One Day at a Time

One week from today I will be marrying the love of my life. We will be sealed together forever in the Boise Idaho Temple surrounded by friends and family. When I think about it I get butterflies in my tummy so I try to think about something else....like....finals coming up next week right before the wedding and then I just get sick (because I haven't started studying). 

My life seems to be CRAZY! I have 5 photo-shoots (2 of them wedding) to finish up and send out before this weekend. I have 14 credits and a 20 hour/week job! Oh and the weekends are filled with Wedding planning and shopping. I haven't even gotten a calling in my ward, but the presidency told me it was coming.

This semester is going to FLY by! I have so much to do and I am having a blast getting things done.

SCHOOL: I have my last religion class this semester and I am taking New Testament. It seems to be pretty easy right now... but I know it's going to get harder (leave in mind it's only been the second week). My other 4 classes are all 3 credits and they are mostly history classes. I have a Readings class that I happen to spend HOURS and HOURS reading about the different theory of art.... I have to honestly say, I don't care what art is! I guess it's so hard to define...but why do we need to define it, lets just make it! I want to get my hands dirty and let my mind take over...instead of sit in a 1 1/2 HOUR class trying not to fall asleep. Maybe the next weeks will get better, maybe they won't.

NEW JOB!!! I got a new job at the Campus Curriculum Development Department (it's a mouthful to say). Basically I get to make posters, find graphics, make graphics and have fun. Last week they were teaching and training me how to code websites. I have been working with designing iLearn (that's BYU-Idaho's online database). Well the first few days I had major headaches but now I am getting it down and I am going fast! :) It's kind of fun!

WEDDING STUFF: Last week I went to David Bridals with my future mother-in-law and had a BLAST! It was so much fun I am going again this weekend. I tried on a few dresses and I am starting to fall in love. It's really getting real! We bought flowers the last two weekends and sometimes when I am chilling at the Jackson residence I see them and I have to play with them. I made a baby boutonniere, one groomsman boutonniere, a grandmother corsage, and the throwing bouquet. I have a lot more to do and it's a lot of fun! We got our engagements done last Saturday and they turned out amazing! My roommate took them and I edited them! In October my mom and Grandma Earl are coming down to see the dress, help with flowers, and get the finishing details figured out, I am so excited for that!

Well I am engaged! :) It's official! I am getting married on December 20, 2013 in the Boise, Idaho Temple! I am soooo happy and excited!

Engagement Story (It's quite funny actually)
A few weeks ago Devin and I decided that we wanted to get married for time and all eternity! We went ring shopping and I picked out my favorite kinds and wrote them down and he did all the work after that! On Wednesday, Devin skyped my dad and asked for his blessing. He was all nervous and it was kind of cute!
Well my plan was that he would buy it next week and propose right before I left to go home for a month. Today he was even mentioning how he was still figuring out where he was going to buy the ring. I was not expecting it at ALL!
To make things more covered up Devin's sister Carlene is in town from Baltimore and she mentioned she wanted to go to Mesa Falls tonight after church "go for a drive"! I was a little hesitant because Devin is trying to finish up a calculus final and I have about 6 photo-shoots to finish editing. But I gave in and thought it would be a nice break.
Now I was wearing basketball shorts, Devin's T-shirt and my hair was all gross from church...AKA: Not cute whatsoever! By the time we got to Mesa Falls I was hyper and kind of acting silly. We walked ahead of Carlene, Donetta (him mom) and James (Carlene's bf). I told Devin that we were being rude and that we should wait for them. So I stopped but they kept their distance. Alas we kept walking along the trail!

As you can see... I was just being silly and looking not so cute!

We got down to the top of the waterfall and so for some reason I started Dancing with Devin and singing "I'll Still Be Loving" by Restless Heart. I then was pretending to jump over the railing or spitting all the way down the waterfall (Soooo not romantic or lady like -my bad). He then skipped the whole speech that most men do and said "I love you"...We say that all the time...so I didn't even look away from the waterfall and casually said it back! When I looked back at him he was already on his knee and pulling out a mint box! I thought he was joking with me... but he wasn't when he opened it the prettiest ring was there. He asked for my hand and I said yes!!! 

This semester has been an amazing one! I have fun classes, good roommates, and an amazing boyfriend!
I found out this semester that I can paint with watercolor and that I am not too shabby at it either! My teacher is way funny and I have become friends with a lot of the people in the class! We like to laugh and joke with each other and push everyone to do their best!

One of the Watercolors I did in class! :) Ended up on the "Wall"...meaning it's pretty awesome!

Two of the girls in my watercolor class! We took a trip to Jackson Hole and checked out galleries and ICE CREAM! I love Ariel and Cassie!!!

