And I'm back in the game.......

Well seeing how it has been since December that I have posted anything at all, I felt a strong impression that I need to get my butt in gear and post something. I've had a lot of great experiences the past couple of months and I couldn't be happier. I accomplished so many goals and have had great company along the way. I married my best friend Dallon Wayne Durfey in the St. George Temple on March 10, 2012 for time and all eternity. Once I get pictures back from the photographer I will definitely post them, or perhaps make a video.

The strong impression to make a new post came to me as I was walking to a job interview today. Like any other normal day I had lunch with Dallon and then went to the ELC to do some chemistry homework. At 2:10 I got up and started to make my way to my interview. I decided to walk because it is such a gorgeous day outside. I casually walked up the street to a new pizza place and on my way I passed by a lilac bush. The smell and sight took me back to my childhood. I instantly thought of my Grandpa Fisher's house and his lilac bush in the corner of his front yard.I remember walking by that lilac every day as I went to visit him. I would make whistles out of the leaves or pick the pretty bundles to put them in a cup for his or my mom's kitchen table. What a simpler time....where the most important decision I made during those days were what outfit I was going to wear. Or just how early I would walk over to visit. A smile crept across my face as I thought of my grandfather's embrace, an act that took place the instant I walked in the door. Oh how I love my Grandpa! I'm so grateful for this time of year that I am reminded of the resurrection and how I will be able to see him again.

At that moment of walking by the lilac bush, I had such a warm and calm feeling come over me. Seeing that lilac was a tender mercy from my Father in Heaven, sent to me from my Grandpa Fisher, telling me that everything was going to okay. I couldn't pass up this opportunity to share my experience, as well as record my thoughts and feelings, an area that I have been lacking in for quite some time.

So I am turning a new leaf by being better at blogging....so someday I'll have enough recorded to make a scrapbook of all of my entries. So stay tuned for wedding pictures etc :)

p.s. I love this song, oh and I got the job in case anyone was wondering :)

Whenever I hear the song of a bird
Or look at the blue, blue sky,
Whenever I feel the rain on my face
Or the wind as it rushes by,
Whenever I touch a velvet rose
Or walk by our lilac tree,
I’m glad that I live in this beautiful world
Heavenly Father created for me.

Video

Here's to you Libby..... took your advice and not only uploaded pictures, but turned it into a movie :)

Here's the story Stephanie.

I am not the best at journal writing, so why not do the next best thing and blog? This past weekend was packed with wonderful events and I just have to type it all so it can be out there for all to see....because it is simply magic.

In September 2011 I was reunited with my best friend Dallon Wayne Durfey. He served an honorable mission in the Rio De Janeiro, Brazil Mission. He loved the people, scenery, food, and most of all, the gospel. He was able to bring the light of the gospel to so many people in search of the truth. He never ceased to amaze me with his humility, hard work, and rock solid testimony. It was truly amazing to see the change in him throughout the past two years. Of course he was the same crazy and funny Dallon that I met our freshman year at SUU, but he was being refined by being an instrument in the Lord's hands. I will always be grateful for his sacrifice to take two years out of his life to serve with all his might, mind, and strength.

We were able to meet the morning of the Saturday session of General Conference. My nerves got the best of me as we waited for his ride to arrive.....two years is a long time in case anyone was wondering. But I finally saw his ride approaching and I got butterflies....good to know that hadn't been lost with time. We got out of the cars and embraced....it was the hug of the century! Oh how I had missed this guy!! We then traveled up to General Conference side by side. It was like a dream being in the same car as him! I had thought about this day so many times before, but having it really happen was everything I had imagined and so much more!! We sat listening to the leaders of the church testify of our amazing gospel, on the seventh row from the pulpit mind you!

