New Mexico /// Holt Family Reunion

I'm starting to feel like the summer is flying by and I just want to make it slow down! I mean I would like the ridiculous heat to end but not summer! I can't believe we are already into the 2nd week of July! Crazy. I was telling Brett this morning that I was sad about it because we were crossing events off our list and it gives me fewer events to look forward to.

The big event we just crossed off the list was the Holt Family Reunion in Silver City, New Mexico! Neither Brett or I had ever been to New Mexico so it was fun to see what it was like there. This was also our first "road trip" together! We didn't talk a whole lot though since Brett has tests this week so he had to study but it was still a good time. The weather is great and was such a nice break from AZ! +30C during the day and mid 20C at night! SO NICE! I hadn't met very many of Brett's Holt cousins so it was great to meet a ton of them. They were all so inviting and a really fun group! The Stailey's did an incredible job of organizing the activities, meals, sleeping arrangements, and everything else! They put on such a great reunion. Here are some photos of our time in Silver City!

I guess before I get into the reunion I should mention July 1st/Canada Day! We were both pretty sad we missed the celebrations back in Raymond but we tried to make the most of it and put on our matching Canada shirts I had bought us a few months ago!

Before the trip could start Brett needed a little hair cut. Here is a little before and after! I do love a clean cut man! Oh and his hair grows faster than anything in this world I swear. It makes me so mad because he hates it and I would kill for it!

Day 1:

We left later on Wednesday and got into town just after 1am, so needless to say we didn't do a lot the first night! The first day we got to Silver City it was July 4th! We were planning on getting up and going to the parade... but that didn't end up happening! I was a little sleepy and had a hard time getting up and ready to go... whoops! We ended up meeting everyone for lunch after we ran some errands at Walmart! Which included getting some new sunnies for us both! After lunch Brett played basketball and I visited! I really had a great time getting to know his Holt side of the family better. We were really missing his immediate family though! It would have been so much more fun with all of them! Next time right Jenni? ;) After we wrapped up at the lunch site we headed over to the Stailey's for dinner! (I really feel like all we did was eat! As soon as one meal was over another was being started! It was awesome.) After dinner was the fireworks show! It got pretty chilly so we didn't make it through the whole thing! I am becoming a baby to cold weather. It's not good.

Day 2:

We woke up really early on our second day to meet at Walmart for breakfast and to begin the Holt's Amazing Race! We hadn't slept great the night before due to some crazy thunder and other noises... but we somehow managed to pull ourselves out of bed! So I was looking GOOD this day. No shower, no make up, no sleep looks the best on me for sure... Anyway we were put on the "Horny Toad" team and given our orange bandannas. Our first stop was the City of Rocks!

We were given tasks to complete and we really had a fun time! We explored a little bit and it reminded us a lot of the hoodoos at Writing on Stone!

 After the City of Rocks we headed to the Copper Mines! They were really interesting. The picture really doesn't do it justice at all! There were so many colours and it was HUGE. 

The last leg of the race was at an old military cemetery. Each grave stone had a sign of the soldiers religion and for the LDS faith there was an angel Maroni. 

Day 3:

We were supposed to get up early again and do some more racing but unfortunately do to the serious rain they were having at night the place we were going to was flooded and closed : ( So instead I slept in and Brett got some more studying done! After lunch though we decided to do some exploring and went and checked out downtown Silver City! It was pretty small but had some cool stuff! We ate some homemade fudge, took fun pictures, and went into some antique stores! In one of them we found an old vintage camera and Brett got it for me to add to my little collection! I am the luckiest! He also is such a good sport and will pose for me on occasion! Overall it was a nice way to spend the afternoon!

That night we played in a corn hole tournament, ate a great mexican dinner, filled out a "Murry Holt History Quiz", watched a slideshow of some pictures and videos from the weekend, and ate lots of treats! It was a great way to end off a great weekend!

We both haven't stopped talking about how much fun we had and how happy we are that we went! I also really enjoyed not having to share Brett with the clinic and am feeling grumpy that he is back at it today! Oh well... We had a blast while it lasted and can't wait for the next one!

