A Break from Life

After our engagement night we didn't have much time to recover. The next day my mom threw together a cute engagement party for our families since everyone was in town! It was a great way for our families to meet and get to know each other. After the party we had to pack and get ready for a 10-day trip!

Our trip began in Chico, California for Daniel's family reunion. His mom grew up in Chico with 13 siblings! This year would have been her mother's 100 birthday so they decided to get the family together to celebrate. It was overwhelming to say the least, but I loved getting to know the family I will be a part of in a few short months!

All the siblings with their Dad.

We love Harrison, one of Daniel's nephew's!

After the reunion, we headed to Lake Tahoe with Daniel's immediate family. We had an absolute blast! River-rafting down the Truckee river with water guns, beach days, paddle boarding, and a game of werewolf made for a great few days!

We got home the night before the Fourth of July did some laundry and were off to Sun Valley the next morning to meet up with my family. For those that don't know us, you could say we are just a tad patriotic! We love the Fourth and had such a great time celebrating in Sun Valley. We played croquet, racket ball, volleyball, ping pong, mini golf, took walks on fairway road and saw a couple of movies!

It was a great break and we loved being able to soak up being engaged with our families! Now, we are on to the wedding plans!!

xoxo

A Perfect Proposal

One week ago today the man of my dreams asked me to marry him and my smile is still as big as it was that night.

Here's a little back story about the two of us. Daniel and I have been dating for almost a year but have known each other for about 4 1/2 years. We became best friends, wrote during his mission and then began dating shortly after he got home. Our year of dating has consisted of many adventures and memories and new hobbies. One of those hobbies is biking. We got into it last year when we rode the Saints to Sinners bike race. A relay race from Salt Lake to Las Vegas. Ever since then, biking has been something we have done together!

Last week Daniel asked if I wanted to go on a bike ride to the Cotton Bottom after he got off work at 8:00, I thought it sounded like a great idea! He hurried home from work and we got on our bikes trying to beat the sun going down. I noticed Daniel was riding a lot slower than usual but didn't think anything of it. As we start getting close to the end I see two people on the side of the road holding up a poster as I got closer I realized I knew those people and the sign was for me! Two of my best friends, Lizzy and Kamrin, were standing there holding a sign that read "Carli, I love you..." I turned to Daniel in complete shock! Could this really be the proposal I've been waiting my whole life for??? We rode a little bit more and there was another best friend, Natalie, holding a sign that read "You're almost there"! Further down the road our two best friends Joe and Allison were holding a sign "Just a little bit longer"!

We reached the intersection and I looked up to see both our families and friends standing there with a big banner that read "Will you marry me?" We jumped off our bikes and Daniel got down on one knee. Of course by this time I was in complete tears! It was the proposal I had always dreamed of and I couldn't imagine it being anyone else down on one knee.

I loved that everyone was there to celebrate with us! It made it incredibly special. We are getting married on November 23rd in the Brigham City Temple where one of our first dates was going through the open house!

I have loved Daniel for a very very long time. He makes me smile every single day. He is my best friend and favorite person to be with. I can't wait for the many adventures waiting ahead for us! I feel so lucky to have found the person I want to spend eternity with and am so grateful it is somebody that I am completely head over heels in love with!

xoxo