Elder Update- Week 2

Just so you know....... Brother can email every friday. (so before his email or letter comes tomorrow.... I figured I should update on his second week at the mtc (last week).

Mother usually sends 2 or 3 emails a week, my dad sends one, all my sisters, and of course.... Erik and I have sent one every week. Not to mention his friends, his girlfriend, and other family that writes to him. He doesn't get much time to use the computer (think he gets about the time it takes for him to do a load of his laundry). So by the time he reads everyone's emails.... he doesn't have much time to respond (he can't type or read very fast haha.... just kidding!).

Anyway...... because he had to cut our email short, he wrote us a nice 2 page letter which we recieved in the mail last week! We were so excited. He went into more detail than he had in any of his emails. So here it is...

Elder Update!!
His spanish is getting so good!! It's funny to read his letters because he says some of his words in spanish.  I'm sure the majority of his classes and studies are in spanish.... and if he's like a lot of other missionaries, spanish is their 1st language for 2 years.... and they actually forget a lot of their english. I'm excited to talk to him on the phone over the holidays to hear some of that!! He wrote me his testimony in spanish even. Very neat! (Because I'm planning on printing out these blog entries and putting them in some sort of scrapbook for him.... i'm going to share his "first spanish testimony" with all my faithful blog readers.... and for him to look back on!)
              -"Yo testifico que JesuCristo, es Slvador y nosotros hijos de dios. Yo se Jose Smith es profeta de     dios. Yo se el libro de Mormon es verdadero y yo se la Iglesia de JesuCristo de los santos de los ultimos  dias es verdadero inglesia y Thomas Monson es profeda de dios.  En el nombro JesuCristo. Amen"

Not bad for a week and a half.... huh??? He also said.... "The MTC is great.... I'm getting a little pudge. I have been eating a lot.  I think I gained a little weight. My life in the MTC is eating y class y goofing around. I made a slingshot with mi compeneros on p-day. It was fun I'll send pictures later. " He mentioned that his first companion left (as I posted in my last update) and it was the worst day. He admitted to having a really hard time with it.  I told him that these first few weeks.... and probably months are going to be the toughest.  Getting home sick and going into this completely different world can't be easy! But I know Kade will get through it and be great! He is now the only Elder in his district that is going out of the country (I think he's really excited to get to spain). He still hasn't told us any new info on his visa.... or when he heads to Madrid (hopefully tomorrow's emails will have the good news!)

The rest of the email was just person stuff directed toward Erik and I. One part I thought was funny.... and if you know Kade's sense of humor you will just roll your eyes to "I think you will be prego soon. I know. The Lord told me. Me and him are like peanut butter and jelly these days." He's so dumb! But we love him!!

Until next time....

~Elder Update!~

Okay..... I have sooooo much to update on, but for now.... an Elder Update. As most people know..... brother is gone. He entered the MTC (Missionary Training Center) July 7 to start his training to be an ambassador for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  I will try to do an "Elder Update" once a week (that's how often he gets to email)..... at least until mother starts up a blog for him (she will be much better at updating than I will).

Lets back up a few days.....

Wednesday June 30 (a whole week before he entered the MTC)- Brother was set apart by our stake president. For those of you who don't know...... This is when he receives a blessing and is ordained "Elder Montoya," an official missionary of the church. The President and Bishop both gave some great advice to Kade and also to the family. President then took Kade into the office for one last quick interview to assure his worthy to serve. Once his final interview was complete.... Erik, bishop, and president set him apart. During this blessing, president referred to him as "Elder Montoya". It had all seemed so surreal to me up until this point. This is when I then realized brother is going to leave for another country. He would be gone for 2 full years. I would only hear his voice on those major holidays. I also realized, and admired his love for the Lord. His assurance in what he was about to do, and how much he knew it was the right thing. And although he was sacrificing a lot (school for two years, leaving is family, friends, girlfriend..... everything he found comfort in) there was not a doubt in his mind that he loved our Church and believed in it's teachings. So many emotions had built up during this beautiful blesssing from President Cordroy. I know if he listens and follows the councel of his blessing he will be a great and successful missionary. After the blessing, mom and dad both had a moment to say a few words to bother.... and to share their love of the gospel. After was Elder Montoya's turn. He broke down right as he started speaking. He shared how much he loved his family. He went through each of us that were there (whole family except for Crystal, Scott and the girls.... we missed you!!). He gave a special thanks to Erik for his example. He told my dad he was going to miss his "golfing buddy" and best friend. I was literally sobbing throughout this whole ordeal..... but so was everyone else! Even Demi (at 7 years old..... and may not completely understanding what was going on) was crying! It was kind of weird for me to see my brother so serious and emotional (something I have not seen too many times in my life).

Here is a picture of all of us...... ignore or bloodshot eyes and red noses (who is attractive when they cry anyway?)  

