Friday, December 30, 2011

Book Nerd is at it again

Alright, this week's book spotlight doesn't cover just one book. But an entire author. I love Shannon Hale. She is such a talented writer and completely sucks you into her wonderful stories. The Goose Girl is the first book I read of hers and I fell in love. She turned The Goose Girl into a series, known as the Bayern Series, and while the other books in the series are entertaining, The Goose Girl still remains my favorite of her books. She also wrote these other books (featured below) that are amazing as well. If you are looking for a good fantasy story to read that makes you feel like a kid again, then this is the author for you!

Cheesy is How we Do it

In case you didn't get one, this was our Christmas card this year. Merry Christmas!

Our First Christmas

Justin and I had an amazing first Christmas together. It was so nice to have someone to spend Christmas with and we were able to spend time with lots of family this year. On Christmas Eve Eve we went to Grandma and Grandpa Olsen's for dinner and games. Christmas Eve we went to Aunt Louise and Uncle Harold's house for the extended Palmer family party. After the party we went over to Justin's parents house and played games with his parents, Stephanie, Leslie, Tyler and Tyler. Christmas Eve Justin and I were able to spend the night in our own apartment, which was kind of nice Christmas morning. Justin and I exchanged gifts, drove to his parents to exchange more gifts and have a fabulous omelet breakfast, and then headed to Preston to see the extended Wright family and exchange even more gifts and eat even more yummy delicious food. We got insanely spoiled this year! We are so lucky to have so many loving family members around and are truly blessed for all the good things that have happened to us this year. I hope you all had an amazing Christmas as well and have a very happy new year!

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Forgotten

I love marriage. I really do. But this month has been kind of a hard one for me. Not because of Justin, he has been great, really. But just because of .... me. I've never been married before, so I guess I didn't really know what to expect. I expected the occasional fight and the less than perfect days. I did NOT expect to be so happy or feel so loved and so safe. I didn't expect to have a sudden sureness that this is the way God wants me to live, that this is His plan for His children, and that marriage is a very, very sacred thing.

But mostly I didn't expect the loneliness. Marriage can be really, really lonely. And I was definitely not expecting that.

As most of you know Justin works graveyards, which means he works all night and sleeps all day. He wakes up around five or six in the pm and so we get to spend our nights together. That's great. But while he is sleeping, I find myself extremely bored and extremely lonely. I know I need to find a full time job, it would help a lot, but in the meantime I'm not really sure what to do with my time. The worst part about it is I feel completely forgotten. None of my friends have called me to hang out with them. In fact I haven't even seen them since October. It's weird how I am closer and talk to my best friend who lives in Canada more than I do to my friends who live in the same city as me, probably less than two minutes away. I know they are busy with their lives, and friendship goes both ways, but am I really expected to initiate everything? I guess they are no longer interested in hanging out with an old married lady like me.

Everyone says that this change is good, that it's the way that it's supposed to be. Losing contact with you friends is SUPPOSED to happen after you are married. Shiz monkey. I don't like it. I know I am just having a hard time with this change because for the past five years I have been extremely spoiled in my social life. I always had roommates and friends around 24/7 and there was always something to do, someone to be with. It's a hard adjustment for me. I miss being around people. I miss my friends. I love Justin more than anything, and I love every minute we get to spend together. In my perfect world he could quit his job and we could spend every minute of every day together. But of course it's not a perfect world and we can't spend all of our time together so here I sit, whining about my life, when really it's not so bad, I just need a hobby. Or a puppy. ;)

Book of the Week


There are some books that I read over and over just for fun because I like the story and am entertained. Then there are books that I read over and over again because of the important message it contains, or because I learn something new every time I read it, or simply because I need a book to remind me of what I have. This week's book is one of those books. This week I re-read "The Giver" by Lois Lowry. This book is about a futuristic community who have decided to switch to "sameness". Everything is the same, and every part of their lives is assigned to them: such as their job, their spouse, even their children. This book may be short, but it really makes me stop and think about how lucky I am to live in this country and being able to make my own decisions, make my own mistakes, and do pretty much whatever I want with my life. Read it. I promise you won't regret it. It's a really good book to read in the month of December.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Some Wedding Pictures...



































This is just a very few of the MANY pictures we got that day. If you would like to see all of them check them out on my facebook.

Book of the Week



This week's book was inspired by Thomas S. Monson in the 1'st Presidencies Christmas Devotional tonight. Most people know the story, but I bet very few have actually read the book. The book I am talking about is "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. This book is amazing. Not only for the story, but for the spirit it brings to it's reader. The story has so much more detail than you have ever heard, I promise that you will not be reading the same old story that you have heard since you were a kid. Charles Dickens is one of my favorite authors, and this book is just chock full of inspirational quotes. If you are feeling like you're missing out on the Christmas spirit this year, then this is the book for you! It's a pretty short read so even if your not big on reading you're sure to love it.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Two Words: Cancer Sucks!



When I was twelve years old one of my best friend's mom died from cancer. I'm sure I was not old enough to understand the pain that my friend went through at this terrible loss, all I knew was that it was so not fair that she had to live her life without her mom.






When I was 17 my own mom was diagnosed with lupus, which is a form of cancer. The day that I found out I remembered my friend losing her mom, and thought that I was about to face that same tragedy. I cried harder that day than I have ever cried in my entire life. That next year was one of the hardest years my mom and our family have gone through. My mom had to go through so many doctors, specialists, treatments, medicines, pains, and sorrows. I think watching her struggle was the worst part for me because there was nothing I could do for her, I was just so helpless. Fortunately my mom was able to get her lupus under control, unfortunately she will live with this terrible disease for as long as she lives. Everyday could be a threat to her life if the disease somehow gets out from under her control.






