Temple Square

Gian has never ever in is entire life gone to Temple Square during the most glorious festival of lights A.K.A Christmas lights. I was shocked.... he has spent so many years in Utah during this frigid cold season. How has he missed all the fun friend trips. Then it dawned on me.... that's because he had never had a friend like me to show him the correct duties of Christmas traditions!!!!

So I declared that we were going to go before Christmas and that he would see what all the fuss was about. I didn't have to twist his arm, we was excited to have the love of his life linked to his arm to share a memory that would be unforgettable. ahahhaha haha hahahaha hahahahah I am just kidding I made that last part up. The truth is Gian really wanted to go and he was going to go with or with out me!!!

Even though it was about 20 degrees that night, and it looks like we dressed warm...we did not!!! We were so cold that we literally ran through. I cant say I remember much more then running and pointing, saying, "Look isn't it magical", "How long did this take?", "Look at those details", "Awe baby Jesus is precious." It was such a fast walk by, that by the time we got back to the car, it was still warm. So I am sorry there are not a million pictures, but you would run too!!!

Seriously, how long did it take to make all the trees look this wonderful? I can tell you they started in September...Gian and I saw them during our wedding, doing the trees right behind us.

This was on the refection pool in front of the Salt Lake Temple, they have these bubble lights that pop up out of the water. Joseph, Mary, and Baby Jesus in the center, and to the sides on the grass are white statues of the wise man, animals, and shepherd boy. This was hands down my favorite nativity of all time! It was very peaceful and spiritual.

This was another nativity scene that had music to go along with it. It was beautiful! I am so thankful for our Savior who has a wonderful season where we can focus on him and all the gifts and blessing he has given us!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

For whatever reason, it has taken me far too long to share these holiday pictures with you. I am soooooooooooo sorry for the long delay! But hey its still 2009, so it really could be worse. Here are the decorations we had to make our home feel more festive for my favorite time of the year!

I made this wreath last year...What do you think? Ugly or Cute?

PS I always say reef. I CANT HELP IT!!!!!!!!!!!

This little Holiday Teddy sits on our couch. She was given to me from my Mom!!

Nativity set, once again provided by my wonderful Mother!!

Gian really didn't like the shepherd boy (represents common men). He didn't get the point or purpose of him. So you will notice poor little shepherd boy is not a part of this scene.

I love this Santa and tree...Thank you MOM!!!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh My most favoritest part....THE TREEEEEEE!!! I must say I am very pleased with how everything matched and turned out. I loved our stockings (Target). It truly was perfect, especially when there were gifts under the tree. Look at the star, have you seen anything cuter? And the ornaments (Costco {can you believe it? $28} and the random ones are Target).....to me it was a winter wonderland in our little home. I LOVED IT!!

There she is, all naked and perfect. It was so fun to pick her out with Gian at the xmas tree lot just down the street from out house.

Our very first Christmas. It was just delightful and perfect!

Thank you again Mom for providing so many cute things for our home! It really brought everything together.

Love You Grandpa!!

My dad called me yesterday to let me know that my Grandpa passed away Thursday night. So I began to think of all the wonderful memories I have of him.

He really was a very sweet loving man. He always took such good care of my Grandma Joan, and loved her with all he had. He was always happy and joyful. I have never heard him say anything negative. He fought in WWII, which I did a project of him in the 6th grade where I brought in photos and badges... I always thought that was sooooooo neat!!

My favorite memory of him, is when I got to meet him for the first time. I was five years old and have never had a Grandpa before. My sisters and I were so excited, we wanted our grandparents to be so impressed with us that we each learned to play a song on the piano to play for them when they arrived. Brittany was the best pianist, and helped me to learn my song. My mom dressed us up so cute with ribbons in our hair and of course our favorite dresses. As we walked down the wooden pathway waiting for them to arrive we had huge smiles on our faces, we saw them turn the corner and just ran to them for hugs. I remember McCall and I just giggled with excitement. We were so happy and excited to have brand new grandparents!!!

In the last conversation I had with my Grandpa, which was just over a week ago, where he shared that same story, for the first time as an adult I heard his side of the story. He said "Grandma and I were so nervous to meet you girls, but when you guys came running up to us all those thought were gone immediately. You made us feel so welcomed." My throat became swollen with emotions of those memories.

A few years ago Grandpa's goal was to make it until he was 90 years old. After that wonderful celebration I had a fun date with him where I got to have lunch and spend the day with him and take him to the doctors for his check-ups. I told him that he needs to set one more goal, I asked him to be healthy enough so that he could make it to my wedding to do a Jewish ring ceremony. He was so excited and he immediately agreed to my plans. He told every nurse and doctor that day what his new goals were. Unfortunately he was not able to attend our wedding, however he was able to meet Gian (via phone) and to make it past my wedding day.

