kaua'i

Someone please tell me how it is already August 25th. This really was the quickest and happiest month of my life. Here's how it went: On the 1st, I flew home to Lancaster. Went through the DC Temple. Got married in the DC Temple to my sweet boo on August 7th. Partied in Wrightsville with my favorite people at our reception. Flew to Kaua'i for a blissful eight day honeymoon. Flew back to the mainland to play in LA, San Diego, and set up for our open house at the Tekulve residence in Yorba Linda that took place this past Saturday. The very next day we drove all the way back to Provo to start real life in our new apartment. I am exhausted and our place is a mess but I am too happy to care.

I have approximately a gazillion pictures from all of the above that I want to share eventually, but I'll start with our honeymoon. The flight from Philly --> LAX --> Lihue is a very long one if you weren't aware. Our jet lag was so bad, we slept from 5 PM-4 AM on our second day. But that didn't stop us from adventuring all day every day. We stayed in a beautiful resort in Kapaa for the week. which is located on the east side of the island. Because the island of Kaua'i is so small, we really got to experience every part of it during our stay. It is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

Sunrise view from our resort//Poipu Beach

helicopter gram of Waimea Canyon//Drew feelin' it at Lydgate Beach 

helicopter grams of Mount Wai'ale'ale

Queen's Bath lol get it

foggy Waimea Canyon//avocados & mangoes the size of my head so YEAH heaven is real

Na Pali Coast boat tour of cliffs & caves

Kapaa ward building//crazy coincidence: we ran into a senior missionary couple from Drew's mission in St. Petersburg the day before on our boat tour and met up with them at church the next day!

 

Our Sunday night flight was cancelled which meant a free night's stay at the Marriott resort, an extra day on the island, and eating our last meal at the legendary Duke's. Not mad about it.

If you love tropical climates, hikes with breathtaking #natureshots, rich Hawaiian culture, pretty beaches, and yummy fresh food markets, visit Kaua'i sometime in your life. It is a beautiful place and I recommend it to anyone in need of a vacation. This was just one of the many adventures from the past few weeks so check back in soon because there are more posts comin' atcha!

from lp with love

Not having cell service for a weekend can really do a person good. Especially when there is wake-boarding, tubing, jet-skiing, kayaking, and hiking to get done. This past weekend was spent at beautiful Lake Powell in Page, AZ with Drew's family and friends on their houseboat. This was my second annual visit to LP with the Tekulve's, but sadly our stay was much shorter this time around. Due to dumb school and dumb work we couldn't stay for the full week, but packed every activity we possibly could in 48 hours, resulting in having to live in our incredibly sore, tan/burnt, tired bodies at work the following Monday. Highlights of the weekend included the glow stick dance party on the top deck the first night we arrived, sleeping under the many many stars that can only be witnessed at Powell, and hiking up to Rainbow Bridge which made Delicate Arch look like a joke.

Truthfully, these are pretty much the only pictures from the whole weekend. In fact, I didn't even take them. I asked Drew to take a few for me and the rest of the time our phones were tucked away. This was partially due to the fact that the entire lake looked like this (beautiful, blue water, red rocks, sky for miles...YAWN) so there wasn't much else to document. Unless you wanted to see my siiiiiick wake-boarding skills...in which case I apologize because they are non-existent. Also, I'm trying this thing where I am not constantly taking pictures of my whereabouts. Don't get me wrong, I am a firm believer in 'pics or it didn't happen', but sometimes when you witness something so beautiful in nature, a picture just doesn't do it justice. It's best to just keep the snapshot of it in your mind and save it in its truest form in your memory bank. Furthermore, Snapchatting or Tweeting pictures of every tidbit of your day loses the intimacy of whatever moment you shared with those people in the present. Enjoy the time you have at the place you're at, with the people you're with and just take the necessary pictures. You're only going to Instagram the best one anyway.

Until next year LP!

all the feels.

I am a very nostalgic person. I keep every note, letter, postcard, and invite I receive in a toolbox I found at a vintage market. I keep a numbered list of every concert I've ever attended with the date, location, and opening acts featured ( PS- I reached #50 last week at Chromeo ft. ODESZA and it rocked). Speaking of vintage markets, I also love visiting those things more than life itself. Something about old artifacts/clothes/straight up junk make my heart sing. I look back at old photos and watch old videos on my phone more often than I care to admit. Recently, everything has been making me nostalgic and I just want time to stop. Please?

