The Hills are Alive...almost!

Summertime is in FULL swing at the Ballam house. The operas open NEXT WEEK which is crazy to me. Things have been organized differently this year so we had tech rehearsal early but haven't rehearsed onstage since. I have mixed emotions about this. I like getting Tech Week over with but I am worried things will be rough tomorrow at our first dress rehearsal. i have 6 or 7 quick changes which will be exciting and stressful. Can't wait for the show to open so I can stop worrying about it!

Today I had the JOY of going to the OBGYN. Joy. I had expected that I was seeing a female nurse practitioner but when the doctor walked in not only was he male, he is my neighbor! AGH! It turned out I am glad it was him because he was really helpful. It turns out I am going to need surgery ASAP and I feel a lot more comfortable having him as my doctor. So that was a little TOO exciting. I hate doctors, IV's, blood, needles and all that jazz so I'll be glad when it is all over.

On a more pleasant note...this past weekend was the annual Israelsen Family Reunion. It is one of the few times I get to see most of my 100+ cousins and I look forward to it ALL year! I had rehearsal the first day but made it up in time to witness the Shasta Shootout (my favorite part). It was fun to have John with me and introduce him to the whole family. Hopefully he wasn't too overwhelmed. We are a pretty intense/crazy family but I think he can handle it :). I love my family SO much! I'm sad the reunion is over and I'll have to wait another year for it.
John and I got some of our engagements back and we are so pleased with the outcome! He is critical about how he looks but I think he looks so handsome! I am such a lucky girl! We are excited to see the rest of them. Wedding plans are coming right along. We don't have a ton left to do except take our formal pictures, order invites, find John a tux and that's about it! I'm getting really anxious and want it to be September already!

The Latest

The stress train has stopped at my door! Life is getting crazy now with weddings, summer camps and operas. I'm trying to stay positive about everything and enjoy it like I should. John and I purchased a couch and chair for our apartment. We took them over in Ester's truck and our new neighbors helped John move everything in. We also got our engagement pictures taken by Cascio Photography last night which was fun. John was a good sport and donned a bow tie and suspenders as well as pink socks :) My mom snapped a few shots of us before we left.
This week is going to be a long one. Since I never know my rehearsal schedule til the night before it is hard for me to make plans and organize my schedule for the week. It is hard for me because I always like to have a plan! Friday is the first day of our Israelsen Family Reunion which I look forward to all year. John has never been to the Israelsen cabin except on New Years so I'm excited for him to see it when it isn't covered in snow! Hopefully I'll have Saturday off so we can enjoy all the festivities!

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I thought I'd better post a wedding-plan update. Most importantly...I found my dress! I had actually found it by my last post but hadn't purchased it. I'm really pleased with my decision and excited to actually get to wear it! The seamstress called yesterday and told me she finished the alterations so I just have to go try it on to make sure it fits. Unfortunately the store is in American Fork and with my crazy unpredictable rehearsal schedule it will be hard to find a time to make it down there. I'm hoping for Friday!

John and I were scheduled to shoot our engagements last Friday but unfortunately had to cancel due to the rain storm. Hopefully it will be bright and sunny next Monday so we don't have to cancel again! I don't love getting my picture taken so I'm glad that John has to do it with me ;) I'm also excited to get that part of wedding planning done. One less thing to worry about!

We also found an apartment! We looked at a bunch of apartments on West Center street that were pretty nice but really expensive. The main problem we had was our dog. Most places charge $100+ more per month for a pet or make you pay a huge pet deposit at signing. Luckily I checked KSL every day and found a little basement apartment for a really good deal. The ad said no pets but the landlord said our dog would be fine. We went to look at it and it is perfect for us! It is a small, one bedroom one bath basement apartment but it actually has a lot of windows so it is really light down there. I love everything about it except the turquoise and green carpet in the living room. :) It will be fun to decorate and have a little place of our own though. We went to the DI yesterday and purchased a coffee table and a painting (picked out by John). It makes me feel so old to be buying furniture!

The bridesmaid dresses came and they are perfect (just need sleeves) and I ordered John's ring yesterday. We also registered at BB&B which was interesting. Totally exhausting to me! It seems like we have so much planned already and now we'll just have to wait... and wait.

Life aside from that is good. I've just been rehearsing and planning. I'll be glad when the summer is over and I can sleep through the night!

I better not post without a picture so here's one of one of our favorite pass-times. Definitely the quickest way to blow a lot of money!

Beginning

Wow! What a crazy few weeks I've had! Being engaged sure isn't what I thought it would be. So far there are lots of things that I have enjoyed about being engaged. I must admit, I really love showing people my ring and my fiance. I am so proud of both :) I am the kind of girl who has been planning my wedding since I was 5 so that has been fun too. Though when I was 5 I didn't realize just how expensive weddings are. I HATE that part of wedding planning. Luckily we were able to book our perfect photographer for a bargain! To me the wedding pictures were top priority so I'm thrilled that we were able to get Cascio Photography to shoot our special day :)

The hardest part about this whole thing for me is choosing a dress. I have been to SO many stores and tried on so many dresses that my head is spinning with taffeta, silk and lace! The first 2 dresses that I tried on were by far my favorite. Though now I'm not sure if I really loved the dresses, or if I just loved the way I looked in them because they were the first ones I tried on (and the only ones that were actually my size). So... the final step in this process (I hope) is to drive back down to American Fork and try them back on! That is how I will be spending my evening tonight. Hopefully I will be able to make a decision. I don't think I can handle trying on any more big, poofy dresses!!!

My mom is a pro wedding planner so we have a lot already planned out. I have favors purchased, flowers picked out, engagement/formal shoots lined up, temple reserved, luncheon/reception venue reserved, flower girl dresses purchased, bridesmaid dresses purchased, slideshow and videographer lined up, and we meet with our caterer on Friday to finalize our menu for the luncheon and reception. Sounds like a lot but we still have much to do! Once I get the dress out of the way I'll feel a lot better about things. We have also had a struggle finding somewhere to live that is affordable AND pet friendly. My little dog is going to be costing us $100+ a month in rent I'm afraid. But oh how we love her! :)

Though it has been stressful to work things into our budget, wedding planning has been a lot of fun! I am lucky to have a fiance with an opinion. It makes decision making easier because I don't have to do it alone. Maybe that's why choosing my dress has been so tricky!

Anyway, that's the latest. Better not post without a picture so here are a couple from 2 weeks ago. John and I had a fun time staying with my brother Chris and his family for a few days. We were able to attend my niece, Ava's graduation which was a lot of fun. We also love any opportunity to drive down South so we can eat at In N Out! :)