Goodbye!

I honestly have no time to run a blog while I've got work, updating my facebook and the family website, spending time with my loved ones and planning a wedding so I think I'm going to shut this blog down. It used to be enjoyable for me but honestly now it's just another task on my to do list and so this will be my last post. If you really want to know how I'm doing....call me once in a while and I'll tell you. :)

Bye!

I'm Engaged

With so many people asking me for the story of my engagement I'm all out of minutes on my cell phone so the rest of you get the story here.

Cory and I met in Kindergarten when we were 6 years old. He became best friends with my twin brother when he was 7 or 8 and I became "Nick's sister" to him. When we hit 6th grade (12 years old) we became friends. We played together at recess and had class together. Through Junior High and High School we stayed best friends and grew to rely on each other for relationship advice, laughter and growing experiences. Cory was always the friend I took for granted and he was always the friend who's shoulder I cried on after a break up or a hard day. Cory did they same thing with me. He would come to me for advice on girls and come to me for comfort after a messy break up or when he needed to relax.


Cory left on his mission to Taiwan and I continued to date other boys. When he came home I noticed the change that had taken place in him and fell head over heels in love with him. He unfortunately had already decided not to date any of his old High School friends so we resumed out friendship and I went away to Washington DC. After a some soul searching and a self transformation I came home to Cory who was still on the dating scene.

He would go on a date on Monday, hang out with me on Tuesday and Wednesday to "recover" from the disappointing dates and then go out again on Thursday. This happened for about 2 months before Cory realized that out of any person he knew he wanted to date me the most.

About 2 weeks ago we started to date and realized that it was SO much fun. We would go to Nickelcade, BBQs and have game night. It only took about 4 days for him to be in love with me as much as I already loved him. About a week ago we prayed to know what we should do and both of us got the green light from the Lord to get married. About 4 or 5 days ago he asked my mom and my twin permission to marry me and then yesterday he proposed.

I've never been so happy, so stressed and so in love before in my life. I'll be posting updates here on wedding plans and key events so stay tuned. :)

Unexpected and without ceremony...

...that is how so many worthwhile things come to us in this life. Not to say that hard work and dedication in school, work and family don't bring great satisfaction.

I think so often we have this picture in our minds of how our lives will work out and what is best for us but almost always what we have in mind for ourselves is not what the Lord has in mind for us. School, work and family. Have they always gone exactly has you have envisioned? Have things perfectly fallen into the parameters of your "plan" or have you had the rug pulled out from under you time and again as I have.

The Lord has a wonderful way of spinning things about. Teaching us that his ways are not our ways and that ultimately he has our best interest at heart. Just when you think you have a good "plan" for your life he comes in and, in all his mercy, shows you that he knows a better way. A way that will provide more happiness than we ever thought possible.

Often these moments of teaching are just that: a moment. One single moment where the light clicks on and we suddenly realize what we truly want and what we need to do to get it. Sometimes their are events that lead up to the moment. They can come in the space of just a few hours or weeks. It's amazing to me what a difference 4 days can make in a persons life. When that moment comes don't let it slip away. Grab on to it even though you may be afraid. Even though you are unsure of the turns the path may take. Focus on what is directly ahead and never let go of the Lord's hand.

I have recently (and many times before) been hit by that happiness which comes when we are looking the other way and this post is motivated by the fact that I'm still light headed and suffering from post situational disbelief. :) I honestly can't think of a single thing I might have done to deserve this kind of happiness but that is just the picture of the Lord' mercy and love for us. We rarely deserve the blessings he sets upon us and yet he continually gives.

Most importantly, for those who feel without hope, don't forget that those moments of stunning beauty and overwhelming happiness are right around the corner but like anything worth having they will come unexpectedly and without ceremony...as long as we have the faith to receive them and the courage to act on them.

Breakfast

On Saturday Callie, Mom and I went up AF canyon to eat breakfast and watch the sunrise. I'll let the pictures do the talking here. After breakfast we drove the Alpine Loop to see the fall colors and enjoy the mountain air.

