#oh also if anyone wants progress pics I have so many of basically every stage

[gayghostrights]

I had the absolute pleasure of working with @bluejayblueskies’s (bluejayblueskies) fic it’s a wonderful life for the Malevolent big bang!!!

This piece is a combination of vintage photographs, acrylic paint, and craft wire. I wanted to capture the vibe of Arthur’s idyllic life and his attempts to hold it together as his dreams bleed into his waking life.

I loved this fic so much, and I had so much fun putting this together!

[ballet-symphonie]

Bolshoi Etudes Asks:

Soo you’ve seen the comments under Elya’s Etudes triple debut! Opinion on the debut and on her progress? Girl truly saved their ass, I mean,wasn’t there anyone else that could dance Etudes at least in one show?! I’m pretty sure I saw Turazashvili, Denisova and Zhiganshina in the pics!

Regarding her performances, I have only seen brief clips of various performances, but she appeared stable and lively! She has always been a strong technician (especially with turns) and the choreography of Etudes suits her strengths. I would like to see her musicality further develop especially with her footwork. 

I do not understand why they decided the best solution was to have her dance that much! A lot of the Bolshoi principals have the ‘Ballerina’ in their repertoire but some would not be suitable to replace Sevenard without changing the partners as well, which they usually try to avoid doing. Krysanova is injured, Kovaleva is too tall for the male cast and Obratsova hasn't danced Etudes in a few years and only with shorter men. I was wondering what Smirnova was doing? She has danced with Chudin and Ovcharenko in the past and I thought it would be reasonable to swap her in without changing the male cast. It could also have been a great idea to give it to Shrainer or Khokhlova, both had debuted before and have danced with one or both of the men cast on various nights. 

They likely did not want to move someone who was dancing a corps/soloist role into the principal role as that can cause more problems in the corps, which is very demanding, and confusing in terms of traveling and sectioning patterns (speaking from personal experience dancing Etudes here). It would be more stressful to rearrange people in the corps AND switch the leads. 

A side note to what you’ve suggested, I think it would be interesting to see Zhiganshina in this role, she is another strong technician with a bright character, and I could see her doing well here.

Is dancing Etudes back to back to back difficult to do? I’m very ignorant in terms of difficulty of ballets..I guess that it’s tiring but thinking about how many times they might rehearse a ballet in a day maybe they’re used to it

Eleonora not only danced Etudes 3 times, but 3 times in two days. It is exhausting both mentally and physically to dance a double show as a corps dancer but even more so as a principal, which is why it so rarely happens. 

Speaking from personal experience, Etudes is a very difficult ballet. I have danced several different parts in etudes (soloist and corps) in my company and it’s one of the most tiring 1 act ballets, an opinion shared by many of my friends and colleges.  The corps pattens and staging is also more irregular than most and really requires a lot of focus. 

Regarding the principal roles, Harald Lander basically shoved in every difficult technical element in the ballet syllabus for both the two men and the ballerina. It’s jam packed with tricky turns, tiring jumps and intricate footwork. It really demands strong technique, the sheer difficulty of certain parts can be overwhelming. It is also very tiring, the principal has done so much dancing and when she finally gets to the final mazurka, she still has about 5 minutes of intense dancing filled with grande allegro. 

A funny anecdote once overheard at my company, a testament to Etudes’ difficulty:

One of the senior principals was discussing the upcoming casting with her fiancee, which had yet to be released:

“If they give me Etudes, I’ll retire next week! Do they think I’m still 25?”

“Oh babe, it’s not that bad. You could do it again”

“Do you want to dance the male part?” He grimaces and she laughs loudly 

“We can retire together, screw our pensions” he says, and they both head to the massage room, laughing together. 

[escarlatafox]

whispers for the 'send you a series' meme, i'm tempted to just be Unoriginal and say kung fu panda, but if you'd rather something else, i'm seeing a lot of steven universe around here jfjfiea

Masha ily. You know that, right? :D

Kung Fu Panda:

Favourite character: Who else but Shifu? XD

Second favourite character: It might actually be Po

Least favourite character: Hard to think of a least favourite character. If we ONLY count the main cast + the villains in the movies and exclude any other minor characters, then I’d say Kai maybe? Just wasn’t as impactful to me as the other characters/villains. Or if we include minor characters I might say the hugging panda from the third movie because the gag and his character didn’t really add much. Also, I’ve already spoken about this in the past, possibly more than once, but back when I was a child upon watching the first movie, my answer to this question would actually be Ping. Suffice it to say, my opinion on him changed a LOT. XD

The character I’m most like: Maybe I am like Po in some ways. At my core, I’m a fangirl lol. And I like food :O

Favourite pairing: Don’t really have any ships. Crane and the girl from that one short tho. Like idk if I’d want them to get together, maybe not now that I think about it. But it would be nice to see them interact more.