Stake President (President Cordroy.... love this man) and Elder Brother (that's what I call him)

After this special event.... with everyone still crying, we decided to go do something fun! We changed our clothes and set out for laser tag and dinner. We had a blast.... and we shall add this to another night we will never forget!

Most Elders do not get set apart until either the day before or a few days before they enter the MTC. Once you are set apart..... you are an Elder, and, therefore, expected to follow the rules of a missionary. Some of these rules include, no TV, music, Internet (any media) that is not spiritually uplifting. And one of the toughest for him..... no being alone with any female (other than family members) and technically you can only shake hands with females. Why was this so difficult for him? He was off to Utah for the next week before entering the Missionary Training Center, which is where is girlfriend lives.

Elder Montoya with the cute girlfriend.... Aubree! She is such a sweetheart. These pictures were taking when she came down to New Mexico to visit in the middle of June. Don't worry.... we asked her every day why she was with Kade (think they've been together for about a year). She didn't have an answer..... Haha! Just kidding she's very cute and has the perfect sense of humor to put up with Kade! I think it must have been pretty hard for them to say goodbye...... but I know she was very encouraging and supportative with Kade's decision to serve a mission. Are you going to wait for him, Aubree??? :)

Brother left the following day (July 1st) with my parents and Demi. They spent the week in Utah with the rest of my family. Erik and I, unfortunately, had to stay behind to work. Throughout the week they had lots of family gatherings (for the fouth, for Demi's bday, and for brother's "going away"). They also spent the day before at lagoon...... a SWEET amusement park!

July 7th- Elder Montoya was to report to the MTC between 1:15 and 1:30. He spent the morning getting everything ready and saying goodbye to family. I heard my sister Crystal, and my grandpa Montoya had the hardest time saying good bye. (These pictures were taken off Crystal's blog.... mother hasn't got her pictures yet)  

My mom said that brother got pretty quite on the way to Provo (MTC). They started talking about sports and other things to calm his nerves and get him talking. On the way down.... they picked up his friend Brock- Elder Lybbert (from Moses Lake, WA) who was also entering the MTC the same day and time as Kade! This helped a lot! When they got to the MTC.... they pulled up to the curb, brother and Brock got out and got their stuff..... Mom and dad snapped a few pictures..... and then they were off with their missionaries that were there waiting for them! My dad said that it is way different than how it used to be... and way less emotional. Both of my parents agreed they liked this better!

Since then: Elder Montoya says he's going great! He loves it at the MTC. He is learning a lot about the Lord, and is catching on to Spanish pretty good. He gets to play soccer every day. He claims he's putting on some weight.... and says they have tons of food! His original companion that he had (he really liked and they were to be on the same flight to Madrid together) already went home. He had a really hard time with this.... but has stayed positive and got 2 other companions that he really likes. His visa hasn't came in yet.... and he got a letter saying he will be delayed going to Spain because the Madrid offices were closed during the world cup. Haha!! He really misses everyone, and loves to hear stories of what's going on in "the real world". He has to get sports updates from my dad every time he emails. Anyway.... think that's about all for now. We really miss him! When we go to my parents at least one story gets brought up about brother, and my mom still says "go get Kaaaaaade.... oh wait..." when it's time for dinner.   

Wedding part 3.......

The following weekend.... we were up and at it again!

May 21, 2010- Our ring ceremony. The weekend before was about us. This weekend was for our friends and family. To show them how much we love each other, and to include them in this big step in our lives. We decided to incorporate some of the traditional symbolism of a "typical" wedding...... flower girls, wedding party, aisle walking, music, and the exchange of rings (which we had not done).  It was very important to us that they felt apart of everything! We felt by doing it this way.... we got that best of both worlds!

Getting ready...... I was still nervous, and still very very excited!!!

My favorite girls in the whole world!!!!

Bride and the beautiful bridesmaids!!! (The rain let up for about an hour for us to take pictures.... how perfect was that??)

Handsome groom.... with his handsome groomsmen

 Our HUGE wedding party!!!!

Montoya gang! I love my family!!

Fitzgerald gang.... I love my new family too!!

Erik's whole family.... cheering us on!!

Us with Grandma Fitzgerald

With Grandma and Grandpa Fiksdal (Erik's mom's parents)

Whelp...... guess we're not quite fit for parenthood just yet....

Us with The 4 most amazing people... our parents!!!

The cute flower girls!

Yep.... I tripped. Leave it to me! And not only did I trip.... I screamed as I did it. Graceful, right?

Jeff Earl performed the ceremony. He did amazing!!!!! Could not have asked for anyone better! I love this man.

Exchanging a few words to each other.....

You may kiss your bride!!

Mr and Mrs. Fitzgerald! Party time....

The venue....

