tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73059174482927607332024-02-19T10:13:12.673-07:00Seth, Brooke, and Paisley MerrillSeth and Brooke Merrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17219558223697988506noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7305917448292760733.post-79863134861739406592012-10-28T21:10:00.000-06:002012-10-28T21:10:12.933-06:00Paisley's StoryDear Paisley,
You were supposed to arrive on September 17th, and because Mommy is an obsessive planner and was going to be in school, I had it all worked out to get as much school in as possible before you were born. But September 17th came and went, and you were still inside my very large tummy! Because I was not dilated AT ALL, the doctor said he would not induce me until the 26th. I may or may not have cried in the office when he told me that. Your GiGi was already out here to help me when you were born, and she was supposed to leave on the 28th. So, Mommy kept on going to school, and we changed GiGi's flight for a week later. I tried everything to get you to come, including jumping on a trampoline (not a good idea for a weak bladder). But you were just taking your sweet time! On Sunday night, the 23rd, Mommy's contractions were getting pretty intense and very close together. We went to the hospital and I was still not dilated at all. They decided to monitor me for a few hours because your heart rate went down a little. While they were monitoring, I had a really horrible contraction that caused my water to break. I was so excited because that meant that they had to keep me and I would get to see you soon! They checked me in, and I told them I wanted my epidural right away because my contractions were really painful. They got that in pretty easily, and I started to feel really good and was excited to get some sleep! However, about two hours later, I started hurting pretty badly. Pretty soon, I was in a lot of pain. The anesthesiologist gave me a few more doses, but nothing was helping. It got so bad that we decided to take the epidural out and try a new one. The new one worked for about an hour, and then Mommy was in some of the worst pain of her life. You were so far down that the nurse told me you would be crowning if I were fully dilated...which I was not. I was at a five at that point, and I was kind of losing my mind from all the pain I was in. They did not know why I was feeling everything, and they told me they could not give me any more medicine. Luckily your dad was there to try and keep me calm. After about 20 hours, I was finally at an 8. I was excited because I thought you would be coming soon. However, four hours later, and I was stuck at an 8 with no progress and your heart started to decelerate. The doctor came in and told me I would need a C-section. I was really scared, but at the same time just so ready to get you out and be done with the pain. They finally gave me some other medicine to numb me up (which I don't know why I couldn't have had that earlier), and they wheeled me back to the OR. Within a few minutes I heard the most precious cry I have ever heard. Immediately I was in tears of happiness knowing that my little miracle baby was finally here. It was a few minutes before I could see you, and hours before I could hold you, but when I did see your beautiful face I knew that all of the hard times throughout my pregnancy were more than worth it. I have never felt such intense and instant love in my life, and that love as only continued to grow each day. I am so glad to have you in my life, Paisley. You are my greatest blessing, and I thank Heavenly Father everyday for allowing me to be your Mommy. I love you always and forever.
xoxo
Mommy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Seth and Brooke Merrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17219558223697988506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7305917448292760733.post-40640324597935497142012-08-09T14:47:00.000-06:002012-08-09T14:47:04.245-06:00FINALLY...we found a house!Seth and I have been searching for a house either to build/buy for months! It has been seriously so frustrating, and we had almost given up hope on finding one, much less before little Paisley comes into our lives. However, by some miracle we have found a house that will be ready for us to move into before she gets here! We were out driving around one day and noticed a neighborhood being built in north Provo (kind of behind the Walmart in Orem for those of you who know where that is). We drove in and noticed a sign with a number on it which we called to set up an appointment to walk through a house in the development. By this point, we were not very optimistic, but figured we might as well give it a shot. When we walked through the framed house we loved it and loved the price and included upgrades even more. I asked the guy when we could move in expecting him to tell me November or December, but he surprised me and told me he this particular house was scheduled to be done in a month! I was sold. Then, we went the same day and picked out all of the colors and such and wrote out a check, and voila! We have a house :)It is going to be three stories, but the basement is unfinished. There are 3 bedrooms upstairs and 2.5 baths and in the basement we will eventually add 2 more bedrooms, a bathroom and a huge rec room. It has a pretty big backyard which we are excited to use for many cookouts to come next summer. It's also in a cul-de-sac which I really like. It's going to be iron grey hardyboard siding with white accents, and the inside will be tiled and carpeted with granite counter tops. Although I am probably most excited about the huge walk in closet and separate tub and shower because for those of you who know me I am an avid bubble bather :) We are so excited to have finally found a home where we can raise our little girl and are feeling BLESSED beyond belief.
P.s. Pictures to come soon...
P.p.s. Come September anyone who is able and willing to help us move would be greatly appreciated considering I will be ready to pop at any moment and will unlikely be any help :)Seth and Brooke Merrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17219558223697988506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7305917448292760733.post-55225614460409229182012-06-10T20:43:00.001-06:002012-06-10T20:43:51.775-06:00Lessons Learned from Paisley...This post is personal, but I want to make sure I remember the things that I have learned from my little girl already even though she hasn't even been born yet. The past six months have been some of the most trying times in my life, but I am really grateful that I have experienced them and am even more grateful for things that I have learned through my trials. These are just a few of the lessons I've learned so far.
1. <b>I can do hard things.</b> If someone were to have told me that I would have to endure the horrible sickness and pain that I have gone through while being pregnant all while trying to keep my grades up and finish nursing school, I would have told them I could never do it. This pregnancy has taught me that I am stronger than I think and that through help from loved ones and a loving Heavenly Father I can do hard things.
2. <b>My Heavenly Father knows me and listens to my prayers.</b> I think God gave me this hardship to teach me to rely on Him in all things I do. I have never felt closer to Him than I have while being pregnant. When I was so depressed and thought I couldn't make it through another day, it was He who comforted me and lifted my spirit. It is crazy that now that I have felt so much better for the past few weeks, I have noticed myself already forgetting how low I felt and how much He helped me. I am trying my hardest to remember that spiritual lessons I've learned and keep them close to my heart. I know God listens to our prayers. I know He cares for us and knows each one of us individually. I am so grateful for the comfort that knowledge has brought to me in my life.
3. <b>There are wonderful people in this world.</b> There are so many people who helped me so much throughout this time. It makes me emotional every time I think of those of you who talked with me, cried with me, prayed for me, and offered acts of service towards me. Although there is certainly a lot of evil in the world, I know there is also a whole lot of good. And I've been blessed to have the best of the best people as my friends and family.
4. <b>I married the perfect person for me.</b> Words cannot describe how grateful I am that I married Seth. Throughout all of this, he has been so incredible. From programming my feeding tube, to making me smile when I didn't think I remembered how, to washing my hair when I was too weak to do it, to loving me more than I thought possible, he is the greatest man I know. I am so happy that I will have him by my side helping me to raise Paisley. I couldn't have asked for a better guy. I love him more and more each day and am so happy he's mine.
