Justin is 24!!!

This last weekend was Justin's birthday. I can't believe he is 24! I know it is still so young, but I still don't believe it. He was 21 when we started dating! So weird! On Saturday, we went skiing with my dad. It was probably the last big snow storm of the year the day before, so the snow was really nice. On Saturday night, we went to Jodi and Jeremy's to celebrate. It is so fun to have them so close to us! On Sunday, we played games with my family for a little while and then went to Dallin and Sam's for dinner. Dallin's parents were in town and since they LOVE Justin they wanted to celebrate with us. On Monday, we went to the Cheesecake Factory with Dallin and Sam for Justin's last little bit of birthday celebration. He was really bummed at first that his birthday was on Sunday because he thought it wouldn't be fun. Little did he know, this only allowed him to stretch his birthday out for four days! The second I got home from work on Friday all I heard was, "But can't you do it? It's my birthday weekend." He's lucky I love him so much!

Tony Rae Gillespie Peers

This weekend I had the unfortunate, but fortunate, opportunity to go to a memorial for my best friend's mother who past away on January 30. She was such an amazing woman and I am so blessed to have had her in my life. Tony was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer just a few days before Christmas. Although her time after the diagnosis was short, she continued to bless every life until her very last day on earth. Anyone who had the privilege of knowing Tony truly knows what a privilege it was. She was a wonderful and positive woman who never saw any negative in anyone. She was witty, always smiling, optimistic, spiritual, and just an all around wonderful person. She and her husband, Steve, built an amazing family that was full of love. Her love and kindness will continue on through her family. I was blessed to be able to live with the Peers family two summers ago and got to know Tony very well. So well that she became a mother to me. She took me in with all of her love and kindness and treated me as one of her own children. Her memorial was beautiful and filled with laughter and love as we reflected on her wonderful life and the amazing person she is. My life is better because I was blessed to know Tony. She will be truly missed by everyone who knew her. I am very lucky to be one of those whose lives she touched and changed for the better. I love you Tony!

I am so glad Jake was able to capture this wonderful picture of Tony and me at my wedding

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

These past few weeks have really been wonderful! Justin had two weeks off of school and I had two weeks off of work (one of the many perks of working at a school)! So basically we got to spend every minute of every day together. There is no one I would rather spend this much time with.

One of the first things we got to remember during our break together was when we had gotten engaged a year ago. On Christmas Eve of last year, Justin popped the big question. It was so much fun to look back on that this year and reflect on how much we have grown together throughout the year. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful husband who makes me a better person everyday.
We stayed in Utah with my family for the holidays. It is much quieter around here than it is with Justin's family, which is nice, but we do miss the craziness as well. On Christmas Eve, my parents and Justin and I went skiing together. It was so much fun to be with family and do something we love together. That night we went to my Aunt and Uncle's house for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner. My aunt wanted to do something a little different this year, so instead of traditional turkey or ham, we had a big fondue party. I must admit, I was a little skeptical at first since I love tradition, but it turned out to be a lot of fun! On Christmas Day, we woke up and had our big breakfast as a family like we always do, and then opened up our presents. It was so much fun to just relax and be with family.

For New Years Eve, we all went to my mom and dad's house to bring in the New Year. Our friends Sam and Dallin came over too so we got to be with family and friends. I cannot believe it is 2010 already. We have had such a great past year. I graduated in April, we got married in May, and I got a wonderful job that I love and is enough to support us so Justin can really focus on school. These are just a few of the many blessings we have received in the past year. We are so lucky and so blessed in so many ways. We are so excited for this new year together! Justin is especially excited for his graduation at the end of the year, and I am excited to hopefully finally leave Provo! There are many things to come in our near future and we cannot wait!

Thanksgiving!