That first weekend was filled with happiness, nervousness, hugs, smiles, laughs, pictures, stories, and so much more. As the weeks went on, I just couldn't believe that he was home. To have him right next to me or just a phone call or text away, was so much better than having him on a completely different continent. It was a dream come true! With each passing day I grew more and more grateful to have Dallon in my life. Things were definitely not the same and it took awhile to get used to, but it all came back to us. We became the new and improved Dallon and Kaitlin. We still are dorks most of the time...and we still have 90% of our conversations in movie quotes, but there is something that is so much better. We don't have that huge road block ahead of us like we did in our relationship before he served his mission. We didn't know what would happen after two years because a lot can change in that time, but a lot can stay the same too. :)

Fast forward to this last week....we brainstormed throughout the week things to do for the weekend. Dallon had to work on Friday and I had to sub at the high school. I decided that I was going to go to basketball practice to help get in shape and by the time I got done, Dallon would be getting to Milford to spend the weekend. Right after I got changed and began to watch Glee with Nish, I got a call from Dallon. He asked what I was doing and then his phone cut out. I instantly got uptight and told my frustrations to my sister, how I hated talking on the phone and how his phone always cuts out because AT&T sucks. Then we decided to leave for practice....I walked out into the front room and saw Dallon's head pop out from behind the kitchen counter! What a sneaky punk!! I thought he wasn't going to be in Milford until much later! Oh and that wasn't all he had up his sleeve for the weekend little did I know!

We had been planning a trip down to St. George to see his sister Darci and I looked forward to Christmas shopping and seeing a play at Tuacahn. Just as a side note....back in 2009, Dallon bought me tickets to my first real concert, Boys Like Girls. They played at Tuacahn and it was one of our first official dates as a couple and I loved every minute of it! Anywho, needless to say, I was stoked to go back to Tuacahn to spend another date with Dallon.

We headed out bright and early and got to St. George. We decided to go to the mall first. I had quite the list, but oddly enough I wasn't my usual ornery self while we shopped. I just had a positive attitude about it all....I think it was a combination of the Christmas cheer and the fact that I had Dallon by my side, whatever the reason, I was in such a great mood. We walked by Fred Meyer....a jewelry store that Dallon found my favorite ring a couple of weeks before. (We had gone shopping a few weeks ago up in Provo) I was like, why don't we go in there and see if they have my ring. He found it quickly and I tried it on and was like yup, that's it. We put a diamond over it and I got all excited all over again. But then I had to remind myself to be patient, because I knew Dallon was still trying to work out the kinks to buy it. We got up to leave and Dallon asked if I wanted to look around to see if I liked something else and I said, why? I already know what I love and it is that ring I just put on. He seemed pleased and we continued on with our shopping.

It then became time to go meet up with Darci and her boyfriend Kelton. We went to her apartment and chatted while she got ready. She had to run into work for a bit before the play so we decided to just meet them there. Dallon said he was hungry so we went out to Ivans and found a place to get a shake. Dallon got a phone call and had to take it outside, so I sat there content with life...enjoying my shake and fries. I guessed it was one of his mission buddies talking about something random....that he would probably tell me about later when we weren't in public, which was fine. He then came in and said how we needed to get to Tuacahn to get our seats, I kind of got uptight because I had just started my delicious shake, but shook it off and went out to the car.

We headed out to the theater and as we turned I saw Darci and Kelton driving in the opposite direction and I was like where are they going? Dallon was like I have no idea! Let me call her....so he called her and he got done and said she left her camera at her house so she was going to meet her roommate at the main rode and then meet us at our seats. I said ok and we headed to the theater.

