REI Garage Sale Tips

For the past few months, I have been wanting to write this post, but I haven't had the time. Now, with another REI Garage Sale coming up in just a few weeks I thought I would write what I learned from my first garage sale experience because it was like no other. I had a blast!

1. Get there early! Some people camp out, but I got there at 5:30 A.M and I was golden! I was 18th in line and could not have asked for a better time. At first, I spent my time surfing Facebook or trying to read, but I ended up putting that away to listen to the other people talking around me. There were two sets of friends in between me…all lonely. However, I started talking and I had a blast! Although I don't know their names now, we were pretty good friends for those few hours! Since I was alone, I was kind of screwed when I needed to go to the bathroom, but the nice men in front held my spot while I ran to the restroom. Everyone was so nice, and I have high expectations for the people I am around at my next one, IN COLORADO, with my lovely fiancé! Can't wait to go to the one on January 3rd!

2. DO NOT GRAB A CART! It just slowed me down and I had to abandon it. Grab a bag! It was AWFUL lugging around all the goodies I found. I am pretty sure I dropped a few things along the way.

3. Try not to be one of those people that grab everything, then go to a corner and sort through all of the stuff you find. This is just unfair to the rest of us. REI employees are usually trying to help keep this from happening, but I saw this happening. Go into the store expecting to find nothing, grab what you think is a great buy and leave the stuff you most likely won't get alone!

4. The store is most likely divided into sections like electronics, bikes, tents, backpacks, clothes, and shoes. Go to the section of your number one item first!

5. Those friends you met in line may come through for you! I talked to one group in front of me about GoPros and asked if they thought there would be any in there. They said no so I didn't even look for one. I was looking at the hiking shoes and then out of no where one of the guys had two GoPro 3+ Black editions in his hand and told me to take one so of course I did! It was my best find cause I love that thing, even though I don't know how to use it to its full capabilities. Brandon will be in charge of it once he gets home! It was such a steal! With electronics just make sure you test or ask the people working about it before you buy it. They will tell you what is wrong with it, if anything.

6. There is a color coding system assigned to each item. A green sticker means the item is in good shape, yellow means more use, and red means heavily used and bad condition. The best thing is just to examine each item,  read the label, then make your own call.

7. Lastly, have fun! Don't have an attitude because this store does so much for their shoppers and members and I would hate for them to let go of the excellent customer service and generous return policy.

I can't wait to use everything I have bought from their in Colorado and in Europe when we are backpacking! It is something I am looking forward to and I know that REI stands behind what they sell so it puts me at ease knowing they are trying their best for us!

Happy shopping!!!

Catching Up

Wow! I really can't believe how fast time goes by. So much has happened since September and big things are yet to come!

First, let's start with a real biggie- BRANDON GOT A PILOT SLOT! Say what?! He is on his way to becoming a pilot in the USAF and I couldn't be happier for him or for us. I am going to be a pilot's wife! He has worked so hard his whole life so I am glad he was able to get a slot!

Brandon is also wrapping up his semester abroad next week and I can't be more excited. We haven't gone this long without seeing each other since he left for the Academy back in 2011 so it has felt like a long time for me. However, I think it flew by for him. He visited London, the Sahara, and lots of other small trips within Morocco. Pretty jealous of all his adventures and hoping he will take me there one day! He has also branched out and ate snails and liver, but won't eat sushi with me. Come on now! Can't wait to see all the pictures once he gets back next Saturday.

As for me, I will be finished with student teaching in FOUR days. FOUR! The missing Brandon part of my life went by slowly, but student teaching flew by. I can't believe I will be graduating and finished with college come Saturday.

I finished student teaching in first grade at the end of October and I never thought I would be the one to miss the little ones, but I miss them so much! They were so much fun and I learned so much from them, as well as my cooperating teacher. Now, I am finishing up in the fourth grade and they were great as well. My cooperating teacher is amazing at what she does! The fourth graders are a little more attitude than the first graders, but were still very sweet! I am so excited to be a licensed teacher and can't wait until I have my own class one day!

