More Wedding Pictures...

Our photographer, gave us back some more wedding photos.  We really enjoyed our photographers.  I would highly suggest using them-Kim and Garth Pratt.  Thank you to everyone who also came to our wedding back in July.  We appreciate all the love and support.  Enjoy the pictures!

Tribute to My Wife...

Exactly one year ago today, Michelle went through her 2nd spinal fusion.  She might kill me for putting this video on here, but in honor of her 1 year mark, I think she deserves the nostalgic laugh.  I don't know who reads this blog, but whoever does, enjoy Michelle on pain meds' tribute to Justin Beiber/Bieber/Beaver.

Festival of Trees and a Hospital that Gives...

This month marks the upcoming year of when I had my second spinal fusion.  I received my first spinal fusion when I was 13, about twelve years ago.  Having a straight, fused spine, has been difficult!  But, I'm proud to say I have gotten through this trial.  When we first found out I had scoliosis, I was just this young girl who had no idea what kind of ride I would be in for.  I didn't know the extent of how serious a crooked spine could be.

I remember my parents researching and finding a specialist.  I remember going to appointments after appointments.  At first, the scoliosis was just something minor that we would keep on eye on.  But, after each appointment, my spine starting curving even more until I had a S-shaped spine.  Literally, it was in the shape of a S.  I had 2 curves.  The doctor then "prescribed" me to wear a back brace, which at first was exciting.

All of this was happening when I was in the 6th grade.  I remember I made all the boys believe that I had abs of steel.  I think that is the only claim to fame I had back in my elementary/middle school days. Other than that, the back brace probably ruined my chances for popularity.  But, none of that matters in the grand scheme of this story.

I had my surgery at Primary Children's Hospital and said some hilarious things while I was drugged up.  I was in the hospital for a week.  I also missed school for a month.  I don't remember a lot about the nurses and the doctors because I was young and didn't understand much.  Though, this last surgery I had was a real eye opener.

I came home from an LDS Mission a few months early because my back was bothering me.  I learned that my lower curve, which wasn't fused, was worse.  It looked like a question mark.  Not only was it curved more, it had twisted.    I was scheduled to get surgery at Primary Children's Hospital.  I was 24 years old.  My stay at PCH was great.

Because I was older, I was more observant at everything going on.  I could not have had better nurses or doctors.  This is why I'm participating in Festival of Trees.  I want to give back to the hospital that gave to me.  My tree is called the Neon Twist and I need some help putting it together.  Pictured below is what I want my tree to look like.  I already have a tree donated.  But if you would like to donate ornaments, bedazzling things to help make my tree look spectacular, or some spare change, please contact me!  My email is meeshmonson@gmail.com.

Help me give back to a hospital that gives.

SpOoKtAcUlAr MaRrIaGe...

We have had a busy month.  We are proud to say we have about a month and a half of food storage.  Every time we went to the store, we would buy the cans of food that were on sell.  So far, we have a variety of beans, corn, soups, diced tomatoes, pasta, spaghetti sauce, and a case of water.  We don't have a lot of room, so the little bit of food storage we have will suffice for now.  It's been great to have a little stash because we are able to relieve our worry of having enough food in case we have a natural disaster or some sort of dilemma happen.

We have been very busy with school and it's very difficult to find time for everything while we are busy studying.  We have had the most amazing dates and cherish the time where we don't study.  We love spending quality time together!  We were able to go to a Strike concert.  They are a local band that had the opportunity to open up for the Stadium of Fire awhile back.  They sound great live and we really enjoy their music.  Check them out here.  We had our ward Halloween party and we fulfilled the husbands dream by dressing up as 80's rockers.  We carved pumpkins for Family Home Evening.  We also took a few family pictures with the Nielsen side.  

We hope you all have a sPoOkTaCuLaR hAlLoWeEn!!!!

Date Day...

