december? already?!?!

Wow. I cannot believe that October and November have already come and gone. Time is flying by! Christmas time is here, and I can hardly stand it! Thirteen days until I go through the temple; twenty days until I marry the love of my life for time and all eternity; twenty-three days until Christmas; thirty days until the start of a brand new year. It is going to be an exciting, but definitely a crazy, month. With everything that is going on, it will be a miracle if I am still standing on New Year's Day.

October came and went without anything too exciting. Steven and I decided to dress up as Waldo and Wenda from the popular Where's Waldo? series for Halloween. We received a lot of compliments -- especially on my awesome socks. We went to the pumpkin patch in Pleasant Grove and found two fitting pumpkins to match our glorious personalities; we later carved them to create the greatest jack-o-lanterns ever!

Our glorious jack-o-lanterns! Steven's (on the left) turned out to be a laughing clown with a soul patch...while mine. Well, it took the facial shape of a toothless Asian wearing a bow. 

Meet Waldo and Wenda! 

November. Oh November. It was a crazy month. From work to school to practicum to wedding plans to family time...I was on the move! But it was definitely worth it. The most eventful part of the month was, indeed, Thanksgiving. Steven and I spent five days with my family in Bountiful, Utah. It was  small Thanksgiving this year, as all of my older siblings were with their in-laws or living too far away, but it was a lot of fun. As always, my mother made twice as many pies as we had people and we began the festive decorating for Christmas by putting up the Christmas tree. All in all, it was a relaxing break from school. And I got to spend it all with Steven which made it even more worth it!

It might be well to mention that Steven and I did finally get our engagement picture done near the end of October. And, at this point in time, almost every invitation has been sent out! Everything is really coming together! I cannot wait for the next twenty days to fly by. Sure, there is still so much to do! But I am more excited than anything on this planet. And why wouldn't I be? It's not everyday that you get married! And it's certainly not everything that you marry your best friend.

All in all, it was an excellent past couple of months. And I cannot wait to see how December turns out!

i said yes!

Most of you know that Steven and I have been "engaged" for about a month now. However, it wasn't until recent events that the "engagement" became an official engagement. You see...a very important part of our engagement story was missing: the ring. Lucky for me, I have a man who gave me a substitute for a couple of weeks. Now, for most girls, this would be quite disappointing. I, however, thoroughly enjoyed wearing around and flaunting my shiny, fake "engagement" ring; after all, it did look real.

Tonight, my feelings toward that ring have changed. Not only was I asked by the most perfect man to spend eternity with him, I was also given the most perfect ring.

Steven "replicated" our first date together. However, this time, everything went perfectly. Plus, the  special twist at the end made it even better.

Kneeling down by the swing-set, my best friend asked me to marry him. And without even a moment's hesitation, I said yes. 

And I couldn't be happier.

general conference weekend

Finally. General Conference weekend. I look forward to this two-day event each and every year...twice a year. There is nothing like coming home to family and friends, to the smells of various foods, to listen to the words of the prophets of the Lord. A special spirit fills your heart, fills your mind, as you share this occasion with those you love, with those you adore. 

The weekend began with a long-awaited football game between Brigham Young University and Utah State, and it took flight from there.

Miracle of Miracles! BYU actually beat Utah State, 6-3. Personally, I don't think BYU should have won...their offensive plays were awful. But I will happily take the win! Steven and I were able to watch the game with Rachel (my little sister) and her new beau, Christian Warner. It was a blast to spend time with them, freezing to death in the cool autumn weather!

We decided to "FaceTime" with Candace (my eldest sister) and her family after the morning session of conference on Sunday. My niece, Samantha, is absolutely adorable. My nephew, Dallin, is unbelievably cute. Our faces reflect our responses to seeing little Dallin :)

Grandma and Grandpa came down for General Conference! They are the best!

Mama and Sir Patric Newton, a.k.a. Patric. My mom has to hold him every single time we step outside onto the back patio because he won't stop eating the poisonous acorns!

And of course, a weekend wouldn't be complete without my wonderful fiance. I was glad he was able to come up for General Conference with me. Plus, then I could give him awkward "blowfish" kisses all weekend long. What could be better than that?

