Christmas Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

Well, it's been a while since I last blogged, but I've been busy and enjoying the Spirit of the season. This letter is here to inform you, although most of you know, about the events of the past year.



On October 5th of last year, I met a boy. I developed a relationship/friendship with said boy. I fell in love with him. After the new year, I kisssed and became official with him.



Just before Christmas (the 23rd to be exact) my beloved grandma passed away. Last Christmas was less than joyful as we struggled to say goodbye and plan a funeral. I am grateful for a loving family that still brought a spirit into the room as we mourned the loss of such an amazing woman. I am grateful for funeral home workers and slideshow makers who worked through the holiday season with us to make sure we gave my grandma a proper farewell. It sure put things into perspective, though. I am grateful for the legacy she left all of us.



As the year came to a close and I struggled with the loss of my grandma, I developed a stronger and better friendship/relationship with Zach, which was a huge saving grace during that time. We became the closest of friends and I really started to rely on him. I also delved into my second half of the teaching year--teaching 5th grade. The second half was FAR FAR worse than the first, for various reasons which I won't delve into here--let's just say I wasn't quite as happy as I had been. By the close of the year I learned that I wouldn't be teaching fifth grade but rather fourth with a new team and a new classroom (which entailed quite a move and a lot more packing than I felt was actually fair: )



After the school year came to an end, I packed up my things and took off for Georgia with Zach. I went to visit his family and I had THE BEST time. Honestly, I love his family so much. We played games, ate great food, and even took a little trip (actually two...one to Nana's and one to Charleston, South Carolina :) I fell in love with South Carolina! I thoroughly enjoyed it...and can't wait to get back to the south.



In July, Zach proposed, it was no big surprise, we had been talking about it and planning it for what seems like forever. We set the date for November 6th and began planning the next element of our lives together. We had a great summer, we enjoyed the weather, our friends, and our families. We packed up my little apartment at the end of the summer and I moved home with my parents prior to the wedding.


The school year started and I immediately fell in love with 4th grade. Okay, so I was still hung up on last year's class for the first week, I missed them so much, but after the first week, I fell in love with my new class and new team and I've been on cloud nine ever since! :)

On November 6th Zach and I were FINALLY married!! :) I say FINALLY because it honestly felt like I had been waiting forever. Probably because we're soulmates and I had been waiting a lot longer than I had realized. We have enjoyed this past month of marriage. So much. You know, growing up I realized that I looked up to my young women's leaders and such--I wanted happy marriages and homes like theirs, I always have. The other day I actually had to ask myself, were they THIS happy? I don't know..if they were they didn't tell me how amazing it is. I get so excited still, when I realize whether we're home or out doing something that when it's time for bed, he doesn't have to leave at the end of the night and neither do I. Our home feels like a home, it really does. We're liking our new ward and we're getting into the Christmas spirit for sure in our house. I love my new husband so much, so much it's kind of ridiculous. I am so grateful for the blessing of that kind of love. It has truly changed my life.

I am grateful for this time of year. I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father and a Savior who love me more than I can comprehend. They bless me with far more than I deserve. I love this time of year, where I can openly truly celebrate my Savior's life with music on the radio, a Christmas tree, and most importantly, the spirit of giving. We are all so blessed to have His love always and to feel it so abundantly at this time of year!

"Long lay the world, in sin and error pining,
'Til He appeared and the Soul felt it's worth...
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks, a new and glorious morn...
Fall on your knees...."

Naughty or Nice

Well, I had an awesome bridal shower. I just wanted to share a FEW (maybe more than a few but definitely not ALL the pictures from my shower)--especially for those of you that couldn't make it. I feel so blessed, Misty had an awesome theme that she really did a great job with. It was a lot of fun and I felt blessed by the people who showed up to show their excitement and support!

Here's the gift table and the theme...

This is the "nice" side

This was the "naughty" side ;)


Playing games(I put these in backwards, technically this was the last game but oh well) This was a game where I had to answer questions about Zach. If I got them wrong I had to put a JUMBO marshmallow in my mouth. It was actually gross by the end. There were 21 questions or something like that. I did OKAY.

This is me at the end, however, keep in mind some of the mallows had dissolved by then. After all, it's just sugar, EW!

