The Day O Love

I have come to realize how much I LOVE being cheesy. This was my first Valentine's Day with Dallin so I wanted to go over the top with the cheese factor. Dallin always asks me why I love him and I usually give him a couple of reasons at a time. I decided to make a list of all of those reasons. I then put each one in a balloon so he would have to pop them to find out. He came over to my apartment with my favorite meal of all time...ahem...Monterey Chicken Burrito and Espinaca from the one and only Jose Pepper's. When I opened the door, his reaction to all the balloons was just what I expected. "Whoa!" We savored our Monterey Chicken goodness and then I handed Dallin a knife to pop the balloons. He had little comments for each reason and had a giddy smile on his face the entire time. It was definitely worth all the preparation and wrestling of balloons just to see his face. All in all, it was a very memorable first Valentine's with a funny boy.

Back to Reality

I decided I am really not a huge fan of coming back from vacation. It is too shocking for my liking. I couldn't have asked for a better trip with a better fella! I am pretty sure that Dallin was overwhelmed with all of the people that he met--especially since they are so important to me--but he did great! Everyone absolutely loved him and gave their approval. I was so glad that I got to pretty much see everyone that I wanted to and Dallin even got to go skiing with his boys. Saturday night, Dallin and I went downtown and ate at California Pizza Kitchen at the Gateway and then to Temple Square. He had never been there before so he was kind of excited. Not to mention it was great for it just to be the two of us for a minute. Here is a picture montage for your viewing pleasure!

My birthday celebration with the Utah family.

I am getting O-L-D!

Couldn't pass up a photo op at the Mayan!

I love my best friend.

Dallin is ok too I guess...

Psssst...I have a secret!

I have a confession to make. I have a new fella in my life. Call me superstitious but I was afraid I would jinx myself if I broadcast it to the blogging world. Here is the rundown on Dallin...that's his name...Dallin. We actually met officially in May of last year through a mutual friend who will remain nameless...ahem...Julie Fullmer. She has been planting the idea in both of our heads since then but nothing ever came of it until she arranged for us both to be at her house in October. We hit it off right away and have spent as much time as possible together ever since. (I know, kind of sickening right?) He is quite possibly the most considerate person I have ever met which I absolutely love about him. Probably the best example of this took place a few weeks ago. He randomly (very randomly) asked me how many vacation days I had available from work. He was very secretive about why he was wondering. He called me later that night (I was already sleeping) and told me that he was sending me to Utah for my birthday. I started to argue and say it was too much but then he said he was coming with me! If I hadn't been deep in sleep five minutes prior to this, I might have cried. We will be leaving KC for SLC on my birthday and will be there for a few days. I told him that he has no idea what he is getting himself into...my Utah friends and family are kind of a big deal to me...but he is excited nonetheless. He might change his mind after this trip...who knows! Here is a picture of us from New Years. Moral of the story: I am a happy girl.

You Get What You Give...

Pardon my rant for just a moment...just humor me ok? There is a person in my life (who shall remain nameless) that has been known to treat me...what's the right word?...like a crap bag. I do not understand for the life of me how this person can treat me, or anyone for that matter, like they are nothing. And me, being the person that I am, always forgive the aforementioned individual and remember that there is a good person deep down....somewhere. In the past couple of weeks, I have realized that it is not fair for me to keep putting myself through such a roller coaster. This person will never change and will never learn from these mistakes even after they have been caught in their lies. Karma is a beautiful thing my friends.

Itchy and Scratchy!

Throughout my life I have periodically gotten hives creeping up my neck and face, but normally only when I am upset or nervous about something. In the past month or so, I have gotten them on a very regular basis and sometimes for no reason at all! It is almost embarrassing when I unknowingly start scratching my neck only to have a co-worker tell me how red my neck is. This only embarrasses me more which makes my face grow a deeper shade of crimson. I am not sure what is the cause of this culprit, but until then...don't be surprised if you see red blotches all over me.

Many Mighty Miracles

I can't believe how quickly the last two years has gone by. This past week, I realized that it has been two years since the infamous car accident. In some ways it feels much more than that, but it is also very hard to believe so much time has passed. So many blessings have come from that night with five wonderful people that I will forever be connected with from this amazing experience. We were truly protected that night and have been blessed immensely since. Our lives have all gone in very different directions in the past two years but I am very grateful for all of them and this miracle that we all share.

A Tribute to Grandpa Karren

Keith Obray Karren

1926-2008


Over the past week I have been reflecting on my favorite memories of my sweet Grandpa Karren. He was one of the happiest people I have ever known. Always had a smile on his face. He was so curious about the world and loved to learn. He loved being surrounded by his family. I may not have been lucky enough to grow up with him, but he never treated me any different than the rest of his grandkids. He loved my Grandma and they were such a great example to all of us. I loved when he would open a present. He would immediately have to put it together, or read through it or figure it out. He would always say, "Look at that!" I am so grateful that I have had the opportunity to know him over the past 5 years and am very blessed by all the things that I learned from him and his life. He will be missed by his family and all that knew him.