The Speechley Wedding

Megan is married.
Megan is married to Jeff.
Megan is married to Jeff Speechley.
Megan is married to Jeff Speechley, SAY WHAT??

I love Megan, and I love Jeff. More importantly, I love them together. Tuesday, December 18th, 2012 was the day, marriage was the game, and they were #winners all day!

Really, the day was perfect. We set up the church for the luncheon all day Monday. Megan and Jeff both looked happy as can be, nothing could stress them out. And wow, what a team that came together to make the church that megan has spent her life growing up in, a perfect arena for her dream wedding reception.

Tuesday morning, Chase and I woke up early to get to the Salt Lake temple in plenty of time. (Sad story: the previous Friday night, Megan recieved her endowment. That's the very happy part. The sad part is that Chase and I ended up stuck on 89 in a broken car, stupid alternator. We missed her session, but we went through anyway and I thought about Megs the whole time, and of course I cried when I found her in the dressing room after. Hence, we were NOT going to be late for the ceremony.) We picked up Clark and raced to Salt Lake. I hurridly found the brides room, only to find that Meg had already gone up the the celetial room to meet her groom. As the wedding party made their way to the sealing room, I couldn't help but tear up. Megan and Jeffy are getting married. That day that they have waited for for four months, or rather their whole lives, is here. Today, is the day.

The sealing was perfect. It is a beautiful thing to be able to return to the temple and witness sealings, and remember the covenants I made with God and Chase a year and a half ago. I couldn't look at Meg for longer than about two seconds at a time before welling up like a wet sponge. The looks on their faces were calm, happy and ready. Their exit from the temple was very sweet. Surrounded by family and friends, they basked in their married glory. I love weddings, but I LOVE sealings, especially those of whom I care so much about.

The lunch was at one at the church, although I had to keep reminding myself we were in a cultural hall. The place was packed with Megan and Jeff's closest friends and family, as well as good food and beautiful decor. The sweet words said by the parents of the newly weds and the bride and groom could not have been more perfect. I personally cried like a baby the whole time. Jeff really is Megan's perfect person. I am so glad they found each other. Of course, I can't say that 13 years ago, when Jeff and I were in primary together, I could see it coming that, one day, J Speech would be my brother-in-law. However, in this family, we don't do "in laws". Jeffy is my brother!

The reception later that evening, was a dream. Something that I think has to be somewhat unique to weddings in the mormon church is the sheer volume of support that comes out of the wood work to be there to create the perfect day. The cake cutting was darling, the boquet toss was precious, the garter toss was scandelous, the last dances were tender, and the first dance was short. But let us not forget what might have been one of the highlights of the entire affair; The Five (Jeff's four best friends; Ethan, Ben, Israel and Mason) planned a dance to "Jesse's Girl" (Jeffy's girl) and sang to Meg and Jeff. Adorbs. Jeff has some of the best friends a guy could ask for. Finally, the couple ran through a tunnel of sparklers. The perfect ending to a perfect day.

In preparation for the marriage, I was able to attend all of Megan's bridal showers. How fun! A series of parties just for the bride as she prepares to make THE most important decision in her life. Megs was then focusing on the kind of bride she would be, the kind of wife she would be. And she did so beautifully. The first shower, a neighborhood shower at Jody's, I gave her a Willow Tree. My older sister did that for me, and I won't ever forget the feeling; the feeling you get when you know you have the support of your sister. At her friend shower, I gave Meg an "S" and a couple ornaments to remind them of their winter wedding. At her in-laws shower, I gave her a plaque that said, "And I thought I loved you then..." Jeff and Megan's song. And we will just let the gifts of the bachelorette party be left to the imagination! I think Megan and Jeff enjoyed being engaged, which I love. The engagement is part of the fun!

And after the couple returned from a honeymoon in Park City, they moved into "The Cabin". A precious little one bedroom literal cabin in Ogden. It's perfect for the two of them. Off street parking and everything! I am so happy for them. I caught myself a few times in the last 5 months remembering how fun it was to be engaged and newly wed, and I hope I never forget! Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Speechley!