This last summer another friend of mine had to go through the heart breaking tragedy of losing her mom to cancer. It was awful seeing another person that I love so much have to go through something so devastatingly horrid. This friend lives far away, so it was especially hard that I couldn't just go to her and give her a great big hug every time she got some bad news from home. Again, I felt helpless. What could I possibly do or say to make it ok? There isn't anything. Because it isn't ok.






Well once again tragedy has struck. Another good friend of mine got the horrible news that her mom has cancer. My heart completely sunk when I found out. It's scary how many people are being affected by this terrible disease. And again, I just feel so helpless. What can I possibly do for this friend? Not much.






I guess I don't really know the point of this blog. Mostly I just want to ask people to remember cancer in their prayers. Pray for the victims. Pray for the victim's family and friends. Pray for the people who spend their time researching a cure. Pray for the doctors, the nurses, and all the others who are trying to help the fight against cancer. Just pray. Maybe if enough of us send our pleas heavenward, a cure will be found soon. Cancer is affecting too many moms, dads, sisters, brothers, children, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends. I don't know about you, but I personally wouldn't be too disappointed if a cure was found and cancer was never seen again. Not disappointed at all.

Book Spotlight



Seeing as I am such a book nerd, I've decided to do book recommendations every so often. This week I am doing a spotlight on a series that I have finished recently. The series is Fablehaven and written by a very talented author, Brandon Mull, who is from Utah. If you are a fellow Harry Potter lover, than make this the next series you read! There are five books in the series, and in my oppinion each book gets better than the next. You can really see how Mull grows as an author with each one. I don't want to ruin anything by telling you the storyline, but I highly recommend these books if you are looking for something fun to read. These series are definitely page turners.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Honeymooning in the Bahamas

On our wedding night Justin and I spent the night in the Anniversary Inn in Salt Lake City. That is a very cool place! Justin chose the "Enchanted Forest" room which was awesome. The bed was in a tree! Justin was really sweet and had them cover the floor with rose petals and had chocolate strawberries waiting for us. My sweet sister had packed us a basket of goodies so we had a little picnic in the forest before bedtime cause we were ravished! She is so thoughtful! (Thanks Cas!)

...


The next morning Justin and I slept in a little bit, checked out of the Inn, and then headed to the airport. I seriously hate airports. They give me so much anxiety, especially the security line. But fortunately for us everything went very smoothly and we had no difficulties getting to our terminal and had plenty of time until our plane left. This was Justin's first ever plane ride and he did swell! He was SOOO nervous before take off but once we started moving he started laughing with the tingly sensation you get. I of course laughed at him, cause I am nice like that, and all was well. We had a layover in Atlanta Georgia. That airport is HUGE and we had to run to make our connecting flight (or so we thought) but again everything went really smoothly. We landed in Melbourne, Florida in pouring rain. I guess the rain decided to follow us.

In the Melbourne airport we met the nicest lady that gave us some water bottles and helped us find transportation to our hotel. When we got to the hotel we ordered Dominoes pizza, since it was so late and that was the only thing open, and pigged out and watched TV.

The next day (Saturday) we had the entire day to just chill or do whatever. I thought we would hit the beach but it was still raining cats and dogs (we found out there was a hurricane on the coast, but luckily it didn't get to us). We were lucky enough to have a little philly cheese steak restaurant next door to our hotel so went over there for lunch. We took a nap, watched tv, and snuggled that day which was nice because we were both so tired from the wedding and the day of travel. That night we walked a block in the rain and stumbled upon the best Italian restaurant that I have ever been to! Seriously, just talking about it is making my mouth water! I wish we had one in Utah! Everyone there was super nice and our waiter was hilarious and gave us free cheese cake cause we were newlyweds. (I felt like Monica and Chandler after they got married... if you don't get the joke, you need to watch more Friends). We vowed we would come back after the cruise because it was that amazing! YUM!!

On Sunday we got a taxi to the cruise ship and spent all morning going through security and boarding the ship. This was also Justin's first cruise and he was completely flabbergasted at how ginormous the ship was. He was like a little boy on Christmas morning- haha it was so fun to see his excitement! That day we toured the ship, checked out our room, went to the show that night, and ate... a lot! Here's the funny story of that day: when we went to our room we noticed that all of our bags were there except for my big one. We just figured it hadn't made its way to us yet and thought nothing of it. Well, a while later we got a phone call from a security officer telling us that he needed us to come downstairs immediately. We head to the security area and one of the officers tells me that my bag is being witheld and I need to come with him to see why. There is another guy, probably around Justin's age, whose bag didn't make it through security either. So I leave Justin behind and follow the officer and the other guy off of the ship, through a long winding warehouse, and finally to a table where both of our bags are sitting with about five security officers hanging around them. They inform us that there is something illegal in our bags and they need our permission to go through them. We both consent and they start going through our bags. The officer searching mine pulls out some furry sex handcuffs and says that these are not allowed on the ship. I was so embarrassed! My sisters gave them to me for one of my showers, and unthinkingly I just threw them in my suitcase when I was packing. I could have died! The guy that I was with explained that he had gotten married the day before and a bridesmaid had packed his new bride's bag. The poor guy has to watch as piece after piece of lingerie is taken out of the bag to get to the bottom where the handcuffs are hidden. haha I am just thankful that mine were somewhat on top! We both were laughing and making jokes on our way back, but I know we were just trying to hid our embarrassment! Sheesh! hahaha

The next day on the ship was an all day sail day. Justin and I ate a ton, laid out in the sun, got some fancy drinks, and went to "Battle of the Sexes" game that night. It was a fun day, relaxing day.

