Hanson Happenings

Fashion Saturday

2012-02-13T21:21:00.001-07:00

Because I can do Fashion (Fri)Days any day I please. And by that I mean "it's my blog and I can pick the days I look cute to post a picture of myself."

I still feel like a poser posting pictures of myself solely for you to look at me.

But I'm going to do it anyway.

Because I am vain? Jumping on the bandwagon? A poser?

I don't know.... But here goes.

Shirt - DownEast Basics, Tank - Aeropostale, Skinny Jeans - Forever 21, Boots - Forever Young

Oops

2012-02-11T16:09:00.000-07:00

Today K and I switched on the TV, and the first thing we saw was Liv Tyler as Arwen.

Since I'm currently reading LOTR I'm slightly obsessed with watching the movies and so I got really excited, and yelled, "It's Harry Potter!"

Oops :)

Clearly not even my excitement over LOTR can distract from my love for HP.

Fashion Friday

2012-02-10T22:34:00.000-07:00

But really it's Fashion Thursday, because this is my outfit from yesterday.

Black skinny jeans from Forever 21, cream shirt with flower from Head Over Heels, green cardigan from Target. Not picture are my rocking black boots from Payless.

Sorry for the phone quality.

Also, do you like Fashion Fridays?

Or am I lame for thinking you want to know what I'm wearing?

(Also... I hate blog posts that end in questions to the readers. So now I kind of feel extra lame. Oh well.)

This is Kind of a Boring Post

2012-02-10T22:01:00.000-07:00

I started full-time on Tuesday. And I am loving it. I get home around 4:30, I have time to relax, get things done, cook dinner, and be with Kyle. It's amazing really. Still trying to learn all of my job responsibilities... But loving it nonetheless.

I went to book club on Monday night. It was awesome! Like I mentioned before, I went with Kasi. She is in the Counseling program with Kyle and so we met that way. She is so fun, and it was so nice of her to invite me along to the book club she was joining. The other girls in the book club were so nice and welcoming, and I'm looking forward to going each month and building friendships with them. I'm also excited to read the books we are planning on reading... As I mentioned, this month's book was The Kite Runner. March's book is The Rules of Civility, which I'm excited to start soon. I should probably finish LOTR first though.... I just started The Two Towers last night :)

I've been reminiscing this week on my wedding day, our Florida trip, and looking forward to our California trip in August! It's also crazy to think that Kyle has just a little over a year until he is graduated with his master's degree! Woah! My husband is awesome. And I love him :)

I don't have too much more to update on... Our lives are great, but not too exciting :)

Super Bowl Sunday, and other news

2012-02-05T19:30:00.000-07:00

Today was the Super Bowl.

K and I love the Super Bowl. (Ok, K likes it a bit more than I do... I like food and gathering and socializing and half time shows that go along with it, but you know - same dif.) And even though it was just the two of us today instead of hosting a party like we have the last few years, we still enjoyed it.

We had a "heartbaker" pizza from Papa Murphy's, Kyle made tex mex (aka seven layer) dip, and I made some chocolate chip cookies which turned out delicious (thanks to a recipe I found on pinterest, found here).

In other news, I read The Kite Runner this week in preparation for a book club I was invited to attend (meeting tomorrow). I was excited to read it, yet also hesitant as I had heard it had some disturbing content and because I have struggled with books set in different countries/belief systems before (especially books set in China/Japan, but that's another story...) I made it through, and although it was very sad in some parts, I did like it overall. K and I watched the movie today as well. I'm excited to hear others perspectives on it tomorrow. (I'm also kind of nervous for the book club! My friend Kaci invited me [who I met though Kyle since they are in the same program] - and so I will be going with her, but meeting new people as well! It's like first day of school jitters.)

I'm also still in the middle of the Lord of the Rings. Love it.

And good news about my job! This is my last week of doing PSR! After that I will be working full time in the office, being trained in more Billing areas, and it will be great. I will be working 8-4 - I'm going to try to be really good about waking up early and getting ready as I'm not a morning person, haha. But I am excited to have a set schedule (!!!!) and be able to be home at nights. I also got my own computer at work set up on Friday (finally!) which also calls for a little celebration as I had been going to work not knowing if I was going to be able to get on a computer each day. And last exciting thing about work - Friday was pay day. My first paycheck, and a full 80 hours. Woohoo! We're going to be able to start actually saving money and paying off student loans, too! This job is a blessing for sure.

And last thing of the night.... The new Hunger Games trailer.

Is. So. Good.

Random Thought

2012-02-02T20:47:00.000-07:00

Last night I was bored while Kyle was out running and playing tennis - I wasn't feeling very good either so of course I turned to the wonders of the internet. For some reason my thoughts turned to my old blog, and wondered if I could find my very first blog. I thought I had used a separate blogger account - and although I am about 100% sure I did, it seems like it was linked to my blogger account that I had previous to this, as taht one says I have been on blogger since 2004. And so it seems that I have deleted my old blogs (why would you do that, self!??) so that was a sad thing. While on this little trip down memory lane, I found a few of my friends old blogs - including one of my dear friend Kaylie from our sophomore year of high school. I also decided to login to my myspace account - first time in about two years and got a kick out of blog posts there, although it seems like I deleted some posts from that blog as well, which made me sad. But from the blog posts I did find - I was crazy. And immature. And my young teenage self cracks me up. I also got into my old email account (although my very first email account is gone, also a sad day) and become very entertained as I read old emails from freshman/sophomore year of high school.

.... Is there a point to this post? No. But I felt like I should document what I did last night, and how funny it was. I have grown up so much - thank goodness! And so... Yes. That is all I have to say.

LOTR

2012-01-30T18:08:00.003-07:00

I love this book. And I'm so happy to be rereading it.
And yes, I am a closet nerd.

A Title

2012-01-22T14:59:00.002-07:00

I suppose it's time for me to blog, since I haven't in over a week. I just haven't really had any news, thoughts or pictures to share. So, here is a list of things that have been on my mind lately, just for you!

+ My long hair. I know it's long, but whenever I straighten it I think, holy crap! My hair is long! And I love it. I think I want to every so often, but I don't. I am loving having long hair. It hasn't been this long since high school, and I think I'll keep it this way for a while longer.

+ My job. Oh, my job. It's good! I was thrown into the credentialing process which I was not expecting, but it's ok. I don't hate it, but I do hate having to pester insurance companies. Plus, I'm still learning the ins and outs of it, which can be frustrating at times. I am enjoying office time though! And I am also enjoying that all of my PSR clients live within a mile of the office and that most of the places I take them are within a mile or two at most so that makes for a happy camper Britt. (A tank of gas lasted us two weeks! Rejoice!)

+ The Hunger Games movie is coming out in two months. I need another trailer. And guess what's coming out in a year and two months? Ender's Game, the movie! So excited for that one as well... Hope it turns out good!

+ Our little niece Whitney turned 8 on Friday. 8! I can't believe it.

+ Babies. Everyone is having one, I swear. Sometimes I think I want one right now or I could die, but that's totally true. I am loving my life right now. The sleep I get, the alone time with Kyle, etc. etc. So yes. I can wait a year, or two. But when that time does come you will not see a happier girl than this one.

+ My BFF Dani's wedding, and bridal shower. It's getting closer, and I am loving planning the shower and trying to keep myself from buying a bridesmaids dress yet so I won't be tempted to wear it before the wedding... Ha.

+ All the lovely people I want to see in Utah.

+ My handsome hubs and how much I adore him.

+ How our dishes pile up and up and up sometimes. Not having a dishwasher is the worst sometimes.

+ How I love my wardrobe. I've mentioned this before, but seriously. I can't decide what to wear in the morning not because I don't like anything, but because I want to wear EVERYTHING. And that, my friends, is a good feeling. Perhaps I'll start doing Fashion Fridays or something when I show off how cute my outfits are? Maybe.....

+ The awesome mix CD that is playing in my car right now and has been for a couple of weeks. 21 songs that I am not sick of yet? Check. Love rocking out in my car. Super Bass by Nikki Minaj is really great for that, and of course Adele and Kelly Clarkson are great for belting. Love.

+ My super secret and exciting Valentine's Day plans. Ok, they're not so secret or exciting, but that's ok. It will still be a great one anyway!

+ I want an iPhone just so I can use Instagram.

Ok, I think that's all. Not very exciting, but there you go. My brain, recently.

Awesome

2012-01-12T22:07:00.001-07:00

I'm just sitting here thinking about how awesome my life is.

Kyle is awesome. He is my best friend and also lover and also my forever. He makes me laugh every day. ("Promise to make me laugh?" "Every day." Name that movie and you get a prize.) And he is such a hard worker and is going to be such an amazing daddy some day.

Also, my new job is awesome. And actually my new responsibilities are kind of overwhelming but also will be great. And I am learning so much. And working in an office is great. And even the kids/adults I do PSR with are great. And not driving out of town is great. And working a full 40 hour week is great (especially when it comes to my bank account.)

And my BYU experience was the greatest ever. Totally awesome. Great roommates, great adventures, great friends, great relationships, great stories, etc etc etc. I loved it all. (Maybe this is hindsight talking because I know I did not think it was awesome at the time but really it was.) I am even saying all my trials were awesome. Trials equals school, homework, callings, roommates, money problems, job(s), boys, friends, etc. All were great.

My life is great because the Gospel is great and because the people in my life are great.

AWESOME, possum, is my life.

PS - you can check out my new little project here.

Paris Day

2012-01-07T22:20:00.000-07:00

Today was Paris day at our house. And it was all planned for and prepared by my Kyle. It started off with planning a date night, and turned into a practically all day affair.

It started off with flowers on the kitchen table....

Then, for breakfast: crepes, complete with strawberries and Nutella!

For lunch: cheese, bacon and ham quiche!

For dinner: chicken cordon bleu, french cut green beans, french bread, with creme brulee for dessert!

Followed by watching: Midnight in Paris!

Kyle did all the cooking, and it all turned out delicious! That homemade creme brulee - to die for! We hadn't tried making that before, but we will definitely be making it again in the future.

Thanks, babe for a great day!

A Little Reminiscing

2012-01-04T21:57:00.001-07:00

Just a few pictures of some of my favorite (single) times, 2008-2009.

Hanging with this crew all the time, plus some.

Becoming best friends with these two, and having multiple crazy adventures, sleep overs, late nights, long chats, quoting movies and youtube videos, etc. etc. etc.

Being roommates with this girl and our long random chats.

Hanging with the best FHE brothers EVER all the time.
(And hey, I married one of them, and so I still get to hang with him all the time and it's AWESOME.)

Random adventures with these ladies.

And these ones.

And these ones. (So thankful for the internet to keep us connected.)

Becoming besties with these two fabulous ladies and doing all things fun together.

Being in a fantastic RS Presidency with these wonderful girls.
Learning a lot, and having a ton of fun.

Working with these ladies.
(Although this was not in my single years but my married one[s].)

And the rest of the crew.

I had the best BYU experience.

Really, I did.

And I'm so grateful for all I learned.

And for all the memories I made.

Thanks, guys.

2012 Expected Adventures...

2012-01-04T21:27:00.003-07:00

Can you believe it's 2012?

....

Me neither.

But there you go. Time keeps on flying by. It goes faster the older you get, have you noticed? And each year is getting better as well, at least in my opinion. I'm excited for the new year, and the adventures/goals we have planned.

ADVENTURES:

+Starting my new job (happened this week) and being done with PSR

+Best friend Dani's WEDDING!
+Celebrating our 2nd wedding anniversary

+Girl's Camp in June

+Yellowstone trip sometime in the summer
+5 year high school reunion this summer?

+Hanson Family vacay/reunion in Oceanside, CA in August

+Kyle completing all but one semester of graduate school
(hollah, graduate of 2013!)

+Not having to move

GOALS:

+Save money - Savings fund! Baby/car fund! Freedom fund!

+Temple monthly

+Planned date nights

+Lose weight/exercise

+Following President Monson's ABC's: Attitude, Believe, Courage

Christmas 2011

2011-12-29T21:13:00.018-07:00

K and I have had a great Christmas! We drove down on Thursday afternoon, and will be leaving to go back home tomorrow. We were lucky this year - well, should I say blessed and spoiled. Kyle and I used the money we were given wisely and were able to get a ton of things!

We... Visited Temple Square, stayed at Nate and Mel's, went to Sherlock Holmes with Jess and Alan, did some Christmas shopping, spent time with kiddos and Mom and Dad, watched It's a Wonderful Life, read Luke 2 with the family, opened presents with the kiddos on Christmas morning, went to Nate and Mel's church, had Christmas lunch, opened presents with Mom and Chari, had Christmas dinner, went to the Bishop (Kyle's mom's family) family party, spent a day in Price visiting the Hanson side of the family, spent the night in Scofield at Uncle Dennis's cabin (where Kyle was able to go shooting), spent more time with Charity and mom, and altogether just had a great time.

