goodbyes and changes.

"We'll Miss You Brittany!!"

Well let's be honest, who wouldn't?? haha, jk. This is the cake that my friends at work brought me for my last day at Wells Fargo. It was delicious by the way. Thanks guys!!!

i really hate goodbyes. there is nothing about them that attracts me. i don't like change and i don't like moving on. i love getting to know people, growing together, laughing and learning about the people i'm around. i really do love it. i am really starting to see a pattern that i'm not sure i love - or even like.

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high school - loved my friends and had so fun. i'll never say i was popular, but i did have my group of friends that i was with every single day. i am "mustang born, mustang bred, gonna be a mustang 'til the day i'm dead". i loved oakdale high school and wouldn't have wished to go to any other high school in the world. i graduated, had to say goodbye to my family and friends, moved to idaho. hated it for months. and was so sad for a long time.

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college - i loved my roommates and friends. i still missed home, but was still having a blast. here's how it went for me... meet new roommates. awkward. love roommates. semester ends. say goodbye. sad. new semester. meet new roommates. awkward. love roommates. semester ends. sad. a couple job changes in there, some roommates never changing and loving them still years later. semester ends. say goodbye to BYU-I. sad. sad. sad. i loved rexburg. it was bitter cold a lot of the time, but it was a good place for me to "grow up."

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work - my first after graduation job. Wells Fargo Bank and i l-o-v-e it. the people i worked along side with for a year and three months became some of my really close friends. i spent more waking hours with them then i did with my own family. and this is what my blog is mostly centered on today. i have applied at wells fargo's down in fresno and am waiting to hear if i got a job or not.. but i feel really hopeful. here are only a few pictures of the people i worked with at the oakdale branch. people who i will never forget. i didn't bring my camera in soon enough to get pictures with all of them, but the ones i did get, enjoy your moments of fame on my blog. (wink)

this is ashley. she and i actually met in 7th grade. she and i weren't ever really super close friends, but we were friends. when i came to work at Wells, she already had two years up on me!! She was my instant friend at work teaching me the ropes of being a teller. thank you girl.

this is my girl jaimie!!! i was super super afraid of her when i first started. i thought she was so snobby, mean, and scary. i was seriously terrified to "shadow" her to learn how to work the system. after a few months i realized how FUNNY this girl is. she is so sassy and really doesn't give a care what anyone thinks about her. she made me laugh harder than almost anyone in my whole life. she has the funniest and craziest stories. tammi would rarely let us sit next to each other cause we would just talk and talk. we had the best chats. she was my closest friend at work and i felt like i could tell her ANYTHING!!

well, this is alison. this is the girl that has to try and fill the gap i'm leaving when i transfer down to fresno. :( my manager tammi hired her when she knew that i would be leaving so that i could train my replacement. what a sad day. i thought i would maybe hate her for filling the gap i would leave here but she is such a funny loud girl. i love her. i really enjoyed training her and getting to know her. she's a crazy one, but she's awesome.

and this is my girl lisa!! she is "ghetto fabulous" as she claims. this is a bad picture of us both, but it is the only one i have. she is SO FUNNY. she is constantly dancing, singing, and talking all gangsta to everybodys. she has these hand motions with everything she says. she has this ghetto talk accent and i love it. haha oh man lisa there is just nobody like you!! bon qui qui doesn't stand a chance next to you. haha

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everything in my life is changing. i am getting MARRIED. i'm moving to a new city, new apartment, new job, and new location. i won't know any neighbors, where the grocery store is, where my work is, or anybody at church. my family and nearest friends will be an hour and forty five minutes away. it is a scary time in my life and i feel like i am constantly stressing over all of this. tom is the only rock solid in my life as i take on a whole new change. i'm thankful that he is there to support me as i'm getting so nervous. the only thing i'm NOT nervous about is getting married. i'm totally down and ready to do that!! i love tom so much and can not wait to be his eternal companion!! now if only i could feel that good about all the other changes taking place.

