Little Tykes

Good things to come. Wes & I aren't having kids for a while after we're married. But I think they have pretty good odds of being adorable, blonde hair, blue eyed babies!

They will also be giants.

Weston was born practically a toddler... "Momma!"

Joan said she brought him home in 6 mos. clothes.

he was 10 lbs ...oz. and 23 inches.

I was 5 lbs 9oz. and 18.5 inches.

I did not even fit in the smallest sized diapers. bahah

hopefully our babies will be somewhere between the two extremes! Of course, I wouldn't mind birthing a peanut.

Here's some pics of us at similar ages!

(Sorry Wes' are a little fuzzy bc they're pictures of pictures)

Is he not the CUTEST little boy you have ever seen?

I never retired this outfit.Wow, so adorable. & he totally looks the exact same. I just want to hug and kiss that little boy all over! So sweet!

Please check out the armpit rolls hahah so awesome. xoxoIlovemyfiance!

We Are the WOOOOOOORLD!

Remember that one post forever ago that I posted Mikey J's original "We Are the World?"

I found this today. It made me so happy! I found my favorite song of the week!

xoxoIdon'tlikehowtheysay"me"insteadof"I"

I have a job interview at a call center...YIKES! I hope I get the job though, because then I'd get 10 hours of work a day and so a) I won't have so much free time and b) I can earn more moolah... I'll be working 50-56+ hrs a week! YAY! In a month, I'm sure I won't be sayin yay anymore, but the bank account & honeymoon will be celebrating. Oh & Wes' wedding ring lol that's kinda important too :)

So, I had a nightmare about milk last night. I think it's because I'm out of milk right now. Oh, the woes of being a poor college student. Or just poor :) I'm happy though! I hope everyone else is doing fabulously!

The wedding colors are FINALLY picked. I've switched maybe 1o times! I got a voicemail from Weston's sister the other day and she said "If you make me wear pink, I'm going to kill you" hahah lucky for her I changed the colors...or I guess lucky for me :)

Change of plans. I am now staying in Provo at BYU & I'm going to take Summer & Fall classes, a FULL LOAD & I'm going to be done with classes I need to take on campus by December & I could graduate in April...Crazy!! So exciting though! That is though if I get my internship finished & online classes done by April!

xoxotakincareofbusiness

Popeye the Sailor Man

So my boy signed his soul away. Well our souls :) Just kidding. Wes signed an 8 year contract with the Navy Reserves yesterday at the MEPS building in Salt Lake. I'm so proud of him! He did the oath ceremony yesterday & he is so excited! He ships out on September 21. Which means....we're getting married September 3, 2010! Mark your calendars folks! There will be a Utah reception down in Orangeville, Utah (30 min south of Price, UT) that evening, time is probably 5-7...we'll keep you posted. Then there will be a Tennessee reception the following weekend on September 11, 2010. Everyone should come to one of them if they can at all! We are so excited. We actually set our temple date a couple weeks ago, & kept it top secret, except I told Jared Bishop because I ran into him right after we made the appointment, I was so excited I thought I was going to explode, so he got to listen for a bit. & some random girl in Weston's swimming class. We're really good at keeping secrets...bahah. Well, Tuesday evening I drove to visit Wes at his hotel. We pulled in at the same time then he talked with a Navy guy for about an hour and then had to make some phone calls. But we got a good few minutes together. I love him! Any second I can get with him makes me the happiest girl alive! Then Wednesday morning he was up and at'em at 4:45 and over to the MEPS building. Then I met him there at 9. We were there until 5pm...bahahah LONG day. & Wes couldn't even leave the building. BUT, he got a Navy job, a ship date It was a long day & Wes was runnin on little sleep... & I got a little piratey. Sitting for long periods of time can do that to me. Wes & the other military guy...uh an officer? After he took the oath. Wes w/ the Navy Flag Why so serious? Muuuuuuch better! hahah Afterwards, to keep ourselves from starting to gnaw on our hands out of hunger, we went to a buffet for dinner. We saw these little sea creatures. So, I threw one on Wes' plate. I have never laughed so hard in my life. After we took this picture, he tried to put it down and it's tentacles got stuck to his fingers. He started freaking out & yelled "Ew, get off of me!" hahahahah I was crying. Don't worry, the Navy thing is totally worth it. As the spouse, they gave me a free hat, shirt and other cool things like pens. They obviously knew the way to my heart...except...where's the chocolate? xoxonavywifey