The Cake.... (We literally sent a pictures about 6 months ago to the caterer.... just as an idea of something I liked..... and didn't think anything else about it). We walked into the reception and saw this cake (identical to the picture)...... we were so pleased!!!!! 

 

Toast time!!! Our DJ let the best man (Greg) and the maid of honor (my sister, Rachelle) give their speeches (which were awesome by the way), and then turned the microphone over to anyone else who had something to say. He told me before hand that usually the parents will say something, and then people will hesitate so he moves onto something else quickly. The parents each said something sweet and heartfelt (lots of tears..... I contained myself *shock!!!* but my sweet hubby on the other hand...... showed his soft side). Then we literally had a line of friends and family who wanted to say something to us. Everyone kept it short and sweet.... but it meant so much to us to hear what everyone had to say. We really are blessed with some great people in our lives!

Erik's mom...... who put EVERYONE in tears!!! But quickly had everyone smiling as she told the story of the bride getting left the night before at the rehearsal.

Story: We had rehearsal the day before, and then had to rush off for rehearsal dinner. I was in the house changing into my dress for dinner.... and walked out of the house to see everyone was leaving. I quickly walked around the house so my ride could catch the end of the line and not get lost..... oh wait.... there was NOBODY left!!! No family, no groom.... nobody!! I came with my parents.... but told Erik I was going to change in the house real fast, and was expecting to head over with him (still can't decide who's fault this all was). I slowly walked to the barn where the owner and her workers were fixing up a few things. With my head down, I asked if anyone was in there waiting for me? She started laughing.... and thought I was joking. I said "no really..... I got left!!" She responded in the mists of her laughter "They left the bride??? You have your own car though, right?" Wrong. No car.... stranded. No way of getting to rehearsal dinner...... who needs the bride there anyway, right?? This, of course, sent Johanna (owner) into another burst of laughter. Right then, my phone rings...... It's Erik's mom, "Kimber...... where are you?" She asked in a shaky voice. She said she got a bad feeling in her gut and pulled over and thought "I didn't see Kimber get into anyone's car." I responded as calmly as I could "Wine and Roses..... I got left." She felt terrible and said she was turning around and would be right there!!! So there it was....... Julie (Erik's mom) was looking out for me and took care of me!!! Not Erik..... not my family by blood...... but my mother-in-law!!!! I love her!!! Needless to say, it was quite the topic at the rehearsal dinner. Everyone got a kick out of hearing the bride got left behind!

Cake cutting....

Cake fight..... I'll admit, I got dominated!!! In my defense..... look at how much longer his arms are than mine!!!!

Cake completely up the nose..... he thinks he's sooooo funny!!

Erik with all the beautiful single ladies for his LAST time!!

Bouquet toss...

Oppps........ I hit the chandelier right above me and it landed (with it's pedals scattered everywhere) like 2 feet behind me. Dang it!!!! Can't I do anything right? Sorry ladies.  They need to teach the uncoordinated brides, such as myself, how to do these things!!

Guarder toss..... I have always found this as an awkward tradition..... and this is exactly why!! In fact.... I'm pretty sure I could see my dad through my peripheral vision at this exact moment in my life....

First dance.... "I'll take today" by Gary Allan

Good news...... he still finds me funny :)

Daddy/Daughter....... "Brown Eyed girl"

What would I do without him??

Mother/Son...... "My Wish" by Rascal Flatts

The DJ was awesome and so much fun!! The caterer was amazing and the food was fantastic (stuffed chicken and salmon). The venue was beautiful, the landscaping was gorgeous, Johanna (owner) was a sweetheart. Two families coming together. It was perfect! I couldn't have asked for more. Okay..... So it rained. Oh well.... We were in beautiful Seattle. Small price to pay! Besides..... what do they say about rain on your wedding day??? Life time of happiness? Good Luck? I can't remember.... But I'm pretty sure it's good. Guess we're guaranteed lots of luck through this journey of ours!!

Wedding part 2.....

May 15, 2010- Wedding day! This was our actual wedding day. The day we signed our marriage licence, the day Erik saw me for the first time in my wedding dress, and the day we were sealed for time and all eternity! We were married in Salt Lake Temple (picture above).

For those of you who don't really understand a "Temple marriage" or a "sealing".... let me briefly explain. It's not really what you think of when you think of your typical civil wedding. There is no flower girls, no bridesmaids, no aisle for the bride to walk down, there is not even a ring exchange. It is still beautiful, it is still meaningful, there is still symbolism, still tears and laughter, still love, and most of..... it is still the uniting of a husband and wife. The main difference between a temple sealing and a civil marriage is that you are "sealed for time and all eternity" versus "till death do you part". And as most people know.... not everyone is able to witness this ceremony.  It was hard to not have most of my family in the room with us, and none of Erik's family with us..... but we kept our heads high and knew this day was truly about us. Erik and Kimber. Husband and wife.... making promises and commitments to each other, and covenants with the lord. It was perfect.

