Pumpkins & Corn Mazes

Monday was full of fun! Our friend Whitlee came over bright and early and spent the entire day with Drew and I. We ended up painting pumpkins, going out to eat, and laughing our heads off all day long. It was an absolute blast!

I am actually pretty convinced that painting pumpkins is WAY better and WAY more fun than carving them.

Did we start a new tradition?

I think so!

Drew painted the Harry Potter pumpkin... who knows why. But I must say that I am impressed with his artistic abilities!

I also got to work on my antler project. I shot my first deer when I was 14 and I decided to bring my antlers down from Richfield last time I was there.

 I painted the plaque and added the flowers. I love how they turned out!

Tuesday was a busy day full of cleaning, laundry, and cooking. But later that night after I got off work Drew and I met up with 14 other people and we went to the Staheli Farm Corn Maze! A bunch of Drew's friends came down from Cedar and we also invited our married friends Jaycee & Brady and Lindsey & Parker to come with us! It was so much fun! I wish we could have gone a little earlier just so we would have more time to spend there at the farm. It was such a fun date and it would definitely be such a fun thing to do with a family. Besides the corn maze they had music and play grounds and swings and tractor rides, etc! Unfortunately because we got out there so late we barely had time to do the maze before they turned the lights out, but it was still super fun!

We went out to Denny's for hot chocolate afterwards and had a wonderful time all together.

We are so blessed to have so many friends and wonderful people in our lives!

Love,

Kate

Fall Break Part 2: The weekend was a dream

We had an awesome weekend full of friends and family... It was so good that it just feels like a dream now. It's crazy to think that we had around 10+ people in and out of our little apartment throughout the weekend and that 7 of us were sleeping in our home. 

I'll take it as a compliment though assuming that everyone felt pretty comfortable here. It was obvious that they had made themselves at home because we had air mattresses, blankets, and pillows all over the place.

Now our apartment is back to it's old self: simple, empty, and quiet.

The fun all began on Thursday night when everyone arrived. I honestly can't remember exactly what we did but I know that we had fun.

Friday I had to work for a bit and missed out on my aunt going through the temple and a whole bunch of family members eating lunch together at my all time favorite restaurant EVER (the Pasta Factory on the Boulevard)... I was pretty sad about that, but it was o.k. Drew eventually had to go to work for the rest of the night and I actually ended up hanging out with my 10 year old brother Konner for a little while at my apartment!

We played Blokus, ate some milk duds and frootie tooties, and watched some old school Rocket Power! Ha! It was a lot of fun!  

The next morning we made french toast for everyone and got ready for Cydney and Colten's wedding. Drew and I and my parents got to go to the sealing and that was so neat! Cydney and Colten have both been my friends ever since I was just a little a girl and so I am SO extremely happy that they are married to each other now!!! 

We got to go to their wedding dinner that evening and it was absolutely beautiful. It was fun to catch up with some old friends and eat some good food.

Unfortunately my family had to leave after the dinner (and Drew had to go to work for the rest of the night). It was sad saying goodbye to my family but it was such a fun time being with them over the weekend!

I am so happy they came and I hope they come again soon! I love them all so much. 

Family means the world to both me and Drew and we can't imagine life without them. They bring so much joy to our lives!

However, the fun didn't really stop there...

Sunday evening we had our friends Jaycee and Brady come over and we played Rummikub and ate brownies and ice cream. We love having new friends to hang out with! It is so much fun! 

And Monday and Tuesday were great too-- but that will be in a different post.

Love,

Kate

Fall Break: Part 1

Last weekend a miracle happened. 

Drew and I got to go home to Richfield for the weekend!!! We both got Thursday through Saturday/Sunday off (Plus it was Drew's Fall Break) So we packed our bags and headed to Richfield for a fun-filled weekend!!!

We kept it a secret from my siblings and were able to surprise them when they got home from school! We picked up some french nutella-filled macaroons in Cedar City and gave them to Kambry to wish her good luck before she left for state tennis in Salt Lake. We may or may not have shared one on the way up to Richfield... ;) They were tasty!

We spent Thursday afternoon with the kids. I also got to see my best friend Tiana and go shopping with her! Lucky me, she gave me a piece of her "Better Than...Pumpkin Cake" and it was heavenly!!! It is definitely a must try. 

Friday we woke up bright and early and headed for Salt Lake at 6 a.m. I'm pretty sure the entire trip is a blur because I was soooo tired! 

We got to watch Kambry play tennis [2nd Singles] and she ended up taking third at state! Wahooo!! It was so much fun to watch her and quietly cheer her on (loud cheering is not encouraged at tennis matches, ha ha).

