Our Happy Holidays

I can't believe Christmas came and went so super fast! But it sure was fun!  Here's some highlights from our Splendid Season!

We made Gingerbread Houses to kick-off the holidays!  We went to my sister's house for a yummy dinner and then got out the hoards of candy for the houses!

...And on to the jolly holiday itself!  Since our church was at 9:00am, we opened our presents to each other after church.  But we did have a bit of time to peek in our stockings before heading off to church. 

After church ... on to presents!  My favorite tradition of ours is 'Love Letters in the Tree'.  That's always the first thing we open on Christmas morning.  It's nice to talk about our love for each other, the past year and our hopes and dreams for the future together.  A perfect way to start the day!

Brandon spoiled me rotten!  He got me a gorgeous ring!  It's a white gold with a sapphire and 3 diamonds on each side.  I LOVE IT!!!!  I got Brandon a bunch of BYU stuff, some DVD's and games! 

We went to my mom and dad's house later for lunch and more presents!  It was so fun!  

So sleepy after a fun-filled day

My parents got us a beautiful picture of our Temple; a picture that I have been drooling over for almost a year!  

All-in-all ... everything was perfect!  Time with those we love, giving fun gifts and remembering our precious gift from Heavenly Father!

Hope your holidays were the best!

The Happiest Place on Earth!!!

A couple of weeks ago, Rachael went to

Disneyland with her family!!!

Brandon wasn't able to go, that poor boy! But it was so much fun! The weather was perfect, no waiting in lines, time with family -- the only bummer was missing Brandon terribly, but being in Disneyland helped make up for it!

Heres' some of my favorite pics of the trip:

Ready to go in on the first day!

My mom, my nephew, and me

Waiting for Toy Story Mania ride

Me and my sis in front of the HUGE Christmas tree

Best CornDogs in the world!

A wonderful trip! 

Can't wait to go back!

Happy Halloween!

We sure had a fun Halloween this year!
Hope you did too!

I wasn't too good with the carving set.  I broke two of the little tools, so I waited patiently for Brandon to finish his pumpkin and then used the last good carving tool (I didn't brake that one, but I came close).

The night after we carved our pumpkins, we put them in front of our house ... so proud!  And that night they were stolen!  No ... just moved to a neighbors house - some pranksters moved everyone's pumpkins in our neighborhood.  Funny!

 I dressed up as a cat this year.  My preschool kids LOVED it and it was so fun to do!

The makeup was the most fun!  I love playing around with makeup, and I found an easy tutorial online how to do a cat face. Brandon never lets me try makeup stuff on him though ... go figure ... he might end up looking like a cute, cuddly kitten! ;-)

Halloween

Happy Halloweeeeeeeeen!

Halloween is almost here!

It's so fun to decorate our home!

And it's so fun to dress up! 

Last year Rachael was a witch (her students loved it)!

Happy Haunting everyone!

Ode to my Love

Two Years ago, I married the most amazing man in the world! What an unbelievably lucky girl I am!

Love you forever, Brandon!  So glad I have you forever too!

Loved you yesterday,

Love you still,

Always have,

Always will!

Summer Fun

We love summer! 

And I love this pic we took recently ... just wanted to share! 

Our Honeymoon

I was looking at pictures of our Honeymoon today and thought that would be a fun post!  I {heart} Disneyland!!! (and Brandon, of course)

The happiest couple in the Happiest Place on Earth

ToonTown

California Adventure

Waiting to see 'It's Tough to be a Bug'

We had to buy the Mr. & Mrs. Mickey Honeymoon Ears

Eating at the Blue Bayou - Yum!

It was so nice to be together in the happiest place on earth together!  It was nice to be away together ... away from any stresses and just enjoy being newlyweds!  Such a fun time!  I'll never forget it!  I can't wait to go back when we have kids!

Married Life ...

I can't believe Brandon and I have been married for 1 year and 9 months! Time has flown by!

I love being married!
I love being a wife!

Yes, it can be TrIcKy to combine two lives of two people who are so different ... but never too tricky. 
We're so different ... and I really like it that we are!  

He loves scary movies and I love romance.
He his quiet and I'm a social butterfly!
He likes savory, and I like sweet.

The candy table at our wedding

However ... having said that, we have found a lot of things we have in common.
We love the Gospel ... it is in every part of our lives!
We have a deep love for the temple.

We love getting out and going places together!
We love going to movies together!
We love laughing together, and I love that I get to see this hilarious side of my hubby that not many other people get to see.

We love going for drives together.
We love talking together.
 
