shout out.

oh gosh.

i know you're all just dying of suspense regarding my wedding post...

i promise it's coming.

in the meantime... i wanted to make sure that you know just how much i love my family.

ALL of my family.

and how amazing it was for all of them to be with me and scotty on our special day- regardless of flat tires, tight budgets, work schedules, sick children, evil teachers, school & exams, long boring drives, and sport games.

I was lucky enough to have all grandparents in attendance!

I sure love them.

grandma and grandpa westra make me laugh all the time, and gram b is the sweetest thing.

i adore my grandparents. i hope i can be as cute and funny as they are when i'm their ages.

THEN, get ready for this: every single one of my parent's siblings were able to come from all of their various locations. wyoming, chicago, utah, washington, california, texas, and all over!

it was the first time my dad and his five sisters have been together since like 1997 or something! they are all so fun. i adore each one of them! annette and barbara are so sweet and fun to be around, i see them the least because they are the farthest away! I miss them! cathi is the best person to play games (and make inappropriate jokes) with, debbie is freaking hilarious and always makes me crack up laughing every time i see her, and edie is my own personal support team and counselor. i love all five of them!

all 6 of my mom's siblings were there too! and don't worry, i love them just as much as the barnes sisters :) i love everything westra. i love all of my aunts and uncles. they all have the same laugh, the same nose issues, the same stupid jokes and hilarious stories, and i miss them when i am away from them!

all of the aunts were especially helpful. tying ribbons on picture frames, cutting and serving the cake, monitoring the cookies at the reception, and all kinds of jobs!

and most of the time, with aunts and uncles come COUSINS and COUSINS!

i love these little people more than anything

and i'm glad that my two dearest cousins came:

angela had some teacher drama that week and was docked 5% of her overall grade in a class for missing on my wedding day! STUPID! i'm so glad that she still came, it wouldn't have been the same without my "big sis!"

and kelsie crandall!! we're not exactly cousins... maybe second cousins. but i call her my cousin regardless. it's always a special treat when i get to spend time with kelsie, ever since my family moved to vegas we don't see her as often! i miss the days when we both lived in washington! she is so funny. we like to act stupid together, even though she looks like a rock star in this picture

christopher and mauri came too!! it was great seeing them. missed craig and the boys, but hopefully we will see them soon!

funny story: by some freak accident, my uncle dave and his wife rebekah ended up staying in the same hotel as us that weekend haha!! so we had continental breakfast with them. i know you're not supposed to communicate with the outside world for the whole week after you get married... but i secretly loved seeing them.

we really enjoy their company!

and last but SO not least,

my family family.

aka, the five of us.

dad mom ashley mitchell tanner.

let me just tell you that when i see this picture (whether it be on facebook, my phone, mom's blog, etc.) i just have to scan over it really fast or else i tear up a little. i can't believe i'm saying this but.... i love my brothers. i really do. i always have! but i do even more so now that i'm married. i just love seeing them and knowing about their lives and hearing them talk about middle school or high school. i can't wait to see what great things they accomplish as they get older!

and my parents.

oh no, this blog post is about to get 10 pages longer.

haha just kidding- because words cannot express the gratitude, admiration, and complete adoration i have for my parents.

they are the sole reason that my wedding day turned out as beautifully and perfectly as it did. they made everything happen! they helped me in every single decision, stood by me through my bridezilla phases, and agreed to almost all of my ridiculous requests. i can't tell you how many "wedding meetings" we had, how many late nights we spent debating things, or how many facetimes took place to pull all of this together. but what i can tell you is that my parents are absolutely amazing, and i will forever be thankful for the help and support that they gave me. it was so fun to plan a wedding with them- my dad was more enthusiastic than my mom and i combined! :) it was just the three of us, always searching for new ideas and brainstorming and surfing pinterest for hours. i appreciate my mom and dad so much... i really can't imagine life without them. so let's just hope my mom doesn't get sick of me calling her every night for recipes or kitchen advice :)

s0 to my beautiful parents, my handsome brothers, my adorable cousins, and all of my wonderful extended family (aunts, uncles, grandparents) who were able to come to the wedding:

THANK YOU

&

I LOVE YOU

i am the luckiest girl alive.