Elle Woods?

A month after Trav's graduation, I graduated from my LVN program! The year flew by fast and I was glad to say good-bye to 4:30am wake ups and late night cramming! Graduation was a beautiful event at the Balboa Bay Club and Resort and there was quite the cheering crowd in attendance. And of course, I couldn't give the Valedictorian address without my hot pink heels!!!! Hello Elle Woods! :)

Next step for schooling??? Indiana State University where I will receive my Bachelors of Science in Nursing in the next 1 1/2 years! No, we are not moving to Indiana!!! I will be taking classes online and performing clinicals at local hospitals in the area...and all in my own pace so I will be able to work as well!!

Here are a few pics from the graduation ceremony...22 more days until the wedding!!!! We can't wait!!!! :)


It's all about the shoes :)

They have been so supportive!!!

Speech

I try to be serious...

My Arizona nieces!

The In-laws!

My wonderful Great Aunt Katie

The 3 Musketeers and our Fiances!

Engagement Pics...Better late than never!!!!

Back when we got engaged in September, our goal was to have our Save the Dates out in the mail before my surgery which was scheduled for the first of October. That being said, trying to set up an appointment with the photographer and than wait for the pictures to be edited did not fit into the crunched time frame. Trav's cousin Kristen ( who is an AMAZING photographer and I still think she should start her own business...) graciously came to Disneyland and took our Save the Date pictures. After my surgery, we began contacting Rachel Priddy ( She is the photographer who did all of Vander's pictures and she is absolutely incredible at capturing the moments!!!) about having her take our engagement pictures when she was in California for other shoots. We had date picked out in the Spring because we figured it would be sunny by than and portray the beautiful Cali weather that we love. Those plans were cut short when Trav broke his nose before the session. The pictures were than scheduled for the end of May to be taken in Laguna. Trav and I were excited because we figured, it's May so of course the weather would be perfect!!! Well, we were thinking that only sunshine could be the perfect weather for pictures but God is a comedian and he sure showed us different!!!

We were all set for the pictures...outfits chosen, hair appt made, half day taken from school...and mentally prepared for a beautiful sunny, spring day! As I drove to school that morning I was watching clouds after clouds ( and we are talkign DARK clouds, not light, fluffy, white clouds that look like cotton candy) roll in and all I could think about was ," Please don't let it rain!" When I left school for my half day it was of course, raining. I talked to Heidi on my way home and she let me know that she had just checked the forcast online and it was supposed to have thunderstorms in Laguna right at the time of our pictures!!! Great! I was ready to cancel them untill I talked with Rachel. We spent and hour going back and forth about going ahead with them, finding a new location, or just re-scheduling. We finally decided to go through with them and change the location to Newport so if there was a down pour we could take refuge. Trav and I figured if it started pouring rain on us it would make for some pretty cool engagement pictures. I rushed around all day, picking up back up outfits in case it poured and the whole time I kept watching the clouds to see which way they were headed. After staring at them for a long time at a stop light I realized they were headed away from the beach and it totally gave me hope that it just might not rain. When Trav and I pulled off the 55 freeway, it started to rain. I seriously sat in the car for the rest of the 10 min drive to location praying for just a patch of rain free skies so we could take just a few pictures.

It stopped raining as soon as we parked the car. Rachel was ready to go with a big umbrella in case the skies opened back up and we got right to work taking pictures. Trav and I are not used to taking so many non silly faced pictures but Rachel did a great job directing us and just letting us do our thing. It started sprinkling some when we were at the life guard tower but it made the whole experience fun!! Of course, it was FREEZING cold but we both just brushed it aside and while Rachel was wiping off her lens, we would take the chance to rub the goosebumps off our arms. ( In my case, my arms, legs, back, neck, face...) The pictures ended up being PERFECT!!! Rachel catches these moments that completely leave me in awe!!! Looking thru the pictures online, I couldn't believe it was me and Trav...with no silly faces!!! :) The best part was...all along I was thinking sunshine in Laguna would be the "perfect" pictures but I was so wrong...God had something great in store for us! Due to the rain, the beach was completely empty!!! Which NEVER happens!!! That meant, there was so much more we could do with the pics! Also, moving our location to Newport made the pictures so unique...and we happened to park right next to Lifeguard Tower #20...for July 20!!! Right at the end of the pictures for the last set, God opened up a window in the clouds and the perfect ray of sunlight streamed thru. It was beautiful!!! When we got into the car to go home...it started to rain. It could not have been a moer perfect day!!!