On Tuesday the ship pulled into Nassau. We got off the ship and into a very interesting cab that was a van. Our cab driver was an insane driver! We were a little bit scared for our lives, but luckily made it to where we needed to be in one piece. As we waited for our ferry to take us to Paradise Island we ordered some lunch and Yay! they had Mt. Dew! As we ate we made friends with a crippled pigeon who probably ended up eating as much of our lunch as we did. What can I say? He was funny! So anyway, our ferry came to pick us up and we went on the most beautiful ferry ride I had ever been on! We saw the island where Gilligans Island was filmed, and also Oprah's and Chuch Norris's homes. Wow! What would it be like to be THAT rich?! Sheesh. The ferry dropped off us at Paradise Island, the name isn't that far fetched, and guess what we did there??? SWAM WITH DOLPHINS!!!! Ah! It was amazing!! Probably the neatest experience ever! We got to hug, kiss, feed, swim, and dance with them. They also did this really cool trick with us where you lie flat on the water and the dolphins come and push your feet so you are practically flying across the water. It was an amazing feeling! The funny story of this day was when Justin and I were feeding the dolphins. The trainers told us to hold our fish high so that the dolphins could see them. While Justin was holding his fish up a seagull swooped down and stole his fish. It was hilarious. The trainers told us that that seagull is famous there and does that all the time. They have named him Steven Seagull (get it?) haha. When we finished with the dolphins we went back to town to shop and then ate dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. I had never been there before, wow. Yum!

On Wednesday the cruise ship pulled into Freeport. Justin and I were supposed to go snorkeling here but there weren't enough people that signed up so it was cancelled. We were kind of bummed, but we went shopping and then found a taxi that was going to the beach for a few hours. The beach was so pretty with the whitest sand and bluest water I have ever seen! We swam, layed out, drank pina coladas, and watched an elementary school boys band perform. (Cutest kids ever!) That day was amazing as well. I can't beleive how beautiful it was down there, it made me want to move down permanately.

Thursday was the day that our cruise ended. That day we got off the ship and found a cab that would take us to our hotel in Melbourne. Our cab driver was a New Yorker who suggested that we go see one of the sites in Florida since we had nothing planned for that day. He gave us a brochure and told us he would be happy to drive us anywhere and pick us up as well. What a nice, nice man! As we were looking through the brochure we saw an add for Universal Studios. Guess what that means?? HARRY POTTER LAND! As soon as I saw that I tried to hide my excitement at the possibility of going there, but I guess not very well because Justin insisted that that's where we could spend the day. I tried to tell him we could go somewhere else because he is not that big of a fan, but he could tell how much it meant to me and agreed to go. (I married a good one folks!) Ah. Harry Potter Land. Need I say more? I was pretty much in heaven. I took a thousand pictures and was running around like a little kid ... and a chicken with it's head cut off... and a lunatic. All of those things combined. Justin was so patient with me and just kept smiling at my enthusiasm and nodding along like he cared about things like butterbeer, puking pastilles, and mandrakes. After Harry Potter land we went through Seuss Land for a little bit. Justin bought our future child a little 'Thing One' onesie. Sigh. I love that he is already thinking about children so much that he is buying them clothes. Did I mention I married a good one? Cause yeah, I did!

After Universal Studios we met our driver and he took us back to our hotel. By the time we got there we were hungry again so we hit our favorite Italian place for dinner again. I think it was even better the second time if that's even possible.

On Friday we slept in, ate lunch, and drove to the airport. Again everything went great and we didn't even have to run to our connecting flight again. The last flight felt like it took fooorrrrrrever, but we finally made it home. My mom picked us up at the airport and we spent that night in Fruit Heights telling all of our stories and passing out the gifts we had gotten everyone.

It was a great trip. I honestly never imagined that my honeymoon would be that perfect. I already want a repeat haha.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

I Do!

Justin and I got married on October 6, 2011 in the Salt Lake Temple. Everything that day was perfect... except for the rain. We could have used a little bit less of that.

I drove to Fruit Heights the day before and that night I went to get a pedicure and manicure with my two sisters and mom. I love being pampered!

I didn't get much sleep the night before, but much more than I thought I would. That morning I woke up around 7:30 and went to get my hair done at Phazes Salon in Kaysville. My car died in the parking lot, so that made me a little nervous, but while I was getting my hair and make up done my mom said she would work on fixing my car, which she did. I was so releived seeing as that was the car that we were driving later that night. Whew! One crisis averted.

Justin picked me up and we drove to the temple. I was surprisingly calm the entire way. Can I just say, the temple is SO amazing! Honestly, whatever sacrifices you THINK you have to make to get there, are so completely worth it. I love the temple and I love that Justin took me there. The promise that we can be together forever.... wow... there is nothing quite like it. Okay, sorry. Getting away from the point of this blog. So anyway, the parking lot we thought we were going to park in was completely full, which in SLC means that we had to park way far away. Did I mention the rain? ....Yeah... it was pouring! We got soaked on the hike to the temple and I almost slipped and fell on my bum a few times, but fortunately we both made it in one piece. Unfortunately I can't say the same thing for my mom :( she had a pretty horrific fall on her way to the temple. You know there has to be a few disasters though or it wouldn't be a wedding right?

So anyway, we had a lot of support at the temple and it was amazing to see so many family and friends there to celebrate with us. My mom was carrying my veil when she fell so that got super muddy, but the really sweet temple ladies cleaned it for us during our ceremony, so crisis #3 was fixed. When we left the temple to meet our fam/friends, and also during pictures, it was still pouring rain. I was kind of bummed cause I wanted my pictures to be good and I thought the rain (and all the umbrellas) would ruin them. But my photographer is awesome and we ended up with some really awesome pictures!

