Everybody has to see it at least once.

              Over the holiday break I did something that I have never done before.  I went to the movie theatre twice in three days.  It isn’t that I don’t like movies; I just don’t like movie theaters.  There is something about having to sit in a confined chair that I can’t sprawl out in and having to deal with random strangers stealing my arm rest and feeling like everyone is annoyed with you when you sneeze or cough.  Still, somehow Mom and Judd convinced me to see Lincoln (which I loved) and Breaking Dawn Part 2 (which I didn’t).

                Although I enjoy the books, I don’t really consider myself a Twilight fan.  But I got sick with a cold right before Thanksgiving break and found that Twilight was my go-to book in the house to read while I lay in bed.  I probably like to read them while I am sick because they are easy to get lost in.  Judd must feel the same way because when he got my cold, I walked into our bedroom and found him reading Twilight under the covers.  If you ask him about it now, he will probably deny it.

                One thing I love about holiday breaks is getting to sit around with good food and watch movies.  I did want to see Breaking Dawn Part 2 eventually but I hadn’t seen the first one yet.  Saturday night we couldn’t find LOTR so we decided to watch Breaking Dawn Part 1.  Okay.  Most awkward movie ever to watch with your parents.  Especially your dad.  Especially when Bella and Edward start doing the naughty.  They don’t show anything, but it is still uncomfortable. 

                Eventually the movie ended and we looked at the time and saw that it was only 10pm.  Now I am totally okay with going to bed at 10pm on a Saturday night, but my mother isn’t.  She decided to get online and see if SLC had any showings of Breaking Dawn Part 2.  Sure enough there was a 10:40pm showing so we drove down to see it.

                ***SPOILER ALERT***  If you have not seen Breaking Dawn Part 2 yet and you would like to see it then don’t read any further.  I don’t want to ruin it for you. 

                The movie was going fine and I was okay with everything on the screen until the final fight scene.  Especially when the heads started popping off.  Once I saw Carlisle’s head detached from his body, my stomach did a flip flop.  And it didn’t get any better.  Head after head after head.  I about lost my stomach.  But literally though.  In the middle of the movie theater I put my head in between my knees to keep from bringing back up all the popcorn I was eating.  Thank goodness Judd saw what was happening and handed me the popcorn bucket in case I couldn’t make it to the bathroom.  Mom was just laughing at me… and all the flying heads.  Apparently it didn’t bother them like it bothered me.  I have to admit that I was relieved when it ended and saw that it was all just a vision.  Even so, I don’t think I will be watching that movie again anytime soon.  Yuck.  Flying heads is the worst.

Why I don't have a major.

College is hard.   I can’t believe I woke up this morning thinking, “I still don’t have a major.”  It isn’t that I haven’t picked one out.  I have.  About 5 times.  First semester was easy: double major in dance and political science.  But I couldn’t help but think that a dancing politician really wouldn’t be that needed.  So the next semester I became more practical.  How about sociology?  I mean what isn’t fascinating about women studies and learning why Siegfried Freud made leaps and bounds in his field.  But I couldn’t shake all of the strange feminist ideas that were being thrown at me so I figured to become more professional.  Third semester: business degree anyone?  Psh.  That was a joke.  I got a C- in Accounting 200 and have never been so proud of myself.  So I decided to go easy on myself; I would stay professional but still have a good business-like degree: advertising.  I spent one semester prepping myself for the program and suddenly realized that I am not crazy enough to come up with stuff like the Dollar Shave Club commercial.  So here I am in my fifth semester of college finally leaning towards Public Relations.  PR is great.  I get to work with businesses but I don’t have to be the guy who shows up to work every day wearing shorts in winter and coming up with great ideas while playing ping-pong.  I can do PR…I think.  I just have to apply for the major now.  And I am running out of options because I am coming to close to 75 credits and at BYU, after 75 credits a major change is hard.  After all, the only reason to go to BYU is to get married.  Administrators don’t actually care if you get a degree.  That is why rumor has it that they kick you out after seven years.  I’m not worried though.  I did my duty to BYU and found myself a good-looking husband.  Now I can just become a house wife and depend on him for all my needs.

                Joke.  The thing is I really want a major.  I feel self conscious when Facebook asks me what I am studying at BYU and I don’t have an answer for it.  I think that it would be cool to say I am studying (fill in the blank) and have everyone be jealous of me.  But that isn’t the case.  I had to sit down and think to myself why I don’t have a major and I realized one thing.  I am going to do exactly what my generation does.  I am blaming society for me not having a major.

                You see, I grew up hearing that I could do anything!  My teachers and others always gave “constructive criticism” and told me not to give up.  Don’t get me wrong, I am so glad that I was never put down as a kid, but in some ways did it hinder me?  Suddenly I can’t figure out what I want to be when I grow up because I was always told that I could do anything I wanted.  So I took what society was telling me and I dreamt about being a scientist, engineer, English teacher, President of the United States.  It didn’t matter if they were or were not practical because I had no limits!  Unfortunately, now I am a junior in college with no major and no plan.  Oh well.  At least I have my dog.

Ketchup? No, catch-up.

I realized that I haven’t written a blog post in a while.  My first thought was that it must be that I don’t have much to say/update.  Then I realized that was far from the truth.  I always have a ton to say.  Judd isn’t even sure he can remember a time when I didn’t have a ton to say.  I guess I have just kind of got to that time when you are in the middle of school and suddenly you get into a schedule (mine is usually school, dance, pinterest/facebook, bed) and you think that you don’t have time for anything else.  But it would be so selfish of me to not make better use of time and express some gratitude.  Yes, I know that it is November and I am not just doing it because of Thanksgiving.  If anything, I am doing this because my birthday is in 10 days and I want everyone to remember.  Joke.  But really though.  My birthday is my favorite holiday.  Anyway, back to the whole sentimental, grateful stuff….  I was able to see my sister Shelby for the first time in over a year.  I didn’t realize how much I missed her until I saw her again.  Growing up it was the family joke that I had four moms instead of one.  That is what happens when you have three older sisters.  Either way, I love them all so much and am so blessed that they are in my life.  I mean, who else would have taught me “light as a feather, stiff as a board,” or how to spell Adidas?  I am a lucky one that is for sure. 

