brad and melissa

weekend in concert.

2011-12-12T09:43:00.001-07:00

this weekend had quite the theme. choir concerts. friday night we thought we’d hit up dinner and a U of U christmas choir concert to get in the mood (brad was dying to go to one-I’m glad he did, it was awesome). saturday night our ward christmas party held a little music concert, sunday morning we hit up music and the spoken word with our mutual, and sunday night we went and listened to brads parents choir concert with their stake.

saying that we’re filled with the spirit of christmas is an understatement. all the songs were beautiful, and nothing beats the feeling of chills throughout my body when a good song is playing. some might have even brought me to tears.

it was a fun-filled christmas-y weekend that got us into the season!

awolnation.

2011-12-09T08:33:00.000-07:00

i really, really, really like this song. brad doesn't like it so much. which is why i only listen to it while i'm at work. good thing for him too because it's on repeat.

just because I feel like I haven’t updated for a bit.

2011-12-06T10:03:00.000-07:00

we’ve been pretty boring lately. and by boring, I mean just working and studying…..and napping. (napping is me.)

I love being in our apartment with our tiny christmas lights hanging, our baby christmas tree shining, candles a-glowin, and christmas music playin. it feels cozy. therefore making it hard to leave and do things. even blogging is my last priority.

so who knows…maybe I’ll get enough energy to blog before christmas, but until then, happy napping!

robbie is officially gone.

2011-11-30T19:09:00.001-07:00

gosh, no one can quite prepare you for letting someone go for 2 years. especially someone that you love so much. I waned to bawl my eyes out and convince him to stay, but I know he’s doing exactly what the Lord wants, and what he needs. I couldn’t let him go. I still can’t let him go. there is going to be a huge, missing gap at our family dinners, our nights out, and just getting random texts from him throughout the week.

I’m going to miss his hugs. he might be the only sibling that hugs the other siblings when they walk through the door. it comes to natural to him. he has so much love. I’m going to miss his music. he always had the best music. I’m going to miss him laughing. he was always laughing at everyone’s jokes. I’m going to miss his humor. after we dropped him off, all we could do was think of all his funny jokes and sayings. even after he’s gone he will keep us laughing just thinking about him. I’m going to miss him. everything about him. I hope he knows how much our family loves him, and how long we sat there crying after he walked away for 2 years.

temple square.

2011-11-29T06:57:00.000-07:00

they never get old. we somehow have a craving every single year to go see them. even though every bulb is in the exact same place every year, the thrill of walking around with all the people and getting hot chocolate after is a tradition i hope never ends. more people, the merrier i say!

i’m as stuffed as a turkey.

2011-11-26T22:52:00.000-07:00

all that food preparing and longing for the holiday, then after 15 minutes of eating, it’s over just like that.

I’m so thankful for 2 families that love to talk and laugh around a dinner table.
I’m so thankful for a mom in law that gets teary eyed in the middle of ikea at the thought of all of her boys and their families being able to be under the same roof.
I’m so thankful for twitter, pinterest, and facbook that kept us entertained while the finishing touches were being done.
I’m thankful for not feeling pressure to eat one vegetable the entire weekend because of all the turkey and rolls that are leftover.
I’m thankful for sleeping on the couch closest to the door with brad, and in the middle of the night over hearing my sister and her boyfriend say the cutest things to each other as they were saying their goodbyes. (I’m sure they thought we were asleep)
I’m so so so thankful to have both families care so much for their kids and take hours and hours to prepare such wonderful meals and desserts just for our satisfaction.
I’m so thankful to feel so full. full from all the limitless food. full from all the laughs had with siblings from both mine and brads family. full from feeling so much love. full from feeling so blessed from a loving and merciful Heavenly Father.

we got our family pictures back from fotogenix.

2011-11-23T09:19:00.000-07:00

my mom sent this in an email asking what we thought of our family pictures.

i can't even tell you how hard i was laughing.

WHY ON EARTH?!! those kids are going to LOATHE their parents when they grow up.

they deserve every ounce of ridicule.

thanksgiving thought-i'm thankful for people like this.

fotogenix.

2011-11-22T07:09:00.001-07:00

do you remember fotogenix? the place where they have actual backdrops? the place where they make you sit with your back profoundly straight? the place where, you can't wear blue or else you'll be drowned out with the tie-dyed color of blue and white thats placed behind you? well, our family sure does. i can't tell you the jokes that were flying when our large family walked into fotogenix. thanks to my mom who still appreciates a good old fashioned photo session at fotogenix. we all had a good laugh when she announced where to meet up for our pictures.

after we hit up some ice-cream as a family and just enjoyed being together before robbie leaves next week. that's all we can do these days. just be together and enjoy having rob.

a byu game in black and white.

2011-11-21T13:41:00.000-07:00

we owe a huge thanks to scott and lyric for a fantastic saturday night! front frow, hot chocolate in hand, and blankets smothering our bodies. not to mention great conversation with lyric while the men were cheering.

please can we do it again? please bless....

half sleepovers are the best!

2011-11-18T11:34:00.001-07:00

is this not the cutest picture? we hung out with richy and jax the other night and had a blast. obviously me and brad were the only ones who had the blast, ha. jokes, but it was funny because we were watching orange county and at the first of the movie, we were all laughing, then before we know it me and brad are the only ones still laughing at the scenes. we look over and this is how we found them. my plan was to not wake them up so we could force them into having a sleepover with us. unfortunately, they woke up and my hopes were shattered. here's to hoping for a sleepover in the near future!!

hunger games.

2011-11-15T13:13:00.002-07:00

my little brother plays football.

2011-11-15T10:23:00.000-07:00

saturday was my little brother’s state championship football game. we were watching him play, having a ball, freezing our butts off. it felt like winter saturday, I’ll tell you what. we had so much fun despite the weather. we were screaming so loud, and making gentle josh dance for us to keep us occupied from the weather. and he did just that. I can’t wait to show you the footage, ha. he danced throughout the whole game. half of the bleachers were enjoying it too because they were all laughing just as hard as us.

after we hit up in and out to get warm with salt and fat. there’s something about burgers and cold weather. they go great together. then me and jax drove up to park city to shop and we ended up in a major blizzard. I loved it. we were going 30 miles an hour the entire way up. we chatted it up and blazed music. she likes her music just as loud as me, so it ended up being a major bonus to have her with me. we even got asked if we were twins at j. crew. I was gleaming. I would love to look like Pocahontas…….tall, dark and hot.

later that day…

my dad, “carson don’t forget to take out the garbage!”
carson, “dad…..champions don’t take out the garbage.”

p.s. i joined twitter. promise i love it. truly. please let's be twitter friends. @melerm.

smile for the camera!

2011-11-14T16:12:00.001-07:00

I remember growing up, right before heading out the door for church, my mom would line all 6 of us kids up and take our “sunday” picture. she would always stop us and say, “oh you guys look so nice all dressed up, let me take your picture really fast”. then gather us all together.

I came out of the bathroom from doing my final touch-ups for church and brad was standing there waiting for me to finish (like always…it’s not fair he takes 6.3 seconds to get ready) and he looked so cute all dressed up with his scriptures in hand. so I pulled a mona and gathered us together to take a “sunday” picture.

most random.

