Mr. and Mrs. Underdown!!

What a whirlwind of emotions I've gone through in the past 4 weeks, I'll try to sum it up best I can....

The weekend before our wedding, July 21st Brandon had his lineman rodeo in Great Falls, MT.  He had been to one in Utah already but I hadn't been so I was very excited to watch him compete.  Our friends Shannon and Tyson came with which was a very fun unexpected surprise :)  Brandon flew into Bozeman, MT which turned what would had been a 5 hour drive into about a 9 hour drive!! We got to the airport and we were an hour early because I can't do math...Shannon and Tyson were troopers though!! Friday night we went to the rodeo and Brandon got signed in, there was a fish fry, drinks and karaoke :) ( no I did not sing!).  It was really fun, I got to meet a lot of brandon's friends and people he went to class with so that was really cool! Its fun to meet other people in the trade, especially their wives and girlfriends :) Brandon did great in all of his events, but he won first place in the hurt man rescue event, completing it in a whole 65 seconds!! I am so proud of him!!!

After the rodeo Teresa road back with us to Idaho for a week full of wedding fun before the big day.  It certainly was a interesting week and did not go as I had envisioned my whole life.  I always wanted to have a longer engagement so I wouldn't be that "stressed out bride"  well I did not accomplish that task, I was the epitomy of stressed out bride.  I let a lot of things get to me, built things up in my head and made them much bigger deals than they needed to be.  I am really sad about this and wish I would have been a stronger person.

The week of the wedding, Monday or Tuesday I believe, we received the worst news possible.  Two guys on Brandon's crew were severely injured in an accident at work.  His journeyman and groundman were injured and we did not know if they were going to make it.  I will never forget the feeling I got in the most bottom part of my stomach when I read that text.  I felt like someone had hit me in the stomach over and over again.  I cried for hours.  I cried for Wendle and Lyle and Brandon, as well as myself.  I knew that if Brandon had not been home for our wedding I would have been flying down to the burn center in Salt Lake City to see him.  Brandon has always told me that he knew throughout his career he would go to the burn center many times and attend a few funerals of good friends, this is a very very dangerous job.  I know that, I just didn't think it would happen in the first year of his career and I certainly didn't think it would be so close to home.  I am trying to stay strong and not worry.  I haven't been able to sleep all the way through the night these last few nights because I know he is going to work the next day.  Every time I hear an ambulance my heart stops, I hope this goes away with time.
Today as far as we know Wendle and Lyle are going to survive, however their injuries are severe.  Wendle has had both legs amputated and Lyle has lost one leg above the knee.  Please pray for these two gentlemen and their families, their lives have been forever changed.

During the week of the wedding I also realized I was leaving after the wedding...for good.   Not for 3 weeks or a month, for the duration of Brandons apprenticeship.  I knew this was coming and it was my decision but it doesn't make the reality any easier.  I have the most amazing friendships with the best guys and gals in the world.  My friendships grow deeper with all my friends each time I hang out with them and each time I leave thinking "how did I get so lucky to have so many GOOD friends".  Its hard to leave that, its hard to think I can pause all those friendships and come back in 3 years and they will still be there.  I just have to have faith....

Our wedding day was by far the best day of my life!! Everything was absolutely perfect! The only thing I wish I could change is I wish the day was even longer, I never wanted to it end!! We are so lucky to have such amazing friends and family in our life, people came from all over the country to attend our wedding and celebrate us!!! It feels so great to have so much support, I can't even put in to words how special we feel!

After the wedding we got to spend a very fun week with our family from the east coast.  We go to do everything that north idaho has to offer and it was one of the funnest weeks of my life! I made so many memories and everyone welcomed Brandon into the family like he has been around for years! THANK YOU!!

Now we are on the road....we started out getting sent to Tooele, UT, about 30 minutes away from Salt Lake City.  We were there for 2 days (which felt like 2 weeks cause of the Villa Motel!!) Thank goodness we ran into Brandons friend Chance and he let me hang out in his trailer during the day so I didn't have to stay at The Villa! Tuesday night we made a long 5.5 hour drive to Blanding so Brandon could work Wednesday morning.  We will be here until Friday and then it sounds like we will be moving on to Ogden, UT.  Ogden seems pretty nice, its about 30 miles outside of Salt Lake so I am sure there will be a lot more to do than in Blanding...I am excited about grocery shopping and hopefully cheaper options than Clarks Market in Blanding!!

