Madi Marie & Dan the Man

"When I Get Where I'm Going"

2011-10-28T13:03:00.000-07:00

Life is... needless to say, very crazy and busy. I have had at least 3-5 photoshoots a week since September, and it is just getting busier and busier up until middle of December. Grateful? Absolutely... I just wish I had some time to clean my house :). I think I am on top of things and then it's just dirty again. Moreso, I think between our jobs, Dan and I would just love a free weekend but that doesn't look like that will happen anytime soon. My mom has always said it is good to be busy though. I completely agree with that, it forces you to be productive and stay on top of things. In all the business of life though, when you are wrapped up in everything that needs to get done and you have to do... it's good to have a week like we just had. My dear friend, Brittney, lost her dad quite unexpectedly. He had liver cancer and they found out a week ago. He was a wonderful man and loved his family so much. Watching my Aunt Kim suffer through cancer, it is hard to say what is better. Brittney didn't see her father struggle but at the same time it was such a sudden goodbye.

This started my thinking that although our lives are so busy right now, Dan and I need to stop and have moments where we force ourselves to just stop. Just be and enjoy.

Then after the event of Brittney's Dad, Dan was in a wreck on the freeway in the Acura. He had turned his head for a moment and the traffic had suddenly stopped. I was so grateful that Dan was alright. So grateful. Although we laugh that we had just paid a couple hundred dollars on the Acura that morning, I am so glad I decided to get the brakes fixed when I found out how bad they were the day before (I never drive the Acura anymore, Dan does.) I really think that's what saved my husband from it being something so much worse.

This week has been a reminder to slow down. Enjoy life and not get caught up in the craziness. I love Dan so much and am so grateful to have him in my life. I am so grateful I could be there for Brittney at her Dad's funeral yesterday. For that reminder that things do not end here on earth. I can't get this Brad Paisley song out of my head. It makes me think of my Grandpa and My Aunt Kim and visiting with them again one day. Love it.

Sweet Sweet Memories

2011-10-19T21:43:00.000-07:00

I LOVE animals... wow sure glad to get that out there. :) Really, everyone already knows this. It is amazing to me how animals come into our lives and our homes and they leave such a great impact. I have had so many wonderful pets and I still find myself crying when I think of them or remember the day I lost them.

Jamie's one cat FooMan has been missing since Sunday which is strange for him. He is always out at night hunting but his schedule is like clock work. Jamie had some new neighbor's move in and they put a chicken coop in their yard. This unfortunately would bring wild animals that might have not wandered their direction before like cougars, coyotes, bobcats... etc. It is hard not to fear the worse and Jamie and I had a good cry today on the phone. He isn't even my cat but I still love him and I know how much he means to Jamie's family.

After work today I drove around looking for him. Jamie and I had talked earlier about how it's almost worse not having a clue. That at least if you found him, you could have some sort of closure. We keep hoping he will turn up. Jamie's neighbors cat showed back up 4 months later so I guess you never know.

All night I have been thinking about FooMan and worrying and feeling so sad. In the midst of all that worrying, Jamie sent me an email from her hotel room (she is working out of town tonight) of pictures of Figaro when he was a kitten. We were gone for two weeks during Christmas when we found him and took him in so Jamie watched him for us. He was so adorable and Brinlee LOVED him. He was her baby and she would carry him everywhere. The video's Jamie has are awesome. I need to make sure to get them from her.

The trash can picture is the funniest and shows that he is the same little kitty. So curious and ALWAYS searching for food. So anyone that knows this straw loving, curious cat will get a kick out of that.

Bubble, Bubble

2011-09-19T09:46:00.000-07:00

Look at these bathing beauties. T was sick so Brin wanted to give her a bath. T loved it and is so lucky to have such an awesome big sister.

We are a Rugby House

2011-09-12T13:54:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows Dan, knows that he is all about Rugby. It isn't too often that I find him wanting to watch really any sport, but with the Rugby World Cup going on right now, we have lots of Rugby playing at the house. I will say that I love it. I love seeing Dan get so excited and so involved. Of all the sports out there to watch too, I will say that Rugby is now my favorite (Megan Settles would agree with me on that one).

Meeting Dan, I hadn't known anything really about Rugby except they wear shorter shorts :). Rugby was one of my favorite things about Dan when we were first dating. I LOVED going to his games and watching him play. I loved traveling with him to his different tournaments. His last year playing, they went to Nationals in California and got 2nd place! It was awesome.

Here is my Rugby Buddy at one of Dan's games... Megan pretty much went with me to all of them which makes her the best roommate/friend ever.