Now I am working on packing (or not packing if you were to ask Mom), but it is getting bittersweet! I know it hasn't quite hit me yet, but I am going to be sad to leave home and move to Colorado in just a few short weeks. All of the children are just so cute and I love them so much! Emily Anne gave birth to Billy on November 24, 2014 and he is just the cutest! Everyone is growing so fast, especially Turner and Trent! I am going to have to set up a schedule to FaceTime everyone once a week!! However, I am excited to move as well! I have a condo, with two bedrooms, so if you want to visit let me know! The more the merrier! Also, I found a job and I can't wait to start! It is perfect!! I am going to be helping a mother homeschool/nanny their six children! They have four of their own and adopted two from Haiti and they are all adorable so I can't wait to meet them!! They look pretty sweet and the interview was so relaxed; I hope they will like me just the same in person! Getting a job was a pretty big concern of mine, so I am lucky to find this awesome family who will allow me to work with them for the five months I am out there.

Brandon and I are packing the cars and heading out on the 30th of December. Hopefully the weather will be good and we will make it to our destinations each day. We will arrive in Colorado Springs on my 22nd birthday, the first one I will be spending away from home! It is so much to be taking in right now. Graduating, moving, getting married, all within the next six months! Whew!!

Life is a little hectic here, but I am so full and can't imagine anything different!

Here is the link you Brandon and I singing Frozen's Love is an Open Door :D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XQ00ubfj1g

ROAD TRIPPING! Part Two

After leaving Kansas City, we kept east on 70 towards St. Louis. St. Louis was very nice and we enjoyed our time there. Since we did not stay in the city, we had some time to kill and casinos are EVERYWHERE! Can you guess what we did? Well that did not end as well as the first night so it was a bit sad and the fact that One Republic was playing in this little field right beside us and we missed them! It looked like such a fun time!

We also went to a BBQ joint that has been on one of those restaurant shows and it was very good! When we arrived there was a very long line, but luckily there was a nice woman in front of us who told us it was fast and the turkey was to die for! We had a great time talking to her and getting some other recommendations. She was right! I ordered the turkey and it was delicious! Brandon's BBQ was pretty good too, but I think he liked my turkey!

On Saturday, we spent the day at the Gateway Arch. It was pretty packed and we had a few hours to kill before our time to go up so we were able to explore the museum and get some of those old lemon drop hard candies. My throat by this point was hurting pretty bad and we were both stuffy, so the hard candy helped a bunch! Once it was our time to go up, it really wasn't our time to go up. It was our time to watch a movie, look around another little museum, and then stand in line some more. All worth it though. Brandon and I are pretty good at knowing "worth the wait" as our whole relationship is based on this principle! We got in this little cart that took 4 minutes to get to the top and once we were up top the view was amazing. We got a few pictures and enjoyed the view, but it was a bit crowded and hot, so we didn't stay up there as long as we would had liked. A must though if in St. Louis.

    

View from the top!

   

Inside the elevator. 

I really liked St. Louis, but this was all before the Ferguson stuff happening. Glad we missed that whole ordeal!

Reaching St. Louis also meant the end of Interstate 70! Such a bittersweet moment! Now we weren't strictly going east, but we went south towards Louisville.

On route to Louisville, we found some caverns that were just a year open and had an underground boat ride. We were all about this and it was a great time to stop. We got there a bit late, but it happened to work out great because it was only us and another couple getting a tour. We had the whole cave to ourselves and it was great! We took our time, and spotted crawfish, salamanders, bones, fossils, stalagmites, stalactites, "bacon", and other cave formations. The boat ride was pretty nice and the reflections were crazy! Wish my camera could had captured them. The history about how Indiana Caverns was discovered was also neat since they are still caving and making the cave system longer. It was a very nice tour, so if ever get the chance, you should check it out!

