One Year Ago Today.....

.....my life changed forever.  

I'm living in New Mexico, in a 5th wheel.  My days are consumed with Facebook, Pinterest and what I'm making for dinner.....

Here is a little back story for you all.  I remember the first time I met Brandon.  We went for a walk around Tubbs Hill and he told me he had just finished Avista Lineman school and he was going to go away for awhile for his apprenticeship.  He said he was going to be a lineman and it would require a lot of sacrifice but it would be worth it because he loved it so much.  I responded with life is too short to not do what you love, go for it.  In the back of my mind I was bummed though, I had just met this great guy that I wanted to get to know but I certainly didn't want to do a long distance relationship.  I thought well maybe we can hang out until he leaves and see what happens.  Just so happens the economy went down the tubes, worked stopped and older lineman stayed working instead of retiring.  No one was hiring apprentices and line schools were still putting out tens of thousands of apprentices through their schools each year.  This meant trying to get into this trade was some serious competition.  As Brandon and I started dating I wanted to learn more about his passions so I would stay up late at night and read everything I could about the trade, IBEW, apprenticeships, steps, hours, ect.  I spent countless hours on powerlineman.com going through the forum trying to find ANY piece of advice I could pass on to Brandon.  I sent in application after application for him for jobs all over the country and some in canada.  I would get my hopes up only to be let down when we would receive yet another "thank you for your application" letter in the mail.  I would drive with him to interviews in Seattle and Portland, wait for him while he took tests.  He got a 90%, testing with 500 other guys only to find out they were only taking 95% and higher for in person interviews, for ONE position.  It was the biggest roller coaster I have ever experienced and even harder for him. Our whole life (and relationship) was consumed with applications, questionnaires, interviews, faxing drivers license and birth certificates.  Brandon interviewed for NW JATC and ranked 26 out of 300 guys, ranked 30 with Mountain States out of 300 guys, but the lists were not moving.  A year and a half later I remember getting my hopes up about this job on the coast in Washington.  I found the job posting on a whim, it was for a utility and Brandon was perfectly qualified.  I sent in his application as soon as I saw it and called the next day to follow up.  They said they had received it and was looking at it right now.  They said they were very impressed with his resume and they would be calling later that week for interviews.  We felt like "this is it, everything happens for a reason, none of those other calls came because this is the one he was supposed to get."  I remember Thursday coming and going and no call, I got a terrible feeling in my stomach.  I called from work to check and see how their interview process was coming.  They said "Ms. Williams I am so sorry but we have already booked all our interviews, we had to fill this position faster than we thought and had hundreds of applications.  We will keep Brandon's application on file."  My heart sank, I was so bummed.  In the meantime,  Brandon was ranked #1 with NW on October 12th 2010 and did not get called out, worked slowed and stopped.  That was something, to be so close, yet so far away.  By the time work picked back up, Brandon had been bumped up to 50 something. 

Brandon had taken a Powerline Clearance Apprenticeship with NW JATC.  He thought, "I cant get much closer to line work related than this, this will get me an apprenticeship on line side."  He went to seattle and interviewed and felt really good.  We thought, "this is it, this is the summer you are going to get on with NW and everything is going to be perfect.  You ranked 26 before with just having line school experience, I bet you'll rank top 10 with the powerline clearance experience!"   We were thrilled, life was great, we were just enjoying the time we had together because we KNEW he was going to get called out to NW this summer, there was no way he wouldn't.  I got home from work and checked the mail and there was a letter from NW and we knew it would have his rank on it.  I waited for him to get home and we sat on the back porch and opened it, so excited to see the good news.  I will never forget the heartbreak I felt when I saw number 86.  Brandon called NW and said there must be some kind of mistake, you gave me the wrong rank and they said "no, we want you to finish the powerline clearance program first, so we ranked you really high" I have never been so mad and so let down in my life.  Here we did something that we thought would HELP him, not PREVENT him from getting the call.    Believe it or not, Brandon still made it down to the top ten that summer on NW rank list.  