One of my favorite things is laying in bed at night and I say, "Tell me a story babe."
He says, "What do you want to hear?"
And I reply with, "Tell me a story about ..." (I request anything from a childhood story, first fight, first kiss, favorite anything, etc.)
And boy-oh-boy he's got some doosies! Some of them make me cry from laughing so hard.
I love his stories!

Sure do love being married ... and being married to the most perfect man doesn't hurt either!

Letter to My Love

Dear Brandon,

Thanks for having me take the day off on Friday for some much needed time together!

Thank you for shopping with me in any and every store I wanted to go in! Thanks for the yummy and exciting lunch at the Mayan.

Thank you for taking me to the movies! And for letting me take silly pics while we waited for the movie to start! :)

Love,
your loving (and ever-so-lovely) wife ;-)

p.s.  I love this picture of you.  You're so handsome!

Get to know Rachael



This is one of Brandon's favorite pictures of Rachael

A little about Rachael. I was born and raised in a small farming town in Utah and was always found playing games in the fields or exploring my grandpa’s farm with my siblings and many cousins – much of our time was spent outside. As a child I took singing, dance and tap, it was so fun!  I loved school, and was voted as the class-clown or comedian each year in Middle School and High School (I think my family and friends would still vote me as a class clown or comedian)! My Junior and Senior year, I was able to serve on student council and I joined every club possible! I stayed in Utah for college and graduated with a degree in Special Education and Early Childhood Education. I currently work part-time as a Special Education Teacher – it is so fun!! I love that I get to play at work, and I get all holidays and summers off! After we adopt, I plan to continue working part-time and my mother will help out with child care while I am at work. In my free time, I love taking pictures and I have even taken family pictures and baby pictures for family and friends. 


Rachael's Favorites

Favorite movie:  The Holiday 
Favorite TV show: Big Brother and Survivor 
Favorite band/artist: Lenka, Regina Spektor, Lady Gaga 
Favorite food: Pizza, Sushi or anything sweet 
Favorite restaurant: Happy Sumo 
Favorite childhood toy: Barbies or My Little Pony 
Favorite hobbies:  listening to music, watching movies, playing games and bowling
Favorite holiday: Christmas 
Favorite sport to play: Softball or Volleyball 
Favorite sport to watch: I'm not the biggest fan of watching sports on TV, but I like going to baseball or basketball games. 
Favorite season: Spring - because everything is fresh and new!
Favorite classes in school: Childhood development, and education.  In High School I was involved in a lot of clubs too that I loved (FBLA, FHA, Student Council, Choir, Natural Helpers, and D.A.R.E.)


Random Questions
What do you like most about yourself? I'm outgoing and like to have fun! 
If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Aqua or bright pink 
Best vacation you've ever been on: Our honeymoon to Disneyland (so fun!) 
How many siblings do you have? 1 brother and 2 sisters (I am the youngest) 
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? I really want to stay in a Disney Hotel at Disneyland or go on a Disney Cruise 
What type of music do you listen to the most? I love, love, love music! I love anything with a good meaning/story or a good beat so I can sing and dance around the house!
When you were a little girl, what did you want to be when you grew up? An animal trainer, teacher and a mom 
What do you do for a living? Part time preschool teacher 
Were you named after anyone? My dad saw the spelling and liked it so I got the name!


What Brandon thinks about Rachael 
What Brandon loves most about Rachael's personality: She is fun and she makes everything around me fun! 
What Brandon loves most about Rachael's looks: I love how beautiful she is. 
5 Words Brandon would use to describe Rachael: loving, beautiful, compassionate, fun and nurturing.

What Brandon has to say about Rachael. I describe Rachael as: loving, beautiful, compassionate, fun and nurturing. Rachael loves getting to know other people and she loves to laugh and makes any situation a fun one! Rachael loves spending time with family and friends, visiting Disneyland whenever she can, and playing any kind of game. Rachael is the love of my life and I'm so lucky to have her!  

Get to know Brandon



This is one of Rachael's favorite pictures of Brandon

A little about Brandon. I grew up in a small suburb just outside of St. Louis, Missouri, and I try to go back for a visit every 2 years or so. I loved growing up in the mid-west, and I can't wait to take trips back to the mid-west with our future-family! When I was young, I enjoyed playing video games and going to movies. In High School, I was on the golf team which I enjoyed very much! After High School, I moved to Utah (a place I had never been and didn’t know what to expect) to attend school. I loved Utah so much that I stayed, and I'm so glad I did because it lead me to finding and marrying my sweet wife and starting the process of adoption. I enjoy golfing, playing games, bowling, keeping up with all sports, reading, helping others and watching movies. I currently work for a large gun safe manufacturer as the Manager of customer service.  It is wonderful to work for a company that has allowed me to work my way up the ladder, and I am excited for the future opportunities that are available for me within the company. 

