Engagement photos!!

Happy Valentine's Day! 💓
What better way to celebrate than looking at lovely engagement photos?? 
Just kidding, you can all celebrate however you want! I just wanted to share some of my favourites from our shoot

On January 28, we joined Emma Patterson and her assistant Nicole at Whitemud Park in Edmonton so they could take our engagement photos!

It was a little cloudy, which was pretty decent so then our eyes weren't squinting from the sunlight. We stayed there a little over an hour and we got some decent shots!

Here is a link to Emma's blog. Don't be fooled by my icky face, I love Keaton a lot and Emma got beautiful pictures!
https://emmakphotography.wordpress.com/2017/02/07/whos-who/

"I love you" "I know" necklaces

Fun fact: This will be our first (and only) Valentine's Day as an engaged couple, which I think is pretty exciting. And we got three months to go until our wedding which is even better!

I love Keaton so much. I can't wait to spend my Eternity with him ❤

Road trip to Lethbridge!

We had a great eventful road trip weekend!

On Friday, I had to work 9-5:30, then I went home where Jackie and Eldon were having the sister missionaries over for dinner. Keaton and Austen were both there too. After dinner, we cleaned up and Jackie and Eldon and Austen went to visit some friends for a bit, while Keaton and I went skating! We only stayed about half an hour or 45 minutes, but it was still decent. I haven't skated in so long and I just happened to have found a pair of skates in my size at Value Village one day for $20! So that was a nice outdoor date for us to enjoy. We went back home and started to watch Fresh Prince when we heard someone come in. That's because Caitlin and her sister had driven up from Washington that day for Caitlin to move here and be closer to Austen. We helped her bring her stuff in and they came to watch Netflix for a bit before going to bed.

*Little background as to why we planned to go to Lethbridge: my friends Julianna Ceron and Riley Benoit are two awesome girls who I spent most of young women's with back home in PEI. Julianna and her family moved to Lethbridge in 2014 and Riley moved out there in 2016. Riley joined the church 7 years ago and the Cerons basically "adopted" her and have supported them both for so long. Anyways, they both received their mission calls before Christmas. Riley was originally called to the Canada Halifax Mission but was reassigned for Canada Toronto since she has family in Newfoundland. Julianna then got her call to Canada Halifax and leaves next week, while Riley leaves Feb. 22. They were set to give their farewell talks in church, and I was lucky enough to have the weekend off so Keaton and I could drive down to hear them. Here is how that all went:

Saturday, I got up and started to get ready for the day since Keaton and I were getting engagement photos done. Before we left though, Eldon and I took my car to get it washed and he checked on some things when we got back home. Emily Bates came over to do my makeup for photos, then Keaton and I had lunch. We met with our photographer Emma Patterson and her assistant Nicole at Whitemud Park in Edmonton. She photographed us for about an hour or so. That's all we needed though, and we trust she got some good ones! 

(Sneak peak! There will be more to come!)

We drove them home and stopped at Keaton's apartment for a few minutes before heading out for our road trip. I drove first since Keaton wanted to work on some calculus. We stopped in Red Deer to eat at Peter's Drive In, which was pretty good! I had a chocolate strawberry Oreo milkshake and a double cheeseburger! Keaton had the same burger and chocolate banana Oreo milkshake and got us fries to share. We put Keaton's phone in the holder attached to the windshield and watched Mockingjay Part 2.

I drove until Calgary and we stopped again for a bathroom break, then Keaton took a turn driving. After Mockingjay, we started Star Wars 7 on the tablet, but it started to die so we had to stop. When we arrived in Lethbridge, we went to the church where Julianna and Riley's farewell party was to be taking place, but we got there too late and everyone had already left! So I suggested we just go to the Ceron's house. The girls thought we were just coming on Sunday, so when we showed up at their door, they were surprised and came to hug us! We had gotten there at about 9:30 and left a little before midnight since we had to stop for gas. But we caught up on so much stuff! We then went to stay at Keaton's great uncle and great aunts house. We pretty much got settled and went to bed because of long hours of driving. 