5. <b>Being skinny isn't everything.</b> I don't talk about this much, but throughout my life I have struggled off and on with an eating disorder. Luckily I have had an amazing support system that has helped me through the worst parts of it, but I was very worried about getting pregnant and "getting fat." Being so sick I actually did the opposite for a while and got really skinny because I couldn't eat. I remember thinking I must have been insane to have ever wished that upon myself. It actually helped me to realize that being healthy is so much more important than being thin. Now that I am doing so much better and am gaining weight, it has been hard for me and I admit I don't look at the scale at my appointments. However, I have realized that I am more than willing to have my body change in order to get this sweet little girl here.
6. <b>I owe my mom so much.</b> This experience has made me so much more grateful that I have such a wonderful woman as my mom. I remember when I was feeling extremely horrible, calling her and apologizing for being such a brat sometimes growing up. She is the most selfless person I know, and her love and support have been invaluable to me this past year. I am so grateful that I have had such an amazing example in my life of how to be a wonderful mother. I hope and pray I can do even half the job she has done with my own children.
7. <b>Being a mom will be my greatest blessing.</b> Words cannot describe how much I love this little girl already. It is nuts to think how much I love her without ever even seeing her. It is the most humbling thing to know that I will be given this sweet angel to look over and raise. The sense of responsibility overwhelms me at times, but I know that by staying in tune with the Holy Spirit and trying my hardest I will be able to be the best mom I can be. I won't be perfect, but I guarantee I will love that little girl with all of my heart. I already feel like I know her little personality, and I am so excited to look into her face and see a little piece of heaven on earth. All of the hard times I've gone through will seem unimportant when I can finally hold her in my arms, and I am SO excited to be able to do that!
There are many more things I have learned, and I am sure I will continue to learn more and more each day as a mom. I hope this didn't come off too cheesy or personal, but I really wanted to make sure I remember these important lessons, and I am horrible at keeping a journal, so this was my best bet. Thanks again for all of you who have helped me along the way. I am so grateful to be feeling so much better, and I am even more excited to be a mommy :)Seth and Brooke Merrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17219558223697988506noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7305917448292760733.post-79998432663400607752012-02-18T15:00:00.002-07:002012-02-18T15:06:16.565-07:00BABY UPDATESo after two more trips to the hospital to get fluids, my doctors decided it was time for a feeding tube. I haven't been able to keep water or food down for over a week, so we are hoping it will give me energy to keep going! They were able to do an ultrasound a little baby is doing great. She (I'm positive it's going to be a girl) is just taking whatever she needs from me, and I'm so grateful for that! Now we just have to make sure she still has enough to take hence the feeding tube. So I'm going to write what it was like to have the tube placed...if you get grossed out easy I'd skip over this part. Basically it was the worst experience of my life. They take a couple feet of tubing and stuff it down your nose through your throat and all the way into your intestines. Let's just say I was choking and coughing up blood/vomit for ten excruciatingly long minutes. I don't recommend it to anyone, but if it is what keeps me and baby kicking, I was willing to do it! So now home health has come by and set my pump up, and I'm getting some mush through my tube that will hopefully perk me up within the next few days. I never realized before how much I took for granted being healthy. I would seriously give anything to be able to go for a run or a swim or even be able to drink a big glass of ice water! At least this is not a permanent thing. I have to try and keep perspective so I don't get too depressed. Thank you so much for all of the prayers! I truly think that has made all of the difference!Seth and Brooke Merrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17219558223697988506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7305917448292760733.post-12571516118248529402012-02-14T19:01:00.002-07:002012-02-14T19:19:07.522-07:00Baby Merrill!Yep. You read it right. Seth and I are expecting a little one this September! I know you are supposed to wait until twelve weeks to announce it, but there a couple reasons why I decided to announce it earlier. Number one, I have a huge mouth and am a horrible secret keeper. Number two, this pregnancy has been so hard on me. At six weeks I was already barely keeping anything down. Now, at nine weeks I have already had to make two trips to the hospital to get an IV because I was so dehydrated. I have lost eleven pounds in one week. I haven't been able to keep any food down in four days, and even ice chips are a struggle. My doctor has put me on every medicine he can, and it still isn't keeping me from throwing up upwards of thirty times a day. I was expecting my pregnancy to be rough, but I had no idea how much of a trial it would be for me. It is really easy to get depressed when you feel the sickest you have ever felt in your life...especially when you know you will most likely feel that way for months. I have truly had to rely on my Heavenly Father to help me make it through this. Without Him, I don't think I would make it. Of course there are many other people who have been such a help to me through this hard time. Firstly, Seth. Thank you for being so patient and kind. Thank you for cleaning the house without being asked, for sitting in the ER with me when you had work to do, for fetching me cool wash cloths and medicine. You are my rock, and I wouldn't want to begin this journey into parenthood with anyone else. To my mom. Thank you for listening to me cry for hours on end everyday about how hard this is. Your compassion is inspiring. I wish we lived closer, but I find it incredible that I have such a close relationship with you although you are far away. Amber, thanks for listening and bringing me food (it was worth a shot!) and a movie when Seth was away. It really helped