stuck like glue {the beginning...}

if you can believe it, these are only a few pictures from our lives growing up together, and these don't even go back to the very beginning...but this gives you a lil 'idea of how much we truly love one another and how much we always will...

now this is what i call the best christmas ever!

now i know this will seem like this happened faster than anyone could even blink really, well that's because it did. if you asked me two months ago if i ever thought i would even be able to have a decent conversation with this person, let alone fall back in love and be engaged, i would've sworn up and down no way.....but God does have a plan for us, and i in fact do NOT believe in coincidences. everything happens the exact way it's supposed to as long as you are in tune and follow those little promptings that until later, you don't even realize were actually promptings from a much greater power than we could ever fathom....

i love you chris....and i know that we will have our own share of struggles, but everyday i'm with you is better than the day before....and i find the most comfort in knowing that with every day getting better and better, that the last day of our lives, will truly be the best day of our lives....

happy 2011!!!

happy.thanksgiving

i'm finally in a good place...i feel happy, truly happy. mariah and i were talking this week and i feel like finally everything is going the way it's supposed to be. now i know that sounds crazy because everything is always like that, but i think i must be finally accepting the way things are going and that alone is leaving me with a more positive outlook on life itself. the lack of negativity and self-doubt help to make life easier and more enjoyable....imagine that?!

this week is going to be fantastic! dana and sean are both coming home tomorrow for thanksgiving...we're all running a 5k on thanksgiving morning {brrrrr} and of course going shopping at midnight like all the crazies do, which i'm totally okay with! then a full weak of laughing and playing with family and friends...best of all, no work and no school for 5 days straight! i know i probably sound like i'm way over exaggerating how great that alone will be, but i need this break and this nice little time to breathe!

i honestly can't believe how fast this year has flown by! the other day i bought my day planner.calendar for 2011 and was filling it out, and seriously am blown away by how much has happened in the past year and yet how fast it is disappearing...but i do have to say that i'm very much looking forward to the new year beginning....i thought 2010 would be on of the most life altering years of my life, and it was...but in a completely different {and dare i say, 'better'} way than i know i was thinking it would a year ago....

i'm going to post these pictures that we had taken by swensen.photography and we just got the copyrights for to show how much i love my family and couldn't have made it through this year without them....

i hope everyone has a memorable thanksgiving and doesn't forget to whom we must ultimately show all of our gratitude....for these things, i am thankful....

p.s. i just got news that our school is closing tonight on account of a blizzard!!! and we get our hours for it?!?!? i'm tellin' ya....

happy.halloween!!

halloween has never been my favorite holiday, but it's definitely during my favorite time of year. i never want the fall colors to stop. in hair. in the trees. in fashion. it's easily my favorite time of year so i hope it sticks around for another second or two. one thing i do like about halloween however is the pumpkin carving...mmm it's my favorite so {mariah} and i carved out lil' jack.o.lanterns this week. we named them mario and luigi. luigi{mariah's} on the left, mario{mine} on the right.

it ended up being a good weekend though. lately i've been really disciplining myself to not let things eat away at me forever and to just move on. i had two instances that really tested my own self-control and awareness to talk myself out of a bad mood and put myself into a good one. i couldn't do it without friends and people to talk to. it's incredible what talking about it can do and help so much! i know this will sound funny, but to blast the music and sing really loud in your car is a great medicine. you don't care who sees or even hears it, all you're thinking about it getting whatever is keeping you down out of your mind and focused on other things.

i did go out to lunch with two great friends that i haven't seen in forever whose blogs you can see here {katy} and {jules}... i went on two fun dates this weekend with two different fun guys and to breakfast with {breck} on saturday at ruth's diner, so i'd say my weekend was filled with friends and no dressing up {thank.goodness}. i can't believe it's november!

by the way, {jules} convinced me to run in the salt.lake.city.marathon in april so i have my training schedule and i'm ready to go! 26 miles is freaking far though....

i did purchase another poster/print to frame and put in my room. i think it's wonderful and i really do love it. plus, i think EVERYONE needs this reminder almost every day...you can find more like it here at {nick.agin's} etsy online shop.