A Big Announcement

So, it's been a few months. Okay, many months. I blame it on life. Life is busy and there's never enough of that oh-so-elusive thing we call "time." But, I guess it's been long enough. Either that, or I just have some really big news I want to tell the world about. Probably the latter. Okay not probably, actually.

Everyone, I have a big announcement. Actually, it's kind of a HUGE announcement (for us, anyway).

And no, I'm NOT pregnant. (Because you and I both know you were wondering a little.)

The news is, that the Duplains (of the Devon and Raechel variety) are moving!

And I know what you're thinking...But, I thought they just moved like 2 months ago? And yes, it's true we did. And we really LOVE our home (and I really LOVE my 3 minute commute). But we're moving again. And the big news part is that it won't be somewhere in Utah.

Guys, we Duplains are moving to...

Miami!

As in, Florida. Very very southern Florida. As in, Will Smith, "Welcome to Miami. Beinvenido a Miami." As in, ACROSS THE COUNTRY to Florida.

As in, Miami Shores, where there is beach like, RIGHT THERE.

As in, holy crap, that's going to be a REALLY long drive and how will you get all of your stuff over there? Well, if you have any ideas, I'd be happy to hear them!

If you're wondering why on earth we are moving to Miami, the answer is because of Devon. Devon did something really hard and really wonderful and got accepted to the PA (Physician Assistant) Program at Barry University in Miami.

We've spent the whole of our marriage and lots of dollars pursuing this dream of his and now it's finally going to happen! The move will take place August 2015 and we are so excited! And I am so proud of my hard-working husband!

DISCLAIMER

There is a slight possibility that, in my excitement, I've jumped the gun and told everyone way too soon. And there's also the slight possibility that, since we still haven't heard back from four schools (who won't be responding to applicants until after November 1), we may receive more invitations to interview and more acceptances. But, since we're about to pay $1000 to secure his spot at Barry, (and the other options aren't in geographical locations quite as awesome) I figured this was a safe bet. Also, we feel great about Barry. Should there be any change that comes up, you all will be the first to know!

And thus ends our big announcement.

A Wedding, a Valentines Day, a Visit, a Presidents Day, and a Concert

It wouldn't be a stretch to say that, ever since we got married, our lives have been a non-stop adventure. Since August, we've traveled out of state every single month (mostly to California, and once to Vegas), therefore preventing us from settling into our "routine" that we keep hoping for, and leaving us exhausted, all the time. Because if it's not one thing, then it's another, am I right? All through December we kept saying to each other, "If we can just get past Christmas, things will settle down and we'll be able to breathe a little bit." Ha.

Well, that was just silly of us. Because we knew that come January, Devon would have to take a class at UVU (30 minutes away) so he has all the prerequisites he needs for applying to PA school come Spring. That means every Wednesday and Thursday night he goes straight to school after work and doesn't get home until 8 or 9 in the evening. And trust me, when you already have your degree and are 30 years old, NO part of you wants to have to go take a random Microbiology class and lab twice a week. Meanwhile, I've been busier than ever at work and have worked more late nights than normal. All of this makes it difficult for us to get a regular exercise routine, which isn't good because we have goals, okay?! And by the time we actually can get to the gym, our hearts aren't in it because all we want to do is go sit. And stare. And do nothing for a while. Add to that some seasonal depression (because oh, it's been sooo gray and cold and dark and gloomy here) and you've got a recipe for two tired-all-the-time newlyweds. So, we've started waking up earlier some mornings to do some Just Dance and get some cardio in before work.

But I digress. The point of all this is to say that life, in fact, did NOT settle down after Christmas. But, besides Devon's class, we've been doing some fun stuff, this month in particular. In the beginning of February we took our 5th trip to California since August to be there for my Dad's wedding. Yes, my Dad got married, woo hoo! Don't ask me anything about his new wife though, because I've only met her twice now. All I know is that she's originally from Brazil, but speaks English beautifully, she has a son on a mission in Brazil, and she works in Irvine, Ca. But hey, she seems lovely, so I'll take it. The wedding was very nice and it was good to see my Dad looking happy.