I know this was a long one but thanks for reading, I'll post more as our adventure continues!!

"We're right where we need to be, not knowing where we are going"

It's JULY!!!

It's July and that means we are getting married THIS MONTH!!!!! I cannot believe it is finally here. 
This weeknd was the best weekend Brandon and I have had in over a year.  We didnt do a damn thing!! We slept in, rented movies and relaxed.  Brandon only had a 2 day weekend this week because they worked Friday so they can have two extra days off this week for the 4th.  Even though it was only 2 days it felt like a long time.  We watchd a couple movies on Saturday.....its just so hot its miserable to be outside....it was close to 100 on Saturday here.  Saturday afternoon Brandon took me to his job site and showed me the line he is working on, it is a 10 mile job....my man has built miles of line!! :)  It was cool to see the stuff he is working on and the drive he takes every day.  Now I know where he is when he tells me he is leaving show up.

Saturday night I  made an amazing steak dinner, we have charcole bbqs here so I cooked it on that, it was really fun and turned out delicious.  Sunday was filled with getting a few thing done around the camper and getting some paper work done.  It was so nice to just hang out with Brandon like a normal couple!!!

This weekend proved that all the hussle and bustle and stress of the last couple of months was so worth it. I wanted to feel connected to brandon again, I wanted to feel his love again and that was just too hard when we were 1000 miles away. I am so in love with Brandon, sometimes I can't even imagine that this is my real life... I keep expecting to wake up from this dream.  I can't wait to marry him in 26 days!!

It's really windy here, I thought it would be a great idea and make it feel more "homey" here with the awning out....well I didnt think about the wind and it ripped right off this afternoon...huge bummer!! I had no idea how to roll it back up so I asked the groundskeeper if he would help me with my awning...and he did, thank goodness!!

Tonight should be interesting....we are having Brandons Foreman and Journeyman over for dinner tonight, I am nervous, cooking for 3 guys!! If its good maybe they will be nice to Brandon, if its BAD.....who knows!! haha wish me luck!!

Blanding, Utah

Well I made it! I made it to Blanding, Utah.  I decided to fly because after calculating the gas it was only about $100 more to fly than to drive and since I am going to be headed back to CDA the first week of July it just worked better to fly.  I wasn't really looking forward to the 17 hour drive anyway!
The flight from Spokane to Denver was one of the most bumpy flights I've ever been on. I normally don't get sick but I honestly thought I might lose it on this flight.  It took me almost my whole two hour lay over to get my stomach to calm down once we got on the ground.  I made my way to the "gate" at the Denver airport and it was literally in a hallway! I guess frontier is not that big in Denver, haha! We had to walk out to the plane...on the pavement then up this huge ramp to get inside the plane..I didn't wear the appropriate shoes of course, but they sure looked cute so that's all that really matters in the end!
The flight from Denver to Durango, CO was a short one...only 45 minutes.  It was not too bad. Before take off the girl next to me asked the flight attendant for a plastic bag in case she got sick....that made me REALLY nervous but she was a trooper and didn't get sick at all!
It was about 95 in Durango...a pretty big change from the 55 and rainy we had in CDA.  It was nice to not be cold though! We walked around durango, it is a cute little town.  Its a lot like CDA, shops with t shirts galore, bars and wine stores. We ate at this balcony restaurant, that over looked downtown.  It was really cool.  They had a live band, you could definitely tell this was the local hangout!

Durango is about 2 hours and 20 minutes way from Blanding so after dinner we made our way back "home".  As we were leaving Colorado, there was a sign that said "last stop for 6% beer" I thought it was hilarious!!
Blanding is a cute little town. There is a Wells Fargo, local grocery store, subway and A&W, all of which are closed on Sundays! :) There is a dollar general here too but I made the mistake of going there and its not a good place....pretty trashy so I'll stick to the local grocery store and subway! :)
We have one blinking red light in town...I didn't even have one of those in Troy where I went to high school so I guess its not too bad! It gets pretty warm here, by 8 I already had the AC on but thank goodness the AC works great! We only have to have it on the lowest setting and it keeps it really cool.  We have unlimited electricity which is nice too.  We have a cute little spot, #43, we have our own sidewalk and little tree. 
Brandon is working long hours, 16 hour days Monday through Wednesday and anywhere form 8-12 hour days on Thursdays....Luckily we are supposed to have Friday through Sunday together and getting to sleep next to each other every night is priceless, so that makes it all worth it.  It does give me a lot of downtown to figure out what I am going to do with myself.  We have two channels....Great American Country and the CW. Apparently at 9 am on the CW is "Maury"hour....YUCK!  The Internet doesn't work at the RV park so I can't watch TV online....but we'll figure something out I'm sure. 
My plan for my first day in this new life was to unpack, organize Thor and run a few errands around town.  I was unpacked and organized by 7:55..... so I decided to run into town, I went to Wells Fargo and now I'm at the library. I'm headed off to the grocery store and then I'll head home to relax until I start making dinner at.....8 or 9 so its ready for when Brandon gets home! :) :) :) I don't think Brandon has had a home cooked meal in 271 days!

