Bring on 2012

2012 is just around the corner.  There is only 9 days left of 2011, and I am ready for it to be over.  I haven't had a bad 2011, it has actually been the exact opposite.  2011 has been one of the best years I have had in a really long time, but 2012 has more to offer me and I am ready for those things to happen.  Here is my list of some of the reasons why I can't wait to start next year.

1. As I have mentioned before, we are going to Costa Rica in February, and so I am really excited about that trip and cannot wait for it to get here.  There are only 48 days left until we leave!!  But who's counting right?  It is going to be the trip of a lifetime, and once that trip is over, I am going to start saving up so slowly for our next big adventure.  We're thinking maybe Spain or Portugal.

2. Chris will have owned his own business for over 2 years.  That's not a big deal for most people, but for us it is.  Since he is self-employed he needs to have 2 years of tax returns before we can apply for loans for a house.  We will have 2 years of tax returns in April!  That means that we can start applying for loans and hopefully move into a cute little starter home next summer or fall.

3. Zach comes home from his mission in May.  We think it is going to be the Wednesday after Mother's Day.  That is one thing that I am really excited for as well.  Not seeing him for 2 years has been killer, but it has been worth it.

4. I will have lost all the weight that I am working really hard to lose.  I have already lost 20 pounds since August.  That is an accomplishment that I am really proud of.  I am looking forward to losing the rest of it and getting back to my pre-wedding weight.

The rest of 2012 is a wonderful mystery that I cannot wait to discover and solve.  I have the right attitude about the unknown, and I am hoping that helps make 2012 just as fantastic, or even better, than 2011 was.

Best Friends For Life

This post is going to be about a subject that is very near to my heart.  Thinking about writing about this subject is getting me teary eyed.  Sounds cheesy I know, but that's how much this topic means to me.  December 12, 2007 was the first day of a wonderful friendship and relationship.  For those of you that don't know, that is the day that my niece Kenlee was born.  Coming into this world was rough for her, my sister had to have an emergency C-Section after being in labor for 30 hours.



While she has been growing up our bond and relationship has only gotten stronger and more solid.  It is one relationship that I hope continues for the rest of our lives.  When she was about 4 months old I noticed that when I was around her, she would try to copy and mimic every noise and face that I made.  She couldn't do them most of the time, but she sure tried.  As she got older, she started to copy me more and more.  Noises, faces, movement, walking.  She wanted to do everything that I did, and I was okay with that.



Now being 4 years old, she still tries to copy me with things that I do, but she is now her own person, and does her own crazy things.  Kenlee with always ask and wait so patiently for the the first and third Sundays of every month.  Those are days that she lives for.  Those are the Sunday's that Chris and I go up to Clinton and have Sunday dinner with the family.  When it is time for us to leave, she becomes heart broken and cries 80% of the time.  She breaks my heart every time.  But I am happy to see that she still loves me so much.



I want the relationship with her to last forever.  When she is 14 I want her to be able to call me and tell me how annoying her parents are being, or about a boy that she likes at school.  I want her to be able to come to me with any problem and be able to tell me anything.  With the way that things are going between us now, I have no doubt in my mind that we will be anything but best friends.  She will always hold a special place in my heart.  A place that will never be able to filled by anything or anyone else besides her.

Tis the Season for Wanting Change

For the last little while I have wanting a big change in my life.  I have wanted to move out of state.  I think that it would be a huge growing experience for me and it would teach me a lot of the world outside of the Utah bubble.  I am 24 years old, and I have only lived as far north as Logan, and only as far south as Provo.  That is a total of 2 hours apart from each other, and only 1 hour in each direction from where I grew up.  I want a different landscape and a different area to live in for this part of my life.  I want to experience life, the people, and the church outside of Utah.  I have heard many wonderful things about all of those things, and I want to experience those things for myself.  I feel like I am not living up to my full adult potential because I am not exposed to different and new things during this time of my life.

Going to Italy was a huge eye opening experience for me because I did not realize that there was a huge world out there that I did not understand or know about.  I want to explore more of that and live in a culture that is foreign to me.  Now that we're going to Costa Rica in February, it will open up a new window of knowledge into my life that I have been longing for since we left Italy 2 1/2 years ago.  I would love to move to a different country, but I could not do that to my family or Chris' family.