Hello Summer

I keep seeing posts about how summer has finally made it's way to Southern Alberta... Ya you guys with your perfect plus 25-30C weather! I could punch you. When I walk outside my house it is a full on mad dash sprint to either my air conditioned car or the pool. Yesterday it got up to 52C and I thought I was going to die! I know I really have no place complaining because 9 months of the year I live in heaven but trust me... June July and Aug are brutal. Okay I am hearing myself and I am going to be the one to get punched pretty quick here... Sorry! I'm just jealous and missing SOAB summers is all! Please forgive me.

The last little while has been pretty calm around here and we have been loving it. Brett is in clinic now, working on real people, and has a pretty steady 8-5 schedule accompanied with NO studying! Which equals one real happy wife! I even had my first appointment with Dr. Holt the other day! He was very patient with me and made sure not to hurt me! I only got a cleaning done but still! It was painless! He has also done a few root canals, some extractions, and fillings! He is on his way to be an exceptional dentist : )

 I have been keeping busy with lots of editing (with my new photoshop 6! Loving it, my cousins are the best for getting it for me!), visiting teaching, cleaning, cooking... you know the usual. Lots of people share grave concern for me and my lack of a job but really I am working. I fly home almost every month and shoot as many sessions as I have time for and then fly home and edit! I am actually coming home July 24-30 to do shoots if anyone reading this is in need of a photographer... wink wink (shameless plug). Anyway even though you probably think I just sit at the pool or watch netflix all day I really do keep pretty busy.

My new Adobe Creative Suite 6! Thanks Peterson Family!

A necklace that the daughter of the lady I visit teach made for me :)

Here are some of the things we have been up to over the past few weeks:

• Getting into shape - Brett is trying to gain weight, I am trying to lose it... I hate boys. We go almost every night after Brett is done school to his school gym and it has been working good! I also do a Jillian Michael's DVD every once in a while and she kills me. To the point of losing function of my legs for days.
• Staying Cool - We have been to the pool here at our apartment complex a few times but had the opportunity to go to a Water Park in Phoenix! It was so much fun. I love crazy amusement park rides but for some reason the water park rides freak me right out! I like being strapped in and secure but with the watersides you don't have that. I could just shoot out the sides and no one can tell me differently. Brett rode them and I enjoyed watching! Seriously though, people would shoot off those rides losing half their swim suit and screaming their heads off. Quite entertaining.
• Teaching - Brett and I both have callings in the Sunday School! I teach ages 12-13 and Brett teaches ages 14-15! I bawled the first day I got this calling. I have dreaded the day I would actually have to speak up in church. I never comment in class because I never feel like I actually know the answer and I have mild panic attacks when I get asked to pray. Brett was amazing and helped me through it and helped me plan my first lesson. I think I am getting better but every time one of the youth raises their hand to ask me a question I about pass out in fear I won't know the answer. 
• Celebrating Our Countries - We went to an early 4th of July fireworks show this weekend and it was pretty good! We sort of pretended we were in Raymond for July 1st since we will be missing it this year :( It's Brett's favourite holiday and he is a little crushed we can't make it. I'm pretty bummed too! I bought us matching Canada shirts the last time I was home so we plan on sporting those tomorrow! Expect an Instagram about it.

Us at the fireworks show

We are loving our life in AZ but we are really looking forward to spending some time at the Maxwell Cabin in a few weeks! We miss our families and friends lots but I have to admit I like having Brett all to myself most days!

I hope everyone has an amazing Canada day and July 4th! 

California Love

My beautiful cousin got married this last weekend so the hubby and I made the trip over to beautiful California! I know I realize I haven't even posted about my own wedding yet... but that post will take time and effort... and since I can't use time as an excuse I am going with I don't have the effort! SO you get to take a little look at my weekend in Cali instead. I wasn't the official photographer at all but instead a bridesmaid! It was nice getting to actually enjoy a wedding without the stresses of being the photographer! I loved it. Mackenzie looked stunning (Not going to lie... I was jealous of the photographer who got to shoot her! She looked so beautiful!) and it was so nice to meet her now husband Jordan! Their venue was incredible and made me wish SOAB and Bakersfield could switch weather patters real bad so there were actually outdoor wedding venue options! A girl can dream right.