Few times in our relationship I watched my future husband be broken and lost.  It broke my heart to watch him put is head in his hands and say "maybe I'm just not supposed to do this, maybe I'm just not good enough"  "Why don't they want me, what do THOSE guys have that I don't?"  It took 3 of the longest years but Brandon got the call.  He interviewed with Mountain States and ranked really well.  He got down to number 1 and we thought, "oh maybe you will get called out this summer" We didn't have much faith after what had happened with NW, in fact we didn't even have a trailer bought for him yet.  We decided we better buy him a trailer, "Its september and there is still a lot of work so I will probably get called out" so we bought him a 23 ft trailer in spokane.  Two days later he got the call.  He called me Monday at work and said "I have to be in Denver Wednesday morning, its going to be a 22 hour drive so I have to leave tonight" It was the happiest and saddest moment.  I was thrilled, the stress, the searching, the applications, the worry, the doubt was OVER.  Now it was just a matter of time, 3 short years and he would be done with his apprenticeship and back home.  I was on top of this world!! I was also devastated because I had no idea when I would see him again.  I had just started a new job 3 weeks before with great pay and great career opportunities, so I knew I wouldn't be going with him.  I remember going home and packing him up to leave.  Folding his laundry and tears just streaming down my face.  I remember packing him up to move away, not just for the week or a month, for 3 years.  I couldn't contain my emotions, I was so sad.  The love of my life, my best friend was moving away and I didn't know when I would see him again.  I watched as his tail lights pulled out of the driveway and he pumped the brakes to say goodbye.  I just sobbed.  It ended up being about 10 weeks before we saw each other again, the longest time we had ever been apart.  It was really hard on both of us.  

This last year has been so full of ups and downs, emotions and lessons learned. Brandon has worked in 3 different states on 5 different crews and still counting.  I moved to be with him after we got married in August and I am learning something new every day about life and some of the hard things that come with it.  I am also learning about being a wife.  I am so proud of my husband.  I have never seen a man more dedicated, passionate, honest, committed and proud about what he does.  He is also a committed Husband.  Being a newlywed is hard, being a newlywed, living in a 5th wheel (300 sq feet) 2000 miles away from friends and family and working 15 hour days is even harder.  Brandon makes sure to ask me how my day was every day after work even though I know all he wants to do is go to sleep. I have never been more in love with him than I am today.  He is the love of my life, my best friend and my wood walker.

Carlsbad, NM

Today marks a week we have been in Carlsbad, NM.  It is a little different than I had thought it would be.  When Brandon tells me we are moving the first thing I do is get on google maps and see where we are going. The second thing I do is see what kind of stores and shopping there is :) I googled Carlsbad and it didn't seem too bad, it had a Walmart, target, little mom and pop shops, I thought I would be able to handle it and make the best of it.  What I didn't expect when the address for our RV park says "Carlsbad, nm" It really meant 21 miles outside of Carlsbad.  I am smack dab in the middle of two tiny towns that are over populated.  20 miles to the nearest town.  Being in Brandon's truck I don't like to make a habit of driving 40+ miles in a day so I have decided to only go to town once a week for groceries.  Planning a weeks worth of meals is something I have never done but I am getting the hang of it.  I have been preparing different meals I find on the internet, some turned out great and some went right into the trash, thats how the first year of marriage is supposed to go right? haha.  I have been having fun with it though, I have made a few pork dishes and I hadn't really fixed much pork in the past.   I think cooking and trying new things is fun.  I have been baking away as well with my kitchen aid mixer and love it!! Every girl needs one in her kitchen, it is simply amazing!
I started another 8 week challenge yesterday, I just love these challenges, nothing has kept me more motivated than these, I think it is because we are doing it with a group and everyone is going through the same things.  I started doing Body-rock as well. Its a channel I found on youtube of all living-room based workouts and they are FREE.  They are so good too, I could barely get out of bed this morning!! The internet here, while it is free, is crappy.  I have to let the workouts load the day before so I can do them the next day.  Its not fun to be in the groove of working out and then the video has to "buffer", kinda  kills my motivation! I have been running again too, I love running and I am so thankful I can do it again.  I found this dirt road right off the back of our RV park that goes to the edge of Brantley Lake, its kinda dried up now but its still a body of water.  The road goes through tweeds and can be a little creepy.  I packed my pepper spray on one hip and my iPod shuffle on the other, with one ear bud out so I could still hear what was going on around me.  I told myself  yesterday I had to be tough, there is nothing out there that is  going to get me.  I did pretty well, I ran for 30 minutes and didn't see anything but the dirt road, peaceful quite fields and a couple of HUGE bugs, but they kept to themselves.  Today was a different story....I was running along, I went on a different path that goes off the road, I was about 19 minutes into my run and I see the biggest snake I have EVER seen in my whole life.  It was so big and had like a cream colored tip so I think it may have been a rattle snake I don't know, I screamed and turned around so fast I am sure I sprayed it with my dirt and dust as I ran away....needless to say I ran back in 6 minutes and my heart rate monitor was beeping at me because my heart rate was 195 the whole way back.  ahhh I was so creeped out, I am still creeped out just typing this.  I may take a day off from running tomorrow....

