"it is important to know, when you feel down, that many other do also and that their circumstances are generally much worse than yours. and it's important to know that when one of us is down, it becomes the obligation of his friends to give him a lift."

forget yourself. do work. good work.

laugh or cry

life is funny, laugh or cry.

i'm afraid that when god made brooke, i drew the short stick with knowledge.

but my cup runneth over with humor.

so the not so "funny" things that happen in life, still make me laugh.

here are a few conversations i've had as of late that could have gone either way....

but thankfully ended in laughter.

*

aiden: hey bwooke.

bwooke: yes.

aiden: um, your kind of chubby.... but i still wove you.

*

brooke: will you please deposit this into my checking account.

co-worker 1: sure, why do you have a "wedding share"? it's not like your ever going to need it.

{best part, she was DEAD serious}

*

co-worker 2: brooke, did you have a really fun weekend?

brooke: it was fun. but nothing special. why?

co-worker 2: well your normally look better than you do today, so i just thought you may have had too much fun this weekend.

*

brooke: your baby is so cute! how old is she?

asian member: 9 months old. when is your baby due?

brooke: funny thing, i'm not pregnant.

*

oakley: hey bwooke, when's that baby in your tummy going to come out?

*

mom: is it our year for thanksgiving?

brooke: ummm... let me ask my husband. oh wait. yep it is.

*

good thing i can laugh... or i may be doing a lot of crying.

all is well that ends well.

{seriously, i'm grateful that i've been blessed with the ability to laugh. and not take myself too serious}

to whom it may concern:

i'm waiting. waiting to find you. waiting for you to find me.

i learned on sunday that there is no such things as a "soul mate", so i'm not expecting that. i'm not expecting you to come riding in on your white horse, saving me from the latest trouble. i am however expecting to love you greater and deeper than i ever even imagined possible. and vice versa. every morning i pass the slc temple on my way to work. i can only imagine what it will be like kneeling across the alter from you promising you eternity. don't worry, passing the temple twice a day is a constant reminder that i committed to you. that i will live a life that WILL allow me to promise you eternity.

i'm not perfect. but i'm trying my best to be. with that in mind, i think i will make you a pretty great wife. {i can say that right?} i can't really cook, so please don't hold that against me. but i'm happy, even in the worse of situations. i can always seem to find the good even when it seems like there isn't any. i promise to say 100% committed despite whatever challenges come our way. i value honesty. i promise i will always be honest with you, even when it's not to my favor.....

moving forward with honesty in mind, here are some other things that will make me a pretty great wife. football, i love it. i understand it. and i promise i'll watch it with you. and dear i'll be honest, i've got jokes. good jokes. ok, i'm funny. i've got a good job. i can be your sugar momma. i'm enduring school. i will be well educated. and let's be honest. who wouldn't be after taking every course twice? i have red lipstick that quite frankly, i don't know if you'll be able to resist. spontaneity... the spice of life. and baby spontaneous is my middle name. not sold yet? well i don't know how much to solicit myself via blog... so i guess the next step is finding me and figuring out for yourself first-hand.

i promise to make you as happy as you make me. i'll be good to you. i live each day trying my best to be worth. worthy enough to have you brought to my side. i hope your doing the same. until we meet, loves.

p.s. i wouldn't be mad if you were dead sexy. so lay off the donuts. and work on that 6-pack.

p.p.s. ok strike that, i can't expect you to do anything that i can't deliver.

mr. aiden

yesterday i was standing in my closet trying to decided what to wear.

i turned around and aiden was standing behind me BEAMING.

he said, "bwooke, i just got a blessing for school."

"awesome! what were you blessed with?"

"i don't know, it was weally wong."

"you don't remember what dad blessed you with?"

"that i wouldn't be scawared of the dark."

my heart melted.

he was so proud of himself, and so excited!

does it get any cuter? or more innocent?

sunday.

"though it may seem that you are alone, angles attend you. though you may feel that no one can understand the depth of your despair our savior, jesus christ, understands. he suffered more than we can possibly imagine, he did it for us, he did it for you. you are not alone."

-President Uchtdorf

my thing.

someone recently asked me...

what's my "thing".

that thing take makes you happier then anything else.

just kind of makes the world go away.

i thought.....

my family.

my sister especially.

beyond. blessed. is the only way to describe how i feel about my sisters. they are my BEST friends! i have a sister for every possible need. the go to fashion consultant. the problem solver. the listener. and everything in between. i sometimes wonder why i've been so blessed. i mean let's be honest, i've done nothing to deserve it.

have i mentioned yet that i love my sisters?! i L-O-V-E them! there isn't anything i would do for them, and i'm sure that goes the other way as well.

so what's YOUR "thing"?

c.t.r.

when i turn 8 i got baptized. my papa made me a c.t.r. ring to celebrate said occasion.

from 8-12 that ring got lost in the shuffle of adolescence.

when i was in 7th grade i found my ring again, this time it only fit on my pinkie of my left hand.

that's where it's been.

for the last 9 years.

my hands have grown, but my left pinkie has grown around my ring....

i have an indent from it. my papa calls that my ring's "saddle".