Sure, it would be a scary change, but it is something that I think that I would be able to handle right now.  There are a few things that are stopping me from moving Chris and I to another state.  First thing, our families.  As I expressed earlier, I don't think that our families would appreciate the move.  They would be sad that they don't get to see us as often as they would like.  Second, finances.  We are looking into buying a house in the next year or so, and for us to pick up and move would not be a very smart money move on our part.  We need to stay put if we want to take the next adult step and buy a house.

So I guess we'll stay put.  Provo is a wonderful city, and I am so happy and so blessed to be close to family and the people that I love.

I Want to Give Many Thanks

Chris has told me many stories of the people in Brazil.  They have next to nothing, but they are always so happy and they count their blessings that they do have.  People in a lot of places take advantage of the luxuries that we have and get to experience.  I constantly hear things from people like, "I don't have a smart phone and I want one." or "I want a bigger and better ______ (fill in the blank)."  After hearing how people in Brazil, (and I am sure other countries), live it has really opened my eyes to what is really important in my life.  It also makes me realize that I have so much to be thankful for.  

I really am very blessed with the life that I have.  I have wonderful, loving, and supportive husband.  I am so thankful for Chris and the many amazing things that he does for us.  I am very blessed to have him in my life and that I get to spend forever with him.  I was married in the temple, and because of that I am sealed to my husband and future kids forever.  I am also grateful for my family, both the Allan's and the Gardner's.  They both have done so much for me and I am forever grateful for that.  They have helped mold  me to be the person that I am today.  I love them all so much.  I live in a time when the gospel is very strong.  I have roof over my head, and food in my stomach.  What more could I ask for??  So thank you to everyone in my life.  Thank you for the examples that you have been in my life and know that I think about and love everyone of you. 

I hope that everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and that they truly take time to ponder about the things that they are thankful for.  I know that I will.  

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Thanksgiving Point with the Fam

Last Saturday was a very great day.  My family came down to Provo, and we went to the Thanksgiving Point Museum of Ancient Life.  (Basically, it was a dinosaur museum).  It was really cool to see and go to.  Thanksgiving Point has the most complete skeletons of anywhere in the world.  We had a really great time together as a family.  Kenlee had a blast and is still talking about all of the cool things that she saw.  There were also somethings there that I was amazed to see.  For example, they had a fossilized rose.  It was so beautiful and stunning to me.  Chris said that he had only ever seen one in pictures.  He was even taken back by the awesomeness of it.

They has a lot of different kinds of full dinosaurs there too.  It was hard for me to grasp the size of some of them.  The "long neck", I don't know the actual name of them, was massive.  It was easily 100 feet from head to tip of the tail.  There was also a full skeleton of 2 Tyrannosaurus Rex.  They were pretty huge too.



They did have a lot of really fun things for kids to do as well.  It took us 2 1/2 hours to get through the exhibit, and the kids did not get bored either.  They planned the layout very well.  Just when I thought that Kenlee was going to start getting a little bored from not having anything stimulating to do, they had a kids play station or a kids hands-on activity that they could do.  I am sure that parents are very grateful for that.


All in all, it was a wonderful day, and Chris and I hope to go again, just the two of us on a date.  Yes, it's that cool that you can go with out children and you won't look weird for doing it.  I do recommend however, that if you have children, to go to this wonderfully enjoyable place.  Your kids will think that you're the coolest parents ever.  Like I said though, you don't have to have children to go.  If you don't have children, I recommend that you still go and see the great museum and everything that they have to offer while you are there.  I promise you won't regret it.

Really Parents?? Really??

Having the wonderful job that I have in an optometrist's office has a lot of really great benefits.  For example, I get to have a free eye exam done every year, I get glasses and contacts at a hugely discounted price, and I work for an amazing doctor who lets me work really good hours.  That being said, there are only a few things about my job that drive me crazy, but the one that gets to me the most are the parents that let their kids run around and yell while they are in our little office.

Really parents??  Really?? I guess for some reason they think that it's cute when their kids are yelling and fighting so loudly that people cannot hold a conversation with me about their exam.  I guarantee that they are the only ones that find that obnoxiousness endearing.  Everyone else thinks that the parents need to teach their children some manners.  There is no need for your 4 year old and 5 year old to try on every single pair of glasses that we own just because they want to.  The glasses are not here for you to play with, they are here for people to buy.  And no one is going to want to buy a frame when 800 kids have tried it on and messed with it.  Also, if you have 6 kids, you don't need to bring the whole family to your appointment with you.  Leave the kids at home with dad and come alone.  6 kids in the office is way to hard to handle.  When I see that many kids walking in with their parents it almost makes me want to cry because I know that they are not going to be leaving any time soon.  When they finally leave 45 minutes later, they give me the gift of a headache.  Thanks kids!!  No, thank you parents!

