Hello Twenty!

So yesterday I turned the big two-oh!

First 20 year old selfie ;)

 Let me tell you something.. I don't feel any differently than I did two days ago BUT I do have some goals that I plan on accomplishing in my twentieth year of life. I have five goals I want to accomplish.. Sometimes life gets kind of crazy and they can seem unreachable but with hard work and dedication I know I can accomplish anything.

1. Graduate with my associates in May
2. Never STOP doing Yoga... EVER.
                   Seriously people I am addicted, I love love love love love the way I feel after and I am getting some sweet muscle tone because of it.
3. Travel with my sweet hubby. Even if it is just to places in the state we haven't been before.
4. Be a missionary.
     Two of my very best friends are serving missions, my husband served a mission and now I want to influence people's lives, for good, through my blog, facebook, twitter, and instagram. I WANT people to feel the happiness that I have in my life. So I am going to do the best I can to be a missionary to those who read my blog, twitter and facebook. Check out what I believe here and here.
5. Be the BEST wife I possibly can to my husband.
          It is no secret I am a princess to my husband, he treats me with the utmost respect and love he possibly can. And I try my absolute best to do the same for him, but there is always something that can be improved. My husband is the best and he deserves the best.

I'm looking forward to this new year that I have in my life! I can't wait to see what adventures life will take me on, next.

xoxo,
Morgan

Bridals

Taft and I got really lucky with our wedding photographer. She was so awesome! I recommend her to anyone! Check out her blog here. She did an absolutely phenomenal job! I am so thankful we found her! Emily was willing to work with the kind of crazy weather we encountered, some not so nice people at the site we were shooting, she makes you feel beautiful and wants to shoot you in ways you feel comfortable. Now, I'm no model, but I am sure that those are traits in a photographer you want! Someone who really captures YOU in your moment! Because, that is what really matters. 

So the day that I was going to shoot bridals the weather was CRAZY! This would be the second to last time my mother and I would commute to Utah for the wedding, thank goodness! We were so sick of that 7 hour drive that consumed our Fridays and Sundays. But in the end it was totally worth it, for both of us. During those countless hours my mom and I were able to really bond and connect. My mom has been my best friend for a long time and I knew getting married could separate us a little bit, but I talk to my mom every single day. She will always be one of my very best girlfriends. Back to the weather, it had been drizziling rain that morning, then it cleared up then got cloudy again and man was I freaking out! We almost cancelled the shoot!!! Which COULDN'T happen or else bridals would have been the day before the wedding... uh NO! (I wasn't bridzilla, but I wanted to just have that day to spend with my mom, dad and sister. It's understandable!) Thankfully it cleared up and started to rain towards the very end of our shoot. 

Regardless of the weather, nothing could keep me down. When I tried on my wedding dress for the first time I knew, I had the bridal moment you see on Say Yes to the Dress! I loved it and felt absolutely beautiful! Every girl deserves that feeling. 

The site of our shoot was at a really cute park/amphitheater. The rocks that we were able to use as a background were absolutely amazing. They added so much texture and color to the photos. This park is located one block west of the Mt. Timpanogos LDS Temple. So it was really close to where we were getting married and I just loved this location!  

xoxo, 

Morg

This is one of my favorites :) 

Sandra's Yummy Chicken Noodle Soup

Being a new married woman, I really didn't know how to cook. My mom and dad made sure there was a delicious meal on the table, and some days I would have to fend for myself....Sure I could cook some stuff like blue box Macaroni and Cheese, some pastas and anything that came in a box. And that was basically it. My friend Sandra shares her cooking wisdom with me and this soup recipe is to DIE for people. I mean it.

*I only cook for two people, so I half the recipes. The ingredients are the amount I used to cook this soup. Adjust to how many people you have in your family.*

Ingredients: 
1-2 Chicken Breasts
2-3 Carrots, cut into bite size pieces
2-3 Celery stalks, cut into bite size pieces
1/4 White Onion, diced into small pieces
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 can of Cream of Chicken Soup
Water
1 bag of Egg Noodles

Directions: 
1. Fill up your pot with enough water to cover frozen chicken breasts. Bring to a boil, add salt and pepper to taste.
              *I don't like dealing with raw chicken, so I just throw the frozen in the water. It adds an extra ten minutes to the cooking process.
2. While the chicken is cooking cut up the carrots, celery, and onion.
                  *I waited until the chicken was almost done before I added the veggies into the pot.
3. After the chicken is done, pull it out of the broth and dice it into bite size pieces. Put back into the pot.
                   *If it isn't quite done it will continue to cook while the noodles and the veggies cook.
4. When the veggies have 7-8 more minutes left add the noodles.
5. When the noodles have 1-2 more minutes left add the cream of mushroom soup and stir until combined.
                 *This is Sandra's secret to delicious homemade chicken noodles!
6. Serve with a yummy roll and enjoy!

The Power Of Love

I haven't posted in a long time and I have A TON of things that need to be posted BUT this is what I felt like I needed to share with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Blogger. Today in my ward sacrament meeting the importance of the family unit was talked about. Now, in case you haven't noticed the family is being torn apart and it is awful! The devil and his companions are working EXTRA hard to make sure the family is broken. Divorce rate is higher than ever, teen pregnancies, abortion... the list can go on forever. Our homes need to be a refuge for not only our children, but ourselves as we face this wicked world each day! We need to feel peace, love and comfort. Things that are almost completely non existent in today's society. Not even friendly smile or "Hello" is offered. We as a family need to make sure our homes are a haven from the hell we encounter.

I think that all of what was said up there starts with love. A selfless love. A love to do anything for your spouse and your children. Taft and I were both raised in great homes with FABULOUS parents. We were raised in homes that were refuges to us. I know for me I loved being home because I knew there I could find love, support and the feeling of peace from my day at school or work. There was always something about coming home that I loved. Taft and I have tried to make our home that way. I know when I come home I feel relief and I can feel love that resides in our home. And that starts with us loving one another the BEST we possibly can each and every day.. I've only been married one month and a couple of days HOWEVER I find new ways to love Taft each day. I also find new ways to better myself for him. Marriage is a job. A hard job, one you MUST dedicate 100% of yourself each and everyday to that tender, precious and fragile relationship. I cherish my marriage more than anything. It is a blessing to be married to such a great man, who constantly does the best he can for me.

 I am going to share a Mormon Message that Taft and I watched together today, and boy grab your tissues. It is SO powerful! I cried, Taft cried (that really isn't a big surprise on both parts) but it shows what love, selfless love is about. I encourage every single one of you to watch it. It is so remarkable what love can do to you if you treasure it.

Enduring Love

"If you want something to last forever, you treat it differently. You shield it and protect it. You don't expose it to the elements. You don't make it common or ordinary. If it ever becomes tarnished, you lovingly polish it until it gleams like new. It becomes special because you have made it so, and it grows more beautiful and precious as time goes by." -Elder F. Burton Howard



xoxo,
Morgan