Happy Halloween!

We are enjoying the beginning of the Holiday season.  Today we had a great day at church with Evan's Primary Program first.  His ward had a huge Primary filling all the stage and the first three rows of the chapel.  He knew all the songs and sang very well! He did a great job singing in Nephi's Courage when "The Lord commanded Nephi to go and build a SHIP." He is such a good kid and I'm so glad he is close, so we can see him often!  Kolt taught his first Sunday School lesson to the 12 year olds.  He taught about the miracle of forgiveness and seeking repentance and forgiveness.  He did a great job, and he was excited to start teaching again. He had a hard time remembering to call me Sister Piquet to his class today! I learned about the Holy Ghost during Relief Society & Kolt learned about revelation and duties of priesthood holders in Priesthood.  After church we went out to Shauna and Landon's new house in Rigby.  Shauna made pulled pork sandwiches and Kolt's mom made yummy clam chowder! After dinner, we carved pumpkins for Halloween. They looked awesome! We had a great time and we are so glad to have such great family!

This week we have kept busy with the last week of volleyball and our second week of the new job.  I was able to keep up on school work a lot better without so much volleyball.  Kolt has had an awesome week too getting a 100% on his Biology test.  He was sure proud of his score after all his studying.   We are both looking forward to the end of this week when both our big writing assignments will be done!

Tuesday we were able to watch Rope & Brand play football.  We got out of class late, so Kolt made it to Rope's game first.  He lost in a close game against Sugar.  Rope has improved so much this year, and we are happy for his great season.  We both made it to a little of Brand's game that was also Tuesday night.  He beat Rigby in a tight game.  They scored a couple touchdowns in the last few minutes to make it look like they handled them, but it was a nail biter! Brand's win put his team in the championship on Saturday.  He beat Eagle Rock pretty handily in the championship making them the 4 time Grid Kid champions! (including one year of spring ball) They were pretty excited about that, and Brand is still feeling like a champion today.

Friday and Saturday I also got to be part of the Volleyball State Tournament with Bonneville's Varsity.  We were sad to miss Tyler's game in Preston, but it sounds like they did very well.  We are excited for the State Playoff game next week.  I practiced with the girls on Wednesday; I think I'm going to miss playing good volleyball every week.  On Thursday we went to Olive Garden with the team.  I had a good time visiting with Sean, Chantal & Dave.  We are very fortunate to have a dedicated coaching staff.  On Friday, the volleyball team lost their first game out of the starting gate to Skyview, but then came around the beat Bishop Kelly, Sandpoint, Twin Falls, and finally Skyview to get another chance at Century.  They lost to them in the District Championship last week also.  It was so exciting to be part of another State Championship.  They came out playing great and beat Century in the first set, but then lost a little energy and lost the next three sets.  They were pretty heartbroken to place second, but Century was an excellent team.  It was a little close to home getting second in Skyline's gym again.  I took 2^nd my junior year at Skyline against Sandpoint 4 years ago in 2008.  I'm so glad I had the chance to be with them this year though, and have loved staying a part of Bonneville's team.   We will sure miss the seniors, Ashlee Trane, Taeja Davis, Ashlyn Smith, Katee Bennion, Rina Grover, and my adopted little sister, Mandi Keck.  They are going to do great things in the future!

Friday night Kolt experienced his first snowfall in 2 years! He was pretty excited to enjoy it outside, although I think it's still pretty cold! We are excited for the week and can't wait to go up to Moscow for Tyler's game and then over to Moses Lake to visit Miss Brooke! She seems to be getting cuter every day!

Wedding Season!

Right before Kolt got home, I got to be part of 2 weddings!  They are some of my dearest friends, Makayla (Keck) Wilde & Jocelyn (Ostermiller) Hobbs.  Between the three of us, we managed to all get married within 9 weeks! It was definitely a wedding season! I never got to write about it because I was a little preoccupied with Kolt coming home---Imagine that!---but I wanted to write now about each of their big days!