He also has lived to see FIVE GREAT GRANDCHILDREN!! He has accomplished all the goals he has set for himself, plus bless all of us with his great personality and love.

This was Grandpa's 90th Birthday Celebration!!

They were so in love!

Grandpa, you were the best Grandpa that we could have ever had! Thank you for always being so loving! You will always be loved!!!

A Friend Indeed!

My sister Brittany has a friend who I have gotten to know over the years. Their names are Dustin and Nicole Hunter. I had the privilege to spend time with them when they came to Disneyland (when I use to work there), and I loved getting to know their family. Now, I love to hear about how their family has grown and how their lives have changed over the time I have seen them last.

I have heard recently, through my sister, that they are trying to adopt. I am not sure of what help I could be, but I could spread the word!

Here is my story of The Hunters...

Watching Nicole with her son at Disneyland was so much fun. She is such a wonderful mother who is so kind and loving. Dustin and her have such a great relationship and really have so much love to give. They have done such a great job building a successful family.

Nicole is so thoughtful and is always thinking of others. She is always there for those she loves, spreading her delightful spirit with anyone who is willing to take in her friendship.

After their vacation to Anaheim, CA, Nicole sent me a little thank you card with a gift certificate in it. She probably doesn't know how much that meant to me, and how I thought she was so kind to even think of sending me a card, let alone a gift of thanks.

For the little time that I have spent with The Hunters, they have left a huge impact in my life, and I know that the friendship they have with my sister and her family means the world to them. So to me they are very dear friends!

I could go on and on, for more reasons of why I think they are such a great family, but I will let you learn for yourself when you go to their blog.

The Hunters are truly wonderful! Anyone who has crossed their path would agree. I hope that you too will be able to pass this message on.

We're MARRIED!!!

So, we've been slackers updating this thing. It's what happens when you don't have internet at your apt...lame. It's been 3 1/2 weeks since the wedding. It was way fun. Thank you everyone that came out for it. We love you. These are just pics from my camera...super random. I'm sure McKinley will put up the legit pics when we get them.

Family/Friends pictures outside the temple

Wedding party
We got to roll...in a Rolls
Ring ceremony...from my view
Presh
First dance
Fun
We love getting married

And Just a Dash of Luck...

So I am here in Northern California, in a small town called Alamo. This is where I have lived for most of my childhood. My parents thankfully still have this house, and it is so nice to come back to. I realized that I have not been in this home in over a year.

I asked my dad if he wanted to go to Laurence's for lunch, it is mostly this butcher shop where everyone in town gets their meat, but they also make great BBQ on Saturday afternoons. Since I haven't been there for a while I was really looking forward to eating my turkey sandwich. We get our meals and more then half way through I bite into something hard. At first I thought it was a bone, which is weird because it's not ground meat, it's just a fillet of turkey (I am not sure if that is culinaryly correct, but I am using it anyways...I don't know if the word I just made up was grammatically correct). I pull the sandwich away from my mouth to see what this hard thing was. IT WAS A PENNY! A penny was in my sandwich...right between the cheese and the meat. My dad and I just start laughing. We were not mad or angry we just thought it was really interesting.

I took it to the cook who was working the grill and he looked at me and said, "How did that get there?" I replied, "I don't know, but would you like to show this to your manager?" He did and said he would get us a refund. My dad and I really didn't care. It did no harm and the meal was still great so we did not leave offended or unsatisfied. When I returned to the table my dad said, "You know that's really funny, that means good luck," and I said, "That must be true because we are getting married in 7 days, exactly a week from today."

When I shared this story with my mom, she too started laughing and said it means good luck. She didn't even know that that was what my dad had said earlier.

I guess it really must mean good luck...I mean what are the odds of finding a penny, heads up, in your food?

For Your Information

Travel Directions

From Little America Hotel to La Caille

1. Head out of Little America towards West Temple Street
2. Turn right at West Temple Street
3. Turn immediately left on 500 South, continue west on 500 South
4. Follow signs Las Vegas/I-15 South and merge onto I-15 South
5. Take Exit 298 and merge onto I-215 East
6. Take Exit 6 for 6200 South
7. Follow signs for UT-3000 and merge onto E 6200 South/UT-210
8. Turn right at Wasatch Boulevard
9. La Caille is about 2 miles down on the left hand side
Turn left into the magical gardens of La Caille


From Temple Square to La Caille

1. Head to West Temple going South
2. Turn Right on 500 South, continue west on 500 South
3. Follow signs Las Vegas/I-15 South and merge onto I-15 South
4. Take Exit 298 and merge onto I-215 East
5. Take Exit 6 for 6200 South
6. Follow signs for UT-3000 and merge onto E 6200South/UT-210
7. Turn right at Wasatch Boulevard
8. La Caille is about 2 miles down on the left hand side
Turn left into the magical gardens of La Caille.

