I Owe You a Story

Blogging was so much easier when Cameron was gone. Maybe that's because I had nothing to do, so I had time to blog. The sad thing is, now my life really is blog-worthy and I have no time. What a cruel fate.

Here is a blog worthy story, and since Cameron is at work and it's saturday, I actually have time to blog. 

We got engaged last week. Just before my birthday. He was 3 days shy of being home two months. He absolutely surprised me. I went into work on Thursday morning, tired and grumpy, to find a big box on my desk. It had a bow and said "open me now." 

With it being so close to my birthday, I figured it was a birthday present from my friend Kristin and began to open it. Inside the box was another box, and another, and another. Finally I got to the bottom, there was a wrapped present. I unwrapped the present to find a little white picture book. 

The book was full of pictures of us from high school up until now...It was adorable. 

On the very last page was a picture of the temple and Cameron's proposal.

After I finished reading I figured out what was going on and turned back to the boxes to find a ring, then cameron came walking in and got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.

I said yes. 

I was completely in shock and shaking...He completely surprised me. I was SO sure we were getting engaged on my birthday - or christmas. Not at 8 o'clock on a Thursday morning at work. He did it, he surprised me and I am so impressed. My co-workers ran in and hugged me, then my boss told me to leave. Cameron and I went back to his house to have breakfast. It was such a sweet morning and such a great surprise. That night he took me to dinner at Bucca di Pepo (that's spelled so wrong - but you get the point) and we celebrated our first night as an engaged couple. 

It's still weird to call him my fiance, but I like it. We set the temple date back before we went to Hawaii but after we were ring-official Cameron called and requested my temple information.

We are so so so very excited. 

May 1, 2013 at the Salt Lake Temple.

I could not be happier.

20th birthday date

I turned 20 on Saturday. It was a great day and I was completely spoiled. Cameron came over super early in the morning to have breakfast with me and let me open my presents. Then he went to work and I spent the day with my lovely mother and chels.
As soon as Cameron got home I raced to his house and we drove downtown to go ice skating.

Do You Hear the People Sing?

you should go see this. really though. 

We Go on Dates



Enjoying his first Cafe Rio burrito in two years



SOS Employment Group 2012 Christmas Party

Temple Square

Senior Class Officer Love

Newly elected Senior Class Officers - May 2010

Sister Ward's Farewell - December 2012

Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend Sister Danielle Ward's missionary farewell. She was called to the Billings, Montana mission and will be a superb (danYell lingo) missionary.

Danielle is one of the most amazing people I've ever met. Truly, words can not describe this girl. She is so loving and kind to everyone. EVERYONE. That is not an understatement. DanYell can and does make anyone and everyone she knows feel like a million bucks.

I had the opportunity to serve as a Senior Class Officer with her my last year of highschool.

The four of us (class officers) became extremely close, and I love each of these girls dearly.

I am so proud of all that they are and all that they are becoming. Somehow I know that the four of us will always remain in contact and be able to pick up right where we left off.

Sister Ward is off to serve the Lord and I could not be more proud of her! See you in 18, Danielle.

Sunday Happiness

My sweet boy is asleep next to me. He is the most gentle sleeper. I love Sunday nap time.

A Detail of Someone You Love

A few weeks ago I was assigned in my photography class to take a picture of a detail of someone I love.

That smile. Absolute perfection. 

Egelund Family Pictures

The Sunday before Cameron got back I took Kristin's family pictures (yes, this post is long over due). 

We drove up to one of my favorite little places and had a ball. 

Here are a few of my favorites:

I seriously had the best time. 

I love this little family. 

The Time We Went to Maui

Over Thanksgiving my family was blessed with the opportunity to go to Maui with our extended family. And...this year I was lucky enough to have my sweet boy with me. 

I am so grateful to Kim & Keith and for all their love. It was the best week ever.

We spent the week running around the beach, eating way too much food, and spending much needed time with my amazing family. 

I am so grateful to have Cameron back and to have had the opportunity to vacation with him. 

He passed every test with flying colors (as if there was any doubt).

He even played soccer with the Kuballs - and held his own. Yes, I can now marry him. 

That was the final test.

Just before Thanksgiving dinner

Playing a game of pool with the most handsome man I know

Just a peak at what I got to enjoy all week ;)

Handsome Man

Made dinner with this man. We have it so good.

The Perks

There are a lot of perks to having Cameron home.

Last night, for example, he held my hand in target.

We wandered over to the home section and started dreaming about our one day apartment. 

Then I stopped to get gas for my car. He pumped, cleaned my windows, and put air in my tires.

We went back to his house and he made us dinner. Mac & cheese, could it get better?

Then we had Family Home Evening. Just the two of us. Yes...we are that couple. It was fantastic. 

We finished the night off cuddling. I did homework and he rubbed my back.

We are so happy. 

