mm, paper love.

so we don't do a "joint blog" per say, but we did do the big

christmas cards.

so fun!

kyle is so great about this stuff, letting me think and overthink my design and packaging, whether I want pictures, whether I want a picture collage, whether it should fold, how it will look best cut, etc. etc. What a patient man :) and he even cut them all!

As I mentioned previously, I was able to use my latest love, Curious Metallics paper. Oh, it is just lovely. Shimmery with a 92 lb wt., this paper might make me happy forever. plus, it comes in almost any color necessary.

I printed our thank you notes for our wedding (seen above, and below) on Curious Metallics gray paper and just loved the result. The original design with gray with white lettering. Place that on top of a shimmery gray paper and I couldn't get enough! I was so worried about having gray on top of gray, and how the white would look, but no need. Take a look!

ps. I will post pictures when I am not in an airport, and can actually take some pictures of the printed product :) don't fret!

when it rains, it pours.

we arrived almost 3 hours early for our red-eye flight to New York,

so I'm doing what I do best at airports: blogging.

thought I could catch up & maybe make up for the fact that I blog only once a month :)

this month has been filled with so many projects, I'm not even sure where to start! Let's start with the most important: Courtney's graduation! My best friend Courtney graduated Summa Cum Laude from ASU in Elementary Education this month, and she asked me to design her graduation invites.

We think they turned out with just the right amount of fun and elegance :) She printed them on my new love, Curious Metallics paper, which is amazing and way too pricey for me use as much as I would like. Add that with a shimmery maroon bellyband and a gold envelope: gorgeous!

documentation.

me & the husband, in our tiny, tiny apartment

(no, but really. this room barely fit the camera and flash I set up!)

One Sunday afternoon, Kyle's grandparents showed us an entire album filled with 30 years worth of Christmas pictures, one for each year. We both looked at each other, and I could tell we were both thinking the same thing:

"We have to do that."

So, one night I had our camera and flash from work overnight, and we decided to experiment with our own Christmas card-like photo. We decided to include our apartment because it's us right now. Magazines galore, a macbook, a wedding picture we love so much and a bookshelf full of books.

It's itty-bitty, simple and just how we like it.

projects.

life has been so busy.

this month, I have:

- sent our biggest magazine (Bride, 164 pages of pure wedding bliss) to the printer...check out sneak peaks here.

- pulled together this weekend project for my pretty cousin Lindsay, getting married next week. I think it turned out quite well for a speedy project, don't you? Also, my talented Dad took their engagement photos. Truly a Wasson project!

- went to my work Christmas party at Chef's Table, an award-winning restaurant. such a fun night with such wonderful people! After Jeanette, our lovely magazine editor and owner, spoke some opening words, I realized I hope I can be right where I am in 10 years.

(my cute husband at Chef's Table where an iPad was circled around in our "Yankee Swap" giveaway from the Bennetts)

a Wasson-turned-Aldous.

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about families. About how far away my family is, about how I miss family dinners, how I wish I could invite my brother over for dinner, how I miss birthdays at home, how my mom should be close by so I can cook with her, how I miss Sunday game nights, how I need Courtney within five miles of my house so I can keep my sanity, the list is endless.

But one of the amazing things about getting married is you gain a family. That circle of love and trust, unity and forever, is expanded, and suddenly, I am surrounded by another family. Not that my family can ever be replaced, but I am amazed at this transition, of gaining another sister, another cousin, another brother. I am filled with gratitude that Kyle's family is so wonderful. I am so blessed to have a second family that I know I can love as much as my own family.

Last weekend, I got to spend some time with my new sister-in-law Kourtney. She played hostess/manager/doctor/tour guide for me and four rowdy boys (yes, my husband is included in that) at Zion Ponderosa, a ranch a few miles outside of Zion where she works. She must be one of the sweetest, most patient girls I know!

I have yet to mention how legit my sister-in-law is.
Oh, she’s legit.
Kourtney took us on ATV's, zip lining, clay pigeon shooting and gave us tours of multi-million dollar homes for a family reunion next summer.

Thanks for such a great weekend Kourtney!

leah&kyle, bridals.

Kyle and I took bridals on Thursday before the wedding, after a long and busy and absolutely wonderful day at the temple. That experience in itself made September 2, 2010, one of the most incredible days of my life.