If you want to view the pictures, you can go to www.priddyphoto.com and click on BLOG. She posted some pictures and than at the bottom it say "click here" and that takes you to the site where she has the rest of them.

49 days till we all gather in Palm Desert....time keeps flying by faster and faster!!!!

Dutch Brothers Expess takes off!

God works in the craziest ways! When Trav and I got engaged last September the thought of having "real" jobs seemed so surreal. We had no clue what life would hold for us in 10 months but we were trusting in His plan and knew that everything would pan out. Trav's mom signed the wall of our Knot page back in January and left this verse that spoke directly to us. " Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know! Jeremiah 33:3. Well, we called out for his guidance and he just opened up an incredible door for Trav!

A little while ago, Trav was doing one of the twin's infamous medical studies and called me to tell me that he was going to start his own business with Big Nick, his cousin. My initial reaction was, " Have you thought this thru?" but boy had they ever!!! They went right to work planning out the company and what they should start out with. At first, they were going to start with local moves but than decided to begin with freight and cargo. Within a short amount of time they had 2 moving trucks, their LLC and DBA, were licensed, and have their first moves starting this next week! When you see Trav, you will have to ask him about all the details....it makes mych more sense coming from him!!!

God has truly had His hand in all of this and I know he is going to bless this new business!!! We are so excited to find out what great and unsearchable things God has for us in this upcoming year as we begin our life together!!!

Travis Graduated!!!!

After transferring from Concordia in 2005, Trav finished out his college years at Hope International and graduated this past weekend! It was so special to see him walk across the stage with his twin brother and receive their diplomas! The Hardeman's threw an awesome BBQ after the ceremony to celebrate the twin's college success! It was so great having family and close friends there who have supported the boys throughout their lives. Here are a few pics from the day...
Almost in-laws!

Levi and Trav

The Guys

Proud of my Fiance

Trav and Trent

The Troy Crew

Spppeeeedddyyyy

Concordia Roommates and their girls :)

The new Grad w/ his mom!!!

The twins...years ago...can you guess who's who??

It was great having family together!

Hanging with high school friends!

The Greatest of These

We all know the verse, “ …Faith, Hope , and Love….but the greatest of these is Love.” This specific passage took a whole new meaning the summer before my sophomore year of high school. I had just turned 16 so of course boys and love were pretty high on my list of priorities since I was now allowed to date. One night after church, my dad and I went to Marie Calendar’s for dessert. After some casual talking over our cheesecake ( yum!) my dad pulled out two packages. I opened the card to find a picture of a father kneeling over his sleeping child, in prayer , with an angel outside the window with his arms reached out to protect both the father and the child from whatever evil the world may bring.

While just that picture alone moved me, it was what my dad wrote on the inside that made me realize how special love really is. My dad reminded me that he has been praying for me every day of my life, especially that I would grow and mature in the light of the Lord. He then told me that of all the gifts God has given us- faith, hope and love- the greatest is love. How true it that? It reminds me of the verse from 1 Corinthians 13:2, "If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move all moutains, but have not love, I am nothing." It’s like the song from the musical RENT, Seasons of Love. Part of the song goes, “ 525,600 minutes…how do you measure the year in the life?...How about LOVE?...Measure in LOVE.” After all, love conquers all right?

Ok, I went on a tangent. Back to that night with my dad at Marie Calendars. He then encouraged me to seek a life pure in thought, word and deed. It was his hope that the gifts he had for me would help me do so and to remind me that true love is special. Little did I know at that time how special true love really was. At that point in my life I knew of love in many forms…an everlasting love from my Savior, a never-ending or changing love from my parents, a sisterly love that could never be broken, and a love from life-long friendships. I had no idea what else would be in store though nor did I know I would only have to wait patiently for 3 years until God would show me this new kind of love.

I opened the first gift to find a picture frame. On the frame was written,

“ LOVE is life’s most BEAUTIFUL mystery. It often comes as a surprise, filling the heart with sudden JOY. Selfless and giving, LOVE places the happiness of another before one’s own, It inspires with it’s PASSION, nutures with its GENEROSITY, and enriches with its SPIRIT. There is not limit to its magic. LOVE is ETERNAL.”

