Congratulations!

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Summer

I wanted to congratulate Bryce and Sarah… She’s expecting to have a BOY! That’s SO awesome! We have been waiting to know the gender for awhile now, but we’re SO excited to have a nephew this up-coming November!

I feel as though there have been babies EVERYWHERE that we are… I think that’s because my “mother” instincts are wanting one SO bad. We have been married for about 2 months, but I’ve been wanting to have a BABY for years, haha… We have talked about having a baby and everything but have decided that we’re going to wait awhile, because I am going to complete the Cosmetology and Aesthetics programs before we even consider a baby. We ALSO have some debts that we need to make payments on before we consider having MORE debts… I am excited to work towards something that we REALLY want.

Forgive…

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Summer

There’s a lesson that I am going to learn whether I’m ready or NOT… Forgiveness. There have been several chances that I’ve had to exercise the lesson un-learned… These experiences have varied when it comes to the person and environment/occasion… However, the ONLY thing that stayed the same was me holding a GRUDGE or having an attitude that wasn’t the best…

Example #1

Have you ever known someone that wants to upset you? How about someone who hopes to make you as JEALOUS as possible? There’s someone that really knows how to bother me. I think it’s because the situation effects someone that I care about more than anyone. I am VERY protective of those people that I care about and love more than anything. When someone is causing the people that I care about pain, I really have the hardest time understanding or wanting to even forgive the person. With ALL of that being mentioned, I am probably one of the most FORGIVING people that I’ve ever known. For some reason, it’s harder when it starts to hurt other people that I care about. I do realize that I need to forgive those people that don’t necessarily deserve the forgiveness. The reason is that when you forgive someone, it FREES you of the negative feelings that you have.

I am struggling to forgive someone that hurts MY family. I realize that he/she has decent intentions… Maybe? But… I think we have such different ideas about what it takes to BE a family/spouse. We have a different understanding on what it takes to care about someone! I need to realize that everyone was raised from different parents and sometimes don’t have the EXACT same thoughts…

Example #2

I need to strive to forgive the family member(s) that always seem to BETRAY me, regardless of how much I strive to impress them. I am working on doing what’s best for MY family now, rather than worrying about making sure others approve of what I’m doing. I am always going to LOVE these people, but I’m needing to learn to NOT allow some things to hurt me when someone doesn’t approve or says something that makes me re-think what I’m worth.

I am seriously the most LUCKY person to have someone who cares about me 24/7. I always feel as though Brandon’s going to LOVE me regardless of what anyone else says. I believe that we are going to have the BEST adventures! He’s the best example for when I am frustrated about someone, because he turns the focus on how HAPPY we are together, regardless of what everyone else thinks.

GOAL: I am going to strive to think more positive things about everyone that seems to upset me. I am going to avoid the situations where other people are talking about him/her when it’s negative.

HAPPY Mother’s Day!

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Summer

I wanted to take the chance to thank some people that have always made an influence. I would have to admit MY number one woman… The most amazing Grandma that anyone could want. I could never count how many times that she’s been there when NOBODY else was. I appreciate what she’s done for ME even though I didn’t deserve it sometimes. There was a time when I called her around 3:00 AM. My face was swollen, my throat was sore, my temperature was almost 105 degrees… My friend was staying w/me and encouraged me that I should contact her. He was thinking that he should take me down to the hospital. On the phone, Grandma told me that her and Grandpa were leaving around 4:30 AM to drive to Provo and take me down to Overton for awhile. We scheduled an appointment w/a doctor the next morning who diagnosed me w/Mono. I was there for about 3 weeks before I drove back to Provo. I don’t really know MANY people that would be more than happy to wake-up after about 4 or 5 hours of sleep, drive 5 or 6 hours to Provo, turn around the same afternoon, and then drive about 5 or 6 hours back to Overton. She made me lunches/dinners and brought me medicine when I was laying down for about 2 to 3 weeks straight. We talk on the phone almost EVERYday. When something happens, she’s the 1st person that I’m on the phone to explain about what happened. She’s supported me from the beginning, no matter what I was doing. She doesn’t question me when I would tell her something. She doesn’t even consider to doubt what I’m saying. That’s been the best for me when the truth was the TRUTH but didn’t seem that way. She’s always supported me through every single situation and loved me NO matter what happened.

I wanted to wish MY mother, Valeri Gunn, a HAPPY Mother’s Day! We’ve had some chances to spend some time w/each other. I remember when we drove over to Panda Express for lunch one afternoon. When we ordered our meals/drinks, Mom wanted to have a LARGE drink. She didn’t realize that she would be handed the most HUGE cup that EVER existed. We were laughing forever when we were eating. I completely forgot about even going there before I came across the picture of Mom holding the fork against her drink to compare the sizes. I also remember when Katie and I were driving to Kolob mountain to take Ashlie from Girl’s Camp back to Overton. We were stopped when someone rear-ended us from behind. We called Mom since we were about 30 minutes from St. George. She drove over to the hospital where we were taken from the ambulance. I stayed over there for about 7 or 8 days after the accident, where she took us both to physical therapy and took care of whatever we needed on the couch. Even though the bumps on her road were HORRIBLE, we appreciated that she was taking us to/from our appointments.

I am SO blessed to have gotten to know Brandon’s mom, Edie… She’s the most hilarious woman that I’ve EVER known! I absolutely love talking to her about anything… Whether it’s drama here or there, or whatever! She makes the conversation SO entertaining, haha! We’ve had some of the most interesting times, from going down the Provo river, (I think there are permanent imprints from where Edie was grabbing onto MY thigh.) or playing a couple of volleyball games (I think my ears are burning from when Edie swore!) When we were planning our wedding and needed somewhere to stay, she offered me the bedroom downstairs so that we could save money. It was awesome getting to know them better when I was staying there. I remember before Brandon and I were married, we talked about our families. I told him that he was LUCKY to have a mother as incredible as Edie. I told him that I needed to have in-laws that were strong and accepted me. Brandon’s parents have REALLY been awesome!

