Busy Bee

The reason for the Ad....

2011-11-29T00:12:00.003-07:00

I am posting this so I can get $10 off of Mike's wedding ring that I bought! :) Don't judge!!! 10 dollars is 10 dollars! ha ha I hope he likes the ring I picked out for him! It has been my favorite since I saw it! It probably isn't his favorite..... but oh well! He picked out my ring... so I am picking his!! ha ha It's only fair, right?? ;) So... this advertisement will be chillin' on my blog for like a month!! Love it! Embrace it! ha ha

Tungsten Carbide

BIG NEWS!!!

2011-09-30T01:45:00.007-06:00

THE "SING OFF" IS BACK ON!!! Season 3 is promising to be an excellent one! I am loving it already!! Love those BYU Mormon boys.....

Oh wait... that's not the big news you were all wanting me to post... was it? Whoops! ;)

First off... I love that this is the first post I have done in almost a year. Oh gees. I.am.a.huge.slacker. S.O.R.R.Y.!

Okay... Here is the story for those of you who want to know...

Wait.... FIRST.. Meet my fiance, Mike...

I LOVE HIM.

So.... I have technically known Mike for a long time. Grew up with his brother. Sister married my dad's friend's son. Worked with his mom at The Dell for 5 years. Ever thought I'd date him?? NEVER. The first time I remember actually talking to him was the morning of Ashley and Brian's wedding. I went to their house at about 6 a.m. to do Ashley's hair.. Mike had gotten kicked out of his room for the guests staying there for the wedding, so he was asleep on the couch.. kinda. Apparently Ashley and I were talking too loud while doing her hair and we disturbed Mike's beauty rest.... So... the first words I remember Mike ever saying to me?? "SHUT UP!!!"

He claims he was half asleep and didn't know what he was doing... ;) ha ha

We started "dating" in January... "officially became a couple" on March 1st.. and have been attached at the hip ever since. We "broke up" for a little bit in the middle, but if you ask anyone who was around... we didn't really break up. I still saw him almost every day and I was still constantly talking to him.

Mike instantly became my best friend. I have never been so comfortable around someone. I can talk to him about anything. I can act insane. I can cry. And no matter what... he makes me feel like it is the most normal thing going on. I have never met anyone like him. He is so patient. So kind. So giving. And he loves me. HE loves ME! He even loves me when I am in a bad mood!

He really is the most perfect person for me.

I was asked by a friend last night how I knew I was marrying the right person... my response was this... Mike makes me happier than I have ever been. I love him more than I ever thought was possible. I have never loved someone as much as I love him. I honestly would give up my own life for him. Just like I know he would do the same for me. He treats me better than anyone ever has. And finally... I cannot, and will not, imagine my life without him in it. Next to me. As my eternal companion.

OKAY... NOW I will tell you the engagement story! Thank you for letting me brag about my amazing man first. :) You needed to know him. The story is much cuter that way.

So.. Mike has had my ring for over a month. He picked it out himself... And wanted it to be a surprise... but I'm a brat, so of course I ruined that idea... oopsies! Well, I have been nagging him and nagging him and bugging him and nagging him to give it to me. EVERY day. For the past month... And he kept telling me... "You'll get it eventually." EVENTUALLY?!?! UGH! We all know that patience is NOT a virtue in my world. The word doesn't even exist. So... I was getting frustrated and had a few meltdowns.. But.. Mike wanted it to be a surprise.. and a surprise it was.

I work at Dimple Dell Rec one day a week. Wednesdays. And I ALWAYS look like Hell beat me with an ugly stick on those days. I promise I do. But yesterday was especially bad. Of course. So I'm at work and I wander away from the front desk to help lower some basketball hoops for some of the juvenile delinquents that frequent The Dell. When I get back there is a vase full of flowers waiting there for me. With the most adorable note.. and a ticket into Disneyland. (It was an old ticket from when he and his family went a month ago... but the proposal is Disney themed... you'll understand in a bit.) (Also... I'll post pictures later, when it's not 2:30 a.m.) So the adorable note said, "Hey beautiful. I wanted to send flowers on this very special day. You're invited to this once in a lifetime journey. Truly unforgettable. Wait for the clues to come and follow thier directions. To be continued...... I love you! Michael Hiatt". (So at this point I'm pretty sure he's going to propose... but I don't want to get my hopes up and have it not end in a proposal... so I didn't actually admit it to myself that that scenario was really a possibility. And everyone I know was playing dumb... like they weren't a part of it..)

So I wait for a bit and his sister, Ashley, comes in with a poster and 2 Disney princess figurines. (Taped to the bottom of all of the figurines were reasons why Mike loves me.) The poster says, "There is only one place where princesses dwell, go to your castle and all will be well." and on the back it told me to go home and find the surprise waiting for me. So Ashley tells me to stop freaking out that I look like death rolled over, because Mike knows me better than anyone, and he has already planned for all of this. Of course he has. He is brilliant. :) So then a couple of hours later his mom comes in with his nephew and hands me 2 more figurines. (Fairies this time... Tink being one of them, of course.) FINALLY it is time to leave work and go home to find out my surprise waiting for me.

I get home to find more figurines making a trail into my front room... and on the two big arm chairs I have a couple of things waiting... 1st one... a poster that says, "Cinderella had a gown made by mice, look for the brown one, it's sure to be nice. Step in your charriot and go so fast, head to the place where we want our marriage to last." on the 2nd chair was a brown dress he had bought me. We had seen this dress while we were together one night... and I had mentioned how I thought that maybe I'd buy it to wear to my best friend's wedding.... Well.. he remembered and went and bought it for me. He is the best. Anyway... on the back of the poster it told me to go to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. Leave at 6:30. And meet Abby there. So.... I had 3 and a half hours to get ready... so I used all 3.5 hours! :) I jumped in a shower... waxed my eye brows... curled my hair...and full on put on make up... (Although... let's be real.. anything would have looked better than what I looked like that morning! ha ha) Finally... it was 6:30. So I headed to the temple to find Abby.

I got to the temple and found Abby. She had another 2 figurines and another poster for me. This poster said, "Hurry, Cinderella, the time's at hand, to journey to that place where we ate on the land. I'll tell you Princess, it's in the park! Please get there before it gets too dark!" Well... Mike was in contact with Abby the whole time... so he told her he wasn't quite ready for me yet so she had to kill time before she could let me go.... so... we took some awesome pictures and talked about the day so far... and if I knew what was coming.. etc.. and then FINALLY Mike gave Abby the "go ahead" to send me over. And away I went... taking the scenic route... not on purpose. ha ha I turned on the street too early.. so I took a detour to the park. whoops. (He made me wait all day... I figured it didn't kill him to have to wait. ha ha)

So I get to the park where we celebrated our 1 month anniversary... I parked next to his truck.. got out.. and walked down the hill to where he was waiting for me.. With my sister-in-law, Tara, filming us... and my sister, Misty taking pictures... He had a table and chairs and dinner all set up for us... with more figurines as decorations.. When I finally got to him I gave him the biggest hug and cried a little bit.. I had missed him so much throughout the day. It's crazy. But true. So he told me to come over and sit down... so I did... but he was still standing up... so I was looking at him, feeling a little awkward.. and said.. "Was I not supposed to sit down.. do I need to stand back up?" So he kinda chuckled and reached down for this darling Tinkerbell figurine.. and said.. "I was hoping you'd notice this, but I guess not..." and he grabbed my ring off of the top of Tink's head... walked around the table... got down on one knee.. and said. "Brindi Rae Nichol... will you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?" And I said... "OF COURSE!" So he put this amazingly gorgeous ROCK on my finger and gave me a huge hug and kiss... and his family, who had been sitting up on the hill (I seriously didn't even notice they were there!) all stood up and cheered! And then they all hugged us.. and we hugged our paparazzi (our camera crew.. Tara and Misty)... and everyone left us so we could enjoy a romantic dinner together. In the park. With a random soccer game going on behind us. :)

So... random side note... and to explain the Disney theme...I had always thought I wanted to get engaged in Disneyland... so we were going to do it when we went for Mike's best friend's wedding in December... but I am, again, impatient. So I said December was too far away. ha ha so... Mike brought Disneyland to me. Hence the princesses and fairies, Disneyland ticket, princess themed posters, and all of the Tink stuff!

It.was.perfect.

I honestly couldn't have planned it better myself. He did such an amazing job. He had all of the places that are important to us as stops. And he was so clever about all of it! And.... I was completely surprised! I had no idea what day or how he was going to propose... and he totally pulled it off!

Michael... I love you! More than anyone ever will. I promise to continue to make you the happiest you have ever been. Thank you for making me the luckiest woman ever. I am so honored to be your eternal companion. Thank you for choosing me in our pre-mortal life. I can't wait to continue building our future together!

And just so you can all see my ring..... because I'm obsessed with it...

It's a New Year!!

2011-01-13T17:01:00.006-07:00

Welcome to 2011!!

I realize that we're over two weeks into the year, so this new years post is a little late, but I figured it would only get later and later every day! :) So I'm finally getting around to it!

So far, Two-Thousand-Eleven has been AMAZING!! I have the most incredible friends! The best family anyone could ever ask for! And I feel so unbelievably blessed!

I didn't set specific resolutions this year... (Of course, I have the usual... eat healthier and lose weight.. that's normal for most people...) But this year, my resolution was to over-all have a better year. Twenty-Ten was a rough one. But I'm bound and determined to make this one LOTS better. It has worked so far!! :)

Let's quickly do a recap of 2010, shall we?

January- Kicked off the year with a trip to Bear Lake!! :) We discovered that I have weird neurological problems with my migraines when I eat MSG! (Monosodium Glutamate) Blake started walking! Kade turned 26!

February- I was excited when I thought I only had one more year of writing missionaries left. (HA! Wishful thinking!) We also found out about Blaine's brain tumor. I started my Lifeguarding class. I spent a week and a half as a single mom with Wade's kids!

March- I finished my Lifeguarding class and started guarding at The Dell. I officially met and became friends with Paul. Baby Sadryia was diagnosed with SMA. I burned my eyelid, with my curling iron, while trying to curl my hair. Some hairstylist I am. ha ha (It was nothing serious... I just still feel like an idiot about it! And it's funny!) Miss Mia learned to walk! Tara turned 26!

April- We went Jeeping with the Cline's and Boyd Colton. This is the trip I peed my pants on. Yup... 22 and I wet my pants. It wasn't funny then.. but it is sure hilarious now! ha ha Kacey and I found some super cute swim suits at Lime Ricki! Gavin turned 9! Grandma Phip turned 75!

May- I went back to being more of a blonde! (Side note- No more being a brunette.) Miss Mia turned 1!!! Kacey turned 34!

June- Summer weather FINALLY started to show up! I was busy Lifeguarding.. and hating a couple of the guards. I discovered just how great people watching was at a pool. Summer Bear Lake trips officially started! Oh! Tasha told me what my F.E.C.'s name is... Pie-on-a-Potato... I'm still searching for him. :) Maggie turned 22! Grandpa Phip turned 79! Grandma Helen turned 90!

July- Two Bear Lake trips! Kacey and I found "Bee" swim suits from Lime Ricki that I HAD to have. An amazing "Cousin's Weekend" at Bear Lake! Beautiful Saydria passed away, she had the most beautiful memorial I have ever been to! What a precious little spirit! And we all miss her dearly! Tasha turned 4! Bryston turned 13!! And the twins turned 8!!!

August- More Bear Lake! Grandma Helen (my dad's mom) came with us for the entire week we were there! It was so fun having her there! She did great! And it always amazes me that she is 90! We made our final visit to Blaine. Josh turned 34!

September- The twins were baptized! Misty brought some awesome friends up to Bear Lake that we just LOVED! Adult DISNEYLAND trip with Kacey and Josh!! Blaine's funeral. An awesome "S'more Party" with Kade, Tara, and Mia in our backyard! Misty turned 32! Collin turned 11!

October- I got home from Disneyland and headed straight to Bear Lake! (Not even 24 hours in Utah! ha ha) Everyone came to visit us on Halloween! We had the cutest Monkey, Buzz Lightyear, Clown, Cinderella, Ladybug, Ghost, Knight, and Clone Wars something-or-other (sorry, Gav, I have no idea what you were actually called!) Misty brought me a pumpkin she had carved for me that was of Tinkerbell's face! And I had painted a warty pumpkin to look like a witch! :)

November- We found out Kade and Tara are having a baby in April! The stupid snow showed up, for real.. not just a little flurry. My dad's father passed away. Thanksgiving with the big extended family was a success! We had our usual food assignment- PIES! I made two new pies this year! Both delicious! Wedding in Phoenix, AZ for my dad's cousin! Dad turned 55!! Greg turned 34!

December- Grandpa's fineral. We found out Kade and Tara are having a BOY! Zach came home from his mission! Mom and I discovered the most amazing necklaces EVER!! magnabilities.com <---visit! you won't be sorry! :) I officially became friends with Dallas! Mag and I realized we've been joined at the hip for 11 years! Christmas was AMAZING! I love my family! I love spending time with them! New Years Eve was also AMAZING! My sisters and their families came over to play games and they all slept over! So I made them Swedish Pancakes in the morning! :) I turned 23! Blake turned 2! Mom turned 55!

We ended the year with a BANG! And 2011 started perfectly!

It is now the 18th of January.. (I started this post like 5 days ago.. and never finished it! Oops!) These past 18 days have been so excellent! I have some super amazing friends.... But I have two of the greatest guy friends you could ever think of. Their names are Dallas Olsen and Paul Stratford. And these boys make my life so fun! Paul is leaving for his mission, to Japan, next Wednesday, the 26th. So we have been trying to make these past few weeks amazing! We have had some super fun adventures!

These adventures include:

- Singing at the top of our lungs in Dal's car!

- "Got BUDDHA on my neck-uh-lus"!

- Trip to the McDonald's RedBox to get "Inception".

- Dinner and a movie at Dal's house!

-Dal made us dinner! :)

- Being sooo confused by "Inception" and Dallas and Paul trying to explain it!

- Matching bracelets!

- Fruit snacks and Pop Rocks surprises!

- Surprise Peanut M&Ms while I was at work!

- Catholic Mass at Juan Diego...

- Since Paul graduated from Juan Diego he had

to explain a lot to Dallas and I! HA! Three

Mormons in a Catholic Mass... I'm sure we stuck

out! Big time! :) But I'm super glad I went! How

grateful I am to be LDS!

- A trip to the Super China Market!!

- Paul finding us unusual "treats"...

- Dallas pulling some of the funniest faces while trying our Asian Market gems!

- A trip to Sonic to get Lime Ricky's...

- Then off to Sinclair to take pictures with the Dinosaur!

- A Harmon's stop... we went to get cherries, but they're out of season so we settled for a "kiwiano"... it was probably the coolest fruit I've ever had!

- Domino's Pizza!!

- Parking in the Park... Eating Pizza... fogging up the windows -three people breathing and two steaming hot pizzas = sssuuuuper fogged windows...

-Poh-Poh stopping and telling us the Park closed at 10. (It was 10:03.. ha ha)

- Going back to the Juan Diego parking lot to pick up my car and sitting there talking to the boys for almost two more hours!

- Trip to the D.I. -yes, these boys got me to walk into a D.I. .. big accomplishment!

- Buying a $15 couch and $8 skis..

- Building a scouch! (a couch with skis nailed to the bottom of it.)

- Going down a hill on our scouch five times!

- Warming up with some hot chocolate at Starbucks!

- Kidnapping Dallas to go DDR at the Union Heights movie theatre!

We have 8 more days until Paul leaves.... And I have no idea what adventures await us! :) But I am so excited! These boys have made me so happy! And I love them!

So far 2011 has been better than 2010!! I've started to make some big changes in my life! I'm happier than I have been in a very long time and I am so grateful for good, supportive friends. Amazing parents with unconditional love. Super supportive siblings! Being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Siants! An incredible Branch President. Knowing my Heavenly Father loves me! And most of all... I'm grateful for the Atonement. Oh, how blessed I am!

