sparky

acting out irrationally

2012-01-26T16:41:00.000-08:00

My body has been very confused these past couple of weeks.

Aches and pains and tiredness and fevers and other nonsense...

...which lead me to go to the doctor and get some antibiotics and other prescriptions...

...which may or may not be related to the continued fatigue and minor residual symptoms and conflicting emotions.

[Because you know, when you feel like crying one second and then laughing hysterically the next, you hope it isn't normal. And that you can blame it on prescription drugs.]

Thankfully, I am done with said prescriptions as of today. And hopefully, the emotional craziness will go away with the drugs. [Because otherwise I have to blame myself, and I try to avoid that kind of thing.]

But you'll be happy to know that I have been eating [mostly] healthy food this week. Lots of fresh fruits and veggies. Mmm. [And even though my body tries to hide it by acting out irrationally, I know that it is secretly pleased that I have been treating it so nicely.]

Tim mostly avoids the fruits, but is strangely addicted to pineapple. Which I am more than willing to blame on Psych.

Maybe someday I'll get my Wedding Day story done - if not for you, for my future posterity. I'm just afraid if I wrote it right now, I would misrepresent my perfect day as a mess of conflicting emotions. [Dang prescriptions.]

p.s. Did I tell you that for Christmas, in addition to this present, Tim also secretly turned my blog into a hardcover book? That means that now my blog really will be for posterity. Win-win. [A win for the book, and a win for the husband.]

the common cold shoulder

2012-01-19T21:09:00.000-08:00

You may have been wondering why I haven't been writing lately.

You may also not have been wondering why I haven't been writing lately.

In which case, I forgive you.

I didn't really care about any of you this week either.

Actually, that's not quite true. I just didn't read your blogs as avidly. Because, as they say, the Common Cold hath overtaken my body. [You know...all those people who say that.]

Oh yes. It's true.

But it did make my life very simple for a few days. And by that I mean that all I did every day was take a shower and watch tv. [And shower-taking was considered optional.]

And Tim made all the dinners and did all the dishes every day. Aaaand I may have talked him into making some brownies tonight. He [very enthusiastically] used our KitchenAid to mix the batter, and I realized that he might be the only person who loves our KitchenAid more than me. [But it would be weird if someone else liked our KitchenAid more than us...stalkers.]

What I'm trying to say is that a few positive things came out of this experience. [Not to mention the hours on end I spent watching some tv shows I'd never seen before: namely Lost and Terra Nova. And Monk. But I've seen that one before.]

Am I rambling? [Fever? Are you back?]

Ah well. If it is, I'll just take some Nyquil again tonight. [I took half the recommended dosage last night and slept like a baby. It was a wonderful contrast to the previous night.]

Moral of the story? Colds aren't all kicks and giggles, but husbands and tv shows and brownies are.

wedding day [part 1]

2012-01-09T11:46:00.000-08:00

Remember that time I got engaged? [You can read about it here, here, and here.]

That was a pretty good time.

But what was an even better time was that day I actually got married.

I told you about the day before I got married.

But I haven't told you very much about the day of, have I?

In truth, writing about it scares me a little bit. I don't want to leave anything out or get anything wrong or do a bad job writing about it. But there is a higher chance of that happening the longer I wait, I suppose...

August 5, 2011: The Wedding Day

In theory, sleeping by myself in our new apartment the night before our wedding seemed like a good idea. But in actuality, it would have been way nicer to have other people there. For one thing, my nerves were far beyond what I wanted to deal with on my own. And for another thing, trying to fix a hot water heater by yourself is way harder than it sounds.

Wait...what?

Ok, let's back up a little.

My eyes flew open as my 6:00am alarm sounded, and I realized immediately that I wouldn't even need the other two alarms I'd set. I took a minute just to soak it all in. A fresh bought of nerves and excitement hit me and I immediately wished I'd taken Katie's offer to spend the night with me. Or that my parents had gotten to Mesa early enough for me to spend the night with them.

Promptly at 6:05am, the phone rang. I smiled. Tim is always right on time.

"Hello?" I said, knowing full well who it was.

"Hey babe," said a sleepy voice. "Happy Wedding Day! Were you asleep?"

"Hey," I said, my smile growing larger by the second. "No, I actually wasn't. But thank you for the wake-up call just the same. I'm so excited! I love you."

"I love you, too. I'll let you go so you can get ready. But I'll see you soon, ok?"

We ended the call, and I walked into the bathroom. There was a note from Tim. Of course, I should have known, I thought. He'd been sneakily leaving me notes in random places, sometimes accompanied by presents, for the past nine days. Today it was just a sweet note telling me how excited he was to marry me and how much he loved me and couldn't wait to see me.

I smiled again. [You'll notice this trend throughout the day.]

I went to turn on the water to the shower. Huh, that's weird, I thought. The water isn't heating up. Maybe I'll turn the knob the other way. Nope, that isn't working, either. Uhhh...I don't really want to take a cold shower...

I called my dad in a panic.

"How do you fix a water heater?"

My dad groggily tried to explain what to do, but it's pretty hard to explain such a thing over the phone, especially when the receiver knows as little about appliances as I do. Eventually, I gave up and resigned myself to a cold shower. [At least it was invigorating?]

After I'd done my make-up and dried by hair, I headed over to the house where I was getting my hair done by the lovely Ashtyn. [That's right. She took our engagement and pre-wedding photos and did my hair. Talent, I tell you.] I showed up late, but I figured Ashtyn was probably used to my tardiness by now. She welcomed me graciously and got my hair done with twenty minutes to spare.

During the drive to the temple, I wished for the hundredth time that I wasn't by myself. I called my mom and begged her to get there as fast as possible. Once I got there, I sat in the parking lot and tried to be patient. I called my mom again to see where she was. I organized everything in sight. I made sure I had my temple recommend. I made sure my dress wasn't being squished. Then I called my mom again.

After what seemed like an hour, my family drove into the parking lot. [It was probably more like 15 minutes.] I got out and excitedly hugged my mom and practically screamed "hello" to my brothers and dad. They told me I looked beautiful, and I smiled. I felt beautiful today.

"Umm...I can't find my recommend."

I stared at my mom. "What?" I said, dumbfounded.

"I hope I didn't leave it in Prescott."

"What?" I said. [Stress brings out the eloquence in me, obviously.]

If my mom didn't find her temple recommend, that would mean that she wouldn't be able to go into the temple with us.

Which would mean she'd be waiting outside.

Which would mean that my mom wouldn't be able to see me get married.

christmas catch-up

2012-01-06T11:24:00.000-08:00

I know some of these pictures are a little behind [ok, a lot behind], but I thought I'd show you some pictures from Christmastime.

My new niece, Brynn, and me during our visit to Yuma.

Tim's parents. We were taking pictures for their Christmas cards and...

...Tim decided he wanted in on the fun.

[We didn't send this out in our Christmas cards. In fact, we didn't send any Christmas cards at all. Bad, bad wife.]

My grandma's dog, Cody. I love all 130 pounds of him to pieces.

This is Casey. He is my baby.

[And that picture should give you some kind of indication of what our Christmas was like: messy, fun, and very early. Even Casey was tuckered out.]

This is in my grandma's backyard.

[And I mostly like this picture because Cody decided to be part of it.]

My beautiful family. [Where Tim and I are the short ones.]

Tim's sister Melissa and me chillin' in the massage chairs in Brookstone at Chandler Mall.

Melissa and Kiley.

[Kiley is a new niece, too. What the. I went from having no nieces and nephews to having over 20, I think. And some of them are my age! Gotta love big families.]

And there you have it. Christmas Catch-up.

canyon lake day trip

2012-01-04T12:54:00.000-08:00

Monday was a very special day for Tim and me.

It was a day we both had work off.

It was also a day in which we decided we would make use of three very special gifts that Tim had gotten from Santa: a small charcoal grill, an ice chest, and a fishing license.

And it was a day in which I could make use of my very special gift from Santa: a picnic basket.

I bet you can see where I'm going with this.

We went to Disneyland.

Jk...hahaha

We drove about 50 minutes outside of Phoenix to get to a place called Canyon Lake, where we hiked, fished, and barbecued. [Well, technically, Tim fished since I don't have a fishing license, but I read instead. Equal amounts of pleasure involved.]

This picture from our hike cracks me up:

It looks like I'm doing some sort of strange model pose, but really it's just that my feet are positioned perfectly so that I won't fall down the side of the mountain mid-shot.

The above picture is actually Tim's model pose.

And he loves it when I take candid pictures:

I just had one rule during our little day trip: no live worms in our cooler. [I know, I am one tough wife.]

Our picnic table all decked out:

Tim has only used gas grills throughout his life, and I had only watched my dad use a charcoal grill. Thus, our conversation getting it started went something like this:

Tim: How much charcoal do I put in there?

Me: Uhh...that looks good. I think. I don't really know.

Tim: Wow, are the flames supposed to be that big?

Me: I think so. Maybe it's because it's so windy.

Tim: Do you think I should pour some water on it?

Me: No, don't do that. Do you want me to call my dad to make sure it's ok?

Tim: Maybe. It's just making me nervous.

Me: *checks phone* Oh just kidding, I don't have any service. We're on our own. Don't worry. I think it's normal.

Me: Ahhh! Now it's making me nervous, too!

Thankfully, the flames did eventually die down and everything went smoothly after that. And we had some mean hamburgers.

In addition to being uncertain about the grill, it took us forever to figure out where to buy the recreation pass for the day. [And that ended up involving driving into a very small town, listening to some very loud motorcycles, and trying to walk through some very oblivious people. And some Mennonite people. Which doesn't really have to do with anything. But it was kinda cool.]

It just makes me wonder: did our parents go through the same things or did they just somehow inherently know everything right away?

I'm hoping it's the former.

It's much more fun figuring everything out together.

matchmaking

2012-01-03T14:36:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, two of my favorite people got married:

Cassie and Joe.

Aren't they lovely?

I take credit for this auspicious occasion.

Every chance I get.

And I'm going to hold it over their heads until the day I die.

And they will give me their firstborn child.

And they will get sick of telling the story about how I set them up and changed their lives forever.

But I won't.

Would you like to hear the story?

At some point shortly before Tim and I got married, I caught the matchmaking bug. [This phenomenon occurs with approximately 94.6% of seriously dating or engaged couples. The etiology is uncertain, and the results are somewhat unclear, as there are mixed results within and between couples.]

But as a result of the dreaded matchmaking bug, I started forming couples in my head with every single person I had ever met in my life.

Joe was my home teacher at the time, and he was a dang good one at that. In addition to visiting me, he would also check up on me at church and at every activity. Additionally, Tim had worked with him before. Thus, I knew from first and secondhand experience that he was a pretty good guy.

I had known Cassie since I was a little girl [though not very well - I moved away before we could really get to know each other], and somehow she ended up in my singles ward about 10 years later. [This happened with Tim, too; those Yumans - they hang on like the plague.] She is best friends with Tim's sister, Melissa, and even though we hadn't talked much, I knew she was funny and smart.

Consequently, one day as I was going through the permutations and combinations of possible couples in my head, I had an epiphany.

Joe and Cassie.

It just made so much sense to me.

I talked to Tim about it, and he felt good about it. Then I talked to Melissa about it, since she is Cassie's best friend. She immediately became excited - apparently she and her roommates had already thought of this and knew it was a good idea. [In fact, they had even drawn up a marriage plan one day during Sunday School. And they didn't even know him. Destiny, I tell you.]

So, I set my plan into action.

One day at church, I cornered Joe and said, "Joe, I have someone I think you should ask on a date!"

He hesitantly replied, "Ok, I'm open to suggestions."

I proceeded to tell him about this beautiful, smart girl named Cassie. He asked how he could get ahold of her. I said I'd get her phone number for him.

Well, there was no need for that. By the time I'd obtained her phone number, he'd already been friends with her on Facebook and asked her himself. [Talk about proactive.]

And now they're married!

Ah, love.

Moral of the story? Even if you don't know two people that well, you can change their lives forever and hold it over their heads for the rest of that forever-changed life.

It's a great system, really.