When I first met Dan, he had longish/messy hair. They were all growing it out to look "tough". Once the season was over Dan cut it, but I still laugh and forget that Dan once had longer hair when we were first dating. Here is a picture of Dan when we were first dating and he had long hair :)

Things I learned about Rugby. There isn't really a sport out there that is as intense. No shoulder pads, no pads at all (I was nervous every game when Dan would play. Especially because Dan tended to get in fights). They tackle, punch, the whole works. Pretty much everything is allowed. Dan's position was the "Locke" (there were two guys on the field at a time that played this position). During the Scrum they were the power house (had to have really strong legs) to drive the team forward to get the ball. Dan also told me that if they messed up and did it the wrong way, you could break your neck.

We LOVE the New Zealand All Blacks. That's who we are rooting for. They are amazing. Here is the Haka they do before every game. Pretty intense when you, as the opposing team, have to just sit and watch. In this case though, Tonga (who also does a form of the Haka) did one as well so it was fun to see them battle it out.

Here are the good old days from when Dan played Rugby in College.

This is when Dan busted his head during a game. We took him to the ER and he had to get 17 stitches. Of course he wanted to go right back to the game after so here are some pictures of that and of course a picture of the injury. He has an eye brow scar now.

Here are the New Zealand All Blacks

This picture below is called a "Line Out". Dan used the be this guy that they would throw in the air to catch the ball. It basically is a throw in when the ball goes out of bounds. It was Megan Settles favorite thing to watch at the games.

Rugby is something that I have completely embraced. I know that if we have boys, they will certainly play if they love it. It is one of my favorite dating memories and still one of my favorite things about Dan. I love his passion for the sport. He is looking to join a Rugby Club and I am so excited for him to do that. I love spending Saturday's at the field and the smell of grass, blood and sweat ;). Really though, I am excited for him and for us to spend our Saturday's doing that again.

New Couches!

2011-09-01T08:38:00.000-07:00

Can't believe it but we finally bought new couches. To be perfectly honest, I felt bad getting rid of the old ones. Inanimate objects have feelings too you know? :) At least that's how I felt as a little kid. I can still remember when my Dad was selling our boat because he was buying a new one and I felt so bad for the old boat. Now really, I'm not crazy and I don't really think the couches are sad :) BUT for sentimental reasons it was kinda sad to see them go. They were our first couches as a married couple. In our first apartment, we lived in the basement of a house and it was tiny, and except for our crazy landlord, it was so fabulous and so happy even though we were in such a little space. I told Dan at the time it was silly to buy nice/new or even more expensive used couches when we wouldn't be staying there forever. I think this part of me surprised Dan initially in our marriage. I have just always felt strongly against thinking you need to have "EVERYTHING" nice and new and perfect the first couple years of marriage. You aren't. You get to work together and slowly acquire things as you can. It has meant SO much more to us to work for everything we have and purchase our own furniture slowly over time. Makes us appreciate the effort it took to get them. So sadly our cute/old little green couches were starting to break and we had been setting money aside so we could pay cash for new ones. It happened at the perfect time and we got a great deal on them at Ashley Furniture. We love them, our living room is now the "couch room." It was such an exciting purchase, and they are totally me and my style, Leather that has an antique look to it.

McKensey

2011-08-23T13:00:00.000-07:00

McKensey comes every summer to Utah for a couple weeks. I was so happy that Dan and I live in Draper now (practically around the corner) from my Aunt and Uncle that I was able to see her lots! Amy and I decided to have a fun pampering/make over night and end with a quick photo session for darling McKensey. I have the greatest cousins in the world. All of them. Honestly. I don't think most people can say that their cousins are their best friends. I know that I could call any of them up, in Colorado, Texas, Utah, Idaho, Vegas or Washington and they would help me with anything. Truly blessed and so appreciative to have the family I do.

So No Big Deal... it's only been a Year and a half :)

2011-08-22T14:26:00.001-07:00

So let's be real here... I suck when it comes to a personal blog. My photography blog here stays up to date and current. Mostly I feel like I never have time to worry about a second blog, but realizing that writing in my journal typically never happens, and realizing you can publish your blog into a book, motivates me a little to have a document of our lives. (Scrap booking is definitely out of the question in my case.) So here goes my second attempt. Here are some fun things that kept us busy this past year and a half :):

Christmas 2009- This was so MAGICAL for our very first christmas married... it snowed and snowed and SNOWED christmas eve... in TEXAS! I know you utah people think big whoop but for us Texas people this was a true gift and I never had a snow like that all the years I lived in Texas :) So it was fun to share that with Dan.

Love little miss Brin. I can't believe how much more grown up she is now than in this picture :) In March 2010 (when I took this), I started nannying her during the day since it was really the only job I could do that didn't take away from my photo stuff. Let's just say there is never a day I don't want to go to "work."

For my Birthday, Miss Brin went with Dan and I to the zoo! It was so fun!