Jocelyn Hobbs got married to Mark Hobbs on July 27, 2012.  She waited for him while he was on his mission also, and I was so happy for her to finally marry him.  We spent 2 long years together in Wyoming waiting for this day to come.  Jocelyn and I grew up together in Sugar City, Idaho.  We were best friends until I moved to Idaho Falls in 7th grade.  We were nicknamed the "Twin Towers"  in middle school, but now you would never guess because Jocelyn kept growing, and I haven't grown an inch since then!  I think Heavenly Father wanted us to be best friends because he sent us both to Rock Springs, Wyoming to play volleyball together! I love talking to Jocelyn, and I find myself always texting her for advice and to see how she is doing! I know we will be friends for life!

July 27th was a gorgeous day for a wedding, and Jocelyn looked beautiful! Here are some of the highlights of the day:

-Hurrying home from a camp in Evanston, Wyoming with Sam & Makayla! I got to the Rexburg Temple just in time for her to come out!

-Seeing Jocelyn glow as she came out of the temple! She looked so happy and set such a great example for me!

-Taking pictures around the temple and trying to avoid the Idaho wind! (Nothing like Wyoming wind by the way!)

-Seeing Jocelyn with her new family and looking completely at home

-Talking at the luncheon out on the pavilion for at least an hour! Jocelyn and Mark are some of the funniest people I know! I'm pretty sure I spent most of the afternoon laughing at each of them tell their version of the "mission" story!

-Seeing Kortnie & Ricky (her missionary who just got home) and loving how happy they were...and looking forward to the day when my missionary would be home!

-Taking a nap with Candace after a long wedding day!

-Seeing my cousins Mandy & Heidi Dalling at the reception and lots of other people I know from Sugar! It was a fun little reunion!

-Watching the video of Jocelyn & Mark and seeing how happy they were to finally be together again!

Here are some pictures of the day:

On August 8, 2012, Makayla Keck married her sweetheart Sam Wilde.  I met Sam back in the spring 2011 semester in Wyoming.  Makayla and I have been friends forever! I met her in 7th grade when I moved to Bonneville High School, and we have always stayed close playing sports together.  I was so happy when we both decided to go to Western together! I think I have had the best roommate and most importantly, the best friend I could ever ask for! Makayla has a certain way spreading her smile. Just by looking at her, you can tell she is living her happy ever after with Sam!

Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your wedding! Here are some highlights of their special day: (Doesn't she look beautiful?)

-Waiting anxiously for them to come out of the temple while holding her niece Bentley Bounds!

-Seeing Makayla's big smile after she was sealed to Sam for time and all eternity in the Idaho Falls temple.

-Taking pictures outside and baking in the wonderful August heat!

-Talking with Mason Hansen, Jake Wilcock, Tyler Andreas, and Candace Clifford at the luncheon!

-Loving their beautiful reception at the Bodily's home--It was absolutely stunning

-Seeing Kyle Egbert who just got back from his mission

-Somehow surviving in my huge bright yellow heels!

-Catching up with all my friends from high school who I miss SOO much!

-Sending her and Sam off with sparklers and almost setting my hand on fire

-Realizing that in 5 days, I would be with Kolt!

Here are some pictures from the day:

I love you both so much! You are the kind of friends that last forever! I'm so glad that we got to spend 2 years in Wyoming together playing volleyball.  Please always stay close :)

New Jobs!

We are enjoying the colorful fall colors! What a beautiful time of year, although it is quickly getting cold here in Idaho.  The highlight of this week was the birth of Brook Leigh Coulston on Saturday, October 20, 2012 at 10:59 AM to my sister Natalie & her husband Brady. She looks just like her brother, and we can't wait to meet her in December!

We had a really fun day Monday.  I told all my girls that we had practice to "work on a few things before the club season."  They all came dressed and ready to play.  Kolt had promised them earlier that if they won the Idaho Falls tournament, he would sing a song for them.  He had been putting it off for a long time, so we did that then.  Kolt didn't really feel like singing would be a good idea, so he put on some sunglasses and a hat and did a dance to Call Me Maybe.  The girls loved it, and he did a great job.  Kolt told me before hand, "You can do anything with a hat and sunglasses!" After the dance, I told the girls they finally needed to be tested and prove if they were any good, although they did go undefeated.  Right then, 10 moms walked in ready to take on the girls.  I was so impressed to have all 10 Moms come in to play.  We lined them all up and played Moms vs. Daughters and then mixed them up a little bit.  We made it all official with the score, and I was the ref.  I guess the girls really are good because they even beat their moms! The Moms all brought dinner for the end of the game.  We had a great day of laughing, and I think the girls loved it.  Being my first week without volleyball, I am sure missing those girls! It's good to see them at the football games and at the varsity games.

