And we're off!

Tomorrow, Tay and I leave for Vegas!  We are staying in the New York New York for a night, and then off to Flagstaff, Arizona to see FUN in concert!! We can hardly wait!  We have been waiting for this trip for a very long time! If you live in Utah, you may be wondering, "Why on earth are they going all of the way to Arizona to see Fun in concert when Fun was just in Utah a month ago!?" Folks, let me tell you why.

In January, Taylor and I learned that Fun was coming to Salt Lake City.  We were PUMPED!  We planned for it, talked about it, and even had sleepless excited nights about it.  We could not wait.  
Then, about two weeks before the concert, Taylor asked me, "Did you get the tickets in the mail?"
"No.  When did you purchase them?" I asked.
"Wait...I thought you purchased them...." Taylor said.
"You're kidding, right?"
Taylor turned to me with a look of despair across his face, "Oh, no. Oh, no. Are you telling me you didn't purchase the tickets?"
"I thought YOU were going to purchase the tickets!!"
Taylor ran to his laptop, pulled up the webpage to order tickets, and sure enough....SOLD OUT.
We looked around to find people selling their tickets, but they were selling for five to six times the original amount.
Needless to say, after learning that neither of us had bought the tickets, we sat in silence for a long time.  Don't tell Taylor I told you this...but he may or may not have had a few small tears over this incident.  When I saw his eyes filling with tears, I quickly said, "It's okay, Tay! There are other concerts!  I'm sure there's one in Vegas or something."  Wrong, again.  The closest one was in Flagstaff, Arizona...nine hours away.  But, we didn't even think twice.  We booked the tickets. Right then and there. Months in advance.

And now, here we are.  Another sleepless night...because we are too dang excited! But this time, we're really going!



I will try my hardest to blog while we are there.  But we all know how vacations go: we bring homework, books to study, promise ourselves we'll keep up on our email, maybe a few small things to do for work...and, of course, we never do any of that. Instead, we party and relax. Which is what vacation is for, right?  So, if blogging doesn't happen...look forward to an awesome post on Thursday!  Oh, and Part 2 of The Desired Forgettable, Yet Unforgettable Moments of Marriage is ready to be posted as well.  Look forward to that one! Coming soon.

Adios for now!

Worth it.

I stumbled upon some of my old journals the other day.  Let me tell you, I have been an avid journal writer since a very young age.  This habit mostly spawned from my dear mother, who wrote in her own journal every night without fail.  Anyways, as I was rereading through some journal entries of the past, I was struck with a realization.  

What would my sixteen-year-old self think if I had been given a glimpse of my  life five years in the future (essentially, right now)?  I think some sixteen-year-old doubts, concerns, fears, and worries wouldn't seem quite as important.  Because, guess what, sixteen-year-old self? Life works itself out.  And life works itself out splendidly. 

 Or what if my twenty-one-year old self could have given a few words of advice to my sixteen, seventeen, or eighteen year old self in times of need?  Just a few short words during the times life seemed too hard.

Here's what my twenty-one-year old self would have said:

Dear Sixteen-Year-Old Self:

It's okay if that boy doesn't like you back.  It's not the end of the world.  Because, guess what? There's a much better (and did I mention cuter?) boy who will like you back in the future.  And guess what else?  He will get down on one knee someday and ask you to marry him, and you'll be the happiest girl alive.  So, Sixteen-Year-old Self: don't you dare shed another tear over that boy. Or any other boy for that matter.  Don't you dare tell yourself you're not pretty enough, skinny enough, smart enough, funny enough, or good enough for that boy.  Because you'll be more than all of that to a wonderful boy in just short five years.  Hold on, Sixteen-Year-Old Self.  Save yourself and keep waiting for this future boy.  He's worth it. And so are you.

Dear Seventeen-Year-Old Self:

Don't be so quick to grow up.  Eighteen isn't that much different than seventeen.  Take a deep breath, cherish the moment, and live in the moment.  Be grateful for your parents everyday.  And don't just think it, or write it down...show it.  Show them.  Because, guess what?  In one short year, you're going to miss them. A lot. And you're going to wish that your Mom was just one door away again, instead of two states away. You're also going to wish that you could just walk up to your Dad everyday and give him a hug.  You're going to really miss being Daddy's little girl.  Hold on, Seventeen-Year-Old Self.  Growing up is exciting, but so is life right now.  Don't be so quick to be frustrated when Mom and Dad make decisions for you.  Because you're going to end up really wishing that they could keep making decisions for you.  Don't be slow to tell them you love them.  Think twice before going to bed without giving them a hug.  You won't have this opportunity forever.  And one day, you'll really miss it.  