We loved celebrating Christmas was our families, and are glad that we could spend more time down here than we originally planned. We also really enjoyed that Christmas was on a Sunday so that we were able to go to Church on Christmas Day and enjoy a lovely program full of Christmas songs.

And now... Enjoy a modge podge of pictures from our Christmas week.

K and I at Temple Square

Beautiful Temple!

The Nativity Scene

Nate and Mel's Christmas tree, Christmas morning - little Avery observing all the presents Santa left.

After presents were open - what a haul!

K and I in all our Christmas morning glory.

K and I on Christmas holding baby Claire.

Merry Christmas from me and Kyle!

Chari's face when opening her dinosaurs from K and I

Christmas haul - both things given to us, and things we bought with money given to us. Calendar, mp3 players, leg warmers, socks, ramekins, church CD's, Butterbeer cup, chapstick, lip gloss, oil vial, hot cocoa/smores kit, lotion, HP 7.1 and 7.2, different books, ornament, water bottle, shirts and tie for Kyle. (Not pictured - Kyle's Wii, Just Dance 3, scrapbook stuff, and a big cosmetic/travel tote.)

Just our candy. YUM.

Thanks to everyone who helped us make our holiday great!!

Hanson Family Christmas Card, 2011

2011-12-29T14:29:00.001-07:00

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T19:17:00.001-07:00

K and I have been having a great Christmas! A full update will be coming sometime, but I wanted to make sure to wish you all a Merry Christmas! I meant to scan in our Christmas card before we left for the holiday but forgot! So that will be coming later as well.

I'm so grateful for the birth of Christ, and all that he does for me and blesses me with. 'Truly He taught us to love one another. His law is love and His Gospel is peace.'

New Fav

2011-12-20T20:06:00.003-07:00

Pre-Christmas Adventure Weekend

2011-12-18T18:49:00.000-07:00

K and I weren't really planning on coming down to Utah until next weekend, especially since we went down so many times in November. But when BYU sent us an email that said they were selling tickets to the Baylor game for $2 each we decided to buy some and take another weekend trip down to good old P town.

We were able to leave fairly early on Friday, and drove straight to Alan and Jess's to have dinner and meet our sweet new niece, Claire! We also watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - a Hanson family tradition - or at least a Hanson boy tradition :)

Saturday was spent hanging out at Nate and Mel's with them and the kiddos, and then driving down to the game. We had a great group! Me, K, Ayisha, Sarah, Alan, Nate, Bud and Cami. I wish I would have gotten a picture of all of us, but just know we all had a great time. After the game I got a haircut, we hung out at Sarah's, and then went to Casey's Christmas party where we were able to see Missy, Isha, Jake, Nancy and Scott, and Jason and Katie - and of course Casey, our great host.

We stayed at Nate and Mel's again last night, and drove home with morning and got back in time for church - where we had a Christmas party in YW. Love my calling :)

And now, what you've all been waiting for - the pictures from our weekend.

Me with adorable Baby Claire

Proud Uncle Kyle

BYU vs Baylor game

Crazy awesome half-time show - jump ropers!

Me and Sarah! Love her! Plus it was her birthday.

Me and Isha

We had a great time - and are excited to drive back down on Thursday for Christmas!

My Isha

2011-12-14T21:30:00.004-07:00

God sure knew what he was doing when he gave this girl to me as a best friend.
Love you always, BFF.

Year Recap/Christmas Card Letter That We Didn't Send/A Modge Podge of Pictures

2011-12-14T21:18:00.001-07:00

So. Here I am with some free time while Kyle is cleaning the church/playing basketball. So I figured I would do the recap of our year since I'm not sure when else I'll have time before the year actually ends. I mean, I'm sure I could make time, but... I have some now. So.

Quick news: Kyle passed his pre-prac class which means he could officially do practicum this next semester. And he also found out that he can do it on campus in the Counseling Center which just happens to be located on the same floor as his department/all his class, and they will just schedule clients between classes. Shweet deal, huh? This means that he does not have to spend hours finding a place that will take him and figure out hours with them and it also means that we do not need a second car. At least yet. Good news all around!

Onto the year recap, starting with... (I may or may not have had to look back at past blogs to figure out what happened. And I did not include every little thing that happened... As much as I wanted to. So just know that even more fun friend-filled days happened. A lot.)

JANUARY

*Spent a night in Vegas - my first time.

*Spent New Years in Bakersfield with Blaine, Brooke, Allie, and Evan and Holly. Celebrated New Years Day by getting up insanely early to drive to the Rose Bowl Parade. Freezing, and early, but worth it.

*Cousin's night out

*Bud and Cami's wedding

*Nancy's birthday party

FEBRUARY

*Had a lovely free photo shoot by Lissa Chandler.

*Had a Hawaiian luau at IS to say goodbye to our supervisor, Stephanie. (Also had a great party at her house.)

*Valentine's Day date

*Michelle Peralta got jimmered

*Jerry Sloan retired

MARCH

*Threw a baby shower for Bonnie with Adrianne

*K turned 25

APRIL

*Went to the Festival of Colors with Isha (may have also been late March?)

*Went to the Buy Back America Launch of the Constitution of the Restoration with Casey and Ish (aka trying to become politically involved

*Baby Apollo was born (Mom=BFF Bonnie)

MAY

*Went on an awesome 10 day trip to FLORIDA to celebrate our 1 year anniversary and visit my Dad. Sites visited include: my birthplace, my first apartment, the beach, a Tampa Bay Rays game, Busch Gardens, Universal Studios (ie: HARRY POTTER), Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot.

JUNE

*Baby sister turned 8

*MG night (aka talking and gabbing and eating while snuggling on Apollo)

*Nadia's wonderful wedding

*Summerfest with Ish, Sarah and Ginger

*Kid History premiere with Ish, Collin, and Channing

*We got new phones and became part of the Android crowd

JULY

*Charity's baptism

*Stadium of Fire the same day as the baptism with Mom and Chari

*Harry Potter 7.2 came out. Greatest and saddest day ever. Midnight showing happened, of course.

*Arches trip - just K and I

*Camp Rock with Ish and Casey

*Kyle ran a MARATHON (and a half marathon a few weeks before)

*Me and Isha threw Janae a baby shower

*Baby Kynzlie was born, (Mom= BFF Janae)

*Party for Ayisha's birthday!

*Baby nephews Luke and Logan were born

*Lake Powell trip with our singles ward

AUGUST

*I graduated from BYU!

*My last day at IS

*We moved from Provo to Pocatello

*Kyle started graduate school and I got a new job

SEPTEMBER

*Labor Day trip to Bakersfield for Luke and Logan's blessings

*Isha visited and we visited Utah

OCTOBER

*Carved a pumpkin

*Trip to Utah

*Kynzlie's blessing

NOVEMBER

*Tyler and Alishia's wedding

*Collin and Alicia's wedding

*Date with Dani and Mich

*Thanksgiving spent at my momma's

DECEMBER

*I got a new job and quit my current one

*Trip to Utah (this weekend)

*CHRISTMAS! (next weekend, of course)

(Remember how freakin' long it takes to blog something like this? I started at 8, and it is now 9:20. So sorry if the last few months are a little sparse in the picture department...) Also, I'm too lazy to reformat anything that may need it. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe...

Man, I need a snack.

News! and a little update

2011-12-10T13:26:00.000-07:00

Now. if you know me, you know that I have not been loving my job. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy working with the kids, and I enjoy helping them. What I don't enjoy? Driving out of town and all over town everyday, the rough families that I work with whose stories just emotionally drain me, the barely getting 30 hours a week if that, the hours, no benefits, etc, etc. Don't get me wrong, I was so blessed to find a job so quickly after moving to Pocatello, but it just isn't what I wanted to do in the long run - even if the long run was just two years. So, I've been searching for jobs for the past little bit to see what I could find. (Remember when I blogged awhile ago about potentially exciting news? It was because I had applied to a job I thought I might get, but I didn't so that is why you never heard anything again.) ANYWAYS. With that back story....

I was just offered a new job on Thursday, which I accepted yesterday morning.

It is at a facility called Seasons of Hope, and I will be starting out doing some PSR work (which is what I am doing now), while training to become the Billing Manager.

(This is the story of how it happened - feel free to skip if you want!) This job basically fell into my lap, and I am so grateful. I sent in an application on Tuesday night in response to an Occupational Therapy aide position ad. I was called Wednesday morning to set up an interview, and I interview on Thursday. I interviewed with the owner/director of Seasons of Hope and the Regional Operations Manager. It was a different type of interview I found - as I was basically told, "well, you don't meet some qualifications for the position you applied for, but we are really impressed with your resume and wanted to interview you anyway to see where we could fit you into our company." The interview/discussion lasted about 20-25 minutes and about half way through they said basically this was a secret interview to be the Billing Manager! We also spent time talking about what I wanted in a job including compensation, benefits, etc. In short: they want to hire me as the Billing Manager, but since it is such an important job (ie: handling a lot of money) they wanted to put into a PSR position while training in order to monitor my trustworthiness, work ethic, ability to do billing, etc. I was offered $13/hr, benefits (still working on what that entails), and forty flexible hours a week. It's a great resume building experience, and I will be honest - from my experience I love working in the administration/management side of an organization, so I am really excited about this opportunity. The owner/director also promised me he would minimize my driving while doing PSR which equals no out of town driving. It was so unexpected, and so great, and my mind has been reeling for the last couple of days. This will be great for our little family, and I feel so blessed - both knowing that my Heavenly Father is looking out for me, and that my hard work is paying off (an employer sought me out for a job I didn't even apply for/know about!).

Ok, that's all about that. Sorry for the long novel. In other news...

*Kyle's brother Alan and his wife Jess had their baby on Wednesday afternoon. It was a healthy little girl who they named Claire.

*We had a great night last night which included a cheap meal at Costa Vida ($6 for deep dive nachos and two drinks!), doing some Christmas shopping (a belt for Kyle, dress pants, leg warmers, and a set of 4 ramekins for me), and some grocery shopping. After which we came on home, made some microwave chocolate melting cake and watched Die Hard. I also chatted with my BFF Dani about wedding plans for about 30 minutes last night, love her.

*Today is another great day: we slept in, are currently watching the BYU vs Utah basketball game, and we are planning on a trip to the dollar store (Christmas gifts for my kiddos), a matinee movie (In Time at the dollar theater), and some cleaning, laundry (maybe), and other things around the house - plus spending time together.

*K only has one more final (on Monday) before he is officially finished with his first semester of graduate school! I am so proud of him! And grateful that he is working so hard.

*We are planning on coming down to Utah next week as there was a great deal on tickets for the BYU vs Baylor basketball game. And then of course we'll be back down the next weekend for Christmas!

*I got a new calling in our ward! I am now the Young Women secretary and I'm so excited about it. I've wanted to be a leader in YW since I was a young woman, and I'm excited to get to know the girls in our ward better.

And just because a picture should be included because this was a long blog post, how about a little flashback to high school?

Honey Chipotle Chicken Crispers for the win!

2011-12-03T16:24:00.000-07:00

Last night Isha came to visit, and we had so-o much fun. She came and picked up K and I and then we drove up to Idaho Falls to meet up with Carson and go to dinner. We went to Chili's and OH MY HECK I had the best meal ever. Honey Chipotle Chicken Crispers that came with french fries and corn on the cob, along with an appetizer of Chili's delicious chips and guacamole (and this is not just regular guac I tell you, it's magical). I didn't take a picture of my entree, so I googled one so you could observe the deliciousness.

Yeah, delicious. And Ayisha got the Cajun Chicken Pasta... the leftovers of which she left in my fridge. So I will just have to eat those too :) Anyway - we had a great time at dinner, and I was happy to finally meet Carson. He's great. We forgot to take a picture of the four of us though - blast! Oh well, hopefully there will plenty more times that we can make that happen!

Later that night we played around with our new Wii! That's the only thing Kyle wanted for Christmas, so we have been stalking KSL and Craiglist for good deals. We found a great one in Provo this week, and Ayisha was awesome and picked it up for us. It came with Wii Sports and Wii Fit (as well as Mario in Space/Galaxy something, two controllers, two nunchucks, and a little gun thing) and so last night we "made sure" it worked by playing until midnight. Wii Fit's going to make me fit, that's for sure.

Ish had to leave early this morning, but we're sure glad she came.

