Camping Trip...

Brian and I went camping last weekend in Alpine with his sister, her husband, and his sisters friends family. We had a great time. Everyone was so gracious and I appreciate everything that Brian's sister and brother-in-law did for me and for having me come along. I got some reading in and we roasted marshmallows (my favorite). It was in the 70's for the high and the 30's for the low. I was freezing the first night and therefore Brian and I took a 4 hour nap on Saturday afternoon. The second night I slept great but we woke up at 4:00 am on Sunday. We were supposed to wake up at 5:00 am in order to leave no later than 7:00. We wanted to get home by 12:00. Brian set his cell phone alarm for 5:00 and we woke up, took everything down, ate, packed up and left. We were driving away and his sister said, "why does my clock say 5:40"? Brian looked at his cell phone and it said 6:40. We realized then that where we were camping was technically in New Mexico and his cell phone automatically set to New Mexico time. We really woke up at 4:00 Arizona time. The entire weekend we thought it was an hour later because we were all going by Brian's cell phone time. HA HA!! I have been officially invited to Brian's family reunion at the end of July. They go camping for 4 days. I absolutely love being outdoors in the fresh air and it is good to be back doing it again! The air was full of the smell of pine and oh so clean. We were at about 10,000 feet. It was SO quiet and peaceful. The moon and stars were breathtaking. Brian's sister got the best pictures because she has a great camera but here are some that I took. Click to enlarge.

I took this picture just inside Alpine at a gas station:

Brian, on our way up. We rode in the back of his sister's truck:

Soon after we got there. I thought the trees were so beautiful. Brian's sister Shelly, and brother-in-law Eric, are in the pic:

Our beautiful fire that kept us warm:

Brian and Leslie. Daughter of Shelly's friend:

Me and Kinzey. Daughter of Shelly's friend. I thought we were cute cause we were both wearing pink and brown! (My jacket had a hood too, lol)

Our tin foil dinners. Mine was the only one that puffed up!:

Kinzey fell asleep on Brian. She fell asleep on me a couple of times too! Sweet kids.

Kinzey in her pink and brown:

Our chairs around the campfire:

The sun coming through the tall pine trees almost looked like an image from a Twilight movie! I could almost see Edward and Bella flying through the trees.

I like my marshmallows burned but these looked like muffins:

An awesome view on the road:

Some of the many deer we saw on the trip:

"I love you without fear, I trust you without restriction, I want you without demand, and I accept you how you are".

Pray For You

My Mom sent this to me while I was gone camping over the weekend with Brian. This is hilarious. When the song first starts off it sounds like another cliche country song talking about mistakes made and going to church to make up for what you've done and looking for forgiveness. After about 30 seconds you soon realize that the lyrics are anything but looking for forgiveness. As horrible as it seems, everyone knows someone they could dedicate this song to. People try to be strong and positive...I know I try, but this guy sings the words that we feel in our times of sadness/hurt. We just don't have the guts to say them out loud sometimes. I think everyone that reads this blog post can relate in some way with somebody. Enjoy and laugh. Don't take it too seriously...life is too short. Love those that love you (Brian, I love you!!!)

Stay tuned for a blog post about my camping trip with Brian. Hopefully I will do it tomorrow night. It was a blast and I appreciate him and his family for their kindness over the wonderful weekend!

One Month...

Brian and I have been together for 1 month as of yesterday! BIG anniversary I know! We had a great night. He brought me 2 dozen pink roses that I love. He is such a sweetheart. This past month has been the best month and I couldn't be happier. Later in the night though we went to QT to get sodas and his truck window was down. A bee flew in the truck and stung his arm. It was the first time he had been stung by a bee. When we got back to my house I put ice on it and some Benadryl cream. Poor thing. Here are a few pics I took last night.

My roses, by Brian's math homework:

Yes, there was kissing! Mom and Nancy (Brian's Mom), overt your eyes:

Aren't we cute:

A friend of mine on facebook had this on her status for today. I love it.

Quote of the day: "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up".

Las Vegas...

I spent 5 days in Las Vegas with my family for my sister's 40th birthday! It was a trip of a lifetime. The hotel room was the nicest room I have ever stayed in (I practically lived in that jacuzzi tub!), the food was incredible, and the company was of course the best part. The view of the strip from my hotel room was priceless. The pictures don't do it justice at all. There was double sinks and the rain shower was so much fun. I want one now! We saw The Phantom of the Opera at the Venetian and I was leaning forward in aw the entire time. It was the coolest thing I have ever seen. The special affects were amazing and Christine's voice I swear was better than the original. My Dad rented out a cabana by the pool at our hotel (JW Marriott Resort and Spa) and we had a waitress bring us drinks. I had several virgin strawberry daiquiri's during the vacation! I got a great tan while lying out in our cabana area. My sister-in-law and I went to the spa and spent some time in the outdoor jacuzzi. It was so relaxing. The jacuzzi is close to waterfalls and we had it all to ourselves. The spa jacuzzi is private and can't be used by hotel guests without paying the spa fee. It sure was better than sitting in the jacuzzi at the main pool with all of those people! Hanging out with my family makes me so happy. It is a rare thing for all of us siblings to be together and without any kids. It was awesome. It was hard to leave Las Vegas and my family, but it was fun to come back to Brian! ;) I know there are a lot of pictures, but this isn't even half of them. You can click on the pictures to make them larger. Enjoy!

