Merry Christmas to all!

HURRAY!!!!!!!!!! Finals are over! This semester is over!!! And we both did good..... with minimal break downs. That's an accomplishment in and of itself. Christmas is THIS week! Holy smokes.... where did this year go?! We love Christmas time in this house. My mom goes..... um...... slightly (may be an understatement) overboard on the inside decorations, and my dad and Kelsy go...... REALLY (I'm not even going to pretentd to lie about that one) overboard on the outside lights. Here is a glimpse into our pro-christmas home.......
We have not just one Christmas tree......

Not just 2 christmas trees......

But three!!!

We took a little detour on the way to Utah, and stopped in Vegas to celebrate my 21st birthday this past weekend. It was a lot of fun..... but I learned very quick that I'm not a gambler! We continued our way to Utah, and have been enjoying family, shopping, eating, playing, and wedding dress hunting since we've been here. Erik flew out yesturday to Washington to be with his family for the holidays. We're all over the place.... but wouldn't have it any other way. Life is good! Hope everyone has an amazing holiday, and a happy New year!

Merry Christmas!!!!

(The Seahawk jersey was one of his presents from my parents)

Here is a glimpse of what the out side of our house looks like right now. Enjoy!

See you next year!!!! 2009..... you've been good to us. 2010..... HERE WE COME!

~~Holiday time = Family time!!~~

The weekend before Thanksgiving, BYU played UNM. Now I know I, myself, am a Lobo (and a fan under any other circumstances)..... but even more, my family and I are die hard, dedicated BYU fans. A couple of families from my mom's side came down to cheer on BYU, and of course.... to see us! It was a very very quick, fun weekend. My family arrived at about 2am on Friday morning..... and left at 5am Saturday morning (it's a 12 hour drive from here to where they live in Utah..... do you see what I mean about being die hard fans?) I didn't get very many pictures.... but we did have a lot of fun!

Friday we all got up (there was 20 of us total)..... and was ready to do it all! My brother, dad, uncle Dale, and cousin went golfing. The rest of us piled into 2 cars and headed to the zoo. By the time we got to the zoo it was raining (just our luck.... it rains like 10 days out of the year down here), so we decided to go shopping instead.  After shopping we walked around the botanical gardens and headed home to make fajitas, play cards, hot tub, and watch some basketball (Utah JAZZ) and movies.

Saturday we got up bright and early and headed over to a BYU breakfast hosted by our neighbors and church friends. Everyone showed up in their byu gear, played some football, participated in some BYU trivia, and ate some delicious food. Then it was off to the lobo statium to watch the game.

Go Cougars!

My adorable cousin Ashlyn cheering on BYU

It was supposed to be a huge blowout considering Lobos had yet to win a game this season.... and BYU is ranked. Lobos held their own (I was happy about that) and it turned out to be a really close game. End result: BYU won!!! Hurray!

After the game, we went to a family fun center. We played minigolf (Erik won! And I definately did NOT win..... in fact, I'm pretty sure I came in dead last..... even after my little 4 and 5 year old cousins. Not good at all). We played laser tag..... very fun! And off to dinner we went. This was my poor attempt in getting a picture of everyone (it was off my phone.... give me a break!)

This band came in and sang for us..... and gave Cameron (cousin) these little maracas. He was dancing and being the typical goof he is. We were all dying.... and even the guys singing were laughing.

Erik surrounded my girls..... what a surprise! He loves it.... he just doesn't know it.

Fun, fun, fun weekend! Thanks for coming to see us!!

The next weekend was Thanksgiving..... and as you already know from the previous post, my uncle Kendall and aunt Kim and their family came down to spend the week with us.

I already posted a ton of pictures and a long post about this trip, but here were a few other things we did while they were here: we went to the zoo

We went hot tubbing....

We played lots of cards and games.....

We did a lot of catching up, movie watching, xbox and rock band playing..... the typical family stuff.  It was lots of fun having them down here! Hope everyone had a good time. Can't wait to see you in a few weeks!

Other updates: (sorry these posts are always so long...... I have so much to talk about..... but never post, so you get it all at once!)