Other festivities of the week included decorating for Christmas! We had a blast doing it. As we unpacked our Christmas decor, we found we didn't have any ribbon... Or any hooks. Whoops. I found this hilarious and laughed for about five minutes straight until we left for quick dollar store run. Everything was pretty smooth sailing from there on out, we even had our classic Christmas Pandora station playing in the background.

Here's our little tree in all it's glory. Poor thing is kind of shoved in a corner, but it's the only room we have.

Our new Wii! And our few Christmas decorations.

Our Paraguayan nativity.

Style

2011-11-28T11:47:00.000-07:00

Isn't it funny how your personal style changes? I've been thinking about it lately as I daydream about decorating my future home, as well as decorating my current one. I've also been thinking about it as I get rid of some articles of clothing and buy clothes to replace the ones I gave away. I finally feel like I am settling into my own style - not saying I didn't have one before. I did. I had a very set style. And while that style is still underlying my changes - I have built upon it, added a few things, taken away a few things, and I like what I see.

For most of my life - junior high, high school, the majority of college - I was a green, brown, and blue girl. T-shirts, jeans, tennis shoes, hoodies. I cared about what I looked like, but wasn't into anything too girly (like ruffles, cardigans for normal day wear, boots, heels, pinks, etc.). Now - I've expanded on that. I love cardigans and boot, I'm into skinny jeans and sandals. I enjoy a nice pair of heels (but still not my favorite... ha). I'm wearing carefully selected pinks, light blues, grays, etc. And I love it. I love my new found style, my confidence in what I'm wearing. It's a pretty great feeling really.

And back to home decorating... I've really been expanding in that too. Like above, I've always been a green, brown and blue person when it comes to decor. And I still am - but I am loving yellows and golds, and lighter blues (cornflowers, etc), and some black and grays. I sort of wish I had figured this out before I got married so I could have registered for some different color things and maybe done my wedding a little differently :)

So really - this blog post doesn't have much of a point other than this - I've found my style, one that I'm comfortable in and happy with. Of course it will continue to expand and change and grow, but I'm happy.

PS - congratulations are in order for....

2011-11-27T18:33:00.001-07:00

My dear friend, Natalie Savage, who just received her mission call! She was called to serve in the Salt Lake Temple Square mission and enters the MTC on January 4th! Nat was one of my best friends at the Riv, and I'm so excited for her!

Me and Nat ice skating in 2009.

And, this is kind of old news, but congrats are also in order for my BFF Dani (I can't call her anything but that, it's like her title) who is getting married to Michel Knowles on April 26, 2012! I'm so happy for her, and excited to be a bridesmaid as well ;)

Ok, this is a terrible picture of both of us, but I love it so! This was my 19th birthday breakfast at IHOP. Dani's also pictured in the post below :)

Thanksgiving Activities 2011

2011-11-27T18:20:00.000-07:00

Well, a wonderful, relaxing Thanksgiving has come and gone.

Our week(end) was full of family, friends, and food.

We spent time with my mom and Charity (Clue and Yahtzee! are a blast with an eight year old, let me tell you). We visited Grandma Hanson in Price, and saw other members of the Hanson clan while there. We did a little bit of shopping (four shirts and one tank for me and one shirt for K for $30? Yes, please). We saw Ayisha and Janae. We went on a double date with my BFF Dani and her awesome fiance Mich. We ate delicious food (the regular Thanksgiving fare, Wingers, BK and MickeyD's, Mimi's Cafe, and homemade lasagna). We slept in and napped. Basically we just had a great time.

Now we're back home, putting things away, and getting excited to start decorating for Christmas!

(Here are a couple pictures from our double with Dani and Mich!)

I'm Thankful

2011-11-24T09:51:00.001-07:00

I know most everyone in the blogworld posts a "thankful" post around Thanksgiving, but I would feel very ungrateful if I didn't.

First, I'm thankful for my wonderful husband, Kyle Scott.

He is the kindest, sweetest, most hard working person I know, and I love him so much. He makes me feel like a princess everyday, listens to my constant rambling, constantly makes sure I know I'm loved, and just does so much for me. I don't know what I did to deserve him, but I'm sure glad he's mine!

Second, I'm thankful for our families.

My momma, who has also been there for me, and taught me so much - and Charity, the sister I thought I would never have, and who taught me the true meaning of her name.

I'm grateful for my daddy, who is following his dreams, and who always makes me feel loved, even from states away. I'm grateful for Steve as well, who supports my dad and Kyle and I.

And of course, I'm thankful for the wonderful Hanson family. I'm so thankful for Mom and Dad Hanson, who raised Kyle to be an amazing man, and for K's brothers, sisters-in-law, and our nieces and nephews.

Third, I'm thankful for friends - both my bff's and friends who I'm not as close with. Friends brighten up my day, through text, emails, calls, and facebook - I love keeping up with them, and I'm thankful for all they've done for me in my life - particularly Ayisha, Dani, Mckall, Kaylie, Kyla, Lindsay, Jacey, Aaron, Collin, Janae, Emily, Natalie, Sarah, Ginger, Nadia, the MG's, and my IS Testing Department - and many, many more!

Fourth, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the peace, love, joy it brings me in my life. I'm thankful I was raised in the church, and was able to be sealed in the Temple of our God for time and all eternity. I'm thankful for the knowledge I have of being a daughter of God and knowing that I can return to live with him someday.

I'm also thankful for:

our home and everything in it, my phone, our computer, books, hot showers, clothes, our ward, my job, our car, photos and scrapbooks, technology, my ring, our TV, the beautiful earth, the opportunity I had to get a college education... And so much more.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I want to watch this over and over and over and...

2011-11-17T11:05:00.001-07:00

A Few Things

2011-11-16T22:13:00.000-07:00

* First, I danced in a studio tonight for the first time in nearly 3 years. It was delightful and felt oh-so-good. K and I went to the ISU gym tonight, where I ran and he played tennis with some friends. After I was finished running, I was waiting for Kyle when I had the idea to see if there was an empty dance studio. There was, and so I danced.

*Second, I'm real excited for the weekend. And also for Thanksgiving.

*Third, look at these great pictures from Collin's wedding that I got from Nae! Oh I love her and Ayisha.

I have a few blog posts in the works (or at least, in my head!) so look forward to those... Sometime.

Utah Weekend #2

2011-11-14T10:19:00.001-07:00

Yes, we went to Utah again this past weekend -and we loved it!

The sad thing is, I remembered our camera, but not the SD card? I was trying to be so good about taking pictures! Especially since it was one of BFF's from high school's receptions, so practically our entire group of friends was there. Oh well - it was so much fun to catch up with everyone.

We did take a group picture on Whit's phone - so here it is in all it's glory.

Back: Kyle, Aaron, Jake, Jessica (Caleb's wife), and Caleb
Middle: Bronson (Whit's husband), Whit, me, Casey, Ayisha, Nancy (plus baby!) and Luke
Front: Katie and Missy
(Janae, her husband Cory, and baby Kynzlie were also there earlier.)

We all look possessed, but it's still kind of great.

Anyway, so Collin is married. (I haven't even mentioned whose reception it was yet, have I?) Yes, Collin and the adorable Alicia. I don't know her very well, but I like her - and I'm excited to get to know her better! They seem great together. And it was so great to see Collin. I'm kind of bummed I didn't get a picture of me, Collin and Aaron together. We were the three amigos in high school/freshman year of college (plus Caleb, when he was in town). Always together doing who knows what! They were the two best friends I could have asked for, and they got me through some rough spots during junior and senior years, and freshman year, too.

Love them. And here is a visual of Collin. This was at his farewell.

So back to the weekend. The reception was great. Then we went to my mom's and had a sleepover :) Chari loves it when we do that. We slept in a little bit, ate some delicious breakfast, and spent time together. Later that afternoon, after a yummy lunch of rice and curry, we drove up to Nathan and Melanie's. Kyle's dad was in town, so we had a family dinner together. Jess and Alan came over as well, so we had a great time. After we put the kiddos to bed, we watched Atlas Shrugged: Part 1. As you probably know, Atlas Shrugged is one of my favorite books, and I have been looking forward to watching the movie. I really enjoyed, and recommend it! We slept over there that night, and then drove home in the morning in order to go to our own ward for church!

So that was our weekend - and it was a great one!
But we are excited to stay at home this weekend in our little home and get things plus. Plus, we'll be back in less than two weeks for Thanksgiving!

Sicky

2011-11-08T19:46:00.000-07:00

Being sick is awful.

I haven't been this sick in a long time. Well, now I am feeling much better, but yesterday, and earlier today? Not so much. Think sore throat, runny/stuffy nose, and a head that feels like it's going to explode because of sinus pressure. Not so fun.

Luckily... I think I'm on the mend. And my sweet Kyle has been great.

Also... Something exciting may be in the works.

Nothing concrete for now, but I'll let you know.

(And no, it does not involve a baby, just fyi.)

Our Utah Weekend

2011-11-07T15:32:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend down in Utah, and had a great time! The main reason we went down was because our friend's Tyler and Alishia were getting married! Tyler and Kyle were roommates in summer 2008 at the Riv, then Tyler moved to VP, which is where Kyle ended up moving a year later, so they were in the same ward together again. I of course met Tyler through Kyle. Tyler and Alishia met in their ward at VP, and are perfect for each other! We've become really good friends with them and were so happy to share their special day.

But first things first, we drove down to Nate and Mel's Friday night. My Friday afternoon client ended up cancelling so we were able to leave earlier than we expected, so that was nice. We got to Nate and Mel's played with the kids for a while, and then all went to bed. We got up early the next morning, got ready, and drove down to the Mt Timpanogos temple. We were able to go to their sealing (which was performed by her grandpa, so sweet), and then to a delicious luncheon (roast, mashed potatoes, gravy, veggies, bread, lemonade, and chocolate cake!). Both of their dad's gave great little speeches, as did the bride and groom.

After the luncheon, we drove down to BYU where we were able to meet up with my mom and see Charity, who was participating in the diCi Day of Dance at BYU. We went to her little performance, and it was really fun.

After that was over we went to Missy's, where Ayisha was painting her room since she is moving in! We got to spend time with Miss, Ish, and then Katie came over too. (Poor Kyle was a great sport!)

Then, we headed to Tyler and Alishia's reception, which was in the Skyroom in the Wilk.

We saw lots of friends there, our former bishop, my cousin Bri, and had a great time eating crepes and drinking hot chocolate. Mmmm, mmm.

After the reception we went to Jill and Garyn's (the couple in the above picture, some of our best friends!) where we ate some pizza and just chatted.

And then we drove back up to Nate and Mel's, busy day!

Sunday we spent time with the family, and went to church together.

After church, we went over to Melanie's parents house, ate dinner, and then K and I took off for home.

We had a busy, busy weekend, but we loved.

I, however, and now sick :( I started feeling sick last night, and stayed home this morning with a terrible sore throat, headache and congestion. Hopefully I can start feeling better!

I Love Fall

2011-11-03T10:46:00.002-06:00

(Both pictures taken on my phone yesterday.)

A Quick Note

2011-11-01T14:00:00.000-06:00

to say I'm glad that Halloween is over, and that it's now November.
to say, "holy cow, it's November already?!"
to say I'm excited to go down to Utah this weekend, to see our good friends Tyler and Alishia get married, and to see our family as well.
to say I love books and reading.
to say I love autumn smells.
to say I love my husband.
to say I'm kind of tired and have a long 5 hours ahead of me still. (Tuesdays are my latest and most exhausting days.)
to say I have been taking the time to notice tender mercies more lately.
to say .... well, happy fall!

Our lovely pumpkin.

Us and the pumpkin - K did most of the work, I supervised eating of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies :)

My Hair

2011-10-26T21:57:00.000-06:00

Let me tell you a story... A story about the many hair lengths of Britt.

This story will be lengthy (har, har) and involve a lot of pictures.

Get ready.

Upon graduation from high school (May 2007) it was this lovely length.

And it stayed long into October of 2007 (aka Freshman year)

But then, in November 2007, it was chopped.

And then it grew out.

And then it was chopped again. (In October-ish 2008.)

And it grew out a little more. (This picture, March 2009.)

And then it grew out, and was long for our engagements (October 2009).

And for our wedding (May 2010). (Ok, technically this is a bridal taken in April '10.)

And then I cut it in June 2010.

And since then it's been growing again.

(evidenced in a February 2011 photo, and a June 2011 photo.)

And now it's really long. And I like it? Mostly.

But I kind of want a change. (Hence why I dyed the bottom part of my hair black-ish in June.)

But do I really want to cut my hair? If I do cut it - I'll go short.

Go big or go home, I say.

Thoughts, opinions? I probably wouldn't cut it until January anyway... I just want thoughts.

I think I look good (better?) with long hair. And medium length.

Ok, and I look ok with short hair. I think.

