I finally got the ball rolling :)

The past 3 days have been filled with wedding planning. I feel like the ball is finally rolling. I stopped being lazy and started to work on things. I figured out my colors and they are SET! No going back :) 

 what do you think?

So I love the Dark Blue and I really want to use silver/grey accents with it.

I love the way the green pops with the flowers.  

Example...

So what do you think?

We are still looking for a photographer so if you know of any in the LA area that are maybe familiar with LDS weddings and not expensive I would super appreciate it.

Oh

We still need invitations too. So if you know of any cool website with great prices that would be AMAZING!!

We have a budget that we have to stick. Sometimes I wish we didn't but we do.If only we were Royal ;)

I'm excited to get to take engagement pictures. I have this idea and vision in my head that I HAVE to do. I've been trying to decide on what to wear. I"d love to wear a cute dress in one and possibly something a little more casual in another. I also REALLY want to take a picture on the Pasadena bridge. 

It's so pretty and Pasadena really is home to both of us! We met in this beautiful city and it truly has been a huge part of our relationship!

How about this for our exit?!?

SPARKLERS!!!

 I love sparklers and I want them soo bad. 

 So much going on inside my head and I'm so excited to start making everything final.

Hopefully soon we will have a date to finally announce.

I have a feeling it will be REALLY, REALLY soon ;)

One more thing...

I picked up my dress. It's been sitting in my room for about 2 weeks. 

Isn't that CRAZY! 

Next step buy accessories like a pretty belt to wear with it and possibly a veil. 

Will you be my MOH?

I haven't chosen my entire bridal party yet but for years I have known 2 very important people in my life that would for sure be by my side.  I can't imagine not having them on one of the most important days of my life.  

I love the J's in my life :) 

JR

Jessica

& 

Jazmin

Meet Jessica. My best friend. 

We met in high school. We have been best friends for years. 

I stopped by her work  for lunch and to ask her a VERY important question. 

I drove to her work and snapped a quick picture of the beautiful view of the field. She works at the stadium. Lucky, right?

I surprised her with some yummy cupcakes and pretty sunflowers.

 On the sunflowers I had attached a note card that I made and on the back I wrote a little something for her. The front said:

Will you be my Maid of Honor?

She said Yes :)

Meet Jazmin. My favorite sister.

Okay, I only have one but she is my favorite ;)

 We have known each other my ENTIRE life :) 

She is not only my sister but my best friend.

 I also gave her sunflowers with a note card as you can see.

Can you see what else is in the picture??

My niece or nephew.

Jazmin is pregnant and due in October. I'm super excited about it!! 

Dot's cupcakes for 3 :)

 Jazmin's card said:

Will you be my Matron of Honor?

She said Yes :)

I'm happy that I'll  be able to have these two girls by my side on my big day. 

 I LOVE YOU BOTH

SOOOOOO

MUCH!!!

Di: Hi, How are you? JR: Hi, I've got bad news

Thursday night. 

What a crazy night.

 JR left my house a little after 9:15pm on his motorcycle to go home. He almost always calls or texts me when he gets home so I know he is safe and to say our final good night. Right when he left I went upstairs to get ready for bed. I washed my face and brushed my teeth and slide right into bed.

My phone rings and It's JR.

Di: Hi, How are you?

JR: Hi, I've got bad news.

Di: Whats wrong?

JR: I got into a accident.

 My heart dropped and I felt pain in my chest. I wanted to try to stay calm while talking to him but inside I was freaking out. I start asking him, Where are you? Are you okay? Are you hurt? I'm on the phone with him while I'm starting to run down the hall to get into my car and get to him as fast as possible. I then notice...I don't have shoes, socks or a jacket on. I rush back and start putting on what needs to be put on while trying to figure out where he is. The accident happened on the 210 freeway. He tells me where he is and then I tell him I love him so much and that I'll see him in a few minuets. He sounded startled and shaken up on the phone. If anyone knows JR he is ALWAYS very calm.

I call my dad while I'm in the car. I tell him quickly what happened and to pray for JR. I also called my best friend, Jessica. She is good at calming me down. I needed them and God at this moment to help me get through whatever was about to happen.

The moment I pulled up and I saw him standing there, I cried. I rushed up to him to hold and kiss him. I couldn't believe how lucky and blessed he was and how lucky and blessed I was. I can't imagine not having him here with me. At that moment I never wanted to let him go again. I hear about motorcycle accidents all the time. At least 2 times a week while watching the news in the morning as I get ready for work. I've always made sure to tell JR I love him before he leaves and  give him a kiss. I've had nightmares of accidents and still inside a part of me thought it will never happen. He walked away from all of this :) He is okay. He is banged up but okay. That night while I prayed, I cried. I was so thankful that God protected him. I thanked him for all that he has given me. I thanked him for JR. 

