The Best Day Ever

Today was the best day ever.

Let's start off with first things first.

1 WEEK

until I steal this cutie pie's last name.

photo credit

(just a sneak peek picture from our bridal/groomal session)

I can't believe it. I'm getting married in 7 days.

7 DAYS!!!! 

This reality is starting to hit me a little bit. I've been waiting for this day, for a very long time. In fact, Brady and I started talking marriage way before he even started his mission papers. It is crazy to think we have been together for 3 years, even though we were separated by distance for 2 of the 3. I've been practicing my signature, and it's getting pretty good. Brady is so cute, and wants to wear his wedding ring right now, which I guess he could, but we'll wait until we're married ;) I remember being at 1 week until Brady got home from his mission, and how it went by fast. And this time, it's 1 week until we're married, for all of time and eternity. :)

Now lets move on, to one of the greatest events of today.

I went through the Jordan River Temple to receive my endowment, and covenant with my Father in Heaven. It was beautiful. It was amazing, it was so awesome!! :)

 I had to work in the morning, and it was all I could do to stay focused. I was so excited & nervous I couldn't even eat lunch!!! I ran some errands as soon as I got off work, and came home in time to put my Temple bag together with my mom and then we waited for Brady to arrive so we could go to the Temple!! I was so excited at this part, it was finally happening!! I remember calling in February to schedule this endowment session and now it was finally here. And what better way to spend it knowing I would be marrying Brady only 1 week later!?!? When we got there I had my mom take a photo of us, and as we walked in the door my mom said, "exciting!! you get to go through the doors!" and I had a flash back to this memory (2nd paragraph). But this time, I got to go through the doors, I got to walk through and was allowed.

The session was amazing, it is literally 2 hours. But it was worth every second. I obviously can't speak of what goes on in the Temple, as it is sacred not secret, but I will say it is nothing what I expected it to be. My mother was my escort, and my sister, brother-in-law, aunt, cousins, grandparents, dad, family, etc. were all there to support me. It was awesome :) I cried at the very beginning of the session. So overwhelmed with the Spirit and the reality of what I was about to participate in; the covenant I was about to make with MY Heavenly Father. It was the most perfect feeling in the world. But, one of the main reasons I cried was because I was finally in the Temple with my sweetheart. I had dreamed of this day my entire life, and especially while he was gone. He sat right next to me across the isle. We kept sneaking looks at each other, the entire time. He kept making me smile, blush and giggle. He is SO cute you guys. Seriously.

It was amazing, one of the neatest things I've ever experienced. I really want to go back. In fact, I crave to go back. I didn't feel weird, I wasn't freaked out. I was so fascinated, and eager to go back and learn more, learn it all over again, but not this next time, and ever again, will it be for me, but it will be for someone else. I feel so much closer to my Father in Heaven, its incredible. It definitely was everything I waited for and more. My mom whispered to me during the session, "I'm so proud of you, this may sounds weird in the Temple but your obedience has finally paid off, I'm so happy for you." And yes, my obedience has paid off, I wasn't ever the best kid, but I still have time to turn around, and I did... my Father in Heaven was merciful and entered my life at the perfect time.

When I walked out of the Temple, I walked past a bunch of girls outside the baptistry doors and I just thought, how cute, if they only knew what it will be like when they get older and serve missions or get married, and experience what I just did. It was so nice to be apart of something with more than just myself. Its nice to know we have so much support for each other in this gospel, we have so many people to lean on for help. We are not alone. I was so happy and so grateful so many family members could come. We headed for dinner and then called it a night..

It was a beautiful day :)

I'm so happy and I cannot wait to be married in 7 days.

Mom, Mommy, Mama, Mother, Ma...

Of all these names, they mean something, to us all. Today is Mother's Day, and like everyone else in the world I'll be blogging about the beautiful mother's in my life.

 My mother. I blog about her a lot, cause she is just that awesome. She's my best friend. She can make anyone laugh. She's just really funny and can easily keep a smile on my face. Her jokes are just... her and that's what makes them funny. I wish I could give her a hug from her mom this mother's day. She doesn't ever show it, but I know today, her heart must ache to see her mother again, but how grateful I am to have a piece of my grandma, every single day in my life. I know my grandmother is so proud of my mom, as am I. Her and I relate with a lot of things in life, so with her, I never feel alone. Thank you mom. Words can't do justice for how grateful I am. I love you!

 My sweet sister Linsey. She is SUCH a wonderful mom. This is her first mother's day, and her sweet little boy Sawyer will be 1 in just two months. I can't believe it! She is the perfect mom for him. I've never seen someone sacrifice so much for this little boy whom, himself has been through so much. He is the cutest boy. He smiles just like her. We're basically best friends and I'm grateful for the blessing she is in my life. Though we may bicker still, I'm grateful for all that she does for me. And especially Sawyer.

Crystal, is the sweet mother of Evan. My sister-in-law is awesome. She's really funny and I'm so happy to have her in the family. She is such a good mom to Evan, and I'm so grateful for the blessing he is in all of our lives. She loves and cares for him so much. I know he loves her, he is always saying mom. Hopefully they have another baby soon :) Cause I want another niece and nephew like Evan, he is so sweet and kind, just like his parents, especially his mom.