I also couldn’t help but be grateful for my hot husband.  And by hot I mean wonderful and amazing.  Guess who takes Nixon out to go potty when it is freezing outside?  Judd.  And guess who does the dishes when I don’t want to?  Judd.  And guess who lets me buy a box of grasshoppers when I really shouldn’t?  Judd.  All of that and a great personality. 

So even though school seems a little daunting right now I know that I am beyond blessed and I am grateful for that every day.  Hopefully I will do better in updating everyone about me life!

Beach Boys are my life.

First of all I need to apologize.  I am so sorry Mom for calling you practically everyday while I was in California telling you how much I missed Utah and my family. You were right. It was not the end of world and I would miss it once I moved back. Yup. I am missing it now. School has started for me and Judd and it is so nice to see him all the time! It is like we are finally married! I am surprised that we are not sick of each other yet. Speaking of getting sick of each other, tomorrow is our 5 month anniversary! Time flies when you’re having fun. But really. Favorite moments in California:

1. Getting Nixon (duh)

 2. THE BEACH!

3. Going on adventures

4. San Francisco almost every weekend


5. Mom visiting me!

 
 Yes I know that all of these picture have Nixon in them. What can I say? With a face like his how can I not have him in every single picture I own?

Happy Independence Day!

I love the 4th of July. It is by far my most favorite holiday. You are the in the heat of summer, there is excitement in the air, fireworks are being set off, and you spend a lot of family time at barbeques eating food. Lots and lots of food. Maybe all of the food is the reason why it is my favorite holiday. Although I usually spend every 4th of July looking for as many veterans and active duty soldiers as I can and cry as I thank them. Two years ago I spent the summer in Washington DC and came across some WWII vets that were checking out the monuments made for them. I finally managed to corner one and started bawling as I told him how grateful I was for his service. I was crying so much that he assumed I had lost someone in the military and sent his condolences. I had to correct and let him know that everyone I knew in the military was healthy and well. That was when he gave me a strange look and told me to have a nice day as he walked away. I am such a baby when it comes to the military. Maybe it has to do with having a father as a retired military officer who proudly served this country for 23 years or two amazing brothers-in-law who are still in the service. Either way, I love the 4th of July. So yesterday being the 4th of July I wanted to have some kind of celebration. Judd was taking a half day but would still be at work until 4pm so I went on a search for some 4th of July festivities on my own. It turns out that Pleasanton does a really cool America presentation in one of their parks on the 4th of July. I showed up with Nixon and found people in lawn chairs and blankets listening to speakers pretending to be different characters from history. There was also a brass band that played patriotic songs in the background as they spoke. It was my kind of celebration. A cute old man handed me a program and a mini flag and I went to find a good place to sit myself and my puppy. That is when I realized two things: 1. Californians love dogs. 2. Nixon is a totally ham. You can’t really blame him. I mean, with a face like his who couldn’t love him? I also had tied a red bandana around his neck for the occasion so he looked especially cute. But seriously though. I couldn’t walk 10 feet without someone saying, “Oh! What a cute puppy!” Nixon was eating it up. He would let them walk up to him and stretch out his neck so that they would give him a good scratch under there. He would be so gently with the kids and lick their hands without trying to chew on them. The kids would squeal and giggle and the parents would just smile. This one mom went and grabbed her three other kids that were sitting on lawn chairs to come see the puppy. He was a hit to say the least. There was an ice cream stand and after ordering a cone, I asked the guy if I could get a water cup. He told me it was going to be 50 cents but when he saw Nixon he said he would give it to me for free. I was still in a little bit of shock after seeing how much Nixon loved the spotlight. And of course as soon as we got home he completely ignored me and fell asleep. What a silly goose.

He was passed out until Judd got home and we began getting ready for our 4th of July barbeque. I had a little surprise for Judd. Lizzie and I had bought matching 4th of July shirts the four of us. We were so excited and had spent the day before running around California looking for shirts on such short notice. I was just glad that she was just as excited as I was to match and didn’t think I was a freak in the store when I begged her to let us match. But when I showed Judd the shirt the first thing out of his mouth was, “No.” Here is the thing with Judd that I have noticed. He hates matching anyone. Even getting remotely close to matching someone. I first noticed it when we were dating and we each had a coat that was army green. We both ended up wearing it one night while we were on a date and he took it off and spent the rest of the night coat-less and freezing. I have never seen him wear that coat since. I was worried that the matching shirts were going to be a problem but after some convincing and some threatened tears he agreed to wear it. We all went to the park, wore matching shirts, took family pictures, and had a great time. It went really well and it was a great way to spend the 4th of July.

Puppy Love

It was overcast this morning when I woke up. I must be my mother’s daughter because whenever is it overcast outside I tend to feel a little down. As Judd was getting ready to leave this morning I couldn’t help but feel sad and a little lonely. He works so hard and I really am so proud of him but he leaves every morning at 9am and doesn’t get back until 11pm. It is crazy that I never see him. I expected us to see each other so much once we were married that we would be sick of each other. I have quickly found out that it is really hard to get sick of someone that you never see. Anyway, I started sniffling a little as he was leaving. I couldn’t help it. I knew that it would only make him sad that I was sad but I was seriously bummed. So he did what any rational man would do. He grabbed our puppy Nixon and threw him on the bed with me. I guess the real reason we got Nixon was to keep me company while Judd was gone all day. Now just a little information about Nixon. He is your typical puppy. He will be super hyper and want to explore and chew and sniff EVERYTHING and then fifteen minutes later he is passed out on the floor. So when Judd put him on the bed this morning I was expecting Nixon to run around and make me chase him and get more upset. But instead of running around and chewing on everything, Nixon just looked at me. He came over to me and cuddled up right next to me. I think he knew that I was upset and not in the mood to play with him. He is such a sweetheart. After Judd left he and I just cuddled in bed until I finally felt well enough to get up. I love him. That is puppy love right there.