I love today!!!

Today was killer.

I seriously love today. It started out drab; Chase and I got to the library only to realize I had forgotten my textbook at home. After a solid paper writing and some studying, and an ace-ace-in-your-face by Chase on his last final, we headed home. After we were primmed and prepped we headed to Salt Lake in time for a quick swing by to Victoria's Secret to find out how much my rewards card was worth... $500!!!! Holy cow, can you believe it?? Well don't, because it was actually worth $10! Anyway, we then headed to Little America for the Tanner Co. Christmas party. It was beautiful of course. And there was a little pre-gaming with the BEST hot chocolate ever, and some "domestic cheeses" and crackers. As the group assembled and headed into the dining room, we met more of my future co-workers, what a fun group! I met my mentor/coach, Todd, and my audit buddy, Katie! Dinner was delightful, and the after party was hysterical! So... picture in your mind... a parter from the firm dressed in a tuxedo. He draws the attention of the room to himself just as Gangum Style starts to play over the Christmas music in the background. It's fine, it just turned into a flash mob. Who ever said CPAs are boring? I haven't laughed that hard in a loooong time. I had tears welling up in my eyes. The DJ then arranged a line of guys from the firm that did YMCA in goofy hats to get the dance party started. I did indeed get pulled into it for a minute, before I died inside and had to sit down again. Then the unthinkable happened; Chase pulled me onto the dance floor! What? Oh ya, that is not his norm, but it was 45 seconds of fun! We then walked out with a little gift, the coooolest speaker ever in the world that I am in love with. Let's just say I am so happy I have the opportunity to get to know these people better.

Chase and I then headed over to the Conference Center to meet his parents and grandparents who were attending the MoTab concert. Back track: we haven't seen Grandma and Grandpa Darrell for 11 months! They have been serving a mission in Sweden. The are home for Megan and Jeff's wedding! Back on track... so Chase and I go sit in a little corner of the conference center to get warm and wait for the last 30 minutes of the show.

I love my husband.

He sang to me, and challenged my whistling skills, and looked just perfect. It was one of those nights when it feels like we are 17 and 18 again. As we waited, we could hear the program. Alfie Boe, Chase's most favorite tenor, was one of the guests. And when he sang, Chase and I just looked at each other. I almost cried, I was so happy that Chase got to hear him sing. We danced to the last song, then went looking for the family. Of course I cried when I saw grandpa and grandma. They are just the cutest.

Tomorrow, Meg receives her endowment. I am so excited for her. If anyone is ready, she is.

A few things we have missed... Hudder's was blessed on December 4th! It was so sweet, Sean did an amazing job, and Hudson was perfect. I cheated and peeked to look at Lauren during the blessing. What a sweet moment for a new mama, and what a perfect mama she is. Oh! And Huddy laughs now! I haven't seen it in person, just on a video! I can't wait to see him giggle!

Finals week: it ends Saturday. Chase is done, but I have a couple things left to do. One test, one project. Normally I finish early, but this semester is killing me.

Coming up: the wedding, Christmas, and dad's 50th birthday!!! Life is so so good :)

Thanksgiving and a Road Trip! Boulder, CO

Thanksgiving this year had a slightly different flavor than usual. Chase and I were in town to go skiing on opening day at Snowbasin! I haven't spent Thanksgiving in Ogden at home for a loooong time. My family generally goes to Grand Cayman in years past, California to watch Avery play soccer, Las Vegas to visit Lauren and Sean, Park City or St. George. But this year, we were able to participate in the novelty ritual of opening day at the ski resort! We got up to Snowbasin just after it opened, confused as all get out about how on earth we would be skiing on dirt and rocks and weeds. We rode up the gondola and headed down the mountain on surprisingly soft-ish snow. We were only able to ski down to the Middle Bowl lift where the line was not short or fast. After taking two half runs, the lift broke down and mobs of people went under the ropes and skied all the way down to the grass runway at the base. It was a blast! Zach, a true die hard, slept in line all night in the cold in order to be in the first lift up. He was interviewed by Park City TV and the newspaper!