moving to fresno

Oh my world!! It has been forever since I posted a blog!! Let me express my apologies to my most devote readers (aka Tom) that have been urging me to write another post; for it has indeed been an awfully long time. hahaha I love you Tom, and here you go - finally a post to read. I hope it's up to your expectations after not having a post for so long!! In a nutshell I am so happy. I am slowly making my way towards forever-ness. There are days where I am so stressed and not knowing how I will ever make it to January, there are days where I am moody from just thinking about all of the plans that still need to be finalized. .. and then there are days like today, where I feel so blessed to have so much done.

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I really have had so much help with the wedding plans and preparation, I can't even begin to think about it. How grateful I am to my sisters who have planned a bridal shower, where I was showered with SO MANY awesome kitchen gizmos and gadgets that Tom and I will definitely benefit from. How unspeakably thankful I am to my mom who has made so many phone calls and almost exhausted her resources with her co-wedding vendors to help Tom and I out for our big day. There is so much that still needs to be done, but today I am remembering my dear mother and sisters.

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Wedding plans are coming along and things are really starting to fall into place, feel a little bit more finalized, and take shape. Life has been a roller coaster ride these last couple of months but it has sure been fun! Currently I'm taking a break from typing out wedding invitation labels. What a time consuming job that is! Not only do names have to be spelled correct, but I was realizing that there really is no room for error when typing addresses!! If I type one number wrong then there are three problems immediately. #1 someone is going to be very confused when they get a wedding announcement from me; someone they may not know. #2 someone that i do know may be sad when they think I forgot to announce to them that I am indeed getting married to my bestest friend Tom. and #3 I will be sad when they don't show their faces to me on that very special day. SO!! I am having to be so careful as I type all of these lovely little addresses.

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Tom has moved into what will soon be our own little love nest!! It was a hassle indeed, and I'm sure from now on I will handle all apartment office visits/maintenance requests. Our apartment was indeed in need of help when he first moved in. The caulking of our shower was gone which made it painfully easy for water - lots of water - to slip to the bathroom floor, almost unnoticed until you stepped into a pool of water after being done with your shower. The shower door frame is covered with mold, and we have two shower doors - which is lovely - but they are two of the same doors - so they do not slide very well, and there is a towel rack on the inside of the shower door right where the water head is, and also on the outside of the shower where I believe it belongs. The bathroom door was splitting into three separate parts and has a huge crack in it where I think that the previous tenant punched it maybe .. or knee'd it when he was going to the bathroom?? I just don't know. The front door has had three previous dead bolt locks drilled and covered with metal plates up and down the door. The front door is also splitting into three different sections and the door handle doesn't completely latch into the door frame. lovely. And if it does latch completely into the door frame then a strong cute guy I like has to force it open to get through it. Underneath our kitchen sink the previous tenants removed a pipe, which made it so easy for water to pour onto the cabinet underneath that sink. There are dots forming, which look crazy similar to mold in our kitchen utensil drawer; these dots look like they are seeping through the newly applied white paint. We believe it to be mold, but it could be a close cousin. All of these things have now, or are in the process of being updated, fixed, and some of them are completely better. The shower, thanks to Tom. The little maintenance man just couldn't quite seal it, but thanks to my handy dandy almost husband, he was able to caulk, re-caulk, and caulk again until that shower no longer gave up the ghost. I mean water. This is our home-sweet-home, our soon to be safe haven from the world! Despite all of the things about this first apartment that are a little bit on the icky side, I love our home. We are starting to move things in, and hang calenders, clocks, and pictures on the wall. I can not wait to completely make our apartment our home.