Monday night Kolt was up all evening with a fever and flu symptoms.  He has had a pretty miserable week, but has been so diligent in not missing any class or work.  He went to the doctor a little later in the week and has been feeling much better.  It isn't any fun to have a sick spouse!  Tuesday night we volunteered to watch a couple of boys for Kristi's friend who is a single mom.  We had a great time with the boys who were 3 and 1.  Jarden & Jackson were quite well-behaved boys, and we had a great time entertaining them.  We also had Kamrie with them while Kristi was at District Volleyball.  She is a very fun baby, who definitely likes to have her mom at bedtime!

Kolt and I started a new job this week.  It's a temporary job in a call center until the elections on November 6-7.  It's definitely out of our comfort zones, but we glad to be able to have a chance to make a little money.  One of my longtime friends who I grew up with in the ward, Natalie Davidson, now Baird, got us involved with it.  Her husband is one of the team leaders.  We are sure glad they thought of us.  We also enjoyed seeing Kolt's Aunt Jan Staker at Melaleuca one of the nights we worked.  I only work Wednesday and Thursday evenings, and Kolt works Wednesday and Thursday evenings, in addition to a full 8-hour day on Friday in Rexburg.  We are learning a lot about call centers and working with people!

After work on Wednesday evening, we ran over to Rope and Brand's football games.  We saw the end of Rope's game.  He won the first game of the playoffs 19-7. Rope had a fumble recovery at the end of the game to seal the deal.  Kolt enjoys watching him grow as a football player.  He has sure improved over the last 2 years.  Brand's team played right after Rope.  He won 45-0.  They got matched up against the other Bonneville team in the first round of the playoffs! We are excited to see them both play this Tuesday as soon as we get out of class!

Friday we went to Tyler's Senior Night football game against Rigby.  It's hard to believe that Tyler is a senior this year.  They beat Rigby handily 49-7.  We were glad to sit with my parents, Bryant & Kristi, Ashley & Kevin, Dylan & Jordyn, & Paul.  After the game, we went to town and bought a couple of things to put in our kitchen.  We are living in my parent's basement, so we've been working on putting in a kitchen downstairs.  Finally, things are starting to get settled! I'm excited to get going in the kitchen!

Saturday Kolt and I rode the bus down to Pocatello High School for the 4A District 5-6 Volleyball Tournament.  We started off at noon playing Century and lost in 3 sets.  Century has a very good middle hitter and some pretty consistent outsides.  We had a hard time stopping the middle! We played Pocatello in the bottom side of the bracket and won in 3, then we played Century again.  We lost again in 3 sets.  We get to take 2 teams to state from our district, so we will go in as the #2 seed, which means we start off with Skyview next Friday at 8 AM at Skyline High School.  I'm excited we don't have to travel so far for State this year!

Sunday I got called to fill in for the choir pianist who was sick.  Kolt got to be the official page turner.  Brother Smith talked in church; his son Andrew is one of Kolt's best friends.  He even acknowledged Kolt for making the right choice by, "Marrying talent and then being the official page turner for the choir."  We were excited to be announced as new members of the Iona 10^th Ward.  Kolt got called today to team teach the 12 year old Sunday School with Malin Reynolds, a longtime friend.  He excited to start teaching next week about The Presidents of the Church. 

We have had a fun week and hope to get rid of the sicknesses fast! We are also happy to get wedding pictures back this week! We are so happy that our family is sealed in the temple forever.  

Last week of Volleyball!

