Fall adventures 2013

Fall has always been my favorite season and this fall in South Carolina certainly hasn't disappointed me. The scenery is so gorgeous and the weather so warm, I hardly miss cold Utah. We still take long walks in the campground but we also enjoy just driving into the mountains. The fields of sunflowers and cotton blooming make me feel like a little girl again and all I want to do is run through them.

                  Who wouldn't?

   Our only friends are Dustin's cousin Garrett and his fiancé Ashley. I just love her and I'm so excited for their upcoming wedding. They're nice enough to squeeze in some time with us even though they're both so busy working, going to school, and planning a wedding. About a week ago we carved pumpkins while having a fall feast of soup and pumpkin pie. 

      Working hard on some pumpkins

 

  

  Garrett carved a Clemson Tiger on his pumpkin freehand, Ashley's was a mini mouse, Dustins was a creepy tree and mine was Jack from a nightmare before Christmas. 

 

 

 

Garrett and Ashley also help us celebrate Dustin's birthday. Dustin swears this was his best birthday ever and I'm going to have to think up something good for next year.

To surprise Dustin I made him a candy sign and hid 26 balloons around the house. Each balloon had a message inside and he had to receive all 26 to find his birthday present. I have to say the best part was the candy sign. He laughed so hard he couldn't finish reading it without wiping his eyes and he's been talking about how much he loved it ever since. He seems to think I came up with the sign on my own and I don't have the heart to tell him that I just saw it on Pinterest. 

This last weekend Dustin's mom and dad came up for a visit. We went out to dinner and I had the BEST sushi ever!! 

 

     

      My sushi was wrapped in steak and then fried!! What!!?!??! Delish. 

       Look at all that lobster! Yummy. 

The next day we went to Atlanta and toured the Coca-Cola factory and the Georgia aquarium. To be honest the Coca-Cola factory wasn't my favorite. The best parts were seeing all the old Coca-Cola merchandise and tasting the different Coke products from around the world. 

       

     Mom reaching for her Diet Coke.

I absolutely love aquariums and the Georgia aquarium is huge! Almost too big. One room you walk into is just one huge fish tank. Wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling tropical fish. This picture doesn't do justice for it but it was amazing. 

I also saw four huge whale sharks!!! So scary! They fed them while we were there and it was totally unreal. I was utterly terrified of the sharks until they told us their throat is only an inch wide. How crazy is that? I'm still scared of them though. A stark is a shark.

 After seeing penguins, sharks, Beluga whales, albino alligators, otters, dolphins, and so on, we finished the day off at the Atlanta temple.

  

I love exploring my new home and making plans for the holidays but I sure do miss my family wish they could be here to have all these adventures with us.  

Moving. Again.

About two ago months we moved up state so  Dustin could attend Clemson University and get his MBA. He is really smart. :) His parents have a lake house right on the lake and they are gracious enough to let us stay here until it sales. 

 

 It is so beautiful here with the leaves falling and the mountains around us. (small mountains but mountains just the same) I am not a beach person! It's too hot. I don't like to be tan (sunblock, ladies! It's a big deal.) and I'm terrified of the ocean! Plus you get sand in all your crevices and even at my most fit I've never feel comfortable in a bathing suit. So to be back in the mountains feels a little like being home. 

 

We stay pretty busy with Dustin in school and trying to work alittle and me working at a salon in Anderson SC, but in our spare time we hike to some of the waterfalls in the area.  

                Oconee Station Falls

              

                

                  Chatuga River Falls 

               Kings Creek Falls

 

Down the road from the lake house is a camp ground and while they're too good to let me walk Lucy through the campground during the summer, they can't stop me from walking through it now that it's closed for winter. Lucy can run free off the leash for miles and swim anywhere her little heart desires. 

 

                

                  Lucy come back!!!

 

Living in the south

It wasn't verylong after we were married for Dustin to feel the need to return to South Carolina. I wasn't a very good sport about it and basically fought kicking and screaming the whole trip and for a few months after. Eventually I got a better attitude and deciced to give the south a try. 

One person who didn't have a hard time adjusting was Lucy. We live with Dustin's mom and dad on their farm and Lucy has become a bona fide farm dog! She loves to chase the cows and swim and in the many ponds and streams on the property. She also hunts squirrels, turtles, birds, and the occasional deer. Although she usually doesn't catch very many deer. (thankfully) 

Our home is absolutely gorgeous and moving here has been a enormous blessing. I am so grateful to have been able to have this opportunity to get to know Dustins family so much better. Even though it hasn't always been easy, I have always felt loved and supported by Dustin and his family and can now say I feel at home. 