Yes, we built a snowman.

Etsy Shop

This is the official announcement of my sister's Etsy shop! If you don't know, Etsy is the greatest site where you can buy and sell things that are handmade. But I'm warning you, once you start looking it can be addicting! She has a couple of skirts, a dress, and a few bags up right now. There is a button on the side bar that will take you to the shop so you can browse. So cute and all handmade by my sister Larissa Kindred. Check it out!

National Talk Like a Pirate Day

This past Saturday was National Talk Like a Pirate Day! Aren't you sad you missed out?

Yes, I spent the day dressed and talking like a pirate! Scurvy dog!!! My family decided to go to the zoo and check out all of the new baby animals. There are several new arrivals. Baby snow leopard, tiger cubs, an elephant and giraffe calf, baby meerkats, and a baby crocodile. It was pretty crowded because this was the first weekend that the new baby elephant was out for the public to view.

The new baby was rolling around in the mud and still learning how to use it's trunk to get food from it's mother. He was a little unsteady on his feet still and unsure what do do when his trunk got in the way of his feet.

We hit the zoo in the late afternoon and it didn't take long for me to realize that wearing pirate boots was a bad idea when you have several hours of walking around to do...
My favorite animals by far are the spider monkeys. They were absolutely in love with Rosie's necklace and so spent the whole time we were there right up against the windows.

When we stopped for a snack break the Colobus monkeys started to yelp and scream for no apparent reason. It was really cool to hear and a bit freaky.

All of the animals were out and pretty active which is unusual for mid-summer. If you want to see the animals do crazy things go to the zoo in the dead of winter right around feeding time. The zoo is practically empty and so the animals drop any reservations.

After the zoo we went to eat at one of my favorite places, Village Inn. Pumpkin pie isn't only for Thanksgiving, folks!

So next year...don't forget to talk like a pirate!

Pooh Sticks and thoughtful spots...

I'm speaking of course of American Fork Canyon. My family always buys a year round pass so we can picnic in the warm seasons and sled in the cold and on Saturday we had a picnic.

I grew up in American Fork and spent every summer up at Mutual Dell with the girls from the ward or my family. It's the perfect place for ultimate frisbee, water fights, and campfire songs. I grew up on the songs of John Denver, the Muppets and the Beatles. Those were my campfire songs.

In the fall the canyon is perfectly cool and the leaves are just starting to turn. On Saturday we went up at about 5pm and ate dinner. After dinner we played a game called, "See who can stand to be in the water the longest without getting hypothermia". I think I won. :) We built a fire to thaw our feet and made smores. We even had a contest to see who could melt their marshmellow into the weirdest shape. I can't tell who won...

After the fire went out and before the sun was completely gone we packed up our stuff and stopped for one game of Pooh sticks. For those of you not familiar with Pooh sticks: everyone takes a stick and throws it on one side of a bridge and who's ever stick comes out the other side first is the winner. It's from the short film "A Day for Eeyor" and my brother has even gone as far as playing Pooh logs in which he was the only participant because everyone else lacked the strength to join in.

Before heading home we drove around the rest of the loop. No one talked. I had my iPod in hand and spent the half hour marveling at God's paint brush and feeling the cold canyon air. I love the fall and I especially love the fall in Utah. These days don't last though so be sure you get out and enjoy them before they slip away.

Yesterday was of course Labor Day and the national BBQ day. We congregated at my sister Amanda's house and enjoyed Aloha Burgers, potato salad, horse shoes, badminton, and smore cupcakes. We rounded out the night with a game of Mad Gab and I being it's been so long since I last played I was surprised at how well my team did. I've said it a million times and I'll say it again: I love my family! There is nothing more fun than being around my family. Even if we just sit around and chat, it still turns into a party. Unfortunately at this party I didn't take any pictures.

My favorite time of year, my favorite people on Earth, and delicious food. Does life get any better?