Least favourite pairing: HAH. Let’s just say I really hate what Legends of Awesomeness decided to do with Shifu in the shipping realm and leave it at that. :P

Favourite moment: YOU’RE GONNA MAKE ME CHOOSE? There’s no way. I could only list off notable ones. Okay, if we narrow it down to non-Shifu moments, off the top of my head, you obviously have the iconic cannonball scene at the end of kung fu panda 2, and in the THIRD movie I love love love how when Po is in the spirit realm and he says “turns out... I’m all of them” and the music swells and the framing and the scenery is just. so gorgeous . I love. So much. If I sat here thinking too long I’d probably start recapping all the movies SO since I’ve thrown those two out there I’ll cut myself off before I get too out of hand. XD

Rating out of 10: First movie is just 10/10 for me. It’s my favourite movie, not just in the franchise but like, probably ever among movies in general, and just about every moment and scene feels like home when I watch it. The trio of movies I’d then put at probably around 9/10.

Steven Universe:

Favourite character: I can now say with confidence that it is Steven Universe.

The people who liked Steven “before it was cool” certainly have bragging rights, because I was one of those people who failed to find myself among them, as I lacked the foresight, or... future vision for it. :P. At first, in the very early days, I didn’t really care for Steven. It’s often very easy to gloss over a protagonist, and, in my case, not truly appreciate what’s great in a character like early-days Steven, or even Po. Now, Steven and Po are, naturally, quite distinct characters in their distinct franchises but there are certainly parallels that can be drawn, not only in their character but how I initially felt towards them. By asking for both fandoms in the one ask, I feel like you’ve given me the opportunity to speak about this, which has been idly on my mind every so often. XDBoth Steven and Po are the protagonist of the franchise they’re in. They’re both fond of food, they both start out needing training and then develop incredible skills along the way until they become one of, if not the most powerful in the cast. They’re both generally very easygoing, excitable, enthusiastic, FRIENDLY, and generally kind. At the start of their journeys, there’s a lot of focus on how much they’re lacking in skills and abilities, how difficult it is for them to accomplish even the basics. They both gotta Save The World, whether it be more in the sense of the universe as a whole or China.And the thing is I had the same issue with Po as I did with early-days Steven; I didn’t realise how great Po is. I was just a little too dismissive. With time, (and I’m talking around the point where I actually entered the fandom after the second movie was out, so it was mostly kid me who is guilty of not recognising Po’s greatness) I grew to realise just how cool Po is, to truly appreciate his genuine enthusiasm and excitement and also utmost reverence and admiration of kung fu. I simply Expected Po’s character to be less than it was, which is what caused the oversight. But Po is honestly so fantastic and deserves every last bit of love the fandom has to offer him. Also, seeing his potential and him reaching his potential is so damn epic. See: his “turns out, I’m all of them” quote/scene I mentioned earlier.So to bring things back to Steven, whose character arc nonetheless has its VERY stark differences from Po’s, it was around when Steven managed to calm down and stop the cluster that it fully registered in my mind how fantastic and amazing he is and how much I appreciate his character. In fact, it was a little earlier than that. Pretty sure I hadn’t actually started watching the show yet when Sadie’s Song aired, but I was getting all the deets secondhand on my dashboard and I loved what I heard and saw in gifs/pics. A boy who just wants to perform and dance around on stage in heels and a gorgeous outfit to boot (I really liked the thought of trans girl Steven at the time tbh, which was being thrown about on my dashboard back then, though of course that’s not the path the show decided to go down, so he/him it is...!). He had my full support. And THEN when he calmed the cluster down like that... (and I think I was probably watching the show at that point?) I just, loved his incredible talent to reach out to others and HELP them, I loved his magical gem abilities and how he always seemed to be triumphing against the odds, and as the show progressed his feats only started getting more and more impressive. I absolutely noticed how much responsibilities he’d started forcing onto himself, how he was trying to manage everyone and be an adult to all the adults in his life, I was kind of intrigued by how much he was shouldering, and it struck me that he had developed an Atlas Personality long, long before he was ever listed as an example of it on the wikipedia page. I simply adored Steven and his placement in the show and everything.He’s also completely ACING things as usual in the movie too.And then Steven Universe Future hit, and oh boy, that’s a whole other story. Steven truly emerged as the forefront seeing as the focus was now unrelentingly on him and his issues. What initially got me really hooked as well, was the inherent shock and intrigue of seeing a character who would usually always do the right thing, who always seemed to know what was best for everyone, who always seemed to be able to read a situation and understand who needed help and then reaching out and offering them help... not only completely failing to recognise that HE was the source of a given problem (see: the pink dome rapidly closing in), but to actively dig himself deeper by being convinced SOMEONE ELSE was at fault, and whirling around and trying to pin it all on them. Before Steven whirled around to point at Lars, there was absolutely no doubt in my mind that he was about to be like “guys, you know what? I think I’m causing this - I think I have some stuff going on” LOL NOPE. And that was only the tip of the ice berg. Steven had nowhere else to go but down, and boy, down did he go until he hit rock bottom, pulled out a shovel and started digging.

Second favourite character: Hard to say. I do know that I am crazy about the zircons (I mean c’mon - lawyers!). I was crazy about Blue Pearl when we first saw her too. My answer might’ve been Aquamarine or even Eyeball if it wasn’t for Steven Universe Future. Seeing more of them just kinda made me go “ok you know what, yeah this isn’t really what I expected and they’re not actually really my thing after all.” I reeeeally don’t know. Steven Universe has such a stellar cast of great characters. Steven Universe Future also kinda threw me off Spinel, but obviously Spinel is A+ as well.

