Sunday, August 22, 2010

Wedding and Honeymoon!

We've officially been married for two weeks!! Wow, how time flies.

Las Vegas was awesome--full of fun and adventure. We definitely enjoyed our time away.


Vegas

Scott and I left Saturday morning, around 6:00 am, for Vegas. I can't even think of a time I've been more excited. The drive to Vegas wasn't terrible, mostly because I slept the majority of the way there.

Getting to Vegas turned out to be a bit of an adventure, however. We stopped in Cedar City for the worst breakfast we've ever eaten. And, when we got to Vegas, we had no idea where we were headed. Scott and I ended up spending over an hour looking for our hotel. The only direction help we could get was "south of the Strip." So, we kept driving south hoping we'd come across it. Finally, an hour later, we found it. It was definitely south of the strip. The directions should have read: "Go south of the Strip, then south some more and then keeping heading south."

At first, Scott and I were a little disappointed that our hotel wasn't closer to the Strip. But, the more time we spent near the Strip, the more grateful we became of where we were.

Our hotel was a city in itself, containing eight restaurants, a Century movie theater, bowling ally, casino, spa, exercise room, salon and swimming pool. Our room wasn't half bad either. We had a large bathroom, king bed, flat screen TV with cable and a couch/chair sitting area.


Marriage

After we found our hotel, Scott and I got ready to go get married. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Rick and Tina, met us in Vegas to witness our marriage. The whole wedding experience--from getting the license to saying "I Do"--took about 20 minutes.

The first step was getting the marriage license. Rick, Tina, Scott and I drove to the Marriage Bureau to do this. When we got out of our cars, we were approached by a sales representative from a local wedding chapel. He was kind enough to give us the low down on the process. He explained that all the people we saw on the sidewalk in front of us were sales representatives for wedding chapels. He said, "Keep walking. Don't stop or you'll be here all day. Check your marriage license for errors. They make typos all the time." So, we did as he advised. We walked through the mob of sales people and didn't stop.

By the time we got to the building doors, each one of our hands were full of wedding chapel fliers. It was really funny. Inside, Scott and I each filled out forms to apply for the license. Then, when we finished, we headed to a window where we paid the woman and she gave us our license. Yes, we took the nice salesman's advice and proof read the license for errors.

The next step was picking a chapel. We got in our cars and drove south down the road where we parked. A block down the road, Scott and I saw a chapel. We decided this was the one. I mean, why not?

When we walked in, a woman kindly greeted us. She told us about the different packages this chapel offered. First, there was the walk up window for $50. The second option was the drive thru window for $100. And, the third option was a private room for $250. We decided on the walk up window. We filled out another form, handed the woman our license and then waited for the priest to finish another wedding. Ten or so minutes later, an old man approached us. He asked which of us were Ann and Scott. Scott and I introduced ourselves. He then asked us two questions: What do you prefer to be called? Do you want God or no God in your ceremony?

After answering his questions, he directed us outside. We stood in front of the walk up window, and two minutes later we were married.


Honeymoon

The best thing about getting married in Vegas was being able to stay for a few days to rest and relax. Scott and I thoroughly enjoyed our time away.

We had a lot of fun trying out all the different restaurants, and we entertained ourselves with the many different activites the hotel had to offer. We gambled a bit (we didn't lose too much), went to a movie and watched way too much cable TV (a treat for us non-TV watching dudes).

We also took advantage of the outlets in Vegas to do some inexpensive shopping. We really hit some bargins, and I think Scott actually enjoyed shopping with me. :)

On our last night in Vegas, Scott and I headed to Fremont street for some fun. On the way there, we saw a hit and run accident on the Strip. After that, I was a nervous reck every time we were on the Strip.

We really enjoyed seeing the famous Fremont street. We walked around to look at the various street shops and took a million pictures. One of our favorite things on Fremont street was the spray paint artist. This man created amazing picutures in minutes using cans of spray paint and a putty knife. Scott and I were both amazed by his talent.

Overall, our wedding and honeymoon experience was awesome. I love my husband so much, and I am so happy to be his wife.

-A

P.S. I took a million pictures, but every time I try to add them to the post it messes with the wording format. I will add pictures in another post.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Oh Yeah!

We're married, and we're loving life.

The end.

-A

P.S. I will update about the wedding and Vegas later. Scott and I are completely wiped tonight, after our first day back to work. Who knew--a lazy vacation can sure leave you exhausted! haha!

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Vegas!

We're getting married! This Saturday in Vegas. In three days, I'll be Mrs. Barton!

We're playing with the idea of a reception in a couple of months, so we can celebrate with family and friends. My family is brainstorming ideas, so I'll have a better idea of what we're doing later next week.

-A

Monday, August 2, 2010

College Graduate

It's official today! I am a college graduate.

It doesn't feel real yet, but I am sure it will in a few weeks when school starts. :)

-A

Wedding Cancelled!

Scott and I have cancelled our wedding.

Don't fret though! This decision does not reflect how Scott and I feel about each other. We are very much in love, and we can't wait until we get married.

Last week, Scott found out he'd be losing his company vehicle for awhile. Awhile meaning maybe a short time or a long time. We aren't sure right now. The company Scott works for needs the vehicle for other employees who are doing service calls and are using their personal vehicles to drive back and forth. Very understandable. However, not having a company vehicle means Scott now has to use his truck and pay for gas--expenses Scott and I didn't expect and didn't budget for.

In the last few months, Scott and I have struggled to save money for our wedding, while staying on top of living expenses. We now feel, with the extras that have surfaced, we need to hold on to the money we've saved, as we may need to rely on it in the coming months.

We're completely sorry for all the hype. We hated making this decision, and we're way bummed. But, we feel planning for the future is the smartest decision. We'd rather cancel the huge wedding and have a savings when we start our marriage, rather than be completely broke. So, we're making the adult decision here and planning ahead.

Thanks everyone for your support and help in planning. We appreciate it and love you all!

-S&A