The Rehearsal Dinner-

Wedding Day-

iPhone Photos-

(stolen from Morgan)

I couldn't resist doing a little "Cousin Ring Shot" so this is my ring and Kenzie's ring! It turned our a little blurry but whatever! Both or pretty vintage and similar! Our guys did good : )

Crafty Crafty

"the couple that crafts together...." 

ya I don't know they have fun

We decided that for our close friends baby shower we weren't going to give the normal newborn outfit or baby wipes. Cause we are OBVIOUSLY too cool for that. SO while my mom was here we happened to find this little wooden chair at a thrift/antique shop and we both fell in love! It needed a little work but we saw the potential! Thanks to a little Annie Sloan paint and a steady handed hubby I think it turned out really cute! We hope baby Riggs loves it too one day.

honestly he is going to make the greatest dentist! He has THE steadiest hand in. the. world.

he was patient with me! we tried the stencil and it sort of went everywhere. but he fixed it : )

gosh he's handsome

Well there you have it! A little side note I sorta tried some new photoshop techniques editing these haha figured these aren't going to clients so if they don't look fabulous no one will get mad at me! Kind of liberating really. 

OH and we won these fish at the baby shower!

There were three... and this morning there were two... and after church just one... It's looking like we aren't cut out for being the parents to fish. Sad. 

This One Time I Got Engaged...

You know it's bad when you finally sit down to write a blog post after a few months and realize you have so much to write it's hard to know where to even start! Luckily this one time I started a blog post and didn't quite finish it so I figured what the heck it was about 4 months ago but it's a start? It's about how I had just gotten engaged! After reading it I realize two things...
1- I am so sappy and annoying A LOT when I blog... Sorry?
2- I was am the happiest and luckiest girl alive to BE married to Brett!

Just so this is documented somewhere since my journal writing doesn't exist... Here is our engagement story!

"I am currently sitting in the Mesa airport waiting for my flight and wondering why I am even boarding this plane when I have no desire to actually leave. Over that past 4 months Arizona has become a second home! I have travelled here 7 times in those 4 months and leaving just gets harder and harder every time. I also feel like someone from Allegiant Air should be giving me a free flight for Christmas or at least a REALLY nice treat basket full of all gluten free homemade goodies! You know you fly too much when you know the regular flight attendants and the people that run the gates! The bright side of all of this? I will only have to buy one more ticket with a return flight on it! In February, Glendale Arizona will become home! For at least 2 more years anyway! Why? Because I am engaged to the most handsome man in the world and he just happens to be going to school here in paradise! Go ahead and be jealous. I still wake up and have to pinch myself to make sure this is my real life!

So since this is my journal...(I know, I am the worst journal writer ever) I am going to document our proposal story! Brett did so good and followed all my requirements to a T :)

Well it all really started a month earlier when I came down to visit Brett for my birthday. He picked me up and spoiled me rotten all day! Later that night we were watching the Notebook (because he is the best). We were just talking about how annoying me leaving all the time was and how it would just be easier if we got married. Well that was about all it took and it got the ball rolling! I sent him a few pictures of the rings I liked and began waiting patiently... Okay I wasn't very patient. Especially when he told me a few weeks later that because he was studying for finals and finishing projects he just couldn't find time to get a ring before he came home for Thanksgiving break and that I would probably have to wait until Christmas. I was a little crushed... He was coming home for 2 weeks in November and I thought it was going to happen then. Now you might think I was being naive but Brett is a terrible liar... He smiles so big when he has a secret or he's trying to tell me a lie but he had a dead serious face when he told me. So I trusted him. Okay and ya I am really gullible! I like to say that I am very trusting... It sounds better. AND I was actually in Arizona during his finals week so when he told me he was busy I really knew he was!

We flew home together back to Canada after his finals, back to a complete blizzard! We even had to wait in the airplane for about an hour because the runway was so icy!

So much for +30 weather! After we dug the car out and drove very carefully we made it home! My mom had been planning on going down to our cabin in Montana for a few days to get some things worked out for the cabin we are building down there. I told Brett and we decided to join her and my Aunt Kathy! I was so excited to take him there! It is my favourite place to be and it is so gorgeous down there in the winter! So off we went on a little 2 night trip to Bitterroot.