I Saw My First Nudist Today.

Today I went to San Francisco! For all of you who didn’t think that I would be able to find a theme song for San Fran like I did San Jose, you are wrong. “Save Me San Francisco” by Train saved the day! Unfortunately it isn’t as popular as “Do You Know the Way to San Jose” so people don’t sing it when you mention San Francisco. So maybe San Francisco isn’t as musical as San Jose, but I still liked it. Our hour long drive began with The Newsies. Billy had it on his iPod and it blasted through the car. It was a lot of fun to listen to, especially since we had Truman and Adam stuffed in the trunk singing their hearts out to it. Okay. It actually isn’t as bad as it sounds. Billy’s car is a hatchback so the trunk is open and connected to the rest of the car. But it was pretty funny watching them as they tried to wiggle their bodies into the most comfortable position. They were good sports about it though. As we drove through Oakland I couldn’t help but realize just how beautiful California is. I have only been to Disneyland and Southern California so living further up north has been a new experience for me. As we came to the bay and crossed the Oakland Bridge there were sailboats everywhere. If that didn’t make me home sick, I don’t know what would have. I would love to take my dad’s sailboat out sometime and go sailing in the bay (Mom? Dad? Want to pull the sailboat out when you two come visit me this summer?). It was beautiful. Once we made it to San Francisco and found parking (we ended up parking in an $18 dollar lot. Ouch), we started walking around the piers. There were street performers, stores, picture spots, and restaurants. Lots of restaurants. Restaurants everywhere of everything from pizza to seafood. For anyone who truly knows me, they will know that I am a sucker for food. I love food. On vacations I think the majority of my money goes to food because I would much rather buy a donut from the local shop than a souvenir. But back to the restaurants, I just want to go there on a day where I haven’t eaten anything and try them all out. Unfortunately we weren’t able to try any of them today but I will by the end of the summer. We kept walking around and eventually found a small beach. The first thing Lizzie did when she saw it was kicked off her flip flops and ran to the water’s edge. I followed suit and touched the Pacific Ocean for the first time in two years. It was COLD. I knew it would be, but it was freezing. I couldn’t get in past my feet because I was wearing skinny jeans and those things do not roll up over my calves, but that was all I needed. Maybe I am just a baby because there were swimmers out there and people who were playing on the beach. Even if it was freezing it was still beautiful. I have always loved the ocean. Probably because I have a mother who is a beach bum and took us to the ocean almost every day while we were growing up in Hawaii. Thanks Mom. I owe it all to you  We found our way back to the car and decided to take a quick trip over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito. It was beautiful and the view of San Francisco from the bridge was breathtaking. It was pretty entertaining because there was a tunnel that we had to pass under and the entrance had a big rainbow painted around it. Gotta love San Fran, the gay capitol of the world. On our way back Lizzie’s GPS took us in probably the most roundabout way. I wasn’t complaining though because this meant we were able to see the rest of the city. And that is where I saw him. Everyone in the car was getting tired from a long day of being a tourist and we were all ready to take a nap. I just happened to glance out the window and see a naked man. What. Yeah. He was naked. Just a little side note really quick: Billy and Lizzie went to San Francisco our first weekend here and saw two nudists walking around. They later found out (and then passed the information on to us) that it is totally legal to walk around naked in San Francisco. Crazy, huh? Anyway, we had been making jokes all day about seeing a nudist but so far no one had. That is why I was so surprised to see him walking as we were leaving the city. He was just walking down the street with a backpack, hat and shoes on. That, of course, was it. At first I just sat there wide eyed but eventually was able to squeak out, “he is naked!” That woke everyone up really quick so that everyone turned and looked. We all just kind of watched him walk down the street and that was that. It was the perfect ending to a great day in San Francisco.

Do You Know the Way to San Jose?