Brandon surprised me with tickets to Country Jam next weekend in Grand Junction, CO! I am so excited!! That is what this sacrifice is all for and about, getting to LIVE life! I cant wait to go have fun with him and make memories, we definitely need it!
I'm not able to upload pictures today...bummer! I'll take a bunch and get them uploaded as soon as I can. 

"Your off to great places today is your day, your mountain is waiting so get on your way"- Dr Seuss

It's not Goodbye, it's "see you later"

Last week was really rough.  Thursday was my last day of work at Liberty Mutual, but the goodbyes definitely started promptly on Monday.
This is what I came into work to find on Thursday...my manager says "if you can't work it can't be your last day" soooo cute!

 I enjoyed working for Safeco so much! I had never worked in a call center before or knew anything about insurance.  I feel like I really learned a lot and I was very good at my job.  I am very proud of the job and the accomplishments I achieved in my short time with the company.  One of the best things was all the people I got to meet.  We had moved buildings while I was working there and that allowed me to sit by different people.  It was so fun to learn about others lives and really get to know them.  I will miss everyone so much! Its been 6 days since I took my last phone call and I am still having dreams about the insurance claims :)
I always want to have my best foot forward and I guess that just proves how I ended my last day.  My shift ends at 3:15 and I was still taking a call at 3:15, I had an outbound call to make and I made it and noted the file appropriately.  One of the managers goes "what are you still doing on the phone?!?" I couldn't just leave without finishing my job!! :)

When I left I was given two cards, they were so sweet.  I am such a sap, I sat in the parking lot and read them and all the notes from everyone and cried my eyes out! Thank you everyone for the sweet cards and a special thank you to Lindsay for the cupcakes with hand whipped frosting, Lindsey, Judy, Lindsay, Jennie, Jen and Chris for the iTunes and Starbucks gift cards!! I will definitely use the caffeine and tunes to keep me entertained! That was very nice of you and I really appreciate it! I promise I will come back in July and pop in!

Leaving is such a bittersweet feeling. I am so excited to be with brandon and to get to spend so much time with him.  We are going to be so close to moab so we will get to go hiking and mountain bike riding....it will be unreal.  I am also very sad because I am leaving my job, friends and family.  I am such a lucky girl in the sense I can say I honestly have 8 girls that I would consider my CLOSE friends.  That is more than most people have GOOD friends. Then I have many many people I consider my good friends.  I just love all my friendships and where they have gone.  everyone means so much to me and sometimes I worry my friendships will suffer because I am not here.  I know I will still stay close with everyone but I also understand life happens and people move on.  I feel like I am at a place in my life where everything is so perfect, except brandon is not here.  I know it will be fun going on the road and I know looking back I will be so happy I did and I wont know how I lasted as long as I did.  Its just getting to that point that takes time.....

"Never say goodbye, because goodbye means going away, and going away means forgetting." Peter Pan

Big Move...Small town :)