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My little brother Timmy has become quite the football star and it is so much fun to watch him play Oakdale Football. I feel so much pride (the good kind) when I watch him play and I hear the crowd yell out his name. I love how regardless of the amount of touchdowns, yards, or first downs he gets, or the amount of newspaper and TV interviews, fans and friends that pat his back, shake his hand, or congratulate him after a game, he still always looks for my mom, dad, and siblings to give us a hug. Timmy is such a fun guy and I love him tons. There is nothing I love more than being with the people I love most, and here's a picture of most of us after the BEAUTIFUL win over Sonora (our long and undying rival) Jenn and her family were in Utah and Kevin is obviously in Montana serving our Father in Heaven, and Kell and Talmage's kids weren't up to the long drive and cold, cooooold night up in the foothills.

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I love my life. I love what is has challenged me with so far, and how I am continually growing from the life lessons it offers.

update on the weddin plannin

what's on today's blog menu? stressin with a side of stress! i can remember a couple specific details about my summer semester 2007. i was an RA this semester at lamprecht hall. i was able to work (aka play) with three of my dearest friends: jenn, lindsaywitt, and brandi jo. most of the memories i hold of that semester are happy times (we'll skip the long gray spot in there from drama, drama, and more drama because that's not the reason for this blog!!) however, for some reason there has been a memory of mine that i had long since forgotten about - that has since reappeared!

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i can remember sitting in the lamprecht hall office with my head resident jenn. we were talking about extremely important things i'm sure. things like diet pepsi tasting better than diet coke, the annoying maker-outer couples, and the obnoxious heat. however, those are not the memories i'm recalling with perfect clarity. i am remembering when my dear friend brandi jo came walking heavily into the office, backpack on, hair done, and ready for class looking stressed and to her patience end. i remember jenn and i turning to look at her as she said, "somebody told me that if you can get through the engagement and wedding planning, you and your fiance can get through anything. is this true??" honestly, i wondered what the big deal was! i wondered what in the heck can be that hard about plannin a party? the most important part of planning is done right? temple preparedness and appointments? i didn't think much more about that statement other than she's got to be a little bit crazy.. and needed a diet pepsi. pronto speed. HOWEVER, here i am two years later remembering her stressed out face and voice as if she just walked into the office a couple of minutes ago.

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i know it is ridiculous for me to complain. everyone has been there or will be there at some point in their lives. tom is being absolutely amazingly and perfectly supportive and as helpful as he can be while living an hour and 40 minutes away. i have been offered help from my amazing mom, sisters, cousins, aunts, future mother in law, sisters in law, and friends. i thank you all for that! it's looking at the reception as a whole that makes my eyes want to roll back and sleep until it's december 17th and my tom is home! things i'm thinking about daily: budget, cake, decorations, color schemes, guest list, tables, set up, take down, lighting, flowers, dress, hair, make up, shoes, veil, his ring, videographer, slide show, engagement pictures, engagement outfits, centerpieces, table clothes, invitations, DJ, food, who will make the food, dessert, candy, candles, life-sized kevin picture, marriage certificate, and transportation. it is a TON to think about - especially while working full time and having to meet sales goals. (which by the way.. brag moment for me.. i am at the top of the teller list at my store for my sales, which translates into i am ranked 22 out of 255 tellers in my region, have only been with the bank for a little bit over a year ... aka, i rock.) so i am a busy little face!!

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most importantly is the temple is already booked for tom and i. we did that first thing! luckily, oh so luckily for me my mama is going to be my photographer. why? because i think she's the best and she thinks shes the best, she'll be free to hire, she'll get the shots i want, and she has to go to the temple anyway so i don't have to bribe her to go. she'll also be taking our engagement pictures and then my bestie 79 melly told me she'd design my invitations so that's freakin rockin too! my dress will be decided on and in my possession by this coming thursday, my cousin christy is doing my cake cause she's m-a-zing, and cortney is picking out the "bridesmaids" dresses. i really am in better shape when i really start writing down all of the things that i don't have to worry about anymore.