There’s one other person that I wanted to acknowledge on here for being an amazing example… Sherrie Jackson (a.k.a. Mommy J.) She’s always been there when I needed somewhere or someone. I appreciate her example as she’s been there since I started to become friends w/Alicia. I started to hangout over there as I was going through some darker experiences. Sherrie proves that we don’t have to share the same blood to become a family. Her family has always accepted me, regardless of whether she approved of what was going on. I am SO blessed to have gotten to know the Jackson family.

HAPPY Mother’s Day, everyone!

Nervous…

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Summer

My schedule w/EVERYTHING is about to change DRAMATICALLY. I’m not sure that we’re ready for that change… But we have 17 days to prepare for that! We enrolled me for Marinello on Monday so that I can start on May 29th. There are several reasons that going back to school makes me nervous…

As soon as I was graduated from High School, I wasn’t sure where I was wanting to move. I submitted an application to SUU to move to Cedar City w/my best friend, Alicia. I thought for sure that’s what I wanted… I decided the apartments that I was going to move to, signed the papers to move 2-3 months from then, started to choose the classes that I was going to take, and started to pack everything to leave. About 2-3 weeks before I moved to Cedar City to attend SUU, the choice made to move there wasn’t the correct place for ME… That’s when I started to REALLY think about what I wanted. I was nervous to make a decision for ME…

I decided that I wanted to move to Provo to attend Paul Mitchell. I thought I would absolutely LOVE Cosmetology. I don’t really think I was prepared to move SO soon… I moved to somewhere that I didn’t know ANYONE. That was actually what I was excited about, moving to somewhere that I could start over. Nobody knew anything about me, which means that I could be whoever I wanted…

I only lasted about 2 days at Paul Mitchell before I decided that I hated the school. I wasn’t sure whether it was going there I was hating or whether I wasn’t the happiest w/me. That’s when I dropped the school and started to work as a waitress/hostess for a restaurant. I was dating some random people, but I wasn’t even close to happiness. I would drive home almost EVERY weekend so that I could see those people that loved me, which was about when I decided that I was going to move to Overton for 2-3 months. I met somewhere there who I thought was PERFECT… Without going into detail about the relationship, I was 100% B.R.O.K.E.N. when he ended the relationship… I was more depressed that EVER before, made certain decisions that I shouldn’t have… But certainly learned TONS from the mistakes that I’ve made.

After that experience, certain person broke my heart, I decided that I needed to leave the valley and start over. I wasn’t able to 100% heal after that happened for years, but I decided the process of healing would take longer when I was closer to where he was, including the reminders of him that were there. I was thinking that I would move to attend SUU w/Alicia, somewhere that I could have somewhere who cared about me there. I submitted an application, was accepted to the school, was about to start choosing the classes that I wanted to take, when I realized that I needed to move to Provo AGAIN to attend Cosmetology school from somewhere else besides Paul Mitchell. That’s when I came to Provo and started at Taylor Andrews. I was nervous but excited to complete what I started…

I was okay for about 3-4 months before I started to feel more alone than EVER… I decided that I wanted to earn money and work somewhere instead of staying there at school. I needed to take a break from going there. I started to hate the school, the instructors, the constant GO-GO-GO schedule, and wanted to feel independent. I started to hate the passion for Cosmetology that was there when I started. I chose to start working somewhere that didn’t have the most POPULAR reputation… Convergy’s.

I started there as customer service for Directv. About 3 months after that, I was recognized for everything that I was doing. The supervisor wanted ME as the TSS representative, meaning that I was taking “supervisor” calls and acting as more of a supervisor. About 3 months after that, I decided to interview for a position as the Trainer. I was there as the Trainer for almost 12 months. When I was training there at Convergy’s, I found someone that made me think SO different about everything! … Brandon. He made me realize that I can be happy w/out having to surrender my dreams. I don’t have to submit myself to someone else and suffer to make the other person happy. He showed me that relationships aren’t 50/50… But 100/100. That means that one person gives 100% as well as the other person. I have really come to realize that I’m the most LUCKY person that exists. I appreciate the support that Brandon has given me. When we were talking about our dreams on our honeymoon, we talked about me going back to school. Brandon MADE that one happen. Sometimes I wonder whether I would’ve EVER returned to complete the hours w/out Brandon’s encouragement.

I am more than excited to announce that I am going to start attending Marinello on May 29th. I am scheduled to graduate on February 2nd. I can REALLY see that Brandon really does want me the happiest and makes sure that we’re working towards our goals/dreams. It’s awesome to know he cares about me enough to make sure that I am succeeding when it comes to the dreams that I’ve wanted to achieve.

CLOSER… Steps!

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Summer

I was reading through my New Year’s resolutions to realize that I’m VERY behind… Here were the goals that I was going to improve on:

1. I am going to work on becoming a better sister…

I feel as though I have definitely been improving in smaller ways, such as sending random text messages to them, especially when I realize that something might have happened. I make sure that when one of them needs me, I am there for them to have someone to make the situation easier. I am REALLY attempting to become the best example… I know that I need some work when it comes to some things, but I am working on those constantly and making some progress. I am hopeful that my relationship w/my sisters can grow and become something more. I recently went to Katie’s wedding and LOVED being there! It made me realize that we’re growing to have our OWN families and soon are going to have our children and stay ALL over the world. I want to make sure that I am close to them, even though that’s going to take longer than I was hoping. I didn’t realize how much time was lost… I’ve learned that it’s never been too long to re-kindle those relationships.