Brandon is working 6 days a week and has a 1 1/2 hour drive each way to show up.  It pretty much makes for 14-15 hour days for him.  I feel so bad for him, he is just exhausted and then on his only day off he has to do homework :(  I just keep telling him it wont be like this forever and try to help as much as I can.  I have a lot of free time to myself so I have been reading a lot and I am going to get some supplies to get some crafty stuff done next time I go to the store.  I want to get this place decorated, get some stuff on our walls and make it a home!

Salt Lake City

Bandon had a couple days off last week so we filled them with buying a new 5th wheel and moving in.  He worked Thursday and Friday and he called me Friday and said "hey its 99% positive we're going to Texas".  Texas, what the heck, how does that even work?? For those of you that don't know Mtn States covers Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Southern Idaho and Colorado.  So I was a little confused about how Texas fit in there :) I had meet one of his friends that said they had done work in Texas before and we know some friends that have gone to North Dakota so I knew the possibility was there to go out of jurisdiction but it was still surprising.
I busied myself with getting piper set up and making cookies for our Labor day weekend guests! Amanda, Cody and the boys came down to stay with us and it was the funnest weekend ever!! It was so awesome having the boys running around and wrestling in our living room.  Brandon and I both gave each other the look "this is awesome!" Since Brandon had been so busy with work, class and moving into our new 5th wheel, labor day weekend was our first weekend we got to actually spend together and in Salt Lake.  It was such a blast having Amanda and Cody with us, I am glad they were there because honestly we might not have done everything if it were just Brandon and I :)
First thing we did was go to temple square....like they say when in "salt lake...do as the mormons do".   We heard about a tour you could take at temple square with a sister so we decided, hey why not! We wanted to learn about it since we were there.  We went on the tour for over an hour...might have been closer to two! It was actually really fun! I learned a lot and really enjoyed it.  I like the idea of taking certain things from different religions and practicing them in my life and family.  Here are my favorite points from what we learned on our tour:

• Take care of your body.  This is why mormons do not drink caffeine, they do not want to put anything into their body that is addictive, i.e. caffeine, junk food, tattoos. Salt Lake is the 3rd longest life expectancy and One of the lowest heart disease and cancer rates in the country.  I think this has to do with them taking care of themselves. I like the idea of taking care of my body and making it number one.  
• "Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreation. "
• One of the sisters said to me " Jesus was pretty successful so if we follow in his path and trust he is with us, we will be successful as well" Loved that, totally stuck with me!

I have been curious about religion and have attend Lake City Community Church with Brandon in the past but I want to use some of my free time to really get more educated about various religions and become more connected with God.  

By 1pm the boys ( all 4 of them!) were starting to melt down because they were hungry so we headed straight to In and Out for some Double Doubles.  It was Cody's first time and he loved it!! 

Saturday night we went to a drive in movie and it was a blast!! I wish we could turn part of our property at home into a drive it, it was the funnest movie experience ever, even though we fell asleep 10 minutes into the second movie, haha! We took Brandons truck and we parked in the front row, everyone else was parked in the 2nd or 3rd row, we still don't know why people didn't park in the front, we had a great time! Next time we go we need to bring a boom box because it was difficult to hear the sound and Brandons truck was dead by the end of the night :( We saw "Hit and Run" and "The Dark Knight.  I remember looking over at ry ry and he was still awake so I had to fight to stay awake, I can't let a 2 year old stay up later than me! :) 

Sunday we decided to go to The Great Salt Lake and see what it was all about.  I read that it is 8 times saltier than the ocean and 27% salt! It is so salty because there are no outlets in the lake.  Its so salty that you can just float in the water! We thought "we have go to see this lake!" Well with that much salt also comes brine shrimp.  Salt lake is harvested for their brine shrimp to make fish food and its the largest supply of brine shrimp in the world! With that much shrimp comes THE MOST disgusting smell in the world! They wash up on the shores and die, it is so gross! Getting into that water was by far the most disgusting thing I have ever done!! I am still not so sure the experience was worth the smell!  we floated around for a few minutes and then got the hell out of there.  As we were driving home the salt started to dry on our skin and you could see it on us, it was crazy and gross!! 

