Crafting!

So much crafting has been going on lately! Getting ready for our wedding has kept me so busy! Here's what I've been up to....

autumn

Utah is absolutely stunning right now! I've fallen in love with this state. I've taken full advantage of living right below the mountains this fall. The mountains just pop right now with color. I wish I could spend all day, everyday up there. Give me the mountains, a camera, and a quiet afternoon and I'll be in heaven. 
Here are some of my favorite views from my phone I've taken lately....

little cottonwood canyon

alpine loop

bell canyon reservoir 

wasatch drive

glendale cabin

glendale cabin

glendale 

silver lake

mickey mouse at silver lake

beautiful aspens up big cottonwood canyon

silver lake

Can't wait to see more popping fall colors! I still need to go up Millcreek Canyon!

things i love

it's been one of those monday's where i have to step back and think about all of the things i love so i don't go crazy. 

i love rainy days (like today) and the smell it brings
i love when everything goes right
i love seeing kids getting so excited when they finally understand something or can do something on their own
i love fall. especially living so close to the mountains
i love that i'm with someone who can let me be completely myself
i love lists
i love crossing things off on lists
i love to read
i love writing in my journal
i love photographs
i love music
i love to play the piano
i love being outside
i love sweets..candy, cupcakes, cakes, doughnuts, ice cream...
i love my family
i love fuzzy socks and fuzzy blankets
i love sandals and boots
i love scarves 
i love water
i love basketball
i love my bed
i love smiles and laughing 
i love spending friday nights in

take me to the ocean.

It's been two weeks since I arrived home from my (small) trip to the ocean. Already, I'm dying to go back. For me, there is nothing like being on the coast with the humidity, the smell of salty sea water, the windy breeze, the feel of sand between my toes and the sound of waves crashing. Seriously, if I could, I would live right on the beach...or at least in walking distance. Instead, I live in the dry desert state, Utah. And don't get me wrong, Utah is beautiful! I love the mountains and would be sad if I didn't live near them, but I have forgotten how badly my body hates the seasonal changes we have here. I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue about 6-7 years ago and still find the seasonal changes (especially fall and spring) to be so difficult! I am constantly tired and don't ever feel like I'm getting enough sleep. (This has been especially hard this year while trying to plan for a wedding just over 3 months away!) 
blah, blah, blah....the point is, I love the beach and how alive and good it makes me feel to be near it. I think I need to seriously consider relocating to live closer to it (that okay, Mike?)
While spending two days on the beach wasn't nearly enough, we had such a good time! I enjoyed laying out on my towel, building sandcastles, playing in the waves, and searching for sea shells. 
AND! We took our engagement pictures on the beach, which turned out so well and I am so excited for them and the other pictures we plan on taking!

 

Our trip also included a quick trip to Hollywood which was a lot of fun because it's somewhere I've never been before. It was fun to walk down Hollywood Blvd and to see the famous Hollywood sign. We weren't there very long, but it was still a fun little stop on our way to Jason and Nikki's wedding (which was the main reason for our trip!)

Such a fun trip! Can't wait for the next one!

love is in the air.

This man...

is my best friend,

the love of my life,

my team mate,

and in four months,

he will be my HUSBAND! 

And I couldn't be more excited :)

Our night started here....

I've been sick, so I requested Zupas so I could eat some delicious soup; which I did. 

Next, we went here....

This is the park where we had our first kiss. We walked around the park and then found a spot underneath a tree to lay a blanket out. Mike was pretty anxious and kept playing with his camera and video recorder on his phone. He kept taking silly pictures of me and we just sat around and talked for awhile. While he continued to play on his phone, I decided to lay down. After a little while, he poked my leg and pulled me up to my knees and looked me directly in the eyes. I won't bore you with the whole "speech", but he told me he loved me and he was tired of having me be his girlfriend (romantic right.....? haha) he went on to explain that it was tiring because we'd been dating for so long and it was time to start the next chapter. He said all that was left was one thing. He pulled a knee up, and asked me if I would marry him. :) I nodded my head (don't have much of a voice right now) and gave him a huge hug. 

It seems so crazy! We've talked about this for a long time and it's finally here! It didn't even seem real, but it was absolutely perfect!

After, we celebrated like any couple would on the day that The Hunger Games DVD came out....

By going to Walmart, buying this movie and watching it!

And this, is what we came home to,

Love my family! 

Such a perfect night! 

photographs of summer.

Ferris Wheel at Liberty Park. 

Boating at Utah Lake with the Flint's

Pioneer Day. Cabin with the Flint's in the morning and early afternoon, BBQ with the Swain's in the evening.

 

 Moab, UT. 

 Celebrating 4 wonderful years together with lots of hikes and lots of one on one time together. I seriously can't believe we've been together for four years! I'm so excited for our future together!

Hiking with David up Big Cottonwood Canyon. 

my racing thoughts.

it has been such a long time since i've blogged! i have so much i want to write about and so many pictures to share, but i'm sitting at work on my lunch break, so i will write what i can and post pictures later.

here are some of my thoughts and highlights from the month of july....

-mike and i went boating with his family twice! so much fun! we went out to utah lake and enjoyed wake boarding, tubing, and chillin on the boat. 
-mike and i got to spend the whole day together on independence day. it was awesome taking fun pictures, having a bbq with my family, and simply being together.
-for the 4th, khemia and i made some awesome stars/stripes shorts. we're so crafty :)
-mike and i crossed items off of our summer list such as: homemade guacamole, the ferris wheel, hiking to cecret lake, etc.
-my family FINALLY took family pictures. it's been at least 5 or so years.
-khemia and i went and visited our camp family up at jurassic journey (cub scout camp) where i practiced my katniss everdeen impersonation. 
-i was crafty later on in the month and bleach dyed a denim shirt...it's super cute now!
-mike and i spent pioneer day together. 1st half of the day with his family up at their cabin, and the 2nd half with my family for a bbq
-mike and i celebrated our 4th!!! anniversary together!!! (wow how time flies!)
-we celebrated by going to MOAB (my first time) where we did a lot of hiking, spent a lot of time together, and learned a lot about each other. we stayed in a bug infested hotel, got rained out....forcing us to sleep in the car, gave each other cheesy gifts, but all in all, had a great time!

this summer has been one of the hardest, and most fun summers i've had. it has taught me a lot about patience and enjoying the small moments and memories. i've made myself try new things and i have big hopes and aspirations for the rest of the summer. i'm soooooo excited mike is done with summer semester this week and i'm insanely excited to flee utah and go to california at the end of the month. 
here's hoping for a good month of august! 

June.

June has certainly flown by. Here's a brief list of my favorite things I did in the month of June....
(in no particular order)


1. I started my new job at the University of Utah's Early Childhood Education Center. 

It's been so crazy! For most of the kids I teach, English is their second language and it often makes communicating and teaching in general a little tricky, but I still love it.

2. I made my summer list and have already crossed one thing off: going to the drive-in. 

We went and saw Brave and the Avengers.

I also attempted to long board. I failed. I hurt myself and gave up on trying again.

3. I love going to the chalk festival every year and this year was no different. We went with Matt and Abby. It was awesome because they were giving away cotton candy. SCORE!.

4. My sisters, mom, and I went on a girls weekend up to Park City. We stayed over for a night and then went shopping the next day. (Always my favorite!) 

5. Going boating with Mike and his friends/family at Utah Lake. (probably the best thing in June)