11.3.11

What a beautiful time of year! Provo is vibrant with all the orange and red trees lining the streets. Besides the gloomy weather yesterday, the sun has still been shining even though the temperatures are dropping fast. The last few weeks have been very busy with school, but things are calming down a little bit. Things that have kept me smiling lately:

Devin's family came in town a few weekends ago! As part of their trip, my parents came down to Provo so we could all go to dinner together. It was a PARTY! This was the first time I was able meet his dad in person and he is such a nice man. I am so blessed to be marrying into this family! It's easy to see why Devin is so amazing after spending time with his wonderful parents. I'm also glad that Devin's younger brother Nathan was also able to come out because he makes me laugh so hard! I had so much fun that weekend and am so grateful that they let me tag along :) I can't wait for Christmas in Pittsburgh!!

“Our opportunities to shine are limitless. They surround us each day, in whatever circumstances we find ourselves. As we follow the example of the Savior, ours will be the opportunity to be a light, as it were, in the lives of those around us – whether they be our own family members, our coworkers, mere acquaintances or total strangers.” 

              -President Monson (at the BYU devotional yesterday)

My cute niece Brynlee dressed up as a monkey for Halloween.  My talented older Sister Laura made her costume including that cute blue tutu.  That tail is just too much for me!

I tried this recipe for Chicken Pesto Pizza and it was delicious! Me and yeast don't have the best relationship, but the dough turned out and the pesto added such a rich flavor.  Yay for pizza night!

 

{This is the picture from her blog. I can assure you mine did not look this perfect!}

I fell down the stairs (not all the way, but enough to give me a heart attack) on campus while holding hands with Devin.  We got a good laugh out of that one!

Two of my freshman buddies and I planned a group date to a corn maze. We ate at In-N-Out before and then met up with my brother Jordan, his roommate and their dates. We went to Becca's house after for hot chocolate and cookies. It was such a fun night! We didn't quite take the conventional route through the corn maze (after wandering around FOREVER we just went out the entrance), but we had a fun time. Jord loved doing belly flops in the piles of corn kernels :) Thanks Becca and Abby for a hilarious night!

We watched Newsies the other night and I was reminded of how amazing the music is! What a classic!

Yesterday was the first day I was able to say that we are getting married NEXT MONTH. Can you believe it?? Time is moving so fast. I cannot wait to be sealed to Devin in 47 days! This has definitely kept me smiling :) I loved looking at some of our engagement pictures that were taken by the beautiful and talented Kiera Eve Haddock. I look forward to more fun times with her again soon! We went to Temple Square a few weeks ago, which got me so excited. The Salt Lake Temple is BEAUTIFUL. I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to be married there. Even though there are a million different wedding plan details that need to be figured out, the temple is what is truly most important. That will be the highlight of the day and what I remember forever.

Life is so great!

{ time flies }

 Here's what we've been up to lately. . . 

1. We went up to Salt Lake for my good friend Myrinda (Johnson) Dunn's wedding reception at Red Butte Gardens. It was BEAUTIFUL! She looked gorgeous and so so SO happy. After chatting with some high school friends and drinking some delicious Italian sodas, we headed over to Temple Square for a walk by the temple. I can't wait to go back December 20th!!!

 

2. Kristin, Devin's beautiful and talented younger sister, took some pictures of us outside the Jordan River Temple in preparation for a wedding she is doing in November. The pictures turned out SO great! It was such a fun night. I have LOVED getting to know her better and being able to spend time with her. She has been so nice to me! I feel so blessed to be marrying into such an AMAZING family!

 

 

3. We got pumped for BYU Football by going to the Tueller family tailgate party a few weeks ago! It was fun to have Uncle Mark with us from California. GO COUGARS!

 

4. Thanks to my dad, we were able to go to the Sunday afternoon session of General Conference with my family. It was great! Conference weekend is always such an uplifting time of the year. I'm already looking forward to April! 

 

... We're looking forward to having Devin's parents and brother in town this weekend!

{life is so good!}

Reason #278930948 why I love Devin:

He is such a hard worker! I am constantly amazed at his ability to juggle early morning lifting/conditioning, tough business classes, endless reading quizzes and assignments, hours of in-class time, practice, softball games, group projects, and lots of reading. Even with all of this, he still makes time for me and I love him for it. He even made me dinner the other night after a particularly stressful day for me! I am one LUCKY girl!

Oh and not that I'm counting or anything but . . .

81 days

1958 hours

117534 minutes

Can't wait!

He put a ring on it!

Tuesday was probably the best day of my life. 

I'm still amazed that such an ordinary and uneventful day like Tuesday could quickly turn into something that has completely changed my life. 

