[wannabe] morning person

We took our engagement pictures yesterday.  It was supposed to have been on Monday, but I accidentally...slept in.  You see, my friends, when picture-taking is at 5:45am [AM!] a small part of me dies inside.  [Slight exaggeration - but only very slight.]  Because that means that I have to get up before 5:45am, especially if I want to curl my hair [which I did].

So when Tim called me on Monday at 5:15am [the time when I was supposed to be at his house], I panicked and almost cried [my emotions run amuck when I don't get enough sleep].  Tim calmed me down, called our photographer, and set it up again for the following morning.  I was so worried that I wouldn't wake up again the next day, so I set two more alarms and had Tim plan to call me.

But thankfully, I was woke up by myself yesterday!  And I became very awake very quickly when my roommate Katie said, "Hellooooooo!" very loudly.  I responded to her, only to realize she was still asleep.  [It was very funny and a little creepy.  But it did help wake me up.]

And by the time I got to Tim's house I was full of energy and extremely giggly.  Thankfully, he was in a similar mood [#tiredkids], and we giggled the whole way out to meet our photographer.

Ah yes, our photographer.  Her name is Ashtyn, and she is the sweetest thing in the world.  [Possibly literally.  I'm pretty sure if I were to meet every person in the entire world, she would still be the sweetest.]  And she is so talented!  Check her out here!

For all my complaining, the morning shoot was great for a few reasons:

1. Ashtyn didn't mind our giggliness, and it probably made for some fun[ny] shots.

2. The lighting is so perfect at that time of morning.  Really.

3. The heat - or rather, the lack thereof - at that time of morning.  I was amazed at how much cooler it felt at that time of morning.

Moral[s] of the story?

1. Early morning is way better than I thought it would be.

2. Don't be creeped out when your roommate says [really very friendly] things in her sleep.

3. I can't wait to see the pictures.  And I will post them ASAP.

[Compelling morals, eh?]

a magical dinner

In some non-engagement related news, the other night Tim and I decided to make eggs.  It was kinda late, but we had somehow missed dinner [I would tell you that we were registering for our wedding, but that would be engagement related news, so I won't] and we were hungry.

It was a very good thing for us, then, when we cracked an egg open and found this delightful surprise:

Two yolks from one egg!

As if that wasn't enough:

Two yolks from the second egg, too.  Two eggs.  Four yolks.

It was almost too much excitement for one night.

We got through it, though, and let me tell you:

Eggs have never tasted so good.

the engagement [part 3]

Subtitle: The Proposal

[If you haven't read Part 1 and Part 2, you might wanna catch up first.]

As we were checking out at Shane Co., the [very helpful] lady told us that the ring would be ready by Wednesday.

Since Tim had been waiting for such a long time, I didn't think he would waste any time proposing.  But he insisted on being secretive about it anyways.

Example 1: He would try to hint that even though he would have the ring by Wednesday, the proposal probably wouldn't be until much later.

Example 2: He told me that Shane Co. had called him to tell him that the ring wouldn't be ready until Thursday.

Riiiiight.

I knew better.

When Wednesday rolled around, he picked up food from Dilly's Deli [if you haven't been there, you probably should go there, like, right now] and came over to my house.  When he got to my house, he [nervously] suggested that we should eat at the park across the street from my house so that we could have a little "picnic."

Halfway through the meal, Tim looked at his phone and said abruptly, "Uhh...do you wanna go for a walk?"

"Ohh-kay," I said, drinking my Dr. Pepper as fast as I could manage.  [A girl's gotta have her priorities.]

I prepared to start walking, but we just sat there.  And sat there.  I repeated his words tentatively.  "So...do you wanna go for a walk?"

He said, "Sure, yeah," checked his phone, and changed the subject.

I sipped some more Dr. Pepper.

[I have to make a confession here, kids.  I didn't mean to, but I caught a glimpse of Tim's phone that gave me a clue as to why he was so uncharacteristically interested in it.  I saw the name Katelynn Harris, which made me instantly suspicious.  You see, I knew that Katelynn does {fantastic} photography and videography, so I deduced that she might be waiting for us wherever we ended up going on our "walk."]

Finally, he was ready, and we started on our walk.  Tim walked with purpose towards some buttes located in the park.  He said, "So...I know you're wearing sandals, but I thought we'd just hike up these buttes a little to see the view."

"Whaaa?," I thought.  "Ok," I said.

