Wedding Day

Our wedding day was PERFECT! I woke up at 6:30 a.m, showered, did my makeup, and packed up the car. My roommate, Annika packed me a French toast for breakfast, and I drove to Dallas Roberts in Orem to get my hair done. While Jessica Hayward did my hair, I ate breakfast, painted my finger nails, and talked to her cute kids. She finished in less than an hour. As I got in the car, Brent called me and asked if I wanted to be there for when his dad gave him a father’s blessing. I said, “Perfect timing! I am 5 minutes away.” I drove to his house, and was able to be there for a beautiful father’s blessing.

Then we drove to the temple together. We both felt so normal. It really felt almost like any other day. We were just going to the temple to get married. 

In the temple, the workers took us back to records where we showed our living ordinance recommends and marriage license. Then Brent went to the men’s locker room, and I got taken to the Bride’s room. They treated me like a queen. They carried my bags, offered me crackers and juice, and gave me a beautiful, silky white robe to put on before I went into the brides room to put on my clothes. I put my purse in a locker, changed out of my Sunday dress, and put on the robe. Then I went into the beautiful brides dressing room. It had 6 vanities with beautiful mirrors and a chandelier. It also had 2 three-panel mirrors and floral carpet. And I had it all to myself.  My mom and grandma Sheranian were able to help me get ready. Then they went up to the sealing room, and I was taken to the Bride and Groom waiting room where I met up with Brent, and we were able to sit and talk for a few minutes. 

The sealing room was filled with people we love! Aunts, uncles, cousin, grandparents, bishops, friends--over 70 in total. It was a beautiful ceremony, and we got to hug every single person afterward. 

Then, I went back down to the brides room, and poor Brent to his regular locker—where he was not offered crackers and juice, or even offered anything! ;-) My mom helped me get into my wedding gown—which had to be laced up the back. A very tricky process. I met Brent in the lobby and we made our grand exit from the temple, where he dipped me and kissed me in front of everyone. 

Thanks to my cousin Becca for these awesome photos!!

I think KaRynn might have taken this one. We love Marie's clasp of longing. :-) I guess the whole time they were waiting for us to come out, she kept sighing and clasping her hands like that. She's such a cutie (and a hopeless romantic)!

I LOVE this picture with my dad! Thank you, Becca!

We took group and family and friend pictures. Then we took couple pictures around the temple with a parasol which kept us cool from the sun. It was a beautiful, very warm, clear day. But not too hot.  

It was so fun to be a bride. Everyone was excited to see us on the temple grounds, and every little girl I saw, stared at me in awe.  These pictures are from our photographer, Satie Wallace:

We got changed back into our regular church clothes, and then went out to lunch, just the two of us—to Zupas, my favorite restaurant. We got sandwiches, soup (tomato basil and lobster bisque), and salad! Yum! Everyone looked at us funny because we were so dressed up for a Thursday, and my hair was so dramatic! Then we ran some errands. We went to the bank, went to Target, dropped off some stuff at Brent's parent's house, and even had time to sit around and talk for about a half hour before we had to get ready for the reception. 


Our reception was in the ballroom of the historic Brigham Young Academy that is now the Provo Library. It was the perfect place to have it because it was walking-distance for most of my local friends, had plenty of parking, and was a really great price. Our moms and their amazing work crew turned it into an beautiful sight. Thank you to my sister KaRynn and her photography skills for these photos: 

This was before the amazing fresh flower centerpieces arrived. I can't wait until I get my hands on some good pictures of those. They were amazing!! Thank you Okaasan and Sister Padilla!

Our favors and my favorite candy. It was Brent's mom's idea, and I'm so glad she suggested it!

Cake from Macey's Bakery

Even though it looks really light outside it was almost 8pm. I love the row of cute cousins watching on in the background!

Then we finished the day by running down the front steps through bubbles and love. Eventually, we found our car in the basement looking like this! We were surprised, but I'm glad we got the real deal on our wedding day. Thank you, Scott, Tami, Emily, KaRynn, and Marie! It wouldn't have been the same without your efforts!!! 


It was an amazing day. The perfect start to our marriage. :-)

Back to Blogging

I'm back! And now I'm married, living in Houston, currently working as a full-time wife. Which means: more time to blog! There is part of me that cringes just a little to think that I am following the married/mommy blog trend so happily. But, there is a reason it is a trend! It's a fun, creative, social outlet for women who want to share what they do with the world. And I think that's wonderful.

