Brandon's Birthday!

Brandon's birthday was this last weekend!

My calendar reminder on my phone

I snuck downstairs the night before his birthday and got the family room all decorated for the big day!  We didn't really do much the night of his birthday, just got some take-out and he opened his presents.  On Saturday we did more of the celebrating!

Decorations for the big day!

Diesel was so proud - he could tell something was up with all of the balloons. LOL!

Saturday, we went to a movie "Oz the Great and Powerful" (cute) and out to dinner at Goodwood - one of our favorite places to go ... so good!

Sure do love this man-o-mine!  Happy birthday my love!

Day on the town!

I love family time with my man!  Brandon planned a nice date for us this weekend ... I sure do love when he plans stuff for us to do!  I really should do more of the planning myself, but he's so good at it ... and we always have so much fun together!

First, to the movies!  We LOVE going to the movies!  I love getting movie popcorn too, and yes, I drown it in butter, LOL!  I also only eat a little bit too -- sometimes I think I'm going to eat more of it (like yesterday), so we got a medium, and after a few handfuls I'm done.  I feel bad throwing all of that extra away ... but it sure is good! ;-)

Then, to a late lunch at Red Lobster.  I haven't been there in a while! Good food, great company, and a fun time looking at the little lobsters in the tank too!

3 Years Baby!

Last week Brandon and I celebrated our 3 Year Anniversary!  It's crazy to believe we've been married only three years, because it feels like we've known each other forever!  I sure do love this man!

The day of our actual anniversary, Brandon gave me a dozen gorgeous roses, and that night we went out to eat!

And this weekend, we went to Salt Lake!  My favorite place to shop and hang out!  I'm so happy [lucky] to have Brandon!

Family Night-O-Fun

Brandon and I couldn't figure out what to do with ourselves on Saturday night - stay home and watch a movie? go out?  We ended up at the Nickel Arcade!

It was so fun!  We each got the same amount of nickels and had a contest to see who could get the most tickets - Brandon kicked my trash!  We usually give all of our tickets away to an unsuspecting kid before leaving, but we were one of the only people in the whole place, so we spent our tickets on a bunch of AWESOME junk [see pictures below]!  To top off the night, we went to dinner at Goodwood, ever tried their onion rings?  Holy-moley those things are HUGE and so de-lish!

Our mustaches were our favorite ticket purchase!

Good weekend. Great weekend!

Family Time

Brandon took Friday off so we could spend the whole day together out and about doing whatever we darn-well wanted!  I love our family time together!

We went to see 'The Amazing Spiderman' movie ... in 3-D nonetheless!!!  I've never been much of a big fan of the superhero movies, but I enjoy seeing one when they're new out and Brandon can explain what I don't get.  There wasn't much to explain in this one because it's a re-boot - an actual term I learned from Brandon a few months back that we argued over because I thought he made the word up to explain that a movie was a re-make ... apparently there's a big difference people - big difference!  I conceded after googling it and calling my brother to confirm.  "TheGoogle" doesn't know everything does it?

We spent the rest of the day walking through just about any/and every store I wanted to.  I love that about Brandon - even though he doesn't much like shopping, he knows I LOVE it and is willing to wander through my favorites with me without one ounce of complaint!  Then sushi for dinner, Yum-o-licous!

It was a great night!  Have I mentioned how much I love our family time together?!? Sure do!

Oh!  By the way, I had to share these pics!  My nieces came over for a sleep-over last night and we brought some fishy-friends over for a sleep-over in Diesel's swimming pool too!  Diesel was so curious (the fish were quite big)!  I think at one point he was trying to figure out how to "play" with them like he does with his cat by pouncing at them - it was hilarious!

After a bit he was content to just watch them swim.  I think he thought he had a few new pets to keep!

Happy Summer!

Happy Birthday Rach!

I had the best birthday last week, and Brandon spoiled me, of course! I woke up to birthday music playing and the house all decorated!

Top: Me with the decorations, Left: birthday cake, Right: blowing out my BIG candle

After opening presents and crepes at IHOP, Brandon took me for a WHOLE DAY of shopping!! And ... I mean a whole day - Brandon took me anywhere I wanted to go; I was in heaven! And that night we grabbed some burgers and went to the drive-in! We saw 'What to Expect When You're Expecting". It was a cute movie, and of course, I cried like a baby over the adoption story in the movie. 

I took this pic while we were waiting for the movie to start and even though it's a little fuzzy, I love how it turned out ... can you see Brandon?

Anyway, best birthday ever!

Goofin' Around!

I was looking at the pics on my phone today and found a few of these we took a few months ago ... made me laugh, and I just had to share!!

Summer Fun

We love summer! 

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

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)!