Braden & Rachel

Time

2011-03-25T16:48:00.000-07:00

Honestly, where does time go? I remember the beginning of this semester, and thinking about how FAR away April 16th seemed. Now it is right around the corner. After this semester I will be a senior in college.

Wait...what?

Seriously, it feels like the amount of time I spent in high school was WAY longer than these years I have spent in college. And before I know it, next year will fly by, and I will be a college graduate. I'm not going to lie, I cannot wait for this semester to be over with. It has been brutal. But, sometimes I feel like time is going by way too fast. Braden will be a junior this upcoming season in football. I mean, really people? I have been with him since his red shirt year. Where did all the time go?!

For some great news, after finals I will be spending a week here (West Palm Beach, Florida) with my Hubby soaking up the sun and just relaxing. Can't wait.

Two Years Ago...

2011-03-15T13:39:00.000-07:00

I got engaged to my best friend.

I love you B.

The actual date was March 13th, but we have just been too busy celebrating to post!

Anti-Social

2011-03-10T13:28:00.000-08:00

Do you ever go through those phases where you enjoy just being alone? I feel like I am in this phase constantly during winter time where I just want to be alone with Braden or by myself.

Maybe it is the fact that during the fall he is gone every single weekend, so we spend the whole winter trying to catch up on all of our missed weekends in the fall. Who knows. But if you haven't seen us in awhile, we haven't called in awhile, or you are thinking we are just straight up avoiding you--just know it is nothing personal. We just enjoy being loners.

Seriously though, I feel like we have been anti-social for such a long period of time, that I have become awkward whenever we do choose to be around people. (I had to add this in: Soph--remember when you spent a couple months at your cabin and you came home and felt this way? I know exactly how you were feeling). So, once you do finally see us, I will apologize in advance for my awkwardness.

I can't say that I hate this whole anti-social thing, though. B and I are having so much fun together. It is like a date night every single night with just us two, what could be better? After my two midterms in two days this week, it was so nice to eat some dinner with Braden, rent a movie, and grab some Golden Spoon (if you have not been, GO. It is deeelicious). I really do feel like the luckiest girl in the world sitting in sweats, watching a movie, and having my best friend with me.

So for right now I will cherish every minute of this anti-social period.

Two posts in one day? Record for sure.

P.S.--we watched Life as We Know It the other night. Let's just say Braden has now pushed having a baby back two years later than we had planned before watching the movie. We'll see who wins this battle.

I'm Baaaack

2011-03-10T13:15:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I feel like every single post I start out with, I talk about how it has been ages since I have posted. So, I will spare you all from the repetitiveness of it all.

I have officially decided to be better, and have made a goal to blog at least once a week (that's a big deal for me).

This weather today has made me so happy. What is it about the sunshine that can just make everything seem beautiful and great? One day it is snowing and I am complaining about how miserable life is, the next we have this beautiful sunshine and all I can think about is how fabulous life is.

Today I read three different posts on my friends blogs (Soph, Laur, McCall), about charity and not judging other people. It has seriously gotten me thinking about my life. What they all said really is so true. Why is it that we constantly judge people, and we constantly just compare them to the people they were in high school? I have to say I am still so guilty of this, but have now made the resolution to change, and give everyone a blank slate. Don't we all deserve it? Thank you, ladies, for helping me want to change and be a better person.

In other news, there is only one month left of Winter Semester. PRAISE THE MAN ABOVE. Seriously people. I have 15 credit hours of straight business classes, and I'm not going to lie, it has been brutal. The beautiful thing? After this semester, I will only have 20 credit hours left until I graduate. Yup, you heard me, TWENTY. I feel like the end is finally in sight, and I cannot wait to graduate. (But then I guess I have to start finding a job and live in the real world, but I'll worry about that when the time comes).

I feel like my posts are so jumbled and I just rambled on for quite some time, so I promise the next post will be much more focused.

Enjoy the sunshine! (Hopefully it stays for a couple days)

Dear Distance,

2010-09-15T14:35:00.000-07:00

I would really appreciate if you would stop existing so that I could see the people I love whenever I feel like it.

Lately I have been thinking about how much I love my family. I am so blessed to have such amazing siblings, and so grateful they have all married such amazing people. I have also been thinking about how much I hate not all living in the same place.

I miss being the baby of the family, and having everyone at home. I miss our lame family sleep overs, when everyone would end up sneaking away to their bed in the middle of the night. I miss Christmas Eve nights when we would all go pile into Amy's bed and just stare at the clock waiting for the designated time when we could go look at our presents. I miss when my dad would make chocolate pudding for all of us in the old-school mugs. I just miss so many different things.