The words inscribed on the frame are so powerful to me. I kept reading it over and over and I knew that this is just what I wanted. I also knew that this frame would only hold one picture….of the man I would one day love, the life-long, selfless, and eternal sort of love. The frame sat empty on my desk for years… until I met Trav. I didn’t put his picture in there right away… for some reason I always felt like I would know just the right time to fill the frame. And one day, I just knew.

The other box my dad had for me was a little box. The kind every girl likes to see. What was inside that box would soon be my most prized possession. I opened it to find a ring engraved with a cross. A purity ring. It has never left my finger since that night. When talking with my dad he told me he knew that one day that ring would be replaced with a ring from another man in my life. I wore the ring on my left ring finger and all through high school people always asked what it was for. The ring was not only a remembrance of my promise to my dad, my Savior, and my future husband but it also was a huge witness to those around me. I still wear the ring but on my right hand now. And every time I look at it I am reminded of that night with my dad. It was after this night, there was a new addition to my nightly prayers. A prayer for my future husband, the one I had yet to meet. I prayed that God would prepare him for me, that he would help him grow in his faith and to remain pure in all he did. I prayed that God would prepare me in the same way and when God felt that we were both ready, he would bring us together. Whenever I say Trav really is an answer to prayer and the greatest gift, I truly mean it.

Trav and I feel so blessed to have grown up with parents who had faith as the center of the household and who showed us what true love really is. My parents are celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary tomorrow and I can’t believe how incredible that is. In a world where there is so much wrong, faith and love can still persevere. Our parents have taught us both so much and because of them I know our home and our lives will be built on a firm foundation of faith and overflowing with love.

1 Corinthians 13:13, “Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

...In Sickness and In Health....

Would you believe me if I told you that in the past 3 1/2 years that we have been dating we have now been to the ER 16 times? Would you believe me if I told you that we will have each had surgery while dating by the time we get married? Would you believe me if I said we have had one ambulance ride and 2 spinal taps? Would you believe me if I told you that combined we have been in 5 car accidents? It's all true. :)

I have a feeling that when that phrase, " in sickness and in health" comes up in the vows, you will hear snkickering throughout the church. Probably from our families the most! Who knew that the two of us would be so accident proned but it has now turned into our trade mark. We have grown accustomed to hearing, " Hey, you guys should open up your own ER that way you will just be there in case something goes wrong." or " Why don't you just get married in the ER....it probably has the most meaning." On our defense though...everything that has happened as been a great story...and we have a huge collection of hospital bands!

Now, I know most of you are wondering how we find ourselves at the front door of the ER or in the OR or without a car ( I didn't mean for that to sound like Dr. Seuss) so many times. I'll fill you in with some of the highlights...

Let's start back at Concordia, our first year of dating...Trav had no idea at this point about my medical history of asthma and neither of us knew that my heart would start acting up. I was still blinded by the fact that Trav really is not a good driver but this would all soon change...

* Our first ER visit was when I had a massive asthma attack at CUI and my dad had to rush to school to pick me up and take me to the ER because I literally could not breathe. I remember sitting in the car, I couldn't feel my hands, and Trav kept texting me thinking I could text him back but I couldn't...I don't really think he knew what was going on but when he saw me, he figured it out pretty quick. For the next couple of days he wouldn't let me do anything or go anywhere and when we would hang he would just stare at me to make sure I was breathing. I knew right then that this guy would stick by my side forever. :)

* Soon after Trav split open the middle of his nose in basketball and we both should have known this would be the beginning of 3 years of basketball injuries to come our way!

* Next comes the "famous" car accident. It was a rainy morning and Trav and I were driving to work an event in Huntington Beach. I have no clue why we were in seperate cars but we were. Trav was following me and we were driving down this hill, headed towards the beach...well, the roads were slick, I lost control and slammed into the center divider....wait, I shouldn't say slammed...my car jumped up onto the center divided as if it was trying jump over a hurdle...but failed. Now this gets good. See Trav was still behind me when this happened and instead of slamming on his breaks or swerving into the other lane and pulling up next to me, he did the unthinkable. He jumped the divided and slammed into the back of me! I would like to think he did it because we stick together and he figured, " Hey, if she is going in...then I am too." But to this day I can't figure out why he followed my car! I would have loved to been in his head while he made that mental decision...."ok, I'm going in!: Yeah, try calling our parents to tell them this story. They didn't laugh at first like we did.