Welcome To The Future

Those words from Brad Paisley's song are definitely wise...unfortunately. I'm getting my first taste of Navy life this week. We were supposed to have the MEPS meeting & all that jazz today. A pipe exploded in their building yesterday so they pushed it to Thursday. Weston called this afternoon to inform me he had just been informed that it was moved up to tomorrow morning. Which is awesome, yet scary at the same time. We get to pick our wedding date sooner and finally iron stuff out. I'm just a little nervous to find out the dates that I'll be without my favorite person. I just keep pushin it out of my brain, it's sad to think about. BUT pros of tomorrow morning: I get to see Wes tonight! We get to pick our wedding date(so rad!) We then get to iron out the huge stress of what to do for school, where we'll be, when, and how long we'll be separated after we're married. We basically get to plan our next year of our life. SO, I am looking forward to that aspect! Pray for us that we can make September happen! xoxolotsonthebrain

Anxious is an understatement!

The Navy post-poned our wedding date picking once again, but I can be patient...right?

I'm still trying to convince myself!

It's been so fun planning the wedding, looking at dress styles, picking colors & all of that. My favorite part of the planning has been the honeymoon researching! Party!

All of that is fun...buuuut...holy cow, I am so excited just to actually be married. How about tomorrow?

The temple does elopements, I'm pretty sure.

We live 4 hours away from eachother & can't talk on the phone until 9. It feels killer. But still, each day I am reminded why the heck I love this boy so much.

I cannot wait until we are Mr. & Mrs. Brinkerhoff!

xoxobridetobe

Idahooooo

So, basically, I always have the best time ever with Weston. This weekend was hilarious. We slept Friday night in the Geo due to a slight forgetfulness on finding a place to stay. Worst nights sleep EVER. hahah it was so uncomfortable and cold. The next morning at 6 we went back to his apartment and some how I was asleep in the Geo & woke up on the couch in his apartment... thank you strong fiance, & I'm sorry I'm so lazy and didn't walk up myself!

Saturday we did lots of fun wedding stuff in Idaho Falls then ended up going to Robin Hood at the movies. It was a $40 trip to the movies. Which ended up being really sad, but so hilarious. We decided the lemonade has little gold flakes in it & that is why they were so expensive. We took pictures with the GIANT lemonade cups just to document first of all our stupidity for actually buying them. The stupidity for buying 2. & afterwards we found out the lemonades were refillable and we didnt know they were so enormous either. After leaving we both filled ours up to the max. We then went grocery shopping and came back to one of them on it's side on the car floor..uhh, whoops! hahah so we tried cleaning that up, we got it cleaned up & I climbed in the car & kicked over the other one! bahahah Then we had 2 pretty full lemonades, and we decided to save them for our Yellowstone trip on Sunday.. Then on the way to yellowstone I spilled it again ahhah The geo needs a serious bath, because It is seriously sticky all over!

Sunday afternoon drive to Yellowstone!

We drove up to the park and found out it was $25 for 7 days...uhh what about one afternoon? So we peaced out of the park and drove around West Yellowstone and some other parts of Montana instead!

Me with a giant buffalo, it walked right behind the tree right as we were taking the picture.

So, apparently Rams like to lick the pavement? Wes said it was for the salt. Makes sense. Makes me thirsty.

xoxoIwantfoooood!