Not only is the title of this blog post a song but it is also an invitation to anyone who know the way to San Jose to come visit us! But really though. It is beautiful here and I would love to see all of our friends and family out here at least once. Just to give you a heads up of what it is like living in San Jose, I will give you a list of my favorite things: 1. It is a requirement to sing “Do You Know the Way to San Jose” whenever anyone says San Jose. 2. The majority of the employees at the Wal-Mart across the street can only say, “Ummm… No English. Ask him” then points you in the furthest direction possible. 3. It is custom for your neighbors above you to find 3am to be the perfect time to watch TV, take showers, and stomp above your bedroom. 4. The office at our apartments ran out of keys for the pool so you have to jump the fence every time you want to go swimming and people stare. EVERY TIME. 5. No husband. So that basically sums up San Jose! Just kidding. Although that is a great description of part of San Jose, it does not cover all of it. First of all, it is great that I have a job. My first few days here I didn’t have one. I watched Judd get up every morning at 7am and leave dutifully for his job. I would go back to bed. Wake up in the late morning. Sit around the apartment. Go to the pool. Run around Pleasanton (the city where I actually live) and sleep. Then Judd would come home at 10pm and we would go to bed. To say the least, without my job I would feel like a bum and would probably go crazy. Plus Judd said that I anything I make this summer I get to keep so if that isn’t motivation to get a job then I don’t know what is. I work in the Alterra office and enter paper work all day. I actually don’t mind it since my coworkers are fantastic! There are four of us girls who work there and our two managers. To say the least, I haven’t been bored yet which is a first for me when it comes to work. When I am not at work, I have taken it upon myself to learn how to cook. And let me tell you, Judd has not been disappointed in anything I have made him yet. Considering that I make him breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, I would say that I am on a roll. Cooking is actually pretty fun it turns out. Sorry Mom, I should have trusted you when you said that years ago. It is like a little adventure picking out what I want to make every day and then going out to the grocery store to search valiantly for the items needed to create my concoction… Uh… I mean dinner. Maybe it isn’t as adventurous as it would seem, but I have fun with it. Another skill that I have been trying to learn is sewing. Thanks to my sisters for buying me my first sewing machine ever! I love it! And thanks to Billy for picking it up in Utah and bringing it out since I forgot to bring it when we first moved here. It turns out I really like sewing. Sometimes I wish Betsy Oborne, my achievement days leader, was here to help me but luckily I have older sisters who sew! I may or may not be in the process of making a baby blanket for one of them….. It is pretty funny that I am trying to be so “domestic” all of the sudden. I was talking to my mom one day and was telling her all about my new skills when she bluntly asked me, “What happened to you?” I laughed it off until my best friend Becca asked the same question and when Judd came home from work and asked me as well. The truth is, I have been asking myself the same question. I guess I needed to learn these skills sometime in my life so why not now while I am in a strange city and 748 miles away from my home, friends and family? At least when I don’t feel like being domestic I have Lizzie. Thank goodness for Lizzie! She has been keeping me sane and is always up for going on an adventure! It is nice to be able to say to someone, “hey let’s jump in the car in five minutes and go somewhere.” We haven’t been on too many adventures yet but we keep brainstorming and planning for days when we can go to places like Carmel, California to see a beach and John Muir Park to see some redwoods. And even on days that we don’t run somewhere out of the city it is still nice to have a pool buddy. I think that I have basically told her my whole life story by now. Thank goodness she is a good listener! Living here is different but I am learning more about myself every day. For example, I have learned just how lazy I am. But I have also learned that I love looking up recipes for homemade oreos. I still haven’t made any yet but I plan on it. It could be a problem that Judd doesn’t really like oreos but for some reason I am okay with that. That just means more for me! Anyway, I just want to say that seriously if anyone has any plans to come to San Jose or San Francisco please come visit! It would be great to have you. On a completely unrelated note, I will be blogging about my wedding soon. Until then, thanks so much for all of the help, love, and support we received! Our wedding day was a complete dream and it could not have been more perfect. On another completely unrelated note I found this article the other day http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2124246/Samantha-Brick-downsides-looking-pretty-Why-women-hate-beautiful.html. The woman in the story is saying that being beautiful is hard. This is basically how I feel every day. Just kidding. I had to beg Judd to marry me. He was sitting on the fence about it because he wanted pretty children and knew that his chances were extremely low if he mixed his genes with mine. Luckily my charm was able to convince him even if my looks couldn’t. Anyway, read the article if you get the chance. HILARIOUS.

Photos and 2 Days Left!

I am writing this blog post because I NEED to give a shout out to my big sister Brittany Bennion. She has always been there in my life and is one of those women that can basically do anything. And when I say she can basically do anything I mean it. For instance, she is being my photographer (if you haven’t checked out her blog it is britsphotos.blogspot.com), doing my make-up, altering some of the bridesmaids’ dresses, helping with my hair, and a little bit of everything else. Someone who is as talented as she is definitely needs to be recognized. So thanks Brit! You’re the best! And of course to not undermine my other sisters, thanks Shelby for always teaching me to be the best person I can be and for Chelsea for being my best friend as we grew up together. So Brittany has been taking time out of her hectic schedule (she has the two cutest kids and she is working) to do my engagements, bridals, and day-of pictures. We decided to go down to the Salt Lake City Temple yesterday to do most of day-of pictures since it is supposed to be raining on Friday. I am not really complaining since rain on your wedding day means good luck, however I thought it was a great idea to get some pictures a few days before so we don’t get rained out. We went down last evening around seven to nine and I woke up to a text message from Brit saying she already had some done and wanted to show me. Can I just say how impressive that is? So this morning I jumped on my computer and while on the phone with me she showed me. Wow…. That was basically all I could say. She is fantastic at what she does.

Also can I just say that I have two days left until I get married? It doesn’t even feel real. I am just so excited!