I'm so proud.

new years

2012-01-02T20:18:00.000-08:00

December 31st, 2011 at 11:59pm until January 1, 2012 at 12:00am didn't really feel any different. I mean, don't get me wrong, there was a great [and I do mean great] kiss involved, but my life didn't really feel different.

However, if I'd known at the beginning of 2011 that my life would have been changed so drastically as to have been married for almost five months by the end of 2011, I might have peed my pants.

Heck, Tim and I had only been dating for 2 1/2 months.

And despite the fact that Tim knew by the end of the first month of dating that he wanted to marry me, it took me another seven months to figure out what I wanted.

But figure it out I did, and it was the best decision I've ever made. And it's been the best year of my life.

Ok, enough with the mushy gushy.

This New Years Eve, we decided to stay home and drink Welch's Sparkling Grape Juice together.

Best decision ever. [You know...second to...getting married...ahem.]

There may have also been socks-that-felt-like-fluffy-clouds and Bones involved.

Oh and QT. [A night just isn't a good time without a QT run.]

That's right. We had QT and Sparkling Grape Juice.

This picture is a result of my failure to properly set the 10 second self-timer:

Makes me giggle every time. ["I've got two pina coladas...one for each hand..."]

On New Years Day, we ate these:

Which I discovered, last New Years hanging out with Tim's family, are not just a singing group. [And thank goodness they're not, because they're extremely tasty and are believed to bring luck for the New Year. Win-win.]

I've got lots of other adventures to catch you up on, but lest I overload you with pictures, I think I'd better stop there for now.

Don't you worry, I'm [slowly] regaining motivation.

the perks of being married

2011-12-29T23:05:00.000-08:00

During the first semester of my freshman year, I had no computer.

If it had been up to my mom, I wouldn't have had a cell phone, either. [She was convinced I should get a land line in my dorm room. Fact.]

As many of you know, having a computer in college is pretty darn important. So, after an entire semester of walking across campus to use the computers in the computing commons and using my roommate's computer, I decided that - expensive or not - I needed a computer.

I saved up my money, but I still didn't have enough. Which was when my mom decided to convince everyone to chip in as a Christmas gift to make up the difference.

Christmas morning of 2007, I woke up to find my brand new HP laptop.

I had my beloved laptop until January of 2010, when it abruptly died - just in time for my warranty to run out.

Thankfully, my work lent me a desktop computer, which served me faithfully [however slowly] until I got married, which was when I upgraded to a much-faster desktop. [The perks of being married.]

On the first day of this last semester, I noticed that almost everyone in my class had a laptop to take notes on. I convinced myself that I didn't need a laptop for the whole semester. And you know what? For the most part, I was right. I didn't need one. But it sure would have been convenient. [Because my teachers made us take notes like nobody's business.]

Whenever Tim mentioned that it would be nice for me to have a laptop, I shrugged it off. Yeah it would be nice. But it's not necessary. And we can't afford it. I'm doing fine. No big deal.

This year on Christmas morning, I woke up to find my very own brand new Toshiba laptop.

From Tim.

And do you know how he got it?

He sold one of his guitars.

He says he didn't need it.

That he didn't even want it.

That it was no big deal.

But you know what, ladies and gents? It sure felt like a big deal. And my eyes still fill with tears when I think about it.

And so here I am, sitting on our bed, writing this blog on my very own laptop, and feeling very spoiled.

Talk about the perks of being married.

[Or maybe about the perks of being-lucky-enough-to-have-married-the-sweetest-man-in-the-world. Whichever you choose.]

lack of motivation

2011-12-20T12:52:00.000-08:00

Would you like to know why I haven't been writing very much lately?

Maybe you don't care and are going to quit reading my blog immediately.
Maybe you are a stalker and care entirely too much.
Maybe you are a blog stalker, in which case, it's ok. [I do it, too.]
Maybe you are a friend and actually care about my life [but in a non-pathological way].

Well, enemies, creepers, blog stalkers, and friends...

...there is actually no good reason that I haven't been writing lately.

School stopped, and therefore, so did my brain. And my drive. [If I ever really had any to begin with.]

But, in case you were wondering, I got the highest GPA I've ever had in my life this semester.

What the. How did that happen?

Also, Tim and I sang at a wedding this last weekend. Actually, to be more specific, we sang during their ceremony. Because Samara is my friend and my coworker, and because it was their wedding [no big deal], we were more than a little stressed. We wanted it to be perfect for them.

And it really was.

Everything was so beautiful, and I'm pretty sure there wasn't a single dry eye as they both cried through their vows. Talk about touching.

Don't they look perfect? [And there we are, chillin' in the background.]

[I ~~stole~~ borrowed this picture off Samara's facebook. I hope nobody gets offended.]

Speaking of weddings, I just wanted to show you this:

And this:

Ok, fine, and this, too:

Ah yes.

Being married is the best.

I get all teary-eyed just thinking about how lucky I got.

Ok kids, I'll see you when and if my drive comes back again.

In the meantime, Happy-Five-Days-Until-Christmas!

[Again, nobody sells signs that say that. I am definitely starting my own product line.]

half birthdays

2011-12-16T09:32:00.000-08:00

About 6 months ago, I bought a new planner.

Now I don't know about you, but buying a planner is an exciting time for me.

I get to enter all kinds of important dates and [temporarily] feel like my life is perfectly organized.

One of those important dates was December 12, 2011.

Was it an anniversary? No.
Was it a holiday? No.
Was it the last day of finals? No. [Well, uh...yes. But I didn't know that at the time.]
Was it a birthday? No.
Was it a half birthday? Yes.

Tim's half birthday, to be more specific.

I'd never celebrated half birthdays before, but I thought it might be fun.

So I secretly planned for months that I would do something for Tim's half birthday.

In the end, it was just something small, but it was kinda fun.

He came home to see this:

And this:

I just got him some Reese's Pieces, but from the ecstatic way he reacted, you'd think I'd gotten him a flatscreen HD TV or something.

Moral of the story? Nobody sells anything that says "Happy Half Birthday." I might have to start my own line of products.

[Wait, what? That's not a very good moral? Ok, let's try again.]

Moral of the story? Buy a planner. They'll make you creative in ways you've never dreamed.

date night

2011-12-06T09:47:00.000-08:00

Date night is pretty much my favorite night. Like, ever.

I get to hang out with my best friend for an entire evening without worrying about homework or studying or school.

And Tim is a pretty creative date-planner so that makes it even more fun.

For example, last Friday, we decided to go get hot chocolate and drive around and look at Christmas lights.

Simple, right?

But so, so fun.

[Except I lied. I didn't get hot chocolate. I got Caramel Apple Spice. But Tim got hot chocolate. So really I only half-lied.]

There's this street in Mesa that goes all out on their Christmas lights. And it's pretty awesome.

[At least I think it's in Mesa. I wasn't driving, so I wasn't really paying attention.]

Love him.

Too bad this picture is so blurry. [My bad.]

I hope our kids get his eyes.

I took way too many pictures to post on here, but I thought I'd post some of my favorites.

I decided that the candy decorations are some of my favorites.

[Which is not, of course, a reflection of what I eat a good majority of my day.]
[No really.]

[Candyyyyy.]

Caramel Apple Spice.

White Hot Chocolate.

It's the simple things in life, you know?

p.s. For any of you who might have started following me on Pinterest, I express my deepest apologies. I haven't even gotten back on since that first time. And I had no idea what I was doing then, so...it might be kind of a disappointment. But I haven't completely given up. [Yet.]

christmas décor

2011-12-05T10:27:00.000-08:00

Ok, kids.

I think we've finally put up all of our Christmas decorations. [And by "our" Christmas decorations, I mean Christmas decorations my mom gave/lent to me because she either has too many or just isn't as into decorating anymore or is just being entirely too generous.]

Wanna see?

That couch was mine and Tim's first purchase together. Fifty bones off Craigslist, yo!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree...

Ok, I know this one looks pretty much like the last, but you couldn't really see the lights in the last one, and this one is blurry, so I figured posting both was the best of both worlds. #don'tjudgeme

My mom's old nativity set. I feel so lucky to have it.

I think my favorite part of this is the candy cane candles. [Say that five times fast.]

[No really, go ahead. I dare you.]

I know, still blurry. Alas.

My aunt got me these cute cupcake ornaments. I especially love that they sparkle.

Most of our furniture is furniture my grandma left to me. Thinking about that makes me tear up a little.

Yeah, I'm gonna do something a little different with that wall space on the left. Just not quite sure what yet.

These are salt and pepper shakers that have been around as long as I can remember.

So, umm...I've been in love with Mickey and Minnie for as long as I can remember. When I was a little girl, I was obsessed with my pink Minnie bedspread. [At least these aren't pink, right?]

My grandma made this wreath.

As a kid, these were my absolute favorite decorations. I think I just loved that they fit inside each other.

And a cheesy picture for the road.

'tis the season

2011-12-02T11:41:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling a little tenderhearted today.

Not completely sure why.

Maybe because I'm really tired.

Maybe because of friends who are struggling.

Maybe because I had one of my last classes today and everyone in my group was being all sentimental and mushy-gushy.

Maybe because I feel extremely blessed.

Maybe because I'm almost done with the semester.

Maybe because it's almost Christmas.

Or maybe it's a combination of all of those things.

On an unrelated note, taking Tim to Costco is like taking a six-year-old to Disneyland. His eyes light up and he wants to go up and down every aisle and eat every sample. He also liked that they put all of our purchased items in this box:

making it appear as though we were buying an entire box of jerky treats for a dog that we don't have.

And he also really, really liked this ginormous jar of pickles we bought for $3:

In all fairness to Tim, this picture doesn't really do it justice.

Can't you just picture it...sitting around the Christmas tree, drinking hot chocolate, and...eating pickles?

Alas.

Happy December y'all!

christmas trees

2011-11-30T13:49:00.000-08:00

Nothing beats a real Christmas tree. The way they smell, the way they look...simply enchanting.

Which is why Tim and I bought a fake tree last night.

Wait...what?

Ok, here's the story.

Tim and I had been planning for weeks to buy a real Christmas tree right after Thanksgiving. We'd imagined where we'd put it and how it would smell and how it would look with all the twinkling lights on it.

Last night, we finally got the chance to go get one. As we were on our way out the door, our neighbor casually asked us what we were up to.

"Oh, we're just gonna go get a Christmas tree!"

"A fake one or a real one?"

"A real one."

"Oh yeah, we got real ones up until this year, too. Then last year, we were decorating our tree and a Brown Recluse spider bit me. I waited a couple of days to go to the hospital, and by the time I did, they said if I'd waited any longer, they would have had to amputate my leg. But I only had to stay in the hospital for a couple of days."

I almost peed my pants.

My eyes were probably as wide as baseballs.

After we got in our car, Tim and I started squealing at each other. [No manly noises for Tim where spiders are concerned.]

"Uhh...maybe we should get a fake tree."

"Yeah that sounds like a good idea."

Which is how we ended up with a fake tree from Walmart.

Don't worry, it looks enchanting, too.

And I'm sure the pine air fresheners we're gonna buy will smell just like a real tree and I won't even notice the difference.

[Or so I tell myself.]

2011-11-23T10:09:00.000-08:00

I know I'm a bit behind the times, but I've finally joined Pinterest.

I'm sure we could turn this into a commentary about how I'm always a little behind the times, but let's not think of too many examples...fashion, technology, blogging, DIY crafts...stop it right now!

Kids, I wore either hiking boots or white cowgirl boots [with fringe] throughout my entire elementary school career. [Which are probably in now. What the heck do I know?] Thankfully, my aunt Ginny keeps me from making too many fashion faux pas, but you can see where I'm going with this. Behind the times. Or maybe not with any time at all.

And now that I'm approximately 32 seconds into the boards and the pinning and the following on Pinterest, my eyes are swimming and I am thoroughly and completely confused. [I suppose I should take comfort in the fact that I felt the same way when I first joined Facebook. Ok maybe not.]

I think I'm gonna make myself feel better by telling myself that I just have an old soul.

To be honest, I don't really know what that means, but it does make me feel better.