As always I'm a little late on this, but I could not let Thanksgiving pass without posting something about it. We spent Thanksgiving in Arizona this year and had so much fun with the family! We got in late Tuesday night and had a busy busy schedule until we left on Sunday. On Wednesday, we went to the railroad park with the whole family... cousins, aunts, and of course lots of kids! It was so much fun to see everyone again! On Thursday, Justin and his two brothers in law ran in the 5k turkey trot. They had a lot of fun and did really well! Then of course later that day we had a big Thanksgiving dinner. On Friday, we had a girls day while the boys took the kids on a bike ride. On Saturday, we went to the lake and of course Justin and I made time for dinner at Goldie's with the family (a must every time we go to Arizona). It was a wonderful vacation and so much fun spending time with the family! I am so lucky to be a part of such a wonderful family! They are amazing and we never stop having fun.

Unfortunately, my camera died after a took one picture at the railroad park so I really don't have any pictures. I need to get them from my wonderful sisters and then I will eventually post them.

6 months

Wow I cannot believe that six months ago today Justin and I got married! It seems like it was yesterday. The past six months have flown by! Six months may seem like nothing to people who have been married for awhile, but to me this is so crazy! The past six months have been amazing. I could not imagine myself with anyone else but Justin. It is so fun to see the changes we have both made for the better because of each other. I cannot wait for the amazing journey ahead with Justin. There is no one I would rather spend forever with.

October fun!

So I have been a little bit of a slacker lately on our blog. It has been beautiful here in Utah with all the leaves changing and the weather has been amazing! In the beginning of October, we started Halloween early by going to a murder mystery party our friends, Jake and Sarah, hosted. It was a lot of fun! We were assigned "The Farmers" as our costume, but we sort of changed it to cowboys since they are semi close. There were six other couples there with different costumes for each couple. It was fun and creative and I don't think anyone could have made it as fun as the Shirleys.

The Farmers

The Witch Doctor and Jester

The Werewolves

The whole group

A few weeks after the party, Justin and I got to go to The Haunted Forest. We absolutely love going to haunted houses! It was probably the best one we have ever been to. There was a haunted house in the beginning, and then the second part was a haunted forest. It was a lot of fun and super scary.

Working at an elementary school is one of the most fun parts of the holidays. It is so fun to decorate the classroom and see the excitement of the children. We had a big fall festival at work on the Thursday before Halloween. It consisted of lots of fall activities, like decorating cookies, tasting different caramel apples and deciding which was the favorite at the school, and guessing the weight of a big pumpkin. We also had lunch with all the parents and a costume parade. It was so fun to see all the kids dressed up for Halloween!

On Halloween, Justin and I went to Salt Lake and walked around with Jodi and Jeremy and the kids while they trick or treated. Halloween is so much more fun with kids. They get so excited and can't wait to get to the next house. It was so much fun to be with them on Halloween. After the kids were done trick or treating, we came back to Provo and went to a Halloween party our friends were having. I didn't expect to stay long, since we are boring married people now who don't stay up late, but it was so much fun that we couldn't leave. We had a great month in October with all of our Halloween festivities!

Family on Halloween

Barbie and Ken

Marty McFly and Juno

Jamaican bobsled team

I just want to take a second to brag about my amazing husband... So while Justin is finishing up school this year and taking lots of credits to finish faster, I am working to support us. I love my job, so I have no problem going to work everyday. Every morning when I'm leaving, I kiss Justin goodbye and tell him I love him and everyday his response is, "I love you so much. I'm sorry you have to go to work." He honestly feels so bad that I have to work and he isn't working right now. When I check my phone at lunch, I always have at least three texts from him telling me he loves me so much and thank you for working for us. He is so sweet! It always makes me so happy to know I have a husband who appreciates me so much. On Friday, I got home from work and Dallin was over and they were watching a movie. All the lights were off, so I dropped my stuff and went to lay by Justin. While I was watching the movie, I looked around the room and saw roses in one vase and sunflowers in another. It was so cute and absolutely made my day. I have the best husband! He is so helpful around the house and always makes things easier for me. I love him so much! I am the luckiest girl.