If you haven't heard the rumors (or didn't attend the event), I officially became a married woman on August 3. So I started a new blog where the adventures of the Hudsons can be found.Not that I'll be any better at updating it, but for the 3 of you that actually read this, move on over to our new home that can be found at www.russandbritthudson.blogspot.com
Monday, August 26, 2013
Friday, June 14, 2013
as of lately...
Things have been crazy these past couple weeks! I love Summer so much but I feel since it's such a busy time of year it goes by so fast! Especially this summer as I am now planning a wedding I seriously can't believe that June's almost over.
Here's a few things I've been up to lately:
Celebrated Grandpa Garlick's 80th Birthday!
Working, working, and more working!! Work has been insane lately and I feel exhausted 24/7. And apparently I'm not the only one cause towards the end of a 12 hour shift I looked over and found my aide like this. Seriously, it's been rough.
Went down and played with Ash, Jake and the kids on dad's farm. We took the 4 wheeler and the kids loved it. Jax would get off and immediately start asking again "Russ you take me on ride?" He loves Russ.
Celebrated Pony Express Days in Eagle Mountain by attending the Chris Cagle concert! he was amazing live and despite the wind and my crazy allergies it was a blast! Ending the night with fireworks was an added bonus! God bless country music : )
Here's a few things I've been up to lately:
Celebrated Grandpa Garlick's 80th Birthday!
Baby Lexi's Baby blessing! I'm so lucky to have a 2nd beautiful niece.
Went to the Tulip Festival for the first time with these lovely ladies and cute little man! It was gorgeous and was a lot different than I'd expected it would be.
Russ got his first nephew as Raziel Belliston was Born on May 23.
Went horseback riding up American Fork Canyon.
Celebrated Pony Express Days in Eagle Mountain by attending the Chris Cagle concert! he was amazing live and despite the wind and my crazy allergies it was a blast! Ending the night with fireworks was an added bonus! God bless country music : )
Found our wedding venue! I'd almost given up hope on getting a barn when my mom found this beauty! So many things about this place is heaven sent. I'm so excited!!!
Started to have the families mix as we took Russ's dad to dinner at my parents one Sunday night. Ended with a ping-pong tourney that the two "old guys" ended up dominating. Kudos Dads!
Tanner broke his foot a couple weeks ago without knowing it, walked around on it for a long time. He had surgery and hasn't been having much activity lately so I convinced him to lay out with me one afternoon while I wedding planned.
continued to get spoiled by Russ! His dad and him had gone for a dirt bike ride one night while I was at work and when I came out to my truck after a rough night (see previous mentioning of crazy work) I found these. He never fails to surprise me.
Finally took the boat out!! It was a beautiful day and we slacked in the sunscreen department that left me afraid to take our engagements 3 days later. luckily the sunburn faded and the peeling waited till after the photo shoot. I don't have the pictures back yet these are just pics that channy had snapped during the shoot that I've edited. But I can't wait to see the real deal. Our photographer Lindsey Orton is amazing!
This one has been a rough/sensitive spot for the week. While I was at work Sunday night Russ had to take his dog that he's had since he was 12 years old to be put down. Ruger was such a great lovable dog but had started to show signs of being sick a while ago. She would appear to be better one day then worse then next. We'd made a vet appointment for June 12 but knowing her age was afraid they were going to tell us to put her down anyways. Russ came home Sunday night to find her the worse she's been in weeks and called me to tell me he couldn't take it anymore and he was taking her to be put down. That was a rough night, I felt horrible being stuck at work as Russ had to drive his best buddy of about 14 years down by himself. We're gonna miss Ruger but it's been nice to know she's not hurting anymore and I think she's up there running around and exploring with Russ's best friend Rob.
Mission Calls! Things are very exciting in the Olsen household these days as Tanner got his mission call to Peru leaving Sept 11, while Channy got hers to San Fernado California leaving August 28! I'm so proud of both of them and I'm excited to see what each of these places hold for them
that one time I got engaged:
I'm engaged! On May 22 Russ pulled off a huge surprise and proposed without me having any idea!
