First Day of Fall

Happy first day of Fall! It surely doesn't feel like Fall here in Arizona, but that's ok. It seems to always be summer her in Arizona ;) I am definitely ok with that though after spending months upon months in winter back in Rochester. I would choose an extended summer over extended winter any day! It wasn't as hot today as it has been though, about 90 degrees vs 105+ so even though we got a little bit of a late start today it was still great weather.

We decided to go on a hike today at the McDowell Sonoran Preserve which is about 15 minutes away from us. There are a bunch of different trails throughout the preserve so we just decided to go with one of the more popular ones that was just under 5 miles. I brought my new camera along to snap pics as we went, man do I love it! I just put it on auto and snapped away, I can't wait to actually learn how to take specific pictures and what settings to use, etc. All in good time.

The hike was great! We seemed to go the opposite way of most people, but we can always go the reverse way next time! Everyone on the trail was friendly, which is always nice ;) Pretty much everyone in Arizona in general is nice!

We didn't run into any rattle snakes or anything, just a couple lizards and road runners. I have been reading that these hikes are beautiful in the Spring time so I can't wait for that! I am sure by then we will have some favorite trails. There is also a mountain called Camelback which is supposed to have great hiking trails as well, it is about 30 minutes away so we will definitely be checking that out one of these weekends!

Now for some pics taken with my new camera! ;)

Makeover

You can probably tell that I did a little makeover on my blog. I felt it was time to update it a bit, so it is a work in progress. We will see how long I like this new look or see if I can find something better ;) My blog posts all summer have been few and far between but I am going to try to change that as well. Now that we are a little more settled into our new home in Arizona we are going to start exploring more and taking advantage of our time here.

Since I am not working full time I am wanting to start learning how to use my new toy that Bobby got me for our wedding. He surprised me BIG time with a Canon EOS Rebel T3i camera. I am ALWAYS taking pictures of everything on my phone and have been wanting a nice camera for a long time so when that delivery arrived in my bridal suite before the ceremony I was beyond surprised and SO excited to learn how to use it and get to snapping away! Bobby's brother Adam lent me a book to read to learn how to use it and I haven't had a change to dive in yet, but I have gotten through the basics. I really want to just get out and start taking pictures and figure it out as I go. That is what he suggested and I figure what better way to learn than by actually going out there and doing it. So, this weekend, probably tomorrow we are going to go on one the many hikes around here and I will bring my camera along with me!

Although I am not working full time, I did get a very part time nanny job watching a 4 month old boy named Jack. It will just be about 10-15 hours a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays plus an occasional date night once or twice a month. I have been so blessed with the families I have met and been able to become a part of and this family is no different. I feel beyond grateful to land great jobs with great people time and time again so I am really excited about this job and think it will be perfect for what is happening in our lives right now. It gives me time away from the house, I can earn a little extra money for extras/to travel/save, etc PLUS I get baby loves so what is better than that?!

I am still figuring out the whole stay at home wife thing, it is not for everyone and it seems everyone has their opinion on it, but it works for us, I love it and that is that. I haven't quite got everything balanced out and put in place perfectly, it is a work in progress, but I am enjoying every day and I LOVE being a wife...well really I love being Bobby's wife :)

Married life is wonderful...now to get my name changed!

First Weekend in AZ

Yep! We have actually been renting this apartment for almost a month exactly and this is our FIRST full weekend spending it here in AZ. Pretty crazy, but a lot happened in the last month...our wedding, our friend's wedding, and the passing of our grandma Dorthy. All of which took us away for the past 4 weekends...the weekend we moved in here the weekend before the wedding we literally drove stuff here, moved it in and then turned around and drove back to SoCal. It has been a crazy month to say the least, so I am happy that we finally are able to get settled in for real!

We had talked about going kayaking and going on a hike this weekend since it was our first weekend here, but when it came down to it we just wanted to do NOTHING because we have been doing SO much the last 4 weekends. We took the time to hang some pictures in our apartment, plan out meals for the week, do a little shopping for things for the apartment etc...get settled pretty much. Because life has been so crazy we have been haven't been eating that great or working out as much as we would like, so we are also figuring out a new schedule etc for that, hence the meal planning. I took some time today to cook up some sweet potatoes and chicken to have on hand. It is always so much easier to have that type of stuff that takes awhile to cook, prepared ahead of time. If I have it on hand I will eat it...if I don't I am much more likely to go to quick, usually less healthy options. I am not the greatest cook, at all, but I am trying to slowly learn some new recipes to implement into our meals for the week. My goal is to try something new each week.

I am not working at the moment so I have a lot more time on my hands. It is really nice to be able to take care of the errands during the week so we have our weekends available to enjoy together. I miss being around babies though so it didn't take me long to hop on care and start searching out a part time nanny job. I found one that is very nearby, about 7 minutes away, with one 4 month baby boy that will give me about 10-15 hours a week which I think will be perfect. I just wanted something to get me out of the house, earn me some extra cash, and give me my baby fix ;) I should probably be starting this week if not next. I am excited! :) It is just one baby so it definitely seems like a BREEZE after the twins, although I miss them SO much and all of their craziness...they turn ONE on Tuesday by the way...how CRAZY is that! I remember the day they were born like it was yesterday I just can't believe how fast time goes by.