The guests played the traditional, 'make a dress out of toilet paper game' There were three teams. All did great, but you have to truly appreciate the work done here!

This one was good!

This one just made me happy! :)

I chose this dress as the winner. Here all of the group is...nice work ladies! :)

All of the brides! :)

Gift time!

I don't know, but it made me happy :)

Jessica gave me this AMAZING soft robe that really made me tear up. It's in purple and everything. I can't wait to wear it!

Mom of course, gave me sheets!

As you saw, there were many more gifts. You also saw the theme, I will keep the others just between the girls and myself...oh and maybe Zach eventually ;)

Thanks for an awesome shower, Misty!! And for everyone who attended. It was really great, I truly enjoyed it, and it meant a lot to me. It was a much needed mini, girls celebration!!!

*One thing I didn't get a picture of, but I thought I did was the cupcakes. Misty made 'Naughty and Nice' cupcakes. White one with white frosting (I can't rememer what was on them? :( But then the DARK (stain your teeth dark)chocolate cupcakes had red bras and thongs on them :) It was all very creative! I was very impressed by Misty's thought and creativity!

The Beginning of Forever

Cheesey line? I know. I can't help it, I'm happy. On Friday, October 2nd, I had the opportunity to go through the temple for the first time. I will admit, I was a little more than overwhelmed with everything. Zach and my mom were very supportive. My friend Jen came to support me as well. In the end, it was the best experience! I love the temple! I've already been back once, and I have plans to go tomorrow and then again next week! It has made such a difference in my life and it has definitely enhanced my relationship with Zach along with (of course) my Heavenly Father. I only bring the Zach part up because I always wanted to go through when I turned 25 (two weeks ago) and I didn't want to go because I was getting married. I wanted to do it by myself. As I've thought about it, having Zach with me has been such a blessing and it's yet another bond we share. I feel so blessed to have the support of my family, Zach's family, and friends, as I went through. I cannot express how much I love it. I am so grateful to have a temple close by, so that I can experience it frequently and feel so incredibly at peace and uplifted. I love my Heavenly Father for providing a temple for us today! I'm just grateful and I needed to document it. It was a milestone in my life and I hope to remember the feeling always.

Farewell,

Well, I've moved back with my parents...This move includes some mixed emotions, as I was sad to see my little place go. I really almost teared up as my mom and I cleaned it out and I locked the door for the last time. But it comes with some good benefits:

1. I'm closer to Zach so we don't have to drive all over the place or worry about how late one of us it at the others house.

2. Zach gets along with my parents REALLY well, so hanging out there is really no problem

3. The gym is on my way home from work...hello TWO MONTHS AWAY!

4. We're hoping the money we save will go towards some appliances in our new HOUSE...still haven't heard back from the bank...waiting (patiently?)

5. It's really good for me to be in the environment at my parents' house right now. I'm stressed, that's where most of the planning has been taking place. It's just better on so many levels that way. However, I still am sad. That was my first place of my VERY own. It's honestly the first place I've been truly sad to leave since I started going to college and moving. I loved it....so please give me a minute to share with you, some memories there:

*I moved out about a month after I met Zach so I spent a lot of time with him here, but I am just now remembering the very beginning things.

*When I moved, my grandma purchases all of my laundry stuff for me, because my grandma loved laundry and it was her specialty. She passed away while I was living there. I still have a bottle of Downy and a box of Tide that I haven't touched since.

*I hosted my VERY OWN game nights in that place. A couple that come with some really good memories :)

*Zach and I watched Wicker Park on the Papason chair together as the first movie we watched i in there

*I had Austin and Natasha over for dinner

*Zach and I made dinner, especially in the summer, oh it was so fun!!

*We had epic fights in that place, (I think we got a lot of them out of our system...:)

*Zach proposed to me in that living room.

*I truly fell in love, grieved, graded papers of my first year students, cleaned, tanned, read incessantly this summer, LIVED, in that house. Although, my stay was a relatively short 10 months, I really experienced a lot in there.

The only thing that gives me solace to saying goodbye to a place that is actually dear to my heart, is that I will be LIVING WITH ZACH in TWO MONTHS! I cannot wait. It is going to be amazing! AH! I am truly TRULY blessed!