* 2 weeks after this accident, Trav was driving again in the rain on the 405 and a car hit him from the side, sending him spinning in circles across the freeway till he smashed into the side wall. Yup, his car was totalled after that. That civic held up untill the end. Trav was fine with no injuries but, neither of us like driving in the rain anymore!

* Ok, last car accident for a few years. The day after I got my car back from being fixed I was at the bank waiting for a parking spot. This SUV begins to pull out of the spot and I was waiting to pull in but the car never stopped pulling backwards. I start laying on my horn and the next thing I know, he slams right into me! Oh man...how in the world am I going to explain this to my dad after I just got the car back! Luckily, this was not my fault so it made the call a lil bit easier!

* Ok...we will skip thru some events and head to probably the scariest one we have had. Trav had been really sick, gone to the ER and had a spinal tap for meningitis. HE came to CUI with my parents to watch me perform in a show. I was getting ready and about 30 min before going n stage, I receive a text from him telling me he is going home because he doesn't feel good. He explained what was happening and I rushed out to his car to find him collapsed over the side. I realized his shirt was soaked from sweat and he had no color in his face. he draped himself over me as we walked down the hill to get him inside. When I laid him down on the phone he started talking randomly and I realized something was seriously wrong. I called everyone in my family and his to ask what to do but no one answered! Finally, I got a hold of Heidi and she called 911. The paramedics came and Trav told them he was wearing new white underwear his mom bought him....they were cracking up and Trav had no clue he was saying what he was saying. Well, I then watched them put him in the ambulance and drive off and I had to go step on stage and perform...not knowing what was happening to Trav! It was the longest 45 min of my life! Well, Trav ended up being ok...after his spinal tap his CSF was leaking from the site, causing a whole bunch of complications. But the put a patch to close up the hole and Trav was good to go after that! Now whenever he gets awful headaches I freak out that something is wrong again!

* The next few times at the ER would be for my breathing again. Followed by a sprained ankle for Trav in basketball practice. It seemed that every few weeks, one of us would end up in the ER.

* Let's jump ahead to Trav's eyebrow! He was hit in basketball practice and called me to meet him in the ER. When I showed up I found that his eyebrow was hanging half off! I know...gross...but being a nursing student I was a little intrigued. Trav had to get it sewn back in place with a good amount of stitches and now his eyebrow looks like nothing ever happened!

* One night Trav was at my apartment and was getting a water bottle and asked if I wanted one. It was dark in the TV room because we were watching a movie, so when he threw it to me I didn't even see it coming! The bottle hit me right in the nose/eye and the shock of it sent me into an asthma attack! I was crying...Trav was laughing...then he realized I couldn't breath! I went to use my inhaler and it was empty...great. But I drank some caffeine and I was fine....just had a minor black eye!

* 2 more car accidents happened...along with ER visits. The next big issue would be my heart. I was having these episodes where my heart would race really fast, I couldn't breather, I had chest pain and my arms would go numb. After many dr's visits, tests run, heart monitors worn for a month...I ended up in the ER. It was after my nieces birthday party and I was driving to Trav's house. I was feeling funny at the party but ignored it. On the freeway my heart started racing uncontrollably and it was getting harder to breathe. My arms went from sharp pain to feeling numb and my vision was getting blurry...I thought I was going to black out while driving. I picked up my phone and hit send so it would call the last number I dialed and that person could help me. Well, it was Trav and somehow he got me to pull off the freeway to this ditch by the gas station and wait for him. ( luckily his house was only 5 min away). When he picked me up I was collapsed in my car and he took me to the ER where my dad was there to meet us. After some IV meds and them monitoring my heart for awhile I was good to go!