Post mission life is fantastic. 

An Update

I've been told I need to blog about "it" so everyone can know what's going on. I can't speak for cameron, but I'm 99% sure he feels the same way.

Here are my thoughts about my RM, Cameron.

I am absolutely obsessed with him.

His voice. his smile. his laugh. his arms. his attitude. his goals. his taste. his smell. and so much more.

His mission stories are absolutely amazing. 

In the past week he has taught me so much about the gospel and  I am so grateful to have him home. 

Sunday was his homecoming talk. I'd never been to a homecoming before. I'm glad my first was his. His did a fantastic job. I was thoroughly impressed (but not surprised). I was so grateful to have such wonderful people attend to support him, including some of my favorite people in the world. 

Thank you Val, Susan & Mark, Kristin & Gabe, and Diane & Paul, for coming to support him. 

It meant the world to me. 

We spent all of last week attached at the hip. This week is a bit different. It's the last week before the election AND I'm back at school. I don't like this whole "being apart thing." You'd think after two years, a day or so would be cake. Ya, not so much. 

Cameron and I had some very serious conversations last week. Not bad conversions in any way or shape...just serious. We have a plan and are really going to do this. Come this spring, we'll be making a trip to the SLC temple. 

Stay tuned for some exciting things to come.

Sometimes we will be having a conversation about "us" and Cameron will start crying. Not because he is sad, but because he is so happy. This is a new trait and I love it. He is so sweet and so caring. 

On the way home on friday I literally thought to myself, "It's friday and I still haven't written Cameron." Then I laughed and remembered I was just at his house. 

In case you were worried, he's not weird at all. He is perfectly himself, with a few bonuses. We've had couples prayers and pray before meals. We have temple date nights and he shows me cool things in the scriptures. But there is no weirdness at all. We had our (second) first kiss less than a half hour after he was released. He's totally himself with some amazing additions. 

I am completely proud to call him mine and so happy to have him home. He served a honorable full-time mission and came back an even more amazing man than he left (I didn't even think that was possible). He brings out the best in me and we always have a great time together. 

I am so grateful he asked me to wait and I am so very happy I did. He was so worth the wait. It was hard and a lot of times I wanted to move on and not be "waiting for a missionary" anymore. But after the last week, knowing what I know now I would do it 10 times over. Two years is nothing when it means I get to spend eternity with this man. He will be the best husband and father, and his mission has had a lot to do with that. I love when he says "on my mission." 

I have friends that are waiting for missionaries...my advice? Don't give up. No matter what. Those boys you loved enough to agree to wait for are even better men when the come home. Support them and love them and keep going. Two years flies, I promise.

The last thing I need to say is thank you. Thank you for all the support and love you have given me these past two years. Thank you for putting up with my whiney-ness and my endless missionary stories. I am so grateful for the people in my life and their support. So truly, thank you.

These past two years have been amazing...and I have no doubt the next step in my life and our relationship will be even better. 

In Case You Were Wondering... A Run Down of Last Week

Cameron came home one week ago today.

I woke up at 5:45 the morning he came home and was a mess from that moment on. 

I did my hair, watched tv, went to walmart, cleaned my car, did my makeup, did my hair, got my nails done, watched his flight on delta.com, put ribbons in the yard, and STILL had to wait an hour at the airport. 

I held tightly to my posters (s/o to Kristin) until he made his way down the escalator. 

There he was. Real as can be. 

He hugged his mom for close to five minutes. I stood there ready to puke. 

Then it was my turn. Just as he was about to put his arms around me his punk-little brother Chris tackled him. I died. It was absolutely hilarious. They hugged it out THEN it really was my turn. He held me sweetly. All I could manage to say was "you're so real." 

He smelled the same. He laughed the same. He smiled the same.

The rest of the airport scene is a bit of a blur. 

We got his luggage, took lots of pictures, and made our way to lunch. 

Lunch was awkward. There was too many people. I was too nervous to eat and too nervous to talk. I sat there feeling sick. Going back to his house was the same. He wasn't released so we still couldn't be alone. I sat and listened to him tell stories trying not to jump him for a smooch. 

He met with the stake president at 6. I sat with his family in the SP's living room and waited patiently. 15 or 20 minutes later the deed was done. Cameron was honorably released. We all shook hands then walked outside. Cameron and I decided to go for a drive. He opened my door and took off his missionary tag. 

He grabbed my hand and held tightly as I drove us around WJ.

We talked and talked. We somehow ended up at the JR temple then drove to his house.

We spent another half hour or so sitting in my car, in the dark, in front of his house talking.

"Should we go in?" I asked.

"Ya...I guess." 

"Do you want to kiss?"

"Very much."

Then he sweetly grabbed my face and gave me a kiss. A second First Kiss. 

A perfectly awkward first kiss. And then another. and another. 

Then we went inside and spent the rest of the night in each other's arms talking and kissing. 