To Marla, my high school counselor. She is not my mom, but she is a mother-figure to me. This is an old picture, but I love it. I'm so grateful for her and her influence in my life. She has helped me through so much, just like my own mother. As I know, she is missing her mother dearly on this very day, I want her to know how thankful I am, for all that she has taught me in my life. She is like a mother to me, even if she isn't a mother herself. She's a beautiful person, someone I want to be like. Love you Marla!


And of course, to all you mom's out there, happy mother's day. You're special and your children love you very much :)

I Said Yes To The Dress!!

It happened.

I found my dress.

I SAID YES TO THE DRESS!

I'm so happy and I'm so excited.

I'm grateful for those who were there for me during this time. It was such a happy experience, much better than the first wedding store I'd been to. The place is Gowns by Pamela, and it's by appointment only so I was the only person there at the time, with the girl helping me and it was so nice because I didn't feel like I wasn't being taken care of.

They mix-match dresses instead of just one who dress so it was fun to try different tops with different bottoms, or matching stuff, different sashes... it was just so fun! :)

After we cheered, and hugged and took lots and lots of pictures, we finally made our way to the door to eat for dinner. We went to Village Inn and I had hot chocolate. It was yummy.

Very happy day.

No sneak peak :(

But you'll be happy because when you see me in it on my big day,
[hopefully] you'll see how pretty it is!

Dressed In White

My sister and I went wedding dress shopping today.

I was so happy she came, she's like, my sister but like my mom at the same time.

She helps me with things the same way my mom does and it's so comforting.

ANYWAY.

We went to Bridal Expressions and it was packed when we got their.

It was a little overwhelming, and I was nervous,

because obviously I'd never done this before.

We picked out a few to start with, there was a couple that I liked, but then we found a winner. I loved it so much. I just wanted to keep wearing it. It was amazing. I could totally picture myself wearing this on my wedding day. It was beautiful and exactly what I wanted. And the second my sister saw me in it, she said, "This is the dress!! This is totally you! This is what I pictured you in." And I just felt really happy that she saw me in it the way I did. The lady that was helping us was so nice, and she made me feel really great in that dress too.

We've only got a few more stores to go to, and so far, it's in first place.

So here's a sneak peak....

Can't wait to show you the actual thing on my wedding day :)

Grandma Bronson

I feel like as I get older my perspective on things change.
Like the things that used to drive me crazy when I was little, I love more than anything now. Or how I thought my parents were totally out to get me, they're my best friends now. How I felt they were so unfair and didn't understand me, they are the only ones who do. I truly appreciate my parents and all they did for me when I was younger, and still to this day. I gave them something hard to work with but I'm grateful they never gave up on me. They truly loved me unconditionally and I am so grateful now, that I have parents who didn't back out on me, who have kept their end of the deal because it is their earthly calling from our Father in Heaven, and that is so important to me.

But today is my Grandma's birthday (my moms mom). She passed away when I was about... 3? or 4? I can't remember, I was so young. I only have one vivid memory of her, it was when her hair color starting changing and she started losing it, I asked her why she had different hair and she responded, "Because somebody stole it from me, and they haven't given it back yet." That's the only memory I have of her. The next would be at her funeral, when I noticed her hair color was back to normal. I remember telling my mom, "Mom! They gave her hair back!" And I just thought that was so great.

Sometimes I feel angry that a sickness took her away at such a young age. I didn't have the privilege of getting to know her like some of my other cousins, but it's okay now, and I understand more than I did back then. But boy, what I would give to see her again. To get to know her. My mom talks so highly of her, and same with her siblings. I grew up listening to stories of my Grandma and the crazy, silly things she did. And I love them. I love each and every one of them and I get so happy every time my mom shares a story, even if we've heard it a million times. And let me tell you why I cherish them so much...

First, because it's my grandma, it's all I have of her, but mainly because the things that happened to my grandma, or things she did are the EXACT same as my mom. I cannot tell you how much my mom is her mom. She looks like her, and when I hear stories I just KNOW my mom would do that. I see my mom do silly things every day. I get to tell others silly stories about my mom. She is such a fun, selfless, loving person. She sacrifices so much. I can't even begin to explain it. I truly have the best mom in the world.

I want nothing more than when I have kids, to be EXACTLY like my mom. She is everything I want to be and more. She does so much for my siblings and I. She always says she hopes she's doing her very best, but in reality, she's going the extra mile every single day for all of us, including my dad. She's amazing. She is someone I can talk to about literally anything. I can go to her for comfort, advice and we just connect.

I am so grateful to have been blessed with the mom that I have. And even though I never knew my grandma, I know that one day, I will get to meet her and get to know her. But for now, I'm grateful for her daughter, who is just like her; who is amazing in every way. I'm so grateful that I get a piece of my grandma in my life every single day. And I cherish every moment I have with my mom.

I love you mom, thank you for everything. And a happy birthday to my grandma! Can't wait to meet you someday!

I'm So Happy

I am so incredibly happy with my life right now. I am so blessed. I'm so blessed with the family that I have, the relationship I have with my Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ, the best friend ever, and the best boyfriend ever. I have had a tough time with relationships and letting it get to me but I'm working on getting over that and just really enjoying and appreciating the people who are in my life right now.

This morning I had more extra time to read the scriptures than I usually do. I've been slacking a bit, but I'm not perfect and at least I'm reading them. I'm grateful for the comforting words that I continue to read every single day. I can do this. I can do hard things.