After skiing we headed home to Dad's house to eat breakfast and play darts. We then hurried to get cleaned up and make corn pudding to take to Aunt Susan's house. Dinner was fabulous! Classic turkey, yams, potatoes and pie! Unfortunately Chase and I had to leave a little early to meet Lauren and Sean to  take off on our ROAD TRIP to BOULDER, COLORADO!!! We met at park n' ride and started off on the nine hour drive. Baby Hudson was a champ! Most of our stops were for us old folks. Sean drove and got us their safely at about 1:30 am. We stayed at the Millennium Hotel right by the University of Colorado. We wanted to go to breakfast at Crepes a la Carte, but it wasn't open for breakfast. We went to a little bakery on Pearl Street instead. We walked Pearl Street and head to the CU v. Utah football game. It was so fun! I ate a nasty cheese burger and loved it! It was so fun to be back on the campus. It really is the most amazing setting. The game started with a touchdown by Utah on the second down. We thought it was going to be a blow out, but it turned out to be a great game! There were back to back kick off returns in the forth quarter and it was tied until the very end. Utah scored one more time for the win. So fun! That night we at the Boulder Chop house and went back to the hotel to watch The Grinch!

The next morning we ate at The Walnut Cafe. Our waitress asked if she could hold Hudson and just walked around the restaurant showing him off. It was hilarious! Then we went to campus and played frisbee on Ferrand Field. The campus is so beautiful! Then we went to Buffalo Wild Wings. I think it is the original, not sure. It was fun! That night we had dinner at The Med and walked pearl street (this trip centered partially on eating lots and lots of good food). It was sooooo good! We got a caramel apple and went to World Market before calling it a night. I got to give Hudders a bath! He is the sweetest little thing in the world. The next morning Stacie and Johnny met us at The Buff for breakfast. It was so good to see old friends!

The drive home us looooong. Hudson only had one moment when he needed to get out of his seat and he let us know! We stopped at Little America for dinner and made it home in about 8 hours. This is the first trip Chase and I have gotten to take with Lauren and Sean. I hope we make it a tradition. I feel like I know little Hudson so much more after the trip. We all had toooo much fun together, and I loved seeing Boulder with some of my favorite people. Life is about seeing and doing and experiencing, and we did all of that!!

The Presidential Election

So, as the semester winds down, it is getting harder and harder to focus. So, blog time. I am going to see how consistent I can be (knock on wood). A big topic that I have yet to discuss is the presidential election that took place last week.

Leading up the to the election, Chase was in charge of an initiative on campus; Voter Registration. He organized people and marketing in order to get as many people on campus registered in time to vote as possible. I am so proud! He did a great job. Little Weber State was kicking but the whole time, up until the very end. SLCC ending up beating us by a hair. Chase and I attended all of the debates and tried to stay informed. We watched 2016 (yes, biased information) and bought Romney shirts. We were 100% Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan supporters. Without too much detail, I am impressed with the past accomplishments of Romney. He is a businessman, not a career politician. It's like my history teacher in high school; Hunna (Mr. Brown) had LIVED the history he was teaching. He had traveled to see and touch and talk and learn, then he came to teach. Mitt has been around the block when it comes to handling lots of money and turning crisis into success (Salt Lake Olympics). Obama, who I respect as the President, did not do a number of things he said he would do in his first term. The deficit went from 4 trillion to 16 trillion. TRILLION. How many is 1 trillion? One trillion seconds is over 31,000 YEARS. Ok, so a lot. A trillion is a lot. Also, I can't stand the ever increasing expectations about how the government is supposed to 'take care' of it's citizens. Handouts are bad. End of story. Though controversial, this is hilarious "Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Give a man a welfare check, and he will vote democrat for the rest of his life." Also, I don't agree with Obama's Healthcare Act. I have a huge problem with the healthcare industry being so regulated by government. Take an economics class if you haven't; in a free market economy businesses are allowed success or failure. Supply and demand drives capitalism. Some industries like military and public lands cannot be run by the private sector. But healthcare should be, in my humble opinion, the most perfectly run industry in the world. By allowing doctors to set and advertise prices and success rates, shopping for a physician would be much more possible. Then, crappy doctors would go out of business. The quality of healthcare would improve.  That is only the first snippet of why socialized health care is the pits. Side note; my dad wants to expand his business and Obama's administration has made the impossible. Also, forcing people to buy health insurance? Ya, that will work. *sarcasm*

