Getting Married Tomorrow!

Life has never been so busy and so exciting! I am a horrible blogger but I figured now was a great time to update.

The day before I started teaching in August Derek proposed and we set out wedding date for December 28 (at the time it was a great idea. Now we’re not so sure). I was so nervous to start school the next day so he took me to the temple to calm me down, bought me my favorite ice cream and we went for a walk. While we were walking he asked me to take off his cuff link and the ring slipped into my hand. He got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. It was such a special night and I can’t wait to be his wife!!

The next day I started my first year of teaching and my time has been filled with lesson plans, grading papers, and decorating bulletin boards ever since. Teaching is much more work than I ever thought. I have loved decorating my room and thinking of fun things to do for my kids. I have 23 second graders and they are full of life. Although it is a job that never ends I love it and I love how sweet my students are to me. They told me when I left that they will never call me Mrs. Steiner- I will be Miss Pasley forever. We have had a great four months in school!!

Between teaching and planning a wedding, life has been crazy. Derek has been in Idaho while I was in Utah so we traveled back and forth for four months trying to plan the perfect wedding. Luckily I have the best mom and mother-in-law in the whole world. They have been amazing to help us plan all the little details and get everything organized. We love the Judy’s!!

My favorite wedding planning memory was finding the dress. It is an exciting time for any brid

e buy my experience was extra special. My parents had come to Utah for their anniversary and we decided to look around for wedding dresses. My dad wasn’t too thrilled with the idea at first but he was so fun to shop with. He sat on the comfy couch and watched me try on many many dresses. He pointed out good and bad things about all the dresses and even gave tips to other brides trying on dresses. He helped me pick out the most beautiful dress and even paid for it!! When we were checking out the girls at the counter told me how lucky I was to have such a sweet and funny father. We left the dress store and he went and helped me pick out shoes, brides maids dresses, and was even willing to pick out the bra! I told me to wait outside that store ; ) It was such a special day and one that I will never forget.

We had an amazing Christmas and it was so good to spend time with both our families. We are so blessed to have such wonderful parents. I am so grateful for the Christmas season and the opportunity I get to celebrate the birth, life, and death of my Savior. I know I got caught up a lot in the presents and the parties along with many wedding details but I know that Christ is the reason we celebrate Christmas and I am so grateful for his life and his sacrifice. Because of him and his Atonement I will have the opportunity to live forever with my family and now that means even more to me.

For months I have been planning the wedding and worrying about all of the many details. Here I am the day before my wedding finishing up all the little things but I know that the most important part required little planning. I will be entering the temple with my sweetheart and will kneel across the altar and promise to be his forever. I know that we will have trials and challenges but I am so grateful to be marrying such an amazing man. He loves me and treats me like a queen. He honors his priesthood and is a great example to me. He is my favorite shopping buddy, mechanic, cook, back scratcher, and my very best friend. I can’t wait to start our lives together.

This is a day that I have been dreaming about for many years. As a young girl with my sister I p

ut the pillow case on my head and pretended to be a bride. I planne

d the details as a teenager. I watched all of my friends and family members get married and couldn’t wait for my day. It didn’t come easy for me and now I can look back and thank my Father in Heaven for the journey. I often asked God why I couldn’t find the right guy for me sooner but I now see that he had something great in store for me. I can’t imagine life without Derek and thank God for his goodness and for his plan. Tomorrow I will marry the love of my life and I hope to see you all there to celebrate with us- and so you can see my handsome new husband. We love you and appreciate all your support!!

So I might be the world’s worst blogger but I have good reason. Life is busy. It never slows down and it's never easy. But it sure is great! I finished my last semester in Rexburg during the winter and then moved to Utah to spend my summer doing my student teaching. Throughout the last few months of my schooling I had the opportunity to work in a second grade class and then later in a fourth grade classroom. Through my experiences I learned that teaching is the most rewarding job in the world. Children are so special and what better way to spend your whole day than with them! They have such a special spirit about them and they teach me so much! Elder Jay E. Jensen gave a talk in 1999 entitled, “Little Children and the Gospel” and he said:

“Children come into this world whole, innocent, and pure (see Moses 6:54)…We are commanded to become like them: ‘And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven’ (Matt. 18:2–4).”

I just hope that as I start teaching they will rub off on me and I can become a little more like them! I was offered a few jobs in Utah and decided to take a second grade position at Silvercrest in Herriman. It is a new, beautiful school and I couldn't be more excited. I am now just trying to get everything ready to start my own classroom. It’s a lot more work than I thought but I love it.

It has been such a great summer! Luckily for me my boyfriend Derek also got an internship in Utah so we have been able to spend the summer together. Derek is my handsome Jack of All Trades with beautiful eyes and the most contagious smile. He is the sweetest thing and life is always an adventure with him. Plus he’s the best back scratcher in the whole world. I am so grateful for him and his calm nature. The past few months have been stressful with school and trying to find a job and he always reassures me that everything would be fine. He is my sweetie!

Between Derek and Nicole I never stop laughing. It’s true that I am easily entertained and anything can make me laugh but these two are really good at it. I have been living with Nicole in Provo and we have so much fun together. We live off of peanut butter sandwiches, oatmeal and sunshine. We stay up late watching Disney movies and Friends. We’ve been known to watch full seasons of America’s Next Top Model on Saturday mornings and have had a goal of working out since April. I have always looked up to Nicole and want to be just like her when I grow up. I love her so much!

The only problem about the summer is not being able to be with my mom. I have spent the last few weeks at home and we have had so much fun together! We are so much alike so she can finish my sentences. I love her so much. She took a few pictures for my graduation and they turned out great. She is amazing! I am graduating tomorrow and couldn’t be more excited! So real life begins on Saturday I guess. I will be a real adult, become a teacher and have benefits and all! I am making some of the most important decisions of my life and although it is hard - it’s exciting. I just tell myself, “Come what may and love it!”