the RING!

I LOVE IT!!! The wedding band fits in the middle and is removable. FUN! It felt so normal to have a ring on even that first day.

Drum roll please......

Just had to let my world know it has finally happened, and boy does it feel good! =o)

I know it is 2am and I should really be in bed, but I am a bit dazed still.

Fiance...I am really now Thomas Smith's fiance! We became officially engaged the afternoon of June 25th on a hillside in Bountiful. He is such a sweetie. Pictures to follow.

Yippee!!!!!!!!!!!

HAIRCUT

BEFORE


DURING


AFTER


FRONT OF FIRST HAIRCUT


FINAL HAIRCUT =o)



Moral #1: Never Never Never go to Great Clips.

Moral #2: Hair grows back so don't cry.

I decided I just COULDN'T wait another day to get my hair chopped off! It was time to donate! So after a night shift and sleeping most of the day, I decided to throw caution to the wind and take advantage of the FREE haircut with a Lock's Of Love donation of 10 inches.

Thursday night April 28, 2011 at approximately 6pm, I and my lovely roomie arrived at Great Clips. She was there as moral support and photographer. After the nice lady took my 10 inches off in two ponytails, she proceeded to chop away at the request of a "layered" haircut. My face started to fall after she continued to cut with no apparent rhyme or reason. When she finished and asked what I though I ran my hand through it and said Great!. Secretly I was just wanting to get out of there before she cut anymore off! My roommates confirmed my suspicion with a the recommendation that I get another haircut, fast! I was missing chunks of hair in the back.

Luckily, my neighbor lost her office job and is cutting hair again! She fit me in the next morning at 11am and had to take another inch or so off in order to even it out. She looked at my hair and informed me that the "nice lady at great clips" had violated one of the most important haircut rules (of which I can't remember now).

Luckily hair grows back, and hopefully fast because it is a bit shorter than anticipated. =o)

sNoWsHoEiNg Presidents Day!

Tom and I had a wonderful snowshoeing trip up to Donut Falls in Big Cottonwood Canyon on Monday. =o)

I was really nervous about taking him again since he didn't really like the first trip but wha-la! With some shoes that fit better, some beautiful trails that are surrounded by sweet powder, and just the 2 of us...we had a recipe for success! I paid for it with a good white-washing and several other snow mishaps but we both survived.

The picture of the Donut Hole with the waterfall is taken inside a cavern. I had to brave the idea of sliding through a little opening into a dark cave all by myself in order to take these picture. It was worth it to see the "hole" though. =o)

My Very Own Valentine!

Tom sent me flowers. =o) They came all packaged in a box so neat and tidy! It said they were from Ecuador. Whoa! Such a sweetie!

He also made me dinner from scratch, including the orange-zest chicken marinade and the poppyseed dressing. Even dessert was made with love, some sort of fresh strawberry ice cream-ish roll with an Oreo crust and whipped cream frosting. He even decorated the outside of the roll with sliced strawberries. =o) I was really impressed with all his hard work and the entire meal tasted delicious.

He is so good to me. I am a very lucky girl. =o)

Elder Richard Enters the MTC

On January 26, 2011 I picked Richard up from the Salt Lake Airport after his first airplane ride ever! It was quite the privilege. We met up with Grandma and Grandpa Durrans and David for lunch at The Macaroni Grill. Then we drove to the MTC for his curbside drop-off. We didn't even get out of the car for a picture so luckily I took some in the car on the way there. Isn't he handsome! Especially with his sweet new stylin' glasses.

His First Snow Shoeing Adventure

So we finally had a day sometime in January when the stars aligned and the two of us had time to go snowshoeing together. Not the best snowshoeing conditions up Millcreek, as it had been warmer than usual and the snow was melting into slush, but we took what mother nature offered. He was a good sport about it.

I think it was the following week that I took him up to Guardsman Pass in Big Cottonwood Canyon and it was beautiful! We just crunched around on the snow-packed road and enjoyed the scenery.

Starting the new year off right....SNOWSHOEING!!!

...
For my birthday my friends and I went snowshoeing on 01/01/11. It was a beautiful day with sunshine and blue skies and about 10 degrees warm! Once we got moving we warmed up nicely. We hiked up the Mill D North trail. It is one of my favorite snowshoeing spots, so beautiful with the pine trees all heavy-laden with freshly-fallen snow.

Its a miracle!!!! (No, not an engagement.)

...
We are still dating. =o) For some this might not seem like much but for a girl who has been trying to convince young men for the last 8 years that she makes a good girlfriend...this is a miracle!

He is a sweetheart and takes great care of me. Before Christmas he gave me a beautiful flower arrangement that smelled of fresh pine. Mmmmm. He is sporting his beard he had to grow for the musical drama he performed in this Christmas season.

We had a wonderful time celebrating New Year's Eve together starting with picking me up at the airport. He was waiting for me at the gate since he has connections with Frontier. =o) And yes Grandpa, we were both still really excited to see each other after being apart for almost a week. I celebrated Christmas with my family in Colorado this year. I arrived in SLC about 5pm on the 31st. We grabbed a bite to eat at Zupas and then went straight to the Conference Center since he was performing in that night's production of Savior Of The World. I had the privilege of waiting on my feet for 45 minutes before they allowed us to find our seats. I got to sit in the second row! It was a very moving performance and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Afterwards we went to his sister's house in Bountiful for the family New Year's Eve party! We had a lot of fun playing Guesstures with the neices and nephews. Kaylee (his niece and my new shadow) and I lost so we had to go outside and jump on the trampoline in the snow! It was freezing! And I received my first New Year's Eve kiss ever!!! =o) Great way to start off 2011!