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i am determined to enjoy whatever part of life i'm apart of. i have realized that i have a habit of wishing away time. when i was 14 i couldn't wait til i was 16 and could finally drive. once i was 16 i couldn't wait to be graduated high school. once out of high school and into college i couldn't wait til fall semester when i got to come home. once i was home i couldn't wait to go back to school. once back in school i couldn't wait to graduate and have a full time job. now i look back to when i was 14 and wonder what in the world the big rush was all about! the things i thought were so important then -- well honestly i don't even remember what they were! i don't want to look back once tom and i have been married for 10 years and we have babies and work, bills and stress and wish that we were simply engaged and back to planning and dreaming about the rest of our lives. i truly want to enjoy this time that i have to get to know him, to talk wedding and reception plans with him. i am counting down the days until i am his bride, but trying to remember patience and being happy to be his fiance!

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oh, and brandi, sorry for not understanding then. i do now.

my deliciously fabulous weekend

tom came home for the weekend!! yay!! i feel like when he leaves i run all week long on my "love tank" and by the time the weekend comes i'm about running on empty. i see tom, he hugs me so tight and suddenly i feel refueled and ready to take on the world, fight the mafias, and solve all of the world's mysteries. that may be exaggerating a wee bit, but i really feel so energized and so happy!

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tom got to my house around 2 am because he had to work at the fresno vs. uc davis game. once he finally got out of there he got on the road and headed here. once he got here we talked and just simply being in his presence makes me feel so energized!! he got to sleep in our spare room - complete with tinkerbell and the three fairies from sleeping beauty painted on the walls surrounding the bed... haha so funny.

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sunday morning we went to oakdale 1st ward - my homeward - and it was so fun being there with him. i LOVE sitting next to tom in church. singing hymns, whispering our thoughts here and there, holding hands during prayers... oh my heart i love it. he is whoa awesome. after church we came back to my house and took a perfectly delightful sunday nap on the double recliner chair in the family room. we have deemed that chair "ours" because we sit in it everytime he's home. we decided we are going to steal it when we get married so we have a nice chair. don't tell my mom who took it when it goes missing. because it will go missing. and tom and i will love it. sorry mom!

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after our nap we went for a walk over to my grandparents house. i know they love the company and we love talkin with them. i've decided they are so full of simple wisdom. i love how great of an example of love they are. they honestly love each other with every fiber of their beings. they are best friends, buddies, and would do anything for each other. i hope tom and i can pattern our relationship after my grandparents. life will get difficult and challenging, it may not always be easy, but i truly hope we can always turn to each other through good times and bad and come out stronger because of it.

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tom and i went for a walk around the ranch. i showed him at least 15 different locations where my cousins and sisters and i had made "clubs". growing up my cousins and i would let our imaginations grow like weeds. we could take a spiderwebbed, dust covered pile of wood and transform it into an office complete with secret passageways, magical buttons, and a secret hideaway where no one else in the world existed anymore... cow troughs, tire sheds, cattle tracks, storage shops, "junk lane", it didn't even matter - they all were our playground and i cherish those free fun memories.

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that night we got in the hot tub and had such a great talks!! i love how tom and i can talk and talk for hours. we spend all day together, then talk for hours on the phone. that night had a really cool breeze so it was nice to just sit and relax in that hot water. nice? no. deliciously fabulous is a better description for it. it was so relaxing and happy fun. after the hot tub we got changed and then went and stargazed on the trampoline. that is something we have done together since day one. i love that time we have to connect after a long day. so we stargazed for a couple of hours, decided we were tired of swatting away mosquitos and more than a little bit cold so we went inside and went our separate ways and visited dreamland. nice.