Ode to the Mom...

2010-12-27T16:14:00.003-07:00

Today is my mom's BIRTHDAY!!!

So I wanted to give her a very special blog shout out!! :)

Today, my mom is turning 55...

so I thought I'd do 55 things that I love about my mom!

1. She is so kind.

2. She is always taking care of me.

3. She loves my dad more than anything,

4. She loves her kids.

5. She loves us AND she constantly shows us she does.

6. She LOVES being a grandma.

7. She acts like a child when the grandkids are around.

8. She has a hard time saying "no".

9. She spoils me.

10. She gets crazy when she is tired.

11. She has gone to every important concert and event that any of us were a part of.

12. She denies that she's crazy! ;)

13. She is so fun!

14. She taught me how to bake.

15. She makes the world's best cookies.

16. She makes some pretty tasty pies, too!

17. She is actually a really good cook all around.

18. She taught my sisters how to be really good mothers.

19. She taught me how to be a good mom, too... I just haven't put it to use yet.

20. She adopts all of my friends as her own kids.

21. She loves it when my friends call her Mama Nichol.

22. She loves Disneyland almost as much as I do!

23. She has loved me, unconditionally, for 23 years.

24. Today, she told me I was her favorite Birthday present.

25. When I told her I was born 3 and a half weeks before her birthday, so I didn't really count as a present, she told me the best presents always come early.

26. She is obsessed with Penguins.

27. She acts like a child when she hears the word penguin.

28. She has a season pass to the Living Planet Aquarium just so she can go see the Penguins any time she wants.

29. She loves being with her family.

30. She loves chocolate.

31. She makes really good treats.

32. She is funny.

33. She is loving.

34. She is generous.

35. She sings when she has saggy socks.

36. She gives great hugs.

37. She always makes me feel better when I have a bad day.

38. No matter how hard I try... I can't hide anything from her.

39. She always knows when something is wrong with me.

40. Her grandkids think she is awesomely cool.

41. Her grandkids think she is fun to play with.

42. She gave me her good looks! ;)

43. She and I share clothes.

44. She loves Bear Lake.

45. She has taught us all to play at Bear Lake.

46. She passed on her love of Bear Lake to my dad and the rest of us.

47. She likes to read books with her grandkids.

48. She let's me come visit her at work and take her to lunch.

49. She taught us to love music.

50. She has the best parents, so we are very close with them.

51. She loves her mother-in-law and has one of the best relationships with her.

52. She is very helpful.

53. She has to have me help her work her phone.

54. She loves the Gospel. And taught us how important the temple is.

And best of all..........

55. She is my best friend.

I love you, Mom! Thanks for being the best mom in the world! I can't imagine where I would be without you! You are amazing and I am so grateful I chose to be one of your kids!

ugh.

2010-12-08T23:57:00.003-07:00

have you ever been in one of those moods... and you can't explain why you're in it? it's a strange feeling, really. i feel like i'm in a funk. i do this every so often. maybe it's part of being a girl. stupid hormones. or maybe everyone has their funks. i don't know.

it's not like today was bad. or tonight at work was terrible. neither are even close. my day was great! i got to hang out with abby and i took her lunch. and work was totally fine. it was the same as it is on tuesdays and thursdays. busy for like an hour... and by 7:30 it's pretty slooow. which is great. because then paul can stay and talk to me and hang out for a bit. :) i love it when paul visits. he hates it, but i really do enjoy it. ha ha (i don't think he actually hates hanging out at the front desk and talking to me for so long... or else he wouldn't do it, right? i think he just likes to pretend to complain about it...)

paul is so funny! he is usually so busy and running around like a chicken with his head cut off trying to get a million things done in a day. so it makes me feel good if i can get him to hold still for longer than 3 seconds! (that's right, two hours is quite an accomplishment! i rock! ha ha just kidding.) paul really is awesome. we've had some great chats, some that weren't so great, and some that were definitely interesting (the one involving la jolla, california... interesting? yes.. super funny? most definitely.. was it all brilliant? oh yeah..)

it is going to kill me when paul leaves on his mission. dimple dell really won't be the same. oh yeah, that's right. one more missionary. i have found myself another friend to write. go figure. ha! thanks, for proving my friends right. paul. they said i'd find another friend to write. drats. :) but i'm so excited for you. japan is getting one freaking excellent missionary!

but paul... i hate "fighting" with you. even when it is all fake. ha ha it's ridiculous, but even fake fighting puts me in a bad mood. so i'm sorry if i'm ever crabby when you're giving me a hard time. i try really hard not to think about it. and keep in mind... i am a girl. and sometimes we can't help but get insecure. however, tonight's bad mood wasn't your fault... so i really am sorry you thought i was grumpy with you at the end of the night.

tonight's bad mood came from another member of the male gender. i have to admit... it drives me crazy when people bail. (really, who doesn't that bug?) but when people give me crap about "never hanging out" "being too busy" etc., etc., etc. and then i try to make plans with them... like so....

boy:"we never hang out. when can we hang out?"
me: "when can you?"
boy: "my schedule is pretty open now that i just finished my classes."
me: "okay, how about this weekend? friday or saturday?"
boy: "i think either would work.. but saturday would probably be better."
me: "okay, let's do saturday then."
boy: "okay, what do you want to do? it needs to be cheap because I'm trying to save money."
me: "oh, that's fine. i'm okay with whatever you want to do."

. . . two days later . . .

boy:"hey, are you working?"
me: "i sure am!"
boy: "you suck. ha ha jk. i was going to watch a movie so i was going to see if you wanted to come chill."
me: "oh, sorry."
boy: "it's fine, what time do you get off tonight? 10?."
me: "yes!"
that's too late, woman."
me: "too late for what?"
boy: "too late to hang out."
me: "sorry!!"
boy: "it's okay. we'll hang out another night."
me: "yeah, aren't we hanging out on saturday?"
boy: "yeah, i guess we could. i have a wedding reception and then i might have a date. but i'm not sure about the date."
me: "let's just hang out another time." <---why bother to make plans when they forget about the plans anyway??? am i the only one finding the conversation he and i had two days before this one completely pointless??

then like fifteen minutes before i was off work the boy said... do you want to come chill or should i go to bed? i thought he had said it was too late to hang out!?! make a decision and stick to it, dammit. i told him i was going home. ha ha

ugh. boys are stupid sometimes.

23 birthdays.....

2010-12-06T01:43:00.004-07:00

I've had some amazing birthdays! But I really must admit that I feel like this year's was one of the best!! It was an insanely busy day!

I usually spend my birthdays with my parents! They are always fabulous!! My 21st birthday my parents took Maggie and I to The Roof for dinner and then we walked around Temple Square. It was really fun! And I'm so glad Maggie came with us! Last year, for my 22nd birthday, my parents and I went to Asian Star for dinner and then to see The Blind Side! We LOVED the movie! And dinner was delicious, as always!!

This year.... was different. I knew it would be. My parents' ward had their Christmas party the night of my birthday. The parents were in charge of a lot of the food. So they had to attend it. I worked on my birthday this year (I know, weird for me, but I thought it was time to act like a grown-up). So I got up early so I could shower and get ready before I had to go in. My parents were just getting ready to leave for work so I got to see them for about 5 minutes at 7 a.m. I went in and worked until 3 p.m. But during work I had some really cute deliveries! Abby brought up balloons to tie on to my computer. And Misty, Greg, and Tasha brought me in MORE balloons! All the patrons asked who was having the birthday and I got millions of birthday wishes from complete strangers! It was embarrassing, but very sweet of everyone to think of me!! After work I went over to the Blackhurst's home and made a banner for the missionary! After I finished that I went to dinner with Kade, Tara, Mia, Kristen, and Abby! We went to The Olive Garden and it was very tasty!! (Thanks, Abby, for paying for my dinner!) After dinner, Abby and I ran to Old Navy and bought me a new sweater! (I had forgotten to pack extra clothes to change into after work, so I was in a shirt from The Dell and I looked gross and homeless!!!) After the Old Navy trip we went to Kade and Tara's to hang out and we watched "17 Again". As soon as it was over I had to head back over to the Blackhurst's house so we could head to the airport and pick up Zach!!! Zach was supposed to land at 10:37 p.m., but his flight had been delayed until 11:13! Poor Elaine! The wait almost killed her! Zach FINALLY got off the plane and we all got HUGE hugs! I'm not really family, so I stood in the back and let his family hug him and celebrate... but then he spotted me! He looked at me and said, "BRINDI!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!" And gave me the biggest and best hug I've gotten in a long time!! (Like Wa-wa... oh how I have missed those hugs, Little Brother!) I couldn't believe he remembered it was my birthday! I told Zach he was the best birthday present ever! We went back to the house and hung out for another two hours! It was so nice to visit with him! I have missed my little brother so much! I finally got home at about 2:30 a.m. talked to my parents and headed downstairs.... There I found my door completely decorated! Misty had come to my house to decorate my door! (It's our birthday tradition around here. You can see the pictures from last year on my blog post here, in my recap of '09.) While she was here decorating, Nick, Stephen, and Jared came to visit me.. they called while I was at the airport, but I guess they had a surprise for me... so they left it in front of my door. They got me SUPER cute slippers!! Such cute boys they are! Thanks again, fellas! I love you all! Finally, I was in bed by 3!! It was a verrry long day, but so very worth it!! :) I got a million texts, a handful of phone calls, and a million FB messages wishing me a happy birthday throughout the day. I had no idea I was so loved by so many!! Thank you, everyone!

Tonight we had the family party! It was so fun!! I love my family, but it is always chaos when we're all together! There are 17.5 of us now... and that turns a house into a zoo in a hurry! We had homemade Costa Vida chicken salads for dinner! They were so good! We had them last year for the family birthday party and they were such a hit that they were requested again for this year. My mom is so awesome and worked so hard to make dinner a success. I love her! (I made the tortillas... actually, I just cooked them... but in doing so, I burned my fingers... this is why I shouldn't be trusted in the kitchen!) After dinner we had F.H.E. Colby gave the lesson. He read a story out of one of the Friend magazines. (story found here.) He did such a good job! Sometimes I forget he is 8!! After the lesson we had a family prayer. It seems strange, but there is something so powerful about an entire family kneeling down for a family prayer. We then opened presents. We were celebrating our three December birthdays- Me, Blake, and my mom, so there were a lot of presents. Blake got a Thomas the Train, a Playmobil racecar, new jammies, and a Buzz Lightyear. My mom got a cookbook and a Playmobil penguin set (my mom is obsessed with penguins and Playmobils...), and Kacey and Josh have my mom's present, but Kace refused to celebrate my mom's birthday so early. She is waiting until it is closer. I got the new Keith Urban CD, a gift card for iTunes, and Kacey and Josh are taking me to The Hale Center Theatre to see "A Christmas Carol". After presents we all hung out for a little bit, and in the meantime the kids were off to do their own thing. Oh man! At 7:40 p.m. I was super sick of the screaming, fighting, and over-all loud noise going on!! So we finally had ice cream and brownies (since I don't really like cake due to the frosting...) and everyone packed up to leave. I love my family, but family functions can be exhausting!! ha ha

Thank you EVERYONE for making my 23rd birthday so excellent!! I honestly have the greatest friends and family in the entire world!! I love you all!!

(I'll put up pictures on this post tomorrow! .............. as soon as I find the cord to my camera to download pictures onto my computer! ;) )

It is officially...

2010-12-01T14:16:00.011-07:00

DECEMBER!!!

My favorite month!

There are just so many reasons why December is such an excellent month!! So many things to love about December!!

1. It's my birthday month!

-I actually share my birthday month with a lot of people I know! The 1st through the 7th-my cousin, Jennica (1st), Oakland Hinkley (1st), Jackie Colton (2nd), Britney Spears (2nd), (I'll get to the many on the 3rd...) Elise Reneer(4th), Julie Osborne(4th), Kelly Strebel(4th), Megan Casperson (5th), Tyson Case (6th), Brianna Newton (7th). The 8th through the 14th- Kody Cook (9th), my cousin Lindy's husband, Mason Smith (10th), Fielding's mom, Terri Smith(11th), My Blakey (12th), Jeri Brown (13th), Shella Durling (14th). The 15th through the 21st- Mandy Merriman (15th), Dianna Freeman (15th), Daniel Burgess (16th), Taylor Keffeler (17th), Ai Blackhurst (18th), Jessie Rossi (20th), Vienna Goates (21st). The 22nd through the 31st- Brandie Hansen (22nd), Becky Terry (22nd), Tanner Barlow (23rd), Victoria Anderson (23rd), Kelley Gwinn (25th), My mom!! (27th), Stephanie Taylor (27th), Leda Chavez (28th), Megan Guest (28th), Shelley Bradfield (28th), Brent Jessop (30th), and Taylor Nordquist (31st)!!! I probably forgot a few.. so I'm sorry if I did! But I think you get the point!

2. My Birthday is 3 weeks before Christmas, so decorations can go up as soon as my birthday is over and they're still up for a pretty good amount of time!

3. I get to share my birthday with some of the most amazing people I know!

-My dad's good friend- Jeff Goodell, two of my cousins: Eileen Rojas and Heather Olsen, the funniest woman I have ever known- Nic Hillary, two friends from elementary school- Kristin Barnhill and Stuart Rogers, the beautiful Kendyl Bell, my friend Brandon's dad- Ron Strebel, Then there are a few "famous people" I share a birthday with- Brendan Fraser, King Charles VI, Rowland Hill (the inventor of the first adhesive postage stamp..) Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Daniel Bedingfield, Anna Chlumsky (she was the main girl in "My Girl"), Amanda Seyfried, and Michael Angarano. (there are a LOT more, but I didn't really know any of them... so I didn't put them on here..)

-OH! And a couple I'm not terribly proud of... Ozzy Osbourne and the famous Polygamist- Warren Jeffs. And my sister's dog, Buster.

4. Maggie's half birthday is in December! (on Christmas, actually...)

5. I know THREE missionaries coming home this month!! And all three of them are kinda like my little bothers!! Var Black gets home TOMORROW! Zach Balckhurst gets home on Friday!! (He left on my birthday and he's coming home on my birthday! He served exactly two years! How cool is that??) And Dustin Wilson gets home on the 18th!! So exciting to be getting all these men back home!!

6. It's Christmas!!!

-I LOVE all the Christmas lights!

-Especially down at Temple Square!

-I LOVE the whole feeling of the Christmas season!

-I LOVE having a Holiday devoted to the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

-I LOVE spending so much time with my family!

-I LOVE Christmas Music! (December is the only month I'll listen to it..)

-I can watch The Grinch as many times as I want during December and NO ONE can tell me I'm crazy! Like they do when I watch it in March, June, August, October, etc.)

-I LOVE giving gifts to the people I love and making them happy!

-I LOVE Carolers!

-I LOVE Strawberry Waffles on Christmas morning at my Grandparents' house!

I hope everyone enjoys this amazing month as much as I do!! :) Enjoy the holiday! (And for many of you, your birthdays!!)

"Let it be thanks we're givin'!"

2010-11-25T18:46:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have read my blog for the past year, you all know it has been a rough one. (sorry, for being a Debbie Downer...) But for all of this I am very grateful. I know it sounds so crazy, but without hard times, we wouldn't know what the good ones were like. So thank you all for sticking by me as I haven't always acted like myself!

We have had too many loved ones who have passed away. We've known others who have also lost loved ones. And we have had many friends in and out of the hospital. But because of this... I have grown closer to those who are still here with us. And I have learned how grateful I am to know of the Plan of Salvation!