2011-11-11T14:10:00.002-07:00

here’s some random pictures for you. because I’m about to share some random updates that have been going on lately…

brad got a new job. I’m so proud of him. I should say more like a new career. we’re adults now. true, blue adults.
we hung out with kelley and candice marsh. we played a loud game of yahtzee, then we had a spelling bee. it was hilarious. the boys would give me and candice words to spell out, (we had to stand up and everything with our arms to our sides), and then we gave the boys words. they won. try it sometime. it’s hilarious.
I’m pregnant. haha, just kidding, but I bet I gotcha. no one will believe me when I actually am because I say that joke almost daily.
we still love costco with all our hearts.
I bought a pair of shoes with my mom in law at payless. I haven’t been there in years. then me and her bought tampons at shopko. another place I haven’t been in years. I loved hanging out with her.
me and brad went on a date to red rock. I got a pear, blue cheese, and walnut pizza. my breath hasn’t been the same.
brad learned how to play christmas songs on the guitar. he’s hot when he’s behind that guitar.
we watched theeeee scariest movie called the fourth kind, and I see this woman’s possessed face in my mind every. single. day. mostly when I’m going to work at 6:00 in the morning and it’s pitch dark outside. I get so scared.
brad’s literally buzzing his head right now in the kitchen.
life has been good to us and we're happy, and we're so grateful. so so grateful.

how the majestic sleep....

2011-11-09T10:43:00.000-07:00

this is how robbie sleeps now that he has his mission call.

promise this was not set up. he literally fell asleep like this the night of his farewell.

and us sisters couldn't have been more happy that we had our cameras.

he's a true stallion at heart.

baby calebs’ blessing.

2011-11-08T06:53:00.000-07:00

you guys my camera sucks. I apologize. I think it’s about time christmas lists were being made for the soul purpse of knowing I can start shopping around for a new camera.

this weekend we all headed down to provo to listen to the beautiful blessing of brads new nephew. ryan and liz’s new boy, caleb. I got all choked up thinking of that little boy looking up during his blessing. he would see 5 uncles, 2 great grandpas, 2 grandpas and his dad who all watch over, protect and love that little boy. what a blessing for him. it was the first time I thought about that during a baby blessing. the vision of inside that circle and what the little baby would see. I’m sure it’s a powerful thing to actually be in the circle. the priesthood is such a miracle don’t you think? i felt so much gratitude for the priesthood during that blessing.

i also felt gratitude for the gourmet food liz made for everyone after the blessing! she's a powerhouse.

lib and jeff are now living in idaho, so it's been fantastic being able to see them so much. aside from the fact that breena always calls me a weirdo:). she is quite mature....

we made it a cozy day.

2011-11-07T12:03:00.000-07:00

saturday was wonderful. and by wonderful i mean it felt like christmas in our apt. there's something about the snow that makes it perfectly ok to stay inside and cozy up. brad made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies from a real pumpkin we grew in the garden, i finally lit my apple/cranberry candle that filled our place like christmas glory, we let our sufjan stevens christmas music play and just hung out in our slippers.

i'm literally ready for christmas. the only thing missing is a fireplace.

we finally are ready to grow up and shop like the big people.

2011-11-05T17:00:00.001-06:00

this little card is going to do some major damage…….and a little good. we find any reason to go. even if it’s just to hit up lunch with the samples. the worst part is we’ve discovered that we can’t spend less than $100 every time we go. it’s horrible. except today, we left with only 4 boxes of truffles. that was it. so we were proud of ourselves that we limited our spendings to only necessities today. I’m not lying when I say those truffles are only for us. we figured we would each have one every day for a year. promise we sat there doing the math trying to find reasoning.

little gentle joshie.

2011-11-03T13:20:00.002-06:00

gentle josh’s prayer the other night:
“…and please help us to find a cure for melissa’s diabetes”…
I’m sure going to miss him when he’s translated. he’s too heavenly and pure to be on this wretched earth.

the leaves are what get to me.

2011-11-02T10:26:00.001-06:00

salt lake in the fall is everything I dream fall to be. the trees shed these golden leaves that you can’t help but stop and stare at. they cover the roads like snow. last week I was sick and while I was laying in bed I could see all the leaves falling down outside my window. they were pouring. it honestly looked like it was raining leaves. cheered me up while I was sitting there thinking I was dying. (even though I’m sure I just had a bad cold…I’m a wuss.)

halloween picture dump.

2011-10-31T11:33:00.001-06:00

friday night we threw a dance party at my folks house. the turnout was awesome, and seeing all the costumes were thee best part! I unfortunately didn’t get a lot of pictures of the party because well…I was too busy dancing. but I did get pictures of some of the first ones to arrive and their fantastic costumes.

we went to another party saturday night with kelley and candice that was also a riot. the company was great and we had a little too much fun with the halloween dance back-drop.

for our party I dressed up as an 80’s news anchor, but everyone thought I was a relief society president. and the second party I went as bert from sesame street. and brad went as a brazilian mail boy for both. with both halloween parties and the farewell, it was literally one of the best weekends of my life. no joke. I’m so sad it’s over.

(the winners for the best costume all weekend!!! erin and jack as surf girl and the shark)

robbie’s farewell.

2011-10-31T11:05:00.001-06:00

robbie did such an incredible job on his talk.

it was cute to see him so nervous, and sound so mature up there.

it was even better to see who all came to support him. we had some relatives come in from canada just for his talk.

it meant so much to the family to see everyone! we all adore him so much. I honestly wish a farewell took place monthly. it was a treasure being able to sit and catch up with so many people that we don’t get to see all the time.

especially my aunts, uncles and cousins. I love them so much. have I mentioned that yet? haha.

halloween is almost here!

2011-10-27T20:55:00.001-06:00

this is autumn. she’s 14. she’s one of my young women. sometimes when I’m with her I actually think I’m hanging out with an extremely mature 30 year old. there was even a time I was dropping her off and before she got out of the car I yelled, “let’s hang out sometime!”. she yelled back by saying, “how about I come over right now and we can watch the nightmare before christmas!”. that was music to my ears. so we did just that. me, brad and autumn popped popcorn and watched a nightmare before christmas. that night I was thankful she wasn’t a 30 year old. she didn’t have a husband to get back too, or kids she was feeling bad about for leaving them with her husband. it was a spur of the moment hang out that I’ll treasure.

she’s one of the most creative and original humans I’ve ever met. before she goes famous, which I’m sure she will as a fashion designer or the ceo of a trendy magazine, I’m lucky enough to say I knew her at one point. while we were at a halloween church party, she was in the corner snapping these pictures of herself with my camera. it was a treat to find them later that night.

speaking of autumn, she thrives off of halloween. something we both have in common! please if you’re not doing anything friday night, come straight over to my parents house for a halloween party! we’ll be there dancing and partying.

another cheney experience, but this time in the fall.

2011-10-24T22:00:00.001-06:00

we were lucky enough to be invited up to the cheney’s cabin with some other ward members again.

man, and I thought immigration canyon was gorge. immigration has nothing on heber. the colors were out of this world. we couldn't be outside enough. later that night we had a little halloween party and stayed up till 2 just talking and laughing. one of the best activities in my opinion. the wee hours are the best no matter the people. that’s when the conversations get good. and they were good!

we had a big halloween breakfast (sausage-wolf fingers, green pancakes-Frankenstein's skin, red scramble eggs-brains…you get the picture: )) and made another trek up to the water towers to check out the view. that view gets me every time.

when we were riding on the 3-wheelers and looking at the fields of green and gold, my heart got so full. I felt so blessed to be able to do things like this. I know that sounds cheesy, but I felt so lucky in that moment. I felt like I had zero excuse to complain about anything else on this earth. I felt alive, peaceful, and loved. what could anyone complain about when feeling like that? I couldn’t help but squeeze brad on that 3-wheeler and let the crisp, fall breeze take over.

robbie’s mature now.