I would do something like this:

Or maybe this: (but a little bit shorter)

Like maybe this?

(Sorry, I stole your picture, Alishia! But I love your hair!)

(And don't worry readers, I know them both!)

Any thoughts on the matter?

Don't hold back. You can tell me I look terrible in one hairstyle or the other, if you want.

Lookalike

2011-10-24T22:14:00.000-06:00

K and I went and did a session at the IF Temple on Thursday night. While there, I had a woman tell me that I was a Selena Gomez lookalike, that her daughter loves Selena Gomez, and had I gotten that before? and was I as young as Selena Gomez? and it was just so great.

I laughed. After I told Kyle he said I should have asked her if she wanted a picture with me.

What do you think? Do I look like her? Or do you think I look more like another celebrity?

Another Weekend

2011-10-22T13:57:00.000-06:00

I live for the weekends.

I can spend time with Kyle, catch up on cleaning the house and my to-do list, read, and sleep-in, among other things. I don't think about work. It's lovely.

Last night I met up with Kyle at his department's Halloween party. I met some people in his cohort, along with their significant others and children. Kyle helped the kids decorate cookies while I was the resident face painter. We had a great time. After it was over, we came home and watched X Men: First Class, which I thoroughly enjoyed (and maybe I even cried in it...).

I received a package from my dad yesterday, which was awesome. He knows me so well. A cardigan, some Burts Bees chapstick, a bookmark, and a framed poem about marriage written by my great (x2, I think) grandpa, Joel Hills Johnson. My dad's the greatest, thanks Dad!

Currently K and I are watching the BYU/ISU game. Funny, isn't it, that BYU is playing ISU for the first time in years, and K is attending ISU? Don't worry, we're still rooting for BYU! :) Go Cougars!

A Fire Still Burning

2011-10-18T17:55:00.002-06:00

I don't love The Killers, but I do love this "I'm a Mormon" video by Brandon Flowers.

Today

2011-10-15T15:52:00.000-06:00

Slept in.
Blog-and facebook-stalked.
Showered, dressed.
Planned our budget.
Deposited my paycheck.
Bought a new jacket for Kyle.
Went grocery shopping.
Got a large Dr. Pepper from BK.
Home now.

Cleaning, dishes, reading, and a BYU game to follow.

It's been a great day.
Happy Autumn.

In Case You Didn't Know...

2011-10-10T20:23:00.000-06:00

I'm a blog stalker.
So if any of you reading this haven't met me in real life - no biggie! I probably stalk your blog too. Or if I don't, I would love to. So, comment away - meeting new blog friends is always fun, even if my husband thinks it's silly :)

Now, moving on to our adventures of last weekend.
Woahhhh, it was busy. But so fun, and so worth it. We started by driving down to Nathan and Melanie's on Friday night. We got there around 9:30 (blast working until 6/doing paperwork until 6:30.) We chatted with Nate and Mel for about a half hour before we all went to bed. We woke up the next morning, chatted, played with our favorite kiddos, and ate breakfast. And lunch. Avery is starting to walk and it's the cutest thing ever. Whitney was happy as ever, and Liam was happy to tell us about Star Wars.
After lunch K and I drove down to Provo and went over to Garyn and Jill's for about an hour. We love them. We just chat and chat and have a great time. They rate very high on my list of favorite people. After that, I dropped Kyle off at the Wilk while I went and visited Sarah for an hour and a half. Besties reunited. It was so good to see her and talk to her. Afterwards I picked up Kyle and we drove to Ayisha's where we got ready for Steve and Ginelle's reception. Their reception was great. Steve and I went to high school together and were friends - Ginelle was in my ward at the Riv, and the fall after I got married Steve and a bunch of my other guy friends from high school moved into the Riv ward. Steve and Ginelle met, and as happens in singles wards (specifically the 79th ward....) they are now married. And I love them, they are so great together. And it was also a lot of fun to see some other friends from both the Riv and from high school.
After the reception we drove to my mom's, where we watched Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs with her and Charity before going to bed. (Well, Kyle stayed up to watch the rebroadcast of the BYU game on BYUTV.) Sunday morning we got up, went to church, and then had a delicious lunch. (PS, did I tell you my mom washed our laundry? She's the best. She even steamed Kyle's collared shirts. Such service!) After lunch Kyle and I made the drive to Pleasant Grove to Cory's parents' house where the Boyce and Parker families (as well as Ayisha and Casey) were celebrating the blessing of Baby Kynzlie. She's so precious, and I sure love her mom and dad a lot too! (That's Janae and Cory, if you missed it.) Then after being there for a while, we drove back up to Pocy, getting here around 8 pm.
Obviously it was a very packed weekend.
Do I have pictures? No. I'm really struggling with that, I'm sorry.

It's currenly 8:21 pm, and Kyle is writing a paper, and after I finish this post I need to finish some paperwork and then I think I'll fold and put away some laundry, and then curl up with one of my library books. We just got back about half an hour ago from K's intramural volleyball game. He's on a team with a bunch of his classmates from his cohort. He's also not feeling real well tonight, which is a bummer :( I hope he feels better soon!

I Believe

2011-10-06T10:00:00.000-06:00

{This post was supposed to be posted on Sunday, when I changed my blog title, and while General Conference was still fresh on my mind. Time got away from me though, and I didn't finish it. So here it is, although probably a lot shorter than I intended it to be.}

General Conference was amazing. As always. I will be honest though (because who doesn't love honesty in blogs?) I took a couple little naps. I was distracted some of the time. I probably didn't listen as well as I should have. But, I did watch and listen, and I did learn things, and I AM going to reread all the talks when the November Ensign comes. For me, I enjoyed listening to our leaders talk about family, and how it is the most important thing. I know that of course, but I also know that sometimes I forget. I do get a little selfish and put myself first instead of Kyle. I'm working on that, and it was good to be reminded. I also enjoyed the talks about using our time wisely, and opening ourselves up to personal revelation. Why is personal scripture study such a hard habit to get into, and such an easy habit to break? I'm going to be working harder on that, as well as using my time more wisely. As you can see, I changed our blog title to "Anxiously Engaged" with the whole verse from D&C underneath. A couple of months ago K and I had FHE and we read this scripture and decided it would be a good family motto. It was a huge reminder to me that we should be anxiously engaged in serving each other and living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So, there it is. (Any of my wonderful designer friends want to make a print for me to hang in my house?)

Also during Conference I was reminded that I don't share my testimony that readily. Ever. I'm shy, and nervous, and it just doesn't happen, not even on my blog. So, I'm going to try to be more diligent in sharing what I know, face to face, and via the internet. I already put a link to my mormon.org profile over on my left sidebar. I just updated it so the it will take a few days to be reviewed and updated but check it out! I also worked on sharing my testimony and telling people at work about General Conference... It just so happens that those I chose where already LDS, ha! I'll keep trying :)

I guess that's it from me. I do know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church, and that we are children of God. He loves us and knows us by name. Joseph Smith was a prophet, just as Thomas S. Monson is today. The Book of Mormon is at true book. The Temple is the House of the Lord. We truly can be together forever. That's my simple little testimony.

Also

2011-10-01T17:35:00.000-06:00

I just (re)remembered this picture of Kyle and I.

I love it.

It was taken in the photo booth at Bonnie's reception (August 2009).

Besties

2011-10-01T17:33:00.000-06:00

Just (re)found these pictures of me and Ish, and I thought I'd share because we're so great.

At Ayisha's last birthday.

At Janae's wedding, I think.

Ish is the best friend ever, and has always been there for me. We have an insane amount of pictures together, and most are super random and semi-unattractive of at least one of us, ha. We definitely need to work on taking pictures where we plan to look attractive ;)

Love you, Isha, can't wait to see you next weekenddddd.

Today I Miss....

2011-09-27T13:48:00.000-06:00

These girls.

But let's be honest, I miss these three every day of my life.

See you in a couple of weeks :)

Graduate.

2011-09-26T20:30:00.000-06:00

Our New Home - part 2

2011-09-22T09:32:00.000-06:00

Ok, here are the rest of the pictures of our house! I didn't take a picture of the actual front of the house... But I'll be honest I never see it, ha.

The back door of the house - the "front" for us, haha.

Once you go in the outside door you go down these sketchy stairs to our real door.

Our second bedroom. You can just make out the bookshelf on the left. Around the corner/by the desk is a closet.

Our eating area, and what you see when you look in from our front door to the right. Also the door to the second bedroom.

Our little kitchen area.

We're really like our little place. No washer/dryer and no dishwasher, but we're surviving :)

Our New Home - part 1

2011-09-21T20:20:00.001-06:00

I figured it was time to put up some pictures of our new house.

I just snapped a few - pictures of the second bedroom and kitchen will have to come later as they are not in the best shape right now.

Looking in at the bedroom from the doorway.

The rest of the bedroom. (Obviously it's almost laundry time, ha.)

The living room from the kitchen.

The rest of the living room from the couch. The door goes into our bedroom.


Our little bathroom.

We're really enjoying our new place (aside from the occasional bumps on the head that Kyle endures). I'll post the rest of the apartment a little later!

Hanson Fam

2011-09-21T14:37:00.001-06:00

Alan, Jess, Mel (holding Whit), Nate, Brooke (holding Logan), Blaine (holding Luke), Evan (holding Avery), Holly, me, Kyle - with Liam and Allie in the front.

This is the most recent picture of the Hanson side of the family, taken on Luke and Logan's blessing day.

We sure love our family!

We're Busy

2011-09-20T11:05:00.002-06:00

Life is busy, but good.

And I've been pretty terrible at updating the blog because of that.

When I finally have some down time, all I want to do is sit. (All that sitting makes my to-do list pretty long....) Our nights look like this: I come home between 6 and 7, usually. We fix dinner and eat it, talk a little bit, watch a couple episodes of LOST, and then go to bed. Real exciting, huh? :)

My job is going well. I'm enjoying it, but it definitely tires me out - both physically and emotionally. I'm usually up around 7 or 8, depending on the day, then I'm working/driving until about 6 or 7. (Again, that depends on the day. Sometimes I have an hour or two break in the afternoon.) One thing I dislike is how much driving I have to do, but oh well. I finally found out how much I get reimbursed for mileage, and I'm happy to say that it will be about $50 each week which is what it takes us to fill up our car right now. And we're filling up once a week, so it's perfect.

Random side note: I've also been blessed with being able to revamp my wardrobe a little bit. I know this will sound silly to some people... But, while packing up to move here, I went through my clothes and gave quite a bit DI. (We're talking clothes that I've been hanging onto since junior year of high school.) Then, with some graduation and birthday money, I've added some new things to my wardrobe and I'm loving it. You know how sometimes you feel like you need all new clothes? Well, I don't feel like that anymore. Don't get me wrong, I didn't go out and buy a whole new wardrobe, but just enough to mix things up. It's awesome. All I have left on my "wants" list is a pair of black boots and one or two more cardigans. And it's not even really cold enough for those yet, so I can save up and get them in a month or two. It's perfect, really.

K's school is going well. Class and homework keep him busy, that's for sure. But he seems to be enjoying it! I'm real proud of him.

This weekend was a good one. We just spent Friday night together, watching a movie and eating Arby's. Saturday we cleaned our house, finished getting our second bedroom put together, went shopping, and watched the BYU/Utah game while eating some Papa Murphy's. We don't need to go into the game. What a bust. Then, my bestie Ayisha came over and we stayed up until 4 am talking. She had to leave early, but that's ok. I was just so glad I got to see her! She's the very best. I ended up staying home from church because I wasn't feeling the greatest (... feeling better now, but still not awesome).

Life is good here at the Hanson house. I still need to take some pictures of our little apartment and post them! Maybe that is something I can do this weekend. I/we are still trying to get more balance in our lives... School, each other, work, cleaning, eating healthy, exercising, scriptures study.... Isn't it always a constant battle? But a good one. Oh, and one more thing - we're planning a trip down to Utah the weekend of October 8th. I'm excited! Hopefully I get to see some of you!

Happiness is....

2011-09-17T11:19:00.000-06:00

::a thunderstorm::

::strawberry and honey flavored greek yogurt::

::a husband who goes out at 9 pm to get me Dr. Pepper::

::2 new pairs of shoes::

::finding out your company will pay for gas::

::talking to your best friend on the phone::

::knowing that fall is almost here::

All About Luke and Logan (and the rest of our California adventure, too)

2011-09-10T13:45:00.000-06:00

This is Logan and Luke.

They are our baby nephews who are 2 months old.

Logan is the one on the left and Luke is on the right.

They are freaking cute.

I was able to be a surrogate mommy to them while we were there and it was great.

Both babies are so cute, so good, and so snuggly.