Brady. Oh man. I can never say it enough. I love Brady so much. He is the most important thing in my life. He is so sweet. I love his smile, and how he kisses me on the cheek, only a million times a day. I love that he tells me I'm pretty, sporadically throughout the day. The way he answers the phone when I call him, and I love love LOVE how close he lives to me. He's still the same gentleman that caught my attention almost 3 years ago. I'm so glad that he has found a job that he really enjoys, and is excited to start school in the Summer! I'm so excited for this year :) It will prolly be a big one for us, both individually and together :) He is my best friend. My better half. My soulmate. My companion. He is the best person I have ever known. I love him so much.

I am also very grateful for my best friend. She is so amazing. I miss her so much, I haven't seen her as often as I used to but she still means the world to me. She hasn't left my side in my trials and my successes. I never want her to forget how much I appreciate her and all that she does. I will never forget her, no matter where our lives take us. I will always go to her first. I will always keep her in my life. She is my best friend, my other half, basically she's my sister. We have done everything together in life, and I'm so grateful to have shared so much with her. I love you so much Abby, thanks for everything.

And last, I'm very grateful for my family. They are amazing people. I am currently taking a Marriage and Family Relations class, and we've been talking a lot about families and what they mean to us, and what we consider to be "family." I love that I'm never going to be alone. Friends come and go, people in our lives come and go but family is forever. I will always have them and I'm so grateful that they love me unconditionally, and that I can always be myself with them. I'm grateful for my parents, who made the decision to be sealed in the Lord's Temple. Their example has influenced me so much. And their decision has made me happier than any decision they've made. I love my family so much. Especially my little guys.

I love my life and I am so grateful. I'm so unbelievably happy right now. I couldn't ask for more and I will always thank my Father in Heaven.

Summary '12

Here's to 2012! I can remember going to Orem with my bff Jenna, to party it up at UVU Newphoria and having the time of my LIFE. And I remember coming home with SO much excitement for what this year was about to bring, and now it's over. This year went by EXTREMELY fast and I can't believe it, but like 2011, I'm pretty excited for what's in store next year :)

January - Partied the new year at UVU Newphoria with my bff Jenna. Brady 11 months left. Lots of baptisms at the Temple. Letter writing. My first little black dress. Squad (aka Karlee) got married and I was lucky enough to be a bridesmaid. My first day of Spring semester at SLCC. Roommate weekend with my beh fren Abby. I dyed my hair 2 colors for the first time in 4 years. Lots of letters and packages. Babysitting Evan.

February - Brady 10 months left. Set a reading goal. Valentine's Day craft. Lots more of babysitting. A lot of cruising and endless hot chocolate/pies at Village Inn with beh fren. Sister found out she was having a boy! Made it to 299 days left! Exploring studying places with Abby. Farewells. Packages. Institute. LADY ANTEBELLUM CONCERT!!! Ladies night out to see the Vow. Evan turned 1.

March - Obsession with Justin Bieber (still going). Catching up with old friends and making new! Brady 9 months left. More babysitting. Cousin Andrew came home from his mission, locked my keys in my car, while running for an hour, nobody at the airport could help us. Dinner with the roommates. Facetime with Jenna. Sunday walks at the Temple. More letters. Power outage at work. Mormon drinks with Abby. Baptisms at SLC Temple with some friends. Dying from my classes and getting ready for finals. Discovering the cutest bookshop ever. Eating a 6 pound pizza that too 30 minutes to cook. YWGC with sisters and mom. Prep for GC.

April - Brady 8 months left. My birthday twin from Germany came to visit! Temple trips. RSL game with co-workers. Easter. Babysitting some more. Silverlake trip with Abby; made an awesome music video. More letters. Spring semester ends. Bowling and RSL game round 2 with co-workers.

May - Brady 7 months left. Visit Ty & Skye's new house; bonfire. Linsey's baby shower. Mother's Day. Mommy/Daughter date for finishing school. 200 days left. Bloggy-blog turns 2! Free pony for Evan. Seminary graduation for sissy. Lots of letters. Roommate weekend with sissy. Hogle Zoo. Chocolate milk Tuesday/Lasagna with bff Jenna. Pictures of Brady from a friend! Jess graduates high school. Summer semester starts.

June - Brady 6 MONTHS LEFT!!! Brady & I together 2 years!!! :) American Fork Canyon with family. Left Wejo after a year and entered my new branch, Sandy! Matt & Morgan's wedding. Lots of letters. First trip to City Creek. Tried on Tiffany's ring; only $54,000. Vern's wedding. Bubbles' wedding! Chasing Chance concert/visit to Orem to see Ash! Calling in RS.

July - Brady 5 months left. 4th of July spent at swimming pool with family. 2nd nephew born! Cold stone with bff Jenna. Crafting and lots of visits to see new nephew. Sleepover with Evan. Going away party with some awesome MG's. Bee's game with necklace. Gilbert's first death. Remembering good times. Bought my Macbook Pro; best purchase ever.

August - Brady 4 months left. AAinga's wedding! Painted my room pink. Lots of late night ramblings and thinking things through. My 20th birthday! Cousin Tia's wedding. Birthday package. Birthday dinner with Abby (twice; celebrating our Aug. birthdays together). Work party at RSL game; first jersey. Evan in nursery for first time. First day of fall semester. 100 DAYS LEFT. Found out Brady's homecoming date.