I think that must be it.

p.s. I got my wedding day pictures back yesterday thanks to this girl. And oh, how I love them. Except for how critical I am of myself. But. I guess we all do it. Regardless of insecurities, Chantal is amazing! I accidentally left them at home, otherwise I would post some now.

p.p.s. Just because it's been a while:

p^3.s. Happy Almost-Thanksgiving! Eat your little foodie hearts out!

p^4.s. Ok. Ok bye.

thanksgiving traditions - old and new

2011-11-22T10:36:00.000-08:00

I am incredibly lucky.

Wanna know why?

Because I now have two families. Two incredible, loving families.

And I get to see them both this week.

Wedding Day - thanks to this girl.

First, we get to go to Tim's sister's house and spend Thanksgiving with his family there. Unfortunately, not all of his siblings will be there, but I guess that's a risk you take when there are ten kids in the family. [Yes. Yes, that's right. Ten. Yeah, it blew my mind a little, too.]

Family gatherings with the Devey family are a bit of a whirlwind of commotion - in a good way. There are kids and dogs running all about [including his Mom's chihuahua that scares me to this day - don't judge] and people everywhere. It's fantastic, and certainly something I'm not really used to yet. [I used to think Thanksgivings with my family included gargantuan amounts of people and animals, but I was wrong. I was very wrong.]

Then, we get to go to Prescott and spend a couple of days with my family, too. You see, my aunt Ginny and I have this tradition. We go shopping the weekend after Thanksgiving every year that we can possibly manage it. While you might see this as a shallow - perhaps superficial - tradition, I prefer to see it more as a day to bond and talk about life's deepest mysteries whilst enjoying the finer things of life. [Namely clothes, food, and Bath and Body Works's famous scents.]

Plus, spending any time at all with my family always gives me the warm fuzzies and getting to see my grandma makes the next couple of months about 289 times better.

Yep, I am incredibly lucky. Or maybe blessed is a better word for it.

Does anyone have any fantastic Thanksgiving traditions?

panic-induced laughter

2011-11-21T11:46:00.000-08:00

On Friday, I left work on a high. [Not a drug-induced high, mind you, just the feeling-high-on-life kind of high.]

I called my parents and told them how excited I was to see them in a few hours, texted Tim that I was on my way home, and got in my truck. There was a major event going on in the area, so there were hundreds of cars packed into the tiny streets.

I took a deep breath and turned on some music.

Finally, a break. Even if it is just for a couple of days, I thought.

I had driven for a couple of minutes when the music started cutting out.

Huh, that's weird. Maybe the cd is skipping. That's what I get for losing my iPod.

I tried to turn off the music but watched in confusion as the cd player lights kept flickering on and off. I pulled up to a red left arrow and waited for the light to turn. I watched the other side of the intersection turn from yellow to red and prepared to push the gas. Suddenly all of the lights in the truck started flickering and it started making an odd noise. Then the engine cut out.

The arrow turned green. I frantically tried to start the car again, but to no avail. The engine wouldn't even turn over. My trembling fingers tried to turn on the hazard lights to let the [very long] line of cars behind me know that my car wasn't working. They wouldn't work, either. A car pulled up to my right and a very frustrated-looking man waved his arms at me. I gave him an apologetic look and tried once again to start the car.

In my moment of panic, I had only two distinct thoughts. The first was that I needed to call Tim. And the second was that I couldn't stay in the truck anymore. I practically fell out of the truck and stumbled onto the road directly in front of a car turning right. I ran to the side of the road and tried to call Tim. But my fingers were trembling so badly that nothing was working properly.

"Do you need help pushing your car?"

I realized the voice must be talking to me and turned. A man on his bike looked at me inquisitively.

"Uh yes. Yes I do."

Then another man and a policeman appeared and told me to put the truck in neutral. I almost walked in front of another car as I walked back to the truck and attempted to follow instructions. I couldn't get the column shift to move at all. I told the men so, and the policeman instructed one of the men to try, since he couldn't fit behind the wheel with all of his gear. Eventually, the man succeeded and I got behind the wheel as they waited for the light to turn green again.

Finally the light turned green [again] and we made it across the intersection and into the parking lot. [The steering had suddenly become very difficult, but we made it notwithstanding.]

I [profusely] thanked the men for their help and called Tim. He said he would come pick me up as soon as he could.

Here are a few moments of irony at this point in the story [at which I couldn't help but laugh]:

Tim had some customers come in right as the store was closing and insist that they stay open late. [This rarely-to-never happens.]
As I was sitting in the truck waiting for Tim, a man backed into the space next to me and opened his door into the side of the truck.
I tried to figure out if I could keep the truck in the parking lot overnight, got transferred several times, and eventually was hung up on.
Tim set the alarm at his work before he left, went to check on a side door, which abruptly opened and set off the alarm, and had to reassure the alarm company and his boss that he was not a burglar and that no one was trying to break in.

Thankfully [with my parents' help] we got the truck towed the next day and have someone working on it now. I don't really know what's wrong with it, and at this point, I'm not really sure I care. I'm just grateful that I was safe, that we had so much help, and that I am not currently sitting at that intersection trying to get my car to start.

And I'm grateful for all the moments of irony that provided so much comic relief for me.

Does anyone else panic in situations like that [and then laugh like a crazy person afterward]? Please tell me I'm not the only one.

the semester slump

2011-11-18T12:40:00.000-08:00

I am in an end-of-the-semester slump.

The strange part? I am actually starting to enjoy my classes. [You know, minus all the stress and whatnot.]

But I am encountering an all-too-familiar problem in the form of sleep deprivation.

Every morning, my alarm goes off.

Every morning, I reset it for 10 minutes later.

Every morning, I reset it again for 10 minutes later.

2,346 times.

At the beginning of the semester, I was always perfectly on time. Then mid-semester hit and I was two or three minutes late every day.

Now I'm lucky if I make it at all.

And if I do make it, you'll probably see me strolling in about 30 minutes late or so. [But give me a break, my classes are all 3 hours long this semester.]

Does this happen to anyone else?

And now I have a completely unrelated question:

For anyone who has ever had to change their name...was it as daunting a process as I'm making it out to be? I haven't even tried, because I read about what I have to do online and get way too intimidated. So...I'm still using my maiden name. But I would really like to be using my married name.

Any helpful tips?

wedgies

2011-11-15T11:06:00.000-08:00

Papers and presentations and tests, oh my!

Thank heavens Thanksgiving is next week. [Ahaha. Is it funny to anyone else that I am thankful for Thanksgiving? ...Yeah. Maybe my brain is just too fried to know what's funny anymore.]

Want to hear a funny story? [Now that your faith in my humor is gone...]

My mom came down on Friday just to spend the day with me. And it was great! It's the funnest thing when your mom is one of your best friends.

Anyway on the drive down [she lives about two hours away], she bought some KFC. She still had some potato wedges left by the time she got to our apartment, so she offered them to me:

"I couldn't eat all of my food...would you like some of my wedgies?"

Needless to say, I laughed about that on and off for a few hours. And I might be laughing about it right now just remembering it.

Why yes, Mom, I would like some of your wedgies...

Friday was an awesome day. She taught me how to do things like fill the nail holes in our walls and put up new shower rods. She even took me early Christmas shopping and got me things like throw pillows for our couch and mirrors for our walls.

There is a literally endless list of things I can learn from my mom. She is a handy gal to have around.

And we both love to laugh about almost everything. Including KFC and wedgies.

Gotta love wedgies.

the pot that died

2011-11-08T09:43:00.000-08:00

Last night, Tim and I got home at around 8:00pm. Neither of us had eaten dinner yet, so let me tell you folks: we were hungry.

We had some leftovers in our freezer, so we decided to just thaw those since that would be quick and easy. But I like to be somewhat healthy, so I decided to steam some cauliflower, too. [Side note: I kept mixing up "cauliflower" and "broccoli" last night. And I almost just typed broccoli instead of cauliflower. Special.]

Before I even started thawing our leftovers, I cut up the cauliflower [almost just did it again] and put it in the steamer, which I then set inside a pot. I put it on the burner, turned on the stove, and started thawing the leftovers.

Once the leftovers were thawed, I checked on the cauliflower, certain it would be almost done. To my surprise, it didn't look any different. I checked to see if the burner was on [which it was] and got our drinks ready and the table set.

I checked the cauliflower again.

Still no different.

Suddenly my breath caught in my chest.

I hadn't put any water in the pot. Which meant the cauliflower wasn't being steamed. Which meant the bottom of my pot was black as coal. [This seems an inappropriate time to make a joke about the pot calling the kettle black, eh?]

Kids, I have steamed vegetables dozens...nay, hundreds...of times. But never have I ever not put water in the pot.

I decided to just let the pot cool down naturally, hoping beyond hope that it would just somehow be 100% ok.

About 10 minutes later, we heard a loud bang which made us think that perhaps our kitchen was exploding. I checked on our pot and this was the result:

That's right. The bottom of the pot came off. I didn't even know that was possible.

I was sad for about five minutes, and then I couldn't help but laugh. So then I gave Tim a monologue about how our steamer would have to grieve quickly and then soon remarry the other pot that we [thankfully] have.

The other good news is that we got to use our rice cooker/steamer for the first time since getting it as a wedding gift. Tim is usually the kitchen-gadget guy but I have formed an immediate attachment to this new kitchen appliance.

Hopefully I won't ruin this new favorite appliance by forgetting to put water in the pot.

But if I do, you know dang well I will blog about it.

community

2011-11-04T13:13:00.000-07:00

Part of me has always wanted to live in the South.

I have never been there, but from what I have heard and from the books I have read, it sounds like a magical place.

And in my imagination, people are sometimes-quirky but always neighborly. And there is a strong sense of community.

It seems very likely to me that this really is all in my imagination, since again, I have never been there. Kind of an important detail.

But regardless, I have found a piece of what the South is like [in my imagination] in our new apartment complex.

Everyone has been so friendly. I've never experienced that in an apartment complex before. Like - chatting it up, inviting us over for dinner, and telling us we can borrow toilet paper if we run out - kind of friendly.

And I love it.

It's not even just one neighbor, or even two...it's everyone.

Like the lady who has all the cute little blonde kids who have us her contact card, or the woman with her three pugs who loves to talk, or the couple with the two dogs and two kids who love to be outside.

I hope we get the chance to know them all better.

But if it really is anything like I imagine the South to be, I'm sure we will.

p.s. If the South is different from what I imagine it to be, and you know it, just keep in mind that old adage, "ignorance is bliss."

p.p.s. Kloveyoubye.

thankful

2011-11-02T11:55:00.000-07:00

Hello there kiddos!

Everyone is talking about things they are thankful for [it is that time of the year, you know], so I thought I'd jump on the thanksgiving bandwagon.

Today I am thankful...

via

...that I am not in high school anymore.

Random? Possibly. True? Definitely.

My high school days were some of the most insecure that I can remember.

I spent so many days worrying about what people thought of me - worrying that my hair looked ok or if my clothes made me look fat or why someone didn't talk to me that day.

Now to be honest, I still worry about those things sometimes. But it's not a pervasive, think-about-it-all-the-freakin-time kind of worry.

I have come to love myself for who I am. I feel confident in my own skin.

Do you know what helped me the most?

Gaining a knowledge that I am a daughter of a very loving Heavenly Father who values me and is very involved in my life.

I knew that in high school, but I don't think it had really entered into my heart yet. And now I know it with my whole heart.

Like I said, I still have those days or those moments of insecurity.

But it only takes me a second to remember who I am.

And don't you forget, either.

Heavenly Father loves you. You are important. You are special. You are worth it.

Thank goodness there is life after high school, eh?

[lack of] trick-or-treaters

2011-11-01T11:12:00.000-07:00

I have a confession, kids:

I did not dress up for Halloween.

This was not for lack of desire, but Tim was at work until late, so I decided to stay home and...study.

My one hope for the night was that I would have at least a few trick-or-treaters come to my door. I had dreams of seeing all the cute little princesses and pirates and pumpkins and hearing that magic phrase.

But.

I did not have even one trick-or-treater.

