Go TEAM!

It's that time of year again, The Utah Utes are playing the BYU Cougars today!
I love a good football game so I'm really lookin forward to 3:00!
Hopefully the Utes can rock it again, just like last year.
Either way though, my only request is a sweet game!

*$$$*

I just got a 'Coupon Clipping' email from my friend Tami .. who I have yet to meet, we should look into that ...
I'm so excited to start my coupons that I forwarded the email to Colby and we're starting our food storage this week.
We sat down today to figure out finances and we both quickly became overwhelmed. I know the Lord will take care of us and all will be well but it's still a little stressful.
By the end of our discussion we were both feeling a lot better about things and we're looking forward to the adventure of being newlyweds!
Can't wait to marry him!

missing ...

I miss these girls .. If you see them, tell them I'm looking for them. I'd love a girls date just like this one .. only more sleep and less 14 year old girls screaming.

keep reading ...

gO UTES*

Our friend Dallin got a hold of a few extra BYU tickets and invited us to go to the game against Air Force last saturday. I'm a UTE's fan but I Love a good football game so we said yes and pulled out our warmest clothes.

Colby and I had a really good time and we were plenty warm, it turned out to be a great game and we're so glad we went. I might have even cheered for the Cougars ..

(If my nephew reads this, I'm so dead!)
Don't worry Cal, I'll be wearing my red shirt all week long, ready for the big game this weekend!

I'm excited to take Colby to a REAL game and Dodger's game next spring!

I love every piece of this cute guy, I'm the luckiest girl in the world.

SoCcer PlaYer ...

I started playing with a new Soccer team tonight at the brand spankin new indoor center in Kaysville, it's amazing!
I played Goalie for half.
I haven't played goalie since AYSO but I didn't do too bad.
My favorite part??
Seeing Colby in the stands knowing he was enjoying it and loving watching me play.
As I was leaving, my team told me I did great and they hoped I come back to win the rest of the games for them. HA, not by myself team!
I'm in Heaven.
Loving every minute.
My team is an absolute blast.
Can't wait for next week.
I LOVE me some indoor soccer!

Will someone buy me this sweet ball??

Christmas Cards ...

I'm a HUGE fan of Christmas cards, sending and receiving ..
Can I still send some out with a picture of me and Colby even if we're not married??

Mr. President

Colby got a new calling a few weeks ago .. He is now the President of the Stake Young Single Adults ...? I can never remember. He is the President of something in the YSA .. your guess is probably better than mine.

Love him in suit!

Colby will be incredibly busy for the next few months. As soon as I heard the new calling I told Colb I'd see him in the spring. We often joke about moving up the wedding date because it will get him out of a lot of the work.
As busy as he is, I truly believe this was a calling from the Lord. Colby is definitely a people person and if anyone can handle this and have fun with it, it's President Carter! He's already doing great!
Part of being the President's fiance is spending the weekends participating in activities put on by the stake and the region. Lucky me! No but seriously I complained all last week about the upcoming 'Harvest Hangout' and when it finally came I ate my words. A couple from the stake came and taught a few line dances and we shared a lot of laughs. I'm not a dancer and luckily neither is Colby. There was one dance where we were the 'head couple', we made huge fools of ourselves and before it was over, I was rolling on the gym floor laughing. It was SO much fun and we had a really good turn out.
I know I already posted a picture just like this one but I found this one on facebook and I like it better. so ... Enjoy double dose!

just getting started

Me and Colby's best friend Dall ... He is such a good sport!

time flies??? hopefully!

Officially started the wedding planning today ... Colb and I are both freaking out.

What if I don't want want a luncheon?
What if we don't want to plan a reception?
What if We just send out announcements instead of invitations?
What if Colby and I get so stressed out that we don't enjoy this next 5 months?
How do we decide on what?
Do I invite everyone I invited to my first wedding?
Is it tacky for me to invite a ton of people even though I've already done this once before?
What if Colby and I just temple elope and don't invite anyone !?! .. I'm pushin for this one!
What if All I really want is to marry my smokin hot fiance and not have to deal with anything else?
I'm anxiously awaiting April 25th .. It will be nice to wake up next to Colby and to have this all over and done with!