We parked and I debated on whether or not I wanted my jacket. Dallon insisted that I didn't need it. I got all huffy and said, ok, if I get cold I'm stealing your jacket then. He said okay and we headed down a walk way and made our way to to the box office. After having a week of practice and officiating basketball games I was so sore! I walk slow anyways because my legs are so short, so being sore did NOT help matters. Dallon kept pulling on my hand as we walked and finally I couldn't take it anymore, so I threw his hand away and let him race up the stairs. I was a little timid because it was completely deserted! Not a soul in sight, and I'm like Dallon how are we going to get tickets?? There's no one here? He was like I don't know where to go, let me call Darci. So I gave him my phone and he called while walking up a flight of stairs. We heard Christmas music playing and I got all excited for the play....Darci told us it was the one with "The Scrooge." Dallon got off the phone and said we had to go past the gift shop and past the amphitheater. In my mind I was like, they have two theaters here? That's cool. Then I saw the gift shop and pulled on Dallon's arm and said let's go to the gift shop!! Cuz I love me some gift shops :) He denied my request and I sulked for a minute. As we walked though the gates of the first amphitheater I saw a paper of the agenda for the holiday season. Everything I read wasn't starting until 7:30 or later and I was concerned. Dallon grabbed my hand and urged me past the sign and assured me that it was ok and that we needed to get to the other side because Darci wanted to sit on the opposite side of the gates. I looked out across the amphitheater and did not see a soul in it and was like Dallon! I'm sure we're going to get a great seat because it looks like we are freaking early. Let's just go to the gift shop for a minute. He instantly said no and kept dragging me toward the other side of the theater. Just then I looked up and saw a black platform covered in rose petals with two chairs....one that had a bouquet of flowers. I was like, Dallon, what are we doing here?? At that moment it hit me.....it was time! That trickster!! I forgot how to breathe. I forgot how to walk. Luckily, Dallon still had my hand in his and he led me up the stairs and faced me. He took my hands in his and he looked me in the eye and said, Kait, I brought you here on one of our first dates and I knew that I loved you so much and that I wanted to marry you someday. That is why I wanted to bring you here today to ask you to marry me. He got down on one knee and pulled out the ring box and flashed me my ring! I gasped for air and covered my mouth, not really comprehending what was happening. He said, Kaitlin, will you marry me? Because I couldn't breathe, let alone talk, I just nodded and then let him put the ring on my finger. I wrapped my arms around him as tears filled my eyes. I had never felt more happy in my entire life. I squeezed him with all of my might and silently cried tears of pure happiness. Then he was like, oh and there's no play. haha!! Once I came to...and really understood what was happening I had a million questions! I got my camera out and documented everything and bombarded him with questions.

One thing about our relationships is that we suck at secrets and lies. Which is probably a good thing, but when it comes to surprising the other, we usually just end up telling the other one our plans because we can't take the secrecy! So my main thing was, how long have you been planning this?! How in the world did you keep it a secret!? He felt so much relief after the proposal took place because there were so many times something happened that had to do with the ring, or the proposal and he wanted to tell me but couldn't! I was soooo proud of him for keeping it a secret! I seriously had NO idea at all! It was perfect in every single way! So now, I get to introduce people to my fiancé Dallon....best thing....so far....until I can introduce him as my husband.

So there you have it folks....there's the story of how Dallon proposed to Kaitlin. It's down in the books :) I hope you all enjoyed it....because I know I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it! Stay tuned for wedding details :) Also, my pictures aren't uploading, so if you want to see the photos of this event just go to my FB album, December 10, 2011 :)

Work. Sleep. Wedding. Repeat.

Well guess what....I went to another wedding! Shocker right? I was able to make a road trip to the good ole Wayne County to visit Dallon's fam. I got to spend most of the day with Mike and Sharon running errands. Shopping isn't my cup of tea but I tried my hardest to be patient throughout the entire extravaganza and to my surprise Mike rewarded me with a candy bar! hahaha I sure do love that Michael Scott. When I went to pick out my candy bar be insisted that I get a king size one, because I was THAT good. And who can pass up a free candy bar? Surely not I sir!

After going to a few stores we met up with Shanda and Maddix. We then headed to Gavin and Stephanie's reception. It was a beautiful set up in a gorgeous backyard. Everyone looked stunning in the line and I enjoyed the warm hugs from some of my most favorite people of the W.C. I'm not a hater of all the weddings I've been to. I absolutely love seeing the happy couples and their families.

Once we got done visiting, and by we I mean I.... had to catch up with all of my peeps real quick, we headed back to Fremont. I got a front row ticket to the Maddix Show. It was a riot. She is such a cutie.