Monday night we went to a concert series downtown Salt Lake.  We heard Love & Theft and Gloriana were playing so we were excited to go.  It was a first annual Labor day music festival and It was the weirdest thing I have ever been to.  It was a rock fest with a couple country bands as well.  I've never seen so many bikers and goth people listening to country music! I'm surprised a fight didn't break out.  Not really sure why they tried to combine the two genres but it was strange.  The shows were great though!! 

Tuesday we got up at 3:30 am and hit the road to NM.  17 hours later, we got in a little after 8:30 and we were completely set up ( I was all unpacked from the move) and brandon was showered by 9:10!! It was crazy! We love piper so much! 

Piper!!

Wow it doesn't feel like my last blog post was just 6 days ago.  It is like night and day difference from the place I was emotionally less than a week ago and where I am now.
I was in a really rough spot for the last few weeks, which is crazy because this should be the happiest times of my life, I just got MARRIED! On one hand I feel really guilty for not being stronger, however on the other hand, feeling really low makes me realize I AM human.  Sometimes life gives you reality checks so you are reminded to wake up and figure some things out.

I felt really stuck, I hate clutter and that was the only option in Thor.  We used EVERY spot we could for storage, our bathroom, tub, sinks, table and seats all had stuff on them.  I prepared dinner outside on the picnic table and we ate on the picnic table. Earlier this week we were running errands until really late at night, we didnt get to eat until about 9:30 so we ate in the dark outside because we had no other options.  Its nice to eat outside but not when its your only option.  I didnt realize how hard and frustrating it would be not having the basic luxuries of every day life like running water and counter space to prepare meals on.

Brandon and I talked and we had originally wanted to upgrade to a new fifth wheel in Oct/Nov but we decided that it was not worth the wait, if we found one we loved we needed to upgrade sooner rather than later, our day to day quality of life needed an improvement.  So with that said Brandon and I set out and went shopping.  We decided to buy new for a few reasons.  The biggest reason was for the size of fifth wheel we were wanting, they were going for the same price or more used on craigslist than NEW!  Second, this is going to be our HOME for the next few years.  We are going to have a baby in this fifth wheel and we wanted it to be OURS.  We didn't want to have to worry about the pipes, appliances or what not with a used one...and not to mention other people living in a very small space doing who knows what before us... that we would be living in after them.... yeah we wanted it to be ours!  I swear we probably looked at over 50 fifth wheels in a two day period.  We went to 4 RV dealers, which meant 4 sales guys and their pitches...It was funny as first but quickly got draining.  We had been looking at Forest River Sandpiper fifth-wheels online and we really liked them.  They had a lot of the features we wanted for a fraction of the cost.  We could not find a Sandpiper dealer to save our life though!! We finally found one about an hour outside of Salt Lake so we headed down to go "look" to see if we liked the quality of the unit.

We got there and looked at a 2013 Sandpiper 346RET and really liked it a lot.  We went back and forth with them 3 times on the price and they finally came down to the price we wanted.  HOLY SHIT we just bought a fifth wheel! We went home to spend our last night in Thor, then we tried to pack as best we could to get it ready to transfer into Piper.  We went and picked up Piper and they walked through EVERYTHING with us, which was really nice because there is so much to know about these dang things.  Then the fun part of transferring all our stuff.  It took us almost 3 hours (in 90+ degree weather, by the way)  to get everything out of Thor and into Piper, we were dead on our feet by the end of the day.  It had been such a crazy few days we didnt even realize until we signed the papers on Piper that it was 8/28/12.....1 month of marriage!! It was really cool to have our first night in Piper be on our month anniversary.  We went to go tell the RV park we needed to upgrade cause we bought a new fifth wheel.  The lady at the desk goes "oh I am all booked up until Sept 4th"...Apparently Salt Lake City is popular for Labor day..shoot, didnt think that one through!  She put us in a 40 ft spot, our trailer is almost 39 ft so we dont really fit but we're making it work and its cheaper rent than the 70ft spaces so we are not complaining :)