BUT....

I am so grateful for the wonderful additions that have come into our family because of time. Especially these little ones.

And I can't forget my favorite addition of them all....

I just love this boy!

I really am so thankful for my family. I love them all so much and am always looking forward to the next time we are all together again!

Let the Games Begin

2010-09-07T16:47:00.000-07:00

Some of the fam after the game

So there is always one great thing about the beginning of the school year - it is the beginning of football season, as well. I think being able to watch college football is what gets me through the school year. However, it is quite stressful when Braden plays. Anyway, BYU played the University of Washington on Saturday. It was a great game, and BYU came out with a win, 23-17. Braden started at Offensive Tackle and did an amazing job! William and Yesi were even able to make it to the game, so we were very happy about that.

Starting line up!

B and I on the field after the game

I cannot wait to see what the rest of the football season has in store for us. We are crossing our fingers it will be a great one. Go Cougars!

One Year

2010-07-05T10:31:00.001-07:00

We have made it. The big one-year mark. This past year has been full of so much love and happiness. I have learned so many new things about Braden, and have grown to love him more and more each day.

Here are some new things I learned about Braden and things I absolutely love about him for each month of our fabulous marriage.

He has the most amazing heart. He would do anything not only for the people he loves, but also for people who he has just met.
He is one of the most dedicated people I know. When he has a goal, nothing gets in his way.
He is a worthy priesthood holder and loves the Gospel.
He is adorable with kids. All of the little nieces LOVE Braden. When he comes around, they don't care about anyone else. When they see me, the first thing they ask is, "Where's Braden?"
He makes me laugh. Constantly. Even when I want to be mad at him, he has me laughing within seconds.
He is always warm. Seriously, when I am freezing, he is like my little heater (well, he isn't that little, but you get the point). I love it.
He loves to cook. When we make dinner together, he loves every second of it. And he is quite talented at it!
He is humble. No matter how well he does in something, he never changes who he is.
He is a big BYU fan. Weird, huh?
He is so. dang. handsome. I just love looking at him every single day!
He inspires me to be a better person.
He is mine. Forever :)

What an amazing year it has been. I love this boy more than he will ever know, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for us!

Summer Fun

2010-06-15T10:30:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Braden and I got together with a bunch of our friends and went on a big group date. It was so much fun. We at at Cafe Rio, and then played some volleyball. I have to admit, I thought I was somewhat decent from my experience in Young Womens volleyball, but I was completely wrong. I made a complete fool out of myself. Braden and I decided it would be better if we were on different teams, just to make it that much more competitive. I think my team beat him every game. What a great feeling :)

All of the girls. It takes too much effort to get all the guys in a picture...

Fall/Winter Update

2009-12-06T14:36:00.000-08:00

Here is a little update of what B and I have been up to the last couple of months...

Thanksgiving dinner. Braden was gone the whole entire day of my birthday because he was with the team. The things I do as the wife of a football player. But, we pretended Thanksgiving was my birthday dinner. It was fabulous being with the whole entire family.

Amy and her family came and spent Thanksgiving with us this year. It was so much fun having the whole family together, I absolutely love when Amy and her family are in town. If only we could all live in the same state. This is the littlest of Amy's little girls, Savvy. How stinkin' cute is she?! I seriously cannot get enough of this face!!

Here is a quick recap of the last few months. Above is a picture of Braden and I on the BYU field after the big win over Utah. It was so much fun watching Braden play and was so exciting to get a win over the Utes!

B is number 75. He is kind of small, huh? :) He is such a stud, I can't wait to continue to watch him play the next few years!

I turned twenty on November 27th and this was my gift from Braden. It is exactly what I wanted, and was such a surprise!

I came home to this on the door for my birthday. Braden had posted twenty different things around the house. He is such a keeper. I couldn't stop smiling.

Spencer and Brittany got ENGAGED today. They are going to be getting married in Colorado in February. We could not be more excited. She is so cute and they are just perfect for each other. Three weddings in one year. That has got to me some kind of record. My mom said, "Bless my heart, and bless dad's bank account". Couldn't have said it better :)

We went to a Christmas party the other night with some of Braden's high school friends. It was so much fun, and Braden and I got to wear some pretty sweet sweaters. Please, try not to be jealous.

That is about all for the update as of now. Finals are coming up which I am not too excited about it, but at least Christmas Break is almost here!! I love being with my whole family and celebrating the holidays. I have so much to be thankful for and am grateful for these times to help me remember all that I have been given.

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!!