After we got ready Sunday morning, we went to the church and found some seats with the Cerons. We also had one of Keaton's former roommates Kaden and his fiancé Krista come meet us for church! Riley and Julianna gave kick butt talks. They didn't seem nervous but they told us they were! After the meeting, I was also able to see Mikayla Barfuss who served in the Canada Halifax Mission and she is so great! The five is us had a good chat and got some pictures. Keaton and I then left and went to Kaden's apartment to have some lunch and visit his brother Tanner. We had some leftover pizza then headed out. We drove to Taber so we could visit the graves of Keaton's great grandparents on the Gibb side. That was really great to see and support Keaton with that.

While driving back to Calgary, I asked Keaton if we could take a different way to stop in Vulcan and see the Starship Enterprise. He agreed and we got to do that! I don't watch a lot of Star Trek, but this was pretty awesome!

When we got to Calgary, our first stop was at Aunt Tiffany and Uncle Ryan's. (They are Jackie's sister and brother in law.) We chatted with them and their kids and got to meet their dog! Our next stop was Theo and Kenzie's for supper. It was really nice of them to have us over and have some funny conversations! 

Next stop was quick to see the Calgary temple. It was my first time seeing it and it's so pretty! It was dark out, but the temples are always so lit up, it was still nice. 

(I love him a lot)

Our last visit before heading home was at my cousin Amber's house where we saw her and her husband Blake, their son Thexan and her mom, my aunt Annette. My cousin Caitlin and her fiancé Adam and their daughter Emma came shortly after too! We stayed about an hour, both of us getting to hold little Thexan and Emma! 

We left there around 8 and started to watch the new Annie movie on Keaton's phone on the drive. We stopped in Red Deer for gas, but then headed home. We decided to go right home where Austen and Caitlin were finishing up Les Miserables. Keaton and Austen left in their car to go to their apartment in the city so they could be ready for school in the morning. 

It was a really good weekend!! We had great experiences and lots of laughs and love. I'm also so happy for Julianna and Riley and their decisions to serve missions. I watched them grow close in young women's and now even closer before they are separated for 18 months. I'll miss them a lot, but that's why we have email and letters to send!

<3

Stressed but well dressed :)

I've been trying to stay positive so far this January, but I've stressed myself so much to the point of getting a cold sore on my lip and I was pretty sick for like two weeks. I think what is bad about it is that I've been stressed about such little things that don't need to be that hard. But I know I can do better! I'm trying to remember the things of this quote and writing in my journal to express some emotions. Prayer helps out a lot too!

(Sometimes, just looking at my engagement ring helps keep me happy. Also thinking about the guy who gave it to me works too!)

Speaking of that, Keaton and I just had our 8 month anniversary from when we started dating. I know most young adult couples don't usually celebrate month anniversaries, but we love our progress and our commitment to each other, so we celebrate anyway! 

So ... On Saturday January 14, I went and did something really cool. I went to Simply White Bridal on the north side of Edmonton with Jackie and Courtney and got a wedding dress. YEP! It all happened so fast and the dress is gorgeous! We set up a group chat on Facebook for my mom and my sister and two of my bridesmaids to get their feedback. I tried on probably a dozen dresses and narrowed it down to four, then three, then two. And then I picked the one! I can now say that I said yes to the dress! 

I know in this picture, you can kind of see the top part of the dress, BUT the rest will be a surprise. Spoiler alert: it's white and has sleeves to accommodate our lovely temple marriage :)

So that has been my life lately! Let's see what the rest of the month will bring! ☮

CHRISTMAS

Before I get to Christmas stuff, let me tell you how the 22nd went. I had the day off from work so Keaton and I decided to spend the whole day together. In the morning, we drove into the city to meet with his friends and we went Christmas carolling at the University of Alberta Hospital. (Keaton's uncle works there, so we were able to sing to senior patients)

After that, he and I went to the mall because we wanted to go skating, but we couldn't since they didn't have any skates in my size to rent. We went to the food court and got lunch instead. We also finished up some Christmas shopping. We decided to go see Rogue One again, and it was definitely better the second time! After chilling for a bit, we drove to Spruce Grove for the church's nativity pageant, and that was good. Two of his roommates were in it so we were able to support them. 