An Ode to Dan

I know that this is completely unrelated to anything on my blog, but some things just need to be said. One of the best ways for me to get my emotions out is to write it out and after hearing about how much support there was for Hatch at the Davis county republican caucuses as compared to Dan Liljenquist, I knew I had to let my voice be heard. So here it is. My ode to Dan.
I remember my first time meeting Orrin Hatch. I was a senior in high school and was fortunate enough to fly to Washington DC with the Bountiful City Youth Council. DC was a beautiful city and I was intrigued by everything about it. I was there with the Utah League of Cities and Towns convention and one of the meetings on our agenda was to have breakfast with the Congressman from Utah. Seriously? I was going to be able to meet our state representatives and have the opportunity to eat breakfast with them. This was a dream come true! For the past seven months in school we had been studying the US government in my AP Gov class. I had been taught about how our National and State government worked and all about our Federal Senators and Representatives. I couldn’t wait for my return home to brag to my teacher and our class about meeting all of them—especially the prestigious Orrin Hatch. He was so cool! He had been in for 33 years and had fought his way to the top to become a senior senator and was in all of the best committees in Congress. He had some powerful influence in DC. To say the least, I was proud to claim that he represented me from the state of Utah.
So there I was: a seventeen year old kid just waiting for the opportunity to shake his hand. Maybe he would compliment me on my interest in politics. Maybe he would congratulate me for being so ambitious. Maybe he would even ask me to become an intern for him once I graduated. Maybe when I turned 30 he would endorse me when I ran for a seat in the Senate. I felt like I had waited for this moment my whole life and I was finally getting the chance.
Hatch and the other congressmen were sitting in the banquet room when we entered. We listened to a “question and answer” that was followed by a breakfast. I scarfed down my food and anxiously waited for my chance to meet Hatch. As soon as I noticed others moving to his table I jumped up and took my chance. The butterflies in my stomach were enormous as I extended my hand to Hatch. Then something happened that I didn’t expect. Hatch also extended his hand, shook it, and began to speak to another man. Hatch did not even make eye contact with me. I was shocked. I hesitated for a second before walking away because I thought that he may turn his attention to me once he had finished with this other man but he didn’t. I left feeling extremely put off and very disappointed. I respected this man so much and he did not even acknowledge my presence.
Looking back years later after this experience, I am proud to say that I support Dan in his campaign against Hatch. And to clarify, my support is no longer with Hatch just because of what happened when I was seventeen, but it is because I believe that 36 years in the senate is too long. I strongly believe in the grass roots movement—I am not necessarily a tea-partier, but I believe that a senator should know who he is representing. And to me, Hatch no longer knows who he is representing.
My sister and brother-in-law moved to DC the summer after I graduated from high school. I loved that city so much that I moved in with them for a month. During my time there I was constantly amazed by the beauty of the city. Don’t get me wrong, I believe SLC is beautiful too, but compared to DC, I could see why Hatch could forget about SLC for the grandeur of DC. The capitol truly is the closest thing that America will have to a castle. If you worked in a castle, it would be easy to see yourself “above” others and thinking that you know best for them. I believe that Orin Hatch sees himself in that way and if Hatch is representing me and thinking like that, he just transformed from my Senator into my King. And if Hatch is my King, I no longer believe that he can truly represent me and should no longer be in office.
The republican caucus meetings recently were interesting. My mother and father are both active members in politics and didn’t just vote, but also ran as delegates. Since I am away at Brigham Young University, my mother reported from my hometown of Bountiful that the majority of delegates were older and were supporting Hatch. Why Hatch? Looking around at my peers, there are so many of us that support Dan. Comparing that to Hatch, I am not seeing hardly any support for him from people my age. If people are claiming that they want what is best for the youth, why aren’t they listening to us? We want Dan! We want someone who represents us! Who connects with us! Who listens to us! Who truly wants what is best for us!
My first time meeting Dan was an excellent experience. It was long before his candidacy for US Senate. I was a junior in high school and was attending Day with the Legislation with the Bountiful City Youth Council. Dan took time from his busy schedule to meet up with our group and shake each of our hands individually. When it was my turn to shake his hand, he looked me in the eyes and told me that he was glad for the opportunity to meet me. Those few simple words speak wonders to me. They let me know that there are still some legislatures out there who care for their people—especially their youth.
Dan is someone that you can trust. I believe that he is true to his word when he says that if elected he will go into Congress, fix what he promised and then come home to Utah. I believe that the whole time he is in DC he will be carrying a picture of his people in Utah close to his heart. I don’t believe that he will ever forget about us.
The delegates of Utah: you want to do what is best for the future? Then listen to the youth. The youth want Dan. The youth want someone to believe in—not someone who won’t even look us in the eye. Dan Liljenquist is what is best for the youth. Dan has my support and I would love to see him in office.

A Camie/Judd Day

Friday was probably my most favorite day of the year so far. Why? Because it was a “Camie/Judd” day. A Camie/Judd day is exactly how it sounds. Judd and I spent the whole day together. It is amazing that we didn’t get sick of each other  My day started out with a phone call from Judd at 6:20am waking me up. I wasn’t mad that he called so early, I was actually very grateful. We were supposed to go to the temple at 6:00am but it looked as if the night before I set my alarm without actually turning it on. Oops. Good thing Judd wasn’t mad and that I was able to sleep in for an extra half hour. We finally made it to the temple at 6:40am and had a great experience there.
Afterwards, Judd came over to my apartment and we made French toast with Nutella on it. I don’t know if anyone has ever tried it but it is DIVINE. My good friend Hannah Broom Stewart introduced it to me in high school and I have basically been hooked ever since. After taking the French toast off the pan, you immediately smother it in Nutella and let the chocolately-hazelnut yumminess sink in. Just writing about it is making my mouth water. It really is so good.
After breakfast was Arrested Development time. Judd and I are obsessed with that show. I am pretty sure that we watch at least one episode a day. We are almost done with it though and I have no idea what we are going to do when we do finish it. Everyone keeps telling us to just start another TV sitcom. Big Bang Theory anyone??? I’ve seen quite a few episodes and I am pretty sure that Judd will love it.
Anyway, after three hours of Arrested Development and a slow recovery from our Nutella coma, Judd and I went our separate ways for a few hours to shower, get ready for the day, and prepare to spend the rest of our time together studying in the library. However, “studying in the library” turned into “let’s talk for another three hours about nothing in particular.” Although I would like to say (and I know my mother would too) that I am upset about the “wasted time,” I really am not. In fact, I cherish the moments when Judd and I spend time together doing the little things in life. It seems like Judd and I have talked about everything in the world, but at the same time I feel like we always have new things to discuss. It really is so special to me and it is one of the reasons why I always get anxious to see him. I know that whenever I have a little story or piece of information he takes it in and really responds. I guess that is just another reason why he is my best friend.
Back to my Camie/Judd day, we eventually made it to the library to find it empty. I mean who really wants to spend their Friday night in the library—especially when there is a basketball game over in the Marriott. Do I feel like a loser when I spend my weekends in the library? Nope. This is what I did all last year too. But to defend my popularity bar, I will say that we left at 10:30pm. Of course, then I went home and went to bed so I guess that doesn’t really help my case. Good thing Judd still thinks I’m cool. And he is the only one that really matters, right? I sure hope so because it seems like he will be sticking around for quite some time and we will have a few more Camie/Judd days in the future.