We've Started!

School has resumed....and I am SO thrilled to be back into a routine. I must admit, I didn't know there was such a need for routine in my life. The first day was difficult because I missed my old students and there's so much reviewing rules and such! Today was good, though. I went to bed at 9:30 last night (I was exhausted!) and I felt so refreshed. My room is more organized than it was last year and so far, I'm ahead of the game with some really great kids. My year in fourth grade is starting out GREAT!

Family Blog

Let's see how many people actually read my blog posts. Aside from sending a few select people invites...I'm just going to see who reads and cares : ) I am starting a blog for my soon-to-be new family (Zach, Me...for starters). That way I can keep this blog to vent/share my little personal philosophies and such. Our blog will journal our beginning of our new life together as well as contain some fun sneak peaks about our wedding. Comment me with your email address if you'd like to be invited. I have set comments to private for now...I'll give it two weeks and then I'll delete those and display my comments again! Our new blog will be set to private and can be found at ourhappybeginning.blogspot.com :) Enjoy


P.S. I have a slight obsession with Beyonce..expect some Beyonce at the reception! ;)

Goodbye Summer!

It is time to (just about) bid farewell to our summer. We have some more fun underway before I completely get swept away with school: 1. Taking the boys to Roaring Springs 2. ENGAGEMENT Photos! 3. Spending some time together in any way we can! :) Oddly enough, I'm ready for school to start. As much as I will be busy...and even though I still have SO much to do with the wedding (quickly, but not quickly enough) approaching...I cannot wait for school to start. For a number of reasons. The main reason being I CANNOT wait to marry this guy! The more I plan the more I'm excited. If you are reading this and you pray, please pray that things will fall into place and happen the way they are supposed to. I would really appreciate it. Here are a few pictures of the happenings since I last really blogged... We spent a day at the lake with our ward and came back FRIED...we followed it up with some Settlers with Austin and Natasha...always a good time! :)

We took an impromptu trip to Lagoon with Misty and Ken and I truly had a blast!


Goodbye summer! You've treated me well. I will welcome you again next year...as a married woman!

My Space

Well, here are some pictures of my little place. I have actually fallen in love with it (aside from the bug problem and the fact that at night this floor is complete with an air mattress and blankets because it's too darn hot upstairs) I didn't include pictures of my bedroom because my bed/hope chest are the only exciting things up there, it's a relatively boring room.... But here it is. My first place of my own. I'll be sad to leave it come November but it will be well worth it... This is the living room...you can see my Papasan chair which I LOVE...and my fire place which is fun in the winter...

More living room. I love my couch. My picture of Christ is a gift from my Grandma in a round about way. It goes really well with my living room and color scheme so it makes me happy.

My kitchen...the eating area

My kitchen..the cooking/serving area

This is one of my favorite parts of my house so I had to include it. This sits on my bar in the kitchen. I have searched high and low for picture frames that say "Grandma" on them. You see "Grandchildren" frames all the time but rarely ones for grandchildren. I love this frame which I found at Walgreens. It's not my favorite design or type of frame but I love it. It seriously will follow me everywhere I ever live.

This is my bar. (those are a variety of Sparkling ciders there:) I love this thing. Mom knew I wanted one she found it for me at a great price...so it was my Valentine's day gift. I love it! I just need some glasses for the middle. I have tons of wine type glasses still in the cupboard but they are too big for this particular thing so I am looking for more.

Mom gave all of us these for Mother's Day this year. Possibly the most awesome gift ever. It sits near my sink. It says 'Our Grandma's Prayer' at the end there. It was, my Grandma was raised Lutheran and this was the prayer she recited before our meals. It means a lot to me and I love having that in my kitchen as well.

Now to my FAVORITE room...in terms of my decorations. This is the guest bathroom which is a full bathroom. This is the sink area.

More sink. That's a Moulin Rouge shotglass my friend in high school brought me back from Paris. I usually keep q-tips in there. Long story :)

And this is the basic idea of this bathroom. Zach (although not a huge fan, has said that I can take it with me to our place:) I love it. My shower curtain is black and the bath mats are the same deep red. I'm working on framing some quotes to put up over the toilet)

My bathroom sink. My colors in my bathroom are sage and an ivory like color.

