It's Official!

On Tuesday night, Ian Finlay surprised me by flying to Utah and asked me to marry him! After getting over the shock of seeing him I said yes! So we are now officially engaged to be married on May 29th in Salt Lake City, Utah. We are excited to end this long distance relationship and start a new life together.



For those who would like to read the entire, long story keep reading. If not, just keep scrolling down to see the rest of the pictures of the night.

Unknown to me, Ian flew into town on Tuesday night from California. While his sister and my roommate were creating a romantic setting downstairs, I was shopping with my sister who called and suddenly "needed" help shopping for her own wedding dress. On returning home from the shopping excursion, I went upstairs to talk with Ian over Skype as we usually do. He asked me to go downstairs and get something out of his bag for an application. I had been storing his things in my basement for the week until he could move into a new apartment the following weekend. When I arrived downstairs, I found a trail of roses into the room. Ian was waiting around the corner on his knees (yes both knees) ready to pop the question. After getting over the shock of seeing Ian during the week, I said yes!

O Christmas Tree

This past weekend my roommates and I drove to Heber and cut down our own Christmas tree! We snowshoed in a few miles to find the perfect tree, cut it down, and drank some hot chocolate before carrying it back to our car.

These are my new roommates around our Christmas tree. (Amanda, Cherise, me, Heather)

The Foods of San Francisco

In my opinion, cities are best judged by their cuisine. In planning a trip to the golden gate city, it was necessary to try all of its varied cuisine. After sampling San Francisco's food this last weekend, I would say it is a pretty "sweet" place to visit! This post will highlight the best tastes of San Francisco!

San Francisco is known for its sourdough bread. Check out the bread animals at this sourdough bread factory! The sourdough bread bowls and clam chowder were incredible!



The next stop was Fisherman's Wharf. I did not try the seafood but got a good look at it!



As a chocolate lover, Ghiradelli Square was a must see. I recommend the cable car sundae.



Another excellent food recommendation includes authentic Italian food. Saturday morning we went to a farmer's market and with all the healthy food there, we chose to eat pork sandwiches for breakfast! The fresh Italian donuts were also tasty. The day was finished off with another peppermint sundae from Fenton's. (For those of you who have seen the movie UP, it is the same ice cream shop featured in that movie.)

The verdict: It is a good thing there are so many hills in San Francisco to work off the delicious food this city offers!

On a different note, someday I would like to own real estate in a place like this. This lighthouse is across Golden Gate Bridge and overlooks San Francisco.

The Update

My life has not been as boring as no blog posts for the past few months may suggest. Excuse the many pictures, but here are the highlights from the last month or two.

On September 6th another niece was born! Caroline Jane Linton is pictured here. What a doll!


My dad came out to Utah for conference weekend and we celebrated our birthdays together!


My sister Whitney and brother Nathan came to the BYU football game that same weekend. It was their first BYU football game. Go Cougars!


Early October was busy with the 3rd annual PIMI charity race. Some friends and I started this 5K charity race a few years ago. This year we raised money for a women's shelter in Orem. This is the PIMI planning team.

Pictured here are some runner friends that came to run and volunteer at the race.


Some friends and I went down to college game day at the end of October. Believe it or not, people had actually camped out for days! This is the tent city.


On our way home, my friend Ian found these pumpkins that were carved like football helmets. We got a picture before getting caught and scolded by the security guards.


Before we went to the BYU football game I tried my first Costco hot dog. You can't beat $1.50 for a hot dog and drink! Yummy!


For Halloween I was a witch. In all humility, my costume was pretty sweet. A picture will be coming soon.

Two weekends ago I went out to Colorado. It had snowed almost two feet! Who would have thought in October! This is proof of the snow.


For my birthday I was given tickets to see Wicked in Denver. The show was everything it is talked up to be!


This last weekend my sister Kristen got engaged to Brent Ludwig! They have known each other since they were 14 and dated for the last few years. They will be married in May in Nauvoo! I am excited to have him in our family.

All In A Day's Work

After some extensive research today on how to get rid of fruit flies, I determined the most effective trap is a cup of apple cider vinegar inside a plastic bag poked with holes in the top. I have already caught 10 or 15 in the last hour. Check out the picture. All in a day's work.

Buon appetito!

Buon appetito piato pulito! Tonight I had my first Italian cooking class with my friend Michelle. We learned how to make a really great red and white sauce. Here's to more great Italian meals to come!

I've joined the club

I have always found it annoying when people talk for long amounts of time about how cute their nieces and nephews are. Like other kids aren't just as cute, fun, and smart? You know when someone reaches for the pictures in their wallet that you're in for the long haul. However, today I am joining the club to brag about my cute niece!

The last ten days I have spent in Boston and Washington DC with my sister and her family. My brother in law, Scott, has just started a job in the foreign service so I went out to help them move and watch my niece Kate while they get settled and put a bid in for where they are sent in the world. I loved reading with Kate (especially Fancy Nancy books), having tea parties, swimming, bike riding, going to the park, drawing, doing puzzles, etc. She is definitely an artist in the making.



Amidst the moving, we did find time to go to Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington. Here it is in all it's glory.

A pic with my sis in front of the river. Jennie is expecting another girl in a few weeks so this may not be the end of hearing about my cute nieces!

My cousin Graham gave my Aunt, Uncle, their family, and myself a tour of the capitol building where he is working this summer. Loved having a connection so that we could avoid the long lines!

A funny side note. Every state gets to choose two people they would like to put statues of in the capitol that represent their state. Utah chose Brigham Young and Filo T. Farnsworth. Yeah, that's what I thought too. Who is Filo? Apparently he had something to do with the invention of the TV. I had to snap a photo in front of Brigham Young as he is my grandfather four generations back.

The last night we all went down to Alexandria, VA for a walk along the shore and a yummy dinner. The pizza was a favorite of Kate's.


Missing my cute niece already. This is a tribute to my incredible sister Jennie who is adventurous, funny, intelligent, talented, and the best sister. I have always looked up to you!