My little pumpkin bowl that I bought specifically with the purpose of giving out candy to the kiddos [with all of the Halloween spirit that my little heart could muster]...

remained depressingly full...

and so I decided to eat all of the candy to make up for my loss.

[It worked surprisingly well.]

Happy November 1st!

sleep-tickling

2011-10-31T13:58:00.000-07:00

Good news:

We got all of our stuff moved this weekend! And thankfully, we had a lot of help. Friends and family: we love you guys.

Pictures of our new place to come.

[I am very excited about this. It is already looking good and I am so excited to decorate. #callmecrazy]

And now for a funny story:

Tim is very ticklish. [This is important for the "funny story." I promise I'm not just telling you random factoids.]

Consequently, I love to tickle him. [I am also very ticklish, but he learned early on in our relationship that I can't control my body movements while I'm being tickled so I may or may not have kicked him in the stomach once. Oops.]

And apparently, I love to tickle him even in my sleep. Because the other night, we were both falling asleep, and I just started full-on tickling him. [This is all according to Tim because I don't remember it at all.]

So he started jerking around and woke me up, and my first thought was that someone must be breaking in or something by the crazy way that he was moving around.

Then when I found out what [he says] happened, I got super annoyed. I really have no rationale for this other than that I had just been unexpectedly awakened.

I turned my back to him.

He said, "Babe are you mad?"

"No, I'm just frustrated."

He said he couldn't even be frustrated with me because he was laughing too dang hard.

Then the next day, he brought it up and I had forgotten all about it. Then I couldn't stop laughing. [And let me tell you, this was a problem because I was talking on my phone in a public place, laughing my head off, and probably looking like a crazy person.]

But I couldn't help it.

Now if I could only learn to sleep-study.

For fun.

Does anyone else do crazy things in their sleep?

distracting

2011-10-25T10:50:00.000-07:00

My boss bought me this [cute?] little guy on her trip to Iceland.

She didn't tell me anything about him, so my imagination is left to run wild.

Maybe he is a curse, and just like Pinocchio my nose will end up growing in size as a result. [Do you see the size of his schnoz?]

Maybe he comes alive on Halloween. [Only a few days left to test this hypothesis.]

Maybe he brings the Icelandic spirit with him and will turn everyone in sight into a ravishing, blue-eyed blonde.

Maybe, as is my preferred hypothesis, if left on my desk he will protect me from all the evils of the office environment.

Or maybe, as is the most likely hypothesis...

he doesn't do anything...

and just sits on my desk...

and distracts me from my work...

making me wonder about what it is he represents.

Which is probably nothing.

[Yep, it's one of those days.]

p.s. My brother Jeff is staying with us right now, because he's down in Phoenix for job training. I love Jeff. And I also love that because Jeff is here, I have another excuse to go to Bahama Bucks. [I've got to be a good hostess, you know.]

the important things

2011-10-24T11:06:00.000-07:00

So I bet y'all were wondering how the Taylor Swift concert went, right? ...right?

Well, it was wonderful. I got in touch with my inner child and sang and danced right along with all those 13-year-old girls. Katie went with me and wrote an awesome post about it here.

[And yes, actually, the churro and the slushies afterwards were two of my favorite parts of the night. But don't worry, Taylor, you still came in #1.]

via

Also. This week's episode of Psych was hilarious. Seriously. We laughed our heads off. [The late hour might have had something to do with this, but I promise it was funny regardless of the hour.]

Aaaand. We're moving this week. I am so excited. Who the heck knows how I'm going to find time for school and work and moving [and blogging], but somehow everything always manages to work out, right?

And finally. I have been noticing my face turning red a lot more. I have always had this tendency, but lately it's been worse. I mean, it only happens when I'm embarrassed, or nervous, or excited, or have been put on the spot unexpectedly, or....oh yeah.

All the time.

Ahaha.

Does this happen to anyone else?

Or am I alone in my awkward face-flushes?

Ok. Ok bye.

taylor swift

2011-10-19T12:25:00.000-07:00

On Friday, I am going to see this girl:

via

with this girl.

Two of my favorite girls in one place.

Ok, so I've never met Taylor.

But she's still a favorite.

I am so.dang.excited.

We got the tickets...what...at the beginning of the summer? Before I was engaged anyway. It seemed so far away at the time. And truthfully, I guess it was. I got engaged, married, and started grad school in that span of time.

But now...it's finally here.

And you can bet that slushies will be involved. Because, well, they always are on important occasions. [And not-so-important occasions. Let's be honest.]

bumming around

2011-10-17T11:58:00.000-07:00

I have a confession.

I was a bum.

All weekend.

And not only was I a bum all weekend, but I did something all weekend for which I am [only very slightly] ashamed.

I watched Charmed.

via

Oh yes, I did.

I had never seen it while it was on, but thanks to Netflix, it is my newest guilty pleasure.

And that's where the slight shame comes in.

It's a tv show for like a 15-year-old girl, right? But there I was, watching it all weekend.

But for the first time in weeks, I didn't have homework and I didn't have anywhere to be.

And it felt amazing.

I got to turn my brain off for a little while and relax.

Poor Timmy had to work all weekend, but let's be honest:

He doesn't like Charmed anyway. And that's ok.

When we're together we sometimes watch the Cosby Show thanks to this girl. And that's fun, too.

But sometimes a girl's just gotta have her guilty pleasure, right?

[#dontjudge]

Kbyenow.

moving

2011-10-14T17:43:00.000-07:00

Have I told you we're moving again at the end of this month?

No, not into a house. Not yet. [We kinda decided that with school and work and stress to postpone that for the time being.]

But we are moving into a condo. A two-bedroom, two-bath condo. Which may [or may not] sound small, but let me reassure you - it is far bigger than our one-bedroom, one-bath apartment.

Don't get me wrong, I love our apartment. And quite frankly, I always will. It was the first place I lived with my very own husband.

However, when your apartment looks like this all the time...

...with stuff lining the walls...

...you know you just might need a bit more space.

I am so excited for this move. And the rent is cheaper, so it doesn't get much better than that, eh?

And just for posterity's sake, a couple more of the current apartment:

Here's the table that came with our furnished apartment. [Bye-bye table.] And more stuff lining the walls.

Tiny but well-loved.

Don't judge the decor, por favor. I hadn't really started decorating, porque I knew we'd be moving ASAP.

[Yeah, I'm not really sure where the random spanish is coming from either.]

For fun.

Anyway, hopefully soon I'll be able to show you a fully-decorated new condo. [Soon meaning within the next couple of months. Don't hold your breath.]

I kinda like moving. At least the redecorating, reorganizing part. [Not so much the heavy furniture, arms-aching part.] Is that weird?

uncertainty

2011-10-12T14:51:00.000-07:00

[Disclaimer: This is the post where I tell way too much personal stuff about myself and make y'all uncomfortable.]

This semester so far has been a struggle for me. [<--- Understatement.]

And the reason it's been a struggle all comes down to one word:

Anxiety.

Mmm hmm. Kind of ironic, considering I'm studying counseling, eh?

I've struggled with mild to moderate anxiety ever since I can remember. [And believe me, I've tried to forget that time I was in swimming lessons for the first time and threw up in the pool because I was so nervous.]

And now it's reached a low point. [Or a high point. Whichever way you choose to see it.]

I've given this a lot - and I mean a lot - of thought. Because even though I graduated with two undergraduate degrees in four years, this is approximately 10,000 times more work. It's not really harder, but it is more work. But it would be totally worth it, if it was what I really wanted to do, right?

And that's where my problem comes in - my uncertainty about the program. My uncertainty about what I really even want to do with my career. [I realize this is sounding a bit like a mid-life crisis, but I promise I haven't dyed my hair or bought an entirely-too-expensive sports car yet.]

This uncertainty is exacerbating my anxiety to ridiculous proportions. Like, sometimes-debilitating proportions. [Just ask my very sweet husband.]

I pray about it all the time. And I know He will answer me, but sometimes it's in His time, not mine. And that's ok, because at least I know that He still cares. In fact, I have a feeling He's way more involved than I realize.

The truth is, there really isn't a point to all of this other than to throw it out into the void and hope that maybe somebody has been through something similar. Or in the hopes that maybe it will help someone know that they're not alone.

Because for now, it's not fun.

But I know someday it will all make sense.

[Feeling awkward yet? ;)]

why i go to work

2011-10-10T21:36:00.000-07:00

I have some pretty great coworkers.

This can be illustrated in a number of ways [you know...while we're working or whatever], but some of my favorite ways have absolutely nothing to do with work.

Example 1:

I had been helping my coworker Sue with a convention she was hosting on for a collector's club she's in. I had no idea, but apparently these collector's clubs can be a big deal. And Sue collects those Dickensian-looking Christmas villages. Which I happen to think is pretty cool.

Anyway, as a consequence of helping her out during my down time, she gave me the opportunity of a lifetime:

The chance to hear the great-great grandson of Charles Dickens perform a one-man rendition of a Christmas Carol. [Yes, it was October, but I'm pretty sure absolutely nobody in that audience minded one bit.] It was incredible. And yes, I may have cried. [Tiny Tim gets me every time.]

To make things even better, my friend Jana got to come along, which is great, since she happens to be a big fan of Dickens [and can probably quote every line of that play verbatim].

And finally, to put the icing on the cake, Jana and I got to peruse through all of the [very mind-blowingly intricate] villages on display.

Here is the Halloween village.

[Sorry for the poor picture quality...I forgot to bring my camera along so phone pictures are all you get.]

Jana Banana reading all of the funny epitaphs on the tombstones.

At this moment in time, I was probably either laughing at something one of the tombstones said or at something Janana said. [She loves it when I use her nicknames. Former roommate privilege, you know.]

Ok, I know you can't see this one very well, but it's supposed to be the Courthouse Square in Prescott, which just happens to be where I'm from. Holla.

A Christmas Village, with details right down to couples holding hands and families coming out of church.

Fact: that black blur is actually a train.

And you thought my holiday yearning was bad before.

Example #2:

My boss, Kristin, went to Iceland for three weeks [that part actually makes me kinda sad] and left us all of the food in her refrigerator [and that part makes me happy]. The goods consisted of things that Tim and I don't usually buy, but of things that we love. We got to experiment around a lot, which was really fun.

Now, that may or may not look appetizing, but let me tell you: it was tasty. Stuffed chicken with pesto, peppers, mozarella cheese, and other ingredients which I cannot recall at this time.

Yep, my coworkers are pretty great.

[Jealousy not encouraged.]

getting out of my own head

2011-10-07T17:31:00.000-07:00

I know, I know...I haven't been around for a few days.

One word: school.

Oh yes. It's true. The monster hath overtaken me.

But not today.

Today I'm going to give a shout-out to KAST - aka Katie's Arizona Service Team.

Now I know what you're thinking, but it's a different Katie. [A different, old roommate, best friend kind of Katie.] She started this group because, let me tell you, the girl loves service. And sometimes service is easier to do in groups.

A couple weeks ago, Tim and I went to an event for KAST called "Feed My Starving Children." We've been before and it is a magical experience. [Not to mention the fact that a little more than a year ago, it's kinda how our romance started. But. More on that later.]

There is loud, fun music, dancing, and enthusiastic people. And by the end of the night, we ended up helping to feed 24 starving children for an entire year. [Nothing like that to give you the warm fuzzies.]

And here is Tim's sister and her new fiancé [whaaat!]:

We get to wear those cool little hairnets to make sure the kiddos don't get any hair in their food. Because that would be gross. For reals.

And last Friday, we got to go to the Child Crisis Center, where Tim teaches little kids how to play the guitar. [And oh, how they love him.] He also started a service organization called Strings for Life. [I like to surround myself with amazing people, apparently.]

And throughout both of these recent experiences I noticed a common factor:

I never feel like doing it beforehand.

I feel too busy, too worn out, too stressed, and too grumpy.

But afterwards? I'm always so glad I did.

It's an amazing thing, but it gives me more energy, takes away my stress, and makes me just a little more cheerful.