lift me up. Whitney. Thank you for driving all the way down to Provo and bringing me my pregnancy survival kit! You are such a good friend, and I am so grateful for you in my life! And to everyone else who has kept me in their prayers thank you so much!!! I'm meeting with a high risk pregnancy specialist tomorrow, so if you can, please pray that the doctor will be inspired as to how to help me. I really need to make it through this semester, and this appointment has given me hope that I will be able to. Although this has been by far the biggest trial in my life thus far, I am so excited to be a mom! I am grateful for the blessing of being able to do so, and I can't wait for the adventure to begin!Seth and Brooke Merrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17219558223697988506noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7305917448292760733.post-72153714398838265232011-06-13T12:26:00.004-06:002011-06-13T12:48:38.544-06:00Our 1 year anniversary!Seth and I have now been married a year! Seems so crazy to think it's been that long already! I guess time flies when you're having fun, right? It has truly been the best year of my life, and I am so excited to think of all the wonderful times we have ahead of us! Since this is an anniversary post, I get to be a little gushy and no one can get annoyed at me for it, so I'm taking advantage of the opportunity! I am so so grateful that I have Seth in my life. He is seriously my very best friend. It is so nice to know that I ALWAYS have him to come home to and tell him all about my day. I love falling asleep and waking up next to him. I love that when I get mad he always knows how to make me laugh and forget why I was ever upset. I love the way he always teases me and picks on me ( most of the time, anyways!). I love that he works hard to take care of me. I love that he sees the good in everyone. I love that he has never raised his voice at me and that he always treats me kindly. I love how safe he makes me feel. I love that he is a genuinely good guy that would help anyone out. I love how supportive he is of my efforts in school. I love how sweet he is to my baby niece and nephew and how I know he will make a great daddy someday. You get the idea. I just LOVE him. Ok, that's enough mushy gushy to last me a year, but I needed to put it out there! So, holidays are a big deal to me. Not so much to Seth. So I was a little nervous he wasn't planning anything special for our anniversary. But I shouldn't have worried because he went all out. After my half marathon Saturday morning I kept asking Seth what we were going to do that night to celebrate, and he acted like he had no idea. Needless to say I was annoyed. But then he told me to pack a bag with cute clothes and get in the car to go to our "activity." I quickly hurried over to my friend Diana's house to raid her closet for a cute dress and we headed off. I had no idea where we were going, and I almost always figure these things out. We ended up pulling into this super cute place called Homestead Resort where Seth had reserved a room for us to stay the night. It was so beautiful, and I was so excited. They also have this place called the crater which is a natural hot spring in this huge crater that we got to go swimming in. It was so cool! Then, we got prettied up and headed into Park City to go to an Italian restaurant for dinner. The food was really good, and we left feeling very full. Then we rented a movie and went back to the room for the night. The next morning, I woke up deathly ill. I won't go into details, but I have never been so violently sick in my life. It was awful. I don't know if it was the food or a virus, but on our actual anniversary I was so sick. Seth was sweet and took care of me, and I feel much better today. But there is nothing like being sick on your anniversary to make it memorable! I was just so glad that we were able to enjoy Seth's cute date the night before without me being sick. Despite the sickness, it was a great anniversary :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7If1nTpY8c8DH8LgQ-CrMWQKkxLRef0UNXvTAOmZ-J-wlF6wphGvR6iKPlx9TlaO3kZIl7RXWB4bH47wwxOvmBDtk6UN3AqMhHh8zfXRZx1ohGuhkqaMi8biRywOitotzNHdpfaG0Kj4/s1600/DSCN0399.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7If1nTpY8c8DH8LgQ-CrMWQKkxLRef0UNXvTAOmZ-J-wlF6wphGvR6iKPlx9TlaO3kZIl7RXWB4bH47wwxOvmBDtk6UN3AqMhHh8zfXRZx1ohGuhkqaMi8biRywOitotzNHdpfaG0Kj4/s320/DSCN0399.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617777608329236738" /></a><br />In the garden before dinner<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFbFBrwYirNGpzTnBwCNYyLCaVzi_BqTIT183tfGXDim_BmrswlSzdiiXXNFyfx7n9rHCL5z0jm6fO2B2GTK2tdgt0PZMkgUEDNVDsqYt4wlch-klzNYHHQAYvJIsQ4Q-fRU_l5xQhI8/s1600/DSCN0400.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFbFBrwYirNGpzTnBwCNYyLCaVzi_BqTIT183tfGXDim_BmrswlSzdiiXXNFyfx7n9rHCL5z0jm6fO2B2GTK2tdgt0PZMkgUEDNVDsqYt4wlch-klzNYHHQAYvJIsQ4Q-fRU_l5xQhI8/s320/DSCN0400.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617777847132603490" /></a><br />Seth at the restaurant that could or could not have made me the sickest I've been in my life haha<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaugZ5S36aEsVUAPRXlYYUK2_CQC3XsDV_P2yFisYpWbsxW-1HFQGHEHteUhdnKXa8OHB6-qh5jx8ULwu5064Y4kjYnZFSTMrSWvPTw6ptCy0OjhnIPAQOggYv_rUgitTTPs_3cV2wnUE/s1600/DSCN0401.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaugZ5S36aEsVUAPRXlYYUK2_CQC3XsDV_P2yFisYpWbsxW-1HFQGHEHteUhdnKXa8OHB6-qh5jx8ULwu5064Y4kjYnZFSTMrSWvPTw6ptCy0OjhnIPAQOggYv_rUgitTTPs_3cV2wnUE/s320/DSCN0401.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617778074604630306" /></a><br />Me at dinner :)Seth and Brooke Merrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17219558223697988506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7305917448292760733.post-24565877106047213942011-05-31T21:01:00.004-06:002011-05-31T21:27:03.115-06:00Babies...and no I'm not pregnant!So recently I have been thinking a lot about babies. Ok, so I'm lying I have always thought a lot about babies. Particularly Seth and my babies. I imagine what they'll look like, if they'll be boy or girl, blonde or bald, brown eyes or green. I wonder if they will grow into more reserved, logical people like Seth, or impulsive and hyper like me. I wonder if they will like sports or by some miracle be musical. I wonder how it will feel to be pregnant and feel tiny kicks from inside, little reminders of the miracle growing within me. If you haven't noticed I am not only baby hungry, I am baby STARVING! But Seth and I have both agreed that I need to finish school before we start having babies of our own. I know it's the right thing to do for us (particularly for my sanity), but it is so hard! And it is only getting worse the longer we've been married. It's embarrassing, honestly. It is not unusual for me to start crying in church when I see a pregnant lady or a new mom. Or just a Gerber's commercial. It has become a sort of joke between Seth and I, but let's be honest it's just pathetic. Admitting you have a problem is the first step though, right? Oh well. In the meantime I will just daydream about when I can finally be a mom. Just for kicks let's play pretend. