Life has been busy!

With all the time spent getting the wedding put together, we still manage to find time for ourselves, our families and our friends...which is the only thing that's keeping me sane right now ;) haha.

Although I'm not big into sports, Bryant took me to a Jazz game recently and I'm not going to lie, it was a blast! We went to the first game of the 2009/2010 season in the Energy Solutions Arena and The Mormon Tabernacle Choir opened with the National anthem, which I loved (I heart MoTab)! They also had tons of fireworks and all sorts of entertainment for the half time show. We even met Thurl Bailey. That man is TALL!!! It was a fun date :).

Thanksgiving day was kind of crazy. The plan was to go to Bryant's grandparent's house for dinner and to my place for dessert. I thought his mom and stepdad would be going to Tremonton for the day but they ended up staying in Layton and Lori cooked a turkey dinner that looked fantastic! We stopped by to visit but we didn't eat. I wish we could have stayed longer because I love hanging out with his family, but we had to be at the McMillan's at 1:00.

I met quite a few more family members of his dad's side that day. It was a really good dinner too! His grandma is an amazing cook! I'm drooling right now just thinking about it ;). We stayed and visited for about 2 hours then headed out to my place. It was a full house too. They hadn't even started eating yet so when they did, Bryant filled another plate and packed it away. That boy can eat! I was so full, but ready for pumpkin pie. I live for Thanksgiving and the pumpkin pie! Mmmmmm it's my favorite holiday :). It was a great day but next year, we might have to just pick 1 house...I'm thinking Lori's :).

A few days later, my mom and Lori threw a bridal shower for me. I have been to bridal showers but I really had no idea what to expect when it came to my own. Lori did a great job with the games. My favorite was a pre-recorded video of Bryant... she asked me some questions about some of my favorite things like: book, movie, color, food, restaurant...yada yada yada, which he answered on the video. He got just about everything right! I couldn't believe it! I failed miserably. Either I don't listen very well, or Bryant doesn't talk about some of his favorite things. Don't get me wrong though, I did get some right :). At the very end of the video, he threw it in my face and told everyone there that he knows that he got more right than me. Everyone died laughing. All the games turned out to be really fun. The gifts were perfect too! We've both lived on our own for quite a while so together, we have everything we need except a few things here and there. After the shower though, I think our house is pretty well set :). We decided to do a money tree at the wedding instead of registering too so we wouldn't have to worry about having too many of something we already had. The shower turned out to be a blast!

We've been getting the house ready here and there in time for me to move in so when one of his roommates moved out, we decided to take advantage of the empty space and paint the master bedroom. It's a cheaper make-over with instant results :). I really like how it turned out too. I have a cherry wood bedset and with the color of paint we chose, it really works together. I can't wait to put it all together. Bryant wants to paint the living room before I move in but with only about a month left, I don't think we'll have time. Plus, it will be nice to have some stuff to do after we get married. The house needs some work but not much. I love to pretend I know how decorate thanks to all those home make-over shows like, Sell This House or Trading Spaces. Thanks TLC!!! We have a whole house to work with so it will take some time and money but it will be fun :).

So, with all the busyness going on with the wedding and the holidays, we still enjoy all we can with our family and friends. Being engaged has been such a great yet stressful experience and I'm totally ready to just be hitched already but I've enjoyed the planning and playing :)

C-c-c-cold weekend at the c-c-c-cabin

Over the weekend Bryant and I went with Brandon and Sheena to Brandon's family cabin up in the Uintas for some 4-wheeling and a little R&R. It was sooo cold up there, especially when we were riding the 4 wheelers. I used Bryant as a wind guard the WHOLE time we were riding around but it was a blast! We lost quite a few of the pictures we took but here are some that we would recover from the camera. :)

Planning the wedding

I never realized how much there is to do when planning a wedding...and in just 4 months!!! Rush, rush, rush. I can't forget this! I can't forget that! Sometimes my brain just stops working. Except when I'm sleeping, then I dream about disasters happening at my wedding haha.

We have been pretty lucky while planning this though. We booked The Grand Ballroom in Bountiful without looking at anything else (because we loved it and didn't have much time to look at anything else). I also already knew which photographer I wanted to shoot our wedding too so we booked her. We booked the cruise and plane tickets too. The big things got taken care of in the first 2 weeks which has helped a lot!

