Festival of Colors

I have lived in spanish fork for almost 7 years now and can honestly say I have had the most negative things to say about the festival of colors. I just never really saw the point in it and besides it just backed up everything all the way to Provo....So to say the least everytime I heard it was coming I would just roll my eyes and complain. BUT......This year I went to it with some persuasion from Camille and Leslie. And I am so glad that I did!!!!

Before.......

So let me just end by saying that LESSON LEARNED!!! Life is to short to complain and especially about things that you've never tried. I absolutly would do this again. It is not everyday ya can act like a complete kid and make a complete mess and not get in trouble :)
Goal: Enjoy everything that life has to offer...even if they do seem dumb. Cause the greatest things are the most simply.
Also getting this messy and having that much fun makes me even more excited for the Dirty Dash in June!!! woot woot

Fun times lately

So as I dig through all my photos on my camera I realized I don't blog near enough about all the fun times I am able to have. So this is going to be probably one of the most random blogs with a bunch of random photos from the past three months :)

I am always trying to capture cute and tender photos of Mike and I therefore Mike is ALWAYS working against me so........ this is where I get even.
 Here are all the me trying, him not so much cute and tender pictures that I have from the past couple months, and trust me I have many, many others.

I have to say that even though I hate not having a tons of cute pictures that these ones mean more to me than anything cause they capture us as a couple. Are personalities sometimes couldn't be more different and that is what keeps us together. He makes me laugh every single day and I couldn't be more in love with this man.






Now for some Snowy adventures (Even though we haven't had a whole lot of snow this year)
I WENT SNOW SHOEING....thanks to Camille and Leslie but I surprisingly loved it.

It's harder than you'd think.

Let's see getting stuck in the Jeep has been a weekend ocurrence lately

And this is what I think about getting stuck all the time :)

Usually I get extremely bored why'll Mike is getting the Jeep un-stuck so I take pictures of the boys

Bear would rather just sit in the Jeep and not get dirty and jumped on by Mac but he has really no choice until he makes this adorable face.....I can't say no

Mac LOVES sticks actually really anything that can be thrown and than retreived :)

We also went to Disneyland this month so here are my lame, sad two pictures that I got.

The Limo that picked us up from the airport (Awesome)

Us outside our hotel room

So since I don't have a ton of pictures of Disney this year I'll highlight the trip

• Beat Mike in checkers (1st time) on the plane ride in
• Gorgeous weather in CA, nothing like leaving the forties to the seventies
• Got to ride in a Limo
• Carol and I beat Mike and Kanyon on Toy Story
• Splash Mountain was open and Mike and I were SOAKED!!! Note to self don't put the two heaviest people in the front of the log because it will sink a little and water will come in at a fast rate
• Got to see Mike being A-dorable with his nephew (he'll kill me for putting this)
• Got to go swimming, and beat Justin and Bri at chicken with Wyatt.
• Fantasized with Taelyr about working at Disneyland as one of the dancers. We even showed off our moves.
• Ate inside pirates if the caribbean
• Ate ice cream daily
• Got to walk under the princess castle (Yup that excited me more than anyone will know)
• Didn't have to worry about homework for 2 days woot woot
• Worked the fast pass system so never had to wait too long for a ride
• Got to hear Tahsh freak out on screamin' lol Classic
• Went to Toontown for the 1st time. That place is so cute I loved it.
• Didn't go on it's a small world (Amen)
• Ate whatever I wanted cause lets face it I had to be walking a full marathon daily

Well there ya have it my exciting life for the past three months or so. I am happy to say that I officially made it through 2nd semester midterms and can't believe how fast school is going by. I am now 22 years old too......ugh so weird.
Can't wait for all the exciting things this year to come. We are going to the ACM awards, Moab and to Garth brooks in Vegas all in April. I'll be a busy blogger that month...Goal to take more pictures :)

Valentines Day

So can I just say how much I LOVE valentine's day...cause I do. Valentine's to me has taken on many different meanings over the years. I used to think there was no point in it but.......recently I have found that I have so much love around me that why wouldn't I take this one day to be thankful for it!!

As cheesy and corny as this whole post might seem I don't care cause this day means so much to me because of the people I have got to celebrate V-day with for the past 21 years. I have said it before and I will say it many more times, the family that surrounds me couldn't be more supportive and I am in LOVE with all of them. I have my sister which I couldn't be more proud of. She is an amazing teacher and finishing her Masters this year. What an inspiration she is to me. I sometimes hate that she lives so stinkin' far away but the sisterly love that we share can never be broken. I have my parents that support every little step I take and not only support but encourage my every move. And my great grandma that I love more then life itself sometimes. What courage and strength this women has. We just celebrated her 91st birthday and she amazes me!! I also have an amazing grandpa that I love to pieces. I used to travel to so many rodeos in high school with him and I will never forget the lessons he has taught me along the way. Not to mention all my extended family, all the uncles, aunts, and cousins that also I know will always be around for support if I needed it through the hardest of times. I truly am so blessed.







