Best. Week. Ever.

Dane spoiled me and took me to Hawaii for our honeymoon. I had never been there before. He went last summer with his grandma. So this was a new experience for both of us! Having a whole week to ourselves in the beautiful state of Hawaii!

We flew out the day after our wedding and flew straight to O'ahu. It was a long flight, but luckily they had movies and games right in front of our faces to keep us entertained!

After we got our rental car, we drove the "scenic route" up the coast to our resort on the North Shore. We stopped for dinner and I let Dane talk to the birds for a few minutes. He loved it and they loved him!

The view from our balcony at Turtle Bay was absolutely gorgeous. We could see the resort pools and the ocean. We were 6 floors up, on the top floor, so it was the best view ever!

While in Hawaii, we did lots of fun things!! One of our favorites was snorkeling! We snorkled at 4 different beaches and liked some better than others, although all of it was fun! My fabulous cousins gave us an underwater digital camera which made it 100 times more exciting! I'm not the best at taking underwater pictures, but I sure tried!

We also hung out at the beach some too, although we preferred being in the water rather than on the sand. :)

One night we found a pretty spot by the resort to watch the sunset. We took dinner with us and got there quite early so we could get a good spot. We had fun playing with our new camera. When it was finally time for the sunset, the sun was hidden behind the clouds. We were kind of sad...

One day we went to the Lai'e Temple. It was beautiful!! We were able to do a session and sealings and then of course, take pictures on the Temple grounds!

After the Temple, we drove/walked around BYU-Hawaii. Then we headed over to the Polynesian Cultural Center for some fun! I think this was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip.

We loved watching the dancers on the canoes during the canoe parade.

We ate dinner at the Luau which was yummy and fun! Then we watched their show that night. It was an amazing show...and it didn't hurt that we were on the 2nd row!

One day we went and found a really cool tree (that is apparently in Pirates of the Carribean). The branches grow down and then root into the ground. Super cool!

One day we went to Pearl Harbor. Actually, we went two different days. The first day we learned that if you don't get there before 10 am, you won't get a parking spot and it is so crazy busy it's not worth the fight. So the second day we went we got there before 10 am (8:30 to be exact) and got tickets to go to the Arizona Memorial at noon (the earliest they had). That gave us lots of time to wander around and learn about Pearl Harbor, which I thought was really neat!

While waiting for our 12:00 departure to the Arizona Memorial, we were able to listen to a survivor share his story on film. He was a cute old man and it was neat to hear the detailed descriptions. 

We finally made it to 12:00 and went to the memorial. It was a really neat experience. I learned a lot and gained even more respect for those who have fought and who are still fighting for our country!

The names on the smaller wall are the names of the soldiers who have chosen to be buried with their shipmates. There are 35 so far with another one coming up in September. I thought that was really cool. Such a special feeling!

Our new camera has a panoramic setting so we tried that out a bunch wherever we went...we're such nerds...here's some of what we got!

Our last night there, we went out to dinner at a restaurant at our resort. We treated ourselves to yummy smoothies and of course had to document that! Pardon my horrific appearance...poor Dane had to put up with that pretty much the whole week! :)

After a week of fun, it was time to come home. We did some shopping at the swap meet on the way to the airport to pick up some souvenirs and then took the red eye home. Needless to say, we were exhausted...and very sad to come home!!

Best. Day. Ever.

Our wedding was the absolute perfect day ever.

I know that sounds cliche, but it's so true. From the family dinner the night before to the sealing to the Chick-fil-a for lunch to the reception, everything went just perfectly!

Everything turned out beautifully. My grandpa did a beautiful job as our sealer (even though he may have made a few "elderly" mistakes...poor guy is getting old), my bouquet was beautiful, the reception center was beautiful, everyone dressed in their wedding attire was beautiful. Get the picture? I don't know what I did to deserve a perfect wedding, but I am sure happy about it! :)

(Look how cute my husband is...he was doing anything he could to help me walk in my heels across the grass, even if it was just holding up my elbow!) While we don't have the professional pictures back yet, I do have some from some family members for you to enjoy until the real things. I can't wait for the real ones...I think they'll be beautiful, too! :)

Five days...

I am marrying Dane Hanvey in five days. Five. That's one hand!! I can't even begin to describe how blessed I feel to be able to say that in five days, I will be Mrs. Hanvey. Dane is the love of my life. The apple of my eye. My best friend! I am so grateful that I will be sealed to him for time AND for all eternity in the Temple. How blessed we are to have that!! Here's a sneak peak to this weekend's festivities...Oh happy day!!!

Happy Birthday, Fiance!

Yesterday was Dane's birthday. He turned the big 3-1. Yikes! I'm marrying an old man!! ;) Just kidding--I love everything about him, including his age!!! For part of his birthday, I made him a little Shutterfly book with the Top 10 reasons why I love him! To celebrate his birthday a little bit more, I'll share them with you!! (Wow, I use way too many exclamation points...my mom is rubbing off on me :) ) 1. He is always a gentleman. He treats me like a princess...even when I don't deserve it!

2. He is so kind! Dane makes me want to be better, speak kinder, and be more charitable towards everyone I come in contact with!

3. He has a strong testimony. I love seeing Dane share his testimony through example and service. I also love going to the Temple with Dane!

4. He is so caring and thoughtful! Dane is always doing kind things for me and everyone else around him. He remembers important things and treats me with respect!

