mo mo.

my little niece morgan had a birthday on monday the 15th (i can not keep up with all the babies born in OCTOBER). 
I guess she isn't so little anymore.  She is getting taller by the day and her and her sister will tower over me soon. 
Morgan is the sweetest child... with an edge!
She is growing up and becoming her own person which is beautiful to see. 
As an aunt you want your nieces especially to be these upstanding daughters of god.  You want them to shine and be an example to the world of pure womanhood.  You want them to respect themselves and stand up for what they know is right. 
well... I don't worry about Morgan.  
She makes ME want to be better.  She is so sweet, loving and kind.  
She has her edge that is usually brought out by her older brother so it's understandable :)
I am so proud of her and all that she is.  
She has goals and she accomplishes them. 
She makes choices for herself which I admire so much.
She is a strong girl and always puts on a brave face in the way of trials.  
I can't wait til she is even older and our relationship can grow into something different but just as beautiful. 
I love you Morgan and I am very proud of you.  
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
love. aunt aubri.

ethan.

this little guy.. another OCTOBER birthday. my family tends to have babies in october. It is kind of our thing.  

well little ethan had a birthday on 10-11-12 this year! how cool is that? 

He is the youngest in my brothers family and he brings up the caboose beautifully.  He is sarcastic and witty but will also melt your heart.  He doesn't say his "r" sounds well which is maybe my favorite thing.  

He, being one of the youngest, picks up on everything people say around him.  He thinks he is bigger than he his thanks to his big brother chandler showing him the ropes.  

He is the definition of a toe head with his bright blond hair. 

 He is always willing to have a sweet quiet conversation among all the craziness with his cousins.  He asks questions and cares about the answers.  He has little opinions about everything and he knows what he likes.  

He has a little tiny smile that glows through his tan skin that makes me, his aunt, love him EVEN more.  He is getting so big being in kindergarten this year.  

He is becoming quite the little man.  We are so blessed to have him be in our family to lighten the mood whenever things seem dark.  Little efun-efun... you are a very loved little boy and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

my jaxon.

my little nephew Jaxon turns 5 today. 

I can't believe I have had the honor of having his joy in my life for 5 whole years already! He is the light in my life every single day.  He has been a beautiful addition to our family.   

He never ceases to entertain when needed.  When I am having a bad day he is the first to ask me if I'm okay and if I need a hug.  He is very aware of everyone around him.  His smile is infectious.  He has this deep little voice that forces you to smile whenever you hear it.  I could listen to him laugh for days.  

He is one of the smartest kids I know.  He picks up on everything so therefore he knows how to be sarcastic at just the right moments to make everyone laugh.  He says grown up words and uses them correctly. 

My favorite story of the year with him.....

"There was a girl at school today and no one would play with her.  I don't know why.  She was nice.  So I just played with her today because she was by herself"  Well, Jaxon, what was her name? "I don't know." 

That shows exactly how big of a sweetheart he is.  I want him to stay this age.  I want him to stay this funny.  I want him to stay this sweet.  Jaxon I love you and I am proud of the little boy that you are.  Thank you for always making me have a better day no matter what.  

I love you and HAPPY BIRTHDAY jax.  

love.aunt aubri.

I SAID YES!!!

so I have told this story maybe a million times in person. so here comes the blog post for those I haven't told yet...

since bryce has been home.... ahh.... it's been incredible.  

we have been at a better place than ever before and it has continued to grow.  

there hasn't been a day that we haven't seen each other. 

every day I learn something new and I fall deeper in love. 

so... once we realized things were going well (better than we had thought they would that quickly).

we started making plans. dates. rings. housing.

my mom offered us to live in my grandparents house that isn't currently occupied.  I felt weird about it at first but then... I felt honored.  I felt that it would be an amazing experience to share this home with the man I love.  I could show him my memories as we created our own.  So that settled it.  Time to CLEAN. 

me, my mom, and his parents headed up there on labor day to get a start.  us girls hit the kitchen while the boys worked on the backyard.  They trimmed back the trails that led to the grass and uncovered a bench that has been overgrown for years.  

the garbage cans were full so we had to leave the branches on the grass.  the next day when bryce was done with school (at 10pm) he suggested we go put the remaining branches in the garbage can.  

He picked me up and we headed up there.  