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this is our "death glare at the distance between oakdale and fresno" face. i hate that he's so far away!! it's just an awkward distance where we can't visit eachother for the day.. you have to make a trip out of it. however! i am VERY glad that it is only two hours and not more. phewee!! something i learned this weekend: love rocks. it totally does. it makes sad people happy. grumpy people more pleasant. sick people better. it really is the best feeling in the entire universe. thank goodness, i'm not on empty in my love tank anymore. i'm full to the brim. thanks tom! bows!! you the best!!

home

today i'm writing a post.. not because i had an amazing time with tom - cause i didn't.. he's been in fresno all week. i'm not writing because i had a nice relaxing day off from work - cause i worked 6 days this week. i'm also not writing because i feel like sharing anything new - cause there really isn't any new news for me to share!! today i'm writing as a shout out to being home.
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on monday i talked to my dear friend shannon and she told me some sad news. her parents home was consumed by flames in auburn and burnt to the ground. as she told me the few details that she could my heart went out to her and her family. i thought about the pictures and irreplacable belongings that they lost. it thought about their dreams of building that home, the hard work, time, money, and the years it took to make their dream home a reality. i thought about the few times i had been there, and how i mourned the loss of their beautiful home. i simply cannot, nor do i want to, imagine what that must feel like - to lose almost everything i own within a matter of moments.
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after talking to shannon on the phone i started to think about all of the things that i would hope to save if that were to happen to me. my mind went to countless things - it was like a domino effect! i would want my journals and pictures, my "special box" where i keep meaningful notes, letters, and keepsakes. there are countless things that i would want to save and cry over if i didn't. this led me to realize that the most precious things i "own" really are my family, the relationships we have, the love we share, and the memories we keep. it made me realize that even if i don't have my journals or pictures or special box - that though the smells and colors of those memories may fade, the feelings surrounding those special times remain. love is such a beautiful and special thing. it's something that can only be destroyed if we let it.
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i love the chance i have to see my family every single day. to walk over to my grandparents house, walk through their front door and see them sitting in their chairs- always ready and waiting to visit with whomever walks through their door. i love how everyday i walk through that screen door my grandpa calls "friend or foe?" haha. he's so cute!! i love the smell and comfort of being home. i love hearing my mom and dad talking in the next room. i love the sound of breakfast in the morning when i'm not wanting to wake up. and yes i mean sound.. haha dishes are loud when you're sleepy. i love the familiarity of home.
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something i realized while talking to shannon is that "home" isn't just the walls that surround us; it really is where the heart is. that common saying really is true!

the proposal

thursday started out like any other day for me! i got to take my sweet time getting ready for work because i didn't start until 10:45 that day i believe. it was nice to just dilly dally as i got ready for work. tom and i were talking on the phone that morning and i asked him what he had planned to do and he told me his "ho-hum" list.. laundry, errands, and other such things. little did i know that he had much bigger to-do's on his list!!! one being talking to my dad, asking for his blessing in our marriage, and the other ... drum roll... popping the question.

tom had to know that i would say yes. for heaven sakes, we had already registered at target and bed bath and beyond - just because we knew the time we would have together when he would be home from fresno would be limited, and why not do something so fun as to register!!? so anyway, whenever i close at wells fargo tom usually arrives at the bank around 5:59 just to hang out a bit before i'm able to skedaddle out of there. he never showed up!! i called him when i was on my way home and he said that he got caught running errands and he would be a little late getting to my house, but he would try to be there at 6:30. little did i know that he had to drive to stockton to my dad's work to talk to him! my dad usually leaves my house for work at 4:15 pm. he works from 5pm - 5am. tom had picked up the ring earlier that morning and was bound and determined to propose that night! when tom got to my house at 3:30 my mom told him that my dad had a meeting and had left about 10 minutes before. not knowing how else to ask my dad, he drove up to stockton to talk to him.

i really want tom to type how the people at the main gate wouldn't let him through because he didn't have the "pass code" and how he paced back and forth in front of the door that you need a key to get into - knowing full well that people were watching him, and probably laughing at him.. waiting for my dad to take mercy on him and let him in. i want tom to write about how my dad took him into an empty conference room and suggested they both take a seat. cute cute cute. i love details, but that is basically what i know of what happened when i was oblivious to what was happening while i was at work.

