My Days are Numbered

Hello world! It's been a while, sorry. Things have been mighty busy. School hasn't been half bad, but trying to find time to do wedding stuff between work and school has been a bit tough and stressful. It's all come together though. The rest of our engagement pictures turned out great, and our announcements are just how I wanted them. We had a little bit of stress when ordering them, but everything worked out nicely. I still have a few things left to do, like buy food and a cake cutting set and figure out how in the world I'm going to do my makeup that day, but that's all good. We've gotten a ton done in the last few weeks, and my grandma and I stuffed 200 little bags of pink, black and white M&Ms last night for our favors. So hard to resist 15 pounds of chocolate. I did though, but mainly because I splurged at lunch after Whit, Tara, McKae and I went to the temple. I had a cheeseburger, fries and a milkshake. Hey, the dress fits so I let myself enjoy it :) It was actually a great day, but when is going to the temple ever a bad experience, and I'm glad I got some time with the girls away from everything else.

Anyway...I had my bridal showers about two weeks ago! Darren's mom Sherry threw me one on a Friday with her friends from their ward, and then Whit and her mom threw one the next day with everyone that I know. They were so fun! I don't have any pictures from Sherry's, but here are some from Saturday's.

Me, Tara and Trish

The beautiful quilt my grandmother made in our wedding colors

Whit, Me and Tara...opening gifts

We had a blast. I unfortunately did not notice that Tara was writing stuff down throughout the whole gift opening process. Should have been more careful about what I was saying! For both showers I had to answer some questions that Darren had previously answered, and hopefully give the same response he did. I failed miserably Friday night, but Saturday I did much better. (Probably helps that two of the questions I missed Friday were in Saturdays, and I knew the right answer by then).

I'm so excited for the 19th to be here! My whole family will be together for the first time in a few years, and a couple aunts and uncles are coming that I haven't seen in a while either. It's going to be so much fun. I hope I can relax enough to enjoy the next two weeks! I should be ok though. I'm pretty much done with one class, but I do have my last final two days before the wedding. Yay. I pampered myself last week and went and got a massage though, helped immensely!

Engagement Pictures!

For more, go here!

Whirlwind

Back from Utah. Flew in Friday evening, hit up the BYU vs. Utah State football game that night (Cougars won 35-17). It was so fun to be back in the stadium. (I only missed one home game in the three seasons I was in Provo).Saturday morning - up bright and early to have our enagement pictures taken. So fun, but SO cold. My sister and her hubby tagged along, so we went out to breakfast with them afterwards. So fun. Thanks Trish & Charles! Darren and I then headed back to his aunt and uncle's in Cedar Hills to get changed real fast and head up to Salt Lake with his cousins to watch the afternoon session of conference. It was so fun to be in the Conference Center. We were able to move down a section and got really good seats right by where all of the general authorities exit when the session is over. As we were walking past Temple Square to the car, I ran into a friend from high school! What are the odds. I got to say hi to him real fast before the cops told us to keep moving. Bummer. Then we hit up The Pie for some deliciousness and said goodbye to the boys as they headed off to the priesthood session. I chilled with Darren's cousins Brittany and Dianna for a couple hours (drove past East High - shout out to High School Musical) and then we headed back home. Such a long day. Between sessions on Sunday Darren and I ran down to Springville to visit one of my best friends, Seraph. It was so fun to see her and her husband Shawn, and meet their little boy. Ser and I pretty much grew up together, and she met Shawn in our freshman ward at BYU. I'm so excited to see them again in December at home! We watched the last half of the afternoon session in Cedar Hills, ate and then headed for the airport at 6. So much to do in just two days.

I'll post some of our engagement pictures in a few weeks, when I get them from our photographer.

About Me! And Darren too...

Whit tagged me, so here I go!

