a few engagement photos

Back in October, my fiance and I were able to do an engagement photo shoot with the talented Ben Christensen. He and his darling wife are friends of my sister and I, and we were so excited to take photos with him. I wanted to share a few. I hope you enjoy :)

sneak peak,

This past weekend, Stew and I were able to do a photoshoot with Ciara Richardson. There was lots of unexpected rain, but we improvised and found a green house in Phoenix. Here is a little sneak peak!

in case you were wondering,

I am going to marry this dream boat in two months <3

i(phone) spy...

1. a boat load of sushi 2. hike up camelback mountain 3. beautiful arizona 4. chess with my love 5. birthday celebration for silver fox 6. homemade macarons 7. monday night football 8. stew's biggest fans 9. halloween fun 10. more halloween costumes

a tune for the day,

& she strikes again. I can't help but love little Lisa. Her new tune has me humming along in the library, so I thought I would share the love.

Red-letter day,

As the summer comes to a close, I have been finding myself busier than ever. Today was the first day of my last semester in Utah. With a full schedule, work, wedding planning, and Arizona visits, I know now my leisurely reads will have to take the backseat for a while. But before the semester started I wanted to squeeze in this wonderful book my aunt recommended to me...Heaven Is Here by the wonderful Stephanie Nielson from nieniedialogues.com I got so engulfed by the book, I found myself reading any second I could. It is such an inspiring story and really was dear to me. And to add the cherry on top, Nie herself came into my work tonight and I was able to meet her and her darling children whom I have read about the last few days. If you want a good read, read this.

cue the wedding bells

I know you have probably given up on me by now. My blogging skills seem to always be lacking. I have a good excuse...yet again. But this time...it is a really good one. Guess what?! This little lady is ENGAGED. Yes, I am soon going to be Mrs. Stewart Bradley. By soon, I mean six months time. We will be getting married in the Salt Lake City Temple on February 9th, 2013! I have never loved a day so much in my life. So here is the engagement story you have been waiting for. My family usually comes to Utah every year for the 4th of July. This year was no different. Stew & I were planning on spending the 4th with my family. John(Stew's dad) had casually asked if we could do a dinner with their family the night before the 4th to celebrate/catch up with Thomas & Jenny who would be getting back from their honeymoon the day before. So Stew came to pick me up after work the 3rd. Keep in mind I am not expecting anything. I don't have my camera handy..and I was wearing bright red lip stick. Stew was Mr. Cool all the way up to their cabin. * Side note Stew & I went on our second date to his cabin...it is also where we had our first kiss...and where we cooked together for the first time. So it is a really special place to us. * Stew had said he wasn't sure if his family was going to be there already...smart guy setting it up in case they were parked outside. Stew asked me to help him carry some of the food into the cabin. As I was walking in, I asked him where I could go take off my lipstick...boys loved to be kissed with bright ruby lips right? ;) He pointed me towards the kitchen...as I went to open the kitchen door, I was floored. Literally the most amazing display of flowers, candles, and lights COVERING the kitchen. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. There were lights covering the ceiling, and flowers strung across the ceiling, candles hanging from the ceiling, candles covering the floor and counters and tables, and hundreds of perfect white flowers. I immediately started freaking out...cue the babbling, crying, and jumping up and down. Literally. He asked those four words, and with the most confident yes, I became the happiest girl in the world. I was totally shocked. The ring he proposed with is a family treasure. It belonged to his great-great-grandma, and was passed down to his sweet mother Ann. I could not feel more honored to wear it, and could not be more ecstatic to marry the man of my dreams. After the engagement, both of our families came up to the cabin for a joint dinner. The night was perfect. I have never been so happy in my life. I feel so blessed and lucky to marry my best friend. I can hardly wait. Now, Stew is back in Arizona at training camp getting ready for the upcoming season. I am just getting ready for the fall. I will be juggling school, work, wedding plans, and Arizona visits to cheer for my favorite. Wish me luck :)

a little kitchen love

Lately, I have been a little spoiled. Since Stew lives in Arizona for half the year and here for the other, quality time is something we value. The past few weekends Stew has been flying in after work to make sure we can get some. This last weekend when we were not attending lots of showers, Stew planned a little date night for us. He made me the yummiest dinner. To add to his long list of talents and accomplishments, the man can cook I tell ya. His parents home was just remodeled and it has been so much fun cooking in their new amazing kitchen. Stew actually designed the whole house. He has pretty good taste & no, I am not just bias. But Stew is actually moving back to Utah this Thursday for the rest of summer! That is, most of it anyway. I can't wait but look forward to many more summer days and nights together.

fins n' things

Last weekend, Stew and I were invited to a couple's shower for Jenny and Thomas. It was thrown by their neighborhood friends and ended up being so much fun. The theme was Japanese because Thomas went on his mission to Japan. There were cute origami fishes dangling from the patio, cute Japanese picnic umbrellas, and the yummiest food a shower could have. There was plenty of gifts, advice, and stories(I even got to hear a few about Stew when he was younger). The night could not have been better. Only one more week until their wedding! The countdown has begun.

showering the bride-to-be

I know you have heard this before, but you will have to excuse my leave of absence. I have been so busy lately and haven't had a chance to blog. With boyfriend visits, finals next week, and plenty of weddings, my hands have been pretty full. So one of my dear friends, Jenny Jones, is getting married next week! To add the icing to the cake, she is marrying my boyfriend's little brother. I am definitely spoiled and get to spend lots of time with this darling beauty. This last weekend I was able to attend a shower in her honor. It has been so fun to be a part of the wedding and see all their plans unfold. I could not be more excited for their new lives together. Our friend Tessa Barton threw the shower and it couldn't have turned out better.

another weekend treat,

Today the lock and chains were put on... I started summer school. I am kidding, a little. ;) The past two weeks I took full advantage of the time I had before I had to hit the books again. I went home to California! I explained a little in my last post. But the second part of the trip I went on a little weekend vacation with mon cheri(aka Stew). It could not have been better. The weather was perfect. We went to Disneyland! This was actually a big deal because Stew does not like amusement parks. He has not been to Disneyland since he was about 8 years-old or so. He knew how much I liked it, so we planned a little trip. The day before I had worn a new pair of flats to the airport. Bad idea. I had blisters all over my heels. At this point I was already into my trip and didn't bring a lot of comfortable shoes..so Disneyland day came. The only pair of shoes that did not rub the back of my blisters were a pair of 5-inch heels. Yes, I did wear them for a 12-hour day at Disneyland. That place is so happy I didn't even notice the blisters all over my feet. We had so much fun. But it didn't stop there. The next day we went to Laguna Beach for some sun and sand castles, followed by a visit to my sweet grandparents house in Palm Springs for the rest of the weekend. It was so much fun to cook with them and hear stories of when they met "back in the old days". Speaking of the happy couple, today is their 58th anniversary! Congratulations! I am so happy to have such amazing examples in my life. How I love them so.