NEXT: I am going to make sure to text message them or make phone calls more often so that we can keep our relationships fresh.

2. Diet/Exercise…

I really need to start working on that one more… I haven’t been working out or eating the best. I’m not sure what happened from now to when I was doing better, but I’m going to start working on that again.

NEXT: I am going to start planning the meals for EVERYDAY so that I don’t start eating foods that are more unhealthy. I am going to keep fruits/vegetables at home for snacks, and make dinners more often so that we can have the nutrients that our bodies require.

3. Journal…

I decided that instead of having an ACTUAL Journal, that I would start keeping track of everything on here. I am going to start updating the blog on here more often so that everyone can stay updated. I am also wanting to have record for later when we are older and have children so that we can share our pictures and experiences w/them.

NEXT: Even though our schedules are CRAZY… I am going to update the posts on here AT LEAST 1x/week.

4. I need to learn some new recipes…

I realize that I am expected to become an amazing wife/mother. I understand that I’m slacking and could certainly do MUCH better than I’ve been doing. I am working to become the person that Brandon would REALLY want…

NEXT: I am going to start gathering some recipes so that I’m able o start cooking about 2-3 times per week. Since we have such different schedules and other activities going on, it’s harder to make dinners EVERY evening. I am going to strive to become the home-maker that Brandon wants.

5. Optimism…

I wouldn’t say that I’m a negative person, but I realize that I could work on talking better about certain people that are hurting me. I need to strive to allow other people to say/do things without me getting as offended as I’ve been getting. I need to realize that I don’t have control over what other people are saying/doing.

NEXT: When someone else starts a conversation about someone else that’s negative, I am going to defend the person that’s being talked about, even when I am upset w/them.

We created our BUCKET Lists when we were on our honeymoon as everyone saw! Here’s an update for everything we’ve been doing to accomplish those ones:

Education:

1. Cosmetologist (License)

We have a meeting on Monday for enrollment… I am going to start Marinello on May 28th! I’m BEYOND excited… It’s been forever since I’ve been to Taylor Andrews, and I wasn’t sure that I was ever going to complete the hours I needed… Ever since I’ve been w/Brandon, he makes me want to succeed. He helps me accomplish the dreams I’ve wanted. I am able to transfer about 558 hours to Marinello. I am going to have to attend for about 8 months to complete the hours.

Children/Family:

We haven’t been able to start working on these, because we are paying ALL our debts, including the FAFSA Loans from school. Once we have made these payments, we’re going to consider purchasing an SUV or another car… We have created a Spreadsheet so that we can make sure we’re paying our debts as soon as possible!

Talents:

I’ve had a terrible Sinus infection for awhile now… I am taking some medication to cure that. I am hoping that once I’m better from the infection, that I’m going to have more openness when I’m singing. Supposing the medication doesn’t solve the problem, I am going to make an appointment w/the doctor.

Miscellaneous:

1. Religion

We are going to our NEW Ward on Sunday, and I’m SO excited… Nervous! … But VERY excited.

I appreciate that Brandon encourages me ALWAYS to make decisions that are working towards the dreams we have. I believe that without Brandon’s encouragement, I wouldn’t ever become the person that I am wanting to become.

Congratulations, Katie!

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Summer

I can’t believe we have been married for 6 weeks ALREADY… It’s been the most incredible 6 weeks! However, there was another wedding that we attended over the weekend. My sister, Katie was married to Gage Gardiner. I never knew Gage before the wedding. It was awesome getting to know the person that my sister plans on spending FOREVER together.

Even though I don’t see Katie as often as I’ve wanted, the wedding was a bitter-sweet celebration… Gage has been involved w/the Marines for awhile now. He was deployed over to Afghanistan for several months. He caught an airplane home the evening before the wedding… Dedication! The reason it was a bitter-sweet celebration was that Katie’s going to move w/Gage to Hawaii. As much as I seriously LOVED Hawaii when I was there, it’s depressing to think that Katie won’t be around when we are driving down to St. George to visit everyone. However, we decided that we are going to consider a vacation to Hawaii so that we’re able to see them.

Bride

I have to admit that Katie looked SO incredible. She’s one of the most gorgeous brides I’ve EVER seen. There was a couple of seconds when Gage was dancing w/his mother, that Katie was watching them dance. She looked ABSOLUTELY amazing. I grabbed Brandon’s phone to capture a picture so that I could show her. It was seriously the most natural-taken picture I’ve ever seen. I wish that we would have brought our camera so that I could have taken the picture w/a better camera, but even w/the camera-phone, the picture was GORGEOUS!

Gorgeous

Katie sent me a message about 2-3 months before the wedding. She wanted to have me there as her bridesmaid. I was SO excited… I never expected Katie to want me! The dresses that she chose were about $30.00 and were ordered from Target. It proved that I spent WAY too much on dresses that weren’t even as cute as the ones she ordered.

Bridesmaids

My favorite part about EVERY wedding has always been to watch the groom’s face when the bride walks down the aisle. Everyone always watches the bride to see JUST how gorgeous she looks… However, the groom’s face always says EVERYTHING! Gage has been involved w/the Marines, where he was trained to show NO emotion… I watched as his straight face went from no emotion to almost crying. He started to tear up when he was watching Katie walk down the aisle w/her Dad. He suddenly had a smirk on his face and couldn’t hide the fact he realized that he was marrying SUCH a beautiful woman… Perfection.

