{ ENGAGED peeps! }

remember my dear blogging friend Jalene?

well, she is a most fabulous photographer.

{she photographed Anna and I 

and also our Family Fotos!}

check her out at j. taylor photography

***

well.

I have fantastic news! 

She is hosting a contest on her photo site.

for FREE WEDDING DAY COVERAGE.

FREE, people!

(valued at $1200!)

So. If any of you lovely readers are engaged or know of anyone who is engaged, 

I would HIGHLY recommend checking this out!!! 

I didn't think I would say this any time soon, but I sooo wish I were engaged right now so I would be eligible to enter.  

Like, even if you happen not to win, you should hire her as your photographer anyway.  Her beautiful photos speak for themselves.  I have told her on many occasions that I will be hiring her for my future wedding day.  She is so wonderful to work with!  I cannot say enough wonderful things about Jalene.

so what are you waiting for! Go! Enter!

Carry On Wayward Goose: Friend Feature: Brady Dalton

Brady speaking here.

First off I would like to say this is a re-post from my blog.

Since is Erin is going on vacation I thought a story about a goose who was on a vacation that it didnt mean to be on would be the most fitting of my blog posts..

Oh and I would also like to say I think Erin is one of the coolest people I know. She rules. :) Anywho..

This is a story about a wayward goose.. named Stewart Turkeylink..

Last night I was driving in the car with my friend Brad.. it was midnight and with the Sabbath being over we decided to go and get a beverage from 7-11. As we were pulling out of our apartment complex we were talking, listening to music and having a good time and all of a sudden we both stopped talking for a moment because we both saw the same thing at the same time.. we saw Stewart Turkeylink, a wayward goose walking in the middle of the road. Keep in mind there are no parks close by to us.. no other geese anywhere.. no gosling.. just apartment, concrete, and automobiles.. and also a college kid who lives in the apartment complex across from us I assume just standing by his car smiling at the same situation we were beholding.. it must have been a sheer nightmare for Stewart.

 

Remember as well that this is Logan, Utah.

 

It should be spring but it has been snowing, rainy, and decently cold more often then not so far this spring so geese aren't seem to much around this time of year. We didn't know what to think..

 

Brad said "holy crap that's a goose" and I slowed down to a stop.. watched Stewart waddle past us and waddle slowly and then keep moving across the street.. I honked to see if I could get him to fly or move quicker so he wasn't walking slow across a busy road but to no avail it worked.. Stewart was also very dirty.

 

A normal goose should be white and healthy looking like the picture above but Stewart was dirty.. probably hungry and probably far from his home. His wife and children must have been worried sick. His mother is probably in a goose hospital because of a heart attack from Stewart being missing. Oh the stories that this goose could tell. That is the reason I wrote this post is because I would like us all to remember Stewart Turkeylink in our thoughts and prayers.

 

Brad and I considered taking him in but then realized that would be a bad idea.. but my heart goes out to him.

 

Where was his flock?

 

His family?

 

His home?

 

His next meal?

 

Did he have a place to rest his head for the night?

 

I am almost in tears as I think of my dear friend Stewart and the brief moment we shared. I hope that one day when we meet in heaven he can forgive me for not taking him in. It is not that I didn't want to it is just I wasn't in a situation to do so. I pray for Mrs. Turkeylink and little Joey and Sandy Turkeylink. But most of all.. I pray for you Stewart..

 

Carry on my wayward goose..

there'll be peace when you are done..

lay your weary head to rest..

don't you cry no more.

Inception of Guest Posts: Friend Feature: MakinUVBetter

Lucky you!



Today features a guest post about a guest post (hence the title)...  By the one and only Jordan Carl Martin Makin: well known for his vibrant hair, infectious laugh and movie reviews on his website, makinuvbetter.com.  check it out!


watch out, kids.


For a while now, Erin has been hounding me to do a guest post for her blog.

Being the incredibly deep thinker that I am, it led me to this question:






What exactly is a "guest post"?





Don't we all "guest post" in others' lives everyday?





Wasn't Voldemort just "guest posting" in Harry's brain all those years?





Didn't the Titanic just "guest post" to the bottom of the Ocean?





Don't rappers "guest post" in other rappers' songs ALL THE TIME?





The blog of the world requires us to guest post and allow guest posts into our own life all the time.





Which kind of guest post are you going to be?