I am so grateful for my family and all of their love and support. I think I got blessed with the best parents. They are both so amazing and have put up with so much from me! I am grateful to have an amazing relationship with my dad, because he never had one with his own. I'm grateful he tried so hard to make sure we knew how much he loves us! (I'm sorry you lost your father yesterday, dad, and that you never got to have a relationship with him. But thank you for learning from his mistakes! And treating all of us like we are the most important things in the world!) I am grateful that my mom is one of my best friends! I am grateful for three incredible siblings! Who all let me be their kids' favorite aunt! I am very grateful for my 5 nephews and 3 nieces and that mystery baby!! (Tara and Kade will find out what they are having next Thursday, December 2nd.) I am grateful to have three (out of six, yes, six) grandparents alive and kickin' it! My mom's parents are so awesome and I am so so lucky to have such an incredible relationship with them! My dad's mom (now the last grandparent alive on my dad's side) is amazing! She is 90 and you'd never guess it! I am so grateful to have such a loving grandma!

I am grateful for all of my friends! I can't even tell you how often my friends save me! They are all so incredible! And I am so very lucky to have so many people close to me who love me so much!

I am grateful to work at Dimple Dell! :) Four and a half years later and I still love it! I have met so many great people because of that place! I love my coworkers! And I am so grateful to have friendships with them!

I'm grateful for HAIR!! I LOVE being a cosmetologist! Going to hair school was the best decision I've ever made! It has brought people into my life that I really needed. And it has also brought me so close to my family members! I love that my cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents love me enough to support me and let me do their hair! I have developed such great relationships with all of them... and for that... I am extremely grateful!!

I am grateful for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! Without it, my life would have no meaning! I would be so lost! I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon! And oh how grateful I am to have amazing church leaders!

I am so grateful for this time of year and the reminder it is to have us all realize how blessed we are! I am grateful for the reminder to tell the ones we love how much we love and adore them! I am grateful for the Holidays and the time we get to spend with family!

I love all of you! I am so grateful to know you!! And so grateful for your love and support! Happy Thanksgiving!! I hope you all enjoyed it! And that you can each list at least two things you're grateful for this year!

Who do I blame...

2010-11-23T19:28:00.000-07:00

for this white crap outside?

This snow is down right outrageous! And the wind before it was insane!! I'm so glad I didn't have to go to work tonight! They were worried about this storm so they closed all of the County Rec Centers around 4 p.m. today! Thank goodness! I would hate to be driving in this! Let's hope this snow doesn't stay long!

This one is our backyard........ And this one is our front door.......

Also... this snow better not continue on past tomorrow! Because on Friday we are heading to 77 degree weather in ARIZONA!! Yay for weddings! But not so yay for 12 hour car rides... 12 hours there, 12 hours back.. I might die. Or just throw up a lot! :)

Happy Week of Thanksgiving, everyone!

Just a little wish...

2010-11-19T15:11:00.000-07:00

Since she deleted her Facebook account..... I figured I'd write it on here instead! :) (As if my 15 texts, one sent every 5 minutes, spelling out "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!" weren't annoying enough.. mwahahahaha!)

I just wanted to wish my Jenny Brooks a

very Happy 23rd Birthday today!!!

One year older and wiser, too... Happy Birthday.. to YOU!

And since you're two weeks older than I am.... I can totally tell you that you are getting OLD!

I love you, Jenny!

I hope you have the most wonderful day!

My adopted sisters... and those I got stuck with. ;)

2010-11-16T17:37:00.001-07:00

(First of all... I kinda stole this idea from Tara... So hopefully she doesn't mind!!)

Tara did a post on her "sisters". She is the oldest of four and the only girl... so she didn't have sisters until she married my brother and inherited Kacey, Misty, and me. But I guess really she had good friends that she claims as sisters... so it can count, right? Well Tara had an awesome blog post about all of those girls who she considers her sisters, and I LOVED it. So I am being a copy cat and doing one of my own!

The contrast between the sisters I'm "stuck with" and the sisters I got to choose really isn't as drastic as some might think. Growing up, I never felt super close to my sisters. Kacey is 12 years older than I am and Misty is 10 years older. It's kind of a big gap... and it was nearly impossible to forge a relationship with them when they were hardly ever home. Teenagers have busy lives and that's how old they were when I was young... middle school and high school age. However... now that we are older... and a little more mature... we spend a lot of time together. I would consider Kacey and Misty to be two of my best friends. My sisters are amazing! No one can argue with that! We have each been through some very different things. We all have very different opinions. And VERY different personalities. Each of us were also raised differently. It's kinda funny how we have the same parents, but had totally different experiences with them. We are all made from the same genes... but we look and act so differently! I love it all.

Kacey is my oldest sister. My mom tells me that when I was little I used to love hanging out with Kacey and her friends. When they were in High School they would come hang out at our house a lot and I always loved being with them. I was convinced I was as old as they were! Kacey moved out to go to school when I was almost 6.. And has been out of the house ever since. She and Josh got married two weeks after I turned 8. So she wasn't around the house for a big chunk of my childhood. They lived in Logan for a little while after they got married, so we didn't get to see them a whole lot. I went up and spent the weekend with them a couple of times and it was so fun. Luckily though... they weren't up there for long. They moved down here to the Salt Lake Valley a year or so after they got married and they have been about 20 minutes away from us ever since. Once I turned 16 and could drive it made it a lot easier to go hang out with Kace. But it has only been in the past five years that she and I have really become so close. She is so supportive! She has been to every thing I have ever performed in. (She and Josh are always the ones behind the cameras and video cameras. Making sure they have all the blackmail they could ever hope for!) She has helped me come out of my shell when it comes to cooking and being creative. She is also usually willing to help me out and be my model when I want to try a new way to cut hair. She has become my best friend instead of just my sister. This summer we developed an obsession with LimeRicki swimsuits and bought a few of them together! We even got suits that match! She has taught me so much! She has taught me how to cook and how to be a good mom and wife. How to be crafty. How to be handy (when our husbands aren't and daddy is too busy!) And she has even taught me how much fun Disneyland can be! ;) She is an amazing example! And so talented! I'm so glad she would share her talents with me and help me develop some of my own! (Even though I'm pretty sure I couldn't make my own Halloween costumes without her...) I am so grateful for the friendship we've been able to develop! Kace, I love you! Thanks for letting me be your tag-a-long. In High School and even now when you're mixing up a masterpiece in the kitchen.

Kacey and me in our matching bee swimsuits at Bear Lake!

Misty is my second sister. She is the sweetest person you will ever meet. She is so kind to anyone she ever comes across and she would give a complete stranger everything she had if it would help them out in life. Misty has always been "the nice one"... My mom calls her the peacemaker of our family. And she is definitely that! She always wants everyone to be happy and will take every route trying to figure out how to please us all. Misty has the most vivid imagination out of any of us! I remember loving it when she would come outside and play with me and my friends! She always made it so fun! And we always felt like we were on a real adventure, even though we were still only in the corner of our yard playing in our big sandbox. I can still remember the time I asked Misty to come play and she told me she was too busy, she didn't have time to play with us anymore. I was crushed. I know now that she wasn't trying to hurt my feelings, she really was just too busy. After that she wasn't always home a ton.. but I remember, when she was, I would go into her room and sit on her bed and just talk to her. It was usually when she'd be getting ready for a date or some school function, so she was always running around getting ready, but she would still respond to my dumb questions. I have always loved talking to her. When Misty was getting married I got to go shopping with them for her wedding dress. I was 10 and I still can't believe they let me go! ha ha I remember Misty had tried on a million dresses and hadn't really LOVED any of them yet... I had been wandering around the store (because when you're 10 you get bored easily..) and I had found the dress she had picked out of a magazine a year earlier for a project for her Adult Rolls class. Her taste in dresses had changed a lot, but I begged her to try on this dress....... guess which dress she had for her wedding. ha ha We still joke about it! And I like to think it gave us a special little bond. :) She and I have a lot of little jokes and quotes that we say to each other. No one else would understand, but they always make us smile. Misty is the one that is easiest to make cry... not just because she has the most tender heart, but because every time she laughs or even thinks about laughing, tears start streaming down her face. Misty is the sister I can tell anything to and I know she won't judge me. She is probably the most Christlike person I know. And anytime I have trouble planning my lesson for Relief Society, I know I can always ask her for help. Portfolio, I love you. Thank you for teaching me to see the good in people and especially the good in me.

This is Misty and me at Gavin's baptism!

Like a year and a half ago...

Tara is my third sister. She married my brother in 2005, but was my sister a few years before that. While Tara was "waiting" for Kade on his mission... she always had these irrational fears that he'd come home and not want to date her or marry her. (Yes, they were irrational because we all knew Kade was head over hills for her..) I would always tell her that if that happened... we'd disown Kade and adopt Tara, but either way, she would be my sister! Tara and I actually got off to a really rough start. It's true. As close as she and I are now you'd never guess it... but yes, I hated her. It's super funny to look back on it now, because the whole reason I hated her was all due to lies a girl (who had a crush on my brother) told me about her. This girl had told me she had used me to get to my brother and yet I trusted her when she said all this crap about Tara! HA! Oh how glad I am I stopped listening to her and got to know Tara. :) I seriously couldn't have hand picked a better sister-in-law! While Kade was on his mission Tara and I spent a lot of time together. Whenever she was having a bad day and really missing Kade she would come to my house and just hang out on the couch with me. She and I would talk, laugh, and cry together. And occasionally we would do a little "feet clapping". (There are very few who have been lucky enough to witness this...) We have done some crazy things together and have had some great times, great chats, and some most excellent laughs! Tara is such a great example! She has taught me so much- about friendships, family, and patience. We think a lot alike and have the same opinion on many things. She was terrified of becoming a mom (just like I am...) but she is an amazing mom! She has given me hope that even though it's scary, I could still do it! She is so cute with Miss Mia! And I know she'll be just as great with Baby Nichol #2!! Trickster, thanks for being my best friend! Sharing your child (soon to be children) with me! Thanks for understanding me! And most of all.... Thanks for improving my relationship with Kade! I love you, Tara!

Tara and Me eating super yummy S'mores!

(She hates this picture, but I really love it.)

Maggie isn't related by blood or marriage, but Maggie is my fourth sister. I have known Maggie since Kindergarten (or close to that...) but she and I didn't become friends until 6th grade. Yes, I know that sounds weird... But I was a brat. Yup, it really was all my fault that Maggie and I weren't friends before December of '99. You see... I was one of those "popular" kids in Elementary. (Really I was just popular because of my friends... But I thought I was sooo cool, so I was mean to the kids who I didn't think were as cool as I was..) I remember the day I found out Maggs was going to be in my 6th grade class. She was sitting and talking with the Recess Aid ladies (she did that a lot...) and the school had just posted the class lists for the next year. As I was passing Maggie and the ladies asked me what track I was going to be on and who my teacher was. I told them "D Track and Mrs. Coyle" and I'm sure I didn't sound happy about it, either. They said, "Oh, look Maggie! Someone who will be in your class!!" I threw up a fake smile and walked off... actually, I probably ran to tell my friends the horrible news.. "Maggie Black was going to be in our class!!" I was so disgusted! HA! Oh what I would give to go back and change my attitude! I didn't realize back then how big of a blessing Maggie and her family would be to me. We were friends for a little over two years when her family moved to North Ogden. It was hard to have my best friend so far away, but the two of us have totally made it work! Before we could drive on our own our parents would drive us back and forth so we could spend time together. I'm so glad we have awesome parents. I think they knew how much Maggie and I needed to be friends. Maggs is my other half and my guardian angel. She keeps me balanced. And sane. Without her I would be so lost. She understands me better than I do sometimes. She listens to me when I have drama with a boy or just some cute stories to share. She also slaps me back to reality when I get ahead of myself. She is never afraid to tell me the truth and she knows exactly how to break it to me. We have some crazy inside jokes that no one else would understand. We go shopping, separately, and buy the exact same outfit. We call each others' parents "Mom and Dad"... Her parents claim me as a child and my parents claim her. Maggie, I love you so much! You have taught me how to be a better person. Thank you for giving me another chance to have a friendship with you. Here's to 11 years... and another eternity more!!

Maggie and me with our matching hair!

Abby has been adopted into the crazy Nichol clan as well! HA! Poor girl! I met Abby through Tara.. and I'm sure neither one of our lives have ever been the same! Abby and I are very different... I am super open and touchy and she is most definitely not. I talk WAY too much and she is pretty quiet. (...until you get to know her.) Once she let's you in, you are stuck for life! Trust me... I've tried to run away multiple times! ;) Actually, I'm pretty sure she is the one who has tried to run! ha ha But I'm very grateful for her friendship. Abby is my entertainment! She and I watch a movie together at least once a week and we have some awesome chats! She is so funny and says some pretty hilarious things! When I grow up I want to be as witty as she is! What she lacks in height she makes up for in comebacks! That girl can have one wicked tongue! And every time it comes out I just laugh and laugh! She can be pretty sassy, but she is actually one of the nicest people I know. She has been through a lot and is one of the most grown up midgets I know! ;) I love our inside jokes and the random crap she texts me! I also love our crazy tradition of going to the Harry Potter premiers with Kade! I love you, Abby!! Thanks for sticking around and being one of my best friends! :) P.s. Here is your official Blog shout-out!! ;)

Abby and me on Halloween one year!

Jenny Jenny Jenny is my singing sister in Provo! I love that girl so much! I have known Jenny since we were tiny! But we didn't become really close friends until High School. She and I were two of the 6 sophomores that got accepted into Chamber Choir and we were both Altos so we occasionally got to sit by each other! (Until Peter got smart and changed our seating arrangements... drats!) Jenny is amazing!! She is always so positive! She made High School so awesome! We spent a lot of time together because of choir and that helped us spend even more time together outside of school. Our senior year we were in Madrigals together.. Mads was awesome!! (Shut up, Connor and Abby!) But it was so awesome because all of my best friends were in there with me and I got to spend a lot of time with my Jenny Jenny Jenny! She is such a talented singer and I always loved when we'd sit by each other! (Mostly because that one girl I usually had to sit by really couldn't sing well and made her own notes up...) We've had some pretty excellent times together! Random "Rats" soccer games with two cute boys that we had crushes on! (Why have I never gotten over my crush? ... 10 years later and I still love that stupid boy... ha ha) Miniature Golf with those same boys! One CRAZY St. George Trip... GATO! Bucky! Lesbian Cat Lovers! And Kiki and her oober random boys! Mads trip to Bear Lake and Scotty hitting on EVERY GIRL! And then there are our awesome trips to California for Choir Tour!! Every time I think of Bath & Body Works Orange-Ginger I think of our room and our feet washing party! But my favorite will always be my trips down to Provo that first semester! Sharing that tiny bed and becoming the 8th roommate! I wish we had that much time to spend together now! Now I'm lucky if I make it down there once a semester! Ha! But I LOVE that no matter what you'll always be one of my best friends! I also love that Adam misses me as much as you do! Jenny B., I love you so much! And I miss getting to see you every day nearly all day!

Jenny, Heidi, Kat, and me all out to lunch one day!

Love my Mads girls!

Chelsea is a recent addition to the sisterhood! She moved into my single's branch about a year or so ago and she is one of the most incredible girls I have ever met! She is so nice to everyone! She never wants to hurt anyone's feelings! She has taught me so much about being a better friend! She does hair just like I do! And it is so fun to share that with her! I love it when she needs her hair done and she calls me to have me do it! I enjoy every minute I am with this girl! She is so fun and just so darling! It's funny how the Lord knows exactly what you need and places people in your life that He knows will help you the most. This girl has seriously saved me! She has no idea how much I needed her friendship! Chels keeps me active and she reminds me how important the gospel is. She truly has the light of Christ with her always!! Chels, I just love you! Thank you so much for your friendship and always being willing to help me plan my Relief Society lessons! You're amazing!!

I don't have a picture with Chels... so I'll work on that!

