Y'all...I'm MARRIED!

Just letting you know I still exist. I'm impatiently waiting for the photographer to get our pics back to us of that crazy, chaotic, whirlwind day. Until then, I've stolen this pic from my cute sis-in-law's blog.

This is Chris's great family. You know the second I get those pics, you'll get a post overloaded with photos. Until then, I'm pretending to be Susie Homemaker while I do the whole job hunt thing. Can't wait to give you a rundown of the day!!!

Giveaway! (not from me)

Remember how I think our photographer is awesome?!?! Well, I do. Not only is she a great photographer, she has an incredible heart. She has some friends who are doing a 5K fundraiser and is giving away a photo session and I'm not really posting this to win the session, but I do want to spread the word. And heck, if you spread the word too, you might be able to win a photo session!

Please take a moment to head over to her blog and learn more about the 5K and maybe even enter to run or walk it!

This...

This smile that I had the pleasure to receive in this picture. This is one of the many reasons I love him.

Roomie shower!

A few weeks ago, my roomies threw me my first bridal shower! They went to so much work to make it a success and I absolutely loved it!

Don't worry...it's sparkling pear juice

 The food was incredible:

I was blessed with lots of love and gifts, as you can see!

Now, I won't post pictures of all of the gifts, but I do have to talk about one. When I saw it, I told everyone that Chris would be so excited we got it! He wanted to register for it so badly, and I take advantage of any opportunity that he gets truly excited about anything wedding related. So, here's the gift:

And here's the use:

Can't tell what it is? It's laundry detergent! This was all his idea and I love it! He was seriously so excited to get it!

Thanks to all who came and supported us!

Jackson Hole

Guess who brought their camera to work today? So now, you get pictures.
First things first...Chris owns a motorcycle. I'd only been on it once before he tore his ACL and had to have surgery. But last month, we went on a trip with his sister, dad and old roommate up to Jackson Hole.

We left on a Friday morning and stopped in Logan at Juniper Take-Out for lunch. It's seriously one of my favorite eats in Logan - outside of The Formosa (which was, funny enough, a Leatherby's several years ago).

This is Doug, Chris's dad, figuring out the GPS

While on the road, I decided to take some pictures...

Probably shouldn't take cell pictures while driving...

My viewpoint on the motorcycle

 We took a day trip up to Yellowstone to see Old Faithful, because I had never been.

This little guy was looking for scraps

I got bored while waiting and noticed my hair made a funny shadow, Heather joined in the picture taking fun! Doug looked at me like I was crazy. He's probably right.

We had Mexican food at a really yummy restaurant that happened to have pigs painted everywhere on the walls.

Yummy! Sopapillas are a childhood favorite of mine!

After the yummy Mexican food!

I'm a hardcore motorcycle chick with a tattoo. You believe that, right?

At the end of the trip, I noticed this:

Bug guts from the trip

This was such a fun trip and I'm looking forward to going on some more! The Cooleys are a fun clan to travel with. Even if the trip meant I was walking funny for a day or two after...

Engaged! The Pictures

Remember how I got engaged, told you the story a little late and have basically ignored my blog? Well guess what? I have a second! So you get to see some of the results from our engagement shoot. I found our photographer, Sarah Tobler, while searching KSL Services and she is awesome! The thing I like about her the best is she has taken us to the most unassuming places and if I took you to the spot, you would never guess she got such great shots from there.
For our engagements, we met her on a trail up Little Cottonwood Canyon. So we took all of these shots while mountain bikers raced past us.

Here are a few of my favorites:

This one is possibly my favorite from the whole series

She had us do some "serious" shots, and I  think Chris looks like a sad little puppy dog in this one

So there you have it! Everything is coming together so nicely. We did our formal session this past week and I can't wait to see the results!

I have tons of pictures waiting to be uploaded and when I finally get to it, I'm sure there'll be a post overload.

Oh man. I know this video has been around the internet lately, but I just got around to watching it. If you've got a few minutes, listen to this. If you're as emotional as I am, grab a tissue.