September - Brady 3 months left. Dyed my hair; got layers. Friend in England finds Brady; takes picture. More letters. Lots of spiritual experiences. NSPW 2012. Nervous for Brady to come home. Brigham City Temple Open house. My first, live college football game; GO UTES! They  beat BYU 24-21; bought my first UofU shirt. Bff Jenna has beautiful baby girl; go visit. Plan to graduate in 7 months. Level 5 at work. Joseph Smith (Briley) comes home from mission. RSGC with beh fren Abby. Music & the Spoken Word/tour of GCC and Temple Square with friends.

October - Brady 2 months left. Brady's 21st birthday! Surprise package. First official 5K. More letters. Spending lots of time with nephews. Pictures taken for Brady's birthday. Tswift cd Red came out; loooove it. Finished the BOM. 3 years for Andy. Halloween/carving pumpkins/trick-or-treating. Sam comes home from mission. MRI - nothing to be concerned about.

November - Brady comes home this month; 3 weeks; 21 days. Said goodbye to Gilbert; welcomed new car (still no name). Final letters from Brady. November thanks. My last letter to Brady. Presidential race; my president still never changed. Breaking Dawn pt 2. Weekend visit to Orem to see Ash. Very.Last.Letter. Poster making. Baby shower for Skye. Finished sticker poster; thanksgiving day. Yummy food, lots of family; lots of nervous/anticipation/anxiety. LOTS AND LOTS OF CRYING. Cute new outfit. Drove to the airport; saw my sweetheart for the first time in 2 years; bawled my freaken eyeballs out. (He is STILL so cute). Spent the fabulous weekend with Brady (and every night after that). Festival of Tree's with family. Went to airport to welcome home Quinn!

December - Brady is home :) First family Christmas party together; won in bingo. Brady's mom engaged. Made my airport video. Jessica's Birthday. Morg's reception. Brady's homecoming talk. Temple Square with Ziegler's. Ward christmas party. Hanging with friends. Lots and LOTS of Fringe watching. Ice skating. Started the BOM again. My family Christmas party. Quinn's homecoming talk. MoTab Christmas concert. Cousin Justin's homecoming talk. Christmas Eve with Brady/my fam. Christmas night with Brady. Andy's birthday. Great things to come at work :)

And tonight, Brady and I will just spend our time together and watch 2012 go and never come back, while we welcome 2013 with open arms :) There is a lot in store this new year for me, Brady and the both of us together. We're really excited and we look forward to what the Lord has planned for us. I'm so grateful I can finally start this new year with Brady home, he is such a blessing in my life and by far the best thing to happen in 2012. I am so happy with my life right now :)

Happy New Year!

As Of Lately

Basically, It's been over a week since I've blogged. I don't have too much to blog about right now. When Brady was gone, I had a lot to blog about. Letters, feelings, excitement, and I did a lot of things. I'm not saying I don't do anything now that he is home, but I spend all of my free time with him, especially now that school is out. I think we just enjoy spending time with each other watching Fringe, and playing Bang! with his siblings. So, as of lately, this is what we've been up to :)

 Brady never smiles. But it's okay. At least I can get him to take pictures with me :)

 Brady has really funny apps on his phone that allow us to make ourselves look silly. Sometimes it lets us swap faces. Now those pictures are funny!

 Then Brady and I spend the evening with our good friends Quinn (who arrived home from his mish 2 days after Brady) and Katie from high school. We go see the lights downtown, my legs about fall off, and then we play kinect sports, aka bowling. Then we eat some yummy chocolate, watch Quinn throw the bowling ball on the ground while attempting to bowl professionally. Katie ends up winning since she took a bowling class, and I beat Brady only by a few points :)

 Then Brady and I head on over to my ward Christmas party. Evan comes along and I just hug that boy so tight and kiss him all over his cheeks. He's such a stinkin' cutie. He's getting so big!! We eat ham, and yummy rolls. Evan tends to run around while my parents talk to neighbors. Eventually everyone who is my friend on Facebook makes their way to Brady and I to congratulate him on coming home and tell him they feel like they know him because they've followed our 2 year journey. He smiles, kind of laughs and doesn't really say anything. Some ask him questions, some shake his hands, and others just talk to the both of us. I love that I have supportive ward members and those who have followed a long, it really makes me happy :)

The next night Brady and I decide to play kinect sports, and we do track & field. HOLY COW. Talk about exercise. It kicked my butt, but I won the discus over Brady so that's pretty cool. My mom wins an iPad mini at her work party, so we test it out by facetiming my mom, sister and nephew. He's really cute and his reaction to seeing himself is funny. I love my family :) After facetiming, we head on over to my house and watch the Dark Knight Rises. Which is always freaken awesome. BATMAN IS THE BEST. Then we retire for the night, only to see each other the next day :)

I love my life right now :)

Thank You

I have some time to kill this morning because lately, my body really loves waking up really early. I decided I would take the time to write my thank you's out to everyone. Sorry I've been a little M.I.A. I'm just trying to soak it all up before I have to go back to work and school (school only has 2 more weeks.. YAY!)

