Remember

As Erik and I were driving out of Heber yesterday we saw this:

It was such a simple and quiet way to remember the tragic events of September 11th but it really touched my heart.  

We spent the evening watching 9/11: Ten Years Later on CBS. It was an incredible documentary that featured interviews with firefighters from the NYFD's Ladder 1.  I'll admit it was hard to watch at points but it helped me to reconnect with the things I felt on that fall day so many years ago. 

I read some wonderful blog posts yesterday about people's 9/11 experiences and their feelings 10 years later. The thing that stuck out to me the most in all of those posts was the need to remember. Remember how we felt that day and for months and years afterwards.  Remember the way the city of New York and America as a whole came together to grieve - and to lift one another up. Remember the heros of that day - the ones that were lost, the ones who remain, and the ones who continue to suffer.  We need to remember each and every day not only the tragedy of that day but the love that followed.  If the attacks on our country showed us the worst of humanity, the days and years that followed have showed us the best of humanity.  That despite all the evil there will always be an enormous amount of good in the world. And the good will always prevail. 

Friday's Fancies

Chunky White Sweater, Navy V-Neck, Red Capris, Striped Purse, Anchor Necklace, Metallic Boat 

I'm totally obsessed with red, white, and blue clothing so I'm super excited that this week's theme on Friday's Fancies is Labor Day Chic. I might have gone a bit overboard with the Americana/nautical idea but I am just dying to rock this look. Red skinny capris with a loose t-shirt and a chunky grandpa sweater is my idea of comfy chic. And when you pair it with a fab bag, metallic boat shoes, and a cute little anchor pendant, does it get any better? I'll probably end up spending Labor Day addressing wedding invites but I'll be dreaming that I'm on a sail boat off the coast of Martha's Vineyard with the wind in my hair wearing this outfit. 

Shred

I'm definitely no fitness expert and I rarely keep up a work-out routine for more than a month at a time, but I just had to share with you my new obsession. 

The Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred is totally amazing. I've only been using the DVD for 3 weeks but it's by far my most favorite work-out ever. It only takes 20 minutes but I am literally drenched in sweat by the time it's over. Plus, it has three levels so you can keep progressing.

I'm sure Jillian has her critics but you can't argue with success.  So if you're looking for a great work-out that doesn't take a lot of time check this one out for sure.  And you can get it on Amazon for like five bucks. I promise you won't regret - in fact you'll probably be thanking me once you realize the amazingness of this DVD. 

Happy shredding everyone!

I Hate Mondays.

I'm starting to realize there are a lot of trends in the blogging world.  One being that most Fridays bloggers start off their posts with something like, "Happy Friday!" or "So glad it's finally the weekend!"  And then on Mondays everyone says, "Yuck! Monday already..."  Well today I am going to echo that sentiment.  I really HATE mondays.  And I hate them so much that they kind of ruin the last few hours of my Sunday as well.  

My last couple semesters of college were glorious because I didn't have class until 11am on Mondays.  I didn't realize just how good I had it until I started working full time.  And today was double yuck because I had to be at work at 7:30.  Luckily I live 5 minutes from my work so I didn't have to leave until 7:25.  And don't worry...I fully intended on getting up at 6:00 so I could take time to shower and get ready and look cute.  Did that happen? Of course not.  I snoozed until 6:40 and then made a mad rush to get ready on time.   

Well enough of my complaining...so how was your weekend?  Mine was nice and relaxing.  I'm turning into such a homebody.  Sure going out is nice...but staying home in my pajamas with a big bowl of popcorn and a rootbeer and cuddling up with my sweetie for a movie is even better.  Plus it's free!  

Friday night was spent on the couch while Erik watched sports and I played on my computer.  

Saturday consisted of laundry and painting frames for our wedding reception and with the above mentioned popcorn, root beer, and pj's while watching Man in the Iron Mask.  

Sunday we headed down to Provo for baby Reese's blessing.  And I basically felt like the worst person ever when I was running way late and we walked into the chapel right after the blessing finished.  I think that was the universes way of telling me I need to try harder to be on time for things.  Luckily, we got to enjoy a delicious lunch at Molly's sister's house after the blessing.  It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.  

Then I got to accompany Erik to a missionary fireside.  He's one of the stake mission prep teachers and helps with monthly firesides for the prospective missionaries.  This is the second one I've gone to and it's so neat to hear all the talks and reminisce about the mission for the evening.  And then the night ended with us watching Titanic on TVLand.  Is it just me or is it impossible to watch that movie without bawling.

I'll never let go Jack...I'll never let go.  

Friday's Fancies: Maximized

So I'm doing my first ever link-up tonight! I decided to jump on the linky bandwagon by  linking up with Friday's Fancies on Long Distance Loving.  Every Friday there is a different outfit theme.  So fun!  It's like shopping but without the guilt!  This weeks theme is maxi skirts/dresses.  

Skirt: I happen to completely adore this skirt.  But Erik was sitting next to me while I blogged this, and when he saw the skirt he said, "do you really like that?" with this super sarcastic tone. Yes, I do REALLY like it.  It's lovely and flowey.  And it makes me wish I was sipping a virgin margarita on a beach in Mexico somewhere.  And it's by Alice + Olivia which is perfect because the designer, Stacey Bendet, just happened to be a guest judge on Project Runway last night!