We got to Louisville around dinnertime so we grabbed something to eat and called it a night. We did not really get to explore the city too much. One of the Man Vs. Food restaurants in Louisville was an ice cream shop and since we weren't near it we didn't get to go, but I looked up the menu and it featured ice cream with Old Forester. I thought that was very neat, since Old Forester is THE Evelyn drink! I really did not know that it was such a popular drink that it could be used with ice cream!! I think it would be quite disgusting!

After Louisville, we headed south to Nashville. We stopped at Mammoth Caves on the way and took a tour. They were amazing and really enjoyed going there and exploring a few trails. If you have never been then you really should go! It is an amazing cave system!

Entering the cave! It was a nice relief from the outside! 

In Nashville I was very excited to meet up with my cousins, the Remkes, for dinner. I hadn't seen them in awhile so it was nice to catch up with them at another BBQ place that was very good. Thank you Chris, Amy, Matt, and Meredith for dinner and for the tips! I especially enjoyed talking to Meredith about her summer and gymnastics! :)

Thanks for dinner, Amy!!! :)

We spent the next day near Opryland, but we (I, mostly) decided to shop! There was a nice outlet mall so I thought that it would be a great day to spend our day! I am pretty sure Brandon did not enjoy it very much, but I thought it was good!! Got a few great deals and snagged at 100 dollar dress for 17 dollars! Pretty awesome right?? That dress would be the blue navy one I wore in our engagement pictures!

The next morning we woke up and headed to one of the top water holes in the country, which also happened to be not too far off the interstate and it was probably the best part of our trip! It was GORGEOUS! The hike down was great and we had to go "slogging" through a creek. I had my camera with me so I had to be extra careful and almost fell a few times into the creek. When we got to the water hole it was a magnificent waterfall that flowed onto some rocks and then was a very deep swimming pool to jump into. We watched some young boys climb up about 30 feet, if not more, and then jump into the water. They were pretty brave and it sounded like it really hurt a few of them.

We stayed there for about two hours then decided to take a short cut up, which involved some rock climbing. At first I was pretty scared, but then actually enjoyed it. It was nothing too dangerous, but it looked like it when we were standing at the bottom. It was nice not having to "slog" our way back down the creek once more!

We got back on the road again and then stopped for the evening in Johnson City, TN (Wagon Wheel plays in the back of my head), and then headed home the next morning.

We made great time throughout the trip and it was surely a trip of a lifetime. I enjoyed every second I spent with Brandon and can't wait to make more memories with him. I remember calling his mom and telling her the engagement party was off because we were just sick of each other joking around! I don't know if she believed me or not, hope not, since I couldn't have asked for a better time. Brandon is an amazing man and perfect for me! I am so lucky (he is too ;)) to be able to spend my life with him and make a life with each other. It's a great feeling.

ROAD TRIPPING! Part One

Finally, July 29th arrived! A day I had been awaiting for since first finding out the Brandon was going to Morocco to study abroad. We talked about a road trip to bring his car back home and then it suddenly became reality, then it became a countdown. If you are ever in a long distance relationship then you will know how much a countdown means, however, it is also a bit saddening thinking back on it now. I had been looking forward to that day then the two weeks to follow since at least March and now it is over. Enough dwelling on that factor because this is about happy and the fun times we had spending seven days getting from Colorado to Virginia.  Before I left Virginia, Brandon and I had planned the trip out, and we decided to try avoid big chain/fast food restaurants, which in turn made us eat at places featured on Man Vs. Food. I will have to tell you we ate at some amazing places too!!

My flight did not land in Denver until midnight (2 a.m. EST) and then the next morning we headed out around 9, so my time in Colorado was short.

Heading out! 

We grabbed breakfast at my favorite breakfast place, The Egg and I. There is one in Midlothian, but I have never ate there, but the few in Colorado are amazing! Once we got past Denver, Colorado started to look different. No more mountains, instead the great plains embraced us for the rest of the day driving.

No cars in sight!! 

This was our view for most of Friday between Colorado and Kansas. 

Once we finally reached the border we stopped at the rest area to see if we could find anything fun to do in Kansas along the route, but the man in there said we needed a year to explore all of Kansas. Quite an answer when we only had the day! In turn, we kept trekking eastward! 