To You: 
Thank you. To everyone. To you, my mom and dad, my siblings, my best friends, and my mg's. To my church leaders and anyone who knew what it felt like to have a mish out. Thank you to those who support me and Brady. And of course, to the waiter haters, thank you ;) I'm grateful for the endless hugs, and smiles. For the endless "I can't wait for you to be with him again!"'s and the "You two are so cute, so happy for you!"'s. For reading my depressing, sad, I miss-my-boyfriend-but-here's-what-i've-been-doing-for-two-years blog. Thank you for getting excited when I got a letter or a package. Thank you. Seriously. I could not have made it without a lot of you. Especially my best friend Abby. She has helped me so much through this wait, and everything else in between. She's my solid rock and support and she's my best friend for life. Nothing will ever tear us apart. Nothing can separate us. Abby, thank you for your kind and patient heart. Thanks for listening to me talk about Brady endlessly. It really means a lot.
Thank you to my roommates. For being there for me when Brady first left, and continuously throughout his mission. Mini m&m's will always make me think of you. And I can't wait for you all to meet him :) He's a sweetheart and you'll love him!
Thank you to my sweet friend Jenna. She really helped me live while Brady was gone. I did more things the whole two years with her, than on my own. We had some really great times and I'll always miss that. But I hold those memories dear to my heart. She's so sweet and her baby girl is gorgeous. Looks just like her mommy :) Love you Jenna, "It's the best out there!"
Thank you to Brady's family as well. For loving and supporting me while Brady was gone. It's nice to have his family accept me, even while he was gone. It's hard being alone and not having him here, but their kindness helped me survive it. I love all of them very much, even the little kiddos that I'm excited to get to know more.
Thank you to Granny. For sending me his emails every single Monday without fail. I always knew at 8 AM I would have a notification on my phone that said, "England." And if I didn't receive it, whether it was at all or later in the day, thank you for calling me to make sure I knew you didn't forget about me. You are so kind and I'm grateful for your caring heart.
Thank you to everyone.

To My MG's:
Thank you. I used to be apart of the W4AM group on Facebook which included over 1,000 girls. I left it around the year mark. I just didn't feel that support was for me anymore. But that group helped me through the first couple months and I'm grateful. I've met some of the most amazing girls through that group. The majority of the girls that I met when I first started have all "graduated" and lives are started. I'm so grateful to all of you who answered my questions, or just simply said, "I know what you're going through." I never met every single girl that I met online, in real life, but the majority of them have become some of my very best friends :) To the parties, of talking really loud, and laughing, and talking of our boyfriends, the areas they're in and all that they've been through. What it's like to get letters from them, packages and how much longer we all have left to wait. From becoming friends with all of them on Facebook, to having dinner in real life. Jamming out to Justin Bieber, to making slideshows of our boyfriends. These girls have been with me through thick and thin. I'm so grateful to them.

To Brady:
Thank you for being patient with me. This hasn't been easy on either of us, but knowing we have each other makes it all worth it. The numerous letters I've sent, thank you for loving me anyway. I know I seemed crazy, probably majority of the time, but it's okay, because you love me still. You still accept me. I can't tell you how grateful I am for your endless love and support, even so far away. You were focused on so many things, all of them so very dear and important to the Lord, but you still found time to tell me hi, that you love me and that you're doing okay. All those sweet gifts, surprise emails and the little things you did to prepare me before you left, are some of my very favorite things. I cannot believe how much you truly cared about me before you left, and even while you were gone. You were and still are an amazing missionary. You may not wear the name tag anymore, but your missionary work does not end at the releasing. It goes on forever and ever, and I'm so grateful to have an example like you. Someone who inspires me to be better about my studies, my prayers, and the Christlike attributes I should strive to obtain. Thank you for serving a mission, and for making that choice on your own. You could have chosen so many different ways in life, and not that any of those are wrong, I'm just really glad you chose to serve a mission. It has changed you in such a great way, yet you're still the same Brady I love. I love you and I'm so grateful to have a blessing like you in my life.


And finally,
To all MG's; current and/or pre-mission:
Hold on. Do not let go. If this is a decision you have made, stick to it. A lot of people have asked me if I have dated and waited, and I can honestly say yes. I've gone on dates, and seriously dated someone. I won't go into details, but going on dates helped me meet people and have friends. It was a great time to grow and learn, and it just so happens Institute really helps you :) Attend institute, make it a priority. I did, and I found myself graduated from Institute. Who knew that was possible? Anyway, stick to your church meetings. Go to every.single.hour. even if you're sitting alone. Stay strong in your relationship with your Father in Heaven. Make prayer a first priority, not a last resort. A Book of Mormon that is falling apart, usually belongs to someone who isn't. Hold that book dear to your heart, it will get you through everything. Consistently read your patriarchal blessing. It's purpose is to help you on your way in life, and it definitely comforted me when I needed it most. Stay close to family and friends. Stay busy. I cannot stress that enough. Staying busy helps the days go by faster, and soon, you'll find yourself at the airport.

Don't give up. Even when the nights are hard. When you cry yourself to sleep because your heart aches for a hug. A simple hug. When you didn't get a letter, or haven't gotten one in a month or more. When you think he's forgotten you because other girls are getting a package every month, or 7 letters in 1 week. When you meet waiter haters, and you get the same statements from them as everyone else, "A lot can happen in two years," or "You're really going to wait for him?" and you proudly, yet feeling somewhat lonely, say, "yes." Because you love your missionary, don't give up. When you meet other boys, and they either shun you because you have a missionary, don't care and still want to date you, don't give up. You'll meet boys who are simply nice, and want to be your friend. Just remember to make a decision if things start getting serious with someone, because someone will get hurt. You will, and either your mish or the other guy will. Pray about it. Just don't give up.