K. Rae

My best friend Kendra Rae is helping me plan the wedding. Even though I've done this before, I don't know where to start. Sad huh.
While I was deciding to blog about Ken I was thinkin of all the reasons why K is my best friend. I started laughing, I started to cry, and I stopped because my stomach hurts. She cracks me up!
1. We've been friends for FOREVER ... since about second grade!
2. We've never dated the same boys but we've always been able to share our crazy stories and laugh about them over and over AND over ...
3. She always tells me her honest opinion and never sugar coates it, even when I don't like what she has to say.
4. She used to let me sleep in her bed with her when I'd sleep over .. sounds silly but Ken LOVES her bed.
5. We used to break the rules in her new house, just because it was funny.
6. In high school we went to lunch almost everyday together. Burger King ... 2 cheese burgers, 2 small fries, and 2 waters ... I used to know the total! kind of sad.
7. We used to have sleep overs just so we could eat beef jerky, drink bawls, and laugh all night long.
8. We got ourselves into sticky messes that left us so scared, all we could do was run.
9. Once, on one of our many trips to the mall, I almost got us killed, We should have been smashed by a semi but we got lucky. We still laugh about it, way too often.
10. She lets me by myself and makes me laugh harder than anyone.

I sure do love my Kendra Rae!

Spring .. come soon!

I HATE the snow ...
I hate driving in it
I hate that it makes me cold
I hate that it's inconvenient
but more importantly, I hate how it makes me feel,
I always seem to get so down in the winter time.
I spend all winter worrying about safety .. where people are, where they have to drive to and how far it is, who they are with, and how long they'll be gone.
My Mom is a hospice nurse, she spends her days in the car driving from house to house, facility to facility.
I think I just realized why I REALLY hate winter .. I worry about my Mom's safety all day every day. I know she is a good driver but the people around her may not be.
Oh goodness .. That plus a million other reasons why I can't wait for Spring.
Maybe I could take a seasonal anti-depressant?
I'm definitely a sunshine girl. I already miss those days that were so hot, you couldn't touch your steering wheel.

Halloween '09

Every year my Aunt Emily and Uncle Andy have a huge Halloween party with lots of delicious goodies, amazing chili, (my favorite part) and great company. It's so fun to look forward to this tradition and also to have another excuse to catch up. It never feels like we get to see our cousins enough. Maybe we can talk Em into having a "un-Halloween" party every month?
Abby took a lot of fun pictures and I had a hard time choosing so I hope you enjoy the large amount that I chose.
Also .. I've decided that without my Peter Pan I can't pass off Tinker Bell .. kind of a bummer! I won't be spending the same kind of money on my costume next year .. that is for dang sure!

Me & Marley .. She wouldn't share her 'mud' but I tried. I loved her Dorothy costume, so cute!

Abby and Ayda .. They were both witches!

Liv was a mad scientist, what a fun idea! I was super excited when I was able to donate an old smock to her costume and I was even more excited to see how it turned out!

Marley cracks me up!

I might have been the only one ready for the picture ...

Ev was a pilot ... my favorite costume of the night. I love the choc. smile!

Almost all the cousins that came and our Grandma. We sure do love her!

Just a few of us.

*Oh so Thankful

1. I'm thankful for my Mom and the amazing woman and Mother that she is. Words don't express the appreciation I have for Leslie Ann. I often get told by many that they wish they had her as their mother ... YUP! She's the best!

2. I'm thankful for my job. I complain about working in the Pharmacy but it's so much fun. There is always something exciting going on and it's always a new day.

3. I'm thankful for Colby Carter. He loves me like no one ever has.

4. I'm thankful for new babies. My aunt Jenny and cousin Annie are due any day now both with baby girls, I'm ecstatic for both of them and I can't wait to meet the little angels.

5. I'm thankful for grand kids. The look in my Mom's eyes when she gets to see or talk about the kids is my favorite, I can't wait until I can add to the crowd.

6. I'm thankful for sleep and the feeling I get when I've had a full eight hours and I'm ready for just about anything.
speaking of which .. I have a full day of work tomorrow ... I better turn in.

*Purple-y

I went to the hair dresser today .. I knew I was in desperate need of a cut and color but I had no idea what I wanted done other than that .. luckily Joni is a ton of fun and has some fun ideas. I left with a hair cut that I love and some new crazy colors that I can't get enough of!
I was a little nervous to show Colby but in the dim light of his kitchen he said it wasn't too obvious and he liked it. Later we went to 7-eleven for our new favorite .. hot chocolate .. and it wasn't until we were about to leave that he had a chance to look at my hair in good light. Very loudly he said "Your hair is PURPLE" Very nervous, I laughed and asked if he still liked it. He reminded me that I'm crazy but it still looked cute.
So here are the first pictures of my 'Picture Journal' and today I'm grateful for being brave for the sake of fun. I LOVE that I walked into the salon today with a head of hair that was more than over-due for a cut and color and I left with a smile and some fun hair!
I'll post some pictures of it styled straight soon so you can see the purple a little better.

blog stalker .. still

I follow all the blogs listed on the left side of this blog .. plus a few more. I'm a crazy blogger but I love to see what is going on in peoples lives and learn from them.
I've recently been addicted to a few blogs in particular and I've decided to take on some of the few things they have been doing, I love to read their updates and lets be honest .. My blog could use a little spice.
Starting today .. I will take a picture every day to add to my picture journal. I'm really excited about this .. I never have an excuse to take pictures and some of the pictures Tami has taken have turned out super cute. stay tuned!
A few people have started the 'Thankful in November' post, I love this idea! I have a lot of catching up to do but I intend to be Thankful for atleast 30 things this month.
Thanks for sharing all your fun ideas girls .. I'm loving the blog updates!