Ceremony

As beautiful as Katie’s wedding was, I noticed a HUGE difference from our wedding. I really believe it was that we were married inside the temple. I can’t describe the feeling that was there inside the temple, because I don’t 100% understand… I realize the difference in what feeling was there between our weddings, but I’m not sure I understand the whole process. Regardless, I am grateful that I was able to get married inside the temple and experience what I’ve been able to… I am humbled to know that I have an incredible husband that loves me more than anything/anyone. He cares about me and wants the best for US. We’ve made a family that can last FOREVER. I appreciate those who have supported us through the process to where we are.

I can’t believe we have grown SO much to where we are getting married/having some children. It’s incredible to think about the times when we use to talk about our boyfriends or what our future were going to hold. I am excited for Katie and Gage’s future. I really hope that we can become close to them to hangout when we have the chance. I am proud of Katie and everything she’s done… She’s looked SO beautiful on her wedding date. Congratulations!

G.o.u.R.G.e.o.u.S.

Mustache

Congratulations to Katie and Gage for starting a NEW family!

Easter

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Summer

I realized that I seriously have the MOST amazing husband EVER. Here’s what happened on Easter!

The evening before Easter, I drove to Walmart so that I could make Brandon’s basket. We agreed that we wouldn’t spend more than $20.00/person on Easter. I wanted to make sure Brandon’s basket didn’t have LACE or something else that was TOO feminine. I found an awesome baseball Easter basket that I really thought Brandon would LOVE! It was more expensive than the other ones, but $8.00 was worth getting Brandon a basket he would think was awesome! That means there was $12.00 for Easter treats… I chose about $20.00 worth of treats and everything that I needed for Brandon’s basket and walked over to checkout. The TOTAL was about $13.00 … I realized that some of the treats were cheaper than the prices on them. I drove home to make Brandon’s basket. The next morning, I woke up about 2-3 hours earlier than Brandon to shower for church. He EVENTUALLY woke-up and walked to the other room where he brought me some roses and some treats inside an Easter basket. That’s when he said, “Please don’t be upset that I spent more than I was suppose to…” I started to feel TERRIBLE that I didn’t spend more on Brandon’s basket. We’ve been trying to save money for debts and everything, so I was thinking that Brandon would save money too.

Brandon's

MY Basket/Flowers

I am happy that Brandon loves me enough to show me. He knows how much I seriously LOVE flowers. Getting some flowers can immediately make me happier when I’m depressed/upset. Even though MY basket was huge and Brandon’s wasn’t, we shared ALL the treats!

We drove to Payson that evening for Easter dinner w/Brandon’s family. Over dinner, Bristy announced that she received “Sing Off” for Easter. It’s basically a karaoke competition game. Brandon’s family was EVER so blessed w/incredible voices! The following EPIC videos prove that statement…

I am happy that we had the opportunity to spend Easter w/Brandon’s family. It was awesome to hangout w/everyone!

BUCKET List :)

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Summer

When we were on our Honeymoon on the cruise, there was some conversation about our dreams and future. That brought Brandon to say that we should write down our dreams on paper so that we have our goals written down. I thought that was an amazing idea and started on mine. We kept our thoughts and ideas private so that we could share them when we were BOTH done. Here are the dreams that I wrote down. I broke my dreams down to sections with descriptions for them…

Education:

1. Cosmetologist (License)

I want to complete something that I started awhile ago, but since it’s been a couple years since I was going to school for Cosmetology, I really need to start somewhere that can teach me the basics. I am going to transfer almost 600 hours to where I start attending but am going to need those 1,400 hours to feel confident when I achieve my License.

2. Aesthetician (License)

After receiving a License to become a Cosmetologist, I am wanting to complete the additional hours necessary to become a MASTER Aesthetician, which takes approximately 4-5 months after I am done with Cosmetology.

3. Psychology (Master’s degree)

I am wanting to start working on some classes part-time so that I can start working on a Psychology degree. Even though this dream is going to take about 6 years to complete, I want to start working on some classes now so that I don’t have to pro-long the whole process. I want to have a practice when our children are attending school and aren’t home. It’s important for me that I start taking some classes as I achieve my other Licenses so that I don’t have another 2-3 years of school to stress about.

4. Salon (Home)

I would like to have a station or room inside our house where I can have an in-house salon or maybe an attachment with another entrance. I would like to have the station for cutting hair, doing nails, and also have a couple of other things like a place for eyelash extensions, etc.

5. Salon (Public)

A longer-term dream would be owning a salon where I have people working under me that I manage. I would want to manage the salon so everything is running as smooth as possible. I would need to hire some other people that assist me with running the salon, because I am going to have children. I don’t want to have to always be there, but that’s an extra place that I would be able to make money to benefit our family.

6. Practice (Private)

I am wanting to have a practice that I am able to run alone. I am positive that I can be successful with my own practice. I want to manage the financial side as well as the business, obviously with the assistance of Brandon to ensure we make the decisions that are most promising. I would want to have the practice open as our children are going to school. I am going to raise our children, so that we are able to raise them with the values that we believe. We wouldn’t have to worry about a baby-sitter or daycare teaching them how to make the best choices or showing them the correct values.

Children/Family:

1. Vehicle

Before we start getting too serious about starting our family, I want to purchase a new vehicle that we can drive.

2. Approximately 5-8 children

I dream of having about 5-8 children before we settle our family, and I really believe the perfect age between children are about 18-24 months.

3. House

I want to build a house or purchase a town-home or house with Brandon where we can build our memories for several years. I think we need to save money and start working on our credit scores before we can afford to purchase a really nice house, but I think we can have a decent place within the next 2-3 years.

4. Boat/Toys

I realized that we both really thrive on adventure and want random toys, such as boats, wave runners, four-wheelers, dune buggies, and other things that we can spend with our friends/family for entertainment.

5. Foster some infants/toddlers

Once we’ve had about 2-3 children, I would really love to foster some infants or toddlers, because there are so many of them that are living in terrible situations and need some positive enforcement while he/she is waiting to have a permanent stable home for them. I believe that we have the perfect situation to change some children’s futures.