A few miles into Kansas, we started seeing signs for "THE WORLD'S LARGEST PRAIRIE DOG!" Brandon's friend had mentioned it to him before leaving and said he always wanted to stop but never had. Well...we were shammed. We paid our money to enter this run down building and make our way outside when the woman said all of the animals were alive (Brandon was so excited to see this prairie dog) but the "World's Largest Prairie Dog" was a monument. Not a real prairie dog. We were a bit let down, but it was our own fault cause we were saying how it is going to be a spam like the ones at the fairs or something! 

The goats were the best part! They were real...

The world's largest prairie dog was not! 

We went through the farm pretty quickly and then were back on the road. We weren't on the road too long before I had to use the restroom. I am probably the world's worst road tripper by the amount of times I needed to stop, but it also gave Brandon a chance to clean of his car, named Pearl. Have I mentioned the bugs yet?! They were splatting left and right onto the windshield and front of the car. It was pretty gross and there were some big 'ol bugs hitting the windshield!

Can't really see the splatters except on the bottom, but they were all over! 

Abilene, Kansas is not too far off 70 and is also the childhood home of Dwight D. Eisenhower. Although it was a bit late, we were able to still walk around and we met a man who retired from working there so he was able to tell us a lot about the history here. It might have been a good thing that the museum was closed because Brandon can spend forever in a museum and we did need to be in Kansas City that night! 

The house that Eisenhower grew up in!

The tripod Brandon got me came in quite handy on the trip! 

Getting closer and closer to Kansas City and Stroud's Fried Chicken, Brandon points out a casino and I put my raging hunger on hold for a few minutes to go try our luck (Brandon had never been in a casino so I wanted to show him the ropes (; ) 

Happy we won! 

After leaving the casino, we were trying to book it to Stroud's. We had only ate breakfast and that was about 12 hours earlier so we were both starving and pretty much inhaled the meal. I do not eat fried chicken at home, but let me tell you, this chicken was amazing! They also gave you cinnamon rolls and they melted in your mouth. We ended up eating the leftovers for lunch the next day at a picnic bench at a rest area and it was just as good! 

With a full belly, we were able to get a good nights rest and head to our next location! 

Summer Drifted Away

Wow, where has the time gone? I think I am one of the worst bloggers in the world! I am actually doing better with this one though since I am trying to write a post every now and then. I have created a few then did not even write a post so at least I am getting somewhere with it! July was a fun-filled month and also the first have of August has been amazing! Now it is time to get focused and finish out my last semester of college.

The first part of July I spent taking a class at Longwood, not so much fun, but I needed it to be able to student teach and graduate in December. As long as I try my best during student teacher and graduate on time then I will be able to officially move to Colorado at the end of December. :D I am so excited to say this! The class only had four student, including myself, so I am lucky the professor spent nine full days teaching it for me. Longwood went above and beyond for me and I am so grateful the professor recognized my situation and taught it for me.

After the class, I spent the week at the Bay House with the family. The house my parents bought is not the biggest, with three bedroom, two bathrooms, and a few sofas, but I love the fact we are in close quarters. There is not too many times that the whole family gets together, let alone for a few days, and I just love the fact we have the opportunity. Hopefully Brandon and I can make a few family vacations because they are a lot of fun.

Side Rant: I KNOW IT IS GOING TO BE HARD. No one needs to keep reinforcing it to me. I KNOW I transferred from Virginia Tech because it was too far from home. I KNOW I came home every weekend from Longwood. I know. I lived it so I KNOW.  My family means so much to me, but Brandon does as well. I need to have my own family, too, and Brandon and I are made for each other. He is going to take care of me and support me as his wife and I will do the same as him. Life is an adventure right, so why not make the most of the opportunity that Brandon is giving us? I am excited to see what is in store and I know that I will be just fine! All done.