We did the best thing this last Saturday.  We ventured out on a date day.  We went on multiple dates throughout the day and it was lovely!  Our day consisted of getting haircuts (the wife chopped off 6 inches), going up the canyon to take pictures, decorating for Halloween together, making sugar cookies, eating a dinner at the most delicious El Salvadorian restaurant in Provo, and then ending our night by watching a scary movie.  With the holiday season upon us, it's so easy to come up with fun date ideas!  Currently, there are some amazing online deals for corn mazes, pumpkin patches, haunted houses, and more!   Go out and have a date day!  We promise you won't regret it!

Thank you to our friend Jenny who took these amazing pictures of us!

Getting Physical...

We have a hard time going to the gym since we have been married.  Maybe it's because we feel like we are getting our work out in another aspect of life, which we won't go into.  Lets face the facts, every married couple does really well right before they are married.  We loose all this weight to fit in our wedding dresses and tuxedos.  But then after the magical honeymoon, we get back to reality, we start school, we go back to work, we realize we need to focus even more on our marriage, and that's where the pounds start creeping on.

We are both 4 pounds heavier than we were when we got married.  Oh, this isn't a lot you say?  Well, we have only been married for about 3 months.  Think of in another 3 months, we could be another 4 pounds heavier than that...and the cycle keeps going on.  The adjustment to marriage is a little tricky, time-management gets a little bit harder and keeping things spicy in the relationship takes work!  (We're sure that the longer couples are married, the more work it takes.)

The point is, we feel like the air bubble on a piece of pizza that has just got out of the oven, and we wish loosing the pounds would be just as easy as getting poked with a fork to release all the air.  But, sadly, it's not.  It takes work...hence the term "work out..." which means more time-management...which means less time to cuddle on the couch with the significant other after a long day of work or school, less time to get our homework finished, less time to cook healthy dinners, less time to do our hair, less time to do the dishes, less time to cherish sleep, less time to go to the store...the list goes on and on and on and on and on.

In the typical newlywed minds, we find that adding something into the marriage, means less time for other things that are important in the marriage.  With the gym, it's that one more thing we could really use but we don't want to sacrifice other aspects of our marriage.  This is why we gain those few pounds.  This last week we slacked, we were sick, but we have found the cure for this thinking.  MAKE WORKING OUT A DATE!  Gym time can only add to your relationship!  Think positively!  When we go to the gym, we will be on treadmills at the same time, we will do the weights at the same time, we will look at each others sweaty faces and think, "My spouse is so dang sexy!"  

Change your thinking!  Make gym dates a regular activity!  Working out will lessen the stress of the new adjustment, it will make the two of you look even more desirable to one another, and it is healthy!  Adding things into a marriage take work, but when looking at them in the right perspective, they only make your marriage better.  We have suffered from this thinking, but we promise we will drop those 4 pounds, and we hope to drop even more!

FHE Adventures...

We went on a drive up the canyon.  We loved looking at all the trees changing color!  It's hard to go to school, be married, and work...but, we have found that it helps to take a little time every Monday night and just focus on the two of us.  It helps us to remember what is really important and that is each other.

Food Storage...

We need advice on food storage...so feel free to leave comments below.  In other words, we would appreciate any advice on this matter.

What is the best way for newlyweds to start out getting food storage?  Do we need a year supply or should we just focus on a 3 month supply?  What kind of things do we get first?  How often should we get food storage?  Where are the best places to get food for storage?

When You're Both Sick...

I think the worst part of being married is when you are both sick.  We have never before been sick at the same time while we were dating and into the first month of school, we are hit hard with the cold of all colds.  We have already gone through one box of tissues and our noses are raw from blowing.  We are taking DayQuil and NyQuil, vitamin C, drinking herbal tea, and trying to sleep.  We are trying to get well while working part time, going to classes full time, and attempting to get our homework done.

We both have no desire to clean our apartment, so it is becoming a mess...and for this week the only thing that sounds good enough to eat is soup...though neither of us want to cook it on the stove.  The question is, who is supposed to take care of who when we are both sick?  It's moments like these, when we wonder why we decided to grow up and wish that our moms would come to the rescue.

