What are you Greatfull for?

I was thinking today, about the things I am grateful for.

 

The biggest one has to be that I have a healthy body.

 

seriously. You can have a lot of things go wrong, no house, no job, low on gas, or maybe no car, etc... but if you have a healthy body then you are able, and being able allows you to make so many things right.

 

 

So I'm grateful that the worst physical pain I've experienced was appendicitis in 8th grade, and then probably shin splint/ IT band problems.

 

my fears in life consist of not being able to run which is pretty minimal compared to some of the terrible hardships other people go through with there body's.

 

other things I'm grateful for...

 

My family- quirky, crazy, out of control, hilarious, fun, Loving! and most of all, supportive and honest. I love these people. we may be a crazy, combined family, but they are my blood even if its not biological, and I love them.

 

 

My best friend Leah. (Ammon can be included too). This little (grown up ) girl has been my best friend since we were young ins. I'm seriously so blessed. She has stuck by me through thick and thin. Her and Ammon have been there giving me advice, watching me have break downs and helping me see the brighter side of things. They make one amazing team, and I'm super happy to call them family..well in 3 and 1/2 months it will be official. I love you two.

 

 

Obviously I'm great full for Mark. What an interesting bunch of events that led us to each other. When I think about all the things leading up to us dating, the irony of it all is just to perfect. I'm thinking Heavenly Father had plans for us for sure. Love this guy with all my heart!

We had a hard time being serious.. shocker I know.

 

 





I'm grateful for my new Job. although sitting is hard, the people are great, the pay is decent, and the hours are good. I got pretty lucky.

I'm grateful for the temple. I'm so happy that I'm getting married there. it feels like such an accomplishment to me, and I'm so happy for Mark and me, and way excited.

I'm grateful for food. self explanatory.

I'm grateful for this nice weather.

My thanks giving was spent with the people I love, and I got to eat a lot of pie.... and I've been eating it everyday since.. guilty. Next week I'm going back to my healthy eating ways.

Happy November everyone! guess what?! in December it will be three months until my wedding! woot woot!!

 



Choices that I make.

Choices I make.

 

Where do I begin? I have been so far from the right path before that I felt hopeless and lost completely, so lost that I had numbed out.

 

The other day I realized that its been almost a year, well it will be a year in a few days, since my life changed in a major way.

 

Changes come around from decisions. I am bad with judging myself, but I have learned that sometimes we make choices, they weren't good choices but that doesn't make me bad. It just means I made the wrong decision, and I had to pay the consequences of that choice.

 

 

Anyway this being said, since November of last year there have been so many choices that have been made.

 

I realize that those choices were hidden blessings.

 

 

some of the blessings since last November.

 

 

I deal with my emotions, and don't numb out

 

I returned to being an active member of the church, I have a strong relationship with my heavenly father, and I know that he loves me.

 

I have strong bonds, and relationships with my family members, and best friends.

 

I stopped thinking so negatively about myself, and I don't have anxiety anymore.

 

I found my own reasons to work out again, instead of literally working out to get rid of the emotional pain, and anxiety I had.

 

I had my eyes opened about people. guys. relationships. friendships. love. being happy. fixing people etc.

 

I started dating Mark

 

I fell in love again, in a healthy normal matter that was so foreign to me.

 

I found out that relationships aren't hard when they are with someone that really loves you

 

love isn't selfish

 

I'm  got engaged

 

and I'm getting Married to my best friend in March!

 

I'm also doing better in school, work etc...

 

Overall, I feel that I understand the world better, from a different perspective.

 

Our choices don't make us bad, but they do shape us. some things we can't change, some things we do will leave us different, scared, never the same. we become stronger in the aftermath of a storm, because we learned how to survive .

 

I'm grateful for the things that have brought me here in my life.

 

 

okay so that was my sentimental, reflecting back on time part of the post. here is the real choices that I'm excited about lately!

 

Well, I've been engaged for two months, and here is what I have accomplished so far.

 

Booked our reception center

paid for our photographer

figured out flowers

got my dress, bridesmaid dresses and one of the moms dresses

got ideas for center pieces, working on getting all the stuff

and booked the Salt Lake Temple for March 7th,2013 at 11:40 AM!!

 

I'm so excited to be getting married in the temple!

anyway there you guys go. enjoy the ramblings. 



7th out of 80. not the worst.

 

 Saturday I ran the Runawaybride 10k in St. George Utah. On Thursday I was having extreme panic, Leah and I went running, and she calmed me down. Something about running with your best friend, and catching up, eases the mind.

When Mark and I arrived at the Lauren James bridal store in Bloomington, my nerves were still kind of high; the race last year was pretty small. Maybe 24 people total. I felt a lot of pressure.

Questions galore in my head, none of which I had answers too.

What was the girl’s time from last year?

How many people will run this year?

What will the course be like?

How many crazy fast girls will there be? Or will I be really fast compared to them?

Other things, like I was alone. No team at this point, except of course my number one fan Mark, and my aunt and uncle cheering me on.

This fear was also associated with the four weeks of training I had.