What are your middle names? Natalie and Scott
How long have you been together? 6 months
How long did you know each other before you started dating? uh...19 days
Who asked who out? He did the asking
Whose siblings do you see the most? Since mine are in Virginia, North Carolina, Utah and on a mission, and all of his are local, we see his more
Do you have any children together? That's a negative!
What about pets? Nope
Did you go to the same school? Nope. I went to the better BYU ;)
Who is the most sensitive? Me, all the way
Where do you eat out most as a couple? His parents house
Where is the furthest you have ever traveled as a couple? The beach. Ha. Sad. It will be Virginia after the wedding.
Who has the worst temper? Um...I'd say that there's potential for both of us to get pretty heated
Who does the cooking? Both. He does more cooking now since he's at school and I mooch off my grandparents.
Who is more social? Me
Who is the neat freaks? Haha, me, again
Who is the most stubborn? We're both pretty stubborn about different things
Who hogs the bed? I will make a prediction - me. I'm a sprawler.
Who wakes up earlier? I do
Where was your first date? Johnny Carinos, Starbucks for hot chocolate, then Boomers for Mini-golf
Who has the bigger family? Me. 7 is greater than 5
Do you get flowers often? Never have. Hint, hint...
Who eats more? Darren
Who sings better? He says I do, but I don't consider myself a good singer
Who does the laundry? At the moment, it's an individual thing, but I probably will
Who's is better with the computer? Equal
Who drives when you are together? Darren
Who picks where you go to dinner? Usually I do, but I give him a few options
Who is the first one to admit when they are wrong? I think we're both okay with that, at least right now
Who wears the pants in the relationship? Decisions are mutual
Who eats more sweets? Me, times ten
Who cries more? Haha. Me!
What's your best day together? The day I went through the temple and he was able to be there with his parents and my dad. Can't begin to describe it.
Where did you honeymoon? We will be going to Monterey/Carmel
Favorite date night? When we both got the same Redbox movie and watched it while on the phone with eachother, him in Idaho and me in Hughson
Favorite TV show to watch together? The Office
Couple I imagine us growing old like? Our parents

Thanks Whit!! We'll see what my answers are in a few months ;)

I tag...Seraph, Julie, Sheila & Jenny!

8 years ago...

Today, as all of you know, marks the 8th anniversary of the terrible events of September 11, 2001. That day, 8 years ago, was the second week of my senior year of high school. The day started off as any other. Up at 5, seminary at 6, school at 7:30. After 3rd period I was walking to lunch (probably about 10:30 or so) and as I walked past the math pod to my locker there was a buzz going around about a terrorist attack, and how the Pentagon had been blown up and was just a crater now. I thought to myself, "Yea, right". I got to lunch and people were still talking about it, so I figured something really must have happened. I immediately started to silently freak out, since my dad's office was at the Naval Annex, just across from the Pentagon. He had meetings in the Pentagon on occasion as well. Needless to say, I didn't really eat much of my lunch that day, and neither did any of the friends I was sitting with. One of them got up and went to another group to get more details, and came back with the information that the Pentagon had been hit by a plane, and the World Trade Center in New York had been as well.


In my next class we were told by our teacher that we couldn't talk about it, because they didn't know what was going on either. We were to go about our day as normal, though that wasn't really likely. Kids started being pulled out of class as their parents came to pick them up. Cell phones stopped working, so the guidance offices at the school were packed with kids worried about their parents that worked at the Pentagon. I can distinctly remember not worrying about my dad though. Fear went through me at first, but then I can remember the strongest feeling of peace I think I've ever felt, and knew that everything was going to be ok.

By my last class of the day (started somewhere about 12:30) we finally got more details since were were in a room that had a television. We all headed home at normal time (2:00), and I walked through the front door to find my dad in front of the television. He had been in a meeting about the attack on the World Trade Center when the plane that hit the Pentagon flew right over his building. He was able to make it home quickly and safely. I then called my best friend Seraph to see if her dad had made it home, and he hadn't, so I went over to wait with her and her family until he came home late that evening.

School was cancelled the next day, but we still went to Seminary to talk about things and my dad spoke to all of us. I don't remember what was said, but still remember the feelings of peace, patriotism and unity that filled our ward, school and community in the weeks following that day.

When I went home for Christmas this past year I was able to visit the Pentagon Memorial for the first time. I had been wanting to go since its dedication, but hadn't made it home yet. I highly recommend it to anyone. I think the design is perfect, and I cried the whole way through it. There is a bench for everyone that died at the Pentagon that day, whether on the plane or in the building. They are layed out in rows by the year of the victim's birth. Each bench has a plaque on the end that holds their name, and depending on what you see when you look at the name plate (the Pentagon or the sky) you will know that they died in the building (if you are facing the Pentagon) or on the plane (the sky). It was truly a moving experience.