6. Adoption

I understand the difficulties when adopting children from other countries, but I am ready for that challenge. Once we’ve had 5-8 children, I am wanting to adopt some children from other countries, because I really love diversity and other cultures. I am wanting to travel to those countries to bring the infants back to the United States. I am thinking that adopting about 3-5 children would really be awesome.

Talents:

1. Voice (Doctor)

I am wanting to have a doctor check my vocal chords, because my voice has never been the same since my tonsils were taken out. I believe there was horrible damage that was done years ago.

2. Voice (Lessons)

I miss taking voice lessons and really want the confidence that I use to have before. I am going to research some vocal coaches that are decent so that I can start taking some lessons again.

3. Piano

I want to start working on some pieces more often so that I can work on the basics again. Taking a few lessons might benefit me, because I am really not sure where to start.

4. Piano (School)

One thing that I was doing for about 3-4 years was playing the piano as accompaniment for school choirs/bands for performances, festivals, and competitions. I would really love to volunteer as the accompanist for a high school choir or something.

5. Musicals

Two concepts that are awesome when combined are theater and music! I would absolutely LOVE to feel confident enough to participate in some plays or musicals. Confidence takes awhile to re-gain, but after practice and some lessons… Who knows what can happen?

6. Violin

I realize that it’s been about 4 years since I’ve been apart of organizations (i.e. Orchestra), but I really do miss the passion and satisfaction that I use to receive when I was playing for an audience. I would really love to gain the passion back and have the skills that I use to have. I definitely think I am going to need to take some lessons, because there are several things that I have forgotten and need some reminders and assistance on where to start. I am RUSTY!

7. Orchestra

One HUGE accomplishment would be having the opportunity to audition or play for an orchestra. I absolutely LOVE to play for groups and would enjoy the chance to have the feeling of being apart of another group.

8. Piano (Teaching)

I really miss teaching some piano lessons to younger kids that are beginners. I was teaching for about 18 months before I moved to Utah and really loved the extra money but also the benefits that came with teaching them.

Miscellaneous:

1. Religion

One great importance when it comes to our children and family is religion. I strongly believe that we need to make sure we are praying and reading our scriptures as a couple so that when we have children, we can teach them the same values by example. I want to make sure we attend church on a regular basis as well and embrace the callings that we are given.

2. Journal

I need to start working on keeping a record of everything that happens for when my children and grand-children are older and wish to know more about what happened when we were younger and starting our marriage/family.

3. Cooking

I am going to create a recipe book so that we can collect our favorite recipes and organize them for easier access. I realize that I should start cooking more as I need to nurture my husband and future children. I am going to start working on making more home-cooked meals so that we can enjoy our meals together.

4. Sewing

I really want to learn the basics of sewing. I am NOT looking to become a well-known seamstress but would really like to purchase a sewing machine so that I can learn how to make blankets and some easier dress patterns.

HONEYMOON :)

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Summer

That was REALLY the most amazing 11 days on our Honeymoon… We drove to the airport on Saturday morning when Mark, Brandon’s father, came to Orem from Payson to drive us over to the Airport. The downside was that we needed to leave around 7:00am, which means he needed to leave about 30 minutes before that… On a SATURDAY!

We boarded the airplane on time and about 2 minutes before the airplane was going to leave, it was announced over the intercom that something was wrong w/the engine… Seriously? I am SO afraid of crashing an airplane, and they’re telling me that something was wrong w/the engine? Yikes! About 20 minutes later, we were told the engine was being repaired and would be another 1.5 hours before we were going to leave. We were grateful that we were going to have 3 hours between the time we landed in Detroit and when we were suppose to leave for Florida from there, because we weren’t getting to Florida ANYtime soon… I was hoping we were going to switch airplanes, but we were able to have someone come check/repair the problems with the engine.

I was happy when we landed in Detroit and waited to catch the second airplane to Florida. I was dreading our second 3-hour airplane adventure, because I am scared of airplanes, AND we weren’t able to have seats NEXT to each other. To make the situation better, the seats were in front of the each other (Middle seats)… There was NO chance I was going to have someone that was near the window or aisle switch me seats between two strangers… We walked onto the second airplane to see that someone was sitting where I was assigned. She said, “Today’s YOUR day!” I was SO confused, as I didn’t know what she was talking about. “I am sitting here, because my husband and I were separated. You’re going to take the aisle instead, okay?” she suggested. That made me SO happy, because that means that maybe, JUST maybe the person that was assigned on the aisle of Brandon’s row could switch me places.

Two women walked to where we were seated. That’s when we realized the women came together and were seated across the aisles from each other. I was TOO embarrassed to find out whether she was okay w/switching me seats… The woman who switched me seats so that she could stay w/her husband asked the woman about switching me seats since we were on our honeymoon. The woman was MORE than happy to switch me places… PHEW!

When we arrived there in Fort Lauderdale, Florida from the LONGEST day, we rode inside a shuttle to the Hilton hotel, where we were going to sleep that night. I was excited to stay there, because we spent around $190.00 for ONE day there. To our horrible surprise, the room was mediocre with nothing that was special. The bathroom was smaller than other places that were MUCH cheaper. There wasn’t even Internet or breakfast that was complimentary. The room wasn’t much nicer than the Best Western or Comfort Inn. The ONLY major thing that was amazing was the down comforter. We have officially decided that we HAVE to purchase one of those when we can.

That evening when Brandon was sleeping, I stayed awake to surprise him that following day with the previous “Happy Birthday, Brandon!” post. I wanted to surprise him, so I needed to wait for when he was sleeping. I am always ready to sleep about 2-4 hours before Brandon, so that was a challenge to stay awake THAT long. Fortunately, he was asleep MUCH earlier than normal that evening.