Desiree's 21st birthday soiree // Cori's backyard bridal shower

Freshman year in David John Hall feels like forever ago, and yet recent e-mails back and forth to my freshman roommate Lindsay (who is currently serving in Cebu, Philippines and will be home in one month--yes, I am the worst for just now e-mailing her) and updating her on my life makes three years seem very short at the same time. This summer, everything really is changing. Girls are getting married (like me?!? LOLWUT?!) Best friends are leaving on missions, people are graduating and moving away and getting real-life jobs and I don't understand how any of us are old enough for this! I know this happens all the time to everyone because life, but this is the first time it has been so applicable and personal to me. This morning I saw my dear Abby for the last time for at least 18 months, who is now at the Provo Missionary Training Center as we speak. She will be the coolest and classiest sister missionary that ever graced Kansas. She is my most glam friend and will be my "A" date forever. I know she will change the lives of so many people and everyone she comes in contact with will feel of her sweet spirit.

Remember when she quoted Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way" in her farewell talk? We all do.

Everything about this summer and beyond makes me nervous, but excited (#namethatquote). My thoughts are mostly consumed by my own wedding, but all of my friends are embarking on new, scary, and amazing adventures and I don't know when we'll all be together again, especially my little Wyview Crew that I have grown so close to after meeting at the beginning of our freshman year. Hearing about their stories via e-mails/Instagram posts and not being together to chat until 3 AM is just not the same! BRB crying. Not to mention life AFTER the wedding?? Ha ha ha yeah that is uncharted territory. I am thrilled beyond belief/on the brink of tears whenever I think about all the things that go with it. Just a lot of feelings right now. Mostly I just want time to stop so I can sit back, breathe, and then probably cry some more. So if that could happen, I would greatly appreciate it. THX BAIII.

cloudy california

SCHOOL'S OUT, SCREAM AND SHOUT! loljk spring term starts tomorrow :( BUT winter semester finished up last Wednesday and after a week of zero sleep, lots of Monsters, 4 final exams, internship interviews, packing up my house, and being homeless for a few days, I took a much needed trip to California with Drew for the weekend. It was the perfect break that my brain and body needed in between semesters.

We flew in on Thursday, and from the time we arrived up until the day we left, the weather was cold, dreary, and as un-California-like as possible. OF COURSE. Just our luck :( I was banking on at least two full days at the beach and I got zero. But we still made the most of it! On Thursday we drove down to Balboa Island for treats at Dad's, ( I can finally say I've tried the frozen banana and hippo cookies!! Just as delicious as anticipated). Then we roamed around the beach looking at all the pretty houses and choosing which one we'll buy one day. After grabbing some dinner at a Greek restaurant I don't remember the name of, we drove back home and Drew gave me the full Yorba Linda tour, showing me his old high school, his favorite hang out spot as a child (the library), friend's houses, and some other special places that held fond memories for him. It was so fun to get more acquainted with his childhood home! I think my favorite part of the day was saying the name of every single street we drove by in my best Californian voice.

FRIDAY WAS FOR DISNEYLAND. OK, so we were not initially planning on going to Disney because it would be too expensive and we already had a jam-packed weekend ahead of us. But Friday morning rolled around and even though we had plans to spend the day in L.A. visiting LACMA, The Getty, and other sites, Drew successfully convinced me that Disney was the better option. AND IT TOTALLY WAS. I've only ever been one other time when he took me last May, but with the chilly, rainy weather, it was far less crowded and we were able to go on so many more rides! We even finished everything we wanted to do by dinnertime, so we went home, had dinner with his mom, and then went back for round two! And by that I mean we got back with just enough time to ride Pirates of the Caribbean again, and then watched the fireworks. It was such a fun spontaneous day and just as magical as Disneyland should always be. YOLO amiright?

Sorry for the picture overload from our Saturday morning spent at LACMA. This was such a neat art museum and I loved exploring it with Drew. Even though he's lived less than an hour away from L.A. his whole life, he's never even been to it! Andy Warhol is one of my favorites, so this was pretty dreamy for me. This past semester I took a Western Humanities class and when we learned about modern and post-modern artists, everyone was hating on not only him, but pretty much all artists of this era. I felt personally offended by my classmates' views on this movement in art as a whole, because I think modern/post-modern artwork is so innovative and just the coolest. So this is my shout-out to Andy and his fellow artists of that era: U ROCK, DON'T EVER CHANGE. Before we left L.A. we grabbed lunch at the yummiest Thai food truck I've ever experienced, Arroy Food Truck. This place was the bomb and Drew (the french fry connoisseur himself) stated that their garlic basil french fries were the best he's had in a while. I completely agree. Yes that's right, Thai fries are a real thing and for that I am grateful. If you are ever in the area, track them down and you won't be disappointed.

The main reason for our California trip was to get our engagement pictures taken by our dear friend Meredith. She is a super talented, up-and-coming photographer in the Orange County area and we figured it would be the perfect opportunity to spend some time with her, while also checking something off the wedding to-do list. We originally planned to take them at sunset on Saturday, but of course the weather had other plans. With the torrential downpour and crazy winds at the beach, we rescheduled for early Sunday morning, just before we left for the airport. And let me tell you...they. were. perfect. Seriously. Meredith is a dream to work with and also the nicest and coolest gal pal. Check her out (and follow her!) on her photography site, Facebook page, and Instagram! Here's just a lil taste...but perhaps another post will hit the blog when I get them all back...who knows?!? (LOL me. I know. Of course there will be because I'm obsessed).

photo cred: Meredith Chapman, you rock my socks off and actually make kissing pictures look good.