They come home ladies. They truly do. No matter all the tears, sleepless nights, the countless "I-miss-you"'s, the, "can't-wait-to-hear-from-you"'s in all the letters you handwrite weekly. All the emails that talk of his mission, the pictures that are shared. It is all worth it. 

You will survive this waiting. And it is possible to wait for someone and/or something for 2 years (or more). You can hold strong, and still be in love, in a long-distance relationship. You will meet people who won't support you, but you always meet one more person who does. One more person who understands, one more person to hug and comfort you. Keep going, stay strong, and stay close to the Lord. The wait does come to an end, you just have to be patient, and understanding. Your sweetheart will come home. You will get to hold their hand again, maybe even kiss them ;) You will get to see their smiling, shining face. You will get to know what it feels like to be with them again. They won't be going anywhere when they get home, and it's the best feeling ever. You can do this. You can make it. My success story is just an addition to the thousands out there.

Don't give up ladies, you can make it. :)



Again, thank you to everyone for your love and support. I appreciate it, and it isn't forgotten.

The Wait Is Over...

Here is the post you've been waiting to read, and I've been waiting to write.

Basically it was a long day. I'd been tracking his flights. His first one left late, but he got home 20 minutes earlier than scheduled. I arrived at the airport early, and his family showed up after me. We all waited, and talked and then his uncle walked over, showed me that his flight had landed and I lost it. I couldn't stop crying. My mom said, "it's 9:27," my heart stopped and we all finally walked over towards the escalators and I stood REALLY far back (you can see that in the pictures) and I was sobbing. I couldn't stop crying, I was SO happy. Everyone else was all clumped together and I just stood in the back, waiting.

Then my sister yelled, "THERE HE IS!!!!" And I continued to cry. He came down the escalator just smiling and I just sobbed. Hahahaha, of course he spent time hugging his family. It was really good to see him with them again. He hasn't seen his older brother in 4 years because his brother was on a mission when Brady left. I just patiently waited for the handshake that I knew was coming. I had no expectation of him hugging me, but it was awkward because I felt like everyone knew this "moment" was coming. Finally he had hugged everyone in his family, and I continued to wait patiently like I had been for 2 years. His dad walked over and said, "Brady!" and pointed at me, LITERALLY everyone's heads turned and looked right at me, (cue awkward moment) and Brady said, "I know" and then made his way over and shook my hand. He BARELY touched my fingers, and I just cried while saying hi. Hahahahahaha I felt dumb but oh well.

We stood by each other as people took pictures, and then he stepped away for a moment. The photographer that was there, but didn't grab a photo of us, because there were so many people around, so after letting him talk to family members, and watching him sneak looks at me. I seriously couldn't stop staring at him. He looks SO good. And he sounds the same, talks the same, jokes the same, he just is my best friend, but older. more mature, and just looks really good. Every time we made eye contact, it'd be for a split second and then he'd look away. I am so happy he kept sneaking looks at me, it just brought me comfort.

ANYWAY, the photographer brought him over to grab more photos of us. She kind of stepped back and I just looked at him and I thought, "I HAVE to say something!!!! I HAVE to say something to him. I can't just let him walk away without saying something to him!!" So I said, "So.... tomorrow, you get released at 10... is it alright with you if I go?" (even though his mom and I talked about it already and I was planning on going) and he looked at me and said, "yeah" and nodded his head all cute. I just died. He's SO cute. I can't stop saying that. Hahahahaha :) oh it was so good to talk to him. even if it wasn't for very long, or really about anything. we all just kind of stood around and talked, and I just couldn't stop staring at him.  We finally said our goodbyes, and I headed home, anxiously awaiting 10 AM the next morning :)

I have felt really sick to my stomach all night and I just want to die. I only got 3 hours of sleep, and I'm getting so anxious to see him this morning. I feel like I'm going to pee my pants all over again. But I cannot tell you how unbelievably happy I am, to have him home. Even though he will probably be weird for a while, and we'll have to get to re-know each other, I am so happy. He's real. He's home. He's my sweetheart, grown up. This is over. It's finally over.

I'm going to write a thank you post/letter to my MG's later this weekend. I'm still feeling a bit overwhelmed and I'm sure he is too. It's been quite the experience but I don't regret a single moment.

He's home everyone! He's finally home...




So grateful for Jen, with Simply Sublime Photography for taking pictures for me. For catching these moments that I'll never forget. I'm so grateful for her kindness and willingness to do so. She's so sweet and if you're looking for a photographer, give her a call! :) I'm grateful for my sisters and my mom, for being there to support me, and to support Brady. I could not have done that without them. I'm grateful for Brady's family, for their love and support and for welcoming me to the family, even while he was gone. I'm so grateful to know every single one of them. I'm grateful to Brady, for serving an honorable mission, for making that decision that will bless him immensely for a lifetime. He is a shining example to me, and my heart is overflowing with love for him. I'm so proud of him.

Until next time....