2011-10-21T08:50:00.000-06:00

he's officially grown up.

he's got the new under-armor to prove it.

we went with robbie through the temple last night.

we cried in the temple together, laughed in the temple together, and hugged him so tight.

it was a wonderful experience that i wouldn't have missed for the anything.

thank goodness families can be together forever.

i wouldn't/couldn't make it through this life without them,

and i'm pretty sure i wouldn't make it through eternity without them.

a sunday drive in the middle of fall.

2011-10-19T10:58:00.001-06:00

we went for a drive up immigration canyon sunday evening to enjoy some fall. it was absolutely beautiful. the air was brisk and the leaves were magnificent. or colors I should say. we both couldn’t stop pulling over to check out the colors and walk around the trees. I loved the windy roads because behind every corner was a new batch of colors to behold. I got raging jealous of all the little hidden cabins you could see spotted with their roofs throughout the mountains. which then started our conversation of “would you rather buy a cabin, or a house with a pool?” or “would you rather get lost in the forest, or stranded in the ocean?” or “would you rather wipe your butt with a colorful leaf or a peacocks feather?” or “would you rather live in fall for the rest of your life, or spring?”. then we started getting to the really important stuff like, “do you think if you were stranded and lost and knew you were going to die, would you bother trying to find something to wipe with, or would you just go in your pants?’

also, I highly recommend listening to these guys on your next sunday drive. they’re one of brads faves.

they set the mood for our colorful, fall drive and made it that much more enjoyable.

getting our pumpkin on.

2011-10-18T10:06:00.001-06:00

we took jax and her man, richy to bayleaf on main street for some dinner friday night. we then finished with some pumpkin carving and an old timer movie that only brad and richy stayed awake to see. us weidners have a serious problem with falling asleep in movies. I think I hit my lowest point when I fell asleep in jurassic park in the theatre on a date. I can’t imagine I cared too much for that guy anyways.

I’ve got to say, I think every member in my family is hilarious (biased), but it seems like the older jax gets, the funnier she is. she was whipping out comments that still have me laughing. I think her and richy are a cute couple. they both bring out the funny in each other. which, in my opinion, is a dang good thing.

p.s. how about brads bill cosby? I knew he was serious about it when sunday morning he got dressed in his suit and tie, didn’t even have breakfast, and went straight over to finish up his cosby before church.

brad is more spiritual then you think....

2011-10-17T13:54:00.000-06:00

he can................walk on water.

(warning: my voice is hideous. sorry.)

antelope island.

2011-10-16T20:41:00.001-06:00

have you ever been before? it was our first time and I seriously was blown away. I couldn’t believe we’ve never been.

I thought I’d ditch out from work on friday and spend the day with bradley at antelope. it was stunning. like, I was floored to be honest. the hike was incredible and the water around it was beautiful. it didn’t even feel like we were in utah.

I’m sure we would have enjoyed the scenery even more but we were more intrigued with how freaking huge the buffalo’s dumps were. some of them took up the whole path.

I have a love/hate relationship with my scrubs.

2011-10-14T09:21:00.001-06:00

love.

I love how comfortable, breathable, and relaxing they are.

I love that it’s an outfit already picked out.

I love the different colors.

I love how it’s ok to spill on them.

I love how I’m literally thoughts away from sleeping in them.

I love how they look professional, even though I’m not.

I love that I feel like I’m walking around in nothing most of the day.

hate.

I hate how much I rely on them.

I hate that I wear nothing else.

I hate how tempted I am to sleep in them.

I hate how easy it is to wear them anywhere, even after work.

I hate how hard it is for me to get out of them.

I hate how uncomfortable I feel in regular clothes.

I hate how people ask me for medical advice because I’m wearing scrubs.

I hate how I actually make up medical advice because I don’t want them to think I’m someone who walks around in scrubs.

doing halloween stuff…

2011-10-13T08:51:00.001-06:00

we played with kelley and candice last night. we first hit up sonic and ate hot dogs and shakes at the park. their hot dogs are just as good as the commercial makes them look. delicious.

we then went over to their place to talk, watch the men carve one pumpkin, and they even roasted pumpkin seeds for us that tasted awesome. it was cute seeing the guys so domestic. me and candice just sat on the couch and talked about how scary it would be to give birth to a human (we’re not pregnant, that was just our topic for some reason). and then we pretended that we are going to plan another insane trip together, like last years europe trip. that might have been too good to be true. but oh well, we can at least pretend something like that could happen again.

a few more gems from the haunted house.

2011-10-12T08:33:00.001-06:00

diabetics get trendy.

2011-10-11T07:36:00.001-06:00

we got invited to another diabetic mixer. this time it was at café niche. trendy. the food was awesome, and of course every. single. thing had the carbs available to count so you knew exactly how much crap you were eating. the music was awesome, and the auction was a hit again. brad won a huge picture of oprah winfrey and next to her face it said, “make it happen”. this morning I woke up at 5:30 to go pee and that huge picture was hanging above our toilet. it scared me actually. I think brad is secretly proud of his winnings. and of course it was so wonderful to sit and talk with diabetics (the party is for type 1’s only, haha) with the same experiences, mood swings, high and lows, blah blah blah. it’s also nice for brad to sit and talk with the spouses of diabetics. he loves it more than I do I think.

nightmare on 13th.

2011-10-10T10:23:00.001-06:00

this is kristy and jarvis. kristy is erin’s sister, and jarvis is kristy’s fiance. kristy and jarvis are one of the cutest/sweetest couples I’ve met.

erin’s pose on the left scared more people (including me and brad) standing in line than we could count. it’s freaky.

even though my voice is scratchy from all the screaming, it’s always a blast going into those devilish houses. we even had a dance out in the parking lot of the mexican restaurant we ate at after the haunted house. I would say that was the highlight! this group of people was more fun than I could have ever expected.

the good stuff is always free.

2011-10-07T07:48:00.001-06:00

the other day I went for a hike up ensigns peak to let brad have some peace and quiet while he studied. the weather was more than what I could have asked for. I finally reached the top after heaving and thinking I was going to die about 17 times on the path. 8 sister missionaries were up there at the top all ecstatic about the view. one was from korea, italy, africa, sweden, 2 from australia, and 2 from the east coast in the u.s.. they asked me all sorts of questions about what it was like to live in utah. then they told me all the incredible reasons why it would be awesome to live here. most of those things I take for granted of course. and then I was able to ask all the questions I wanted about where they all lived and what it was like.

we had conversations that I know I will remember for the rest of my life about Heavenly Father, families, struggles, the gospel and all the tender mercies in life. we laughed, promise I cried at some points, and I was able to hug every single one of them before they left. we were all up there for about an hour and a half, and throughout the conversations I was able to hear every single one of them bare their testimony in one way or another in their own, beautiful accents.

they even wanted a picture with me at the end. so there I was at the top of ensigns peak, in the middle of 8 sister missionaries, looking like a man, getting my picture taken with them. I’ll treasure that evening with all my life. and the best part? I didn’t have to pay a cent for such a great experience.

awesome.