Suggested Hotels in Salt Lake City

Super 8 Hotel
$58.00 per night
Continental Breakfast

Marriott Hotel
$99.00 per night
Continental Breakfast
801 238-3000
shs.slch.sales@marriott.com

**Little America
$89.00 per night Courtside
$119.00 per night Garden
$159.99 per night Tower
800 453-9450
www.littleamerica.com

Grand America
$259.00 per night King Bed
$279.00 per night Suite
800 621-4505
www.grandamerica.com

None of the hotels mentioned above have transportation from the airport. A taxi fare is about $22.00, or an express shuttle is $7.00 per person from the airport. Only Grand America charges for overnight parking. All of the above mentioned hotels have internet and exercise rooms. Little America has a swimming pool and Grand America has a spa.

All four hotels are near Salt Lake City’s Trax public transportation system.
Rides to the Temple, shopping and restaurants are free on Trax.
We do recommend you have a rental car if possible. If you do not rent a car let us know in advance and we will get you rides to the events with family and friends.

**We highly recommend Little America, rooms are large, beautiful and
luxurious. Grand America is next door, it’s spectacular but pricey.

Wedding Registry

What a fun and glorious thing to do as a couple!!! When we were registering, there were at least 5 other couples with scanners and a list of things that they needed. WELCOME TO PROVO, UTAH!!!!

I don't know if you have ever registered anywhere... ever, but did you ever feel overwhelmed? Well I did. We were there for a total of 4.5 hours!!! It's so funny because all I could think about is what we need and don't have and then all of a sudden we were scanning everything we saw. It was like playing a very exciting game of laser tag, or Christmas with this giant remote...but nothing was wrapped or free. Anyways getting back to the reason why...between the two of us, we have a plastic draw case thingy from Target(mine), and a bookshelf (his). Hahahhahahahahah we have so much! If there is anything, and we mean anything, that you are trying to get rid of, we would love to take it off your hands. Just let us know and we will be there with in a matter of min.

So if you would like to see all the wonderful things that we are needing, please visit our favorite stores in which we are registered at:

www.bedbathandbeyond.com

and

www.williams-sonoma.com

...Then Comes a Baby in a Baby Carriage

Ok, just to clarify... by no means are we about to have a baby... I just wanted to finish the rest of the saying.

While I stay working at my wonderful, amazing job, Gian will finish up school at BYU. Once he is done with that he will go on to law school. That location is not yet determined. So it looks like he has about 3-4 more years, I am sooooooooo happy I am done with school.

As far as kids go, we would like to wait two years so we can enjoy time as a married couple, and so we can wait until he is almost done with school. But what ever happens will happen. And if things change then we would be thrilled, after all its not our timeline, it's the Lord's.

We don't really know where we want to live long term, or where we want to raise a family. As of right now, we are both agreeing on Southern California. I said it's up to wherever he gets the job he wants, and that I really want to live by the ocean. I would like to live next to my sisters, because I love them so much and I would want my kids to be close to their cousins.

Yep, we are going to have a great life together! He makes me laugh like no other, and he is one of the most thoughtful people I have ever met. I feel like I am the luckiest girl in the whoooooole wide world. I don't mean that to sound to cliche, but I am absolutely telling the truth. I couldn't ask for more!!!!


Come visit our blog at www.gianandmckinley.blogspot.com to hear more about wedding plans and to catch up on all our funny stories as we grow together!

...Then Comes Marriage...

...So I gave him the word. We told our parents that we want to get married. Gian pulled off a lot of secrets that I had no idea about.

Just a few days after our big talk, Gian flew to San Diego where my dad was for a business trip to meet him for lunch. He left Salt Lake City in the morning and arrived in San Diego just in time for my dad's lunch break. Gian, my Dad, and sister Kachina all grabbed lunch for a total of 60+ minutes, so that Gian could turn back around and catch his flight back to Salt Lake City so he could get back to work on time. It was really neat that he was able to meet my sister and fly all the way to San Diego, just to ask my dad for my hand in marriage. He truly is amazing!!!

Many weeks go by since our "love convo" and every single day I thought "this is the day... he's going to propose." How wrong I was... I waited 5-6 weeks before he could pop the big question!