In my other classes, I am REALLY enjoying marriage prep! It's such a great class and I am learning a ton! My Digital Photography class was a lot different than I expected! I love it though! Now Head Drawing... that's another story! I have improved probably 200% but I just can't please the teacher with my drawings! It's also because I hate sitting in a hot room for 2 hours and 45 minutes. The other day he came up to me after class and chastised me telling me that I sang, whistles, talked, ate Doritos really loudly, talked to the head models, got drinks every 5 minutes and ect... the list seemed to never end... and I didn't deny any of it! After that I decided to sit in the back of the class and draw (no more fun stuff)!

The semester I got a private room! It's so great! I love the king size bed and all the room for myself! I have 3 freshman roommates that are all pretty good! Two of them are pretty messy in the kitchen! I can't complain too much... I am mostly gone from 11 in the morning until midnight!

Devin and I went to do a project for my Graphic Design class and snapped this photo! Love this Guy!

 Now on to the Boyfriend! Devin Cole Jackson and I met on May 3rd at Neilson's Custard and he was on a date with another girl while I was hanging with my bestie Allisa! I like "big" and "tall" guys and I watched this guy walk by the window! "Shoot Dang, check this guy out!" Was my first impression of Devin. Allisa then looked and said, "I know him! He is from Ashton!" (Where she is from). I asked her to introduce me and we talked a little bit (kind of awkward because he was on a date).  We then invited him and his date and his 3rd wheel roommate to my apartment to make cookies! We watched Quest for Camelot and made some Dee-Lish cookies! After they walked out the door I thought I would never see them again.

He was so great with my little cousins! They just loved him!

Devin trying not to let the kids fall off the log!

Sometimes a girl has to do what a girl has to do though! I am not one to give up and in the words of my father, "Kaylynn she's something she wants and she goes for it!" I asked Allisa to message Devin on facebook and tell him to ask me on a date and give him my number... I guess you can't get any more straight forward with that! It took him about a week to "man-up" and ask me out! I was so excited when I got that text! :) We had a good first date and then many dates to follow! The longest we haven't been together if 3 days when I went to Nauvoo! I met his family and they are so awesome and funny and I love them! This last week he came up and met my whole family. He survived two family reunions and I am pretty sure he is a keeper!

Jenica shot this photo on the 4th of July! We were at Kooskia park with the Wilcock clan!

This off track has been full of days that are so busy I can hardly breathe and days that I get so bored I don't want to breathe. Since I don't go back to school until April I have been trying to stay busy working and trying to improve myself physically. I have been subbing around 2-3 days a week and that is a blast. I always have great stories about little kids and the things they say and do. Then on weekends I usually have 1-2 photoshoots (mostly senior) right now. I have been waiting for a weekend to be open to go down to Rexburg and Utah to visit some friends...and I finally scheduled one in!!! I'm going down the first weekend in March and I'm super stoked to go!

Bigger News???

JACOB STEVEN LLOYD

My little brother Jacob turns 20 on Feb. 20th! Right now he is at the MTC and will be there a few weeks until he hits the mission field of Tulsa, Oklahoma! I am so proud of him and I am going to miss him too! He had his farewell on Sunday, and right after we started singing "God Be With You 'Till We Meet Again" and I started with no problems until I looked at my older brother Jonathan and he had a tear in his eye. This one tear caused me to loose it. Then it started a chain reaction to my mom and Jana and then I even say Jacob tear up... what a family of babies! haha On Tuesday we went to Lewiston and stayed in a hotel because Jacob's plane left at 5:45 in the morning and have to be there by 4:15! That was a super tired morning.. but I didn't cry! I was strong and said goodbye! I know he is going to be the BEST missionary ever! I hope he comes back more talkative and outgoing too! lol

JUSTIN STUART LLOYD

He opened his mission call over Skype on Monday and he's going to LONDON, ENGLAND!!!! How exciting is that! I screamed and I think I danced too! He is in North Dakota right now working in the oil fields, so now he gets to come home and mom can help him finish preparing for his mission.

Catching Up from Last Time:

Last blog I was just leaving Rexburg and heading home. When I got home I was there for a week and then flew down to Salt Lake! I had my first big wedding shoot and I was all excited. The first night I got down there. I had a blind date with a guy named Tyson. He took me to Temple Square and we looked at the lights for Christmas and then out to eat. It was a short but sweet date. It was a lot of fun and Tyson is pretty cool.

The next morning I had the wedding. I was kind of nervous but it turned out to be a lot of fun! I started taking pictures at 10:00am and didn't finish until probably 10:00 at night!  It was a loooooong day...but the pictures turned out great and it was a good experience  I have learned a lot from it.












At the beginning of Feb. I went up to Spokane with my family. My parents took Jacob through the temple!! That was exciting... but while they were doing that I was chilling with Megan and Mandi (they are the two red heads in the first picture). They helped me record a song that I like to sing. I'll post the link and you can check it out! CLICK TO HEAR MY SONG!!! ...... But God Be With You all 'Till We Meet Again!
Love, Kaylynn Lloyd