What a exhausting couple of weeks!! May 11th all of the plans Brandon and I had for the next few months changed.  On Friday May 11th Brandon got the call that he was being transferred to Utah.  Normally this wouldn't have been a big deal, that is what happens in the apprenticeship and we normally would be able to go with the flow.  However, we were planning on me transferring to Liberty Mutual in Denver and continue working after the wedding.  With him being transferred to UT, this is obviously no longer an option.  Brandon and I had some big decisions to make.  We went through all the scenarios and decided it would be best for me to go with Brandon as soon as possible.  So we found out on Friday he was being transferred, by Monday we found renters, Tuesday I put in my two weeks and Wednesday the renters signed a 3 year lease! We had no idea it would go that fast.  Then the headache began of trying to move out of this house.  I love Brandon so much, but that man can seriously pack away some STUFF! 6 years worth of stuff he "may need someday".  We're talking about a 3 bedroom house, a detached garage and a shed packed to the ceiling with stuff.  I'm taking about chains for a semi-truck....ummmm do we have a semi truck or will we EVER? Probably not, but if we did brandon has chains for it :) :)
Brandon was able to come home and help pack up, thank goodness! With the help of some really dear friends we got the house packed up in 4 14 hour days! I will make the 17 hour drive down to Blanding, UT June 16th.  Until then I have a couple more weeks of work. My last day is June 7th.  Then the 8th and 9th is a fun seattle Bachelorette party with my girlfriends....oh yeah to add to the craziness, we are getting married in 8 weeks! I guess I'll have time to think about the wedding next week :)
I am so excited to be on the road with brandon and experience all the fun adventures ahead of us.  What better way to start this journey than a move to Monticelo, UT (population 2100) 6 weeks before the wedding, sounds pretty fun and stress free to me! haha :) wish me luck, we will need it!!

Running

I'm loving running so much!! I am so thankful I am able to run again :) :) :)

Overhead and 4 10s

End of August in 2011 I started working for Liberty Mutual, Safeco Insurance.  Brandon left about 3 weeks after my first day.  Its crazy how life works, if I had been at my previous job when he got the call, honestly I would probably be on the road with him.  I didn't want to stay here for a $12 an hour job.  Of course life is not that easy, I got a new job weeks before he left, with a significant raise and many opportunities that is not so easy to walk away from.  I am very thankful to of found this job, It is really flexible with our life.  I get 112 hours of vacation time a year plus 30 hours of personal holiday time that can be used at any given time.  This has allowed me to have enough time to take a week for the wedding, a week for the honeymoon and a couple weekends here and there.  All the while, working 4 days a week! I've never had a job where I worked 4 days a week and I honestly LOVE it! I've always had it in my mind that I could take time whenever and go see Brandon.  Well I did the math the other day and I have enough vacation time for the things I have planned (wedding, honeymoon, two weekends and a few just in case days (sick, stuck in the snow, ect)) no time left for occasional visits to see Brandon :( I started to really freak out a week ago.  Our plan was I would go see Brandon in March and then I realized I didn't have time, what was I going to do, when would I see him again?!?!  Not knowing WHEN you will see your love again is really a terrible feeling.  Our only option would be to fly brandon home, Late friday nights and leave early Sundays for a lot of money and not much time spent together, literally hours together :(  I felt like I was going to break down, how in the world would I survive this next year??
Then Brandon got transferred to a new crew on Monday!! He is staying in the same yard, but working on a new crew.  He is working overhead construction now! This crew works 4 10's.  The answer to all our problems!!! He can fly home late Thursday night (cheaper flights) and leave Sunday, giving us much more time! This crew also works a lot of overtime when the storms hit nationwide and they work overtime locally as well.  This crew is working on the biggest project in their yard right now so there is a lot of work to be done and Brandon gets to do it.  He is very excited, this is what he has been wanting for years!

The wedding is really coming along well.  I got most of the things together for the invites this week.  That had really been weighing on my mind but I just didn't really know where to start, I feel good now that they are in the works (THANKS MONI!!)
We found an amazing new photographer who I absolutely adore! Rayla Kay Photography is so amazing and I am so happy she is our photographer for our wedding day! Here are a couple of my favorites!

I miss Brandon.  I have a great life here, I have such a wonderful group of friends that really make my life fantastic.  Every week I have something to look forward to, some get together with friends and that is so special.  I have such wonderful REAL friendships with so many people and I feel so lucky for that.  Everything is perfect, I finally have the friendships Brandon and I had wanted for a really long time.  It makes me sad that now that we have such great friendships in place, Brandon is not here.  That is hard.  I worry that when I do leave to be with Brandon, while we may be gone for a year +, I worry some of my friendships may fall apart or weaken.  I certainly do not want that.  I enjoy everything I have going on now and  I hope to have lifelong friendships.  I guess that is stuff I can't put too much worry into until the time comes.

"Never get to busy making a living that you forget to make a life"

"Family isn't always blood.  It's the people in your life who want you in theirs; the ones who accept you for who you are.  The ones who would do anything to see you smile and who love you no matter what"