The Ring

THE PROPOSAL:

Since I had to work early the next morning, I left my house early Christmas afternoon to come back to Cedar. I stopped in Milford on the way, to hang out with Brett and his family for a little bit. (I was completely clueless as to how the rest of the night was going to turn out.) Brett rode home to Cedar with me later that night, and once we got to my house, he wouldn't let me unload my car. "I was told that you had a big surprise present waiting for you inside, so you can't bring everything in yet..." I totally should have seen it coming, but instead I'm like "Yes! Something too big to fit in the car, like a snowboard or something!" I walk into the house, and taped to my closed bedroom door is a note:

" Baby, I've missed you so much while you've been gone! I hate having a Christmas without you. But Christmas isn't over yet, and neither are the surprises and presents. I still have a few things to give you! I love you. Now for starters, go open the fridge!"

I still didn't realize what was going on at this point, because Brett always surprises me with cute little love notes in random places and little presents once in awhile. So I go to the fridge to find a bottle of apple cider all wrapped up with another note:

"Christmas is about memories. This Christmas let's toast to us and all the amazing memories we've had this past year. We've had so many, big and small. One of my favorites is that night we began. I thought you were so beautiful from the moment I met you, something that hasn't changed in the past year. I loved how my arms felt around you that night at the Hinder show. Then there is New Years last year when I told you that I love you. The first time we kissed in the rain. And even some recent ones that I'll never forget. Like our ice show in the kitchen. You should go pro, baby. And all the surprises and fun you gave me on my birthday. And how we just started dancing to a slow Christmas song in the kitchen one night. So a toast to memories and the hope that this Christmas night, time will stand still so I can enjoy your presence as long as possible tonight. I love you. There's something waiting for you on your end table."

Yes, he called it an end table... Silly boy. Haha. By this time, I was a little suspicious (and getting a little teary eyed) so I go into my room to find some candles on my night stand with another note.

"What's Christmas without lights? Candles remind me of your eyes. The flicker of the fire just catches your attention and sometimes you just can't look at anything else. Your eyes are the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. So big and blue, and you can see the happiness in them. They were the first thing I noticed when I met you. I could stare into them for days. I hope our kids get lucky enough to have their mother's amazing eyes. So this Christmas let's light some candles and cuddle together and watch them flicker... I think there's a surprise for you in your Santa stocking!"

So I run to a stocking I have hung on the wall above my desk, all excited to finally get my ring! But when I pull the ring box out and open it, there is just another note inside...

"One of the best things about Christmas is giving. There's so many things I wish I could give you if I had the money. But I can give you love forever and a promise to care for you for the rest of our lives. Baby, I want to give you something and I want you to give me something. Your hand. Turn around baby."

So I turn around, near bawling at this point (I know, I'm such a freakin baby), and Brett gets down on his knee with the real ring box and ring, and asks me to marry him. It was the most amazing proposal in the world... It matched everything about him and me and our relationship so far. I said yes, (duh). I was so excited to finally get to wear my pretty ring!(And to marry the man of my dreams, of course!) These pictures don't do it justice. I can't figure out why it's not very photogenic, but oh well. Here it is!

Big Ass Show AKA The Fiasco... and Emily's wedding

In October, one of my best friends, Emily, got married! It just so happened to be the same weekend as the Big Ass Show in Salt Lake, so we had quite an eventful weekend. I was a bridesmaid in the wedding, so Brett was stuck hanging out with me at the reception all night. Of course he didn't mind, though, because he and Skyler (Emily's husband) are buddies now. Here are some pictures from that.





The Big Ass Show was freakin awesome. We had fun rocking out to some of our favorite bands. Sum 41 played again and it was all good and well until I got in the middle of a crazy mosh pit, and lost my camera. Well, technically it was my sisters camera. I had borrowed it to get better pictures at Emily's wedding and the show because I had plans to use them in a gift I was making for Brett for Christmas... Anywho, the camera flew right out of my pocket, so, for the rest of that show I was in the middle of a million crazy people trying to find the camera everywhere on the ground. I completely missed the rest of Sum 41's set, and a few other really good bands I wanted to rock out to. I was so pissed at myself. Since we didn't find it anywhere after the whole event was over, I put a "missing item" ad for it online. A few days later I got a text saying it was found. Boy was I freakin relieved... Sum 41 almost wouldn't have been the same anymore if things would have turned out different. Good thing it all worked out....



