New Blog Address

Hey Everybody. Well, I have decided to start keeping people up to date again, especially since my mom and dad are moving to San Diego! However, I am going to retire this blog since it is all about me, me and me, and start a new one that is about both Brian and me. So, to keep updated with our lives, which will now be twice as interesting (ok, well maybe not, but here's hoping) you can check out brianandmandyporter.blogspot.com Life has been so busy, and is only going to get busier still, but hopefully I can keep everyone updated!

Some Engagement Pictures

Annie Crowther was nice enough to come out in the cold, seven months pregnant, to take our engagement pictures. She took some great pictures and is such a great friend for doing this for us. It saved us money and time. Here are some of my favorite ones. And yes, we took pictures at the cemetery....we're morbid like that.

And for laughs...



This pictures says it all.

D.A.M # 7

Ok, Dan, this is for you. For those of you who have read my blog since the beginning (and if you have continued to read through its boringness) you will know of the dictionary entry about fishing. It made quite a stir (ok, not really, but a stir for my little blog). Here is an updated version of fishing for you.

Fishing. v. A ritual “nice guys” often have to resort to in order to catch a girl’s attention.

Ok--for you nice guys out there who are having trouble using this technique to your advantage--I have another tip. You must use camouflage. Let me define camouflage.

Camouflage n. A sneaky disguise worn by men when they are on the hunt for women.

In this particular case, I would suggest camouflaging yourself as a fish. That's right. Stop trying to be the fisherman and become a fish (but really you're still a fisherman in disguise). This will then force the girl to come to you. Sit back, relax, and let the girls do all the fishing. A nice guy (if I do say so myself) was finally able to catch my attention, but that's because I decided to do the fishing. I met him, and he seemed like a nice guy, but he didn't seem like he was out fishing for girls--any girls. So, I decided to see if I could get him to notice me. It wasn't until I had already baited my hook, cast my line, and watched it sink, that I realized he had ME hooked. It was history from there. So, perhaps start thinking about utilizing your camouflage skills, pretend you are a tasty, shiny, sparkly fish (preferably one with a coin in its mouth) and wait for the girls to come fishing for you. Just remember to keep your own hook ready! Happy camouflaging.

The REAL Ring

Hey everybody! I finally picked up my real engagement/wedding ring! It took long enough. I picked it up on Friday, but then noticed as I was driving away that one of the tiny diamonds framing the center diamond was missing--so I had to take it back and wait again. I picked it up today though and am very happy to have it. Here are a couple pictures to give you an idea of what it looks like. Sorry they are blurry, I took them with my phone.

The Ring

I'd post a picture of the ring as Emily asked, but here's the deal--I don't actually have it. Hold on, hold on, don't get a bee in your bonnet or whatever they say these days (since I'm pretty sure it isn't that). I have A ring, just not THE ring. You see, it had to be special ordered because they couldn't size it small enough at the store without the risk that the band would break. So...they gave Brian a "loaner" ring you might say. It is still very pretty, just a different style than the actual ring. Anyway, it is nice to have anything finally on the finger, and I think Brian was getting nervous about all those seventh grade boys hitting on me at school.....

Engaged

For those of you who read my blog, I thought I'd let you know that I am officially engaged to Brian Porter! Since those of you who read my blog are probably also the few people I talk to on a semi-regular basis, this probably isn't big news. But, it's still true, and it is still exciting, and so I am going to tell you anyway. I wont bore you (or embarrass myself) by going through every detail of the proposal for you, but I will give you some idea of how it came off.

Brian is starting law school at the U this fall and so he told me that there was a reception on Sunday night where you could meet other law students and socialize and all that. While this was technically true, we did not go to it as I was anticipating. Instead Brian took me to This is the Place park where they have a large open grassy area overlooking Salt Lake. A perfect place for a picnic and a sunset. Brian was prepared with a full picnic basket, a blanket, and even a candle and some matches. We enjoyed the food and each others company and Brian finally got around to kneeling down and popping the question....to which I obviously said yes. Then we high tailed it out of there as the temperature dropped severely with the setting of the sun.



And of course I actually knew what was coming the entire day.....sometimes you just get a feeling.....



I Love You Brian

Zions 2009

Well, once again I accompanied Mark and Dave on the annual Zions trip. Dave lets me come along to make sure that all his young men can make it through. I'm a better indicator than Dave or Mark would be! Brian was also able to come, which was fun. This year we did keyhole again, and then scoped out Pine Creek slot canyon. Getting the permits was pretty much a miracle for Pine Creek. We arrived in line at about 6:15 a.m. and still there were no more left. However, Dave worked his magic with the lady behind us who said her husband and a bunch of friends were doing Pine Creek, but six of the twelve people on one of the permits didn't show up. We couldn't switch them without her husbands friend there however, and we didn't have a way to get ahold of him. We drove to the Pine Creek trailhead and luckily the group was just preparing to leave. Anyway, it all worked out in the end--the weather was perfect, and the trip was great!

The water was cold and STINKY! I felt a little bit like I was swimming through the sewer. What could be more fun?

This is me, happily posed for a repel down into the cold water.

This is me, unhappily showing off the hair that Dave was obliged to saw off with his leatherman knife after it got sucked into my atc with the rope. Luckily I was about a foot off the groung so he was able to reach it and cut it off. Lesson learned: always tie your hair in a tight bun when repelling!

The view from the bottom of the canyon is pretty spectacular. Then again, Zions is pretty spectacular no matter where you are.

This was our last repel--100 feet of freefall, without even a cliff to steady your feet on. The worst part was dropping off the edge and having nowhere for your feet to go. I had to stare straight agead and inch my way slowly down, unlike Brian who flew down so fast his hand blistered through his leather glove. The trip was a lot of fun though, and I would highly recomend Pine Creek for those who like short, intense, canyoneering.