After the photo shoot at the temple Justin and I headed to the luncheon which was held at the Wight House in Bountiful. We knew everyone was there waiting for us so we tried to hurry, which is why we hit ever single red light AND got lost on the way there haha. But we finally made it and ate a very yummy lunch which was a pasta bar, breadsticks, and snickers cake. During the luncheon we passed a microphone around and all of our guests introduced themselves, told funny stories that the remember about us, and wished us their congratulations. It was pretty simple, but lots of fun and nice to chill after the hectic morning.

That night we had our reception in the Brook Haven chapel in Fruit Heights. I was very impressed with the decorations (we hired people to do it for us) and thought that every thing turned out great. We had lots of kitchen help and a wonderful piano player for some background music. Before the reception started we did another photo shoot and we got some more awesome pictures. The reception seemed to drag on while we were standing in line, we were all tired by that time, but it was fun to see everyone. The last part of the reception was filled with shoving cake in each others faces, throwing garters and bouquets, and finally leaving in a storm of bubbles for the honeymoon.

A week later, after our honeymoon, we had an open house in a chapel in Logan. I can't believe how much work my in laws did! The church looked so awesome and the food was great! It was another long line of people but again it was so fun to see everyone and meet some of Justin's family and friends that I haven't been able to meet yet. After the reception both of our families headed to the Palmers house for some pizza and watched Justin and I open all of our gifts. We got super spoiled! It was great!

Well I think that's about it for that. Up next: THE HONEYMOON!

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Once Upon a Time...

... I stupidly convinced myself that I was in love with my best friend. I stupidly waited for him on his mission. I stupidly wasted three years of my life on a stupid boy.

Stupid.

However! Had that not happened, I would have never gotten my heart broken. Had I not gotten my heart broken, I would have never signed up for ldssingles.com in an attempt to get over him. Had I not signed up for lds singles, I would have never met the love of my life and my husband today.

Everything happens for a reason.

Once upon a time I created an account on a dating site, hoping to meet new people and just go on some fun, uncomplicated, no strings attached dates. I met a few really cool guys, but nothing went anywhere with any of them and I gave up on the site for a few months. That is until I received an e-mail that I had gotten a new message on the dating site. After months of no activity I returned to the site to see that a very handsome man had sent me a message, telling me that he would like to get to know me better. We communicated back and forth for a few days and then exchanged phone numbers. After about a week of texting he finally asked me out on our first date. I was so excited to meet this guy!

On our first date he took me on my first motorcycle ride, bowling, to the Blue Bird for dinner, and back to his house where we watched "Back to the Future". After he hugged me goodbye I prayed that he would ask me out again... which he did. We had five dates in eight days.

The rest is history.

On our third month anniversary Justin proposed, and we were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple for time and all eternity on our fifth month anniversary, October 6, 2011 Though we have not known each other long, we both knew it was right from the start. Going through the temple with Justin was not only the best decision I have ever made, it was the easiest decision I have ever had to make. I am so lucky to have snagged such a great man. We are so happy and are so far living in newlywed bliss.

We just got back from our honeymoon, but that blog post will have to wait for another day. So will pictures. Thanks for all the love and support at the temple, luncheon, and reception. We truly appreciate all of you!

Help Me!

I have been trying to fix my stupid blog for the last two and a half hours. Aaaagggghhhhh!!!! WHY is there a dang white box covering my title? I CAN'T GET RID OF IT!

... If you know how to fix this PLEASE HELP!

... And in the meantime, I am sorry that my blog is so UGLY right now!

bleh. I give up for tonight.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Bookin' It

Tonight we planned, booked, and paid for the honeymoon. I am SOOOO excited! We our spending two days in Florida, going on a five day cruise to the Bahamas, and then spending another night in Florida! WoO-hOo!

My man sure does spoil me:)


Sunday, August 28, 2011

Broken Buzz, Parents, and Apostles... and some other stuff too!

Last night the Palmer parents met the Wright parents. EEK! Everyone was really nervous for this meeting.

Yesterday morning I had to drive down to SLC for my first dress fitting. It went great and I am now in possession of my dress. Putting it on for the second time made me SO excited! I can't wait until October 6 where I can wear it all day and you can all see it!

So anywho... back to my story. I was going to drive sepparate to Maddox in Brigham City so that I could just head back to Logan after the dinner. But sadly Buzz (my car) sputtered and spat his protest and I didn't get past the on-ramp of Kaysville. BUMMER! So my parents had to turn around and pick me up and we just left Buzz stranded on the side of the road so that we could get to dinner on time. (We think it is just the fuel pump. I am just praying that it is nothing more serious than that! Poor Buzz!)

The initial meeting went great and while we were waiting for our table not only did we run into one of my sixth grade teachers, Mrs. Noel, we also saw ELDER NELSON waiting for a table as well! He was dressed in a really nice suit of course so he kind of stood out. One of the things on my bucket list is to shake hands with an apostle. I was trying to build up my courage to go over and talk to him, but I chickened out and he got a table. Dang! But as we were walking to our table we passed him at his and he was eating corn on the cob which was a very different image to have in your head of an Apostle haha. Anyway, that's the first time I have seen an Apostle in public and it was a pretty cool experience! I just hope it happens for me again cause I REALLY want to knock that one off of my bucket list!!

The rest of the dinner went great and our parents seemed to really hit if off. Whew! Thank heavens is all I can say!

So right now we are just busy busy busy with wedding plans and trying to get everything finalized. We took our engagement pictures this last Thursday and will hopefully have them tomorrow (Monday) and I can't wait to see how they turned out! We are hoping to start sending invitations out next Monday so if you have not given us your address PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do so!

Also, this Saturday (September 3) is my friend bridal shower so if you want an invite talk to Amanda Wright cause she is hosting it. I know she sent an invite on facebook but I know some of you don't have facebook so this is me inviting you.