Thank goodness for such amazing people and opportunities which allow me to get out of my own head for awhile.

the secrets of panda express

2011-09-30T13:08:00.000-07:00

Last week [I think - I'm losing track of my days], Tim and I went to Panda Express. We usually get to meet up on Fridays for lunch because we get out of our classes at the same time and can eat together before we head to work.

Not that you really cared about that useless piece of information.

But I really like it.

Anyways.

I got an awesome fortune cookie that said:

Your sense of humor will get you through difficult times.

I felt all warm and fuzzy inside.

[I really only go to Panda for the fortune cookies.] [Just kidding.] [Kind of.]

Then Tim went to open his fortune cookie...

...and there was no fortune!

We felt so gypped. And then puzzled.

Does Tim have no future? Or can he just choose his own destiny? And whereas I am doomed to having my sense of humor get me through difficult times, maybe he can choose to just be depressed during difficult times if he so wishes?

Perhaps we'll never know.

p.s. In regards to my last blog, I have a clarification. That first picture? Of my new bedspread? I did not make that. [I owe all of that to Target.] And I did not make the fish blanket. Or the blanket from my mom [of which there was no picture]. In fact, I have never made a blanket. My only talents lie in being able to blog about inconsequential nonsense. [But thankfully, I still get to enjoy the fruits of other people's talents.]

Ok, just had to be sufficiently humble, in case there was any confusion.

Ok. Ok bye.

buttons and blankets

2011-09-29T21:03:00.000-07:00

Here it is ladies and gentlemen...the moment you've all been waiting for...

You may now take my button!

[What? No one was waiting for that? I'll just pretend I didn't hear that.]

And, in another bit of news, here is our new bedspread:

I know this isn't an awesome picture [which I'll blame on our camera rather than on the photographer], but isn't it cute? [You may only respond if it is in the affirmative.]

Also, my best friend Ashley made us this fish blanket:

[Ok, I know that couch isn't the most beautiful thing you've ever seen, but it came with our furnished month-to-month apartment. Don't judge. And maybe overlook the boxes in the following picture.]

Tim sporting the fish blanket like the male model that he is.

Wait...what's that you say? You don't see any fish?

That's ok. There aren't any.

It's Ashley's family's tradition that all started with a blanket which did have fish on it. Most of the blankets which have followed it have not sported any fish, but they are still called fish blankets. [Eh, Pancha?]

Anyway, we love it.

My mom also made us an awesome quilt for our wedding, but the only picture I currently have of it has it covered with laundry. Someday I will show you a picture. Because it is awesome.

But. Today is not that day.

Ok, time for homework.

Over and out!

our first camping trip [as a married couple]

2011-09-27T18:18:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, Tim and I set out for our first camping trip as a married couple. We decided Payson, AZ was a good idea, since it is relatively close and because there seemed to be a vast amount of campgrounds around there.

We discovered:

1. Payson is relatively close.

2. There are a lot of campgrounds around there.

3. Even though there are a lot of campgrounds, there are not a lot of open campgrounds.

4. 6:30pm is way too early for it to get dark.

5. Setting up a tent in the dark can be very tricky.

Quite a few things went wrong [perhaps too many to enumerate in an interesting manner], but we just giggled the whole time.

Then Tim started saying redundant things - not on purpose at first. Then after awhile we turned it into a game, so that everything we said was redundant. [E.g., "It's like I always say, when something is funny, it's just funny." "I'm gonna try not to repeat myself, 'cause that would just be redundant." "Setting up a tent is really hard, and it's also really difficult."] Aaand the giggling continued.

When it was time for roasted marshmallows, I wanted to take a picture with one [smiling, of course] because of this post. I was just posing with the marshmallow, waiting for Tim to take a picture, when my marshmallow unexpectedly caught fire. This is the resulting picture:

Then the camera died. Right after taking that picture. [I'm trying not to take that as an insult.] So that was the only picture we got of the camping trip, other than the [more crappy] ones I took with my phone.

The next day we took two hikes - one of which consisted of a very small pond which had tons of tadpoles and even a water snake. [Which Tim did not see, but I swear it was in there.]

It was beautiful there. I highly recommend it [all 542.46 campgrounds - especially the 1 open one]. It was so nice to get away from everything and to just be for awhile.

And now we're back to the daily grind and I find myself wishing I could be back in Payson, struggling to set up tents in the dark and unexpectedly catching marshmallows on fire.

items of business

2011-09-26T14:20:00.000-07:00

I have a few items of business I would like to discuss.

[Ahaha. Sometimes I make myself laugh.]

Ok, first things first. See my new little blog button there on the side? Don't take it yet! [Is that bad publicity? Alas.] It's not quite perfected yet. But. I'm working on it. [Or I should say, Tim is working on it.] I'm not very savvy at all this hip blogger stuff yet. [Obviously, if it's taken me this long to get a button, eh?] I'll let you know when it's ready a.s.a.p.

Second item of business. I was given two blog awards! Well, technically, I think I was given the same blog award twice [by two different people - Emma from Race & Emma and Ashley from All Things Ashley]. The Versatile Blogger Award. I'm so happy! I love blog friends and blog lovin'. So I believe I'm supposed to tell you seven random things about me and then nominate some people for the same award.

1. I am naturally a very shy person. Over the years, it's gotten to the point where most people can't even tell [at least, I don't think so]. But it takes a lot of work on my part sometimes. I think now I can be relatively outgoing without a ton of effort, but occasionally I just revert to sitting in the corner quietly.

2. I love food. [Wait, was this supposed to be things you didn't know?] I don't consider myself a "foodie," because let's face it - I am not discriminatory. I love almost all food. [Minus seafood. I know that's a pretty large group to rule out, but I think if you read this post, you'll understand.]

3. I used to play the trumpet. True story. 5th-8th grade. Back in the glory days. [Not.]

4. I once swallowed a penny. When I was five. And it got stuck in my esophagus and I had to have a bronchoscopy and stay in the hospital overnight. Awkward.

5. I am a Mormon! And my new Mormon.org profile is now up and running. You can get to it by clicking on that "I'm a Mormon" button on the upper-right hand side.

6. Tim and I love Psych. Like, love love love it. Enough that we got two pineapples, two Season Four DVD sets, and a pineapple clock for wedding gifts. I have this dream that we could spend an entire day with them, quoting '80s movies. [And don't try to tell me that they aren't real.]

7. I am a singer. Or more like I used to be. I've done years of choir, but in high school, I did a few years of singing lessons. And would compete in Classical and Musical Theatre competitions. It was kind of intense and took a lot of the fun out of it for me. But. I still like to sing, but now it's more informal. Sometimes, Tim and I sing on Mill Avenue in Tempe, AZ for fun [and we even get paid for it...suckers].

And there you have it. Things you never wanted to know. Now for the nominations. [Our third item of business.] This is really hard for me because I love so many blogs. So many talented, creative people out there. But here we go:

Katie from Scruples

Alexis from Alexis Laughs

Siri from Of Pumpkin Thieves

Katie from Harrisness

Kara from Not a Couple's Blog

Chelsea from Perfect in My Mind

Bridget from Being Quiet in a Loud Way

[I didn't actually know how many I was supposed to nominate, so I did seven - the number of random facts about myself.]

Ok kids, now it's your turn! Seven random facts about yourselves and nominations!

Fourth order of business: Camping was awesome. I will have to tell you all about it a.s.a.p. [But not now, because this is turning into a freakishly long post.]

Fifth order of business:

A wedding picture. For fun.

Kbyenow.

[third]-day-of-school pictures?

2011-09-22T22:59:00.000-07:00

I am shamefaced.

I never showed you Tim's and my first-day-of-school pictures. And now we've been in school for a month.

I've never been so embarrassed.

[Ok that is a lie.]

[Confession: my mom never took first-day-of-school pictures. So this was actually a first for me, I think. And it was the most monumental event of my life.]

[Next confession: I don't actually think this was even the very first day. It might have been the second. Or even the third.]

Tim dropping me off at school. [I'm pretty sure he made that same face on his first-day-of-school picture when he was a five-year-old. We'll have to ask his mother.]

And what a marvelous ~~first~~ ~~second~~ third day it was.

[Also a lie.]

But, alas, the semester is progressing nicely, and I attribute this fully to the fact that we took ~~first~~ ~~second~~ third-day-of-school pictures.

[But if the semester goes south, I will never take third-day-of-school pictures ever again.]

what a girl's gotta do

2011-09-21T00:40:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had a really strong craving for a roasted marshmallow whilst camping?

Well, duh. Hasn't everyone?

Ok, well have you ever had a really strong craving for a roasted marshmallow whilst you're not camping?

Having had extensive experience in this area, I can tell you: it can get a little tricky. Especially since my apartment complex tends to frown upon fires in the living room.

Don't worry, though. I've found a solution.

Stove-roasted marshmallows!

Ah, yes.

Unfortunately, it doesn't have quite the same flavor. Especially since it's a little harder to catch your marshmallow on fire over a stove. [I like 'em burnt. Carcinogens or not.]

But sometimes, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. [And sometimes, her husband does whatever it takes to fulfill her ridiculous cravings.]

p.s. Just in case anyone has any doubts, I am not pregnant, regardless of my outlandish cravings. No internet rumors please ;)

p.p.s. Tim and I are going camping this weekend, so I'll be able to have a real roasted marshmallow. Just ask me how excited I am.

p^3.s. Is anyone else getting really excited for the holiday season? I started thinking about it today in class and teared up a little. [Regressing, I tell you.]

i am regressing

2011-09-16T13:58:00.000-07:00

Browsing through Netflix movies last Sunday, Tim and I came across this baby:

via

Neither of us had seen it in years, so we decided to watch it once again.

Was it what I remembered? No.
Did I still like it? Yes.
Did I pick up on the save-the-environment messages this time around? Yes.
Did I fall in love with Willy all over again? You betcha.
Did I cry like a baby the whole way through? Absolutely.

Wait...what?

Yes I definitely did that.

Periodically throughout the movie, Tim would turn to me, notice the tears, stifle a laugh, and try to act sympathetic.

It was really very sweet.

Especially since I was trying not to laugh, too.

[Laughing and crying at the same time can be a very messy ordeal.]

Then yesterday I finished this book:

via

My mom lent it to me a while ago [with some very strong encouragement to read it], and it just took me awhile to start it. Then one day, I forgot to bring a textbook to read in between classes, and there it was. Magically sitting in my backpack.

It's a very short book, so it didn't take me very long to finish. And it's not the most dramatic or life-changing book I've ever read.

But I cried almost the whole way through.

I am regressing into a baby, I tell you! A four-month-old, cry-for-no-[apparent]-reason baby.

It's getting quite ridiculous.

[But in my defense, it was very heartwarming. And far more engaging than some of my textbooks. Ok textbooks make me cry sometimes, too. But certainly not for their heartwarming capabilities.]

Maybe one of y'all should watch/read these for me and tell me if you had the same reaction or if I really am just turning into a boo-baby.

Kthanksloveyoubye.

brain fag

2011-09-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

I just found the definition to a phrase I never knew existed - until tonight, that is.

The phrase?

Brain fag.

Now I know what you're thinking. [And, ok, I did originally enjoy that phrase because of my immaturity.]

But hear me out, kids.

This comes straight from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision [also known as the DSM-IV-TR] cultural section. Legit, right?

Ok, are you ready for the definition?

A term used initially in West Africa to refer to a condition experienced by high school or university students in response to the challenges of schooling. Symptoms include difficulties in concentrating, remembering, and thinking. Students often state that their brains are "fatigued." Additional somatic symptoms are usually centered around the head and neck and include pain, pressure or tightness, blurring of vision, heat, or burning. "Brain tiredness" or fatigue from "too much thinking" is an idiom of distress in many cultures, and resulting syndromes can resemble certain Anxiety, Depressive, and Somatoform Disorders.

Sound familiar?

Um, chya.

Haven't all college students experienced at least 90% of those things?

And now we have a phrase for it: brain fag.

Don't you feel better now that your brain fatigue is legit?

I know I do.