Eventually our turn to get our packet came, and we sat down with the lady, who explained the course to us, and outlined it so we could drive it.

I asked her all my questions, and she was very helpful.

The girl who won last year ran in 38 minutes, and was a junior in high school... she wasn't running this year.

Ok, I thought. That’s good ha.

There were about 80 people running the 10k this year.

And that’s when my nerves calmed down. Pressure removed. I felt calm all the sudden. Chances are, I wouldn't be able to win. But I could still do well, and have fun.

Race day came, teams gathered together and I jogged around in layers of clothing, it was cold outside. Not as cold as Provo. I haven't been running in the cold, not in that kind of cold.

I found out I had a team member assigned to me, I never saw her, but I did get her award after. She won me 100 dollars off wedding invitations!

Five minutes before the race, we line up and take a picture. I strip off all my warm ups and give them to Mark, he is freezing also ha.

The blow horn is blown. We are off

And just like in cross country the top girls go out, super-fast, I stay with them for about a mile.

Then fall behind, two girls wearing spandex shorts take the lead, they are wearing SUU track and field shirts.

Go figures. If only my running friend could have won it for me... oh well.

Push on. I am in 7th. No one is around me, and I’m running and feeling miserable,

But I kept trying to catch runner number six.

I didn't win a dress. I didn't know what I would win, or if I would. Remember I keep thinking, every step brings me closer to the end, every step is a little less than a mile. I feel like my legs are going slower, and my lungs are pumping air faster.

I see the finish line, finally. Pushing it, feels like I’m going so slow.

I cross and feel like I’m going to puke. 

And declare I’m out of shape, people laugh, and say I wish that was my out of shape!

I’m thinking that if I had more time I would have done better, and the cold weather didn't help. My lungs hurt, my right leg aches, and I am happy to be done.

the race is over, no more worrying about running when Its cold and i'd rather be at the gym.

We finally go get in line to see if we won anything.

7th place gets me an 800 dollar discount off of Gideon photography, and a free engagement session! (He does the photos in the Utah bride magazines, an amazing photographer!)

Plus the 100 dollars off wedding invites my team mate got me.

I am so happy!!! My time was decent too.

I feel accomplished, and am content to be there in the cold. Amazed at what my body continues to allow me to do, and thinking that I just don't have the time or energy these days to train like I did in high school.

Half Marathons are definitely my race. That and Ragnar, I’m a runner who runs for fun now, and to beat personal times. Every race it’s exhausting, and I’m beat, but it’s always worth the pain.

But so rewarding, and this time I saved some money on an amazing photographer.

They do the raffle. I win the softest blanket I’ve ever felt; I keep declaring to Mark that “this blanket is my favoritest blanket in the world! It’s so soft. The blanket alone is worth the run!” I also won some towels, and a foot massager.

This has been a good trip.

After that Mark and I drove the two hours to VIVA LAS VEGAS to see the Body world’s exhibit they have there. It was very interesting. I would recommend going to see this exhibit to anyone. As long as you can stomach it.

All and all it was a good trip, and I'm so happy I won something for my efforts.

We also decided on a reception center too. Yay us!

Only four months left... ha.

 



Runawaybride 10K

My 10K is in six days!

If I win I get a free wedding dress, and other free assorted wedding stuff.


I haven't been so nervous to race since high school!!! or my first half marathon! YIKES!!!


this race is in Saint George Utah. Mark is going to be my Cheer leader. He is my biggest fan. I love that boy so much. I'm so happy with the decision I've made to marry him.

some of the plus's of marrying mark are,

He is my best friend

I feel safe with him

My best friend is now my cousin-in Law :)

I'm getting a wonderful second family, ( who doesn't need or want that?!)


yep, can't complain there.


My Best friend  Leah wrote about her home team.

I'd say my home team is seriously pretty amazing. at the end of the day, you have heavenly father, your family, and the friends you consider family. these are the people that matter to me.

I love people a lot, but I'd only do anything and everything for a few. sorry to the wrest of you.

there you go,

happy Sunday.

Marriage addvice I found on Pintrest. Read it.

15 Ways to Stay Married for 15 Years

posted by: Katie Ostoich
at 9:44pm on: July 5, 2012

LOVE > Relationships

488365 views
0 comments

So the world is blowing up with all the details of Katie and Tom's failed marriage and all that that entails. When I was sinlge, I devoured details of celebrity divorces. The scandal! The intrigue! Now that I'm married, it kinda just makes me sad. I hate when that ever popular 50% stat is proven right. So whenever I start to get a little down about my own relationship or the state of marriages in general, I pull up what is probably my most favorite piece of writing on the internet. I know, that's a bold statement. But it's true. Author Lydia Netzer has been married for 15 years. She and her husband aren't experts on marriage, just their own, and you can tell they are super proud of their relationship and totally still in love.
As Lydia says, she and her husband Dan got married when they were 25 years old. I love her self decprication: "Looking back I’m surprised we didn’t, as 25 year olds, self-destruct just for the heck of it. Now that we are older, we are perhaps surprisingly also wiser." Trust me, they are definitely wiser.
Here are the things they have learned over the years, that helped them stay married and -- gasp! -- even happy for fifteen years. (Beyond that, she says you’re on your own. She can’t promise another 15.) Their list does not resemble the one you will find in Cosmo or Ladies’ Home Journal. She says they have never had a regular date night, nor do they prioritize “communication” or play sex games or see a therapist. He doesn’t bring her flowers every Thursday, she doesn’t cook his favorite food very often. But they do have some other ideas. Here they are in Lydia and Dan's own words!