Oh and Friday is my birthday so you can send me presents! haha j/k. ;) Later gator!

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Pictures As Promised!




The fireworks before he proposed
In between my fingers is the bench where he popped the big question

  
WE JUST GOT ENGAGED!


My gorgeous ring that I absolutely LOVE!








Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Moved

Just an FYI- our wedding date has been moved up to October 6. Now, I KNOW it may sound scandalous to move up a wedding date, but trust me, there is no bun in THIS oven! ;) We just had some people kindly point out to us that October 22 is the first day of the deer hunt and my future husband would be camping, fishing, four-wheeling, hunting, and bonding with my dad and brother and future sons on every one of our anniversaries for the rest of my life! Um. No thanks. So we moved it up on the sixth which I am way happy about because our first date was May 6 and we got engaged on August 6 so it is already an anniversary for us. Whew. So there you go. I got lots of planning to do, but have already got SO MUCH DONE! And I accomplished the hardest part yesterday. That's right folks. I GOT MY DRESS! Yay! I'm kind of excited. The end.


PS- Send me your address if you want an invite!

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!!

Hello my dear readers (if there are any of you out there),
So much is happening and changing in my life right now! I have not been the best blogger recently, and for that I appologize. I have some big news, but there are other things that I meant to blog about, so I will update you chronologically.

Almost three weeks ago, on a Tuesday, I got offered a temp job at Gossner Food's. Justin's cousin is prego so I will be working for her while she is on maternity leave. It is a reception-type job in the shipping office. I say reception-type because there is A LOT involved in this job! I do billing, receiving, take orders, send orders, fax, file, answer phones, lots of computer work, lots of organizing, but the funnest part of my new job is that I get to check in all of the truckers who come in to pick up milk or drop off supplies. Truckers are some of the most entertaining and unique people I have ever had the privlidge of encountering! Basically they are a hoot! And almost ALL of them have terriblly hard to understand accents. I have heard russian, german, spanish, southern, chinese, and some that I couldn't place in a million years! Most of them are dirty and smelly and have not had a shower in days. And for the most part, they are some of the kindest, sweetest, funniest, people on the Earth! I kind of love them.

So that's my new job. You will notice that I got the job on a Tuesday. By the next day (Wednesday) I had started training at my new job, moved out of my parent's basement, and moved into my grandparent's basement in Preston, Idaho. So yeah. This BIG change happened very, very fast with absolutely NO warning. But it was such a good, good change for me! I love my job and I love living with my grandparents and I LOVE being a half hour closer to Justin! (And ALL of my friends in Logan too of course!!)

Alright. So now for the big news:
















I AM ENGAGED!!!

Justin finally proposed and I could not be any happier!! Looking back at my life, I honestly thought that this day would never come. And now that it has, well.... I can hardly beleive it myself! I keep looking at my ring finger on my left hand just to make sure that this is not a dream!

The Proposal:
Justin's aunt owns a condo on the beach at Bear Lake that his whole family, plus us, were going to spend Saturday night at. We all also had tickets to go see "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" at the Pickelville Playhouse. The play was super amazing, I can't believe what a fabulous job they did! After the play we all headed back to the condo and were just sitting around chatting it up. Justin asked me if I wanted to go for a walk and I said sure. As we headed to the beach fireworks started going off in the distance in honor of raspberry days. We walked down a pier so we could watch the fireworks, but all of the benches were taken so we sat in the dirt and rocks. It was so beautiful to see the fireworks shoot up over the lake and have their reflections shimmering in the water. After the fireworks were over everyone on the pier left and we headed to the last bench. We sat down and were just talking, looking at the stars and watching the water. Then Justin starts listing all of the things that he loves about me. He tells me that he doesn't ever want to spend another day without me. The next thing I know he is down on one knee, holding a ring out, and asks me to marry him. I was stunned, but once I got over the shock I said YES! I gave him a big fat juicy wet kiss (didn't want to leave out any of the dirty details) and we hugged and kissed and kissed and kissed some more! We then just sat on the bench and talked and when we got up to leave he took me in his arms and started dancing with me. Wow. He done good! It honestly was the perfect proposal! I couldn't have asked for anything better. And not to brag or anything, but my ring is dang fine gorgeous! I LOVE it! And it means even more to me that he did the ring thing completely on his own. He kind of knew what I liked, deffinitely knew what I hated, and went into the jewelry store and designed it himself! And it is perfect!


We have set the date for October 22 so put it on you calendars cause you better freaking be there! Pictures to come.

Monday, July 18, 2011

What's Up Doc?

Today I went to the doctor. They did an MRI on my back and discoverd that I have bulging discs in my spine that are hitting a nerve. They are going to give me an epideral but cannot get me in until August first. In the mean time they put me on a prescription of steroids and I now have to go to physical therapy. They believe, and I agree with them, that my job was the cause of it and suggested that I quit my job and try to find one that is not so physically straining. So.... I quit my job today. :( I am very not happy about this and will miss the people at Gold's Gym immensely! Also, I will miss the paychecks. Boo-Hoo.

So, once again, I am on the job hunt. But this time I am looking for a full time job in Logan. Preferrably a receptionist job or something that I can maybe sit down while doing. So my dear friends, if you hear of anything PLEASE let me know! I will love you forever and we would be best friends and hold hands and skip!

Well, That's all for now folks!

Saturday, July 16, 2011

It's My Party and I'll Whine If I Want To!

So tonight I am having a pity party for myself... by myself. Why am I by myself? Because my entire family is currently camping at Bear Lake for the family reunion. Why the pity party? Because for the last three weeks I have had a pinched nerve that runs from my hip to my knee, and this past week the pain has gotten so severe I am not able to walk the distance of a hallway without becoming out of breath and almost in tears.