The next day we took a trip to Tibble Fork lake in AF canyon. It had snowed the night before and was gorgeous. Cameron had a hard time breathing with the altitude, my poor PA boy. But other than that, it was perfect. We talked and talked and talked. I even managed to sneak in a couple pictures. Then we drove the alpine loop down the canyon and headed home. 

We had spaghetti for lunch then got dressed and went to the temple. 

We held hands and pretended we were a married couple. 

It probably was believable until we went down to the font :)

Sim in the temple in white was perfect. He confirmed me then baptized me. He spoke with the temple workers about his mission and beamed when I finally came out of the ladies dressing room. 

We held hands out of the temple and he opened my door. I convinced him to go to menchies and he fell in love. He loved his yogurt.

We'll be going to mechies again here soon. 

We drove back to cameron's home and mitch and jordan came over. They brought good laughs. I loved seeing Cam smile and joke like old times. 

They left, and we spent the rest of the night together.

That Thursday Cameron and Chris had a doctor's apt. and I drove and just hung out. 

Cameron and I also went to (early) vote. I love that man. He knows his stuff. I love it. 

Friday I returned to work and had cameron with drawls all day. As soon as I clocked out I raced to his house, heart pounding, excited to see him. He got a phone and we went to dinner at the cheesecake factory (my favorite). Our 'first' date. We head hands and shared noodles and oreo cheesecake. 

We make a good pair. We laughed and talked. I took pictures of him and he teased me. 

Saturday we had dinner with my parents. My mom made a fantastic dinner. Cameron was nervous, but after a few minutes he calmed down. He told mission stories (his stalker is my personal favorite) and my parents teased each other. We talked about our coming-soon maui trip (17 days!) It was so fun to spend time with my parents and my boyfriend. We have so much fun together. 

The rest of the night cameron wrote his homecoming talk and I watched.

It was blissfully perfect. 

October 20, 2012

Two years ago TODAY Cameron entered the MTC.

 It seems like a life time ago and at the same time, it feels like it was just yesterday.

As of today, I can officially say I did it. I waited two full years for my missionary. 

I beat the odds and kept my promise. 

Yesterday, I got my last letter from Cameron. In it he said,

 "Kayla, I am so grateful you kept your promise to me, and now, it's time for me to keep mine." 

I can not wait.

See you in three days Cam. 

Cheesy

Here's something a little cheesy, but totally cute! Maybe my cute friends with missionaries will enjoy this:

I thought of you today,

But that is nothing new.

I thought about you yesterday

& days before that too.

I think of you in silence,

I often speak your name.

All I have are letters & a 

picture in a frame.

Your memory's a keepsake

from which I'll never part.

God has you on a mission,

I have you in my heart.

Ten Days Out

Ten days. I'm not sure I ever really thought I'd get here.
Starting with 730 days, you'd think ten days left would be a piece of cake.
Wrong. But not in a bad way. I just want him to be here already.
I'm making plans and talking as if he's home, then I remember, "oh not yet."
This week I got my airport out fit and got my hair all nice and colored.
I just have to make it through this week.
I basically feel like I am about to throw up at any point. Like right now.
Next Saturday I'm running a half marathon, that should be interesting. It'll also be cameron's "official" two year mark. Too bad he's not coming home until Tuesday.
I have his itenery. He gets into SLC at 1:05 pm on October 23.
Kristin is helping me make posters, just like she helped me pick out my airport outfit. I guess she's trying to earn her keep as "favorite bridesmaid."
I'm nervous, and at the same time, completely at peace.
We have our fist date planned. A trip up to our favorite lake. It should be a fall wonderland.
Also, I forgot how to kiss. I'm hoping he has too. Awkward kissing, here we come!

And that is a enough rambling for today.


oh wait, we're going to hawaii in 35 days.

Pictures from a fantastic Wednesday

Birthday pranks...the best

New kicks. Airport kicks, that is.

Janna bought me my very first sweet tooth fairy cupcake!

Yum. It literally was the best cupcake I've ever had

The finished product

A funny picture I snagged off Facebook

and that folks, combined with a daddy daughter lunch date and a shopping spree with miss kristin, makes for a fantastic day. 

Photo of the day

I honestly could not love this picture more. I have such great friends.

The Dilemma

My "check tire pressure" light came on in my car this week. 

The dilemma? Do I go add air to them, or wait two weeks for my manly boyfriend to do it?

I choose the latter.

Fall Pictures Pt. 1

More to come....

CAMIE

SARA

KAYLA

Camie, Sara, and I took a little road trip this weekend and, of course, had to take some pictures along the way. I love those girls. We chatted about school and boys and life in general. We stopped and kneaders for some din din then hung out at my house for some glee and my crazy family.

I absolutely adore them both and am so grateful for the time I get to spend with each of them.

What a great day!