I hope I never forget the feelings that I had that day, or in the following weeks, and that I will always remember how blessed I am to live in this country and to have the freedoms I do. Today I also think about my grandfather, dad and brother and the countless others that are serving, or have served, our country in the armed forces. They sacrifice so much so that we can live the lives we do.

Summer Catch-up

I know, I know. I've been a blogging slacker the past two months. But trust me, I haven't been lounging by the beach or anything like that.

July seems like so long ago. I spent the first weekend in Rexburg, as all of you know :) And then came home and started making wedding plans. Whitney and I went dress shopping on one Saturday, but I waited until my mom came later that month to make a final decision. I'd love to post a picture, but I won't.

My parents got into town the very end of July and were here through the first week of August. We went to the waterslides in Fresno (7/30), had a backyard campfire, took family pictures the day Darren got back from his family reunion in Snowbird (8/2), made a visit to Columbia (8/3), and went to the temple in Oakland (8/4).

Mom, Aaron & I on a slide

Darren & I in fine form after family pictures

Sarah & Kaymbria in Columbia

Dallin, Carson & Chris in Columbia

Rackhams & Capells at the Oakland Temple

A hen at the Fruit Barn protecting her hatching eggs

After my parents left Darren and I went into full swing wedding planning. We put our deposit down with the photographer, got him fitted for his tux, went through oodles of baby pictures for a slideshow for our reception and open house, organized tons of addresses, ordered his wedding band (thanks for the tip Whit!), ordered our wedding cake, and found ties for all of the brothers/dads/brother-in-law. He left for Rexburg on Tuesday, so I'm left on my own to finish everything else. It shouldn't be too bad though. There's only a few things left to take care of. I also started school last night. I'm only taking 2-3 classes (haven't fully decided yet) towards my teaching credential. I hope to be able to find a fun class for me to take in Turlock, cake decorating or something, as well.

Darren and I do have our engagement pictures scheduled for October 3rd in Provo, so maybe a few weeks after that I'll post again.

That's it for now! Till next time :)

Engaged!

So, I figured I better post and let everyone know the great news!

I got into Rexburg late Thursday night (11pm) and Darren came and picked me up. We drove through a McDonald's drive thru (romantic, eh?) and then drove to a random park out in the middle of nothing. We got out of the car and walked over to the swing set, where we stood and talked, and wished it wasn't cloudy so we could see the stars. Darren told me he had a surprise for me, and then got down on his knee and asked me if I would marry him. I was totally surprised. I had my suspicions he would propose this weekend, but I thought he'd wait until Saturday, the 4th. Of course though, I said yes! He put the ring on my finger (which is perfect by the way) and then we sat on the swings for a while and talked while he ate. It was almost midnight by then so he took me to the house where I'd be staying for the weekend and said goodnight. I was a little too excited to sleep, so I called a couple friends and then went to bed.

The rest of the weekend was great. We saw Transformers 2 on Friday, and had a marshmallow roast out at Beaver Dick Park. Saturday we had a barbeque at Rigby Lake and then drove down to Idaho Falls for fireworks. Sunday I went to church with him and his roommates and then took a walk through the gardens. It was a great weekend!

Tomorrow Night...

I will be here...

With him...

Yay!

Charles & Trisha Bogus

This past weekend I flew up to Utah for my sister Trisha's wedding! I got in Thursday evening and just hung out with her that night. Friday morning the work started early. Trish, Charles & I went out and picked up the flowers for the centerpieces and planned on meeting up with my parents for lunch when they got into town. Unfortunately, Trish came down with the stomach flu right about lunch time and Charles started feeling icky so they went home to rest and I met up with my family. We couldn't check into our hotel yet, so we drove down to the BYU campus and walked around for a bit. It was surprisingly fun to be back on campus and showing my siblings where I had classes and such. Friday night came and we had planned on having a family dinner with Charles' family, but because they were both sick his family decided to cancel, so all the Rackhams went out! Me and my parents and four siblings (we missed Grant who is on his mission), both sets of grandparents and an aunt and uncle met up at Golden Corral in Provo. It was fun to sit and chat and catch up on everyone's lives. That night my mom, Kristin and I went out and got some last minute stuff for the wedding the next day, and Darren met up with us at Walmart! He got to come shopping with my mom and I, and I'm sure he loved it. Haha!

