Year in Review

I feel like I have so much to be thankful for this year and I would feel completely ungrateful if I didn't take a second and write down a few of my thoughts. And, it has just been a really long time since I posted anything. As always, I fail at taking pictures. I especially failed at taking pictures during Christmas. But I will scrounge up the few I have access to.

January:

I turned 19, started my second semester at LDS Business College, and continued living in my apartment on 4th Avenue. My friend from Shelley, Laurel Corless, made plans to move in with me and the following month finally got all of her stuff moved in and started living there. Chandler continued working at Mail Operations for the church and at the Alta Club working as somewhat of a night security for them. He also continued his schooling at LDS Business College.

February:

On February 13, my life changed forever. Chandler and I met and went on our first date the following week. We went to an International Folk Dance performance by dancers from BYU at the Conference Center on the 19th. The next day, we went to an "Interfaith Music Tribute" at the Tabernacle with some friends after our church meetings and the following Friday took me on a date up to Ogden on the Frontrunner, since I had never been on it before.

March:

March 3, Chandler and I went on a group date to the musical Hairspray put on by some local youth in Centerville. I went to Boise that weekend with Kevin, Tiffany, and Danielle to attend Baby Carter's blessing. We went on a trip to St. George the weekend of the 11th so that Chandler could attend his missionary friend's wedding. The Monday following this trip, Chandler asked me to be his girlfriend and I excitedly accepted the invitation! The following weekend Chandler and I, along with our friends Mike, Chelsie, and Casey, went to California to see the Broadway musical, Wicked. It was WICKED and awesome! We also went the Santa Monica Pier, Venice Beach, and the Los Angeles Temple Visitors Center. As we were driving back Sunday, we stopped at the Las Vegas Temple and the St. George Temple, and stayed the night at Casey's parents house before heading home the next morning.

April:

On April 2, I attended General Conference with mom, dad, Danielle, Danielle's roommate, and Chandler! This is the first time Chandler met mom and dad. I think they approved. ;) Friday, April 8, Chandler rented a 2011 Dodge Charger as a promotional deal and took me on a date down to Orem. I met his grandparents and we went on a drive through Provo Canyon. We soon turned around, after seeing two car accidents only 15 minutes into the drive, and went bowling instead. We grabbed some Taco Bell (our favorite!) and drove up to the Mt. Timpanogos Temple, then headed back home over the mountain through Highland, Suncrest, and Draper. It was beautiful and snowy, but we saw yet again, another car accident. Are you noticing a pattern here? As we got off of the 600 S exit, a car pulled out of a Maverik and went right in front of us. The airbags deployed and the Charger was toasted! Luckily, we were both safe and unscathed, except for a bloody nose and sore bodies the next day. The following Wednesday, April 13, we celebrated Chandler's birthday. Chelsie and I made dinner for him and Mike, whose birthday just happens to be the same day, and then had cake and ice cream and a couple of pinatas with some close friends and Chelsie's family. The next week, Chandler and I decided to do baptisms at the Salt Lake temple, a lot. We went to Idaho on the 22nd for Easter and also attended the Idaho Falls Temple to do baptisms. I also received notice that I had been hired at Bath & Body Works and was to start the following Monday!

May:

Chandler quite his job with Mail Operations and began working for Cashman Services down in American Fork. I decided to change my major from Interior Design to Accounting. Chandler's mom came out to Salt Lake for a quilting convention and I was able to meet her and go with her one day around to all the fun fabric and craft booths. The end of May, I found a job working at an inbound call center for a windshield replacement company and started at the end of the month.

June:

June was a pretty uneventful month. I officially started my job on June 1. School started the first week of June as I took two classes and Chandler took one. We continued to date and knew we were falling in love with each other. We talked a lot about marriage and both felt that it was completely right. Near the end of June, we went to the Manti Pageant with a couple of our roommates and friends.

July:

Chandler and I headed up to Idaho for the 4th of July so we could attend Baby Kenzington's blessing. He was able to meet the rest of my family, something I really hadn't expected. He was able to go golfing with my brothers and my dad and we had a bbq with the family later that day. That night, Chandler said he had a cool place he wanted to show me. He took me down to an open field between Shelley and Firth and got down on one knee and proposed to me. I can't tell you how excited I was! It melted my heart to see the man I loved kneeling down in front of me holding a sparkly ring (it helped that the sun was setting and making the ring gleam) and asking me to spend eternity with him. 