Heather is like my twin soul! Kinda... I'm pretty sure she is the nicer version of me! (I'm 8 months older, so I'm pretty sure Heavenly Father was taking that time to make adjustments!!) I met Heath when I moved to Riverton five years ago... She was the bishop's daughter so the poor girl kinda got forced into being my friend by her mom! It was my first Sunday in our ward and she and her mom walked up to me and my mom and introduced themselves.. Cindy found out Heather and I were about the same age so she made Heather take me to Sunday School with her. Poor girl! I'm not sure she knew what she was getting herself into! ha! We quickly became good friends and discovered how alike we are! We spent a lot of time together... and she even came up to Bear Lake with my family! We had this bet after High School of who would get married first.... and guess who lost? She did! So now she has to sing at my wedding! BAHAHA! Heather has the best husband ever! Jason is so funny and he makes her so happy! So I am so grateful she met him! Heath, you are so beautiful and I love you so much! Thanks for being a better version of myself! :)

Heath and me doing a 27 dresses pose!

This was at her wedding luncheon!

These last two are super recent additions! But I can no longer imagine life without them... Remember that earlier mention about how the Lord places people that I need most into my life? Debi and Kristin are just that!!

Debi is my favorite client! I met her about a year and a half ago when she happened to walk in to the salon I was working at. She just needed a quick fix, so we only put a few foils in her hair that day, but I totally fell in love with how darling she is! They had just moved to Utah from Georgia and were still moving into their new home. Oh, the awful unpacking project! :) She and I talked the whole time she was there! She came in again two days before I was leaving the salon.. and was very mad at me when she found out I wouldn't be there anymore... so she asked me if I'd make house calls. I am so glad I said yes!! I get to go hang out at her house once a month to do everyone's hair! I LOVE IT! I honestly feel like I am truly part of the family! Debi let Kenna invite me to her baptism this year and it was so awesome! Debi had me help her with Kenna's hair after she was baptized and it was the coolest experience! Thanks for letting me be a part of that, Debi!! After the baptism they made me go back to their house for the party! Yup!! I met the whole family! And every time I told them who I was they would say... "Oh! You're the hair girl! I've heard so much about you!!" Love it! I love that Debi loves to talk about me! It makes me feel special and extremely loved! However, the thing I love most about her is she is always there for me! She doesn't ever think she is, but she couldn't be more wrong. Hanging out at her house is like therapy for me. It is always so fun! I had some really rough days this summer and she was always asking me how I was doing and making sure I was okay! She is so spiritual and and always so in tune! I just love talking to her. Her kids are so cute and I adore them! And her husband Russ is amazing, too! I love this Scadden family! They are incredible! And I am so so lucky that I get to be considered a part of it to them! Thanks for all you do for me, Debi! I love you!

I don't have a picture with Debi, either! I'll work on that, too!

Kristin is Debi's youngest sister!! She FINALLY moved to Utah a couple months ago! She is seriously so freaking funny!! Debi always told me that I reminded her of Kristin and their friend Jenn Penn, she has said the three of us have identical personalities. Yeah, there shouldn't be more than one person with my personality... but there are THREE!! :) Yes, Debi was right! Kristin and I do have the same personality! The first time I saw her, once she moved here, she was kinda feeling low, so she wasn't totally herself. Which I totally understand! But a few weeks ago we went out to lunch and a movie and OH.MY.GOSH.! She was totally Kristin and that was the most fun I've ever had on a lunch date! We went to Applebee's and got the most awkward waiter you could think of! Messing with him was so much fun! Kristin and I had a blast making him blush and feel like an idiot! I am so glad she is back to being happy! She is so darling! She has been through so much and I can't imagine having to be as strong as she is! She continues to stay close to the Lord and trust in His plan! She is such an excellent example to me! Kristin, I love you! And I'm so glad you came to live in Utah!!

And I'll work on getting a picture with Kristin! :)

If you don't know these women... you are missing out! They are all so awesome and they have totally made me who I am! I honestly love and adore all of them!!

(just a random side note- I can't believe this post took me almost a month to write! ha ha)

Back from Disneyland!

2010-10-04T12:38:00.000-06:00

We are back! The trip was awesome and we had such a good time! Disneyland was so fun! Like always. We spent three days in the park and that is prefect! Just enough time to see what you want and go on all the rides you like! And just enough time to make your legs want to fall off! ha ha

We used to fly out on Tuesday mornings, but then JetBlue changed their flight to being later. So we decided to fly out on Monday night instead. Our flight was delayed half an hour, so it was kinda nice we weren't planning on using that time to be in the park! ha ha We went to dinner shortly after we landed to the Stagecoach something-or-other and I had the best Caesar Salad I've ever had!!

We stayed at the Ramada Hotel and it was actually really nice! The rooms were great! And it's just down the street from Disneyland so we walked there and back every day!

Tuesday we spent most of the day in California Adventure. We went on California Screamin', then walked past my favorite ride, Midway Mania- which is the awesome Toy Story ride- but it was closed because they are adding in Toy Story 3 things. We went on the swing ride that took over where the other swing ride that looked like an orange was. Kacey got me to go on Mulholland Madness (which is like Wild Mouse at Lagoon... and I HATE them both.) But then I got her to go on Tower of Terror, which she hates! We went on the Jelly Fish ride and the golden rocket ride.. we were killing time to use our California Screamin' fastpass. We grabbed lunch at the Wharf Cafe.. and I had the BEST Asian Salad in a bread bowl!! So good! We went on Soarin' Over California (which is another favorite ride of ours..) twice! We went and talked to Crush. We even went on Monster's Inc.! It was a hot day so we were trying to hit all of the air conditioned rides! :) We went on the Grizzly River Run! That ride is guaranteed to soak you! Every time!! We had done every thing we wanted to do in California Adventure, so we decided to wander on over to Disneyland while we waited for the parks to close so we could see World of Color. Over in Disneyland we found "Shirt-Girl".. I'll put a picture up of her.. I am horrible and probably going to Hell because I was sneaking pictures of this girl to make fun of her.. But she was wearing a longer tank top and SHORT short-shorts. Her tank top nearly covered all of her shorts, but she kept pulling down on it anyway to cover her bum. This girl was soaking wet, and her shorts were tan... so i'm sure they were a little see through and she was worried about people seeing her underwear..... except she pulled her tank top down so much that you could see the entire back of her bra. So really she didn't do herself any good! ha ha After shirt girl we wandered over to Pirates of the Carribean. We went to see The Tribute of Captain EO.. oh my gosh. It should have stayed in the 80s. ha ha then we did a couple other things before going back to California Adventure to watch World of Color.

World of Color is AMAZING! And a must-see!! I'm serious! It was seriously the coolest thing I've seen! Better than Fantasmic!! Bigger, too! I would honestly go back to Disneyland just for World of Color! (But I do love Disneyland, so of course that won't be the ONLY reason I go back!) The pictures really don't do it justice, so go see it for yourself!! :) Thank you Elise for the awesome suggestion! You were right, it was incredible!! And I LOVED it!

Wednesday we went to Disneyland all day! We went on Pirates, Indiana Jones, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and we went inside the rotating building (I don't know the actual name of it.. but I think it was the one that used to be the futuristic building..) it was super cool! We got to see the ASIMO Robot that walks and talks! It's so nerdy, but I thought it was awesome!! We went on Big Thunder Mountain a couple times. Space Mountain and Splash Mountain again.. And we even saw the Block Party. It was okay, but I miss the Parade!

Thursday was only a half day at the park. We had to be at the airport by 6:30 so we decided to leave the park by 4. It was a pretty relaxed day. We started at California Adventure and rode California Screamin' twice and then headed to Soarin' over California and rode that twice as well. We did a little bit of shopping.. picked up most of the things we needed to.. Except I forgot to get my a mom Mr. Prickle Pants... From Toy Story 3.. Sorry, Mom!! And then we headed over to Disneyland. We went on a couple of rides and then we went on the Pirate Ship! After that we headed back to the hotel to pick up our car and go get some dinner before getting to the airport. As soon as we got into Longbeach we heard that there were thunderstorms and rain in Anaheim! ha ha We got out just in time! :) We had dinner and then got through security at the airport! As we were sitting there waiting for our plane, we were told it was delayed half an hour... But really it ended up being almost 45 minutes late. We finally boarded the plane and flew home! It was a rough ride, but we all made it back safely!

It was a wonderful trip and I'm so glad I went!! Kacey and Josh are so awesome! I love spending time with them! Especially when it's in the happiest place on Earth! :)

DISNEYLAND!!!

2010-09-27T00:04:00.000-06:00

The day has finally come! I have been counting down for a month now!! But it is finally here! Less than 24 hours from this point and I will be on a plane to California! On my way to spending three days in Disneyland!

Yes, I am almost 23 and I LOVE going to Disneyland! It is one of my favorite places on Earth! I love being able to feel like a child and go on rides! The first time I ever remember going to Disneyland I was 16. My brother-in-law, Josh, and my sister, Kacey, took me. They wanted to take their boys for the first time and decided to take me, too! I was like a giddy child walking around the park! I swear that place really is magic! It transforms people into children! Turning grown adults into five year olds! I have been back at least once a year ever since!! (There might have been one year I didn't go... But I can't remember...)

When I graduated from hair school Kacey took me to Disneyland as my graduation present!! (It's so nice that Josh works for Disney now and we can get into Disneyland for free! ha ha) It was such a fun week there! It was the first adult trip I had been on! It was just Kacey, Tara, my mom, and me! We went on the rides we wanted to and did Disneyland at our own pace. It was so nice not to have to drag the kids around!! ha ha

Well, this week is another adult only trip!! It's just Josh, Kacey, and me! I am so excited!! I love hanging out with Kacey and Josh! And I am so excited to be hanging out with them in Disneyland!! Some of my favorite things all at the same time! :)

So... to those of you not coming on our trip... Have a great week... at work... or school. :) Be safe! And I will see you all when I get back! :) I love you all!!!

Finally... a new week!!

2010-09-14T16:26:00.000-06:00

Last week was INSANE! I'm not sure I have ever had such a crazy, busy week! We seriously had so much going on! I'm a little bit surprised we even made it out of last week alive!!

Monday was the holiday (oh my gosh, I can't believe that was only a week ago... it feels like it has been longer than that! weird.) my mom and I went shopping, because she had the day off. We went to get Misty her birthday present... and while we were out I needed new shoes. (I know what you're all thinking.... "Brindi does NOT NEED new shoes. ever." But I did!! I didn't have any church shoes that were for cooler weather! I only had sandal type church shoes!) Anywho... we were gone for most of the day and it was so fun to hang out with my mom all day! And then hanging out with my dad after he got home from riding the horses!

Tuesday I had to quickly throw together the double bridal shower I was throwing on Saturday... (There had been some miscommunication with all the planning... so I didn't get invitations made until Tuesday afternoon and I got them delivered to Dimple Dell by Tuesday night...) So after getting the invitations done and taken care of I did some things around the house and then went out to dinner with Nick and Denise Barfuss!! They are such a darling couple! I just love the two of them so much!! On my way home I made a stop at The Dell to drop off the invitations. Connor and Shanna were there so I talked to them for a second and then left to head to Kade and Tara's to drop off Tara's shower invitation... That is when I got the call from my mom about Blaine. I talked to her for a minute.. Drove to Kade and Tara's and then headed home to hang out with Abby. Poor Abby had a very emotional Brindi to deal with.

Wednesday was a pretty calm day... during the day. That night my parents and I had a wedding dinner to go to for my dad's best friend's youngest son, Britt. My dad and Jeff have been friends for a long time... Jeff and Lori lived in our old ward in Sandy, before moving to South Jordan and Eagle Mountain... But my dad and Jeff have worked together for nearly 30 years. But... we now live in the same ward in Riverton! ha ha kinda funny how it all came back around! :) Anyway... Britt and I grew up together so it was kind of fun going to his wedding dinner! OH! And my mom was late getting to the dinner because she had to go to a viewing for her best friend growing up, Sue's dad. (Viewing number one for the week.....)

Thursday night was Britt and Sara's wedding. I had taken the night off work so I could be there! It was so fun! We saw a bunch of our ward members and a bunch of old friends from our old neighborhood! Oh, and my mom and I had fun stealing Britt's brother's brand new baby! Little Dallin was so stinkin' cute all dressed up for the wedding!

Friday was when the week really got crazy!! We had two wedding receptions to go to... One for Melissa Taylor (a girl who lives three houses away from us...) and one for a girl I worked in the salon with, Sarah Stevens. But then we had to add on two viewings! One for Blaine and one for a lady in our ward who had fallen down a set of stairs and snapped her brain stem!! Yes, two weddings, two receptions. So crazy!! My parent's ran to Peggi's viewing and then we booked it across the street to Melissa's reception.. and then zoomed down to Blaine's viewing! We ran out of time so I didn't get to run into Sarah's reception! :( I feel so bad I missed it, but hopefully she'll understand!

Saturday we had a lot going on! I feel bad we had to cut so many things out! We had two funerals and two baby showers... ALL at the same time! We only made it to Blaine's funeral and his graveside. But we sent my sister-in-law, Tara, to my cousin's baby shower so we'd have a family representative there. :) Thanks for going, Trickster!! Blaine's funeral was amazing. It was so good. And we all cried LOTS. His graveside was equally as amazing. His family had gotten 57 white balloons, one for every year he was old, to let go after it was all over... It was fun to see them all float away together. (I even got a few pictures.) Blaine was buried in the Larkin cemetery, almost next to Elise Reneer's mom, LuAnne, so I got to visit her and I got to visit my favorite little McKallister Hinkley. Noggin, he has the sweetest spirit. I can feel it every time I visit him! Thanks for sharing him with me. :) After the cemetery my family went to lunch at Rumbi! YUM! And a great way to help get rid of our headaches from crying so much! After lunch I ran home to get everything ready for the double bridal shower!! Abby came over early and helped me get all set up! And I really think the shower went really well! I hope Taya and Megan enjoyed it! Even if it was all kind of last minute! :)

(These are the pictures I took at the graveside...)

Sunday finally came! I can't tell you how excited I was for it to be the end of the busy week!! My dad was speaking in church, so I went to my parents' sacrament meeting to listen to him. After their sacrament meeting I had to run to a branch missionary meeting that I was already 15 minutes late to.. after the meeting I went home to shower and get ready for my own church meetings! Yup.. four and a half hours of church in one day! Awesome! :) After church Kade, Tara, and Mia came over for dinner! And Misty, Gavin, and Tasha joined us as well!! It was super fun!

The week turned out to be pretty good. SUPER busy! But it makes me grateful for weeks like this when I only have a few hundred things to do instead of a million! :) This week I just have work, branch missionary visits, more work, and on Friday I have hair and makeovers all morning and afternoon at the Scadden's and then I'm headed to Bear Lake for the weekend! I thought I wanted to skip out on Bear Lake this weekend.... but after last week... I am looking forward to the weekend away!! Also... it'll make me feel less guilty about missing the ex-boyfriend's wedding reception that I really don't want to go to anyway. ha ha whoops!! :)

I hope all of you have calm weeks! I wouldn't wish last week upon ANYONE!!

2010-09-08T15:40:00.000-06:00

Dear Blaine:

I probably should have written a real letter to you... months ago. When you could have read it. But I was in denial, so I didn't.

I just wanted to thank you for being such a huge part of my life. For nearly 23 years I've considered you a second dad. You lived next door to me until I was six... You were my best friend. You would hug me every time I'd come running to your house crying, because my mom or dad told me "no". You collected my tears and saved them in your pockets, and occasionally in your wallet, for a later day. You would tell me that you'd keep them until I really needed them one day.

I remember one time I was playing with my friends... It was almost Halloween and we were talking about what we wanted to dress up as that year... We were walking past your house and you were outside. You asked us what we were doing, so I told you what we had just been talking about. You asked us all what we wanted our costumes to be... That year I wanted to be a bride. I remember you got this huge smile... and you told me I would make the prettiest bride. And one day, when I was all grown up, you were going to tell me that same thing at my wedding.