My family - Justin, Me, Aaron, Charles, Trish, Mom, Sarah, Dad & Dallin

Saturday was the big day, and my mom, Sarah and I headed over to Trisha's early to put together the centerpieces and get the little things ready. We cut up lemons and arranged flowers until about 11:30 when we headed back to the hotel for lunch and then headed up the canyon to set up. It rained on and off all morning, so we were really hoping it would be nice at 5 for the ceremony. Darren and I left at about 3 to run back and change, and everyone else followed close behind. We got back to the park about 4:45 and watched the dark clouds roll in. The ceremony was short and sweet, and the rain didn't start falling until after a few family photos had been snapped. We attempted to wait it out under the nearby pavillion and eat our Thai food dinner, but when the rain began to come horizontally with the strong winds we decided to bail. Everyone headed out of the canyon and to a nearby community center in Lindon where the party continued. The cake somehow survived, and we all dried off and had a merry old time. A few friends from Virginia were able to make it, and it was great to see all of them. As I was sitting with Darren I looked over at Justin, with Jared Rammell, Matt Gillon and Sam & Anna Lattin and missed the old days and my gang of friends. I was friends with these guys too, but they're all a few years younger than me. I'll always look back on those years with smiles and great memories :)

Matt, Jared, Trish, Me, Justin & Sam

The reception ended about 9:30, and then Trish & Charles headed off to a cabin and then Disneyland for a week! My mom, Darren and I shuttled the gifts back to their apartment and then headed to bed. It was an incredibly long, but fun, day. Sunday morning we had planned on hiking the Y, but due to rain we weren't able to. One day I'll do it. We were able to go to Jared Rammell's missionary farewell talk that afternoon though. He did a great job, and it was great to see all of his family again! All in all, it was a great weekend; regardless of the rain. Darren and I left for the airport from Jared's open house/barbeque after church. You'd have to ask him, but I think his "Meet the Parents" weekend went pretty well. My dad and Justin gave him a hard time Friday night, but that was expected. It was hard to say goodbye to my family, but they'll be out here in Hughson at the end of next month for a family reunion so I won't have to wait long to see them again. Darren dropped me off at the airport and then headed back up to Rexburg. It'll be fun to see him next week for 4th of July!

At the airport

Here are some more of my favorite photos from the weekend:

Bottled Water, Camp Lehi 2009

"What can make a hippopotamus smile? What can make him walk for more than a mile?
It’s not a party with a paper hat, Or a bag of candy that will make him fat,

That’s not what hippos do.

They ooze through the gooze without any shoes, They wade through the water ‘till their lips turn blue,That’s what hippos do!

Shhh...What can make a hippopotamus smile? What can make him run for more than a mile?

It’s not a tune on the old violin, Or listening to the sound of the whistling wind,

That’s not what hippos do.

They ooze through the gooze without any shoes, They wade through the water ‘till their lips turn blue, That’s what hippos do! Woo, Woo!"

.

So, I got home from girls' camp yesterday afternoon and this song has been in my head ever since. Yay. It was a great week though. Whitney and I drove up Sunday night and pitched my tent in the dark. Good times trying to figure out how the rain fly was supposed to work. I had to do some minor adjustments the next morning. Then we headed up to the dining hall to help out the staff that were there. On the way Whitney decided to get up close and personal with the asphalt and has some decent road rash to show from it. Her story stands that we didn't have a flashlight and she tripped over a speedbump, not that we had a flashlight, but were jogging to get there faster so we wouldn't be eaten by a forest critter and her ankle gave out. Fortunately my flashlight was the lone casualty of the incident.

Monday morning we got up and set up Whitney's stuff on the other side of camp (much easier in the daylight) and then hung out until the girls started arriving at about 11. Day one is pretty chaotic with girls setting up tents and adjusting to camp life. At campfire that night each group did an introductory skit, so each of my girls picked a brand of bottled water and introduced themselves as that (since our group name was Bottled Water - our theme this year was Ripples: The Power of Your Example, and each group name had to be a body of water that could have ripples in it). It ended up being pretty cute.