1. Go to bed mad.The old maxim that you shouldn’t go to bed mad is stupid. Sometimes you need to just go to freakin’ bed. “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath” is prefaced in the Bible by the phrase “Be angry and sin not.” So, who’s to say it doesn’t mean “Stay angry, bitches. Don’t let the sun go down on that awesome fierce wrath of yours.” Seriously. Whoever interpreted this to mean that you should stay up after midnight, tear-stained and petulant, trying to iron out some kind of overtired and breathy accord -- was stupid. Shut up, go to bed, let your husband get some sleep. In the morning, eat some pancakes. Everything will seem better, I swear.

2. Laugh if you can.In any fight, there is one person who is really mad, and one person who isn’t that mad. That person should deflect the fight. Make a joke, do something stupid or corny, make the other person laugh. If the fight is very serious for you and you feel like you really want to plant your flag and die on this hill, fine. Do it. But if you’re fighting for entertainment, or because you’re just reacting, then you be the one to deflect. Fights are bad. Deflecting a fight whenever possible is a good idea. When you’re the one who’s being pissy and raw, and the other person helps you get out of it and brings about peace, that feels fantastic. This was a hard lesson to learn, for me. Letting Dan deflect a fight is the best thing, now. He does it really well.

3. Don’t criticize. Ever.Here is a fact: Whatever critical thing that you are about to say to your wife is already being loudly articulated in her head. And if it’s true, she already feels like crap about it. Assuming you married someone intelligent enough to like you and sane enough to let you put a ring on it, trust that they are self-aware enough to know when they screwed up. It may feel good to you in that moment to say the critical thing, let it go ringing through the air in all its sonorous correctness, but it will feel awful to hear it. The only, only way it’s beneficial to give your wife criticism of any kind is if you’re absolutely positive she is completely unaware. And you better find the nicest, kindest way possible to tell her. And even then, good luck convincing her. Their recognition of the thing you are helpfully trying to point out will be INHIBITED, not facilitated, by your criticism. And then you’re the asshole. So be careful.

4. Be the mirror.Your husband is the mirror in which you see yourself. And the things you say to him give him an image of himself too, which he will believe. You want him to believe it, so make it good. Be a mirror that reflects something positive: you’re smart, you’re successful, you’re fantastic in the sack, you’re a great provider, you’re the best. Can you MAKE him any of these things just by telling him he is? I don’t know, but consider this: the alternative really sucks. The things my husband says to me are 1000 times more convincing than anyone else’s opinion on earth. Don’t think he won’t believe you because you’re married and you’re contractually obligated to say nice things. He’ll believe the shitty, insulting things you say, and the gloriously positive things.

5. Be proud and brag.Let your spouse hear you talking about them in glowing terms to other people. Be foolish. Be obvious. It will mean everything. You will stay married forever.

6. Do your own thing.Dan races bicycles. I write books. I don’t race bicycles or have any desire to race bicycles. He doesn’t write books, nor does he even read the books that I write. Seriously. And I don’t care. My opinion is that he’s the fastest, coolest most awesome bike racer ever. His opinion is that I’m the bestest, coolest writer ever. We don’t have to know all about cycling or writing in order to form these opinions -- in fact knowledge of literature or actually reading my book might damage Dan’s opinion of me as “best writer since the dawn of time.” We can still support each other without being all up in the other person’s stuff. Doing your own thing, having your own friends, being completely insanely passionate about something that the other person has no idea, really, about, is awesome. It allows your spouse to be your cheerleader, uncomplicated by knowledge or personal investment. And it means you’ll always have stuff to talk about, because you’re not overlapping all the time. You don’t have to read the same books either. You don’t have to have the same friends.

7. Have kids.Kids stop you from being as crazy as you want to be. Because when you have kids, you can’t be that crazy.

8. Get really good at sex.You’ve got all the time in the world to get really really good, not just at sex in general, but at having sex with your one particular husband. You should make it your life’s mission to become the perfect sex machine exactly for him. And he for you. There is no reason to hold back, or be embarrassed, or not ask questions, and get everything working properly. There’s absolutely no excuse for letting years drag on without becoming fully skilled, gifted sex partners for each other. It makes everything so much better. Does talking about this make you uncomfortable? How uncomfortable would it make you to know that your spouse is secretly, silently “just okay” with your sexual performance? Yeah. You want to last fifteen years, remember? That’s a long time to be mildly happy.