Shortly after that I remember you told me you were moving. (I was six, so I really didn't understand what divorce was, or why you had to leave me...) I remember running home to my mom and crying. Big alligator tears. I was so heart broken. My best friend was moving away. You and my parents both promised me you'd still visit and we'd still get to see you.

Many years later... You had gotten remarried. We were so excited for you! She seemed awesome... and you seemed happy. She got you back into the church. I remember the day my parents told me you were going to be ordained an Elder.. and shortly after that.. you were going to go through the temple! We were so happy for you! My parents got to be there for your endowment session... and I remember them coming home and telling me how great it was to see you so happy. That summer you came to Bear Lake with us! It was so much fun!! Our house was SO FULL!! But it was so great to spend so much time together! I remember you tipping over the canoe and losing your super expensive sunglasses! I remember everyone diving in and searching for them... but the mission was a failure. I think you're right... there is one stylish fish sporting those bad boys and showing off to his other fishy friends. I remember laughing a LOT that weekend. My cheeks hurt from smiling so much! Spending time with you was always the best way to cheer us up!

For some reason we lost contact for a little while.. I think we tried sending you an announcement for Kade's wedding and it got mailed back to us... We had your old address and after you had divorced the crazy woman with way too many children we didn't get your information updated.. But by some miracle we found some contact information for you and sent another invite... but something came up and for some reason you and Iola couldn't make it...

We are stupid and still didn't talk to you as much as we should have... We heard you and Iola had gotten married! And the two of you were doing so well! Of course!! Iola is amazing!! She brought out the cutest side of you!

The world of Facebook arose and became a huge blessing! Misty and I became friends with Jeri... My birthday is in December... and she wished me a happy birthday... in her birthday message to me she added this, "My dad wanted me to tell you "Happy Birthday" from him, too. He said that you still hold a special place in his heart and he still thinks that he needs to have the final say on your husband when you get married.. :)" I laughed so hard when I read that! Of course my husband had to have your stamp of approval! I wouldn't have it any other way!!

Two months later Misty called us on the phone... she had just read something Jeri had posted on Facebook. I don't remember what it said exactly.. But I remember it being about a brain tumor. We got her phone number right away and got the details as soon as we could. I was in shock. I cried a lot then, too. How could someone I knew have cancer? Cancer doesn't happen to the people I love! It happens to other people! My parents and I drove down to Orem the next night to visit you in the hospital the night before your big surgery. It was so good to see you!! They had just shaved your head, so you were bald! I had never seen you without hair! But I was sure glad you still had that mustache! We talked to you for a bit. Told you we love you and you'd be in our prayers. You told me you loved me. And that I get prettier every time you see me. You asked me if I was getting married yet. And reminded me you still got a say in my husband. You also promised me you'd still be at my wedding.

The surgery went pretty well.. and they started you on some heavy chemo and radiation. There were a lot of complications.. and we were all very worried. Never once did you leave my thoughts or prayers. A couple more months went by and we thought you were doing pretty well... You went in for a check up and they found another tumor. At this point... there was no longer anything they could do medically. More crying. We were going to eventually lose you, whether we liked it or not.

We decided we were going to enjoy the time we had left with you. We would always say we need to drive down and go visit Blaine. We need to check on Blaine. etc. etc. But of course.. our summers are always so packed. We'd be getting ready to go to Bear Lake and we'd say... We needed to visit Blaine before we left... and we'd be on our way home and say... we need to go visit Blaine. FINALLY about a week and a half ago.. we called Jeri and asked if we could come visit. She told us they didn't think you had much longer to be here. And really you weren't supposed to have anyone come visit but family.. But she told us we could come anyway...

I was getting ready for church and I was in the kitchen with my mom. She asked me if I was ready to say goodbye to you. Tears started flooding down my cheeks. Of course I wasn't ready for that! But... We drove down as soon as I was out of church.. I cried the whole way down. My mom told me I couldn't cry while I was there... and I tried really really hard. I promise I did. I held your hand and had a conversation with you... Then my dad came over and started talking to you... You asked him if he would say the opening prayer at your funeral... and that is where I lost it. It had suddenly become so real. I regained control of my emotions and talked to you for a bit longer. I then hugged you, kissed your cheek, and told you how much I love you. I walked away with tears running down my cheeks. I debated on talking to you about being at my wedding but thought maybe I shouldn't say anything... I was standing by my mom and we were talking to Iola... I then turned back to you... tears really flowing down... and I made you promise me you'd be at my wedding! I told you I didn't know how many strings you'd have to pull in Heaven... but that I needed you to pull them. I needed you there. You promised you'd be there. Standing right next to my parents. Don't forget your promise.

Last night my mom called me.. After getting off the phone with Jeri... Just minutes after you left this earth and returned back home with our Heavenly Father. Blaine, I am so grateful you no longer have to battle. You can finally be at peace. I am also very grateful I knew you. Thanks for letting me adopt you as a dad. Thank you for taking care of me as a little girl. Thank you for always telling me how beautiful I am. Thanks for wanting to be at my wedding since the time I was born. And most of all... Thank you for letting me be so attached to you. I love you so much. Probably more than you will ever know. I miss you so much already. But I look forward to the day I get to see you again!!

I love you!!
Love Always,
Brindi

Soft Sunday Sounds...

2010-08-31T13:36:00.000-06:00

So lately I've been listening to a lot of church music. I used to do this a lot in high school, especially on Sundays when I'd get ready for church, or when I would drive to and from the temple. I don't even know why I fell out of the habit of listening to so much of it! I had forgotten how good it makes me feel! I love how soothing the songs are! I love the messages being sung about! And I've even noticed it helps me get ready for church quicker.

For a couple of years the Relief Society in my parents' ward made CDs of a mix of different church songs that they would give to the ladies for their birthdays. I was in that ward and a part of the relief society for two years, so I was given two of them. I have had these CDs, one for three years and the other for four years, but I hadn't listened to either one of them until just a few weeks ago. I was getting ready for church one Sunday and I just felt like I needed a pick-me-up, so I found one of these CDs and put it in. I fell in love. This CD has some excellent songs on it! Some of them are super cheesey and some of them... well, I wouldn't have chosen some of the singers... But.. they are using the talent Heavenly Father gave them, so I try and not be a brat about them. ha ha But sometimes I slip up and skip the song. ;)

I've been having a hard time lately. Sometimes I feel like my life is totally falling apart. I don't know where life is heading. I don't know Heavenly Father's plan for me. And sometimes I catch myself feeling lost. As a family, we've had a lot go on in 2010 that has had a rather large impact on me. And I am so grateful for the support system of my family! They are so amazing!! But I have also noticed that listening to all of this church music has really helped me cope with everything going on.

There is one song that I have really become attached to. It's called Every Corner of My Heart. And it is sung by Hayley Anderson. It's a short, simple song. But the music is beautiful! And the lyrics are so powerful! (Maybe one day I will sing this in my branch. ha ha ha But... probably not! Not many people in my branch know I sing.. except my friends who sit next to me every Sunday and have to listen to me!) ;) Anyway... I love this song so much that I'm going to put the lyrics on here and share them with all of you! :)

My hands don't need to feel the scars
To know who you are.
My eyes don't need to see your face
To know your grace is real.

Lord, your mighty love is strong enough
Even now my soul remembers you. Somehow.
I don't need the veil to part,
I can feel you.
In every corner of my heart.

I don't need a wondrous sight
To know you're divine.
'Cause even though I can't see,
I feel your power changing me.

Lord, your mighty love is strong enough
Even now my soul remembers you. Somehow.
I don't need the veil to part,
I can feel you.
In every corner of my heart.
I can feel you.
In every corner of my heart.

I'm not sure why I have been so attached to this song lately. Maybe it's because I've started to realize that Christ really does need to occupy every corner of my heart. I have forgotten to add Christ into everything I do. And I really need to get back into that.

I must admit, my potty mouth has gotten pretty bad lately. I hadn't really noticed how terrible it was until I was hanging out with some friends the other night. We were standing in Clinton's kitchen (oh, by Clinton, I really mean Stephen Graham. Long story.) and I was talking to Janessa and Chelsea... Janessa had said something to which I responded with a "hell-to-the-no"... and Nick Chappell started laughing... and said, "Oh, Brindi. You sure know how to drive The Spirit out." I know he kinda meant it as a joke and just to give me a hard time, but I have really been thinking about it a lot lately. I need to INVITE The Spirit, not drive The Spirit away. I am so grateful to be a part of this group of friends!! I'm sure some days they wonder why they let me hang out with them, but I know it is because I need them. They are so amazing! So I'm sorry guys! I promise to get better! I love all of you. Thanks for trying to get me back on the straight and narrow. :) And thanks for being the best distraction on Sunday night. I know most of you don't know why we had to have a movie night on Sunday night, but it was because I had had a REALLY bad day, and I needed something to capture my attention so I wouldn't think about what was happening in my life. Chels, thanks for putting it all together! Janessa and Jared, thanks for coming with Chels! Clinton, thanks for not really ignoring our texts and coming after dinner at your sister's! ;) Nick, thanks for letting me bug you about leaving your sister's house and then coming. And Bryce, thanks for coming to hang out after a REEEALLY long day of traveling! You are all the best! I really appreciate all of you for coming over and hanging out! I really do love you all.

Finally... one more church song to leave you off. It's another one I've been thinking about lately. It's a primary song. And I LOVE it. It is: If the Savior Stood Beside Me. And the message is so perfect! If you haven't heard it and you know any kids in primary, have them sing it for you! :)

If the Savior stood beside me, would I do the things I do?
Would I think of His commandments and try harder to be true?
Would I follow His example?
Would I live more righteously, if I could see the Savior standing nigh, watching over me?

If the Savior stood beside me, would I say the things I say?
Would my words be true and kind, if He were never far away?
Would I try to share the gospel?
Would I speak more reverently, if I could see the Savior standing nigh, watching over me?

He is always near me, though I do not see Him there.
And because He loves me dearly, I am in His watchful care.
So I'll be the kind of person, that I know I'd like to be.
If I could see the Savior standing nigh, watching over me.

The Phone Call....

2010-08-18T14:15:00.000-06:00

On Monday I was sitting at home and my phone starts to ring... So I pick up my phone and I see that it's a call from my sister, Misty. So I answer my phone with a hello... (like normal people do..) and I don't hear anything for a second, then all of the sudden I hear....

Hehwo?

(in the cutest little Mia voice, EVER!)

I instantly melted. She has the cutest little voice! And I LOOOVE the way she says hello! So a phone call from Miss Mia was nearly Heaven on Earth! haha But... believe it or not.. the story gets better!

Misty called me because Mia kept walking around the house saying, "Bee? Bee? Where Bee?" So they called Bee!! Mia loved finding Bee on the phone! Misty was holding the phone for Mia so she kept telling Mia to say "Hi Bee!" So I'd say Hi Mias! and she'd say... Hi!! Hi!! or Hehwo? And then she'd say Bee? Bee? So I'd talk to her and she'd giggle and say Hi Bee! Then Misty was saying something and got interrupted because Mia had to kiss her! (Mia LOVES giving kisses!!) And then I heard this MUAH! Mia had kissed me through the phone!! It was the most delicious thing! She is so stinkin cute! And at the end of the call she said Bye! Love you.

YUP! I almost died! It was the best phone call I have ever received!!

In a world of numb....

2010-07-19T01:16:00.000-06:00

Numb.

That's the best way to describe it. The way I'm feeling.

I don't even know where to begin.

How to put it. Or what to say.......

Life definitely has it's own coarse, doesn't it?

The shitty part of it all... we have no control over it.

No say. Whatsoever.

Not an option to pass this trial on.

Trade it for a new one.

There is no trading.

So what do you do?

How do you help the ones you love?

Who are hurting the most.

How do you take the pain away?

How do you stop the tears from falling?

How do you continue to be a rock,

when those around you crumble?

Why does it seem your world falls apart

and everything falls at the same time?

Why isn't there a pause button for life?

A chance to make time stop...

Just for a few minutes...

To be able to enjoy what you've got.

Before it all falls apart.

Before you fall apart.

Why can't life be fair?

Why do some people's trials repeat?

over and over and over and over.

Why is saying goodbye so hard?

Like I said earlier... I don't even know where to begin. So many thoughts, so many feelings. I hate when bad news all comes around at the same time. Years ago we went through this episode where every time we went to Bear Lake... we'd come home to bad news... I almost feel that we are about to begin the cycle again.

They say things happen in threes... but I'm really hoping we don't get anymore bad news.. for a long time.

Happening number one: A couple of weeks ago we found out our family friend's brain tumor is back... and quickly growing. The doctors have told him there is no longer anything they can do medically. The chemo and radiation did nothing. And I'm sure we don't have much time left. Blaine has an excellent attitude about it, and it is comforting to know he is at peace with the whole thing. However, it still doesn't make saying goodbye any easier.

Happening number two: About a week and a half ago I was at my cousin's house, cutting hair. I have been sooo lucky to be able to go over there! I have been there a few times to mess up her kitchen floor and make her boys look more handsome with fresh haircuts! Things with the baby had slowly started to go down hill. A couple months ago we thought we would only get a couple more weeks left to be around Saydria's delightful spirit.. but then she seemed to stay pretty neutral for another month or so... about three weeks ago they put in a feeding tube and Miss Saydria had a little more energy. I was over there a few days after it was put in and she was so smiley, talkative, and attentive. It was the cutest thing to just lay by her and talk to her. Hold her tiny little hand. And tell her I love her. She had gotten a little bit of a cold, so they were keeping a really close eye on her. It was a little scary for Kiri, but I think Saydria was doing pretty good. Then a little over a week ago it was time for me to do a couple haircuts.. (Kiri has her boys' haircuts staggered.. So it was time for Aiden and Wesley to get cuts...) Little Miss Saydria was downstairs hanging out with us! It was so fun to have her in the room and listen to her little voice. I had no idea that a week and two days later we would get that dreaded call. Last night we got the call that Saydria had passed away. We knew it would happen, but it's still not any easier to say goodbye.

Sometimes life just isn't fair. I know this is all a part of our Heavenly Father's plan. It makes it a little easier to deal with. Knowing I will get to see both of them again. But it is still a hard thing to go through.

I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to know Saydria! Even though she was only 6 months old, she was such an amazing spirit! She taught me so much in her short time with our family! I am so grateful Kiri and Casey let us get to know her! Miss Saydria, your sweet spirit will be missed.

I'm also very grateful to know Blaine. What an amazing man! He has been through so much. And worked so hard to be where he is now. I am so glad he was our neighbor. and my best friend. I will miss him so much! I will hate not having him at my wedding, but I know he'll be there in spirit, and for that I am very grateful!! I'm also very grateful we still have a little bit of time to spend with him.

I thank Heavenly Father for placing these people in my life! :)

My F.E.C. = Future Eternal Companion

2010-06-21T23:22:00.000-06:00

My Mystery Man

My sister, Misty, sent me a text the other morning telling me she had a story to tell me.... Misty has this darling little three year old (who is almost 4..) and she is quite funny! The things she can come up with just kill me!

You see... Misty has always had a great imagination and she passed this same talent on to both of her children! Gavin and Tasha are GREAT at entertaining themselves and playing. They both have wild imaginations and can play pretend better than any other children I know. The stories and scenarios they come up with are great!!

Back to the original point of this post....