Least favourite character: I don’t really care about Lapis. She just kind of lost appeal as a character to me and I never really understood her I guess. I was also never fond of the diamonds... because you know, discourse, and like, the discourse kind of has a point. But after Steven Universe Future I might invest more in trying to understand their positioning in the show a little more, now with the confirmation that Steven never did actually forgive them. I completely wrote-off White Diamond’s seemingly quick turnaround for the longest time and honestly never bought it and felt it was WAY too easy and rushed/forced. But I came to an internal understanding quite recently and I THINK I finally get what the show meant there so I think I can buy it now and find it believable at last, which is nice. So don’t quote me and don’t crucify me, but I might warm up to the diamonds a Little.

The character I’m most like: omg. There’s so many characters idk who is most like me hahaha

Favourite pairing: Connverse. Connie kissing Steven on the cheek in the movie made me SO pleased, and I can say this is my favourite pairing if only because the prospect of it not working out and instead going up in flames and not actually having a good resolution - which is a threat that felt so very real during Steven Universe Future - was deeply, DEEPLY upsetting to me. Like I didn’t care because I’d been taking it for GRANTED, but the moment anyone suggested, with alarming plausibility that they may split up or whatever, I was immediately on edge like “NO NO NO NO NO”.

Least favourite pairing: Stevinel. Stevidot. Just, any ship with Steven and any of the gems is an instant no from me. D:

Favourite moment: omggg. Again, there are simply way too many, so no answer I give here can or will be definitive. So I’ll simply state my love for when Steven is singing Change and Spinel yeets him in the sky and there’s the stellar animation where he goes “You can make it different... You can make it right! You can make it better! We don’t have to fight!”

Rating out of 10: I’d probably give it a 9/10, if only because, look. There are a LOT of shows out there. There are a lot of pieces of media I’m into and have watched. And Steven Universe is just. It’s good. Even when I like another piece of media MORE than Steven Universe, I can still more than readily acknowledge when/if SU has vastly superior writing. And it usually does. The only thing stopping me from giving it a 10/10 is because for the vast majority of SU’s existence I was mainly only ever a passive watcher/fan and/or got secondhand knowledge (closer to the start of it airing), so it lacks that fundamental closeness to my heart that something like Kung Fu Panda has. (Though I got way more close to it during SUF, as my reblogs can attest to LOL). The other thing stopping it from hitting that 10/10 is there are things I still take issue with, like how the Rose=Pink reveal undermines Pearl’s character (the “rebellion” aspect) and casts an EXTREMELY uncomfortable light on Pearl being in love with Rose. Yes, the show already showed us that Pearl’s obsession with Rose is unhealthy and problematised it. But regardless of how problematised it already was, I’m just not comfortable with a former slave being shown as being in love with their former master at all. What does that add, realistically? There are other valid criticisms that have been pointed out, namely how aspects of the show such as Sugilite’s role in Coach Steven do fail its Black audience. That undercurrent is there and it’s unfortunate.

[dream-in-charming]

Just saw Newsies live and I have some feelings <3 <3

It just closed it’s last show here in Gilbert, AZ and I am dying to talk about it. I’ll add a page cut though since there will be many thoughts and I don’t want to annoy anyone with just a chunk of text who doesn’t want to see it. if it doesn't work on mobile, I'm sorry. I dont know how to fix it...

OMIGOD the show was incredible! 

I’ll be posting pictures from the show, and of the theatre in another post, so you can see what I’m talking about (sort of, I only got a few, I wasn’t going to disturb the show).

Warning. This is going to be VERY VERY long. :)

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For those of you not from AZ and whom have never been to this particular theatre, this theatre does shows in the round. Meaning the audience is on all sides of the performance. It’s a challenge but they pulled it off brilliantly! 

So lets begin with the quick things. 

The program is corny and I love it. It’s designed to look like a newspaper (the New York Sun) and the captions on it are funny. “Weather forecast: Cloudy, Clear By Evening”; “Miss Medda Larkin Dazzles.” and so on.  The set was super basic, considering that it either had to be on the sides of the theatre, or easily moved on and off since there wasn’t really any place to keep it on. Honestly, the whole stage floor is maybe… 20ish sq ft? Maybe a bit more, I can’t find the actual dimensions. Heck the whole place only seats 350. But that aside, it worked WELL. Nothing blocked sight-lines, and anyone could see what was going on from any angle, they didn’t just play to one direction.

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The who cast was INCREDIBLE! Every last one of them.

So let me talk about them now :)

The guy who played Jack was great. Insanely tall which worked well and made it easier to find him when he was the important speaker in the crowded scenes. Plus his facial expressions were the best. I loved them in “Something to Believe In”. Lily just adored him and any time he wasn’t on stage she was asking where he went, pretended to talk to him (in a super quiet whisper) when he was on stage, pointed him out in scenes, and just loved him. She wanted a picture with him after the show and he was sweet enough to oblige. 

The guy who played Davey played him meek and it WORKED. Plus it helped to show his progress from the new news boy who just wanted to help his family, to the strong supporter of the Strike and voice of reason. And his voice was so melodic. 