9. Move.Live in different houses. In different parts of the country. Travel. Make it so that you can look back and divide up your life into the years you spent in different cities, or different houses. If you’re feeling stuck geographically or physically, you can confuse yourself into thinking you’re stuck romantically. See your husband in different places, in different contexts, in different countries even. Try it. Take him to a mountaintop and give him another look. Pretty sexy. Take him to a new city and check out his profile. Along the same lines, don’t be afraid to change personally, or let your wife change as a person. Don’t worry about “growing apart.” Be brave and evolve. Become completely different. Don’t gather moss. Stagnation is unattractive.

10. Stop thinking temporarily.Marriage is not conditional. It is permanent. Your husband will be with you until you die. That is a given. It sounds obvious, but really making it a given is hard. You tend to think in “ifs” and “thens” even when you’ve publicly committed to forever. If he does this, I won’t tolerate it. If I do this, he’ll leave me. If I get fat. If I change jobs. If he says mean things. If he doesn’t pay more attention. It’s natural, especially in the beginning of your marriage, to keep those doubts in your head. But the sooner you can get go of the idea that marriage is temporary, and will end if certain awful conditions are met, the sooner you will let go of all kinds of conflict and stress. Yes, you may find yourself in a horrible situation where it’s absolutely necessary to get a divorce. But going into it with divorce in the back of your mind, even in the way way way back of your mind, is going to cause a lot of unnecessary angst. Accept that you’re going to stay with him. He’s going to stay with you. Inhabit that and figure out how to make THAT work, instead of living with the “what if”s and “in case of”s.

11. Do not put yourself in trouble’s way.Leave your ex boyfriends and girlfriends alone. I’m sure you’re very trustworthy. Aren’t we all? The thing is, there’s absolutely no reason to test it. Your husband and your marriage are more valuable than any friendship. Any friendship that troubles the marriage should be over immediately. Protect it with knives and teeth, not because it’s fragile but because it’s precious. Don’t ass around with a “hall pass” or a “harmless flirtation.” Adultery isn’t an event, it’s a process with an event at the end. Don’t put your feet on a path that could lead someplace bad.

12. Make a husband pact with your friends.The husband pact says this: I promise to listen to you complain about your husband even in the most dire terms, without it affecting my good opinion of him. I will agree with your harshest criticism, accept your gloomiest predictions. I will nod and furrow my brow and sigh when you describe him as a hideous ogre. Then when your fight is over and love shines again like a beautiful sunbeam in your life, I promise to forget everything you said and regard him as the most charming of princes once more. The husband pact is very useful because you want to be able to vent to your friend without having her actually start hating your husband. Because you don’t really mean all those things you say. And she, the swearer of the pact, knows this.

13. Bitch to his mother, not yours.This is one I did read somewhere in a magazine, and it’s totally true. His mother will forgive him. Yours never will. If you’re a man, bitch to your friends. They expect it.

14. Be loyal.All the crap you read in magazines about honesty, sense of humor, communication, sensitivity, date nights, couples weekends, blah blah blah can be trumped by one word: loyalty. You and your spouse are a team of two. It is you against the world. No one else is allowed on the team, and no one else will ever understand the team’s rules. This is okay. The team is not adversarial, the team does not tear its members down, the team does not sabotage the team’s success. Teammates work constantly to help and better their teammates. Loyalty means you put the other person in your marriage first all the time, and you let them put you first. Loyalty means subverting your whims or desires of the moment to better meet your spouse’s whims or desires, with the full understanding and expectation that they will be doing the same. This is the heart of everything, and it is a tricky balance. Sometimes it sways one way and some the other. Sometimes he gets to be crazy, sometimes it’s your turn. Sometimes she’s in the spotlight, sometimes you. Ups and downs, ultimately, don’t matter because the team endures.

15. Trust the person you married.For two people who are trying to help each other, it can almost be harder to let the other person help you than it is to be the one who’s helping. It can be harder to let the other person deflect the fight than to be the one deflecting. It can be harder to believe that your husband is fully committed to a lifetime of marriage than to commit yourself. Harder to change yourself than to let the other person change. Harder to be loved than to love. Weird, but true. I’m saying this to everyone who’s newly married, and to myself: trust that person. Love them completely and let them love you. If it all goes to seed, it’s going to hurt either way. Better to have gone into it full throttle. Full throttle marriage is a thrilling ride.

This list is simply the best marriage advice I’ve ever read. It closely resembles a lot of what my parents live, and they are the best example of a happy marriage I’ve ever known. Like I said, I read this list often…do you agree with me that this is such smart advice? Do you do these 15 things with your husband or significant other?

{Lydia Netzer’s original article, complete with adorable pictures!}

 

I saw this and felt that I needed to share, with others! so here you guys go!

Why I love you.

I love you because,

you make me laugh, even if I'm laughing at you.

you get my quirks, and have quirks of your own.

we are a team, and proceed accordingly

you are my best friend

and such a hard worker

if i'm ever feeling sad you have never made me feel worse, you listen intently and try your best to help. Your always saying, "how can I help you?" and giving the best advice.

I love how unselfish you are.

you were there for me in one of the hardest times in my life, you never gave up.