Christmas 2010





Ashley and I

Friends: Sure they have come and gone throughout the years but as I look back not one Valentine's ever went by without some great ones by my side and for that I am thankful for. Friends can get me through the hardest of days.

Now the main event of my V-day, Mike :)
This is our 4th V-day together. Crazy as it seems I wouldn't take back any of them!!! Also I am completely aware of how much crap I may receive for writing cute and tender things but I don't care because I never want to forget this. Life is too short.
I hold this man so dear to my heart because through everything he has not once judged me, he has not once told me I couldn't do something, he has supported my craziest of ideas, and most of all he has never let me down. I never thought in a million years that me, Nichole would settle down and enjoy a stressful yet enjoyable life but needless to say it happened. I can find happiness in the worst of days and can look forward to so many new things in our lives that are yet to come. I am excited about our future together. There are struggles and of course I just want to beat him up most days but here is to this V-day and hopefully many many more to come.

1st V-day, Mike actually bought roses :) 

2nd V-day

I hope everyone can find something or someone to be thankful for this Valentine's day because as stupid as this holiday may seem it is just one day out of 365 that we can slow down and think about the people around us. Possible give recognition that they are loved.

2011

So as I sat to sum up what 2011 was like for me I realized that my whole post was really negative and focused on what was a very hard year for me. This year was hard but I have to say so much great also came out of it so here's a list of all the great cause I realize now that no matter how bad life gets it only takes over the good if you let it.

ALL THE GREAT THINGS THIS YEAR

I got the blessing of going to Disneyland. I hadn't gone since I was like 6.

I celebrated my 21st B-day in Vegas with some amazing friends.

I graduated!!! from Snow that is with an associate degree in science. One goal down that is leading into so many others.

We got another baby in in the family.....Mac that is. What a truly amazing blessing dogs can be. I love my boys.

I enjoyed a couple concerts this summer and truly am so blessed to have amazing friends.

Enjoyed spending a weekend with my sister and went to the Tuacahn theatre to see the Little Mermaid.

I got a new desktop computer thanks to Mike and just can't believe how lucky I feel to have such a supportive person in my life. Let the schooling begin.

Got the blessing of going to Alaska and King Salmon fish. Too much fun.

Gained a friend in Alaska as well. Camille. Can't say enough about how thankful I am for one amazing friend to Mike and I. She helped me out so much already this past year.

Got a job as a CNA at a Nursing Home. People can make fun of me all they want but I know this job was a blessing to me. What a humbling feeling I got every day that I was helping others. 

Got accepted into 3 nursing schools. Yeah I am bragging a little cause I am so proud of how stinkin' hard I worked to be able to say this.

Started school at Provo College's RN program and finished my first semester with all A's :) Again bragging....sorry that's the last time

Went to Vegas with my family and close friends for the NFR. Super fun.

Got everything and more that I wanted out of Christmas. I had to work so I was a little sad but seriously I made the best out of it and everything turned out. The greatest gift I got was a hug from a very special person. It was so special to me cause I couldn't tell you last time this person gave me a hug. It was worth more than any physical present that I recieved. 

Got Mike out of the house to bring in the New Year. Even got a New Years kiss. These are the things that I cherise the most.

As I really look over this list I seriously wonder why I didn't see 2011 in all its amazingnis in the first place. I truly am so blessed to have the opportunities that I do that come from a supportive family and friends that surround me. Hope everyone can find the good that may have surrounded the bad cause it just might surprise you. Happy New Year and hope 2012 brings much joy!!!



Vegas NFR 2011

So it has come quite the tradition that I go to the NFR every year. My family gets tickets every year and I seriously look forward to it at all times. Rodeo has always played a huge part in my life and I still always think about the days I spent in preperation for them. The NFR just fascinates me because I cannot imagine the feeling of making it there and competing in that arena, what a rush it has to be. Rodeo what an event, I can't say enough good things about it and how truly blessed I feel to have been a part in it. I have such strong feelings about rodeo because it shaped me into the person I am today. With that said here are the highlights of this year :)

Friday night Camille and I had tickets to the rodeo (9th round).

Kayelin was such a good sport and went to New York New York and rode the rollercoaster all night without us.....She even got a VIP there ;)

Camille and I ended up at Studio 54 inside the MGM hotel that night and what a blast we had. This girl is great and we can always have a good time.

Saturday during the day we had so much fun walking around Cowboy Christmas and just hanging out. This is us on top of the Marriot hotel hanging out with my family.

The absolute funnest thing that I did on this trip was our Oreo we made on the mechanical bull at MGM. What a blast, my abs hurt so bad from laughing once I fell off.

