Jerome and then *Date night at the Asylum*

Chris and I went to Jerome and while exploring he locked me in this.

He let me out and then we Enjoyed the rest of Beautiful Jerome.

Ok, There is a restaurant inside the old grand hotel and it is quite possible my FAVORITE restaurant! So when Chris came up I made plans for us to have a romantic date here.

This is where we sat, but this was taken during the day. We came back that night and ate our Amazing dinner overlooking the whole valley.

On our way to Dinner, Chris pulled over and got me out of the car so that we could take pictures with the sunset. It was stunning.


Chris Bought me the Jewelry I am wearing earlier that day.

It was a magical night.
I've decided that love is not just about the hugs and kisses, the 'I love you's' or the 'I miss you's', but about the chills that hit every part of your spine when you think about him.

Oak Creek/ Sedona pictures!

These are pictures from when Chris came up to Cottonwood for the first time. I decided to show him around Sedona and Oak creek canyon.

Garlands is a place that my Dad and I went to all the time when I was growing up! Best Pickles EVER! Oh and that silver deer talks...random I know.

Chris and I raced down the river rock jumping, It was a blast and there were only a few minor injuries.


We both like these "views"!! Hee hee



*Kissie Kissie *


Chris Found a fellow Swed! He was so excited, he almost wanted to wait until they came back to their car so he could meet them.

He is SO CUTE! Gosh I'm lucky :) Chris's artistry of the red rock.

The view from where we ate lunch.

For some reason he loved the pink "Pigs"

We had such a great day.

The way things became

I am so lucky to have found Chris. He is everything that I could have hoped for, and things have made that clearer as I look back and see how my life led to him. I examined the different choices I made along the way and realized that it was a part of the giant scheme that has become my life today. I have followed my heart in every step and some steps have been harder than others. I made choices to not continue in some relationships because "it just wasn't right" and some of those choices absolutely broke my heart. I went through lonely times, frustrated times, and fun times, all to bring me here. I truly didn't not think this would happen to me. I believed in love, I had seen it in so many ways, and still, because I had never really felt it for myself, I didn't believe that it would happen to me. I have loved people but something was alway off, something that I couldn't explain.
I'll say it now that from the first time I heard about Chris I felt different. I HAD NOT EVEN MET HIM YET!!! I had just heard about this guy that I would be set up with. When Roy was talking about him, I got nervous and excited. I can't explain in words but I knew something was special about him. Then it all was confirmed the day I met him in May. I tried to be as cool and calm as I could but as soon as he left the room I started jumping up and down in Meagan and Roy's living room. I know that Meagan thought I was nuts when I said that I loved him like two weeks later lol. I remember sending her a text and she responded, "Aw, well it might not be a good Idea to just straight up tell him that" I may be paraphrasing but it was to that effect. I knew that I loved him right from the get go, and I was holding back as much as humanly possible. I didn't want to scare him off! Come to find out now... He felt the exact same :) The summer went on and we stayed in contact even though I had to leave for 5 weeks for a pych rotation and as soon as I came back he left to Sweden for 2 weeks. I kept thinking how crazy I was for falling so hard for a guy that I hardly knew! When he came back from Sweden we talked and he opened up a little about how much he missed me while he was away. Inside my head: YAY YAY YAY!! I love you I love you I love you! Happy dance! What I actually said : "I missed you too...(smile and bat my eyes)" It makes me laugh how I down played it so much, but hey it worked right? After that he invited me home to meet his family and we made it official.
Ever since then It has been a dream. I love him so much! I am so thankful for every broken heart along the way because it was all so that I could be here, today, with him <3. The future is open and I am excited for what is to come. As of now I am in love with the most wonderful man on the PLANET! A big fat thank you to all those boys who have brought me to you baby! Only looking back has the road been worth it.
I love you so much Babyness, Thanks for being worth everything :)

I am seriously SO over this!!!!!

Oh my goodness! I am so tiered of Nursing school right now. It is so hard every stinking day! Literally every day I wake up and I have an enormous amount to do for the day. Papers, labs, clinical worksheets, reading HUNDREDS of pages a week, out of class projects, interviews (that require a formal essay) on and on and on. I"M SO SICK OF IT!
I need a break. I had one this last weekend but because of it I am ridiculously behind! I came back and got slapped in the face with how much work and reading I need to do. It was painful. I sit here totally overwhelmed and I just stare at the book while the anxiety builds up in the pit of my stomach. There is so much to do and the days are passing in a blur. I read for HOURS and HOURS and I still can't catch up. I have fallen asleep on my book so many times that I'm surprised the words haven't seeped into the skin on my face.Grrrawwwwwwwwwhhhhhhhhhh blaaalalalalala...... I'm losing it people.
December please come faster :(

Hurry Up weekend!

