Every year... sometime around my birthday, I go through all my pictures over the past year... and just look at what has happened. I know a lot of people do this around the New Year, but I think its cool to do it every birthday. Anyway.... this year has been a little more exciting than the rest, with huge changes and so many exciting things that have happened!
Last October, I had just moved to a place that I knew very little about. I had just graduated and just started my first "big girl" job at a big accounting firm. Last October, I had a long distance boyfriend and then mid October he decided to leave his family, his friends, his job, and school (he was about to graduate and he arranged with his teachers to finish his last few weeks/credits online), to move to be closer to me. THAT was the best birthday present I could have ever asked for.. besides the RING he gave me the next month when we got engaged!! So, during the past year, I went from dating long distance, to having a boyfriend in the same state as me, to engaged, to married! I spent the last year planning a wedding, getting used to my new job, taking (and passing!) the CPA exam, running my first half marathon, traveling with my new husband and just enjoying the beautiful places that we are lucky enough to live by!
The rest of this blog is SUPER long and kind of a photo dump, but it goes through the year somewhat chronologically so I can better remember it :) Anyway, love you all! It's been a great year and I'm lucky enough to have such amazing friends and family... here's to being a quarter century old!! 25, can't wait to see what you have in store <3
Here are some pictures we took when Joram first moved out to California. It was kind of funny, because we only dated long distance for three months, and we saw each other just about every other weekend... but this reunion was sooo much different than when he had come three months earlier and dropped me off and then went back to Utah.
October 2014
Last birthday we drove down to LA and went to DISNEYLAND! He spoiled me all weekend and let me take whatever pictures I wanted :)
The weekend after, we went to Seattle/Portland to spend my birthday (yes my birthday gets celebrated for a whole month) with my family!!
November 2014
In the middle of Novemeber I went to Washington DC for work. I loved walking around the mall and seeing all of the monuments! The conference I went to was awesome, and it was in the middle of busy season so it inspired me and lifted me right back up!
November is a pretty busy month at work for me, so we mostly stayed around, I worked some weekends, and then the weekend before Thanksgiving, my roommates and I took "roommate pictures" after church so that I wouldn't jump into sweats and then we GOT ENGAGED at the palace of fine arts!
We got to spend Thanksgiving in Utah with Joram's family! I was so excited to be engaged and we were excited to tell everyone! My mom flew in on Friday and we went black friday wedding shopping.... for a wedding dress <3
December 2014
We visited Utah shortly after for Thanksgiving and I got to show all of Joram's family my sparkly ring <3 It was such a fun time. Then for Black Friday, we went wedding dress shopping and I picked out my dress! It was the third one I tried on!
We got to drive to Oakland and see the pretty temple lights in December
Then for Christmas we went to Oregon and spent it with my family...
January 2015
For New Years, we went up to the city with our friends Steve and Christine. It was soooo fun!
In January we went to Chicago for training at work! It was fun to be with my friends and explore the city... even though it was freeeezing cold!! Haha, I don't mind the cold for a week or two when I'm in 75 degree California all year long.
February 2015
In February we flew to Oregon and I got my endowments out. Joram's parents flew in and were able to go with me. And... my dad invited our whole ward as well, so it was so cool to have so much support and see so many loved ones. One of my favorite days :)
We got our engagement pictures taken in January, I haven't posted a lot of them.. because they're mine! And I can't spoil them all in one month by posting all 30 of the beautiful things. But our engagements were gorgeous and taken by knw she did great!!!
March 2015
In March, we got Married!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Then we went to Tahiti for our honeymoon, it was the most perfect week and vacation I have ever been on. My husband is sooooo good at planning these things. And he COMPLETELY surprised me... he had all things sent to his work email, and didn't tell anyone. All i knew was that we were going somewhere warm and it was an island.
April 2015
After Tahiti we went to Canada! We had a few extra days after our honeymoon and before our Oregon Open House.. so we thought, why not!? We went to Whistler and it was sooo cute and beautiful!
Then we had our reception in Oregon and it was soooooo beautiful. My dad did a great job putting it together :)
May 2015
All of April and May I spent working a lot, and studying for the CPA exam a lot. In May Joram's sister and brother in law came and visited us. It was a much needed break and Joram's sister, Alyssa actually married one of Joram's best friends so it's always a fun time hanging out with these guys. MAY was also great because I took my last test May 30th and then i was DONE! So we FINALLY had weekends and I didn't have to study every weekend so now we are able to go on adventures!
We moved in May to the cutest little apartment and have been able to experiment making yummy treats like this Nutella Oreo Cheesecake that Joram made!! It's been so fun decorating and having our first tiny apartment together. If only housing in the Bay area wasn't so dang much money...
June 2015
Then we went to Portland for my little brothers graduation! He's now at BYU and I'm so proud!! We had a quick stop by the rose garden, its so pretty!!
July 2015
We went to LA for the fourth of July with my family!! We got to see the Chinese Theater and Joram and I brought Cokes with everyone's name on them!