Yes Camille has my sister's hair like reins, what a good time.

                                                                                       And us in action!!

There are always so many memories made here every year and I truly feel like I am in my element when I am around cowboys :)

Lets just say I cannot wait till next year!!!



I made it this far, nothing can hold me back

I have come to the realization that nothing is perfect and that as hard as I try I can't make it that way and I can't prevent things from happening. I feel sorry for the people that have to deal with my high stress levels on a day to day basis (Mike takes the brunt of this). Slow but sure I am learning to change, I am learning to EXCEPT the things that are out of my control.......it's hard OH is it hard for me but I am trying. I know if I don't I am going to die early from a heart attack or severe hypertension. My melt downs are happening more and more, does this come with age??? cause I hate it. I hate the way I feel when I over analyze everything that it brings me to a point of complete MELT DOWN!!!. I start believing in things that are not even prevalent or that I can't control, so why worry about it??
I recently got a book that is called "10 simple things to remember" and I love reading it so I thought I'd share it.
1. Love is why we are here.

2. The most important day is today.
           This is a big one for me because I seem to forget this sometimes. I contantly worry and stress about the future and everything I am doing today that will make my future better. Don't get me wrong I find that I love this about me because I am doing so much today to improve my life tomorrow but....there has to be a cutoff of what is healthy to worry about and then there's the point where I ruin today stressing about the future. Working on it slowly.
     Quote from the book that I loved:

                       Yesterday is gone......tomorrow only exists in the future. These, of course, are facts, but they are easy to forget as we spend so much precious energy thinking about things we did or didn't  do....or worrying about what might happen tomorrow. There are two days in the week that are not important...yesterday and tomorrow. Yesterday is gone and tomorrow is never promised.

3. If you always do your best, you will not have regrets.
           REGRETS SUCK!!!! I made a goal long long time ago not to have any. I found myself lately having one and man does is suck, it hurts, and I have to make it better. Working on it as well.

4. In spite of your best efforts. some things are just out of your control.
            I am becoming more and more familiar with this simple yet so important fact of life. Learning to except certain things will help me get through alot I have found.

5. Things will always look better tomorrow. Stay positive.

Hope is a attitude. It is a mental shift that we choose for ourselves as we tap into our inner reserves. When we decide to be hopeful, we open ourselves to discover the wisdom and strength we may not have known existed. Our lessons, when veiwed from this perspective, show us that things generally work out as they should.

6. Sometimes a wrong turn will bring you to exactly the right place.

7. Sometimes when you think the answer is "no" it is just "not yet".

8. True friends share your joy, see the best in you, and support you through your challenges.

            Can't say enough about supportive friends. I don't have many that would stand by me for EVERYTHING but the couple I have I know will always be there for me.  

9. God and your parents will always love you.

10. For all your accomplishments, nothing will bring you more happiness that the love you find.

             Couldn't be more true when I look into my life today. Sure I have accomplishments and sure I love sharing them but nothing makes me more happy then talking about the love I have found in the past 21 years. This is the love from a supporting family, friends and Mike as of now. I could go on for hours, pages to pages about how blessed I am for the relationships I have formed. These are everlasting relationships that through thick and thin I will have.

I set out to do something and I know one day I'll see the end result come together and all the hard work and stress will pay off. I made it this far and only good things can come of it :)

Fun in the Sun weekend

This past weekend for me turned out to be such a memorable one. To start it off I went to the Tim Mcgraw concert on saturday with friends. I love getting away from life for a while and just enjoying the many laughs that we share. My friends are great and I know through everything that I can count on them!!!

 It is so funny to me that all these girls I meet through Ambers and we just quickly become good friends. Thanks mom and dad haha

The guy driving this awesome hummer limo said he was waiting for friends so he said we could hop in for a mintue. Come to find out that this was Tim's limo....... AWESOME!!! (was he lying...maybe but still cool)




The second part to my fun weekend happened in Saint George.

We went to Zions National Park and went hiking. Which surprisingly I enjoyed so so much.

FATTY squirrels that aren't afraid of the hikers because they feed them quite WELL!!

Call me crazy but seeing the crap load of tadpoles was so fascinating to me because it was nothing I had ever seen before. So cool to see there little legs forming. Sure I learned about it in school but seeing it was so much cooler.

Monday night we went to the Tuacahn and saw the Little Mermaid. I am not one for musicals but this was really neat because the costumes and actors did such an amazing job.

Us messing around with the face things....ment for little kids, what can I say we never really grew up :)

The whole weekend turned out great, I couldn't have asked for a better one with the fam, but I did get some cute pictures that sure made me home sick......

You can't say he is not THE CUTEST!!!!!

Thanks to Leslie for taking these. I absolutly love and appreciate you for captureing him in all of his cute glory :)