(i'm glad you decided I would be worth it)

You text me good morning, and good night, even though its been 10 months.

You tell me you love me so genuinely, because you are genuine

I love your athenticity. the way you are sure of yourself, and you don't let what other people think affect your decisions

I love that you are a hard worker, I know you will provide for us, and I will help too.

everyone that has known you has nothing but good things to say

I love that you have been there and done that, because you get "it" now. You can do hard things, you've done hard things, and you survived. Just like me.

I love the way you sing to songs in the car

and how beautiful you are inside, and handsome on the outside

I love that you listen to me, and laugh at my jokes

I love how you love my family, especially my sister, and are so excepting of both my brothers .

I love that you don't judge people, you are such a good example to me.

I love that we don't fight.

I love that you love me.

I'm so lucky.

I'm getting such a great man, with such a great family.

this list could go on.

but I will stop.

because its kinda mushy.

I'm so excited to be getting married to this amazing guy!

5 months to go hahaha.

To my Little brother.

I was reading a blog today about a little boy who's mother just found out that he has a sleight form of Autism.
this got me thinking about my own, grown up, little brother, who also has Autism.

Ryan, is 18 now, and its such a strange thought to me, because he has the mind of a 2 year old, and doesn't look a day past 14.

Ryan was such a detrimental part of my childhood and development as a human. I learned so much from him. he taught me patience, kindness, and an understanding that everyone is different. I never made fun of the different kids.

they already have enough on there plate.

I'm reminded of how difficult it is to grow up with a child that struggles from a handicap. its straining on the family, and especially the parents relationship.

the cases of people being diagnosed with autism is much higher today than ever before ( or that is how it seems) I wonder why .

when technology and medicine are so advanced these days, we still can't figure out what is causing the problems.

I'd like to blame the shots newborns get, because that would be an easy fix, but there is no proof, and you can't do testing. with out the testing being unethical at least.

Ryan is an important part of my life, He is so loved. but to say that having a sibling with autism was rough is an understatement.
I admire parents who have children with disability's, the challenges they face daily, are far greater than anyone will ever know, unless they themselves have experienced the same things.

I hope one day there is an answer for the cause of autism.

to my little Ryan. you will always be the little boy that played hide and seek with me , while i hid for hours :) it was still fun. I love you. even though you always tried to kill my fish... I know you were just feeding them :)

I love you little booooonananaaa! love me.

September 10th,2012. The Show down .

Fast forward a couple of months, to the the Utah county fair in Salt Lake city.

 

One of my best friends Mary had invited Mark and I , along with my sister and her boyfriend Brennan to go to the county fair, on monday September 10th. because that day was all you can eat Ice cream, for only 3 dollars ! who can beat that?

 

Plus I absolutely love looking at Animals, so I was So excited to go! Everyone got work off and we all dressed up country ( I love dressing up for things like that) ha

 

Anyway Jana and Brennan were running late, so we ate ice cream and then walked around to find "real food" which is difficult to do at the fair, everything was greasy, but so good!

 

when Jana and Brennan got there we decided to go walk around, and of course i wanted to look at the animals, so we headed to the barn. As we were walking there someone suggested that we go on some of the rides after, and of course I was down for that.

 

one of my bucket list things in life was to Kiss someone on the Ferris Wheel. silly I know, but after watching shows like the O.C. and the Movie the note book, it looked and sounded fun .. hehehe.

 

I told Mark all of this, of course.

 

We spent about an hour and a half looking at the animals, and then around 9, I think Mary suggested we go and ride some rides before the fair closed. So we got in line for the Ferris Wheel, and the tickets were expensive! 8 bucks for the both of us! I was like are you serious? that's so expensive! and Mark said "oh its fine."

 

When we got on the Ferris Wheel Mark was acting really Nervous, but I just thought he was acting that way because he is scarred of heights. ( also, we had talked about getting engaged in October, so I was completely clueless) .

 

I asked him if he was having fun, and he said he was having so much fun, and then he said this:

 

" You know you are my best friend right?, the best friend that I've ever had?"

me: "yeah, I know, you're mine too."

"and you know that I love you Rachelle?"

Me:"I know,I love you too."

( I was associating his sudden mushy,cuteness to his fear of heights and then having a good time at the fair, so i just thought he felt like he needed to tell me these things :) )

 

and then he started to get off the seat, while we are up in the air, and he was really nervous.

 

 he said, "you know i want you to be my Wife right?"

and as he was saying this he is getting down on his knees... and I was trying to figure out what was going on, because i still thought we were getting engaged in October hahaha.

 then he pulled out the ring, and said, " will you Mary me, Rachelle?"

 

I was hysterically happy, I couldn't stop laughing, and I kept saying  "oh my gosh are you serious?!!!"

after about a minute he was like "well?"

 

and then I said. "YEAH, Of COURSE!"

 

it was perfect, when we got off the Ferris wheel everyone was waiting for us, taking pictures, and it was so cool. everyone had known but me. I was completely oblivious!

 

I'm so happy that it was such a surprise. I'm so happy.