I had bought us a couples massage to celebrate our "one year anniversary" and called and scheduled them that Tuesday for the following day (may 22) after Russ got off work. Russ called me back after I told him the time and he asked if we could reschedule since it was going to be so nice outside we should go fourwheeling instead. Seeing as how I had to work the whole upcoming weekend I was all for playing outside. So I rescheduled the massages, had my family bump up the family dinner on Wednesday and had everything ready to go for that night.
Russ got off work, we loaded the 4 wheeler and picked up some subway sandwiches on our way up the canyon. Russ had suggested going up by Cascade Springs ( an area we'd been frequently), but when we took off down a random road and kept going I didn't recognize where we were. I'd ask Russ where we were going and he'd brush it off like " I dunno, we're just going". We saw some moose, stalked in on one then as we got on this rough terrain headed uphill the 4-wheel box jimmied open and I found a blanket. We have never packed a blanket four wheeling before but as it was quite windy that night I believed Russ when he said that he brought it in case I got cold. aw cute ( I fell for it). Next thing I know we're on top of a mountain overlooking Deer Creek. We pulled out the blanket and sat down among the wildflowers to eat our Subway sandwiches. I'll be honest-the whole time we were eating I was more concerned glancing behind me watching for the moose we'd seen a ways back by the road. I was certain he would come investigate us.
It was starting to get dark so I started hinting at leaving seeing as how we now had quite the long trek back to the truck! I snuck off to find a bush and when I came back he had gotten the blanket out again and was standing in the middle of this certain spot. He called me over saying "I just realized something come here" Curious as to what had happened with the plan of going home I wandered over and he stood there and embraced me in the blanket. "I just realized this is exactly where we stood on our first date."
(Flashback: on our first date we had ended the night by offroading up a steep dirt road right off the canyon road near deer creek dam and had climbed to the top of the mountain before standing in the back of the truck wrapped up in a blanket overlooking Heber, Deer Creek, Wallsburg, etc...)
I had been so obsessed with the dag um moose that I hadn't even realized it! We were in the exact same spot as we stood over a year ago. Russ had gone around the back side of the trail so I wouldn't know where we were going. He began saying cute things and clueless me played devils advocate to his remarks teasing him etc... I held him tight and looking back now I realize he was trying to get away from me to be able to get down on one knee and I only kept pulling him closer. Until he finally wiggled away and said some amazing things about how he felt when we had stood in the exact same spot over a year ago. He started to get down on one knee and honestly that's when the tears came. I was so surprised I kept saying "what are you doing? what are you doing?"! I saw my beautiful ring and stared at him as he asked me to marry him. I said yes and then the hugging and kissing began....etc.... blah blah blah : )
We took pictures and then I swear to you I looked over and all I saw was a big head and eyes and yup there was that moose. Turns out we weren't alone for our little engagement afterall.
It was the perfect night and as we drove back down the mountain I got filled in on all the secrets I'd missed out on the past 3 weeks. For example: Russ taking my dad to dinner to ask for his blessing, Ash meeting up with him to give him ideas of what kind of rings I like, etc... Turns out he was going to propose on May 20, but Ash thought I'd be expecting it so he told her to play it up and then he wouldn't do it until Wednesday. However, most of the people he knew were expecting it on May 20th so I can only imagine how many people were thinking I'd said no when we never announced anything.
I'm so excited!! This is a crazy time in our lives and now I'm doing something I never thought I'd be doing: planning a wedding! So keep your schedules open cause I'm tying the knot with this handsome man on August 3, 2013!!!!!