The drivers there in Florida are CRAZY...

We woke up the next morning to take another shuttle to Miami’s port, where we were going to board our cruise. That was an experience… The first 2-3 people that we talked to from Miami were SO rude. I was terrified that we weren’t going to board the cruise, because we left our folder with the packet that we needed on the cruise at our Hilton hotel room. We also didn’t understand that we were suppose to give the people money for helping with our bags, shuttle, etc. There was a person that was taking our bags from the shuttle onto the cruise. We weren’t allowed to take the bags ourselves, so Brandon and I didn’t realize we needed to give him money as courtesy. He was SO rude to Brandon and basically forced money from us when he said, “Sir, I am taking care of your bags…” and motioned towards Brandon’s pocket where his wallet was. Brandon was like, “Oh wow… Okay, do you have some change for $20.00 then?” He responded with an attitude, “Yes, of course I have change.” Brandon said, “Okay, I want $18.00 back.” The person that was taking our bags grabbed a HUGE bundle of cash from his pockets and gave Brandon $11.00 back. He said, “That’s the change I have…” Brandon gave him a look to show how ridiculous that was, since we both saw that he could have given him $18.00 with the cash that was there. He said, “Do you have a $5.00 bill?” The gentlemen said, “Yes…” Brandon asked for that and gave up the other couple of dollars.

Florida

Our next fabulous encounter of someone from Miami was someone that was an usher. There was nobody else that he was helping, but when Brandon asked for directions, the answer he received was FULL of attitude and dis-respect. We were standing there waiting to board the cruise, where we saw an older couple (Mid 60’s) that was from Palm Beach, Florida. The woman told us that we needed to stay together and watch the people that were from Miami. She explained how about everyone there was rude and wasn’t going to show respect. We were happy to meet some people from Florida that were sweet. We FINALLY walked on the cruise and found out we weren’t allowed to see where we were staying for another 30 minutes. We walked around the ship and never realized how HUGE the place was. There were 14 decks on there and entertainment was everywhere. We were excited to start our cruise and have the best honeymoon EVER.

Here's our Cruise over the 7 days!

The room that we stayed was decent, MUCH smaller than we realized. I didn’t mind staying inside a smaller room, because we weren’t spending MUCH time there anyway. We discovered the FOOD really fast. I didn’t realize that I was capable of eating as much as I consumed over the 7 days… There was something available 24 hours, and that was awesome when we wanted to have pizza around 12:00 AM or ice cream around 10:30 PM… Perfect! There were several choices to choose when going to the buffets that were on the cruise. Since I’m a “chicken-etarian” rather than a vegetarian, there weren’t as many options as I would’ve hoped. I ate some pasta/sauce with chicken almost EVERY single afternoon. Ice cream about 3-4 times per DAY was necessary… Definitely!

We were on the cruise about 12 hours before we reached the private Bahamas island that Norwegian owns. We boarded the ferry so that we could travel to the island from the cruise and realized once we were already on there that we didn’t wear sun-screen or anything. We figured that we would be careful and make sure we didn’t burn TOO much or anything. I always have terrible sun-burns and never benefit from burning. I always burn and then start to flake so that I don’t even tan from having the sun-burn. I didn’t plan on staying there long enough to burn anyway.

Bahamas... GORGEOUS

We swam around the ocean and decided to eat something, then we walked around the island for awhile. We talked about our dreams and what we wanted our future to hold. We decided that we were going to write down our PERSONAL goal/dreams so that we can work to achieve them.

We soon decided that we wanted some color… That’s an awesome idea UNLESS you happen to sleep and forget to rotate… and BURN… I didn’t realize how horrible the sunburn was before I woke up the next morning unable to move…

Sunburn

The person that cleaned our room was SO nice. Here are some animals that surprised us when we came inside our room at random times when he came to clean…

DOG

MONKEY

There were TONS of activities on the cruise… We decided that we were doing a tournament within the cruise’s Casino. The object was to score the most points on the Slots from pushing the button before the five minutes was over. I was doing HORRIBLE when suddenly I realized that I somehow had a 90,000 Jackpot on there, which was what made me win that round. I was 1st place the whole cruise, except on the last day, there were three other people that had higher scores than me. However, since I was within the highest six scores, I was moving to the Finals the last night of the cruise. I was excited for the chance to leave with $500.00 CASH. Unfortunately, I came in 4th place and receive some Wine for winning. We obviously don’t have a reason to keep the alcohol, so I gave the Wine to someone else that was there. Even though I didn’t come home w/the $500.00… It was awesome to compete for a chance for money!

The other main activity that we decided to participate was Deal or No Deal. The cost was $20.00 per ticket to have the chance from about 1,000 people to walk on the stage for a chance to win about $2,000. There was a woman that we were talking to when we purchased the tickets that was saying the whole game was a HOAX! We realized that we wasted $40.00 but wanted the chance to participate. The 1st person was chosen… We watched an older woman on the stage and realized there was no chance we were going to benefit. There was a chance to open up cases on our tickets from the audience and make matches. I was REALLY excited when my ticket won $50.00 from the 1st round. That meant we didn’t waste $40.00 on tickets that were worthless. As the director was choosing the 2nd contestant and showing the numbers on the ticket, I saw Brandon’s face getting more and more excited. That’s when he screamed, “That’s ME, Summer!” He ran on the stage and competed for a chance to come back w/$2,000. Even though we didn’t benefit $2,000 … He won almost $350 from opening the correct cases. That was awesome, because we were able to choose another excursion that we otherwise wouldn’t have experienced.

Congratulations on the $350.00, Sweetheart!

