♥ As of Late...

Ahhh I'm so bad at blogging.  Oh well.  Things have been crazy lately!  Fall semester has started, and school is as crazy as ever!  We moved into the Reynolds' family-owned town home and we are loving it!  We don't have to hide having Sonic anymore (ha) which is nice because now he can do all of his "business" outside which is wonderful.  We also actually have more than one closet to store everything!  We are really grateful for the opportunity to live in this home and will be sad when it is time to leave.  

One awesome experience of the summer was seeing my beautiful sister Natalie on her mission in Temple Square, Salt Lake City, UT!  It is so tempting to go visit her all the time, but we really don't want to be a distraction, and we don't want to make it harder on all of us, so this is the second time we have seen her since she left in January.  Brooks and I decided to go surprise her on a random Friday night which ended up being perfect because the square was practically empty, so we were able to be with her for about an hour!  We brought Sonic with us so she could meet him for the first time too, which was really fun for her.

So proud of her!

Sonic always makes friends!

We also made another trip to California in August for my birthday, friend's wedding, and a family reunion! I LOVE going home, and it is always so hard to come back.  I always get my hair done by trusted hairstylists, go shopping with mom, and eat wonderful homemade meals.  We left early on Tuesday morning and were able to make it for some dinner, a hair appointment, and my friend's bachelorette party!  It was a blast and it was fun to see some friends from California again!  Wednesday was my birthday which was perfect!  We went out to breakfast to Mimi's Cafe (My favorite!) and then headed to San Fransisco for the day!  We spent the day touring the city and walking along the pier!  We went to Joe's Crab Shack for dinner, and I forgot how much better seafood is in California, ESPECIALLY when it is caught right off the pier in San Fran!  It was special day spending it with my fam, and we wished the rest of my siblings could've been there!

 Cami's bachelorette party at the Cheesecake Factory!

Golden Gate bridge! 

Mom and I at Joe's Crab Shack.  She looks like she could be my age!

 Thursday was Cami and Matt's wedding!  It was beautiful in the Sacramento temple, and we were lucky enough to be able to go inside and see them be sealed!  It's so fun to start having more married friends!

 Waiting outside of the temple!

 Still swooning over how great she looked while setting up for the reception!

All of the bridesmaids!

The bride and I.

 Friday and Saturday were a blast as well.  Friday was a little more relaxed, and mainly consisted of shopping, dining, and going to the temple with my parents!  Brooks and I love going through different temples, and it was our first time in the Sacramento temple, and the first time going through with my parents since the day before our wedding!  Saturday was a family reunion with my mom's side of the family at my grandparents house.  They have this reunion every year and always go all out!  They rent a big blow up slide, BBQ tons of food, and have all sorts of games/contests/relay races. 

 Flash wasn't on, but still a beautiful temple.

My cousin Anna and Sonic, who LOVED the attention of all the cousins.

Sonic and cute Logan.

 It was hard to come home, but we were glad to come back and move into our new place!  Since then we have mainly been adjusting to our new place and new school schedules!  We are both crazy busy with school and work, but are finding time to spend time together and relax.

 

 He's allowed on the bed as long as we lay a blanket down.

 Love this little guy!

First time at the batting cages!

He put me to shame.

 Love when he teaches me new things!

Can you find sonic....??

 Sonic in his new BYU gear!  Whatta stud.

It even has a hood! hahaha

Random, but he is pretty much a gazelle... he can jump SO far and high, it's ridiculous!

Also, my cute nieces visited my parents this last weekend... COULD THEY BE ANY CUTER?!

Evangeline

 Gennavieve

Well life is perfect, and each day that goes by I know I made the best choice in marrying Brooks, even though it was overwhelming at the time!  Until next time! Xoxo

♥ Californ-i-a.

Time for another update!  This past week has been a blast!  Brooks and I decided to make a little trip to my hometown to see my family and take a little break in between semesters!  We left a day early and surprised my parents late Wednesday night, by putting their "grand-dog" on their bed.  Needless to say, it was a great first impression haha.

Packing for the trip!

Can't go on a road trip without these!

 Sonic enjoying the 9 1/2 hour drive.

 Road tripping.

We spent Thursday driving around Loomis and all of my favorite places, caught up with some great friends and had a delicious meal at the Cheesecake Factory with my grandparents!  It was SO nice to just relax and have a break from school and work! 

Friday was a mini girls day with my mom, which included getting my hair and nails done, shopping, and grabbing lunch!  I seriously love having my mom as my best friend.  Friday evening we went to my cousin Tyler's wedding reception!  It was beautiful and so fun to see all of my extended family again. 