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZLZztdpWOXcV4RzY4_QlGkvinPibrZ-xIWlGuGwPaj98-oYsKB2TBuDJLA-fANj9oDgq0IVUUldqjOPcZTQj8YtqzgKpPvn_JSf1uOBUxna99-CWtTWKsBmJWhHS4PgHJXgkFmu53u88/s1600/cute-baby-boy-sm1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 141px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZLZztdpWOXcV4RzY4_QlGkvinPibrZ-xIWlGuGwPaj98-oYsKB2TBuDJLA-fANj9oDgq0IVUUldqjOPcZTQj8YtqzgKpPvn_JSf1uOBUxna99-CWtTWKsBmJWhHS4PgHJXgkFmu53u88/s320/cute-baby-boy-sm1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613084753689601522" /></a><br />Let's say this is my little boy. And let's say his name is Boston Seth Merrill. <br /><br />OR<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnah9Xdz0VfT3pXvwaflWdIhBGFkb3-bJ35UuRciVpEcefbp2jGtI9ZbI_KkNiUu2SUBm9nmv2RQogrBS0c-ft3oje3BrXStGM5BXDzCosmH1VB7r9cpjoL14QhppW0rYDm5jBKCa_31U/s1600/cute-baby-girl-blowing-kiss-thumb6425466.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 256px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnah9Xdz0VfT3pXvwaflWdIhBGFkb3-bJ35UuRciVpEcefbp2jGtI9ZbI_KkNiUu2SUBm9nmv2RQogrBS0c-ft3oje3BrXStGM5BXDzCosmH1VB7r9cpjoL14QhppW0rYDm5jBKCa_31U/s320/cute-baby-girl-blowing-kiss-thumb6425466.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613085755642261730" /></a><br />I have a little girl, Ansley Grace Merrill. And yes my little girl will be in pearls before she can walk! <br /><br />Ok, so let's be real. I hope my babies are that cute! But make believe children are not going to satisfy my need to hold and spoil a cute little baby. I guess I'll just keep on spoiling my perfect little niece and nephew! They are the only reason I can hold out til graduation! Love them so much!Seth and Brooke Merrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17219558223697988506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7305917448292760733.post-38678983425679958812011-05-31T20:45:00.002-06:002011-05-31T20:58:50.828-06:00South Carolina TripI got to go home for a much needed visit with my family and friends two weeks ago to be in one of my best friend's, Katie's wedding. It was so nice to escape the cold, rainy weather in Utah for hot and sunny weather there! I even talked my mom into letting Madi and Logan skip school one day so we could all go to the beach! I LOVE the beach. I don't think there is anywhere more peaceful. It's one of the many things I miss about SC. My trip was so fun, and Katie's wedding turned out beautifully. I am so happy she found such a good guy and is so happy. After the craziness of the wedding festivities, I mainly just hung out with my family which was so nice because I miss them so much it is ridiculous. I love how when I come home it feels like nothing has changed a bit. My family is so awesome, and I feel so blessed to have them in my life. Running with Mom, playing baseball with Logan, talking with Madi, and being held by my daddy was great. We all have so much fun and laugh tons when we're together. It's pretty great :) The only thing that could have made it better was having Seth, Ty, and Amber there with us! But luckily my wonderful parents got a beach house for a week in August, so we will be able to be all together soon! After a week trip I boarded the plane (with a tan) and headed home to the hubs. He was such a good sport playing it solo while I was gone, and I was so excited to see him! I hate that I have to miss someone in my family no matter where I am, and I hope that one day we will all be at least within driving distance of each other! But in the mean time, I will be flying across the country as much as possible to see them! Thanks Mom and Dad for a great trip! And thanks Seth for extending my trip and cleaning the entire house while I was gone! :)Seth and Brooke Merrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17219558223697988506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7305917448292760733.post-16372628386916464502011-05-03T13:27:00.008-06:002011-05-03T13:44:21.749-06:00Arizona!So Seth and I decided last minute to take our overdue trip to Arizona last week. The freezing cold weather in Utah most likely influenced our decision the most, though! Anyways, the 12 hour drive was worth it! It was such a fun trip, and the weather was perfect! We got to go to the Easter pageant at the Tuscon temple, meet all of Seth's family from both sides, enjoy the sun, go to an ASU vs. U of A baseball game, visit Preston (Seth's youngest brother) at Eastern Arizona, shop, and eat LOTS of yummy Mexican food. Overall, a really fun trip! I didn't take a ton of pictures (imagine that), but here are a few!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0h6LtfUtRgKzKO1YFzDAQR1bG-y2s9wKpQFRusSTPI1nPJ4sH0NH_M8rGG4Pd4RRIb59VcpKdi063olbOuiZA6No6fCPdP9WRfByA7h9w0U2ZWRxUO3qYyICZj_s0ZfUVCRppQqABfvM/s1600/005.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0h6LtfUtRgKzKO1YFzDAQR1bG-y2s9wKpQFRusSTPI1nPJ4sH0NH_M8rGG4Pd4RRIb59VcpKdi063olbOuiZA6No6fCPdP9WRfByA7h9w0U2ZWRxUO3qYyICZj_s0ZfUVCRppQqABfvM/s320/005.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602576087339293826" /></a><br />Us on Easter Sunday...Seth's grandma struggled on taking the picture a little, but it turned out pretty good :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8HDRqGqx8iFyTcN_blanEUNhWfBi6-c-7y-wSL0ILEYqu3pGD7JhqS0mWYl5p6wE3Bn4Psd-WY54kgO42_D3S7hsRH7b4jwTqKCbN67Op75MNf0FnXdaXNTpiRsTE0tFlmL3kKp4Q0yI/s1600/007.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8HDRqGqx8iFyTcN_blanEUNhWfBi6-c-7y-wSL0ILEYqu3pGD7JhqS0mWYl5p6wE3Bn4Psd-WY54kgO42_D3S7hsRH7b4jwTqKCbN67Op75MNf0FnXdaXNTpiRsTE0tFlmL3kKp4Q0yI/s320/007.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602576354483539810" /></a><br />With Preston after they played basketball<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNYZXzXpYG6U5bmC-5wUQaVoaCHH6oM4s7CEXCaTzboyNA0HDOQcPTN-h0Sow9T-8AZH7epijR11FsS6eoORhPZCEpbqJE3jSKwpDZTW1LsR4EPq5BDwc8QinPDfrnxJgn4QFKeB_U-XA/s1600/009.