Wedding plans: I'm going to make it a goal to post wedding updates at least once a month for Erik and I to look back on. My Aunt Suz and Aunt Kim are both very talented and creative.  They are so good at decorating and putting things together.  It was fun having them both down here this month and talking a lot about weddings and hearing different ideas. I haven't really been getting into it at all..... but they gave me lots of fun ideas about colors, center pieces, bridesmaid dresses, cakes..... and just lots of decorating tips in general. They got me excited! Erik and I have spent hours and hours looking at wedding venues online, emailing back and forth with cost, accomodations, ects. It's finally starting to feel real! I'm going dress shopping and we're taking our engagment pictures in a few weeks. We are coming up with our list of top 5 venues and making it a goal to check those out over winter break. No set date, or place..... no specific details to give yet. But maybe after spending the holidays with our families and talking face to face.... we'll come up with something. It's our goal to know the basics (when and where) before the new year! Keep your fingers crossed for us!

We got a car!!! Okay..... so we've had it for a while now. But due to my poor updates (that our not very timely or up to date), I am just not posting pictures. Again, I appologize for the not-so-good pictures. I gave Erik the choice of taking pictures for our blog, or baking cookies..... he chose baking cookies (weird!). So I had no clue was I was doing. To me, it's a black car. It's a luxury car..... it's pretty..... waayyyyy better than my corolla.... and I like it!!!

To be a little more specific, it's a 2002 (I think) Infiniti I-30. It has a leather interior, seat warmers, a 5-disc CD changer, V6 engine..... um...... a sun roof..... spacious...... I give up. That's all I know. Cars are not in my line of interest. I trust Erik.... he knew what he was doing, and i must say.... he did a good job! I love it! And it was exciting to make our first big purchase together....

Here is a picture of Erik baking cookies instead of taking pictures of his new car...... They were actually really good, so I can't complain! (Another thing I love about the holiday season.... delicious baking!)

Robin is the girl I meantioned in an earlier post..... Kelsy's friend who is now living with us. She fits in perfect with our family. She is just like Kelsy and everyone just assumes we are all sisters. Her and Erik get along great.  This is a perfect captured moment for them. Erik is always picking on her!

Kelsy just finished her last tournament of the season this past weekend. They came in third place playing in the 19year-old division (they are only 17). Kelsy plays club and for the school..... and she dominates! Kelsy is the one always making assists and goals in all her games. She was just picked for the "all district team." Not quite sure what that means.... but they only pick a few girls to be on it and it's a pretty big deal. I admire her talent and dedication. She hurt her ankle a while ago.... and is to the point where she can hardly walk, but that never stopped her from playing. I think she, and my parents especially, are glad she has a 6 week break before starting back up again. Good work Kels!!!

It was Erik's brother Brett's birthday last Thursday! The big 1-8!!! Erik loves his little brothers so much and talks about them all the time. Brett cracks me up! He had to put up with me for 2 weeks straight this summer and lets just say.... we're best friends! He is an awesome baseball player, constantly entertaining us, not so good at cards (*wink, wink*) and just an all around great guy. We miss you very much! Hope you had an awesome birthday Brett!

It was my sister Rachelle's 22nd birthday last Friday. We are a year and 16 days apart. She is honestly one of my best friends.  Through the years we have gotten so close. We have a lot of the same friends, we're "roomates," we work together, we talk about everything and I love her! We've been through a lot and we know we'll alway be there for each other. Erik also adores Rachelle..... they both like the same kind of movies (and I like chick flicks), so they are little movie buddies. Rachelle will do anything for anyone.... and she's an awesome cook! We love you Rachelle. Hope you had a great birthday as well!

I think this post is long enough! Here is a preview for our next post...... Christmas lights and decorations!! I love Christmas time and the holiday season in general. So far it's been a great one..... stay posted!