My AWESOME group of girls

Our group flag

Tuesday was our big certification day. As third-years, the assigned meal we had to cook in our campsite was dutch oven chicken and rice, corn, and cobbler. It was definitely a meal to remember. The cobbler finished first, so we ate that and then the corn since it just had to cook on the coals from the cobbler. The chicken didn't get done for quite a while longer, but we had some good times down at the campsite while we waited. That morning we had a shining moment (devotional) about being lady-like, and then got to campfire that night where the staff did a skit called "Fountains" and spit water the entire time, but in sync with instrumental music. It was so funny. The theme for the night was "Girls' Camp Through the Ages" so my girls demonstrated what girls' camp might have been like in the Stone Age, the mid 1800's, the 1960's and today.

My girls doing their skit

"Fountains"

Wednesday was hike day, so we got up and packed lunches, put on our ponchos (it rained on and off all week) and headed out. The first half was all down the mountain, so it was no big deal. At the bottom we stopped for a bit next to "The Wall" and Papa Johns (our guide) talked to the girls for a little bit about the importance of teamwork. They then had to each get over the 10 foot wall with the help of the other girls, and once they got down, they had to watch and offer only moral support. It took just about 35 minutes to get all 22 girls over, but once the last one finished (took a good 10-15 minutes for her alone) it was a great feeling. It was so cool to watch all the girls work together and figure out how to get everyone over in the most logical way. Afterwards we had lunch and the girls completed the orienteering part of their certification. The final leg of the hike was all back up the mountain, and boy was it killer at some parts. The weather was perfect though, in the high 60's and overcast most of the day. It was definitely an experience to remember, and something I'm sure the girls won't soon forget.

The start of "The Wall"

Thursday was beach day! Unofficially, this was also known as Cell Phone Reception Day. All week the landline at camp had been down, so no one could make any phone calls home. I couldn't wait to be able to call a certain someone, and judging by the number of voicemails I had from him he was looking forward to it too ;) That morning we had shining moments again, but this time the girls were split up by year group and went to two differnent ones. The night before I had been asked by the Stake Relief Society President to help with hers (she had the 3rd years and JC's). A friend of mine was also asked to help out, and we were given the assignment to speak about what we do in our daily lives to live by the Spirit and become closer to Christ. Denise and I sat down and talked for a while about what each of us wanted to discuss. She spoke about music (having a song in your heart all day) and working hard, and I discussed prayer and scripture study. The first time around I was totally flustered and felt like I wasn't getting everything across the way I wanted to, but the second time (when I had my own girls) went so much better. Right as we were finishing the sun came out and warmed us all up and got us in the beach mood :) It was a fantastic day.

Friday was our last full day at camp, and all of the counselors spent most of the morning hanging out in the dining hall while the girls finished up their certification. This year there were a few couches in the dining hall, and many naps were taken by leaders during that short time :) The sun was out almost all day, so Whitney and I decided to hit up all of the dangerous free time activities that afternoon. First we hit up tomahawks and we both did pretty well. We then moved on to archery, where Whitney totally kicked my trash. I seemed to get progressively worse as I went on, but it was a fun experience. At one point I felt like Robin Hood from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and imagined myself shooting a flaming arrow at the target. Oh, silly me. Our last activity for the day was bb guns. It was my turn to kick trash. I got a good amount of my shots near the center target, and a few right in the middle. Maybe a new calling in life? Haha. Just kidding. It was fun though. Campfire that night was testimony meeting, and it was so nice to hear the sweet testimonies of all of my girls and many more throughout the camp.

Yup, I did that

My bb gun target

Saturday we went home! I went around to wake up my girls at 7, and to my surprise they were all already awake. Even after staying up until midnight and all of them sleeping in the same tent. We were miraculously all packed up and ready to go before flag at 8:15. How? I have no clue. Whitney and I were out of there at 10:45, and home by 2:30 after a stop at In-N-Out for lunch. It was so nice to take a warm shower and throw all of my clothes in the wash after one wet, cold and dirty week. After it all, I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to go. It's nice to get away from everything, and have a major spiritual uplift every day for a whole week. In a few weeks we have a joint Relief Society/Young Women Enrichment Night and it will be fun to see my girls again. I definitely learned something from each of them over the course of the week and I am amazed at the strength some of them have at their young age. All in all, it was a great week.