Do you want to be Voldemort or do you wanna be the Titanic? Neither? (to that I say, good choice). Or do you want to be Harry Potter, who constantly guest posts in the way of Ron & Hermione's relationship? [AWKWARD 3RD WHEEL ALERT].



Do you want to be Lil Wayne guest posting in a Weezer song or do you wanna be Eminem guest posting in a Lil Wayne song?? It's a hard choice, right!? It may not even make complete sense. You may not even understand what I am trying to get across.



To that I say, just be a good guest post. Cheer people up, make people laugh, give them something that they can't give themselves.


Also, don't let guest posts into your blog of life that bring you down. Expecto Patronum the Voldemorts (I don't care if that's the wrong spell) and send the Titanics a different way. You can't stop guest posting, you can only learn to control it.

Always More For You

today's guest post is from one of my dear friends, the extremely talented Ashley, from Whimsical Musical

 With the end of everything, comes change.

End of the semester, end of a job, end of a relationship, end of summer.

Dear friends move away,
doors slam in your face,
and you suddenly find yourself with the
need to adapt and carry on.

In these times,

you may feel heartbroken,
weary,
dreading the road ahead that looks
so unfamiliar,
so altered from the one you planned to walk.

But there is something more for you down that alien path.


You can give your heart and
make more quality friendships,
befriend the world
one person at a time.

It is that trying,

that effort to continue on well
that builds the muscles in your body.

 And those friends are never truly gone,

that boyfriend has molded a unique shape in your heart,
that job gave you experiences you'd not have elsewhere.

 They all live inside you as memories,

lessons,
patches in your quilted life.

You can always take one more step.

Turn one more page,

and there is always something more to your story.

friend feature: really-he's just not that into you

featuring Brittany from Really-He's Just Not That Into You ...Brittany was also a fellow Mormon Bachelor contestant with me!  I think we were destined to be friends. Enjoy!


I have a few “life directions” as I call them. My number one is to “be an active participant in your own life”. This boils down to almost anything.

But what I’d like to focus on in this guest post is dating.
Ahhh, dating. Every unattached person’s favorite subject. Being a 25 year old single Mormon female, I get berated with dating questions. The number one being “why aren’t you married???” [as if implying something’s wrong with me & no one wants me...] to which I want to respond “why are you so rude???” but alas, I usually just laugh & say something funny to change the subject.
I have a deep fascination with human relationships. Literally. I find people & how they interact endlessly entertaining. I’m even studying Family Studies. Oh, and I have a dating blog [really-hesjustnotthatintoyou.blogspot.com]. And you should see my collection of dating-advice books [I don’t have issues, it’s research!!]. Yeah, I wasn’t kidding.


So, what does all this have to do with “what I know for sure”? Lemme tell you.


Here’s what I know for sure. Life is for LIVING. Life is made for making mistakes, being a fool, feeling stupid & speaking NOW. I know, I KNOW how hard this is. It’s terrifying. But it’s also incredibly liberating. There’s no better feeling that taking the wheel in your own life. Especially in dating situations.
We ladies have been given the short end of the stick on this one. We’ve been told to be mysterious, but not too mysterious. To be bold, but not too bold. To make it easy for the fellas, but not too easy. No wonder everyone’s always so confused! So, what are we to do? I personally choose to do what I think I should, not what people tell me.
Ladies, Fellas: be an ACTIVE participant in your own life! For goodness sake. Don’t “just let it happen”, MAKE it happen. To quote Incubus, “take the wheel & drive!” Don’t be passive. Don’t sit idly by & let life pass you by. What a waste!! We only get one chance in this life. Who wants to look back & think “oh, crap. I shoulda kissed him/her” or whatever you’re personal regret may be. If you wanna grab him/her & kiss the crap outta him/her, what the heck is stopping you?! Your own fear, that’s what. This could be your future we’re talking about here! Do you really want to let it fall through your hands because you’re too scared?
Isn’t everyone’s favorite scene in the movies when the guy/girl grabs the object of their affections & spills their heart out? That’s because we all have a secret fantasy of doing the same. We all want that fairytale ending. But, guess what? Fairytales are TRUE. No, seriously. They can happen to you & me if we just let them. And by let them, I mean MAKE them.


