I AM ENGAGED!!!!

Tyler and I got engaged on Thursday, December 18. We have known since November that we wanted to get married and when so we have actually had the date set for a while, but we were just waiting on one very important part of the whole engagement: the ring!!! So Thursday we decided to do our date night because Friday we were going to the Neil Diamond concert with my family and Saturday we had a family Christmas party to go to and Thursday worked out for the both of us. We had been wanting to go up to Temple Square for a while to look at the lights so I didn't think anything of it when we were going up there. I always said I would know when the night was that I was going to get engaged because I figured I would get a big bouquet of flowers. Well, Thursday, there was no bouquet, so I was certain that was not the night. So we were walking around all the lights but we CRUISED through them so fast that I thought Tyler must have been really cold or he just didn't want to be there anymore. So we got done looking through the lights and went over by the reflection ponds. There wasnt a whole lot to look at over in that area but we spent most of our time there. I knew something must have been up when we circled a particular spot twice. ( Come to find out, he chickend out the first time, so we had to walk around again!!) So we came back to the spot and he was saying all the cute lovey, mushy stuff. Tyler is one that likes to "punk" people, especially me, so I was thinking to myself please dont kneel down and say you have to tie your shoe. Well, he fumbled in his pocket for a special something and knelt down on one knee. My legs were just shaking!!! Then he asked if I would marry him and of course I said YES!!! I am so happy to be engaged to Tyler. He is everything I could ever hope and pray for in a husband and person. We can't wait to start on this new adventure and are excited to spend eternity together. We will be getting married on February 20, 2009!!

I love you babe.

Temple Square after the engagement

A picture of us and the ring... the picture doesn't even give the ring justice!!!

Christmas Cookies

Jensyn


Tyler and My Christmas Cookies


Me and Ty


Mom, Dyson, and Preslie


My mom and dad wanted to start a new Christmas tradition this year with my family. She was out with her friends and she saw some cute Santa Claus cookies from kneaders. Being the creative and crafty mom that she is, she decided to make them with the family. They turned out very cute, infact it took me a while before I would even eat them because I thought they were so cute!!! But, I must say, they were as delicious as they look. It was fun seeing the kids decorate their cookies. They had a riot!!! They even got big snowman cookies to frost and decorate. They got really into it. It was a great way to start the season!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!! This was a really fun Thanksgiving. First of all I had Tyler back to celebrate with us and it was fun just being surrounded by family and people that you love. Normally my immediate family gets together in December and we do Gingerbread houses and have a contest to see who makes the best one. This year we decided to it on Thanksgiving with all of my dad's brothers and their kids and then the older kids got to do their own. Ty and I had good intentions of taking first place in the contest, but we both got kind of sick of doing it and we were just ready to be done. Our house still turned out pretty good though!

Me and Ty decided to make a quick weekend trip down to St. George a couple of weeks ago. We met up with his parents and brother and just hung out, golfed, and went to a movie. It was nice just to get out and be able to do a quick get away.

Go UTES!!! Ty and Me at the U of U vs. BYU game. My mom and dad were in Mesquite with Lindsey for a softball tournament so...we got the tickets to the game with Haylee, Hadley, and Preslie. It was a lot of fun and our team won which made it even better!

Happy Late Halloween

Me and Chantae... Yeehaw!!

Our Halloween Pumpkins

Kari, The Sanderson Sisters (Nana, Sherrie, Mindy), and Me

at Witches Night Out

Tyler and Me carving pumpkins!

Most people know that Tyler came home this last Tuesday!!! It was the most exciting day ever. His flight was originally suposed to come in that night at 6:50, as if that wasn't late enough... then I found out that day while I was at school that his flight got delayed until 8:30!!! I was kind of bummed but what can you do. It just added that much more to all the anticipation and excitement.

I was actually fine all that day until I drove into the airport parking garage to go see him off the plane. I was shaking and just wanted to puke. I couldn't take it any longer. Finally, I got a text from his mom saying they had just landed. I was soo excited! Then I saw his parents and grandparents come down the stairs and I knew it would be seconds until I saw him face to face again... and then there he was!!!

He came down smiling and just excited. He even gave me a BIG hug :) I don't know exactly why but for some reason after he walked away to say hi to more of his family I just broke down bawling and was shaking. It was an exciting cry though and I just think it was all the emotions that I had inside me and it just hit me that the two years was done and he was indeed home for good!

The last few days have been so fun to just spend time with him and be able to hang out with my best friend and actually go on a real date (sorry Mom and Dad :) ) Everything feels like just like it was before he left, if not better. I'm so glad he is home!

Good job Ty and I am so proud of you!!

The City By The Bay

My mom took my sisters and I to San Francisco this last weekend for a little get away. We missed Lindsey because she had a softball tournament in Mesquite, but we still had a lot of fun. It's pretty funny looking back because when we were growing up we were always fighting and couldn't stand to be around eachother. Now when we get together we have the funnest time and we are all so goofy and just laugh. Here are a few pictures of the great trip! I love my family... thank you Mom and Dad for the fun trip, love you guys! And thanks Haylee and Tiffany for coming with us. I know how muched you missed your kids.

Me, Tiffany, Mom, Haylee
Night 1 at Hard Rock Cafe for dinner

Me, Hay, and Tiff at Alcatraz

Day 2

Down at Pier 39 on Fisherman's Wharf, there were hundreds of sea lions that would just lay on the docks all day long. We were easily amused as we walked down there everyday just to see them. They were pretty funny though.

This is the newest addition to our family. Colter Hadley Bennett born on June 29, 2008. He weighed 9# 3 oz and was 23 inches long. He was basically the size of a 2 month old when he was born. He is now 3 months and weighs almost 20#. He is the cutest thing. I call him Frank the Tank!

Dyson, Preslie, and Jensyn

These are the cutest kids I know. I love my nieces and nephew. They are so funny and its fun because you get to play with them all you want and then you can give them back to their parents when you're tired!!

This summer I got to get in a lot of boating. It was a lot of fun and I am sad that summer is over for that reason. I finally tried skiing and wake boarding this year and I got up my first try on both. Even though I'm not an expert and don't stay up for very long, I still have fun doing it.

Lindsey, Tiff, Me, Haylee at Seaworld Dec 2007

My parents took our whole family there and to Disneyland for my dad's 51st birthday. It was a lot of fun and it was fun to see Dyson, Preslie, and Jensyn with the characters and everything. I love my family so much and I couldn't ask for a more perfect one. I love just hanging out with my family and sisters.


I got to go to Boston last October to celebrate Tyler being gone for one year!!! It was a lot of fun. When we went Red Sox were in the play offs and we tried to get tickets. Good luck with that... they were so expensive. The closest I got to being at a game was taking the tour of Fenway. Being a big Red Sox fan, I was so excited and it was the coolest thing. This is going to sound stupid I know, but I actually got goosebumps when we walked in there! :) Just hearing the history behind the park and seeing the Green Monster, it was great!! My next goal is to someday go back to Boston and actually get to watch a real game.