Funness

I like this wedding game. It has been fun so far. Low stress. All my family has been really into it and it's been so fun! Wes' family has been totally into it too. It's like the ultimate party that is getting planned! We find out Tuesday what our Wedding date can be. SO, basically, our wedding date will be officially announced on Wednesday. THAT is when you write it on your calendar and plan to come! We are doing a reception down in Emery County in Utah, where Weston grew up. Then approximately a week later another reception in Franklin. PARTY! Everything is half planned. And that is awesome! Bridesmaids dresses...half pinned down. Colors-set! Invitations Honeymoon plans, not sure yet, I just know I'm excited for it! Etc., etc., etc! It has been so fun searching for an awesome wedding song. We have a list of pretty awesome ones and some I'd never heard before. I'm excited to pick THE song. I love him, I love him, I love him! in 4 months Weston James Brinkerhoff is going to be my husband and me his wifey! xoxotrytofindahappiergirl p.s. remember, I'm always taking tiparoos. So, if you have anything you think we should know in this whole process, please feel free to leave it in a comment!

Ideas

If you have any tips on planning the wedding, food at the wedding, wedding favors, honeymoon spots, invitations, ANYTHING, I would love all the advice I can get. I've never done this before ;)

Thanks!

xoxoIhavethebestfianceever!

Rachel Brinkerhoff..

...in 5 months that is going to be MY name! I need to start practicing my signature. Thank goodness my name is changing, because my current signature is ugly as sin. It looks like wet noodles on the floor.

BASICALLY, there's no ring, but we are engaged to be married in October. Or September. Our plans- wedding plans, living plans, school plans, life plans- are all based on the Navy right now.

Dear United States Navy: If you could please let my fiance & me get married in September & then live together while he is in "A" school, I would really appreciate it. Love, Me

So this is how it went down. He told me he loved me for the first time & started talking about marriage all in the same 5 minutes. Pretty awesome. He wanted to wait to tell everyone until he had 'proposed' &then all of a sudden handed me his phone and said, "Call your mom." How awesome is he? Apparently he has planned the most amazing proposal EVER. I believe him. I heckled him all weekend to tell me. Not a single detail leaked. When? I have no idea Where? I have no idea How? I have no idea Excited? You have no idea

So bottom line, we're engaged to be married.

Let me tell you some reasons why my fiance is so amazing; some reasons I am the luckiest girl alive.

1. He loves me.

2. He treats me like the greatest thing since sliced bread.

3. He's driven.

4. He honors his priesthood.

5. He's my best friend.

6. He loves my family.

7. My family loves him.

8. He has the awesomest family.

9. He has the most gorgeous smile, dimples included.

10. He likes to kiss too.

11. He loves kids.

12. He makes me laugh all the time.

13. He mellows me out when I'm on a worry-wart soapbox.

14. He is genuine.

15. He doesn't take serious things lightly.

16. He loves the outdoors.

17. He's never met a stranger. I went to the bathroom at home depot and came out to him talking to a couple with a grocery cart full of kids about how long they waited to have kids.

18. He has the most crystal-clear blue eyes.

19. He is the most patriotic person I've ever met. I'm not kidding. Unless you've met him, you have no idea what I'm talking about.

20. He's stubborn.

21. He runs. REEEEEALLY fast.

22. He is extremely expressive.

23. He is a man's man's man's man's man.

24. He can chop down trees in the forest and carry them back to camp by himself.

25. He's taking me to the temple to get married.

26. He stays up all night with a hatchet because he has a feeling something bad is going to come into camp.

27. He has amazing arms. 28. He loves to laugh. 29. He opens my door. Every door. Every time. In & out of the car. When we were dating & I would forget to wait for him to come open my door he would say, "you've been goin out with other guys, haven't you? Because you seem to have forgotten that when you're with me, the handle's always broken." I was, but I love that. 30. He served an honorable mission. 31. After we got engaged he stopped to tell every person we passed that I love him & that he gets to marry me.