The weekend after that quick weekend trip was last weekend, better known as, President's Day weekend and Valentines Day. Last year for Valentines Day we decided to take a trip to Vegas. We saw Cirque du Soleil (which was a Christmas present from Devon to me), ate at a fancy restaurant, and then we spent the rest of the weekend in California. This year, we both agreed that doing something fun together was more enjoyable than getting each other cheesy, heart-shaped gifts, so we made a plan. We thought about doing Saint George or Park City, but in the end decided to do a little one night "staycation" in Salt Lake City at the Little America hotel (which is just lovely, by the way). So we stayed the night Downtown and had a delicious sushi dinner and slept in the next morning and then tried a new breakfast place called Finn's, which we highly recommend.

Our hotel room came stocked with a rose, some delicious chocolates, and some bubble bath. So nice!

The view from our room. 

Happy us! Because even though we live 20 minutes away, it still felt nice to get away for a night.

That Saturday morning we picked up my little sister, Ellen, who had driven down from BYU-I the previous night with some friends, and she came and stayed with us for the weekend. We saw the Lego movie together, I made dinner and my brother and sister-in-law came to hang out, we played games and the wii, read books, and had a grand ole time. It's always nice to see my sister and always sad to watch her go again.

Monday, after we said goodbye to my little Lelly, we grabbed some dinner at Gateway and then went to go see Pentatonix in concert (because Devon apparently likes to buy me things for Christmas that I can't use until February ...). We waited outside, in a long line, in the cold, for about an hour. But once the concert started, it was great. They are so talented! Thanks for the awesome Christmas gift, darling.

It was cold, and we didn't like it.

So anywho, that's been our last two weeks. On to the next adventures!

2013: The Best Year Ever

One thing I always love to do at the start of a new year (granted, this one is a little late, but please trust me when I say that I have been a busy woman!), is go back through every month of the previous year and remember all the good things that happened. It really helps me to remember how blessed I've been, and 2013 was no exception to that. I can honestly say that 2013 was THE BEST year of my life thus far. It was filled with so much joy, so much fun, and so much love. If Devon were with me right now, I'd be able to include more things from his perspective, but since he's not, I apologize in advance that this recap is all a little one-sided.

Anyway, it's not hard to see how blessed 2013 was for the both of us and we are so thankful to God for pouring down his blessings upon us regardless of whether or not we deserve them.

********************* 2013: A RECAP ********************

January

2013 started off rough for me because I had to have sinus surgery (for the 2nd time). But some really good things came from it: 

• Devon was there to take care of me and graciously watched chick flicks with me for the next four days of recovery
• My parents drove up, but it was terrible weather, so they only had time to see me right before I went under the knife
• After the surgery, I could breathe and smell again like a normal functioning human being
• I started getting allergy shots once a week to help my body adjust to Utah's dry, allergen-ridden climate 
  

February

In February, Devon took me on a trip to Las Vegas for Valentines Day. We spent Valentines Day eating expensive and delicious Italian food, watching Cirque Du Soliel (the Beatles Love show), and enjoying a reprieve from Utah's horrible winters. The next day we drove down to sunny Southern California to spend the rest of President's Day weekend there. 

March

March was an exciting month for a couple of reasons. First, because it's when Devon brought up the possibility of getting married. I had been perfectly content NOT thinking about marriage, but God had been preparing my heart and it didn't take me long to realize, not only did I want to marry Devon, but I felt completely at peace about that decision. (If you ever want to hear the whole story, I'd be happy to share ...) We went ring shopping that next weekend and I found my dream ring that day. Second, because my roommate Jayni and I were dying to get away from winter, so naturally we decided to spontaneously book a vacation to Oahu, Hawaii and our good friend Danielle came with us!

April

I think you can safely call April 2013 one of the happiest months of my life. I spent the first week of it in Hawaii soaking up the sunshine, eating delicious food, and wondering when and how Devon was going to propose. Little did I know that he was so excited to propose he couldn't contain himself, so the day after I got home from Hawaii (April 6th) he shocked me with a super-sweet proposal. Then, later that month, my Mom, Step-dad, Dad, and baby sister came out to visit for my little brother's graduation from BYU and to celebrate my sister's 18th birthday. In one month, my family celebrated an engagement, a college graduation, and an 18th birthday. A joyous time. That same weekend my best friends were in town and I got to go wedding dress shopping with my Mom, my sister, and my besties. Something I actually never thought would have worked out!

