Showered with Love

^^Decor from the Friend's Shower. Thank you, Chels, for being the mastermind behind this darling shower! 

  

I am deeply grateful for so many incredible people in my life. Wow, it is unreal. I have been continually reminded through letters, messages, gifts, phone calls, emails, etc. from so many of you... my whole pregnancy. Thank you! Over the last two months, I have had three baby showers...talk about BLESSED! I am still in awe. My darling sisters/friends organized one for all of my girlfriends in Utah County. My Grandma organized a family/friends shower in Bountiful. My sweet XC girls + Jamie organized one just a few weekends ago. I feel so loved. It is so beautiful to see people come together to show love and excitement for one another. I only wish I could adequately articulate how much this means to me and our little family.  Thank you for the love and support you have shown me!! xoxo

The Best Kind of Lucky!

I was looking through our photos today--randomly reminiscing. Tomorrow, we will be 24! Time flies.

I am finding it hard to articulate how grateful I am for you. I have never thought of it as just my day--it is our day! (I have always loved, however, how Mom+Dad strived to give us independence by having our own cakes growing up)...We learned from a young age how twins originate from a scientific and physical sense but something I have thought about more as we have aged is why we were so "randomly" lucky--> God paired me with you, to enter and experience this life---together. Yes, being a twin has brought hardships and trials most will never understand but it has also brought strength, joy, and love that is hard to articulate. I count having you as my twin sister as one of my greatest blessings in my whole life! No one quite knows my sense of humor like you or can get me laughing as hard as you. I feel more complete and alive when we are together. The way we think, act, and speak--is so closely aligned. We were wired similarly yet we have so many magnificent differences. It has made for quite the team the last 24 years! 

You have been there with me through it all....traveling the world, awkward stages, break-ups, sports tournaments, moving a bazillion times, college, temple trips, dating, all nighters, marathon/triathlons, marriage...you name it, you were there by my side. I mean, we learned to communicate before we could talk. It's the moments that I don't have to say anything and I know you just understand. You know my soul unlike anyone and it is something I will forever cherish. I love you! Happy Birthday!

We have traveled to various destinations around the world together (pictured here: Jerusalem, Jordan, Mt.Sinai, Egypt, Alaska):

 

We graduated high school + college together!

Three of my favorite photos of us from my wedding, were completely candid. It was when I came out of the temple to see you for the first time. To me, this picture symbolizes one of our first major separation breaks. It was hard--we lived together all of our lives. That next year and a half was one of significant growth as we learned to live fully apart.

 

 Happy Birthday, Chels! I love you! 

xoxoxo

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

 

Dracula was in charge of our ward Halloween Party this year--> he planned and "MC"ed the entire event. 

Kids would run up to him..."Mr. Vampire, Mr. Vampire...can I do the pie eating contest??" or "Mr. Vampire, check out my costume? Did I win the costume contest yet?" or find me:"WHOA, you are married to Mr. Vampire? "Your skin is a very pretty color." Between him running the show + me stuffing my face for the pie eating contests w/ the yw and running the fishing booths...we were busy, busy! It definitely was a night for the books...and totally worth scrubbing our faces off to remove the paint.

HOWEVER, one of the best parts of Halloween this year: our homemade "Haunted Hedgie" movie! Chelsea (my twin sister) and Nick bought a hedgehog. To celebrate the holidays, they wanted to create this debut movie with their darling little star. They came over to our place one night with Hannah this week (having family live close rocks!). Between laughing breaks, moments of genius acting (ha!), and many hilarious outtakes, we created enough footage for this spooky film. After brilliantly compiling all of the footage, Chels sent me a link to this a day later...and we haven't stopped laughing since. Enjoy!

Happy Halloween xoxo

It happened

It happened…..Cars + I moved into our first little "home" this week.

 I could not be more obsessed with the hardwood floors and the natural light…..and this bus from 1932 is in the backyard--I know, right. 

such a random gem.

***

Today, I was sitting on the gym floor waiting for a thunderstorm to pass to run the region track meet. My athletes started telling me their first kiss stories and terrible dates. we laughed + laughed. Then they turned to me and asked a million questions about "our story." They were so curious. I told them something a little like this:

I sat there on the gym floor thinking….how did I get here? I swear I was just in their position, a 15 year-old, crazy about a tall, goofy 16-year old boy experiencing first kisses and giddy dates--> trying not to completely humiliate myself in front of the boy I came to love. Cars would come watch me run in all of my high school track meets…..and here we are--married--and he is still my #1 fan. I feel like I spend every waking second on these kids and here he is cheering me on as a teacher + a coach of my own track team. 

I guess I am just overwhelmed with gratitude. Gratitude for that boy who walked into my math class so many years ago. He is the reason I live. Grateful we got married. Grateful for years of his support. Grateful to live in a darling LITTLE house--like the ones I used to draw in pictures. 

It is kind of cool how life turns out! 

Who wants to come visit????

(To ALL who helped us move--we are so grateful. we LOVE you!) 

BIRTHDAY BLISS!

My/Our Birthday ROCKED! One of the best ones yet!

I am surrounded by such amazing family and friends. 

I love Chels! I love being her twin.

We have been through it all together and I feel so privileged and grateful to share a birthday with someone I so deeply love and admire.

Unfortunately, I was not able to spend the day with her... B-U-T due to the fact that Carson was in Poland for a week (post coming up on that fab trip later!) I was able to spend almost all of the week with her. I am talking {quality} time, just like we always did, along with my family. WOW. It was like a dream. My family is everything to me. [P.s. My mom and sisters took me to yoga (4x) and I fell in love w/ it-->seriously, I waited this long to discover this treasure?!]  It was such a fantastic WEEK. Thank you family for taking extra good care of me--for feeding me, waking up at 6am to wipe the snow from my car before work, and for spoiling me rotten. 

Sunday. February 9.

I woke up to an amazing/hilarious setup, balloons, a banner at the Garrett household. Kenna, my beyond marvelous mother-in-law is without a doubt one of the most thoughtful + loving people I know. {I am positive she changes lives every day.}  I almost cried when I saw it. I could not believe it-- I love this family. They treat me like one of their own. I even got to eat off of the "celebratory plate." (Yup, that is me in my awwwkward stage when I was obsessed with tigers and wrote various Chinese leaders to educate them on their roles to prevent the extinction of Bengal Tigers.) The whole thing was so meaningful and kind.

ALSO... Did I mention, Carson and Phil returned home from their 8-day (felt more like a century:) Business/Mission excursion? Having Carson home felt like CHRISTMAS! 

We went over to the Jackson household and had dinner and our traditional birthday treat with Liza and my parents (cupcakes in ice cream cones!) I could not stop smiling.

Needless to say, it was a G-O-O-D day.

Seriously. I could barely go to sleep that night, I felt so overwhelmed with joy and gratitude for the love and kindness I felt from all of you. 

Thank you, ALL OF YOU, again. I am so incredibly blessed.