He had talked to my older sister Ashlee to scheme in with him, and then had her bait me to think that it would come earlier than it really did. For example: On May 20, 2013 Russ and I celebrated a whole year of dating (whoo!). When I saw ash that day she was being all sorts of weird hinting that I may be getting engaged that night. Well I didn't but we celebrated a great year together anyways : )
I had bought us a couples massage to celebrate our "one year anniversary" and called and scheduled them that Tuesday for the following day (may 22) after Russ got off work. Russ called me back after I told him the time and he asked if we could reschedule since it was going to be so nice outside we should go fourwheeling instead. Seeing as how I had to work the whole upcoming weekend I was all for playing outside. So I rescheduled the massages, had my family bump up the family dinner on Wednesday and had everything ready to go for that night.
Russ got off work, we loaded the 4 wheeler and picked up some subway sandwiches on our way up the canyon. Russ had suggested going up by Cascade Springs ( an area we'd been frequently), but when we took off down a random road and kept going I didn't recognize where we were. I'd ask Russ where we were going and he'd brush it off like " I dunno, we're just going". We saw some moose, stalked in on one then as we got on this rough terrain headed uphill the 4-wheel box jimmied open and I found a blanket. We have never packed a blanket four wheeling before but as it was quite windy that night I believed Russ when he said that he brought it in case I got cold. aw cute ( I fell for it). Next thing I know we're on top of a mountain overlooking Deer Creek. We pulled out the blanket and sat down among the wildflowers to eat our Subway sandwiches. I'll be honest-the whole time we were eating I was more concerned glancing behind me watching for the moose we'd seen a ways back by the road. I was certain he would come investigate us.
It was starting to get dark so I started hinting at leaving seeing as how we now had quite the long trek back to the truck! I snuck off to find a bush and when I came back he had gotten the blanket out again and was standing in the middle of this certain spot. He called me over saying "I just realized something come here" Curious as to what had happened with the plan of going home I wandered over and he stood there and embraced me in the blanket. "I just realized this is exactly where we stood on our first date."
(Flashback: on our first date we had ended the night by offroading up a steep dirt road right off the canyon road near deer creek dam and had climbed to the top of the mountain before standing in the back of the truck wrapped up in a blanket overlooking Heber, Deer Creek, Wallsburg, etc...)
I had been so obsessed with the dag um moose that I hadn't even realized it! We were in the exact same spot as we stood over a year ago. Russ had gone around the back side of the trail so I wouldn't know where we were going. He began saying cute things and clueless me played devils advocate to his remarks teasing him etc... I held him tight and looking back now I realize he was trying to get away from me to be able to get down on one knee and I only kept pulling him closer. Until he finally wiggled away and said some amazing things about how he felt when we had stood in the exact same spot over a year ago. He started to get down on one knee and honestly that's when the tears came. I was so surprised I kept saying "what are you doing? what are you doing?"! I saw my beautiful ring and stared at him as he asked me to marry him. I said yes and then the hugging and kissing began....etc.... blah blah blah : )
It was the perfect night and as we drove back down the mountain I got filled in on all the secrets I'd missed out on the past 3 weeks. For example: Russ taking my dad to dinner to ask for his blessing, Ash meeting up with him to give him ideas of what kind of rings I like, etc... Turns out he was going to propose on May 20, but Ash thought I'd be expecting it so he told her to play it up and then he wouldn't do it until Wednesday. However, most of the people he knew were expecting it on May 20th so I can only imagine how many people were thinking I'd said no when we never announced anything.
I'm so excited!! This is a crazy time in our lives and now I'm doing something I never thought I'd be doing: planning a wedding! So keep your schedules open cause I'm tying the knot with this handsome man on August 3, 2013!!!!!
Monday, April 8, 2013
Baby Lexi
Alexis Shellcy Brandt was born on March 15,2013.
I had worked the night before so when I woke up I went to hang out at the hospital with Ash and Jake, since I also had to work that night I kept hinting that the lil babe(who was a surprise at the time as to whether it was a boy or girl) better come before I had to leave for work. Jake and I were making bets when the nurse guessed 5:30 I said 3:25pm while Jake said 3:30. Well at about 3:00 I finally went to the cafeteria to get some food when about 3 bites into my sandwich I got a text from Ash saying she was complete and they needed the photographer now. I threw my food away, ran upstairs and Alexis was born at 3:27 PM. Giving me one more perfect baby to call my niece!!!