I, oblivious, was wearing blue pants, my harry potter shirt, and my purple nike jacket (clearly not prepared).  when we pulled in the driveway-his dads car was there.  Bryce suggested that his dad had also come to move the branches because they had been bothering him all day.  Well, we all know i'm gullible.  we headed to the gate that led to the backyard.  There is a narrow path to go past the motorhome and I followed him through.  He was walking very slow but not very quietly.  I was confused and kept asking him what he was doing... but he wouldn't respond.  Once we came into the opening I saw the faint glimmer of candles leading all the way down the trail and around the bench. Me, being so shocked, first assumed that his dad was doing something for his mom here.  I thought that was weird... and then... IT HIT ME! THIS IS IT! he's going to propose right now.  he has the ring. THIS IS ALL FOR ME.  As he saw the shock on my face he led me next to the bench.  He got down on bended knee and pulled out a box that held the most gorgeous piece of jewelry I had ever seen.  He asked me to marry him. I SAID YES.  I was shaking. I was smiling.  I was so surprised.  all I could do was kiss him.  I didn't know how else to show him how EXCITED I was.  After a few minutes my sisters head popped up from behind a bush and his parents crept up the path to share in our joy.  They left us there.  Floating in the candles.  

As I looked at the bench I was flooded with emotion.  This bench had watched a couple that was in love for 70 years.  They shared memories, moments, laughter, joy.  That house was their home.  That house was where my grandpa would sing "apple blossom time" to my grandma.  He would get up in front of the family and talk about how all of us were here because he was so in love with his bride.  

Now it is our turn.  Our turn to have a love story that moves mountains.  A love story that will be spoken about for generations.  It is our turn to grow deeper in love in that home.  I feel so blessed to be engaged to Bryce Adamson Goodfellow.  He is the best thing that ever happened to me.  When I was 16 years old and I met him, I never would have guessed it would lead to this.  But, I am so happy that it did.  

Bryce, I love you and I can't wait to share forever with you. 

the HOMECOMING.

well it's official once the boy stands on the pulpit.  so it's official now! 

the pews were filling with friends and family.  He sat on the stand, calm.

As he began I was hanging on every word.  He spoke with the spirit as he told of his most precious experiences in Panama.  I was so proud of him.  I felt so lucky.  

He did it.  He served the Lord with honor for two years.  

I'm the luckiest girl in the entire world. 

I'm so proud of you Bryce! 

I can't wait to hear more stories from your experiences.

mission friends.

poulsen clan.

HE IS BACK!!! never letting go again.

welcome back from Panama!

bear lake.round 2.

the kiddos.

the rodeo. raspberry days. 

shakes.

Granola's Nuptials.

the water.

guess who's back!!

ok... so July 12th came! It FINALLY came! his flight was to come in from Dallas, TX at 8 pm! I was doing anything possible to keep busy: wrapping his presents, cleaning my room, watching tv, going to the store.
Around 7 I got a call... his flight was delayed.. 8:45 pm. not too bad! I can manage.
Then another phonecall, and another, and ANOTHER.
12:25am on July 13, 2012!
what was the world doing to me? I had waited 2 years already and I was getting antsy. 
All the rain in Miami did some serious damage on his, elder alleys, and elder martins travel day.
Around 11 me, my mom, and my sister headed down to SLC International Airport. 
We met up with his family and not so patiently waited.
at 12:30 am.. the words on the flight screen changed from "enroute" to "arrived"! I jumped! I cried!

now as the goodfellows, alleys, and martins gathered around the exit we all waited.  Peering down the aisle trying to catch a glimpse of boys in suits and ties.
When I saw his cute smile turn the corner it took my breath way. 
I moved to the end of the line behind his family.
When he got to me we shared a semi-awkward hand shake (he wanted to be obedient to the end).

he.is.home. those words kept playing through my mind. I was in unbelief. 
I drove my mom and sister home and headed down to Chad St. for chocolate mousse with the goodfellows.  We waited for him to get home from being released. 
When he walked in the door his family made us hug in front of them. first hug in TWO YEARS. 
Following that he handed out gifts and showed us things he picked up in the mission.  As the family filtered home around 2:30 am it was just me and him. 
me and him.
he hadn't been alone with a girl in two whole years and I imagine he felt a little uncomfortable. 
We sat on the couch and started to talk. Honestly I don't really remember what we talked about but before we knew it-it was 6:30 in the morning! we were leaving for bear lake in 5 hours. So I headed home, showered, packed and drove right back down. By the time I reached my nap on the way to bear lake I had been awake for 30 hours.  I was past tired.  the day had felt like an entire week.
By the time we hit bear lake me and him were right back in our element. 
He still was getting used to things but we could talk like we didn't skip a beat. 
It was a rainy weekend but we made it onto the lake a few times! it was great to have a combination of family time and alone time all in one weekend! This weekend was very good for us but also personal.  So you don't get ALL the details. Just know that it is so nice to have him home! It feels good to pick up where we left off as two stronger people.  I haven't smiled this much in a very long time and I can only hope it keeps going like this.
Welcome back Elder Bryce Goodfellow!