Adjusting from city life to country girl wasn't something that I planned on happening. (Or wanted to happen)  One minute I'm getting pedicures every other weekend and eating take-out Thai food and the next I'm planting a garden and learning to drive a tractor. I still have plenty to learn but I think I have come pretty far. 

Our first baby

One thing Dustin and I both wanted as soon as we got married was a dog. Mostly because we love animals, especially dogs, but also because Dustin felt I need someone to keep me company when he was away.

One Friday, exactly one month after we were married, we had the whole day off together to run errands and happened to be by a Petsmart where the animal shelter was displaying dogs for adoption. We stopped and played with the pups for a good 30 minutes and even talked about getting one but ended up leaving and going home to our empty apartment feeling lonely. I decided to check out KSL classifieds and I ran across the cutest bunch of red and white Springer Spaniels puppies. One female and two males left. They were born on Christmas day and needed homes ASAP. Dustin didn't have to convince me to hard to call.

The couple who had the pups lived in Nephi UT, a good two hours away from us, but told us to come down and have a look even though it was already 9pm. We grabbed a blanket and drive 90 miles an hour the whole way. In the car we talked about how we wanted one of the boy puppies and I decided I was going to name him Louie because:
A) I just like that name.
B) I like dogs with a fancy type name and King Louie sounds fancy.
C) I wanted to be able to yell out "Lucifer!" when I was mad at him.

As soon as we walked in door the puppies came running. The smallest one ran right up to me and I picked it up and instantly fell in love. It was love at first sight. When I said I wanted the one I was holding the man ask "Well, is it the girl or one of the boys?"
I held the pup out at arms length examined and replied "I'm not sure."
Everyone laughed and the man looked over my shoulder and whispered it was the girl. We took her home and named her Lucy because that's kind of like Louie  and she had red spots!! 

I was so worry that she would be scared and sad to leave her family but she never cried and seemed generally happy to be with us. When we arrived home I remember thinking that she could sleep with us just for the evening but tomorrow she would have to get used to sleeping in her own bed. Lucy snuggled down on pillow between us and fell right to sleep. She has slept in that spot ever since.

 

 

A Wedding Story

I love to plan everything so most of our wedding was planned before we even got engaged. Let me back up. Most of our wedding was planned before I even meet Dustin. I wanted a winter wedding. I wanted to get married in the Salt Lake temple, have a small reception with just close friends and family, and eat lots of food. I wanted a reception at the same place my aunt and uncle had their reception years ago, when I was their flower girl. I also wanted their daughter to be MY flower girl.  Lucky for me, my special day was all that and more.

It all started one day when Dustin and I were out with my grandparents eating at the Cheesecake factory.  Dustin and I had been talking for weeks about getting married and my grandparents knew this. After lunch we decided to wander into Nordstrom for a quick browse. Grandma and I were looking at shoes and she was asking me what kind of shoes I would want to wear with my dress. (She knows my love of shoes!!) I told her purple high heels, but I was having the hardest time finding ones that were just perfect. That's when my cute silent grandpa held up a shoe and said "Kinda like this?" 

 15 minutes later I had them in the car, safely strapped into a seat belt between Dustin and I. Grandma was so excited about buying my first wedding accessory with me. I was a little freaked out that I had bought something for my "wedding" without actually being engaged, but then I thought "Well, if it doesn't work out, at least I have a cute new pair shoes!" The guys had had enough shopping for one day and grandma was talking about going dress shopping. I agreed, but swore up and down that I wasn't going to try anything on. Just looking. I already had an idea in mind of what I wanted my dress to look like. We dropped off the boys and headed to a dress shop I had always liked. It was a fancy place and every dress in the place was a huge beaded mess with a even bigger price tag. I left feeling like I would never find a dress like the one I was looking for. On the way home grandma saw another dress shop named Danielle's Bridal. She made me stop saying "We have to go in there. It has your name on it." We walked in, went over to the first rack, pushed a side a few dresses and pulled one out to examine. It was beautiful. I kept looking it over looking for something that was wrong with it. Something to make me say nan that's not it. But it was it. Sweetheart neckline, Mermaid Aline skirt, vintage lace, with big buttons up the back take forever to button. Somehow I found myself in it and beaming as the lady selling it told us how lovely I looked and how it was just made for me. I'm sure they say that to every girl that goes in there but I love her just the same. The dress was also on sale and I got another 20% off if I bought it that day. I'm a sucker for a bargain, and with grandma's encouragement I bought the first and only wedding dress I have ever worn.

Dustin just laughed at me when I told him what had happened. I will swear into my dying day that I did not plan on buying a wedding dress that day, It just sorta of happened. But thankfully Dustin was grinning ear to ear and wanted to know all about it while he rubbed my back and I knew again that I was marrying a man who truly loves me.