This was the first time we had seen each other, me in my custom Badgley gown and him in his new gray suit.

Photos included sweat dripping down our backs, sprinklers turning on us and a lot of smiling. My husband was such a trooper :)
I cannot express my gratitude and joy about having a father who is a professional photographer. Not only did this save my family a small fortune, but I think his work is wonderful. Truly, I could not have had a better photographer! He brought bottled water and snacks for us to munch on during breaks, coaxed smiles and poses out of us, and used his body to cover my dress when we were surrounded by sprinklers :)

The best part? Dad worked extra, extra hard to get photos proofed and printed for our reception on Saturday. We had beautiful 8.5x11 photos in our black matted frames around the reception, and as another wedding gift, Mom and Dad gave us two of our own black matted frames!

september 4, 2010.

it's pretty great that after all the
stressing, anxiety, worry and tears...

I can look back on September 4, 2010
and truly say
there isn't a thing I would change.



the happiest day of my life.

making a comeback.

So much to blog about. I've been a terrible blogger.

But, I am back to reality and with that, I am bringing back the blogs.

This month, I will blog about my wedding (with lots of photos!), my reception (photos!), our beautiful, amazing, wonderful Grand Cayman Island honeymoon (yes, photos!) and our lovely Utah reception (of course, some photos).

But for now, you can check out this pretty lady's blog about our Utah reception and my other dear friends' blog.

xoxo

the most important decision.

I am the happiest girl alive.

I am married to my best friend,

the man who is the love of my life.

This whole experience has been so surreal,

has brought me so much closer to God

and been such an incredible journey.

It has made me realize what is important, what is truly important in the eyes of God.

This is the whole reason we are here on the earth.

Not to get jobs, go to school or take trips.

The entire reason we are here is to get married, to raise a family, and return to our Heavenly Father.

This is the most important decision of my life,

and will continue to be the most important decision of my entire life.

I could not be happier, or feel more blessed,

to have such a selfless, wonderful man by my side for the rest of my life.

and it's really true...

being married really is the best :)

the rantings of a nearlywed.

I have a brief second,

one second,

to update a little about my life and share with anyone who reads this.

I AM GETTING MARRIED IN 23 DAYS!

I had my first dress fitting. the one I have always knew I would have, but never quite knew how it would feel. it felt like a lot of pins and a little bit of nervousness mixed with a lot of happiness that I was wearing my dream dress.

Now I know how it feels.

when I was trying on my dress, I realized how not-nervous I am about this whole getting-married thing.

I love Kyle with every single part of me, and I'm not even a little nervous about being married or getting married or anything. I'm not really nervous about how things will look or taste or what the weather will be like on September 4.

I'm ready.

last week I have titled "Invitation Week."

more like, "The Week Leah Finished The Biggest Design Project Of Her Life In The Middle Of Finals And Being Terribly Sick."

buuuuuut.

they turned out better than I could have ever, ever hoped.

(can I gush for a second? well, it's my blog, so I will):

I am SO happy with them!!!

it all came together right when I needed it to, and we (Kyle, me, 183rd ward) pulled it all together every night last week.

it might sound dumb, but I felt like this project reflected who I am, as a designer, and the kind of people Kyle & I are, so I put more energy into those invites than I even care to admit.

I am also moving this week, out of the apartment I have lived in for over a year. away from my roommates, some of my best friends. I'm getting ready to live with a BOY.

from here, I have lots of little things to do, but I feel like we have done all the really big things, like invites and buying dresses and suits and finding a venue.

I can totally handle that.

date to be saved.

yup,

we're getting married :)

be a dear & save the date for us, pretty please?

*also, I'm in need of addresses!*

what I love, from some of you

So, we all know I am not the avid blogger
(in my defense, I am taking 20 credits, working 7 days a week & planning a wedding!)

BUT
I am a constant blog-reader.
I sit at my nice pretty Mac for work, and during downtime, I am a frequent to many blogs.

SO
I decided I would share with my avid, consistent blogger-community my list of absolutely favorite blogs to read.

AND
I would love to hear your favorite blogs!

Etsy Wedding
etsywedding.blogspot
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm a bride-to-be. But I'm pretty confident any girl would love this blog. It's just so creative & girly!