One Sunday afternoon Gian asked me if I could help out his friend. His friend Jacob works for BYU by giving tours around campus, and Jacob needed help practicing his tours, before all the students start coming. So I agreed to attend his mock tour along with 6 other friends. I thought I would enjoy this since I have never attended BYU. So we all met outside the Hinckley Building (which I cant remember what the building is used for... sorry), to meet Jacob and his girlfriend. He picked us up in an 8 seater golf cart. We all piled in and started our tour. Along the way we see this really pretty deer (which happened to be one of my favorite parts) and Jacob explained what each building is used for and what kind of majors would attend each building... he did a very good job!

We get to the tallest building in Provo which is 12 stories and is called the SWKT building. There was a lot of symbolism about the building and it was really neat to hear all the details of the building. Jacob announces that we get to go up to the roof, but because I have A.D.D. I was talking to Jessie the whoooooole time I missed that tiny detail. We hop in to the elevator to go up 11 floors. We exit because you have to take the stairs to the roof. We get to the stairwell and Jacob says "ladies first" no one was moving as I thought I would lead the way. At the top of the stairs we waited for Jacob because he had the magical secret access key. Jacob opened the door, and I saw Gian standing on the roof with flowers everywhere. It caught me off guard and I just sat there and kind of laughed for a second.... Jacob literally shoved me out of the door way saying "and this is the 12th floor..." then shut the door behind me. I still just sat there, until Gian asked me to walk towards him. I have no idea why I was so handicapped.

I walk towards Gian, and he then held my hands. He gave a very romantic, tear worthy speech and then got down on one knee. He opens the box, and it is the very first ring I tried on and fell in love with. We all know what my answer was despite the gorgeous ring of my dreams... so we go running over to where all our friends were waiting for us in the stairway. I stick my hand through the door to announce it was official! They all screamed with excitement and we all stayed up on the roof for some time hanging out, taking pictures, having fun.... watching Sarah Lacey think she fell through the roof!!! It was so much fun.

We are getting married in the Salt Lake Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on September 19, 2009 and an amazing reception will follow immediately after at La Caille in Sandy, Utah. The reception will end at 3 PM and all of our good friends are invited to attend some more celebration up in Park City after, so we can spend time with those who are traveling out of town, or want to spend some more time with the newly weds.

It really is so amazing, and I couldn't be any happier!












For details of our future see next blog "Then Comes a Baby in a Baby Carriage"

First Comes Love...

Once upon a time, there was a girl named McKinley who had a best friend named Jessie.... Jessie and I met through work about 2 years ago. She is amazing and fun and funny. After much time together she began to know me inside and out (as most friends do). She knew my likes and dislikes. One day she was walking to campus (BYU, Provo) for what she thought was a dance lab. She got there to find out she was a day early. So Jessie wanders off to the Library where she would spend some time studying. There, she comes across Gian a friend she has known since her freshmen year, but hasn't seen in quite some time.

They got to talking, catching up, sharing old memories, until Gian asked, "Jessie, can you hook me up with any cute Asian friends?" Jessie's face lit up with joy and with excitement she replied "Yes, her name is McKinley!!!!" Little did Gian know that I was actually Caucasian, and was white to the bone. Not one ounce of Asian in me. Jessie goes to show him some pictures and after he notices the fact, Jessie says, "Well she's not Asian...but she loves brown guys. You two would be perfect." Gian was pleased with Jessie's referral and decided we wanted to take me out on a date, despite the fact of my ethnic background.

By February 24 we instantly became a blind date. With or without my approval, Jessie informed me of the situation, and she too showed me pictures and I was very excited to go on this "blind date" (is it still blind if we saw pictures of each other?). Before I knew it, Gian and I hit it off. We spent everyday together, we never missed a single beat. Even within the first week people thought we had kids, mistaken me for his fiance, and were convinced that we were going to get married. We now have to say they were all right. I knew from the moment I spoke to him, that there was going to be more then just "some date."

We dated, and dated, and dated and laughed and dated a little bit longer. It wasn't until one of our dates in SLC I knew it wouldn't be long before we could tie the knot. There was this jewelry store, and as a joke I was dragging Gian in saying, "Let's go try rings on" and he was more willing then I was. He perked up and said OK, seriously lets go in." I fell in love with the first ring we tried on.

I didn't know how committed I really was, until the next day when all I could think about was having this life with Gian. I wasn't excited about the ring, I was excited that he would be the one that I would choose to marry. That same day we talked, and told him all that I was thinking and feeling. Even though we were only dating for a very long time of... three months ;) I knew he felt the exact same way. He replied by saying "give me the word and I will buy the ring"...










To continue reading see next blog "Then Comes Marriage".