Shower curtain and mat are also sage. I love this bathroom as well, it just needs cleaning more regularly than the one downstairs and it wasn't as fun. I have had those ivory towels since high school...mom bought them for me and I love them. So when I moved out they were the perfect match!

So that's it. That's my space...I love it right now, it's finally fitting for me...aside from the bugs and the heat upstairs, I love it!

"If You Liked it Then You Should've Put a Ring on It..."

O-O-OOOO...and he did! That's right...It's finally official. I am getting married to someone I love more than Lifetime television and maybe (just maybe) even chocolate! :) I am ecstatic and cannot wait to start my life with Zach Hatch. He's been the most incredible surprise. I would've never imagined. It's been an amazing journey and I honestly CANNOT WAIT for November 6th to come (aside from the fact that I need to plan so that it's perfect) and start our life together. From having a home together to having a family...new jobs...church callings...ups...downs...all of it. I have someone to share in that with me and more than that...I have someone who supports me and loves me and someone I trust more than I ever thought I would be able to trust another person (aside from my mom). I love you, Zach. Thank you for making me SO happy...today and always!

WAHOO!

"When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."--When Harry Met Sally

What I'm For

I heard a new song on the radio today and I am IN LOVE with it! Oh my goodness, so in love it's not even funny. I have to blog the lyrics, I cannot find a video, I think they have one on YouTube and when I am able to get it (my computer belongs to the school district, I can't access videos on it) I will post it. Please read the lyrics, though, please! They will get to you...I just know it. I'm thinking of posting a blog of the things that I am for..although too many of the ones on this song are what would be on my list...

What I'm For

Pat Green

I'm for wildflowers in the window

Mechanics you can trust

I'm for crackers in my chili

And leavin' grudges in the dust

I'm for drive thru order takers

Who can muster up a smile

I'm for takin' in that stray dog

That's been hangin' 'round for awhile

I'm for turning off the TV

Gettin' off the internet

I'm for learning all the words

To the Gettysburg Address

I'm for dusty pawn shop guitars

And boxers passed their prime

I'm for soakin' up the wisdom

When an old man speaks his mind.

I'm for laid off factory workers

When the wolf is at the door

You don't have to guess what I'm against

If you know what I'm for

I'm for Texas Margaritas

Gettin' outta debt

I'm for havin' faith in something

That hasn't happened yet

For the shy kid in the corner

Afraid to ask the girl to dance

For the ex-con outta prison

Who just wants a second chance

For the inner city teacher

With her heart stuck in her throat

Can still see God in every child

And never gives up hope

I'm for dusty pawn shop guitars

And boxers passed their prime

I'm for soakin' up the wisdom

When and old man speaks his mind

I'm for Detroit factory workers

When the wolf is at the door

You don't have to guess what I'm against

If you know what I'm for

I'm counting all my blessings

When the wolf is at my door

You don't have to ask what I'm against

You don't have to guess what I'm against

You know what I'm for

Bear Lake

Over the Fourth of July weekend, the most unbelievable thing happened? The Larson family actually went out of town and had fun for the weekend!!!

It's true, I know it seems unbelievable but it is true! Thanks to my mom we went to Bear Lake to celebrate the Fourth. We drove up to Tremonton and stayed the night with Grandpa the night before and then we headed to Bear Lake!

It wasn't an ideal drive, as no ride with BOTH parents of mine ever is, but it was okay. My dad moves his seat too far back to leave me any room, which left me laying against Zach, leaving Zach without any room. Plus, dad didn't go to the lake, instead he opted to take a nap at the hotel. YUCK!

Mom, Zach, and I went to the lake. Zach played in the water most of the time (of course:) I laid out most of the time and mom did a little bit of both. I did get into the water briefly and I made a sand mermaid and a sand reindeer...:) I've included some pictures...something I don't have a picture of is the greatest thing EVER: We took old fashioned photos on the way home from dinner and Zach got dad to take them, too! It was a classic moment! They turned out great. I love my family and I love Zach--I had a really great weekend...the best ever...SO FAR! ;)

We got some sun!! :) And we're ready for dinner!
Mom and Dad ready to go out to dinner...