Misty sent me a text telling me she had a story to tell me. So of course I replied with... Okay, let's hear it..... I don't think I could have ever prepared myself for what was coming... The story goes a little something like this:

Tasha walked into Misty's bedroom and sat on her bed to talk to her. She asked, "Mom, who are all of my uncles?" So Misty told her who all of them were... to which Tash asked, "Will I get anymore uncles?" So Misty told Tasha that she would get one more uncle. Eventually Aunt Bee (that's me..) would get married and he will be her last uncle. Well.. with Tasha.. everyone has to have a name! And if you don't know their name, you have to make up one, or give them one. So Tasha asked Misty what her last uncle's name would be... to which Misty responded with, "I don't know Tash, we don't know who he is." So she said... "Well can't we give him a name?" So Misty said, "Sure! Shall we call him Brindi's Handsome Prince, for now?" Tasha's reaction: "No, I think his name is Pie-on-a-Potato."

What was my reaction? Oh, I almost died laughing! I had tears streaming down my face I was laughing so hard! However, I said to Misty, "Oh great! Now I'm really never going to get married! Not when he finds out that's the kind of name he is getting when he marries me!"

So, Mr. Pie-on-a-Potato, (whoever you are) you and I will be verrrry happy together. For eternity. I am dreadfully sorry for the name you've been given. But I really, really, really hope you can look past that unfortunate name and love me anyway.

Love,

The Future Mrs. Pie-on-a-Potato.

Things I've learned while lifeguarding at Dimple Dell:

2010-06-17T12:12:00.000-06:00

I thought the Front Desk was always the best place to "people watch"... but I have recently realized that the pool is also an excellent source for these gems!! Ha! So here is a list of things that I've learned since becoming a guard-

1- The couples that fake bake together, stay together.

2- It is totally acceptable to let your three year old roam and wander to the deeper end if you're standing in the shallow end with your capris rolled up and the sleeves of your hoodie pushed up..

3- Lifeguards are just glorified and over-paid babysitters.

4- Twelve and thirteen year old girls now-a-days are wearing the skimpiest bikinis... seriously, moms? Yeah... that's definitely the message you want your little girls to be putting out there. Congratulations on the Best Mom of the Year Award. NOT.

5- It is also totally acceptable for really heavy women to be wearing these same bikinis and let everything just hang out... Are these moms sharing swimsuits with their daughters now?

6- No matter what age you are... moobs are NOT attractive! --unless, of course, you've got a mullet to go with those moobs... then it's just straight up classy!!

7- More PDA is shown at a pool than in High School hallways... and by adults in their late 20s - early 30s. You freaks are known to all of the guards as "the gross couple over there".

8- Everything gets blamed on the Head Guard. (-or the front desk.)

9- In a matter of a millisecond a kid will forget you just whistled at them and told them to stop running.

10- Being cooped up in the guardroom with someone you don't like makes it the longest 15 minute break... EVER!

11- Being on 15 minute rotations makes you live your life in 15 minute increments.

12- If a child can't tell you their name... they are not old enough to be in the pool by themselves.

13- If it's not a scandalous bikini... then basketball shorts and a T-shirt are the new swimsuit for girls....

14- If you don't run to the slide it might disappear in the five extra seconds it would take you to get there... yup.. us lifeguards like to do magic tricks like that.. watch out! ;)

15- A wet white T-shirt over a bikini doesn't hide a thing...

16- Yellow T-shirts are also see-through...

17- The people you can't stand visit the pool more often then anyone else.

18- Lap swimmers get really mad when they have to share a lane. -they also get mad when they are asked to move for a swim lesson.

19- When the pool is dead the guards play "I spy" with each other to keep them awake.

20- Lifeguards are definitely a different breed of humans....

This is sometimes what i feel
like I'm working with...

Half Birthday....

2010-06-04T00:16:00.000-06:00

Today was my half birthday!!! Yes, I am weird, i LOVE celebrating half birthdays! :) I love celebrating birthdays, too.. But I think half birthdays are more fun!! :) People don't expect to hear happy half birthday!

I have always hated having a birthday in December.. (sorry to any of you who have December birthdays and love it...) when i was little all my friends with summer birthdays got to have fun parties outside and in pools or at parks and such... most of mine were indoors... playing those lame party games that everyone got sick of within the first five seconds! (Thank you mom for trying anyway...) However... the perk to having a birthday in December... is having a HALF birthday in JUNE!! :)

I'll be honest... I love June! I'm not sure why it's my favorite month... but it is! The weather is usually perfect! Not too hot, not too cool. Its the first month we officially start busting out all the summer things! Summer activities, summer outfits, summer foods and treats, summer vacations, etc. I love the BBQs, the family dinners outside, pasta salad, the bright colored clothing i wear, my billions of pairs of flip flops, swim suits, weekend get-aways to my house at Bear Lake, laying out, snow cone stands everywhere, popcicles and otter pops, boating, wakeboarding, all the flowers, and all the outdoor weddings! And I am sure there are many other things i am forgetting about!! :)

But just for a second lets focus on the last thing i put... I LOVE outdoor wedding receptions! They are beautiful!! ---- We all know most girls plan their weddings when they are little... luckily we change our minds about some of the things we want! ;) ---- But i have always wanted my wedding to be in June, on a Friday, and outside. When i was a sophomore in high school i would always tell people i wanted to get married on June 3rd and when i was twenty-three and a half... During my senior year i figured out what year i would be 23 and a half... (and it happened to be on a Friday... How perfect!) haha But that year i had a few teachers predict that i would be married within a year of graduating... to which i would reply... No! I'm going to go to two years of college, go on a mission, be home for a year, do more schooling, and THEN get married. On June third, two-thousand eleven..

HA!! My how quickly plans change! :) I only did ONE year of college... (then went to a year of hair school- which was the best decision ever, by the way!) And as I'm sure you all know.. I didn't go on a mission. But... there is one goal that I have not missed or messed up.... yet. hahaha

Today is June 3rd, 2010... and I am now twenty-two and a half... meaning i have exactly ONE YEAR until my "dream wedding date"... One year to: find someone i can't live without, date him, be engaged to him, plan a wedding, and get married... haha!! To answer your question- No, I honestly don't think it will happen.. So in that case, if "Plan A" really doesn't work out, i have come up with a "Plan B" for June 3rd, 2011... I want to go through the temple and receive my endowment! Either way.. something HUGE and super special will happen on June 3rd, 2011. I think it's a great alternative!! :)

Life hasn't gone exactly the way i had planned... Four years ago I thought I had it all figured out... But... circumstances and opportunities come up, things happen, and sometimes even mistakes are made... all of which change our plans a little bit. However, I am extremely grateful for the way my life has worked out. I have some pretty amazing friends. I've learned very valuable lessons. I have learned who i am and who i want to be. I have learned what kind of guy i DON'T want to marry, and what kind of guy i DO. I have learned that in order to attract that kind of guy, i MUST be that kind of girl. I have learned how grateful i am to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. And I have learned how much my Heavenly Father truly loves me! I am also sooo grateful that Heavenly Father knows what is best for me. I might think i know how my life should go, but in the end, i am always glad He took the reins.

Hate Mail...

2010-06-03T15:18:00.000-06:00

Dear Summer:

Where have you been? I think you took too long of a vacation! Your appearance is WAY past due. So I am really hoping you are here to stay... and you plan on staying for awhile.

Yes, yes I do realize I live in Utah and the weather is bound to change in 5 minutes... However.. you sure have been getting lazy the past few years. You think it is acceptable to show up late and leave early. Not cool! Please remember you have a lot of people counting on you to show up! No more late comings or you will be forced to stay and not get paid overtime! Shape up!! Mmkay?

Thanks a bunch!!

Love,

Brindi

I have a family here on Earth...

2010-03-23T12:59:00.000-06:00

How thankful I am for the knowledge of Eternal Families.

And how grateful I am for....

Temples.

They make it possible to have an eternal family.

One of my favorite Primary Songs is: I have a family here on Earth.

(I'm pretty sure everything we ever need to know was taught to us in Primary.)

I have a family here on Earth.

They are so good to me.

I want to share my life with them,

through all eternity.

Families can be together forever.

Through Heavenly Father's Plan.

I always want to be with my own family.

And the Lord has shown me how I can.

The Lord has shown me how I can.

While I am in my early years,

I'll prepare most carefully.

So I can marry in God's temple,

for eternity.

Families can be together forever.

Through Heavenly Father's Plan.

I always want to be with my own family.

And the Lord has shown me how I can.

The Lord has shown me how I can.

As things have happened through the last few days.. weeks.. and months.. I have really come to realize how truly grateful I am for Heavenly Father's Plan. Each of us has a specific purpose in this life. A reason we are here. A reason why we've been placed in our specific families. And a reason we are who we are.

All of us have different situations. Whether they are good or bad. All of us have different trials. Our goal is to learn what we can. Become the best version of ourselves we can. And return to our Father in Heaven. This will never be an easy task. All that is asked of us is to do our best.

We don't always understand the trials we are given. We don't always know why bad things happen to good people. Why the ones we love are always taken way too soon. And we don't always know how to get through our hard times.

We must remember that our Heavenly Father is always. ALWAYS. ALWAYS. here for us. He is always here to comfort us. He is always here to listen to us. He is always here to guide us in the right direction. He is always here to help pick us up when we feel like there is no more go left in us. He is always here. He loves us. More than anyone else ever could. But... We must let Him in.

It has been a rough week. When it rains it pours, right? Our family friend, Blaine, is still battling cancer, with daily radiation treatments and chemotherapy. We had another dear friend, Susan Hunter, go in for pretty intense heart surgery recently. We attended a funeral for an amazing guy in my parents' ward who was way to young to go. And this past weekend we found out my cousin's little 2 month old baby is terminal, with SMA. Given anywhere from a day to 8 months left.

We are constantly looking for the sunshine under this cloud of gray. It has been hard. And a lot of prayers are coming from this house. We know our Father in Heaven is looking over us. And we are all sooo grateful to be LDS and have the full knowledge of the gospel.

I am so grateful for MY eternal family. For how close we are. Not only how close my immediate family is, but how close I am to my aunts, uncles, and cousins. I am also extremely grateful for all of my friends who are constantly here, looking out for me, checking up on me, listening to me, and being a shoulder to cry on. You are amazing! And I know I could never get through any of this without any of you. Thanks for being you, for being my distractions when I need them the most, and mostly for letting me fall apart. I love you all.

And finally.. I am going to leave you with one of my favorite poems.

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,
"You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during
the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one
set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most,
you have not been there for me?"

The Lord replied,
"The times when you have
seen only one set of footprints in the sand,
is when I carried you."

-Mary Stevenson
(you can find the original poem here... http://www.footprints-inthe-sand.com/index.php?page=Poem/Poem.php )

Missionaries...

2010-02-21T02:46:00.001-07:00

WHY am I always writing to a missionary?

I don't understand.

Do I really like all the money spent on postage stamps?

Or packages?

Or is it the long wait in between hearing from them?

I'm impatient.

Can't possibly be the wait I enjoy.

So what is it?

Because, honestly, none of it sounds pleasant.

I have written a lot of missionaries. My first experience was when I was eight, with my sister's husband ("Her Missionary" at the time), Greg. I probably wrote him two letters while he was gone, but for the sake of the story, it counts! haha... Then my next experience was with my brother, Kade, like eight years later. I wrote him a letter maybe once a month, maybe every other month, whatever.. I mostly e-mailed him every week. I also wrote to a friend's cousin on his mission. Chris Downey and I would write every so often, but it eventually became only e-mailing. Then I only ever e-mailed Brent Jessop.. All of this e-mailing was a BAD idea! I got used to how great e-mails were! And now most missions have the rule that if you're not imediate family.. NO e-mailing. POO. :(

Now.. I've had a few friends that I have written who stayed stateside, or had the pouch mail option, and only required the 44 cent stamps! Thank you, boys and girls!! However... two of the missionaries I have written to the most went to Australia. That's a 98 cent stamp, kids!!

I know, it really doesn't seem like a big deal... But let's just say you send a letter to the missionary once a month.. that's 98 cents a month.. equaling $11.76 a year.. and $23.52 for the 2 years... That's not taking into account the $45 it is to send a package.. So say you send a letter once a month and one package... That is approximately $70 dollars in two years.

Okay... let's look at a missionary in The States, shall we? Say you write to that missionary once a month that is $5.28 a year and $10.56 for two years... Even if you write that missionary twice a month it's cheaper than sending ONE letter to Australia! And packages.. OY! They are only $11 (roughly) if they stay in The States!! So two letters a month and one package would only approximate to $35! HALF as much!!

So I ask you again,

WHY?

Why do I LOVE writing missionaries?

Maybe its the joy I get each time I see that amazing white envelope with my name on it..

Maybe its how happy I am when I get pictures..

Maybe its how cute some missionaries are in their letters..

Maybe its the way they get mad when they don't hear from you for a little while...

Maybe its the follow up letter.. reminding you they are still waiting to hear back from you...

-Thank you, Chris Gerona!! ;)

Maybe its the way their letters turn a terrible day into an AMAZING one...

Maybe its how glad they are to just get any kind of mail...

Maybe its how grateful they are to get a package from someone other than their mom!...

-Even if it is a cheesey Valentine's Day package filled with crap... haha

Maybe its the hope of them coming back from Australia with that sexy accent!!..

-Thanks for ruining that one, Brett!! Come on, Chris.. I still have faith you'll pick it up!! ;)

Maybe its the way they make me smile with no effort...

Maybe its the way their words can fix any problem I'm having...

Maybe its that I can come up with more reasons I LIKE writing them, than reasons its a pain!

However....

Good news kids!!! My latest victim will be home in ONE YEAR!! Yes! 12 fast sundays!! And then... I'm DONE! Done writing missionaries!! Well, writing missionaries consistantly! haha I'll still write the occasional letter to any cousins out on missions. But I will be done with having friends gone!

Most of my friends think its funny to tease me and say I'll find another missionary to write.. But I won't. I really am done!! Someone hold me to that!! haha

I LOVE MISSIONARIES!!!

Rough days.. I'm sure there are more to come..

2010-02-02T15:44:00.000-07:00

I'm having a really hard time with this.. and I'm not even sure where to begin!! I'm doing my best to type this through tears.. so please bare with me.

When I was little I always seemed to get along better with adults than people my own age. My best friend was Blaine Richardson... He is one of my many second dads! He lived in the house just east of mine.. and his kids all grew up and hung out with my older sisters... His daughter Jeri was mad when i wasn't born on her birthday.. and Jeri and her mom made me a super cute quilt with bunnies on it that i still have to this day.. Our families were pretty close! And I remember anytime I'd go over to their house crying, Blaine would always wipe away my tears and tell me he was keeping them in his wallet for when i'd need them at my wedding. (Misty claims he used to keep her tears too... but i'm pretty sure he doesn't still have them... I am more loved...) Whenever I was mad at my parents I would always run away to his house! Blaine loved me! And he was my favorite person!! I would go over to his house and just talk to him! We were the best of buds! And I would tell everyone that Blaine was my best friend!!

I can't remember when they moved out of their house... I know my sisters were grown and I was still pretty young.. But I was devastated! My best friend was leaving!! But he had promised to stay in touch!!

A few years later he got remarried... I think her name was Nancy?? haha He became active in the church and went through the temple... My parents were invited to go through with him and they said it was a really neat experience! A little bit later he and his wife and her kids all came up to Bear Lake with us! I hadn't seen him in a little while so it was so fun getting to spend so much time with him! It was such a fun trip!! And so many fun memories! Like Blaine tipping the cannoe over and losing his super expensive glasses in the water! We still haven't found them... and it has been YEARS!!!

We heard a few years ago that Blaine and Nancy had gotten a divorce... :( We lost contact with him for awhile, so we weren't really up to date.. We tried finding him so we could send him a wedding invitation to Kade and Tara's wedding... but all the contact information we had wasn't good anymore.... My parents finally ran into their oldest son about a year ago at church. Greg's wife's sister lives in our stake so they were there for something and my mom ran into him in the hall... she got somewhat of an update on Blaine.. But a little while ago... Misty found Jeri on Facebook (or Jeri found Misty... I'm not sure which way it happened...) But it has now been easier to keep in contact!!