Dear Eighteen-Year-Old Self:

Smile.  This place will feel like home one day.  It's okay to miss the familiarities of home, but work hard and make this place feel like home.  Because, guess what? I promise it will.  You are about to have so many opportunities and so many experiences here.  Stop letting sad days pass you by.  Chin up, young one. No more tears, no more sad days, no more "hermit" days.  Believe it or not, you're going to make some friends that are just as good as the ones back home.  And guess what else?  Remember what I told Sixteen-Year-Old-Self?  This is where you're going to meet that boy. The one you can't live without.    This is where you're meant to be.  Trust me.  Keep reading your scriptures, keep believing, and don't let any more sad days pass you by.  You're home right where you are.  Hold on, Eighteen-Year-Old Self.

Dear Nineteen-Year-Old Self:

You're really having a tough year, aren't you?  But please, take a look at the bigger picture.  Look at what you've accomplished in such a short time.  I know life seems really hard right now.  But please, stop tearing yourself down.  Because, guess what? You're doing a good job.  I know it might not seem like it now, but I'm really pleased with you, Nineteen-Year-Old Self.  I know you're seriously considering leaving BYU and going home.  Hold on, Nineteen-Year-Old Self.  Remember what I told Eighteen-Year-Old Self?  You're meant to be here.  And I meant it.  Deep down, you love this place.     Don't let a few hard months or a few hard situations let you forget that.  

Dear Twenty-Year-Old Self:

Only a month of being twenty and you feel like you're on cloud nine, don't you?  I told you he was great. I told you he was worth it.  I told you this is where you were meant to be.  I told you you'd be happier than you could have ever imagined.  I told you this place would feel like home.  And guess what else?  Life is only going to get better. So much better.  Don't worry, Twenty-Year-Old Self.  He likes you back.  And guess what else? He loves you. He loves you more than you'll probably ever know.  Don't fret too much.  He wants to be with you, too.  In fact, he's going to ask you to marry him, to be with him for eternity, remember?  I wish I could tell you how he proposes, but I can't ruin the surprise.  Trust me on this one: he will surprise you, you will say yes, and you will be the happiest girl alive.  Hold on, Twenty-Year-Old Self.  He loves you too.

Dear Twenty-One-Year-Old Self:

It was all worth it.

  

The desired forgettable, yet unforgettable moments of marriage

Part 1

We all have these moments, don't we?  You know, the moments that you never want to relive.  The moments that you pray everyone will forget.  The moments that make your cheeks turn red just thinking about it.  The moments you wish you could forget, but you know will never be forgotten.  Well, I figured since there was no hope of these memories ever being forgotten, I might as well record them.  So please, enjoy mine and Taylor's desired forgettable, yet unforgettable moments of marriage.

A couple of weeks before Taylor and I were married, Taylor's parents bought Taylor a brand new (and extremely nice!) suit.  A parting gift of sorts.  It was actually the suit picked out for him to wear for our wedding.  I loved it, and he sure looked handsome in it.  About two weeks after we were married, Taylor and I were getting ready for church, when the incident happened.  

Taylor turned to me and asked, "Have you seen my suit pants?"

"Nope, I don't think so."

"I swear I put them right here." Taylor said as he pointed to the end table at the foot of our bed.

My eyes widened with realization, "Oh no..."

"What?" Taylor asked.

I ran into the laundry room, opened the dryer, and rummaged through the warm clothes inside, silently praying that his suit pants would not be among the other clothes.  Sure enough, they were there.  I pulled them out slowly, and looked up at Taylor who had just walked in.  Taylor gingerly lifted the pants out of my hands and held them up.  His suit pants were now the size of twelve-year-old Taylor (or 21-year-old Kelli).  

My eyes filled with tears as I hurriedly tried to explain what had happened, "I'm so sorry! I grabbed the whole pile of clothes that was sitting on that table and just stuck them all in the washer.  I didn't look!  I know that you can't wash suit pants...I know that!  I just didn't look...I just assumed!  I'm so sorry! I'm such a horrible wife!"  I rambled, without pausing for breath.