Medda. OH MEDDA. A STUNNING WOC and an amazing singer. Her song just made me smile the whole time. Please keep being amazing because damn. AH. Plus, she let me poke and prod at her costume after the show because I was curious about the material and the way it was made. Made to look like brocade, but wasn’t so as to save the actress from dying of heatstroke. 

Wisel, Snyder, and the Delancey Brothers. I hate you. It’s a good thing

Les had the most adorable fluffy fringe sticking out of his bowler hat. I wanted to ruffle it. He was very talented and a great fit with Davey. 

Katherine was beautiful. Though her timing for certain lines were off, and thus some of her funniest and strongest bits were lost, she still made up for it with a powerful presence and lordy what a smile. Also, the hair. Teach me!

Crutchie was tiny and adorable and everything I ever wanted for that role. Perfect. Plus, participated in quite a few dances. Done in a way where it doesn’t ignore his bum leg either like I’ve seen some shows do. They figured out a way to include him and make a point to continue to show, “he ain’t been walkin too good”. Also, Santa Fe - Prologue, “watch me run” broke me. 

Pulitzer. A great demanding presence. And when he belted his final note in “Bottom Line” I got good bumps and turned to jelly. I love a voice like that. Ugh. Though his hat in the final scene…. bro, you is a rich man, you can do so much better. hahaha. 

The guy who played Specs was a very good looking person, and when he took off his hat and exposed the mass of exceedingly curly locks, my heart stopped. Also very talented dancer!

All of them were SO talented (there were others I didn’t name here, the case was 23 people, I’d be here all day) The dancing was fantastic and the acting was amazing, the singing just floored me. I am so happy to have gone to see the show. 

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Now to talk about the scenes (skipping the filler scenes because again, time)

Santa Fe 1.0 - Crutchie. You broke me. 3 I loved it and it was a great start of the show. Just pulled me in right away. Lily too. From that moment on, she was smitten with Jack. 

Carrying the Banner - So good! They had to work things around to make them fit into the smaller space, but it still was amazing. Seeing people practically above me performing was great. 

Bottom Line - That final note. AMAZING. I got goosies! And Nunzio’s hair made me giggle. 

That’s Rich - Medda you are one great performer. Performing for not just the audience, but the fake one for your ‘show within the show’. And teasing the one guy for “it may be rough but soon enough I’ll learn to make do” was the best. You go girl. You don’t need him!

I never planned on you - Whoever did the art for this show to display on the screens was terrific. However, the slow progression shots to show it was being ‘drawn’ weren’t completely timed right and I could see the jumps. Granted that’s both the software person and artist in me that picked up on it. 

World Will Know - I WAS WITH YOU. Like, if someone really started a strike or rally or anything with those lines and the power built into that song, I would follow them 100%. Les’s lines were lost in the overlapping dialogue during the part where they were thrown out, but that didn’t take away from the whole scene. 

Watch What Happens - Her voice was great, she his the notes brilliantly, but this is where the timing bit that I mentioned above was the biggest. She seemed to have just rushed through the song. Still, a good song, she’s a wonderful singer. I would love to hear her do more. Also, the type writer broke. Made me grin. 

Seize the Day - Here arrive the Girlsies too! Also, the dancing was at it’s PEAK here. Loved it. Loved it. Loved it. Plus this is the scene where Specs spent the most time in front of my seat. Totally okay with that. Got hit in the face with a paper by Mush. Kept it. Lily folded it up and put it in her purse. It is themed for that time period. Perfect touch. 

Santa Fe - Felt a tad rushed, but not in a way that distracted or pulled anyone out of the show. Plus hearing Jack belt and Lily light up at him then whisper “It’s okay Jack, You’ll go to Santa Fe” was the sweetest thing ever. If she could have, she would have taken him there herself. 

King of New York - When they danced on the tabletops I felt like I was going to have a heart attack. the tables were on WHEELS. And one of the tables I could tell only had one of the two locks, locked. YOU GONNA DIE! Also, spoons.

Crutchie’s Letter - a clever way to do it without a ton of boys. Crutchie is so smol. I love him. 

WWH Reprise - “POOR GUYS HEAD IS SPINNING” Davey, you did not disappoint. Also, the way they did the painting was excellent. On the floor instead of a stand, so everyone could see it. Monopoly money? Ish?

Brooklyn’s Here - someone please turn their mics on. Please? They sounded so muffled and far away. Still good though. Watching Davey stick his tongue out at Bronx was a great growth. Also, them Brooklyn boys IS big. I’m sure Spot could take both the Delancey brothers on his own. Wow. 

Something to Believe in - their expressions just MADE this song. Their smiles glowed. Also, after the kiss, Jack leaped forward to have another kiss but Katherine turned away making him nearly fall flat on his face… that the best version of that I have ever seen. 

Once and For All - again, mics? What the heck? This is such a strong song that just builds to a HUGE ending. But seemed so quiet? The gal who played Mush whispered the words too, which I thought was odd. She danced past a number of times and I noticed she was whispering the words instead of actually singing. Not sure why this was done. Still, a good song, and the fact that they timed the printing press to turn on and start spinning right as the beat kick at the start  of the song hit, was a brilliant visual. Made my heart speed up. If it weren’t for the odd quietness of the song, I would have been SO hyped!