It's tradition for me to get the baby girl's some obnoxiously large bow that Dad will roll his eyes at : )
I had worked the night before so when I woke up I went to hang out at the hospital with Ash and Jake, since I also had to work that night I kept hinting that the lil babe(who was a surprise at the time as to whether it was a boy or girl) better come before I had to leave for work. Jake and I were making bets when the nurse guessed 5:30 I said 3:25pm while Jake said 3:30. Well at about 3:00 I finally went to the cafeteria to get some food when about 3 bites into my sandwich I got a text from Ash saying she was complete and they needed the photographer now. I threw my food away, ran upstairs and Alexis was born at 3:27 PM. Giving me one more perfect baby to call my niece!!!
Needless to say, I am obsessed!!!
Russ's B-day
26 years ago on March 4, 1987 the earth got a little more blessed, and a little more mischievous as this handsome man entered the world....
His birthday was on a Monday so I took the weekend off so we could celebrate. Friday night we went to dinner at Olive Garden with the gang. The boys snuck out during the 45 min wait and saran wrapped his truck, when we came out and found it we took advantage of warming Jesi up with it.
Saturday was his choice day-we could do whatever he wanted all day long. He chose four wheeling up by Midway and Cascade Springs so we took off with some yummy Gandolfo's breakfast sandwiches and four wheeled in the remaining snow. We grabbed a late lunch in Heber that afternoon and went home and rested up our sunburns before I blindfolded him for a surprise.
I sneakily had packed an overnight bag of things that he'd need for the night then as he got in my truck he took off his glasses(so he couldn't cheat) and then I used my scarf to blindfold him. I took off up the canyon to Daniels Summit Lodge. There's a restaurant there that we eat at all the time but he's never stayed at the lodge before. I remembered how awesome it was from when I was little so I secured us a little overnighter to get him away from the the craziness that was going on at work.
When I asked if he had any idea where we were he immediately guessed we were in the canyon and about the exact whereabouts of how far up the canyon. darnit! Never try to trick a mountain man, who travels these roads all the time and relys mostly on his senses. So I threw him for a loop as I took a few wrong turns up in midway and Heber before continuing on a route he then had no idea of our whereabouts.
He was so excited when we got to the lodge, and I loved watching him roam around checking out all the cool decorations, the sweet mounts in the lobby's, and exploring our room turning the fireplace on, standing on the balcony and crashing on to the bed. We hurried and ate dinner at the restaurant and then spent the night relaxing watching Sherlock Homes 1 & 2 on TV before bed.
Sunday we had dinner and FHE with my family where Kez and Jax brought him his piece of cake with a candle.
Monday, March 4 was birthday day! Channy and Kezy dropped off some treats to him at work. Tyson, Luke, Russ and his mom, sister and niece and me went to Lunch at Tucano's. I decorated his room that afternoon while he finished the work day. Then we had dinner at cake at his dad's house in Provo.
Part of my decorating was trying out the soda can cake.
Needless to say it was a great weekend!! Some of the things I love about this "old" man are: always having a positive attitude even when life isn't fair he's finding the good, hard worker, multiple talents (he can make or do anything), his love of adventure and life, he's nice and accepting of everyone, he's thoughtful and sweet always looking out for others but especially me, his love of little kids and the way he is with them, etc.... He's pretty fan-freakin-tastic!! I love you babe : )
Island Park 2013.
Russ has the coolest traditions with his friends and one of them is that every year over President's Day weekend them and their spouses/significant others rent out a huge cabin up in Island Park Idaho and go snowmobiling for the weekend. I was invited this year and was somehow able to get work off so I could go.