Moral of the story. . . Put duct tape over your kids mouths before you bring them in.  That way I don't have to listen to them.

This post may have seemed a little harsh, and I am sorry if it offended anyone.  I had a pretty kid filled day at work today, so it was fresh on my mind and I needed to vent.  Thanks for listening friends.

Paradise is Waiting.

First, I want to say Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband.  His birthday was October 28, and I hope that it was amazing for him.

Yesterday I did something amazing!  I bought our plane tickets to Costa Rica.  I have been planning and saving up for this trip for almost a year and a half, and it is finally starting to feel real.  Chris and I are going to Costa Rica in February.  We'll be gone for 2 weeks in the middle of winter, and it's Going. To. Be. Awesome.

As I just said, I have been planning this trip for a long time, so I have done my research on everything.  We chose to go in February because it is the dry season.  If we went during the wet season we would get rained out all day everyday.  I made sure to figure out where the best location was going to be for us to stay, and make sure to find the best cost.  I was able to keep the cost fairly low for us, mostly because nothing is as expensive as I thought it was going to be.  We are going to stay on the Caribbean side of the country.  Most people stay on the Pacific side, so that part is always busy and filled with tourists.  The Caribbean side is much less explored and therefore more awesome.  There are no major hotels or resorts, only small hotels and bungalows.  The hotel that we are staying at is about a 4 1/2 hour bus ride from San Jose.  It is called Pachamama Caribe, and in the city of Punta Uva.  There are only 4 houses and bungalows that are a part of the grounds of the hotel.  It is right in the middle of the rain forest, and so the wildlife is everywhere and very active.  We could sit on the hammocks on our porch and see a large variety of birds and monkeys.  It sounds incredible.  We are very excited about the seclusion and privacy that we are going to have during our stay.

While we are there we will go zip-lining, snorkeling, hiking in the various national parks and nature preserves, and relax on the beautiful beach that is only a 4 minute walk from our hotel.  We will make sure to take lots and lots of pictures.  The only thing I have left to do is get into beach/vacation shape.  Good thing I have 3 months to get that taken care of.

We cannot wait for February to get here, and it feels like it is not going to come quick enough.  I know that it is going to get here sooner than I think, and we are going to have the time of our lives.  I am very happy that I have such a wonderful husband that is willing to travel with me and support me in the silly things that I set my mind to.  What would I do with out him?

Blessings and Answers

At the end of September I went to an orthodontist to have my first consultation for braces.  I have wanted to have them for a while now, so Chris and I decided now is as good a time as any to get started on this process.  We went to see Dr. Graf here in Utah county.  He did a quick look at my mouth and gave us a very rough diagnosis on my treatment plan and options that were available to us.  We were not expecting to hear what he had told us.

We were told that I have an open bite.  That is where the top and bottom set of teeth do not touch.  I have a about a 3mm gap from one set of teeth to the other.  In order for me to have a perfect smile, I would have to have oral surgery.  The oral surgeon would have to take out part of my top jaw so everything would work out the way that braces should.  They would have to go in through my soft palette and take out a pie shape cut with the point in the front of my face, and getting into a bigger cut going towards my throat area.  Dr. Graf told us that he was about 95% sure that this was going to be our only treatment option for me.  We were given the price, and it was not cheap.  There was no way that we could come up with $17,000 in order pay for that surgery.  Plus, I would have 6 weeks of recovery time and most of that time I would be on a liquid diet.  

As we got ready to leave he said that he wanted me to come back in in a couple of weeks for x-rays, pictures, and to get a mold of my mouth.  Then I would have an additional consultation meeting with him to have him say for sure what my options were.  We left very worried, and I left in tears, and very defeated that straight teeth was not something that I could have right now in my life, if ever. We would have to wait for a few years so we could get our finances in order.  We did not rule anything out until we had the final consultation with Dr. Graf.