Brandon spent July flying the gliders as much as he could. He needed to reach 94 flights and at one point he only had 54 so he had quite a ways to get before third summer period ended and he left for Morocco. If he didn't reach his 94 then he would have as much opportunity to fly this upcoming spring semester. However, HE REACHED 94! I was so happy for him and he spent a lot of extra time at the airfield to reach the goal a few days before I flew out for the road trip home. He is amazing!

Thats about all we both did for July before I flew out on the 29th! The road trip post will be in the works soon! :)

Winding down June and Introducing June!

Well, I don't know how it happened, but June came and went. I spent most of my days hanging out with Camden and Laney and worrying about my other half while he was in Brazil! He got home safely and I was super happy that he was back in the wonderful U.S. of A.! This is us and how we communicated while Brandon was gone! I am not the biggest fan of technology but I love it for my long distance relationship!

Look at that facial hair!! ;)

June was filled with many highs and I specifically want to introduce my kitten, June. It has been a long time since I had a kitten that my parents actually let me keep and I am a sucker for cute baby animals, but this time it was destined! :) For months, I have been posting puppies onto my mom's facebook page to try to win her over with one and let me get one, but that was unsuccessful. 

You see, and I can officailly say this now as long as I make a "c" in the math class I am taking right now, I am planning on moving to Colorado in late December. It has kind of been an iffy situation because I needed this one last class before student teaching and I had to fight for it to be put back on the summer schedule. It was a pain and a ton of stress. I did not want to delay my graduation by five months because of one class, so they put it on for me. The professor is super awesome and she said she will teach the class even if nine students are signed up because she wants me to graduate. AWESOME! No worries. However, the class was supposed to start the Tuesday after Memorial Day and I was actually still going to be in Colorado and miss the first day. I felt super bad about it, but she emailed me and said her father was very sick and she did not think she could teach the class and asked if there were any other times that would work for me, including the fall and spring semester. I was crushed! I know it would not have been the end of the world had I not been able to graduate in December, but I have been planning and working my tail off to make it a possibility. Long story short that has nothing to do with June, but I am currently in Farmville taking this class for four and a half hours for nine days! :) 

Going back to June, One evening, Emily Anne and I took Clayton and Trevor out for dinner and to a few other places for fun. When we were passing my driveway to take the boys back home at about 9:30, Emily Anne and I saw something cross the road. I asked her what that was and she replied with "a rat". I didn't think anything of it anymore until we saw it cross the road again, coming over to our side, when she was dropping me off. We realized at that point it was a little calico kitten! I was ready to try and catch it right then, but my attire was not suited for that, so I had to go back and change into some long pants and boots. When I went to grab a flashlight Mom woke up and I told her what I was doing and she was pretty against it, but I went anyway!  Once I got back to the end of the driveway, I searched on my side of the road first since that was where I saw her last, but only found a baby snake. I was losing hope after about twenty minutes, but then I heard a meow, and it was quite the meow I must say! She was somewhere on the opposite side of the road again. I found her and went to grab her but she ran and this continued for an hour. I was not leaving until I had the kitten in hand. At one point she stopped meowing for awhile so I went to my side of the road and listened for awhile. Still no meows. Finally I thought of an idea I should had tried in the beginning. I pulled up a youtube video of a mother cat meowing and she crossed the street right away! She was out the briar patch finally but I still had to chase her until I cornered her and then grabbed her! Mission Complete!! 

I took her inside, despite my mom's orders and tried to comfort her. I showed her to Mom and she said, "Oh, she is really cute!" I guess she is a softy for really cute kittens. Although I told her I would take her to the garage, I didn't and she ended up sleeping in a cubby hole in my head board. She was a perfect angel that whole night. 

Isn't she cute?

