Work and Wedding!

This past couple weeks have been sort of interesting for me... I got offered a part time job at the new McDonald's in town.  I don't really know how I feel about it just yet.  I mean, a job's a job but I could just keep my campus job and make almost the same amount of money and put in a few less hours and keep a normal 8-5 school schedule and guarantee that I have weekends and holidays off.  I just don't know what to think about it all but I hope that the Lord will push me in the right direction very soon.

My email had locked me out for the past month but THANKFULLY my dad's email was still on my security list so thanks to him sending me an email retrieval link I got into my account!  I think what had happened was that I got hacked so if you got a weird or suspicious email from me... It probably wasn't from me.  But since having my email back I received lots of pictures and videos from the wedding, thanks to my sister-in-law, Renae! I shared a few on Facebook but I will share some here as well. 

Just after I received my own endowment. *happy day!!!*

Married at last! Best. Day. EVER!

. : Love the way he looks at me : .

 *smoochy smoochy*

Proud parents!

This is what we refer to as the "birth control" picture. ;)

But we really do love ALL of our nieces and nephews! 

Hugging his wiffy. :)

Bouquet (purty flowers!)

*kissy kissy* ;)

The Durfee Family

I will get more pictures soon! My sister took a bunch and I will get some from my amazing photographer (shout out to April!!) within the next few weeks. These reception photos are from the Almo reception. I should get plenty more from the Zillah reception soon!

I love getting pictures from our big day! It was the best day ever and I can't believe how blessed we are with great family and friends to be there to help us celebrate!!

Married at Last!

Well hello, friends! Welcome to our blog! The first two posts Steven and I wrote quite a while ago after we got engaged but I wanted to get our stories down while everything was still fresh in our minds. :)

We FINALLY got married on July 26th of this year and it was BEAUTIFUL! It was a fun day filled with family, friends, smiles, laughter, and happiness!  I was so excited to have one of my old roommates, April, take our photos that day (and the following week for the reception.. April, you are AWESOME!).  She has given me a little preview from our day but I can't wait to see more of her beautiful work!!

After staying at a beautiful bed and breakfast in Logan, we had the wonderful chance to honeymoon on the Oregon coast in Lincoln City. Steven had never seen the ocean before so we took the first opportunity we had! We loved being so close to the beach and we got to go around and see some historic lighthouses and went tide-pooling (pictures from that day on the way!)

We are now moved into our little house in Rexburg and getting all settled just in time for school to start in a few more weeks.  We aren't super excited for school to start this fall semester because both of our schedules are going to get pretty crazy but alas... School is school.  It's good for us.

His Story

I liked her and started dating her...  then loved her... asked her to marry me...

Haha! Well that's all true, but I was told that it wouldn't work as "My story!"  So any way...

Rose was actually dating my roommate and childhood friend.  I remember thinking at the time that Rose would be a girl I could enjoy dating, but she was already dating my roommate so I decided that it wouldn't work.  After a while they broke up and I thought well maybe if I give it a little time then I could ask her out.  She, however, having no idea that I was interested, went on to have a few different boyfriends.  The next time I found out that she was single I thought at first that I should give her a little time so I wouldn't be the rebound guy, but I didn't want her to be taken again before I could get a chance so I moved in anyway...

I invited her over to watch a movie on Halloween and we just ended up hanging out watching Ernest Scared Stupid, which is a great Halloween movie by the way, then we went to get some pizza.  She invited me over to game night at her apartment and I thought, "Sweet! I'm totally in!!  I mean she must like me if she wants me to come over right?"  That night her old boyfriend was there though and I guess that he was trying to win her back, but it made me think that they were getting back together, so I left that night thinking I had once again missed my chance to date this amazing girl.  I talked to my roommate about it and he basically called exactly what was going on.  He said, "I think maybe he wants to get back together with her, but I don't think she digs him, trust me man you have way more going for you then he does."  With his encouragement I asked her out again.  I was going to go on a double date with my roommate but he ended up working that night so I took her out myself.  I was really nervous because I hadn't been on a single date for about five years.  I was so worried that it was going to be really awkward, but that was the great thing about that night, it wasn't awkward at all.  We went to see Brave and it was actually a ton of fun.  She was easy to talk to and we just got along really well.  I asked her out a few more times and things progressed like it was meant to be.  The night I kissed her for the first time, I thought that I had done it too early, and I stressed about it all night.  I didn't kiss her again for two or three dates at least because I thought I had scared her away.  I kept having people ask me when I was going to ask her to marry me, and I just told them I wasn't going to think about it until the end of winter semester, but with all those people asking me it was hard to keep it out of my mind.  Don't get me wrong it wasn't that I didn't want to marry her it was just I hadn't had a girlfriend for so long that I wanted to enjoy that a little bit.  So I was thinking about it and I just kept feeling like that was what I really wanted.  I had been praying about it and I decided that I wanted to be with Rose forever.