* After that we went quite awhile away from the ER. Trav proposed and a month later I had my heart surgery. After they gave me a sedative some nurse made a joke and apparently I laughed. They later told me that he said, " at least someone laughs at my jokes!" which I replied with, " it's ok, it was just a pity laugh!" Don't give me sedatives...I guess I speak the truth! My cardiologist inserted catheters into my veins and traced them up into my heart. I woke up during surgery ( I was supposed to be awake during this) to see on the machine that my heart was racing at 260 beats for minute! I thought I was going to jump off the operating table...it felt like my body was slamming against the table but I had no control. I spent 85% of a 2 1/2 hour surgery awake but everyone in there was comforting and explained everything they were doing to me. I wouldn't do it again though.

* I thought we were in the clear until last Tues night. Trav was in the second half of his game against Concordia when a player from their team came down on his nose. At first we just thought he had a bloody nose, but I sent Trent to the sidelines where Trav was getting looked at by the trainer to take pics and Trent came back to say his nose was broken. Now, you couldn't tell from far away but after the game when he walked up it was very obvious that his nose was completely to the left. Let me tell you...it was hard to keep a straight face when talking to him but Trav has such a great personality he was still able to laugh through the whole thing We sat at the ER for a little bit and they took some x-rays only to tell him that they could not fix it there because they didn't want to mess it up. Trav was referred to an ENT ( Ear, Nose Throat) and we saw him on Thurs. Trav was told that the Dr would insert bars into his nose and push it back over and if for some reason his bones have started fusing back together, he will re-break it first. The Dr gave Trav the choice of having this in the office with local anesthetic or in the OR and be completely sedated. At first, Trav chose the local anesthetic untill he talked with some friends who said it was the most awful pain they ever experienced. Trav quick made a phone call and changed it to surgery which will take place this Wed. He has some pretty sweet black eyes right now and we are both just thankful this happened 5 months before the wedding as opposed to the week of.

So, those are pretty much the high lights of our accicent-prone relationship! I think our parents are happy to have us off of their health insurance! Trav and I always joke that even if we don't have a place to live we better have good health insurance, because for us that's what we really need! Keep your fingers crossed that from now until July there aren't any car accidents, surgery, or ER visits from the 2 of us! Lost his eyebrow...


Crooked?

The squiggly things are the catheters in my heart

S/P heart Catherization...He never left my side :)

27 Dresses??? Nope...Only 15!

I know...15 dresses. :) Well, there are 11 bridesmaids and then you can't forget our 4 adorable flower girls! In a way I was slightly dreading Bridesmaid dress shopping because I was so worried that none of the girls would like anything we found and we had only 1 weekend for my sisters to choose the styles....but we found great dresses that look stunning on everyone! Pictures are going to look good! The day after the shower my mom, sisters, and Trav's sisters headed to Ferndales to find the dresses! I had told my sisters that they could each choose a style and then we would divide them amongst the other 8! The styles we found were super cute....they are all a little different but look really good next to each other. My mom and I made the decision to go with black dresses. Originally I was thinking hot pink...yes, I have an obsession with pink if you haven't noticed. But once we saw what the pink looked like in the material we were getting we quickly changed our minds! Plus, black looks classy and it will make the flowers stand out! After the 5 sisters had picked their dress it was time for the flower girls to start trying some on. Oh how they loved wearing princess dresses! It probably was the highlight of their year, standing in a poofy Belle type dress in front of all those mirrors! Well, we found precious dresses for them and they are all going to look darling! After shopping, we grabbed lunch at Island's before dropping Kristel off at the airport. Dress shopping was the perfect way to end our girl's weekend!

A few weekends later, the rest of the Bridesmaids ( minus Sara who was missed greatly!) headed back to Ferndales to get the rest of the dresses. It was another fun filled shopping trip because these girls make me laugh so much! They, as well, look incredible in the dresses they chose and we even did a dress "photo shoot" to show them off. :) Afterwards we went down to The District for some lunch and of course a stop at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory...Yum!!!! And of course, I have pics to document the 2 shopping trips! :-)

Add 6 and you will have my side of the wedding party :)

Hanging out!

3 of the Flower Girls!

Dad came and met his 9 girls for lunch!



Love Islands!

They are pretty amazing!

Best Friends!

Roomies!!!!

The District

Rocky Mountain.....Mmmmmm!!!!

( Sorry the last pics are so small...I'm not sure why and I couldn't figure out how to fix it!)