I got to go to Texas with Jamie and Brin for a couple of weeks in 2010. This is my favorite picture of Jamie from our Zoo day... that was really her expression when the birds jumped on the stick :) Classic Jamie Face.

The gorgeous painting of Christ walking on water my hubby gave me for my birthday 2010. I absolutely love it. It's beautiful.

My Family came to Utah for the summer because my Dad and Stetler went on a week long white water rafting trip. They came back looking like mountain men. :)

After, my family drove with Dan and I to Colorado where I was shooting a wedding. We got to stay with my grandparents and went to the Air Force Academy where my Dad went to school and met my mom. It was so fun!

In July 2010, I went to Girl's Camp with the Young Women from my ward. It was so fun and the memories I made there will last forever. I miss those girl's so much!

Dan and I also had the amazing opportunity to go with the Youth from our Church to Trek in Wyoming. It was so amazing and so hard for the kids but they loved it. 70-80 mph winds everyday, rain, cold. But so worth it. To see more images from the Trek go here .

In the Fall 2010, we went the the lovely State Fair in Utah with our friends and cousins. Let's just say that it was a blast and we laughed so much.

For Thanksgiving, I went to Texas to do a bunch of Client Photoshoots so Miss Brin got to fly there with me. We stayed for Two weeks at Grandma Cricky's (Dan joined us the second week) and had Thanksgiving with the lovely Roses, Kearns, and Eppley's. My Grandma Mammie surprised us too and she even came down! The first night there we got to go to the last football game of the season and watch Uncle Stet play his drums. Brin didn't love the loudness of it all (because everything is bigger and better in Texas) but she had a blast. She especially loved baking in the kitchen with my mom and Mammie.

Every year my girlfriends or "Schister's" from College have "Sisterpalooza" at Christmas time and exchange gifts. This year we stayed at a cabin in park city and it was a BLAST. Even though there was crazy snow that made getting there quite confusing :).

At Christmas Time (2010) we went to Salt Lake City Temple Square to see all of the Christmas lights with Brin and The Kearns Clan. It was so so COLD but so awesome.

Here is Amy, leading the train in Carols of Course :) Because that's Amy. :)

CHRISTMAS 2010 - Here is our second Christmas together. So fun. I had a LOT of fun decorating our Christmas tree this past year. Let's just say that anyone that knows me knows that I'm a tad obsessed with Christmas and decorations. Here were some of our Decorations last year. :)

Christmas Eve/Day 2010: We spent at Jamie and Tyler's house. My family flew up from Texas so it was fun to all be together.

DISNEYLAND 2011- This was such a blast. We drove with Jake and Court to Cali and met up with Amy, Courtney, and Becca at Disneyland. It was so fun to be there with Dan, I loved it.

Telly Award: Dan was so excited that his show that he edits won a TELLY Award! It was such an honor and I am so proud of him. He works so so hard.

My furniture I painted and antiqued... I wanted it to look like old, rustic barn wood. I have to say that after all the work I love it and have since then bought other pieces of old furniture to paint and age because I am mildly obsessed now :)

This past summer (2011), I had a new niece born, Tegan. She is beautiful. Here are some pictures I took of her.

My nephew Wesley was also born. I'm still waiting for Sham to take pictures of him. :) I LOVE my nephews and wish so much that they lived closer. I miss them so much!

This past summer (2011) I went to Texas with Jamie, Brin and Tegan. We had a blast on the boat and here of course is my rad Brother, Stetler. Here are some other fun pictures from this summer.

Whew!! Made it... hopefully that taught me a lesson to stay up to date on life :).

Young Women's

2010-03-13T20:34:00.000-08:00

I have had the humbling and great opportunity to be called to Young Women's in my ward. It's definitely one of those moments where I felt, am I old enough for this!? Young Women's seems like it was just yesterday! But apparently not. So far I have absolutely loved my calling. The girls are fabulous and so sweet, and the leaders I get the opportunity to work with, simply amazing. I think it really is like they say, you learn so much from the girls and from preparing lessons. For me, it really came at a great time because it put me into a situation where I have been able to find new and good friendships with the other leaders I get to work with. It is ALWAYS a humbling experience giving lessons... I have never really had to teach too much in church and I am learning as I go but what I do LOVE is getting to use photoshop and making my own handouts! :) So much fun... here is the first one I have made. (I just know when I was in Young Women's I looked forward to handouts and I still have pretty much all of them!) I am so excited to go to Girl's Camp again with all the girls and Dan and I got asked to go on the Youth Trek in Wyoming so I am pretty excited for that as well! :)

Ride Em' Cowboy

2010-01-26T14:42:00.000-08:00

Well, Dan and I had the WONDERFUL chance to go to Texas for Christmas and it was so great! We had such a great time with my family and had a lot of funny. It was definitely a special Christmas. Well Dan FINALLY got to ride my horses when we were in town (the other times he came to Texas things were so hectic and so crazy that we just didn't have the time for it!). Well I have already convinced Dan to a dog and CAT and pretty sure I have convinced him of one day having a horse (when we have the money of course). Dan loved riding horses and I have to say, he is pretty natural at it. So I guess he is my cowboy! :)

Oh Figaro...