 A few weeks later we got engaged and the real wedding planning started. We really only had two months to plan the wedding because I still wanted a winter wedding and in my mind February is the end of winter. It really wasn't as hard as people make it out to be and luckily, Dustin was involved with every aspect. Not because he likes weddings, (he doesn't), but because he just wanted to be with me 24 7! 

The morning of the wedding was so cold and windy. I woke up in our future first place together, and got ready all alone. (with zero hot-water I might add) I was calm. I remember looking out the window and saying out loud "Am I really getting married?"  I thought I would wake up feeling like an adult. Mature and lady like. Not me, awkward mess who can't control what comes out of her month and has chocolate melting all over everything in her purse.

Dustin and I rode to the temple together with his dad and one of my bridesmaids. I don't remember much after that other then waiting on a couch with Dustin. Waiting to be married. Such a weird feeling. In no time at all we were lead into  the room our small group of family and friends were waiting for us in. I remember saying "Now what?" 

And then we got married. 

And that was that. Not really as big of a deal is you think it might be. The rest of the day is kinda a blur of pictures and people. Of course things went wrong or didn't turn out like I had planned, and I would love to do it all over again. But I'm going to remember that day for the rest of eternity as the day I started my new life with my best friend and love. Dustin is truly the kindest, most loving man I have ever met and I know he was saved just for me. 

How It All Started

Dustin and I met in June 2011. He had just moved to Salt Lake a few days earlier to finsh his undergrad at the University of Utah and to spend some male bonding time with his older brother Tyler. Tyler just happened to be dating one of my roommates at the time, (They are now married) and they both lived in our singles ward. It was only a matter of time...

The first time we met was at a family home evening activity. I don't remember actually meeting but apparently I made an impression. We played softball and as anyone who knows me knows I was terribley awkward and clumsy. Running around in my flip flops and laughing with embarrassment when I couldn't throw a ball in the right direction. I'm sure I was super annorying but he thought I was cute and asked his brother about me.

The next monday at another FHE Dustin made his move. It was another physical activity and again I was an idiot. Dustin is a shy guy but he walked right up to me and started a conversation. I honestly didn't think much about it because I thought he was 19 years old! HA

We eneded up going on a hike that night and then drove around in his truck for hours talking. Well, I did most of the talking because he's not much of a talker and it took a while for him to warm up to me. We spent almost every night that week together doing who knows what! One night he took me to temple square and we held hands. I told him I really wasn't into guys taking me to the temple because it was cheesey but he just laughed it off and took me anyway. Another night we went to Liberty park after dark. We swung on the swinings and played hid'n'go seek. He later told me that was when he knew he wanted to be with me. GAG! It took me alittle longer to come around.

That saturday we had our first real date. I remember it was saturday because when he ask to take me out on friday I told him I already had a date planned that night. He replied "What about saturday?" with a big goofy smile on his face. I couldn't say no.

After that we spent pretty much everyday today. It was just easy. He understands me better than anyone and likes all my quirks.

 

Not saying everything was always perfect because it defiently wasn't. It took me a long time to trust Dustin and even longer to trust the way I felt about him. One time I tried to break up with him so when he came over for dinner I made him tuna helper. He ate it without any complaints. We then went to the park and as we were sitting on the bench decussing where our relationship was going, I told him we should date other people. Code for WE SHOULD BREAK UP! But sweet little Dustin said with that goofy smile back on his face "I dont want to date anyone else." What do you say to that?

Over the next 6 months we had lots of simiar walks in the park, and I eventually realized, with the help of countless hours on the phone to my grandma, that I had found the person I was going to marry. Dustin is so patient and such a sweetheart. He loves me better than anyone. I am very lucky.

The proposal is kinda a lame story... Dustin had just gotten back from a long trip to South Carolina to visit his parents for christmas. I knew he had a ring and I knew he had shipped it to his brothers house because he asked me to drive over and pick up a small box and bring it with me to the airport but not to look in it. haha He's not that good with surprises. Apparently, he wanted to propose at the airport right after he got off the plane. Well, when his brother found out his plan he talked him out of it. Mostly because he didn't trust me not to open the box before I got there. So instead I picked him up from the airport at 11pm and we drove straight to his brothers house. I waited down stairs for him to get the ring and quickly realised how tired I was and how I just wanted to go to bed.

Dustin came down and honestly tried to get me back in the car so he could take me somewhere but I was being a poop and refused that idea. As I was laying on the floor I told him to say whatever he had to say and lets be done with it. He laid on the floor next to me and I said yes.