Although Liv and Tanner had mutual friends and even had a class together in high school, it wasn't until living in Utah last summer that they really "met" and hit it off.  From my sisterly perspective, at least, they fell hard and fast and quickly knew it was meant to be.  My parents could tell it was serious and invited Tanner on the family cruise over Christmas break. When taking family pictures on the beach, some of us urged Olivia to allow us to take a few pictures without Tanner since they were only dating at the time. However, Olivia was relentless that all photos taken should include him. Little did we know, Tanner already had a ring and planned to propose in just a few days. All within one week (the week of Christmas and Liv's birthday), Adam and Hannah got engaged, Liv and Tanner got engaged, and I found out I was pregnant! It was definitely one of the most exciting weeks our family had experienced.

The day leading up to the wedding was quite chaotic for me.  Allegiant last-minute delayed my flight by 13 hours, and when I showed up at the airport begging them to let me on the earlier flight, they said there were no seats.  I was far from the only upset customer, but when I asked if I would get a refund, they acted like I was the crazy one. With no other options but to either miss my sister's bachelorette party and groom's dinner or catch a different flight, I bought a $250 same-day ticket on a different airline at a different airport. Dallin and I immediately hit the road again so I could make it on time for that flight. When I arrived, I was dismayed to realized I had never seen the Salt Lake airport so nutty, even over Christmas. I hopped in the insanely long security line.  On the phone, my siblings advised me to start a trial with Clear so that I could skip the line. I met with a Clear agent to try to do just this, except then there were problems with my account.  The agent, who had heard my story and perhaps had even more sympathy since I was visibly pregnant, looked over his shoulder to make sure his manager wasn't around and said, "Don't tell anyone I'm doing this, but I'm going to sneak you into the priority lane." And just like that, I only had one other couple in front of me in the security line and was able to get through to my gate. My dad picked me up from the Phoenix airport and drove me over for the second half of the bachelorette party at the pool (I had missed the brunch, but that was alright). While we waited for the other girls to show up, my dad had me call Allegiant and give him permission to speak on my behalf, and then he sweet-talked them into giving me vouchers for the major headache and financial loss they had cost me.

We girls enjoyed some sunshine and sweets at the bachelorette party.  We of course had to keep it fairly tame, since our 17-year-old sister Sophie was there. Afterwards, Olivia asked me if I could help her with her makeup for the groom's dinner, practicing the perfect look for the next day.  We scrolled through Pinterest to decide on colors and styles she liked.  That evening, the groom's dinner was held at Tanner's sister's house. We had catered BBQ, listened to speeches from loved ones, and played a quiz game to see who knew Liv and Tanner best.  Dallin and one of the groomsmen showed up towards the tail-end after the Allegiant flight finally arrived.  

I loved helping Olivia with her bridal makeup before she put on her dress. It was very tender to sit in front of the mirror, just me and her. 

Following the temple sealing, a few friends and siblings joined the bride and groom for a casual lunch at Cafe Rio since the power went out at Portillo's.  Liv and Tanner escaped to his parents' house for some poolside relaxation and the football game with his family, meanwhile I ran to the store to pick out a few different ribbons that Olivia could choose from to top her wedding cake, which she made herself. 

I held Olivia's bouquet during the ring ceremony.  At the reception, outdoor ovens ran the whole time baking a variety of specialty pizzas, served alongside homemade rootbeer and other sweet delicacies. We all danced (although people advised me to take it easy -- I was quite sore for the next several days).  For the couple's dance and the father-bride dance, I helped my grandma find a seat in the front so she could see and then we watched together.  I definitely got teary-eyed, but how could I not, seeing Olivia's tears of joy?!

It was such a lovely wedding.  Soon it was over, and we ushered the couple to their car with sparklers and confetti poppers. Congrats to Liv and Tanner!

 

 As Dallin's friends made plans to drive to Moab the next day, I assumed my pregnancy would prevent me from tagging along. They had considered some longer, more intensive hikes, but somehow the possibility of me coming was brought up, and then they were eagerly talking about hikes that I could join them on. So then we were up at the crack of down, making the 3 hour drive to Moab. Like the last time I tried to go to Arches, the park was full, and we were forced to find alternatives. Luckily Dallin and I had discovered nearby Corona Arch last time and knew that it was a doable hike (only 2 miles) with views comparable to those within Arches. After that hike we walked around downtown Moab with all of its desert-themed tourist shops and enjoyed lunch at a food truck.  We chose a second 2-mile hike with a couple of stream crossings, the end destination a small waterfall coursing down red rock. As one stranger on the trail commented, I was just taking my baby for an adventure! A few weeks later these same friends made a trip to hike the precarious Angel's Landing in Zion's.  My unborn babe can handle the adventures around Moab...but maybe we'll wait to do Angel's Landing until he's a little older.

 The great thing about working at a school is keeping that school schedule, breaks and all. For my spring break, Dallin held down the fort at home while I visited our families in Arizona. I arrived the same day that Dallin's mom Jordie and stepdad Jim moved into their new flight school building, and the same week that my parents were busy volunteering at the Easter Pageant.  I was kind of just along for the ride, tagging along on my mom or Jordie's errands or just hanging out at the house, sorting through old photo albums or *attempting* to make boba with Sophie.  Jordie insisted on buying baby clothes, although Dallin expressly forbade any of us women from buying baby things before we moved over the summer. "That's ridiculous!" Jordie disagreed. Even though it was April, Utah was hit with another snowstorm while Arizona had perfect in-between-seasons weather. I went on frequent walks with my parents and enjoyed sunbathing, of course covering my baby belly to protect that fragile skin!  Later on in the week, my sister Olivia and her fiance Tanner arrived for her bridal shower.  There I got to see many familiar faces from my childhood, as well as my grandma Lundgreen who will turn 93 the same week my baby is due. Because of my parents' volunteer position, we were able to reserve really good seats at the Easter Pageant, but we still had to arrive several hours early. I ran into Dallin's dad and stepmom Rachelle, so while waiting for the performance to start, Rachelle and I waited in line for BYU Creamery Ice Cream. It was worth the wait, and fun to hear from her updates about the house that's being built where the old house burned down two years ago. On my last day in AZ, my family attempted to go to the lake, but our plans were foiled both by the crazy crowds met by the sign "LAKE FULL" and by sudden problems with the truck that was going to pull the boat...turns out some critter had gotten under the hood and chewed through a bunch of wires. But no matter! It was a beautiful drive full of desert wildflowers and an otherwise relaxing afternoon.