Blaine got remarried to a darling lady, named Iola! And he is so happy! They are the Sunday School teachers to the Young Single Adults of their Ward! What a hard calling!! haha But he is still active in the church and even his oldest son Greg has become active and now holds church callings!! It has been wonderful to see such great growth in this family!!!

Now that you've had the background and know a little about Blaine... here comes the sad part...

Yesterday morning I was sitting at home and I get a text from my mom---

Mom: Dad and I are going to see Blaine Richardson in the hospital tonight. What do you have going on? Do you want to come?

Me: Of course I want to come! Why is he in the hospital??

Mom: He has a brain tumor and they are doing surgey tomorrow morning.

Me: What? How did you find this out??

Mom: Jeri said something about it to Misty on Facebook this morning. So I called her and got more information. I'll tell you when I get home.

Side note: THANK GOODNESS FOR FACEBOOK. I know that sounds so ridiculous.. and some people think Facebook is a HUGE waste... but honestly without it... I am afraid we would have never known...

So I had pretty much all day to stew over this information and freak out. I was a mess. My mom had gotten all the information that Jeri had when she called her yesterday morning... So when she got home she filled me in. Blaine had had a bad headache for 3 weeks.. and on Sunday his headache was so bad that he didn't go to church. Iola came home from church and Blaine couldn't feel the right side of his face, so she rushed him to the hospital thinking Blaine was having a stroke. The doctors did a CAT scan and found a shadow, so they did an MRI to further check it out. Sure enough... Brain tumor. The tumor was lemon sized, and the doctor wasn't certain it was or wasn't cancerous... so he told them as soon as they got it out he would send it for testing. The doctor said the tumor was in a pretty good spot, between his brain and the skull so he thought the surgery would go well. They scheduled his surgery and had him on steriods all day yesterday to help shrink his brain to make surgery and his recovery easier...

My parents and I went to visit him last night! It was the first time I had seen him in years! And he still looks the same as I have always remembered him! Terrible surcumstances to reunite in... but I'm so grateful we went to go see him! He was joking around with us and was so positive about the whole situation! He told me he still had my tears, but he didn't have his wallet with him so I couldn't cry while I was at the hopital visiting him. He told me I had grown up to be so beautiful and asked me when I was getting married... and told me he better be invited or I was going to be in BIG trouble!! I assured him I was never getting married, so he really had no invitation to wait for. But then I told him that of course he would be invited, he was my best friend!! And my mom added in... yeah, you're like another dad to her, you better be there! We stayed and bugged him for a long time, talking about old memories and catching up on new things. When it was time to go we all gave him a big hug and told him good luck in the morning. I got a kiss on the cheek and an i love you with my hug! Something I will always keep very dear to my heart.

He went in for surgery this morning... The doctor removed the tumor.... or I guess, technically, what he could of the tumor... I haven't gotten the full detailed story of everything yet.. but when my mom called me... she said it wasn't all as hopeful as we had once thought it was going to be. It turns out the tumor IS cancerous and spreading. They won't be able to cure it. But they think they might be able to hold it off for a while. One word: DEVASTATED. How long is a while? Years? Months? Is this really happening?

Blaine is a fighter! And I know he is going to try his hardest to beat this. I know all of my prayers will include him in them. And all of my family's prayers as well. I hate being so helpless and knowing that praying my guts out is the only thing I can do.

Blaine, I love you! You promised me last night that you would be at my wedding. And I want you there in person.

I know this post is a mess. I'm sorry. I'm sure no one will understand, but i really just needed to vent and get somethings out and off my chest. thanks to everyone enduring this and caring enough to read. PLEASE keep Blaine and his family in your prayers.

Recap of Oh-Nine! Bring on the Twenty-Ten!!

2010-01-18T10:04:00.000-07:00

First of all.. a couple quick updates on my birthday, Christmas, and New Years...

So anyone who knows me, knows I don't do mornings well! But the morning of my birthday Brett came and woke me up. Brave man!! ;) So Brett comes down the stairs and opens my door.. and my parents had decorated my door (its a tradition...) so he couldn't get into my room without ruining it.. so he told me to get out of bed and that he had a surprise for me.. so of course i was a brat about it! haha I wanted to know how the crap he had gotten into my house! But he just kept telling me to get up... So I made him go upstairs so i could get out of bed and fix my crazy hair! And then i met him up there.. I wasn't very happy that he had gotten me out of bed on my birthday.. but as i got to the top of the stairs i turned and he was holding a bouquet of beautiful pink roses!! They were seriously perfect!! He is the best guy friend ever!! And he is going to make some girl VERY happy one day! He is so good at giving flowers!! :) So i hung out with Brett for a little while and then got ready for the day... Tara and I went to the Wasatch Jr High basketball games Abby was coaching.. GO WARRIORS!! I like to think that both teams won for my brithday! ;) It was fun to see our little Abby acting so grown up! bahaha actually.. she did such a great job coaching those girls! I'm impressed she had so much patience with them!! Way to go, Abby!! .. then i went home and met my parents so we could go out to dinner at Asian Star!! Seriously the best Chinese food EVER! It was sooo good! And after dinner we went to see Blindside! We LOVED that movie! It was awesome!! I had a very relaxed birthday, but it was so amazing!! The next night I went out to dinner with Tara, Kade, Abby, Mia, and Sway to celebrate! Dinner was so much fun! And I'm so grateful all of you came just for me! The Next night i had a party at my house with a bunch of friends!! Kacey and Josh let me borrow their Wii, an X Box 360, and one of their big flat screen TVs.. So we had Super Mario Brothers going in one room... and Rockband going in another! I thought it was so much fun! And I had a lot of friends show up! So thanks to everyone who came!! You guys are the best!! Then the next night we had a birthday dinner with the family! Blake's birthday is only 9 days after mine so we had a combined birthday party!! Yes, everyone else was shocked that i let someone else share my party!! haha but my little Blake and I just have a very special bond! He is the cutest little thing!! So I had no problem sharing with him!! Thanks everyone for making it such a fantastic birthday weekend!! Here are a few pictures from that weekend..

Christmas was so good this year! My parents are amazing and let me have a themed tree! I am obsessed with polka dots... and my mom had found these way cute ornaments at IKEA that were red with white polka dots and silver with white polka dots and even some that were white with red polka dots! They were seriously so cute!! Our tree rocked! It was so gorgeous! And I was so sad when it had to be taken down!! I tried to convince my mom it could be a Valentine's Day tree... but she wasn't havin it! haha The many Christmas parties were also wonderful!! We had a Mads reunion a few days before Christmas.. and it was sooo good to see everyone!! My how the group has grown! ;) A lot of the Mads are now married or engaged! So crazy that we're really this old! haha It was so fun singing some of our old songs! But... We have forgotten quite a bit!! haha whoops! ;) And we (Jenny, Heid, and I) discovered that somethings never change! A certain someone still throws us all off.. Dan Jones still turns bright red when you tell him he's naked under his clothes.. Lonesome Road still makes Mandy's grandma cry.. Peter can't give The Pasture to another Mads group yet.. and friendships really do last forever! :) Christmas Eve with my parents and siblings was awesome! As always!! My mom had the kids do the pageant again... and like every year.. it was madness! haha But still super fun! Christmas day we went to my mom's parents' house for Strawberry waffles and the food exchange!! Always a fun event!! Thanks family for the entertainment!! :)

New Years was very different this year!! My parents had thought it would be fun to go to Bear Lake... so we tried inviting a few people to come with us, but no one could.... so it ended up jut being my parents, Brett, and me! We drove up on New Years Eve and came home on Sunday! It was a pretty calm weekend! We watched movies, played lots of hand and foot, and went for a walk on the beach and out on the ice. My parents drove back home early on Saturday morning so they could go through the temple with my 3rd cousin, Brennan. And while they were gone I got another one of my crazy migraines! Poor Brett tried so hard to take care of me! But I was worried about being a pain so i didn't let him help very much! My mom told me to try a heating pad or an ice pack... so I did both! I had the heating pad on one side and an ice pack on the other! After a few hours my head started to feel a little better! And finally my parents got back! They had brought me some other medicine to try, since ibuprofen doesn't seem to do anything! But other than that... the weekend was fabulous!!

2009 was a fantastic year!! So many fun things happened! We kicked off the year with a jeeping trip, Heather's wedding, Brett came home, making new friends, having fun with the girls at the salon, Mia was born, multiple fantastic Bear Lake trips, Temple dedications, learning i was allergic to MSG, Vegas madness, California fun, friendships renewed, 4-wheeling with Brooke, Pumpkin painting for Halloween, Trick-or-Treating with Gavin and Tasha, Swine Flu fiasco, starting a blog, Christmas tree hunting, Polka Dot Christmas tree, 22nd birthday, combined birthday party with my favorite little Blakey, Blake turning 1 and learning to walk, multiple new hair dos, Mads reunion, Christmas, and we're back to New Years!

It was a very full and busy year! But so very fantastic! I'm so grateful for the experiences i had and the friends i have made! I can't wait to see what the rest of 2010 brings!!

I even had friends when i was little..

2009-11-10T13:15:00.001-07:00

The first friends i can really ever remember having were Carlee McCormick, Brandi Kordsiemon, and Jessica Wetzel. The four of us were the best of friends!! We all did everything together! I'll try to give you a break down of each of these girls and some memories i have of us!!

First there is Carlee! Carlee moved in to the house just next door to me when we were two years old! She was the first friend I had ever made!! And she seriously was one of my lungs for most of our childhood! I even went with her and her family to Florida and on a cruise when we were in 6th grade!! It was sooo much fun and I still have very fond memories of that trip!! Carlee moved away right after 6th grade. And even though i had other really close friends, it was still very devastating to me! We kept in contact a lot for the first little while. But once we hit high school it got harder and harder and we sorta lost contact! :( .....to be continued...

Brandi moved in when we were about 3 or 4.. and instantly became our friend!! She was super shy! Or so I'm told! haha I don't really remember her as being shy... She always talked to us!! :) But she was, and still is, the most calm and quiet one out of all of us! haha Brandi and I were in the same Kindergarten class, and our teacher was Mrs. Bingham... well... Mrs. Bingham couldn't ever keep Brandi and I straight!! We ALWAYS got the other one's name!! And don't worry... we still get our names confused!! (I blame my parents for giving me a fake name that is too much like another name!! ;) haha) Well.. you see.. Brandi moved away right after Kindergarten... and since we were so young, we lost connections with her kinda quickly! We tried to hang out every once in awhile.. but that really didn't last for very long. .....also to be continued...

Jessica moved in when were were 5... i think! haha she kinda completed our little group! I remember first meeting her and thinking that she had the most beautiful crystal blue eyes! I'm not really sure why i even noticed that at age 5... but i did! And it is so true! :) haha I remember hanging out at Jess' and blasting Ace of Base and dancing around her house! Jessica was the oldest in her family.. and her parents were very strict!! Quite the opposite of how mine were with me! I had kinda rubbed off on her and taught her how to have an attitude!! I remember once she got grounded from me because of it!! Whoops!! Jessica moved when we were in 3rd grade? Or was it 4th? I can't remember... but she still went to the same Elementary school that Carlee and I did.. so the three of us still hung out all the time! We would even walk to Jessica's house after school sometimes and play for awhile! She went to a different Middle school and high school though, so once we got out of elementary... the contact kinda stopped with Jessica as well! ...... also to be continued....

So I used to have a MySpace account.. well, technically i still do... but i never check it or use it. But back before i had a Facebook account.. i used to be on MySpace a lot! Well, i get on one day and Jessica had sent me a message! We started talking to each other and texting each other! It was so fun to catch up! I hadn't talked to her in like 5 years! We talked on and off for about a year and then kinda lost contact again.... Until later we "became friends"on Facebook... And even then we only ever talked once in a blue moon........

So one day I log onto Facebook and I have a friend request from Brandi! I couldn't believe it!! I hadn't seen her or talked to her since we were 8, i think! So i accepted her friend request and we started sending messages back and forth! It was so fun to catch up with Brandi! See what she had been up to and what she was doing with her life now....

And finally i got in contact with Carlee again! Like I said earlier.. I never check my MySpace anymore... but i had been looking in my e-mail inbox and Carlee's little brother, Cody, had sent me a message. So i log into MySpace and check it out. Cody had said Carlee didn't have a profile so she wanted him to look and see if i had one.. and I did... so I ended up writing him back and asking for Carlee's number.. and we started talking and catching up! Carlee and I went out to dinner about a year ago. It was the first time i had seen her since we were 16! So we caught each other up on everything that had happened and gone on up until that point! It was so fun seeing her!

Eventually Carlee had been talked into getting a Facebook.. So all four of us were able to keep in contact with each other a lot easier! :) One day I thought it would be fun if we all got together and went out to dinner to catch up!! So together we planned a night and all met up! The four of us hadn't been together in 15 years!! So there was a lot to catch up on! We all have such different personalities! But at the same time we are so similar! It was crazy to see how much all of us had changed and how differently we had turned out! Jessica had gotten married about a year before... Brandi was engaged to her missionary that she waited for.. and Carlee had been dating the same guy for over 4 years! Yes... I am still the only single one! haha and I am now the shortest! When at one point i was the tallest! I'm not really sure how that even happened!! (Except that really they all kept growing when i stopped! haha)

It was so fun seeing you girls again! I have really enjoyed our get togethers! And I do believe we are due for another one sometime soon!! ;)

The last time we all tried to get together... Brandi ended up having a dress fitting for her wedding dress so she couldn't make it. (Strange that she thought that was more important! haha JOKE!) But Jessica, Carlee, and I took a picture together... so until we get one of the four of us.. I'll just put this one up! And I'll replace it with the other one as soon as we take it!! :)

California, much?

2009-11-10T12:28:00.000-07:00

We all know I LOVE going to California! And I'm obsessed with Disneyland!! Its my favorite place ever! I mean.. how can one NOT love Disneyland, right? :)

Well, this summer my friend Kimberly and I traveled to California for a week! We stayed with an Elder from her MTC district and his family, in this town called Yucaipa.. (Pronounced You-Ky-Puh) Its right next to Redlands.. Yeah, don't worry, i had never heard of it either!! :) So luckily we had Plott to drive us around so we didn't get so lost!!

We got to do a lot of fun things that week! Things i hadn't done in California before!! For starters.. Plott had to work a little bit during our stay, but it actually worked out to our advantage! :) The day we arrived he had to work at a clothing store in this awesome outdoor mall! So while he worked... we shopped!! :) Ha! Only girls could shop for 5 hours and not be bored! ;) But we found some super good deals and some really cute stores!! We bought lots of clothes!! And even for Utah standards they were good prices!! My favorite store was one called Papaya! I'm obsessed!! It was the cutest store! But of course... there aren't any in Utah!! BAH! haha

The next day we went to the Redlands Temple!! It was so beautiful!! And so small! haha I had never been to a temple that small!! They said that the Draper and Oquirrh Mountain were small... ha.. right! :) We took a bunch of pictures outside, but they honestly don't do it justice! That afternoon, another Elder from Kimberly's MTC district joined us! Poor Groves! He had such a long drive!! haha we didn't do much that night, we just hung out with the boys and went out to dinner! But the next day......

