I haven't forgotten about you!

Dear Blog, I am sorry for neglecting you. Don't worry- after the next 2 weeks we will get all caught up. I will tell you all about Tanner moving into our new apartment. We can talk about wedding planning and Angels games and Aunt Julie coming to town and registering for the wedding and all of the other fun stuff that is happening in life. Until then, this girl has got to finish up some major exams, some major projects, and some major papers so she can walk her butt down that graduation line in just 2 weeks. She's also gotta get a good 300+ wedding invites sent out to her peeps so that people can show up for the big day! Till then blog, you are being neglected but definitely loved. Lets catch up soon.

XO 

PS. Love this guy yesterday, today and forever. 

What I want to remember.

Last night, we had a fun double date with one of Tanners great highschool friends Benji, and his wife Aubrey. They were visiting for the weekend so we ended up at Outback Steakhouse for dinner and went to the Angels game! Despite an Angels loss (WTH Pujols?!), we had a great time and it was fun hearing about some of Tanner's crazy highschool and college adventures and (rethinking the marriage after hearing some of the crazy shiz this guy has done) all hanging out. We got to talking about life, relationships, marriage and the kind of things you want in your partner. I definitely squeezed Tanners hand a little tighter and felt incredibly grateful for this guy.

I want to remember a few things once we seal the deal, tie the knot, become Mr. and Mrs (In exactly 11 weeks from today!!). I want to remember how every single day, without fail, while we were engaged, one of us mentioned that we could not wait to be married. I want to remember how it felt when we signed the lease for our first apartment. I want to remember how much excitement I felt creating furniture and decor to get things ready for our future little cozy home. I want to rememeber designing invitations with my sister, coming up with 20 different color choices and paper styles and having the hardest time deciding between a particular one (Because who will even care once the invitation is out!). I want to remember this feeling of just being engaged, the anticipation of what is to come. The feeling when people want to see the ring and hear the proposal story! I know that this time shall pass and I want to remember these feelings, these things, this excitement.

After our double date last night, Fiance and I sat and chatted in the car for a solid 2 hours, talking about the little things like combining car insurance and how we can save money grocery shopping. I want to remember that. How much fun we are having combining our lives, becoming the same little unit, and our own family. This is the funnest time in life ever and I am so glad I get to be having every second of it with him. Everything is not perfect. Somedays (Ok, lots of days) I cry and stress and freak out about what color linens to buy and how long our reception should be. But this guy is patient and loves me regardless, unconditionally and completely. For this I am so, so grateful and tonight, I want to remember all of this. I want to always squeeze his hand when I realize what an amazing partner I have found and get to have forever.

Thanks blog readers for reading my cheesy, sappy, sometimes completely lame blog during this crazy exciting time! I swear I don't just talk about weddings and love all the time in my real life, but I am glad I have a place in cyber space where I can blab away about this amazing time.

Spring has sprung.

( I wrote this a few weeks ago and am just now posting. Story of my life)

(How cute are these nieces and nephews? Honest? Shut up!)

Spring is famous for spring break and spring cleaning. I have done neither. I have done lots of spring working, spring schooling, and spring wedding planning. There hasn't been a break yet and it looks like things might just stay this way till Fiance and I head on that plane July 22nd to Cabo! But, this past weekend we did have a nice break. Tanner's brother, sister in law and their 3 sweet kids live about 45 minutes away from us so we are lucky enough to get to hang with them often. This past weekend, their youngest baby, 2 month old Knox was blessed in church on Easter Sunday.. so all of the family came down! On Friday, Tan and I made our way down to LA. That night we went out with Jono, Anneli and Cheetah (Bro, sis and Mom) to a great Mexican place called Salsa and Beer. (Hole in the wall, best salsa and bean dip and cream chicken enchiladas ever) We spent all day Saturday lounging around, eating Capriotti's sandwiches, playing with all of the kids in the bounce house, celebrated Elliana's 3rd birthday, held baby Knox, chatted and laughed, played games (which I beat Tan a few times, just sayin), watched Tan and the boys play basketball (for hours), stayed up super late and laughed and chatted even more. Sunday morning we all went to church and had a great Easter service, and Elliana even played a little Coldplay on my iphone for the whole congregation to hear, smack dab in the middle of Knox's blessing. (Hopefully that won't be a sign that Knox's life will be all yellow) We had a big waffle bar after and just hung out.

