My Birthday!

Well it was my 24th birthday on April 23!  It was seriously awesome!!!  Brady spoiled me so so much.  I can't even begin to tell you how lucky I am! 

A week before my birthday he told me he had something for me. I told him that if it was a birthday present that I didn't want it until my actual birthday because I love surprises.  He promised it wasn't and handed me a large golden rod envelope.  I opened it and found wads of cash and was shocked!  He said it was for me to go shopping because I have not been shopping (and I mean REAL shopping) in a very long time (since before we got married...)  He had been secretly saving for 4 months and told me he wanted me to spend every penny!  The reason he gave it to me a week early was so I could actually wrap my mind around spending the money on me and not bills.  Trust me, this was NOT easy for me to do!!!

By the time Saturday rolled around, Keri and I made our way to Salt Lake to shop till we dropped!  Brady gave Keri the money so she would make sure we spent all of it on clothes and accessories.  We spend a little over half.  We really tried to spend all of it, but I really have to love something to buy it and I didn't want to just waste money!  But don't worry, I've officially spent it all since then ;)  We found some really great deals and I got sooo many new and really nice things!

As if that wasn't enough, I woke up to breakfast in bed on my birthday too!  When I walked out into our family room, Brady really surprised me then!!!  There was a brand new beach cruiser with a cute basket and flowers everywhere!!!  My new hobby is gardening and I absolutely love it!  We went to dinner that night and then came home and went on a bike ride.  Wow.  I am just so lucky!!!!!!!!  I love you Brady!  Thanks for the awesome birthday!!!!!!!

Spring Break 2012

For spring break we went to San Francisco as a family!  It was so fun.  We were in Arizona for a couple days before we went and had a blast.  I can't wait to go home again!

Mariners vs Diamondbacks spring training game!  Brady's favorite team!

Emily, Jackson, Me, Brady, Ryan and Lauren

Shopping in San Fran!

The children after riding our bikes across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Muir Wood Forrest.  Redwoods.

Sisters

Davis and I at Alcatraz.

Emily & Jackson got engaged in Palo Alto when we were visiting the Stanford campus! They are getting married August 18!

Full House house

Having fun riding bikes.

Free chocolate :)

Fisherman's Warf.  Mom's cool O'Neill jacket.

We rented a 12 passenger van and my mom drove it around everywhere!  We went down the steepest street and she parallel parked in the hardest places!!  It was so fun/awesome.

Keri and CJ

Keri and CJ are mine and Brady's best couple friend.  I love Keri so much.  She is my very best friend.  It's hard to even express how much I love this girl.

Brady and I spent many weekends sleeping over at Keri and CJ's condo in Salt Lake before they moved to California in October.  The best part of our friendship is how easy and natural everything was.  CJ and Brady were great friends and both loved some of the same things....like the Boston Red Sox, movies, music, the gospel, going out to eat and most of all, their silly/ridiculous/funny/very entertaining wives. 

We had a tradition of watching General Conference together.  We would come up Saturday afternoon, watch conference, go to dinner then the boys would go to priesthood session while Keri and I shopped at Gateway mall. 

The four of us were planning on being travel buddies for the rest of our lives.  My parents have some very close friends who they met in college (the Jardines) who they go on a trip with once a year to somewhere really fun.

But on February 14, 2012, an accident happened.  As CJ was writing his bicycle to work that morning, he was hit by a car and passed away later that evening.


It hurts to even think about it.  Lump in my throat/sweating/headache kind of hurt. 

The last 2 months have been kind of crazy.  We went to California to be with Keri.  She has come to Midway to stay with us a few times, and she is planning on coming back in the next week or so.  Sometimes, it still doesn't feel real.

I hate that this has happened.  I miss CJ because he was an awesome friend.  But most of all, he was an amazing husband to Keri. 

Keri has been so great in using the gospel to have hope.

This is a little something she wrote on her blog.

My Cj loved elder holland.... So it is fitting I find a quote from him.

Don't give up.
Don't you quit.
You keep walking.
You keep trying.
There is happiness ahead...
You keep your chin up.
It will be alright in the end.
Trust in god and believe in good things to come.
- Elder Holland

I know Cj would quote this to me right now. Cj was my biggest fan, he still is... I miss him. 

I didn't write this blog post to get sympathy or expose Keri's story.  I just felt like I needed to address it for myself.  I've written in my journal and spent time reading and pondering, but somehow letting my feelings out in public makes me feel like just another way for me to cope, but mostly a way to remember the fun times Brady and I had with Keri and CJ. 

CJ was an awesome example to everyone. I know he is the best missionary on the other side, because he was the best missionary here on earth.  Love you CJ.  Love you Keri.

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CJ riding home to their home in SLC