this weekend!

oh the 4th of july! my favorite holiday!!

i've always loved america, and being married to a Marine has only intensified that love. 

jon and i decided to go to huntington beach for the festivities!

i've been there the past two years and it was JUST fabulous!

its going to be a little bit different this time, being married 

(NO i didn't meet someone at the beach 2 years ago and make out with him during the fireworks)

(and NO i didn't see someone from utah that i had met and made out with at studio 600 two weeks prior)

but it'll be so great. 

two years ago, i had just moved home from new york. (crazy!!)

jessie, lyndsi and I decided to road trip to CA to visit amanda boo. 

oh, we had so much fun.

knott's berry farm, laguna beach tide pools, yogurtlandyogurtlandyogurtland.

parties andddd the 4th of july! 

all four of us ran the morning 5k.

(lyndsi ran it in like 10 minutes.)

then we all went to the parade.

bff's.

there is a guy in the ward who lives on main street, so everyone gathers there for the parades.

tons of people got on the roof and this is lyndsi and i wondering HOW the hay to get up there. 

(yes, we made it up in one piece)

these glasses have been perfect for 4th of july and u of u activities. haha. 

sisters posing for the cameras while watching the parade. 

it was so great being single, wasn't it?

here we are walking to the beach to enjoy the fireworks. 

how i miss them!

who is this guy.

my two besties.

(those pants. i love her.)

it was the funnest vacation ever!

last year i was living in huntington beach with amanda, and jill came to visit! 

it was a little more tame this time.

amanda was dating nephi, i was waiting? for jon/chase?? confusing time in my life,

and jill had just gotten out of a relationship.

still so fun though. 

always faithful. 

so excited to see marines!

at this time, jon was in boot camp for 3 months. boo.

favorite. i love her. enjoying the parade together. 

after the parade, we went swimming. we didn't plan this but it was perfect! 

red white and blue!

amanda and i on our way to the neighborhood parties before the fireworks. 

i guess those popsicles are july 4th go-to snacks. 
jill, me and amanda at a BBQ.

i'm so excited to take my boy up there and enjoy being an american.

usually during the flag raising or national anthem or whatever, 

jon has to stand at attention, no talking, hands at his sides and direct gaze.

we laughed about him watching the entire parade like that.

we laughed but then just kind of sat there and wondered if he will really have to do that...

anyway, planning outfits and treats! It'll be so fun to spend the weekend with our favorite go-to!

see you friday amanda and neeph!

be ready to take lots of photos!

4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st.

amanda and nephi came into town.

mei's sister and two nephews came into town as well.

got my iphone that my little fiance bought me. (what did yours buy you? ;)

worked my last day for two weeks.

forced kalie to help me pick out engagement picture outfits.

christmas eve i picked jon up from the airport <33333

then we went and took family pictures. he was in our family pictures!

we had a big ol' dinner party on christmas eve.

poor katie got sicksicksick that night.

we had 14 people stay at our house christmas eve night.

katie slept in my twin bed. we brought another twin mattress up from the basement and put it on the floor in my room for sam and the baby to sleep on, and robbie slept on the floor. all in my little 12x12 room.

jon and i went to midnight mass but had to leave early because we couldnt stop laughing. yes, we're five.

we came home and he slept on the floor on one side of the bed and nephi slept on the floor on the other side of the bed. me, amanda, and lizzie all slept in lizzie's queen sized bed.

it was such a fun night.

then we had christmas the next morning! i should have different posts for these with pictures.

and the next day the talented Kylie Nixon took Jon and my engagement photos. we've gotten a few back and they look amazing!

the rest of the time has been a huge ball of fun.

being engaged is so fun.

we've got rings on our fingers, we're on the same phone plan, and he's in our professional family photo. we're pretty much married already.

there's just oneee thinggg missiingg...but i can't really put my finger on it.

on the 5th day of christmas...

Lizzie and I went to the tree lot and bought a 44 dollar tree

for 30 dollars.