The day after I made sure he came over so I could take care of him. I let him choose whatever he wanted to eat. He decided on In-N-Out. That night when he really wanted Diet Coke and I didn't have any, I went out to get some. I was more then happy to do it. I was just so glad to have him here with me. 

For those of you who know Jorge and might be worried, he is fine. He is banged up pretty bad in some areas like his poor legs (they have road rash). His arms and ribs hurt from the fall but he is okay :) My Handsome man is okay!! 

 Yesterday we went to Lancaster to visit my family. My cute little niece Lou Lou was going to be preforming at the California Poppy Festival. She is 2 years old and loves her dance class. She was so cute! JR has known Lou Lou since she was born. This is them at her blessing. As you can see they go way back ;)

 Yesterday we told her that Tio Jorge has ouchies. The reason we told her was because she likes to climb up on us to sit on our laps.We wanted to make sure she would be extra soft with him. JR showed her a little bit of his ouchies on his ankles and she was so worried for him. 

she said

 "Tio, you go to the Doctors and get a shot. Okay?"

She also gave him a big hug. She hugged him for a little bit . It was so sweet. 

She loves him. During the day she would remember and ask Tio if he was okay. 

 I'm so glad and thankful everyday for my loved ones. 

I'm thankful for my handsome man.

JR,

I'm glad you're okay 

I love you.

-Di

Mom

I've had people come up to me lately telling me they read my blog.

I didn't think anyone was reading it since I hadn't been receiving  many comments but I guess you are out there. 

It made me happy to know people are reading and enjoying.
Don't be shy and leave a comment if you like. I'd love it!
:)

 I started this blog so my mother, Jazmin, could be updated and a part of my wedding planning. I know it must be hard for her to be so far away during this important time of my life.

This is my mother.

My mother is my #1 Fan. I'm not exaggerating in any way. This cute woman made sure to go to all of my games, recitals, award ceremonies and school plays. If it were a sporting event she would be yelling and cheering me and my siblings on. I laugh every time I think about the way she would cheer so loudly at our games. 

A few years ago my parents moved back to South America. They currently live in Cochabamba, Bolivia and they love it!! They get to see all their family and friends again. At first it was REALLY  hard for me to deal with the fact they were gone. Just ask JR, I would just start crying out of the blue because I missed them so much. As time has gone by I've been able to handle it a lot better. During the holidays is when I miss them the most.

     Last May my parents came down to visit us kids and the grandchildren. The night before they left JR had the "talk" with my dad. He was asking for my hand in marriage. I love the fact that he did. Even though he wasn't going to be doing it right away, he knew this was going to be his chance to get to ask my father face to face. I had no clue he was going to ask for my hand in marriage. I thought he was going to tell him not to worry so much about me and that he loved me very much and that he will make sure to watch over me while they are gone.

     While all this was happening I was upstairs with my mom and sister. We were packing the rest of the luggage. My dad walks upstairs by himself, JR stayed downstairs to finish watching the laker game. He starts looking at me with this big smile on his face and he is about to start crying. I'm like, it's going to be okay, we will see each other really soon! You see, Every time they leave we all cry like crazy!! We hate saying goodbye to each other. Well I thought this is what was about to take place. He is going to start the good byes. I was wrong!!! He blurts out that JR just asked him for my hand in marriage!!! My mom starts freaking out and my sister is like, WHAT!!! I of course have the biggest smile on my face. I'm so excited! My dad starts crying and gives me a hug. My mom then starts with the water works and then it's over. The 4 of us are upstairs crying because JR asked for my hand in marriage. My dad starts telling us about how he did it and what he said. He was super impressed because JR did it in Spanish :) Well, then my mom turns to me and asked, when's the date??  I look at her and explain to her that I'm not engaged and that we don't have a date. I then explain to them that I don't think I'm supposed to know that he asked for my hand. I explain to my mother again about how it's a secret. How we don't have a date yet since i'm not engaged. Fast forward to the next morning.

 I wake up to a phone call from my brother.

Chris : "Congrats!!! I heard you and JR got engaged last night! That's awesome!"

  Di: WHAT!!!! Who told you that?? We aren't engaged!

 I explain to him what happened and he starts laughing and tells me that Mom told him :)

My mom was one of the first that I called when I got engaged. She started yelling and cheering for me on the phone and all I could do was cry. I wished that she could be here to kiss and hug me. I also wanted her to do this little clap thing that she does. It's really cute :) I didn't get the hug and kiss I wanted but she did tell me how happy and how proud of me she was. She told me that I deserve this, that I deserve to be happy and that she couldn't imagine me with anyone else. She carries this picture of JR and I in her purse and shows it off to everyone. It was nice to hear her approval over the phone about the man I had chosen to marry.I look back and I'm so thankful that my dad spilled the beans that night. I was able to see my mom's reaction to the "engagement" news and get a big hug and kiss from her that night. 