2010-01-26T14:35:00.001-08:00

So Dan and I had an early Christmas Present this year... maybe mostly this Christmas present was for Annie :). We got blessed with this little kitten... Megan could hear crying and crying out in the huge snow storm we had and there was this little guy so freezing and starving. Initially, Dan and I were just trying to find a home for him but we couldn't find anyone... and then of course as you can see in the pictures, Annie adopted him as her own. Obviously now it is January, and Annie really thinks he is her baby and I really think he thinks she is his mommy. Dan and I laugh that we have both the cat and dog sleeping with us at night in the bed (bad I know :) But what's funniest is that every night, Figaro goes and cuddles up with Annie. Having Figaro has been really great for Annie. He wears Annie out with how much they play and tackle each other. Probably what has surprised me more than the dog and kitten's relationship is how much Dan LOVES Figaro... the second he comes home from work (after greeting Annie of course) he immediately asks where Figaro is and they have a little cuddle fest :). Anyone that knows me obviously knows that I would be in love with the kitten from the beginning which is entirely true... but it's fun to see how I have converted Dan to having animals and he doesn't deny it... he knows it. So we are so happy for a little ball of joy and for our gift that warmed our hearts from the first cold night we found him. Welcome Figaro! :)

Our First Christmas 2009

2010-01-26T14:26:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness I am SOOOO behind... my last post was in September!! Yikes! But here is some of the fun we had this Christmas season! It was such a wonderful first Christmas with my Husband! We also had fun getting the Chance to watch Brinlee for a weekend and then I got to go to Vegas as well with Jamie, Tyler, and Brin!

The Love of My Life

2009-09-01T10:57:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I had the chance to go to one of my best friends wedding in Texas (we have been friends since 3rd grade). Because of school starting and work, Dan wasn't able to come along with me. I was so sad but it is what it is, right? The wedding was beautiful and Alyssa looked absolutely stunning. With being a photographer, I have attended many weddings where I get to shoot and be there. All of them always left me with the feeling, am I ever going to find this? Will I get to go to a wedding and enjoy and be there with a husband that loves me and wants to just dance and hold me all night long? Well this was the first wedding I attended since being married and that I didn't have to work in a long time... yet sadly... no Dan. I was so sad and wished he was there with me. I miss my best friend so much when he's not there to talk with me and hold my hand. Especially in a wedding setting when you are listening to love songs... it makes the pain of missing that person hurt a little bit more. I even found myself getting teary eyed thinking about him. He is such an incredible person... he encourages me and makes me better in every way. He is my comfort and the one consoling me when I hurt or am sad. Dan met me at the airport with 2 dozen roses and although people say we are still in the honeymoon stage, I am confident that his sweet gestures will continue on. It is amazing to realize that someone loves you so much and loves everything about you... In your trials they are there, holding your hand and leading you on. I am so excited for my cousins wedding this weekend in Idaho... we will once again be together in the Temple and FINALLY I will get my wish of dancing all night long at a wedding with my Husband... I love him so much and am so grateful for every moment and memory he gives me in my life.

Our Dog Annie

2009-08-20T12:27:00.000-07:00

Dan and I definitely weren't planning on having a dog for a long time but somehow have found ourselves with little miss Annie. She was initially for Dan's mom to keep her company but since Ketty is not living alone anymore, and is living elsewhere Annie is ours to keep. At first, this was somewhat difficult as we were going through the training. Especially since she is around one years old and was living with Ketty where it was an ultimate free for all and she could get away with anything... :) But, after hard work she is becoming a great dog and great friend. Annie has definitely become a blessing in Dan and I's life and marriage in a way. She brings us so much laughter and smiles and probably has one of the cutest, funniest personalities I have seen in a dog. It's amazing how animals themselves have their own personalities. She is learning to be very obedient and knows when to be fun and crazy but also knows when to just lay down and be calm which is a definite bonus since Dan and I want both those things in a dog. The day of Dan and my wedding reception here in Utah, Dan's sister left the door open on accident and Annie ran out of the house and straight for the busy street. Dan and I ran after her and I watched as she got ran over... as I heard her yelp and heard the sound of her hitting the car I was sure it was the end for her and I hit the ground bawling... we were so shocked to find her completely alright... Dan and I had many prayers of gratitude that day and since then we have trained Annie not to bolt out of doors or cars which is definitely a good thing. :) It is so fun to see how much animals want to please you and make you happy. She's my little pal and follows me everywhere around the house. Whether I'm doing the dishes, doing my makeup or cooking she is right there laying by my feet... and even when I'm vacuuming, despite the fact she is scared of it she is right there with me. We love her so much and wanted to share some pictures of our fun, crazy, but charming dog.

