because you're dying to see our honeymoon photos...

life has been a little bit crazy upon our return from our wedding in california, honeymoon in the bahamas, and reception in arizona.

1) i finished my last week of teaching 2nd grade.

2) lots of trips to target and bed, bath, and beyond to get towels, shower curtains, pillows, etc.

3) we are proud costco executive members.

4) as of today, we have been painting our apartment.

5) em works at color me mine and hooked me up with a little part time summer job there.

6) steven's back to work at the mtc. full-time starts tomorrow.

so here are some pictures from our honeymoon.

i know steven and i are like way super attractive, but i am sparing you of our beach photos.

first night's dinner.

the food is amazing.

and it is all you can eat.

um, double trouble.

 the majesty of the seas.

Nassau, Bahamas.

lots of cruise ships lined up! 

ours is the one on the far right.

 we "climbed" the queen's staircase.

the slaves carved a canyon and the staircase with little chisels in honor of the queen freeing them. it took them 16 years. chisels. and a huge rock!  pretty cool.

um, that's the canyon.

chisel? no thank you. how about some dynamite?

{besides me.  i know i'm dynamite.}

it was hot and humid.

i was dyiiiiing.

we walked around nassau and went to the queen's staircase.  went back to the cruise ship for some lunch and to change into our beach garb.

i almost stole this little boy while his grandma was taking a dip.

steven stopped me.  that's why i married him.  well, one reason.

this was the "formal" dinner. we just went with "nice."

should've brought my wedding dress...

Coco Cay, Bahamas.

this was royal caribbean's private island.

they had a delicious bbq.

then we just laid out fat and happy on the beach for a couple of hours.

and for some reason i can't find those beach photos that don't have us in them.

so sad, too bad. they're on the camera still.

here's the majesty waiting for us in the middle of the ocean.

we had to swim to coco cay. it was hard holding my camera above the water the whole time.

and i tried on this hat on the cruise ship that night.

key west, florida.

so cute!

this is where ernest hemmingway had his little hermit hideout.  i took a picture of it as much as i could, but he built up all these walls and we didn't want to pay $30 for us to see it.

we rented bikes and rode all over the little island. so fun. and so hot.

and those photos for some reason didn't load. well, i think they loaded as movies, but i am too tired to figure that out, so you'll just have to wait or never see them.

 i love ice cream.

 arrrrgh! steven be a mighty fine pirate, eh?

oh, we rode to the sothernmost point of the continental usa.

so proud.

i wanted to sneak onto the key west waldorf astoria {thought that was only in nyc!} and go on this little thingy but, no trespassing.

steven has good map skills.

key west. handsome husband.

so every night we had some sort of towel creature and one day it was an elephant relaxing on our bed with my sunglasses on.

and this is us leaving arizona. yes. 4 bags. the red one has my wedding dress in it with like a few picture frames and dvds.  we had a lot of stuff. and now we wait 2.5 more weeks for steven's family to come move lauren up for byu {hoooooray!!!!} and bring us our gifts and a bbq and some crazy piano thing. oh and a tennis ball hopper so steven and i can play tennis. well, so he can teach me. he used to teach tennis, you know. and he is pretty darn good at it. and i told him that i have a power skirt and need to use it for tennis.

i hope that makes you feel a little better until we get our life a little more under control. i.e., our apartment painted and organized.

some wedding photos {1}

here are some photos from our perfect wedding day.

and by perfect, i mean perfect.

everything was perfect--temple sealing, family, friends, ring ceremony, weather {no sun, but clouds made for great pictures and no sweat!}, reception, food, decorations, flowers, venue {thank you olds}, everything.

all photos but the first {from my aunt's phone} were taken by my new father-in-law, brett l hopper.  photos from our photographer {reception, ring ceremony, all the after-temple shots} should be coming in a few weeks!

love the bridesmaid dresses that katie's mom, kim, made.  are you not obsessed with the big bow on the middle of the back?  yeah, me too.  that is the sole reason why i picked the pattern.  surprise, surprise.

and of course, my beautiful bridesmaids

{left to right}: emily, dana, sara {psuedo-sister}, erin {now santiago}, lauren {new sister-in-law!}, andi {FFP--future, female president, and new sister-in-law!}

my personal hairdresser and cousin, denae, doing a pre-photo touch up.  and my handsome paparupa.

andi stepped down as FFP to be my personal assistant all day and carry my dress.

thanks andi--you were perfect!!

and she loved it...

see?  she did love it.

best part. my new husband.

um, don't forget the 5" heels.

and i never tripped.

just after we came out of the temple.

steven was a little bit happy,

but i was even happier.

and we are so in love.

more photos from the wedding coming later.

then pictures of our honeymoon in the bahamas!

big news.