This is not the post that I was hoping to write. My computer is acting up and so I can't load any pictures or do anything fun :( boo to that. SO I just wanted to update!
I want it to be the weekend because Chris and I are flying out to LA for his Ten year high school reunion. I am excited to see him around all his old friends. You can be sure that I will be working hard to look super HOT! I am not above being his stunning blonde bombshell this weekend. We are also going to his home town fair on Saturday. Chris says it's a really big event and the whole town comes out. That reminds me of Flagstaff and how much fun it was to go to the fair and see anyone and everyone. Wow good ol' Flag town. It was always such a big deal to decide what group of friends you would go to the fair with. Haha oh High School :)
I will be taking pictures on my phone this weekend because I haven't had a camera since Mexico Bromance weekend.
Chris absolutely cracks me up with his picture taking, I promise he is just as bad as my Mother. My mom took pictures of EVERYTHING! Chris is the same way! He will always have his camera in hand and be the first one to snap a picture. I couldn't tell you the number of times we have pulled over to get out of the car so he can take a picture. It melts my heart to find an attribute in him that reminds me of my Mommy. Needless to say Chris shall be documenting the majority of the weekend, as always. I'll have him post the pictures so I can snag a few and post them on here.
Welp, I need to get to bed. I have Clinical in the morning and I don't want to be half asleep while playing Nurse Julie. 12 hour shift, here I come! You better go by fast because I want to see my sweetness. Yahoo only 44 more hours til I get to be with him!!!!!
Hurry Hurry!

A picture is worth a thousand words

If So, Then let me speak...

Just real quick like!

Aw!!!! I get to see the honeyness tonight and I am so stinkin excited!! Chris is going to meet my Dad and my friends from nursing school. I don't think he could be anymore awesome if he tried. He has raised my standards to unbelievable heights.

La la la la la doo doo tee hee I am so happy! I am still in shock that he picked me :)

This wonderful MAN!

Isn't he just ridiculously handsome!?

Swwwoooooon! See you tonight baby :)

Happy rather than Sad

I would rather focus on the happy stuff going on in my life right now instead of the negative. I haven't blogged in a long time because of everything that went down with the last blog I posted. Geeze that was so ridiculous! If you don't know then don't worry, I deleted most of it. So I would like to move on and start blogging again.
I had a fantastic summer. One of the best on record. I had the opportunity to grow in so many areas. Not all of my experiences were happy and positive but I still grew SO much from having gone through them. I was a Doula at the beginning of the summer and then had the chance to work with Stephanie as her student midwife. I learned so much from her and I am so thankful that things fell together the way they did. I also took a five week summer course on Psychiatrics (came in handy for the next series of events with my family). I loved learning about the different disorders and ways to understand them. Like I said it has come in handy! I also met and began dating someone new. Shocker I know :) We met in May through Meagan and Roy but did not really start dating until a month ago. I have to say, it has been fantastic! I have been so extremely happy with him that it has made life's trials and hardships very bearable. He overshadows them with giddyness, positivity, hope, and dare I say..... Love :) I look forward to being with him all the time. Nursing school, my first true love, has become the vain of my existence for the simple fact that it keeps me from spending all my free time with him. It is so much harder to focus on reading and studying now.
We were able to go to Bisbee Arizona for the labor-day weekend and I loved every minute of it! That town is such a blast! I never would have expected it to be that entertaining. It was SO romantic!! Gosh, I swoon just thinking about it :)
Here are some pictures of Chris and I







This was at the wedding we went to this past weekend.









I am happy <3








Chris is meeting my Dad this weekend! Tee hee
I'll keep you updated.