We decided to do a candy buffet and found out that Ben Franklin in Roy was going out of business so we stopped by and got all the really neat candy vases and dishes for a pretty good discount. I also went to Tai Pan with mi madre and found just about all the decor that we're going to need. The best part about the reception center is that it doesn't need much because it's such a pretty place already.

I started dress shopping last week and the first place I went to was Kathleen's in Kaysville. I liked the very first dress I tried on but none of them after that. Apparently it takes a long time to order a dress and the

lady told me I would have to rush ship it to make sure it got here and be done with the alterations in time of the wedding. That freaked me out a little bit. I really wanted to find "the perfect" dress but now I felt like I was forced to choose one that I liked but not LOVED! We went to a few more shops but I didn't find anything I liked and if I did, they were a little too expensive for me.

One day I was looking through the wedding dress adds on KSL.com and came across a dress that I absolutely adored! It was a size 10 though. Way too big for me :(. But that blessed girl was smart enough to put the designer's name and the name of the dress up with her post! So my google quest began. I found a website that sells the dress for $325 and they give you all the measurements so you can have them alter it, along with all the accesories and extra fabric if you need it! OH HAPPY DAY!!!! My next quest was to find a store in Utah that carried the dress so I could try it on and make sure that's what I wanted. I found 4 shops and the first one I called had the dress, and in my size! I stopped by after work and tried it on. The lady had to practically pry it off of me. It was so much more beautiful in person and exactly what I was looking for :). I would have bought the dress right then and there but they were asking $825 for it. Eff that noise!! So I ordered it online as soon as I got home that night. I love it when I stumble upon things! It makes everything go by so much smoother and I couldn't ask for anything more right now. Wedding dress....check! :)There is still a lot we have to do but it's such a fun experience and I only get to have it once in my life. I know everything will work out and if things don't go exactly as I want them to, it's ok cause I'm not a BRIDEZILLA! :)

The day he proposed <3

Wow! Ok so, while I was in Virginia, I would talk to Bryant on a daily basis and he kept telling me that he had a surprise for me when I got home. This is not an uncommon statement to hear from him. He ALWAYS has something up his sleeve and I ALWAYS try to guess what it is. He told me that it was something we'll always have so my next question was "Is it decor for the house?". He responded that it was in fact decor but wouldn't say anything else about it no matter how much I tried to pry it out of him. Everytime we talked about "the surprise" I always refered to it as wall decor. I couldn't wait to see it!

Finally the day came to fly home to Utah and FINALLY see Bryant. I had pulled an all-nighter in Virginia because we had to get up @ 4 and to the airport for our flights @ 6. I got to Utah around noon but I still couldn't see Bryant (because he had to work) until later that night at the Brad Paisley concert. Which was amazing BTW (love that Dierks Bently)! We left the concert a little early because Bryant told me that we only had until 1 a.m. to see the decor. That threw me off! 1 a.m.? Now I was super curious about what he had planned. I was also exhausted!!! We got in the car and he put a blindfold on me and by the time we got back to Roy, I was practically asleep. I got out of the car and he took the blindfold off and we were at a miniature golf course! I woke right up and completely forgot about "the decor". GOLF! Sweet!

It was about midnight and the place was all lit up for us. In the first hole, there was a clue that said to look by the water. I walked over and picked up a bottle with a note and another clue in it. He read the letter to me and it was the sweetest thing EVER! He typed it up on some nice paper and he even burned the edges to give it the whole effect. The next clue said "go to hole 9". It crossed my mind for a split second that he might be proposing but I knew the ring wouldn't be ready for a few more weeks so I just assumed he was doing something super sweet cause I had been in Viginia for a week :). When we got to the 9th hole, I went first and missed. I waited for him to go and he missed to so I took my turn again. The ball went in the hole and I went to pick it up so he could take his turn but....there was something else in the hole! I bent down and took out my ball to get to the little white box. I looked at Bryant with a huge grin but at the same time, in disbelief! "Are you serious?!". I opened the box and he walked over and got down on his knee!!! I couldn't believe it was happening...NOW! Of course I said "YES!!!!!" :). To the side of the course, he had set up a little table and chairs with some sparkling cider and glasses so we could celebrate. What a sweetheart, huh? I love him and I can't wait for that day to kneel at the alter with him! <3>

That one time, in Virginia...