 

I'm getting married! woot, woot.

 

my fiance is seriously Amazing. I couldn't ask for anything better, and i am so, so, so, happy to be marrying him.

 

here are some pictures.

Jana, My sister was the one who suggested he propose at the fair, on the Ferris wheel. love her

Mark making me look like a midget.

getting off the Ferris wheel.

I was so happy, I told the Hispanic guy what just happened, he didn't know English i think.

we were so happy!

Calling our family's

The ring, you can't see it to well though. sorry.

My Happy Dance.

I love him so much! he's so handsome!

Well there you go, you guys got the run down now. I got lucky, Ice cream, animals, crossed of something from my bucket list, and hey I'm getting Married!

This is where it began, and where it begins. enjoy!

To those of you who don't know how Mark and I met, and then started dating I will give you the details.

 

 

This is where our story begins. April of last year, I met Mark for the first time.

I was having one of those nights that I often had  back then, I was depressed at home, wondering why my supposed to be boyfriend at the time, wasn't making time for me.

so Leah being the good friend she is, invited me to frozen yogurt with Ammon and her, Ammons cousin had Recently started to hang out with him again, and she told me that he would be joining us too.

 

Not knowing that it was kinda a con into getting me to go out on a date ( the situation with the current BF at the time was very confusing, and I was not with him, but still kinda with him, confused yet? yeah so was I, for like a freaking year! ah ha ha).

Anyways when they came into the kitchen, I had some sort of thought that i needed to be careful because this guy looked like trouble, which he would have been at the time. He was quiet and very nice, he payed for my yogurt, which was unexpected. ( he later told me he had just gotten better from being really sick with pneumonia ) so that's partly why he looked so rough around the edges too.

 

( side note, Anyone who has met Mark, would find it very hard to believe that he may have ever been trouble, but its true, he was.)

 

so i left it at that.

 

and as time passed, and things remained confusing for me, I would hang out with Mark on occasion. these occasions were kinda rare, but he ended up being at my place sometimes because Leah moved in with me, and he hung out with her and Ammon often.

 

We were friends and that was it. I was so wrapped up in my current life altering DRAMA that i didn't even entertain the thought, plus as i said I had heard Mark was a recovering trouble maker, and i had enough on my plate as it was, so I wasn't even going to entertain the thought of that.

 

( remember we become blinded by love sometimes. how silly, but thank goodness for me being silly because everything worked out how it was supposed to.)

 

well it was around October when I kinda took a break from my confusing mess, that I hung out with Mark, we went car shopping, which turned into a search for a Halloween costume, and then lunch. It was a fun time, I went home and told Leah that I couldn't believe how patient he had been with me. because anyone who knows me, knows i can be pretty indecisive sometimes.

 

but I left it at that, I was still holding onto my commitment to this EX. I still wanted it to work and wasn't ready to give up. one of my personality traits, is sometimes i don't know when to let go. at this point i should have walked away from the situation months earlier.

Sadly I Didn't.

 

 

In November I reconnected with this EX, and I was in a very bad spot in my life, I felt confused about alot of things and had kind of forgot everything that mattered to me. For some reason I felt that I needed to try with this terrible relationship until I knew for sure it wasn't going to work at all.

 

to be honest that week I was back with him, I acted in ways that I don't act, and did things that I don't do, or believe in even. It was as though i wasn't me.

 

if you've ever looked back on a situation and felt like the person you used to be is so foreign to you now , that's how it was. like seeing a ghost of me. and I was NOT HAPPY.

 

I went searching for comfort. I went to the friend who had been comforting me during my weird time in life, but I didn't think he would understand, and I didn't think that he and me would work together anyway.

 

so I went along.

 

and I still remember this moment in church, when I sat by Mark , and I realized that maybe, I wanted him to still like me ( he had been interested the whole time, but refused to deal with the situation i had going on, and I thought he was trouble anyway so it worked out )

 

He looked so Handsome in his church clothes.I went home and told Leah, and she told me he was into some other girl, and for some reason I got kinda jealous.

 

which was weird for me.

 

one night after I came home from work, I was feeling really down and so I texted Mark, and he made me go to a movie with him, OK he didn't make me ha.

 

I remember standing next to him in the line to get our tickets, and looking at him and thinking, he is really good looking! how did i miss this before?

 

we had alot of fun that night, and we talked. alot.

 

and then we hung out again, and again, and we talked and talked, about everything.

For some reason, even though I was broken down and kinda defeated in life at that time, he stuck around. ( he said he knew it would be worth it)

 

He understands me, and I get him, we get each other in ways that no one else could. there was a brief period where we were kinda dating but not official that I needed time to figure out what i wanted. it was around February, and we spent like a week not together, and It was a weird week.

I wanted to hang out with him.

 

Long story short, we got back together, and about a month later we became official. I'm not going to say that it was all sunshine and happy, we had struggles, but I knew that I shouldn't give up.

I have never met someone who was so loving, kind, caring, loving to my family, thought they were great, and fit in so well with me and everyone else. He treated me like I was the center of his world, and I'd never experienced something like that before.