Tonight is the third night in a row that I have not been able to sleep even ten minutes. I feel like I have been awake forever. I feel like I have been in pain forever.

I am pretty sure this is the worst pain I have ever been in. True, the spinal tap was no picnic, but at least that had an endurable time frame on it. This is the kind of pain that never ever goes away. This is the kind of pain that has you seriously considering just chopping off your own leg to be done with it. This is the kind of pain where you use ice, massagers, heating pads, pain pills, pillows, and any other device you can think of to find even a moments relief.

Am I whining?.... Yes. Yes I am!

Unfortunately the doctor can't see me until Monday so I have two full days left of this pure agony. It's times like these that I am all for the legalizing of marijuana and would be the first to sign up! (I'm joking of course... well... maybe)



Saturday, June 18, 2011

Busy Bee

I have not posted in a while so I thought it was about time for an update. I have been so super busy lately it's kind of insane! (Sorry to all the friends that I have forgotten to text back! I love you, I promise!)

For the biggest and most exciting news, I got a Job! Woot Woot!  I now work at Gold's Gym in Bountiful on the janitorial staff. Our joke on the staff is "Why have a pass to a gym when you clean one?!" It sure is a lot of hard work, but so far I love it! I clean toilets, showers, lockers, a steam room, sauna, mop and sweep floors, put equipment away (yes this means HEAVY weights), vacuum, dust, take out garbage- basically I clean every nook and cranny of that blasted huge gym, and sweat buckets while doing it. I can't even count the number of times I walk up and down the flight of stairs, or the amount of weight I end up lifting by the night's end, but let's just say, I basically get a four hour work out by the end of my shift. My supervisor said that she lost eight pounds her first week. Thanks to a certain roommate of mine, I believe that weighing yourself is cursing yourself, but here's hoping I lose a few lb's while working here. :)

Other than work I have been spending as much time as I possibly can with the most amazing man I have ever met. "I'm in love! I'm in love! And I don't care who knows it!" (and if you don't know what movie that is from, SHAME ON YOU!) Basically I can't get enough of him, but this long distance thing sure does bite the big one!!!

For other news, life at home is alright I guess. I sometimes don't know what to do with myself when I am not working and not with Justin. I think I need to find a hobby. I am missing my social life immensely!! Not having roommates to go hang with is a very not fun feeling. I miss my old roommates. And my friends. (I know, I know. Poor me. At least I HAVE friends right? haha) I guess it's just hard to not compare this summer to last summer. I did so stinkin' much last summer! It was a riot! And it doesn't help that my mom and sister, and dad and brother, just got back on two amazing vacations and I can't help feeling a little left out. Summer is my favorite season by far, and I am just wishing that I had more exciting plans I guess. I am in a craving vacation mood and want to be lying on a beach, underneath a palm tree, eating fresh pineapple, and getting tan with my whole whole heart... plus some!

Well, that's all for now. I hope you all are having amazing summers! If you ever get bored and wanna drive to Fruit Heights, hit me up! ;) Peace Out Girl Scout!

Thursday, June 2, 2011

On The Hunt

Hello Friends. I am currently on the job hunt and having little success. So, if you hear of anything in, or around, Davis County, please please please let me know! I would most greatly appreciate it! Thanks!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Our Song

Justin quoted part of these lyrics to me through a text the night of our first kiss. He has informed me that he has never had an "our song" with any of his previous girlfriends before. I however, am too much of a cheesy romantic to not have a song. So I'm thinkin' this is it.



In my opinion everyone needs a song to call their own. I can't wait for the day when I'm older and listening to oldies on the radio (aka the music of our generation) and this song starts playing. We can get all goobery and say things like, "Oh honey. They are playing our song." Then we'll kiss and our kids in the back seat will shout, "Ewwwww! Mom and Dad are kissing again!", which will make us laugh and kiss even more to gross out our children. Yup. I'm excited for the day when I can humiliate and embarrass my children. It's gonna be great! :)

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Today is the Day

You know that excited feeling you get when you sign on to your facebook account and see a tiny heart appear in your news feed indicating that someone's relationship status has changed? And you know that behind that little symbol, is a world of gossip? Am I the only one that gets excited by that little tiny heart???
Most of the time that little tiny heart makes me feel so happy inside for the friend who has acquired a special someone. But I would be lying if I didn't admit that sometimes, there is the teeniest bit of jealousy accompanied with that tiny facebook heart. I want to be the one that gets a tiny heart next to my name in my friend's news feeds.

Well my friends. Today is that day. I am officially, for the first time ever, in a relationship. I love going to my news feed, and seeing that heart, and seeing MY name next to that heart. It makes me like super giddy. That heart is more than just a tiny picture. That heart represents someone who I care very much about. He makes me so happy and I just want to shout it out from the rooftops. So thank you little tiny facebook heart for giving me that chance!

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

WOWZA!

Wow! A LOT has changed since my last post. Where to begin?!

So basically, I have started dating this really amazing awesome fantastic wonderful guy who I am kind of head over heels for. It's crazy how fast things are going between us. We are crazy about each other and just want to be together every minute of every day. Unfortunately that is not possible cause he lives in Logan and I am in Fruit Heights. LAME!

So yeah. This is such weird timing. I just BARELY left Logan! I am preparing for a MISSION! This. Is. CRAZY! Sheesh. Talk about your bad timing eh?

So in conclusion: I have never been less sure of what I am doing with my life but I have never been happier. The End.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

First Day

Today was the first day living at home. It was rough. Let's hope for a better tomorrow.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.