Cancun Mexico- Honeymoon

2009-07-29T13:44:00.001-07:00

We went to Cancun, Mexico for our honeymoon and it was wonderful! There was hardly anyone there and they treated us like Royalty bc of it ;). Dan couldn't get over how clear blue the water was... and snorkeling we got to see stingrays, barracudas and tons of big fish. We were so sad to leave but are planning to get back there as soon as we can ;) (P.S.---if you start from the bottom of the pictures it will show you them in order... this one right above this paragraph is us at the airport at 5 in the morning waiting to go to Cancun from DFW... we were soooo tired :)

June 13th, 2009- Happily Ever After

2009-07-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

More will be posted soon but here are some pictures of Dan and My Happy Day... the day was so perfect and I couldn't be happier marrying such a wonderful man who is proving everyday to be such a wonderful husband. :)

Counting Down the Days to Marrying Dan

2009-06-04T22:05:00.001-07:00

On November 1, 2008 Dan proposed to me and I, of course said yes. It seemed so far away but is now just around the corner for us getting sealed together for time and all eternity. We are getting married June 13th, 2009 in the Dallas, Texas Temple... Pretty much a week away which is crazy! We are still trying to finalize flowers and centerpieces and other things that I probably should have set by now... but there just hasn't been too much time. I have been so busy with photography projects. Still in the end, after all is said and done, all that really matters is that Dan and I are getting married in the right place at the right time. So here is my time to reflect and breath throw all of the craziness :)....

Even though stress levels are very high on my end, my families end, dan's end... I am so certain about one thing. I am so incredibly in love with Dan. It is such an interesting thought when you realize you have been preparing your whole life for this moment. To find that one person that will take you to the temple. Along the way I always new that yes I wanted to find my handsome prince, but moreso I wanted to find my best friend. That person that accepts me for who I am and loves me so much. That person that always makes you feel beautiful and treats you like you are the most important person in the world. Dan is certainly that person for me in my life. I have been so emotional these last couple weeks as our wedding day has approached. I am so grateful that Dan was brought into my life when I needed him so much. I'm so grateful to take him as my husband. He is going to be such a wonderful husband and one day a great father. Heaven truly blessed me bringing him into my life.

Our Song is "Then" by Brad Paisley... i'm not sure there is a song out there that better fits our feelings and courtship... He truly is "my whole world" and "my whole life". I love you Dan, you stole my heart from the beginning and now it's yours forever.

Bow's and Curls...

2009-01-29T13:17:00.000-08:00

I got my hair cut!!! It honestly... had been too many months too long since I got my hair cut and highlighted... it was quite tragic! Megan was feeling the same so we were overjoyed when our great friend Sigrid came down to visit us and help us out! She works at a salon and I wouldn't trust anyone else :). I love it! I wanted to try the longer bangs thing... I am beginning to get used to them! :) Thanks so much Sig! Megan and I went to the mountains and took some pictures of eachother for fun! It had been awhile since we had done that so here are megs results! I think she did a pretty darn good job with my camera! :)