November Thanks 3

1. I am grateful for my car. I miss Gilbert sometimes, and I sometimes feel bad that my sister now owns this car that is on the verge of dying, but I am grateful that I was able to help, and that I have a car. period.
2. I am grateful for my mom's side of the family. I love getting together with them and it's always a blast. I grew up with my cousin Skye and so being with her family always makes me really happy. We had a baby shower for her yesterday, I'm so excited to meet her little one!
3. I am grateful for my mom. I love my mom. I cannot say it enough. This woman's middle name is sacrifice. She's a shining example, and has always loved me unconditionally. She never gave up on me, no matter how much I felt like I had failed her. No matter how many times I wanted to rebel, and just thought how I didn't like her, and that she was being too strict on me growing up. No matter what I put her through, she never failed me. She never gave up on me. She always loved me, asked me how my days was. She still cared, and for that, I will always be grateful. To have a mom so loving and forgiving, as she is. LOVE YOU MOM.
4. I'm grateful for my home :) I'm so grateful for my bed, and my room, and my clothing, and my dishes. I'm grateful for my bathroom, being able to shower, for my coat. I'm grateful for many things, especially my home. To have shelter over my head, to protect me and keep me warm.
5. I'm grateful for food. And that I can choose what to eat to take care of my body. That there are foods out there to keep me healthy and my tummy happy :)
6. I'm grateful for blogging. For being able to record things as I please.
7. I'm grateful for music. It often speaks words that I cannot say. It keeps me happy, and I love it.
8. I'm grateful for all of my friends.
9. I'm grateful for ice cream:)
10. I'm grateful for rainy weather.
11. I'm grateful for the Sacrament. That I get to take it every single week.
12. I'm grateful for socks, sweats, and hoodies. They keep me warm :)
13. I'm grateful to have my brother-in-law in my math class. He has helped me a lot.
14. I'm grateful for my sisters. for our friendship, and all the good times we share.
15. I'm grateful for memories. They are some of the dearest things to me.
16. I'm grateful for my nephew Evan, for always keeping me laughing. For Sawyer, and his sweet, heart-melting smile that I love seeing.
17. I'm grateful for church leaders who love me and support me. I'm grateful for their service and their example towards me and others.
18. I'm grateful for the Ensign. to receive it each month, and be able to reflect on the conference talks that helped me so much.
19. And last but not least, this week, I am thankful for Brady. I am thankful for this 2 year experience. I am thankful it has brought us closer, I am grateful to have had a missionary to write. I love him so very much and I can't believe in just 4 short days, I'll be seeing him coming down the escalator. He will no longer be in letters... He will be real, and he will be mine again. I'm grateful for his service, and for his decision to serve a mission. He has changed my life, and inspires me to be better and to be closer to my Father in Heaven. I am grateful for his unconditional love towards me. He has never given up on me, and I'm so grateful that he didn't write me off. That this waiting experience wasn't a nightmare. I still have no idea where this road will lead the two of us.. But I know that the Lord is in it, and I want to be with Brady. I love him very much. I'm so grateful for him :)

November Thanks 1

Last year, I did some posts on my gratitude for the month of November, so I decided I would do it again, and write each Sunday, and depending on the date, I'd write that many things I was grateful for. Maybe I'll add more :) I should do this more often, but it was fun last year! :) Plus, this month is just fabulous ;)

1. I am very thankful today, for Relief Society. We had a wonderful lesson on the Atonement and using it in our everyday lives. Not just for repentance of sins, but for healing of sorrow, getting through trials, help with forgiving ourselves and others, and many more things that came to mind. I'm so grateful for my Savior, for his atoning sacrifice. For the fact, that he is living proof that he truly knows how I'm feeling when I am have a bad day. The Atonement is so wonderful, and I'm so grateful for it.
2. I'm very grateful for my family. I have spent so much time with them, and I love every second. I love hanging out with my sisters, and I especially love being with my nephews. I love the laughter we share, and all the good times and bad times we stand through together. I am so blessed to have the family that I do, and I couldn't be more thankful.
3. I'm thankful for movies. Such a silly thing to be thankful for, but I am. I'm so happy that movies are created to help us be entertained and happy in life. It's fun getting together with friends and/or family to watch movies, or even go to a theater. I cannot wait to watch all the movies Brady missed, with him. I am excited for Christmas movies, and I'm so grateful for the joy they bring.
4. I'm very grateful for my education. I've spent a lot of time on homework today. More than I usually do (which is pretty sad). But I am grateful that I've gotten this far and that I'm so close to graduating, and starting my BS. I really want to go to the University of Utah. I'm so grateful that I live and have a life that allows me to receive such education, that will last me a lifetime.

What are you thankful for? :)

Carving Pumpkins 2012

Looks like everyone carved pumpkins tonight :) I love Halloween, but is it sad that I'm glad it isn't as big of a holiday as Christmas?? I cannot wait for Christmas! I'm so excited!! Anyway, back to Halloween. We had family over tonight to have sloppy-joes and carve pumpkins. I haven't had a sloppy-joe since I was prolly 10 years old.

I really don't like carving pumpkins. It just kind of grosses me out, and the stuff makes my skin itch, so I could be semi-allergic to pumpkin guts ;)
(I'll just keep that as my excuse).