Que Sera, Sera
sarahmaines.blogspot.com
My lovely roommate of three years has a beautiful blog with fabulous pictures, quotes & music. Love reading her posts!

jp creative
jpcreativedesign.blogspot


Such fun designs! I look forward to her posts about her recent freelance design work (which is amazing!) and growing baby :)


Justified by the Scriptures
justifiedbythescriptures.wordpress
Great things about this blog:
a. He posts daily, without fail. Always something to look forward to!
b. He relates his daily life experiences to the scriptures.
c. It is constantly motivating.
d. It is written by my talented fiance!
e. If you ever want to know about my life, just read his :)

Love, Actually
loveactually-blog.blogspot
Such a fun blog with an ongoing assortment of sweet love ideas...so many ways to say 'I love you!'


So, what are your favorite blogs to frequent?!

photos.

in an effort to stay connected with the blogging world, for all of you who don't have a facebook (ahem, ahlin g.):

here are just some of the many, many, many engagement photos kyle & I took last weekend.

my dad came up from Arizona to shoot us, and was so very patient with our silliness :) but man, was it worth it! he got some truly killer shots, and we had such a blast in provo, downtown slc, the flats...pretty much all over utah! I couldn't have asked for a better photographer :)







I just love this man :)
(sorry for my gushiness, but hey, I'm getting married!!)

engaged engaged engaged.

want an update?

kyle & I are engaged!!

want the story?

So. Here goes.

Kyle & I have been wanting to get engaged/be engaged/be married for a while now, haha. He had already called my dad and asked formal permission to marry me. He told me two days before we got engaged that we wouldn't be able to get engaged for another two weeks, due to ring technicalities.

I wasn't at all mad at Kyle, but my parents were supposed to be coming into town to do dress shopping and engagement photos.
Let's just say I was slightly upset about the whole thing. The only thing going through my head was: "One more thing going wrong!"

The next morning, I got to work at 8 a.m., the only one there that early. Kyle texted me and asked me if I had seen the note he left me at the boutique, so I walked over there and saw a beautiful black book, from my sweetheart!

I started reading our story, written by Kyle. He wrote our whole story over the past 3 years, from meeting in class to our weekly lunches and phone calls, to dating long distance for 7 months, to meeting the parents.

On the last page was a letter to me, and at the bottom, he wrote that I had to call him. No, but seriously, I had to call him. I called him, and he showed up right there! I was already in tears because I couldn't believe I had been so upset when I had such a sweet boyfriend.

I still had NO idea he was proposing, I just thought he was trying to make up for it and doing something sweet.

He told me to keep turning the pages...and each page said:

Will
You
Marry
Me?



He cut out a heart in the middle of possibly 50 pages and taped a ring in the center
(not the one I had picked out!)

He couldn't wait long enough to see my reaction to the "wrong ring," and pulled out the ring I loved, saying,
"And actually, we're not going to use that one, is it ok if we use this ring instead?"

What a funny boy :)



I am the happiest girl alive right now. I am marrying my best friend, the most wonderful man I know, and I cannot wait for eternity with him.

Now,
cue the craziness...

life in numbers.

One, two, three, four
Tell me that you love me more

16.5
[credits until graduation]

31
[days until my birthday]

21
[the age I will be!]

40
[hours I will work a week]

9 -- 18
[credits I'm taking this semester, which transfers to 18 during spring]

7
[weeks in this semester]

30
[flights I've taken this year]

xxx
[number of things I am currently planning, list-ing, organizing, fixing, solving, mediating, etc.]


my mind is spinning
[I hate numbers.]

9 days. three trips. one epic meet & greet.

Post (s) to follow... :)

bringing the boy home.

I’m bringing a boy home this weekend.

I have been at BYU, 12 hours away from home, almost four years, and I’ve been particular about the guys I bring home. That’s why I've never done it ... until this week :)

When I flew out to visit Kyle’s family in Virginia over Christmas break, he posted a blog called “Holiday Handicapping.” I’m not a sports girl, but I can understand this concept, and have decided to implement it for Kyle’s six-day visit to Arizona. On a scale from 1-5 (5 being the most likely), here are my picks:

a) There will be lots of early mornings.

Fact: I am the oldest of six kids, and the youngest is two. The kids will be waking up for school every morning at 6:30, and for me, that’s a little early. Chances of this happening: 5

b) Kyle will wake up before me, everyday.