[And now it's back to studying. But it's ok, because I like this section.]

i need YOU, kids

2011-09-14T12:25:00.000-07:00

I have all kinds of things that I want to write about, but almost all of them involve pictures. Pictures that I don't have with me right now. Which means I can't write them right now. [Well, I guess I could write them, but I wouldn't be able to post them, so what's the point, eh?]

Anyways. Today I just have a question. A question I really want to know the answer to.

I bought Thank-You cards for all things wedding-related a few weeks ago, but since school started I just haven't had the time to write in them. Or consequently, send them to anyone. I am planning to block aside some time for it this weekend, but I would just like to know...

What is a good [or a bad] amount of time in which to send Thank-You cards?

I know in the South, there is some sort of unwritten rule on this that everybody just somehow knows inherently or something.

But what is good etiquette on this, people?

I got married on August 5th. Today is September 14. Too short? Too long?

I would be horrified if anyone thought I wasn't thankful for all of their help/time/gifts, because I totally am.

And ok, ok, since you asked....

...another wedding photo.

Ok so no one actually asked for this. But I'm sure it's what you all were hoping for, right? ...Right?

p.s. Ok one more question. I keep hearing lately that so many people hate kissing pictures. I actually can't even fathom that, because I love looking at kissing pictures. I just think they're so romantic. [Usually, anyway.] I think that when people hate kissing pictures, it's akin to hating Disneyland or furry animals or chocolate or something. Thoughts?

a girl's best friend

2011-09-10T17:04:00.000-07:00

Welp. I passed my first grad school exam on Thursday. It was a big deal. Today I just want to take a vacation. And I have - mentally.

Which is why I'm not going to talk about school for the rest of this post. Let's pretend together that it no longer exists - at least for the next few minutes.

I love dogs.

Have I told you that?

That dog [up there] is an English Springer Spaniel. And his name is Casey.

Let me tell you how he became a member of my family.

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who had never really thought about dogs very much. She didn't dislike them - she just didn't think about them either. Then one day, her grandparents got a puppy named Zack. And although the puppy tried to bite her toes and eat her belongings, the little girl fell madly in love with the puppy named Zack.

Because of her fondness for the puppy named Zack, the little girl began to have a fondness for all dogs. It didn't matter to her how big or how little they were. It didn't matter if they were brown or white or black. If they had long fur or short fur. The little girl did not discriminate. She only knew that she suddenly - and completely - had fallen with any and all dogs.

The father of the little girl encouraged her obsession. He told her stories of the dog he had when he was young. He took her to dog fairs. He even bought her a dog encyclopedia, which the little girl read religiously. The little girl and her father would name the breeds of the dogs they saw on the street. She would tell him all the things she'd learned about the breeds from her encyclopedia.

Consequently, one night, the little girl confided in her father that she wanted a dog - very badly. He told her that right now it was not possible for her family, but that they might get one someday.

For five years, the little girl told her father every single night how badly she wanted a dog.

Every night, he told her that they might get one someday.

Finally, the family of the little girl moved away. The little girl - who was not quite so little now - continued her nightly tradition of telling her father how badly she wanted a dog. And, one night, he told her that her family was finally ready to get a dog.

The girl was ecstatic.

Her mother wanted a small dog with long hair. Her father wanted a large dog with short hair. The girl did not mind one way or the other.

Finally, the mother and father of the girl agreed on a breed they liked. English Springer Spaniels. A medium sized dog with medium sized hair. It seemed a perfect match for the girl's family.

And so they started their search, eventually finding an ad in the paper for a 9-month-old English Springer Spaniel for free just two hours away from where the girl's family lived.

As the girl and her father drove the two hours, they discussed names ["Casey" was a favorite], sleeping arrangements for the dog [on the girl's bed], and who would be responsible for cleaning up after and feeding him [the girl was given this responsibility...though it never quite worked out that way].

Eventually, they neared the house. As they drove up, the girl noticed the dog sitting on the porch with its then-owner. Her heart constricted, and she instinctively knew that this dog would be a very important part of her life. Then she got to meet him for the first time. As she reached out to pet him, the timid dog leaned into her shyly. The not-so-little girl knew she would never let him go.

And over the next few years, the dog named Casey became one of the girl's best friends.

As he remains to this day.

Who said dogs couldn't be girl's best friend?

four things

2011-09-06T12:18:00.000-07:00

I would just like to note four things:

1. Accidentally bringing the wrong tupperware to work may [inadvertently] result in the [very healthy] lunch of broccoli.

2. Drinking Dr. Pepper with your lunch may [purposely] cancel out any healthy points from the broccoli.

3. Tim asking to see me before work and then surprising me with flowers is a very choice way to start the day. [Yes that is my Sun Devil cup they are residing in. I...accidentally broke my vase as I tried to force the flowers in. Woops.]

4. We have been married for a month now. As of yesterday. [And I love it and I love my husband and I love my life. Mushiness over. Kthxbye.]

p.s. I know this is technically a fifth thing, but I have really appreciated your comments as of late. Like, a lot. Making my day kind of "a lot." So thank you.

i wrote a guest post

2011-09-05T11:50:00.000-07:00

Ok, ok, I know it's a holiday and everything, but...

I wrote a guest post. And you can read it today.

So enhance your holiday celebrations by clicking on that link! I'm sure you won't regret it.

[You also won't regret spending some time on Emma's blog. Lots o' fun, kids!]

[This is my first guest post ever. Whaaaat!]

the bee sting of life

2011-09-02T14:04:00.000-07:00

[Dramatic title, eh? I assure you, it's completely appropriate.]

I know, I took a few days off from the blogging world.

In that few days, there might have been a few breakdowns, some major studying, and some major questioning.

And most of all...there might have been no time. To do anything.

Today, I feel a little better. I'm adjusting.

I'm not used to never having any breaks from studying or work. I'm not used to having to actually having to read the textbooks [especially when it's 100+ pages per night]. And, most importantly, I'm not used to not always liking class. Because, my friends, I enjoyed every single psychology class during my undergraduate career. And I liked every single psychology teacher. [Yep, I was one of those kids.]

And now, I'm just not sure what to do with myself. It's been an adjustment, to say the least.

But I think I'm making progress. [And that's the important part, right?]

Anyway. Yesterday, I was having one of those days and was on my way to talk to my Counseling advisor about my doubts on whether being a counselor is actually what I want with my life. I walked through the double doors at the outside of the building. Then I walked down the hallway and came to another set of double doors into the Counseling Headquarters [I'm pretty sure it's not actually called that, but it's called that in my head. But if I wanted to be Rogerian, I'd probably call it the Counseling Fortress of Solitude.]

As I was walking through the second set of double doors, my left arm started stinging like crazy. Seriously kids. Without even thinking, I started swatting at my left arm furiously. Then I looked up, saw the receptionist staring at me, turned around, and said [still in a considerable amount of pain, I might add], "Is there a bee on the back of my arm??"

He laughed at me nervously with raised eyebrows. I could sense him thinking, The Counseling Training Center is right down the hall, lady. You're obviously one of their clients.

He shook his head tentatively.

I saw the bee flying around the ceiling. "See?" I said with certainty. "I'm pretty sure that's the one that stung me."

He looked up at it and looked back at me.

I could see I was getting nowhere.

"You can go ahead and go into his office now," he said, obviously in a hurry to get me out of his reception area.

Later that night, I made Tim look at the bee sting and tell me how much it must have hurt and how brave I was to withstand all of that pain.

It made me feel better.

[It also made me feel better that we ate an entire container of Funfetti Frosting in one night during one of my breakdowns. But that is a story for another day.]

[Happy Place]

fire of the covenant

2011-08-29T13:07:00.000-07:00

Still coming: Blogs about our wedding and honeymoon. Aaaand the Open House we just had this weekend in Yuma. [But they're obviously not coming today. Sorry. Soon.]

Yesterday on our drive home from Yuma, Tim and I had some really good conversations. [The joys of being married to your best friend.] We also listened to "Fire of the Covenant" on tape, which is about the Martin and Willie handcart companies. [In case that link doesn't work or in case you just feel too lazy to read about it, it's a historical fiction novel about people who traveled across the United States pulling handcarts. Talk about dedication.]

The conversations and the book combined lead me to some conclusions:

1. I am very, very blessed.

2. I take my blessings for granted almost every day.

3. I need to work on being more grateful.

4. Tim is a better person than I am. [He didn't even pay me to write that. I only write the truth.]

5. We have a loving Heavenly Father who cares very much about us and our lives. [I already knew that, but it was reiterated to my heart yesterday. And in that same reiterating moment, I concluded that living His way is always the right way.]

I highly recommend reading [or listening to] that book. Or, if you're not into the whole fiction side of "historical fiction," you can read solely the historical accounts of those faithful pioneers. Because, plainly put, they're worth reading about. And emulating.

And goodness knows we all need good examples.

The title "Fire of the Covenant" is explained early on in the novel. Essentially, it is referring to the "fire" in their souls which motivated the saints to make that arduous journey across the plains. The "fire" which came from their dedication to the covenants they had made with Heavenly Father.

That concept of having a motivation stronger than even your own life because of promises made to a loving Heavenly Father touched me deeply.

And I hope to live and change in such a way that I, too, can have a motivation strong enough that nothing will stand in the way of the promises I have made to Him.

That I can have the "Fire of the Covenant."

sleepy Tim

2011-08-24T15:28:00.000-07:00

A sleepy Tim is a funny Tim. [Mathematically shown: Sleepy Tim = Funny Tim]

Let me give you an example.

Tim has to get up much earlier than I do most days. However, he doesn't go to bed much earlier than I do. [Do you see the discrepancy here?] This means that Tim has been very tired recently.

Just recently we ~~became addicted to~~ started watching a TV show called "Eli Stone." [Yeah I know. It ended like two years ago. But we just discovered it. Therefore, we just ~~became addicted to~~ started watching it.]

The other night, I tried to convince Tim that instead of watching Eli Stone, we should just go to sleep. In turn, he tried to convince me that I should just watch it and he would fall asleep next to me.

Me: You mean it's not going to keep you awake?

Tim: No, no I'll fall right asleep. I just know how into this show you are, and since you don't have to go to sleep yet, you should go ahead and watch it.

Me: No, it's ok. I'll just fall asleep with you.

Tim: It's ok, just go ahead and watch it. Don't worry, I'm so tired, I'm sure I'll be asleep in a matter of minutes. I'm just gonna go ahead and turn it on.

Then as the episode progressed, he started saying things like:

"Eli! What are you thinking?! I mean...uh...I'm just sleep talking."

"Can you believe she did that?! I mean...uh..." *snores loudly*

Not to mention the fact that before the episode ever started, he brought me an otter pop, but instead of just giving it to me, he started doing karate moves [with sound effects, I might add] before finally giving it to me.

I'm [most certainly] not saying that Tim isn't funny the rest of the time, too.

But.

That is a proof for another day.

the day before the dive

2011-08-22T13:49:00.000-07:00

August 4, 2011: The Day Before Our Wedding

The Plan:

Move everything into our new apartment and then drive up to Prescott to help set up for our reception. Then drive back to Phoenix that night. Stay with my parents at their motel room.

What actually happened:

I woke up early [though still later than I had planned - it's a weakness, I'll admit], and tried to hurry and get my [endless] list of last-minute tasks done. Melissa [Tim's sister] and her boyfriend, Brad, got to my house a little early [being late is not a weakness of the Devey family]. Then Tim arrived and the moving began.

At first everything seemed to be going so well; Melissa and Brad were a big help and later more of the Devey family showed up to help. [There are a plethora of pluses marrying into a 10-children, very sweet family.] Then, all at once, time seemed to slow. We just weren't getting things done in the time-frame we had hoped. [I attribute this to the fact that I own way too much ~~junk~~ memorabilia.] We finally finished at 3:30pm. I called my mom, frustrated. If we left right then - dripping sweat and all - we would get to Prescott by 5:30pm. Which meant if we were to get back by a decent hour, we'd have to leave Prescott in a very short two hours or so. Conclusion: not worth it. We were to stay in Phoenix and let our family and friends do all the set-up. [Confession: I still feel guilty about this. I wanted to help. I really did. And I really wanted to get a glimpse of what my reception might look like. Thank goodness for good friends and picture messaging, I suppose.]