Last Thursday after I got off work and Kyle was done with class we drove down to West Jordan to spend the night at Nate and Mel's. We were able to have a fun dinner with them and the kiddos and get a good nights sleep.

Then, we woke up bright and early Friday morning and drove to Jess and Alan's. We all piled into their car and started the long drive to Blaine and Brooke's in Bakersfield, CA.

We got there around 8 pm, I think, where we were greeted by Blaine, Brooke, Allie, the babies, and Mom and Dad Hanson. We stayed up for a few hours catching up, and becoming acquainted with our little nephews.

Saturday we ran some errands and then drove over to Brooke's parents house where we had a great BYU party - we watched the game, ate some delicious food, and celebrated the win BYU pulled off. The babies looked like this:

(Logan on the left, Luke on the right.)

Nate and Mel and the kids showed up somewhere during the fourth quarter - and just like that the entire immediate Hanson clan was together. It was great! We were able to spend the rest of Saturday together as a family back at Blaine and Brooke's.

Sunday was their blessing day. Blaine gave them really nice blessings and it was nice to be together with the family. K and I took care of Avery the majority of the time and got slimed by Avery slobber combined with goldfish. Yum.

After sacrament we went back to the house where we had both the Hanson and Watson clans over. 14 kids under the age of about 9. Yikes. But we had a good time. The Watson clan thinned out, and then it was just the Hanson's again. We really enjoyed the time we could all spend together.

Logan

Luke

Monday morning came too fast and Kyle, Alan, Jess and I piled back into the car and drove the long hours home.

We had an amazing time with family and playing with our little nieces and nephews.

Can't wait to do it again!

My Not-So-Secret Secret

2011-08-31T10:45:00.002-06:00

I love books. I love words. I love reading.

I'm a fast reader.

I devour books.

Sit me any place and within minutes I will be reading something: a book, the back of a DVD, a magazine, a pamphlet, a survey, even a advertisement - if it's by me and it has words on it, it will be read. I can't help myself.

My love of books started at a young age, while still in a crib. My mom would put a book on tape in a tape recorder on a desk next to my bed, and give me the book. I taught myself how to switch the tape through the slots of my crib. And I read along.

I was potty trained by books.

In elementary school I was always a couple of grade levels ahead, reading wise.

I've always been the one my friends come to for book suggestions.

However, I'm not a huge analyzer of books. I read books for fun. I read books because I enjoy reading. I love stories. I love to be entertained. I love to be shocked. I love it all. But ask my why I think an author decided to do something a certain way and I clam up. My brain stops working. I can't think of an intelligent thing to say.

Now, I have analyzed books before, I was in honors English for three years, and AP for one. I learned to twist and talk about plots and symbols in books. But I was guided, taught. I can't really come up with stuff on my own. (Unless it's about Jane Eyre. I've read that book so many times that I could twist it to fit any and all AP essay prompts.)

(This is also one reason why I decided that being an English major was not for me.)

But back to reading.

I love it.

I have a vivid imagination, and while I read it's like watching a movie in my head. No effort required. It just happens. I read a word and the story comes life inside my head.

It's pretty magical.

Go brain.

Since we've moved to Pocatello I have read 13 books.

Not skimmed, not looked at. Read.

I average about a book a day, if I don't have much to do.

You see, once I start a book, I can't put it down. I can count on one hand the number of books that I have started and not finished. Books compel me to read them. However, as I've learned these last couple of weeks, this can sometimes be a bad thing. If I read for hours in a day I start to go crazy. My brain kind of clouds over and I can't function very well. I'm in a sort of funk from reading too much. So I've been trying to limit myself. Even I need to take a break.

Why am I telling you all this? Oh, I don't know. You probably won't think it's very interesting.

But it's a major part of who I am.

So there you go.

PS - if you are a lover of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, you will be interested to note that a fifth book just came out. Yes, a fifth. Set 10 years after the fourth. It's called Sisterhood Everlasting. I got it two days ago, started reading it at like 11 pm and stayed up until 2 am to finish it. It was amazing. I cried and cried and cried. You definitely should check it out. But not before reading the first four. That would just be a crime.

You can check out books I've read here:
my read shelf:

A Birthday, Graduate School, and a Job!

2011-08-30T14:54:00.000-06:00

Alrighty, I have quite a bit of information to get out onto this little blog of mine. Let's first start with Kyle starting graduate school. Here he is looking quite handsome on his way to his first class.

He's liking school so far, and I love that is taking classes similar to the ones I took for my major (such as a Human Development theories class, and a Family Processes class). It's fun to know what he's learning and be able to talk to him about it.

Second, I got a job! I'm a Psychosocial Rehabilitation (PSR) worker at Access Point Family Services. I'm waiting for my background check to come through in order to start working with the kids, but I've been training and stuff. I was offered the job last Monday and am really excited to start. I'll be working with kids 3-17 who mostly have rough backgrounds and need help in a variety of areas (social cues, personal hygiene, anger management, obedience, etc). A lot of the kids are dual diagnosed, and I'm excited to put my major to good use and to help them if only in a small way. Obviously I won't be writing a lot about it on my blog, mainly because of confidentiality agreements, but I'll let you know how it goes. I am SO SO SO nervous to start, but also excited. I'll be working about 40 hours a week, sometimes less depending on kids' schedules. I'll be working in the school, in the home, and in the community with the kids. (Funny sidenote, I got a call today offering me the Behavior Tech job at the alternative high school that I interviewed for a couple of weeks ago.... Nice to know that people want me to work for them!)

Another update - my birthday was on Sunday! I turned 22. (I know, I know, I'm such a baby.) Our celebrations kind of started on Friday night, because we were able to see Cory, Janae, baby Kynzlie and the rest of the Boyce family since they were up here for a wedding. K and I went over to Cory's grandparents' house and hung out for a few hours. We love them! Saturday Kyle and I drove to Idaho Falls and went to a session in the Idaho Falls Temple. It's really pretty inside, and we love being in the Temple. Afterwards we went out for dinner at Texas Roadhouse, yum! We came home and watched Batman Begins (a birthday present from Kyle). Sunday, K gave me my card and an iTunes giftcard, and made me french toast for breakfast. After church we went to our neighbors/landlords for a barbecue. It was really great to get to know them and their family better, as well as meet some more of the neighbors. As an end to the birthday celebration, yesterday I went shopping at Downeast Outfitters and got some cute clothes! A pair of jeans, two shirts, two pretty tanks (to put under cardigans) and a headband for $54! I love me some good deals, and some new clothes :)

We're having a good time getting to know the town of Pocatello, and are enjoying it so far! The weirdest thing is getting used to all the one way streets that are around. But the people here are friendly, and we like our ward. Our apartment is almost all the way put together (the second bedroom needs some work) and soon I will take pictures and give you a photo tour on the blog of our new home.

Graduation Week

2011-08-30T13:30:00.000-06:00

Graduation was pretty awesome, and really surreal.

As I sat in the commencement exercises I just keep thinking, this is my college graduation. I'm a college graduate. This is it. I'm done. I made it. This is MY college graduation.

I was a little in shock.

But let's back up.

The week leading up to graduation was pretty crazy. K and I were both done with our jobs, and so we just packed all week. We also hung out with a lot of friends that week and the week before.

Our parents (his mom and dad, and my dad) flew in on Wednesday night. K and I met up with my dad on Thursday morning, visited the cemetery where my Grandma G is buried, went on a drive, and went to lunch. Afterwards we met up with Kyle's parents and my mom and sister. I was dropped off to wait in line to march in, and they went to get seats. I was kind of bummed that the majority of my friends from my major had graduated or at least walked in April. So for commencement I just kind of kept to myself.

After commencement, we went out to dinner at Mimi's Cafe, a favorite of mine.

Friday, we all met up again at our house, along with our good friends Aaron and Erica and proceeded to pack all of our belongings into our rental U-haul ( as my convocation wasn't until 5 pm). Then we got ready, and went. Luckily, my good friend (from my major) Melissa showed up to walk with me! I thought she had graduated in April, but she hadn't. We were so excited to find each other. She made the day that much better. The speaker was ... someone whose name I can't remember right now, but he's married to Carole Mikita, and she was there. I thought that was pretty neat. As I walked across the stage to accept my diploma cover, she smiled at me. I felt special, she's like a Mormon/Utah celebrity, ha.

Anyway, Melissa and I were nervous as we stood in line to have our names called and to collect our diploma covers, but it was great. Those deans and whoever else they are that shake your hand are so nice and just sound so sincere as they congratulate you. It just so happens that the faculty member who was actually doing the handing out of diplomas is my very least favorite professor in my department... But oh well.

(This is becoming quite a long story, I'm sorry.)

After it was all over, I found my family, we took pictures, and then went out to eat at Cafe Paesan. Yum! Then Kyle and I headed back to our apartment to finish cleaning. When we were done, we packed up the rest of our things and made the drive to Nathan and Melanie's where stayed the night. The next morning, bright and early we got up and made the drive to Pocatello - but that starts another story.

So now, here are pictures from Friday!

Me and Melissa!

Just after walking in...

Getting ready to receive my diploma cover!

Shaking hands.

Me and my absolute favorite professor, Dr. Nelson. This man changed my life.

Me and Kyle

My baby sis.

Momma and sis.

Dad and me!

My wonderful in-laws.

Us again.

K put on his cap and gown and we took pictures together.

Tomorrow

2011-08-29T10:33:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow we should have the internet. Then I can update the blog about our home, my job, Kyle's school, graduation, books I've been reading, etc.
I'm excited.

Testing...

2011-08-19T16:06:00.001-06:00

I just downloaded the blogger app on my phone so we'll see how this works... I'm not too good at texting on this phone yet anyway ha ha.
Anyway, a little bit of an update. Kyle had orientation yesterday and said it went well. He's looking forward to starting classes on Monday. I had two interviews yesterday. One with the school district to work at the alternative high school with kids with behavior and social issues. The other was to be a Psychosocial Rehabilitation Specialist at a place called Access Point. There I would work with kids (toddler to age seventeen) with behavior and social issues in school, home, and community settings. The first job has benefits and better hours but the second job pays more, has more hours and is more of a career track as well as something I think I would enjoy a lot more. So, I'll keep you updated.
Sadly, we don't have internet our cable set up yet. Well, we have our account set up but the installation guys can't come out until the 30th. Boo. I really want to update with pictures from graduation and stuff but I'll just have to wait. We still have some boxes to unpack and pictures to hang up but it's starting to feel like home. It's weird to me to think that we live in another state! But it's been good so far and we've enjoyed getting to know Pocatello. Our ward seems great and so do our landlords.
We'll keep you updated with jobs and things! :)

We're Here!

2011-08-15T12:37:00.000-06:00

We packed, we celebrated, I graduated and we moved.

We are officially residents of Pocatello, ID.

We even got our library cards and Idaho license plates this morning.

We'll hopefully have our Idaho drivers licences by this afternoon.

More updates to come when we get the internet.

Last Day at Independent Study

2011-08-06T11:37:00.001-06:00

I can't believe that I no longer work at I.S.

I started working at I.S. in August 2009, the week before school started. My friend Tiare worked there and told me they were hiring and told me to email my resume to her supervisor. I did, got an interview, and was hired the same day. I was so relieved as I had been jobless since the beginning of June (when I quit Seven Peaks).

Almost two years later, and I'm leaving.

It's kind of a crazy feeling.

Me and Lauren! She left before we could take a group picture.

Most of the girls! I love them!
Melissa, Dani, me, Milanne, and Sarah

The office space where I spent the last 16 months of my life.

Sarah wanted a picture of me at my computer.

The customer service area, where I spent the first 7 months of my time at IS.

The reception desk, where I also worked the first 7 months.

My building, showing the employee entrance.

Highlights from BYU (*may be updated)

2011-08-05T13:59:00.001-06:00

Freshman Year

Roomed with Marie, Angie, Megan, Jenne, and Marisa. I love these girls. They were so good for me and to me - a little baby Freshman.

Marie, Jenne, Megan, Me, Angie and Marisa

Me, Angie, Marisa, and Marie

I met some great girls in my French class the first day of school - Caitlin, Whitney, Lana, Megan, Jordan, and Vanessa. I keep the most in contact with Whitney, I love her!

Megan, Cait, Me, Whit, and Vanessa

Me, Cait and Whit

I spent a lot of time with my Aaron and Collin.

Collin and Aaron left on their missions.

At Collin's farewell.

Ayisha and I would go down to Snow on the weekends to visit Caleb.

I hung out with Peter.

Caleb, Janae, Casey and I took a weekend trip to Cedar City once.

I worked at the Cannon Center in the Bakery (and I enjoyed it mostly).