Shirt: I love a super basic tee with an over-the-top skirt.

Necklace: I also love a long gold necklace over a basic black tee.  

Shoes: Cute yellow t-strap sandals.  

Bag: These leather American Apparel clutches are so fun! 

New

Hey y'all! So you might have noticed that my little blog has undergone quite the transformation since the last time I posted.  And it's all thanks to my amazing friend Joelle from Where We Love is Home.  I've mentioned Joelle on her before.  She and I have been friends since forever.  We grew up across the street from each other.  She has grown into a completely gorgeous and very talented woman.  She designed her own blog and graciously offered to redesign mine.  I think it was mostly out of pity...because my previous blog design was, well...pitiful.  And I have to say she did a knock-out job.  Everything is better than I could have imagined.

I've been waiting for the perfect post to christen the new design.  And today I realized exactly what it should be...

On Saturday at 9:57 pm, Reese Marie Hunter was born to my very dear friends Molly and Andrew.  She was a perfect 7 lbs 10 oz, 19.5 inches.

After a bit a of scare when Reese's heart rate dropped dangerously low, Molly had a flawless delivery and mother and baby are both doing very well.

Yesterday I got to go meet her at the hospital with Erik and our other very dear friends Brillante, Darin, Kaitlin, and Skylar -- oh and we can't forget Anne who was there by telephone!  It was such a sweet moment being in the hospital room together.  Molly, Brillante, Kaitlin, Anne and I have been together since our freshmen year at BYU.  We've been through ups and downs, heartbreaks and eventually weddings.  And now Molly and Andrew have welcomed their first little darling into the world.  It has been amazing seeing Molly go through this whole pregnancy alongside Kaitlin (who is due in two weeks). From finding out she was expecting, to feeling Reese kick, to finally meeting the sweet bundle of joy yesterday.  I'll admit I had tears in my eyes when I saw the first pictures of Reese.  These girls are like sisters to me and now Reese is just one of the bunch.  She'll get a lot of lovin' from this group.  And we've already planned her eventual marriage to Cohen Rackham.  And she's got some of the best parents a girl could ask for.  

Brillante and Reese. 

Me and Reese. 

Kaitlin and Reese. (+ Reese's future hubby Cohen inside Kaitlin's belly)

Everybody and Reese.  

I apologize for the bad lighting.  Apparently hospital rooms are not ideal for photo shoots.  And I promise the boys did get to hold little Reesey Poo as well...I just neglected to snap any photos of them.

The Proposal Story

So as most of you already know I got engaged exactly 14 days ago!!! Yay!!!  And I'm finally getting around to telling the story.  But don't worry...this story was well worth the wait.

And before I give you the actual proposal story I'm going to have to give you a few background details.  

Erik and I had been talking about marriage for a while.  We had been ring shopping and I had picked out the perfect one at Wilson's in Provo.  So of course I kept bugging him about when my ring would be done and asking how soon he was going to propose.  I kept dropping very subtle hints about how I would like to be proposed to...like having "Will you marry me?"put onto the side of the Goodyear Blimp while it flies over Angel stadium.  Erik would joke about doing it in some very cliche war at Bridal Veil Falls or outside the Provo Temple.  

Graduation time came and my parents were in town.  I had a feeling Erik had snuck over to their hotel to ask for permission to marry me.  One night Erik calls and tells me that he had been to Wilson's that day and that because of all the ring/diamond research he had done he was basically going to make all of my dreams come true...yeah that got me pretty excited.    

Then I headed home to CA for 2 1/2 weeks.  One day Erik and I had a text conversation that went something like this:

E: Hey don't plan anything for May 13th.

K: Ok...how come?

E: Because I'm proposing.

K: Oh my gosh!!  You can't tell me that!!   

E: Haha.  I'm just kidding.  I'll probably have done it before then.  We're going to a concert.

K: Oh cool.  Who are we seeing?

E: Ron Pope.

K: Who's that?

E: The guy that sings "A Drop in the Ocean".
(On a side note...we had heard that song a couple of weeks before and I had basically been playing it nonstop since then.)

K: Oh yeah! Sweet!

The whole time I was home Erik kept telling me that he had been talking to the guys at Wilson's and my ring wouldn't be done for a couple more weeks.  Right before I got back to Utah I said something to Erik about getting engaged before the 13th and he said, "Oh yeah...about that.  I've got something planned that won't be happening for a while."  So I assumed we wouldn't be getting engaged for another month or so.  

On Thursday the 12th Erik and I went out to lunch at Zupas (my favorite) with my sister Rachel and Erik got a voicemail from Shane at Wilson's.  It said something like, "Hey man just wanted to let you know that the ring won't be done until next week."  