Anyway, I am sad that Mitt Romney is not going to be president. I felt personally defeated on election night. I shed a tear or two. But am I hunkering down for all hell to break loose?  No. I am grateful for my beliefs that make it so easy to look forward with faith and hope. God is our king, and he guides the happenings of this great nation, even now.

A lot has been said as far as opinions go concerning the results of the election. My favorite summary is this; my seminary teacher from high school posted it on his Facebook after the election...

"I may not agree with the choices made by others, but my allegiance is to God and America, and I will support both. I will support the President in anything good and right that is initiated...and I will pray for him. I will pray for both sides of the aisle to work together for the betterment of the land I love and the protection of the freedoms we all enjoy. Bickering and complaining does not change things, it just festers within oneself and annoys others. I pledge to be a better citizen, neighbor, father, husband, and saint so that I can be a blessing to all I come in contact with. God bless the USA." - Mike Woodbury

The church came out with an official statement here--http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/statement-on-election-result

And finally, I had a talk with my boss Devin at work. He told me about a talk given at church by Matt Godfrey, the last Mayor of Ogden. Matt's talk sited a talk given by President Hinckley in October 2001 conference called "The Times in Which we live". Towards the end, President Hinckley mentions Pharaoh's dream about the seven fat and seven lean kine (seven years of plenty and seven years of famine). EXACTLY seven years later, almost to the day, the stock market crashed and the recession began. So, here we are four years after. Maybe in three more years, something will change for the better. That, my friends, is cool. My hat is off to Matt for doing his duty in researching the words of the prophets to spread hope and faith in God's plan. Life goes on. 

Appendectomy

So. Trying to update the blog for an entire year was hard. I didn't remember everything, so here are a few more plugs.

I got my appendix taken out this summer. The weirdest day. So Chase and I were staying a couple days on Weber State's campus for the Student Government retreat. (Chase is the Government Relations Director and I am Chief of Staff for WSU Student Association). It was a blast! 100 of us all staying in dorms and staying up toooooo late. The next morning I woke up with a horrifying stomach ache. I told Chase how weird it felt; I wasn't just my stomach, it was my entire abdomen. I couldn't eat anything. I couldn't get comfortable. I ended up writhing in pain on a couch in the bathroom of the Student Union. Gross, I know, but I was desperate. I threw up 6 times between 9 am and 11 am. I kept telling Chase I was fine so he could attend the meeting with Damian Lillard. The sweetest girl, Lesli, found me in the bathroom and would not leave! She refused to believe I was fine. So just when I felt like I was approaching death's door, I went down to the campus doctor and sat there crying for 20 minutes. I caved and called Chase and he came down. He was a little confused because I had been telling him I was fine, then he found me in a doctor's office curled up on the floor bawling. He called my dad, Dad called Dr. Carabine. We all met at Dr. Carabine's house and he examined me. He concluded that I had appendicitis. He headed to the hospital and got a CT scan. The radiologist confirmed it was appendicitis. From radiology we went straight to surgery. The moment I was changed into a gown, they knocked me out. The last thing I remember was the anesthesiologist saying, "Has anyone in your family had problems with anesthesia? There is a possibility of death. UM HELLO. The stuff is already being pumped into my arm! Bad timing doc. Anyway. I was in and out of surgery by I think 4 pm. I am so grateful my dad is a doc and was able to get me in with Dr. Carabine. I didn't worry for a second. I have known Dr. Carabine and his family for 10 years. I trusted him completely. Anyway, when I woke up, I was bawling. I said to my dad who was in recovery with me, "I am not in pain, I just can't stop crying!" And I continued to be a basket case as they wheeled me through the halls to my room. I was told I had to stay over night. Had I known how expensive those rooms are per night, I would have marched out right then! Megan, Jeff and Tony were all there in my room. Mom, Dad, Zach and Ave all came too. Chase slept in a little chair all night so I wouldn't be alone. It was a weird experience. My plan for the weekend was to fly to Las Vegas at 5 to help Lauren move home at 36 weeks pregnant. But that obviously fell through and Sean ended up taking my ticket to help Lauren. I was only in serious pain for about three days, but I couldn't laugh for three weeks without holding my stomach in pain! The day after surgery, I went to Alli Story Allen's wedding. I didn't want to miss it! My mom took me because Chase was at work. After walking in and standing for about 5 minutes, I started to feel like my stomach was contracting and it made me hunch over. I headed for the car and by the time I got there I was talking 5 inch steps, painful steps. Too much too soon! Three months later I have three scars about an inch long each. I am so grateful for modern medicine and for my doctor and my family!