She looks so small in that picture and has grown a lot in the past two weeks. My parents have let me keep her inside because she is still very skittish, and right now she is in Farmville with me. She is so much fun and hopefully she will be able to make the trip out with me to Colorado to keep me company in my apartment! Oh, and her name is June! :D 

June and Sydney (only friends when there is a bad storm outside...

all other times they do not like each other) 

So, as I wrote this article June distracted me more than once, and she loves to step on the keys or chase my fingers as I am trying to type! I love her company, however, and makes the apartment not so lonely!! I also just heard that I am free to buy my one-way ticket to Colorado for the end of July for Brandon and I's road trip! OHHH YEAH! So excited to have 13 days with him before he leaves for four months! Those 13 days are going to be filled with smiles, laughter, maybe some groans as we set up a registry and take engagement pictures, but mostly love, and I can't wait!! 

Babies and Friends

Where to begin? Let's see. Since getting home from Colorado I have been preoccupied with classwork, watching the girls, planning some stuff for the wedding, and worrying about Brandon. He left for Brazil on the first and it is just no telling when I will hear from him. I know he is fine and having a good time, but I can't help but to worry!!

Also on June 1st, my very pregnant sister in law had her twins, Turner and Trent! We got a call from Patrick late at night and I knew it was going to happen! I was so excited to finally meet the boys, but knew it would be pretty hectic from here on out! At 1:58 A.M, Turner was born and then at 2:00 A.M Trent was born. It is quite the miracle and they both weighed over 7 pounds! I don't know how Jess did it but she carried those babies like a pro!! They were in the hotel for a few days so Mom and I kept the girls most of the week. They are a handful, but I love them to pieces!

Before Ring Dance, a few of my high school friends decided to get together. I had not seen many of them for a long time, so I was excited about getting together with them. On Friday evening, we met at my house and left to go to the bay house. The weekend was a lot of fun, just chatting and catching up under the sun. I feel very lucky to have good friends and even though we don't talk that often we can pick up where we left off. We also took some pretty classic pictures

Now onto my work...I have procrastinated enough today! :( 

Ring Dance Weekend; a Ring for Both!

One day back home in Virginia, yet I am really, really wish I could relive this weekend over again. It was beyond perfect and more than I expected!

Newport News has a direct flight to Denver and I am so grateful I didn't have a layover somewhere. I had to carry my dress in a garment bag and that doubled as my carry-on, and everyone looked at me like I was crazy. While waiting for the flight there was a mom with two young twin boys and one happened to be named Turner so I talked to her about Patrick and Jess since one of their names they like is Turner. She gave me some good advice for them: "Take a lot of pictures because the first year is going to be crazy and you won't remember it". This woman only had the two boys; I really can't imagine having two young girls, also. I know if anyone can do it, however, it will be them! I finally boarded my flight and of course the plane didn't have a closest so I had to shove my dress in an overhead bin and hope it wouldn't get to wrinkly.

Four hours later, I landed in Denver and Brandon was ready to pick me up. As I was walking of the plane, I noticed my french manicure on my thumb had chipped and I was kinda freaking out about that when I got to Brandon. We were able to stop and pick up the stick on french manicure set and I proceeded to use them throughout the weekend because they ended up chipping a lot. The shellac did not work too well this weekend!! Brandon had to be back at USAFA at 11, but I was staying with another girlfriend (well actually fiancé), Emily in the hotel. I would have been a lot more nervous about staying with someone I had never met, but I have been in a group message with her and two other girlfriends, Lily and Erin, for a long time, so it was like I already knew them. Emily and I had fun talking and ended up going to bed around one that morning (3 a.m. EST). BUT then I woke up at 5:55 and could not fall back asleep; I was in for a long day.

Around 9ish, Lily came and picked Emily and I up and we headed to pick up Erin from DIA, and then all four of us headed to get our hair done. We thought we were going to be early but we ended up getting caught in traffic which called for a picture opportunity:

Left to right: Erin, Emily, me, Lily

Once we made it to the salon, they took a lot longer than we had planned to do everything so we were kinda rushed to get back to USAFA, dress, then be ready for pictures. 

We made it back, got dressed super quickly, and then I headed to meet Brandon. Of course, it HAD to be raining and I was having a hard time carrying my bags while trying to keep my dress from getting messed up before anything even started. Oh, and I haven't really spent much time at USAFA since Brandon has been there so I had no idea where his room was. He came out and met me and then graciously carried everything the rest of the way for me. 