The point is, that being sick with your significant other stinks.  I can't imagine what it is like for parents to be sick with their kids...cross our fingers that doesn't happen...ever...

We would totally post a picture of ourselves, but our noses are a little red and our faces are a little pale...

New York City...

I left Derek for an entire week and went to the Big Apple. I went with a few other girls from BYU's Advertising Program. Every year, there is a conference in New York called AdWeek in which marketers and advertisers from companies all over the United States (and globally) come to network and find out the next most strategic ways to move forward in this business.  While here NYC, we also had the opportunity to visit many Advertising Agencies ranging from McGarry Bowen, Y&R, GREY, and more.  It was a great visit, though my feet are very tired.  I also want to try to never leave Derek for a week again!  It can be very lonely being in a city that never sleeps without your other half.

We Will Not Forget...

Derek and I have been looking back at our memories of where we were on September 11.  He was in Ephraim and remembers seeing the news before he left for school.  When he got to school, all he did was watch this piece of history.

My experience is similar.  I was walking down the stairs to enter Eastmont Middle School.  I was wearing a white shirt and jeans and I think my first class was math.  As I walked with other fellow students that morning into the school building, I thought it would be a normal day.  But, little did I know, it wasn't.  Teachers got word to turn on the news and we were all struck with an event that would again change our country's history.  My day also consisted of watching the news all day.  I didn't learn all of our regular subjects in school, but I did learn that there is a God.

I think being in 7th grade, I didn't really grasp what had happened.  I didn't understand how or why someone could even think to terrorize a country.  However, the older I get and with each experience I am able to see why people choose certain paths.  With many historical tragedies in our country, I think it effects people when making the choice of good vs. evil.  This is happening in America, as I feel so many people are choosing to do evil, and it's happening way to fast.  Evil is becoming more prevalent in society.

I was able to attend the seminar of a World Religious Visitor.  His name is Richard Land and is an Evangelical Professor at the University of Texas Seminary.  I would like to summarize some of the things he said, because they stick out to me in this time of remembrance and contemplation.

Richard said,   “Anybody who comes here and pledges allegiance...can be an American...We are different groups of ethnicities held together by our allegiance.” America was once that kind of place, but not so much anymore.  As time goes on, we are not really being held by allegiance.

As humans, I think we were created to inherently do good.  Things are placed in our lives to see if we will keep choosing to be good.  As horrible events can continue one throughout history, people tend to blame God.  This isn't right.  When blaming God, people tend to develop a negative attitude and become a person they used to hate and despise.  When, really people should be remembering the bigger picture of life..."This is but a small moment of thine afflictions."

Land also said, that "We [America] have been a faith based nation from the beginning."  Our lives may be something that can be taken away in the blink of an eye, but our faith isn't.  Our faith can live on forever.  Our founding fathers believed in God, and we need to never forget that.  They also believed in a country that believed in God.

But, it's interesting that as Richard Land pointed out, "When people are free to choose between liberty and order, they choose order."  How sad it is that with each piece of tragical historical event, we keep choosing order.  All we want is to control over everything.  We are becoming a selfish country.

I saw one too many facebook posts  and tweets, this September 11, that are more so about "fashion week", "my children messed up the bedroom again", "my class is so boring", "I woke up sick today", etc.  We are forgetting.  We are forgetting that our founding fathers were inspired to come up with 3 principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness...but, with each tragedy, we blame God and get stuck in a depression.  When in reality, it's not God to blame.  It's in God who reached out in those times.  It's in God who comforted us.  It's in God who helped us learn the lesson, once again, it's okay to rely on others.

As Derek and I reflect on this time for our country, and wait for the news on if we will go into Syria, we hope that you all remember our country is faith based, throughout any event.  Sometimes bad things happen so we can remember God.  The phrase that everyone uses from 9/11 is "I will never forget."  And we hope that this phrase is used often as it really means: "I will never forgot God."

9/11 #wewillnotforget

Portland...