With his emotions unreadable, Taylor looked at me for a few seconds, and then slowly, ever so slowly, broke into a smile.  "It's okay, Kells.  They're just pants.  And you're not a horrible wife." Taylor threw the now-ruined pants over his shoulder and bent down to kiss me softly.  "Really, it's okay."  I was shocked when Taylor broke into laughter.  How is he laughing!?

Regardless, I still felt awful inside (and still do to this day!).  As much as I want to forget this embarrassing event, it is absolutely unforgettable.  The story is told at many family events--how the brand new suit was ruined by the brand new wife. ;) As Taylor likes to say, "The bad news, is that I no longer have a sweet suit.  The good news?  I now have a sweet sports jacket."

RIP handsome suit...

Hello, sports jacket!

Or how about this:

A couple of months ago, I decided to try out a new recipe.  I had been looking forward to it for days, and was so excited to try it out.  I slaved in the kitchen, and then placed on the table what I thought looked like perfection. A delicious casserole.  I excitedly told Taylor dinner was ready, and scooped a hearty amount on each of our plates.  After prayer was said, we dug in.  After the first bite, I stopped and looked up at Taylor, as a look of disgust spread across my face.

"I think I put way too much salt into this!  It's so salty!"  The disappointment in my failure must have registered across my face. 

Taylor quickly took another bite and said, "I think it tastes great!"

I was surprised as he continued to take bite after bite.  Maybe I just happened to get a really salty bite?  So I took another bite. Just as salty as the first. "No, Taylor! This is so gross! How are you eating this!?"

Taylor shrugged and said, "It's good." Maybe I just happened to scoop all of the salty parts on my plate?  So I took a bite off of his plate. Just as salty. Yuck!  At this point, I was extremely confused.  I just looked at him and asked, "You really like it?"

Taylor smiled between bites, "Love it." And kept eating. Salty bite after salty bite.  I sat there in amazement and just watched him eat what tasted like pure salt cubes.  Taylor scraped the last bite off of his plate and then set his fork down.  "You did great, Kells.  That was delicious." 

My disappointment faded as I slowly said, "Well...at least you liked it..." I was still shocked that he had eaten his whole plate. But maybe my dinner wasn't a total failure after all! 

About an hour later, I found Taylor sprawled on the couch, with a pained look on his face.  

"You okay?" I asked him.

"Fine." He responded.

"You don't look okay.  Are you sick?"

Taylor opened his eyes as a half-smile spread across his face.  "Too much salt."

At first I was confused, but as realization hit, I started to laugh uncontrollably.  "Why did you keep eating it!?"  I asked him in between laughs.

"I just couldn't bare to see your disappointment.  I didn't want you to think that you failed."  Taylor squeezed his eyes shut and gave a small moan as his hand reached to his stomach.  He opened one eye and squinted up at me. "I don't think I liked that casserole..." And then, regardless of my guilt and Taylor's wounded stomach, neither one of us could control ourselves...we broke into uncontrollable laughter.  Now, every time I cook, Taylor has to monitor the salt amounts.  He will never let me forget this or live it down.

While this picture isn't directly related to the incident, I feel as if it captures
 my emotions during this particular dinner perfectly.

Now, don't be fooled.  Taylor isn't innocent of these particular incidents.  And here's proof:

On the way home from BYU one day, Taylor and I were talking about various things.  As we were walking to our front door, Taylor sighed heavily and said, "I wish I was single again." 

I whipped around, and exclaimed, "What?!"

Taylor's eyes grew wide as his hand slapped against his mouth. "That came out so wrong!  That's not what I meant!"  I could see Taylor's mind frantically backtracking, attempting to eat the words that had just come out of his mouth. "I was just reading about a study abroad through BYU...and I was thinking about how I wished I could do one...but you can't be married.  I don't really wish I was single again...I was just saying that...oh, geez. There's no way to recover from this one..."

Taylor covered his face with his hands, then, like a six-year-old boy, peeked through his fingers and asked quietly, "Forgive me?"

Of course, I forgave him.  But you'd be wrong if you assumed the whole incident was forgotten.  I've never let him live it down ;) My husband actually said, "I wish I was single again."
Definite wrong words to say. ;)
Even though he didn't mean it that way and wishes I'd forget about it altogether, I still like to tease him about it.

There are plenty more of these incidents within the Gilbert home.  That's why this is only Part 1.  Look forward to more.  And together, we'll record the desired forgettable yet unforgettable moments of our marriage.