32. My brothers love him. 33. He's an awesome example to me. He inspires me to be better and do good. 34. He is a hard worker. Just like Pops! 35. He makes me want to grow closer to Christ. 36. He prayerfully and carefully makes decisions. 37. He analyzes everything. Just like me. 38. He likes big dogs. He hates cats 39. He is down to earth. 40. He wants to register at Cabelas for our wedding. I told him we could. Only for a tent and sleeping bag though. 41. He loves to hunt (hello Stolworthy clan!). 42. He loses bets always. I'm still working on getting him to stop betting his body hair for ice cream. 43. He will watch chick flicks with me. 44. He's as cheesy as they come. I love it. 45. He's sensitive. Not in a girly way; in a "I just punched you in the face on accident when I was jumping up and down out of excitement. I'm sorry!" 46. He grunts. There's good grunts, usually when he sees steak, & there's bad grunts, usually when I poke him in the stomach. 47. He doesn't take himself too seriously. 48. He's spontaneous. 49. He goes with the flow. 50. He keeps me warm. 51. He eats more than 5 of me. 52. He treats me like a princess. 53. He walks really fast. I have to lightly jog to keep up. 54. He honors his parents. 55. His dad is hardcore. So is mine. This works out nicely. 56. Our moms are both amazing & think eachother are the cutest things ever. This also works out nicely. 57. He is tall, dark and handsome.

58. Weston always helps anyone who needs help, without them asking. He stops everytime a car is on the side of the road. Last week I was riding his bike back from the park & he threw his blanket over my head while I was riding. I thought he was doing it to be a punk, but he never came & helped me. I thought I was going to wreck, because I couldn't see where I was going. I said somethin like, "Oh, nice!" & pulled the blanket off to see him at this old lady's side who was pulling her weeds. I felt about 2 inches tall.

59. He is so romantic. He told me that he loves me more than starches. We're talkin potatoes here folks, this is a BIG deal.

60. He said he'll kill the spiders. I love him.

8 months of dating + 4 months of engagement= Eternal Ultimate Boy & Girl Team.

I cannot wait to marry him in September. Or October..... Or August. in the Salt Lake City Temple! For eternity. As in, FOREVER. As in, this is the most important decision either of us will ever make. As in, I'm planning the wedding, but the wedding is just one day out of infinity days. I cannot wait.

xoxoMrs. Brinkerhofftobe

Venice? No, that's Nashville.

So, my nice little hometown got flooded last week. >15 inches of rain. No biggie. Just a week before I had been running a marathon on those streets. Who knew, I could've done a triathalon and swam down the streets!

Galoshes are so now in style.

Props to Jenna for this one.

This is the entrance to her neighborhood, the main road is right in front of the treeline & the split in the trees goes back to a big grass field/park that we've picnicked at many times.

It's so weird to see all of this.

Picture props to google.

Picture props to Pops. That did not used to be water down below, well it did, but it was just a little part of the river, way far down, those trees used to be planted in dry ground. I'm not likin the FLA swamp look goin on in Franklin. Nashville. Train Station.

Flooded. Again, props to google, but holy cow. What a mess. Google.

Google.

Where that red statue is, yeah, totally ran by that on my marathon last week.

I stood on most of these streets just the week before with Weston.

Go check out some of the picks a few posts back.

Including all these streets.

I didn't post them all, but I've been sent a million pictures between friends & family from back home. Chase sent me a disturbing one of a home that totally exploded because gas had spilled in the flood water and the house flooded and the gasoline reached the pilot light in the fire place and blew up the house. The temple president's home was flooded. I haven't heard of any other ward members that's homes were too horribly damaged, but I'm sure the flood wreaked some sort of havoc for everyone. A cottonwood home burned down too. There have been atleast 29 deaths. & they said more people will probably be recovered after the water all recedes.

The 2010 weather has been weird. Between the snowstorms that Nashville actually got and now this giant 2 day torrential flood, I'd say the second coming is near!

Not only were all the Music City attractions (Country Music Hall of Fame, Grand Ole Opry, GEC, The New Symphony Hall, the Convention Center, etc, etc, etc) ruined, but a lot of people are without homes, etc.

In order to help with the millions of dollars of damages, there are a lot of flood relief efforts going on.

If you're lookin to support, try buying one of these cute tees to help fund the repairs!

http://nashvilleflood.myshopify.com/

xoxoIshould'vepackedmygondola