Chandler and I were also able to attend a Kenny Chesney concert because of his job. Uncle Kracker was also there and we had a really good time, until all the ATMs started running out of money. People and their country songs and beer. Gotta love 'em.

For Pioneer Day, Chandler and I went down to St. George to visit Burke and Lonette, grandma, and to meet our friend Ciara there who came up from Arizona. We went out for a while to try on wedding dresses and went out and got ice cream and went to the temple with Ciara.

I didn't end up getting this one, but I thought it was really pretty!!

August:

I moved out of my apartment on 6th Avenue and moved in with some girls in the apartment complex Chandler was living in. I spent a lot of time at his apartment because I had no internet and a bare kitchen at mine. Chandler and I finished another semester of school and took engagement pictures! Chandler's dad also came out to Utah for his parent's 60th wedding anniversary. I was able to meet him and have a picnic with their family. We also spent a lot of time together apartment shopping and planning for our wedding. 

These were the three pictures we decided to send out with our announcements. Although, I had many favorites. Here are a few of my other favorites.

September:

I moved into our new apartment in West Jordan. Chandler and I also were able to fly out to Illinois the first week of September before school started and visit his family. We went straight up to Nauvoo and drove around seeing many of the sights and watching a few performances. We visited Carthage and made it just in time for the last tour of the night. We then went back down to O'Fallon, where his parents live, and visited St. Louis and saw lots of cool things there, and just spent lots of time with them. I continued with school and did an internship through the windshield company I was working for. Chandler decided to take the semester off of school and work full time. 

October:

THE BIG MONTH! Chandler and I were married for time and all eternity in the Mount Timpanogos Temple with many family and friends in attendance. I could post millions of pictures, but I will refrain.

I also quit my job at Bath & Body Works and for Halloween, Chandler and I went down to Kevin and Tiffany's to carve pumpkins and have yummy Chicken Pot Pie. Dustin and Amy also came over to join the festivities, along with Tim and one of his friends from BYU.

November:

November wasn't quite as eventful as October, but Chandler and I were able to make a quick trip up to Idaho for Thanksgiving. We had to return Thursday evening because we both had to work the following day. I'm not sure why, but it was particularly hard to leave my family that time. It had been too long since I had seen them and I cried all the way to the freeway. I am so grateful for my family and for all that they have done for me, for the examples they are and for being there for me. It was so good to see most of them for our wedding and we appreciate all the work and help that went in to it.

December:

December marked the end of another crazy semester for me. I finished up my internship and was able to pull a nice 3.93 GPA. I guess I really have found a major that fits me much better. Chandler and I were able to go out to Illinois for Christmas. Kevin was able to take me to the airport on the 22nd and I had a great time waiting at the airport for my flights. My first flight was delayed for about an hour because of the snowy weather in Denver. My second flight was delayed almost three hours because of mechanical issues and I ended up leaving Pheonix the time I should have been landing in St. Louis. It was the longest flight of my life, with plenty of drunk people to annoy me. Needless to say, I finally landed in St. Louis at 2 in the morning their time and I was exhausted. I was so thankful for Jane and Amanda for coming that late to pick me up! Chandler arrived the next day at about midnight. It was so nice to wake up to him crawling into the bed and saying hello. It felt like such a long day, and it was so nice to see him. We did many things with the family, including going to a butterfly house in St. Louis. We had a great Christmas with Chandler's family. It was a little different from Christmas with the Hanson family, but it was nice to be with them and to be able to talk to Chandler's brother, Spencer, on Skype who is on a mission in Ghana. Here are the few pictures I could scrounge up. Like I said, I was horrible at taking pictures! I didn't even pull out my camera once! :(

 Our nephew Blake, I had so much fun with this little guy! He fell asleep on my chest almost every day. Here he is one day after he had just woken up, perfectly content and happy snuggling with me. Best. thing. ever!

 Our nephew Austin, he loved playing in the snow the one day we had it. He is such a funny little guy.

Chandler with Blake at the butterfly house. He is such a happy, smiley little baby.

Needless to say, I have so much to be thankful for! Hopefully I didn't bore everybody but I loved the opportunity of looking back on so many good times during the year! I love you all and miss you all like crazy! Here's to another great year!