Us all sweaty after getting crazy at one show.



Brett and his brother, Jared. Yup, Brett is the brother of Jared. HA.


I wear the pants (er... shorts) in this relationship!

Hey baby, let's go to Vegas!

Since we had the time of our lives in Vegas the first time we were there together, we have both taken quite a liking to the city. We have been back several times just to hang out and walk the strip and get In and Out Burgers, and to go to a few different concerts. This particular trip we were going to see one of my favorite bands of all time: Sum 41. We drove down and met up with a couple of my friends from St. George, and after getting a bite to eat, Brent (not Brett) came with me to check us into our hotel room at the RIO all suites hotel. (Neither one of us are 21 yet, silly). Then we headed to The House of Blues where we had fun at a kick ass show! We both nearly died in the mosh pits, but it was worth it!


This is the amazingly comfy king bed in our freakin huge room!


We could have got totally wasted that night!! I tried talking Brett into it, but alas, he just wouldn't cave... Darn those good boys!




Brett goofing off... What's new?



The pools at the hotel were freakin awesome!!! Too bad they were so cold we didn't really want to get in!



This was the awesome view from our room.



Us in front of the Bellagio hotel where they do the crazy fountain tricks.



Hotel Bellagio.



Too bad this isn't the real thing... When we came to Vegas earlier in the year (on Easter) we took the elevator to the top and had a lot of fun. It's definitely not as cool as le "real" Tour Eiffel, but it was pretty dang cool.



Gotta love M&M's World!

National Park Trip with Savannah's Family

For the week of July 4th last year, my family decided that instead of going camping with our extended family at Yellowpine like usual, we would go to all the National Parks in Utah. Since me and Brett had to work, we could only take two full days to go to the Moab area with them. Even though it was scorching hot (In the 100 teens), we still managed to enjoy the beautiful scenery. These first pictures are from Dead Horse Point. We drove from Duck Creek straight there in the new suburban my family had bought on a whim before they headed to Cedar. It was hotter than crap on the leather seats, but the A/C was really refreshing. Since there had been several wildfires all across Utah and surrounding states, the air was very smoggy and gross, so our picutres didn't turn out as great at this particular park. We still had fun though.



Me and my little sister Caroline at the overlook at Dead Horse State Park.



Brett and Caroline.















After sweating nearly to death at Dead Horse Point, we made our way to one entrance of Canyonlands National Park. We walked to the White Rim Overlook where we got some amazing views! After that we had to re-fill our water bottles, then we headed off to see Mesa Arch and the "Washer Woman".





CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK




This was the overlook view from one of the hikes we did at Canyonlands.



My Pops.





Mesa Arch



I am the only one not making a goofy face. Sad...

At the end of the day, we were all pretty bushed. We stopped at the Moab Diner for dinner, then off to our hotel where we took a swim in the nice, cool pool. (Hey that rhymed). Our hotel rooms were also hotter than poop (the A/C in them wasn't quite as nice as in the 'burb), but somehow we managed to get a good nights sleep. Bright and early the next morning we headed to Arches, where we got these fun pictures:


ARCHES NATIONAL PARK


The Windows


Double Arch Alcove


The famous Delicate Arch



It seems like we always have some sort of run in with some specimen of wildlife every trip we take... This time it was a crazy bright green lizard. After nearly tripping all over myself to snap a polaroid, I finally got this good shot of our friend...

By the time we left Moab, we were all pretty tired. We stopped at Goblin Valley on the way home, but only spent a little bit of time because we were dying in the heat. Maybe next time we will come back in the Spring when it's not so freakin hot.


GOBLIN VALLEY STATE PARK


Smooching amongst the rocks.


Caroline just thought she would butt in...


Brett on top of the world.

Bryce Canyon

Holy cow. So I guess I have a lot of pictures from Bryce Canyon, but all of them are so good I'm going to put them up. We only went to Bryce once last summer, but it was way awesome. We are definitely going to go again soon.


I'm obsessed with waterfalls... this one was a pleasant surprise.


Pretty view from the trail.






Brett just being silly.
















We found a little squirrel friend when we stopped to eat lunch on a log. We thought it was so crazy that he would come right up to us and beg for food. Of course I couldn't resist, so I fed him some of my peanuts. Little did I know that you can be fined over $100 for feeding them! Shh!! I won't tell if you won't!