He's LEGAL

2009-10-29T09:37:00.000-07:00

Braden turned 21 on October 10th. For his birthday, I attempted to surprise him by taking him up to our family's condo in Park City. We had a blast. After the Utah State game we drove up to Park City and began our fun little vacation away from P-town. We woke up on Saturday and went golfing. It was my first time actually playing instead of just being on the driving range, and I actually really enjoyed it! We then went to the outlets and then had a delicious dinner at Ruth's Chris. After dinner, we rented Ratitouille and watched that--it was B's choice and it was really cute! Anyway, we had a fabulous time. Except...I forgot to take pictures!! I am so upset with myself. But here is a picture from his birthday dinner with all the little nieces. P.S.--look at his adorable crown the family made him wear :)

Happy Birthday to my best friend and the most amazing hubby. I love you B!!

Just an Update...

2009-09-12T19:36:00.000-07:00

I have been a majorrr slacker when it comes to the blogging. I know I still need to put up pictures from the wedding...but that will have to wait.

I had to blog about a very exciting event which has happened recently. BYU beating Oklahoma. Thanks to my wonderful father, I was able to fly to Texas with my mom and dad and watch Braden and the rest of the team make history!

The stadium was seriously UNREAL and being there for that game was unforgettable. It is definitely something I will remember forever!

So happy after such an amazing game!!

It literally took us running around the stadium for about an hour to finally find Braden. But it was definitely worth it :)

Love that score. 14-13!!

Such a stud...I love this boy!

Besides this...life isn't very exciting for Braden and I. We both go to school in the morning, he goes to football and I go to work, and then we come home and go to bed. Not to mention he leaves every Friday night, so weekends aren't exactly what they used to be. I wouldn't have it any other way though. It is so fun being married and going through this exciting time with Braden playing football. Life is wonderful!

As of Late

2009-06-04T09:43:00.000-07:00

As of Late I am in Love with...

Braden. Exactly three weeks from today I will officially be Mrs. Brown :) It's about time!

Sophie, for letting me steal this idea from her. I never really asked for her permission, but she won't care.

My girlfriends for throwing me an AMAZING shower. It was so fun catching up and laughing for hours. Not to mention the food was fabulous-not a surprise though when the shower is held at the Parker home.

Rain storms. They have been so kind to wait until I get home from work so I can just sit at home and enjoy them instead of having to drive in them!

My Mom. She is honestly the best. I think I would have eloped if it wasn't for her and all of her help with planning. The wedding will be amazing all because of her.

The wedding announcement. It turned out exactly how I wanted. And B looks so handsome in his suit and tie.

Multiple frames of Braden and I that take up our whole entire kitchen table right now. It makes me so happy walking into the kitchen and seeing all of my favorite pictures of us.

The fact that I am almost done with all of the wedding planning. Seriously, does it EVER end? I keep thinking I am done, but then something else always pops up. I wish planning would just leave me alone.

Weekends. No work=fabulous.

Tanning beds. Since I work all day every day, at least I have some hope of not looking like a complete ghost in my wedding dress. All I have to do is find time to actually go, which has not been working out so well.

Sundays. I get to relax and hang out with my family...and eat tons of cookies. What could be better? Not to mention this Sunday Braden will finallyyyyy be coming home after being in Hawaii for over a week. Not fair.

Facebook. It is about the only thing that helps me get through these nine hour work days.

Anticipating Hawaii. I have never been before, and I have a feeling this will be my favorite trip...ever.

24. Jack Bauer never ceases to amaze me.

Coming home from work and getting into a nice comfy pair of sweats.

Being done with registering. It was fun picking out stuff for our cute little apartment, but it was so time consuming and just added to the list of things to do.

My family. There isn't much to say. I just love them!

Sometimes when you are way stressed out, the best therapy is listing all of the things you love. Life will go on after wedding planning.

Hopefully...

Engagements!

2009-05-13T14:16:00.000-07:00

I have been a slacker on updating this. But I finally have something exciting to post about! Braden and I took our engagement pictures last Tuesday at Tuscany. It was so much fun, and Braden could not stop laughing the whole entire time. June 25th has felt like it is never going to come, but these made it all seem so real and made me realize how quick it is coming up. Six weeks and counting. I cannot wait!

Football Star

2009-03-25T21:20:00.001-07:00

Total blue sports is a website that does a lot about BYU athletics. This a picture from their website that went along with an article they wrote about Braden. Braden will be number 89 this year. It works out perfectly because his favorite number is 8, and mine is 9. When he picked out his number he called me and said it is perfect because it is our favorite numbers together! That may have not been the true motivating factor behind picking the number, but I like to think it is :) He is currently the starting fullback going into Spring ball as well as the third tight end behind Dennis Pitta and Andrew George. I had to post the article because I am so proud of him.