We chose a couple of excursions for when we were able to leave the cruise for awhile. The 1st excursion that we chose was doing the Zip-Lines when we stopped for the afternoon in Jamaica. That’s was SO incredible. We absolutely LOVED the chance to see Jamaica! We were saddened when we realized how poverty-stricken the country was. Here are some up-close pictures of what we were able to see… There were children w/out clothes/shoes and TONS of people without places to stay. The shacks that people were staying were horrible. I didn’t realize how much we take for granted… That was the biggest eye-opening experience!

Jamaica

Authentic

POVERTY

The other excursion that we chose was when we stopped to visit Cozumel, Mexico. We decided that we wanted to experience the X-Rails. I am grateful that we share the same enjoyment from going outdoors and having an awesome time. We had a BLAST doing the X-Rails. The scenery was awesome, especially the Caverns that we stopped where we swam for awhile. The water was full of sulfur and SMELLED horrible! I was almost TOO scared to swim where I couldn’t see underneath the water, where the bats were flying around 50 feet above the water, and since I’ve never been the best swimmer… However, I was pleasantly surprised how calm I was having Brandon there w/me. Here are some pictures from our adventures there:

Ready?

SET...

GO!

Here are the Caverns that we stopped where we swam for awhile underneath ALL those bats. I was happy to know that I am able to face my fears when Brandon encourages me.

Cavern

Gross...

So NASTY...

Hahaha!

Brandon downloaded an application on the phone that detects when some smiles and takes the picture then. Here’s when Brandon takes the smile to another LEVEL … He always gives me that face when he knows he did something that he shouldn’t have and wants forgiveness before I’m ACTUALLY frustrated…

Cheese!

When our cruise was over, we rented a vehicle and drove from Miami to Orlando (5 hours) for 2-3 days. We wanted to have the chance to experience Universal Studios! The crowds were HUGE and waiting times were almost an hour per attraction… We realized that we aren’t children that can handle tons of spinning and roller coasters. Once we went on a couple of them, we were done going on the rides. We loved the shows that were there (i.e. Terminator 3D or Shrek 4D).

Orlando!

Kwik-E-Mart

It was about a couple hours when I realized that my shins were burning… I noticed a strange texture on them and touched them to realize there was a clear watery-liquid coming from the bumps… That’s when we realized there were sun blisters ALL over… The sun blisters didn’t cause me pain unless I was standing around where the sun shined on them… However, these were the most NASTY things I’ve experienced…

NASTY

I am grateful for that opportunity to travel w/Brandon for our honeymoon! The places that we visited were incredible. Being able to spend almost 2 weeks on vacation w/my husband was PERFECT.

Best DAY … Ever(!)

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Summer

Were we married on March 10, 2012 inside the St. George, Utah temple. That was the most PERFECT place that I could even imagine to marry the most amazing man EVER. The ceremony inside the temple was amazing, and everything that happened the rest of the afternoon/evening was frosting on the cake. Here are some pictures of when we came outside from the ceremony.

St. George, Utah TEMPLE

“You’re my world,
The shelter from the rain…”

We are walking outside as a MARRIED couple... Finally!

“You’re the pills
That take away my pain…”

We show our LOVE before we greet everyone that's there as support.

“You’re the light
That helps me find my way…”

We started to take pictures with our friends/family. Here are some pictures of our bridesmaids/groomsmen.

Bridesmaids

Groomsmen

It’s SO crazy that our entire world changed from ONE afternoon… Holding onto Brandon and saying how much we care about each other and wanting to spend forever together was seriously the BEST dream that became REAL.

“You’re the words
When I have nothing to say…”

Passion

“And in this world,
Where nothing else is true…
Here I am…
Still tangled up in you…”

LOVE

“I’m still tangled up in you…”

Pure ... Seduction

We drove from St. George to Overton, Nevada to have the Luncheon/Reception. It was incredible to have our friends/family there as support, showing us that we matter to them. I was able to see family that never comes to Nevada due to travel, friends that I haven’t seen since High School, and especially those that I am close with and care about SO much. Here are some people that came to support us…

“Still tangled up in you…”

Brandt

“You’re the fire
That warms me when I’m cold…”

Dad

“You’re the hand
I have to hold as I grow old…”

Grandpa/Brothers

“You’re the shore
When I am lost at sea…”

Jordan

“You’re the only thing
That I like about me…”

Krista

“And in this world,
Where nothing else is true…
Here I am…
Still tangled up in you…”

Mom

“I’m still tangled up in you…”

One dream that we were able to make happen was to have a Ring ceremony. It’s ALWAYS been my dream to have my Grandpa walk w/me down the aisle. Here are some pictures from our incredible Ring ceremony.

Courtney/Jessica

Bridesmaids/Groomsmen

“How long has it been
Since this storyline began…”

The most incredible part of our Ring ceremony was that I was able to have the dream I’ve always wanted to have my Grandpa walk w/me down the aisle. Here’s when I was giving him a kiss on the cheek, when we were done walking down the aisle, and when Brandon was accepting me from Grandpa’s hand.

Ceremony

He means more inside my heart ...Than almost ANYONE that I'm able to imagine.

Grandpa PERMANENTLY gives me over to Brandon... Forever.

“And I hope it never ends…
And goes like this forever…”

Whoa... Surprise!

The reception was from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM that evening. Here’s a picture of when Grandpa was talking to Brandon about our wedding/reception. The picture reminds me about how protective Grandpa has always been over me. He’s always wanted to have me married to someone that was a strong LDS member and to someone that would expect as good of treatment as possible. The picture looks as though he was telling Brandon that he better take GREAT care of the princess that he raised.

Lecture?