~Thanksgiving '09~

Hey All!!!
Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Sorry we've been MIA this past month. A lot has been going on. Have lots to catch up on...... I've actually started about 3 blogs the past few weeks, but never had time to finish them. So hopefully with pictures downloaded, and a slight (and I mean very slight) break in my schedule...... we'll get some more posts up this week to replace the last 3 or 4 weeks of missing blogs.
Before I post about the past events, family trips, and new updates...... I wanted to first share about our Thanksgiving 2009.
I've always been a firm believer in "everything happens for a reason." I found it ironic that Thanksgiving came right at the perfect time in my life. I know..... Thanksgiving falls at the same time every year...... but at this exact point in my life..... it was wonderful to have a hit of reality with the holiday season. You may have noticed in previous post how everything was kind of negative. I "never had time to do this....." or "our lives are so busy!" I've always thought I was an optimistic person, but when it comes down to it, I sometimes tend to focus on the negative things. To name a few: what if I don't get into nursing school my first time applying? There is NO WAY for me to please everyone in making wedding plans.... and I hate upsetting people. Working two jobs and going to school full time is stressful! Money, family, friends..... there are always going to pros and cons to every aspect of life...... And I need to start focusing on the positive things in life.
Opposite side of the spectrum: I'm GOING to school..... I have the opportunity to succeed in something. I'm getting married to the most amazing man! I at least have a job and an income. I have a family that loves me and supports me. I'm grateful to be alive and healthy. I'm grateful for the gospel and the blessings it's brought to my own personal life. I'm grateful for my new family (Erik's family) and look forward to spending time and holidays with them. I have so much to be grateful for and it has taken me some extreme measures (personal battles, parents advice, and a season of giving thanks) to recognize these things. All in all, Thanksgiving was not only a time to spend with family and to give thanks..... it was also an answer to my prayers and put me in my place. Good work holiday season!!!!!

With that...... we had a very very very fun Thanksgiving day! My mom's brother (my uncle) Kendall came down with his family for the very first time! It was fun having them here for the week. They have the cutest family.

Football is a must on Thanksgiving. We all got up and met a group of friends at the park to participate in the "Turkey bowl." It's a family/church tradition my family loves doing every year. I'll admit...... this is more for Erik's like, than for mine. He showed up bright and early with his gloves and game face ready to go! I showed up late..... took some pictures, participated in a few plays.... and left early.

My beautiful mother cooking!!! She hates me taking pictures of her..... and even more when I post them. I just had to..... I'm so grateful for my mom! She is the strongest, kindest, most caring....... words cannot describe how wonderful she is. She's my idol!!

Boys played xbox..... Erik was in heaven having a few guys around for a change.

And the girls cooked..... typical.

My dad and uncle carving the turkey......

It was my cute cousin James' 17th birthday. He kept saying "thanks for spending so much time cooking dinner for my birthday." He makes me laugh.

Brother came home! I enjoy Kade being home. He cracks me up..... and yes his hair is in a ponytail. He also enjoys being home and being around all his sisters! (for those that don't know..... there is 5 girls and 1 boy in my family)

We played cards...

And then....... karaoke time!!!!! My dad's friend Barry joined us for Thanksgiving and brought over his karaoke machine. It was a definite hit in this house! Highly recommended. He was an awesome singer....

My aunt Kim and cousin Elizabeth taking on "the monkey's"

My handsome dad taking the stage...... he actually is a really good singer!

A group of us singing "Summer nights" from grease.....

The sister's singing dancing queen (we really aren't good!)..... We needed you Crysti!!!

The boys trying to outshine us.......

After 4 or 5 hours of karaoke, we headed to the movies (another family tradition) to watch "old dogs".....

Another amazing day to add to the books! We hope everyone else had an awesome thanksgiving as well! Love you!

Erik- "I have a lot of thing that I am thankful for this year. A loving family, great friends and a brand new beautiful fiance! I am also grateful for my health and how fortunate i am to have two jobs and a roof over my head. I would like to take this opportunity to thank those who got me here and helped me become the man I am today. I love you all"

Quick Updates!