I have been unpacking for the last two days and I am very excited to say we are ALL moved in!! It is so funny because this is the first home Brandon and I have ever moved into together! He already lived in our house back home when I met him so we never got to do the "lets decorate together" thing.  I gotta say its pretty funny and I'm happy we're already married so he cant leave me :)  When I shop for things I like to KNOW I'm getting the best deal so even if I see something I want at one store I have to make sure its not cheaper somewhere else before I buy it.  This causes me to go to the same store 2, sometimes 3 times in one day.  Normally this is fine when its just me but when I'm dragging Brandon around, its not as fun for me OR him! We've agreed on pretty much everything so far except dinner plates.  He wants these REALLY ugly ones from Walmart, I wont give in so we still dont have plates.  I'll probably just find some while he is at work one day :)
I am so excited to show you all our new home!!

Getting ready to Tow Thor for the last time!

Transferring our stuff....took so long!

Yay!! Ready to go home now!

Our cozy living room 

Brandon's only concern was getting recliners...bonus they rock too!

Couch/ fold out guest bed :)

Dining room table

My beautiful kitchen, I have SO much storage space!! Costco time!

Kitchen

My kitchen sink AND RUNNING WATER!!! :)

Coffee maker!

Hallway to the bedroom and bathroom

Bathroom

Shower

Potty

Bedroom, king size bed....Now Brandon doesn't have to lay diagonal!!! :)

Closet! Bonus, I'm so short its a walk in closet for me, haha :)

Dresser! I can actually find my clothes again! 

Remote to get Piper all set up when we move :)

Thanks for reading, cant wait to post pics after I have time to decorate!! :)

I thought I would see MORE of him....???

So I had this crazy idea of how life on the road was going to be.  It was going to be this super fun environment where I got to decorate our new home on wheels and make dinner for my husband every night.  He would come home from work and we'd talk about his day and then every weekend would be a super fun adventure.  Well I have no idea what world I was living in or where I got those crazy ideas because it has been nothing like that so far.
One of my good line wife friends told me there would be an adjustment period.  You will go from having things to do in your life, your passions, your job, your friends, ect to having nothing that is yours.  These 3-4 years are for our guys, we are there for them, to support them in EVERYTHING they do.  Their job and them are number one.  When they are done, it will be our time to be a priority.  She couldn't of been more right.  This is the hardest transition period ever and I'm ready for it to be over.
I need to find a purpose to my days.  I need to have a reason to get up in the morning and have something to do each day. I realized I HAVE to do my hair and make up every day.  Even if its just to sit in the trailer until Brandon comes home, at least it makes me feel better.  I've looked into classes at gyms but I don't want to get a membership because word through the grapevine says we wont be here for long...I think I would really like to start another 8 week challenge, it would be good for me mentally and physically!!
To make matters worse we are living in Thor (our travel trailer) which is fine.  Its a roof over our head and a place that is ours.  We dont owe anything on it which is nice.  The problem is we have no running water, the pipes are cracked so we cant run water in them.  Its frustrating to not have my own bathroom or be able to wash dishes after dinner in the sink.  We have no storage, I have about 3 outfits I wear now because I can't find anything else... and I just feel really cramped.  Its been 3 weeks and I am ready for some space.  I want to have ROOMS instead of "here is our kitchen/diningroom/bedroom"  If it were up to Brandon he would have upgraded us 3 weeks ago, he wants me comfortable and he wants me to love our home.  I'm the one putting it off.  I just want to pay off a couple bills so if / when a layoff comes we are still able to live comfortable.  By my calculations we should be able to upgrade to a new 5th wheel in 5-6 weeks or so, knowing that is making my days a bit easier.

I just miss Brandon.  He has been working 6 days a week or like last weekend, he had class saturday  and sunday. He comes home from work and showers and eats.  If I'm lucky we get an hour of face to face time with each other but usually its a half hour before he is passed out cause he is so exhausted. People have asked how married life is and how baby making is coming along and my answer to both is: I don't know, I haven't seen my husband!  I just need time with him and it sounds like we are going to get it this weekend.  Saturday we are going to go 5th wheel shopping so we can see what other options are out there, decide what floor plan we like and go from there.  Then Saturday evening we are going to go to a rodeo, I am so excited!! Its going to be so fun!!

Hopefully things will pick up from here and it will get easier, I'll keep you all in the loop :)

Sorry for my debbie downer post but some days are harder than others...Thanks for hanging with me!

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!!