Well... I wasn't going to do this...

BUT!!! Here I am!


So... the last couple weeks of my life? Well, they have been crazy! Lets start at the beginning of my time as a McDaniel shall we?

March 26th, 2011

First thing I see is the note that I set for my alarm clock....

 "WEDDING DAY!!!!!!"

 The day that I had been waiting for my whole life. The day that for a little while seemed like it would never come. After having a date, then having to cancel it due to job after job falling through for Colin and then BAM!! He got a call from TEMSCO Helicopters Inc. on March 12th, 2011 and had to be in Alaska by April 4th. Suddenly I had a date again... March 26th, 2011.

After a hectic 2 weeks of wedding planning I was exhausted. I had stayed up late the night before working on my playlist and setting up for the reception so needless to say waking up at 5 AM was the last thing I wanted to do. I had showered the night before and I put my hair in curlers and had to be in Mesa by 8 AM. Needless to say, we didn't get out of the driveway till 6:30..... So after a nice LONG car ride (longest drive of my life...) we arrived at the temple. Jenny Christensen, who was doing my hair, had found two empty parking spots and promptly stood in the one she didn't take and saved it for us (that didn't make the people before us who wanted that spot very happy... but hey! It was my wedding day right?!)

We got into the temple and quickly got my hair up all pretty like and I met Colin in the temple lobby to wait to go to verification. I had left my family in charge of getting the extra stuff (veil, flower for my hair, marriage certificate and the bouquet). They got 1 out of the 4 things into the temple (better than nothing!) So we get to verification and they ask for our marriage certificate... uh oh... we don't have it! Luckily that wasn't something I was going to forget and we had gotten it into the car. My Dad went out to get it and after what seemed like an eternity he came back with it and delivered it with pizzaz! He had it in a briefcase all by itself and opened it all fancy like, it made a tense situation a little more comfortable!

The ceremony was beautiful. I was so excited and all I could think was "In a few minutes, we will be married. I will be Mrs. Hannah McDaniel!" He said Yes, then I said Yes and then we were pronounced husband and wife and Colin kissed his wife for the first time :) As people filed out of the room they gave us hugs and kisses and went outside to wait for the monumental "walking out the door of the temple picture". I was whisked off to get changed into my beautiful wedding dress and have my hair double checked and perfected for pictures. A cute little old lady came into the bathroom and informed me that my groom was ready and waiting for me. A few more bobby pins and a spray of hairspray later I was in the arms of my Husband ready to walk out those temple doors. What a FEELING! For years I had watched (and envied) other brides do the same thing and there I WAS! Me and my best friend.

After a few hours of pictures and lunch we headed home. We stopped by Circle K (our favorite drink place.. can't beat $.87 for a 44oz soda!!) and got a Coke and a Dr. Pepper. That was something that we had been doing our entire relationship and here we are a happily newly-wedded couple doing the same thing we had been for over a year. It was grand! Our reception was beautiful thanks to some amazing friends and we escaped with only minimal car decorations. It was a long long day, but it was so worth it!

After 4 days of married bliss...

It was time for my amazing man to head off to Alaska. He would first drive from Prescott Valley to Salt Lake and then from Salt Lake to Richland and then from Richland to Seattle to catch a flight to Ketchikan. Our first month of marriage, we spend 4 days together... The emptyness I felt those first few days was unbelievable, and to an extent I still feel it now. Our little apartment, where all our memories were made, lost all of it's homey-ness. I felt utterly alone. Then when it came to turn in my keys, I didn't want to do it! I didn't want to give up that place that held all of our memories. Our relationship had blossomed there. We fell in love there, and I didn't want to give that up to someone else. Talk about an emotional roller coaster!

At the Present

Now here I am, still waiting to see my best friend again. One week from this moment I will be with him, and I cannot wait for that! As hard as it has been, I think I have fallen even more in love with him. We have never been apart this long in a year and 3 months. If this had happened while we were still engaged or dating, it may have been easier. But since we are now "one" it feels like half of me is missing. But it won't be like that for much longer.