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNYZXzXpYG6U5bmC-5wUQaVoaCHH6oM4s7CEXCaTzboyNA0HDOQcPTN-h0Sow9T-8AZH7epijR11FsS6eoORhPZCEpbqJE3jSKwpDZTW1LsR4EPq5BDwc8QinPDfrnxJgn4QFKeB_U-XA/s320/009.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602576596887740114" /></a><br />At the baseball game. My head is leaned back because it's big, and Seth's is leaned forward because it's small. Funny, I know. Haha<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS38JZxh2piK2fPCqZ5NXkKAKzWpUGdwGBM6UCaPIWO5yCjCLWe42p7oPrbUT8_sGYrbhCwLAi4VZFyWYY1pk4PN8tY7Ttax4vAc02Cf94D25lKzBdJ3gymxbFeAdtAdtRBiAHcSBmUYQ/s1600/019.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS38JZxh2piK2fPCqZ5NXkKAKzWpUGdwGBM6UCaPIWO5yCjCLWe42p7oPrbUT8_sGYrbhCwLAi4VZFyWYY1pk4PN8tY7Ttax4vAc02Cf94D25lKzBdJ3gymxbFeAdtAdtRBiAHcSBmUYQ/s320/019.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602576924080883026" /></a><br />One of the many catuses/cacti in Arizona. I was somewhat obsessed with them because I had never seen a real one. There are literally forests of cacti there. It's really cool. Haha.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhREx156HGwR1SeFpGEE9PY_J0xIgWY6ZT8AIAKYE5A3RaoDx7-4t_6sxJs9Nh4wVKhyNNrFHiv3WszbXVnsJHqNJFyGTrm-t-cw4a7TA1S4goZaJgp_L9aMiL39Gclu_sxzPKil2FSS-g/s1600/021.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhREx156HGwR1SeFpGEE9PY_J0xIgWY6ZT8AIAKYE5A3RaoDx7-4t_6sxJs9Nh4wVKhyNNrFHiv3WszbXVnsJHqNJFyGTrm-t-cw4a7TA1S4goZaJgp_L9aMiL39Gclu_sxzPKil2FSS-g/s320/021.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602577266149531410" /></a><br />One of Seth's faves. We literally ate there 3 times this past week. 3 times of yummy, greasy, goodnesss that is!<br /><br />All in all a fun trip! We were hesitant to come back to the freezing weather, but I was definitely missing these two cuties, so it made it a little easier to come back!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv2G96WnefjX9VTELRYCxwC9B7R2oB1XTLvqouKy_jiCj_Jl9SmkHbp8DXL7wwqJ_298H8fnkzZd3HRJOeEBXbDze3YeJfln3KDR79fIn8I7OVb3B_L2YGKpNyZsPnvxOOqKj0SdyyW1E/s1600/025.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv2G96WnefjX9VTELRYCxwC9B7R2oB1XTLvqouKy_jiCj_Jl9SmkHbp8DXL7wwqJ_298H8fnkzZd3HRJOeEBXbDze3YeJfln3KDR79fIn8I7OVb3B_L2YGKpNyZsPnvxOOqKj0SdyyW1E/s320/025.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602577699163159826" /></a><br />Baby Cooper<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglVffQyCb_fCUznM7ZS3ogQOoR8aOaXq1vCGTg_X_G02-I50UpSs864GEyxO0qslkJJ_aUFBI3Y_VSCFRTR7j7wYrNOqin46klLHtiS8zxI1yk_gOOxKZd4jbGMxxggFM-c5zNAW8WoM4/s1600/031.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglVffQyCb_fCUznM7ZS3ogQOoR8aOaXq1vCGTg_X_G02-I50UpSs864GEyxO0qslkJJ_aUFBI3Y_VSCFRTR7j7wYrNOqin46klLHtiS8zxI1yk_gOOxKZd4jbGMxxggFM-c5zNAW8WoM4/s320/031.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602577857213738530" /></a><br />and little miss Ella<br />And the hugs and kisses at our return were worth it :)Seth and Brooke Merrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17219558223697988506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7305917448292760733.post-6202359547549280952011-04-30T20:47:00.002-06:002011-04-30T20:56:45.076-06:00At last...This post will probably cause some of you, ok most of you, to think I am a complete nerd. But something monumental happened to me this past week. Monumental mainly because it remained so elusive the past three years. Let me introduce you to my arch enemy-the A-. In South Carolina there was no such thing as an A-. The grades were simply A:93-100, B:85-92, C:79-84, D:70-78, and F:anything below 70. But after coming to BYU I was quickly introduced to a grading system which does not allow you to take pride in earning a 93, but instead puts a minus at the end of your A, denoting that you were almost great, but didn't quite make the mark. Minus. Negative connotation. So in my mind an A- equals failure. Despite my intense aversion to the said grade, I nonetheless ALWAYS seemed to make one. I would work so hard to get the 4.0, but no, the A- would creep in there and knock it to a 3.93. So frustrating! But, at last, I have conquered my foe. This semester Brooke Makell Gibbons Merrill reigned victorious. Straight A's. Take that A-. <br />P.S. Please note that there is no such thing as an A+ at BYU. Discrimination? I think so.<br />P.P.S. Nursing school is even more ridiculous and awards anything below a 95 with a minus sign. Not cool.Seth and Brooke Merrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17219558223697988506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7305917448292760733.post-76892688244346055112011-04-13T13:03:00.004-06:002011-04-13T13:26:15.128-06:00Life Lately...I suck at blogging. It's a fact. Maybe someday when we have kids I will be better. So for the next two years you will have to bare with me. However, there have been many happenings in the life of Brooke and Seth. <br />1. This perfect little guy was born April 5th. I am so excited to have little Cooper in the family! I can't imagine loving anyone more than I love Ella and Coop!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0BWvJ50D8aYOMwP-rJjN5_hQvUlc8OoGTMd2TAOlyvbX23fIQZeJQyesdL5E1eWgOtK9TYRuzCHaUJg_0_o58XK61eoV1tvIOZiFFFBQt8ogYSfv8I5GlVrS7dcrTAxl6fvVXp-ElVGs/s1600/coop.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0BWvJ50D8aYOMwP-rJjN5_hQvUlc8OoGTMd2TAOlyvbX23fIQZeJQyesdL5E1eWgOtK9TYRuzCHaUJg_0_o58XK61eoV1tvIOZiFFFBQt8ogYSfv8I5GlVrS7dcrTAxl6fvVXp-ElVGs/s320/coop.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595146806091693554" /></a><br /><br />2. Misty and Tanner are having a baby! I'm sure I am going to be just as googoo over their little baby as well! So excited for them!<br /><br />3. I made it through march madness without getting divorced! Haha! Just kidding, but really. I like basketball, but it is nice to have my husband's full attention again :)<br /><br />4. We ditched our cable. Biggest news of it all...Seth was the one who decided to do it. I was shocked, but we both decided we will be much more productive without the TV distracting us. Yay for no ESPN! :)<br /><br />5. I am running a half marathon in June! I never thought I would say this, but it really has not been too bad training for it. I have never felt more in shape, and I think it has been a great stress reliever (not to mention the 10 pounds I've lost from it). I'm only up to seven miles though, so we'll see if I end up changing my mind!