5. He has the cutest smile ever! Seriously, how can you resist this face??

6. He is a hard worker and is very persistent! Dane never gives up on anything. He has a great work ethic and is able to fix so many things! (He made me popcorn AND cleaned up the mess!)

7. Dane always knows how to make me smile and laugh! He is such a goof and I love it!!

8. Dane loves his family. I can tell by the way he talks to and about them. He loves spending time with them and serving them! He also loves my family. He plays with my nieces and nephews so well and gets along with my siblings and parents. They can't wait for him to be part of the family!!

9. He likes to have fun and be outside. I love playing outside, going to the park, and taking walks around the neighborhood with Dane!

10. Dane is the love of my life!! I love you, Dane!!

Happy birthday, Dane. I love being engaged to you and can't wait to marry you!! Ok, enough sap for the day. ;) I'm grateful to have this wonderful man in my life!!

The Story You've All Been Waiting For...

I know what most of you are thinking..."Janae was DATING someone??" Yes, it's true.

Dane Hanvey and I met when he moved into my ward last August. He sat next to me in Sunday School and my first thought was "Wow, a new boy in Pleasant Grove!" He must have thought I was cute or something because he turned out to be "the boy who shows up everywhere" the rest of the day. :)

I left after Sunday School for a baby blessing for my cousin's baby. After that I went back to our "Munch 'n Mingle" at church. I sat down at a table full of girls and next thing I knew, Dane was back next to me meeting the rest of the table. Random, yes.

I went home to an empty house and a little while later there was a knock at the door. The front door. The only people who visit us come in the back (our back-door neighbors). There at the front door was Dane and his two roommates. Wow. Seriously?? They came in and sat down and we chatted for a few minutes. This is the part of the story I like to leave out and Dane likes to put in! Let's just say this was NOT my finest moment in life. I went on to explain how my theory was every single boy over the age of 25 had one of two issues: commitment or pornography. Yes, my first real conversation of Dane I accused him of commitment or pornography issues. NOT my finest moment.
A few weeks later I saw him walking home after an FHE activity so I offered to give him a ride. (He still talks about that...it must have given a really good impression.) I got home and a little while later I got a text from an unknown person. It was Dane saying thanks for the ride home and good luck on the first day of school the next day. So now he had my number (ward directory stalker...) :).
A few days into school, he texted me again asking how the first few days of school had gone. I'll admit it...I thought that was really sweet. It showed that he was thoughtful! From then on, he proceeded to text me randomly here and there. He was still pretty shy in person (as in, he would say hi and maybe a couple other words) and so frankly, I thought he was just a bit awkward! I've come to learn it was just him being shy.
Around Thanksgiving time, he continued to text me while I was in Arizona and then he came to visit me when I got back to Pleasant Grove. Our first outside of texting interaction! :) He helped me set up my house for Christmas and spent at least an hour trying to set up my African nativity. I learned that night that he is a persistent little booger!! Persistent in more ways than one...
Christmas break, we texted a bit while I was in Arizona and I think he started growing on me a little bit. I'm not quite sure why...he was still too shy to talk to me in person or even ask me out, but he became more endearing than awkward. :) When I got back, it was still pretty awkward until I went to his roommate's birthday party and guess what...HE CAME OVER TO TALK TO ME!!! IN PERSON!!! We joked around and it was totally fine until 3 cute girls came in the door who were friends with him in years past and were so excited to see him that they took over. I stood back and thought "Wait a second...these girls really like him!! He must be cooler than I thought!" I continued to watch him interact with old friends and my intrigue started to grow...
When I got home that night he texted me (surprise, surprise) and apologized for getting distracted. From then on, my roommates and I started inviting him to social events and I found that I really enjoyed spending time with him. He has a heart of gold and his perspective on life is so solid. The first thing I fell in love with was our conversations. I could talk to Dane for hours about anything, I loved it!
Dane started gaining some confidence as we invited him over every day for a week and so he finally asked me out! Since our second date, we've been together pretty much every day!
Engagement Story:
Yesterday was his sister's mission "homecoming." We spent the day with his family until his siblings started trickling out to go home or do other things. His little brother then was like "I'm bored. Let's go for a drive or something." So we went for a drive up AF Canyon. We got up to a little trail part and his brother goes "Is there a place we could walk around or something?" As Dane parked the car, I looked out and saw his sister running through the trees like Bigfoot. It was then that I knew something was up. :)

We got out of the car and crossed a bridge. I asked him if I was going to have to call him a punk again (for some reason I call him a punk when he does nice things...it happens a lot). I looked a little ways and saw this:
I was shocked. There was music playing and rose petals all over the ground and it was just GORGEOUS!! We sat down and weren't quite sure what to do. He told me to read something he had written and framed for me so I did. Then he told me to open the bag that was a strand of pearls. Beautiful. Then he said I could open the box that was wrapped in the middle of the table. So I did. I pulled the box out and gave it to him (thinking he would get on one knee and open it and voila!). Nope, he put it back on the table for me. Wow. Thanks, bud. So I opened it and it was pearl earrings and a pearl bracelet. I laughed. Punk! Then he asked if I wanted the real thing and I said yes. He got down on one knee and pulled the box out of his sock (yes, the whole box was in his sock) and asked me to marry him! And I said YES!!
So there you have it...I am engaged. To Dane Hanvey. We are getting married in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple on July 21st and I am soooo incredibly happy. Dane is amazing and I am grateful every day that I found him and that he picked me!!