Seeing that my blog was in need of a definite face lift, I have been experimenting with templates, etc. Unfortunately, I don't yet have the skills to make this look really awesome. But maybe I'll use my spare time to learn some Java.

The real reason I like to blog is that I like to write. And it's always more fun to write when you have an audience-- even if it is only one or two people. The Writing Project this last summer was SO much fun, and I hope that through this blog and some personal journal writing, I can keep it up.

Brent

Five more days until Brent and I get married! He really is such a perfect match for me. And from how we met, I'm pretty sure it was a match made in heaven.

On February 19^th, I walked into the tax lab on BYU campus to get my taxes filed for free. When there was a problem, the girl doing my taxes got her supervisor to help. I twisted my head around to see who was giving us advice and saw Brent for the first time. Afterward, he did the quality check on my return and we chatted casually. I didn’t think anything of it until, as we were parting, he looked at me in awkward silence as he shook my hand--a little to long.

The next day we saw each other again—in the Provo Temple—and discovered that we were both temple workers on the same shift and had a mutual friend—Dallin Henry. Dallin gave Brent my number, he called that afternoon, and we went out that night. Then the next day we ran into each other again (three days in a row!!) when I was going to choir practice and he was coming out of elder's quorum. We had been in the same stake all along!

Our relationship took off from there. We saw each other or talked on the phone every day. He was extremely busy with a 15 credit load in his last semester of the MAC program at BYU. Plus he was taking 6 credits of History independent study on top. He was also working as a research assistant and TA for a professor and was volunteering at the tax lab. But this didn’t stop him from spending lots of time with me. As school ended and Brent graduated, our relationship really progressed. He told me he loved me the day he graduated, and the next week we took a trip to California where met my family. It wasn't long after that we started discussing marriage.

After ring shopping and talking to my dad, we got engaged on May 18^th. That means we were 1 day shy of knowing each other for 3 months when I had a ring on my finger. And by the time we get married we will have known each other for less than 6 months. This sounds crazy, but to me, marrying Brent Monson is the most rationale and logical decision I’ve ever made.

He is mature, intelligent, responsible, and has the same values, priories, and goals as I do. The thing I like about him most is that he is so genuine and sincere. From the very start he didn't hide anything, and it's always been that way. We are both comfortable just being ourselves.Plus, he's the most thoughtful person I've ever met. He never forgets to send a thank you card. I didn't think a man like him existed!

I know I'm probably biased, but I think this is the cutest face I've ever seen. :-)

The 4 Week COUNT DOWN!!

Brent and I get married exactly 4 weeks from today!! Yay! Time has flown by. Hopefully the next month will be just as great!

Bandit

My whole life I wanted a dog. When I wrote my Christmas and birthday wish lists, #1 wasn’t a Barbie car, it wasn’t an American girl doll, it wasn’t even cash. It was a puppy. And I knew this was only a wish. That’s because my family lived in a small , two-bedroom apartment, and there just wasn’t room for a dog. “It just wouldn’t be fair,” my parents told me, "to keep a dog in an apartment. Dogs need backyards; they need space.”

This made sense to me until me moved into another apartment building. It had 30 units, and although we were the only children in the building, there were plenty of dogs. “These dogs seem to be fine,” I told myself, but deep down I knew that these dogs were really substitutes for children. And since we had three kids—that was animals enough.

Finally, when I was 14, my family moved to the suburbs when my parents purchased their first house. By then I had mostly forgotten of my dreams of a dog. A little brother had come and he was only 3—too young, I’m sure my parents would argue—to have a dog. And that is why on one warm November day my senior year of high school when I came home from school, I got the surprise of my life. On the front door was a sign that said, “Early Christmas present inside.” I thought to myself, “Wow! Mom and Dad must have gotten a big TV or something they couldn’t hide.” But when I walked in the door, sitting in my mom’s lap, shaking, was a small black and white sheltie. I screamed! My wish had come true.

Bubble Gum Fun

In my world, bubble gum is an old mattress.
Squeaky springs release pink juice as
I jump up and down, up and down,
until the well dries up, and the fun is over.