The Good Year.

It's been a long time since I have written on here. I have decided that rather than spend my life pinning away, I would throw up a blog post now and then.

It has been nearly a year since I last blogged. So I have a lot to rehash with myself. Starting with our sixth month anniversary: December 15. Chase got me two dozen roses and we went skiing and then went to the Roof for dinner. So perfect :) Oh, and I also went back to blonde, wahoo!!

Then there was Christmas last year. First Christmas married! We had the cutest little tree, so Charlie Brown. I wish so bad we would have saved a sliver of the trunk (pinterest addict... this girl!) We spent the morning at our apartment, and the day with family. I love Christmas! To bring in the new year we went to a black tie party (somewhere in time black tie got changed to frumptrash-in-a-can style), but hey it was fun.

January was awesome. Why? I got a phone call from my sister Lauren.
"Do you have a minute?"
"Yes."
"Go somewhere where you are alone."
<MIND EXPLODES with what she might tell me>
"What's up?"
"I'm Pregnant"
<Knees promptly hit the floor and tears hit the cheeks>
That was about the best news I have ever heard! Keeping that a secret for a couple weeks was like trying to contain a heard of cats in a room full of yarn balls. I loved baby Fowler from the second she said those words.

We also said goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa Reynolds. They headed to Sweden for 18 months. The night they got set apart, I told Grandma Nolene how great of an influence the missionaries in my ward in Colorado had been. They were my grandparents for that 9 months. We had a sweet moment. I miss them both so much. We get to see them in December for about a week! Then they will come home for good in July.

We spent Valentine's Day in Park City, which is becoming a tradition that I love. We spent my birthday at home with family. No getting crunk for this 21 year old. Sober is hottest! Chase spent the spring coaching Bonneville Track and Field. He loved it! I got to go with him a few times and the kids love him! I know Chase is a great athlete, but I had no idea what a great teacher and coach he is. I was really proud of the athletes as well as Chase. The boys won region! Chase is going to do that again this coming spring and he is really excited.

We went to visit Lauren and Sean in Las Vegas in March for Sean's birthday. I about died when I saw Lauren's little belly! We love love love love spending time with Sean and La, best friends for life.

My dad, Zach, uncle Will, and Tom Burton all spent time that spring in Asia climbing Mt. Everest. Say WHAT??? Yep. Will and Tom summited. So incredible. Zach had broken his hand playing soccer and Dad took his pins out on the mountain. Talk about rugged! How cool of an experience for Z-man and Dad. Will had a crazy death defying experience that we are so glad to hear from his own mouth. I am so jealous of the opportunity and really proud of all of them.

