A Last Minute Visitor and Vacation!

Over the MLK Holiday weekend (even though it's not a holiday at my work, so lame) Cody Bear decided to come out for a visit! He gave us about a 3 day notice so you could say we weren't expecting it, but SO happy he was able to come out!

Tay and Cody skiied the first two days which made it easy on me to just stay at work. 

The first night Mama and Papa treated us to PF Changs with a gift card. It was delicious!!! It'd definitely been awhile since I've been there so it was very much enjoyed. Thanks Mom and Dad! 

Then we decided to be crazy, because we are young (ish) and can, right? So we left Friday night along with my dear friend, Carter, for a quick trip to Denver. We didn't pull into the grandparents place till about 3:30. I was exhausted considering I drove the worst part of the drive... 10:45-3:00 while the boys all slept. It was killer. 

The next day we got to go to my cousin, Cory's, highschool game. Cory will be playing for BYU next year so it was exciting to be able to watch him play! Plus, it was against their rival so the place was PACKED and HOT, but still so fun! And they won the game! 

Cute Brenley and I also just happened to be matchy matchy that day too! I'll take that as a compliment for having good taste cause she is such a fashionista! 

After the game, we rounded up some good football food- LOTS (like way too much) of pizza, wings, celery/carrots, and Dr. Pepper (cause we are Calvert's) and headed to my cousins, Courtney and TJ's house to watch the Bronco's playoff game. Sadly, they lost, but it was fun to spend time with all the fam bam. 

I seriously can't wait for this kid to be out in Provo this summmmmmer! 

After church the next day, we headed to Cory and Brenley's house to hang out and play some cards for a few hours before we headed back to Provo. 

AND, this studly man, Mr. Brian Mooney, lives in Denver now so he was able to stop by my Grandparent's house for a little bit to catch up on our lives. I sure do miss this kid, but I was glad I got to see him!

Somehow, we managed to survive another gruesome drive back to Provo, getting in around 3:00 am. Carter and I both had to work the next day so we tried sleeping the last 3 hours of the trip, which didn't work too well. I never can sleep in cars. So you could say the next day at work was exhausting. 

But I was able to take a little lunch break and meet up with the brothers at In N Out that day. Cody would have eaten there for every meal if he had a choice. He loves that place! 

That night we all met up and went to Zupa's! Being with 2 of my best friends and my 2 favorite brothers was such a treat. Nicole FINALLY got to meet Cody and Becks FINALLY got to be reunited with Cody! I'm so glad that my family likes my friends and my friends like to be with my family! 

And sadly, our weekend trip with the baby brother was over! I'm so glad he got to come out since he never takes trips by himself! It definitely was a fun/crazy weekend and I'm glad I was able to spend it with family! 

See you in a few months Cody Bear! 

bye bye january.

hi blogging world, yes i'm still alive. 

and January is gone? Let's be honest, I was more than happy to say adios.. January is probably my least favorite month of the year. The months of Holiday season have just ended and the weather is at it's worst. (except what's up with this Utah weather? we've had legit snow ONCE this ENTIRE season. but I really am not complaining) 

January was a pretty good month though. Here are some highlights for ya:

I've mentioned before how my friends are pretttttty stellar. 

Case in point: The week I get back to Utah, Becky, Brit, and I decide to meet up for dinner to plan Nicole's bridal shower. Little did I know, it ended up being a late surprise birthday dinner for me with some of my favorite people in the entire world. Those sneaky girls. I was SHOCKED. seriously, had NO clue. I just took my time with Becky shopping around the mall thinking we were waiting on Britt to get down here from PG. But nope, it was a plan for me. It was such a fun time! I really feel lucky to have such AMAZING friends. Count my blessings every day.

IBeauty and the Beast 3D.
Is it weird that I still get goosebumps and emotional during the Disney movies?
Nope. I love every minute of that childhood memory. 

Still showing my love and support for my BYU Cougars at a Men's Volleyball Match

Trying to show the snow we had for about 1 day. So much for that. 

Mia's 24th birthday at the Pizza Pie Cafe to celebrate this wonderful occasion with all these people who love her.