When we got to the top of a little butte, Tim laid out a blanket and began to point out various spots in the area that were vital to the beginning of our relationship.  [E.g., where we'd had our first date and where he'd first held my hand.]  Then we sat down on the blanket.

[I didn't know it at the time, but apparently Tim was thinking, "Why did I have her sit down?  I need her to be standing up!"]

He reached inside my purse, grabbed his camera, and asked me to take pictures of the "surrounding areas."  I stood and did exactly as he asked, turning around with my back to him.

[Katelynn told me later that Tim had been on one knee the entire time behind me turning whichever way I turned.  Which makes me smile inside.  And outside, too.]

Finally, he said, "Katie, turn around."

He said some other [very precious] things [that I will keep to myself at this time, but might have had to do with things like "eternity" and "wife"], and then said something that made my heart smile even bigger.

"I had a lot of other things I had planned to say, but I'm nervous, and I can't remember any of them right now."

And then, ladies and gentlemen, he said the very words I'd been waiting to hear.

"Will you marry me?"

I don't actually remember the exact sequence of the following events.  I don't even actually remember saying "yes" but I suppose he understood regardless.  I do, however, remember looking at my ring over his shoulder as he was giving me a big hug.

And I remember him telling me that Katelynn had been hiding behind a rock filming the entire time, and thinking, "I knew it!"  When she eventually came out of hiding, she took a few pictures of us for which I will forever be indebted:

 [Isn't Katelynn awesome?  Yep.  Yep, she is.]

[Isn't Tim awesome?  Yep.  Yep, he is.]

Then we called our families and nobody answered.  True story.  Nobody.  But my message to my parents went something like this: "Hey mom and dad, you might want to give me a call back like right now because I have some very important news that you're probably going to want to hear.  Kloveyoubye."

Needless to say, it only took them a few minutes to call back.

And then we sat on the mountain and just looked at the stars and basked in our own glow for awhile.

And naturally, such a monumental and significant event made us thirsty.  So [after our trek down the mountain] we went to 7-11 for some much-deserved slurpees.

We're classy like that.

Did everything go as planned?  No.  Was it a surprise?  No.  [Did I hike up a mountain in my sandals?  Yes.]  Do I think everything about it was absolutely perfect?  Definitely.

Of course it was perfect.

It's our love story.

[The best part?  It won't ever end.]

the engagement [part 2]

[If you missed Part 1 you can find it here.]

The subtitle for this post should really be "The Ring Shopping," cuz seriously, I had some strong opinions about this.  You'll see what I mean.

After I told Tim that I was ready to look for rings, he was more than happy to bring me with him.  He didn't really want to pick out a ring himself, and he said he wanted me to get exactly what I wanted.  Which was more than fine with me.

You see, I really didn't think I would be very picky about the whole thing, but I totally was.

Needless to say, we started shopping right away in California on our road trip.  We went to a mall, because that seemed like a good place to start.  It seemed like the odds would be in our favor, as there were at least three jewelry stores all in one place.  After looking around a bit, I found a few rings I liked, but after talking to the sales people and learning about their warranties and other whatnot, we just weren't impressed.  We decided to look again when we got back home to Arizona.

The day after we got home, we wanted to go ring shopping again.  I really wanted to go to Shane Co., even though I'd heard they were more expensive - mostly because I'd heard their radio advertisements ["Shane Company - now you've got a friend in the diamond business"] and because their website is bomb.

We walked through their doors and were immediately mesmerized by their impressive selection of rings.

"Wow, can we get a ring here?"  [Now if you were to guess who said this, who would you guess?  Me or Tim?  Probably me, right?  Nope.  Wrong.  Tim said this.  Yep, that's right.  It was that impressive.]

Here are a few reasons why Shane Co. was bomb:

1. Their customer service was awesome.  Seriously.  They don't work on commission and weren't pushy in the least.  They would even walk away from time to time just so Tim and I could talk about the rings privately.  [If you know me, this is huge.  I don't work well under the pressure of someone continually hovering nearby.]

2. Their ring selection was way better than anywhere else we went.

3. The diamonds and their bands have a lifetime warranty.  Anywhere else we went that cost extra.

4. All of the diamonds are certified.  Everywhere else we went, getting the diamonds certified cost an extra few hundred dollars.  Yuck.

5. You get to pick a setting and then choose the diamond you want.  They bring out a few different diamonds, have you look at them up close and in the ring, and then tell you about the color, clarity, etc. of each diamond.  So fun.

6. The rings were comparable in price to everywhere else for [in my opinion] better rings.

7. Tim even liked Shane Co.

[Shane Co., you can give me my stipend later.  Just kidding.]

