here's to another day

Another day of freezing cold and snow. Good thing I have these snow boots and warm jacket to help get me through. It will be tough, but I really hope that I make it through this winter's weather. High's in the teens just is not okay with me and all the walking around outside that I do. Ugh. I am a wimp like that. On the plus side, snow makes everything (but the roads) look beautiful!

thursday night basketball

Thursday we went to the BYU basketball game against Pepperdine with our good friends April and Cole! April and I were roommates a couple years back and I am so glad that our friendship has been able to keep on growing! We had a great time at the game. It helped that we won ;) Josh was even able to get a coupon for a free burger and a coupon for free creamery ice cream! Woohoo!! He seriously finds or gets free stuff where ever he goes. It is a gift. 

Thanks for the fun night April and Cole! I love you guys!

Picture of April and me from Fall 2010... Wow, we look so young ;)

somebody that I used to know STOP MOTION

My awesome sister in laws, husband and I created a stop motion video to the song "Somebody That I Used to Know" by Walk Off The Earth. I still have a lot of needed practice in creating and putting together stop motion videos but I sure enjoy the whole process!

Thank you Cami and Chari for playing with me! You guys had awesome ideas and I had a blast spending time with you! :)

resolutions

I always have a love-hate relationship with new year's resolutions. As kids I remember my sisters joking with my parents around this time of year saying, "Why set goals? You will just be disappointed when you don't do them. That is why I don't set goals." Or something along those lines. They were kidding, but I still find myself wanting to think like this sometimes. Goals are easy and fun to make, but extra hard to keep. Especially because that list you just made will probably get lost in the trash or forgotten on your computer in a month anyway. And because being extra healthy and 100% in my scripture reading seems impossible thinking about the whole year at a time.

I do love goal setting though because it gets me excited thinking about how I can become a better person and become the person that I really want to be. It helps me explore who I am and what I want in life. It helps me think of where I have been and who I will be. I look back on this past year, and I don't remember a single goal I set the year before at new years. but I remember things through out the year that I wanted to accomplish. I also see a lot of change that has taken place in me. I feel like I have grown, in ways I will never recognize or even appreciate in the moment, but cherish looking back on.

So as I keep this in mind for this new year and the goals that I want to accomplish, my list looks a little different than most years. I still have things written down that I want to do, but I have a different mindset on how I want to accomplish them. I want to start off each month with a renewed attitude of doing and being better about the goals in mind instead of thinking about my goals with next December as my final destination. This is a journey to discover myself, grow closer to my husband and grow closer to God and as I go through out the year I will hold on to those things and not let go. These things are the most important and as long as I give it my all, I will call each day a success.

happy new year!

America's next top model? probably not. I should take some posing classes or something, because I need some help to not look so awkward. ;) But I at least have fun trying and playing around. Josh and I found this old river bed filled with some kind of plant that we thought looked pretty cool. We liked the way that it turned out for the background of the pictures.

We had a fun New Years Eve spent going out to dinner with our family and hanging out with friends that we haven't seen since this summer. Kayla and her husband Josh along with Kaylani her husband DJ and their 2 1/2 week old baby came over to hang out with us! It was fun to catch up with them, see the beautiful baby and play some games! We played a game I had never played before and I really liked it! It was called Logos and you pretty much were quizzed on all sorts of logos, advertisements and slogans. I came in dead last haha but it was still a lot of fun. Kaylani and Kayla's Josh kicked bum in the game! They were awesome. We watched the ball drop and I got my New Years kiss at midnight. ;)

2012 was a crazy year that I am so grateful for! I got engaged to and married my best friend. We have moved 4 times since we have been married (Utah to Omaha, to Montana, to a different city in Montana, back to Utah). I finished my Junior year of college and am officially a Senior with one year to go. I became an aunt to an amazing and beautiful little girl, Brynlee. I've learned many lessons. I've gotten sick, A LOT. I went on a cruise and out of the country which are two firsts for me. I've had to do more grown up things. I've cooked more, loved more, recognized more than ever before my weaknesses and have never been more motivated to try and be a better person (which I think is what marriage is all about -- humbling ourselves, recognizing that we are imperfect and striving to be a better person and spouse). I've discovered more about what I like to do and what I do not like to do. I've recognized that it takes real effort to have and develop hobbies. I've had to face the fact that bad and unfair things happen in life. Life has been wonderful and difficult and such an amazing learning experience.

This new year should bring many new experiences that I have to look forward to! I haven't set official goals for the year yet, because I figure that we have a lot of time on the car ride home. ;) I hope you all have learned from the year that you have had, whether good or bad, and that this next year brings brighter days, new beginnings and more smiles. For the first day of the new year, I slept in, ate a delicious breakfast and am still in my comphies. It is a great beginning of the year to me! :)

another shooting adventure

Dad Peterson

Kyle

Bryn

Me

Chari

Cami

Mom Peterson

Hubby

It was loud!

While at the cabin with the Peterson fam, we all went shooting. It was SO freezing cold. Which seems to be a common theme of this break for the most part. ;) Luckily we had hot cocoa, lots of layers and a warm car and cabin. It was fun making memories with our fam and enjoying the experience!

hey you

I have no idea what I am even pointing at or doing in this picture. But it was awkward and awesome so I had to include it. New shirt, new hat, new boots. It was a good day.