<br /><br />6. First year of nursing=complete. Well, after finals that is. I am so glad to be that much closer to graduating! I am so anxious to start living what I like to call, "a grown up life." Which in other words means, having a baby. But I am not one of the women who can play superwoman with a kid in school. So, I wait, but not very patiently. I do enjoy the time Seth and I get to spend just the two of us though, so I try not to take this time for granted. Here's a pic of some of my nursing buddies and I practicing shots :)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfIFDYzdrI5JJelT6lyr-fktlGLHVuiWxXAI11Ou4HnqnwTEPvBbUv_uthIL9kCN1HKXIEw8o6gSa_sSiIT3LCpDpFfkt2HcBPS67NKCsTyChPIdpxbArn70TSDOm3VfDU_mpH3SYd9g/s1600/nursing.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfIFDYzdrI5JJelT6lyr-fktlGLHVuiWxXAI11Ou4HnqnwTEPvBbUv_uthIL9kCN1HKXIEw8o6gSa_sSiIT3LCpDpFfkt2HcBPS67NKCsTyChPIdpxbArn70TSDOm3VfDU_mpH3SYd9g/s320/nursing.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595149982400979970" /></a><br /><br />7. My family came to town to visit the cuties in update number one. It was so fun to be able to show my family my little home and spend time with them. Heavenly Father has truly blessed me with such a great family, and I am so grateful for them in my life! <br /><br />8. I turned 21. I know huge deal and all considering I don't drink. But whatever, I still feel grown up!<br /><br />9. I am currently searching for a summer job. If you know of anything good, hook a sister up.<br /><br />10. Seth and I have been married for 10 months now. It seems crazy because it seems like it has not been that long, but I can't imagine my life any other way. He makes me so happy, and I love him a little bit more each and every day. So grateful for all the support, patience, and sweetness he shows me. I think I'm a pretty lucky girl :)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt9Zn-it22eXlh1toXmCUekVEtgOs5sCkIZv4P_JcCM34LRxjix8vnnPPTFSlTJwiKfpdQpMaYcs2SlOnk5JQuhz4kxg-Ra09nIpvIuZaaop3VG33hVHxcwlaoxRQKHJ6VxvwAYFaDFPY/s1600/sethy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt9Zn-it22eXlh1toXmCUekVEtgOs5sCkIZv4P_JcCM34LRxjix8vnnPPTFSlTJwiKfpdQpMaYcs2SlOnk5JQuhz4kxg-Ra09nIpvIuZaaop3VG33hVHxcwlaoxRQKHJ6VxvwAYFaDFPY/s320/sethy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595151633178020418" /></a>Seth and Brooke Merrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17219558223697988506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7305917448292760733.post-60061517489249699612011-01-24T19:59:00.004-07:002011-01-24T20:10:49.125-07:00Vegas TripSo picture this. Seth and I sleeping in late, him watching a game, me reading something from my loads of nursing homework. I look out the window at all the freezing snow, and I have an epiphany. I look over at Seth and tell him I have a great idea. Usually it turns out that after rational thought and planning my wonderful ideas end up being wonderfully unrealistic. But of course that doesn't stop me from sharing my idea. I tell Seth that I'm cold and bored, and I want to just throw some stuff in a bag and drive somewhere warmer. He laughs for a while until he realizes I'm serious. This time, however, he goes along with my scheme and I'm getting excited. He starts looking up hotels and I tell him we don't have time for that we need to start out adventure right away. So we pack some stuff, grab some music, jump in the car, and go. We ended up in Vegas that night...with no idea where to stay. I get another grand idea and we pull up to a McDonald's (free wi-fi) and pull out my laptop and start looking for a hotel. Well, let's just say we hit the jackpot. We saw a really good deal at the Palms Casino for 2 nights, free dinner, and 2 passes to the spa. So we buy them, and navigate ourselves to the hotel where we are pleasantly surprised with a free upgrade to a suite. Our room was AWESOME. Our dinner was AWESOME. Our shopping was AWESOME. Basically, our trip was awesome. Plus, we got to see one of my best friends, Kylie and her cute husband Jason while we were there. It was such a fun trip, and best of all, it was seventy degrees! Needless to say we were sad to come home, but we were so glad we got to take a little trip just the two of us. Here are some pictures of our room and our trip.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg71ijx60wtCUISBDdRIqUcgnMgoC-SgIpOlv_Dl9J98y_6_nTEC1aqpCxjnzVUiNdFhJ3ACVKNIXG5pMWkG1vo9E6H_He_tIZkJYkNuHDmlp2Q4afILWYl1qvz4l4JPrVvVQ7bhI-QW8E/s1600/brooke+001.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg71ijx60wtCUISBDdRIqUcgnMgoC-SgIpOlv_Dl9J98y_6_nTEC1aqpCxjnzVUiNdFhJ3ACVKNIXG5pMWkG1vo9E6H_He_tIZkJYkNuHDmlp2Q4afILWYl1qvz4l4JPrVvVQ7bhI-QW8E/s320/brooke+001.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565954939933155794" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwRO33pvXzSKTZ3sTKVu375uj6K1PnfSbQJm47ow7UkFxpb9egCZR9C2W3NQqJZKuTfLtiHAJRiRYHIThPqTtAFj35EYmfDet8E-u4O2eG5AAK5Oy0CLiqF0yR1SpaJLmoh3BfjPgvdb0/s1600/brooke+002.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwRO33pvXzSKTZ3sTKVu375uj6K1PnfSbQJm47ow7UkFxpb9egCZR9C2W3NQqJZKuTfLtiHAJRiRYHIThPqTtAFj35EYmfDet8E-u4O2eG5AAK5Oy0CLiqF0yR1SpaJLmoh3BfjPgvdb0/s320/brooke+002.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565955181045876514" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKB_G4ivyFl8c2cuoFiyTLQVo3YRnXAmTIcBXWCx5SjVLmCojsw4w9m2-EYxYXzZvHNrFKTVzXOOV-2V5asdaDXvJmBKPVeL6y1SyA0WfLKFxZFg5oX3tgmwT7FhPis_UWtx3eTztD7Qg/s1600/brooke+015.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKB_G4ivyFl8c2cuoFiyTLQVo3YRnXAmTIcBXWCx5SjVLmCojsw4w9m2-EYxYXzZvHNrFKTVzXOOV-2V5asdaDXvJmBKPVeL6y1SyA0WfLKFxZFg5oX3tgmwT7FhPis_UWtx3eTztD7Qg/s320/brooke+015.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565955400422713282" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirwQPY0xygdhhjvPVhsdIVPYu5IZNPFNSvwpmlZpg0iN45SncEsWyNha2mq_uhg-RfliDClKrL_5E5ya2Xrc0_mtHQfz0ec-ak1oCDQBA78xLbJ-KOwohLdTvORRqqygMj95ltdXeYMHY/s1600/brooke+020.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirwQPY0xygdhhjvPVhsdIVPYu5IZNPFNSvwpmlZpg0iN45SncEsWyNha2mq_uhg-RfliDClKrL_5E5ya2Xrc0_mtHQfz0ec-ak1oCDQBA78xLbJ-KOwohLdTvORRqqygMj95ltdXeYMHY/s320/brooke+020.