I thought Tim would be choking after spending so much on such a small [seemingly useless] object.  But he told me it was "the best purchase of his life."  The lady who helped us find the ring said that she loved watching Tim when I finally decided on the ring I wanted.  Whenever I smiled, he would look at me and smile just a little bit bigger.  When my eyes lit up, he would look at me, and his eyes would light up just a little bit brighter.  I could have hugged her for telling me that.

Is the ring the most important part of getting engaged?  Certainly not!  The best part is that I get to marry my best friend in a month and a half.

But it certainly didn't hurt anything, either.

Thank you Katelynn Harris!

Never fear!  The proposal story is coming soon...

Continue on to Part 3.

the engagement [part 1]

Truth: I knew we were going to get engaged before it happened.

There is a very simple reason for this: I picked out the ring.

Ok, let me back up.

Tim and I had been dating for eight months and I still had no clue whether or not I should to marry him.  [To those of you in the LDS world, that seems like a fairly long time, but to those of you in the rest of the world this could seem like a very short amount of time.  Let's just say it was a happy medium.]

I prayed about it every day.  Every.Single.Day.  I made lists of pros and cons.  I tried to picture myself getting married [and being married] to him.  I talked to Tim and to 36.25 other people about it endlessly.  Still nothing.  I tried to be patient and just wait until I felt something about the decision.

Finally, after receiving some counsel from my parents and from a very dear friend, I felt I had my answer:

I needed to make the decision for myself.

I knew that marrying Tim was what I wanted.  And so I decided that that was what I was going to do.  And basically told Heavenly Father that he should [most definitely] stop me if I was wrong.

On that very same day, Tim came to pick me up so we could go on a road trip to California.  I opened the door to find him with a bouquet of red and yellow roses in his hands.  [Red and yellow are two of my very favorite colors.  An odd combination?  Possibly.  Still awesome?  Definitely.]  I just remember feeling so happy - not just because of the [very beautiful] flowers - but just to see him.  And hug him.  He helped me grab my bags and we were out the door.

During our drive, I tried to think about how I was going to tell him that I was ready.  We mostly made small talk for about 30 minutes, when I finally said, "So...in addition to seeing the beach, we should maybe do something else while we're in California."  He looked at me inquisitively, and I continued, "Like maybe something big and life-changing that involves a small, very sparkly object."

I had his full attention now.

"I was thinking maybe we could start looking at rings."

As understanding dawned, his face lit up quickly.  A huge smile broke across his face.

"Do you mean it?"

I smiled [possibly bigger than I ever had but probably not as big as I have since].  And then I shyly nodded.

Tim had been ready for this step for a long time.  [A very long time - in LDS months at least.]  He had just [very patiently] been waiting for me to be ready.  The look of pure happiness on his face when he knew I meant it said it all.

The rest of the trip, we talked and giggled and planned and felt utterly and completely happy.

Continue on to Part 2.

pinching myself

Engagement story still coming...promise!  Just waiting for pictures and a [very sneaky] video.

But in the meantime, I have been compiling a [very long, very detailed] to-do list [it's the only thing that keeps me sane!], picking colors, and deciding on décor.  And a million other little things.

Tim called the temple yesterday to reserve a date.  And the date will officially be...

August 5, 2011!


[If I could insert a thousand smiley faces right there, I would.]

I wish I could tell you how hard it was to choose between Friday, August 5th at 10:30am and Saturday, August 6th at 1:30pm.  It doesn't seem like it should be a hard decision, but it totally was.  [Or totes was, if you want to be hip.]  Tim called me at work, and we went back and forth like 134 times.  Or something like that.  Long story short: it will be very hot in Arizona on either day at either time.  So in the end, it came down to the fact that we didn't want to travel for our honeymoon on Sunday.

And, at the risk of making you think we're crazy, we are thinking about buying a house.  [Saying that makes me feel grown-up.  Actually that's not true.  It makes me feel like wow-that-sounds-really-grown-up-but-I-still-feel-like-a-little-kid-and-can't-be-doing-grown-up-things-like-that-yet.]  Yes, we will both still be students.  Yes, we are in our early twenties.  Yes, we both only have part-time jobs.  But.  It's so tempting right now because the market is so down and because the mortgage payment would be about a third of what we would be paying for rent in an apartment.  For more square footage.  So we are doing some research and we will see.