Not too be super cheestastic & cliche, but I love me some Taylor Swift [don’t judge me]. And I loved that her most recent album was titled Speak Now. In the jacket of this album, Miss Swift actually said something beautiful that has stuck with me [that girl has a gift with words, I tell ya!]. So, please, bare with me while I share [it’s worth the read, I promise!]:

“‘Speak now or forever hold your peace,’ the words said by preachers at the end of wedding ceremonies all over the world, right before the vows. It’s a last chance for protest, a moment that makes everyone’s heart race, and a moment I’ve always been strangely fascinated by. So many fantasize about bursting into a church, saying what they’d kept inside for years like in the movies. In real life, it rarely happens.
Real life is a funny thing, you know. In real life, saying the right thing at the right moment is beyond crucial. So crucial, in fact, that most of us start to hesitate, for fear of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. But lately what I’ve begun to fear more than that is letting the moment pass without saying anything.
I think most of us fear reaching the end of our life, and looking back regretting the moments we didn’t speak up. When we didn’t say ‘I love you.’ When we should’ve said ‘I’m sorry.’ When we didn’t stand up for ourselves or someone who needed help.
[...]Words can break someone into a million pieces, but they can also put them back together. I hope you use yours for good, because the only words you’ll regret more than the ones left unsaid are the ones you use to intentionally hurt someone.


What you say might be too much for some people. Maybe it will come out all wrong and you’ll stutter and you’ll walk away embarrassed, wincing as you play it all back in your head. But I think the words you stop yourself from saying are the ones that will haunt you the longest.


So say it to them. Or say it to yourself in the mirror. Say it in a letter you’ll never send or in a book millions might read someday. I think you deserve to look back on your life without a chorus of resounding voices saying ‘I could’ve, but it’s too late now.’
There is a time for silence. There is a time waiting your turn. But if you know how you feel, and you so clearly know what you need to say, you’ll know it.
I don’t think you should wait. I think you should speak now.” - Taylor


Just like Miss Swift, I don’t think you should wait. Speak now. Say it. Kiss the crap outta her. Tell him he gives you the 6th-grade butterflies. Tell your friends & family you love them. Apologize. Fall in love.



Ladies & gents, THIS is what I know for sure.

friend feature: Why Blog?

I am going to mix things up a little bit on the blog and have asked several friends to make some guest posts here.  I love to get to know new people via other blogs.  So every once and awhile watch for posts for some people that I think are really great. 

Today's post comes from one of my dearest friends, Bradley James.  You can read about all his adventures here.  Enjoy!

This is my first attempt at doing a guest post on someone's blog so you will first have to excuse my language. I tend to use PG-13 material in my blog posts. The assigned topic for this post was shooting for goals. I took this topic literally, and would love to relate an experience that happened to me recently. I am currently in a class titled Living With Wildlife. Yes, you read that right, I am in a treehugger class. At least that was what I assumed at first. Oh and you know what assuming does, it makes an A$$ out of you and me. I always chuckle at that joke no matter how many times I say it. It's like the slew of Helen Keller jokes that I keep in my memory bank. They are always good for a chuckle. Alright I have gotten somewhat off topic. Shooting For Goals.

In my Living With Wildlife class we were required to either obtain a hunter's license or a bow hunter's license. I naturally chose the bow hunter's license. Mainly because I have been compared to Legolas, Robin Hood, and William Tell. Please take a gander at the pictures below to determine for yourself.

THE Bradley J.

Legolas

Robin Hood... He's a fox...

William Tell

I slowly closed one eye, notched my arrow, and launched it at high velocities at the target 25 feet down the archery range. The arrow was flying true until it hit the ground generously short of the target. You must understand the circumstances that I found myself in my class. I was standing next to three or for seasoned experts. Each person had adorned some sort of camouflage. I came in my jammy jams. They were all waxing their bow threads and I was using an orange training bow that they usually give to women and children. Needless to say I felt very out of my league in this class. I shot over twenty times that day and not a single arrow hit the target.


Life is not always about hitting targets. It's about trying. I walked out of my archery class that day with my head held high. No, I wasn't the best archer in the class by a long shot, but I had tried something new that day. Spend every single day trying something new. Too often too many of us find ourselves in the routines of our everyday lives. We are stuck. Go fail at something. That's what life is all about. Expanding our horizons and becoming the people that we are supposed to be. Go sing karaoke, and make a fool of yourself. Skinny dip! Hit baseballs at a shooting cage. Why would we all stick to the one genre that we are good at? Expand your horizons and make your goals become reachable. Peace Out