We went down a day earlier than my family and got to go to six flags - Joram looooves roller-coasters so he was in absolute heaven haha
We took some days off in July and went to Pineview Lake for a family get together with Joram's family. We made a video of it too (which I added below)!
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| Matching hehe |
We visited Monterey Bay Aquarium - and we bought a year pass. Joram loooooves sealife.
I completed one year at my job!! Can't believe how fast time flies... I got pretty lucky and I work with some amazing people, who are now some of my best friends :)
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| Tiffany and I celebrating our 1 year with a nice pic. haha #casual |
This is when I found out that I had passed the CPA exam! I passed two before I was married, I took a break for the two months before our wedding to focus on planning and working out (and it was the middle of busy season). And then after I got married, I woke up everyday at 5:30 (with Joram) and studied until my work started at 9.... AND I PASSED ALL 4!
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| Long made partner so we all got Hawaii shirts and celebrated! I love our team. |
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We LOVE foosball, and the office managing partner always sees us so he took a picture with his selfie stick hahah it was awesome.  Haha Tiffany and I spent a whole week matching.. which I obviously loved because I LOVE MATCHING! |
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| We ran the WIPEOUT run as a team.. haha it was soooo fun |
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| We all went to Santa Cruz together and we got the coolest caricature picture haha |
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| I'm on the HP soccer team.. and its soooo fun. I love that my office loves soccer and that I get the chance to play still. |
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August 2015 |
Joram's best friends got married right around the time we did (One friend, a month before, and his other good friend a few months after!) So in August, we went to Utah for that and then got to spend some time at the Lake with Joram's family :)
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| Got to see one of my best while I was in Utah too! Love Cait :) |
September 2015
For Labor Day, Joram's cousins came and visited us!! We just explored the city and the beach and absolutely loved having them!!
On September 12th, I got to go to Utah for an EY recruiting trip.. September 12th is a very special day for me. It's the day one of my most favorite people passed away. She was the ultimate role model of what I wanted to be when I grew up. So I spent the day remebering her, I went to the temple with my mother in-law and got to see my little brother who is at BYU!! I also got to spend time with Justin (who is Claudine's son, and my little "brother." It was a great great day.
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| Picking up Joram's little brother Tyson from school! Him and his friends are soo cute omg i was dying |
My little, big, brother! Freaking love that boy. And he loves Chipotle, so naturally we went there.
Here's us losers hanging out at the BYU recruiting event.
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| At night we all got together and spent time with each other, Claudine was there with us, I know it :) |
We went to Oregon and surprised my dad for his September 11th birthday weekend after! We showed up on his porch on Saturday morning and he was sooooo surpirsed and was like "what are you guys doing here!!!?" Haha it was awesome.
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| I was in charge of EY Connect day on Friday and it is SO cool that my work takes a day to give back to the community. There are a bunch of different projects, and for ours, We went to a high school and talked with kids about college and future and they were awesome :) |
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| I just love these guys. |
During all the weekdays, Aimee and I were busy training for our NIKE HALF MARATHON!!!!!! I was soooo nervous because I'm an awful runner but we survived and I love our morning runs.
October 2015
At the beginning of October we went to a Giants football game and scored AMAZING seats. We also went to the Stanford football game vs ASU and Stanford killed, which we had nosebleeds for haha both soooooo fun :)
THEEEEN!!! second week of October we went to VEGAS for the RiSE lantern festival!!!!! It was incredible and I wish I could just re-live this day over and over again. When we first found out about it, I texted some friends and so we ended up going with such good friends which made it an even better experience. The whole weekend was just SOOOOO fun and magical!
LAST weekend I ran my first ever HALF MARATHON! Aimee and I have been training since JUNE so it was crazy that the day was FINALLY here!!!
Then last week we carved pumpkins for FHE and watched Hocus Pocus... I love this time of year... its soooo fun AND its my birthday soo nothing beats it :)
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| typical pumpkin carving for us |
One of the main reasons this year has been so great is because of the knowledge we have that families are forever and for the knowledge of a loving God and Savior. I could write forever and ever about how thankful I am and how I believe Heavenly Father saved this one just for me... but I'll save that for another day.
It's been a year full of fun, flights (mostly from California to Oregon/Utah), and lots and lots of love!!!!! Best year ever!!!
What a crazy adventure it's been. SO SO SO thankful to be able to have so many cool experiences but mostly to be able to spend them with this boy by my side. He makes everything incredible. Who would have thought marriage would be this much fun!?!
Can't wait to see what 25 has in store for me and I also can't wait til Adeles 25 album comes out next month!!!!!! I love it because Taylor Swift's "22" came out the WEEK before my 22nd birthday and now Adele's album 25 is coming out and I'm 25 and I'm already in love with her new song "Hello" so I'm excited!!!
We are headed to San Diego as I write this to celebrate 25! Love you all!!!
xoxo
b