We have another great week of school and our last week of volleyball.  We have been working hard on our school work again.  I accomplished the feat of passing three tests this week.  Actually, I am still waiting on the results of the third test, so we will see! Kolt has been diligent in finishing an English paper and taking a test in English also.  He has two big tests in Chemistry and Biology that he has been studying hard for. 

We had our last week of volleyball this week also.  For those of you who don't know, I coach the freshman volleyball team at Bonneville High School.  This is my first year coaching a school volleyball team and have learned a lot about working with schools.   Kolt is an official volunteer assistant as recognized by the district.  We have enjoyed working with our team of 10 girls and even get to enjoy some time together, when Kolt doesn't have class.  Tuesday we played Preston. We won 25-7, 25-8, and 25-15.  I had fun playing girls in some new positions and a few of them might get a chance to play in this new position again because they did so well. Thursday we played at Blackfoot and we won 25-8, 25-8, and 25-12.  The girls learned this week how lucky we are to have a successful, established program.  Friday, we had a fun practice.  Kolt was finally allowed to play with the girls in some of the drills.  He has been practicing for a few weeks because he wasn't "allowed" to practice until he showed he could keep up with the girls with correct technique.  Kolt thinks I'm being too hard on him, but volleyball players will know what I'm talking about! The girls had a great time, and Kolt did a great job.  They all thought it was the best practice of the year, and I've heard over and over again that I should've let him practice all season! The website for Bonneville Volleyball is www.bonnevillevolleyball.net if you want to check it out!

Saturday we had our year end tournament.  Kolt and I had a good visit with the bus driver on the way up.  There were only 6 teams that were at the Madison tournament.  We played both Blackfoot and Skyline in pool play early Saturday morning.  Once we started the tournament, we reffed as many games as we did play.  It was a slow afternoon.  We won all three games in the tournament, making us the champs of the tournament and finishing our season 26-0.  The last game of the tournament we played Idaho Falls.  We came out and won 25-18 and then entered the infamous volleyball lull.  We got down 23-22 and didn't have a fight in us.  In the final game to 15, we battled along, but by that point, Idaho Falls had gotten a lot of momentum. I called a timeout at 12-13 and the girls seemed a little rattled.  Their coach might've been a little too! The girls came out of the timeout with a good fire under their bellies and won 3 straight points in a row to win the match 15-13.  It was a very rewarding day! We had a few tears at the end of the day, and it was sad to think the season is over.  We've had a very talented and passionate team.  They are going to be very successful in the next few years!  After the tournament, I had a parent from the Idaho Falls team come give the team a very nice compliment followed by a request to spend a couple hours with her daughter before club this spring.  Hopefully, I will find some time for that!

Wednesday we went and watched my cousin's football game in Rigby.  Jay plays for West Jefferson's team along with my cousin's boys, Clay & Quincy.  We enjoyed visiting with Uncle Jared and Aunt Trish.  We just don't see them enough!  Friday Tyler had his homecoming football game.  He did an awesome job! We are so proud of the player he has become and more importantly, the man he has grown to be! We are excited to see him serve a mission in the next year! Bonneville played Century on Friday and won 42-7.  We had a great time at the game with Mom & Dad and Kevin, Ashley, Ashley's dad, Paul & Evan.  We love spending time with family.

After Thursday's game in Blackfoot, Kolt drove down and picked me up early from the school.  We hurried back to Kolt's parents' house to stack hay in their barn.  We did a load that night with Shane, Angela and his brother-in-law, Landon.  But we came home at 9:30 to get some homework done.  Shane was worried about a storm Saturday, so Kolt went back Friday after volleyball practice to finish.  They think they had over 500 bales.  Kolt has been pretty sore between stacking hay and playing volleyball. Kolt served 2 baskets of balls on Wednesday while he was practicing at the gym.  The next morning his back was very sore! He was so sure we needed a new bed, but I kept assuring him the bed was just barely bought this spring.  Finally, at about 10 that morning, he texted and realized that it was all the volleyball playing from yesterday.  We have had a good laugh about that this week.