Wedding day: I got up early because I had quite a bit to do. I slept great the night before!! Everyone kept telling me I wasn't going to sleep at all..... wrong! I stayed at my aunt's house..... and we were up until about 1am trying to fix my dress (yikes!!) and passed out the second I hit the pillow. Erik, on the other hand, slept at my grandma's house and I guess didn't sleep well at all! He's the one in the relationship who worries...... he thinks about years down the road and it really hit him what was about to happen the following day. He claimed he wasn't nervous at all to marry me..... but his mind was racing, and he was a little nervous for all the attention he was going to receive. 

Erik and my family headed back to my aunt's house (where the reception was taking place later that evening) to finish setting up tables and chairs, linens, centerpieces..... and everything else we didn't finish the day before. I worked on the slide show, got my hair and make-up done, got ready and had to head out to meet my mom and Erik by noon. Our ceremony wasn't until 3, but they wanted us (bride and groom) there by 1:45. I wasn't nervous at all...... My brother (who was driving me) kept asking "Are you nervous?" "Is it hitting you yet?" Nope. Nothing. The moment I saw Erik in his suit I got a little flutter in my gut. Not nerves though.... excitement! Erik was a mess!! haha.... my family kept making fun of him, and was shocked how calm I was. 

Temple: The Salt Lake temple is huge. It's gorgeous!! It's grounds and landscape is incredible! Therefore.... it's crazy busy ALL the time. Erik and I were one of 53 weddings in the temple that day. Note: The man performing our sealing mentioned they were so busy that they had lots of general authorities and President Monson had even performed a few of the sealings.... how cool would that be?? Erik and I went our own ways to get ready. There was about 11 other brides in the bridal room getting ready with me. It was a bit hectic.... but I found much amusement in it all. (There was one bride who had apparently put on a few extra lbs. and she was literally laying on her stomach as two ladies were on top of her trying to get her dress zipped.... it was hilarious!!) I had my dress and everything ready to go the fastest (I was even ready before Erik). I was ready to get this show on the road!!! I sat and watched the other brides until someone came to tell me Erik was ready. They guided me to where he was..... then I started to get nervous, and my heart started beating really fast!! It was the first time Erik had seen me (or the dress). It was amazing!! We were nothing but smiles. 

Sealing: The sealing was not more than 10 minutes long. The man performing our sealing was awesome!! He made us laugh..... even making fun of my future cooking (we felt like he really knew us.... even though we had never seen or talked to this man in our lives). He gave us great advice and had most of us.... especially me in tears! The sealing was beautiful and something we will both never forget!

And just like that..... BAM!!!!! Married!!!! Husband and Wife..... for time and ALL ETERNITY! 

Us with grandma Reeder (mom's mom)

Us with my parents!!

With my immediate family......

With my best friend Whitney, and her hubby Cody. Love these guys! They are both still in school.... so they left after their classes Friday night (from Washington), and drove the 11 hours to Salt lake. They arrived at 6am Saturday morning (day of wedding), stayed awake and was apart of everything all day Saturday, and then turned around and went back home Sunday morning. What troopers!! It meant so much to have them there!!

Brothers...... Kade is so excited to finally recruit some men into this family!! Love these boys!!

Sisters...... my best friends!

Husband and Wife :)

Then off to the reception we went...... only a half hour late....

Us with Grandpa Montoya (dad's dad).... he literally would cry every time we came around him. It was so sweet!!

My aunts and sister (Rachelle..... the cook in the family) spent days cooking homemade Mexican food..... my favorite!!! Thanks for all the work. Beautiful picture of me stuffing my face.....

Cute niece Aubrey....... found the dessert table

Sweet niece Olivia..... sick :(

Huge thanks to my Aunt Weda and Uncle Brian for letting us do this at their house! They have a beautiful house and yard, and they put so much work into making this special for us! Again, to all my aunts (Aunt Vivian who even flew in for the weekend just to help cook) and Rachelle for all the awesome food. Aunt Suz for the beautiful centerpieces. And my mom's family for making drinks, and desserts and salads. Everyone helped out..... Thanks!!

Let the dancing begin!

Wedding march!!

Money dance! Erik and my cousin Kalee

Me with little sister Demi

Cutting our cute little cake.....

cake fight..... (I won this one!!!)

Look at that technique!

And Rilee catches it!

And we're off...... tired and exhausted!!

But wait.... the car we borrowed to take to the hotel..... Thanks siblings and cousins!!!!

What a great day it was!!!! Thanks for all the hard work everyone put in!! Again our "simple little dinner" turned into something much more than we were expecting. We love our Utah family!!!!

So we leave you...... the new Mr. and Mrs. Fitzgerald!!!