Pomp & Circumstance

Today was the day!! I finally (after 7 years) graduated from college in a freezing cold ceremony this morning. I got a little worried this morning when it was raining still when we headed off to the school, but it subsided by 8, and then the sun graced us with its presence just before the ceremony was over. It was so fun to have my parents there, in addition to my grandma and one of my aunts and her three girls.

Mom and Dad

It was a bummer that more of my family couldn't be there, but there were extenuating circumstances for some of them. I'm now looking forward to starting the credential program in September and any other adventures life may bring :)

Summer Time

So, a few weeks ago Darren called to tell me he had just bought a plane ticket to come home for Memorial Day weekend! I was thrilled, to say the least, that I wouldn't have to wait until mid-June to see him again. He flew in Friday night and I was able to pick him up at the airport in Oakland at a semi-sane hour. Saturday we hung out with his family and had a barbeque with his parents and his brother Kenneth and his family. We played a round of Acquire (a favorite in the Capell family), and then drove down to Denair to make dinner with a friend of mine and her boyfriend and played a round of Ticket to Ride.

By Sunday night the Darren's brothers Eric and Jeff had come down from Sacramento with their wives/families, so we had a great family dinner after church and then played Ticket to Ride, Acquire and then Cranium (good times with Ed McMahon and Sherlock Holmes). It was so much fun laughing, hanging out and getting to know his family better. I swear, I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. After all that we still found the energy to stay up and watch Paul Blart: Mall Cop.

Monday morning we all headed down to New Brighton Beach near Santa Cruz. It wasn't the warmest day ever (I'm pretty sure the high was somewhere near 70), and I wasn't brave enough to get anywhere near the water, but it was great to lay out and just hang with the Capell family. On the way home we hit up Nations (love their grilled cheese) and then played a last round of Ticket to Ride before Eric and Jenny headed back home. We turned on Music & Lyrics, but I totally fell asleep and had a nice nap :)

Darren & I

The beach crew

Darren and I had to say goodbye this afternoon, and by george it wasn't fun. I'll see him in 3 1/2 weeks for Trisha's wedding, so hopefully I'll stay busy enough with my birthday, graduation and girl's camp that I won't miss him too much between now and then. Not likely though. Haha. Overall, it was such a fun weekend, and I can't wait to see him again.

Congrats to Kris!!

This has to be my favorite part from last night's American Idol finale. I am a total sap if I tell you all that I teared up when I saw this? To be quite honest, I didn't watch one episode of this season until Tuesday night, but I am so glad that Kris won. Adam seems to be a better fit for Broadway, and I just didn't go for his style. I loved this duet between Kris and Keith Urban as well.

I apologize for being away from the blog for so long, but things have been crazy busy with the semester ending next week and graduation the week after. I hope to get back to updates soon! Darren is coming home tomorrow for the holiday weekend, so I'll actually have fun things to do this weekend :)

Left My Heart In San Francisco

Ok, so not really, but I love the city. On Wednesday, Darren picked me up from the airport and then we went to the Golden Gate Bridge, since I'd never been there before. It was crazy windy, but so fun to see. I told him I felt like I was looking at something that wasn't supposed to be real. I'd seen the bridge on movies and television shows, but to see it for real was pretty cool. Call me crazy, but oh well. After the Golden Gate, we stopped by the Oakland Temple and walked around for a little bit, spent about an hour trying to find somewhere to eat, and then headed back home. It was a great day, and so fun to spend some time with him in San Fran.

So, Darren left this morning for Rexburg until August, and I was surprised at how hard it was for me. I'll spare everyone the gory details, but I must say that I do believe I am falling for this guy. Crazy. For some reason I never thought this would happen. It's surprised me at how comfortable I am around him and his family. Doesn't hurt that they're pretty great! I'll see him in June at my sister's wedding, where he'll be meeting my family....scary. Kinda stinks that we'll be apart almost twice as long as we've been together, but we'll see what happens. Haha.