Our Story, Getting Engaged

2008-11-07T08:18:00.000-08:00

You know it's so interesting, because as you go through the dating scene, you begin to wonder and question whether you are ever going to find the man that you want to spend forever with. Before meeting Dan, I was going on dates with a lot of different people. I was in and out of relationships, I had boys that wanted to be more serious with me, but I found that there was something missing, or something restricting me to want to make that jump and be with only that person. Most of all, I started becoming sad at the thought that I would never find a man that had the qualities that I loved so much in my father. The week that Dan and I had our first date, I had dates with 3 other guys that week. I finally decided to just have fun, and not worry about where things went with guys. To just let whatever happen happen. It was very strange though, to have 4 dates in one week. As Dan and I were talking more often, he was trying to figure out when would be a good night he could take me out for the first time. I suppose he got a little frustrated when he would tell me a day and I would kindly tell him I already had plans that night. After a couple times of this he goes, "So be honest with me, how many guys am I competing with here." haha... I was kinda floored that he would come out and say that but appreciated the fact that he did. I was honest with him and told him it wasn't a matter of competing, I just had things going on. Well, I think Dan knowing that there was some sort of "competition" was helpful for him and deciding that he wanted to work hard for me to notice him. Our first dated was on Valentines Day. It was the best Valentines date/first date I have had. Knowing that Dan played Rugby for Utah Valley University, I'll admit that I was somewhat worried he would either be really cocky, or kinda mean :). Dan wiped that right out of my thoughts the second I saw him at the door. He found out that my two roommates, Megan and Kara, didn't have dates for Valentines Day. He brought each of them a white long stem rose, and he brought me a red one as well as a cookie with my name on it. I was really blown away by his thoughtfulness... next he took me to color me mine and we painted mugs. He served his mission in San Antonio Texas so he loved the fact that I was a Texas Girl. I painted a mug with the Texas Flag on it, and he painted a Texas Super Hero mug... Well later, Dan told me he was blown away with me that night. He told me how beautiful I was. The funniest part is that supposedly, when he was getting some paint, I was standing behind him and he looked at me and I winked at him. He LOVED that... and was really taken back. We didn't talk a whole lot during Color Me Mine just because you are concentrating so much. My thoughts at the beginning of the date was that he was cute, but he needed a hair cut. :) Things I knew I could help him with. But initially I wasn' t entirely sure how I felt, whether I wanted to pursue anything after. While sitting at Dinner at Chili's, we started talking about how we felt about dating and we found lots of common ground. I could talk with him easily and comfortable. The biggest impact to me on that first date though, was while talking. At one point, he looked up at me and met my eyes, and as lame as it sounds, I was kinda captured by them. As that happened, I literally felt and heard, "You need to give this one a chance." So I listened, and how grateful I am that I did. Dan has the most tender heart. He has always been there for me, he has always let me know how he feels about me. I feel so special and that I am the most beautiful girl when I am around him. He appreciates me... and I appreciate him. When Dan came for our second date, he looked night and day different. I was blown away and thought he was so handsome... That's probably why I let him kiss me that night. :)
So nine months later we have found ourselves engaged. Dan blindfolded me and drove me up into the canyon and up on top of a mountain. There, still blindfolded, he walked with me on a trail. After a while of walking, he took the blinkfold off and we were in the most beautiful place. It was so peaceful, so quiet. He were completely alone on this trail that was surrounded by trees where the colors where changing (reds, orange, and yellow). Dan was getting really nervous... after walking along together, we came to this secluded grove of trees off the trail. He walked me in there. Dan wasn't saying much. Nerves were definitely taking over (which surprised me since we had been talking about getting married for so long). He kept smiling and I was beginning to wonder if he was going to do it. He finally got a serious look on his face, and got that look in his eyes that I feel is reserved just for me when he looks at me. He knelt down, pulled out the ring and I (of course) started crying. He talked for a little bit but being that I was so caught up in the moment and was crying, I can't really entirely remember all that he sad... haha :) But I remember him talking about how much he loved me and wanted to be with only me for eternity. That he would love and honor me. This was a perfect proposal for us... especially me being that I like simple things and I love nature. There is nothing more romantic to me than nature. :) So there it is! Now we are trying to figure out when and where to do it. We keep flip flopping from doing it in Utah to now thinking we might do it in the Dallas, Texas temple. But we at least know that we are planning on getting married in May. I am so happy to have finally found a man that I can't imagine being without. :)

Personal Photography Projects

2008-11-07T08:12:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the latest projects I have shot for my Photography Major. Some of them are product photography shots. The ones with the girls are a series that I am doing for my class. I am showing girls in different situations where they might be leaving something behind. I am really enjoying it and am having fun planning each new shoot. The one's with Megan are by a cool wrecked, old car that I found.

Trick or Treat

2008-11-03T10:56:00.000-08:00

For Halloween, Dan and I got to see Jamie and cute Brinlee earlier in the day. She was so adorable in her costumes! I hope to one day have babies as beautiful as her! Afterwards we went to Brittney's Halloween party! It was celebrity themed so I went as Dolly Parton and Dan went as Captain Jack Sparrow. It was a blast.

Batman and The Joker

2008-10-30T09:37:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! So for one of Dan's senior projects, he has to film a scene from a movie and recreate it the best he can. He decided that he wanted to do the scene in the new Batman Movie (the Dark Knight). For those of you who saw it, it's the scene in the interrogation room where Batman is interrogating the Joker. In my mind I was thinking, who really could do that great of a job recreating the Joker... Heath Ledger did a pretty great job... well Dan surprised me. The guy that he got to play the joker sounds and acts EXACTLY like him. Dan needed head shots of his characters for his portfolio so of course i was called to his assistance. So here are some of the results... they are edited really fast but i found it interesting and thought that maybe you guys might too..haha and seeing as it is halloween thought it was perfect. While taking pictures of the joker i had him act out some of his lines so i could get him in the character, and it was somewhat freaky how much he really sounded and acted like him. Megan did the makeup... and now Dan has a sweet Batman Mask that I'm sure he will be wearing tomorrow for Halloween. Hope everyone is doing great!
Happy Halloween!