Danny & Annie from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

I went to their actual website and am afraid to listen to some of the stories in public for fear that I'll become a complete mess while listening.

So, I have an odd sense of humor sometimes. Like with this commercial. I get uncontrolable giggles whenever I see it or try to explain it to someone.

Maybe someone else will find it as amusing as I do. Doubtful, but maybe. If not, at least you'll be able to have a moment to think about what a crazy I am.

Engaged! The Story

I know I'm full of empty promises about sharing the trip to Canada with you, but I figure I can at least give you the story of the proposal.

Normally, I like to think I'm a fairly observant and intuitive person, but I'm so glad I was completely clueless on July 15, 2010.

Back-story items:

• I was positive Chris had had the ring for sometime. I was also positive that he would try and fake me out when it came to a proposal. So I didn't ever think, "Is this the moment he's going to propose?"
• Chris was always asking if I still wanted to marry him. So, I was used to hearing "Do you want to marry me?" never taking it too seriously as "the moment".
• I wore a ring on my left hand which Chris would always fiddle with. After we'd gone ring shopping, every time he tried to fiddle with it, I would tell him that he wasn't allowed to touch that ring unless he was replacing it. 

Now, the story:

We headed to Lake Louise after breakfast and the plan was for me & Chris and Heather & James (Chris's sister and brother-in-law) to rent canoes and enjoy the lake while Chris's parents, sister, and nephews hung out lakeside.

We hopped in the canoes (probably 10 feet long) and got settled in and Chris's dad and two nephews came out as well. We all hung around close together for a little bit, taking pictures and goofing around. Then Chris and I went one direction and the other two canoes went another direction. Clueless instance #4:
   Karen: "Chris, why are we headed in another direction?"
   Chris: "We'll get over there in a minute, don't worry."
   K: "We're pretty close to the shore...you aren't planning to abandon me, are you?
   C: "Nope."

So we keep admiring the view and paddling out (he did way more paddling than I) and we stop. Clueless instance #5:
   C: "Let's just rest for a minute."
   K: (pulling out camera and snapping shots): "Sure! Let's rest! (picture-taking continues)
   C: "Wanna scoot back here for a minute?" (we weren't as close as he anticipated we would be)

I don't know why people trust me with cameras

I scooted (is that a word?) back and he scooted (scut? I don't know...) forward - into a puddle of water - and we started talking a bit, and he asked, "Do you want to marry me?" to which I answered yes (as I was accustomed to doing), then he told me that he loved me and asked if he could take my ring that I used to wear on my left hand. Then (poor guy) he had to practically lay down in the canoe to get just the ring and asked, "Will you marry me?" to which I answered, "Uh huh...I mean, YES!" Articulate and romantic, right? But he loves me even when I can't answer such an important question in the proper manner. We teased about accidentally dropping it in the lake, but decided that if that had happened, Chris could have used his SCUBA skills to retrieve it.

Pardon the lighting, but this is right after

Afterward, we rowed toward his sis & BIL and they weren't sure he had asked until his sis saw the glint from the sun. We took pictures (which my computer won't allow me to upload) and talked and rowed back to the dock. As we were coming into the dock, all of his family on the shoreline yelled, "Uncle Chris, did she say yes?!?!" When we got to them, his nephews (who didn't actually know until we were on the canoes) wouldn't stop grinning. It was way cute.

I had left my phone in the car, but Chris's dad was kind enough to let me borrow his for a second. I called my mom, who immediately said, "Can I call you back?" I told her no and told her that Chris asked. I called my dad next and his "Woo hoo!!!" was so loud I think people 10 feet away could have heard it.