When we got back to the Durfey residence I changed the dressing on my softball wound....my failed attempt at sliding during our last game. (I wasn't even safe so it wasn't worth it...but we did win the game so it wasn't all in vain.) Then we watched some tv and headed to bed. I was awaken by Darci yelling...Kait, I'm home! I sure do love that girl. We had a great chat about life and of course she kept me laughing through it all. She also introduced me to a funny show called Rita Rocks. Pretty sure I'm gonna start watchin this on Netflix.

It was a great vacation but had to come to an end bright and early this morning because I had to get to work in Cedar. So here I sit, typing away in the library. I can't help but to think about how grateful I am for the relationships I have with the wonderful people of Wayne County. I always feel the warmth and love every time I visit. And Michael semi-threatened me that I had to visit again soon...and not just in September. I assured him I would make a couple more trips before then.

So what are my plans for the rest of the night you might be asking...well I'm going to another wedding. When a friend of mine asked how my summer was goin I replied, well it's going great! I work, sleep, go to a wedding and repeat. I love the life I live. Oh and Cross Country starts next week! I am excited for the new season and arranged for some pretty spectacular motivation speakers for camp. So I have that goin for me, which is nice :)

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Let the good times roll

Can I just say that Summer two-zero-one-one has been amazing! I have loved practically every minute of it....yeah there have been a few bumps along the way, but who doesn't have those? I just put my smiler on and kept it real.

This past week I had loads of fun! I worked my shifts at the good ole True Value and at the ELC. They both keep me busy with random things, but when it all comes down to it, I love serving people. I love that feeling I get when a person comes into the store desperately needing help finding something and a light clicks on and I know exactly where to take them. I also love it when people call the help desk searching for help and I am able to walk them through the problem. To put icing on the cake, after I am done helping and I wish them a good day, when they say it back to me and really mean it I am deeply touched. It is these small and simple moments that remind me why I am in the customer service business.

After I got done with work and with our weekly softball games....we lost both of our games this week :( But with Ryan's great tutelage, I was able to crank a few hits past the infield. It is going to take a lot of work but I decided that I'm in this for the long run, so why not improve my skills? I know I've already said this, but getting together with friends and family, sure make Thursdays a fun night! Jessica has been hiding her light under a bushel for awhile....we found out she plays softball! So we have already recruited her for next year.

Friday came and it became Idaho Road Trip Time! After what seemed like a brazilian years, we left home and headed north...to Alaska...ha jk....we headed to Idaho Falls. It was a fun ride complete with jam sessions, Dawson's Creek, sleeping...well Daezia slept, talking, eating, laughing, fights....and everything else that goes with traveling in a car for hours on end.

We got to the farm and were instantly engrossed in hugs, hi, smiles, and hey didn't I see you like a month ago? After we said our hellos, we headed to Bethia's Beauty Boutique. We got to visit with family as well as get beautified! I got my nails done by the amazing Brittany. I love our great chats and I especially like getting my nails done because it makes me feel extra pretty. We went well into the early morning, but it was all worth it...I could spend years in that place and not regret one bit of it.

The next morning we all got dolled up for the double wedding! I was able to do Teresa, Lillie, Kendra, Mom, and Nish's hair. Everyone was amazed by my skills. Kendra was adamant that I could NOT curl hair with a straightener and that her hair would NOT hold a curl. I proved her wrong and she ended up with her hair curled and looked beautiful.

With all of the weddings going on in my life and seeing how I haven't taken my endowments out....I decided to get a recommend to do baptisms. I hated being left behind while the adults got to go to the temple, so rather than just waiting around the temple grounds, I went and did baptisms. It was a wonderful experience and I made it out just in time to meet everyone else coming out of the temple.

I am so happy for Mitch and Beth!! Emily and Beth looked stunning in their dresses. Mitch and Derek looked very handsome in their tuxes. It was an amazing experience to see the love both of these couples have.

After that we went and ate with Aunt Diane and Bethia at Perkins....probably my favorite Idaho restaurant now. We had fun chatting and getting caught up with each others lives. Then we headed across the street to the reception. It was fun seeing everyone support Mitch and Beth as well as eat some yummy food.