A few months ago, one of my really good friends, Natalie, came back to the U.S. from her mission in the Philippines. She lives in Virginia and came out to Utah in 2003 to go to Snow College where we were roommates and have been besties ever since :).

I decided to fly out to Virginia for a week with another one of our friends, Brian Shriver, who served his mission there. It was a pretty laid back vacation but at the beginning of our trip, 6 of us drove to West Virginia and went white water rafting on the Gauley River. I didn't think too much about rafting on this river because I'd been white water rafting several times and I love white water rafting! I got even more exciting when I heard the statistics of this river from the guides...a 23 mile "marathon", 8 class 5 rapids, and a 14 foot waterfall, not to mention all the other class 3 and 4 rapids to go through :). "The Beast of the East" they call it. It was such a blast but I'm not gonna lie, I got pretty nervous during some of the rapids and especially on the 14 foot water fall. We had a pretty good guide though and although several other rafts flipped, ours never did....on the first half at least. We pulled off the river right after the 14 foot drop and had a BBQ lunch while watching all the other rafts go down the water fall. After lunch, we all piled back in our raft and headed to the first class 5 rapid of the second half of the river. They called this rapid "Fluffy Box of Kittens". Sounds innocent, right? WRONG! I think we only saw one raft go through this rapid and not flip. We were one of the first rafts and with a name like "Fluffy Box of Kittens", we thought it would be harmless. So we paddled straight for the fierce rapids with confidence and in a split second, the left side of the raft was straight up in the air! Everyone got dumped except the guide. A few of us even got stuck under the raft but they got out pretty fast. I must have been in the middle of the 16 ft boat though because it took me a little bit to find my way over to the edge. I usually have to plug my nose when I'm under water but everything happened so fast that I didn't even have time. I learned how to hold my breath really fast though! LOL. I panicked for a few seconds and then remembered the safety speech the guides gave about what to do if you get trapped under the raft. So I put my hands and feet up to the raft and moved like hell until I was out from under that thing. I came up coughing like mad! I looked around and saw everyone bobbing around in the river and saw some more rafts flip. It was a crazy adventure! That whole river trip was! We were all so exhausted by the time we got out of the river and back into the bus. We figured after 8 hours on the river, we would be able to sleep on the way back but I think the bus driver felt left out because he didn't get to go through the rapids so he made his own little wild adventure bus ride to go along with it! Our group was in the back of the bus near the rear wheels and we were down in a deep holler so we were driving up a dirt road with huge tree roots and lots of winding switchbacks. When we weren't getting a foot of air between our butts and the seats, I swear, we were going to go off the edge. Especially when he would turn up one of the switchbacks! It was pretty funny though. The whole bus would moan whenever we went over roots or huge bumps. We were so sore from sitting on the raft all day that those bumps meant a sore arse for the rest of the week LOL.

We did all kinds of random stuff in Virginia. We went to the Roanoke star one night, and to "mini Graceland" where we became giants! They took me to the "millionaires club" and told me if we didn't dress up really nice, they might not seat us. I saw right through that though because they ended up taking me to this hole-in-the-wall burger place. hahaha! We even did some civil war site seeing. I LOVE learning the history behind the old town and buildings. It's humbling to know that such great leaders (and not so great ones) once stood in that very spot and changed the country!

Overall, Virginia was AWESOME! But I'm not going to lie. Utah is my home and it was so nice to fly into the Salt Lake valley and see the majestic mountains and Great Salt Lake. What a beautiful site! :) I would finallly get to see Bryant after 8 days too! That was by far the hardest part about this trip. Being deprived of my Love. :) Little did I know, he had a surprise in store for me.....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

100 things I am so grateful for...

"The hardest arithmetic to master is that

which enables us to count our blessings."

