A Swanky Wedding

Brad has a friend named Ben who he met his Freshman Year at BYU. I met Ben one Sunday in March 2011 when Brad and I happened to be at Kiwanis Park at the same time as Ben and his then girlfriend Elise.

Last Fall, Elise and I were in Human Biology together {turns out, Elise and I are in the same major}. Instead of paying attention in class, we bonded over Pinterest, talking about relationships, and wedding planning {Ben and Elise got engaged over the summer}.

Well, on April 21, Ben and Elise got married! Brad and I were lucky enough to attend their sealing in the Oquirrh Mountain Temple and their reception that night. It was a blast!

The ceremony was special and sweet. {Lots of holding hands with my hubby, happy tears, and baby hunger(?) on my part. Sealings are about eternal families, as well as the couple at the altar.}

The reception had all of Elise's cute vintage style {which I didn't get any pictures of} and lots of swing music.
Before we got to the reception, I made Brad promise he would dance with me for one song {he hates dancing}. But as soon as we got there I remembered that most of the Swanks' friends are in the Swing Club, so I let him off the hook. {but he still owes me a dance...}

Between the sealing and the reception, Brad and I had a fun mini trip up to Salt Lake City, but I'll write about that in a separate post.

Thank you Ben and Elise for getting married! We love you!

I love this picture because Brad looks like a model :)

What's for dinner? Ribs!

Last week was finals week and I started my new job. This semester was pretty much the pits for a lot of reasons, so we are very happy to be done! After eight months of being jobless, I was very happy to be starting work, and ecstatic to be working in a place that gives me experience that applies to TR.


To celebrate, I decided to make Brad's favorite meal: ribs! They're actually really easy. We also had mashed potatoes, broccoli, and garlic bread. I splurged and picked up some IBC cream soda to make it a real celebration :) Of course, no day celebration in the Spendlove household would be complete without chocolate! I found a yummy molten chocolate cake on everyone's favorite blog!

Brad "that looks like a caveman meal"

For the mashed potatoes, I added some left over ricotta cheese instead of sour cream, which turned out yummy!

If I had had more time I would have made this artichoke feta garlic bread I found on pinterest instead of the store bought garlic bread.

Ribs {I got this recipe from a cookbook I got at my bridal shower}
8 boneless ribs {less if you are using ribs with bones, we used five beef short ribs this time}
1 jar/bottle of your favorite bar be cue sauce

Pour 1/3 cup sauce on the bottom of the slow cooker. Place ribs in slow cooker and top with sauce. Make sure the ribs are covered with sauce. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
{In a hurry? Cook on high for 1-2 hours, then 2 hours more on low.}

Top Five Romantic Gestures

A few months ago I saw this post on the nest. Its top five are nice, but they don't really apply to our relationship. {We're in college, we can't afford a surprise weekend away, or buying gifts just because, especially flowers or the latest video game.} Here are our top five:

For Becca

1. Doing the Dishes!
2. Holding me close when I've had a bad day
3. Shaving
4. Leaving me nice notes
5. Small gifts of chocolate or baked goods

For Brad

1. Listening when I ramble about something I'm excited about
2. Being silly together
3. Playing video games with me
4. Making my favorite things to eat
5. Scratching my head/back