Lately

This week flew by just like they all do. Here is a recap. 

On Wednesday, I went to LA for the day. We visited the fashion district to scout out some new vendors and buy some inventory for our bare-looking store. It was my first time there besides the airport. The fashion district is enormous and it was really cool to go down and learn how that world works and get to do more buying. 

On Friday we helped a friend propose to another friend so that landed us in Snow Canyon hiking around that beautiful backdrop.  He did a fake proposal here to throw off the trail for the rest of the night. 

(she said yes!) 

I downloaded an app called gym-pact that pays you for meeting your health goals and charges you for not making them. I committed to 3 workouts and 10 veggies so I was busy making sure that all got done. 

The rest of the week was filled with homework, family time, beating Gab in stratego and watching The Walking Dead. I'm totally caught up and counting down the days until it starts up again. 

 January is almost over which always freaks me out. It's the fastest month, I swear. February will be insanely busy and a lot of fun. Gab turns 25, I'll be in Reno and Vegas for buying shows and the Heart Walk Foundation Gala is the 22nd. Bring it on, life. 

Anniversary

For our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY (WOOOOO) we went to dinner at Sakura. Then we went to Barnes and Noble because let's be honest, there wasn't much else to do on a Wednesday night in our lovely St. George. We do love of us some B&N browsing though. Gab bought me a book (Reached, the final book in the Matched series that I'm finally getting around to reading). Then we went home and watched a movie and gave each other shoulder massages.

Here is yet another grainy phone picture from dinner.

Here's a funny story, Gab and I were a little confused about our anniversary I guess you could say. So on December 15th he bought me roses and chocolate oranges (a favorite). Later in the day we realized it had been 11 months...not 12. Amateur hour. But who says month 11 isn't worth celebrating? There's never a dull moment with you, Gabby.

Schmab and Schmi

A year ago today Gab said, "Bri, will you be my girlfriend?" and I was like "duh". Then we went on a lot of adventures and are still having fun together to this day which is like, awesome. And actually it keeps getting more and more fantastic and it's blowing my mind like whaaaa.


You're funny, so charming, the best cuddler, an even better kisser and the best friend I have ever had.
What a year.
I love you, Gab.

(Also, I'm so glad this boy bought me a camera for christmas so I can cut back on the grainy phone pictures. )

Christmas 2013

This whole holiday season was different for me. Thanksgiving was the weirdest. My family went up to Washington and between school and work, Chance and I couldn't go. So it was me, Chance and Gab with a whole turkey to eat. I was pretty much in charge of the cooking, besides the turkey which I made the boys do, and let's just say I learned a few things. Like, you have to bake the pie crust before you put a pie inside. It was an experience, that's for sure.

Anyways, this is supposed to be about Christmas. Gab and I spent Christmas in New Hampshire and Montreal this year. It was the first year away from my family so I guess I feel grown up. Sadi is almost ten so we don't have any little little kids left. On the contrary, my Christmas was crawling with kids, just the way I like it. We had Everett (almost 10 months), Tosh (almost 18 months), Alex (2) and Josh and Joe (7). We spent the 24th and 25th in Montreal with extended family and I'm pretty sure that added another 20 kids under 6. It was crazy and exciting and fun. The two days in Montreal I was doing a lot of just looking around and smiling as everyone was speaking French at 50 mph (why do other languages always sound so fast?). 

When we got back to Londonderry, we put the kids to bed and prepared for our own Christmas morning. Santa was so nice and the kids were just so good that he made a special trip back down from the North Pole. 

How did I forget how fun it is to watch little kids open presents on Christmas morning? It's the best. I made good use of my christmas present and snapped a thousand pictures.

The trip ended with a night in Boston which is my second time being there but never for more than half a day. So let's just say I can not wait to go back and spent a significant amount of time in that city. I love it. 

 

Was and will be

2013 was the year I...
...moved into the condo
...started dating Gab
...started my senior year of school
...went to Boston
...went to New Hampshire
...went to Maine
...went to Hawaii
...went to Montreal
...was introduced to poutine
...completed a Half Ironman (barely)
...went to my first clothes buying shows
...bought a gun
...saw twenty-one pilots in SLC
...saw Awolnation for my third time
...petted a monkey
...built a snowman in ST. GEORGE
...interned for the Heart Walk Foundation
...hosted a showing of the film Heart of the Andes
...was Hit Girl for Halloween
...quit working two jobs
...went to Wet 'N Wild
...saw Mary Poppins at Tuacahn
...turned 23
...fell in love

2014 will be the year I...
...GRADUATE
...turn 24
...pack up my family and cry when they move to Washington
...go on a road trip
...travel out of the country
...do a half marathon
...learn more about eating clean
...write every day
...divorce my phone
...go outside more often
...read the Book of Mormon
...read 20 books for pleasure
...learn to crochet
...kiss Gab real good every day

New

Gab got me the Nikon 1 J3 for Christmas,  (he let me open it about a week before Thanksgiving) which is as good of an excuse as any to get back into blogging right? And what better time to start something as cliche as a blog then the new year! I'm just clicheing all the cliches up in here!

So without further ado, here is a look at my New Year's Eve. We started the night at my house with a slew of friends, eating and playing some games. As it got closer to the count down a few of us decided to hike up a mountain to get an early start on our fitness resolutions (ha). We set up camp on a ridge overlooking the city and built a fire. We listened to music, played with fireworks and I took enough pictures to get everyone slightly annoyed with me, I'm sure. 

With a minute of 2013 left, Gab and I ran out to the very edge of the ridge and got there just in time to yell out the last ten seconds of the year. Being up there we could hear so many people all around whooping and hollering in the new year. It was pretty rad. So then we made out, put out the fire, and hiked down. The end.