After we finished moving everything up three flights of stairs in 110 degree torture [I'm amazed Tim's family still wanted us to get married], we all went to eat at In-N-Out. [There was absolutely no way we were going to be able to cook anything in our unpacked, disorganized kitchen. Not that anyone expected us to.] Then we went back to the apartment and tried to clean and organize a little bit. [We didn't really want to come back from our honeymoon not knowing where anything was.]

It was an odd feeling. The apartment was ours but not quite. It was the place where I would no longer have girl roommates. Combine what had been "his" and "hers" into "ours." Home - almost. It was getting so real. Our excitement was almost tangible.

My family called to say that they would get to Phoenix much later than expected, so I decided to just stay at our apartment that night. I said goodbye to my fiance for the last time, and prayed to God I would get some sleep.

p.s. Blogger keeps redlining "Devey," as if to inform me that my new last name isn't spelled correctly. Suckers.

Editor's Note: The entire day was made far more manageable because of a smoothie made for me in the morning by a certain best friend/roommate. She is welcome to make me those even now that I am married. You know. If she wants.

dang spoiled

2011-08-19T15:27:00.000-07:00

I have come to realize something.

Well, I knew it at the time, but I just didn't fully appreciate it.

I was dang spoiled on my honeymoon.

And not just for the obvious reasons. [You know, the whole being in Hawaii part.]

But for less obvious reasons, too.

Reasons like the fact that I only get to spend about four total waking hours with Tim each day before we have to go to sleep because we have school or work in the morning.

Or the fact that we don't just get to do whatever we want, whenever we want.

Or the fact that we do spend about 99.97% of our time at said school and work. [Only a mild exaggeration. Don't try to do the math. Just trust me.]

Or the fact that we don't spend very much leisure time together because so much of our time together is spent trying to get things done.

But don't get me wrong...

I love being married.

I love every second of it, actually.

I've never been this happy or this content or this satisfied.

It just makes me appreciate the time we do get to spend together even more.

Which reminds me, Tim is planning a date for tonight, and I have never - literally, never - been this excited to go on a date. [Ok, so I didn't really need reminding. I just wanted to share.]

p.s. I still feel dang spoiled. Thank goodness for a thoughtful husband.

p.p.s. Yes, I am already one of those wives. But. I speak the truth.

tabby tab tabs

2011-08-17T17:29:00.000-07:00

Check out my new tabs, yo!

I did some updating. You know, some primping here and there.

And if you're wondering at all why my blog's name is "Sparky," you might wanna check out the "About" tab.

You'll leave feeling exceptionally enlightened, I have no doubt.

I will post more pictures from the wedding [sometime in the near future], and when I do, I'll write about all the details.

But until then, you'll just have to wait with bated breath.

And now for your viewing pleasure [or just for my own amusement]:

Our model shot. Which makes me giggle a little inside, but I like it nonetheless.

Ok. Ok bye.

mushy-faced

2011-08-16T12:31:00.000-07:00

Instead of writing a real post today, I am going to have you read someone else's post.

Because, you see, she wrote it about Tim and me.

It made me all teary-eyed and mushy-faced - she writes so well and I just love her so much.

You can find the post here.

And really, you should probably just read her whole blog. It's that good. Really.

p.s. When I have more pictures to post, I will write all about the details of the recent events.

p.p.s. You should be excited for the deets on our new apartment. [Which may or may not include some rabid pigeons, a leak from the ceiling, and some ants in our carpet - all part of the newlywed fun!]

i'm back!

2011-08-15T14:39:00.000-07:00

Actually, I was back a few days ago. I just decided to take a blogging hiatus. Because, well...

I just didn't feel like it yet.

But here I am, in full blogging glory!

...Or something like that.

Long story [very, very] short?

I LOVED my wedding dress.

I LOVED my wedding pictures.

I LOVED my wedding day.

I LOVED my reception.

I LOVED all of the little details.

I LOVED being able to see so many family and friends.

I LOVED my honeymoon. [Hi, HAWAII!]

And most of all?

I LOVE being married.

Seriously. I get to hang out with my best friend all.the.time. And we giggle all.the.time. And I'm happy all.the.time.

I know what you're thinking...that I won't always be this happy.

But I'd like to see you try to convince me of that right now.

p.s. Weren't my guest bloggers fun? I just love them. [Wait, what? You didn't read their posts? Oh well go and check them out, silly kids! Or, ahem, perhaps more appropriately, check their blogs out. But I'm not one to judge.]

p.p.s. More details to follow. Promise.

guest post - Kara

2011-08-11T10:00:00.000-07:00

[Getting back from my honeymoon late tonight! And probably wishing I could stay longer...]

Ok kids...now you get to hear from someone I've never met in person. [At least that I remember...but if I remember correctly, she's going to ASU, so we may have met at some point. Who knows. #smallmormonworld]

Her name is Kara, and her blog is absolutely charming. I remember her guest posting on another friend's blog once and so I snooped through her blog a little bit - only to become engrossed by her life. And her love story. And her writing style. Check it. You're can thank me later. [Or now. Whichever you choose.]

Here she is, ladies and gents!

__________________________________________________________

I’m pretty stoked to be here posting for Katie while she is away getting married and basking in the kind of happiness that only can be achieved when looking at an absurdly large pile of wedding presents. {Kidding, sort of.} I like to think that I still have a little bit of newlywed glow, even though I have been married for 7 months now.

My name is Kara and I blog at Not A Couple’s Blog. Would you like to know a little bit about my blog history? I thought so.

When I was a freshman in college I started a blog one Friday night while sitting in my dorm room. {I was popular, obviously.}

I wrote in it for the next couple of years, but because not many people read it and I have a flair for the dramatic I mostly wrote about my tragic love life. And by that, I mean I wrote a heckuva lot of posts about this tall guy who looked good in a suit whom I was slowly but surely falling in love with. My posts were so tortured and ridiculous, it was awesome.

And then one day, after about 6 months of pining, the tall boy and I became an officially official couple. Suddenly, I didn’t know how to write in my blog anymore. I didn’t want to write about the boy and how happy I was if we the whole situation didn’t work out. I remedied the situation by making my blog private and not writing in it for months and months and months.

But then the boy proposed, and I started planning a wedding and a marriage and a life and a blog. Yes, another blog. There would be one. This, I was sure of. But I did not want it to be one of those blogs called “scottandkara” where I only updated once every 5 months to say “this is what’s happening in my life” and “Ohmygosh I looooooooove my husband!!!!!!!!!!!” {Even though I do. Really.} I also did not want to give the illusion that this blog somehow belonged to Scott because, let’s be honest, he doesn’t really care what I write. I’m fairly certain he has never read my blog, unless it’s because I read it to him or his family can’t stop laughing about that dumb thing I did that one time and wrote about it.

And so, Not A Couple’s Blog was born. It’s my blog. But yes, more often than not, it is about a couple.

What can I say?

I have spent a lot of my new married life laughing, and I like to write about that.

I also like to read about other people’s newlywed adventures, which is why I am so very excited for Katie to get back from her honeymoon and give us the skinny. But only on the blog appropriate stuff. Duh.

P.S. After the wedding I started writing down our entire love story, even the parts that were too depressing for me to write about at the time. You can read more here. I promise it has a happy ending, once you get through all the tortured longing and batted eyelashes.

guest post - Katie

2011-08-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

[No, I am not guest posting for myself. I'm in Hawaii, remember?]

Today you get a very special treat - the chance to hear from my dear friend, Katie Hawkes. Aka khawkes. Aka Hawk Girl. [Take your pick.] She writes over at a delightful blog called Scruples. I shared a room with this girl for a year [and a couple months...you know, until I decided to get married or whatever]. I don't have enough good things to say about this girl - the list is literally endless. She is funny, smart, ambitious...

....and, well, to save time...

I just know you are going to love her.

_______________________________________________________________

today's post has been brought to you by the letter P and the numbers 1-10.

what? you don't get it? oh bother. i guess i should lay off the inside jokes or this blog will get nowhere.

but really, the other night ksparks ... um, kdevey? ... and i realized that if outsiders listened in on our conversations, no one would have any idea what we're talking about half the time.

that's what happens when you've shared a room for more than a year.

a lot of other things happened too.

try these stories on for size.

most recently, a little stranger appeared in our living space.

he looked pretty normal...

...until i stepped on him.

"what the..."

we now like to refer to this new friend as The Bad Esteem Scale.

reason: he's a little generous with his weight guesstimates.

like, 10 lbs generous.

something like this could be very dangerous, in the wrong hands.

i mean ... wrong feet.

in any case,

we planned to get rid of this mysterious and insulting visitor ASAP, before a guest stepped on it and inadvertently damaged their body image.

actually, my Plan A is to just wrap it up and put it with ksparks' other wedding presents. shhh.

now i'm going to help katie pack

by stealing the stuff she already owns, wrapping it in wedding gift wrap and bringing it to her reception.

because unwrapping is more fun than unpacking, right?

right.

guest post - Meghan

2011-08-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

[Off to Hawaii now for my honeymoon!]

Ok kids, speaking of style [which I was, if you read the last post], my beautiful friend Meghan understands style like no one I've ever met. And she is fun, bubbly, smart, and insightful. [Who doesn't love someone like that?] I was roommates with Meghan for about a year, too. [How lucky am I?!]

Ladies and gentlemen...here's Meghan!

[Mmmhmm...I did steal this from your blog:)]

______________________________________________________________

Congrats Katie and Tim! I hope you are thoroughly enjoying Hawaii!

While she is on her honeymoon, Katie asked me to guest post on her blog. She and I were roomies for a year. And when you are roommates you experience a lot together. Especially in terms of relationships. You see one another's heartbreaks, flings, moments of confusion and most importantly love. Katie Sparks (now Devey!), Katie Hawkes, Chantal and I lived through a myriad of experiences. Some happy, some sad and finally true love and Marriage!

It's funny how we are obsessed with love. It's no coincidence that love is the subject of most songs, movies, plays, poems and art. If I'm being honest, I'll admit I am not immune to this disease. I love a good romantic comedy, Jane Austen book and Michael Buble song as much as the next girl. So in celebration of the happy couple, I thought I would share my favorite indulgences. Enjoy!

Brighter than Sunshine by Aqualung

Elephant Love Medely by Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman on Moulin Rouge

Your Song covered by Ellie Gould

You and I by Ingrid Michaelson

guest post - Chantal

2011-08-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

Today [whilst I'm off getting married!] you get to hear from my lovely friend Chantal. She blogs over at Peeling the Paint Away and Piece of Panaché. I am blessed to know her in real life, and we were even roommates for about a year. She is beautiful [just look at that picture!], strong, courageous, and full of life - and understands all things fun and stylish.

Without further ado...here is Chantal!

______________________________________________________________

My name is Chantal. I’m 25 years old and unmarried. I have brown shoulder length hair that isn’t quite straight and isn’t quite curly. I have hazel eyes that only look green when I cry. My skin is ivory and dotted with freckles. My body isn’t bad but it isn’t great either; it’s just average. However, I like to think I have an above average mind and spirit that make up for the aforementioned facts. But perhaps I’m partial.

Now that we feel adequately acquainted and you can imagine what I look like let’s dive right in, shall we? I grew up in what many nowadays would call a “broken home.” Heck I, myself, would even concede that I was dealt some pretty heavy stuff to sift through from a very young age. I don’t feel it necessary to go through the drudgery of it all right now, and frankly, I think it’s mostly irrelevant because I am NOT a broken person. I survived! Sure, I have my share of scars that make me hesitant and a little afraid of things, especially love/parenthood. I think that happens to all of us in some way or another along the way. And then we transition into adulthood and acquire even more bruises and battle wound scars… and such is life.

My point is this: we each go through truly stressful, painful, traumatic or heart-breaking experiences, whatever they may be, that are unique to each of us and our lives. But that is a part of our purpose here. Each struggle helps shape and design us into the individuals we are intended to be. I’m not going to lie and say it’s always easy to keep this in mind and endure our trials well. I know better than anyone just how easy it is to become weighed down by it all and lose hope, or worse, faith. But I can honestly say that I’ve learned that all things can be made for our benefit if we trust in the Lord and His healing hands. Hopelessness can be cured as we increase our faith.