I'm moving home on Saturday. Ugh. I am not excited about this move. I was always looking forward to all of my previous moves. I could not wait for a new apartment, new ward, new roommates. I basically could not wait to get out. Now don't get me wrong, I liked most of my previous roommates, but it was time for a change. It's just not like that this time. I am honestly devastated about leaving this apartment and my roommates. I don't know how we did it, but somehow we were able to create a home in this apartment. We are more than roommates. We are family. This apartment feels more like home than my actual home in Fruit Heights does. The closer Saturday gets, the harder it gets to leave. I can't even think about it without tears running down my face.

I guess this move is even harder because the house in  Fruit Heights is no longer my home. My bedroom has turned into a storage room and the only thing I can get access to is my bed. My dad is being a jerk (no surprise there) and has made me feel terrible about leaving Logan and mooching off of him. My little sister is dreading me moving home because she hates sharing the attention from my mom. My grandpa comes home every Tuesday night and kicks me out of my bedroom. I will either have to go to the family ward (gross) or the singles ward that is full of Davis High people (Oh good. High school all over again with all the people I hated). I don't have a job there. I don't have friends there. Basically, there is nothing there for me. I love, love, love, going to  Fruit Heights for a weekend, even a week is okay. But then when my family starts getting on my nerves I just head back to Logan and all is well. I hate that I will no longer have that escape.

I know that this is what I need to do to prepare and save money for a mission. I know that, but I just can't get excited about it. I have lived in Logan since 2006. That is five years of being on my own, making my own decisions, not reporting to anyone, having a crazy awesome social life. How can I possibly leave this place?

Monday, May 2, 2011

BEST. WEEKEND. EVER!

This weekend was epic. Like seriously, seriously epic.

I'm gonna have to skip over Friday for un-obvious reasons to those of you who read this. I may explain this at a later date, but for now... it's a secret. Let's just say it started with some card games, got super spontaneous, was filled with laughter and juvenile frivolity. Other than that all I can say is that there was a concert in the streets of campus and it was crazy. It also ended at five in the morning when we finally decided to go to bed. (We being my roommates Rachel and Emily, Emily's cousin Lindsay, and myself).

Saturday started just like any other day, perhaps starting a little too early for how late I was up the night before. But then the words, "Um... Do you want to drive to Bear Lake for a few hours?" came out of my roommate Emily's lips. If I had any plans before that, the words "Bear Lake" immediately changed them. I can NEVER pass up an opportunity to visit my heaven on Earth. So Emily, Lindsay, and I packed up the car with games and food and made the drive up to the most beautiful place on this planet. Our plan was to have a picnic on the beach but we didn't even last ten minutes outside. It was freaking COLD! We jumped back in my car where we could enjoy God's nature in the warmth. We ate lunch, ate junk food, played some card games, talked, listened to music, and unrolled our windows and fed the seagulls (ok...ok... that was just me). If I remember right I also got out and danced around like a seagull and made seagull squawking noises. What can I say? Bear Lake brings out the inner child in me. Oh, and did I mention the part where I drew things in the sand, balanced on a log in the water, and ran around like a crazy person? Yeah, well. Maybe I should just keep that to myself. Ahem... anyway... So after our Bear Lake adventures we drove home and as soon as we entered our apartment we decided that we needed to pull a prank on our roommate Kenzi who was away for the weekend. Emily came up with the idea to fill her room with hundreds of cups of water. It was brilliant. Since she has a blog called "Love Me Some Lemons" we decided to go one step further and put lemon slices on each cup, and make a heart in the middle with red food coloring in the water. We went to the store and got our supplies (Rachel and Leisha joined us at this point) and came home to start the deed. Emily knew where Kenzi's spare key was hidden, but alas, Kenzi was highly suspicious that we would prank her so she hid her key. Dang. But we were not to be deflected just yet. We called up our landlord and told him that Kenzi had locked herself out. He came to unlock her door and we told him that she was at work, but would be home later that night. He unlocked her door for us without any question. Thank you Dennis! We're In! As the prank is going along we quickly realized that we didn't buy enough supplies. So it's back to the store for more cups and lemons. We finish the prank and it looks great. As we are sitting around talking we then decide we should have a dinner party the next day and invite all of our friends seeing as it is our last Sunday as roommates. So... It's back to the store for the third time that day. (Fourth for me since I went earlier that day to pick up my prescription and get treats for Bear Lake). Emily and I then raced to clean the apartment so it would be suitable for guests. We were exhausted by then but being the smart people we are we did not go to bed but watched an episode of Prison Break.

Sunday we went to church, which was very good as always. Afterwards we came home to prepare dinner. We made Hawaiian haystacks with Emily's yummy salad and Kenzi's brownies for dessert. Here is the people who came (just so that I can remember myself)
Kristi
Emily
Kenzi
Leisha
Rachel
Lindsay
Kylie
Lauren
Adam
Alex
Ryan
So yeah. It was a pretty good turn out. After dinner we went to the CES fireside that was being broadcast from the Spectrum (GO USU!). The speaker was Sister Wixom who is the General Primary President of the church. I really enjoyed her remarks and the choir was awesome! After the fireside Morgan, Jordan, and Kylie came to our apartment to play games with me, Emily, Lindsay, and Rachel. When the games were done Kylie, Emily, Lindsay and I watched "God's Army", where we all fell asleep, finally having our long nights, early mornings, adventurous weekend, catch up with us.