I would say this weekend was a success! 

falling for october

There is nothing better than spending an entire weekend with family. Maybe it's because they know you better than anyone else; maybe it's because they will always love you no matter what. But there is something about family that just makes you smile, that just brings out the best in you.

This past weekend, I went up to Bountiful, Utah for some quality time with my mom, my dad, and my younger sister, Rachel. Little did I know, however, that part way through the evening, we would be joined by a new favorite addition to my life: my fiance. Wait. My fiance? That is right ladies and gentlemen. For the past three weeks or so, I have been engaged to the most wonderful person on the planet. And he just so happened to come up and surprise me this weekend...which I was thrilled about! It was fun to watch him interact with my family and to spend time with him!

Preparing to paint our SPOOKY pumpkins at Color Me Mine in Salt Lake City! There's nothing quite like spending an afternoon rocking out to Halloween Party Music and painting ceramics.

Rachel and my mother with their unpainted ceramic pieces. Rachel was so excited about Frankie!

Our finished pieces. my mom's is on the left, Rachel's is in the middle, and mine is on the right. My mom may or may not be a professional painter...

"The Ring". I'm sorry to excite you all, but this is not my ACTUAL right. Steven didn't want me walking around empty handed, so he bought me a plastic replacement until sometime next week. But hey, it definitely passes as the real thing! I have had plenty of compliments over the past couple of days.

Unfortunately, I didn't take very few many pictures...there is something about taking my camera out that I seem to have difficulty doing! I promise to be better. Maybe this next weekend I will have caught more moments on film!

finally a win!

BYU came on top over Hawaii, 47-0, last night. And considering the fact that Hawaii lost 24-69 to Nevada, I was extremely happy we were able to pull of this win. I won't be the first to admit it, but our offense has been awful so far this year (which is backward from what it was last year!!). This game really showed what it's like to be a True Cougar and fan of BYU Football. It will be fun to see what happens next week against Utah State. Win or lose, I don't really care; I just hope those little "high school" mistakes will be left at home and stay off the field!

Of course, Steven and I went to the game together! It was a blast. And even though we had the sun glaring in our eyes for a good ELEVEN minutes ...it was still a fun game! And it was great just being together.
(Plus, look how cute we are in our matching shirts!!!)

let the games begin!

The start of my final year at BYU has brought with it many new changes: a new apartment, a new beau, a new friend group, a new balcony view, a new event... With these changes, I find it appropriate to record and share everything that is happening and that will be happening in the near future. Though I can't promise a regular post, I can promise an update after every significant happening in my life. For starters...let's take a look back on the past few weeks...

I met someone amazing. ...oh, did you want more? Well, his name is Steven Perry. And I simply could not be happier. There is never a day that he doesn't flip my world upside down. We have been dating for just over three months now, and I am definitely looking forward to the months to come. More on him to come at a later date!

A new LDS Temple was dedicated on September 23, 2012. This temple, located in Brigham City, is the 139th LDS temple in the world and the 14th in Utah. Steven and I had the pleasure of attending the Brigham City Temple Open House on Labor Day. I am definitely excited to go inside someday..

The 2012-2013 football season finally started! And though BYU isn't necessarily winning...I am still an avid supporter of the fearless Cougars. (Oh, and I found these crazy settings on my camera that make oil paintings, watercolor paintings, and crayon sketches!) I am excited to continue showing my support and completely losing my ability to speak the morning after each football game...home or away.

My best friend, Kymberly Stone, had her first choir concert! It was fun to be there and show my support for her! (Kymberly is a member of the BYU Woman's Chorus.)

The leaves finally changed colors; the temperature finally dropped. Do you know what that means? It is officially sweater weather! (PS. This is the view from my balcony. Gorgeous, right? Now...if only I could find a way to get rid of those dang power-lines!)

Of course, there have been many other exciting events that have taken place during the past month--like finally turning 22, for instance, and developing a deep, dark secret.. More on that will come in the next few weeks; I promise you that. Keep watch for new happenings and changes!