Celebrating Birthday Buddy Brandon's bday at Red Robin with all my Georgia friends. The best part of it besides being able to spend time with people who got me through high school, our friends Dad ended up paying for ALL of our meals! Seriously?! Such a tender man. I love my friends from home and really want to try hanging out with them more because they are great people. It was a fun night catching up. It felt like I was in highschool all over again hanging out with them every night.

CES Firside. Thanks to the fabulous B. Dahlin, we got to sit in the floor seating. VIP.

The Reeve girls and I have a tradition to celebrate everyone's birthdays with a cake whenever I come up to babysit or hangout. It was mine and Brookie's turn to enjoy a special cake for our birthdays we missed over the holidays. I sure do love hanging out with these crazy and fun girls! 

And to end January on a high note, Cousin Cory decided to come with his Dad for the day to watch the BYU Basketball Game vs. St Mary's!  Cory will be on the team next year and has never even been to a game so I think it was about time ;) But I enjoyed spending time with the cousins and brother that night with a good dinner at Brick Oven and then going to The Chocolate for some dessert. If you've never been there, you should probably go sometime. 

 I sure do love this cousin of mine and can't wait for him to be out here this summer!!!

So that was MOST of January. Had a visitor and a mini trip in between it all that I will blog about shortly. Happy February! 

WELL THERE YOU ARE BIRTHDAY GIRL!

February 2, 1988 a best friend was born. 

Of course I wouldn't realize that today meant more than finding out how long Winter would be around by some gopher until I met this wonderful lady. And I am so glad Mama Shep decided to bring this joy to the earth. And just for the record, she's definitely a lot better than a gopher.

Yes ladies and gents... today is Miss Becky Rene's 24th birthday! And I feel honored to welcome her to the 24 club to show her the ropes after being a part of it for just a little over a month. 

And although we haven't known each other for too long, I honestlyf eel like I've known her forever. She has become one of my best friends and I am SO grateful to have her in my life. She is amazing for many, many reasons....

 

Becky has a zest for life. And it's contagious. She is honestly one of the happiest girls I've known. There never is a moment around this girl where I don't catch at least a little of that zest. She makes life fun and exciting.

Becky LOVES dolphins. More like an obsession, but it's something I love about her. I thought I loved dolphins (as long as I can remember, I DREAMED of being a dolphin trainer at Sea World) but I think she one ups me. Anything she sees that has a dolphin on it, she loves. She wants to swim with dolphins and I know that it will be one of the happiest moments of her life. I can't wait to hear all about it someday! 

 I was honored to have this lovely lady come spend a few days with my family and I in Georgia this past summer. We weren't even super close at the time, but I think it's what began to draw us closer together. And she instantly loved the Braves. (it's hard not to) But you know that the Braves hold a special place in my heart. And if someone will love them at first sight, it's a good sign for our friendship. 

 I could ALWAYS count on Becks to be by my side at the pool for hours. Yes she came to visit me in Georgia. And we did do some touristy things, but she was completely content and happy spending a day at the pool. My kinda girl. You don't find many people who are as dedicated to pool time with me as this one. 

 Becky likes to try new things. We took Becky to the Varsity- only the grossest, greasiest, largest drive thru joint in Georgia. I'm not even a fan of it, but every visitor should experience it at least once. Yes, she may have topped it off with LOTS of ketchup and mustard (cause that's how she always does it) but anyone who takes a bite into that food is one brave soul. 

 Remember how much I love my dog? Pretty sure Becker is one of her favorite Sants. They instantly bonded. It may be cause they share the same nickname. But they had that connection. She understands me when I say that I miss my dog. 

 Technically Becky and I met at EFY back in 2010. (And of course, this is always a good sign.) However, we didn't really bond till after the sessions were over and figured out we had the same love for John Mayer and went to the concert together that year. That was the moment I knew we'd be friends. But mad props to EFY. You've done it again.