One of my volleyball players Whitney Johnson who is also on student council asked Kolt and I to chaperone the high school Homecoming Dance on Saturday night.  We chose the 10-12 shift; we had a good time seeing some of the varsity volleyball team and were sad we just missed Tyler leaving the dance!  The student council put on a great dance at The Loft.  We also had a good visit with the new vice principal, Mr. Duffey.

Sunday we went to our new ward for the first time together.  We are in the Iona 10^th Ward.  Kolt enjoys seeing lots of people he knows in the Ward.  Tyler gave a talk on President Monson's talk in the Priesthood Session of General Conference.  He talked about men changing and refraining from judgment.  He shared one of his favorite quotes that is always on my Grandma Lindley's fridge, "We need to learn to be more tolerant of those who sin differently than we do." Daniel Jones also gave a talk; he is leaving on Wednesday for the Texas Houston East Mission.  We had a good Sunday School lesson from Wes and Ashurity Jones about the coming of Christ in 3^rd Nephi.  Kolt really loved it and has been talking about the fulfillment of Samuel's prophecies all day.  After Sunday School, we went to a friend's talk in church.  Trevor Empey graduated from Bonneville with us in 2010 and just returned from a mission in Tijuana, Mexico.  We sat by Andrew Smith's family.  He did a great job, and Kolt loves talking with him in Spanish.  We went up to his house for dinner.   We had a good talk with the missionaries serving in our area, Miss Reddish (our wonderful Student Council advisor from Bonneville) and Savanah Coon.  Savanah graduated with us, married Eli Coon, and has a sweet 6-month old named Remington! We love Eli & Savanah and I had a great time catching up!

We are looking forward to the District Volleyball Tournament this week and are excited for some good volleyball.  Kolt and I are also starting a new job with Americans for Prosperity in a call center with a political poll question.  We will be doing that for the next three weeks! We just don't have enough to do!

One Week Done!

Thank you to all of you for all your love and support last Saturday.  We had an absolutely perfect day and were so thankful for all the love we felt as we were sealed for time and all eternity.  Kolt and I have had plenty of time this past week to think about how lucky we are to have such great family.  We love each of you and are so glad you are part of this family.

This week has been a very busy one as we resumed the postponed homework and work and volleyball.  I am learning quickly that those teachers postpone the due dates like I do the homework.  I am in 15 credits and getting in deep into the Accounting major.  I’m learning lots of new things and actually find that when I go back to work, a few more things make sense every day.  The process that I am routinely doing at the Post Register is starting to come together.  I am learning a new perspective to school; I am very happy with B’s and they aren’t as scary as I thought they were.  On the other hand, Kolt is doing very well in school; he is taking 18 credits this semester and has been a little skeptical of my enrolling him in a busy class load.  Despite his worrying, he is doing very well.  He has classes Monday-Thursday at the Idaho Falls campus and is very disciplined to stay at the school and work on his assignments at school.  One of his classmates, who has been married for about a year, chuckled when he heard Kolt got married last week and said, “Well, I bet your homework just got a LOT harder, didn’t it?” We are both finding that this is a true statement.
 

This week for volleyball we beat Hillcrest on Tuesday and then beat Century on Thursday.  It is fun to play Hillcrest, where my sister Kristi coaches.  She has spent a lot of time and effort and has turned Hillcrest’s volleyball program around.  Century’s freshman team struggled, and I was able to play some kids in new positions and try some fun things.  I am lucky to have a very talented team, who is now 17-0 with this week’s wins.  

 

It has been great having Grandma Lindley at our home for the past week.  We have sure enjoyed her sweet Spirit around the home.  Thursday Kolt surprised me with pizza and a movie.  We had a fun date night at home.  I’m so lucky to have such a great husband who takes care of me.  Friday I went into work early to print checks at work, and then left at 10 down to Smithfield.  We met Dad and Grandma there and then we all went down to the BYU vs. Utah State game.  It was Kolt and my first BYU experience.  On our way there, we met Kevin, Ashley & Evan at Ikea; they helped us get home a few things we got for our kitchen.  We had a good time walking around with Bryant and Tyler before the game.  BYU won 6-3.  It was a serious defensive battle.  We had some fun Utah State fans sitting around us, so the game stayed quite exciting. 