May

In May the weather started getting warmer and wedding plans were well underway. And then I got a surprise at work when we had a company-wide, all hands meeting and our CMO presented me with an award as the Q2 Marketing VIP. How's that for recognition, right? I almost didn't make it to the meeting in time because I had a doctor's appointment that morning due to a crazy illness, but I'm very glad that I did. Believe it or not, I had been busting my butt for years hoping to someday deserve that award, and finally I had achieved my goal. Later that month, Devon and I took a trip with my friend Jayni up to her parent's ranch in Idaho where we enjoyed some time away, built camp fires, went to a rodeo, and went horseback riding.

June

June was a hectic month full of wedding planning and searching for somewhere to live once we got married. In the midst of that, our Marketing team at work was invited to an AMA Awards Ceremony where we received an Award for the Best Marketing Team in Utah. A huge honor, for sure. And something I've been very proud to be a part of.

July

The first week of July meant Bridal Shower! And my Mom and some of my very best friends were able to travel to Utah to be there. I felt so spoiled and my friend Jayni, who hostessed the party, really went above and beyond to make it beautiful and special. That same weekend, my Mom got to come with me for one of my final dress fittings (I had my dress custom-made, so it had been in pieces before this point) and all of the sudden the wedding started to feel real. Also in July was moving day, when we moved all of my stuff into our new apartment where I lived alone until we got married. And also, I bought a new car. Yay!

August

Oh, August! What a month! In the beginning of the Month Devon and I drove down to California to get our marriage license, welcome my baby brother home from his LDS Mission in Tucson, Arizona, and attend Devon's family reunion where I got to meet a bunch of his extended family and spend some more time with his Mom. The week after that his Mom was in Utah for BYU Education Week so we got to spend a lot more time with Devon's family. A week and a half later we were back in California with family, having our Bachelorette and Bachelor parties, and then spending the most important day of our lives, August 31st, in the San Diego LDS Temple with our closest friends and family. It was hot outside, but it was, by far, the most beautiful day of our lives.

September

The first week of September was our Southern California Honeymoon. We spent one of the days at Disneyland, one of the days in Laguna Beach for dinner and dessert with my Aunt, uncle, and cousins, and the rest of the time we spent shopping, lounging at the pool, and eating delicious food. Then we got to come home to our new place together.

October

We kicked off October with our birthdays. Devon is October 3rd (he turned 30!), and I am October 6th (I turned 26). We had a little combined party with friends and my sister got to come down from BYU-Idaho to spend the weekend with us celebrating birthdays and watching LDS General Conference. Later that month we decided to get away for a bit and took a trip down to Las Vegas where we saw the Blue Man Group, attended the Las Vegas LDS Temple, and enjoyed warm weather.

November

November was a relatively quiet month until the week of Thanksgiving. We drove back down to California for the week, met my Dad's new fiancée, Marilena, enjoyed more sunshine, ate incredibly good food, and enjoyed time with family.

December

December was busy with work and Christmas preparations. We had two fun company Christmas parties (one with Devon's work and one with mine) and at one of them we won an all-expenses paid trip to New York City! We were beyond excited. Then we spent Christmas down in California—spent a day with my Dad in his new house, spent some time with some of Devon's family, played a ton of Cornhole, and spent time with all of my siblings and their families. We also extended our stay a few days and spent a fun New Year's Eve with part of my family and left the next day to start a new 2014.

In a nutshell, 2013 was the best year for ME, because it's the year I got, as we like to call it, "Dupe'd". Meaning, officially became a Duplain. BEST YEAR EVER.

xoxo

Merry Christmas! Love, The Duplains

This year, a lot of people asked us if we were going to send out Christmas cards, it being our first Christmas as a married couple and all. My response? Bahahahaha! Yes, that would be a great idea ... except that I can barely seem to find the time to finish our thank you cards from our wedding ... That was in August. Happily, I did FINALLY finish and send those bad boys (phew! Oh, and if you for some reason didn't get one and did send us a gift, you have my sincere apologies and a huge, heartfelt THANK YOU!), but the Christmas card thing just wasn't going to happen (Plus, after all the wedding pictures I posted because I was totally obsessed, I'm sure people are enjoying not having to look at pictures of us for a while, let alone feel obligated to magnet us to their fridges.) (Full disclosure: there WILL be pictures of us in this blog post, so if you are in fact needing a break from pictures of us, probably don't keep reading.)