So we talked about it and for a few weeks we were the only ones that knew we were going to get married.  We went to buy the ring and she helped me pick it out because I wanted her to get something she liked.  We went to Washington to meet her folks and ask permission from her father.  I was a little scared but her parents were so sweet to me, and I really felt like I was going to fit in with her family extremely well.  The next day we were going to take pictures and I wanted to surprise her which was going to be hard because she already knew I bought the ring and asked her dad.  I thought about taking the ring in the box but you could totally see it in the pocket on my church pants.  So I took the ring out of the box and just slipped it in my pocket.  Then it was just a matter of waiting for the right moment to ask so it would be caught on camera... And she said yes... and the rest hasn't really happened yet.

The Beginning of "Us"

It doesn't seem that long ago since I met Steven... But we met January of 2012 at the beginning of the winter semester at Brigham Young University-Idaho.  We became really good friends and enjoyed hanging out together along with a few of our mutual friends.  I didn't think he ever was, or would be, interested in me and so I accepted that we would just be friends.  Apparently HE had a different idea... and after I returned back to BYU-Idaho after my summer break we reconnected and he was encouraged by his friends and roommates that he should ask me on a date.

I was pretty oblivious through the whole thing while we were just in our "hanging out" stage and didn't even realize until one night he asked me out to a movie (Pixar's Brave... Which is a really cute movie, by the way!) followed by an evening of just chatting and hanging out together and I realized that he was interested in pursuing a more committed relationship.



Our journey through our dating lives was pretty typical if you ask me.  We went out, got to know each other more, and continued to progress in our relationship.  Our love began to blossom and I knew I didn't want to spend my time with anyone else but him.  

After spending the Christmas 2012 break apart from one another with minimal contact during that time because he was at home without internet or cell phone service, I knew I loved him and I was sure I wanted to marry him.  I still did not know how he felt and was extremely excited and curious to see how he felt when we were reunited again.  Upon returning to Rexburg in January 2013, my heart leapt when I saw him get out of his car to meet me, my brother, and my roommate, Erica, outside of Five Guys in Idaho Falls.  I felt my face beam as I approached him to give him that long awaited hug I had hoped for.

A few days after returning, I was helping him move in to his new apartment and somehow we got on the topic of marriage.  It turned out he felt the same way I did over the break and we decided that day that we wanted to get married!  

He took me to buy my ring (yes... we skipped the whole "element of surprise" thing... But he wanted to get something that I would love... I am spoiled by my amazing man!) and after a month of waiting until he could get a weekend off of work we were off to Washington to meet my folks and so he could ask my father for my hand.  After my parent's granted us their blessing he didn't wait any longer and PROPOSED on February 17, 2013.  I had really wanted to go take pictures in front of the Teapot Dome Station in my little hometown of Zillah, WA (because what else is there to do in that town anyways??).  I will admit that I totally checked Steven's pockets out to see if he had the ring on him but after my careful inspection I decided that he didn't have it and would probably just wait to propose until after we got back to school.  Turns out I was all wrong... He very sneakily slipped the ring into his pocket.  After I had set up my camera on its tripod, set the timer on the camera, and ran over next to him to pose for the picture he suddenly pushed himself away from me.  My first instinct was to turn and see what it was that this guy was up to... Turns out that as I had turned to see what he was doing he whipped the ring out of his pocket and got down on one knee.  I was so surprised and happy that I didn't say anything, but I stood there and giggled.  I must have just froze like that for so long that he ended up asking me to marry him again and of course...I said YES!

We are now currently trying to find a place to live starting in mid-July or August here in Rexburg and making arrangements for the big day!  We have set a date for July 26, 2013 in the Logan, Utah LDS Temple!  I am so excited to get to spend the rest of forever with my best friend!

And THAT, my friends, is the beginning of US!