Sunday on our drive home I said to Tan "that felt like a mini vacation". It was so nice, right smack dab in the middle of all the Spring craziness, to spend a weekend with the Nielsen clan. I feel so lucky to be marrying into such a fun family!!

Moments.

There are moments in life that are indescribable. That moment when Tanner popped down on his knee and asked me to be the girl that gets to be by his side forever. I remember in that moment feeling so overwhelmed with emotion, with that extreme happiness and excitement you only know in the midst of a proposal(and the few days after where you are still walking on an engagement cloud--seriously, I was out of it for a solid week. I apologize if you tried to converse with me, all I could think about was the bling on my finger and my main squeeze), and with so many thoughts- simply because our minds can't wrap around what the word forever means. Sometimes, Tan and I will be chatting and I will get a glimpse into what forever might be like. It is usually when we are talking about the really mundane things in life, such as what type of milk we might by for our fridge. I think to myself "Hey wait, I am going to be buying milk with this man for the next 60+ years". I had a moment this week as Tan and I were apartment hunting. We sat down to look at numbers and lease agreements and the Apartment Manager said the lease would be 12 months. I thought to myself, we get to be together in an apartment for a whole 12 months. Then we get to move on to our next adventure. And our next adventure. And the next one. And I get to be with him for 12,000 more months+ some. I had a little glimpse into what forever just might be like.

This past week has been filled with moments. On Tuesday, April 17th, 2012 at 4:18 AM I stared through the doctor's window at the most beautiful site I have ever seen: My brand new niece, stretched out on the hospital scale, lungs blaring, bright red, healthy as can be, with thighs just like her aunt. (Obviously, we can't blame Ella for being pissed upon her entrance to the world- she had to come flying out of Laura, after being in her belly filled with Dr. Pepper and Reeses for a months. All of a sudden she has to drink milk- what the! I'd be pissed too, so I feel you there Ella.) Ella laid on the hospital scale while her new proud daddy David held her little finger and stared at her with the purest look of love. In that moment, I got another glimpse into how forever might be. Surrounded by our family, with cute little babies, watching them grow up, strengthening and developing these sweet relationships the whole way along.

On Thursday morning, I went to a funeral for my dear friends cousin who passed away at the young age of 18. The death of this son, brother, cousin, grandson and friend is so tragic and devastating for their tight knit family and all of those who know them. The service was beautiful and truly honored his life- and during it, I had another moment. A moment where I realized all of this can be taken away so quickly. Each day truly can be the last that we have, we do not know. I walked away knowing I needed to be more patient and more focused on what matters. This is hard to do when we get so caught up in ourselves all. the. time. I thought to myself how precious it is that we have the knowledge we will be with our families forever. In that moment, the word forever made complete and perfect sense.

There are indescribable moments we can't wrap our heads around- we can't explain them. We only know how we felt in the moment. When you get to start a new life with your love- the excitement, the anticipation, the eagerness for the big day and everything to follow. When you witness a new little life being brought into this world- the awe, the unconditional, all encompassing love you feel for this little soul. When someone passes away- the sadness, the grief, the faith you must muster up, and the gratitude that you have another day in this world.

What I make of it all is to appreciate the moments. I am trying to soak them up, soak them in, learn from them, grow from them, because these are the moments that make up the pages of our lives. The pages that will be our own forever.

Currently, I am soaking in every moment with this chunky, delicious, yummy, sweet bundle of love. I met Ella just 5 days ago but I already know I want us to be best friends for a long time- I plan to teach her about the finer things in life, drink diet cokes with her at Nordstrom Cafe, and have her over at her favorite aunt and uncle's house (as Tanner would say) all the time. Ella, you have reminded me in your short 5 days of life how precious these moments are. You are already so incredibly loved. Your family is so happy they get to be with you forever!