And now for the most important part. While we were playing games on Sunday Leisha runs out of her bedroom and tells us that Osama Bin Laden is dead. We quickly turned on the news to watch the report. I couldn't believe it. After ten long years, we finally got him! I was so filled with American pride as I watched all of those people dancing in the streets waving the American flag. We heard fireworks going off somewhere in Logan and knew that others were celebrating the news as well. My mind quickly turned to the families who suffered losses from the attacks on 9/11 almost ten years ago. It must be so relieving to know that the one responsible for their loss is now gone. Osama Bin Laden might as well be named Hitler Jr., and so yes, this is a big deal! May 1, 2011 is one for the history books! I may not be the biggest fan of President Obama, but I thought his words last night were very touching. I almost cried as I sat listening to our president announce to the world that an evil, despicable man, was caught by our own military men. Those men are heroes. If you missed the report, here it is. It is worth watching.


And now for some pictures.....









Thursday, April 28, 2011

Easter Weekend

This is the post where I give a play by play of my Easter weekend. Be excited.

On Saturday we had an Easter party out at my Grandpa Paulsen's home. It was a lot of fun to see some cousins that I haven't seen in years. There were three babies there so basically I was in baby heaven! I mostly played with my little cousin Ella who will be two years old this summer. She is my new best friend. We had lunch, did an Easter egg hunt for the kids, and then everyone kind of split up here and there. There was a massive volleyball game going on... but I blew bubbles with Ella. Everyone sat and talked and played. It was pretty much awesome. This is a picture of all the girls in my family at my grandpa's house. (Stolen from my cousin Kylie's facebook). 


That night my dad suggested that my immediate family go out to dinner. We went to Red Robin... Yum! (like from the commercial) After dinner we decided to go to the movies. It was hard to choose one that we all wanted to see so we finally settled on The Conspirator. I personally really enjoyed this movie, but it was kind of split down the middle with some really enjoying it, and others really hating it. I probably wouldn't watch it again but I found the history of it fascinating. It's all about the assassins of President Lincoln and the trial of one woman who was accused of being an accomplice. I personally think it's worth seeing at least once.

On Sunday morning we went to church, came home and had dinner, and ate a bunch of candy from our Easter baskets. (Yes, the Easter Bunny does still come to me) We also helped my little sister with a blanket tying service project she had to do to make up some U's for school. However, it was such a beautiful day outside that I begged my family to enjoy the sunshine with me and dragged them all to the park with Chaz (our dog) in tow. We also invited our neighbors, the Caseys, and my Aunt Robin and cousins Kailey and Kade to meet us at the park. We played baseball (dang I miss that sport!), threw a football around, and had one wicked awesome volleyball game. We also colored with sidewalk chalk, played catch, ate snacks, and sat around and talked. It was so much fun to be at the beautiful Barnes Park in Kaysville and spend that time with neighbors and family. Afterwards my dad gets in the car and says, "So that's what its like to be a family again." haha I guess it's been a little too long since all six of us have been together at the same time just having some good old fashioned fun with no technology getting in the way. I miss those carefree, simple days. I hope the summer will bring much more of them with my family.

Oh, and one more thing. As I was sitting in church on Sunday this little boy started getting so excited when he saw the deacons and teachers start to pass the sacrament around. He was jumping up and down and pointing at the boys. Granted, he was probably excited for the bread and water he knew was coming, but as I sat watching him the thought came to my mind that the sacrament truly is an exciting thing. Sacred, but exciting at the same time. We take the sacrament to remember Christ and on Easter Sunday it felt especially special. I am so grateful for the atonement. For the miracle that happened so many years ago, when Christ was resurrected from the tomb. I know I will never fully appreciate or even comprehend the full extent of it, but it's exciting to belong to this church. To know the truth. To know that God loves me individually. I can't wait to be a missionary and share that message with others. The gospel is exciting. And wonderful. And peaceful. And true.




Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Waiting Room Kindness

I was sitting in a waiting room the other day and this woman, who is probably just a few years older than me, gets up, puts a folded piece of paper on the chair next to me, and walks out. I was kind of confused at this, but when I picked up the note it kind of made my whole day. It's small acts of kindness like this that can make big changes in the world and I for one want to do more things like this.

Here is the note....

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Miss Representation

I took this from my roommate Kenzi's blog. For more information visit their site here.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Stand

This is the song I listen to when I need strength. Life can really get you down. And sometimes you just feel like a candle in a hurricane or a novel with the end ripped out. And it's okay. It's moment's like these that you find out what you are really made of. So get mad. Get on your knees. Find your strength. Then wipe your hands and shake it off. Don't let life get you down. Stand.

I have added the lyrics at the bottom because they are some of my favorites.

 "Everytime you get up And get back in the race, One more small piece of you Starts to fall into place"

This line is one of my favorites however because everything that happens to you in life, defines you. And you are pretty amazing! You may have a past you regret. You may have asked, "Why is this happening to me?" You may wonder why innocent people suffer, the good die young, or how this life is fair. Well, just remember,  God doesn't give us trials we cannot handle, so if you are going through some really tough times, then you must be a really tough cookie! Always remember how amazing you are. "Be thankful that the Lord trusts you to overcome!"


Lyrics:
You feel like a candle in a hurricane
Just like a picture with a broken frame
Alone and helpless
Like you've lost your fight
But you'll be alright, you'll be alright

[Chorus:]
Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you're made of
You might bend, till you break
Cause its all you can take
On your knees you look up
Decide you've had enough
You get mad you get strong
Wipe your hands shake it off
Then you Stand, Then you stand

Life's like a novel
With the end ripped out
The edge of a canyon
With only one way down
Take what you're given before its gone
Start holding on, keep holding on

Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you're made of
You might bend till you break
Cause it's all you can take
On your knees you look up
Decide you've had enough
You get mad, you get strong
Wipe your hands, shake it off
Then you stand, then you stand

Everytime you get up
And get back in the race
One more small piece of you
Starts to fall into place
Oh

[Repeat Chorus] 

The Divine Calling of Motherhood

It's late. I need to be in bed right now, but the pull to write is stronger than the pull of my night time meds, so .... here I am. T...