I had worked the night of February 13 and I got off work, we loaded our stuff and began the drive to Idaho. I hadn't been that far north into Idaho since I went to school there (uh about 6 years ago) and it was interesting to see how it's changed, or at least from a distance : )
Part of their yearly traditions is how they do the meals, one person is assigned one meal the entire weekend. For that meal you're responsible to buy the food, cook and clean up and then you're done the rest of the trip. So essentially each couple is responsible for 2 meals. Russ got the first dinner there so when we finally arrived to the cabin about 9pm we started our valentines day dinner meal for everyone and then after eating took off to bed after a long day of driving, and me being up for about 28 hours.
The next few days were spent sleeping in, eating a delicious breakfast then hitting the mountains on snowmobiles for the day before returning home to the cabin to spend the night playing games, eating and eating, and eating, playing pranks,watching movies, or my personal favorite-kick it back by the fireplace. Russ has amazing friends and I spent the whole weekend laughing watching them over there man bantering and goofing off on snowmobiles and in the cabin.
The cabin we stayed in was AMAZING! I didn't get pictures of the whole thing, but was able to document a few of my favorites.
It was a much needed vacation and I was dreading returning home and just wanted to stay up in that cabin forever! I almost got my wish as we went to load the trucks and go home but couldn't find Luke's keys to his truck. Long story short, Matt and Brittany had accidentally taken them home on Sunday....Thank goodness that Russ and Luke know vehicles like the back of their hands and was able to start Luke's truck and since the security feature won't let you shift without a key in the ignition-they bypassed that by Russ getting out and manually shifting the truck. It was interesting, but we made it back to Farmington where they key was and all was well.
Thanks again for the great getaway, can't wait for next year already!!
I had worked the night of February 13 and I got off work, we loaded our stuff and began the drive to Idaho. I hadn't been that far north into Idaho since I went to school there (uh about 6 years ago) and it was interesting to see how it's changed, or at least from a distance : )
Part of their yearly traditions is how they do the meals, one person is assigned one meal the entire weekend. For that meal you're responsible to buy the food, cook and clean up and then you're done the rest of the trip. So essentially each couple is responsible for 2 meals. Russ got the first dinner there so when we finally arrived to the cabin about 9pm we started our valentines day dinner meal for everyone and then after eating took off to bed after a long day of driving, and me being up for about 28 hours.
(pardon the red eye. He's not that creepy looking, the photo edit just didn't transfer over from my phone)
The next few days were spent sleeping in, eating a delicious breakfast then hitting the mountains on snowmobiles for the day before returning home to the cabin to spend the night playing games, eating and eating, and eating, playing pranks,watching movies, or my personal favorite-kick it back by the fireplace. Russ has amazing friends and I spent the whole weekend laughing watching them over there man bantering and goofing off on snowmobiles and in the cabin.
It really was gorgeous up there!
Some of the hooligan men on the trip
Some of the boys getting whooped by Matt at poker, again.
We spent A LOT of time during the day digging out stuck snowmobiles. There was so much snow and after a little sunshine it was really soft, causing lots of ruckass for this group of people that can't stay on or go on the trails.
This hill was particularly rough, Brittany was stuck in this picture and below you can almost see the other 3 snowmobiles that got stuck as well.
Sunday was our last day out on the snowmobiles and since Matt and Brittany had left that morning I was the only girl out with the men on what they made an even more adventurous day. We made our own trail on the way down the mountain going off who knows which direction and Chad found himself ran right into a huge hole. We(as in the menfolk and their camera lady) got him out and thank goodness his machine and him were totally fine.
Panorama's of our master bed and bath courtesy of the iPhone 5 : ) There was 2 full on master's in the cabin and this is the one I won drawing straws, and I loved it!
It was a much needed vacation and I was dreading returning home and just wanted to stay up in that cabin forever! I almost got my wish as we went to load the trucks and go home but couldn't find Luke's keys to his truck. Long story short, Matt and Brittany had accidentally taken them home on Sunday....Thank goodness that Russ and Luke know vehicles like the back of their hands and was able to start Luke's truck and since the security feature won't let you shift without a key in the ignition-they bypassed that by Russ getting out and manually shifting the truck. It was interesting, but we made it back to Farmington where they key was and all was well.
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