-Eric Hoffer

1. My mother

2. My dad
3. Siblings/in-laws/nieces & nephews
4. Friends
5. Mountains
6. Trees & flowers
7. Lakes
8. Prophet/church leaders/my bishop!
9. My job. The fact that I have one.
10. Shelter
11. Clothing
12. Food/Nutrition
13. Being raised in Utah
14. Freedom
15. The soldiers who fight for our freedom
16. People who come into my life @ the perfect moment and help me or teach me. :)
17. My ward
18. My calling
19. Being so close to temples and church houses
20. the trials that I've gone through
21. That I can hear
22. My sight
23. Touch
24. Smell
25. Taste
26. Traveling
27. Health & well being
28. Goodness in humanity
29. My religion (LDS!!!)
30. The Spirit
31. Prayer (answered & unanswered)
32. The power of fasting
33. The atonement & repentance
34. The restoration
35. Joseph Smith-who was humble enough to ask a simple question.
36. Guidence
37. The ability to feel emotions
38. Love
39. Sunshine & rain
40. Spring
41. Summer
42. Fall
43. Winter
44. Lazy days
45. Busy days
46. Books
47. Movies
48. Music
49. Dancing
50. The means to travel
51. The ability to learn & improve
52. Education
53. Intuition
54. Laughter
55. Pets & animals
56. Others' testimonies
57. Google! ha! (internet-I google everything))
58. 15 minute breaks @ work for short walks in the morning and naps in the sunshine in the afternoon. :)
59. My journal (so therapeutic!)
60. Missionaries!
61. Father's blessings
62. Service
63. Chocolate
64. Weekends
65. Scriptures
66. Holidays
67. Being female
68. Goals-desire to accomplish things
69. Memories (& pictures)
70. Road trips!
71. Shopping
72. Getting a good nights sleep
73. A hot shower or bath
74. Naps
75. Solitude (Occasionally)
76. My youth
77. Inspirational people
78. God's tender mercies
79. The days when I can wake up in a tent & smell the fresh air
80. Random adventures/spontaneousness!
81. Exercise
82. Long hikes
83. Campfires
84. Neighbors
85. Summer breeze
86. The ability to control my thoughts
87. Hymns
88. Sunrise and sunsets
89. County fairs and the farmers market
90. Scenic drives
91. Air conditioner & heater
92. Compliments
93. Sunday dinners
94. Quotes
95. Short work weeks/days off
96. Celestial marriage
97. Blow driers
98. Sanitation
99. Dating
100. GRATITUDE!!!

The Flowrider and Tomorrow's Bad Seeds

Over the weekend (Saturday), Bryant and I wanted to make up for the crappy surfing in Oregon so we did the best we could in Utah...the Flowrider! It was my first time surfing in Oregon and my first time at the Flowrider. I was kind of nervous though (mostly for looking like an idiot because the group before us really seemed to know what they were doing). I didn't want a huge group watch me fall on my butt all day LOL. The first time I stepped on the board, it was pretty shaky. The next few times weren't so bad though after Bryant explained that I needed to keep all my weight on my back foot with my knees slightly bent. I held on to a rope until I could get the feel of the water moving under the board and then when I felt comfortable with it, I would drop the rope and "ride the wave". I could hold that for a while but eventually the current would swipe me off the board. Bryant made it look soooo easy! He's been doing it for a while though, and one year, he participated in the Flowrider Tour and got 3rd place out of the tour group and everyone in Utah who participated. He would. He's good at everything he does :) He said I did really well for my first time though. Did he say that because I'm his girlfriend and wants to be nice? Or because he really meant it? Ha ha ha. Meh. I felt like I did well :).

On Sunday we went to church then up to Park City for the Art's Festival and later that day, a free concert for Tomorrow's Bad Seeds. We discovered this band a few weeks ago when we went to the Roots, Rock, Regae Fest. There were a few good bands there that day but this one was my favorite! I've never really been in to the Regae music but Bryant loves it so it's opened my eyes to a whole new genre :). The concert was great and I'm going to stay updated on when they hit Utah again. They are definitely worth it!

Oregon with my love!