The Haunted Village

2008-10-29T08:41:00.000-07:00

Dan's best friend from growing up, Ladd, got married recently. Fortunately for me, me and his wife Mckenzie, have become great friends! We have lunch together on Wednesdays on campus and get to have our girl talk. Ladd and Dan are extremely similar. So it's great knowing that I love Ladd and Mckenzie seeing as we will be spending lots of time with them for a long time. :) She is becoming one of my really close friends and we are alot alike... both blonde girls. The only difference is that Ladd is simoan. :) We went with them to the Haunted Village in SLC. It was at , "This is The Place", where Brigham Young said, "This is the Place" ;). Confused? I was. But it was funny... not the scariest one I went to... but it was different. What I thought was cool is that you walked around outside forever, and the majority of the haunted parts were in the old pioneer houses. So that was kinda neat. Dan and Ladd decided while we were waiting in line that they were going to try and ditch me and Mckenzie in the haunted house to scare us. Unfortunately for them they didn't realize how good of grips we girls had :). Dan did try to lose me at the corn maze part and scare me but was unsuccessful. I saw him right away. It was nice though being with big,tall Dan. I felt very safe... even while the characters would smell me and tell me I smelled like Lavender and they wanted to "eat me." I just laughed... Dan of course would just laugh at me too. It was fun... not as scary as the boys wanted, but fun. :) This was the same day as Dan's stitches so he still had the bandage on :).

Things I've Come to Accept With Dan being a Rugby Player

2008-10-29T08:27:00.000-07:00

Well although in the time of dating Dan, he hasn't had too many injuries playing Rugby. I got used to the way he would have all sorts of "beautiful" bruises and cuts, but nothing was ever too extreme. Well that all changed last Sunday. During the game in a tackle, Dan collided heads with a BYU player and busted his head open over his high, and to make things even better, a different players elbow landed right on the same spot after the initial collision. Splendid right? We all know how much heads bleed. :) So Dan and I got to take a nice trip to the doctor in the middle of the game. Surprisingly he hadn't ever had stitches before, so I could tell he was a bit nervous. I told him that the whole getting the stitches part isn't bad because you only feel the tugging part, but that the numbing shots are the worst part. I teased him that he could squeeze my hand during it since that's what I would always do to my mom. :) Well the doctor came in and even though Dan didn't ask I decided to be a good girlfriend and held his hand. The doctor gave him the shot right where it was split open!! I thought Dan was going to BREAK my hand he was in so much pain. And then the second shot same thing, I thought he was going to break my hand. Well I made the mistake of watching the shot. All of a sudden I felt so light headed and sick I had to leave. :) I figured I would be fine since I have seen so many awful horse injuries... although I could have felt that way since Dan cut off my blood flow when he squeezed my hand :). I teased him before that he probably wouldn't beat the 20 stitches I had to get in my back. The doctor had to stitch up the underneath layer plus the top layer. So Dan got 17 stitches total. He was sad that he didn't beat me of course. What makes this story funnier to me is that Dan has always said that he wanted a cool eyebrow scar... well... i'm pretty sure he is going to have that now... thank goodness for photoshop for all our wedding and engagement pictures! :) Right after we left the doctor, Dan wanted to get back and watch the rest of the game... so he got ready and cleaned up, and found ourselves back at the game with a big bandage on his head.. :) I think these are the things I am going to have to get used to with Dan... :)

2008-10-23T10:31:00.000-07:00

I was surprised to find out that Dan has never carved pumpkins before for Halloween! Shocker, right? Well I definitely had to put an end to that. So we carved pumpkins together! It was so fun and even more fun to watch Dan since everything was new to him. He had to get past the whole slimy part of gutting out the pumpkin, but we had a race to see who could do it the fastest. He was upset by my mad "gutting the pumpkin" skills... so he tried to cheat a couple times by putting his seeds and guts in my pumpkin. I still won though... (of course ;). Dan loves Transformers so he wanted to do the Transformers emblem on his. It took him SO LONG! :) But he was so cute as he exercised so much concentration and skill. Meanwhile I got done really fast, which he was very impressed with my carving abilities. :) I have to say though, that Dan did an unbelievable job for having never done that before. I also made Dan watch, "The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" since he had never seen that before. Cute Dan found a tshirt for me with all the Charlie Brown characters on it that says, "The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown". I love it... :) Happy Halloween!

