Family Pics

While in St George we decided to take family photos since it had been at least 2 years since we were all together, with Brock on his mission and now with Amy, Shawn and Savannah joining the family, so I called up one of my old roommates who is an amazing and talented photographer, Bethany Jackman. She was kind enough to drive down to St George to take our pictures and she was so patient with our group...who do not like getting their pictures taken. Bethany took so many pictures and there were alot that turned out and looked good of everyone, we love the pictures.
Here is one of my favorite pics of Shawn and I And here is one of the whole family that I love

Thanks Bethany!

We have got lots ot update...

St. George Trip for Dads 50th Birthday...
Here is the beautiful home we stayed at for the week, we loved it because everyone had there own room and it was all big and opened and there were no steps or stairs, so we could get Jared in and out and all around with no problems. We also had a BBQ, pool, adn hot tub in the back yard which were nice too.
The last thing I left off on in my little blogging world was our family trip to St George to celebrate my dads 50th birthday. My mom and I had been planning this trip for a few months and it was a surprise to my dad and we were all sooooo excited about it! We wanted to do somthing special and somthing together to celebrate my dads 50th. So, I found us a great house to rent for the week down in St George. My parents and Brock and Kyle flew in to Vegas and drove up the few hours to St G. and then Blake and Savannah, Jared and Amy, and Shawn and I all drove down from Logan and Provo.
Some of our St George highlights were:
-Seeing Brocky for the first time in 2 years, Brock had just gotten home from his mission 1 week before we all got together. It was so fun hanging with him and he got to meet his new brother-in-law, Shawn and his new sister-in-law, Savannah.
-Enjoying nice warm weather and the beautiful red rock in St George.
-Playing the Wii and lots of other fun family games with the family.
-Getting family pictures taken by the talented, Bethany Jackman.
-Making Christmas banners with my mom and sister-in-laws while the boys all went and golfed and watched the new James Bond movie.
-Going to the St George Temple with my family (everyone but Kyle and Jared)
-And getting together as a family to celebrate my dads 50th birthday and letting him know how much we all love him and are so grateful to have him in our lives. My dad is an amazing man, I admire and look up to him in so many ways and I am so thankful for him and all he does for each of us children and for how much he loves my mom!
Here is a picture of the guys getting ready to go and golf. My dad, mom, Brock, Me, Shawn, and Amy (Blake and Savannah were taking the pictures) at the St George Temple.

Shawn and I in front of the St George Temple, what a beautiful Temple.

My dad with his Baskin Robins ice cream cake...so yummy!

We love getting together with family...

its been awhile....

I have been way behind on my blogging. Have 2 reasons for that: 1. I have been so busy with work and getting ready for Hawaii then Christmas in Oregon that I have not even had time to post and 2. my mom accidentally took my camera cord home with her when she was in town and I cant download any of my pictures...and it is not any fun to post anything without pictures.

So, when I get that cord back I will try and catch up on all of the wonderful things that have been happening in our lives lately. Like our family trip to St George to celebrate my dads 50th birthday, family pictures, Thanksgiving, our first Christmas tree, Brock and Kyles visit, and Shawn looking handsome in his new suit.

Elder Platt is in the MTC

We went to the MTC yesterday afternoon to say good-bye to Shawn's youngest brother, Joseph...or now its Elder Platt. We meet up with Doreen, Eugene, Joseph, Necha, Josh, and their 2 little girls Maggie, and Tessa.

Joseph got his new missionary tag and his dork dot!!!

I tell you this was one proud daddy, I think he was sad to see Joseph go, but so proud to send off the last of all of his boys on missions.

I loved being in the MTC again. It makes me remember being there with my family sending off Blake, Jared, and Brock and of course it reminds me of my 2 months spent there too. What an incredible place to be. We are excited for Joseph and his missionary journeys and the memories that he will never forget!

I still think of my mission all of the time, and am so grateful for my decision to go. What an amazing experience that was, something I will never forget!!!

Another Evanston Weekend!

Shawn and I spent another fun weekend in Evasnton with the Platt family. Joseph had his mission farewell this Sunday and is going to be entering the MTC tomorrow afternoon. It is crazy that my little brother just got home from his mission and 1 week later Shawn's little brother goes on his mission. We all got together (except for Ben and Becky and Boys-we missed you!) in Evasnton and heard Joseph do his farewell then after Church we all enjoyed some yummy food and some time together. We also got to spend some time with all of our cute nieces and nephews, they are all getting so big and are so fun to play with. All of the little boys love wrestling with Shawn and playing with him. I love watching him play with all the little kids, he will make such a good dad...some day!!!

Baby Brayden, the youngest Platt, right now.

We get to meet Eugene, Doreen, and Joseph at the MTC tomorrow to say good-bye to Joseph. Elder Platt with be a great missionary...we will miss him!

