the end is here

Today was my last day of class as a BYU student.

Me&Ry thought hiking the Y would be a great way to spend the morning.

As we hiked, I thought about my time in this little place called Provo. Although I have done my fair share of complaining, I truly love it here. The last 4 years have been the best years of my life. I met and grew to love my very best friends. I fell in love (again) with my Ryan. I learned (almost) everything I know. Most importantly, my testimony has grown and been strengthened more than I can even describe. 

(view of campus from the top of the Y)

I always knew I wanted to attend college at BYU. But I don't think I realized how much my life would change as a result of my time here. This chapter in my life has truly shaped who I will be forever.

It hasn't quite hit me that I'm actually done with school. I think I will finally grasp it when I put on my cap and gown next week.

I am a little nostalgic for the great times I've had, but happy to finally be out of the classroom!

I know that Provo will always have a special place in my heart and I'll always be a proud COUGAR!

Birthday Girl!

My 22nd birthday was absolutely fabulous!

Ryan got work off and we were able to spend the entire day together.

I slept in while Ryan went to school. He came home with all the fixin's for a delicious birthday breakfast. Ryan cooked waffles from scratch that were to die for. I sat back and ate my breakfast while watching Teen Mom... (haha). Ryan hates it more than anything, but watched with me on my special day! Ryan got me a purse that I LOVE that I really needed for New York. We went to dinner, rented a movie and made treats. Perfect birthday!

The next night we had a little get together with some friends to celebrate! I am so thankful for the great friends we have made while living here. Words truly can't describe how much I love you guys!

Thanks to everyone for coming to celebrate...

James, Karly, Nicole, Lindsay and Dani Bree

The girls! Karly, DB, Lindsay, Nicole, Joellen, Linds, Birthday Girl!

Love this cute boy! 

Even baby Charlotte came! 

She was the center of attention the whole night as usual...

Love that girl.

This baby loves her sugar!

Jenna and Me

I think I say this every year, but this birthday was truly the best!

I guess getting "older" isn't too bad....

make your own spring break

This year, we decided to do just that. Although BYU didn't give me even the tiniest break from classes, the Skousens came to the rescue and gave us the perfect excuse to create our own break from school and daily life.

The whole family decided to come up for a little ski vacation! This time was especially fun because we had a huge slumber party in our little apartment. We hosted the parents and Rachel while the older girls crashed with Meagan.

We got to snowboard, eat at all our favorite places, have a little Bachelor party, play golf, cook and just catch up. We absolutely love when the Skousens come to town. It is so refreshing to be with the whole family. We miss you guys already!

updates

Life is really good for Me&Ry.

Ryan has been staying extremely busy with school and work. He is still at Jason's Deli and doing really well in his classes. He is loving the (slightly) warmer weather in Provo and getting ready for golf season in Utah! 

We are trying to snowboard together as often as possible while Sundance is still open.

Shelby can't believe I am finishing my last semester of college! Some days have felt like school will never end. Other days, I feel extremely sentimental and I know I will miss BYU.

The biggest and best news of all is that I got an internship for the spring semester in 

New York!

Honestly, this is a dream come true for me. Ever since I was a little girl I have thought about living in The Big Apple one day. I will be working as an intern at an advertising agency for about 6 weeks starting at the end of April.

I feel so lucky to have this opportunity! More importantly, I am grateful for incredible support from Ryan. He encourages me and inspires me to follow my dreams no matter where they may lead.

I will be going to New York alone while Ryan keeps working on school this summer. We are already planning his trip to visit. (I can't believe Ry has never been!) Although we are both really bummed to be apart for a few weeks, we are so excited for this incredible opportunity.

Let's just say we are in for a lot of skype dates and racking up the cellphone minutes! :)

President's Day with Cole

Over President's Day weekend, my little brother Cole came to visit us! We were lucky enough to go snowboarding the whole weekend. We rode half of the day Friday at Sundance and then headed up to Brighton on Saturday and Monday. It snowed the entire day on Saturday! We were bundled from head to toe and absolutely soaked to the bone. Although we were wet and freezing, there is nothing better than riding in the fresh pow! Brighton got a few new feet late Sunday night, so Monday was also an incredible day. It was fun for Ryan and Cole to shred through the trees together and I actually kept up!

***

It was just so great having Cole here. We have the best time with him! We ate at some of his favorite places, watched tons of movies, played a little Halo and some cards and had the greatest time! Cole makes me laugh more than anyone in the world. It is so fun to reminisce over stories from our childhood and laugh until our stomachs hurt. Cole and Ryan are like the brothers they never had to each other. I love it. We already miss him so much!

Coleus come back!

All tuckered out after a long day...

It was the best weekend ever!

superbowl sunday

On Sunday we had a little shin-dig to watch the big game! The superbowl is by far my favorite game of the year. I don't care about which teams are playing... its all about the ads for me! (obviously). This game is perfect because it's the one sporting event where the boys can watch their beloved football and the girls might actually find a little enjoyment! We can plan a fabulous party, eat yummy food and chit chat. 

What more could I ask for?

How funny is this picture? Baby C was more interested in her food than being photographed.

 We just love our friends!

This little thing was the real entertainment  of the night.

Every guy and girl in the room was fixated on her every move.

We are all obsessed!

We consider ourselves so blessed and lucky to have such incredible friends that double as neighbors to hang out with!

Lindsay turns 22!

Some of my very best friends got together this week to celebrate our best friend Lindsay's birthday!

It was so fun to have dinner, and catch up about everything going on in our lives. Just a short time ago none of us were married or nearly as busy. We used to have a lot more quality time together! Now it is an absolute treat (and challenge) to get together. It is crazy how much things change in such a short amount of time.

I can't imagine my life without any of you girls!

We had dinner at Lajolla Groves!

On her actual b-day, we had cake & ice cream with Linds at her house.

The gorgeous birthday girl!

22 wishes!

 *Happy birthday Linds! I'm so thankful to have you as my bestie!*