The next night was the concert.  Erik came over a couple of hours before and we decided to grab dinner at Guru's (my other favorite Provo restaurant).  Erik wasn't actually hungry so he just ate sweet potato fries while I paid for my own dinner (I promise that's relevant...and I'll never let him forget it).  Dinner was yummy of course...and I'm sure Erik would be mad if I left out this little detail...Jimmer totally walked in while we were eating!  I pretty sure he was a good luck charm for the evening.

After dinner we headed up to SLC for the concert.  While we were driving we started talking about when Erik was going to propose and he said he was nervous and hoped that I would like what he decided to do.  I assured him that I would be happy with whatever he did.  

We got to the concert at Kilby Court.  It's this super cool, hipster place in SLC.  It's basically a house that they've transformed into a concert venue. The stage is in the garage.  And it only holds about 150 people so it's super intimate.  We got to stand right in front of the stage.

The entrance to Kilby Court.

The super sweet lights and metal paneling behind the stage.  

The door covered in stickers of all the bands who have played there.  

The concert was awesome!  Three other guys performed before Ron and they were all amazing!! 

I feel awful that I can't remember this guy's name...but he was so good!  And he's from Australia! 

This is Ari Herstand.  He's super talented and looped all of his music.  He beatboxed,  sang, played the guitar, and the keyboard.  

Oh and did I mention he also played the trumpet?  And has the most awesome hair ever?  What a rockstar.  

This is Zach Berkman who also had an amazing voice.  

Then Ron come on and he was also amazing!!  I had only heard a few of his songs and I didn't realize just how good he was. 

He has some mad guitar skills.  

I was really hoping he would play "A Drop in the Ocean"...but when the concert was almost over he still hadn't played it, so I was getting kind of bummed :(

But then Ron sat down at the piano and said, "I had a special request tonight.  My friend Erik wanted me to play this song for Kaitlyn."  My jaw totally dropped.  I looked at Erik and was like, "Are you kidding me?  How did you do this?"  He just smiled of course.  Then Ron played "A Drop in the Ocean" and the whole time I was thinking..."Oh. my. gosh.  Is he going to propose tonight?"  But I convinced myself that Erik had just been really romantic and requested a song for me...because the ring wasn't even done!

And then it happened.  Ron finished the song and looked over at us and said, "And now Erik just needs a minute."

I turned around and Erik pulled the ring out of his pocket and got down one knee and said those five, magic little words, "Kaitlyn, will you marry me?"

 And of course I said yes!!!

And then everyone started cheering and taking pictures of us and the whole band came down and gave us hugs and said congratulations.  

It was the most perfect moment.  And I was just in total shock.  I don't think I even took in how perfect it was until a few days later.  

Then Ron sang a song called "You're the Reason I Come Home" and dedicated it to us.  It was just him and the guitar and it was totally gorgeous.  

That was the last song of the night and then Ron came down and congratulated us.  He was like, "Thank goodness she said yes!  I was so nervous!"  

And of course we had to get a picture with him:

Unfortunately we forgot to get a picture of just the two of us after the proposal...I'm pretty sure I wasn't really thinking straight at the time.

I found out later that Erik had gone on Ron's website after he found out about the concert.  He clicked on the "contact me" link and emailed Ron just to ask if "A Drop in the Ocean" was on the set list for that night.  Erik said he totally didn't expect to get a response but 30 seconds later Ron emailed him back saying they play that song at every show.  Erik responded saying he was excited for the show and that his girlfriend loved that song.  He told Ron that he was planning on proposing soon and wanted the concert to be a part of it.  Ron messaged back asking if Erik wanted to propose at the concert.  So Erik told him that would be amazing and the two of them planned the whole thing out.  Pretty sweet, huh?   

I really could not have asked for a more perfect, romantic proposal.  Or for a more wonderful man.  Erik is everything I've ever wanted and I am so excited to spend eternity with him.  He's completely perfect for me, and I'm realizing that more and more everyday.  He treats me like a princess.  He loves his family and is a wonderful returned missionary who is completely dedicated to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I'm so grateful he came into my life.

And please don't mind our shiny faces...it was super hot at the concert.  

We'll be sealed for time and all eternity in the Newport Beach Temple on October 15, 2011.  We're planning on having a reception that night in CA and then an open house in Utah sometime after that.

Oh and I almost forgot...how do you like my bling?

p.s. So remember how Erik played me a message on his phone the day before he proposed that said my ring wouldn't be done for another week?  Yeah...he totally asked Shane to do that.  He'd had my ring for a couple of weeks by that time.  And remember how we went to my two favorite restaurants right before he proposed?  He had that planned out too.  Do you also remember how I paid for myself both times? Erik did that on purpose so nothing would seem out of the ordinary (I promise he does pay for my food a lot of the time...but neither of us have a lot of money so I usually insist on paying for myself unless it's date night).  Did you also notice we were both in super casual clothes at the concert?  I was pretty bummed I wasn't more dressed up for the proposal, but Erik knew telling me to dress up would give the whole thing away.  Oh, and did you notice that Erik completely told me he was proposing that night just so I would never suspect anything?  He really had all his bases covered.  And when we got back to my apartment that night all of my best friends were there to congratulate me!  Erik totally asked them all to be there. And Brillante even got sparkling cider to celebrate.  What a perfect night.