Thanks for reading this monstrosity of a post. I had the best weekend and I look for any excuse I have to visit California. Hopefully I'll be back very very soon!

april showers bring (summer weddings)

This past weekend was simply the happiest. Not only did General Conference fall on Easter weekend this year and Drew's parents were in town for it, but a few of my best girlfriends threw me the prettiest bridal shower on Saturday! Since all sessions of General Conference consisted of me sitting on a couch/bed in my pajamas and we didn't have our normal church service, meaning no matching dresses with Ynna and my mom (which we do every Easter Sunday...insert crying emoji here), I decided to document the most glamorous of the three events: my beautiful shower!

Let's first talk about those PAPER FLOWERS. My friends know all too well about my love for crafty photo backdrops at parties, and I am still so enamored whenever I look at pictures of this one. People are still talking about them (probably). I essentially want this same thing at my reception, hope they don't mind. Abby, the queen of flowers, picked up my favorite colored flowers to display around the room and they were just the prettiest! (Sorry that for the duration of this post I won't use any other word as much as prettiest, but it's the truth).

80% of the room was pink and orange and I was 100% okay with it. Special thank you to the Miller's for opening up their beautiful home to us and hosting my shower.

My future mother & sisters-in-law: Katrina, Katie, and Sarah

All of my guests took a picture of themselves and wrote/illustrated how we first met each other. I just love these two! Emilee is going to be my roommate this summer and I am stoked. My last roommate before my eternal roommate hahaha WUT. I always have so much fun with this girl and I'm looking forward to the boba dates and Sodalicious runs that will surely ensue when we live together. She also introduced me to sweet Lauren, who I had known of for awhile (IDPs & Twitter bring the ppl together) but we decided to take our cyber friendship to the next level this semester and I am so thankful for it! Now we're practically dating considering how often we have movie dates and post-date drop-off chats (she is my boyfriend) with each other. So thankful for both of your friendships and your attendance at my shower!

I wore each of these outfits when something significant happened in mine and Drew's relationship. First date/first kiss, the proposal, first met, and first concert shown from L to R. Say what you will, but this is me we're talking about so of course the first concert we attended together is on the same level as the day he proposed. The game was that everyone had to guess which outfit went with which occasion, and then I told the story about each. Even though most of my friends already heard these stories (or were even present for them), it was still so fun to retell them and think about how much has happened in a year. For instance, exactly one year ago from the date of my shower was when Drew asked me out on our first date for the following weekend! Awww

Let the flower wall photoshoot begin

 Love my Kaity baby for coming down from Idaho for the weekend to celebrate with me <3

 Sup we're engaged. August is gonna be cray. (I promise we're wearing our rings, we just opted for ones where you can't even tell)

OK this is by far THE PRETTIEST card I have ever received. My classy friend Maddy made this and I will probably frame it in our house, hope she doesn't mind. She is so thoughtful and even painted those flowers in the same exact colors my wedding bouquet will be! I showed her maybe one picture of a bouquet I liked over a month ago. Hire her now for all your calligraphy needs. I know I am!

T is for TEKULVE

And finally, a picture of me surrounded by my angel friends/hosts. They went above and beyond to give me the prettiest, most Alyanna-esque shower there ever was. I cannot thank them enough for pulling this off in the midst of this crazy end-of-semester period, just so I could have all my friends together before the summer of weddings/missions/study abroads/internships takes over and everyone leaves me here in Provo. Sorry that everything has to be as difficult as possible. I am #srslysoblessed to have these girls by my side throughout this college experience and all the monumental decisions and events that go with it. Thank you for adopting me into your Wyview clique that fateful freshman year and being my roommates, confidantes, and go-to girls when I need anything! They will undoubtedly roll their eyes at the sappiness of this, but I just love ya!

One more big thank you to all the ladies who attended my shower and made me feel so very loved! I truly appreciated your presence and your presents ;) This whole weekend I felt loved, not only from my sweet friends, but especially from listening to the messages at General Conference from our wonderful prophet and church leaders. I feel my Savior's love for me everyday, but this past Easter weekend was a wonderful opportunity to reflect on how truly grateful I am to have the knowledge of the Gospel in my life. Because He lives, I get to marry my sweetheart for time and all eternity and we can be with our families forever. I love this Church and know that the talks shared with us were truly inspired. You can listen to/watch all of the sessions from this weekend HERE.

xoxo,

 -the soon-to-be Mrs. T 

(promise that won't be my new sign-off or anything--you can kill me first--it just seemed fitting for this post. Speaking of which...4 months from today y'all! Eeeeeek!)