Derek and I met in Portland and I can't help but look back at all the fun memories we had while serving a mission there for our church.  We met some amazing people and grew to love everything about the city.  We hope to move back there one day sooner than later.  I had the opportunity to visit Portland again right before we got married.  Though, I hated being away from the husband, I had the most fantastic time seeing everyone I knew!

The Newlywed Life...

The life of newlyweds can be stressful.  From changing bank accounts to looking into health insurance.  I realize more than ever that life is expensive.  I can't believe how much it will cost to live adding children into the picture.  The cost of food will go up, insurance will go up, the cost of spending gas every month will go up as well.  It's more expensive being married already and to think that it just keeps getting even more expensive is a profound thought.

I have to keep convincing myself that going into debt is good when it is for things such as school.  I think that most newlyweds, students, young adults, etc. have a hard time grasping this thought.  One thing that I have relearned once again, is that if we keep doing what we know is right, everything will work out.  I keep seeing that over and over again.

Another thing I've learned is that while being newly married is very stressful, it's important to still have fun!  Which, we are trying to do by trying on funny hats and glasses at a toy store, going to baseball games, Park City Alpine Coaster, wedding receptions with friends, and the past Stadium of Fire this last July.

Liberating Name Change...

I have often thought to myself before I tied the knot, what will I do with my last name when I get married?  Will I change it and take my husbands last name?  Will I drop my middle name and move my last name to my "maiden name"?  Will I not take my husbands last name?

I started writing down the options to see what I liked better:

Michelle Marie Monson

Michelle Marie Nielsen

Michelle Monson Nielsen

Michelle Marie Monson-Nielsen

I liked them all.  I couldn't change my name based upon what it sounded like.  This was a huge dilemma.  My middle name of Marie is a namesake from my mother.  My last name of Monson is something that I gain power from-I've been through a lot as Michelle Monson.  How could I give those two important names up?  Though, I wanted to take my husbands name, I still wanted MY NAME so I could be me.  I wanted MY NAME so I could still be an individual.  I wanted MY NAME so I could still have that little part of me, without giving my whole self to my husband.

I don't feel that I'm a feminist, I don't have anything against feminism, but I do feel that there is something liberating in a name.  As a female, I didn't want give up my whole name for my husband's sake.  I didn't want myself to feel like that I was giving up my identity.  (Note: my husband doesn't make feel that way, I just didn't want to ever feel that way).  I didn't want my last name of Monson to go because with that last name, I graduated high school, I overcame an abusive ex-husband, I overcame a divorce, I served a mission for the LDS church, I learned how to do the monkey bars, I went through 2 spinal fusions, and much more.  A last name is a powerful thing.  We look at past USA Presidents, and though his name is Abraham Lincoln, he gets referred to as Lincoln.

I came to the conclusion that I will always have my mother's name; to my parents, I will always be known as Michelle Marie.  I can always keep the family name of Marie when I have a little girl of my own.  Though, most people through my life have referred to me as Michelle Monson, not Michelle Marie.  Therefore, I made a much contemplated decision and have dropped my middle name to become Michelle Monson Nielsen.

Backyard Wedding in July...

It's been one month since I have married my best friend.  I miss my wedding.  I enjoy life every day, though the day of our wedding was priceless and I wish I could go back every day to relive the moment of dancing in my dress, seeing those who I love so much, feeling anticipated for the honeymoon, and being more so connected with my now husband.

My wedding went off without a hitch.  There were probably some things that went wrong, I was just in my own little world and didn't care.  The decorations were beautiful!  My color choice was mint green and a peach color.  I had accents of cream in there as well.  I had hydrangeas as the center pieces placed in glass jars tied with raffia.  We had chinese lanterns in my wedding colors hanging from the trees, it was beautiful!  A big thanks to my Aunt Bobbi who so kindly decorated the reception.

We had our reception the night before and woke up early the next to head to the Manti Temple.  For those of you reading unsure about my religion, click HERE.  It makes me so happy that I was able to get married for not only time, but for eternity.  There was a special spirit at my wedding!

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