Brandon's Favorites
Favorite movie:  The original Halloween 
Favorite TV show: Friday Night Lights 
Favorite band/artist: Linkin Park 
Favorite food: Pizza or Hamburgers 
Favorite restaurant: Imos Pizza in St. Louis, Missouri (where I grew up)
Favorite childhood toy: Super Soaker 
Favorite hobbies: bowling, golfing, and watching movies
Favorite holiday: April Fools 
Favorite sport to play: Football or golf 
Favorite sport to watch: Baseball (St. Louis Cardinals) or MMA (mixed martial arts) 
Favorite season: Fall - because it's not too hot and not too cold.
Favorite classes in school: Welding, I'm a certified welder. I also enjoyed my nursing classes - I was a certified nursing assistant.


Random Questions
What do you like most about yourself? I'm easy-going
If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Orange
Best vacation you've ever been on: Our honeymoon to Disneyland
How many siblings do you have? 1 brother and 1 sister (I am the oldest) 
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? Israel
What type of music do you listen to the most? Rock
When you were a little boy, what did you want to be when you grew up? A fireman or a policeman
What do you do for a living? I worked my way up from Customer Service and Technical Support to my current position in National Sales and Support.  
Were you named after anyone? I was named after a little boy in a Jiffy Peanut Butter commercial.


What Rachael thinks about Brandon 
What Rachael loves most about Brandon's personality: I love that Brandon can see every side to any situation. 
What Rachael loves most about Brandon's looks: His eyes! He's a looker! ;) 
5 Words Rachael would use to describe Brandon: genuine, calm, happy, giving and handsome.

What Rachael has to say about Brandon. I describe Brandon as: genuine, calm, happy, giving and he's a real looker too! Brandon is super easy going and is always very relaxed in any situation. He never gets worked up or upset about anything and I think that is because he is always able to see every side to a story. Brandon loves to make me laugh, and he loves to spoil me rotten (and I love it too)! Brandon is really good at planning fun adventures and dates for us, and no matter how simple or elaborate the date is, he loves for it to be a surprise and I think that is so fun!

About Us

How HE + ME became a WE (our Love Story)

On December 26, 2008 - I joined ldssingles.com with the intent of getting a life! I had come to peace with the fact that I would never get married, but I wanted a great dating life so I signed up (along with one of my friends)!

I chatted with (and met) a few guys ... nothing more than friends, but it was fun!  Then on December 31st I found this cute guy!

I read his profile and I remember it didn't say a lot but enough to make me interested (and I thought he was CUTE), so I sent him a flirt (smile). He sent a flirt back (hi). I sent him another flirt (wink) and he sent me one back (thinking of you). Wow, this is great!  So, I sent him a message asking him to send me a message.  He did.  I replied.  Another message.  Another reply ... Our messages got longer and longer. Then texting.  Then talking.

Finally I decided: I like this guy! I  need to meet him a.s.a.p. to find out if we like each other in person before I get my heart broken.

On January 16th - we had our first date in a public place and I promised my friends and family I would keep texting throughout the night to say I was safe and I gave them all Brandon's phone number too (gotta be safe).  It was the best first date I had ever been on!  I felt like I was talking to an old friend, and felt so comfortable! And... I kissed him at the end of the night!! (1st date - I had NEVER done that before, and I had NEVER made the first move before either!  But - he was a super gentleman and I knew he wouldn't kiss me that night, so I had to take matters into my own hands ... or lips! ;)

... and the rest ... is history!
We fell in love within the next month.  Engaged 3 months after that.  Married 4 months after that. 

...and just after getting married, we got ourselves a "little" puppy named Diesel who is such a gentle giant - and he has a pet of his own, a cat named Lucy.  They sure love each other and we love them!

UPDATE: We no longer have our sweet dog Diesel. We miss him!

And now - we're currently living our Happily Ever After!

... and as part of our 'Happily Ever After' we are hoping to adopt!  I (Rachael) have been diagnosed with 'Premature Ovarian Failure' which is basically early menopause.  I expected from a young age that I would not be able to have children of my own because the women in my family have had difficulty with fertility.  Our family and extended family has been so blessed by the miracle of adoption already, and we are so excited to begin the process ourselves!

Feel free to browse our entire blog to get to know us better (we have a lot of posts)! 

Welcome to us!

Welcome to our bloggedy-blog!

So glad you stopped by!