{thanks brett l!}

1) I am now Mrs. Hopper {it's day 9!!}

2)  I am teaching 1st grade next year

more about our perfect wedding day, arizona reception, and Bahamian cruise 

friends of lauren hopper--your secret's out.  welcome!

bored. at school?

to start...  a picture from erin's wedding.  isn't she such a beautiful bride?!?!  photo credits to andrea filio.


i have never been bored at school before. normally i have SO much to do and catch up on that i barely have time to breathe!


well, i am leaving right after school today.  in 1 hour.  for the airport with my love.  so we can catch a plane to long beach municipal airport. so my dad can pick us up at 6.35 pm (actually after we get our bags). so we can get things set up the next few days for our wedding!!!  in just 3 days!!!

OUR WEDDING IS IN 3 DAYS!!

so i'm bored because i have the next 7 school days COMPLETELY planned.  papers copied.  examples done.  explicit lesson plans.  that's pretty much never happened.  and for once, i won't be going day to day or even hour to hour.  instead, i will be laying on the beach with my husband in the bahamas.


i told my kids this is the last time they will see me as miss kendrick.  they're all super excited for our wedding but even more excited to call me mrs. hopper for the last week of school.  and since it was the last time they would be seeing me as miss kendrick, i let the whole class stay in and eat lunch with me instead of the usual 1 table on fridays.  they clapped and were soooo excited.  i'm such a good teacher. (and completely humble, i know.  but wait...refer to the above statements of never being this planned and going hour to hour.  yeah, not that great.)

happy moms day.

i can't even describe all that she has done for me and my family these past few months, let alone my whole life and for my whole family and for anyone else that has ever come in contact with her.

2 weddings. 2 graduations. all within 2 months.

plus a job.

and a family.

and serving diligently in the church.

that's only the start of it... 

she's kind of amazing.

i love you mom.

i'll see you in 3 days!

because.

i am getting married in

5 days.

sub plans: i hate you.

yesterday was no bueno.  no one likes to be at the school past 3.15 pm on a friday.  well, how about 6 pm? i don't even stay that late any other day of the week.  i take my things home and work on them.


alas, i have 7 days of sub plans to do. 7 days, people.  that's pretty much a teacher's worst nightmare.  if you think about how long it takes me to do 1 day--a good 2 hours, plus preparing and setting things up for the sub, it's like 3 hours at least.  okay, times that by 7.  that is 21 hours.  i've already put in a solid 10 hours on these bad boys.  and call me a bad teacher, but i pretty much worked throughout the half school day yesterday on them. but before you think i'm too bad, they were working independently on their centers, and they did an art project, and they earned their "special activity"/end of testing/seis de mayo chips and salsa and a movie party.  so, it was only like 2.5 hours, really.


on the plus side, i have never been more prepared this far in advanced.  i have the next 2 weeks completely planned--worksheets ran, overheads made, powerpoints made, it's great.  okay, well i still need to do all of my set up and typing up of my lesson plans for my sub, who is one of the best.


but why 7 days? 


oh maybe because i am getting married in 1 week!!!!!!!
but we are leaving on a jet plane in 4 days!!!!
and then we will be in the bahamas for 5 days...nbd.  

and this is the photo that was in our wedding announcement.  thanks to b&l hopper.

so sub plans?


YOU ARE TOTALLY WORTH IT.
actually, it's steven that is totally worth it.

pinch.

13 days!

then you can just call me Heidi Hopper

Photo credits to Brett & Elaine Hopper, my almost in-laws--Thanks!

This photo represents what our relationship is really like.  Steven finds it very amusing to pinch me.  I tell him to stop.  Every time.  He probably never will.

Weekend happenings and highlights:

1.  Steven and I bought a bed.  It is very comfortable.  Hooray for no more worn out apartment mattresses.  Well, in 13 days, that is.  Actually, more like 21 by the time I get to sleep in it.

2.  We also bought some sunglasses for our honeymoon.

3.  Today, I taught my last Relief Society lesson as a single woman.  I used President Uchtdorf's talk, "Waiting on the Road to Damascus" from April's General Conference.

4.  I am currently working on my final classroom newsletter.  This week will be my last full week and I will only be there 3 days next week, so I decided this will be our last one.  Well, I will also be there the last week of school, but we get back from Arizona the day before, so I don't want to have to worry about writing one.  That's the beauty of being a teacher in your own classroom!

5.  I picked up Steven's ring.  He wants to see it and wear it now because we are so close to being married, but I told him no and that he can't see it yet.  And then he tried to tell me it isn't fair that I get to wear one and he can't.  Well, sorry bud!  Mine is an engagement ring and we are still engaged.  His is a wedding band.  And we are not wed.  And I don't wear my wedding band yet.  Confession: I did try it on with my ring, again, when I was home for Spring Break.  Whoops!  

6.  Momma Hopper was up here for BYU Women's Conference with her girlfriends this weekend. They are hilarious.  I didn't know 3 married women, each with a slew of kids, could be so crazy (in a good way, Elaine.  it is good!).  But, then again, that is pretty much how I am with my sisters and girlfriends, so it is good to know that outings with the girls will never change! Steven and I met up with them for dinner Friday night and then a trip to the temple.  I love the temple.  And then we hit up BYU Creamery for some ice cream.  Peanut Butter Trails is death by chocolate AND peanut butter.  YUM!