Friday night we stayed at my Uncle Corey and Aunt Janis’ home.  I always love the Spirit in their home and enjoy visiting with them.  We watched Saturday morning of General Conference at their house.  We were all so excited about the news about the change in mission age for men and women.  Men can now serve at age 18 and women can serve at 19.  We are excited for the changes that are ahead for all of us.  After the morning session, we drove to the Conference Center in Salt Lake.  We attended the Saturday afternoon session in the conference center.  While we were there, we ran into my Uncle Jerry, Aunt Nina, my cousin Nathan and his wife, Marianne, and Wyatt & Cody, my cousin’s kids.  It was so good to see some familiar faces!  This was Kolt’s first time attending a conference session.  It is a strong testimony building experience; you can’t leave conference without a stronger testimony that the church is true.  

After the second session, Kolt, Dad and Tyler attended the priesthood session as well.  Kolt and I were able to slip into the video God’s Plan at the Visitor’s Center.  It is one of my favorite videos, and I was excited to show Kolt.  I am so grateful for the assurance that families are forever.  Kolt met up with his dad and Brand’s Deacon’s quorum at the conference center.  Mom, Grandma Lindley, and I met up with Jocelyn and visited the Visitor’s Center and took a short trip to the mall.  Grandma treated us to some delicious chocolates!  Jocelyn and I had such a great time talking.  I am so lucky to have great friends and perfect examples to follow.  We finished the evening with dinner at Maddox, another first for us both.  It was a great dinner, and it was so nice to be with family.  We stayed at Grandma Lindley’s Saturday night and then woke up early Sunday morning to get home before the morning session.  

On Sunday we had a great lunch at Kolt’s Grandma & Grandpa Staker’s house.   His mom and grandma made us delicious lasagna, salad, garlic bread and raspberry dessert.  We listened to the last session of conference with Grandma & Grandpa Staker, Mom, Shauna & Landon, and Rope.  We always love being with family.  Before we left, we played some baseball with Rope and Kolt’s cousins, Jerry & Justin.  On our way home, we stopped by a sweet lady in Kolt’s ward.  Her husband passed away while Kolt was on his mission.  She and her husband have always been a good support to Kolt, and I was so honored to meet her.   

We are so excited to have made it through the first week of being married.  We love it and are so happy to be together.  We are learning so much along the way and coming to love each other more than we knew we could.  I am so grateful for the gospel and the temples, so that we can be together forever. 

 

August 18, 2012 ---We're engaged!

I've had a few requests for the engagement story, so I thought I would take some time to write it all down! In answer to many questions, yes, we got engaged in 5 days!  We were inspired by my cousins Erica & Coleman Green, who also didn't take too long to get engaged once they knew it was right! :)  During the week Kolt got home, we spent every day together.  He surprised my team with muffins and juice early in the morning, we had dinner with my family, we went to freshman orientation at ISU and many more things.  We had talked about getting engaged during that time, and at one point when I asked if we could get married soon, Kolt said, "Just wait until Saturday..." So I did!

Saturday, we spent the afternoon setting up for Kolt's dinner at his Grandma & Grandpa Piquet's house.  We washed off tons of chairs and then set them up out in the front yard.  After we finished, we went to Staker's house.  When we were there, his sister, Shauna, asked me if I wanted to go on a girls date with her.  I had no idea what to say, but I didn't know if Kolt had plans! But Kolt told me to go and just kept saying, "Hurry back because we have something to do tonight!" So I was so nervous that I was going to miss my own proposal! Shauna and I went and looked her their new house out in Rigby.  It was beautiful! They were just about to close on it and move it! Then we drove up to Rexburg and got a Gelato.  I had no idea what they were, but Shauna said they were delicious! It was a snow cone with thick layers of cream! I was totally in heaven! After we got done, she asked if I wanted to just go on a drive around! I was SO afraid we were going to be late! I was hoping she'd hurry! We headed back on the freeway toward Ashton and she mentioned that we might not get home 'til midnight! I really started worrying! We decided to go up to Mesa Falls, just past Ashton.  I had never been there before! We had a really good drive, and I had a great time talking to my new sister-in-law! I'm so lucky to get such a good sister!