Ella Louise Prescott

8.1 Pounds of deliciousness, 21 inches

xo- A proud Auntie Anne (Yep, just like the pretzel)

Basketball Rivalry

Since day 1 of Tanner and I's courtship, there has been a little bit of a basketball rivalry. I love the Lakers and he loves the Celtics. Tanner doesn't just love the Celtics, but he really hates the Lakers..one person in particular, Kobe Bryant. I happen to just love Kobe and think he has swag and is an amazing player! (Yeah I just wrote swag on my blog) Tanner thinks he is a big jerk and I agree, cheating on your wife is jacked and he has definitely made some dumb moves in his personal life. My love for Kobe Bryant all started years ago when (former) Vanessa Bryant would bring their cute daughters to the games and they would be wearing Laker's outfits all decked out in rhinestones and just looking so adorable. She would also shop in the childrens boutique I worked at. Anyway, I digress. I love Kobe and Tanner hates him. Just a little (humorous) story to explain:

One January evening we were snuggled up watching a Lakers vs. Clippers game and afterwards Tanner reccomended we go for a walk. (Mind you it was about 10 PM) We headed out the front door and I just thought my future hubby was being so romantic, wanting to talk about our future and where we will live in 10 years and how great our wedding day will be. He casually says "So babe, I really want to talk about this Kobe Bryant thing. This is a big deal to me". I have to admit I was a little taken back and shocked by this sentence. (I thought he was going to tell me how beautiful I was and maybe ask if I preferred pearls or diamonds?) He says "This is something we definitely need to talk about, I don't know how you could like someone so much who is such a jerk." I was a little bit speechless- were we really having a chat about Kobe Bryant and my love affair with him? Was Tan going to dump me because I love the Black Mamba?? I casually explained to him that while I loved the Lakers and Mr. Bryant, I would willingly cheer for his favorite teams too, all in the name of love. He seemed a little bit happier with this answer, but still needed more. I explained I just can't give up my love for the Lakers because I LOVE LA. I also had to explain that while maybe one day I could also be a Celtics fan, for now I just can't give up my purple and gold. We ended the conversation on a "lets agree to disagree" note. My sports loving (and sports genius!) man simply wants his fiance to be on his side when it comes to all things basketball. I totally get this, I want him to be on my side when it comes to loving Target and Nordstrom. So this where the C word comes in: COMPROMISE! A little thing I hear works great in marriage. I am willing to make a compromise and not (talk about my) love for Kobe Bryant as much and love the Celtics more, so Tan can know his fiance is on his team when it comes to sports.
Tonight, both of us will be happy as we head to the Staples Center to watch the Clippers take on the Jazz. This is because we both like the Clippers (Can't wait to see Blake Griffin) and he likes the Jazz too. So we won't be taking any romantic walks this week discussing our basketball rivalry.

I am excited for a hot date night tonight with my man and some basketball!!

Here's to loving your fiance's favorite teams just as much as your own, and watching Blake Griffin dunk tonight!(And compromising on your love for Target and Nordstrom, too. I am workin on this one)

Sun and Beach

It's official.. Fiance booked our honeymoon!! We will be headed to Cabo San Lucas on July 22 to enjoy 1 week in the Mexican sunshine.. Cannot wait to spend 7 days here with my Hubby to be!!
It is called the Riu Santa Fe, a gorgeous, all inclusive resort right along the beach in Cabo.. neither of us have ever been to Mexico (other then stops on a cruise ship) so we can't wait to go. 3 months and 26 days better get here really fast because I am ready for a vacation with my man!! (Now I gotta get my bikini body back in order here!!)

Stress and Smiling

I wasn't too worried till the General Manager of my hotel said the following to me today:

"Do you realize you are doing the 3 most stressful things you will ever do in your entire life all at once? 1. Graduate school and find a real job 2. Get Married 3. Move? How are you smiling?"

Today I am feelin it. I am feelin the major stress of trying to complete 1 more (16 unit) quarter at Cal Poly all so I can walk and graduate June 9th. Trying to think of going through another quarter of school including midterms and finals freaks me out a wee bit, while trying to work full time, too. Also, during this time I need to get lots of wedding planning done so I am not a hot mess come July and so you guys all have some sort of party to show up to. (Because after all, if y'all didn't exist, Mr. Nielsen and I would be getting hitched this Saturday in Vegas and honeymooning for a year in Fiji). And of course Somewhere in the midst of all this, Fiance and I need to find some sort of apartment to move into, so we aren't living in Chateau-de-Anne's-childhood-bedroom or Tanner's-bachelor-pad-that-needs-to-be-vacuumed.