*sigh* .. of relief

Have you read my *apology post? If not, you should ... I'll wait.
I was given the chance to give that apology and I feel like a ton of wasted energy has been lifted off my shoulders.
I was sent an email yesterday, an email that changed my entire life and the way I look at everything in my life. It took a really big person to send that email, I can't thank them enough for their kind words. A few other things happened yesterday that helped that weight disappear and I'm so grateful for each one. My life treats me so well and I still can't believe it's me that gets to live it. My Heavenly Father knows and loves me, that is a feeling I get to live with every single day.

Halloween '08

Colby and I had halloween costumes this year .. I was Tinkerbell and he was Peter Pan. We had a halloween party on Friday but we decided to take it easy on Saturday. We don't get much time together lately so we enjoy our Saturday nights. We hit Lucky China for dinner, ate halloween candy, ice cream, and watched a good movie, sounds like a great way to spend Halloween huh! I might be able to beg Colb to put his costume back on for a few pictures but I can't make any promises.

I am beyond ecstatic that I have discovered this picture! Nothing makes me happier than this dog, Bentley is the cutest thing ever and I can't imagine life without the little guy. I'm also relieved that Colb isn't allergic to Dogs... That could have been a tough deal breaker.

Last year I was an 80's aerobic instructor and Bent was a Chicken.

Apology*

You know that feeling you get when you realized you've been lied to? The feeling that is mixed with so many emotions it hurts to even think about? I've had that a lot in the last year and sometimes it still creeps up on me when I think about apologies and forgiveness. It has recently come to my attention that for a long time, I've been mad at the wrong person, I've been mad at somebody for reasons that make my stomach turn.. I hate this feeling. I once had days when I screamed and yelled and fought for things I thought I wanted, things I thought were sure to get better and when they didn't, I walked away feeling like a failure, like I could do nothing right. I blamed this failure on a lot of things and a few people but mostly myself. I've never worked so hard at something in my entire life and I've never experienced a bigger heartache. For days, weeks, and months, I wondered why I had to go through this trial and I couldn't help but wonder what life would be like without something so painful. Could I learn the lessons another way or perhaps not learn them at all?
Just a few days after I moved home I went back to my old house to get a few more things and decided I wanted to talk about the situation. It ended a lot differently than I had planned but it felt good and I knew it was all part of the process. I remember distinctly so many little things from this conversation. I remember pleading for change but not for myself. I cried and begged for the next girls sake, I didn't want anyone else to have to be in my shoes, walking away with a broken heart and a million questions.
In that conversation I blamed someone who was nothing but a good friend, a family a member, and big part of our lives but I wasn't mad at them because of things I had seen but things that I had been told. I wish every single day to take so many words back. What I would give to hug this person and tell them I'm sorry... But no matter what I say or do, nothing can take back the anger and the negative feelings I had for them.
Getting a divorce was hard but nothing compares to the emotion that comes over me when I realize I was wrong and I went about it all wrong and another person was probably hurt by the way things used to be. I highly doubt I'll ever get the chance to apologize to this person and even if I do, my words can't say it all.
Someday I hope I can forgive myself for believing someone else' lies, I also hope this person can face their own lies and take responsibility. It's crazy to think that somebody was hurt because of someone else' words and lack of maturity.

getting better ..

Sometimes I forget that I'm not the only person in my family that is excited for me to marry Colby. When we put off the date and when we finally decided on a new one without thinking I blogged about it. I should have called my sisters and told them the exciting news but instead they read it on the internet. I'm trying harder to include them, I love that they want to be so much apart of it and that every little detail matters to them as well. I think because it's my second time, I'm forgetting that everyone stills cares and wants it to be a perfect day.
I'm so thankful that my Mom is giving me another wedding of my dreams and that she is just as excited for my wedding day.
My family absolutely loves Colby, he's fit right in since the very beginning. I know it was really hard, especially for my Mom, for me to bring someone home but she trusts my judgment and she knows that with all I've been through I would be more cautious than ever. Kady's family still hasn't met Colb but they already love him because he loves me. We're hoping to make a trip to Cali before the wedding...
In so many ways this whole thing called life doesn't seem real, a dream maybe? I'm ecstatic that I've been given a second chance in love and that I've found someone so incredible. I love the butterflies I get when I see Colby and I can't get over how much fun we have. Life is so good to me and I'm grateful for every minute.