Bryant and I started planning a trip to Oregon after he received a phone call from one of the members he converted while on his mission (in Oregon). In the call, he learned that Patrick had put in his papers and was going on a mission! Bryant was sooo excited and told me all about this family and how they were so ready to receive the gospel and that they taught him so much.
Over the 24th of July weekend, we drove up through Idaho up to Oregon and slept in Ontario for the night then headed to Bend where we visited with some of the members from one of his areas. This was my first time in Oregon and the whole state seemed like a giant forest! It was so pretty and smelled like pine :). After we visited a few people, we drove out to some lava tunnels in the area to explore. The tunnel started out as a giant underground cave and the farther back we went, the more narrow it became. We ended up squeezing through tiny tunnels in the dirt. It was AWESOME! After the tunnels, we shopped around in Bend for a bit then headed off to Eugene on the McKenzie River Highway. This is when I decided that I would one day live on that highway ;). I couldn't believe how beautiful it was! Tall trees, winding roads, river and waterfalls...I couldn't get enough!

In Eugene, we stayed with Patrick's family, the Gollmann's. They are such AMAZING people and so strong in the gospel! We also went to the Saturday's Market which was probably the ultimate hippy gathering I've ever seen! I loved it LOL! (I'm such a people watcher). It's a lot like the Farmers Market in Salt Lake City. We were lucky enough not to see any nude people though, which we were warned about haha! After the market, we were off to the wildlife safari down near Roseburg, Oregon. It's a large drive-through safari but it was so hot that a lot of the animals were away from the road, in the shade. It was still fun though. :)

After we left Eugene, we headed off to the BEACH! First stop: Florence. We were too excited to continue north that we had to get out and play on the beach ASAP. *Tip: Don't shave your legs the day you go to the beach. Salt + razor burn = ULTMATE PAIN!* We ended up heading to Yachats to the Haceta Head Lighthouse. This lighthouse is amazing! It's a beautuful sight heading down the trail as well, looking out to the beach :). I love that I got to share it with my love! After the lighthouse, we drove further north to Newport for the night. The next morning, we went to another lighthouse called Yaquina Head Lighthouse. This one was my favorite! Not because "The Ring" was filmed there (which I later found out), but because it was soooo spectacular! We took a tour and found out that it's the tallest lighthouse in Oregon. They let us go all the way to the top where the light shines through and the view was incredible! It was just Bryant and I in the top. It was pretty romantic up there looking out of the massive window that surrounded us, seeing the ocean splash up against the rocky shores ;). I didn't want to leave...but unfortunately we had to. From there, we took a path down to the tide pools and muscle beds. Bryant found a starfish out of the tide and decided it was his duty to save it so he picked it up and set it back out in the ocean. He's so cute LOL. After the lighthouse, we went to a surfshop and got fitted in wetsuits, took a surf board and headed to a sandy beach for some surfing. It was soooo windy that it was hard for Bryant to carry the board. He has been surfing several times but this was my first. I'm not gonna lie, the waves were intimidating! Bryant would argue and say there weren't any waves though haha. He went a few times then it was my turn. I stayed on the board (lying down) the first time and rode the wave. The second time, I couldn't quite get up on my feet so I stayed kneeling. I didn't flip it though :). I let Bryant go some more and decided it was too windy for me. he agreed after some more struggling so we eventually turned in the gear. Next up, we went to the Newprot Aquarium. We spent a few hours there. It was fun to see the sea otters and sharks and all that good stuff :). After the Aquarium, we were off to a city just outside of Portland called Troutdale where we stayed for the night.

It was sad to wake up in Troutdale because it meant it was the day we head back to Utah. We had about an 11.5 hour drive ahead of us (not including all the stops we would make). We took the old Columbia River Gorge Highway which is the scenic route. Might as well make the drive worth it, right? There are several waterfalls on this drive, some of which we had to hike to. I can't really pick a favorite out of all the waterfalls because they each had their own unique traits that made each on sooo gorgeous. I did love the stone bridges near 2 of the waterfalls though. They reminded me of something out of an old movie or old pictures because they were old stone bridges covered in moss. I loved it!

The scenic highway took us about 1.5 to 2 hours then the rest of the drive was dead and boring. I cut off a few hours with my "lead foot" while I was driving but Bryant drove the majority of the trip. It's kinda funny though because i was speeding and so anxious to get home when I was driving, but he kept a steady average pace, and he's the one that got pulled over. He's a cop magnet! Poor guy :P

And thats the trip in a nut shell. Seriously. I can't wait to go back again! :)