Finale - was a good ending. Roosevelt was great, though his hat didn’t match his suit which made my artist side hiss. He did fit that role well though. If he gave speeches like Teddy did in real life, I’d totally listen to them all. Cruchie’s return was sweet. Jack’s HUGE hug when he came down to him was the epitome of friendship. And Race practically tackled him. They’s a great group of buddies. The taunting with the Money from Jack on whether he should get more papes was funny and showed off something that people tend to forget. They are just KIDS. Loved that choice. 

Also, instead of “Newsies of New York!” they shouted “News of the Hale!” and I am living for that. My smile was huge. Thanks for adding that part, because it felt so much more personal and not just another show. Also, Roosevelt dancing with everyone at the end and his “AHHHHH GO!” face was hilarious! I was dying. 

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All in all, a fantastic show and I am so happy I got the chance to see it. I don’t think I’ve ever sat up, sat forward, and at so much attention for such a long time, in forever. I told them as I walked out to the cast (who stands out to say good bye after every show, they do that no matter what show they have) that they all did incredible because they did. I could tell it was rough on some of them, with red rimmed misty eyes, closing nights are always rough and so final. But they gave it their all and it was brilliant. I hope to see many of them in future shows. 

Lily was begging to take a pic with Jack before we left, so we did, and it was adorable. She got embarrassed and shy soon as we got near him. I told him and the gal who played Kath that stood next to him what she said and did the whole show and how she just adored him and they thought she was so sweet. They were happy I brought her and I am introducing her to theatre. Well, I’m her mother, of course! Still, thanks for taking time to talk to her. I know she’ll love you forever. 

Did I talk to Specs? No. I got way too flustered, just did a quick “incredible job” to the group of them as I passed. I am such a whimp. But then again, he’s likely taken, and/or doesn’t swing my way. Plus, how rude would it have been to just go up and (try) to flirt? Though I am bad at it, it would have been funny. Anyway, he is a person, one whom I don’t know, and I wasn’t going to be rude or creepy.  

Anyway! That’s what I thought of the show. 

Long text. Done. 

[sj2themoon]

Year One of Marriage

Yes! This week is my one year wedding anniversary with my beloved Kent. During the time of my wedding, I didn’t really prioritize posting wedding pictures (for obvious reasons, I mean I was very busy enjoying newlywed life!;) I would like to take the time now to reminisce on my favorite day yet, my wedding day! I will be showing some of our favorite pics taken by my wonderful Mother in Law/amazing photographer, and sharing memories from that day!

The Proposal

Whoops! I must first backtrack and tell you about Kent’s proposal to me because that is an important part! The majority of our dating was done long distance. I would visit him in Idaho, he would visit me in Arizona, Etc. Oh, and a ton of face timing each other!!! We got to the point where we could not be separated anymore, so we planned Kent’s big move to Arizona. That Christmas, before he moved to Arizona, we decided to meet up with his family in Georgia to spend Christmas together with them. Leaving Georgia after Christmas, taking this flight to Arizona together would be the mark of him officially moving there to be closer to me. He shipped all of his belongings to Arizona already (one box haha), and it would be there when we got home. Ok so here we are on this airplane, flying “home” together. So much excitement was in the air, just knowing we wouldn’t have to be apart anymore from that point on. It was also a special flight for us because we acknowledged it would be our first flight of many that we would take together (seeing how we both love traveling).

Kent had surprised me and upgraded our tickets to first class! Heyyyy! Next, I was surprised as the flight attendant asked both Kent and I to go to the front of the Aircraft during our flight. I was very confused. Then right there, in front of the entire plane, my Kent got down on one knee and asked me to marry him!! I said yes, of course, and everyone began to clap! Just in case anyone didn’t understand what was going on, the pilot then got on the intercom and announced it to the whole airplane!!! “Congratulations to Mr. Craig and the future Mrs. Craig for their engagement!” Kent then explained to me that his reason for proposing to me on an airplane was this, he said, “It doesn’t matter where we are, as long as we are together. Home is wherever you are”. I melted, of course<3

The Ring

Kent wanted my wedding ring to be a complete surprise, but he also wanted to make sure it was something I would love and cherish forever, something that was symbolic and full of meaning. For the longest time, when we would facetime while dating long distance, I began to notice he was always eating cereal with no milk for breakfast, and plain rice for dinner!! Every single time I would ask, “Why are you eating it that way?!” He would just smile and say “I’m saving money”. Later on, I found out he was being frugal to save money for my ring!! He is the sweetest. I promised him he would never have to do that again!! Haha So, back to the ring. I sent him several picture examples of my unconventional taste in wedding rings, which apparently made it harder because there was not one thing consistent about any of the pictures I sent him! Despite that, he went on to design from scratch, the most perfect ring for me.

The black diamond implies that no matter how hard or dark of times we may have in our lives, we will always find the light, just like a black diamond can still reflect light. There are three symbols engraved on the sides of the band. First, starting at the bottom, there is a waxing moon. We consider this “our moon”. A waxing moon symbolizes growth, progression, and new beginnings. Also representing our phrase that we always say to one another, “I love you to the moon and back”, hence the name “sj2themoon”. Along with the waxing moon, there are tiny little stars next to it. These stars are our zodiac stars, overlapped and intertwined.