The party didn't stop once the reception was over....we went back to the farm...a whole hop and skip over the road and partied it up. We played some intense volleyball...where I was able to get more acquainted with "the cool couple." Daniel and Coltin strutted up to the court and volunteered to be on mine and Nisha's team. Those games we played seriously had some of THE funniest moments of my life! Those guys kept us laughing all night! Granted I didn't play as well as I should have...because I was laughing so much...but oh well. I gave them great fuel for generating jokes.

Once we got done playing, we all headed inside for some family talk. There are constantly at least 5 different conversations going on all at once in one room. I was a wee bit tired from the long day so I just sat and listened to mom, Daniel, and Coltin's conversation. Then Nish and I played our favorite game....who's your favorite. It was a great time.

All in all, this road trip to Idaho was definitely a great one. I have decided that when I finally move up to Logan, I will definitely make the two hour trip to IDF probably every other weekend...ha as my funds will allow. I can't wait! Till next time Judys!

July is winding down.....

Well is seems that I have yet again fallen behind on my blogging. I don't know why this seems to happen....I guess I just like to procrastinate a bit. Whenever I update my blog I feel accomplished and happy. Then the next time I go to work I say to myself oh I just updated my blog, so I can wait until next time I work to update it again. This turns into maybe next time....and here I am a month later catching up on my blogging. Maybe someday I will be more consistent.

Anywho, a lot has happened since the last time I blogged. We began our co-ed softball league!! We have quite the roster and have won a game so far. We had a rocky start...coming off a year long break...but not to worry, we still had fun the first two weeks and look forward to the rest of the season. Last week I found myself feeling down and discouraged because I hated the saying life isn't fair. I felt mad because we as a team have held ourselves to a higher standard and yet we still can't win a game! But then I was reminded by my siblings that winning games aren't usually the way the Lord blesses because we choose the right. Talk about a slap in the face! I just have to remember to keep an eternal perspective. So from that moment on I decided to stay positive. We may not win a game all season, and we may not win the tournament, but who else gets to say that they get to gather with their family and friends and have tons of fun? And we get to do this on a weekly basis! This alone has reminded me to stay grateful for this tender mercy. Softball is definitely NOT my sport, but I took it upon myself to be the manager and give everyone high fives, smiles, and good lucks/jobs. So bring it on co-ed season!

Our roster is mainly made of Livingston, Spaulding athletes, but rounded out by some close friends and cousins. We are led by none other than the Tenacious Chief. He is the oldest person playing and you would never know it! He pitches every game and bats, not once calling for a pinch runner. The rest of the Jeeps Roster is as follows: Nish and Jeep, Koda and Mandi, Ryan, Kiana, Dalaki and Kayla, Amy, Devin, Dylan, Angie, Dave, and Jordan. With this bunch we have tons of fun! Maybe this year I'll actually get on base, rather than striking out, or getting thrown out at first! But when it all comes down to it, we are in this league to have fun and support our amazing town.

We had Koda and Mandi's wedding at the beginning of the month. We had a great time with family and friends on their special day. It was blistering hot down there in St. George, but Mandi looked beautiful and they both looked so happy! We had lunch at Mongolian and had a great time. Ryan and Jessica got to spend most of the day with us so it was fun. We then went to another lunch at Aunt Rhonda's. I sure do love my family a whole lot and enjoyed spending time with the ones that were able to come. The reception was beautiful and I had fun dancing with the younger ones. And yes, you heard me right...I actually danced...ha....they especially liked it when I twirled them around and around then dipped them. The night was topped off by going back to Rhonda's and having an epic game of Spoons. Kiana and I then drove back to M-town with the famous Melanie. We got caught up on life and had a great time of course. We even slept on the trampoline...it took us back to our childhood and we remembered some great times. Melanie then made me wonder when she said, "It is crazy to think how much our lives have changed since the last time we all spent the night out here." I looked up at the star lit sky and then over at Grandpa's house. My eyes filled with tears and longed for a hug from Grandpa. I nodded and said, "It sure is crazy to think about."