 

and you know its good, when now 9 months later I still get a text every night, and almost every morning, saying goodnight, or good morning and that he loves me.

 

Oh how everything works out :) where he was 8 Months after I met him, when I needed him the most was exactly where he needed to be in life, and where I was in life, although I was Sad, was where I needed to be too, so that I could find someone better that actually deserved to date me, that deserves the world from anyone.

I haven't been so happy In so long! I love every minute of it, I love being in love, and being able to feel safe, like everything is going to be okay no matter what.

I'm so glad that I was able to learn so much, from all the things that happened, and I'm so glad that someone decided not to give up on me.

I love Mark so Much, and I'm so blessed to have him.

and i'm so EXCITED TO GET MARRIED TO HIM!!!!

 

I'm so proud of both of us for where we are, from where we've been ,and I can't wait to Spend the rest of my life with this amazing guy. I was going to write about the engagement today, but this post is super long already, so I will try to write that tomorrow.

 

I hope you enjoyed this :)

 

 

 



C.A.R.E Animal Rescue.

guess what this post is going to be about?

If you know me well you know that I have a love for animals, that could almost be described as obsessive or unnatural... ha.

 

so it wouldn't surprise you to know that i am a frequent visitor to Pets Mart in Orem, because it is close to my work.

 

When i work a double shift, sometimes in between shifts i will go work out, but sometimes i will walk to pets mart to look at the Kitty's.

 

there are various reasons i do this, one of them is my love for animals, the other is that for some reason that i don't really understand, I feel happier after i go and play with the animals.

 

so one day when I was especially frustrated with work, and couldn't handle it, i left on my break and walked to pets mart, this day was just like any other except there was a group of people doing dog adoptions there.

 

I started talking with them, and told them about my day kinda, because well people who are like me like to share things, and it was probably obvious how frustrated i was . I don't hide things well.

 

so Margo, the lady in charge sent me out to walk one of the dogs. he made me feel much better, and I made a friend with Margo. she gave me treats, and we chatted about her organization, she still gives me treats :) because she considers me part of her clan.

 

I have been back several times and I fully support her cause. having worked at the Lindon animal shelter i know the Hell animals go through when they are in the shelter.

 

Margo goes into shelters, or has people give her dogs that are unwanted and fosters them out to people, the people who foster them are provided food, and they then help the dog to learn skills so that the dog can be a better pet.

 

when they take the dogs to pets mart, people can then take them home for a weekend or so and see if the pet is a good fit for there family. if it isn't they give the dog back to Margo , and owe nothing. if they like the pet they can decide to adopt it.

 

I think her organization is really ,really, cool, and I'm hoping to be able to help foster a dog for them if i can.

 

the organization is called C.A.R.E Animal Rescue.

 

I'm happy that there are animal people out there like me that do things like this. Its funny, animal people get along with each other like runners do. talk about someones pet you have a friend, talk about running shoes or races and its the same thing.

 

its like our own little community..

 

anyway that's all. like them on face book and share there page if you think its worth it!

 

all life is important to me. except bugs.. but even they serve there purpose.

I like to Move it, Move IT.

One of my odd facinations and enjoyments in life since the 8th grade has been running. the interesting thing is that yes ,i love running, but i also hate running. lets face it, its summer time, by ten the temperature outside is reaching the 80's or 90's and i usually want to sleep in. my phone is dying all the time and in need of replacement, so the alarm is very unreliable, in fact its not reliable which means i have to figure out how to work my radio alarm, which i haven't done thus far, and so I end up using my roommates phone alarm. which is so very kind of her.

then there is the fact that its hard for me to go if i miss the alarm and i feel to comfy in my bed to get up. but the hardest part is the fact that if you don't run in the morning you have to go at night which means that you are waiting your whole day to get your run in. I find it slightly annoying.

when training for a race the hard work, time and energy put into training always pays off though. running what feel like slow painfull runs, and doing hill work outs pay off when  you push through the finish line, exhausted and panting. dripping with sweat, your butt and legs aching, and you ask  your amazingly great boyfriend what the time was and he tells you that you just ran 6.2 miles in 43:31!

does it get any better? I couldn't have guessed i was in that good of shape. when its all said and done the pros of running will always out weigh the cons for me. unless of course i am injured or run so much that my knees go bad.

I am still a little sore from my 10k run for wasatch mental health, and while i was doing it, especially going up  the long hilly mile to mile 5, I was tired and wanted to stop sometimes, but you just keep moving.


and in life you just keep moving, or keeping on keeping, we can't stop or we fail.

running teaches me that I can do hard things, i've done hard things, and harder things are to come. if i look at it in this sense, then training is like life. some days are easy and enjoyable, i go with friends we chat and its fun, sometimes the runs are hot and i'm dehydrated or tired, and i don't want to keep running, these are mild trials that challenge our faith, but we get through them. speed work outs or hill runs would be the harder trials we experience, that never seem to end, but when they do we are stronger because of them, and racing well thats the proof that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger :) or you can say its the test of life that god has set out for us. all and all I run because it makes me feel stronger, and i always surprise myself at how much my body can do if i prepare it.

i'm greatfull I have the ability to run, friends and family who support me, a wonderfull boyfriend and the fact that heavenly father knows i care if i get 43 minutes or 45 :) I don't think i can run 7 minute miles all on my own. it just wasn't painfull enough to have been luck .

thats all. have a great day to the three of you who may read this.