Awe so sweet!  :)

I know I had been excited about this dance since I first heard about it and I couldn't believe that the day was finally here! I wanted time to slow down, but that did not happen. We ended up taking a lot of pictures as a couple and then with his friends. It was also the first time Brandon got to wear his Mess Dress and it is pretty good looking! ;) 

The Cadet Chapel is SO pretty! 

The ceremony then started at six and it was a pretty interesting and entertaining ceremony, but I was anxiously awaiting the food! One banana did not keep me full for too long so once I was able to sit down for a second I realized I was starving! I had also heard that in years before girls had passed out and I definitely did not want that to happen! There were a few speeches and then we finally ate. I was also given Brandon's ring, and although I could open it, he wasn't supposed to see it, so I couldn't take a peek, as much as I wanted to. Once we finished dinner, it was time for the passing of the rings. Now, most will probably find this a little disturbing, but I thought it was pretty cool. I took the ring ad dropped it into my glass of champagne like so:

And then I drank the champagne and put the ring in my mouth and kissed it over to Brandon, where he then put it on. Brandon would be a Firstie in just a few days!!! How exciting!! We had to head across the terrazzo to where the actual dance was for a few minutes before leaving and I wish we cold have stayed longer, but we had to be on the bus at 9:15 for our ride to Steamboat Springs. Brandon and his roommate, Ryan, went back to their room to get a few things, including my bag that I needed. It was raining pretty hard now and we were a few minutes late to reaching bus. I had to take two dramamine because I get car sick so easily and I definitely didn't want to get sick on the bus because the driver would have charged 250 dollars per spot! Crazy! The party bus was fun! Brandon and I stayed up for the six hour trip and had a good time enjoying the party bus. We finally made it to the house at 3 a.m.! We ended up staying up two more hours and then fell asleep around 5:30 a.m. Only 25 minutes short of  staying up 24 hours. I was bound and determined to go hiking in the morning though because I had packed everything for it, which I didn't even need since the weather was really nice. 

We determined we would hike Fish Creek Falls, which is about a seven mile hike roundtrip (but we probably only did 4 or 5). Brandon went down to ask if anyone else wanted to join us while I got ready to go. I thought to myself that no one would want to go with us,but seven people were actually going to go. I was pretty shocked when he came and told me a bunch of people were. 

It wasn't that far of a drive, but we did have a hard time finding a parking spot. I guess everyone wanted to go hiking since it was a nice day. Right at the beginning of the hike was a waterfall, and it was gorgeous. 

We kept heading up the path and thought we had made it to the top of the trail after only about ten minutes of hiking. It wasn't the view we were expecting, and learned we took a wrong turn though if we wanted to keep going up. We finally found the right trail and hiked for about an hour with few breaks. Brandon was the only one to bring water with him in his Camelback, so it wasn't that much. Luckily I got a sip or two before it was all gone! Finally we reached a spot where we could rest and it had a very pretty view. We could have gone up higher, but I was thinking this would be a good place to stop because it was close enough to the top anyways. We were all a bit thirsty, hot, and hungry by this point. We sat there for a good fifteen-twenty minutes, so without questioning, I told him we need to take a picture together up here. He took awhile getting over to the place I was standing and I saw there were three people with cameras of some sort. I should have thought something of it but I didn't. If you know my mom then you know we have to get the same picture with every camera in the room! Well here I am just ready for the picture. I did not really expect what was coming next! 

Brandon says a few things about the view "and what not" (Brandon's favorite add-on) ;) and then he got down on one knee...

which is where he asked me to marry him...

and I kissed him (a few times) and told him YES! 

We were both happy!! :D 

After the most amazing proposal ever, we headed back down the mountain. On the way up the mountain, I was very concerned with making sure my shoes didn't get wet or muddy, but on the way down I did not care about my shoes at all. I know I stepped in quite a few puddles but I was more concerned with keeping my hand up. Brandon teased me the whole way down because it looked like I was holding my hand up to show the trees my ring. He is probably right though; I love it!! 