Side note: did you know that getting married apparently qualifies you to receive Christmas cards? I was not aware of this ... Until all of the sudden this year we received a bunch in the mail! It was great, don't get me wrong, and we loved it, but I just wasn't expecting it. Anyone else experience that, or am I crazy? But hey, keep em coming in following years ... And maybe next year we'll send one out too! (Dream big, Raechel, dream big.)

Anywho, so no, we didn't get around to doing a Christmas card this year, but we still wanted to wish you all, who we love so dearly, the very merriest of Christmases and the best new year 2014 has to offer. We feel so greatly blessed and loved because of all the love, support, and generosity we have received from our friends and family this year. And honestly, what more could anyone ever ask for?

We spent our Christmas this year in California with my family (and I mean, my WHOLE family) and gosh, it has been a blast. (And thank heavens I'm married so I didn't get banished to the couch! Haha yes, I relish all the little perks.) It's wonderful to have all my siblings and their families here and Christmas is just that much better when there are little ones to share the joy with.

So, if you need us in the next few days, we'll just be here, soaking up the 80 degree weather, stuffing our faces with left overs (diet starts again Jan 1), and playing corn hole in the back yard. A green Christmas, just like Christmases should be.

(And much love to our family in Ohio who we missed this year. Can't wait to spend next Christmas with you!)

XOXO, 

The Duplains

The Wedding Day - In Real, Quality Photos

Last week, both Devon and I had birthdays. But we're not here to talk about boring birthdays (but they actually weren't boring at all!). We're here to talk about one of the best non-birthday gifts I received (2 days before my birthday): a little thumb drive full of our wedding photos!

 I'll be honest, I didn't really know what to expect, so I was nervous. What if I didn't love any of them? Then what? All those memories of our perfect-for-us wedding would be lost, forever. Well, I opened up the files and my jaw hit the floor. I may be extremely slightly biased, but I'm convinced that our photographer, Heather of Heather Gibbons Photography (and an old childhood friend of mine), created a masterpiece. No really, this is her best work. If I had a metal, or a trophy, or lots of money to throw a big fat tip at her, I'd do it. Because these, my friends, have stolen my heart forever. 

So, if you haven't already seen enough of these posted all over Facebook (because I really can't control myself and I like to pretend that people care as much as I do), then here, for your viewing pleasure, are some of my favorites:

The San Diego LDS Temple

Those clouds!

My little niece in her sailor jumper with a bridesmaid bouquet

Coming out of the temple

My parents

My siblings and their spouses

My nieces and nephews

His parents

His sister

His niece and nephews

Add caption

Bridesmaids. AKA best friends a girl could ever have

Groomsmen

10 pts to the person who can come up with the best caption for this one...

My dress was the kind that needed lots of fluffing

Obsessed with my train. And my man

I highly recommend having your dress custom made. This dress was exactly what I wanted, thanks to Jessica May Bridal. 

I love seeing that ring on this man's finger

Absolutely it has pockets!

I couldn't get over how beautiful our flowers turned out!

Nautical themed, of course!

These sailboats? $13 each. Thank you, Amazon!

Who wants cake when you can have CHEESECAKE?

Anchor bottle openers and bottled drinks. 

Our food was incredible. And our caterer seriously went above and beyond. 

My sister's beautiful MOH toast. She made us laugh and she made us cry!

My niece had a rough night.

I love him because he thinks I'm funny.

Duh there were bottled Cokes at our wedding. Duh.

We played the Shoe Game instead of doing a bouquet/garter toss. Best decision ever.

My sister-in-law hand made all these cute banners. I LOVE THEM!

Glow stick send off.

Yep. I keep Cheez-Its in the car at all times.