We went to... DISNEYLAND!! Of course, it was amazing!! My brother-in-law, Josh, works for Disney, so he got us discount tickets!! (My sister, Kacey, printed them off for us! -- Just so she gets the credit for giving us the tickets!! haha) We only spent one day there... but it was fantastic!! And we definitely got some good pictures!! haha Hopefully Groves doesn't kill me for putting a certain one on here.... but... he willingly let me take the picture.. so its his own fault! ;)

Oh.. about this last picture... We were about to go on Pirates.. So i told Kimberly to make her best pirate face... guess this is the best she's got?? bahaha

The next day we drove down to San Diego! It took a long time to drive down.. so we didn't have enough time to stop at SeaWorld that day.. So instead we went to the San Diego Temple! GORGEOUS! But... I forgot to pack my dress down to San Diego with me (we left most of our luggage at Plott's house to save room in the car!) So Kimberly went to do a session... and I got stuck with the boys.. the brilliant ones who wanted to go see a really stupid movie! Lets just say I really wish i would have taken my dress!! haha We did get a lot of good pictures at the Temple though! And afterwards we went to dinner and then to the beach! But it was getting dark by the time we got to the beach... so we didn't get too many good pictures that night. :( We had to make a Walmart run before going back to our... "hotel".... We didn't have any towels in our room.. so we had to go buy our own! haha yeah.. super classy!! But.. it was cheap.. so i guess you really do get what you pay for!

Saturday morning, after breakfast, we hit up SeaWorld!! I actually saw more of SeaWorld than i ever had before!! Even though we didn't go see the penguins!! Sorry, mom!! haha We had a good time though!! When we went to see the Dolphin show... the boys thought it was a great idea to have us sit on THE FRONT ROW!! Ugh! Girls who take time on their hair DON'T do the Splash Zone! haha The arena was TOTALLY packed! So its not like we chould just choose different seats! So we thought maybe it wouldn't be too bad.... We were wrong. The first five minutes and we were soaked!! So Kimberly and I got up and walked up all the stairs to the very top of the arena.... don't worry... we got lots of laughs and comments on our way up! And we even got a few comments later in the day from people who passed by us!! And I have to admit... it was pretty funny!! It was a fantastic day at SeaWorld! We pet the stingrays and held starfish! We saw the dolphins up close and walked under sharks! We even got a little sunburned! :)

We left SeaWorld a little early so we could stop by the beach again and get some pictures!! It was a success!! We headed back to Yucaipa late that night.. and made another Walmart run.. this time to get wax for Plott's legs!! bahahah! It had been a long week.. and the boys were a little difficult at times.. so Kimberly figured it was payback!! But... when we got back to Plott's we discovered all the supplies weren't in the box.. so we only got to wax off one strip. Not as exciting or painful as we had hoped.. but still a fantastic reason to only get two hours of sleep before leaving for the airport!! :) We made it back safely and I even made it home in time to shower and get to Jeremy and Jon Neilson's homecoming!! :)

It was a great trip and I had a ton of fun with Kimberly!! I'm so glad she let me go!! And I'm pretty sure she was glad she wasn't stuck by herdelf with those two boys all week!! haha

NAHAs

2009-11-07T20:46:00.000-07:00

For all my hair people out there... you're probably the only ones who know what I am talking about!!! ;)And all my friends who I have told all about my two experiences with NAHAs!!!

NAHAs stands for the North American Hairstyling Awards!! And every July a bunch of crazy hairstylists get together down in Vegas for an awesome awards show!! Its hard to explain how fun it is!! :)

So with NAHAs hairstylists submit their work.. and then people vote on them and then people get awards!! haha honestly.. its like any other award show... its just for super awesome hair!! :)

Seriously... the hair is off the hook!! :)

Last year I was in school during it! And Taylor Andrews is BIG on the NAHA supporting!! haha So I went down with school and roomed with a bunch of girlfriends!! It was so much fun!!!

This year I went down with my friend, Kristen, who went to TA with me!! And she brought her boyfriend, Stuart! It was kinda nice having a guy around so she and I didn't look or feel so vulnerable!! But... at the same time... it was a bit rough being the third wheel!! haha I did find a boyfriend for the weekend though.... His name is Buddah... maybe you've heard of him or seen him around!! haha just kidding!! kinda.... ;)

Well...despite all the awkward parts of the weekend.. it ended up being a pretty fun trip!! The awards show was AWESOME!! And there wasn't a certain annoying male hairstylist who talked for WAAAAY too long this year!! Thank goodness!! Two years in a row would have thrown me over the edge!! hahah

Here are just a few pictures from the trip... :)

Bear Lake!!

2009-11-07T18:23:00.000-07:00

As most people know, Bear Lake is one of our favorite places to go as a family! Last summer, since i was in school, I didn't get to go up much.. :( So this year... I made up for it!! Well... as much as i could!! Since I still had a job!! haha

In May we took Brett up for his first time in almost three years!! It was so much fun!! My parents and I took Brett up on Thursday night and spent all day Friday out on the boat wakeboarding! The water was perfectly smoothe all day long!! It was amazing!! Kacey and Josh and their kids came up Friday afternoon and Misty and her family joined us later Friday night! We missed Kade and Tara that trip.. but since Tara had just barely had Mia two weeks before that.. we figured we'd give them a break!! ;) It was Blake's first trip to the lake too!! And he LOVED it!! Usually when we put babies in their lifejackets they HATE it!! But Blake is such an easy going baby so he did really well with it!! And his fat little face was soooo cute all squished!!

We took a week long trip to Bear Lake in July!! My parents went up a few days early for the big "Cousins Party"! My parents said it was a really fun weekend!! I had to miss it because i had to work! :( So i drove up Sunday night with Kacey and Josh!! It was fun to drive up with them!! It had been awhile!! And car rides with them remind me why Heavenly Father made me the youngest child!! haha It was a super fun trip and nice to get away!!!

In August we finally got Kade and Tara up there!! It was a busy week... our old ward came up for Girl's Camp.. So we took them around on the boat!! But we still had a good time with everyone!! Mia and Blake had a great time playing around with each other in the water!! They were so cute!! And it was so fun seeing Mia adjust to the feel of the cooler water... she didn't like it at first... but as time went on she hated it when we'd take her out of the water!!

Baby Mia!!!

2009-10-21T00:28:00.000-06:00

So we found out on Father's Day '08 that my sister Kacey was having a baby.. and she was due in December... But on Halloween '08 we found out my sister-in-law, Tara, was expecting!!! And she was due in May!! So we were not only getting one new baby... but TWO!!! (and actually.. i found out a couple weeks before my parents did... so they found out on Halloween... hahaha)

Shortly after Blake arrived we found out that Tara was having a GIRL!!! Mia made the 8th grandchild and the 3rd granddaughter!! We were soooo excited!!!

So... On May 20th (a weekish past her due date..) Little Miss Mia Ashley Nichol joined our family!! She was 7 lbs. 9 oz. and 19 1/2 inches long!! She had black, naturally curly hair and the prettiest, long, black, curly eyelashes! She was, hands down, the most beautiful newborn i have ever seen!! No lie!!

Tara and Kade are the cutest parents!! They are sooo cute about Mia! Kade is already wrapped around her chubby little fingers!! And Tara is such a proud mom!! I am sooo happy for them!! Little Miss Mia is such a stinkin' DOLL!! I am so obsessed with her!! Actually, most people are obsessed with her, I think!! And everyone thinks she looks like she could be the poster child for a cabbage patch kid!! yes... she IS that cute!!!

Brett FINALLY came home!!!

2009-10-20T22:47:00.000-06:00

I don't even know where to begin!! I guess the beginning is always the best place... right?? haha I'll try to shorten it though!!! 10 years is a long time! :)

I met Brett Cracroft in 7th grade at Mt. Jordan Middle School!! But in the 9th grade he became one of my best friends!! And we have stayed best friends ever since!! Brett and I have a very odd relationship! Well, I guess it's really only odd to other people! But to he and I... it is totally normal and it makes sense! Most people don't understand how we can be so close and NOT be dating each other... It's simple really.. Brett is like my adopted brother! My parents even claim him as one of their own!!

So back in December of 2006.. I was at Dimple Dell working.. and Brett came in.. with a HUGE smile on his face, to give me the news that he had received his mission call! He had been called to serve in the Melbourne Australia Mission! And he left May 2, 2007!!!

Well.. the end of April rolled around and I was dreading May's arrival!! I remembered what it was like to have my brother out on his mission.. and i knew it would be pretty similar with Brett.. And I was right!! His farewell talk was rough!! We got there late, because we had gone to my cousin's that same morning, so we had to sit in the foyer.. I stood up against the wall and could see him through the open door.. I had tears streaming down my face almost the whole time!! It was a little pathetic.. I'll admit it!! haha Well... May 2nd came.. and Brett left. :( he was in the MTC for 3 weeks!! And on the day he flew out, May 23rd, he called me.. but i didn't answer my phone... so he left a message!! Don't worry, i cried for 3 days because i missed that call!! But he and I wrote back and forth his entire mission!! And I even got to talk to him on Mother's day in May of '08!!

Finally the two very long years were coming to an end!!! It was almost May and I kept e-mailing Brett and asking him if he knew his flight plans for coming home yet!! His parents flew out to get him so he was gone an extra 10 days!! haha But once he actually knew his flight plans and his parents were there with him.. he called me!! And yet again.. I didn't answer.. so he left a message!! Telling me he'd be home May 16th. His flight landed at 1:03 and I better be there at the airport!!

Well... My parents and I showed up at the airport.... with a few other people... and we all waited for Brett to show up.... 15 minutes went by.. it was 1:20.. and i was getting very anxious!! Brett wasn't coming down the stairs!! 15 mintues turned into half and hour.. and a half an hour into an hour.. still no Brett. Walter called a member of the bishopbric in their ward and he told him their flight plans had gotten changed and they wouldn't be home until the 17th around 4... WHAT?? I thought i had died!!! I was sooo excited to see my best friend and i had to wait another 26 hours!! I cried all the way home from the airport!! I honestly couldn't stop it!! I was sooo disappointed!!

So.. my parents and i headed back to the airport at 3:15 on Sunday, May 17th.... We were almost there when my phone rang.. i didn't know the number.. and usually i don't pick up numbers i don't know... but i answered it.. here is how the conversation went...

Brindi: "Hello?" Mystery caller: "Hello?" Brindi: "Hello?" Mystery caller: "Hello?" Brindi: "Who is this??" Mystery caller: "Who is this??" Brindi: "What?? You called me! Who is this!?" Mystery caller: "Guess!!!" Brindi: "I don't wanna guess!!" Mystery caller: "haha Brindi just...." Brindi: "*gasp* is this my BRETT??" Brett: "Hey Brindi!!!" Brindi: "Wait a minute.... where are you?!?!" Brett: "Im just chillin in the LA Airport!" Brindi: "WHAT?? You're still in LA??" Brett: "Yeah, our flights got all messed up.. but we'll be landing at 8:17 tonight!!"

So as Brett and I finished our conversation my dad turned the car around and we headed back home to wait a few more hours!! I had to take a nap to pass the time!! But... at about 7:30... we headed back to the airport!! 3rd time really is a charm!! :) We got there a little early.. and it's a good thing!! Brett's plane landed early!!! We only had to wait a few minutes and he was coming down the stairs!!! YAY!!! It was sooo good to see him!! I even got a hug!! And I took lots of pictures!! :)

Yay for getting my best friend back!!!! Even if he didn't come home with a sexy accent!

Baby Blake!!

2009-10-20T14:16:00.000-06:00

Last december my oldest sister had her 5th baby!! Kacey and Josh are the kind of people who don't find out what they are having!! And.. they won't tell anyone what names they are thinking of because they don't want anyone to give their opinions about it! haha

So.. Kacey has four other kids... 3 boys and 1 girl!! Bryston, who was 11, didn't really care if the baby was a boy or a girl! Collin, who was 9, wanted the baby to be a girl!! and then you get to the twins.. Shaela and Colby, who were 6... Colby definitely wanted a boy!! But... Shae is the only girl (and you can definitely tell!!) haha and of course.. being the only girl.. she REALLY wanted the baby to be a little sister! In a conversation she had with kacey she told her, "If the baby is a boy.. i am not holding it." Everyone else was pretty neutral.. we were just excited to have another baby around!! It has been two and a half years since we had a tiny one... but not gunna lie.. I kinda wanted it to be a girl!!

So finally the day came!! On December 12th, 2008 Kacey went into labor!! I had to close at the salon that night, and it was KILLING me waiting for the call!! I was so anxious to know what the baby was! So around 7 i got the phone call... It was a BOY!!! I have to be honest.. i was a bit disappointed.. and I knew Shae would be too!! But for the next two hours i couldn't wait to get out of the salon to go meet the newest member of my family!! Oh.. and they wouldn't tell my his name until i had met him!!! yeah, it was rough!!

So FINALLY 9 o'clock came and I got to go home so my dad and i could run to the hospital!!When we first got there they had just barely taken the baby to go get his temperature checked and such.. so i had to wait even longer! But finally they brought him back in!! And i met my little Blake Nicholas Jensen!!

Christmas was so fun!! we had the cutest baby Jesus for my mom's little nativity pageant thing that she has all the grandkids act out!! (she's ridiculous!!) haha

Everyone loves Blake!!! Blake has been such an awesome addition to our family!! He is so easy going!! and so much fun!! I love how he is so snuggly!! And.. best of all... he LOVES his Aunt Bee!!! :)

Heather's Wedding!!

2009-10-20T12:55:00.000-06:00

Four years ago my parents and i moved out to Riverton.. and the very first person i met, who was my age, was this amazing girl, named Heather!! I swear we are kindred spirits!! She and I are so much alike its scary sometimes!! :) But I seriously love her!! She brought me out of my shell and taught me that it was okay to dance like a crazy person while in the car!!

This past march she married an awesome guy named Jason! And they are seriously the cutest and most fun couple ever!! They got married Friday, March 13th 2009 and I was lucky enough to be one of her bride's maids!! It was so much fun getting to be there for all of it!! Well.. almost all of it!! haha

Katie (one of the other bride's maids) and I got ready together.. but we had to run a few errands before we went to the temple.. and we arrived a tiny bit late.. whoops!! haha so we weren't there to see them walk out of the temple, but we were there for pictures!! So it all worked out!

After billions of hugs and pictures we went inside the Joseph Smith Memorial Building for the luncheon and ring ceremony!! But before we could get started the Bride had to use the bathroom... so.. we pulled a 27 Dresses moment and I held her dress for her!! haha and had her mom take our picture!! of course!! :)

After the luncheon Katie and I were on our way back to my house to get ready for the reception... but.. Katie still wanted to find a cute pair of shoes for the night and we had a whole bunch of time to kill.. so.. we went shopping!! and found a ton of stuff to go with our outfits!! :) shoes, headbands, ribbons, and bracelets... no offence to the other bride's maids... but we were the cutest ones there!! hahah

It was a long day, but worth every minute!! Heather looked amazing!! And her reception was perfect!! (Minus the car decorating part... but we really don't talk about that! haha)

I'm so glad she and I are friends!! And that i got to be a part of her big day!! Love you Heath!!

We're going to do a BIG update!!

2009-10-20T12:32:00.000-06:00

So I thought about doing just a summer vacation update.. but then i realized that i have had a TON of stuff happen this year.. so i figured i should just do a HUGE update and start from the beginning!! But only put in the big stuff.. the fun stuff!! Weddings, babies, homecomings, vacations, day trips, birthdays, etc, etc!!.. (and if i can figure out how to put pictures in.. i will!) So.. here we go!! :)

the reason for the blog..

2009-09-24T12:17:00.000-06:00

A few months ago i was talking to my amazing friend, Noggin, or Cali Hinkley to those of you outside my head, and she told me i should get a blog so she could stay updated with me! I pretty much just laughed at her and told her i had nothing to write about that people would read.. so she told me to write about all my vacations!! So.. I might just do that!! It was a pretty busy vacationing summer!! :) So if you've already heard about them and seen the pictures.. just ignore those posts! mmkay?

also.. I'm still very new at this... so if you have any tips or tricks.. please let me know!! eventually i will learn how to spice up my blog!! :)

Definitely new at this...

2009-09-24T11:25:00.000-06:00

well kids.. by popular demand... i have started a blog!!

buckle up.

so far I have no idea how to work this.. and i really have nothing to write about.. but that's okay! I'm sure something will pop into this little, dust filled brain of mine! :) just hang in there!!