Today is the 4 month mark till July 21 and peeps, I am feelin it. Mr. GM wasn't lying when he said these were some stressful times. But how am I smiling? Well, I have a fiance that simply tells me to make a list and he'll do it. He helps me make decisions when I am freaking out (Because it was up to me, we wouldn't have to make decisions ever and we would get to change our mind 13 times). He is doing our honeymoon and I love him for that. I have a fabulous maid of honor sister that ran all over town, scouring Targets for the proper flower girl outfit sizes and reported in to me via text while I was at work. I've got another fablous maid of honor sister that has searched high and low for bridesmaid dresses and is my go to graphic design girl for all things invitations. I have another maid of honor (Do you see what I mean about the decision thing? I couldn't pick 1 maid of honor, I had to pick 3 because decisions are for losers) that has already planned a Palm Springs girls weekend bachelorette getaway. I've got a grooms family that freakin rocks and is planning an entire separate reception for us in Utah, and helping in every way possible here! I've got supportive and wonderful parents, beautiful bridesmaids, and lots of help from lots of people.

So through all this stress, it is definitely easy to smile. Unless I think about moving into the fiance's-bachelor-pad-that-needs-to-be-vacuumed. That might be biggest stress #4.

Chopsticks and Soup Bowls

On Saturday, the iphone rang and fiance asked me out on a hot date for that evening. He had the sweetest idea to hit up the Ranch Market by mi casa for a little japanese inspired sushi date. I came over (after a 3 hour Saturday nap) and we made our way over to the store. We wandered the aisles and picked up everything we needed including sushi mats and immitation crab. He had to drag me out of the kitchen aisle kicking and screaming while I begged him for authentic chopsticks, Japanese soup bowls and spoons for our future apartment. Come on, doesn't that sound dreamy? We could have been sitting on pillows on the floor eating out of our soup bowls. Anyway, I wasn't successful on that pitch. Moving on!

We got back to Mr. Nielsen's bachelor pad and started our sushi fun.

All of the ingredients for California Rolls, Sushi Mat and Seaweed, Miso Soup and Wasabi!

Sushi was much easier to make then we originally thought. We boiled our rice and added the proper ingredients, rolled everything up, and were amazed at how pro we were.

Our finished product..California Rolls!

Pretty sure on the way home from the Ranch Market, I said to Tan that I never knew I would find my soulmate, a man who would ask me out to make sushi in his kitchen. He is the best. Now can we go pleeease go buy those soup bowls and pillows to sit on? Arigatou Gozaimasu!

Coming along.

We've got a date set, a guest list coming along on excel, a beautiful location reserved, the cutest photographer booked, colors finalized and pinned (Love pinterest), a DJ ready to play, and our loved ones asked and ready to be in our bridal party. But, there is still lots to be done. We need a florist, I kinda need a dress, perhaps some food to feed y'all, fiance needs a suit, maybe some invitations so people know where to show up..Ya know, just a few of the essentials. But I am okay because most importantly, one thing is for certain, I get him.

The best choice I could have ever made, and am certain that I will ever make.

He puts up with (and loves) me and all of my crazy.

Love him to the moon and back.

(Above photo is us in Vegas months ago, moments before Tanner won $250 playing bingo. We. have. so. much. fun. )

Some crazy story.

Moments after My Man Popped the Question.
(We are clearly thrilled. And I am clearly a hot mess.)

I think when people ask, they expect some crazy story! The most commonly asked questions once you get engaged are the following:

"How did you guys meet?"
"How long have you dated?"
"How did he propose?"

...and before you know it you feel like you have told the same story 54 billion times. When people ask, I just look at Tanner and give him the signal to go for it and share the story. Or sometimes, he nudges me first and its my turn to give the scoop. We met through church friends, we dated for exactly 6 months&4 days before he popped the question, and he proposed to me after a romantic dinner out, on top of a hill in Irvine that overlooked the city, where he pulled the ring out of his sock. And it was perfect.

Nothing too crazy happened in between, other then the fact that we fell madly in love and can't wait to spend this whole life together, by each others side. No crazy story, but thats perfectly fine with us! Stop by this blog anytime you want to catch up with the Nielsen's. Mrs. Nielsen is wrapped up (and loving!) every second of wedding planning and Mr. Nielsen is wrapped up (and loving!) every second of March Madness. Together they make a perfect pair. And for the record, anytime you nudge me babe, I am thrilled to share our perfectly boring love story and will be forever.