He’s 6 feet 6 inches, 260 pounds and runs very well for his size, insomuch that he has caught a few passes downfield in the early days of spring camp. This freshman tight end has a lot of upside to his abilities, and they’ll be put to good use at multiple positions in the Cougar offense in the near future.

What makes tight end Braden Brown intriguing is the combination of size and athleticism that he possesses. It’s not that common that an offense has an athlete his size catching passes downfield. However, Brown has put his size and athleticism to good use. He credits much of his early success to two tight ends already in the program.

“Dennis [Pitta] and Andrew [George] are great guys and have always been very helpful since first day I got here,” said Brown. “If I ever have any questions they’ll help me, which is surprising. You always have that idea that at the college level the veteran guys always pick on the rookies, but those guys are always there to help me.” Although Brown receives help from those players, he also receives a bit of good-natured ribbing from time to time.

“Yeah, [Pitta will] hold up his arm and say, ‘See this? This is a wing and you’re under it,’” said Brown with a laugh. “We actually became really close friends and it’s been really helpful playing with those guys because they’re really great tight ends.” Brown shared some of the things that he’s learned from Pitta and George, whether by talking with them or studying their film.

“I’ve gained a lot of knowledge just listening to those guys as far as going up to the line for the pre-snap reads of what the defense is doing,” Brown said. “Also, [I’ve learned] how to adjust your route based on that and perfecting route running and perfecting the plays. It’s really good to be able to go into the film room and watch these guys. When I go into the film room I watch what these guys did from last year and try to mimic what they do on the football field, so it’s been really helpful to have them ahead of me.” On top of learning the tight end position, Brown has been selected by the coaching staff to also learn the fullback position.

The extra responsibilities don’t bother Brown in the least bit. “I’ve also been practicing at the fullback position a lot,” Brown said. “It’s been a lot of fun and the first time I actually played fullback was on the scout team last fall. I really liked it because you get to run full speed and light dudes up, so it’s been really fun playing the fullback position. I was told that I’m the number-one guy at fullback when the position is needed, so it’s been fun getting some extra film time in learning two positions at once.” Brown admits it’s been tough putting in the extra time learning a second position within the offense. “Yeah, it’s been kind of tough because we’ve made some changes to the regular offense in regards to the tight end stuff,” said Brown. “They are things I can’t really talk about but I’ll go to the line and go, ‘Oh geez, what did I do,’ and then it will all of a sudden click. So it’s been interesting learning on the fly like that, but we’ve got guys like Bryan Kariya and Coach Reynolds who have been very helpful to me with learning what I need to know.”

With no Fui Vakapuna or Manase Tonga to help him better understand the rigors of the fullback position, Brown has learned from other sources. “I’ve been learning from Bryan Kariya and he’s helped me out a lot,” Brown said. “I’ve also been learning from Kelly Bills, who is working as a graduate assistant. He’s played at that position and he’s helped me out a lot, and so has Coach Reynolds. Those guys have helped me to keep my head on straight because I just want to go out there and hit people, but they help me to stay focused and not mess up.” Considering his size, it’s easy to understand why Brown likes to go out and be physical with defenders. It’s an aspect of the game he looks forward to.

“I’m a big basketball player and I always talked about how frustrating basketball can be because you can’t hit people,” said Brown. “When you play on the football field you can come out and knock someone in the mouth and that’s perfectly fine. That’s kind of the mentality that I’ve always had, just being the tough-nose guy that lays the wood on people. That’s what I try to bring to the field every day: intensity and physical play

Braden invited me to go to his football banquet with him. I was so happy I got to go because he got the award for Best Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year. He is doing an amazing job. I get to go to his practices, and I absolutely love watching him play. Go Cougars!

Engagement!

2009-03-25T21:01:00.000-07:00

I am ENGAGED. Braden Brown is the next future member of the Hyde family, and I cannot wait! My last name will be Brown starting June 25th. The wedding is going to be in the Salt Lake temple, and our reception will be at Tuscany. Braden did an amazing job of picking out my ring, it is absolutely perfect and I love it! I am already getting a little sick of all the planning, I am working on the annoucement list right now--not exciting. If any of you would like to give me your address though, I am sure I will be needing it! Here are a couple of pictures from the night we got engaged, and just some other pictures. I clearly had no idea he was going to propose the night he did, or I would not have worn the shirt. But hey, it fits.

Oh, and I have to quickly explain the name of the blog. Braden's decision. He always refers to us as Beauty and the Beast and decided it had to be the name of my blog. So as he always says, baby gets what baby wants.