2011-10-07T07:27:00.001-06:00

blueberries and lemons go good together.

2011-10-06T06:33:00.001-06:00

ingrid michaelson said it best when she said, “the sky looks pissed.”
yesterday the sky looked pissed. the rain was harsh, and there was no need for that wind.
so the only thing to do was stay inside with lemon and blueberry pancakes and cozy up.

I can make the worlds ugliest faces.

2011-10-05T14:35:00.002-06:00

one night I was wide awake and brad was super tired. I felt hyper and obnoxious.

I kept tossing and turning because I couldn’t sleep and it was annoying me…..and brad I’m sure.

brad turned his head around, probably to ask what was going on, so i thought i'd give him a thrill with that face.

he screamed so loud and got as far away from my face as possible. I think he thought I was possessed.

classic.

this is what the ladies did while the men were at priesthood...

2011-10-04T07:18:00.002-06:00

we danced at joanna's while picking out crafts.

i think the carbs from speghetti factory got me a little hyper.

sorry it's sideways....
and i believe my next line after "ok" was, "i need to grow up".

p.s. how about mom-lisa's (brads mom) laugh in the background? if that doesn't make you happy i don't know what would.

october conference 2011.

2011-10-03T17:43:00.001-06:00

this conference weekend was full of wisdom, fat, and much needed time with brad. this was actually our first conference that we watched with just us 2. it was bliss. I went balls out and bought a crap load of good food. we ate like lazy kings all day sunday. he tickled my feet and I tickled his under the blanket while sprawled out on our couch throughout all of conference. I found so much peace and solace from the prophet and apostles teachings. I always feel so full of hope and happiness after listening. and it also helps me to get my butt in gear and be better in every aspect. this motivation usually lasts about a week. which is why it takes place 2 times a year I’m guessing.

after we went for a walk because we were getting to the point where we couldn’t even move from being so full. we got back and played a game of yahtzee, watched 3 movies and ate some more. umm, no that was not a typo-we really can watch 3 movies in one sitting. then finished the night with a dance in our living room. we felt the urge after watching a certain movie. when brad wants to dance, he might as well tell me he planned a trip around the world for us. I get the same excitement…

san diego, california!!

2011-10-03T10:33:00.002-06:00

little robbie!!! we’re going to miss him so much! he got his mission call last week and now I feel like there’s going to be a giant black hole without him at the house. of course we are so happy for him and his decision, but man…it’s hard. he had so many people come and support him just opening his call. it just goes to show how fun and incredibly nice of a person he is. we all adore him so much. I’m tearing up just thinking about him going. which is just a glimse, i'm sure as to what my parents feel. they were bawling when he opened it. it broke my heart to see them over in the corner crying while all his friends were hugging him and congratulating him. we are all so proud of him!

I told him I give him 2 months before he ditches the mish and lives life as a beach bum…

that life sounds pretty nice to be honest.

suzanne’s surprise 30th birthday!

2011-09-29T12:15:00.002-06:00

suzanne (our good friend, apartment manager, and young woman counselor) had her 30th birthday last week! her husband wanted to make it a surprise so brad got his grandparents house with the pool inside, and we threw a surprise hawaiin par-tay! I thought it turned out awesome!! I like me some surprise parties…they are always a blast! the anticipation alone is worth it.

a fast weekend trip to canada is the answer to a happy life.

2011-09-27T14:49:00.001-06:00

while brad was at home studying his buttcheeks off, me, jax and mike thought we would take a fast weekend trip up to canada. believe me, fast weekend doesn’t do justice. we left friday at 3. rolled in at 4:30 am and left sunday morning. we were literally driving longer than we were in the country. but let me tell you, it was the most needed trip of a lifetime. to breathe fresh air. and by fresh air I mean feel freed from the world and it’s trials.

we sat around and talked with my beloved grandma and grandpa, and some of my other awesomely fantastic cousins that drove over to meet with us for the weekend. we picked fresh strawberries and raspberries. drove the 4 wheeler. had a weeny roast. talked and laughed. jumped hay bails (something we haven’t done for years!….it felt dang good) and talked some more.

we showed mike the farm and walked around and talked with the cows. there’s something about them that makes me laugh my butt off. they are the dumbest animals alive. I love it. that one of their eyes makes me roll.

I love my extended family so much. I get choked up just thinking about them. I honestly wouldn’t be able to make it through this life without them. they are all my best of friends and I treasure every minute of being with them. which is why we are willing to drive 24 hours to see them for a day. and my grandma and grandpa…I can’t even think about them without crying. the purest people on earth. I feel so grateful. my heart feels like it’s going to pop with how excited I get thinking of heaven with them.

best quote of the trip:

me, “grandma, how old are you?”

grandma says in a sad voice, “I’m 83..(sigh)….it’s the oldest I’ve ever been.”

we had a good laugh.

date night to donut falls

2011-09-22T12:33:00.001-06:00

I could not believe my eyes when erin and jack got in that ice water! ballsy. it was so fun being with them last night for a little date night. they’re freaking hilarious! we hiked up to donut falls, came back and stuffed ourselves senseless at a mongolian buffet. then finished the night picking up as many treats as we could get our hands on and watching hot rod. that movie is hilarious by the way. if you haven’t seen it, absolutely make it a goal. only if you like dumb humor. it was freezing up there, so it was nice to come back and cuddle up on the couch. erin even let me cuddle with her fresh new born during the whole movie. I couldn’t get enough of her (baby skye). I kept nuzzling my nose into her soft, mooshy cheeks. I always tell brad one of my biggest things I can’t wait for with a kid is cozying up to a movie with a new born cuddled up in my arms. and let me tell you, last night was exactly how I imagined it. thanks erin for letting me get a feel : ).

reese turns 3!

2011-09-21T09:42:00.001-06:00

there’s red eye in about every picture, the lighting is horrible and my camera sucks.

and these are still my favorite pictures.

I love more than anything when my family gets together. especially for a birthday!

stace’s cake was divine and the company was hilarious.

reese…….I know in my heart we’ll have a connection till the day I die.

I love you and treasure you so much! thanks stace for inviting us and making it happen!

p.s. a lot of people wearing blue that night. they all called each other before hand.

porch talk

2011-09-20T18:37:00.001-06:00

boys and periods. what else is there to talk about on a sunday afternoon with just the girls when the weather is sublime?

temple.

2011-09-20T07:03:00.000-06:00

we never know how much we need the temple in our lives until we actually go.
you'd think that being able to see it from our window would be a good enough reminder.

crossing guard duty.

2011-09-19T14:44:00.000-06:00

our ward was asked for some volunteers to help with crossing guard duty saturday morning for the 9th and 9th festival.

of course brad signed us up.

it was tedious, and annoying, and for the most part people thought we were just doing it to be dumb, ha. that being said, i learned quite a big lesson from doing it. i could not believe it when random people would tell me "thank you". have you ever thanked a crossing guard? i sure have never even thought about it. let alone noticed them. i was so humbled when people not only noticed us holding up the flag,

but went out of there way to say "thank you" to us.

i want to be like those people that noticed.

i want to be someone that is aware of even those small acts of service,

and make them a big deal to the person that is doing it.

this chick is radiating awesomeness.

