Birthday #25

This past weekend was my birthday weekend and it was absolutely fabulous!!! It started Saturday with a triple date with Brian's brother and wife, and their friend Jeff and his date Shannon. We went to dinner at Gecko's, which is a really yummy Mexican restaurant. Then we headed over to Mulligan's to hit a bucket of balls. I am not really good at it but its something I will definately do more of this summer. We finished the night off with some good ole' Arctic Circle milk shakes and sitting around the fire in Brian's backyard. It was a perfect date night!

Sunday was jam packed! It started with me having to speak in church. I don't really have a fear of public speaking so it was not too bad. We then headed up to my Grandma's for my family birthday dinner! Every year my Grandma makes our choice of dinner. With my love of BBQ's we had hamburgers, hot dogs, salad's, jello, scones and my all time favorite treat, Grandma's Chocolate Chip Cookies! After hanging out with my family for a few hours, we headed to Brian's family Father's Day BBQ. We had steak kabobs, salad and more jello! It was a fantastic day just to be with family.

Monday was my birthday! I'm 25! I am not very happy about getting older, but 2 positives come from this. 1) My car insurance was cut in HALF and 2) I can now successfully rent a car on my own. Yep thats the only good things that come from being 25. But the day was perfect!

I took work off so I was able to hit the gym early in the morning. Brian came to pick me up and brought me the cutest bouquet of daisies, carnations, and roses. I was already satisfied because I always complain he never buys me flowers and this time he came through.

Next we headed off to get my present. He surprised me by taking me to get a MOUNTAIN BIKE! I have wanted one forever but just have not been able to afford it. I was so excited! After almost 2 hours at the store, I finally decided on one!

After that, we picked up some lunch and went to see The Proposal. If you have not seen it yet, I highly recommend it. It is funny, cute, and overall a fun movie. Next we were off to the mall to shop for some new clothes. It wasn't very successful but I did come out with a new pair of jeans. Always a plus!

Then we went to dinner at Cafe Rio with my closest friends. Last Heather had us over for strawberry cake and presents! (More pictures might be coming soon)It really was the best day I could ask for!

I have had some real soul searching the past few days as I approached big 25! I have learned so much in my short life, especially the past 3 years while I have been dating Brian. I look back to my birthday right as we met (we met the day after I turned 22) and I can not believe how far I have come. I have come to realize what really is important in life. I am so grateful for my family and friends and the happiness they bring into my life. And most of all, I am grateful for Brian and for everything he has taught me.

Thanks everyone for all the birthday wishes and for making my birthday great!

I'm an AUNT!!!

It finally happened! Something I have been waiting for since I was 8 years old and I realized that some of my friends already were one. I am an aunt!

Anthony Adam Castleton was born Saturday June 6 at 2:52 am.

He weighed 9 lbs. 3 oz. and was 21 1/2 inches long.

You see all of the tubes because there were some complications during labor and the little guy came out in respiratory failure. He spent the first few hours of his life hooked up to a breathing tube.

He went on to spend the first 3 days in the NICU. But I am happy to say he is out of intensive care and up in the room with my Sister-in-Law. Both Anthony and mom will be going home tomorrow.

It is truly incredible how you can love something the INSTANT you see it. I have never felt anything like it, and it is only my nephew. I can only imagine what it feels like to be a mother. After the experience this weekend, I will admit I am absolutely terrified to have children, but I am sure it will happen one day. It has to be one of the most self-less acts a woman can do.

Congratulations to my brother Adam and his wife Danielle! Thank you for bringing my little Tank (yes I already nicknamed him) into my life. Love you both!!!

Wants vs. Needs

So I got this idea from Kate's blog and I thought it was an interesting idea. What do we NEED and what do we WANT? So here are the things I NEED...

 Family

I don't know how many times my family has bailed me out in my life. I love my family and wouldn't change them for anything

 Brian

He has always told me that I should be able to live my life without him, because you never know what will happen. But I can honestly say that I need him in my life. He keeps me centered on what I should be centered on and continually is patient with my imperfections, which I have come to find that I have a lot of. I am grateful for him every day of my life and I love him more every day. 

Sports

It's simple, I could not live without them. 

Music

I love all of my 5 senses, but I think that I enjoy my ability to hear the most (with seeing a close second) I absolutely love music. There is nothing in the world that can calm me down better than music. It is one of my favorite things in the world

Water with Ice

A couple months ago I gave up Diet Coke. But since then, I have come to LOVE water! I carry my Nalgene with me everywhere I go. There is nothing better than cold water with crushed up ice. Yummy!!!