so i got home around 6:10 and decided to shower since tom was taking so long to get to my house. honestly, i was a little frustrated that he had decided to use his free day doing nothing, and now that i was free and we could finally hang out and play he was doing errands. i was slightly bothered, but practiced patience and didn't let it bother me too much. tom FINALLY got to my house and we hugged and i noticed right off that something wasn't normal. tom was acting very ... stand-off-ish. normally when he's at my house, or i'm at his we hang out together, sit together, walk around together - you know, like.. be together!! haha... but tonight i was in the kitchen with him, and he'd walk to the parlour. i'd ask where he was going and he wouldn't say anything. so i went in the parlour to be with him and he was playing with my ipod finding romatical songs that we love. he found our favorite and we started dancing. i didn't think this was too odd cause we do that kinda often. the song ended, we hugged and kissed, and then he walked out into the kitchen again. i thought that was weird. and so i went into the kitchen to be with him and he walked to the office. i let him have his space cause i really didn't know what to think. i called down the hall asking him if he was okay and he didn't answer so i walked down the hall to the office, asked what he was doing, and he was just sitting in the computer chair. not doing anything. i knew something was wrong, i just didn't know what!!

so this continued on for about 45 minutes and i was going ca-razy! i suggested we start making dinner - chicken alfredo. it was delish by the way. he and i are in the kitchen and again he walks to the parlour. alone. arr! i was getting so confused wondering why he kept wanting to be alone!!! poor guy was just so stressin out!! hahahaha. the phone rang and it was my sister kelly. i talked to her until call-waiting beeped and it was my sister jenn. i talked to her for a bit and decided to go into the parlour to be with tom. he was sitting in the rocking chair by the window and i sat down on the love seat. i invited him to come sit by me and i would scratch his back - something that he loves! i finally got off the phone with jenn and i asked tom what was wrong because his face was hot, red, and sweaty. he just told me that he had a lot on his mind and he had a headache. i suggested we go in the kitchen and check on dinner and he thought that was a good idea. we stood up, were holding hands, and i started walking out.. but he didn't. so i turned around to see why he wasn't walking with me, and he looked at me, got down on one knee, pulled the ring out of his pocket, and very simply and perfectly asked, "Brittany, will you marry me?"

As soon as he got down on one knee my hands went to my mouth and he said he heard me mumble, "oh my world. oh my world." i really couldn't think or believe that it was happening so naturally, as if it was something that we do all the time! just walking out of the parlour, holding hands, nothing different than any other day or night we do that.. and BAM! down on one knee! busting out a sparkly lovely thing, and popping the question. I just hugged him to me. Since he was on his knee, his head was against my tummy and he pulled away and looked up and said, "Britt. You didn't answer me!" I just looked down at him and said "Of course I'll marry you!!!!" So he got up, moved my CTR ring from my left hand to my right, and slid on the sparkly lovely onto my ring finger. it fit perfect-ly. it is absolutely dreamy and elegant and perfect and perfect!! we hugged, kissed (only once... ha! ;)) and hugged a lot more. I couldn't help but scream out a little "EEEEEEEEE!!!!!" and he laughed. He picked me up, twirled me, and we hugged again. It was happy lovely.

I am happier than I have ever been. I am more in love than I ever thought possible. I love him more and more everyday than I thought I could the day before. I really never thought love like this existed. The kind that makes you smile to yourself when you think about him. The kind that makes you giddy when you know you get to see them soon. I feel like me, but so much better. I am happier and more patient. I am excited and ready to take on the happy days and the challenging ones. I no longer watch movies or read books with a sense of longing for what they portray of love there. I've got my own story now, and it's better than Hollywood could pay people to do.

Yay for January 8, 2010!!!

playin catch up.

So this blog post is a catch up from my week of PTO. On July 22 Tom and I headed up to the mountains. We went to Calavaras Big Trees, one of California's State Parks that will be closing - or so I heard. It's definately something you need to go and see at least once in your lifetime. This day was only a small baby one in comparison to the massively long ones we had when going to San Francisco and Monterey/Santa Cruz. It's a really neat thing to see - such massive tree's that grow from such a small seed!!