Evan was terrified of pumpkin guts, he just kept saying (well, what we could make of his almost-2-year-old language) "gross!" Haha, and just pointed, and each time we had him touch it he would pull back and wipe his hand on his shirt. Hahaha, it was funny. But he loved stabbing the pumpkins with the little poker, and helping everyone. He's just such a cute kid and I love spending time with him. My sister and brother-in-law came over and they joined in and made some awesome pumpkins. My mom decided we had one more pumpkin for me to do, so I chose to paint it. And it was definitely the runt of the patch. It was all deformed and so I decided that part of it look like it was an old person without teeth (sucked-in mouth). But as I painted it, I decided it looked like a space muppet from sesame street :)

We had a lot of fun and I'm really sad today is over. I love being with my family :) It is so much fun! Plus, I got to hangout with my favorite boys.

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe Halloween :)

Wheeler Farm 5K

My friend Becca had posted a link on FB a while ago about a 5K and Wheeler Farm, and I'm so inspired by all her running and her love/desire to run that I thought I would do the 5K. And today, I did just that! I didn't do as well as I hoped, I felt pressured the whole time. I just kept telling myself that right now, it wasn't about time for me, it wasn't about fast or slow, it was just about finishing the race. It helped my mental negativity when the people standing along the way would cheer for me. Other than that, I found my brain trying to make excuses to let me walk.

It was a good race! GREAT run! The course was SUPER easy!!! And I just really enjoyed it :) I feel very proud of myself. Having not prepared like I should have, and not having ran something like that since high school, I feel I did great regardless of my time and asthma. I'm so grateful my parents were there to support me! It was so nice meeting Becca and Missy! They are such sweet people, and it was fun to do that with them! Hopefully next year I'll do more races, cause I certainly enjoy them (at least when I'm done running)! :)

B

My best friend had her baby girl on Tuesday, and I just went to visit her today, with my mama and sister. It was a good visit, and I'd missed my best friend lots. She looked like she was doing really well.

We have kind of decided B and Sawyer just might be boyf/girlf one day ;) But we'll see. Hahaha, anyway, it was so good to talk. And Austin takes such good care of my best friend and B. Seriously, she's so lucky to have him, and I'm so glad she does. She deserves him, and this beautiful baby girl. I'm so proud of my best friend and how she's doing. She really is such a great person and someone to turn to when you need a friend. She's been through a lot, both good and bad, but has always held her head high and that is something I admire (and try not to envy) about her. I just love her so much. So proud of her, and so happy for her that B is finally here :)

Now I hope she doesn't mind that I'm going to share one of my very favorite pictures of B.

Love you B. Even if I'm not biologically related to you, I still love you very much. Can't wait to watch you grow up :)

First Day of School

Oh ya know, gotta have that cute first day of school photo.

The picture on the right was my mom's idea.
"Now do something random, like running!"
Hahahaha, oh I love her.

My first day went well. I started off the semester right with Psychology! It's a class I've procrastinated taking, so hopefully it won't be too bad. I just have this erie feeling that I'm going to be writing papers all semester. YUCK! I had math tonight and that wasn't too bad, just keep your fingers crossed that I pass this time! I have history on Monday, so hopefully that'll go over well :) Work has been super stressful with lots of coverage hours so hopefully I won't be too burnt out. Wish me luck!

Nursery

Yup! This cute little guy is old enough to be in nursery now!! :(

And he just walked right in and sat down.

My heart broke a little.

I can't believe how big he's getting!!

He was fine through RS and then I went to check on him, and boy, he was not happy! Poor thing was crying so hard! So, we joined my mom in primary for singing time and everything turned out okay! Hahahaha guess he didn't like being in there as much as I didn't want him in there!!

Love you little guy.

So very, very much.

Bella Baby Photography

So the hospital takes pictures of the newborns now for the parents.

And we got to preview them online. They were only up for a few weeks,

but they were SO expensive! :( We were all sad.

Until my mom and I decided that we wanted to get my sister some copies.

We tried to figure it out for DAYS how we were going to get them.

They are expensive in a ridiculous way.

So I said, "Whatever, we're just buying the entire cd."

So we did :)

And we decided to surprise my sister.

We held off for a couple days,

but she started to worry because the deadline to order was drawing near.

So I told her I would somehow get her copies of the previews,

and then I wasn't sure when the cd would ship to my house,

and I got scared because I didn't want to make her sad,

and she'd be asking for the preview copies soon.

ANYWAY.

I told my mom I couldn't wait to tell her,

so we decided to Skype and surprise her.

She got on and we just talked for a while.

Saw the SUPER cute baby.

And then we broke the news :)

She was SO happy she almost cried.

Hahahaha, and I just was so excited I couldn't wait for the CD.

She came to visit the next day, and when the mail arrived,

it was in mailbox. WOO!

We were so happy :)

And now for the preview...

The Warrior

I'm seriously never gonna give that nickname up. Just too cute.
Anyway, my nephew is stinkin' adorable. As I'm sure you've seen in recent photos.
But I just can't help but want to snuggle him, spoil him with kisses and just hold him... always.
It's amazing because I know when I have kids, I'll prolly want to do anything BUT hold them...
Maybe.... maybe not.

Anyway, I'm just really grateful that my sister lets me come over to visit :) It's fun just visiting and relaxing and hanging out with her :) And of course, the ADORABLE baby that just stares with his big dark eyes.. :) Ahh, I could eat him up he's too cute. This whole aunt thing, is the best thing in the world. I'm so lucky I get to be an aunt forever!! :)

Here are some photos of the cutest little one ever... :)