Sophomore Year

I started working at Seven Peaks the summer before and I made so many good friends there. I have so many awesome memories of working there.

Aubs, Joe, Me

Me, Tyler, Britt, and Kayla

Steve, Me, and Peter

Caleb left on his mission.

I spent a weekend at Britt's cabin with Joe and Jeremy.

Britt, Me, Joe, and Jeremy

I moved into the Riv, and roomed with my BFF Dani and became great friends with our other roommate, Lindsay.

Me and Dani

Me and Linds

Hung out with Ayisha a lot.

I met so many awesome people in that ward - specifically Em and Nat! We had some great crazy times including, but not limited to Spirit Animal Party, DI trips, Scavenger Hunts, Halloween parties, SOP's, Crazy Hair Parties, etc.

Nat, Me, and Em (crazy hair party)

Leah, Me and Josh (scavenger hunt)

Landon, me and Trev

I met Kyle.

Met MGs.

Lea, Kellie, Bon, Cassie, Linds, Nikk, Me, Kaley, Adrianne, Ann, Em, and Jenny

I met the Springville crew and we went on an amazing road trip to California.

Dated a lot.

Declared my major.

Started dating Kyle.

Junior Year

I got engaged.

I started working at IS.

I planned a wedding.

Became good friends with Sarah and Ginger.

I got married.

Senior Year

Spent a lot of time with Kyle and went on some fun trips (California, Yellowstone, Florida).

Hung out with Ayisha, of course!

Hung out with Sarah and Ginger.
HARRY POTTER's 7.1 and 7.2 came out.

Just enjoyed married life.

My baby sister got baptized.

Hung with my MG's.

Celebrated our 1 year anniversary.
Became good friends with the girls at work.

And then.... Graduation!

Nostalgia is Already Setting In

2011-08-05T13:47:00.000-06:00

I am leaving BYU next week. In 8 days. The last four years of my life have been spent here. I made many friends here, I did some crazy things, I cried a lot, I found a major I love, I met my husband here. So much of my future will stem from the decisions I made during the last four years at BYU. My years at BYU made me. I was listening to Miranda Lambert's song "The House That Built Me" last night, and it sort of applies to my years at BYU. Just change the lyrics to "The School That Built Me." True, high school affected me a lot, but college changed my life.

I've learned so much about myself at BYU. From the boys I've dated, the classes I took, the friends I made... I've changed so much from the 17 year old girl that moved into a small apartment south of campus in August of 2007. I'm stronger, smarter, and more wise. I'm not as insecure. Hindsight is definitely 20/20. Things didn't turn out as I thought they would that August day, and I'm all the more grateful for that. Like John Lennon said, "life is what happens while you're making other plans." I learned to trust in the Lord and His timeline with my whole heart. College was the hardest and best thing I've done so far in my life (marriage aside, that's definitely #1!). I cried a lot, I learned a lot, I loved a lot.

I'm excited to move on, and I'm so happy that I have Kyle at my side. And I'm excited that we will have these past years to remember together and to laugh at together. It hasn't really hit me yet that I'm graduating. That I'm going to be done with school. That we are moving away. Maybe during the graduation ceremonies it will. Maybe when we're driving away in a moving truck. We'll see.

I'm so grateful for the opportunity I had to go to BYU. BYU was the only school I applied to, it's the only school I've ever really wanted to go to (minus a few weeks my senior year of high school when I wanted to go to Westminster for some reason, haha). It's been perfect for me, and I'll always remember it.

Yesterday

2011-08-04T10:59:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was a great day.

My co-workers threw a little goodbye party for me and our other co-worker Dan who are both leaving this week. We all brought food and just had a great time. I'm really going to miss my friends at IS!

Then, after class, Kyle and I took dinner to Janae and Cory. I got to snuggle on little baby Kynzlie, and I loved it. She is the most precious little thing. Goodness. And of course I loved catching up with Nae and Cory.

Then, Kyle and I went to Big 5 and we both got new pairs of running shoes! I'm at least the third owner on my pair of Nikes, and Kyle's have been through quite a lot, and after running his marathon in them, he needed a new pair whose arch support wasn't totally gone. We're bargain shoppers, and got both pairs for $65! Go us.

Today is my last day of my Marriage Enhancement class and we're turning in our final and our paper. The whole class will be done! Then I'll only have Finance left. Hallelujah! Can't wait for the weekend!

Catching Up

2011-08-01T11:15:00.002-06:00

I finally have a little time to update on our life and catch up.

First I just have a couple pictures of Ayisha, Casey and I when we went to watch our friends Brandon and Julia in Camp Rock! at the Scera Shell. We accidentally purchased front row tickets and had a blast.

Also! I know I mentioned in a previous post that Kyle ran a marathon! I'm real proud of him for pushing though and finishing it! He ran the first 21 miles in good time, but then his feet were hurting so he finished up in his flip-flops. Nathan, Mel, me and the kids were all there to welcome him when he crossed the finish line. He was happy to be done, and to have some people there cheering him on :)

Proudly displaying his medal!

K and I!

Finishing up, with Liam running along side him.

He finished!

Hanging with Baby A waiting for Kyle to finish.


Cute Liam waiting too.

We went to Lake Powell over the weekend with our ward. We drove down on Thursday afternoon and arrived in time for dinner. We ate, played some games, and just chatted it up on our bishop's house boat. Friday was the day of boating. K and I were able to go out three times, and we had a lot of fun! We spent the rest of the time eating, swimming outside of the houseboat, and getting to know people in our ward.

We had such a fun time, but sadly, zero pictures were taken - we were having
too much fun!

We drove back on Saturday morning, stopping off at Grandma Hanson's. We were able to eat lunch with her, Kyle's Uncle Jon and Aunt Gayla, and cousin Renee
and her family.

We came home, napped, showered and went over to Alishia's birthday party where we played Dance Central on the Kinect - so fun!

Then! Yesterday one of my best friends, Janae, had her baby!

I am soooo excited and happy for her and Cory! They will be awesome parents.

Ayisha and I were able to go visit them in the hospital just after she was born.

Oh I love her already.

Kynzlie Jo Boyce!

Whew, ok, I think that's all!

Now on to future plans!

This week is Kyle's and my's last week of work! (That is definitely not proper English, oh well.)

We also have a lot to do...

A final paper, a take home final, and Finance homework for me.

Hanging out with Lindsay on Tuesday.

Taking Janae and Cory dinner (and snuggling on the baby) on Wednesday.
Maybe playing with Sarah and Ginger on Thursday.

Dinner at Whitney and John's on Friday.

Lunch with Kylee on Saturday.

A BBQ with Shauna, Roger, Bud and Cami on Saturday.

Maybe seeing Jay and Julia and maybe a bonfire up the canyon. (Also Saturday).

Dinner with Garyn, Jill, Tyler and Alishia on Sunday.

Next weeks activities include packing, packing, and more packing.

Cleaning. Taking my last final at BYU.

Spending time with our families.

GRADUATION.

and moving.

So don't be alarmed if I don't update for the next little while.

Senior Pictures

2011-08-01T10:54:00.001-06:00

Missy is one of my favorite people ever.

And she's a great photographer.

So I asked her to take pictures for my graduation announcements.

Just so you know....

2011-07-26T16:57:00.002-06:00

We went to the dentist today.

My teeth feel squeaky clean.
(My wisdom teeth are finally growing in... Yikes.)

Over the weekend we bought furniture/other stuff for our new place.

I got my senior pictures back yesterday.

(I love you, Missy!)

Kyle ran a marathon yesterday.

I bought a cute quilt.

I sat on the front row of Camp Rock! with Ayisha and Casey on Saturday night.

I played with Whit, Liam, and Avery over the weekend.

I got my graduation announcements, and they should be in the mail shortly.

We go to Lake Powell on Thursday.

Graduation in t-minus 15 days.

Moving day in 17.

Pictures to come.

A Letter to my High School Self

2011-07-24T14:07:00.001-06:00

Dear 15, 16, 17 year old Brittanny,

I want you to know that you will make it through the next 7 years.

Even though break-ups will feel like the end of the world, they're not. You'll get through it. You will become stronger for it - though maybe not right away. You think that each boy you date is going to be your forever... In reality, you haven't even met him yet. It's ok to date boys multiple times. But give yourself room to grow without boys for a little while. Become your own person. But remember to stay friends with those who broke your heart or whose hearts you broke. They become some of your most valued friends.

Even though moving at age 15 seems like the worst possible thing at the moment, it is the right thing. So many beautiful things come out of your two years at Mountain View. Even though the first day of school seemed like the worst day of your life, it gets better. Keep your head up and you'll have friends in no time.

I'm proud of the way you will handle yourself in the face of vicious high school drama. Keep going strong, don't let it bother you, do what you want to do and what you believe is right. The friends who matter will stick by you.

Your friends become your family, but that doesn't mean you should abandon your real family. Spend more time with Mom and Charity. They love you. Chari looks up to you. Open up more to Mom.

You learn to love with all your heart. You love deeply and fast. While this seems like a bad thing once your heart is broken, it truly is a good thing. Believe in love.

Go to as many high school activities as you can. You will look back on those days with fondness and will be so happy that you were as involved as you were. Try out for musicals, teams, councils. You may not make it into all of them, but you will learn a lot from the try-out process. And you'll make the ones that you were meant to.

It is ok to cry, I promise. And don't forget to rely on the Savior.

Your high school years really will be some of the most fun and memorable years of your life. You will cry, you will laugh, you will grow and come out of it all stronger.

College will be a test of emotions. Love, anger, loneliness, depression, sadness, happiness, confusion will all be there. You will be ok and get through it, even on the days you think you don't have a friend in the world. Listen to your Freshman roommates, they're smart. You will enjoy yourself your Sophomore year. You go a little crazy, but it all works out.

Love,
your almost 22 year old self
(who may not be all that much more grown up than you)

"We all have a story of adolescence in all it's glory."

"Happily Ever After" - He is We

Me and Nae

2011-07-23T15:10:00.000-06:00

This is me and Janae.

I love her.

She's having a baby soon.

Can't wait!

HP Pictures

2011-07-23T14:53:00.000-06:00

Sorry this were so delayed!

I've talked about HP enough... So I'll just post pictures.

Me and Sarah!

K and I

Ginger, Sarah, Steph, and Stef

Tripsies of course.

Stef, Steph, Ginger, Sarah and Me

Arches National Park

2011-07-23T14:45:00.001-06:00

Last weekend Kyle and I hopped in our car and drove down to Arches for the weekend.

I had never been, so it was really cool to see the arches in person.

We had a great time, and were even able to stop by and visit Ryan, Lindsay, Ellie, Bracken and Tucker, and Grandma on our way back on Sunday!

Enjoy our pictures!

North Window

Both of us at the North Window

South Window

Turret Window, I think

North and South Windows

Double Arch

Us with Landscape Arch in the background

Landscape Arch

Delicate Arch!

Countdown

2011-07-20T12:18:00.000-06:00

I have a few things I need to catch up on - mainly the pictures from HP and from our trip to Arches over the weekend! But those require pictures... And I am at work... So that will have to be done later.

Basically all I want to say is this.... 3 WEEKS!

I have (not including today): 9 more days of work, 8 more days of class, one reading day, one midterm, and two finals until GRADUATION. Then there are two days of graduation activities, and then we move! Kyle also only has 9 more days of work.

This summer (especially this school term) has flown by. I am so ready to graduate, and we are ready to leave behind Provo and make the move up to Pocatello.

Other things we're excited about are our three day weekend coming up (spending time with family, and Kyle runs his marathon!), our Lake Powell trip coming up next weekend, our family coming into town, and of course graduation and moving. We're also excited to take a family trip out to California in September to visit Blaine, Brooke and Allie and meet Luke and Logan! I'm also excited for my good friend Janae to have her baby soon (due August 5th!).

Lots is going on within the next 3-4 weeks, and we're ready for it! (Well, mostly.)

A Thought from one of my Favorite Musicals

2011-07-19T11:34:00.001-06:00

"Child, hold on to what you know is true.

It's the storm not you, that's bound to blow away.

Child, hold on, There's angels on their way.

It's this day not you, that's bound to go away."

- The Secret Garden, "Hold On"

** I"m not stressed or sad, this quote has just been rattling around in my brain for a few days :)

MY HP STORY

2011-07-18T11:14:00.005-06:00

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was released in the US in 1998. I first heard of Harry Potter in fifth grade, in 1999 or 2000. I was ten, turning eleven, Harry's same age. My fifth grade teacher read it aloud to us.

I was hooked from page one.