Soccer Games, Swollen Eyes, and Valentine's Day

Growing up, my parents came to EVERYTHING that I was a part of. Seriously though. Every football or basketball game that I was cheering at, every time that I was performing at a half-time show, every dance recital, and every assembly that I was in even if I only had one line. Looking back, I realize how blest I am to have such supportive parents but I have come to notice that their influence has rubbed off on me. So naturally, when Judd started to tell me about his soccer games, I just assumed that I would be going to all of them to watch him. However, I quickly came to realize that soccer games are not dance recitals. Never before have I been so lost at a sporting event. My first game I had a friend explain to me what was going on the whole time. I grew up with three older sisters and although one played soccer for a few years, I don’t remember much of her games. Yet, I am proud to announce that I am slowly starting to figure out the world of soccer much to Judd’s (and mine’s) amazement. It has been really fun going to his games and hanging out with the soccer kids. I have always imagined them with the stereotype of the cool and collected jocks who knew that they were really good but didn’t have to brag about it like football or basketball players. So just imagine how “cool and collected” I felt when Judd introduced me to all of his soccer buddies. To say the least, my popularity bar that only exists in my head sky-rocketed.



However, I am pretty sure that two weeks ago that bar crashed and burned. Judd had a soccer game for his BYU intramural soccer team that I went to. As I was sitting there and imagining that I knew what was going on, my eyes started to itch. Not just one, both. It wasn’t a big deal and I assumed that if I went to the bathroom and washed them out that I would be fine. After looking in the bathroom mirror, I also noticed a hive on my neck and that my eyes were swelling. I panicked (which I am sure only made it worse) and debated on if I should go home or not. Judd only had a few minutes left in his game so I decided to stick it out until the end. Little did I know, my eyes were basically like a balloon and I would soon have a marshmallow face with slits for eyes. When the game ended I was getting plenty of strange looks from Judd’s teammates and many of them asking me if I was okay. That is when Judd saw me. I saw him muffle a gasp but his jaw still dropped. When he asked me if I was okay I knew I looked pretty bad. Everyone had been planning on going to Costa Vida after that game but Judd was determined to get me some Benadryl instead. I still didn’t believe it was that bad until we got into his car and I looked in the mirror. It was then my turn to gasp and have my jaw drop. Yeah. It was that bad. We rushed to the nearest Walgreens where Judd spent the next 15 minutes speaking to his dad on the phone of whether he should get me Children’s Liquid Benadryl or the regular pills. After coming to the consensus of the Children’s Benadryl (and me scratching my eyes out the whole time) I downed the bottle. Okay. Not really. And I am in no way endorsing OD-ing on Children’s Benadryl but I did take more than Judd and his dad suggested. I should’ve listened to them. I was passed out within the hour. Good thing Judd drove that day or else I would not have made it home. It was quite the adventure and I am very glad that I survived to tell the tale.

Switching gears completely now, two days ago was Valentine’s Day! For starters, I need to give my big sister Chelsea a shout out and wish her a happy 22nd birthday. Hope it was fantastic, big sis! Well my Valentine’s Day was fantastic. Like I was mentioning earlier about the supportive parents, every year before this one, they have been my Valentines. For instance, I have never been dating someone on the actually Valentine’s day before so I would wake up every morning on Valentine’s Day with a card and box of chocolates from my mom and dad (aren’t they the best?). This being said, I was pretty excited to have an actually Valentine (yes, I still got a phone call from my dad telling me that he had a card for me when I next saw him. He is such a sweetheart).

Anyway, Judd picked me up, blindfolded me, and took me to the car. We drove around for a while taking lots of twists and turns to get me lost (I have an internal GPS) and ended up parking. He got the door and led me still blindfolded to some stairs and then realized that he needed his keys to get in the “restaurant.” After opening it and leading me in, he took off the blindfold and I stood in his apartment with a home cooked meal and a candlelit dinner. Did I also mention that there were roses and chocolates on the table as well? It was perfect. We had yummy homemade chicken Alfredo (Mom is very impressed that he can cook) with parmesan bread and cut up strawberries we could dip in chocolate. It was very yummy.

However, there was one downfall from the evening and it was not Judd’s fault in any way. We had both gotten a little stomach bug over the weekend and although Judd was fully recovered, I wasn’t. I realized a little too late that I probably shouldn’t have eaten as much as I did and ran to his bathroom because I, unfortunately, couldn’t keep it down. I felt terrible but as soon as I exited the bathroom Judd had some mouthwash, gum, blankets, and Tangled waiting for me. The guy is a keeper for sure. We ended up cuddling and watching Tangled for the rest of the night (I am surprised he still wanted to be around me) and then took me home. It was a perfect evening and I am so grateful that he is in my life!

Bridesmaids

When I was in seventh grade, Becca Haynie, Katelyn Bleak—my two best friends—and I planned our weddings. I am pretty sure that mine involved lots of pink flowers, a big dance party, a giant chocolate fountain, and Katelyn and Becca as my bridesmaids. Here I am seven year later planning my wedding. It may not be exactly what it was back then, but one thing stayed the same: my bridesmaids. Last Monday I was able to go to lunch with Becca and Katelyn and officially asked them to be my bridesmaids. Maybe I took it to an extreme (I got them ring-pops and then “popped” the question), but it was such a fun, sentimental thing anyway.



We met up at Noodles and Company in Draper (yummy!) and all ended up ordering the same thing: the buttered noodles. I don’t know if any of you have tried them but they are DIVINE. I can’t even explain how many I find myself craving them. Next time you need a meal that is light but tasty, get them. And no, Noodles and Company is not paying me to endorse their product though they should. After the delicious meal, I pulled out my little gifts to give them. I am pretty sure that Becca knew what was going on, but Katelyn didn’t. I had them open it at the same time and luckily they both said yes! I am so excited to have them as my bridesmaids! I am almost as excited to have them as my bridesmaids as I am to have them wear their dresses that my mom and I found for them at the Wight House. It has been too much fun planning a wedding!

It is all about the little things...