During the 4 weeks of waiting time that we had, I said prayer after prayer pleading that we would know what to do, and that something would happen for us financially when the time was appropriate and we felt it was the time for us to go ahead with the procedure.  I prayed for an answer everyday, and I always had a prayer in my heart.  I know that things would work out how they were supposed to.  Even if it wasn't the way that I wanted them to, they would work out.  Our answer finally came last night.  I had my final consultation, and after looking at my x-rays and pictures Dr. Graf told us that he could fix my teeth to 90% perfect, and with that option there would be no surgery involved.  I would just have to have the braces.  I still have the option of surgery, but it is not my only option.  The cost is no longer $17,000.  I knew at that moment that my prayers had been answered.  This is the time that this is all supposed to happen in my life.  It is a true blessing in my life to know that I have a Heavenly Father who is watching out for me and helping me along this earthly journey.  Knowing what we know now is wonderful news, and we plan on continuing forward with everything in February of next year.

My Brother the Missionary

My baby brother Zach is currently serving in the Buenos Aires Argentina mission.  He is coming home in 7 months, or as my mom likes to count, by transfers.  According to my mom he has 4 transfers left, and on the 5th one he is coming home.  He comes home the second week of May.  He is going to be home before I know it and I can not wait!!  I have had some pretty mixed emotions about him being gone.  I know that he is doing a good thing.  Going on a mission is the best thing for young men to do, but knowing that doesn't make me miss him any less.  It has been hard for me the whole time he has been gone, but it has been the worst the last couple of months.  I miss him everyday.  I miss him to the point that sometimes I can't control my tears of sadness.

 

Me, Zach, and Ami.  Jake was on his mission when this picture was taken.

Zach and I had not always been so close.  We never fought as children growing up, but we never really hung out together either.  It has only been the last few years that him and I have grown very close as brother and sister.  He would come to Provo and spend 3 or 4 days with me and Chris, even if we had nothing planned for those few days.  He just loved being with us and around us.  Whenever we would come to Clinton he would drop whatever he was doing so that he could spend time with us.  Even if that meant leaving his best friend Carson for a few hours.  It was wonderful being able to build that friendship with him.  I would definitely consider him one of my best friends.  We have very similar personalities, sense of humor, and thoughts on how to handle life, and we have bonded over that.  We both do not like conflict and will do anything to make sure there is peace in any tense situation.  It has been wonderful.  I know that we will still be just as close when he comes home too.  I can not wait to catch up and start a new relationship and friendship with him.  

Taken at my wedding dinner.

I know from phone calls on Mothers Day and Christmas and from weekly emails that he has not changed at all.  The only change that I have noticed is that he is more mature with life.  He has grown up a lot, but he is still my little brother.  I love him and miss him dearly.  I look forward to the day that he can call me just to talk, or send me a hysterical text about the most random thing he could think of.  He loves making people laugh, and everyone that meets Zach loves him.  He has a very easy going personality and makes friends very easily.  

Chris and Zach the day Zach opened his mission call.

I think I can speak for everyone when I say, I hope that he returns home safely and just as Zach as ever.  I miss you and love you Zach.  I am looking forward to May when we get to see each other again.

My life in a nutshell...

For those of you who know me, you know that a blog is the last thing that I would think about doing.  But I had to see what all the hype was about.  I hope that you enjoy my posts.  I would also love to have any input on how to make my blog better.  Please let me know if you have any suggestions.  I would love to hear them.

Since this is my first post ever I am going to fill you in on my life.  I am from Clinton, UT and currently live in Provo, UT.  I had a pretty normal childhood nothing too traumatic or eventful.  I sang with a choir call Kids Are Music for 12 years, and I miss it every day.

I love my family very much.  There are 4 kids in the family.  I have 1 older sister and 2 younger brothers.  I am the second of the bunch.  My sister Ami is married to Ryan, and they have 2 kids, Kenlee, who is almost 4, and Tyson, who is 8 months. Jake got home from his mission about a year ago.  He served in Independence, Missouri and loved every minute of it.  Zach is currently on his mission in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  He comes home in 7 months.  He is having the time of his life.

Okay, a little more about me.  My husbands name is Chris, he is 25, and he is from Provo.  He is a graphic designer with a degree from UVU.  He has his own business called Gardner Design Studio.  He is very talented at what he does too.  Take a look at his work www.gardnerdesignstudio.com.  Our first date was September 19, 2008.  We instantly hit it off.  Our first date was the best first date I have ever been on.  We both had such a good time together that our second date was the next day.  We saw each other 3 or 4 times a week until the day that we got married.  We were married in the Timpanogos Temple on June 27, 2009.  We went on our honeymoon to Italy and loved every minute of it.  I am so happy and I grow more in love everyday.  I am so glad that I married my best friend.