We ate at Butch Cassidy's Restaurant and Saloon...it was pretty decent. They had fun restroom titles, Zach didn't really want to take this picture, can you tell?

On the way home we stopped at Soda Springs, some of us (dad and Zach) had never seen it before so we waited and watched it...I got this picture toward the very end..

Us out by the spring...heading home from a great Fourth!

Thanks Mom, Dad, and Zach for a great weekend! I love all of you SO much!

"There's a place in your heart and I know that it is love..."

Do you know where that line comes from? It's the lyric of a song by the very first man I wanted to marry. Nope, it's not Todd, Kamron, or Zach...it's my beloved Michael Jackson. Am I embarrassed about this? Not at all. The man was ridiculously talented and I truly believe he had a very compassionate heart. The other night I went home and watched my Dangerous Tour DVD of his and I realized I had yet to blog about this man that I loved so much. I think what it comes down to is that he is the epitome of what makes me a believer where others are cynical. I have always believed in him and I truly do see him as a wonderful humanitiarian. He is one of the celebrities that has donated the most amount of money to a variety of charities worldwide. I have attached the Lyrics to my favorite song "Heal the World" and I would like you to really read them. To give you special motivation I've even bolded the words that really strike me...which could be the all of the lyrics, but I tried not to do that so much :)I do especially like the beginning line, which is the title of this blog. I like it for myself because I do believe that everyone has that place of love in there heart. I am sad for the loss of this man, I truly am. His family (especially his chidren) have been in my thoughts and prayers. He has family that loves him, I hope we can all remember that the next time someone wants to tell a Michael Jackson joke. I love Michael!

There's a place in your heart

And I know that it is love

And this place could be much

Brighter than tomorrow.

And if you really try

You'll find there's no need to cry

In this place you'll feel

There's no hurt or sorrow.

There are ways to get there

If you care enough for the living

Make a little space, make a better place.

Heal the world

Make it a better place

For you and for me and the entire human race

There are people dying If you care enough for the living

Make a better place for

You and for me.

If you want to know why

There's a love that cannot lie

Love is strong

It only cares for joyful giving

If we try we shall see

In this bliss we cannot feel

Fear or dread

We stop existing and start living

Then it feels that always

Love's enough for us growing

Make a better world, make a better world.

Heal the world

Make it a better place

For you and for me and the entire human race

There are people dying

If you care enough for the living

Make a better place for

You and for me

And the dream we would conceived in

Will reveal a joyful face

And the world we once believed in

Will shine again in grace

Then why do we keep strangling life

Wound this earth, crucify it's soul

Though it's plain to see, this world is heavenly

Be God's glow

We could fly so high

Let our spirits never die

In my heart I feel

You are all my brothers

Create a world with no fear

Together we'll cry happy tears

See the nations turn

Their swords into plowshares

We could really get there

If you cared enough for the living

Make a little space to make a better place

Heal the world

Make it a better place

For you and for me and the entire human race

There are people dying

If you care enough for the living

Make a better place for You and for me

There are people dying if you care enough for the living

Make a better place for you and for me.

There are people dying if you care enough for the living

Make a better place for you and for me.

You and for me / Make a better place

You and for me / Make a better place

You and for me / Make a better place

You and for me / Heal the world we live in You and for me / Save it for our children

"Way down yonder on the Chatahoochee..."

r

We're back! Zach and I took off RIGHT after school got out...we went to Georgia to visit his family. Zach was raised there and I've a). Never met that side and b). Never been there...I was excited on all accounts. The trip exceeded my expectations! I LOVE his parents and the rest of the family...I knew I would, though, they raised him and I love him so I guess we really couldn't go wrong! I also fell in love with The South. All in all...I fell head over heels with everyone and everything on my trip. I took hundreds of pictures (literally) so I've attached the album where you can view several...here are only THREE. I'm too lazy to post more. I actually made Zach drive me to Alabama (which wasn't far at all from his hometown) so that I could get this Georgia picture. I didn't plan on telling that, but now that we're home it seems kinda funny to me!
We went to Six Flags. I rode all of the rides even if I did get a little sick. Tons of rides whipping you around+Georgia heat=semi-sick Sharlee. At least until I got some shade and splashed with some cool water on a water ride...This pictures shows me, Zach, Amber (Zach's brother's girlfriend), and Bo (Zach's younger brother). I had a really good time with them and I like them a lot!