2011-09-16T08:43:00.000-06:00

a little part of me wants to be able to do this.

rap uncontrollably that is.

as of lately.

2011-09-15T09:40:00.000-06:00

last night i went for a walk to fill up some water jugs at the well. i was a little nervous at first walking by myself so late, and then i got to walking and everyone one was out. people were walking, talking, biking and of course smoking. the weather was perfect and it seemed so calm in the streets. you could see all the lights from the city and it seemed like everyone was saying "hi" as i walked by. i loved it so much. and i also loved seeing those hammocks in someones front yard. i love living in the city.

we've been doing some redecorating over at our place. kinda feels like a new little apartment over here.
it's been fun for me, i'm not gonna lie.

we discovered that when you put bre cheese, prosciutto, and arugala together, it makes a fantastic little meal. try it sometime.

poor brad, this is all he's been doing lately now that school has started. one night he studied from 1 in the afternoon to midnight. i can't fathom. it literally makes me sick thinking of having to do that.

i couldn't believe my eyes when i saw ben & jerry's new flavour!!!!! i cannot imagine what it tastes like! it gave me and brad a good laugh.

this picture is merely trying out new features to the camera. i thought it looked kinda cool. and i like when brad kisses my eye when i don't have makeup on. cheesy.

and i just love this last picture. no reason for it.

this is how we roll sometimes.

2011-09-14T12:43:00.000-06:00

sometimes we go a little buck wild with the "all you can eat".

or robbie does at least.

pizza planet.

2011-09-13T15:36:00.000-06:00

i don't know what that place is called where we went,

but for some reason i want to call it pizza planet.

it's a fun place. go carts, laser tag, mini golf and some of the nastiest pizza you'll eat.

it's great. thanks josh for giving us an excuse to hang out and party!

Helium style!

2011-09-12T13:16:00.000-06:00

3 things...

1. i hate that my voice is so low, that when i suck helium it sounds normal.

2. my balls weren't really showing, we are big ace ventura fans. sorry for the crudeness.
3. this was at joshie's birthday. while he played the older ones all sat behind and played with helium. we might have had more fun:).

our bikes are old and ugly, but they still work gosh darn it.

2011-09-12T10:55:00.000-06:00

loco lizard mexican + bike ride along the mountain to main street, park city + rocky mountain chocolate bars + having to pee so bad along the path that i got bladder muscle cramps + trying to find the trail while it's pitch dark on the way back + both of us howling while riding so our voices echoed against the mountain = a good night with brad.

gentle josh.....our version of september 11th.

2011-09-11T10:00:00.005-06:00

oh joshie. just thinking of you melts me. you have the heart of a lamb, and the body of a lizard.

you're starting to get so funny the older you get. it's rare when you talk, but when you do...we all live for it.

your as loving and tender as an angel. cooper adores you as an uncle (or idol) and the way you play with him and give him attention is so Christlike. i'm sure cooper thinks you guys are cousins...or even brothers.

we all should be learning from you brother.

i'm honored to call you sibling, and september 11th will forever and always be a day of sweet rememberance for the weidners.

happy 10th birthday josh! i love you down to the core.

thanks florence for keeping me busy when i don't feel like working.

2011-09-09T11:26:00.001-06:00

my sister stace introduced me to this chick awhile back.
i've been smitten ever since.
i may or may not have just waisted 2 hours at work watching all of her music videos.
cosmic love is by far my favorite of her tunes. it's been on repeat for days now.
and the video hypnotizes me.

labor day weekend.

2011-09-08T22:38:00.001-06:00

banbury doughnuts to start off the weekend.
listening to brads uncle play for us. (his uncle is a celebrity in china. he plays in a popular band there, he might be he coolest person I know.)
staying up till midnight so we could celebrate jax’s birthday. mike brought over martinelli’s for us to toast to.
going to ihop with the family monday morning for jax’s birthday.
watching orange county with family, plus friends, all crammed on the living room floor with tons of blankets that ended in a sleepover.
going to ikea with stace and my mom. on the way we introduced her to alanis morsette. she didn’t enjoy her as much as we do.
eating another incredible meal made by the halls.
lounging around with both families and relaxing in pj’s.

we are now those annoying bike riders. i'm sorry.

2011-09-08T15:01:00.000-06:00

last night we hopped on our bikes and rode to arctic circle for some cones. we figure as long as we exercise to the treats, then we're good. the weather was so great and crisp that we ended up riding everywhere down town. it wasn't until i almost rode into another car that i realized i am the essence of what i can't stand about bike riders. they think that roads were built for them, and cars are the nuisance. well, either way, it was fun and i've fallen head over heels for my new/old bike. how about it eh? the only thing missing is a banana seat.

fall.

2011-09-07T13:53:00.000-06:00

a new season. new colors. new smells. new holidays. new experiences.

a new state of mind. a fresh start.

another reason why i love the change in seasons so much.

gives me an excuse to make changes in my own life.

something that i never thought i would be so thankful for.

happy birthday jax!

2011-09-06T08:14:00.000-06:00

happy birthday my sister! you are strong. you have the ability to laugh in the same moment you are crying. and not only laugh, but make others laugh. you are always willing to drop everything to help someone out. you are stunningly beautiful. that foreign look with those wolf eyes, wowsers. you're gorgeous. thank you so much for always caring about me, for loving me, and more than anything making me feel so lucky to have such a wonderful sister! i love you so much jaclyn. i hope you know that, and forever know that. your everything a best friend is. not to mention you're freaking hilarious. i hope you had a good one yesterday:). i sure did.

(jax is the bottom row, second in line from the left. the only one who looks like their life is finished.)

we like meeting up with stace and her family.

2011-08-30T12:25:00.006-06:00

we met up with stace, dave and the kids and hit up rubios and crepes.

we like fat. and eating together. so it worked out perfectly.

it was fun catching up and seeing the kids. weeks feel like years to us.

so you can imagine we had a lot to talk about. like dreaming of moving to san diego together.

things like that happen right? sisters and they're families moving to the coast and living as neighbors?

please tell me it happens. please.

doing nothing feels good.

2011-08-29T09:29:00.003-06:00

saturday night was by far my favorite.

we found a cheap bike for me on the side of the road. brad worked on it all night to spruce it up.

i made some shrimp and salsa, so he paused the bike working and we ate on the floor (which we actually do 6 days out of 7).

he kept working, so i folded laundry next to him. all the while we were listening to some great npr stories in the background. it was quiet, and mellow. after i was done, i made some cookies. by this time it was 11:00.

we finished the night with some chocolate chip and walnut cookies with milk in bed.

we both agreed that it turned out to be a much needed night together.

vegetables.

2011-08-26T19:20:00.000-06:00

freshly picked veggies, right out of the garden.
i never in a million years thought i would drool this much over freshly picked veggies.
the colors. the smell. the freaking taste. i can't get enough.

we actually kind of like painting now.

2011-08-26T10:23:00.002-06:00

last night we did some painting for a friend. i'm not going to lie, it made us excited to move into our own house someday.
which seems like ions away. we had a good time though. good music going, good conversation, sweet tooth fairy cupcakes. we had fun.

but-there's even something better! CRIMSON NIGHT TONIGHT! booya!

for all of you who want to join the goob-jack train, please come!

any loser is welcome. you'll know what i mean when you get there.

an update of nonsense.