Last week, Devin told me that Sundance was doing their moonlit ski lift rides this week and wondered if I wanted to go. Since this was where we had our first kiss, I was really excited to go back. At this point you may be wondering how I didn't see a proposal coming, given the sentimental nature of the date. Let me give you some background info that might help you understand...

Devin had asked me out for this coming Friday over a week in advance. That immediately made me suspicious since he usually only asks a few days beforehand. When I said that I didn't have any plans, he asked again, "You're sure you don't have any plans?". I tried not to let him know that I was onto him, but inside I was pretty confident that I had him figured out. He was so vague anytime I asked him about what we were going to do. I was pretty positive he was going to propose Friday.

Back to Tuesday night . . .

After having leftovers for dinner, we headed up to Sundance. On the way up, we reminisced about all the things we had talked about that night in June. It was just one week after our first date. I remember being amazed at how comfortable I felt talking with Devin. He made me laugh so hard! He talked about how it was to grow up outside of Utah where there were very few members of the church. I remember being so impressed by his commitment to the standards of the church even if that meant he had to stand alone. I remember how happy I was to have found a guy who was not only solid in the gospel, but also extremely good looking and athletic! It was so fun to relive those memories with him on the way up.

 (picture from our first trip to Sundance)

(Tuesday night)

It was FREEZING up at Sundance! I was really glad that I had brought two jackets just in case. Devin was probably glad too because his big jacket hid the ring box perfectly! The lift ride was beautiful. Just perfect! We got to the bottom and started walking toward the bridge where it all started. It is such a beautiful spot! I was really surprised though, when we kept walking past the bridge up the path. After a minute, he looked me in the eyes and started saying some of the most sincere compliments I have ever heard. He got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I don't think I have ever felt so many emotions all at once! I was so surprised and confused, but so so SO happy! Of course I said yes :)

When we were walking back to the car, he told me that my family was waiting for us at my grandparents' house. I could not have been happier! I was so glad that I was able to share such an exciting night with my family and soon to be sister-in-law Kristin. It was a night full of hugs, laughing, sparkling cider, pictures, and a surprise musical number by my brother Jordan. 

I can't wait for the future that awaits Devin and I! He is such a blessing in my life. I am constantly amazed by all he does to make me feel loved and appreciated. I couldn't ask for a better best friend and eternal companion. 


I can't wait for December 20th!

{morning glory}

cheerios  +  nectarines  +  milk

I can't get enough of this delicious combination!

{happenings}

Once again, I'm playing catch-up so I'll post some pictures of what's been happening lately...

#1. Me and Devin hiked the Y to watch the Stadium of Fire firework show. It was a hot night, so I was in a full sweat by time we reached the top, but the view was BEAUTIFUL! It was so fun to watch the fireworks going off all across Provo, especially since aerial fireworks are legal now. 

 

#2. I've been lucky enough to spend some time with Becca and Caitlyn, two of the funniest girls I know! We always do fun things together and almost always end up making a trip to Yogurtland :) I'm so happy that Abby is home now from Africa so that she can join us on our adventures!

 

#3. Devin and I took a fun road trip down to St. George and Las Vegas a few weeks ago. We went to one of his teammates weddings in St. George and then continued on to Las Vegas where some of his family lives. It was such a fun trip! Devin's brother Ryan and his wife Sarah were so nice to let us stay at their house and play with their cute girls. It was also fun to meet Devin's mom and brother Nathan. While we were there, we walked down the strip for my first time. There was some incredible architecture, but I can't really picture myself spending much time there :)

 

 

 #4. Devin planned an amazing date night a few weeks ago. We started off the night with dinner at Awful Waffle, a new place across the street from J Dawgs that is AMAZING! After dinner, we went to Provo Beach Resort to play mini croquet and some of the arcade games. I don't think I've laughed that hard in a LONG time! We went to Yogurtland afterward to celebrate my lucky victory :) haha

  

{buy it 4 less}

I'm feeling pretty happy about what I scored at Old Navy today...

 

The shirt on the left is something I saw online from J.Crew for $58.00. The shirt on the right (which is much more gold in person) is from Old Navy for $6.49. Don't you just love finding a good deal??

{Matthew & Janine} - est. August 6, 1983

I know I'm a few days late, but I have been thinking a lot about my parents lately and I just thought they deserved a post :) On August 6th, my parents celebrated their 28th anniversary! I could talk about them for hours, but to keep my thoughts somewhat coherent and organized I've decided to just talk about seven of the many things I love about my parents.These are in no particular order:

1. My parents love the Lord. Their lives are evidence of the unshakable testimonies they each have. I could tell they loved the Lord by watching the way they lived their lives. It wasn't until I was a teenager that I started to really appreciate the small and simple ways in which they established Christ as the center of our home. Scripture study, FHE, family prayer, and countless informal gospel conversations helped me form my testimony of the gospel. I am so grateful for their testimonies of Jesus Christ and their example of how to live a Christ-like life.