That is pretty much the update here from the desert....still 100+ everyday...still getting settled, and still very much enjoying being husband and wife :) <3

From Bliss to Sadness

Oh how quickly pure bliss can turn into pure sadness...Bobby's grandma Dorthy passed away last Wednesday very suddenly. We were just there in Southern California over labor day weekend visiting for a friend's wedding and moving her into her little apartment at an independent living community three days before. She seemed to be doing so well, was so happy and excited about her new place. We said our good bye's on Sunday evening not knowing that would be the last time we would get to hug her and tell her we loved her, but I am thankful we had that moment.

She had been in the hospital since early July, there was a whole lot of problems going on with that, her health was up and down but she fought and fought because there was no way she was missing our wedding (her words). We had visited her in the hospital up in Sacramento and it seemed pretty unlikely that she would be able to travel for our wedding, but in true Dorthy fashion she made it happen. She arrived at our apartment in Aliso the week of the wedding. She was still a little weak which was expected but she was in good spirits as usual.

Her determination paid off and she made it to our wedding and we were so happy that she did. You could see it in her face how happy she was to be there, she had been wanting us to get married forever and the day had finally come! She was our only grandparent there, as mine were unable to travel from to California for the wedding.

We are so blessed and grateful that she was able to see us get married, having those pictures with her are so special to us. Our photographer was kind enough to get us some photos of her from the wedding to share with the family. Seeing her so happy in the photos is amazing and I am so glad that we will have those to cherish forever.

Grandma Dorthy was a one of a kind. She was always joking around and laughing, she was a firecracker in a pint sized package and she will always be remembered as such. She is back with her love grandpa Bob, and while we will miss her here on earth immensely, I am so glad they are back together again for eternity.

RIP Grandma Dorthy. We love and miss you!

The Graham family 

My favorite <3

Thank you Aimee Fredy @ White Daisy Photography for these photos. We really, truly appreciate you getting these to us so quickly. <3

Now Introducing...

Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Casey Graham!!!


August 23, 2013 was THE best day of our lives. I can honestly say that our wedding day was pure amazingness full of love and joy. Despite the fact that many loved ones we wanted there couldn't make it, we still had almost 100 of our closest friends and family to share our special day and each and everyone of them helped to make it perfect.

The night before Laura, Theresa, and myself ended up getting a hotel together. Since I was staying away from Bobby that night I definitely wanted to be with my girls. We got some champagne on our way from the rehearsal dinner to the hotel and had some girl time. It was so nice to have some QT with them since we all live so far away from each other. Theresa has never met Molly or Laura prior, but you would have never known! It was like they had been friends forever! I loved that!

The morning of the wedding we woke up and had a fairly big breakfast at the hotel. They serve a complimentary full hot breakfast so I made sure I ate something substantial, which I am glad I did because I don't think I ate anything until dinner! We ran into Bobby's mom and aunt at breakfast which was fun! I had to borrow his aunt's bra because I realized I totally forgot to pack mine! LOL oops!

We arrived to the venue a little after 9 to get started on hair and make up. I wasn't up until 1230 so I just kicked back and relaxed all morning.

Before we knew it the photographers and videographers were arriving and so were all of the vendors. RLL was setting up our lighting and chairs when we arrived and THAT was so exciting! We were all ahead of schedule until it came to exchanging gifts. Bobby had a HELL of a  morning so was running a little behind (I had no idea until the next day) and the florist was late so we were kind of just waiting around for what felt like forever.

It was time to get into my dress so I had my girls go outside while I got dressed so they could see me for the first time all put together. They had seen the dress but never on in person. And having the whole hair, make up etc all together packs a punch! ;) That was a fun moment!

The flowers arrived and we jumped right into our "No look" first look. It was SO special. Bobby did NOT want to see me before I walked down the aisle and I was kind of wanting to do a first look so we could get some more pictures so we settled on this as a compromise and I am SO happy with that decision. It was such a special moment and I know it made the "walk" that much more special for us. I have a feeling those are going to be some amazing pictures. The ones my mom took from inside the bridal suite look amazing! I am so glad she took those. It had everyone tearing up! Very emotional moment (in a good way!)

Next was bridal party/groomsmen/family pictures and my dad's first look.

We ended up starting the ceremony about 30 minutes late. The venue was a little hard to find so guests were still filtering in so we waited a little bit. Having those final moments alone with my dad in the bridal suite right before he walked me up the aisle were special too. We were both nervous but SO excited.

Of course, not EVERYTHING went perfect, things always go wrong, but nothing MAJOR happened.

Did I trip walking up the stairs? YUP!
Were the flowers exactly what I asked for? Nope
Did Bobby's mic get hooked on my dress? It sure did!
Did the transition between our entrance and dinner service go perfectly smooth? Not quite.
Was our send off a mess? Oh yeah.

But you know what? NONE OF THAT MATTERS!