2011-08-24T08:57:00.001-06:00

sometimes i forget that the blog is for keeping in touch too. not just writing about nothingness.

so i thought i would jot down a couple of things that have been taking place in our small lives.

brad's on his last semester of school right now. just typing that sends relief.
i got a job interview for a pretty cool job. cross your fingers for me. i'm hoping for this one!
we've finally learned how to make home-made salsa. it's all we've been eating lately. our breathe wreaks like garlic all the time.
we've learned how to take walks at night together. something i wish we started doing 3 months ago.
after not having ac in our car for 3 and a half years, we finally made the purchase of $25 and got it fixed. (ummmm, if we knew that it could have been fixed for that much, believe me, we wouldn't have suffered for so long.)
i smashed the face of my cell phone. literal pieces of plastic are left in my ear every time i talk on it.
we currently are sleeping on a mattress that's on the floor. our bed frame broke. one of my young women saw that and said, "you guys look like your homeless". it's very true. we do.
brad woke up at 2 in the morning to me propped up on my side with my head leaning on my hand talking to him in my sleep. scared the crap out of him.
we're going to settebellos tonight. it's all i can think about right now.

boating is cool.

2011-08-22T10:33:00.000-06:00

we took the boat out one last time before school starts.

i can't imagine growing up with a boat. the luxury.

the second brad told me his family had a boat in high school,

i did everything in my power to get him down the aisle.

and let me tell you, it was worth every second of trying.

and just in case your wondering, that hot mamma on the surf board is in fact 8 months pregnant.

blew my mind. her coolness jumped up a few notches on my chart after watching her.

i didn't surf because i was saving every ounce of energy for that water weenie.

despite how much energy i had for the weenie, i still woke up the next morning feeling like someone had taken a sludge hammer and beat the crap out of me in the middle of the night.

maybe brad really did....who knows.

a little movie of our summer night.

2011-08-19T08:29:00.000-06:00

other than the water being glacier cold, it was an absolute blast!

i'd chalk it up to be the perfect way to end a summer.

we love when people come to salt lake to visit us.

2011-08-18T09:57:00.002-06:00

lately my sister jax has been coming up more frequently to salt lake to come hang out with us.

she brings some of my absolute most favorite people on earth, her best friends. mike, mccall and her man richy.

life is good when they’re around….and with ice-cream in our hands.

thanks jax for making our days!

good song for a good tuesday.

2011-08-16T22:33:00.000-06:00

thank you honda commercial. it's one of my faves now.

i walked for an hour today, and listened to only this song.

the best part about it? is that after listening to this song for an hour straight, i actually still like it.

youth conference.

2011-08-14T23:17:00.001-06:00

in our ward there are only 7 kids. we have 4 of the most beautiful girls, and 3 of most tender hearted boys. me and brad had the awesome experience of planning youth conference together, with the help of our counselors of course-suzanne especially, and it turned out to be one of the funnest weekends ever. we hit up park city for the slide and zipline, made a candlelight dinner for 2 handicapped couples, went boating with the one and only water weenie, and were able to stay at one of the coolest cabins ever. we played games, talked late into the nights, had fantastic devotionals, and listened to the sweetest testimonies around a fire. don't even get me started on the home-cooked dutch oven meals and desserts.

most of these kids come from some of the roughest backgrounds i've ever imagined, but have some of the strongest spirits i've ever come across, and some of the brightest personalities i've met. something that i noticed on this little 4 day excursion is that they all watch out for one another. they look out for each other. they all understand life's trials and what they all have to endure. i loved watching them laugh together, compliment each other, and cheer one another on. i want to learn from them. i want to be like them. i want to have their courage. it was exactly where i needed to be at the right exact time.

that being said.....i'm absolutely exhausted. i'm ready for this extremely busy summer to be over with where life can be mellow and lazy again:).

(left to right-suzanne, 1st counselor, brad, ym pres., melissa, yw pres., bro. and sis. cheney, owners of the cabin)

organic is cool......

2011-08-10T21:19:00.000-06:00

even though i cringe every time i hear the words organic, vintage, anthropology, sew-project,

or antique furniture on blogs, i must say that this miniature organic fresh market was quaint.

we got some "organic" beef jerky that actually was the best we've ever tasted.

bought some "organic" honey that didn't spike my blood sugars and tasted as sweet as 2 bees mating.

and to top that off we bought some of the best "organic" limeade drinks we've ever had.

thanks organic trend for making us believe everything tastes so much better because it has the word organic in front of it.

it worked this time.

we loved all of it.

a perfect day for a sweet celebration.

2011-08-09T17:05:00.000-06:00

brad's grandpa and his cute little girlfriend, anne, (both are almost 90) ran off and got married. could you die? last saturday we all celebrated their little wedding with a giant picnic. i can't believe i didn't get any pictures of them, but there were so many people that we all went off and played in the grass. it was right by the mountain and all the field a kid could ask for. it was beautiful.

promise i almost gave her some lingerie for fun, and then i got incredibly uncomfortable thinking of actually giving it to her. i didn't want her to take me too serious. so instead i just gave her the advice that sometimes "the first year is the hardest."

while we were all playing, ashlyn sat on my lap and grabbed my face in both her hands and said, "aunt melissa, are we going to be best friends forever do you think? because i really want to be best friends forever." one of the sweetest things i've ever heard. i can only pray we are.

goodbye lester, mike and little jake.

2011-08-05T16:05:00.000-06:00

leslie and mike are finally moving out of horrible laramie, wyoming.

this was the first time me and les have ever lived in the same country let alone within 6 hours.

so me and brad took this week to go say our goodbyes and enjoy them living so close one last time.

it was awesome as usual.

one night we drove over to ft. collins, colorado (which is beautiful by the way)

and had some of the best bbq meat ever.

it was so good to sit and talk to les into the night.

i love her so much. even though our lives have changed, our personalities have somewhat matured,

and she has a freaking cute little boy now.......we still are the best of friends.

and we still laugh at the same dumb things.

thanks les and mike! i'm really going to miss being state neighbors.

leftovers from california on the iphone.

2011-08-02T10:20:00.000-06:00

now....back to reality. and eating healthy.

the sunset at venice beach, part III

2011-08-01T00:22:00.000-06:00

venice beach was beautiful. 'nuff said.

we found a little mexican restaurant by the beach and enjoyed the good food. we walked the beach shore line with the cold sand under our toes. we basked in the sunset. we played around with the camera for a bit and took some pictures. we talked while the sun was going down. then we walked back to our cars. this little evening was perfect to me.

the beach, part II

2011-08-01T00:11:00.001-06:00

awwww, the beach. there is truly nothing better than sitting on the sand, listening to music, and watching the waves. thank goodness we went to the beach 5 days out of the 7 we were there.

we got balboa bars almost every day and walked the pier while feeling that ocean breeze.

one of my favorite things was when ashlyn layed down beside me as if she was modeling with her little pink sun glasses on and said, "aunt melissa, lets sit here and talk about our favorite things together". and that's exactly what we did. we layed there on our sides propped up with one arm, under the sun, on the sand, feet away from the waves, talking about our favorite things together.

california with the elder crew! part I

2011-07-31T23:55:00.001-06:00

we're back!! and praying the tan will stick with me longer than tomorrow.
it was so fun! a lot of beach, a lot of good food, an all around good time. these pictures are just of everything else that we did besides the beach. hollywood, the crystle, 6 flags, disneyland (only some went), swap meet, walking to bubba gumps on a perfect sunset night, and other randoms. poor russ got his head smashed against the bottom of the pool....hence the bandage. and i don't know why i have so many pictures regarding marilyn monroe. i'm really not that huge of a fan, but oh well, what the heck...she's hot.

how about brads perverted mustache eh? all the brothers grew them out for the trip.

didn't kiss once. because he's still a boy in certain aspects, it felt like little toothpicks against my skin.

maybe when he's a man with a flowing stash, i'll love it then.

but for now i prefer his baby-smooth lips.

new port, here we come!!!