It all feels so surreal.  Sometimes I have to pinch myself [figuratively, not literally...but that would be interesting] to remind myself that this is actually happening, that I am not 10 years old anymore, that I've found the love of my life, and that he wants to marry me.  It's weird when something you've been dreaming about your whole life actually happens.  Weird, but awesome.

49 days, people.  49 days.

both feet

The rumors are true.

I'm engaged!!! (!!!!!!!!!!)

To this handsome fellow:

I love him.

Ok so maybe there aren't any rumors.  But I really am engaged.  And I definitely do love him.

He proposed last night.  And it was perfect.  Nothing went as planned, but it was perfect.

There will be a video and lots of pictures coming sometime soon [tricky-tricky, Tim], so I think I'll tell the whole story then.  But let me assure you:

It is a story worth telling.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with this:

The Precious.   I never stop looking at it, I swear.

And this:

And I never stop smiling, I swear.

It took quite some time for me to feel ready for this step.  But I am ready now.  And I'm jumping in with both feet :)

Oh and one more tidbit of information...

We're shooting for August 6th.

Here's to a month-and-a-half of wedding planning!

[im]mature

Sometimes I like to be mischievous and take pictures of Tim when he doesn't know I'm about to.

For example, we'll be cuddling and I'll randomly bring up the camera out of nowhere and take a picture really fast.  Sometimes he pretends to be offended, but I know deep down, he really, really loves it.

This is him working on homework in front of his computer.  I have a short attention span for such things.  So sue me.

Him realizing what I'm trying to do.  ["Katie, stop!  I'm trying to do homework!"]

This one makes me giggle.  So much.  [Seriously, giggling even as I post it.]

So then he tries to get me back.  But he's not very sneaky, because heck, I just did it to him, so I obviously know what he's about to do.

Me trying to hide behind his arm.

Already giggling before he even takes the picture.  ["Stop it, Tim, I already know what you're about to do."]

Still giggling.  [I do this a lot.]

So then one night, his roommate Travis came downstairs and saw us being silly with the camera.  He told us about a really cool trick for taking really weird pictures.

Directions:  First, let your lips become as loose as possible.  Next, blow [a lot of] air out through your lips.  Then, have someone take the picture mid-blow.  Last, giggle profusely.  Warning:  This could distort your face so that you may look absolutely nothing like yourself.  Ok, definitely won't look anything like yourself.

Trying to get it right, but we didn't take the picture at the right time.

Hahahahaha.  Ha.

Tim and I both trying.  [p.s. Tim's mouth looks hilarious.]

Tim trying by himself.

And me by myself.

Well, there you have it.  The escapades of a recent college graduate.  [Maturity level: high.]

camping pics

And FINALLY....for the long-awaited camping pictures:  [don't even pretend like you don't care]

Isn't it ironic that my dog ralphed in the car right as we were driving by this animal hospital?  [Good start, I know.]

My little brother Eric always makes the most intelligent faces.

Oh heyyyy...

Tim took this on our hike.  Very nice, eh?

I was cold the first night...

....and even colder the second night.  [Pansy.]

Sometimes Tim has trouble keeping his eyes open for pictures...

....and it makes me giggle.  Really hard.

Aaaand a fairly normal picture :)

My dad in deep thought.  [Wait no, not possible. ;)]

Well, for rude.  [Apparently they have a thing against my family in those mountains.]

Some Grand Canyon love.

Jeff, me, and my dad at the old canyon.  [Like my little Alfalfa hair?  Yeah, me too.]

Tim-oh-thee

Tim built this "awesome" bench whilst camping.  [Give it some love, people.]

And if you persevered through all the pictures, you get to witness the evidence of my pansiness with a lantern.  [Don't judge.  Especially the part where I pull my head back and have a triple chin.]  It's maybe not that funny to anyone but me and Tim and mi familia.  But watch if you wish.  [p.s. Tim especially likes the part where I say "pouf."]

Well, there you have it.

Have a great day, kids.

kicks and giggles

I know, I know...I still need to post the camping pictures.  But gimme a break.  I was out of town again this weekend.  So instead of finding the time tonight to get them off Tim's camera and put it in blog form, I will post two pictures from my phone.

In California, we went to this awesome soda shop.  It was made 256 times more awesome by the fact that it sold this brand of soda:

Totally appropriate for this blog, right?  I loved it.  Mucho mucho.

And another, just for kicks and giggles:

I've never been so scared to go to the bathroom in my life.

I wouldn't wanna get locked up in there.  Just sayin.

That's all.

Kthxbye.