(you can kind of see my "saddle" in this picture)

one day when my prince charming wants to put a ring on the finer to the right i'm going to have a hard time moving rings around.

who says you can't wear a wedding ring on your right hand?

moral of the story is this...

i love this ring.

it's my most prized. most precious possession.

every time i looked at my hand i not only see "c.t.r."

but i think of my cute papa.

and i smile.

laundry

yes.

those are my dirty clothes.

yes.

that pile is as tall as my dresser.

no.

there is no visible dent in my closet.

yes.

that is embarrassing.

yes.

i should stop buying clothes.

no.

chances aren't good that i will stop.

photoshoot.

half way to work i realized i didn't have my phone.

she was home.

sleeping on my bed.

my phone is my primary source of entertainment on my lunch.

{especially when i brown bag it and i'm stuck at work. in the windowless break room. by myself.}

so what's a girl to do?

i had me.

my camera.

and 47 mintues to kill....

how do i handle said situation?

an impromptu photoshoot of course.

i made sure i was super sneaky so none of my co-workers found out about my oh so embarrassing self portrait photoshoot.

{don't judge me, but i didn't add this picture to the collage because i'm vain. i thought it needed to be showed by it's self. so i like a picture of me. sue me. i dare you.}

things i'm thinkin

-i'm pretty sure i was written off as a friend by a friend.
-diet coke makes me happy.
-the sheer thought of school in two weeks is giving me anxiety.
-i think my hair is longer.
-i thought i looked pretty today. i love days that i feel that way.
-i'm more blessed then i deserve.
-i suddenly want to save money, and skimp on everything possible.
-i've kept a running check register of my account for the last 2 months. that's impressive for me.
-i have a "thing" for cute things, whatever they may be. a note book. a planner. a wallet. a makeup bag. if you have to have it, why not have a cute colorful one?
-i stink like smoke right now. yuck.
-i went 3 weeks without actually "doing" my hair, thank heavens i've got some natural curl going on.
-i think sometimes we are sick so we appreciate our health. lesson learned on friday.
-i got a new calling. sacrament meeting pianist. scary.
-i'm l.o.v.i.n.g. country music right now.
-i still have serious commitment issues.
-i love ashlee wray.
-staining the cabin part II this weekend. bring it.
-next time i'm out to eat with one of you, please control my portions.
-i love summer. i'm sad it's coming to an end.
-i can't wait for fall to be here and it's beautiful colors that it brings.
-i can't imagine the hurt. sorrow. emptiness. that would come from losing your mother. i'm so grateful to have mine.
-maga, i made the font bigger so you can read it.
-have a blessed week.

today.

even at the end of a less then perfect day, it never ceases to amaze me how incredibly blessed i am.

Moab....

"How Firm a Foundation"

I was on the planning committee for my singles ward's Super Activity. I vested my heart and soul into said activity. There were numerous late nights, countless meetings, endless trips to the grocery store, and many sleepless nights worrying about feeding 90 people. Every bit of work and stress was well worth it in the end. By the end of this extravaganza I was more tired then I ever thought possible. I have no doubt that I was sustained to make it through. With all that being set aside, I had the time of my life!

And this is how I felt by the end.

blessed.

I'M BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!

where have I been? and what have I been doing?

spending time with this lover. wearing red lips and loving it.

spending LOTS of time with her and going on adventures of all sorts.
concerts in the park with my mom & {best} friend.

getting to spend some time with my brother. {also missing him}

last but not least making {new} friends.

=

My fellow bloggers! I'm so sorry for the absence of me... I promise good things are on their way with my blog. It's honestly been month, so much has happened, but at the same time I feel like nothing has changed, funny how life works. One thing I've learned during my hiatus, expect the unexpected. There's no sense in planning life, because life has it's own plan, and that plan always has a way of working it's self out.

loves,

b.j.

Sigh....

Saturday was a sad day for me.... I got in my first car accident.... worst part, it was my fault! Here's how it went down. Jill and I had just left her bridal shower in Holiday and were headed to Sandy to pick out Tuxedos. I was driving west on I-215, I was approaching construction and traffic was going from three lanes down to two. I was traveling in the middle lane, there was a semi truck to my right and I was a little worried about him coming over into my lane. {I was in his blind spot} I looked at the semi and then back to my lane, unfortunately when I looked back traffic had stopped.... I was going about 50 mph so I just hit my breaks but knew I wasn't going to stop in time... CRUNCH! I hit the car in front of me! Me and the car that I hit moved over to the right shoulder and waited for the cops to show up.... I was in tears, and cried for the rest of that day... I could make this a REALLY long story and go into some serious details, but I'll spare you. A $500 deductible, $120 ticket, $4,700 in damage to my car alone! Were moving on.... The moral of the story. "Unfortunately in the State of Utah it's illegal to hit the car in front of you." says Trooper Cox