I know we're talking, but I just love this shot

So that's the actual engagement story. Did you see that I started my clueless instances at 4? I was unaware of the first three until after the fact, but here they are:

•  Clueless Instance #1: I planned on going over to my parents the Saturday before we left to grab some movies from my dad. I was told to meet them at my sister's house and when I didn't cooperate and went to my parents anyway, my mom hopped right in my car as I pulled up to have me run to Home Depot with her. Apparently Chris was on his way to talk to my dad.
• Clueless Instance #2: Chris was the last to the breakfast table the day he proposed. He sat down next to me and I put my hand on his leg. He says that my hand was right on the ring box (which is why he only had the ring in his pocket on the canoe) and that when I put my hand on it, I looked down and looked right at him. I don't remember this at all.
• Clueless Instance #3: When we pulled into the parking lot, Chris's dad had a pair of binoculars and when someone asked why he had them, he said, "If ever there were a day for binoculars, this would be it." I chimed in and said, "Oh yeah! I bet there is a ton of cool wildlife and stuff!"

I wouldn't have had it any other way. I am beyond blessed to have Chris in my life and I know those close to me feel the same. In fact, I'm beginning to think my parents love him more than me... Now it's time to plan the next stage of my/our life!

P.S. The ring!!

Inspiration

I promise I'll write about Canada when I have more time to sit down and figure out which of the hundreds of pictures to post. In the meantime, I've been inspired.

First came this thanks to Martha Stewart Weddings:

Next came this, thanks to the all-mighty Google search engine:

Now I have a jumping point. Who's excited?!?!?! Oh right, that's me.

Catching Up - Midway

About a month ago, we took a trip up to Midway with my sister and her family.

While we ate at The Dairy Keen, Mel and Todd ate the best steak ever at the Bear Dance Cafe.

 

After dinner, we took the kids to the park. Isn't Abi pretty?

I think Connor was showing us a crocodile in this shot.

Carly looks just like her Mama in this picture.

We were swinging in tandem for a bit, although it's hard to tell here.

And last but not least, Dakota Boone. Isn't this the cutest shot?!?!

This was such a fun weekend. Up next, Canada!

Good Reading

I subscribe to a blog called Project Happily Ever After. I subscribed after reading this post, which I've already mentioned on my own blog and still (unfortunately) relate to at times.

The thing I love about her blog is how brutally honest she is. Sometimes I think we fear putting negative things out into the world or even acknowledging them in our own lives. I've learned the hard way that sometimes I have to really acknowledge the negative and ugly things in my life to make changes in myself. And I think that's what I appreciate about Alisa. She's willing to put things out there in order to make herself better.

Anyway, the reason for this post. This week, she's been documenting her "Karma Project" and lessons she's learned in a way that I really appreciated and wanted to share. So, if you've got time and want to read a good perspective, head on over and read her most recent posts.

P.S. I'm headed off for a week-long adventure to Canada. The last time I did a roadtrip was in 2006, so wish me luck on the long drive!

I'm Obsessed

I want one...how do I get one? I'm obsessed with these little creatures.

Ken's Dating Tips: Tip # 48

Okay, I haven't actually seen Toy Story 3 yet, but I saw this (and a couple of others) and laughed. I figured I could share the wealth with you. Enjoy!

Alive

I promise I'm still alive. Life has crept up on me and I've been neglecting you, my loyal reader. Did you miss me? I hope not too much. Things occupying my time:

Welcoming my newest nephew to the world. Dakota Boone Riches is so cute and the most snuggly of my nieces/nephews. He looks just like his daddy.

A trip to Roswell, where I played tourist for the first time in years (to keep the boy (aka Chris) entertained), but did not take a single picture. I'm the worst tourist ever. We did have a wonderful time visiting Lincoln, New Mexico and Carlsbad Caverns. It was a good diversion from thinking about the next ting that's occupied my time...

Pretending to be a nurse while Chris recovered from knee surgery. He's been a fantastic patient and is recovering beautifully, even though he's not back to 100% as soon as he'd like.

I wish I had something better than this to give you, but I'm loving living my life right now! There are a couple of trips planned for the summer, so hopefully I'll actually take my camera out and you can join in the fun with me!