I went home to my mom and we bought the first book together. My mom loved the books, as she is from England and found the British humor appealing. My dad got in on the HP action, and was always the one to pre-order the books for me. He also got me an HP Quidditch board game, and HP bookends. My mom and I would buy HP themed candy at Christmas (Bertie Botts, Chocolate Frogs, etc.). I don't remember necessarily counting down the days until the first few movies came out, but I do know I saw them semi-soon after and that I loved them. Kyle got me the set of #1-6 the Christmas we were engaged.

I wrote a fan fiction in junior high, all about Harry's younger sister, Allison Potter. (She was secretly raised by Dumbledore, no big.)

I literally grew up with Harry Potter. He was my age. We went through friend drama, school, teenage angst, etc. together. He was a best friend. A constant. Multiple times I have pictured Hogwarts being real, I have pictured myself there as a student, I have pictured myself receiving an acceptance letter of my own.

My love for Harry has grown throughout the years.

I feel lucky to have been able to be a part of the Harry Potter generation.

Not only have the books and movies been great entertainment, there is just so much to learn from the books.
I'm not a great writer, so I'm going to end with a link to a well written blog post from a blog I follow.
http://jakeanddanirugg.blogspot.com/2011/07/thank-you-harry-potter.html

Thanks, Jo.

And thanks, Harry.

Source: None via Britt on Pinteres

On Harry Potter 7.2 (yes, there are spoilers)

2011-07-18T10:57:00.002-06:00

Here's my blog post about Harry Potter 7.2.

Or at least, my thoughts on it. I will also post about what HP means to me, and post about our experience waiting in line (with pictures). I'm a little behind since I had no time to post last week, so I'll get it all out today.

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS

I loved everything to do with McGonagall and Neville

Loved that they showed us the Chamber of Secrets happenings and the Ron/Hermione kiss was perfect.

I loved the last shot of the golden trio before the epilogue started

I loved when the teachers put up the shield around Hogwarts, I also loved when the Death Eaters started breaking it down. It was just so well done and I had the chills.

Molly killing Bellatrix went too fast for me, but I still liked it. Also I had always pictured her shrieking her line instead of using it as a threat, but that's ok.

I loved Snape's memories, although I wish they would have done the scene were Severus says "I thought we were supposed to be best friends" and Lily says something like, "we are, but I can't keep sticking up for you" - I feel like that would have helped the audience see that they really were like BFF. And that Snape is not Harry's dad. WTF people who thought that? Lily Potter is not a skank.

I liked Snape crying out his memories.

Snape holding Lily with crying baby Harry in the background made me sob.

I loved Snape looking at Harry in the eyes and saying "you have your mother's eyes."

Basically everything to do with Snape I loved.

His death was violent, shocking and appropriate.

Fred and George's moment on the roof made my heart break.

When Harry walked off to sacrifice himself and Ron and Hermione stayed back and cried. Except I wish there would have been a three way hug.

I wish Dumbledore's life would have been addressed.

I also wish the Hallows had been addressed.

I also kind of wish that the House Elves and Centaurs would have been in on the fight.

I have not decided how I feel about Harry popping out in the Great Hall to taunt Snape.

Loved Harry and Ginny's kids in the epilogue, but that was really it. Epilogue was not my faovrite scene, but that's ok. I still enjoyed it.

Helena Bonham Carter is awesome - her acting as Hermione as Bellatrix was so well done.

The Forbidden Forest scene was perfect. From Lily, Sirius, James and Lupin, to Harry dying.... It was great.

I wish they would have used more of the original music.

I'm so happy they kept all the great lines of the book in.

I actually really liked the Kings Cross scene.

The final battle between Harry and Voldemort I half liked, half hated. I wish there would have been more cursing and talking and less flying around together and such.

I wish it would have been more like the book, but I also kind of liked that it was just the two of them at the very end.

HP

2011-07-15T12:23:00.000-06:00

I have a lot of things to blog about, but for right now all I'm going to say is this:

Harry Potter was epic.

"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean it is not real?"

"The scar had not pained Harry for nineteen years.

All was well."

You Should Probably Read This

2011-07-11T22:40:00.002-06:00

The chosen ones (Or, a life spent with Harry)

CRYING

2011-07-11T21:13:00.002-06:00

Updates

2011-07-09T14:04:00.000-06:00

* First and foremost, we found an apartment! I have been stressing like no other. Yesterday at work was the worst. I had found a few places we liked and then a few hours later they were taken off the website. We found another place, but it was a hassle to fill out the application and then we realized it didn't have a washer and dryer and it was far from campus. I was frustrated and upset. Then I got an email from a woman named Trissa whos facebook ad I had replied to a week before. She apologized that she had been out of town. She sent me some pictures, we talked on the phone, I talked with Kyle, and then called her back and said we'd take it.

The basics? It's a 2 bedroom basement apartment just 2 blocks away from campus. Our landlords live two houses away and are LDS (which is great!). It's $500/month and that includes utilities. There is no washer and dryer, but we decided that the pros outweighed the cons. We're excited about our new place! And of course, it was another testimony building experience. I really feel like this will be a great place for us.

* Kyle ran a half marathon this morning! I was a bad wife and stayed in bed instead of going to support him (it's hard with only one car!) but he did great. His time was 1 hour and 59 minutes. He's looking forward to running a full marathon on July 25th.

* I colored my hair. I got the bottom of my hair dyed a dark brown-black (called a window). It was time for a little bit of a change, so that's what I decided to do!

I think that's about it. We move 5 weeks from today! Charity is coming over for a sleepover tonight. We're going to go to Color Me Mine and just have a good time. I love that little sister of mine :)

8 is Great!

2011-07-04T12:56:00.000-06:00

Saturday, July 2 was Charity's baptism.

Wow, I cannot believe she is that old! She was baptized by her dad in my mom's ward in Spanish Fork. We're so grateful to have such good family and friends who came to support her in her decision to be baptized.

After the baptism we went out to eat at Tucanos and then later that night me, Kyle, Mom and Charity all went to the Stadium of Fire!

David Archuleta and Brad Paisley were both awesome and we enjoyed the fireworks a lot.

Luke and Logan

2011-07-04T12:48:00.000-06:00

Yesterday our sister-in-law Brooke gave birth to our two new nephews!

Luke Evan and Logan John

Luke was 8 pounds and Logan was 8 pounds 2 ounces.

She delivered at 39 weeks, and they're all doing well!

We're excited to meet the twins sometime in September!

Pocatello, MG's, Weddings, and Family - OH MY!

2011-06-27T20:57:00.002-06:00

We had a great weekend! It started out on Friday - both of us had it off of work and we drove up to Pocatello to check some things out. We hung out on campus, checking out housing and financial aid and the bookstore. We also check out a few apartments - all of them were a no go. But we did have a good time spending some extra time together that we normally do not have.

Friday night was also a girls night with the MG's. We all met up at Natalie's house and then went out to eat. I forget what the restaurant was called... But it was awful. Well, the food was really good (soups and sandwiches) but we waited for an hour for our food! It does not take that long to make a sandwich. Then we had to wait forever for our checks, and then we had to wait forever for them to get back to us... Ugh. Oh well. Then we went back to Nat's and just chatted for hours like we always do! We took some great group pictures as well. Love my MG's.

Adrianne, me, Bonnie, Natali, Leanna, Lindsay, Jamilyn, Stephanie, Natalie, and Annika

Saturday was my old roommate Nadia's wedding. Her and Trent were sealed in the Bountiful Temple and it was a beautiful day. I'm so happy for her! Bishop Hart came to the sealing and it was so good to see him. He was our single's ward bishop and we love him. He has a special place in my heart - he was one of the witnesses at our sealing. His whole family is amazing, and so, like I said, it was so good to see him! In between the sealing and the reception we went to get their wedding present, and we also went and saw Cars 2. It was a pretty cute movie, not as good as the first one (or other Pixar movies) but we still liked it. We drove back to the reception, ate some delicious food (they had Jamba Juice!) and then drove back down to Orem where we stopped by my friend Danny's reception. Danny and I were in the same ward our junior year of high school and we also hung out in the same group of friends. He's a great guy and I'm so happy for him! His wife seems like a sweetheart. While we were there we chatted with Braden, Brad and his wife, and Missy and Jordan. It was great to see them all!

Bishop Hart with me and Kyle

Me and Kim! She was mine and Nadia's other roommate.

K and I

Trent and Nadia, so happy!

Hugging the beautiful bride.

I love her!

Yesterday Kyle didn't work (yes!) so we were able to go to church together. After church we drove up to Nathan and Mel's for family dinner. We ate, talked, played some Wii, and played with the kiddos.

Cute Baby A

I have dang cute nieces. This is the baby.

So there you go - we had a great weekend. A lot of driving was involved... But it was all worth it :)

Chari's Birthday

2011-06-27T20:48:00.001-06:00

My baby sister turned 8 yesterday (or rather the 16th, since I'm so late posting this), and we had a lot of fun spending the day together.
K, Chari, my mom and I went bowling at Fat Cats.
Then we went home, and ate homemade pizza and homemade ice cream.

Charity has been really into Star Wars lately, and we got her a lightsaber for her birthday. It was a big hit. She wouldn't put it down the whole day! And because of her love for Star Wars, we watched Star Wars episodes 4, 5, and the last little bit of 6.

Chari is going to be baptized on the 2nd, and I am so excited for her!

Random Thoughts

2011-06-22T12:50:00.000-06:00

* We're testing a new program at work and I am totally over it already. We just switched systems in January, and spent the months leading up to it testing. Now we're adding a new program, and are testing that. Testing programs is not fun. Plus I'll be leaving and I won't have to deal with the live program ever, so I just don't care. That being said... I'm still testing. Because I'm a good employee like that.

* My Pell Grant for summer term has still not come through yet, which means K and I will have to pay tuition. Thanks a lot, BYU Financial Aid office.

* I really want to find an apartment in Pocatello. Those of you who know me know that I am a planner. Things need to be organized, and ready to go. If they're not, I freak. We're going to Pocatello on Friday which will hopefully lower my stress level. I've also sent two emails about two different apartments and have not heard anything back. Gah.

* K and I have no working phones right now. We ordered our new ones, but according to the fed ex tracking number they're been in Indianapolis since Sunday. Get here already! I'm going crazy without a phone. Of course we don't have phones the week that all sorts of crazy things are going on. (But I am grateful for new phones and cutting our bill in half. I just want them now.)

* My Family Finance class is going to be a beast. And it's taught by an old man. And it's in the classroom where my very first class at BYU was held. That's really precious.

* My Marriage Enhancement class is going to be awesome. I'm so excited.

* June is the month that we resolved (again) to save more money, but then it became the month of a lot of necessary expenses. Isn't that how it always works?

* I'm going to need to find a job in Pocatello. A grown up job. This is scary, and daunting, and weird.

Whew.... I feel a lot better having vented here on my blog. Thanks, blog, for being my outlet.

6/20/11

2011-06-20T14:43:00.001-06:00

Today is my last first day of school, what?!

In a short 8 weeks I will be a college graduate.

During my journey through college there were some days I didn't think I would make it.

But here I am.

Living proof that B's and C's get degrees :)

I'm going to be taking Family Finance and Marriage Enhancement, so it should be a good term.

K and I are also switching our phone service this week.

We'll be switching from T-Mobile to Virgin Mobile.

We'll be cutting our phone bill in half, adding unlimited data/web, and we'll be the proud owners of these beauties. We'll have officially joined the smart phone crowd.

Kyle didn't have to work Friday or Saturday, so we had a fun time together.

We went to dinner on Friday night at Sizzler's. Neither of us had been for a long time, and it was delicious. Did you know you can add an all you can eat salad bar for $3? And that salad bar includes pasta, salad, and dessert? Amazing. And the steaks aren't too bad either :)

We also watched the Social Network.

We didn't love it. The idea is kind of interesting... But the movie was pretty boring.

Saturday I went to the Farmer's Market with Sarah and Abby, and then Kyle and I went to my friend Sarah's birthday party for her and her little boy. I haven't seen her for a long time, so it was fun to catch up!

Afterwards we went and saw Super 8. I actually liked it quite a bit.

Then we went up to Strawberry Days and walked around and ate strawberries and cream of course.

And.... I brought my camera, and then left it in the car.

So no pictures :(

I definitely need to get better at taking pictures.

So that was our fun weekend.

This next one will be fun too! We're headed up to Pocatello on Friday, MG night Friday night, Nadia's sealing and reception on Saturday, and my friend Danny's reception Saturday night.

Love being busy.

2 Years!

2011-06-17T11:27:00.002-06:00

I have a hubs/lover/best friend and his name is Kyle.

Two years ago I made the (best. ever.) decision to date him.

(Back story: 3 days before, K and I had had a talk where he basically confessed to me that he liked me and that he wanted to date me. After this confession, I freaked out, told him I liked him to but didn't know what I wanted. K said it was ok, I could think about it, and even if I didn't want to date him we could still be best friends. Yes. He's the best.)