Being prepared

I HAVE to be prepared for everything. Whether its lesson plans at school, finishing an assignment for school, going to the store with a list, packing to go somewhere, I absolute obsess over having everything I need. I go through a mental check list everytime I leave my house and then once again getting out of the car. It might be border line OCD.

Faith and my knowledge of the Gospel

In times like these, I don't know how people can survive without faith and the knowledge of why we are living here on earth. We are living in scary times, but I am eternally grateful for my knowledge of what is going to come. 

Exercise

This is something that I really don't love doing. It hurts, I sweat, and for the first hour or so after I am done I never feel good. But recently I have come to the knowledge I have no choice but to do it. It is necessary for me to live a healthy life.  

And here is a quick list of my wants...

1. A trip anywhere! Preferably Disneyland, New York, or a tropical location.

2. A bodybugg. Its this way cool armband that tracks your calories in/calories out. 

3. To go to my cabin

4. My nephew!!! Down to a couple of weeks

5. Answers...its a little personal, but the best I can give on my blog. 

6. New running shoes

7. A bike

8. A house of my own

Everyone take some time to do this, it really makes you think. 

Say hello...

....to the Newest Love of my Life!!!
BELLA

Getting excited

So I had to make a new post for the first time in a while because I am finally super excited about something. My tickets for David Archuleta came in the mail today!!!! I am fully aware that I am going to be sharing the arena with thousands of teeny boppers screaming like raging lunatics but I DON'T CARE!!!! I love his music and I think his CD is awesome! I don't think Brian is nearly as excited as I am to be tagging along, but I am sure he will find a way for me to make it up to him.

With that, it is my second favorite time of the year... MARCH MADNESS!!! I am so excited this year for 2 reasons. One, the Utes will be making a trip to the tourny for the first time in 4 years!!! It always makes it more fun when your team is there. Reason number 2, I am only working part time, so that means I will be home during the day to enjoy almost all of the first and second round games (which are the most entertaining anyway)

If anyone wants to join in on the bracket fun, I am going to be making a group on Yahoo to compete against others and their brackets. Just leave your email in the comment box and I will be sure to invite you along.

Random

1.First of all, I have a very specific routine to get ready for bed. I HAVE HAVE HAVE to wash my face and can have no make up on when I go to bed. It drives me crazy and there is no way I can sleep. Plus nothing feels better than to wash everything off to go to sleep. I then floss my teeth (yes every night) and brush my teeth. For all those dentists that say if you brush your teeth you will get no cavities I say "BULL!!!" I brush 3 times a day, floss every night, limit the sugar I eat, and I still get more cavities then anyone I know. In the past year, I have had over 15 cavities! Its ridiculous! But now that I am on Prescription toothpaste, hopefully I am on my way to a cavity free mouth.

2. I am very unorganized and spacey. It shows in almost every aspect of my life. Teaching, school, my room, my car. It's horrible! No matter how much I try, I can never come up with a system that works for me. It might work for a few days, and then before I know it, everything is a mess again. As far as being spacey, I forget everything! It has got so bad that I have multiple resources to try and help me remember things. A planner for school, a little notebook to write down random things (that was a present for Brian as he was annoyed by this trait also) and now a Blackberry. This seems to be doing the trick for the time. I love it!

3. With all of my disorganization, I HAVE to pay my bills on time. I panic if I realize I am getting close to the due date. I almost always pay days, if not weeks in advance just to be sure. It is a trait I picked up from my mother as I don't think she has ever paid a bill late in her life. I feel as though it is a good quality as my credit score is extremely high, enough that I can get approved for almost anything I want.

4. I have a problem keeping my body parts from moving, especially my feet. Most of the time I don't notice I do it, only when I am around Brian because it drives him crazy. I have come to realize it happens when my brain is thinking. The harder I think, the faster my feet move. It is insane. Its almost like my brain waves are directly connected to my feet.

5. I sometimes feel that I have OCD on certain things. 1) I have to know my car is locked. I will push the lock button 3 or 4 times as I walk away from my car just to double check I locked it. Along with that, I check multiple times that I did not lock my keys in the car. Even though I know I push the button to lock it, I freak out that they are inside. Its really weird. 2) When I go anywhere or leave anywhere, I always have to make sure certain things are in my purse. I call them "the necessities" They are my wallet, my phone, my keys, my camera, and chapstick. The first 4 I consider irreplaceable, and the chapstick is just neccessary. There is nothing worse then getting somewhere and needing chapstick and you don't have it. I would almost rather die.