Sarah Jean Sheranian. . . Monson

Sarah means princess in Hebrew, so I’ve always thought my name was pretty cool. When I asked my parents why they gave me the name, they said, “Because we liked it.” The truth is, they were very close to naming me Rebecca, but my cousin Becca was born only 2 months before me, so my parents had to go back to the drawing board.

My middle name, Jean, comes from both my grandmas. My dad’s mom is named Jean and my mom’s mom is named Val Gene. I actually had no idea what Jean meant until I just looked it up and found out it means, “God is gracious.”

My last name is definitely the most unique part of my name. It is Armenian, and has an interesting history. When my great-grandfather came from Armenia to the United States, he was only 10 years old. Living in Murray, UT he was teased about his accent and looks. So, he decided to become as American as possible. He changed his last name from Sherinian to Sheranian to try and make it easier to pronounce and “more American sounding.”

Even though it is usually misspelled and mispronounced, I’ve loved having this last name. It’s unique, beautiful, and just rolls off the tongue after my first and middle name. I get compliments on it all the time. It’s also very convenient because I am literally related to every Sheranian in the world, by 3 generations. When I was single, I thought that I would keep my last name if I ever fell in love with someone who had an awful last name like Bergerman or Shlops. Luckily, I fell in love with a Monson. A good, solid last name with just the right combination of familiarity and rarity. It moved me up the alphabet, and it is fun to use the letter M in my new signature. Plus Brent is so adorable I would take his name no matter what it was.

But here's the real question: When I change my name, what should I change it to? I want to make my new legal name Sarah Jean Sheranian Monson. I don't want to have to give anything up. But will that make my life more complicated? If I do give something up, which do I give up: Jean or Sheranian? Here are the options:

Sarah Monson
Sarah Jean Monson
Sarah Sheranian Monson
Sarah Jean Sheranian Monson

What is your advice?

My (And Jenny's) Bedroom

Bright sunshine walls and long carpet
that gets infested with hair if we don’t vacuum.
Desks cluttered with books, papers, and keepsakes.
Beds sometimes made and sometimes not.
Two desks, two beds, two dressers, two ways of living,
But perfect harmony.

A Jon McNaughton Arizona sunset,
An Elspeth Young calendar of Biblical women and a white BYU graduation tassel,
My first oil painting: the Drakensburg Mountains in autumn,
Underneath a plaque that reads “HOPE.”
June and July desk calendars, one above the other, taped behind the door for the wedding plans countdown.
An orange racers bib from a feat of a lifetime—my first half marathon.

Burnt sienna and green vermillion,
Indigo and paynes grey,
Linseed oil washed sky:
An unforgettable moment captured in color.

Home

I am from busy streets and starless nights.
I am from riots and earthquakes and nine-month-long trials.
I am from first story apartments and sidewalks carpeted in purple jacaranda blossoms.

I am from Hawaiian haystacks and taco salad.
I am from crying over homework and avoiding piano practice.
I am from “Make it a good day,” and “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”

I am from playdates, bike rides, and the bake-sale club.
I am from swimming lessons every summer just to make sure.
I am from the Box Car Children, Babysitters Club, and Anne of Green Gables.

I am from generosity.
I am from faith.
I am from love.

Everyday China

My Grandma Sheranian is one who believes that if you have something good, you should use it. And so after her set of everyday dinnerware finally wore out, instead of replacing it with some cheap stuff from Target, she brought out her mother’s china for everyday use. The family was shocked. How can you use china everyday? Won’t it get broken? Won’t it loose its charm? But grandma wasn’t concerned: “It’s been in my cupboard all these years and has hardly been used. What’s the use of having china if you never use it?”

Grandma did own more china than usual. She had her own set of china she got when she was married—cream colored and Asian looking with blue flowers. We didn’t see it much because many of the pieces had broken and there wasn’t enough to set a full table. She had her mother’s china that was gold rimmed with blue and pink flowers, which I had never seen until she had brought it out for everyday use. She had her mother-in-laws set of Rosenthal China that only came out for VERY special occasions. And she had another set of china that I’m not sure where she got, but it was what we normally used for birthdays so we saw it quite often.

I’m sure you can understand why someone who has four sets of china would put one to everyday use, and now it makes sense to me too. In a way it shows grandma’s attitude about life: enjoy it while you can.