Easter

Trish and Sarah

Justin, Aaron and Dallin

Last weekend I was able to go back to Virginia, where I grew up and my parents still live, for Easter. I hadn't seen my brother Justin since Christmas of '07 since he was in Iraq last year, so it was great to see him and go through all of his pictures and hear his stories. Crazy stuff I tell ya. On Saturday we sat down as a family (minus Grant who is on a mission) and decorated Easter eggs. Good times involving several cracked eggs, some scary drawings and fights over the color mugs. It was so nice to be with my family for the holiday, great memories were made.

By shear coincidence my dad's mom was in town helping my aunt Lianne with some final wedding prep and meeting the future in-laws. It was nice to sit down with her for a few hours Sunday and Monday to hear stories about my grandfather when they were first married, and even some about my dad with he was a kid. I sure do love my Grandma Rackham. This woman painted her bedroom purple because my grandfather didn't want it that color. Haha!

Play Ball!

On Wednesday, Darren and I went to Opening Night of the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park right on the bay. We tagged along with his brother and sister-in-law and had a blast. We got some great food at Nations on the drive into the city. I love their grilled cheese! At the game Darren and I got free shirts for signing up for Giants' credit cards...good to know people can get away with it without showing ID! Not. We got to see Randy Johnson pictch for a few innings, and then watched the Opening Night Fireworks Extravaganza after a two run loss to the Brewers. I had no idea they could make fireworks look like hearts and cubes. They coordinated along with music playing through the loudspeakers. It was a pretty fun night! Too bad we didn't get some Gilroy Garlic Fries. We would've had some sweet breath for the rest of the night. Haha...anyway, I know some have requested a photo, so here it is!

A Call for Stories...

So, this is probably really lame, but I need your help. For those of you who have known me for a long time (family, Ser, Jules) leave me a comment with your favorite story of me (or more than one). Such stories have been requested by a male counterpart and my own memory of such stories is lacking.

Thanks!!

Jewels!

I love that almost all of my friends are older than me! Granted, not by much, but still :)

Today is Julie Lynn McCullough Spackman's big day. She is now a quarter of a century. Half-way to fifty. The big 25.

I wish I had some better pictures with me, boy do it ;) Jules and I had many a laugh in Mrs. Bixby's 7th grade history class, Sunday School with the rowdy boys, Young Women's, Girl's Camp with the hammock and chair (good times!), and so many more memories. I can't seem to do her justice. She was one of my first friends in Virginia, and it was so nice to have her at the same school. I remember when we were both learning to drive, and she had to learn on a stick shift. Haha. I remember stalling on the way home from the mall with Tania, listening to 'N Sync on the way to Seminary, getting on your case about your boyfriends, and hating Hunk-a-chunk (you didn't, but Ser and I sure did!). I could go on and on, but I won't.

Jules, you're one of my best friends, and I hope one day that we can find the time to get together and have a fun filled weekend of reminiscing while our husbands take care of the kids...looks like I've got some work to do ;) Thanks for all you've done for me Jules, I hope I can be half the mom and wife you are.

Happy Birthday!!

One for posterity

Ever laughed so hard you've cried? I hadn't laughed that hard until today when I saw this video. This kid will probably kill his dad for taping this when he gets older, but I hope it brings a smile to your face :)

Semper Fi

It's hard to believe that it's already been 7 months since Justin left, but I'm excited to say that today is the day we've been waiting for since July! As of yesterday morning, word was that his platoon would be getting to their base in Camp Lejune, North Carolina about 8pm tonight. I can't wait to be able to talk to him. Monday morning I got a call on my cell from a number that I didn't recognize, as it wasn't even structured like a U.S. number. After listening to the voicemail left I started bawling when I realized it was Justin calling from Bahgdad. He'd never called me before so I wasn't even expecting it, but I'm still kicking myself for not answering it.

He wanted me to be there when he got off the bus in North Carolina, but with my school and work responsibilities that just wasn't possible. I am hoping to be able to go out sometime next month while he is home on leave for most of the month, but we'll see. If not then, maybe sometime during April when I'm on Spring Break. Hopefully it will happen soon though, it's been far too long since I've seen him.