Zach's parents in downtown Charleston. We took a trip to Charleston, SC to see Zach's little sister, Kassie, and we stayed in Charleston for the weekend. It was a BLAST!

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=fatham07&target=ALBUM&id=5346641071349536593&authkey=Gv1sRgCOfds77vn522fA&invite=COOdzcML&feat=email

After the week I've had...

Zach came to visit for a pizza party. We had to leave to go on a "field trip" shortly after. This week has been HORRIBLE. I came back to my room and my students all yell, "Miss Larson! Miss Larson! Zach left you a note!!!" I nearly cried.

Do you want to know what the best part is?! I love him, too! ;)

Thank You Grandpa!

Today I was lucky! I had the chance to have my grandpa visit my classroom for career day!! For those of you not "in the know," I've been having a hard time at school. Will was supposed to come do a career day presentation and honestly, I was just looking forward to having someone there for ME. Someone who likes me and someone that I like. When Will cancelled I called mom crying. Of course, my mom being the amazing mom she is, called grandpa and he said he'd take the afternoon off and come visit my room. WOW! What a neat experience for me. I can't even remember all that he said to my group, but I know that somehow I was in tears. The kids were captivated by him and he spoke about doing what you love and trying it out. My students were impressed with the number of careers grandpa has had. He pulled out a picture of gram and said, "This is Sharlee's grandma" My class all turned hushed and stuff and one of the girls said, "She's pretty!" It was such a good day for me. Thank you, Grandpa! Thank you for coming to my class and impressing some of the other teacher's in the building. I loved showing you off and what's more, I enjoyed showing them where I really come from! You show them what I'm made of and I am SO SO SO proud to come from you and Grandma!!!!

You can see that the kids really liked listening to him! :) I love my class! I do have to share this one thing. I told Zach that I wasn't sure if my grandpa would quite know how to go about this whole thing. Zach goes, "Well you do know one thing: He'll be dressed nice!"

I love you Grandpa!!! So much!!!

My Grandpa...

I've had the absolute priviledge of interviewing my grandpa every Friday night to get his life story. It has been so special and so enlightening. (My only regret is that I never did this with Grandma...either one of my grandma's. I would like to sit down and ask these questions to my Grandpa Gordon as well). I don't think that I would trade this experience for a simple set of questions and Grandpa's answers on a piece of paper. I've laughed at him and I've cried. Things he's told me about life as a little boy have made me ache. It's one of the most incredible things I've ever been a part of. Now to the point of this. I do just have to share this one little excerpt from our last meeting.

Me: If you could take an attribute you have and give it to everyone around you, what would it be?

Gramps: Forgiveness, I guess. I wasn't too good at that for a while. I'm a lot better at it now...

Being right all the time might be good. It wouldn't hurt anyone.

And that is one among BILLIONS of reasons he's mine, I claim him, and I LOVE him SOOO much!

Fat Dog Poll!

Okay…time to vote people! Jonnie has always referred to Cara’s dog, Precious, as the “fattest dog EVER!” Funnily enough, Jonnie is actually the owner of the truly fattest dog ever. So I have posted a poll…please view the images and cast your vote! I’m sure Jessica would rally right with me in BEGGING you to prove Jonnie wrong…because life according to Jonnie says these two things (and so much more): Precious is the fattest dog ever and Jonnie is ALWAYS right…

A thin Precious relaxing on the couch
Henri and her daily routine...

Alright! Time to vote cast your vote on the right hand side of the page :)

(P.S. For the record, I ADORE Henri..honestly. We bonded once during a BSU football game and I really do love her :)

Be Better...

Last night, as I watched a movie with my mom and she quoted the Anne Frank, with the same quote I had in this post. I used to feel strongly that I showed that I believed that to people. That I thought the best of people at all times and it was evident. Somehow, my mom bringing up that quote left me feeling a little empty. I told myself I needed to be better. I needed to show more people that I care and that I love. I've been bad about it lately. I was a little better at school today. I slipped this afternoon, though. I got on facebook today and one of my friends posted this video that you MUST SEE if you have not!! After you've seen it, keep reading...