2. My parents love to laugh. I honestly don't think a day went by without me hearing my parents laugh. My dad is an expert at doing goofy things to give my mom the giggles. I admire their ability to find humor even in the midst of stressful or frustrating situations. I am so grateful that my parents created a very happy home for us to grow up in.

3. My parents are workers! My dad has blessed our family so much by his willingness to go to work everyday. I never heard him complain about it, even on days when he had to stay late or go to work early. He made it possible for me to take piano lessons, play sports, learn new instruments, go on band tours, buy new clothes, etc. etc. etc. He has always been so selfless with the money he earns. While my dad is at work, my mom is sailing through list after list after LIST of "to do's". She was always working on something around the house, whether it was whipping up a batch of cookies for someone in the ward or getting on her hands and knees to clean a toilet.  I am so grateful that my parents taught me the importance of work.

4. My parents are fun! Some of my fondest memories are times when my family would do fun activities together. I have yet to find a game that even comes close to being as fun as slipper tag! :) I enjoyed spending time with my parents because they truly are my best friends. I will always be grateful to my parents for making the effort to play games, dance to silly music, make a "spot" downstairs, toss a football, or give a back massage to us. 

5. My parents love me! I've been thinking a lot lately about how each of my parents had their own way of expressing their love for each of their children. My dad and I would give little hand squeezes to each other at random times and I always knew that two squeezes meant, "I love you". I loved that. My mom would place little notes on my pillow or on the bathroom mirror telling me that she loved me. Both of them were so good at making sure each child in my family felt loved and appreciated. Because I knew that their love for me was unconditional, I always felt comfortable confiding in them or asking for advice. I am so grateful that I grew up in a home filled with love.

6. My parents knew the importance of magnifying callings. I don't ever remember a time in my life where my parents didn't have meetings! haha When I was little, my dad was called as the bishop in our ward. I remember my mom making cookies and hot chocolate so that me and my siblings could make a "secret delivery" to my dad's bishopric meetings at the church. I remember fishing trips with my dad and brothers when my mom was away at girl's camp. These are just a few examples of my parents' selfless service. I loved being able to watch each of them support the other in their specific callings. They worked as a team and celebrated each others' strengths. 

7. My parents love each other. This would be obvious to anyone who spends just one day in my home. I love the fact that sparks are still flying even after 28 years! One of my favorite things to observe is my dad before Christmas or Mother's Day. He works so hard to find just the right gift! I love that he would buy my mom flowers and chocolates. I never had to wonder if my parents loved each other, which was SUCH a blessing.

I love you both so much, Mom and Dad! Thanks for everything you have done for me and the rest of the children!

{young love}

Mat Kearney just came out with a new album and I absolutely LOVE IT! I have been a huge fan of his for a while now, especially since the release of his last album, City of Black and White. Thanks to an iTunes gift card given to me by Logan, this album is all mine :)

{SPRING}

I have had no time to blog the last few months, so I'll try to get everyone up to speed by posting some pictures from some things that have happened in the last few weeks.

#1. Adventures with Logan. I got to have a sleepover with this handsome young man a little while ago and had so much fun! The night started with us laughing at pictures from the Fancy Feast cat food Facebook page. Logan, "Higgins" still gives me nightmares. Then, we decided to head up Little Cottonwood Canyon to explore. We didn't have any plans on where we wanted to go, so we ended up pulling off the side of the road and heading down to the river. I had so much fun exploring and laughing with Logan. He is one FUNNY kid! When it got dark, we headed over to Cold Stone to get our favorite cake batter ice cream. We definitely had some good times that night that I'll remember forever. Love you Log.

 #2. I have the funnest friends! We got to go to the Strawberry days Rodeo in Pleasant Grove, which was sooo fun! We got there early enough so that we could watch Mutton Bustin' (small children riding sheep) and the cash cows (they attached tons of dollar bills to the backs of two cows and let them loose in the arena, while all the kids from the stands chased after them. Watch the video, it's hilarious!). We also couldn't leave without getting strawberries and cream! Wow, it was amazing!

 

#3. My roommate Katie graduated from BYU and moved back to California. Katie has had such a great influence on me even though we only lived together for a few short months. She has been blessed with the ability to show sincere love and concern for everyone she talks to. She was there for me during some pretty tough times when I needed someone to talk to. She was always so interested in what was going on in my life and gave me some GREAT advice. I look up to her so much and am excited for her to be able to enter this new stage in her life.

 

#4. Just this last Friday, we were able to go to the Manti Pageant. The drive was BEAUTIFUL! The setting of the pageant was gorgeous with the Manti temple in the background. It was such a neat experience!