6. I LOVE listening to talk radio, especially sports radio. This is a fairly recent trend, especially the past few months. In the mornings its either Jon and Hans on 1280 The Zone or DJ and PK on 1320 KFAN. I base whether I am late for work or not by where DJ and PK are in their show. It I am not off the freeway by the time they do Birthdays and This Day in Sports History I am going to be late. But I love waking up to the morning sports page. Its like I never have to pick up a newspaper, even though I do later in the day.Then in the afternoons, its Powerhouse on 1320 and Monson and Graham on 1280. Each show has their own style and I love listening to it. At 4 while I am driving to job #2 or school, its David Locke and his obsession with stats. What can I say, I am obsessed!

Ok give it a shot, it kind of reminds you of how weird you can be in your life. I tag Heidi, Tracy Lori and Amy

Continued...

Back to the story....So Brian had mentioned to a few close friends and family that he thought I was pretty cool, but he was going to wait to ask me out until after our trip so just in case something happened, it would not be awkward. It had been a week since the party so he felt he had thought it out enough and it was the right decision. Well the night he decided that, he got a phone call from Heather wanting to know if he wanted to watch a movie with her, Josh (an interest of Heathers) and me. Since he had told Heather his plan about me, he figured she was hooking him up! Why else would she call him to make the numbers even? So he was totally down and met us at Heathers house.

Meanwhile, we had been wake boarding ALL DAY and I had not showered, no make up, and I was wearing sweats. But I figured, I am just going to watch a movie so why worry about getting all done up, especially since it was late at night. Plus, I had absoutely no interest in any boy at the time so why did I need to look good? So we got to Heathers and she wanted to watch "The Work and the Glory 3" (or 2 I have no idea which one it was) Neither Brian or I had seen any of them or read the books so we would be pretty lost. I laid in the Lovesac and Heather and Josh sat together on the couch. Well Brian had no idea what to do. Does he look like a 3rd wheel and sit on the couch with the couple, or take a chance and share the Lovesac with a girl he barely knows? As you can probably guess, he chose number 2. We innocently flirted for about 10 minutes, and before I knew it, he had reached over and was holding my hand!!! I couldn't believe it! I barely knew this kid. But I stuck with my gut feeling and went along with it. I mean why not?

Soon the movie was over and Josh headed home. Heather, Brian and I continued to talk and soon after that, Heather had gone to her room to go to sleep. Without any hesitation, Brian and I talked and cuddled well into the night, 6 am in fact. Everything about the night was so unlike me. 1) I never am able to stay up late 2) Holding hands for me is a big step 3) My parents ALWAYS called by 2 am if I was not home 4) I looked like crap yet this boy was still acting interested. So I was completely taken back how everything was working out. But me being cautious, I tried not to think too much of it. I left at 6 am and went home to sleep for a few hours. Even after all of that, we still had not exchanged numbers so who knew what would come next.

Later that night, I went to a friends wedding with my good friend Stevie. She was the first person I told about my late night escapades. She also could not believe all of this was happening. After the wedding, we hung out with some friends. I got a phone call from Heather and she just happened to be hanging out with Brian again that night and wanted to know what we were doing. So the 2 of them came over and we played games and watched a movie. Going with my gut again, I laid by Brian and we cuddled. We left that night, once again not exchanging numbers or knowing what would come next.

The next day was Sunday and I spent it like I usually did. Going to church, hanging out with family, and then relaxing at home. I went to my room and checked my cell phone and there was a missed call from an unknown number. In my gut, I knew it was Brian. So I bravely called it back, only to hear his voice on the other end. We talked for a few minutes and he invited me over to hang out with his family. Of course I headed over there, with a new outlook on this whole dating drama. Maybe not worrying about anything and just going with the flow of things is the way to go.

We spent the night long boarding, hanging out around a campfire with his family, and just talking. I went home that night feeling pretty good about the whole situation. The next day I never heard from him, but still I was pretty chill. No worries! It was not until the next day, July 4, that I saw him again. A big group of friends were going to watch fireworks at Sugarhouse so I met up with Heather at her house only to find Brian was there too. We went to dinner, hung out in the park and played games, and then enjoyed the fireworks. That night when we got back to Heathers, he walked me to my car and asked me out on our "official" first date. He would pick me up the next night and suprise me with what we were going to do.

The first date story deserves a post all to itself, so that will come later this week!