But there was no price on the tree, so how would we know?? :)

and it is perfect.

on the 7th day of christmas.

my best gf gave to me...

a new head of hair.

i'll spare you the details of the hair-ball kalie extracted from the shower drain.

my little fiance gave to me...

a stressful few hours of over the phone shopping. UGH!

my father gave to me...

a day full of house shopping.

luckily, he was too worn out to be grouchy anymore.

on the 8th day of christmas...

my best friend gave to me...

a reason...

to be domestic...
and to conduct my first bridal shower.

love her.

all the single babies.

california was a blast. bfs, gfs, single ladies, eating out, new years eve, boys, lots of sleeping, suffering for a whole week with a messy room and cold foggy weather.
amanda and i didn't even fight the whole time! she is the best, and yes we are twins.

we went to chino hills to hang out with our favorite uncle, Brent! and his wife Bev, and her daughter and kids. It was so much fun! the weather was fabulous. we had a bbq (he talked me into eating chicken....), went swimming, played wii and laughed!

i also met up with one of my best girlfriends! stephanie! we met via melodramtic.com in 9th grade? maybe 10th. we started writing each other because she saw that i was LDS. we were then pen pals through melo, email, myspace, texting, facebook and now blogging! our friendship has progressed like the technologies have. she talked me through the ups and downs, the break ups, make ups, the cute things he'd do and the fights and drama of bryson and i. she saw me fall in love with chase and send him off, and shared every detail of all the boyfriends, break ups, and hook ups in between, before, and since. i met her boyfriend this weekend for the first time! he is so funny and so nice. they are too cute together. it was the highlight of my week!

i hung out with john keiter and friends, too. we had a bonfire in newport. it was fun to see people from home in another state, always a good time. john keiter is such the fun starter. i saw lauren and aubrey too, love them.

it was a good week in california! its so fun to go visit there, especially since now i have some friends there, too (okay..one) that i can hang out with when amanda is busy with a bf. (winky face)

when i left california, i flew to las vegas. i met a missionary who was from chicago, serving in new york, dating a girl from las vegas and going to school at BYU-I. we became 'friends' and when he got off his mission we kept in touch via texting. he got back together with the girl who waited two whole years for him, and they got engaged and married! so i went to his reception in LV with some other guys from the mission, it was so much fun to see them. las vegas wasnt too eventful because i was only there for less than 24 hours but i still had fun. and even got to see pam, lindsay, and marissa! they were kind enough to let me stay the night at their house!

this is the only picture i have from las vegas. i dont even remember where we were.

i got home sunday, tired, a little grumpy, and sick. thanks amanda. happy new year everyone ! :)

jumble.

Me: I used to live out there?
Man Living on 2200 Madison Ave NewYork, NewYork: Where!!?
Me: Central Park West and 84th...
Man: Where are you talking to me from?
Me: Salt Lake City Utah!
Man: Why did you move out there? Did you get rich?
Me: ....No...I'm from here. I was going to school in New York.
Man: Oh. Are you coming back?
Me: I hope so.
Man: This is where the money is.
Me: haha...
Man: Alright come on back now. Bye.

He was so sweet. It's so weird to be home, I miss New York so much and no one understands. It's like when a missionary comes home and want to talk about his mission 24/7 and no one cares and no one wants to hear about it. I now kind of know what it is like being on the other end. However, one of my friends just got back from his mission in New York! Soooo that works out really nicely. We can reminisce with each other.

This is a difficult blog to write because I have so many different things on my mind. I could have taken in it so many different directions.

I'll just jump to the new addition to my family.

So I've had a few pets in the past..........thousands of fish, multiple hamsters, and a kitten. All of which I really, REALLY tried to treat well and keep alive.

But they didn't stay on this earth long.
I found them floating in the bowl, frozen solid in their cage, or, the most painful of them all, was awoken by two of my sisters one morning. When they found sweet (???????????????????) Keeska, laying very stiff, but very peaceful, on the top step in the garage.

How I loved her.

I'm hoping that won't happen with my newest, best smelling, fullest, and best dressed...

Christmas tree!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My dad helped me decorate this beautiful thing after Lizzie and her roommates and I picked it out! So far it hasn't drank any water, but I'm sure it will soon...............