Our reception started w/some dances… When we started our 1st dance, I was feeling as though I was a princess, because EVERYONE was gathering around us, and watching our 1st dance as husband/wife. I remember the feeling that I was marrying the PERFECT man… SO perfect.

1st Dance - LOVE

Our 1st dance was to “Making Memories Of Us” by Keith Urban. I’ve included the lyrics within the post to another song that we dedicated to each other, which was “Tangled Up In You” by Staind. We were able to dance with the other people that mean everything… I was able to dance with Brandon several times throughout our reception, but I think one of the most special dances was Brandon’s dance w/Edie (Mom). He was SO excited to choose the song that he was going to dance w/his mother. Brandon’s mom was always there when Brandon needed her… From putting bandaids on “boo-boo’s” when he attempted to shave his “wee-wee” at 4 years old, when he was in tears over his 1st precious love, or when he was going out w/friends to “watch a movie” or “playing video games” when she wouldn’t allow him to leave the house. She knew that he was leaving the house and was going to cause trouble… Her intuition was always what was keeping Brandon from trouble… The song he chose to dance w/his mom was “I Just Called To Say I Love You,” by Stevie Wonder.

The song was emotional for Edie, because the song had GREAT significance. When Brandon/Edie would always somewhere when Brandon was around 3-4 years old, she would play the song to Brandon. He would start smiling HUGE and always was happy whenever she played the song. She’s always gotten emotional when the song comes on, but dancing w/Brandon when she didn’t know that was coming before the song started made her VERY emotional.

Mother/Son DANCE ... So PERFECT!

These are some lyrics from the Stevie Wonder song:

“I just called to say I love you.
I just called to say how much I care.
I just called to say I love you,
And I mean it from the bottom of my heart…”

Aww...

That song was VERY emotional for Brandon’s mom, so once she was sobbing TOO much, he escorted her over to the side and walked over to dance w/my Grandma.

Grandma/Brandon DANCE

I went over to Mark (Brandon’s dad) to dance w/him. He was recording our reception on the video camera, so Bryce told me that he would take the camera so that we could dance. He didn’t even realize that was coming…

Summer/Mark (Dance)

The dance that I was looking forward to the most was my dance w/my Grandpa. I understand Edie’s emotions when dancing w/Brandon, because those same emotions for me were there when I was dancing w/Grandpa. That was the PERFECT dance… Ever. We danced to the song that I chose which was “I Loved Her First,” by Heartland. Some of the lyrics to the song that made me choose the song was:

“I was enough for her not long ago.
I was her number one;
She told me so.
And she still means the world to me,
Just so you know…
So be careful when you hold my girl…
Time changes everything,
Life must go on…
And I’m not gonna stand in your way…

But I loved her first and I held her first…
And a place in my heart will always be hers.
From the first breath she breathed,
When she first smiled at me,
I knew the love of a father runs deep…
And I prayed that she’d find you someday…
But it still hard to give her away…
I loved her first…”

Summer/Grandpa (Dance) = PERFECT

Once that song was done w/Grandpa, I asked my father to dance to a song called, “Butterfly Kisses,” by Bob Carlisle. Here are some lyrics to that song which made me choose that one to dance w/my Dad:

“She’s lookin’ like her mama a little more every day;
One part woman the other part girl.
To perfume and make up from ribbons and curls…
Trying her wings out in a great big world…
But I remember…

Butterfly kisses after bedtime prayer,
Stickin’ little white flowers all up in her hair…
You know how much I love you daddy,
But if you don’t mind…
I’m only gonna kiss you on the check this time…”

The dance w/my Dad was interesting, because I’ve never thought he was proud of MUCH that I’ve done before then. I really believe that he realized I was grown up; there was no young woman anymore. I was grown into something that he was proud of, someone that he was happy to express was that DAUGHTER he always wanted… I always hoped and waited to feel that way when I was around him. I really hope that I wasn’t mistaken, but I think everyone could realize he was proud.

Summer/Dad DANCE

The expression on Dad's face showed me that he was PROUD of the choices I made.

Brandon chose to dance w/my Mom during the song when I was dancing w/my Dad. My relationship w/my Mom hasn’t been the strongest over the past 21 years, but I’m hoping that we can change that. I appreciate that she wanted to come to the temple, Luncheon/Reception, and seems to REALLY care about what’s going on when we’re able to communicate.

Brandon/Mom

“In this world
Where nothing else is true…
Here I am…
Still tangled up in you…”

There were several of people that came to support our marriage and celebrate at our reception. Here are some family/friends that came as our support:

Ashlie/Autumn

Bonnie

Aunt Donnieann

Brandt/Brittany

KaeLynn

Katie/Niklas

Kristy

Teaja

Pauline

Jason

Chance

Alicia

Aunt Janet

Edie/Sisters

The wedding cake we chose was SO gorgeous. Here’s when we CUT our wedding cake… I was definitely the nice one when it came to feeding the other person the cake.

Hmm... RUDE!

Cake

Here are some pictures from tossing the bouquet… Brittany TOTALLY won that one when it came to catching the bouquet. I was nervous that I wasn’t going to throw the bouquet even close to where I was wanting.

TOSS

Wahoo!

Next came the garter toss, which was SO embarrassing. I couldn’t believe he was going UP the dress. Thank goodness, that wasn’t nearly as horrible as I was thinking… Haha!

* EMBARRASSED *

Garter TOSS

The whole wedding/reception was more PERFECT than we could’ve imagined. I was excited that everyone who we wanted there the most was able to share those experiences. The BEST part about our whole afternoon was that I am married to the most incredible man I’ve ever known. He’s always patient, more loving than I thought I deserve, and more understanding than anyone. I am excited for OUR future, as we’re planning the next several years. Thank you to everyone that came to support our wedding.