She was just happy that she could finally tell everyone that I was engaged. I was happy for that exact same reason.

I'm engaged....FINALLY :) 

It's really happening!

Last week I received an e-mail from Macy's inviting us join them for a wedding registry event for tonight. It started at 6:30pm and when we arrived they handed JR a scan gun & I grabbed some paperwork. We entered a couple contest's while we were there. It was a really niceevent. They had some very tasty  hors d'oeuvres and sparkling cider for us. We scanned and sipped the night away. 

       

It was so much fun to be able to walk around the store and see all of the cool stuff they had. One of my favorite parts of registering was being able to choose things with JR. Things that WE will be using in OUR home :) It's nice to be able to see what we like and what we don't like and then make a decision together. We only added a few things to our registry for now and we plan on doing more online and then going back to Macy's when it's not as busy. While we were leaving they gave us a tote bag with presents!!! Our first wedding gift!

A few pictures of us opening our presents

Excited about our gift's

$25 restaurants.com card, silicone hot pad & tote bag.

Spatula and mini whisk.

 Our gift bag with our goodies

While we were scanning and looking at all the kitchen stuff I was telling JR about how I really wanted this bakeware set. We were looking for the price but couldn't find it so I went to the price check station and found out it was on super sale..... 24.99!!

So we decided to buy it since they only had one more left. Our first purchase for our home :) It's starting to feel real. With every step I get more and more excited. It's really happening!! 
I'm getting married :)

The wedding date

We have been getting the question every engaged couple gets....When is the big day? or more recently it's been, Have you finally set a date yet?? I know it seems a little odd that after 2 months we still don't have a date set. Don't get me wrong, I'm not upset in any way at anyone who asks me. I know people are only asking because they are excited that we are getting married and that makes me really happy. I just wish I could have a simple way to answer the question for everyone. This is my attempt to answer.  

 I'd like you to meet my Daddy :)

This man right here is my HERO, he is my life. The one man who has always been there for me.  He has always told me he loves me and how special I am. He is such a hard worker, always puts God and his family first. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful father. 

I love him very much.

My father was diagnosed with Lupus about 17 years ago. He has since had his complications with this illness. Sadly, at the moment no cure exists. Although, I pray that someday VERY soon he might be blessed with one. 

My daddy's kidneys are not doing very well. Last year we sat down and spoke about the possibility of a transplant.  We had an appointment with this man right here and his wonderful staff.

 Dr.Tuso is the family angel =)

This man diagnosed my father and saved his life numerous times over the years. While we were meeting with our family angel, he informed us of the the status of my dad's kidneys. During a special appointment with him and his great staff they explained the process of the transplant. He would need to be added to the transplant list. A work up needs to be done in order to be added to the list. After he is placed on the list he will have to wait for a kidney which can take 6-7 years. During those 6-7 years he will most likely need to be placed on dialysis. JR currently works at a dialysis center and he has told me about some of the patients. It breaks my heart to think that he might have to do this for that long. They asked if any of us are willing to donate that way he isn't just waiting for years. We are all willing to donate but not all of us can for different reason that are completely understandable. In order to donate we need to make sure we are healthy and have no other complications.

What does this have to do with our wedding date?

My dad has finished his work up to be added to the list. I have had some blood work done last year and they checked to make sure I had 2 kidneys. Guess what ?!?! I DO!!  Everything has been rolling along pretty well. We have now been referred to UCLA medical center. This is the hospital that we decided on as a family. He has an important doctors appointment coming up with UCLA in a few weeks and we have decided to wait and see what the results will be. If his kidney function has diminished by a lot then we will need to proceed with the next step which is transplant. I will need to go into UCLA and have numerous tests done. From the limited test I had done last year and with my blood type it looks like I'm a match. We still don't know for sure if everything is a match but I was told that if the rest doesn't match with the beauty of science it should still work out. JR and I decided that we will wait and see what the doctors say. If he needs a transplant right away then he needs it right away and the wedding will need to wait. I want to make sure I can dance and have a good time at my wedding and I also want to make sure my dad is going to be able to do the same. If the doctors say that he should be okay for another year or two then we will get to set a date and start booking everything. My father has been through kidney failure before and we have prayed and fasted that they would start functioning again and they have. We have faith that whatever happens is meant to happen. 

This is my family.

I would do ANYTHING for any one of them. They would do ANYTHING for me. I'm blessed to have them. I love my family very much. My dad loves all of us. He has sacrificed so much over the years to make sure we had food on the table and a roof over our heads. I've NEVER heard my father complain once about how it's too hard. He is amazing! 

I hope this will help everyone better understand why we don't have a date set. I know it's kind of a different situation but it's whats going on. :)