Had Ourselves a Merry Little Christmas

I am happy to say this was the last year that Nic and I spent Christmas apart.


For some reason I didn't truly feel the spirit of the season without him with me but I am grateful for the time that I had to spend at home.


Nic drove me home to spend the holidays with my family because I'll admit... after the Thanksgiving experience.. I was terrified to drive the roads alone. Joy to the World we got lucky and had a safe trips without snow both ways! When Nic left Sunday night I was pretty sad and was in need of a little cheering up so my amazing mom did what mom's do best!


We began our holiday baking and made these delicious Reece's peanut butter cup cookies! A first this year but were a TOTAL hit and will now become a holiday tradition of mine.

It had started snowing early in the afternoon but we underestimated exactly how much... We soon discovered it was enough to make a snowman! Now if chocolaty goodness is not enough to cheer a person up building the first snowman of the season is sure to do the trick!

My mom (being the anal person she is) had to immediately shovel the drive way before doing anything further ha wish I could have gotten a picture.

Then we made this muscular creation haha a.k.a. Frosty the Hulk Hogan Snowman!

A few things I could work on

Lets just face it... I'm terrible at keeping up on this blog.

But HEY, atleast I try right?! :)

And although I LOVE taking pictures, I also get a little ADD and forget to bust out the camera during fun festivities.

Both of which I will work on in this new wonderful year.

A recap of Thanksgiving:

Nic's wonderful mom Susan decided to drive down with us to Merville for a fun filled Thanksgiving at my mom's. The drive down and back were both terrifying! Snow + Crazy Drivers + Terrible Roads... not a great combination!! Five hours later, we made it! The trip went by so fast but was so much fun. We played Jenga Truth or Dare, Taboo, ate lots of delicious food, and bought my wedding dress!

The only pictures I took from the whole trip were of these two goofballs when we celebrated Brendan's 19th Birthday

Thankful

Since it is the month of November and Thanksgiving is right around the corner I'd like to share with you what I am thankful for. I am truly blessed with all that I have in my life and I know that I could create a list that would go on forever but these are what are most important to me.

I am thankful for my education. It pushes me every day to become a stronger, more knowledgeable person. With this I am also thankful for my job because without it I wouldn't be able to go to school. I am also grateful for all the help my mom has given me. I am thankful that I get this opportunity so that I can pursue my dream of helping children children and making a difference in the world.

I am thankful for the gospel. Without it I wouldn't be where I am today. I know that because of the temple, I will be sealed to Nic for eternity and that our family will be forever. I am thankful to know that I have a Heavenly Father and a Savior who love me no matter what. I am thankful for the missionaries that serve in this world, especially the ones that taught me. I am thankful for the spirit that guides me and teaches me. I am thankful for Jesus Christ who atoned for my sins so that I am able to experience true joy.



I am thankful for my best friend Bara!! 9 years later and I know we will still be best friends forever. She is amazing. I am thankful for all the times she has been there and listened to me when I was upset or happy. I am thankful that she always supports me no matter what. I am thankful that she loves me and that we are still so close even though we live 3 hours apart most days. If there was anyone that has been put in my life for a reason I know it was her. I love all the fun memories we have made, inside jokes we share, and time we get to spend together. I love you my d.... l..... s..... :)



I am thankful for a wonderful family that has encouraged me to reach for my dreams, supported me when I needed them , and loved me even though our lives are different. I am thankful for my mom who in many times of her life put everything on the line for me and my brother. She has been and always will be my hero. I am thankful for a dad who believes in me and who is an amazing cook! I am thankful for a brother who is so dedicated in school and is willing to put his life on the line for our country. I am thankful for a stepmom who has taught me so many things and loved me as if I were her own. I am thankful for two stepbrothers who make my life fun and happy when I am around them.





I am also thankful for my other family that I will share the same name with this May. I am thankful for Nic's mom and all the love and kindness she has shown me. I am thankful for Nic's dad and all the times he has made me laugh.
(I don't have any pictures with them yet, sad I know!)

I am especially thankful for love and when I think of love I think of Nic. I am thankful that I was blessed with a man that loves me for exactly who I am. I am thankful that we share so many things in common. He brings out the best in me and is incredibly supportive. He is the sweetest boy I have ever met... let me just share with you what he did for me today... it was dumping down snow outside and I wore thin shoes that soaked the water all the way through my socks. He left work, drove to my apartment, brought me 3 (not just 1) but 3 different pairs of shoes so that I would have one that matched my outfit and a new pair of socks. Words can't even express how kind and charitable he is. Since the day that I met Nic, every day after that has been a fairy tale. I will always love him and will forever be thankful for him.

Happy November!!

Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head

After much debate on whether or not we thought we could pull it off..
I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head!

Happy Halloween!!

Lately..

It's harder keep up on these things than I thought.
Since I last posted in the summer here is what we have been up to since then!


Nic and I picked the places for our wedding and reception :)

Boise Temple

Little White Chapel

The Bishop's House

The first couple weeks of August I got to visit Brendan in Annapolis Maryland! He is going to the Naval Academy and graduated from Basic Training.

Nic and I were FINALLY re-united after what seemed to be the longest summer in all of history..
Two weekends later was Labor Day (gotta love an extra day off from school and work) and the perfect time for a last little summer vacation. We hopped in the car and off we went to the fun little town of Bear Lake. I had never seen Nic's cabin or been to Bear Lake so it was quite the adventure for me and I think Nic had fun showing me around!

Save water, shower with a friend!

Nic and his little brother :)

In the morning we hiked for a ways to get the best view.

We drove for an hour and went on a hike and had a picnic at Bloomington Lake. It was gorgeous!

Nic's favorite part: the cliffs.. this was 1 out of 50 that he took of them haha

My favorite picture from the whole weekend :)

I thought these were a bunch of little pebbles on the shore, they were THOUSANDS of shells!

We were sad to leave we had so much fun!


3 Weekends ago we got to go HOME. Oh how I love being in Meridian... not because the of the amazing weather or all there is to do there but because we got to see my best friend Bara Dawn and my family!
Saturday morning we played games with Bara before she had to work :( We were so sad it wasn't longer... 1 HOUR with that girl is never enough. We had so much fun though and will always remember Nic saying during clue: "I think it was Proffesor Plum, in the Lounge, with the Rope ORRRR the Revolver" HAHA
... and we didn't get any pictures oops...

Later that day we got the BEST news of our lives so if there was a good reason for coming home.. that made it all worth it!!!
Then later we celebrated my adorable neice's 2nd birthday and my sister-in-law's too!
We got her a Mr. Potato Head, which was her favorite present I might add!

Her favorite part? yep the frosting!

Nicole refused to blow out the candles so Jared gave some assistance

2 weekends ago we took an adventure to Utah..
and what did we do there??
ENGAGEMENT PICTURES!
and hit a few stops along the way....

We visited the most beautiful place - Salt Lake Temple

To spend some time with Jesus :)

This was probably the 3,001 picture we took that day so needless to say, our smiles weren't as perky as at the beginning of the day!

ENGAGEMENT PICTURES TO COME :)

and the countdown begins....!

We picked a date!!
Finally!
It honestly feels like a weight has been lifted and we couldn't be happier!
We are getting married May 21, 2011 <3

only 290 days to go haha