Saturday night I endured the embarrassment as my parents met and dined with Judd’s parents for the first time. Joke! It was actually a really nice evening and I think everyone really enjoyed themselves. I figure that if Judd’s mom is still letting him marry me after my dad told them that I was their “special” child that we are past the point of no return. That is comforting. I think. Ha ha, no, it honestly was a really good night. There was only one thing that got to me. Our mothers started to speak about the wedding plans and that is kind of when it all became real to me. I think that for the past week I had been living in a dream/fantasy world where all of the wedding plans would just happen and that Judd and I would soon be married and riding off into the sunset. False. Luckily, Mom is really good at getting into the nitty-gritty stuff, especially when it comes to weddings (she has had at least three times to practice before). But I couldn’t help but feel completely lost. I wasn’t sure where to start or what exactly I should plan. Later that night after Judd’s parents had left and he and I were speaking on my couch, I told him about these feelings. You know when you’re talking to someone and you get the feeling that they are only half listening? I suddenly got that vibe from Judd and I glanced up at him. What was he doing? Flexing and checking out his muscles. Typical. But like I stated earlier, he was HALF listening, so he said simply, “Is this helping?” I couldn’t help but crack a smile and laugh. This silly boy is always making me laugh and smile. Just today he put on my roommates’ apron with frills and ruffles to help me cook dinner (please see the picture above). He really is the best and I feel so blessed that he is always there to make me smile. I guess it all just comes down to the little things that make all of the stress and worry worth it.

Gabrielle: The Make-up Consultant

Well Facebook sold me out to the world. Now that my relationship status is “engaged” I have been bombarded with emails and phone calls from people asking me if I need flowers, photographers, reception centers, and other miscellaneous wedding plans. Usually I would think to just ignore the majority of these ads, but I decided to look at the positive and take advantage of one… or maybe two.
One of the phone calls I received was from Gabrielle, a Clinique specialist at University Mall. I have to admit that the first time she called me I had no idea what she was talking about. She has a thick Peruvian accent and I was struggling following her when she informed me of who she was and what she wanted from me. I finally caught on after having her repeat herself at least four times (sorry!) and decided that I would come in today at noon to have a free make-up consultation. I was sold. I don’t have any classes on Friday so instead of bumming around and doing nothing, I figured that it would be a good excuse to get me out of bed (because homework definitely isn’t). I had Judd drop me off at the mall today (I had gone to some of his summer recruiting meetings with him this morning) and worked my way over to Macey’s and the Clinique counter.
You know that awkward feeling you get when you are trying to get someone in the store’s attention, but you don’t want to seem like THAT customer who is obnoxious and secretly hated by everyone nearby? I do. In fact, that was the feeling as I was randomly wandering about the counter looking at products that I will never use or need in my life. After a few uncomfortable moments, a small woman walked over to me and introduced herself as Gabrielle. Score. She found me. Her accent was just as I had remembered it on the phone but at least this time I could watch her lips and facial expressions. She sat me down and took off all of my make-up, the whole time complimenting me on my good looks (even if she was only trying to get me to buy her products, she sure made me feel good about myself). However, once the make-up was off, the real sale’s woman that she was came out. “You’re skin! It is so dry! Look at all of those dead skin cells!” Yup. She said that to me. Actually, it is more of a shriek and I noticed that others in Macey’s glanced over at where the voice was coming from. I am sure they were all thinking, “Man, am I glad I am NOT her. My skin is perfect and I know this because I have never had some Peruvian lady tell me that it isn’t.” Okay. Maybe they weren’t thinking exactly that, but I know that there had to be some kind of judgment upon me for not keeping my skin moisturized.
I could probably stop here and say that what Gabrielle said to me from here on out wasn’t much different, but then I would be skipping a key part of her. You see, even though she was insulting me with an accent that made me feel like I was a child being reprimanded, she was in the habit of calling me “sweetie.” She would say something like, “This moisturizer will make sure that those black circles under your eyes will be gone by your wedding, okay sweetie?” At least she was attempting to be nice to me. Personally, I think the more she called me that the more I began to like her. Gabrielle is someone that really grows on you the more time you spend with her. When we started to wrap up and she gave me a sales pitch, I couldn’t decide whether or not I wanted to buy the product because I needed it or because I liked her. However, being a poor college student who just recently quit her job to plan a wedding, I decided to pass but promised Gabrielle that if I ran into any money soon that I would come back in and buy her products.
So that was my adventure at the Clinique counter at Macey’s. Pretty exciting, I know. I have come to the conclusion that even though the ads, emails, and phone calls that I am getting can be annoying, maybe I should take advantages of the opportunities that these companies are giving me.

The Proposal

Here is the proposal video!!!  It starts about a minute in.

The Beginning

I struggled with the idea of whether or not I wanted to start this blog so soon. I knew that once I got married I would need to jump on the bandwagon and start one like my sisters, but I kind of liked the idea of starting one once I was engaged. I think that planning my wedding will be one of the most exciting events I have and I wanted to make sure that I remembered the process I went through for mine. So to appease that idea, I started this blog. I hope I am not jinxing myself. Brittany did a really good job of pointing that out, but luckily Becca came to my rescue and simply stated that I could delete it if something doesn’t work out. Thanks guys. I have such a supportive family J Well here I am, writing this blog because I feel that life isn’t just about the final destination, but also about the journey.

To begin I will start with the good news. Last night I got engaged. I checked my left ring finger this morning to make sure I didn’t have some crazy wild dream. Last night still seems like a blur but everything was where it was supposed to be this morning. There was a ring on my finger, a big bouquet of red and yellow roses in my living room, and the pictures on the camera to prove that I couldn’t have made it up. I still get butterflies when I think about it. Never in a million years would I have thought that I was getting engaged. Judd told me that he wasn’t ever going to get the ring until January 20^th. Last night was the 15^th. I was expecting to wait at least another week if not more. And I thought I would know when I was getting proposed to. I was expecting the trip to Temple Square, the fancy restaurant, the romantic scenes and the typical (but sweet) proposal in front of all of the ring-hungry girls and their resentful boyfriends. However, that is not what happened. Not even close. But if I had to choose between the way that Judd asked me and the proposal I had in my head, I would pick his way any day.