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565955591264890994" /></a>Seth and Brooke Merrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17219558223697988506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7305917448292760733.post-70488532859690725702011-01-02T20:49:00.006-07:002011-01-02T21:29:30.355-07:00Home for the Holidays!So Seth was the best husband ever and got us tickets to go to SC for 2 weeks over the holidays. I was so excited I almost didn't complain on the LONG plane ride there! We were so happy to be able to spend time with my family since it had been 6 months since I had seen them...way too long. But when we got there, Seth had a burning up temperature and was really sick. I had never seen him so sick, and I figured it was the flu because none of us were sick and he was the only one who did not get his flu shot, despite my begging (he says he never gets sick). Seth said he'd just tough it out and participated in all of our activities, including an over night trip to Charleston with me. After about a week he was still running a fever, so we figured it was time to get some help. After one day on antibiotics he was feeling so much better. Then, on Christmas Eve he told everyone he was going last minute shopping, but was gone for four hours. If you know my husband, that is a little long for one of his usual shopping trips (by about three hours). Well, we were all sitting around when the doorbell rang. My mom opened the door and there was Ella! My mom screamed so loud it almost gave her a heart attack, and then Amber, Ty, and Seth came around the corner. They were not supposed to be coming home and had surprised us all! Best surprise ever! After that we spent the rest of the time all having fun together despite our close quarters. I was so sad to leave home, and I can't wait to go back again! Some of the fun things we did were: going to the zoo, going to Hopeland Gardens for Christmas lights, making Christmas candy trains a new tradition Seth introduced, going to Charleston where we went on a ghost tour and ate yummy food and shopped, going to Grandmother's house, going to the Roberts' house for Christmas dinner, going to a USC basketball game with the siblings, spending time with old friends, going to Bouncy Brats, teaching Madi to drive, Logan teaching me to skateboard (I loved it!), having a New Year's party at our house, and much more! Thanks Mom and Dad for having us! Here are a few pictures from the trip...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkE2MuqoWQRX4RdjbTgv8EuKxPLmzB_btZDl23v1EBleTyFkbBtwxAjyd_2EST8YIKsJyPv5ZEJgNpHGbtCDi1G8uAX2bP8b_RDyd67tLJEfEbOlEJ2kBGmv-okhQoANh_Bkd8a5-UtdI/s1600/006.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkE2MuqoWQRX4RdjbTgv8EuKxPLmzB_btZDl23v1EBleTyFkbBtwxAjyd_2EST8YIKsJyPv5ZEJgNpHGbtCDi1G8uAX2bP8b_RDyd67tLJEfEbOlEJ2kBGmv-okhQoANh_Bkd8a5-UtdI/s320/006.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557810896341822722" /></a><br />Us in Charleston overlooking the harbor.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikUuF38PQ4m0QgQiGOoH_pHHgNJHWTYTZlZyMyzCFUHp4dhuzzmYwUNbLvfYZgAt8pgfFC3EayNBV4-EVHnbSVVXcnb27xDcivOMBUBkpZmT4ZOND157Om7rD4paIAqo8Bte5Iky4DLHo/s1600/019.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikUuF38PQ4m0QgQiGOoH_pHHgNJHWTYTZlZyMyzCFUHp4dhuzzmYwUNbLvfYZgAt8pgfFC3EayNBV4-EVHnbSVVXcnb27xDcivOMBUBkpZmT4ZOND157Om7rD4paIAqo8Bte5Iky4DLHo/s320/019.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557811176764907954" /></a><br />My Christmas train<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwFak_TbFfBQxPp-JgEOVPZXfq_7XkcdgUaFoYe-0zQKjW7dp3K8p3y1sRb04HAoraZ_Y1vAkoOyEApOVrSuro7WYdotNlqGDz_ePQiGYqssgxbkHwAueBVRp4pgHGBGIpQHvmzAac8c4/s1600/027.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwFak_TbFfBQxPp-JgEOVPZXfq_7XkcdgUaFoYe-0zQKjW7dp3K8p3y1sRb04HAoraZ_Y1vAkoOyEApOVrSuro7WYdotNlqGDz_ePQiGYqssgxbkHwAueBVRp4pgHGBGIpQHvmzAac8c4/s320/027.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557811422125075954" /></a><br />Seth's train.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-fwxTzx-7p33X-7iMVi9F2z4xMOBxuxJJmFpdHzo4lrpWD3BgS6-OgT_Ywqzfk5RVGo6TbJBxMXVlp87rtIcVmcIrwoeWdj3kQKPAGcdb8UUwH9ksKcj48wg_hMU9JOUN4JrV9HzptAY/s1600/038.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-fwxTzx-7p33X-7iMVi9F2z4xMOBxuxJJmFpdHzo4lrpWD3BgS6-OgT_Ywqzfk5RVGo6TbJBxMXVlp87rtIcVmcIrwoeWdj3kQKPAGcdb8UUwH9ksKcj48wg_hMU9JOUN4JrV9HzptAY/s320/038.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557811640643297778" /></a><br />The girls at Bouncy Bratz.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA61Wjoi5oCMXh9SKqdzh5xYqjdwvqZ58ZI4JXZeSd69bISinDOMIgp5NQtvfKFH89tI5rSbYj4UUyFoY5HZth1X72_TrEV2_Bq5sWTGWOEnYUobvF5Whd9U7_rN7iy0Ml80zn94OlE3g/s1600/044.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA61Wjoi5oCMXh9SKqdzh5xYqjdwvqZ58ZI4JXZeSd69bISinDOMIgp5NQtvfKFH89tI5rSbYj4UUyFoY5HZth1X72_TrEV2_Bq5sWTGWOEnYUobvF5Whd9U7_rN7iy0Ml80zn94OlE3g/s320/044.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557811858698330434" /></a><br />All the kids at the basketball game.Seth and Brooke Merrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17219558223697988506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7305917448292760733.post-16418808914316648402010-10-21T20:41:00.004-06:002010-10-21T21:00:00.169-06:00I'm trying again...So I gave up on blogging pretty much right after I started because I got too frustrated with it. However, everyone assures me that it's not THAT hard. So with a bruised ego I start again! There is no way I could possibly catch everyone up on everything that has happened, but here is a condensed version. We got married in South Carolina in June and it was seriously so fun! Our families were so awesome, and I couldn't have asked for more! Then, we went on our honeymoon to the Dominican Republic where we stayed at unreal resort for 5 days. After we got home and got everything settled we began our life as newlyweds. Which of course included lots of lovin' time and a little fighting over dumb things like what toothpaste to buy and how to organize the kitchen...ok most of those fights involved me telling seth it needed to be a certain way and him laughing and giving me my way, but anyways it's been awesome. I feel so lucky to have a guy that loves everything about me, even my bratty moments :) Oh, and I got into BYU's nursing program! It's been intense, but I love it and love the new friends I've made. We also played co-ed softball with Amber and Tyler and some friends, and don't worry we won the CHAMPIONSHIP! Oh yeah, be jealous. Anyways, I'll try to be better about doing this, but no promises! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1aXhgPxvzllJUqCPde9gEuPDdbBiw2QCu7llnar4mR2UfzBo2B8tcygWO01JEL_ECnpdVIpjFcbwoAsQQF_0OK7Uq3yQBHY7Aez772U4nV8PQKWwIi1kmK8GoFZy4i6QKNboowvYx1Nk/s1600/circus.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1aXhgPxvzllJUqCPde9gEuPDdbBiw2QCu7llnar4mR2UfzBo2B8tcygWO01JEL_ECnpdVIpjFcbwoAsQQF_0OK7Uq3yQBHY7Aez772U4nV8PQKWwIi1kmK8GoFZy4i6QKNboowvYx1Nk/s320/circus.