My bed:

The view of the strip from my room:

The jacuzzi tub that I LOVED:

The BIG shower with a seat and a rain shower head:

One of the many waterfalls and ponds around the hotel grounds:

Me in front of one of the waterfalls. My mom and I were waiting for everyone else to get in on the first day!

The view of the pool from the poolside bar:

The view of the strip at night from my hotel room. I wish it was not so blurry.

The stratosphere in-between palm trees:
My sister after I gave her the photo/memory album that I made for her:
Looking at the album:
The moon looked so awesome above the strip:

The family and my sister's best friend at The Cheesecake Factory:

My sister finally got her ears pierced for the first time at 40 years old! It was fun being there with her for this:

Under the waterfall at the pool:
Phantom of the Opera sign before we went in:
Las Vegas speedway (Mini Grand-Prix).
My brother:

My sister-in-law

My oldest sister:

My sister:

My dad:

My sister-in-law and I were on our way to the spa. This is a fountain in the hotel:
The jacuzzi, pool, and waterfall we went to at the spa:

My sister and I the morning we took her to the airport:
The Hoover Dam bridge is built. It looks different than the last time I saw it. This first one is a cool angle:
The waterfall I sat next to at the pool with my Dad and step family the day before I left. It was a nice day and perfect weather the entire time:

Me in the jacuzzi tub relaxing. You can see I got some color at the pool:

My family at the cabana my Dad rented:
Me and my little sister (we were told at this lunch that we look like each other):

The dating scene...

Well a friend of mine from church set me up with her friend Brian that she grew up with. I was not expecting to date anytime soon but it happens right?! He and I talked for a while and got to know each other on facebook and on the phone. We went on a date on Saturday night. We went to dinner then to the drive-in movies. I am 30 years old and had never been to a drive-in movie before. It is so fun to do something new! We got a big thick air mattress and laid in the back of his Toyota Tacoma extended cab with big pillows. It was so fun and the weather was perfect that night. We saw Iron Man 2! It was great. Then we went to my house and he picked out one of my movies to watch. He picked out "He's Just Not That Into You". Funny that he picked a chick flick. That was nice of him. Last night he came over and hung out and he makes me laugh. He is a goof. We are going to hang out tonight! I know you want to know because people have been asking...yes there has been kissing lol! ;) What's funny is the age difference between his ex fiance and my ex fiance. There is a 17 year age difference between the two of them. Basically my ex could be his ex's father ha ha! Brian and I joke that I am a cougar. I have never dated anyone my age let alone several years younger than me. Brian is a student too working on his mechanical engineering degree. He worked in the mechanical engineering field for years making good money but it is hard to get a job in this economy without that degree. He will do well as he is really smart. My sister-in-law and my oldest sister wanted me to take a picture of myself before our first date so here are a few pics. Can you see the weight loss? Here is a picture of Brian too! Neither of us are looking for a serious relationship right now so the no pressure makes for a relaxing atmosphere! Oh and yes he is a great active LDS man. That's a wonderful influence on me!

My dress...

Well since I am not getting married next summer anymore I thought I would do a blog about my wedding dress, etc. My sister and I were talking and we realized that she had not seen my dress. The idea of a blog came up. We said it didn't really matter if pictures were released. I do plan on wearing this dress someday. It won't be for awhile of course as I don't have a boyfriend anymore (though I do have a "first date" tonight for the first time in many years thanks to a church friend playing matchmaker!). The dress is not exactly temple ready but it is close. Some minor alterations will have to be made to the top of the sleeves but that is probably it! These are not great pics as the dress is quite wrinkled from being in a bag for so long. Just imagine my skinny hotness wearing it and all dolled up! You can click on the images to enlarge them...Enjoy

My Vail:

My gorgeous, expensive, hand made wedding gown!:

This picture does not do the train justice. It is gorgeous and quite large!

My shoes!!!!:

Quote of the day: "I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go. Things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right. You believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together."-Marilyn Monroe

Pink...

I can't get enough pink. I was able to do something good and healthy for myself. I was at target with my friend on Saturday and I was able to buy some new sheets for my bed. I have a support group for people that have gone through bad break-ups. They said one of the first things I should do is buy new sheets. I have not been able to sleep well since Stephen broke up with me. The group said I can't really get rid of the bed but I can change the sheets. See Stephen and I used to lye on my bed and watch TV and cuddle. Too many memories you know. Really my whole house is like that but I have learned that I need to change the things I can and I am. Well now that I don't have a boyfriend I decided to get what I want and I wanted PINK!!!! I have always wanted pink sheets. My favorite color is pink and I just want to be totally girly right now. The night I got them I washed them with lots of fabric softener to make them even softer! I slept better that night than I have in 3 weeks. WOO HOO to new pink sheets and moving on slowly but surely! Here are a few pictures.