 Becky loves my family and that means a lot to me. My family can be weird, they can be crazy, they can be fun, and in any circumstance... Becky has loved them. It means so much to me knowing when my friends love my family a lot too. And just so you know Becks, my fam LOVES you as well :)

 Becky is one of the funniest people I know. The moment I get with her, she has me smiling and cracking up and the things she will say or do. Some may not understand her humor, but I do and she'll always keep me laughing. Half the time I don't even know where she comes up with that stuff, but she is a RIOTTTTT. 

 Becky is comfortable and confident with who she is. One thing I love about her is she is not embarrassed about things she will do. She doesn't care what others think about her. If people can't accept her for who she is, then it's not worth it to try to impress them or pretending to be someone she isn't. I love that Becky isn't fake. You get what you see with this girl.  

 Becky is there for me. Whatever I go through, I know that I can turn to her. She will be there for me no matter what. There aren't many friends I have like that, but I am grateful she is one of them. She has been there for me through tough times and through the good times. And I can't thank her enough for that.

Becky understands me. I like when we both think we are funny and we know we really aren't to anyone else, but to each other. Does that make sense? It does to me. Anyways, we thought we were pretty funny when we decided taking a picture together every games night was a tradition that had to happen. It wasn't some big event, but it was to us. Like I said, she gets me.

  Becky has a GREAT sense of fashion. But seriously, she can pretty much pull off anything.  Whether it's just sweats or some cute outfit she puts together, she always looks adorable.  And just a side note, she also has gotten me addicted to Forever 21. 

 Becky has a loving heart. She is caring, kind, compassionate, sweet, and I know she would do anything for me. She is so giving and so thoughtful to her friends and family. I feel that love on countless occasions and couldn't be more grateful to have a friend like her.

 Becky is someone I feel like I can be my complete self around because I know she loves me for me. And let's get real, I can be weird. But she doesn't make me feel dumb or stupid. I know that I don't need to act any different around her because she accepts me the way I am.

Becky has become one of the greatest temple buddies to go with. Even with our busy schedules working full time, we will try to go to the temple as often as we can together. It's nice to know I have friends I can count on to go with me to such a sacred and special place. 

 Becky is someone I can trust. We've had some really heart to heart, deep conversations and not once do I ever worry that she'll go around talking about it with other people. I trust her with my life. And feel like I can tell her anything. 

 Becky is athletic. She loves to be outdoors and loves to be active. I love her adventurous side. She likes to participate in sports more than just being an observer. If there are any random pick up games going on around her, she will most likely join. 

 Becky is a good sub for a boyfriend. If I'm ever without a date, I know I can't count on her to be by my side to have a fun time. And really, who wouldn't have a fun time when being with this girl?

 Becky is part of this trio that slowly developed over the summer, but more into the beginning of Fall. They honestly hold a special place in my heart. I don't know what I'd do without these girls. 

 Becky is quite the dancer. If you need to whip up some choreography for a dance in a matter of hours, talk to this girl and she'll show you a move or two. If you need to have someone join you at a dance party to make a fool out of yourself with, bring this girl along. I promise,  it's definitely entertaining and you wouldn't regret it. 

Becky loves the gospel. You really have a special connection with people that you get to work at EFY with because you get to see a very different side of them. I'm so grateful I got to be around her for a few weeks this summer. Watching someone share their love for the gospel with other people is something that is touching. I have had many opportunities to watch her share her love for this church  know she loves being a Latter Day Saint with her whole heart. She loves our Savior. I can feel her spirit  and she has helped my testimony grow by her example. 

Last, but certainly not least, Becky is one of my best friends. It's hard to come across those kind of friends these days, and I don't have many, but she is definitely one person I consider to be that kind of friend. She is so gorgeous inside and out! I am so grateful that I have gotten to know this girl SO much better over this past year.  She has been a strength. She has one of the most loving hearts. She has been a ray of sunshine. She has been an example. She has been my comedian. She has been there for me through so many things. She has been a HUGE blessing in my life. And most importantly, she has been my friend. I couldn't imagine what I would do without Becky in my life. She is one of a kind.

I love you so much Becky Rene! I hope you have the GREATEST 24th birthday of your life! You deserve it pretty girl! Happy, Happy Birthday! :)