We drove back into the city to meet with our friends Brandon and Carissa Hardesty at the Alberta Legislature grounds to see all the Christmas lights they have there. 

I did have my suspicions. When we arrived, Keaton pulled the ukulele bag out of the trunk of my car. He said it was to play Christmas songs. Then as we were walking, Brandon stopped and said he wanted to take Carissa to a spot where they had their first date. Keaton and I went up to our own spot and sat down for a few minutes. We stood up again because we were so cold. Little did I know, Brandon and Carissa and her sister Savannah were sneaking around to a different spot with cameras ready. We sat down again and Keaton got the ukulele out and tuned it. He told me he had a song to play and it was going to be a big one. It was so personal to us and I love every song he sings to me. And when the song was done, he reached into the ukulele bag and pulled out the ring box. He got down on one knee in front of me and said, "Kayla Fraser, will you marry me?" 

At this point, my eyes started to tear up and my hands covered my mouth. I nodded at first, then said yeah and yes! I almost went into more crying but he said it was all okay.  Then I told him he had been holding the box upside down and he burst out laughing. We stood up and hugged and kissed. Our friends then emerged from the tree they were hiding behind and watched as he put the ring on my finger. And that's how it all happened!!! 
Savannah took some more pictures of us with the lights. *Also, big shout out to Carissa and Brandon and Savannah for being here to help us! It was so nice of them!*
Keaton and I left to go to Sherwood Park and tell his family. I called home on the drive and told dad our news. 

But here's another good thing; I had to wait to tell my mom because Alyssa had gone into labour with baby Pinsent!! I texted mom and told her to call as soon as she got a chance. By the time she did call, we were at home and I told her we got engaged and she told me that baby boy Pinsent had been born. Keaton and I were so happy to learn *our* nephew had came into the world. He came a bit early, but has been doing well! 

Although I haven't met him yet, I love little Haig Arthur Pinsent so much. 

I can't wait to be such a good auntie to him. 

Parenthood looks good on Alyssa and Haig <3

Okay, now Christmas! I didn't work on Christmas Eve, so we watched A Muppet Christmas Carol and we were able to go to Nana and Papa's for food and games. We were also tracking Santa's whereabouts. We came home and watched "It's A Wonderful Life" together.

Christmas morning we got up and got to open our stocking presents. We had breakfast together and then opened the rest of the presents! We also all got matching sweatpants that we wore in the morning.We all got ready for church and had a good meeting. A lot of Keaton's friends came to congratulate our engagement, which was super nice of them! After getting home, Keaton and I video called my parents and we talked about our Christmases and little baby Haig. We then had all the family over for turkey dinner. 

I guess I should mention how big our group is: There's me, Keaton, his parents, Theo and Kenzie, Courtney and Tom and Austen. Also, Nana and Papa and some of their Australian family, Sandy, Allan, Annette, Jeremy, Kieran and Kelly. We had quite a big group. 

But dinner was great! After dinner, we played games after and we had Christmas carollers!

On Boxing Day, the mall was open and IT WAS CRAZY BUSY. That is all I have to say about that.

On the 29th, Jackie and I drove to Hinton to meet with Keaton and Austen and Eldon since they had left on the 27th to snowboard in Jasper. When they came to meet us, we went to the hotel pool. Then changed and went to Mr. Mikes for dinner for Uncle Tyler's birthday. We had him and Aunt Lisa and their four boys, and the Aussies joined us. We went back to the hotel for cake that Jackie made and played some more games and chatted. Keaton wasn't feeling well, so he rested for a bit and we then watched "Wreck It Ralph" on TV before going to bed. 