2011-07-21T14:37:00.001-06:00

we are off to new port with the elder family!

i happily quote the words from lisa's (brads mom) text this morning,

"i can't wait to feel the sand in my toes and smell the ocean air!"

1. if you're looking for something fantastic to watch this weekend, me and brad highly recommend the sherlock holmes series from netflix!! we're hooked!!

2. this song has become my absolute joy in my day. i highly suggest buying it and listening to it right when you wake up. it will get your day started right.

3. this week for mutual we had to deliver fliers for a ward party. me and one of my youngest girls was partnered with me. we came up to this adorable little house and when we walked up to put the flier by their door we could both hear the man and woman screaming at each other, "f" word and everything. i cringed so bad. my little young woman said, "it's weird how something so pretty looking can be so ugly inside." that was profound to me.

brad loves him some tooth fairy.

2011-07-20T21:25:00.000-06:00

brads only request for his birthday was sweet toothfairy cupcakes and cakebites.

go figure. i almost felt like it was my birthday too when he asked for that.

although i did surprise him with a sufjan stevens and brasil t-shirt.

he's a simple joe. don't mind it one bit.

smash burger.

2011-07-20T08:57:00.001-06:00

we have a sickly obsession with smash burger.....and the sweet potato fries. it's unnatural.

if you haven't been, then get your skinny butt over there. you won't regret it.

happy birthday booradley!

2011-07-19T08:14:00.001-06:00

your my best friend, my lover, my biggest diabetic supporter,

my entertainer, my comforter, and most times my strength when i'm weak.

you turned out to be quite the man.

gosh i just appreciate you.

happy birthday brad, i love you so much...

fhe in slc.

2011-07-18T23:20:00.000-06:00

jax biffed it so hard right before this picture, i almost peed from laughing.

me and brad invited our family out to salt lake for some good game night time.

we got into the games pretty fast.

we love us some open fields.

for a big, hyper family open fields suit us perfectly.

my family was never a fan of board games.

instead we did things like hands up stands up, crab races,

running backward races, and sprinting.....and we're talking for like.....hours.

when we were younger sunday was a game/race day,

and my dad would pick the race (ex. skip, crab, relay, hop, all fours)

and we would just race and run for hours and hours.

i think that's where we get all of our big, thick bums from.

i'm just happy we all enjoy it still.

it was so great having them here.

we might be the most dysfunctional family known to man,

and we all have our problems individually,

but when we're together.....we are together.

and it's always a hilarious, chaotic blast.

that's one thing we can always count on.

my grandma.

2011-07-18T08:56:00.000-06:00

me and brad were hanging out the other night. talking about what we should do. and then we brought up what if we were our grandparents, what do you think they would do on a friday night at our age. probably go dancing or to the nearest parlor shop to get some ice-cream. who knows. there's something about their time that seems so intriguing and innocent. then i ached to see my grandma.

i sat there feeling bad for myself for not having the chance to live close to my grandma and grandpa. there's so many grandkids. so many great-grandkids. so many kids. how will she ever know who i am. sometimes i wonder if i would have been a better person if i lived closer to her. lived by her sweet example.

for that moment it made me want to live a simple life. move out to the open fields and have brad farm all day. the only thing to worry about is your own family out in that open space. making dinners from the garden. sounds so appetizing to me right now.

my grandma is so beautiful eh? inside and out. i can't wait to have all that time with her after this life and learn about who she is/was and all the juicy details of her and my grandpas life.

please bless i grow up to be a third of the woman she is.

the garden.

2011-07-15T10:05:00.000-06:00

we were lucky enough to be offered a spot in the garden this year.

there are 4 couples. one giant garden. tons of seeds.

plenty of garden love.

we take turns watering every week.

meet on saturday mornings to weed........

and occassionally creep by during our walks to check on our growing plants.

who knew brad would be so in love with gardening?

it's a little cute to me...i'm not gonna lie.

and when it's time for us to be able to have our own garden,

i will pressure him into gardening with nothing but a speedo on.

so then he can show off his green bum...i mean thumb.

sleigh bells.

2011-07-12T23:08:00.001-06:00

i owe you a huge thanks lester p, yet again.

you have introduced another sweet tune into my life.

it's been the perfect road trip song for me.

windows down, hair blowing, and this song blazing.

(disregard the music video, it sucks. a little too weird for me.)

shoreline trail.

2011-07-12T07:51:00.000-06:00

for family night we thought we'd take a walk and get some fresh air. there's a trail a little passed the zoo that we've grown quite fond of. the view is spectacular. there's something about a stunning view that for a brief moment puts all priorities in perspective. i had a thought come into mind while we were up there staring at the view.

bad things happen sometimes.....in everyones life...... and for that time everything else in the world seems so dark. but when things go good, everything seems like there's nothing wrong in the world. i think a big key to a happy life, is to find the good when things go dark. there is always good. no matter how low or dark things get. there is always always good in the world. the hard part is taking the time to find the good, or making the effort to make good happen. for some reason when this thought came to mind, i felt a sense of peace. almost as if that thought gave me power. almost as if i had the answer for the next time things seem to go sour.

then immediately after that thought brad perked up and said, "we have to get out of here, i've got to find a bathroom asap."

cabin fever.

2011-07-10T15:06:00.000-06:00

we have this incredibly awesome senior missionary couple serving in our ward right now. they were cool enough to offer up their huge cabin for youth conference. so to get a feel for it and plan out youth conference they invited us up to check it out before hand for a couple of days. so a couple of the bishopric, my other young woman counselor and her husband and me and brad (we are both in the young woman/young men) made a trip out of it.

they spoiled us rotten. long rides on their 3 wheelers (promise i thought they didn't make those anymore), hikes to beautiful views, dinner, breakfast, lunch, movies on their slide projector, hilarious games that involved a paper bag and not being able to bend your knees (it would take too long to explain..) and a huge swing set that the adults loved more than the kids.

something i thought would be a few days of simple planning, turned out to be one of the funnest couple of days. i only wish we could have invited more people:). thank you thank you thank you bro and sis cheney. it was a blast!

miss them.

2011-07-07T10:17:00.000-06:00

To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there.

-Barbara Bush-

thanks barb, i loved your quote.

july 1st and all it's glory!