Color Me Mine

Last Saturday I took Shawn on another "surprise date" these surprise dates usually consist of doing something that I want to do that I know he would not be that thrilled in doing, so I just tell him that it is a surprise and I take him with me. So, I decided that Color Me Mine was going to be a surprise date on Saturday.
You go and pick out a piece of pottery (from a huge selection) and then you get to paint anything you want on it, they will then fire it up for you and you pick up the finished painted pottery a few days later. It turned out to be such a fun night, and Shawn really did enjoy it too. Shawn is very artistic, so I knew he would like it once I got him there. He decided to paint me a hot chocolate mug, and I painted a "you are special" plate. Which is a plate that you get to eat on if its your birthday or a special day for you. I told Shawn if he gets a A on his test then he will get to eat on the "you are special plate" man, that got him excited!

Now I am anxious for my mom to come out and visit so we can go paint some pottery together!

Happy Thanksgiving

I made this cute Thanksgiving sign last night to hang in our family room, I think it turned out very cute. It was easy, now I want to make one for all of the holidays!

3 exciting things!!!

There are 3 reasons for me to extra happy about today:
1. Brock just got home from his mission yesterday-Hooray!!! Although I was not able to fly home to see him, my parents and Brock and Kyle will be coming out in a little over a week, I have waited 2 years to see him...so I can wait 9 more days.
2. I was flipping through the radio stations in my car and found Christmas music-that always makes me happy (no matter what time of year!)
3. And I spoke with our landlord last night and she is going to have someone come out to fix our heater and our oven. Now Shawn and I don't have to fight over blankets in our sleep and the food I cook with bake evenly instead of burning on the bottom and not cooking the top.

So for those 3 reasons and many more...today is a good day!

Its Snowing!

I woke up this morning and it was snowing. This is our first snow of the season. I do love the snow. I love busting out all of my winter clothes, I love the white mountains, skiing, and tubing, but right now our heater is not working so I am a little concerned about waking up and coming home to a freezing cold house...I need to call our landlords. But Yay for snow! On a side note....I also woke up this morning to Obama as the new president. I am not going to lie, I am a little nervous for what the future will bring.

Halloween in Wyoming

Shawn and I got to spend a fun and relaxing Halloween weekend up in Evanston. Shawn's youngest brother, Joseph, is leaving for his mission to Tennessee in 2 weeks. So, we went up to spend some HQ time with Joseph before he takes off. We also got to see our 2 cute nieces and see how big they are both getting. Maggie is so big walking all over the place and Tessa loves to talk and talk.

Shawn and Joseph got to spend some brother time together and they also went shooting with their dad, I opted out of all those manly festivities and chose to stay home reading and watching the BYU game. We had a fun weekend and love having family so close and look forward to going back up to Evasnton soon for Josephs farewell.

I love the Fall!

Autumn is one of my very favorite times of the year. I love when the air starts to turn cold, and leaves all start changing colors, football games are going on, drinking hot chocolate is a must, and the holiday season become closer and closer.
There is a path that runs right behind our house and follows the Provo River and it is so beautiful this time of year. I love driving by and seeing the trees all change color, and it welcomes me home each day when I drive home from work.

Haunted House

This past weekend my cousins and Aunt and Uncle came into town and we all got to meet up on Saturday night at a haunted house...the best part about it was we got free tickets! I was happy to get free tickets to the haunted house because I just walked behind Shawn with my head buried in this back and I did not look up one single time...I know I am a big wimp!
It is always fun seeing our cousins, we love them all!
I love the holiday season coming up, but Halloween is defiantly not one of my favorite holidays.

TeeJay's Baptism

The Areja's are a family that Shawn knew well from his mission, they became his favorite mission family fast and helped take care of him, feed him, and helped with missionary work as well, then even drove up from California to be at our wedding. They recently moved from Vellejo, California to Lehi, Utah and now we get to see them very often. TeeJay, who is the youngest just turned 8 years old and they asked that Shawn Confirm him after his baptism. We work up early Saturday morning and meet the Areja family and others at the church for an 8:30 baptism. Kerry (TeeJay's older brother) baptized him and then Shawn got to confirm him, and he did a great job. What an amazing husband I have, I am grateful to have a worthy Priesthood Holder in my home. We love having the Areja's live so close to us, they have become a very special family to both Shawn and I!

Flowers from my Husband!

Shawn had to spend all last Saturday on campus studying and taking a test, so when he finally came back home, he surprised me with a dozen roses. I was excited to get some flowers from him, but not as excited as he was to give them to me. He was so cute, because he had the biggest grin on his face and he was hiding them behind the door when he walked in, then he shut the door and handed them to me, he was so happy to give them to me, he was also pleased to let me know that he picked out each flower himself. I love me roses, but I love my husband even more! He is the BEST!