Our day/night was PERFECT despite the little things that went wrong. SO many more worse things could have gone wrong and in the grand scheme of things I would say those things are SO minor and I doubt anyone even noticed...well they definitely noticed me trip and get hooked on Bobby's mic but those just added to the moment. That is SO us and SO me to trip up the stairs lol I am beyond clumsy so it was just a testament of how our relationship is and how we are as people and a couple.

I tripped and Bobby catches me and says "I have you".
Just thinking about that moment makes me tear up. Even though he was saying it in the moment because he didn't want me to fall up the stairs, it meant so much more. He ALWAYS has my back, he is ALWAYS there for me to support me even when I do fall. He has always been the one to catch me and support me and that could not have been a more perfect "flub" to show that. I think everyone heard him say that because of his mic and I know they knew it meant more than just that moment. He truly does "have me"...always has and always will.

I was SO beyond nervous before the ceremony. I hate being the center of attention and having all eyes on me, so I was just a ball of nerves. I wasn't nervous to marry Bobby, just of everyone's eyes being on me. It was so emotional walking down the aisle. I couldn't make eye contact with anyone or I would start to tear up again. It was just SO amazing seeing the faces of all of the people who came to support us on the most important day of our lives. The faces of people who have been a part of our lives for SO many years and who were still there on the first day of our new journey. The love was overwhelming.

Everyone told me later how nervous Bobby was before the ceremony too (so glad it wasn't just me haha). All of his friends and mine said they have never seen him so nervous...a whole new side of Bobby! ;) Seeing his face standing at the alter, and seeing the tears in his eyes as we said our vows to each other is an experience I will never forget. It was the most special day ever. I didn't know how he would react, if he would cry, if he would hold strong and hold it together. Every emotion felt that day was pure and genuine and we were both just overfilled with happiness and love and after looking through some guest photos it definitely shows.

Here are a few of our favorites. We can't WAIT to see the professionals and get our video!

Praise the Lord!

The wedding is officially PAID OFF as of today! I just put all of the final payment checks in the mail today and now my spreadsheet officially has a $0 balance! HALLELUJAH! This whole wedding planning process has been such a roller coaster, but we are now two weeks out from today and it is paid for so I could not be more excited! We have all of the major things done EXCEPT the most important...getting our marriage license LOL! It is pretty funny that we saved that for last, since that is what this whole thing is about...us getting MARRIED! We knew it would just take a day though so we are planning on going down to the county clerks office one day next week and taking care of that. Our rings are ordered and everything is paid...now all that is left is writing out escort cards, finalizing the seating chart, and few other DIY projects. I can see the light!

We are moving next weekend and then it's wedding week! So crazy! This last month in general has been so chaotic with Bobby's job offer and acceptance, us planning a move right before the wedding, and all of the final wedding things...I am definitely looking forward to relaxing and letting loose at the wedding and the day after! We have definitely earned it! We unfortunately will not be able to take a honeymoon right away because Bobby starts at American Express the 26th (3 days after the wedding) but we have a night at the Ritz in Laguna Niguel on the 24th so we will be taking full advantage of that! Before that, since my whole bachelorette weekend plans didn't work out, one of my bridesmaids and I set up a spa day so I can relax after moving and right before the wedding! I can NOT wait!!!

I never imagined we would be moving literally 4 days before the wedding, out of state, BUT that is what was the hand we were dealt so we are working with it and making everything work! It will be worth it to be moved in to our new place before the wedding since Bobby starts right away. This our life together and I wouldn't have it any other way! ;)

Onto the Next Big Adventure

Well, it is official. We are on to our next big adventure, and no, I am not talking about marriage. Bobby officially accepted the position with American Express as Manager of the Merchant Processing Platform Strategy division. It is a new division of American express so it something new and exciting that he will be apart of. I am so beyond proud of him for sticking it out throughout this grueling job hunt and interview process. It has been a stressful few months, especially with the wedding coming up in 20 days! With the acceptance of this new job it means another relocation...next stop will be Phoenix/North Scottsdale, Arizona. His anticipated start date is August 26th, why yes, that is indeed 3 days after our wedding! Yipee! So that basically means we will be moving from Aliso Viejo to Scottsdale the week/end before the wedding. What bride wouldn't want to deal with that the week before her wedding?! Talk about overwhelming! Yes it is such a blessing and I am thrilled that we get to move to a new place and Bobby got a great job for a great company, but the timing could not be much worse.

We now have about two weeks to find a new place and move 5 hours away (could be worse) all while planning and worrying about the final details of the wedding. It is going to be pure insanity. I have been super stressed out this week for many reasons, this being one of them, but I am just trying to keep it together! I am so grateful that Bobby now has a secure job and that we can begin our married life off on the right foot. I know everything will work out, and this was just what was meant to be, but it definitely is not what I had imagined...things haven't exactly been going as I imagined these past few weeks in general, so I guess that's just life! I know that is how our lives go so I guess I should be pretty use to it.

It has been a roller coaster of emotions these last couple of weeks, and as excited as I am for the wedding and everything I really can't wait till it's over and we are moved and settled with our new lives in Scottsdale. I just have to make it through these final two weeks and our big day will finally be here and we can start our new journey.