2011-07-05T14:47:00.000-06:00

i feel insanely homesick for my canadian family right now. and family i mean cousins, aunts, uncles, grandma and grandpa. this week is literally what keeps me living a good life. because i truly believe that this is what heaven is like. all of us together. laughing non stop and enjoying each others company to the utmost. never contention, a fight, or even tension between the gibb family of all my 25 years of living. i don't even know (and i'm sure i'm safe to say this is how the rest of the family is) most of what my cousins do for a living. we just know that they are there. and that we're family. that's all that matters to us.

126 family members and counting. can you believe that? 126! 2 beautifully wonderful people came together and started the best family alive with the best sense of humor. (i'm biased) and it's hilarious watching all of us do things together because we take over the town. there is a little ice cream parlor that we walked to daily and they had to call in an extra helper. gosh i love them so much. it's not fair. it's not fair that i only see them once a year. thank goodness for canada day!

girls camp 2011.

2011-06-27T21:25:00.000-06:00

gosh i love girls camp. it's funny because the whole month before it seems like the most stressful time on earth. and then you get up there, do everything you've planned and more, and come home and miss it. i crave my girls. this year me and the other leader had to tag team. she went up half of the time, and i went up the last half. i brought up a helper. she's insanely cool. she's 9 months pregnant and literally begged to come with me to help out. i wouldn't have wanted to spoon with anyone else in that tent! although i do wish suzanne, the other leader, could have been there with us!

there's not a better experience than sitting around a camp fire, and listening to the sweet and beautiful testimonies of these teenage girls. each one of them have such hard backgrounds. it kills me to think of the some of the things they have to go through. i love them so much.

it was a blast, minus one incident that has to do with my sleeping bag and cheese whiz. let's not talk about it. i'm still butt-hurt. but i did manage to get some pictures, and these ones are my absolutely favorite. here's for hoping there's a girls camp 2012!

holding reese.

2011-06-27T09:36:00.000-06:00

girls camp was a success! i'll post more on that later. for now, i want to devour myself in reese. reese and her perfect little self.

it's that time of year again:)

2011-06-22T22:36:00.000-06:00

i'm off to girls camp! i truly cannot wait.

no sleep, no showers, no problem.

fathers day fire.

2011-06-22T08:41:00.000-06:00

ok, so i think it's healthy to admit that i am obsessed with fires. i'm paranoid that for some reason the rain won't stop and we won't get a summer. so when the weather is right, we jump all over it.

we thought we would celebrate fathers day with a little fire in the mountains. rob invited his girlfriend and i'm sure we offended her with how many jokes there were about hot dog "weiners". i've never heard so many in my life. i think my dad was even offended at one point when he walked away laughing and took a hike to get away from us, literally. my mom was sure laughing at us though, ha. and could you die at coop and reese with their root beer? heaven help me. sorry my pictures are fuzzy, my camera is on it's last leg. breaks my heart.

our italian friend.

2011-06-21T09:05:00.000-06:00

we have this italian woman, with a very thick accent, in our ward. she gives us kisses every time we see her. she pinches brads cheeks and always holds on to my arm when we walk down the hall. she can't see out of one eye, but she has more love in one greeting than some may feel in a lifetime.

she always asked us to come over so she could cook for us. i think deep down we felt bad having her cook for us because she's old in age. she begged one sunday and we (another cute couple) finally gave in and set a date.

2 months went by and to be honest we kind of forgot about it. but the date finally came and our calendar reminded us that the dinner was the next night. so saturday night we walked over to her apartment building and the smell immediately had us stopped in our tracks.

i'm so mad i didn't take pictures of the food....it....was....extravagant! come to find out, this little 100 pound italian woman was a gourmet chef and had previously owned a restaurant in not only in italy, but in los angelas too. the food was INCREDIBLE! fresh, home cooked, right from scratch, food make from professional italian hands. we were floored....the whole night.

she made us an 8 course meal (literally not joking) that had our heads shaking with disbelief the whole evening. it was truly a night me and brad will never, ever forget for the rest of our lives.

country fest carnival

2011-06-20T09:36:00.000-06:00

we hit up the country fest friday night and to our fantastic surprise our friend, caitlin, has never been to a carnival before in her life. man i'll tell you what, i sure dont remember south jordan having so many hicks. the best of the best were coming out of the wood works that night. i'm sure caitlin and james thought we were raised in horse crap spending our free time slappin cows butts.

our first mistake was riding the gravitron right when we got there. we honestly felt so sick the rest of the night! but i can't remember a time i've laughed so hard. using all my strength to look over at caitlin and seeing her face not even knowing how to handle what was going on. (she has never even heard of a gravitron before). so watching her reaction made the sickness 100% worth it.

fathers tribute.

2011-06-20T09:12:00.001-06:00

2 dads who are so young at heart.

2 dads who want only the best for their children.

2 dads who i've seen cry over their kids.

2 dads who have spent countless nights praying that their kids will be comforted.

2 dads who probably never thought of the kind of father they would be, but through time have perfected the term "dad" with the utmost dedication.

i love you both so much, and i feel so lucky to call both of you my dad.

and to my dad who "helped" bring me into this world.... i thank the high heavens every day that somehow i was lucky enough to get my card drawn when they were deciding upstairs who gets to be a part of the weidner fiasco. i still feel like that little girl that wants to climb on your lap when life gets hard. there's something about your tight hugs that bring so much security, and i'm so thankful that i have those for the rest of my life. i love you pops.

fire #4.

2011-06-13T17:27:00.000-06:00

we had 4 camp fires in one week. our apartment wreaks, all of our blankets wreak, my hair wreaked, and most of our clothes wreak. aside from wreaking-nothing makes me more giddy and says summer like a good, wholesome fire. and smore's of course. saturday night we made gourment tin foil dinners and they were supreme with a classy side dish of doritos.

me and brad got a new desk so we took apart the old one and thought the only way to pay tribute to it was watching it burn baby burn. and that's what we did. it made for a perfect fire.

we also got a huge kick out of old "put grapes under your upper lip and try and talk" thing. it had us laughing pretty hard for longer than i'd like to admit.

jackie's friends.

2011-06-10T08:10:00.000-06:00

last night jackie and her friends came up to salt lake to come hang. we took them to get some gelato.

i saw this and liked it, so i took a picture. it has nothing to do with anything.

then we took some blankets, went to this huge field of grass, and talked till midnight. i can say without a single hesitation that i think i laughed more last night than i have in an entire month combined. my jaw and stomach were in pain. the stories and comments from jax and her friends were more than me and brad could handle. thank you jaclyn, mike, ian, and richy from the bottom of our hearts for making us laugh till our hearts were content.

stace and her fam also came up for a bit to chat after they hit up some pizza! nothing brought more happiness to me than my sistas coming to my place! i loved last night. every bit of it.

and to help get your friday started off right-i'll let my gal pal rebecca say it like it is.

i just want to pinch his little buttcheeks...

2011-06-08T23:26:00.001-06:00

awww. i found these pictures from our honeymoon. i honestly didn't even know i had these. looking through them made me feel like it's been ages since our wedding. it really hasn't. just feels like it. i'm actually surprised we even left our honeymoon room to take these, ha. eww melissa, that's sick, don't be gross. ok sorry.

it made me think of the person brad is. gosh he's such a good person. a genuinely good person. if you know him, you know what i'm talking about. i'm probably just feeling sentimental because there's a love song that's playing on pandora right now. but really, little did i know how important that day really was. it was a perfect decision made by 2 immature people.