Tom and I woke up that mornin and headed up there. We stopped at Subway in Arnold and shared a 5 dollar footlong sandwich. It was pretty tastey!! We then headed out on the trail to get up close and personal with those humungus trees. This is a picture of one of us with a little Redwood Tree. And by little I mean not little.

Here's just another picture of us in front of a huge tree that they cut down. Actually the stump of this particualar tree it was used as a dance floor back in the day. There are about 10 steps you have to walk up to get on it, and it's about 24 feet in diameter. I read on a website that by counting the rings in the trees they determined that the age of the tree was 1244 years old when it was chopped down. CRAZY! That's a pretty dang old tree!! This pic is of a bit of the trunk that is still there on display. Tender. haha.

After Calavaras big trees we drove to my house, hung out for a little bit, and then drove to Tom's where I spent the night because the next mornin we (his mama, papa, tom, and i) drove to Utah for Tom's brother's wedding!! We left on Thursday early early in the morning. I think we got on the road right at 5 am. I wasn't awake for long, hense the reason I'm not certain of the time. On the way there Tom and I slept, talked, laughed, slept, watched 24 on his laptop, talked, laughed, slept, ate, talked, slept, and talked some more. We were laughin lots and we decided and discovered a total truth. We love each other more than anyone has ever loved anyone else in the entire world - EVER. It's true.. so all you readers, if you think you love the person you're with a lot... Tom and I have got you beat. hahaha - okay, maybe not true to any of you, but to Tom and I it's totally true. haha
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So we got to Utah, I met Tom's brother Timothy, and we all got together as family ---eee!! I can say I'm part of the family! Cause I am! ..well, almost!!--- and we ate subway for dinner. It was so delish cause we were STARVIN MARVINS!! We then went back to Timothy's apartment and started the last minute plannin/details of the weddin!! Tom and I got to have a "afternoon out on the town" and we went to Taco Bell for a much needed break away from crowds. haha.. funny story about that Taco Bell that I won't write on here. But Tom sure takes care of me, and he endeared himself to me FOREVER because of his thoughtfulness, and the unawkwardness of the situation. Thank you Tom.

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The wedding day was beautiful and hot. Clear clear blue skies, but hot hot sun. Note to self: no summer weddings. Boo!! I hate hot. I get ornery in the hot. Really really ornery... and in a bad mood mostly. It was so good to be there for Timothy and Shanna's big day!! Yay for weddings for in love people!

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I was struck again by the beauty of the Salt Lake Temple. That was the first time I was there and actually had time to walk slowly around and pay attention to the detail. While Tom and the rest of the family were inside the temple for the wedding I walked around with Tom's niece and nephew and got to play on the grass and run around and get some wiggles out. Despite from being outside and playing around - quietly of course - my thoughts were with Tom inside the temple. I can't wait for our chance to promise to love each other forever and to have our love sealed for time and for eternity. That night we got to go out - just the two of us - and talk about our dreams and plans for the future. We went to the mall and window shopped. It was a lot of fun. We walked into some sparkley stores that made me smile really big - and made Tom a little nervous.. eeeeee. hahaha... good times. exciting times.

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The next day the four of us treked on homeward. Again Tom and I slept and talked and laughed and slept and talked. Tom is truly my bestest buddy. Love his face! We also watched 24, saving the last two episodes of season one for when we were home at my house. I hate that I love that 24 show. It makes unneccessary addicts out of totally uneffected humans like me. And I love Jack Bauer. And I hate Nina Myers. and I love Senator Palmer, but I hate his wife. and Mean people are so mean!!

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I loved this trip to Utah with Tom and his family. It showed me again and again how much I love Tom and many reasons why I never want to live without him. He's so kind and gentle and thoughtful. The trip was a blast. I loved it, loved the company, and love Tom!