See...it's not the reaction of the judges. It's the young girl in the audience with that UGLY look on her face. Being mean about somebody else. How humiliating to be her? I don't want to be that girl. I want to be Sharlee...and have people associate that with kindness and faith in humanity. So I'm making a vow right here on my blog to be better, try harder, and reclaim that sense of love for everyone that I know I've been blessed with!!!!

Celebration!!!!

Thank you, Zach! For the past six months and counting ;) I love you!

All of our friends surrounding Johnny as they mock his "elboobs"

Kisses...Our Candy :)

For those of you who have not had the pleasure of hearing the story...I'm going to share it with you right here on my blog! Basically...six months ago (Sunday evening of conference weekend in October) I got a call from my friend, Jen, inviting me to game night. I had been babysitting all weekend and never quite did my hair or makeup. I figured it was just going to be the same old crowd...I managed to pull my hair together just a little and apply a small amount of makeup before heading out to Jen's...as game night is something I can rarely turn down. It's truly one of my favorites!!! :) I walked into game night that night and my life literally changed forever. Enter Zach: poker playing, good looking, returned missionary, with a love for competition, and a distaste for BYU! Hello perfect! :) At least that's what I thought...there's much more to our little story...little details that sort of signify (at least to us) that it was meant to be. If you want to know...ask..we're happy to share! October was ...as I once described...a roller coaster ride. I was upside down, all turned around, and couldn't have been more happy! Our connection immediately took off! We saw each other at game night the following weekend, Zach came to hear me speak at Stake Conference with all of our friends, and then he I invited him to play poker with mine. We spent that weekend together. Eventually the weekends turned into weekdays. The man had me up until 4 a.m. on some school nights! By Halloween we were seeing each other just about daily. He took me by surprise and I'm sure glad he did. We've had a good time over the past six months. We've become very good friends and I love him! I think what surprises me most is how different it is...compared to how I thought it would be. I have always been a HUGE fan of my alone time and my own space. So it astonishes me sometimes when I have such a hard time saying goodnight or how I will sometimes stay up much later than I should just to have a few more hours or even minutes with him. I know this sounds corny and cheesy but it's true...and he's already heard it all :) In the past six months I: moved out on my own, lost my Grandma, celebrated the holidays without my brother, and had many additional stresses in my life. Zach has listened to and seen me through it all. He listens to stories about my brother and to this day still lets me cry to him about Gram (and truthfully knows that it will probably never stop happening). He lets me vent about school and even puts his two cents in on standardized testing. He helps me grade/enter grades in my computer. He knows some of my students by heart and he knows some of their nicknames :) He makes me laugh when he helps me with school stuff which sometimes makes the grading something to look forward to almost. He's visited my class and they all love him. They're so supportive. I occasionally will have a parent that will ask me when I met this "Zach fellow" :) He's become a part of our family. My dad LOVES him (I honestly HONESTLY think more than he loves me...not even joking), my mom loves him, Cara loves him, Grandpa likes him, and Grandma liked him, too. I have a pretty good feeling about Shane liking him. I have been welcomed into his family with the same love and acceptance. His dad even came to my classroom to talk to my kids about the Revolutionary War (I have pictures to post with that later on). We leave to visit his family in Georgia at the end of May (SOOOO excited about that!!!!) Anyhow...I think conference weekend will now hold an even more special place in my heart. So this Sunday I hosted a celebratory game night at my little townhouse. It was a really good night. We invited all of our friends. We made sure to invite everyone who was there that first night (and those that weren't). We had quite a few of the people from that very first night (Zach, Me, Jake, Jen, and Johnny) I don't know who was missing aside from Tara and I THINK Ashley. In addition, Brady, Dave, and Austin all showed up. I want to express my thanks to them for joining us on this adventure! We still play games and see these people quite a bit and they've been nothing but happy for us since the VERY beginning, honestly! What a gift! Here are a few pictures of our little gathering...hopefully more to come in the future! :) I just want to express my gratitude...I'm so grateful that life doesn't always go according to my plan. (I know I will absolutely EAT those words later but they're working for me right now :)