On the 30th, we drove to Jasper National Park for a hike at Maligne Canyon. And although it was cold, it was really sweet! We climbed down and got to see frozen waterfalls. We also stopped at the lake nearby to look at a sun dog. We drove to Pyramid Island to see the mountains there too. While on the hike though, Tyler and Lisa's oldest son fell and broke his wrist, so they went to the hospital in Jasper. We went also to take the rest of their boys out for hot chocolate and to walk around a bit. We stayed at the hospital to see what the doctor would say. Lisa told us to head back to Hinton and they came shortly after. We had dinner in Hinton and then started to head back to Edmonton. 

Onto New Year's Eve, I had to work until 8. Keaton and his family went to see fireworks then went to Nana and Papa's, where I met them after work. We had snacks, watched hockey and played some games/started a puzzle. We all rang in midnight with sparkling cider and hugs! 

2016 had it's ups and downs, but was good to me. 

I worked hard and a lot, got to spend lots of time with Winnie, finished the whole Book of Mormon for the first time, took my first solo trip to visit Keaton in Edmonton and fell in love with him more and more, we celebrated my parents 30th wedding anniversary, I got my own car, Megan and I went to Salt Lake City to attend general conference with Keaton and Jeffry and Kyle, Jackie and I drove across the country when I moved to Edmonton, Keaton and I got engaged, and last but certainly not least, we welcomed little Haig Arthur Pinsent. 

So all in all, a pretty decent year. It made me quite happy :)

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

December updates and one week until Christmas!

Christmas is coming! We are getting ready here quite a bit. The mall is getting busier and the houses are being decorated. There is joy all around and it's also really cold, haha!

I started knitting a blanket (with moms help!) a while ago for my best friends baby Kinsley. Which basically makes her my niece. I'm a bit slow, so I had to leave it home when I moved here, but my amazing mom finished it for me and gave it to Amanda and Kinsley, and she's loving it! :)

A couple weeks ago, Keaton and I were invited to decorate Christmas cookies by some friends from church. They were finishing The Grinch when we got there, then we watched Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and we started to watch Arthur Christmas, but Keaton and I left a bit after it started. But we laughed a lot and told stories while decorating cookies and we had candy cane hot chocolate as well.

Our ward choir also participated in a stake Christmas concert on December 11. We sang "Far Far Away on Judea's Plains" with a lower turn out that we thought, but everyone said we did okay! 

My dad had eye surgery to have a cataract removed. Alyssa stayed home with him and sent me plenty of pictures of Winnie trying to take care of him.(What a crazy sweetheart) It made me miss them a bit, but I'm happy dad is doing well.He's a trooper!

We saw Rogue One! I went in with no expectations and ended up really liking it! Keaton loved it and obviously wants to see it again. Here is what he wanted to say about it:

IT WAS AMAZING AND I WANT TO TYPE IN ALL CAPS BECAUSE OF THAT. It was everything that I wanted it to be. I don't want to give away any spoilers, buuuuuut the last few minutes was worth the price of admission on its own. Gareth Edwards (the director) is a Star Wars fanboy at heart and you can tell by the different shots he chose and pieces he included. I want him to direct Episode 9 and all the other spin offs. It is in my top 5 star wars movies (My favourites that I cant decide between which is better, 4-7 and this). 

Over Christmas, we're having family coming to visit from Australia, which will be really cool! They're going to have a lot of fun in the snow! I received some Christmas presents from home already which are really great. 

I've also been trying to participate in the church's Christmas campaign, which is #LightTheWorld and it's a wonderful way to share what we know about Christ to others. 