Thank goodness for crazy love in these type of situations :)

     

Memorial Day Weekend!

Oh, how I love holiday weekends!  This particular memorial day weekend was spent with lots of family.  There was a lot of extended family visiting Utah this weekend to welcome Seth home, so the Gilbert's had a full house!  I'm bummed that we're back to the regular grind of things, but excited to relive our fun weekend through this post.  Here we go:

Evenings were spent around a fire-pit on the patio or swimming in the pool.
The weather was a little chilly...but the pool was heated.  Hence the choice between a fire and a pool.

The cousins enjoyed a few games of Ninja (a great game!)

Not surprising, each game usually came down to Seth and Taylor as the final two.

On Monday, the whole crew embarked on a hike along the Great Western Trail (which supposedly leads all of the way to Canada!).  We decided not to go to Canada though, because we had plans in store for the rest of the day. 

 Look at these views!  Utah is such a beautiful state!

On the hike!

My silly husband in his babushka...don't ask.

Showing off the beautiful landscape! 

You better believe there was also a girls shopping trip, lots of good food (even a few batches of yummy chocolate chip cookies...my favorite!!), a trip to the movie theater to see The Avengers (love it!), and of course lots of laughter!  We loved our memorial day weekend!

Oh, and guess what? Exactly one week until Taylor and I get to see Fun in concert! We are can hardly wait!

He's crafty!

Mr. Taylor Ray is always surprising me with his clever and crafty ideas.  A couple of days ago, Taylor had an idea to try transferring a printed image to canvas (this wasn't his own idea, by any means.  I believe he found the idea online).  His first attempt was a complete success! I was so shocked with how well it turned out! Taylor went for a more vintage look, and I think it looks stellar.  I am excited to hang it (and more to come!) in our house! Here are a few pictures of the first attempt:

Pretty impressive, eh?

Here's another example of Taylor's craftiness.  About a month after we were married, I came home to find this (pictures and all!) hanging on the wall next to our front door.   

Cute, right?

Taylor is always coming up with new and exciting ideas.  Whether it's building a complex shoe cubby or as simple as leaving a flower on my pillow, he's constantly finding ways to put a smile on my face.  Thank goodness his creative ideas make up for my lack of artsy genes! ;)  My husband is a keeper.

This weekend will be filled with lots of family time + memorial day! Couldn't be more excited!  Enjoy your weekend!

Keeping my promises

I promised to upload a few more pictures from our camping trip this last weekend.  So, here they are!

Here's Taylor during our blow-dart gun matches!

Blow dart game continued...Taylor in the trees

This game was so fun! We played for hours!

Me and my man by the campfire

Tom started blowing darts high into the air.  The game was to try to catch the dart in your hat before it fell into the fire.  I think Taylor's long arms were a large disadvantage to the rest of the crew! Ha

Bag-O tournament!  I wasn't very good at this...during the first round we had 3 losses, and zero wins.  But then we came back for a season and actually started winning just a little!

City or wilderness..I just love this boy!

Me and Marce 

On the hike!

I grew these things for this reason and this reason only.  A great and comfortable way to wear my backpack ;) Yes, I really did wear it like this during the hike.

All eight of us slept in one tent!

This trip was sososo fun!! I am pumped and ready to go camping again! I love Utah...and I love summer!

Nice to meet you, Seth!

Seth is home!  It was such a great reunion for the Gilbert family.  And such a sweet moment!  We have been having so much fun with the family!  It was my first time meeting Seth...and I already know we'll be buds!  Favorite Gilbert brother-in-law? I think Seth is the winner. ;) He is a gem...and is already keeping us laughing!  Taylor and Seth are finally back together after FOUR years of being apart (their missions overlapped) and watching them together just makes my heart happy :). Here are a few pictures to share (and a tender video of the reunion!).

Our signs!

The back of our signs. Can you figure out what mine means?  Regan's sign cracks me up.

Father and son :)

Mama and Papa G are so happy!!

The boys!

The Gilbert family is FINALLY all together again!!

I love this family!!

After picking Seth up from the airport, we stopped at Jason's Deli for lunch!

There were a lot of missionaries coming home at the same time as Seth.  The Salt Lake Airport was packed with friends and family anxiously waiting to see their beloved missionaries.  It was so sweet, the whole crowd cheered so loud for EVERY elder...whether it was their elder or not.  Watch for Mama G running to hug Seth...and of course, my favorite part: Regan's jump into Seth's arms!