Next up, getting closer to the diamond, the second symbol is a triangle. The triangle is a representation of me at one bottom corner, Kent at the other bottom corner, and the third and top point represents God. Reminding us that a putting God in all things helps you have a strong foundation and marriage.

The third and highest up is a symbol of Heaven, reminding us to keep an eternal perspective of our ultimate goal- to live life to the fullest and be the best we can so that we will always be together forever.

Kent designed the most perfect ring for me in every way.

The Wedding Gown

I had this concept in my head of a bohemian goddess wedding dress that I wanted! But ugh, I couldn’t seem to find it anywhere!!! I was constantly searching in every store nearby, and online! Nothin! I wanted it to be unique, sleek yet vintage. I finally came across a blogger with the exact dress I wanted, but there was nothing written about where she got it!! My sweet husband began the search for me, he is great at this sort of thing. He was searching all over the internet and asking around online for anyone who has seen this dress. Finally, he reached out to the blogger and got the name of the woman who made the dress for her! Then, we creeper stalked her and got the dress makers email! Kent emailed her a picture of the dress and basically said, I am begging you to make a wedding dress for my wife like the one you made for this blogger. The woman said she could not, the material was no longer in stock. My husband pleaded some more. He then asked if he found the right material and sent it to her, would she then make it for me?!? She said no. Hahahaha such a struggle. I was so sad about that…it was getting to be crunch time and NO dress to be found! I then turned to what I thought was my very last option. Little did I know that this would end up being the best option ever!!! I reached out to my sister’s friend who used to help sew dresses for the princesses at Disneyland. Couldn’t hurt, right? I told her my dilemma and she agreed to make my dress for me! Halle-freakin-lujah!! She was a little nervous about it I think, so was I, but it was a start! After all, it is a lot of pressure to make someone’s wedding dress, I imagine! Especially when she knows it is an emergency!! I began searching now for the perfect material and dress pattern for her to follow. Again, couldn’t find the material anywhere!! Until finally, after checking dozens of shops, we tried a Jo-Ann’s Fabric store that we hadn’t yet tried. It was very far from home. And there it was, the perfect fabric!! Thank you fabric gods!! After that, I combined two different dress patterns into one to create exactly what I wanted. Luckily, she NAILED IT!!! Well… sewed it A miracle at this point with only one month left util wedding time! And know what’s even better? She only charged me $100! Best price ever known to wedding dress shoppers!!! It was made with cream colored stretchy crochet lace type fabric, slightly see-through with a second cream/tan layer put underneath. It had a trumpet skirt, form fitted torso, long sleeves, boat neck, and a low scoop back with cowling. I wore a bohemian head chain and body chain necklace that I made myself (also because I couldn’t find what I wanted anywhere). The bouquet was made with all fake flowers that I put together in the way I imagined! Oh! I also wore a white, hooded wedding poncho to keep me warm when it got cold that evening. It all came together perfectly.

Wedding Planning

Not much to it. We actually considered eloping at one point! Later, we decided instead to just keep our wedding as simple as possible, to make sure we could enjoy every second of it without unneeded stress. What is really interesting though, is that every since forever, I have wanted to get married in the Logan Utah Temple. I saw a picture of it and I just knew from that moment on! It was the place. The only problem is, I knew it seemed very random (as I have no family there) so it might not be the most probable place to have it! Flash forward, Kent and I were in the early stages of being engaged, and I hadn’t yet told him of my dream to be married in Logan, Utah. As we began to plan things out, I asked him, “Is there anywhere in particular that you have always wanted to get married at?” You won’t believe his answer!! “Logan Utah Temple”, he said. I think I fell even more in love with him in that moment!;) I mean, you have to realize how ironic this is!! He is from Georgia, I am from Arizona and we both happened to want to get married in Logan, Utah. Can you say MEANT TO BE?!

So that is just what we did.

The Big Day

I stayed in a hotel with my friend Taylor the night before my wedding. I laid there and imagined what the next day would hold. The morning of my wedding, I put my hair extensions in, did my own makeup, and I was ready to go! I can honestly say that I never once had cold feet or felt nervous about marrying Kent. Which reminds me of the most hilarious thing! I asked Kent if he was worried about getting cold feet, and to that he said, “I don’t have feet.” Bahaha!! Made me laugh so hard! Get it? If you don’t have feet, you can’t get cold feet! He has this clever way of always making me feel comforted This was absolutely the rightest (made up word) decision I had ever made in my life. The day was magical. One of the best feeling in the world knowing you truly found your soulmate and you get to spend eternity together.

Of course at least one thing had to go wrong during the big day though, right? You could say we were in a rush that morning, trying to get there in time! Without realizing it, Taylor locked my keys in the car! So here we are, just came out of our wedding in the temple and getting ready to drive to our reception in the park (where people are going to be showing up in 30 minutes!!!) Of course Taylor felt awful, but I knew we would figure something out! Everyone was trying to help us break into my car. Hahaha! We didn’t have time for a locksmith to come, so naturally, Kent broke the handle off my door and we got in from there! Great memories We felt so much love and support that day, it was a special feeling to be there with my family/friends and my Eternal love.