Gerber Daisies and Rugby

2008-10-18T00:43:00.000-07:00

Just last night, I was making dinner and waiting for Dan to come to my apartment after his rugby practice. I finally heard a knock on the door and there was Mr. Dan... grass stains and all but as cute as can be. :) I didnt notice what he was holding behind his back. He gave me a peck on the lips and behind his back came one daisy... then he gave me another peck and out came a 2nd daisy... then he gave me another peck and out came a 3rd daisy. It was such a sweet and pleasant surprise.... and very unexpected... but somehow in between his busy life of working and school all day, and on top of that Rugby for UVU, he found time to make sure I knew that he was thinking of me. This boy definitely knows how to let me know that he thinks I'm special. I love these sweet, small guestures. He definitely brings lots of smiles to my face everyday. :)

"The Women"

2008-10-18T00:34:00.000-07:00

Me and all my gal pals went to the theater and saw "The Women" at the Jordan Commons Theater. It was so great to get to all be together. We all met at Carriage Cove two years ago and have been best friends since, but with someone living in salt lake, we don't get the chance to all be together all the time. I have been through alot with these girls. They have always been there for me... through heartache, happiness, and definitely brought lots of excitement and laughter into my life. It was fun to watch "The Women" with them... to see how in the movie the women were all there for each other. I love all of my girls... all of them. ;)

Sniffle's are always ok when there's Snuggling...

2008-10-13T11:00:00.000-07:00

Quite Unfortunately I found myself getting sick last Thursday. Despite my fears and hope that it would pass, come Friday I wasn't a very lovely sight to behold. :) My nose was basically a waterfall, I couldn't stop coughing, and my head hurt from all the pressure. But boy was it great getting taken care of. :) I had to work Friday morning and Dan came and met me up at school. He helped me shoot in the studio for my second project and even let my photography friend and I paint his face completely black for her assignment. What a trooper. I think it's in these small moments though, that we can really see how much someone cares. On the way home from school, Dan and I stopped by the store so we could get some kleenex and medicine. He bought me the "Vicks" medicine pack for extra care. Even though I told him I didn't need all of that he bought me this pack which included DayQuil, Niquil, Vicks Special Facial tissue (let me tell you what, they make your nose feel so great), something for the throat, and hand dissanitizer. Haha I thought it was over there, but when we were leaving I decided that I wanted an icecream popsicle for my throat. He told me that I shouldn't have that because it would make things worse. I of course argued with him and he called my mother. haha She told me and him that Dan was right and that I needed to let him take care of me... mothers... Dan was so great the whole weekend and took extra care in taking care of me and making sure I was ok and comfortable... I got lots of cuddle medicine ;) and lots of love and tender care. More than anything, it is so great to know that even when you look so awful, and definitely aren't feeling attractive... they still make you feel beautiful. He is so sweet and once again showed me how much he cares. Unfortunately for him... bc he cared for me so much he'll probably find himself sick. Which of course he reminded me of this, and reminded me that he hoped I would take care of him in the same way. ;) Which of course I am more than happy.

More Pictures from Cali

2008-10-09T11:28:00.001-07:00

Fun at Lagoon with Amy, Dan and Meg

2008-10-09T11:00:00.000-07:00

Fun at Lagoon with Amy and her roommates, Megan, Dan and I! It was lots of fun and I think Dan gets the gold star for being with all the women that day. He was a trooper, and got tricked into thinking there were going to be more men. Well there was one guy... haha but we didn't all talk to him very much. I favorite part of the day was watching and laughing at Amy and Megan on the rides... they were a hoot as always... peeing their pants with being scared. :) The worst part of the day? Well we were walking randomly, and I was holding Dan's hand and all of a sudden I felt the worst sting in my life on my arm! A stupid yellow jacket stung me for no reason! When I tried to hit it off of me it wouldn't get off of me but kept stinging me! It took three hits before it finally got off. Then the fire and burning sensation started. Oh dear... My arm was on fire!!! It was awful. But oh so cute Dan took care of me. I'm sure Megan and Amy can vouch for me that Dan was so concerned and was doing everything he could to make me feel better. He insisted on getting ice and then went as far as to hold the ice on my arm for me. He is so sweet to me always... that boy is always taking care of me... I love him. :)

White on White (shooting in the studio)

2008-10-09T10:38:00.000-07:00

For my Still Life/ Illustration class we had to shoot something white on white in the studio. Thanks to my sister, Jamie's, gloriously beautiful wedding shoes I was able to make a cinderella shot. Doesn't it say, "If you wear these shoes, you too can be like Cinderella?" Well maybe not... haha But I am definitely happy for the results. Tomorrow I am shooting something Black on Black in the studio... I'm excited.

Fun In San Francisco!

2008-09-29T11:38:00.001-07:00

Two weekends ago I got the chance to go with Dan and his family to San Francisco! It was a lot of fun but the drive was definitely longer than I thought it would be from Utah. I guess as a Pilots daughter I have been somewhat spoiled with my love of flying. We got to see so many great places and the wedding was beautiful. It was great for me because I came to love all of Dan's family. They are a lot of fun and so kind. The other great part, is that I loved the time spent with Dan. I love being with him 24x7. :) I guess that's a good thing right? It was cute... When Dan and I got back, and it was time for me to drive back to my apartment, Dan told me that now that he had gotten used to me being with him all day everyday, he didn't want to let me go. That is exactly the same way I felt. :)