A Rant, a Warning, a Truth

I has been too long since I have posted last. I was reassured by some that my blog actually is read so I shall keep posting.
What to say,
I think a lot about what I want to talk about on here, and then I get here and it all seems to leave me. I guess I will start with an update. Ryan and I broke up. He is an amazing guy, shy at times, fun to be with, caring, handsome, sassy, sarcastic, spiritual...I'm sure I could go on and on. Yet even with all these attributes I knew that he was not my husband. He was not "the one". This brings me to a common question, WHY!?! ugh. Why was it not there for us? Thankfully he felt the same and we are able to remain good friends. I guess the good thing is that I know I have not settled for just having anyone. That's the difference, I want my someone not just anyone. Knowing what you want, and having high standards sure makes it Ridiculously Freaking hard to get married!!! Also the lack of confidence I have in men and their ability to be stalwart presents a challenge. Why is it that they are so few and far between? And when you see them...they are already married or engaged:) Do I dare let myself hope that I will find a someone? Or is it easier to plan on it not happening and get pleasantly surprised if it does? "It always happens when you aren't looking for it" Seriously people? That's what you're going to tell me? lol. Ok I will not look at or pay any attention to the Giant Pink Elephant in the room, who happens to be breathing down my neck. Oh goodness.
I need to say something and it is not pretty... I have lost entirely too much faith in men.
Even so...I can't help but hope. Some sliver inside me hopes that I will find that someone. And I have hope that this someone will not make me suffer the same fate.
To my someone: Please....I Beg you...don't let me down

Study Break Post time

It's Friday night and I am doing homework. Obviously right now I am taking a break and posting a blog. I have much that I am thinking about. I have been so blessed lately. Actually I have been so blessed for years. This past Monday I had an exam that I totally spaced until TWO days before. I had mixed up my classes and thought that the NSG exam was on the 26th and the Pharmacology exam was on the 3rd. Well the Pharm test was on the 26th and I figured this out on the 24th!!!! CRAP! I needed at lease a week to prepare for this exam. I decided not to freak out because what would that do? You can't read through tears so they would have been a waste of valuable time.

Just breathe... and do what you can Julie, there is nothing else to do.

I told Ryan what had happened and he was very supportive, even though this meant the day we had planned to spend together would be spent studying :( He fed me and then took a nap next to me as I studied. Sweet man :) Later on Ryan's mom suggested that I get a blessing.... Why didn't I think of that? Brilliant. I called sister McGuire to see if Bishop could give me a much needed blessing the next day. They had been in Utah for Kristin's graduation from BYU (woot woot!), and wouldn't be home until late Sunday night. I needed to study so I knew that I couldn't stay in Flag that long and wait. I didn't (and still don't) Know who my home teachers were , and I didn't know ANY priesthood in Cottonwood. Then sister McGuire offered her house as a study place until they got home. I love that woman. She is unbelievably kind and gracious. I could never thank her enough for everything that she has done for me. Over the years she has gone out of her way to make me feel loved. I appreciate her and I know that Heavenly Father put the McGuire family in my life to show me how much he loves and watches over me. I am deeply grateful and can't express my love for ALL of them in simple words.

After conference, Sunday was spend studying as hard as I could. I prayed that my mind could comprehend and retain information. The family came home around 7:30 and Bishop gave me a blessing. I felt so comforted. I was not stressed and I knew that I had done everything that I could do. I had faith to know that Heavenly Father would help me. I went to bed that night around one, woke up at five and studied until my exam at 8. I went into the exam with a clear mind. I read the questions carefully and I made sure to do my best. I have to explain a little background now, I have been really struggling in this class. You need a 75 or better in order to pass and I had done horribly on the last two exams. If I needed anything, it was to do well on this one. Still, I didn't let fear in. I was strong and did my best. So what did I get???

.............

I passed with a 96 %

Absolutely unbelievable! The best score that I have gotten all semester. The church is true. Not because I scored a 96, but because the lord acts through the priesthood of this TRUE church to bless us in our time of need. I needed him. I could not have done that without help. He calmed my mind, cleared my mind, strengthened my mind, and blessed me. The priesthood is such a beautifully tender pathway for the Lord to give blessings. I feel the closest to my Savior through prayer, Temple attendance, and the holy priesthood.

I am not only thankful for the priesthood that is in my life but for the priesthood that blesses my sister. The wonderful men in her ward have been there for her. Her bishop loves her. I pray that someday she can have the blessing of a worthy priesthood holder in her home. Until then, I thank the amazing men and women of her ward. She deserves NONE of what has been done to her! This church will carry her, and I am so thankful that she and I are apart of it.

I just wanted to blog about this. I don't want to forget the blessings I have.

I love this Church, I love the Temple, I love my FAMILY!