(My pouty face as Kent brakes into the car)

We had a small gathering in the park after the actual wedding. It was very simple, yet very us! Everyone was to show up in casual clothes and preferably barefoot! We hung up tapestries, pictures, and dream catchers, laid out rugs and pillows around the fire, a table of s’mores ingredients to cook on the fire, had hot chocolate, and enjoyed ourselves some music and dancing. It was a perfect day.

*All pics from the reception in the park are raw and unedited.

From there, Kent and I immediately got taken to the airport to head out for our Honeymoon! We went on a two week cruise to the Eastern Caribbean and then stayed a while in Puerto Rico! It was a dream come true.

Thanks for reminiscing with me about this special time in my life, one year ago!

*Happy anniversary my love, and many more to come.

“It will be a long time, but it will be a good time”.

I love you to the moon and back.

  Stay Wild, Moon Child

#becomingbohemian

The post Year 1- Wedding Anniversary Tribute appeared first on sj2themoon.

[sj2themoon]

Year One of Marriage

Yes! This week is my one year wedding anniversary with my beloved Kent. During the time of my wedding, I didn’t really prioritize posting wedding pictures (for obvious reasons, I mean I was very busy enjoying newlywed life!;) I would like to take the time now to reminisce on my favorite day yet, my wedding day! I will be showing some of our favorite pics taken by my wonderful Mother in Law/amazing photographer, and sharing memories from that day!

The Proposal

Whoops! I must first backtrack and tell you about Kent’s proposal to me because that is an important part! The majority of our dating was done long distance. I would visit him in Idaho, he would visit me in Arizona, Etc. Oh, and a ton of face timing each other!!! We got to the point where we could not be separated anymore, so we planned Kent’s big move to Arizona. That Christmas, before he moved to Arizona, we decided to meet up with his family in Georgia to spend Christmas together with them. Leaving Georgia after Christmas, taking this flight to Arizona together would be the mark of him officially moving there to be closer to me. He shipped all of his belongings to Arizona already (one box haha), and it would be there when we got home. Ok so here we are on this airplane, flying “home” together. So much excitement was in the air, just knowing we wouldn’t have to be apart anymore from that point on. It was also a special flight for us because we acknowledged it would be our first flight of many that we would take together (seeing how we both love traveling).

Kent had surprised me and upgraded our tickets to first class! Heyyyy! Next, I was surprised as the flight attendant asked both Kent and I to go to the front of the Aircraft during our flight. I was very confused. Then right there, in front of the entire plane, my Kent got down on one knee and asked me to marry him!! I said yes, of course, and everyone began to clap! Just in case anyone didn’t understand what was going on, the pilot then got on the intercom and announced it to the whole airplane!!! “Congratulations to Mr. Craig and the future Mrs. Craig for their engagement!” Kent then explained to me that his reason for proposing to me on an airplane was this, he said, “It doesn’t matter where we are, as long as we are together. Home is wherever you are”. I melted, of course<3

The Ring

Kent wanted my wedding ring to be a complete surprise, but he also wanted to make sure it was something I would love and cherish forever, something that was symbolic and full of meaning. For the longest time, when we would facetime while dating long distance, I began to notice he was always eating cereal with no milk for breakfast, and plain rice for dinner!! Every single time I would ask, “Why are you eating it that way?!” He would just smile and say “I’m saving money”. Later on, I found out he was being frugal to save money for my ring!! He is the sweetest. I promised him he would never have to do that again!! Haha So, back to the ring. I sent him several picture examples of my unconventional taste in wedding rings, which apparently made it harder because there was not one thing consistent about any of the pictures I sent him! Despite that, he went on to design from scratch, the most perfect ring for me.

The black diamond implies that no matter how hard or dark of times we may have in our lives, we will always find the light, just like a black diamond can still reflect light. There are three symbols engraved on the sides of the band. First, starting at the bottom, there is a waxing moon. We consider this “our moon”. A waxing moon symbolizes growth, progression, and new beginnings. Also representing our phrase that we always say to one another, “I love you to the moon and back”, hence the name “sj2themoon”. Along with the waxing moon, there are tiny little stars next to it. These stars are our zodiac stars, overlapped and intertwined

There are three symbols engraved on the sides of the band. First, starting at the bottom, there is a waxing moon. We consider this “our moon”. A waxing moon symbolizes growth, progression, and new beginnings. Also representing our phrase that we always say to one another, “I love you to the moon and back”, hence the name “sj2themoon”. Along with the waxing moon, there are tiny little stars next to it. These stars are our zodiac stars, overlapped and intertwined with each other.

Next up, getting closer the diamond, the second symbol is a triangle. The triangle is a representation of me at one bottom corner, Kent at the other bottom corner, and the third and top point represents God. Reminding us that a putting God in all things helps you have a strong foundation and marriage.

The third and highest up is a symbol of Heaven, reminding us to keep an eternal perspective of our ultimate goal- to live life to the fullest and be the best we can so that we will always be together forever.

Kent designed the most perfect ring for me in every way.

