I love the temple!

I received my endowments on the 9th in the Bountiful temple. What a beautiful experience! I really had no idea what to expect and temple prep didn't really prep me for what was going to happen. Everyone I talked to about it always told me the same thing. "Don't think to much about it. Don't let it overwhelm you. Just relax and feel the spirit." I must've subconciously taken their advice to heart though because I felt really relaxed and my mind was clear. I definitely felt the spirit as well but that's a given. I also learned A LOT but know that I have so much more to learn through-out my life about God's plan for us.

It was so nice to have my best friend, Natalie, there with me as my escort and as soon as we walked in, the temple workers were there waiting for me and they all seemed to know my name and were so happy to be with me that day. I loved it!

After the session, my friend, Heather and her mom took some pictures of me and Bryant in our whites outside with the temple in the background then we went back in to the atrium and took a few more pictures with all of us. I'm really glad that they were there for me and willing to take pictures so I could always remember that day. I can't wait to do another session. Bryant and I are planning on doing one on our honeymoon in one of the temples in Hawaii :).

Ringing in the new year

For New Years Eve, my sister, Bryant and I went to 3ve in downtown Salt Lake for the night. They had all kinds of things to do all day long but we got there about 6-ish and just in time for the fire dancers! I was totallly expecting something different when I heard there was going to be fire dancers there, like polynesian dancers or something... but these guys were pretty good! They seemed to have more of an martial arts feel to their dance. There was also spray paint booths set up near the fire dancers. I've noticed that spray painting has become a big thing in Utah lately. And for good reason! I don't think I could ever be creative with spray paint and a blank wall like these guys. Bryant would be good at it though...

I think my favorite part about the night was the ice skating. I've always wanted to go ice skating outside! It wasn't nearly as crowded as I thought it would be but it ended up getting packed through-out the night. We only skated for about 20 minutes when they opened the ski/snowboard ramp so we stopped to watch some people go down the rails and attempt to do tricks. I'm not going to lie, I wasn't very impressed. Maybe with the first 10 people but it got really repetative and boring. They all did the same thing but they also didn't have enough room to do anything really cool. We watched them for a while then walked around looking for something to do. We tried to get to a laser show at the Clark Planetarium but they were all sold out. We even got there about 40 minutes early! But we ended up playing around in there. I feel like such a kid when I go in there. I love it!

After the planetarium, we went to a free comedy improv show at the Broadway Theatre. Meh. They were slightly funny. I've been to some awesome improv shows so they had a lot to live up to but, given more time, I think they could have put on a decent show. After the show, we walked around some more and took some pictures then ended up listening to a band called Voodoo Orchestra for the rest of the night. I LOVED THESE GUYS! They finished playing about just in time for us to have 7 seconds left to countdown to 2010. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Everyone kissed then they shot off the fireworks :). It was a happy day.

I fell asleep around 3:30am and woke up around 7:30 because I couldn't sleep for some dumb reason. Bryant ended up coming over around 10-ish so we could go snow shoeing up at Alta. It was really fun although I am soooo out of shape! We didn't make it very far because we got distracted by the 2 feet of powder next to the trail. We climbed up some huge boulders and did flips off them into the powder. Bryant even got buried by the snow one of the times! It was a lot of fun but it started to snow and we knew it would start getting dark around 5 or 6 so we headed back down to the car and spent the rest of the day with his family :). It was a perfect start to the new year. ACTIVE! Hopefully that means I'll have a physically active year. :)

Life has been busy!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Planning the wedding

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

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

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

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

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

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

The day he proposed <3

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

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

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

That one time, in Virginia...

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

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

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

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