Our conversation went something like this:

Me: So, um, Kyle, you know how you said you wanted to date me a few days ago?

Kyle: Yeah.

Me: Well... Um, I think, I mean, well, I want to date. Is that still ok?

Kyle (smiling): Yeah, that sounds great.

Me: Ok, well, great. Ok, bye.

Yeah, I'm a real awkward person.

After that conversation, we fell in love, and decided to get married within two months.

And then we waited 9 months to get married, but that's ok.

Time is a funny thing, and I can't believe that we've known each other for almost 3 years, have been best friends about that long, have been together 2 years, and have been married over a year.

Crazy.

We're so happy :)

(Taken March 2010)

Random Thoughts at 4:20 in the Morning

2011-06-15T04:20:00.003-06:00

Lets see how coherently I can write this late. Or should I say early? I always have things I want to get done when I work graveyards but they never seem to happen. I have a hard time being productive in the middle of the night even if doing the things I'm supposed to would probably help pass the time.

I don't know how Britt is going to be able to go another month waiting for Harry Potter. I think he kind of took over the blog. It's ok I'm not jealous. Besides we all know HP is the real "chosen one" not LeBron. LeBron should get that tattoo removed. Loser.

I'm ready to quit my job, but I like money and earning more of it before going into debt for graduate school seems like a good idea. I need almost every Saturday off from now until we leave for Pocatello so having weekends off will definitely help survive a couple more months here. Between the MTC and this treatment center I have worked almost every Friday and Saturday since I have been home from my mission. I'm pretty sure I can count the weekends I have had off in the last 4 years on my fingers. I'm thinking its time to change that.

I ran 7.5 miles yesterday. My legs are a little sore right now but not too bad. I'm serious about running the Pioneer day marathon next month. I'm going to run a half marathon on the 9th and we will see how that goes. I don't like running all that much but I like doing hard things and running 26.2 miles sounds hard. I like challenges and I like to push myself.

I read a book by Dr. Laura this week. I always thought of her as kind of a nut with a radio show. You know Sleepless in Seattle.... but the lady has a lot of interesting things to say and I like how direct she is. Someday I'm going to write some good books on marriage and family therapy. After I write some kids books (Britt found a Dr. Seuss biography for me to read at the library! Thanks babe!) and after I write my book on missionary work that is, well..... still being written. It's more than a few pages now though.

I guess it is time to watch a movie on Netflix before I try and drive home without falling asleep! Wish me luck! And whoever you are that is reading this I hope you have a great day! This paragraph has a lot of exclamation marks!!

In Honor of Harry Potter

2011-06-14T11:37:00.001-06:00

Source: pour-la-victoire.tumblr.com via Britt on Pinterest

Source: southern-cinderella.tumblr.com via Britt on Pinterest

Source: ravelry.com via Britt on Pinterest

Source: None via Britt on Pinterest

Source: thereadables.tumblr.com via Britt on Pinterest

Source: weheartit.com via Britt on Pinterest

Source: hpstuffs.tumblr.com via Britt on Pinterest

Everybody Loves the Weekend

2011-06-13T14:53:00.000-06:00

This weekend was a blast.

Started off with a girl's night with my friend Milanne on Friday night.

We went to Zupa's, and chatted, and made some S'more cookie bars.

Saturday was my good friend/old roommate Nadia's bridal shower, which was a blast! It was so fun to see her, and talk about her and Trent. They're getting married in less than two weeks, and Kyle and I are so excited to go to their sealing and reception!

Then, Sarah, Ginger and I went to Orem Summerfest! Oh, I love Summerfest. We met up with my mom and Charity, and some family friends for the parade. Then we walked around, met up with Ayisha, Landon, and Jordan and got some food at Cafe Paesan (that place was delicious!). Then we parted ways with A, L, and J and started walking back to the car. The fireworks started before we made it back to the car, so the three of us sat down on the curb and watched. After the fireworks were over we went to Spoon It Up and just hung out and chatted. Love you girls!

Sunday was a great day too.
I was visit taught, we went to church, then we went on a picnic for dinner and read aloud the Ensign and Book of Mormon to each other. Then we went over to Jill and Garyn's for some delicious dessert, and watched the Finals. We came back and watched LOST while folding laundry.

So, we had a great weekend... Well, maybe me more so than Kyle since Kyle worked a lot.

IT ALL ENDS 7.15

2011-06-13T10:39:00.002-06:00

Why yes I bought my HP tickets on Saturday.

12:05 am, baby.

I am freaking out.

June is a Busy Month

2011-06-09T17:47:00.000-06:00

June is practically booked up already, and it's only the 9th!

So far I've gone to a bridal shower and spent a whole day with my mom and sister, I've hung out with friends, we've gone to the Temple, and helped someone move.

This weekend is more friend time, another bridal shower.

Next week is my sister's birthday, a friend's party, and Strawberry Days!

Then it's Father's Day, and summer classes start, and we visit Pocatello, and it's MG night, and Trent and Nadia's wedding, and my friend Danny's reception, and then June is over.

That all on top of work.

Wow. What a month.

Good thing we like being social :)

On EFY

2011-06-07T12:49:00.000-06:00

I walked to work today by way of Helaman Halls.

And what did I see? A billion and one EFY kids.

Without fail I always have 3 thoughts pop into my head.

1) Oh my heck, they are so annoying. Get them off my campus. They're babies and they don't belong here. Stop making so much noise. Go away.
2) Oh, my goodness. I loved the year I went to EFY. Best week ever. Now these kids are having the same experience. That's so great.
3) I was going to be an EFY counselor one time. But I was too young. And then I got married. Bummer, I think I really missed out. (But could I really have handled those kids?!)

Clearly I have mixed emotions regarding these kids.
I mean.... Teenagers.

But... What I really want to share with you is my own experience of EFY.
I went to EFY summer of 2006, the summer before my senior year of high school. I went with my good friend, Shirley, from my ward.
It was a great week.
Yes, there was drama as only drama can happen when you get teenagers together, but my testimony really was strengthened so much that week. I can recall two specific experiences where my love for the Savior and our Father in Heaven intensified, and I knew without a doubt that They love me.

The first was when we were doing our daily scripture study in the morning. I was studying D&C, section 6.
Verse 20 really stuck out to me, especially the part which reads:
Be faithful and diligent in keeping the commandments of God, and I will encircle thee in the arms of my love.
And in verse 34 He calls us His "little flock."
That entire section is marked up in my scriptures. I felt that it was speaking directly to me at that time.
I knew that He really loves us, and would encircle us in His arms.

The other time was when we were at a devotional of some sort... The really big one at the end of the week? And we all stood up and sang the EFY Medley together.
So cheesy, I know, but I felt the Spirit so strongly.
As we sang the words
"We are daughters of our Heavenly Father who loves us and we love Him. Yes, we love Him"
my heart was full and I felt the Savior standing close to me. I looked over at Shirley, and we both had tears streaming down our faces.
I may have been a little 16 year old, but I knew with every fiber of my being that the Church was true and that God loves me and all His children.
I had never felt that so strongly before, and it was amazing, and life changing, and testimony strengthening.
Whenever life got hard the next year or two, I could also go back to those two experiences I had while at EFY and draw on the feelings that I had felt.

So, while those little EFY-ers may annoy me to no end in the summer, deep down I am so grateful that they are at EFY, either by their own choice or their parents', and I hope that they are able to have a similar faith building experience while they are here, because everyone needs at least one.

Some Thoughts

2011-06-04T20:28:00.001-06:00

:: Pinterest is awesome and addicting. If you want an invite, just leave your email address in the comments!

:: I bought myself some black skinny jeans a couple of weeks ago. I love them.

:: I "decided" on my style. I was telling Sarah, it's like, I start getting ready and I have a really cute ensemble in mind and I'd look awesome... But half way through I get bored, or impatient, so I leave the house looking half-way put together. Yep. I'm great.

:: I really love Forever 21. Cheap shirts, cheap tanks, cheap jewelry, cheap hair accessories. Yes, please.

:: This was a great week for friends. Dinner with Kyla, running into Britt, going to a concert with Sarah, Adrianne and Lindsay, and going to a bridal shower with my mom and sister. I love being social.

:: I'm getting so excited to move to Pocatello. (Like I don't mention that every post.)

: I love reading.

:: 4 years ago I graduated from high school. Thought I was on top of the world. Oh baby B, how wrong you were.

:: I want a catchy blog title.... Ideas are welcome.

:: I really need to start taking more pictures. And posting them. I will, I will!

I'm Going to Publish this Post....

2011-06-01T17:08:00.000-06:00

I've got a couple of drafts sitting here... But I don't really want to publish them. I feel like my life's been pretty boring recently. Not bad boring. Just regular life-is-the-same boring. Which is fine. But that doesn't give me much to blog about.

So, I'll just say - we had a great Memorial Day weekend. Mom and Dad Hanson were in town, like I mentioned before, and we spent time with them, and Nate and Mel and the kiddos, and Alan and Jess. We also spent a day down in Price with Grandma and other extended family. We finished off the weekend with a BBQ at Ayisha's, followed by watching the Sandlot.

I start summer classes in 2 1/2 weeks, and then 8 weeks later I'll be a college graduate, and we'll be off to Pocatello! I'm so excited. K and I also planned out the rest of the summer last night, and we've got some fun things to do! Strawberry Days, Lake Powell, Arches, a few weddings, Charity's birthday and baptism, and the Stadium of Fire... Yep, it's gonna be busy, but also great.

Other news?

I've found a new love/obsession in pinterest.com. It's been going around for awhile now, but I just joined up yesterday. Seriously, it's the best thing since sliced bread. Now if only I had my own house.... Someday :)

That's about all I've got. Nothing too interesting, but life is still great.

I have

2011-05-22T23:34:00.001-06:00

a really awesome husband.

Today...

We giggled all during sacrament meeting (but not during the actual sacrament, don't worry).

And we made an awesome dinner.

And chatted with Sarah for an hour and a half.

And giggled together some more.

(because we are just so dang funny together.)

Seriously, it was a great day.

I love him.

He's the bread to my butter.

Or some cheesy saying like that.

He always makes me laugh. Always.

Not Much

2011-05-17T12:46:00.000-06:00

is going on.

K and I are just working. I'm working 9-6 everyday, and Kyle is working those random shifts he always works. He's looking for a seasonal job, so we'll see what happens.

I've been working on cooking healthier meals and so far it's gone pretty good. In the last week I've made bread, quiche, chinese chicken cabbage salad, and... oh, I think that's all. But it's a start :) Kyle and I also made ice cream on Saturday night which was great. Kyle actually didn't have to work Friday or Saturday last weekend, so that was awesome! We got to spend some time together, and we also go to visit Bonnie, Aaron, and baby Apollo. Sunday we went to dinner at Nate and Mel's and we played with the kids. Love my nieces and nephew! And speaking of nephews... Brooke and Blaine have decided on names for the twins! Luke and Logan! We can't wait for those little guys to make their debut.

I'm getting excited for June to come... So I can start classes, because I think once I start classes the rest of the summer will go by quickly. I'm just impatient to graduate and move to Pocatello! I've been getting really excited to kind of redecorate when we move up there... Just move furniture around, and hand pictures up, and hopefully have more room to do so! I just really want a bookshelf. And maybe a new entertainment center. And I want to craft cutesy things to make my home look real cute. So, we'll see what happens.

Also, there are 85 days until graduation. Holla!

Our Moms

2011-05-13T15:25:00.000-06:00

I never did a post on/about Mother's Day, so I thought I would do it now.

K and I have the best moms ever. Kyle bore his testimony on Sunday, and he mentioned that both our mom's are converts, and are such strong members of the Church, and it's so true. Our mom's have both been through hard things in their lives, but they are the best examples.

We love our mom's so much and are so grateful for them raising us strong in the church!

We love you Mom and Mom :)

Happy First Anniversary to Us!

2011-05-09T17:22:00.001-06:00

(Sorry for all the posts, especially those of you who read in Google Reader!)

Like I said before, we came home on our anniversary... And Kyle got me the best gift ever! He had it set up so when we came home it was the first thing I saw when we walked in the door. It's one of our wedding pictures blown up and printed on canvas. I've wanted one for a long time, and I love it so much!!

I'm so grateful to have married such a thoughtful guy, and one who loves me so much, and who I love back! He's my best friend, and I loved being able to spend 11 straight days with him celebrating our anniversary and graduations.

I can't believe that we've been married a year, the time flew by. But it was the best year, ever! And I'm looking forward to many more years together! (Forever, in fact!)

I love you, babe!