The Wedding Gown

I had this concept in my head of a bohemian goddess wedding dress that I wanted! But ugh, I couldn’t seem to find it anywhere!!! I was constantly searching in every store nearby, and online! Nothin! I wanted it to be unique, sleek yet vintage. I finally came across a blogger with the exact dress I wanted, but there was nothing written about where she got it!! My sweet husband began the search for me, he is great at this sort of thing. He was searching all over the internet and asking around online for anyone who has seen this dress. Finally, he reached out to the blogger and got the name of the woman who made the dress for her! Then, we creeper stalked her and got the dress makers email! Kent emailed her a picture of the dress and basically said, I am begging you to make a wedding dress for my wife like the one you made for this blogger. The woman said she could not, the material was no longer in stock. My husband pleaded some more. He then asked if he found the right material and sent it to her, would she then make it for me?!? She said no. Hahahaha such a struggle. I was so sad about that…it was getting to be crunch time and NO dress to be found! I then turned to what I thought was my very last option. Little did I know that this would end up being the best option ever!!! I reached out to my sister’s friend who used to help sew dresses for the princesses at Disneyland. Couldn’t hurt, right? I told her my dilemma and she agreed to make my dress for me! Halle-freakin-lujah!! She was a little nervous about it I think, so was I, but it was a start! After all, it is a lot of pressure to make someone’s wedding dress, I imagine! Especially when she knows it is an emergency!! I began searching now for the perfect material and dress pattern for her to follow. Again, couldn’t find the material anywhere!! Until finally, after checking dozens of shops, we tried a Jo-Ann’s Fabric store that we hadn’t yet tried. It was very far from home. And there it was, the perfect fabric!! Thank you fabric gods!! After that, I combined two different dress patterns into one to create exactly what I wanted. Luckily, she NAILED IT!!! Well… sewed it A miracle at this point with only one month left util wedding time! And know what’s even better? She only charged me $100! Best price ever known to wedding dress shoppers!!! It was made with cream colored stretchy crochet lace type fabric, slightly see-through with a second cream/tan layer put underneath. It had a trumpet skirt, form fitted torso, long sleeves, boat neck, and a low scoop back with cowling. I wore a bohemian head chain and body chain necklace that I made myself (also because I couldn’t find what I wanted anywhere). The bouquet was made with all fake flowers that I put together in the way I imagined! Oh! I also wore a white, hooded wedding poncho to keep me warm when it got cold that evening. It all came together perfectly.

Wedding Planning

Not much to it. We actually considered eloping at one point! Later, we decided instead to just keep our wedding as simple as possible, to make sure we could enjoy every second of it without unneeded stress. What is really interesting though, is that every since forever, I have wanted to get married in the Logan Utah Temple. I saw a picture of it and I just knew from that moment on! It was the place. The only problem is, I knew it seemed very random (as I have no family there) so it might not be the most probable place to have it! Flash forward, Kent and I were in the early stages of being engaged, and I hadn’t yet told him of my dream to be married in Logan, Utah. As we began to plan things out, I asked him, “Is there anywhere in particular that you have always wanted to get married at?” You won’t believe his answer!! “Logan Utah Temple”, he said. I think I fell even more in love with him in that moment!;) I mean, you have to realize how ironic this is!! He is from Georgia, I am from Arizona and we both happened to want to get married in Logan, Utah. Can you say MEANT TO BE?!

So that is just what we did.

The Big Day

I stayed in a hotel with my friend Taylor the night before my wedding. I laid there and imagined what the next day would hold. The morning of my wedding, I put my hair extensions in, did my own makeup, and I was ready to go! I can honestly say that I never once had cold feet or felt nervous about marrying Kent. Which reminds me of the most hilarious thing! I asked Kent if he was worried about getting cold feet, and to that he said, “I don’t have feet.” Bahaha!! Made me laugh so hard! Get it? If you don’t have feet, you can’t get cold feet! He has this clever way of always making me feel comforted This was absolutely the rightest (made up word) decision I had ever made in my life. The day was magical. One of the best feeling in the world knowing you truly found your soulmate and you get to spend eternity together.

Of course at least one thing had to go wrong during the big day though, right? You could say we were in a rush that morning, trying to get there in time! Without realizing it, Taylor locked my keys in the car! So here we are, just came out of our wedding in the temple and getting ready to drive to our reception in the park (where people are going to be showing up in 30 minutes!!!) Of course Taylor felt awful, but I knew we would figure something out! Everyone was trying to help us break into my car. Hahaha! We didn’t have time for a locksmith to come, so naturally, Kent broke the handle off my door and we got in from there! Great memories We felt so much love and support that day, it was a special feeling to be there with my family/friends and my Eternal love.

(My pouty face as Kent brakes into the car)

We had a small gathering in the park after the actual wedding. It was very simple, yet very us! Everyone was to show up in casual clothes and preferably barefoot! We hung up tapestries, pictures, and dream catchers, laid out rugs and pillows around the fire, a table of s’mores ingredients to cook on the fire, had hot chocolate, and enjoyed ourselves some music and dancing. It was a perfect day.

*All pics from the reception in the park are raw and unedited.

From there, Kent and I immediately got taken to the airport to head out for our Honeymoon! We went on a two week cruise to the Eastern Caribbean and then stayed a while in Puerto Rico! It was a dream come true.

Thanks for reminiscing with me about this special time in my life, one year ago!

*Happy anniversary my love, and many more to come.

“It will be a long time, but it will be a good time”.

I love you to the moon and back.

  Stay Wild, Moon Child

#becomingbohemian

The post Year 1- Wedding Anniversary Tribute appeared first on sj2themoon.