I apologize if this post is boring, and for the lack of pictures. I knew starting a blog right now would not be the best idea, considering we have zero time to update. But regardless, here we are.... and we promised family we would post at least one blog a week. So here is my poor attempt in fulfilling my promise..... maybe after reading this post you will forgive me and understand how crazy busy our lives are right now.
Here we go.... (I have to be to work in 25 minutes!!)

We are both taking on full loads at school. We are both taking on some intense classes the closer we are getting to our majors. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm started to apply to nursing school, and grades are crucial. Erik switched majors, and has to keep up with these smarty-pants engineers that have been doing this stuff for years. Needless to say..... school is still top priority for both of us. We spend many hours in the library and in labs with professors seeking extra help outside of class.

If that's not intense enough...... we are both working two jobs. I have been a server and Chili's, and I just picked up another job at Hollister (clothing store). I work just a few hours a week there in between classes and whenever I can..... they are really good about giving me the hours I want, which is nice. Erik still works as a student engineer at the tech, but while taking a full load of classes, he is only permitted to work 20 hours max. He just got a job working as a server at Chili's with me.... yay!!!! We love the tips, and we'll love working together. Both working two jobs and going to school full time may sound crazy.... but you have to do what you have to do, right?! We have both agreed if we start to fall behind in school or something gets in the way of other priorities we will quit one job or the other.

Other things going on....... we are buying a car!!!! We've been looking for a few months, and thank you to Erik's dad for selling his truck for him..... we are ready for our first big purchase. It's stressful buying a car! We both were so excited to start looking, but when it has came down to it... not fun! what's the most pratical at this point in time? We've been back in forth with price ranges, with the kind of cars we like, with the year of a car, the gas milages..... etc. Not to mention the car salesmen! that's enough to stress out first time car buyers. Never know how truthful they actually are, and how bad you are getting ripped off. Needless to say, think we finally found a car! I love it.... Erik just needs to test drive it still. Hope we have a new car this week!

We have a new addition to our family. It's never easy moving back home after living on your own for years..... but my sister Rachelle and I both did. And heaven bless Erik's sweet soul!!! He moved into my parents house over a year ago. It's not easy, and it definately adds some stress to the relationship. But..... we are greatful for my parents and everything to do!!! They are very welcoming and open to anyone in their home. And I have to admit.... I enjoy it! There is always someone there and something going on. This past week, Robin moved in! She is my little sisters friend, but we've all always thought of her as our own sister. She makes AMAZING cookies, and let's face it..... she's not the brightest star in the sky! This was a conversation we had the other night:
me- "Robin, what are you eating?!"
Robin- "A popcorn ball."
me- "gross.... why are you eating a popcorn ball?"
Robin- "I don't know..... because I don't like popcorn."
me- "wait what?! you know a popcorn ball is still popcorn."
Robin- "yeah I know..... I just like them better"
Haha..... her and my sister Kelsy make me laugh none stop. I could just sit downstairs and make fun of them all day...... they make me even feel smart :)

Oh yeah..... we are engaged..... as you know...... which means......... wedding planning!!!!
Oh my gosh!!!! Wedding planning is also very stressful. Coming from two different family...... two different religions....... two (or more) different states. It gets stressful. We are handeling it the best we can...... talking with our families. I had my first wedding breakdown a week or so ago, and I have a feeling it won't be the last! No, there is no set date or set place yet. However, I did buy my first bridal magazines :). We have photographers (thanks jeff and laura) and a time to take engagement pictures. I have a time planned to go dress shopping. We've picked our wedding colors..... and yeah that's about it. Put the stress aside..... we are getting excited and Erik is amazing!!!

We have a lot going on in our lives! Times are stressful and crazy..... but we still make time for each other and make sure we relax and have some fun times along the way. Hope all is well with everyone else!!! Until next time....