State track was fun this year. Avery kicked ace. I cry every time she or Zach races. Z-man was recovering from Mt. Everest and a broken hand, so sat this one out. Chase was coaching and his kids performed awesome and they are stoked for next year.

During the summer, Chase and I both "went to school". Summer school sucks. Flat out sucks. It was good to get credits out of the way, but we were in summer mode for sure. We also celebrated our 1 year anniversary in Park City. It was so perfect. I just love being with Chase. He is the perfect person for me. I just can't stand how much I love being with him. We have so much in common, and the differences we have are absolute strengths when we put them all together. I am so grateful that I have the chance to get to know him better for years and years. I also spent the summer at an internship at Autoliv in Ogden. I was part of the Internal Audit team. I learned a bunch and it prepared me for the coming year and taught me what I need to look for in a job. I also spent a ton of time getting ready to host a baby shower for Lauren with Avery, Samantha and Mom. It was so so so much fun! I could do that forever and be so happy, maybe one day :) The best part was how many women came to support Lauren and Sean and baby Hudson. It was a blast!

Then school started. I am a senior, Avery is a senior, Zach starting his sophomore year at Ogden High, Chase is starting the accounting program at WSU, and Lauren and Sean are having a baby. And Mom is in school too! She is going to be the best designer/architect ever. She already kicks but. I am excited for her to help me design a home one day. Another HUGE family item right now are the winter games! Megan and Jeff are getting married! December 18th is the big day. We are so excited! There will never be a winter wedding like it :) It's a big year for our family.

Then, the big moment. On September 6th, at about 4 am, we got the news. Baby Hudson is coming! We showered and raced to the hospital in Murray. Lauren was in a lot of discomfort, but so excited. We only had to wait about 90 minutes of more laboring until the doctor arrived. The delivery was about 30 seconds long. I tell Lauren all the time now that she a baby making machine! She did it so perfectly. And Sean was adorable. And that baby's face!!! I will never forget it. Hudson Barry Fowler: 8 lbs, 8 oz. and 21.5 inches long. He was chubby! I only got to hold him for about 1 minute, so when Chase and I went down to visit a couple days later, I bawled like a baby when I held him. So perfect. I didn't anticipate how much love I would feel for my nephew, I love him to the moon and back!

The latest family concern was OHS athletics. Soccer; Avery is a beast. She played center mid and destroyed all season long. They were undefeated until the semi-finals when Park City beat them 1-0. It was an amazing game. I loved the crowd that showed up to support. The alumni game next year is going to be a joke! The 7 seniors on the team are a fun group to watch. And seeing a couple freshman kill it in varsity was really fun, especially Audrey! Cross Country; Zach is a champ. He improved all season and OHS swept region with girls and boys, varsity and jv. Luckily he didn't break his foot until after the season ended! He will come back swinging for track!

Chase and I are as busy as we can handle and still have fun. We are both full time in school and we are both involved with WSU Student Association. I am nannying for 12 hours per week and working 2 nights per week at Bistro 258. Chase is teaching supplemental instruction classes in history and working 4 nights a week at Sonora grill. Wow! We protect Wednesday night so we can spend that time together. The last six weeks I have spent lots of time participating in fall recruiting for accounting in order to secure an internship for the spring. It was really successful! I got 5 offers! I was really happy with it. I decided to go with Tanner in Salt Lake. Hopefully when the internship is over I will be offered a full time job when I graduate in the spring. Crazy! I am also starting a GMAT prep class in November so I can take the test in January. I will be applying for the Master of Tax program at Weber State so I will start that in the summer or fall.

I love life. I love looking forward to the next thing, while still enjoying and making the most of today. I have seen myself improve in so many ways, and I have found other ways I can improve in the coming year. In lots of my interviews I was asked, "What are three words that describe you?" I said adventurous, futuristic and progressive. I love trying new things! I love having a plan and looking forward, and I love doing things today that will help me get where I want to be.

The most important thing is to be happy, and I... I am very, very happy.