With a three-hour time difference, Kyle is bound to be a little jet-lagged for a couple days. But he’s an early riser and I’m just a regular riser. I imagine I’ll wake up one morning and Kyle will be:

1) In the front room playing Rockband by himself.

2) Playing with some type of toy, most likely involving the laundry basket of nerf guns.

3) Eating a bowl of cereal in front of cartoons

4) By the pool tanning and reading.

Pick: 4 (only a 4 because I said everyday. I've been taught you never say always, never, etc.)

c) Dad will get us to go to the Desert Botanical gardens.

This is one of Dad’s favorite places in Arizona, and during the Chihuly exhibit, I think he visited at least 3 times a week. He’s already talked about us going to the gardens and how beautiful they are this time of year. However, they’re a little bit of a drive, so it depends if we have a car that day and if we want to make the journey. Bet: 4

d) Kyle and I will get lost in Prescott or Sedona, or somewhere in between.

My grandparents are expecting us for a visit in Prescott and I have been dying to get back to Sedona, so a day trip is in order. One our way in D.C., and while in D.C., the two of us got miserably lost, the entire day (even with two iPhones!). So I’m going to place a solid bet that we will get lost during a day trip: 5

e) We only see Erik or Dad a couple times the whole week.

Sadly, this is a slight possibility. I was home this weekend and they are busy, busy. Plus, Dad is shooting some families and portraits the weekend Kyle comes (besides a more than full-time job) and Erik has a Cell Bio test that week. However, I know they want to hang out with us, so they’ll make an effort. Pick: 3

f) The family has to shower outside.

Hahaha. So, our house was flooded a few weeks ago, and our poor home is suffering. We have no carpet, the bathroom is in chaos, there are piles of boxes everywhere. This week, the tub and shower in the kids bathroom are supposed to be remodeled, but it takes a few days to dry. If that doesn’t happen until tomorrow, that could mean we all might have to share a bathroom (or we’ll just throw the kids in the pool.) Pick: 2

g) We spend the majority of the time outside.

Today it snowed in Utah. Now I know Kyle has been having wonderful weather in VA (he's been rubbing it in), but I have been denied the opportunity of playing outside since October. So everything I'm planning for us to do - play at the Westgate fountains, go to the zoo, play at Anthem park - involve the outdoors. Pick: 5

h) Everyone loves Kyle.

Here's my logic. Kyle loves Leah. Leah loves Kyle. Everyone he's meeting loves Leah. Ta-da! Actually, I'm really not worried about somebody not liking him. Hopefully, he won't get sick of us after a few days ... :) My pick? 5

So, that was my first (and possibly last!) attempt at betting. Let's see if I have some beginners luck? :) Wish us luck!

line upon line...

can you overplan?

I'm of the belief you cannot.

however,

I'm at a stage in my life where I could go crazycrazycrazy planning.

and the scariest part?

ALL of it could change, pretty quickly.

"Revelation need not all come at once. It may be incremental. 'Saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more' (2 Nephi 28:30). Patience and perseverance are part of our eternal progression."

Russell M. Nelson, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

inspiration.

this quote is on my franklincovey planner bookmark
(and thus I read it every day)

some bragging. because I can.

my daddy.
he works a full-time job as a director of charter schools at ASU, has six children ranging in from two-years-old to twenty, takes care of his baby brothers, entertains, hosts, puts together, supports, teaches, fixes, etc. etc.

yup, he's pretty amazing.
besides all that, he photographs, and he photographs well.

I am just so proud of him & the amazing man he is.
I know I've said this a million times, but if I can marry a man half as great as him, I know I will be the luckiest girl on earth.

check out more of his art here and here

something like that.

I am so lucky :)

because I'm stressing and need to vent.

dear delta,

please stop overbooking your flights

by not just one, but two, three, five, six people.

this minor flaw has caused me to be at the airport off and on for two days,

have my bag already in SLC,

(which means I am wearing the same thing as yesterday and used mom's mascara)

and in general,

just lots of stress.

kaythanks.

your frequent, frequent flier,

leahmarie.

movie-music love.

I saw Dear John on Friday,

and while I may have a [little] thing for Channing Tatum,

the movie wasn't my favorite.

It might be that I actually am not very fond of Amanda Seyfried,

or that the guy I'm in love with also lives thousands of miles away,

or that the movie ended a little abruptly & I never got to see their happy ending.

No matter.

The purpose of this post (besides procrastinate my paper) is to share my newfound love of the soundtrack.

love, love, love.