On our way back from SteamBoat Springs! 

Our rings!! <3 

The rest of the weekend went by in a flash. I was able to see my first parade which was very neat and then attended an awards banquet after that. I finally felt like I had seen Brandon in military action and it was kind of weird, honestly! I am used to the Brandon I know and not some military man but there he was; it is pretty awesome! 

After the Parade! 

The Thunderbirds flying around USAFA

The two white things on each side of the Chapel are the planes! 

Brandon dropped me off in Denver that night where I stayed in a hotel to catch a plane the next morning and I don't know if I had ever cried so much saying goodbye. I was so thrilled and on top of the world with Brandon this past weekend. I could not have asked for anything better, yet I knew I would no longer get to spend time with my boyfriend…err fiancé..until August. Not the longest (that has yet to come) but I love spending time with Brandon and I can't wait to marry him!! AHHH! 

Our Story

A little over a week ago, I created a blog for Brandon and myself, however I have been contemplating on what to write about. Hopefully in the future, I will keep up with the blog so I can share it with those reading and keep everyone up-to-date on what is happening in our lives. I am sure this won't be the most interesting thing in the world to read, but Brandon and I will surely have plenty to share in the future together (hopefully!) and thought this would be a great way to record it all! 

Awhile ago I posted this "Transformation Tuesday" picture from when Brandon and I were "dating" back in middle school. It is hard to believe those awkward days were 10 years ago, but I am so glad to be past that point in life! I thought sharing the story about when and how we met would be relevant for my first post so hope those reading enjoy!! 

Our story: 

Brandon and I met in fifth grade when we were in the same class. I don't remember a lot about him from the fifth grade, but I know my teachers loved him and while I was not one of the favorites! One teacher never knew my name the whole year; Carolyn is just not right. Fifth grade was definitely not the best and I looked forward to moving on to middle school.

The next year, we also had classes together at the middle school. I remember that I was "in a relationship", but then broke up with the boy for Brandon. *Now, when I say I am in a relationship or dating someone at this point in my life it meant that I was completely shy and avoided these boys at school. I did not want to have any contact with them except over the telephone.* Brandon would call almost every night and we talked for awhile on the phone; sometimes Emily Anne and I switched the phone back and forth to see if he could tell a difference and I don't think he ever did. It is pretty funny to look back on that now and EA and I had a good time tricking him. I guess that is my karma now since he loves to play tricks on me. Another time when we were talking on the phone, Trey (Brandon's brother) started beating him up and I remember Brandon crying on the phone. Trey was so mean to poor Brandon! ;) (Oh, I am going to be killed for writing that!) The last memory I will share is about how horrible I was as his "girlfriend". One day, Brandon invited me to King's Dominion with his mom, but I turned him down at the last moment. I went to the DMV with Emily Anne that morning and just did not want to go to King's Dominion with him, so I called and told him I was still there and wouldn't make it back in time. I feel really bad about it now, especially since he bought me a necklace that was really pretty while he was there. After a total of seven months "dating", we broke up with each other and that was that. I am pretty sure neither of us was too distraught over it. I, however, over the next few years did have an on and off interest in Brandon, but he was a bit more popular than me, so I did not have his interest until a few years later!

Now we fast forward five years to the end of our junior year of high school when one night Brandon randomly messaged me on Facebook. That one message was the push we needed and then we were on our way to starting our real relationship together.

Almost four years later, here were are. I currently have one semester left of college while he has two. I would have never imagined us surviving this type of relationship, and I will say that it hasn't been easy, but it has been worth every minute of it. We have grown as individuals during this time away from each other, but it is nice to know we have each other, always. We have been able to focus on ourselves during college, yet we have become one as a couple, and grown into the people we are today. Now, I can't imagine my life without him and I can't wait until the day there is no distance between us. I am so lucky to be in love with my best friend. 

P.S. I also have now been to Kings Dominion with Brandon and have this wonderful picture as proof! Obviously I am not a fan of roller coasters!