5.31.2015

Honeymoon: Santa Cruz

Dustin and I went to California for our honeymoon. I had never really been to California, because Disneyland simply doesn't count. His aunt owns a resort outside Santa Cruz, so we were able to stay there. Hidden up a winding road in a forested mountain area, our little lodge came complete with a kitchen and fire pit. And it was beautiful! There was a little pathway that led up to a garden dining area, and at night the area was lit up with hanging bulbs.



 Dustin and I didn't have any set plans, which let us decide each day where we wanted to go. One day we went on a seaside cliff walk and saw a whole bunch of seals down below. We even found a hidden alcove of beach and got to wander around a bit. Dustin and I are both big lovers of the sea (although he's 1000 x more intense about it than I am), so it was calming for both of us.

 




Since I've never been swimming on the west coast beach, we found a beach near Santa Cruz and went there. Since it was April, there were hardly any people there. On the dock we saw some people fishing, but at the end of the dock there was a massive decrepit ship in the water. It looked as if it were mad out of cement. When we actually did go swimming, it was most entertaining. Some of the waves were strong, so either I'd have to run away from them or Dustin would just hold on to me. Except one time he thought it would be funny to let a wave push me over while my back was turned. Haha, oh yes.

So fun story: as we got to the beach, we both joked that it would be so hilarious if a seagull stole one of our wedding rings. I remarked that better his than mine, since mine was my grandma's. Well, later on in the day, we moved our stuff because flies were swarming us (turns out there was a dead bird carcass we both didn't see right by our towels). Dustin realized then that his ring was gone. We looked and looked. He had taken it off to go swimming (I know because I saw him) and put it in his hat. His hat was empty. We rifled through everything. Everything. I even dumped out our bag of Dorito's and sifted through them.
The more we couldn't find the ring, the more we were certain that a seagull actually took it. I'm dead serious. Every time a bird came near us we would glare and swear at it. 

We never did find Dustin's ring. But we found a plastic elk toy in the sand.


I'm bad at beach selfies.
 Because Dustin had excitedly told me a while ago how much he loved the Monterey Bay Aquarium, we ended up going there. It was a gorgeous, warm day, and the aquarium was awesome. I stared at a massive tank filled with a hammerhead sharks, giant tunas, and other fish for probably 25 minutes. We even watched a special presentation on Great White sharks. Those things are bad ass. 



This vacation was the most relaxed one I've ever had. Plus, I navigated while Dustin drove, and we never got lost! *High fives self* Vacationing with my favorite person was definitely a great idea. I highly recommend it.

5.12.2015

The Dinner

I don't know how to say this without sounding mean, but I don't like typical LDS weddings. Sorry, I just don't. As I was planning for our wedding, I found it hard to care about things that didn't make sense to me, like wedding cakes, receptions, decorations, and the such. So if we didn't want it, we didn't do it! And that's why I loved my wedding so much. Because it was awesomely simple.

After the ceremony and pictures, we had a lovely dinner at Herm's Inn in Logan. If you've never been there, let me just tell you that it is quaint, simple, and just the right amount of classy. Also, the food is delicious! (Also, the catering manager at Herm's reminded Dustin of the Dean from Community, which was quite the compliment!)

When everyone was done with dinner, Dustin and I had some time to walk around and chat with people. That was probably one of my favorite parts, because I had the time to talk to some of the people I love the most! Then my beautifully amazing Petey started up a round of toasts, of which some made me almost cry.

It was a beautiful day, and I am glad everything went the way it did. Because at the end of the day, I was quite happy.

*Happy sigh*











































Ah, Shane's toast.