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530699001640139762" /></a><br /><br />Us at the circus with Whitney and Jace!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Z8dvJbwYnMMypRAENLetMgXwhXl5N-PpkE8Nvm2Bs_BPOmtn78YTe24jK0lsSJkQOiGg-MUNxvElc8Dz_SDboT-__wD6aX8nINj0TzTpXHdMMYd9lBGBSdHfsa4PTd_9O3MeYYZycDI/s1600/beach.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Z8dvJbwYnMMypRAENLetMgXwhXl5N-PpkE8Nvm2Bs_BPOmtn78YTe24jK0lsSJkQOiGg-MUNxvElc8Dz_SDboT-__wD6aX8nINj0TzTpXHdMMYd9lBGBSdHfsa4PTd_9O3MeYYZycDI/s320/beach.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530699328387531138" /></a><br /><br />at the beach on our honeymoon. oh i miss it!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9sP6jSYWao3bktmM0_JL0MVpX9tDnx6CXfnLdciPu0wvYd1XbFYA-R1nQDHrzPqFz3vIXM_griYhhmTiZH08WtHWmV5iDx4FKu0U_tK0d5T-nFR3sMIAgBFqKYQ_gvVYYH5pWJpNLCUI/s1600/parasailing.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9sP6jSYWao3bktmM0_JL0MVpX9tDnx6CXfnLdciPu0wvYd1XbFYA-R1nQDHrzPqFz3vIXM_griYhhmTiZH08WtHWmV5iDx4FKu0U_tK0d5T-nFR3sMIAgBFqKYQ_gvVYYH5pWJpNLCUI/s320/parasailing.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530699650704336210" /></a><br /><br />parasailing!Seth and Brooke Merrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17219558223697988506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7305917448292760733.post-14255171350264872952010-04-07T15:38:00.005-06:002010-04-07T16:06:52.485-06:00Ok, so I'm trying this whole blogging thing out because it seems to be the thing to do once you get engaged...ENGAGED...still sounds kinda crazy to me! But Seth and I are so excited to be getting married this summer! Although we joke that it is never going to come, it is in actuality approaching quickly. We will be getting hitched on June 12th in the Columbia, SC temple with a big party afterwards in my hometown, Aiken. Things are coming together pretty well.<br /><br />We found a cute condo in south Orem, and we are so excited! We got super lucky in getting it because there were several other couples interested in it, also. It has two bedrooms, a pool, jacuzzi, grill, and playground. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj821uBDBh4mWT5Lp7CUpwKir7rOGHoeu6Sa_bWA_ua04f-L6UyRPcUk4q5hQwxpVUQpkRMSY5oOusW0o8rmf5fP4Heb6eOZNRak8h8CrKK14khgeLShuPk03SIYHTseT6sm3GxF6WtDSM/s1600/condo4.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 190px; height: 142px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj821uBDBh4mWT5Lp7CUpwKir7rOGHoeu6Sa_bWA_ua04f-L6UyRPcUk4q5hQwxpVUQpkRMSY5oOusW0o8rmf5fP4Heb6eOZNRak8h8CrKK14khgeLShuPk03SIYHTseT6sm3GxF6WtDSM/s320/condo4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457516296241172642" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFB00FLk4DFNdCFZTwQuN3SZpQwDNzUzejvics04Uvqv5v6Sm83qcjJTNxTdqbjEXH-ZgKGYXbeTjJcGQs4AbZIjeFgmx-5EkLhcDZDTSf0XrCO7KOiTOcykTeqtOG_mhK7pAGCjlEcbI/s1600/condo3.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 189px; height: 142px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFB00FLk4DFNdCFZTwQuN3SZpQwDNzUzejvics04Uvqv5v6Sm83qcjJTNxTdqbjEXH-ZgKGYXbeTjJcGQs4AbZIjeFgmx-5EkLhcDZDTSf0XrCO7KOiTOcykTeqtOG_mhK7pAGCjlEcbI/s320/condo3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457516294243153890" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLb3i_EaRTMWysh87UMXt9yQmkPUZ4I0orYpEukEsBcdfrtxw88_0SWhJXmIcb5oHfyaFQaQSoqhYez4iihTikQJ26lQatYjABOCkkjmpNaU7RS3FhUNjgco_5viEOKGEBLBFC3_d6qz4/s1600/condo1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 189px; height: 142px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLb3i_EaRTMWysh87UMXt9yQmkPUZ4I0orYpEukEsBcdfrtxw88_0SWhJXmIcb5oHfyaFQaQSoqhYez4iihTikQJ26lQatYjABOCkkjmpNaU7RS3FhUNjgco_5viEOKGEBLBFC3_d6qz4/s320/condo1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457516289012234034" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje29Plc-BZEbTr8qjpPzWEeIOB_TUiUKBbNEZkmtdjdhPA9pGGAE9TdJRKf2-dk-A3I72gdLRVnNoHlYDrreYvPikyXGg6ILuOJ3BmRqniP6LPCvo_gFzLW5UdK4L9nFD5ACIberNAv64/s1600/condo.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 189px; height: 142px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje29Plc-BZEbTr8qjpPzWEeIOB_TUiUKBbNEZkmtdjdhPA9pGGAE9TdJRKf2-dk-A3I72gdLRVnNoHlYDrreYvPikyXGg6ILuOJ3BmRqniP6LPCvo_gFzLW5UdK4L9nFD5ACIberNAv64/s320/condo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457516287433856626" /></a><br /><br />So those of you who know Seth know how he is about getting good deals. Well, when we were looking for a bed he got a deal I don't think he'll stop talking about for months! Jace (Seth's brother) has a friend that works at RC Willey outlet that hooked us up with a king size mattress that was usually $1300 for only $495! Danny, we are forever in your debt!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZI-h7uyb7XdSmGuiqv4N5XQWgHwaRCbqHaJ7QReakBUDJJvpjsTvAIic4Tnop6x2Zzzsx0pyiQF0kOc3O7ubWtrewCgd_f8SHeGd84T4br7GrBZPQKNuDSjakaW8F-IjZcw2X8njqKCk/s1600/bed.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZI-h7uyb7XdSmGuiqv4N5XQWgHwaRCbqHaJ7QReakBUDJJvpjsTvAIic4Tnop6x2Zzzsx0pyiQF0kOc3O7ubWtrewCgd_f8SHeGd84T4br7GrBZPQKNuDSjakaW8F-IjZcw2X8njqKCk/s320/bed.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457518295371922930" /></a><br /><br />We also got our engagement pictures taken for free by my roommate (and bridesmaid) Whitney's mom. They turned out beautifully, but I promised my mom I would not post them until the announcements went out so stay tuned :)<br /><br />Also, we registered for gifts at Target and Bed, Bath, and Beyond. This may seem like a fun, easy task, but I took it very seriously. Reading reviews, comparing prices, and double checking took a lot longer than I thought it would. But it's done now!<br /><br />We booked Aiken Center for the Arts for our reception, and we think it will end up being a really cool place with lots of room for dancing!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7xSjrokfI5Hl_MifDyNmelRkugJ6ooPiOXfYFN2uaQnDXItOw0GifmJ33wV37JDuHA6ueJ6kfkIsUYoVvNCJYRZIG_sGf3oQDqFq9i_ozrT4UMPUgAc4bUwYRHMmGp0RakU6hMwQfOoQ/s1600/acota.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7xSjrokfI5Hl_MifDyNmelRkugJ6ooPiOXfYFN2uaQnDXItOw0GifmJ33wV37JDuHA6ueJ6kfkIsUYoVvNCJYRZIG_sGf3oQDqFq9i_ozrT4UMPUgAc4bUwYRHMmGp0RakU6hMwQfOoQ/s320/acota.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457520274721846818" /></a><br /><br /><br />With the dresses, cake, flowers, and suits ordered the only thing left is addressing 500 invitations...oh joy!Seth and Brooke Merrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17219558223697988506noreply@blogger.com1