...and the rejoicing began.

We took a bunch of pictures with our families...or, I guess I should say, our family.

After rushing around for a couple of hours taking pictures (whew!), it was time for a luncheon at the Lion House. What a wonderful day it was!

My Lovely Wedding--Part 1

Here's a lovely secret you may not know--I married Matthew Barker. On July 2, 2011 in the Salt Lake Temple at 11:00am. Truly. Want to hear my story? I'll tell you all about it...

On Saturday, July 2, I awoke to a beautiful new day, full of promise and hope. The glittering haze that fogs the sky between night and morning was still heavy on the city when I stepped out of bed and into my wedding day. From then on it was a blur. Shower, comb, curl, paint, brush, primp, spray, don, and fluff...for four hours I  primed myself before finally being dropped off at the temple.


The temple annex was filled to the brim with bouncing brides and their families. Workers attended to my every need as I paced and bounced and sat unnerved while waiting for Matthew and his dad to come. Come they did, though, and sealed we were. 

And so we begin...

Today marks the day when our last thank you note was sent. Whew! As such, I am going to consider this the first normal day of marriage Matthew and I have experienced. That means that the blogging can begin, so follow along as Matthew and I dance to meet life and any adventures it may choose to toss our way!