Dinner at Zupas!

Jared and Amy had to come down for a doctors appointment for Jared, so they decided to stop by Provo and we met up with our cute cousins. The new little freshman; Brandalyn, Kara Rose, and Amber. We had a yummy dinner at Zupas and enjoyed chatting with each other. we decided to take a picture outside of the restaurant of Jared with all of the girls...
And then a picture of the boys. And of course, Jared got his own picture taken too. He gets lots of pictures taken, we got to make sure and blog pictures so his mom and grandma can see him too!
Its so fun having so many cousins and family living so close, we love to get together to see them. And Brocky will be coming soon too.

Its Conference Time its Conference Time!

We love Conference Time! We have the great opportunity to go to at least 1 session of Conference at the Conference Center, which is such an amazing experience to be surrounded by so many members of the church and to be in the presence of the Prophet and the Apostles. But we also love to be in our pj's eating breakfast/lunch and relaxing in our love sac while watching conference as well. We got to go to the Sunday morning session, and we got poured on while we waited in line to get into the Conference Center, but by the time Conference was over the sun was out and the skies were clear. We love Conference weekend, and the spiritual fix we get as we listen and learn from the Prophet and Apostles. I thought it would be fun to drive to Sandy and to take the Trax up to Salt Lake, so thats what we did and I thought it was pleasant sitting back and watching out the windows of the train, Shawn did not love it, but it was nice getting dropped off in front of Temple Square and not having to worry about parking and walking in the rain.
Here is a picture of my hubby and I waiting for the train to come by to pick us up...as you can tell it is a little sunny outside.

September 26

September 26 is a day that I will never forget!!!

I was in my little apartment in Winters, California getting ready for District Meeting when Hermana Weed answered the phone and then handed it to me, I said hello and realized that it was my mother on the other end! I knew right then that something was wrong, she informed me that Jared had been in an accident the night before and that her and my dad were at the airport trying to get a flight out to Salt Lake. They said they would call me that night to let me know more details, since they didn't know much themselves at that time. I said alittle prayer for my bro and headed off to district meeting not thinking much about it. I of course at this time did not realize the severity of the accident nor the trauma that Jared endured. I was able to stay in contact with my parents for the next few weeks, with little 10 minuet updates each night, I was grateful for my little chats with my parents each night, but even then I was not informed of the severity of this all. I was a little bit sheltered by all of this while I was on my mission-looking back I am grateful I was. I remember coming home from my mission and being in the kitchen/family room when Jared and Amy came in, I can still picture that first moment I had with him...being a little bit nervous, not knowing how to react, and having everyone watching me. I remember grabbing his hand and saying "hello" to him. It was all so natural (just like it has always been with us, and always been since then).
I am so very grateful for Jared Paul, him and I have always been so close. Playing as little kids, helping him pick out outfits for his dates, cleaning his car shop, him taking me shopping, daily phone calls my first year of college, his big hugs, always making me laugh, and the way he would pop my toes when I was asleep...just to make me mad, and of course the last time I saw him (before his accident) in the Provo Temple parking lot yelling out my name, then giving me a hug, then handing me a Cafe Rio Salad and his cell phone to call Blake...well I was at the MTC at this time and I got my name called over the loud speaker in the cafeteria of the MTC while I was eating dinner to go to the office, he had gotten me in big trouble!
Jared has always loved to have FUN, no matter what the expense just as long as everyone was having a good time. I love my little brother so much and I am grateful that we have him here with us, he is a very tough boy and I know that he has a very special purpose while still on this earth, and I know my family has been given a special opportunity to have Jared as a part of our lives.
Now this date has come around again, and it gives me an opportunity to think back to that day that Jared was almost taken from us, and to think back to how amazing Jared was and is now today, and to thank my Heavenly Father for letting Jared stay with us and change our lives forever.

Quirky things about Carissa

I was in a workshop yesterday for work and I got alittle bored so I started thinking about a blog that I had just read and it talked about a few interesting and quirky things about that person that many other people may not know about them. I started thinking about things about me that many people may not know, I started writing a few of the things down and I decided to post them on my blog (mainly to share with my mom and husband to see really how well they really know me).
-I am absolutely horrible with directions, I cannot follow maps and I never know where my north, south, east, and west are. To me north is always right in front of me, so no matter which direction I am standing north is always straight ahead.

-I have to always have my volume on an even number when I am in my car, I don't know why that is just how it has always been. On purpose my husband will put his volume on an odd number when we are in his vehicle or at home.

-I love sprinkles. If I ever see anything covered in sprinkles I want it. I know they don't really taste like anything and they are mostly to attract little kids but they also attract me. My favorite is a donut with chocolate frosting and nice covering of colorful sprinkles.

-I have a fear of being in a bad car accident. I am always a very paranoid passenger, especially in traffic or bad weather.