Girl's day!

 Wedding Reception! (and new hair!)

 Love my husband.

Saturday was probably my favorite day.  My family was pretty busy with the Upstage shows (my mom is a director of a non-profit organization group that performs) so I took Brooks to my favorite lake, sushi place, and shopping places of course.  I was also able to introduce Brooks to some of my best friends from high school which was really fun.  That evening we went to the Upstage show which was SO great!  It brought back so many fun memories and took place at my high school, so I was able to spend time walking around with Brooks down "memory lane."  After the show, we watched some home videos with my parents, and I constantly apologized to Brooks about our future children after he saw how mischievous I was haha.

 

Sunday was Father's Day of course, so we spent the morning going to church and catching up with some more friends I've been dying to see.  It was a perfect morning, and my mom of course made me cry when we had to say goodbye.  Luckily, my little munchkin brother Stephen tagged along with us to Utah for a few days! Brooks' little brother came up the same day as well, along with his mom and sister, so it was fun having them around for a while.  We went to the pool, watched movies, went bowling, and hit up all our favorite spots to eat.  It was a good time, and I was sad to drop Stephen off at the airport this morning. 

Father's day remembrance.  I love my dad.

 Ready for the drive home!

 Yeah.... we're terrible at bowling.

 Fun night.

 Sad to see him go.

All in all, it was a great week, and I'm definitely not looking forward to the reality of school and work again!  Luckily we have another California trip in August to look forward to!  Till next time!

♥ Time to Play Catch Up.

Okay, it's official, I am terrible at blogging.  I know only three people read this, but still, I've been slacking majorly. 

For starters, things really could not be going better for the two of us!! We just celebrated our one year anniversary on May 14th, and are happier now then we were our wedding day.  Marriage really is the best decision I've ever made.  There is nothing better than having a partner to help you get through all the tough times but also a best friend to have sleepovers with every night.  Brooks is the best friend I've ever had and I am still amazed he has managed to stick with me this long!

As of lately, Brooks is glad to be on his last year of BYU and can't wait to move on to Physical Therapy school!  He is working AND going to school full time and I could not be more proud of him.  I'm currently working at a law office and am enrolled in a Medical Assisting program!  Things are pretty crazy for us but we can always find time to be together and relax.  We've spent this past year really getting to know each other, working on our strengths and weaknesses, and just enjoying our time together! Here is just a small portion of memories from this last school year.

One of the BYU Football games we attended this past year.

 Seeing Taylor Swift in concert, hands down greatest gift my dad has ever given me.

 Spending Christmas with the Reynolds.

 Dropping this lovely off at the MTC for an 18 month LDS mission.

 Valentines Day.

 Brooks Birthday.

 Seeing my incredible sister on a mission.

 Easter with my love.

The birth of my second niece, Genevieve.

 Mini-moon to Park City.

 Celebrating our one year anniversary.

 Now, anyone who knows me knows I'm a sucker for animals.  Especially dogs.  A week or so after Thanksgiving my dear pup Titan passed on and I was devastated.  Ever since then I have been begging Brooks to get me a dog so I could have some company when he's gone!  Now, I have always been a big dog person (Titan weighed more than I did), and I never liked little dogs.  I always thought they were annoying, even though they do look cute.  Now, since we live in a little apartment, a big dog is out of the question, and Brooks is allergic to cats, so for fun we went to the local pet shop and looked at puppies!  Well, Brooks later found out that was a terrible idea because the first puppy I picked up I could not put down.  There was just something so sweet about him that got to me and I begged Brooks to let me keep him..... and, being the sucker he is, he did =]  So yes, our little family of two has grown to three!  Well, more like two and a half, haha.  We named him Sonic and he really is keeper.  I knew we made a good decision when the Vet told us he had never met a Pomeranian as sweet and docile as Sonic was! He is very affectionate and never barks, so now we just have to get the potty training down haha.  It's so nice to have some love when Brooks is gone, and he can hold me over until we have a place big enough for a big dog =]  

Here are some pics of our first "baby."

Bringing him home to meet some friends!

 First day at the vet!

 His favorite naughty toy.

 Perfect definition for a lap dog.

 Sunday walks.

 Sonic loves Brooks.

 Love coming home from school to this guy!

So I guess we are officially "little dog" people, but don't worry, I don't carry him in my purse and I won't dress him.

There really hasn't been too much besides that, just busy, everyday life!  We are very happy and are excited to wrap up our adventures here in Utah!  I really will try harder to keep a better record of events! Till next time!