Summer update

Hello!  Once again it has been far too long since I have posted.

Since Bennie has opened his mission call a lot of big things have happened!

• Steven graduated from BYU!
• Steven was offered a full-time position working at American Express in Salt Lake. (Which he accepted!)
• We moved out of our first apartment.
• We went to CHINA! (It was such an incredible experience! There will shortly be a post on this soon... hopefully.)
• Bennie gave a wonderful missionary farewell talk.
• One very big dream came true and I was placed on the BYU Ballroom Touring Company for the next year!!
• We went to Hawaii with my family! (Again, hopefully there will be a post soon.)

So far our summer break has been jam packed! We are really excited to be back home and moving into our new apartment this weekend.  (My parents are ready for us to get out of their house!)  

Check back for more posts about our fun vacations! 

New Missionary

Last night we had the most wonderful opportunity to be with my family while my little brother Bennie opened his mission call!!  He will be serving in the Washington D.C., North mission, English speaking.  He leaves June 11th, only 12 days after he graduates high school, what!?

It hasn't really set in completely that Bennie will be serving a mission.  It makes my stomach turn to think that he will be graduating & serving a mission, in only 3 months. To me he is still my baby brother & it doesn't feel like he is old enough for all of this!

Although I will really miss him, I am so incredibly proud of his decision to serve a mission & that he is a worthy priesthood holder.  I know the people in Washington D.C. need his sweet spirit & that he will bless countless lives.  I can't wait to see how he grows & flourishes over those two years!

Please enjoy the video of him opening his call & the photos. 

(My favorite part is my mom's reaction to him saying he reports June 11, when she realizes this day is 3 days after we return from Hawaii & 1 day before her birthday. Also, ignore my comments & attempts at jokes.)

It was an exciting night!

Washington D.C. is getting the best kid I know!

2013 Review

One day I hope to start a blog post without apologizing for not posting for months & months.  I have at least 3 different post in draft form that I intended to finish.  I'm terrible, I know.

Anyway, enjoy this post of a million pictures & some commentary.

2013 REVIEW

January-

-Visited Steven in Houston

-Told our parents we decided to get married

-Dad's birthday (of which I have no pictures)

Steven playing a video game at NASA

Carousels at the Houston Aquarium

February-

-Kyle got called to Brazil (hopefully he'll make it there one day... He has been waiting for a visa for 7 months)

-We got ENGAGED!

March-

-We took engagement pictures

-U.S. Amateur Dance Championship

-Easter at my parents house

We took 2nd in Novice Smooth

Nick stealing the eggs from our basket while we were posing for a picture

Would you expect anything else?

April-

-Ballroom Company Concert

-Finals week

-Roommate zoo trip

-WEDDING!

May:

-Mother's Day

-Steven turned 24

-Dzadieck passed away

     (all 3 on the same day!)

-Dance concert

Thai food birthday lunch

June:

-Lisa left DownEast

-Father's Day

-Mom's birthday

Lisa (middle) left DownEast to move to Arizona.  She is the nicest, happiest person I know.  April (right) & I stopped by her farewell party to say goodbye.

Happy Father's day!

We went to Riverwoods for mom's birthday dinner & we only took a picture of us remembering where Steven proposed.  So dumb.

July-

-Despicable Me 2

-4th of July

-California Trip

-DISNEYLAND!

-Lake Powell

We went to see Despicable Me 2, I made everyone wear yellow

I ditched Steven and went to California with mom & Nick to see Emma & Brooke compete with their dance studio, Studio 1

Such a wonderful dance company! 

Fun time at the beach!

Disneyland!!

We all really enjoyed playing card games

August-

-I turned 20!

-Emma & I went to New York with my dad

Steven & I had a fun week in Park City for my birthweek.  On my birthday, he surprised me with red velvet pancakes from IHOP & decorated the bathroom!

Nick stayed with us for a night. We had some fun adventures at the Olympic Park.

Then everyone came up & we had a fun dinner at Main Street Pizza & Noodle

My dad had a business trip in NY the weekend of Emma's birthday, so she was begging to go.  My parents decided that if I could fly with her to meet up with my dad that she could go.  It was such a fun trip!

We got to see Chicago on broadway

Don't Blink.

September-

-Steven played 1 inter-mural ultimate frisbee game

-I had toe surgery

-MUSE concert!!! 

That head band... He wouldn't play without it

The MUSE concert was a dream come true! 

October-

-Bennie's birthday

-Brooke's birthday

-Nick's birthday

-Mid-semester tour

-Crafting!

-Halloween (no pictures of Halloween because Steven was interviewing in Dallas)

18! I refuse to believe he will be on a mission soon.

12, she is in young women's now, & it makes me feel really old.

He's 7, but he whines like he is 3

This also happened.  Nick's spelling test.

We toured in Arizona & Colorado.  We had the opportunity to go to the Denver Temple.

November-

-Thanksgiving (I also have no pictures of this)

-Doctor Who 50th Anniversary!

-Ballroom competition (again, no pictures)

December-

-Finals

-Christmas Break (some of the pictures are from January though)

Kira & Jeff took us to Zoo Lights with them!

I got to see real giraffes!!! 

Kira & Jeff with their twin babies. The cutest babies ever!

On Christmas we went to the Riverwalk. 

So many twinkling lights!

The rainbow bridges were my favorite

The Alamo.

We also took a trip to the other 4 missions in San Antonio.

I found the kitties!!

We went to SeaWorld. I got to feed the Sea Lions.  I actually grabbed raw fish & squid with my bare hands!

The otters were my favorite!

I also really loved the penguins!

We had a fun sister-in-law date at Color Me Mine!

Before we left we had an open house to celebrate our wedding with Texas friends.  We did some dancing, it was pretty cool.

These adorable kids were my favorite part of Christmas break!! They are all so adorable! 

So, there is a very long post about what has been going on in our lives.  Hopefully this year I will be better at updating this lonely blog!