& enjoy :)

twitterpated.

yup, it happened, I have a twitter.

Since I am a New Media & Design journalism student, I suppose being completely proficient in New Media (aka blogs, twitter, facebook, flickr, etc.) would be useful.

I do feel kinda like a sellout though. shh.

so kids, follow me? & I'll become skilled at this whole RT, @ business.

leahmwasson on Twitter.com

song of the day/week?: In My Head by Jason DeRulo (thanks, ahlin)

guilty as charged.

I have a confession.

I made the mistake of watching the season premier of 'The Bachelor' a few weeks ago,

and now,

I'm addicted.

It's my guilty-pleasure show-to-watch, and I can't quite get enough.

The morning after I watched the first show, I woke up & confessed to my roommate Sarah.

Only because I had to.

See, shows like this don't just suck you in,

they turn you into a vacuum to suck other people in.

I couldn't stop raving about how dumb I thought Vienna was (she is) or how darling Ali & Jakes date was (darling!) or how great Jake is (fact). Ridiculous.

*sidenote: I just ran across this editorial about the show, and it's pretty hilarious. even better: I'm pretty sure it's true! hahaha. anyways.*

Now, my roommates & I are all quoting it and I think they'll catch up on the past three episodes. So now, I may have just confessed their guilty pleasure show too all in the post ... you're welcome girls :)

However, I'm pretty sure lots of other people have their "guilty-pleasure" show,

the show that may be completely ridiculous or time-consuming or just unnecessary.

just admit it.

I did :)

song of the day: Spotlight by Gucci Mane ft. Usher

as a result.

So Alexa (bestie) made this video on her new MacBookPro (so.jealous.) this morning in my Comms 377 (hence the title). and I kinda just love it. and lexy.

so if you're as bored as we were this morning in class, check it out :)

http://leealexa.blogspot.com/2010/01/boredom-in-my-377-class.html

song: 1901, Phoenix.

how to get lucky.

In my feature writing class, we read this article by Ben Sherwood (in Oprah Magazine, Feb 2009) titled:

“How to Get Lucky”

The article begins in essay format, describing how this woman ended up meeting her husband at the dry cleaners, randomly.

Or was it?

The article discusses chance events, what some may describe as a random event.

Are the people who turn chance into an opportunity, such as meeting a potential business contact on an airplane, just lucky?

“Luck is not a magical ability or gift from the gods,” Richard Wiseman writes in The Luck Factor. He insists that we have far more control over the element — and outcome — of chance in our lives than we realize. “In fact, he argues that only 10 percent of life is truly random. The remaining 90 percent is “actually defined by the way you think.”

That is one of my favorite quotes because it places 90 percent of the responsibility into your own hands. You choose how to react. You choose your attitude. You choose your path. You choose to succeed. Obviously, you counsel with the Lord and ask Him for guidance, but it is your responsibility to be open to change and foster an attitude that can define your life.

“Lucky people create, notice and act upon the chance opportunities in their lives,” Wiseman said. “If luck means being in the right place at the right time, being in the right place at the right time is actually all about being in the right state of mind.”



Here are some insights to being in the right state of mind.

[Give chance a chance]
Go grocery shopping somewhere else, walk a different way to class or if you’re me, actually walk somewhere without headphones in.

[Relax]
I am one of those people who tends to get a) anxious, b) stressed and c) preoccupied, which means I’m not really noticing those moments of opportunity.

“A laid-back attitude can lead to all sorts of possibilities, but you have to be ready to go with the flow.”

[Build your network of luck]
“Remember that you are surrounded by opportunities.”



One source in the article describes the way I sometimes feel:

She used to think it was “inefficient to invest in people you were never going to see again.” If your paths are never going to recross, why bother?

And that’s one reason why I tend to be on the phone as I’m shopping or on my computer on the airplane (besides the fact that’s usually the only time I have time to do those). Essentially, I’m closing myself off to experience those chance opportunities.

But, people are opportunities. The gift is in the interaction and the connection with another person, whether it lasts forever or not.

And who knows — you might just get lucky :)

on my mind

among other things, this is what's on my mind:

I am craving summer so. badly.

Craving it.

so badly that I am sitting here on Victorias Secret online,

shopping for a swimsuit.

it's January.

ohhh man.

this might just be a very. very. long semester.