We woke up the first morning and just had breakfast and talked for a while. Then my mom and Aunt Kathy were off to make cabin plans and that left Brett and I! We had decided the night before to spend most of the day quading on the trails and then meet up with the ladies for an early dinner.

{Before I continue I need to explain a little something to you. I am really pretty easy going as most of you know and don't really suffer from the Type A personality at all. BUT there are a few things in my life that I like done right. One of things things was going to be my engagement. SO one night when we were talking about getting married I explained to Brett my 3 Engagement Requirements. Don't judge me... The first being I had to look cute. I wanted to be showered and in a cutesy outfit. The second was I wanted it documented, so there needed to be a camera involved. The third and final thing is that I wanted to be surprised. Easy enough right? haha}

Okay so back to the story. I knew we would be quading and getting dirty all afternoon so I didn't want to shower before and then have to shower again after before dinner. Seemed reasonable to me? Well Brett said he was going to shower and asked if I should go first since I take longer. I said I wasn't going to shower. He said well maybe you should shower... I explained my whole sweaty/dirty argument and he still said I should and promised I wouldn't get dirty or sweaty. So feeling like I must be smelling bad or looking REAL bad I gave in and showered. I knew Brett would never hurt my feelings and tell me to shower if I didn't really need it! You are all thinking I am really slow right now I know... Because yes I still had no idea. So after we showered and got ourselves in our snow gear (well I had forgotten my boots so I had to wear my cute leather ones) we got on the quad. But not before Brett grabbed my camera ;) So we start quading around for oh lets say 10 mins and after we make it down this steep big hill the quad quits... Won't start or turn over at all. I feel bad because that is really the only thing to do at the cabin in the winter besides sit in the house and watch movies. So Brett tries and tries to get the thing started but nothing. Luckily this semi creepy man who has a rope offers to help us and give us a tow back to the cabin. Sadly our hopes of quading were dashed. I got the stuff out of the basket and thought we would call it a day. Then Brett asked if there are any good hiking trails need by. I hesitate...

{remember I am in my good cute leather boots at this point. Also not a HUGE hiking fan... even when it's +25 with no snow on the ground! I mean I'll do it but not my favourite thing to do in a foot of snow and in my good boots and snow pants}

Ya there is a trail right across the street actually, I tell him. Then quickly reminded him that I didn't want to get dirty and sweaty and that I wasn't wearing the proper footwear. He said oh we won't go for very long and it will be fun. So I didn't want to be the downer girlfriend and agreed to go along!

So we started hiking... and hiking... and hiking. He was sort of quiet on the hike up but I can always fill the silence with some rambling. FINALLY we got to the top of the path. We stopped for a few minutes and Brett asked if this was really it. "There isn't even a pretty view or anything?" He was disappointed and I could tell. I sort of felt bad but I was thinking that he was the one that wanted to hike, I would have been happy to lay in my PJS and watch a movie all day. Then he says "If we try and climb that rocky part do you think it will have a better view up there?" PAH are you kidding me... It was straight up and we would have needed those rock climbing gear things to make it up. I laughed thinking he was kidding but no he wasn't... but seeing my reaction he realized it wasn't going to happen. So we started making our way back down the trail!

About 5 mins later Brett asked me how much time grocery shopping at Costco with me had bought him

 {there is an inside joke here}

I told him at least a few years ;) and then next thing I knew he was down on one knee holding a box with the most BEAUTIFUL ring I had ever seen and said "How much time will this buy me?" and then went off saying cute things! Well I freaked out! Surprisingly no tears... I think I was just in shock and way to happy to cry! It was the greatest moment of my life! He was going to be all mine. Forever and ever. I literally floated down the rest of the trail and could not stop smiling!

It was the best day! Going home calling and facetiming all our family and friends was the best! Everyone was so excited for us and we loved it. We have the best family and friends ps! I can't wait to be a Mrs!! It will be the best :) Let the wedding planning begin!"

Oh look how excited I was haha I am so glad I wrote that all down though! It's so fun to read. I am excited to finally catch up on this blog and be able to write what I want! Oh and being a Mrs really is the best!