Oh, you don't know about Light The World? Well, here is an awesome link to find out more!

https://www.lds.org/blog/25-ways-to-lighttheworld-this-christmas?cid=HP_FR_9-12-2016_dOCS/MIS_fBLOG_xLIDyI-2_

For example, today's opportunity was "Jesus Honoured the Sabbath, and So Can You", which we did. Keaton and I listened to a general conference talk and both read our scriptures. We attended our church meetings and learned good things. We had family dinner and spent time talking a bit about Christmas as well. There's so many little ways to celebrate the campaign, and you can do what you can by checking out that pretty link up there!^

Hope everyone is getting ready for Christmas in really awesome ways! 

Happy Holidays!

Adjusting to Alberta

This has been a really easy transition, surprisingly. I miss home, but things are going pretty well here, I don't have to think about it too much!

A couple weeks ago, Austen's girlfriend Caitlin came to visit from Washington. She was supposed to arrive Saturday Nov. 5, but she told Keaton and I she was coming Nov. 4 to surprise Austen a day early! And he was very much surprised!

I feel bad because Keaton and I were pretty busy while she was here and only got to really hang out with her a few times. She did go to some of the twins' play rehearsals (They're going to be in "7 Brides for 7 Brothers" this week!) so that was good of her to see. We did go to lunch with Jackie and other friends one of the days. Theo and Kenzie came up from Calgary to see her and Courtney and Tom came and stayed too. We all had a murder mystery game one night and that was hilarious! 

But it was definitely cool to get to know her better!

Work is still going well. Christmas is right around the corner which means we'll be getting busier, especially all over the West Edmonton Mall. So I'll be on my toes for a while! I'll also have to start thinking of gifts for people pretty soon!

As I mentioned above, Keaton and Austen have been working for a few months on the play. And that's the reason why they have the beards! (Because everyone keeps asking why!) It should be good. I had never heard of the musical until Keaton told me about it! They have a really good director so I'm sure I'll like it a lot!

The twins also got their braces on when Caitlin was visiting, so it was cool for both of us to be there to support our men with that. And we still love them with their braces and scruffy hair. I've had braces, so I know exactly what they're going through!

(Here is the before shot! Then we can compare them side by side when he gets them off! He's such a cutie <3)

I was also finally able to get my car the out of province inspection it needed and get it registered here! I couldn't get my new drivers licence right away, but I should get it soon! The Gibb's actually have a license plate collection in their garage, so they can add my old PEI one to the rest! 

I'll also add that things in our relationship have been so good. Sure, we're not perfect and we still argue about things, but we make up and always humble ourselves to communicate as best as we can. And I love falling for him more and more everyday. :)

Sorry not sorry about my lovey posts. Have a nice day everyone! ♥

Did you know I still work at Rockport?

Before I left PEI, my old manager got an email from the manager of the Rockport store in the West Edmonton Mall asking me if I would like to be transferred to that store. We decided to meet together once I got to Edmonton to discuss it further. 

Before that though, on the first Sunday I was here, Keaton and I both fasted and prayed that if Rockport didn't work out, that things would go smoothly while looking for other work. It was challenge in my mind to decide if I should stay at a job I know so well or look for something where I would have to make different transitions.

I met the manager the next day and she offered me the full time third key, as the girl in that position is going on maternity leave. I wasn't sure though, since it would require me to work on Sunday's and Keaton and I both didn't want that.

At that time, the manager offered me a part time sales associate job to ease my way back into working in the store. And I was fine with that.

Since then, she and I have discussed it again. The prayers and hard work have paid off. She told me she could give me Sunday's off for the third key holder job. She said she respects that I go to church and there are other workers who don't mind working on that day. It was a great moment. I told her I would work every week day and Saturday if it meant I could get Sunday off.

*Dear readers, in case you didn't already know, prayer works! After I told Keaton the news, we were so humbled together. All because we have chosen to put God first and trust that He will always be there for us. I cannot stress enough that receiving answers from sincere prayers is a wonderful thing. And I'm so blessed to have my family back home and my family here to support me in so many things.*

Rockport for life! (Just kidding, I should probably get a grown up job some day.)