Later that evening we went out to eat and then spent some time at Scheel's. Wow. You can spend hours and hours there!!! It was a blast. We rode the ferris wheel, took tons of goofy pictures, and was awestruck by the sweet aquarium. I guess we're all easily amused ha ha, but it was definitely absolutely enjoyable! 

That night we all stayed in one hotel room HA! It was a party. Kinsley asked for a cot to sleep on, Drew & I were on one bed, my parents on the other, and Konner in between the two beds! The night consisted of loud snoring, and crazy siblings who sleep talk and sleep walk!! Or rather, CRAWL onto our bed in the middle of our night... creepy! Ha ha although I honestly don't remember that. Only Drew does and for some reason my mom too. Ha ha ha!! We're a special family.

Friday morning Kambry gloriously put up a good game against one of the top players in the state. We got to spend the rest of the day shopping at City Creek and then that afternoon we drove back home to Richfield and by the time we got home we were all completely exhausted.

However-

Drew took Kinsley and her friend out to the movies that night! It was so cute of him! He is such a sweetheart!!!

We drove back to St. George on Sunday night and made a stop in Cedar to say hello to Drew's parents! 

Needless to say, we absolutely LOVE our families and we love being with them!!!

Luckily this weekend we get to see them again! My family is driving down for the weekend which means tomorrow night we will have a house full of people! Wahoo!!

Life is good and fall is great!

Love,

Kate
ps. here are more pics.

One year ago.

One year ago vs today.

One year ago today I was in Cedar City helping a friend take her luggage up to her apartment. I had just gotten back from Provo because I had gone up there to watch LDS General Conference with my best friend Tiana. At that time I was currently preparing for a mission and was about to submit my mission papers. 

I had sweats on, my hair was in a pony tail, and I was wearing my new pair of shoes-- Sperrys. 

I had thought to myself-- hopefully I won't see anyone I know tonight... but if I do oh well.. they'll just have to take me how I am HA HA-- although in the back of my mind I just knew I would be running into someone.

Well that thought was right. I noticed two guys walking up to us in the parking lot and sure enough it was my crush and his friend DREW.

It told him it was nice to meet him and that I had heard a bunch about him.

& that was all.

I would have never guessed that I had just met my future husband.

As a matter of fact, I didn't even realize it until the following December.

I went on to receive my mission call and graduate from college and all the while Drew and I became really good friends... he was persistent and dedicated to always be with me.
We clicked right off the bat and became best friends just like that.

However, I denied every emotion and feeling I had for him. I knew he was something different but I didn't want to accept it. 

Finally after being extremely stubborn [AND EXTREMELY CONFUSED] I made the decision to put my mission call on hold and pursue my relationship with Drew to see if he was the one for me.

Sure enough as soon as I made that decision, I knew right then in that moment that I would marry him.

Now, on this day of October 7th, 2013 [four months later to the exact day], I can testify that marrying Drew was the best decision of my entire life. 

Just how President Thomas S. Monson said on Sunday during conference:

"She [or he in my case] was the love of my life, my trusted confidant, and my closest friend."

Truly being married is one of the most beautiful blessings I have ever experienced and I am so grateful to be sealed to Drew for time and all eternity.
I could stare into his eyes forever he's so cute! 

HAPPY FOUR MONTH anniversary TO US!!! 

A whole lot can sure change in just one little year.

But that just goes to show you that by small and simple things are GREAT things brought to pass.

Love,

Kate
ps. Drew eventually told me that he liked me that night he met me because of the shoes I was wearing and how I had sweats on. Imagine that!
Moral of the story: Be who you are and don't be someone else. Your true beauty shines through when you are happy and others will see that. So be happy. Be beautiful. Be yourself.

Hello October!

I absolutely love this time of the year... the decorations, the smell of the air, the candy corn, and the change of season. It's all so sweet to me! 

To welcome October Drew and I invited some friends over for caramel apples!

  My sweet mother sent us some apples from her neighbor and so of course we were going to eat them with caramel! That's just what you do this time of year.

We all had a blast decorating our apples with all sorts of toppings: candy corns, crushed oreos, m&ms, and cinnamon sugar.

 

Brady & Jaycee and Lindsey & Parker all came over. Brady, Jaycee, Lindsey and I all work at the same place! So that is how we all met. They have all been married for over a year now so it is fun to have some newlywed-type friends!

 After we made our apples, we played Farkle and laughed our heads off. We're definitely a fun group and we established that we'll be getting together more often [hopefully] because of how much fun we had together. We also all ordered tickets for Thriller at Tuacahn! So now we all have a big group date for Halloween night! We're so excited!

Now we just need to decide on what to dress up as...

But for now we are so happy we have friends! It was such a fun night and a great way to say hello to the month of October! It's going to be a wonderful month!

Love,
Kate