When we parked the car at the top of the falls, I saw Rope running down the pathway.  Then it clicked, and I took a deep breath because I realized I wasn't going to miss Kolt's proposal! Kolt had 4 little notes down the pathway each with a rose and a candle. The told me about the first time he noticed me, reminded me about our first kiss and our first date, and finally he told me the first time he knew he loved me.  They were so sweet, and I loved reading them!

The last rose and note was up ahead in Kolt's hands.  It said "4 years, 3 months, 18 days....now eternity?"  Kolt asked me to marry him, and of course, I said yes! Kolt was able to get a replacement ring until the one I picked out came in.  It was beautiful too, and I asked if I could keep it for my right hand! Shauna took pictures of us around the falls, and then we went home.  On the way home, Kolt and I told all our friends and family.  I was SOO happy that it was finally real. Something we had talked about for years was finally happening! Kolt had surprised me with buying The Hunger Games that just came out Saturday also, but we decided to stop by his grandparent's house to make our announcement first! Then we went home and watched one of my favorite movies!

I remember thinking that night how long awaited this day had been and how sweet my fiance was to make it so special.  It is definitely a night I will remember for a long time.  Thank you SOO much to Shauna and Rope for helping make that day happen.  It was absolutely perfect!

Here are the pictures around Mesa Falls...

August 13, 2012---Welcome Home Elder Piquet

So I think it's about time I take the time to write down the engagement story and welcoming Kolt home.  A little late, but better than never!  Kolt got home August 13th from his mission in Villahermosa, Mexico! That day was one of the most rewarding days of my life!  He was scheduled to fly in at 4:55 PM on Monday evening. 

My day started off early with volleyball tryouts from 7-9 at Bonneville.  I am the freshman coach this year, and we had the most girls at tryouts ever at Bonneville.  I did a really good job of staying focused and got to take a good look at the girls before the team was made that evening.  After volleyball, I went into work at the Post Register and tried really hard to get lots done and keep busy! I left in the early afternoon to come home.  I attempted to take a short nap and then spend the evening getting ready.  Thank you so much for all the sweet texts and calls that day! I was SO anxious to get him home, and it was so nice to feel the support from my family and friends!

I worked out to pick out a good outfit and got lots of good advice from Tyler, Makayla, Jocelyn, Kallie, Kristi, Natalie and my mom. By 5:30, I was feeling very good about how I looked! His family was the only ones to greet him at the airport and he went quickly to get released.  After he got released, he came over.  My family was having a block party that same night of course, but I was glad because that meant a little more distraction for me and that Jeanna & Jared and the kids got to be there also! At about 6:25, I saw Kolt pull in with his brother-in-law's green truck.  I caught a glance of him in the window in his suit and tie, looking just how I left him 2 years ago!  I ran out of the house and gave him a big hug and lucky for me, since he was released, he gave me a kiss too!

We went around to the back of the house to see the rest of my family, and then took off for dinner at Big Jud's in Ririe with his family.  People have asked me if it was weird being with him again, and the best answer I can think of is...NO! It was weird for about 10 seconds until we both felt completely confident that we were supposed to be together.  After that, everything picked up right where we left off.  Kolt and I had the best talk up to Big Jud's; we even managed to get lost on the way to the restaurant.  We had a great dinner with his family, Grandma and Grandpa Staker, and a few of his cousins.  I was totally content to sit and hold his hand all night long.

After dinner, Kolt and I went on a drive all around Idaho Falls.  We spent the whole night getting caught up on everything that happned over the past 2 year apart.  We didn't cover much, but we got a good start, and somewhere in the middle of the night, I finally was able to let him go home.  During our drive, we fell in love all over again.  We were both so happy to be together, and it was as if we had never been apart except I loved him much much more.  Seeing Kolt again after 2 years was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.  And I really do believe that, "Distance makes the heart grow fonder."

Here are some pictures and a video of the welcome home.  Thank you to my mom for recording it!

Welcome Home sign made by Tyler, Mom, & Me!

Walking in!

He's home!