Two days ago I got a phone call from my boyfriend (and now fiancé) Judd, asking me if I would meet with his stake president from Bountiful. He told me that they were very close and he wanted to meet me before we got engaged. I agreed to it. It seemed like a completely normal thing to me. Little did I know that when he asked me to “meet” with his stake president that he was actually asking me to marry him. So Sunday night rolls around and Judd and I began our trek to the Regional center. Regional center. Not stake center. I didn’t even notice that we were “meeting” with his president at the regional center instead of the stake center. However, Judd made it a point to tell me that they had just had stake conference there and that is why we were meeting him there instead of the stake center. We pulled up to the building and walked in to find an older gentleman posing as a secretary waiting for us. He informed us that the president was running a few minutes behind and invited us to wait there. In other words, that cute old man lied straight to my face. There was no president who was running behind. Of course, I didn’t know that so I just blindly followed Judd when he turned to the gentleman and informed him that we were going to walk around while we waited.

We began walking down the hallway to the main meeting area and made small talk about how this was where we both graduated from high school and how I attended his graduation without him even knowing it (my sister graduated with him). We then walked down the stairs into the main area and began walking towards the first place we ever really talked. A few months earlier during the summer, Judd came to my singles ward where we had first really seen each other. I am sure that we had probably seen each other in the halls at our high school or randomly around Bountiful, but neither of us can recall any of those moments. I remember him walking into the sacrament meeting and thinking he was cute. We didn’t talk or see each other for the rest of the Sunday meetings but after church there was a linger-longer up at the bowery. We both attended and ended up having our first encounter when he asked me if I was also looking for the garbage. To his surprise, (since I was holding a dirty, empty plate) was yes. We went on a trash-can finding adventure which lasted about 30 seconds and then parted ways.

Later that night there was a YSA fireside with Elder Ballard. I attended and afterwards was talking to some friends over at the spot where Judd took me last night. I couldn’t help but notice that he had been staring at me since I first walked over there. I guess he thought I was pretty cute because he had the guts to come over and speak to me. The first words out of his mouth? “Garbage girl, right?” Seriously. The guy is a charmer. I guess from that moment I knew I was hooked. I mean, who says that and finds that the girl he was trying to hit on is actually flirting back with him. However, his luck must have temporarily ran out on him because he later admitted that, although he wanted to, he couldn’t have asked for my number with my date and his date standing so near. But fortune did smile upon him and later that evening at the refreshment table (typical) we met up again and he mentioned that since we were both going to BYU in the fall, we should exchange numbers and hang out. This is when I pulled out my smooth moves and put my number in his phone. I didn’t ask for him to give me his number. I knew that I would be getting a call or text from him within the next few days. Turns out I was right and it all snowballed from there.

So back to the engagement story. Judd and I had walked to the exact spot where he had used that clever pick-up line. Knowing that I was not going to get engaged that night, I thought it was sweet and sentimental that we were standing there. I couldn’t help but get butterflies in my stomach for a second. After all, this is the place where we first talked and realized that there was probably a mutual attraction deep down. I realized that had we not been at that fireside that night that we would not be standing there now. I realized how lucky I was to be in the perfect spot at that exact moment where I could meet the guy I had been waiting for my whole life (Editor’s note: Please excuse all of the mushy-ness, but since I just got engaged I feel that I have every right to act like this). Judd kept walking and suggested that we go on the stand. I figured that we were going to have a mock stake conference only to have the stake president walk in and reprimand us, but to my shock (and I was VERY shocked) something else entirely different happened. We rounded the corner and started to walk up the stairs. Judd spoke to me in his I-am-trying-to-act-like-I-am-talking-like-I-am-nervous-on-purpose voice and asked, “What is this?” I turned to see roses. Big roses. Red roses. Yellow roses. A huge vase full of roses. Next an apple cider champagne bottle. Two glasses. A box. A ring. The most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen in my life. The ring. I stopped moving. I couldn’t catch my breath. The tears were coming. The tears were overflowing.

Thanks Caroline, Becca and Katelyn for the beautiful set up!

Judd had to drag me the rest of the way up the stairs because I couldn’t move. I wasn’t even sure if it was real life or if I was just having a very realistic dream. At this point though, it didn’t matter because Judd had grabbed the ring and was on one knee in front of me. He was laughing and smiling and I couldn’t help but notice that he was also a little teary eyed. He told me he loved me. I knew he did. And then he popped the question. He asked me if I would marry him. Looking back, it all seems like this giant whirlwind and everything was blurred together and I can only remember saying yes through my sobs. Like I said, I was surprised. So surprised. I have never been more surprised or felt that way before in my entire life. I wouldn’t have traded that feeling for the world, though. It was perfect. Everything had been perfect about it.

The ring

Judd grabbed the cider and poured us a glass. I guess he figured that since I gave him the answer he wanted, he could sit back and relax and not stress out over it anymore. But I highly doubt that it is easy to sit there while the person next to you is hyperventilating. But I guess that is something that I have always liked about Judd. He has always been able to act so cool in any kind of a situation. In fact, after finishing his glass of cider, he figured it would be cool to drink mine as well. So he did. Then he decided to mention that we were being recorded and that my two best friends, Becca and Katelyn, were hiding behind the curtains. He whistled to call them out and we reenacted the whole scene to take pictures. I couldn’t have been happier. Even today I feel that I have been walking on cloud nine and doubt I will ever come down. It isn’t everyday that your best friend tells you that he wants to be with you forever. Judd has been one of the greatest blessings in my life and I can’t wait to begin my life with him.

Yeah... He is pretty cute.