A little something...

Here is a little something about me, about Mark ( my Mark) and about life :)

I'm 5'1 and a quarter.

on most days I enjoy running and try to go to the gym twice a week, at least during summer, more during winter .

you can find me singing most anywhere. I do it randomly and often don't realize that i am.

one thing that bothers me about myself is the fact that I laugh all the time. the reason it bothers me is because I'm not always sure how serious people take me. I also find it hard to take important things as seriouse sometimes.

there isn't anything better than making someone else feel good to me.

I'm in love.

I'm in love with animals, and summer and mostly with this amazingly, wonderfull, attractive ( got to add that) guy .

This is Mark :)

Mark is 6'2 , enjoys biking, going to the gym, working, learning new things, he loves the earth and he enjoys fishing.

along with all of that he is funny, sweet, caring, listens to my somewhat stupid stories, and laughs with me, he also loves my family! which is a very important thing to me . he is good friends with my sister and cousins with ammon who is married to my best friend. can it get any better?

I love him. I'm definately blessed.

here is a little bite about something... sometimes things don't turn out because of one simple reason, they weren't meant to. as soon as we realize this and start moving forward, all things come together.

I'm so happy i'm where i am and not where i was in life . somethings fall apart so other good things can come toghether. Mark is my good thing. I'm so greatfull for that .

Mark and me at my 22nd birthday dinner.  Love that boy.


okay I recently went to San Fran. It was AMAZINGLY FUN!!! I Stongly suggest everyone go at least once in there lifes. but be warned there are lots of homeless people, car gummuck, and its a little bit chilly. but totally worth it, and kind of refreshing.  these are just a few pictures for you guys. we did alot of things including the winchester mansion, mystery spot, santa cruize peir, peir 39 and ghiraddelli chocolate factory.

eating at an amazing thai resturant

we rented bikes and rode accross the golden gate bridge. it was fun and a good work out.

I tried so hard to get a good picture of the bridge. it was hard to do.

Take me to the candy shop :)

China Town. so fun, and everything is cheap.

waiting in line for alcatraz!



A view from twin peaks. you can see the whole city! and you can freeze from the wind :) as we are in this picture.

Maybe It's TIME ....

So, I decided that it is TIME...

Time is an interesting thing, everything takes time, time to mend, to break, to heal, to forgive, to move forward, to fall in love, fall out of love, time to make friendships, to let others go, time to learn who you are, what you want in life, where you are going.

this list can continue on for a while. what i'm getting at is everthing takes time, sometimes time takes to dang long, but when you get to where you want to be, i think its usually worth the wait.

recently I had to wait a very long time, to realize that i wasn't happy in my life, and when i realized that, I then waited another allotted amount of drawn out time to finally be able to truely forgive my self.

and all the things that led up to the event that i'm talking about came from  patience, and alot of time spent wasted on things that didn't matter, which i realize now, and alot of time spent praying. and on the day that time decided to let me move forward, it was through answered prayes, and god that i was able to move forward with my life for good.

and i'm going to tell you guys something. and its going to sound maybe preachy or something, but here goes.

I know that sometimes we hold onto things that just hurt us, they really don't matter much, but they matter to heavenly father, for me i needed an apology from someone that i felt had truely wronged me, and i needed forgiveness from myself, god, etc..  it wasn't until months later when i truely had hummbled myself and prayed about the situation that I was able to have my prayers answered and the weight of the situation removed from me.

what a blessing that has been. the power of prayer is so strong, sometimes things just take time.


anyway I'm happy, I'm healthy and i'm exicted about life, and love and all those other things in between.

Ubber Post. Random things.

So here it goes... This post will be Random things about me, and my life, that are happening or have Happened.

I enjoy Picture taking, and Baking.. I wouldn't say that i'm Crafty.. maybe creative. maybe one day, crafty...

The Baked Goods.

Marks Valentines Cake.

My Nephew Jaxyns Skateboard Birthday Cake, pretty sure I enjoyed making it than he did, getting it.

Hahaha, Poor Les. It turned out a little girly.. but so good!

One of my Favorites. Janas Halloween Birthday cake.

This is By Far the best that i've done. Mint Chocolate chip cake for my dad. I have gotten better. I love decorating and making things for people. He Loved This!

Here are some pictures of my Photos. I like to take nature shots. so its not to exciting. one day i hope to get a more proffessional camera.

These horses were hobbled, so when they tried to walk they had to kind of jump. It scared me so bad! until I Realized what was happening.I totally thought they were trying to ATTACK! haha.



Curiosity Kills the Cat.



Tire Faucet

The Swan, Watching over her Ducklings.


Thats all for today. I will update my life tomorrow.