A tribute to summer '09

So...... temperatures are starting to drop this week..... and it's starting to feel like fall. We hate to see summer go.....
We love summer!!!!! We especially loved this summer. It was our first summer since we've met and dated (4 years) that we didn't have to say good bye. No tears... no "what happens when....." no "only this many more days until....." no "when's the next time I see you?" We have had some good memories.... but usually plenty of heartache come summer time. Glad that part of the relationship is over!!!!
This summer was amazing! We both took summer classes (HATED them..... 1/2 the amount of time, which means double the homework, double the work, and double the crazy material they try to cram into our heads). We survived, did well... and were very proud of each other. It was hard to hear all of our friends going down to the lake, camping, hanging out, etc. And we simply had to say "doing homework." or "have a test in the morning." But we stuck to it...... and had some good times along the way as well!!! Summer 2009..... you will be deeply missed by us. You have given us some incredible memories and we will never forget you.
Here are a few:
To start it out right...... one of my best friends Sarah came down from Washington to visit. As did Erik's best friend Greg from New York. We road tripped it (6 hours) to the Mariners spring training in beautiful Phoenix, AZ. We spend our days soaking in the sun, laying out by the pool, reading our "Twilight saga," shopping, and watching baseball games. Absolutely perfect!

We had a few car loads of the "Utah gang" (couple families from my mom's side) come visit. I love being around family..... we had a great time. We took a road trip down to the Carlsbad caverns and hiked through a cave 2 miles into the earth. It was very cool!

Before going into the cave.....

Erik and I at the very bottom....

My sister Crystal and her girls came to visit a few times from Utah as well. I love love looooove my nieces. Can't get enough of them.....

We also got to go to Florida with my family for my bro Kade's graduation trip. It was blast! It rained almost every day. That being said.... we didn't have to wait long to get onto the rides! Some of my favorite memories are taking off our shoes and running through the rain to get to our cars or to some sort of shelter during the CRAZY thunder and lightning storms. We had a blast at all the parks.... we love Disney World! Mostly..... I love being with my family! (We missed you Crystal, Scott and the girls).

Another fun memory was going to Jackson Hole, WY. For the past few years, my family has taken on a new hobby..... white river rafting. It gets pretty intense..... we have had many scares. Erik's raft last year was flipped right before one of the biggest rapids. It was scary for me to watch, but glad everyone was okay. This year..... things were a little more mild, thank goodness!! (Except I fell out for my first time..... scary!)

In August...... Erik and I got to spend a few weeks in Washington with his family!!!! We had so much fun. His mom took us and his brothers (Brett and Mark) to Montana. We got to spend some time with Grandma and Grandpa Fiksdal, Katy and and Donny and their new addition, Leum (only a few weeks old when we were there!!). Erik's aunt Kathy and little cousin Pate also drove down and we got to spend a few days with them. It was so nice being surrounded by such a loving family. Montana is gorgeous! Erik's grandparents live on a golf course (yes, Erik was in heaven). The boys went golfing. Erik's mom, Katy and I went shopping a few days. We relaxed, played lots of cards, ate and ate and ate (I swear there was always something baking in that oven), enjoyed the baby, and enjoyed being with Erik's family for a change!! We both miss them very much.

After a week in Montana, we headed back to beautiful Seattle.

Then off we went..... Camping at Lake Alta with Erik's dad! Erik's dad and brothers can make me laugh more than anyone! I enjoy being with every one of Erik's family members. Brett and Mark really made me feel part of the "group" and I appreciate them letting me tag along on these trips. And by group.... I mean; Erik, Brett and Mark. The 3 amigos. Those boys are inseparable and I love seeing them together. Camping was beyond fun!!! I can't describe it.... I love the outdoors. We ate lots of food (once again), out by the lake, played for hours and hours on the rafts (who knew they could create so much fun?) swam, went to the water park, played games..... And just hung out. It truly was a few weeks we will never forget. We were very sad to leave!!!

I went back to Washington a few weeks later to see my best friend Whitney and her new hubby Cody get married. It was another great weekend and great way to end the summer.

All in all...... great summer! As you can see..... we were very busy. We were very blessed to have been surrounded by so many wonderful people. We also spent a week in Utah with ALL my family (both mom and dad's side), my little sister Demi gets the spend the summers with us.... I went to Moses for a week to see all my friends, Erik loved taking off work and a break from school to be with his family, and most of all..... we got to spend the summer together! Thanks for everything you have brought to us Summer 2009!!