-I make lists for everything! I have lists at work, lists on my refrigerator, temporary lists everywhere and then a permanent list that I carry in my purse. I also love to cross things off my list! I will write something down on my list that I had just done so that I can have the satisfaction of crossing it off.
My husband hates list, he wants nothing to do with them. So, I have a secret list for him that I make and then I will cross things off of it when he does things.

-I learned on my mission that I have a very real and extreme phobia of mice and rats. Like I was in a room that had mice in it while teaching on my mission and started sweating, and my heart was pounding and I could not put my feet on the floor and I was seriously having a panic attack. I had to leave and go home to lay down on my bed to calm down.
I just keep thinking these dirty nasty mice are going to run up my pant leg and bite me. I just read yesterday that like 100 people die a year from some disease that mice and rats carry and I do not want to be one of those statistics!

-I don't know why but I never put a new toilet paper roll in the toilet paper holder. Whenever I have a new roll I will just leave it on the counter, or the floor, or anywhere else but the holder. I never realized this but my husband had to point it out for me because he is the one who always does it. Now that I am aware of this, I am trying to do better.

-I cannot stand to see anyone get a shot. I don't mind getting a shot myself, but I cannot watch anyone else get a shot. Even when it is animated on TV and someone gets a shot it makes me a little woozy and nauseous. I will defiantly need my mother when I have children of my own that will need shots at the doctors.

-I have to have fingernail clippers with me everywhere I go. I have a pair at home, in my car, in my purse, and in my desk at work. I cannot stand to have any kind of hangnail or little piece of skin that needs clipped, I have to take care of it immediately or I cannot concentrate on anything.

- And last quirky and strange thing about me is that I am a very "scardy cat girl" I am always worried about bad guys being in my home. Whenever Shawn and I get home from a trip I always have him check out the whole house (like under the beds, and in the closets before I can come in and unpack). I also always pull my shower curtain back to make sure no one is in their before I go into the bathroom, I also have Shawn check under our Love Sac...you know those Bad Guys can be creative hiders.

Well that is about it, and I am sure some of my roommates already knew most of that strange stuff about me too.

Pictures & Update of Elder Nelson

While in Oregon, I uploaded some pictures of my cute little missionary brother, Elder Brocky Nelson. I did not have any pictures of him, since he always sends them home to my mom, so I thought I would blog alittle bit about him. He has 1 transfer left and will be home in November...I cant wait! Brock is serving in the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Mission and loves it. He has had fun serving in some big ghetto cities, 1 big college town and also in some tiny little Amish towns. He has loved being a missionary and always emails home the most amazing and inspiring emails. He loves his family, he loves the Lord, and loves the missionary work. Brock will be home in November and we are all so anxious to have him home, he will be coming to school here in Provo at BYU starting in January. It will be so fun to have him close.

weekend in Logan

Shawn and I decided to head up to Logan to celebrate Blake's 27th Birthday. We left Friday evening after work and arrived in Logan just in time to watch a movie and go to bed. On Saturday morning Shawn, Savannah, Blake and I went hiking up to the Wind Caves in the Logan Canyon. It was a perfect day to hike and we had some beautiful views, and I realized that I need to spend a bit more time hiking. We then spent the rest of our day hanging with Jared and Amy and watching BYU beat the Washington Huskies. Later that night we met up with Savannah and Blake again at the Logan Demolition Derby. That was so fun and crazy, I didn't know what to expect when we got there, but it was so crazy that a ring of beat up old vehicles would just slam into each other until there was only 1 left running. That night we had a yummy ice cream cake from Cold Stone and sang Happy Birthday to Blake. Sunday we went to church, ate a delicious halibut dinner made by Savannah, and then we headed over to Jared and Amy's house for homemade peach cobbler and vanilla ice cream (Blake's favorite) and again celebrated Blake's birthday (but this time with Jared and Amy too). After that we headed home, but first we stopped by the Logan Temple for a picture. Shawn and I got home in time to listen to Elder Hollands Fireside then we had some friends over and my adorable little college cousins, Brandalyn and Kara Rose over to make some tiny little carmel apples. We had such a fun weekend hanging out with Blake and Savannah, and Jared and Amy, we are happy to live close to my siblings (especially with Brock living here in January) but wish they all lived even closer.
Demolition Derby Blake with his birthday cake and a kiss from his wifey
Hanging with Jared Sunday afternoon, he was so happy.
Group shot for my mom...Blake, Savannah, Amy, Jared, Shawn and I
Shawn next to the Logan Temple, such a beautiful Temple
Shawn, and I with Blake and Savannah (alittle break from our hike)

We made it to the Top!
Shawn and I resting after our hike in the Wind Caves

Blake and Savannah...so cute together And Shawn doing a little rock climbing.
We had such a great time!