Some more highlights include, fun times at the hardware store. I really enjoy my co-workers and keep busy trying to help the customers. I am really bad at knowing what certain things are and where they are located, but slowly, I am finding my way around the store. I also like seeing friendly faces from around the community and helping people.

The ELC keeps me busy. This last week one of the website's programs were down and people went nuts! I swear I received close to 70 calls of people needing help. We finally got it back up and running and things went better. I just have to give a quick shout out to all of those people that have called in that were so nice to me. THANK YOU SO MUCH! I can always hear the panic and confusion in people's voices, but the ones that keep it together and treat me with respect earn major brownie points with me! I appreciate the ones that sincerely thank me for the help and then wish me a good day. Those kind of people give me hope and make me grateful for the way I was raised...to treat people nicely. But I have to say...my biggest pet peeve about some of the callers are when a parent calls because their child is having a problem....I just want to tell them...ma'am or sir....let your child grow up and do their own dirty work. Let em live a little. But yeah, other than helping over the phone, I have been keeping busy by helping study abroad students from Austria! They have great accents and are so polite. It has been pleasant working with them.

This past weekend was an epic one. Nish, Dad, and I ran in the Bryce Canyon Half Marathon. We have only missed like two years since it started and we have loved it from the beginning. We get to see the gym rats...they are the brains behind the race...and we get to see random friends that the race brings in. We also made this a special weekend and made it into a road trip. We traveled on through Cannonville to Escalante, on to Boulder, then to Teasedale, and through the WC where we got our family portraits done by Faun Jackson!! It took a LOT of planning on my part, but we were able to pull it off! The Durfeys let us use their house to get ready for the pictures. They are so good to me! I haven't been to see them in awhile and I hugged them for a long time, remembering how much I missed them! I thanked them over and over again for letting us get ready at their house. They are seriously so nice! For the pictures we went into Loa for a few places and then went to Big Rocks to capture Faun's vision of us. It was great working with her. She had so much confidence in Kiana and I, so we were able to help in organizing it all. I can't wait to see what she does with the crazy indians! :)

Back to the Half Marathon....it went so much better than I expected!! I seriously have not been training like I should have and I was getting nervous about finishing in a decent time. Luckily, I had my trusty ipod and was able to take my mile splits as I ran. THIS SAVED MY LIFE! I put myself on a rather slow pace because I knew I could do it and as the miles went on, I kept cutting more and more time off each split. I was amazed at how great I felt with each mile. Multiple times throughout the 13 miles, I would look up and simply smile. I looked out across the amazing scenery and felt so grateful for not only the ability to run, but for the feeling I get when I run, the feeling of utter happiness. I know not everyone has this outlook and that is fine, I just feel blessed to have this love for running. I was taught this passion throughout my life by my father. After I finished my race I stretched for a bit, got some water, then headed back to find my dad and sister. As I caught a glimpse of the two I felt such gratitude for both of them. I look up to them in so many ways and running is at the top of my list. My dad is a champ. He may be over the hill by a couple years, but he has the knees of a 35 year old. And Nish, I have been chasing her best times my whole life and still find myself trying to be like her. As they finished the race I smiled as two of my biggest heroes accomplished something great. I am so grateful for them and for the person they have helped me become.

This week also has great promise in store....we're heading back up to Idaho for a double wedding for Mitch and Beth. No, it isn't my grandparent's wedding....it's William Mitchell and Sarah Elizabeth's wedding! I can't wait to see the fam again, and to road trip WITH Nish and the fam.

But for today I'll be working all the live long day in the ELC, reading, yes I said reading...I decided to re-read and finish The Work and The Glory series :) I will of course stumble, to find new crafts and recipes and I'll probably watch more JB videos :) Til next time..........

Oh and if anyone is wondering....the end of this month will mark TWO MONTHS LEFT until Dallon comes home...but hey...who's counting? :)