I’m grateful for the opportunity I have to live each day and experience it all, good and bad. In spite of everything, even the very darkest depths I have felt, I still BELIEVE. I still HOPE. I still hold to my FAITH.

And yes, I still believe in LOVE.

Just look at Tim & Katie!

I hope to find what they have someday. This is why those of us who remain in 'singledom' fight, why we choose to keep going each day, to make those hard decisions because they’re the right ones.

I choose to be patient. I choose to be strong. I choose to believe.

And now I leave you with A Lovely Love Story by Edward Monkton to ignite the believer in you! Enjoy!

wedding and guest posters

2011-08-04T11:34:00.000-07:00

Ok kids...I'm getting married tomorrow!

I really wanted to write a blog about how waiting to get married is like waiting to go to Disneyland when you're a kid...

...but I don't have time to draw all of the comparisons. But you can imagine that it would have been a very insightful post.

But in the meantime, just remember that we have a few guest posters (about every other day), so be sure to show them some love!

"just in case"

2011-08-02T17:06:00.000-07:00

I am a horrible packer.

via

The phrase "just in case" kills me every time.

You know...

Just in case the weather happens to be frigid and I need five layers. Just in case there's a major downpour and/or hurricane. Just in case I decide to go hiking. Just in case I decide to go swimming. Just in case I happen to need formal wear. Just in case there's a power outage that happens to affect an entire city. Just in case it's 116 degrees and I get heatstroke. [Ok maybe that's where I live right now.] Just in case I run into a man-eating army of ants and they decide to attack.

Ok so maybe that last one has never come up.

But the rest of them are viable possibilities, depending on where I'm going.

Which brings me to my next problem.

Packing for my honeymoon.

I know Hawaii is pretty reliable weather-wise, but that doesn't mean I'm not tempted to bring five layers and a coat just in case they have a freak snowstorm.

Since I'm moving right now, too, the probability is high that I will [inadvertently] pack something that I need for my honeymoon in a box that won't be opened for another month.

You know what else kills me when I'm packing?

The fallacy that if I forget something, I won't be able to buy it wherever I'm going. That might be true if I'm backpacking somewhere deep into the Sierra Nevadas, but it probably isn't true of Hawaii.

But it's still an irrational fear of mine.

Welp, I'm off to pack.

Wish me luck! [I'm gonna need it.]

Oh, and if you happen to have any fabulous tips for packing, I'd love to hear them!

wedding teaser

2011-08-01T09:07:00.000-07:00

Ladies, THANK YOU for your comments on my last blog. They were very much appreciated.

I am happy to inform you that I am much less emotional and much less stressed today.

And frankly, I am getting freaking excited.

Now for some news: [I already mentioned this, but for those of you that might be new] Tim and I took our pre-wedding pictures, oh, like, two weeks ago. We did that so we would be less stressed on our wedding day. Not to mention the fact that I didn't want to get up at the [butt] crack of dawn so it wouldn't be scorching hot [#Arizonaheatkills] [#okmaybenotreally] and be exhausted and cranky the rest of the day.

And now for the actual news:

We got the pictures back last night!

And I love love love them!

I don't know if anyone else does this, but I felt pretty during the picture-taking, and then starting immediately afterwards, I had myself convinced that I probably looked really ugly and that my hair was completely messed up and that my dress made me look fat.

It was a pleasant surprise, then, when we got them back last night and I thought, "Oh, I don't look as bad as I thought I would!"

In fact, I felt quite pretty again.

Oh, imagination. Oh, self-esteem.

And now for a little teaser [because you just know that my blog will be ridden with them for months]:

Is it ok for me to show you that before the wedding? Oh. Well. I just did. At least you can't see every little detail, right?

And finally, as you might recall from this post, I would like to have some guest posters during my honeymoon. I already have a few, but I would love to have a couple more if any of you would like to! This is your last chance! [Does that sound dramatic enough?]

p.s. Last night I was showing this girl all of my wedding pictures and she oooed and awwed in all of the appropriate places. Then when we got to the above picture, she said it made it look like I was stalking him. Like he was just chillin' at the temple and I showed up in a wedding dress just hoping that someone would be there to marry me. And that made me giggle profusely. [#creeperrrr]

p.p.s. We get married on FRIDAY! [Friday, Friday, Gotta get down on Friday!]

you're gonna miss this

2011-07-28T09:28:00.000-07:00

Ever since I was a little girl, bad things have happened to me when I don't get enough sleep.

I get tired. [#obviously]

I get emotional.

I get sick to my stomach.

And sometimes just sick in general.

Then puberty hit and you can imagine what happened. [#magnifiedby1,000]

And if I'm at all stressed, everything is magnified once again by 2,567.

Keep all of those factors in mind whilst I tell you:

I had a nervous breakdown of sorts yesterday.

I was tired, emotional, sick to my stomach, and feeling the beginning symptoms of a cold. Then I found out that we wouldn't be able to move into our apartment until August 5th. [Oh yeah, you know. The same August 5th as our wedding day.] That was the straw that broke the camel's back. [I was tempted to throw in something about a needle and a haystack - e.g., that was the needle from the haystack that broke the camel's back - but I'm pretty sure that's a completely different metaphor.] That opened the floodgates which I have had trouble closing ever since.

I felt totally overwhelmed, which I am completely positive came across through our cell phones. Tim tried to calm me down, reassuring me that even if we didn't know how things were going to work out, that they would work out.

Later that day, Tim came over to my house to pick me up so we could buy some ingredients for dinner. He explained to me that he had called his family and [with all of their help] figured out a way to make our apartment/moving situation work. [Did I mention that we'll be living in a month-to-month apartment while we continue looking for a house? Oh. Well. We will.] Then he started telling me about a country song he heard on the radio about how eventually you're going to miss the situation you're in now. I knew immediately which song he was referring to.

You're gonna miss this

You're gonna want this back

You're gonna wish these days

Hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now

But you're gonna miss this

As I thought about the familiar lyrics, I remembered how willing Tim's family had been to help us move. I remembered the bridal shower my sweet coworkers had thrown earlier that day and how generous every one had been. I remembered my bachelorette party and all of my sweet friends there. I remembered how much work my family and friends are doing to prepare for our wedding. I remembered Tim and his constant willingness to do whatever he can to make sure I'm not stressed.

And suddenly I felt very selfish.

Then I thought, "You probably really are going to miss all of this."

It was one of those proverbial slap-in-the-face moments.

That realization hasn't fixed everything. I still feel totally overwhelmed. I still feel emotional. I still feel tired. And I still feel a little sick.

But I am trying to enjoy the moment. And I'm trying to be less selfish.

Because you know what? These are some good times and I really am gonna miss this.

And heck, I get to marry my best friend in 8 days.

I am so very blessed.

the marriage license

2011-07-26T15:05:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, Tim and I decided to go get our marriage license.

We had no idea, but this...was quite the process. For a few reasons. Let me enumerate:

1. I don't know if this is true everywhere, but in Mesa, the Maricopa county clerk's office was absurdly hard to find. That or Tim and I are just directionally challenged. But given a choice, I would prefer the former.

2. The security to get in the building is like unto that of an airport. You know - x-ray machines, security wands - the works. [Just a little tip: when they are about to scan you with the wand and say, "Put your arms up," they don't mean straight up. And when they tell you to turn around, they probably don't mean the full 360 degrees. And if you do either of those things, you might get called a "troublemaker." Just hypothetically speaking, of course.]

3. After you finally get through all the security, you get sent back to a little office where you fill out some paperwork. Strangely, this is one of the parts where they don't make it difficult to get your license. They only ask for the very basics: name, social security number, and address. The "quite the process" part came in afterward:

Clerk: Raise your right hands.

Me: ....Really?

Clerk: *raises eyebrows* Yes.

Tim: *tries not to laugh*

Me: Oh, uh, ok.

Clerk: Do you swear that all of the information you have given me is true and correct?

To be honest, I'm still not sure if she was just joking. But either way, we still raised our right hands and made it look darned official. And somehow, she knew we were LDS. I'm still not sure about that part either. [Probably because we were young. And smiley and kinda hyper. #itwasearlyinthemorningok?]

What the official!

p.s. This post is mostly dedicated to Jeff and Emma Jo Yeager, whose marriage-license-picture inspired the above marriage-license-picture. And without the above marriage-license-picture, I probably wouldn't have written this post. And you would have never heard the marriage-license-picture story. And we all know that would have been a great misfortune. Because who doesn't love a good marriage-license-picture story?

cow appreciation day

2011-07-25T14:48:00.000-07:00

Did you hear about the "Cow Appreciation Day" at Chick-fil-A a couple of weeks ago?

Great idea. Fantastic, really.

The idea? Wear a cow costume, get a free meal.

I know they've been doing this for awhile [though just how long, I'm not entirely certain], but I didn't hear about it until recently. But when I did hear about it, it was as if the heavens parted and an angelic chorus began singing triumphant praises.

Ok that may be taking things a bit too far.

Nevertheless, there is nothing that calls my name quite like "free food."

And when I talked to Tim about it, he was more than willing to join me. [Like I would really do it by myself.] [On second thought, you never know.]

This picture may be a little blurry [#thanksalotTim] [#justkiddingloveyou], but it makes me giggle profusely. Sitting there all by myself, dressed like a cow. Just an ordinary day.

Don't let his blasé look confuse you - Tim loves Chick-fil-A almost as much as I do. [And he probably loves free Chick-fil-A more than I do. It is difficult for one to measure such things.]

This was taken by a couple sitting behind us. They were both giggling at us, and asked in astonishment, "So you dressed up like a cow and they gave you a free meal?"

They actually paid for their meals. Suckers.

I have never appreciated cows so much.

[Or chickens, for that matter. But we won't talk about that.]

the nails that were fake

2011-07-21T14:48:00.000-07:00

This:

is proof that I am not very good at saying "no."

Or perhaps in this case, that I am not very good at saying "yes."

Let me explain.

When I was in high school, I decided that I wanted fake nails for my wedding. I thought they were too ridiculously expensive [for my measly budget] to have on any other occasion.

So I waited. [Very patiently, might I add.]

Fast forward: I am getting married. This means I will be having a wedding.

Do you see where this is going?

That's right.

I got my nails done yesterday. I had pictures today, so I got my nails done yesterday.

Eh, Pacha?

And here we are, back to the point of all this nonsensical rambling: the fact that I can't say no. Or in this case, that I couldn't say yes.

After the very-nice-Asian-man-whose-accent-I-couldn't-entirely-understand cut down the tips, he asked if I wanted them shorter.

I replied that I did.

He cut them shorter.

Then he started filing.

There was only one problem: I still wanted them even shorter.

But he had already started filing. And he seemed like such a nice man. And I didn't want him to have to start all over again with the filing. And, you know, maybe I didn't really need them to be all that short anyway. I could probably enjoy them this length. I mean, they still looked good, right?

The man must have noticed me staring intently at my nails, because he said, mid-file, "Oh no, you want them shorter, don't you?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do," I thought. "No," I said.

"Whaaaa?" I thought.

And there you have it, my friends. How I came to have much longer nails than I had so long envisioned. [Ok, so they're not really that long...right? Comfort me here, people. I don't look like the Wicked Witch of the West now, do I???]

And now we've finally come full circle - back to the point. Usually my problem is that I can't say no to people, because I am a major people pleaser, people. I just would rather see someone looking happy than someone looking sad. Even if I'm paying that someone to, oh, you know, put acrylics on my nails, or something. [Hypothetically speaking, of course.] And instead, this time, I said no when I actually wanted to say yes. [Confused? So am I.]

Moral of the story? Sometimes it's ok to say no.

[Another] moral of the story? Sometimes it's ok to say yes.

[Not really a] moral of the story? I will probably continue to do things simply because I think it makes someone else happy. All of this ~~nonsensical rambling~~ soul-searching probably won't change any of that.

p.s. I would just like to give a shout-out to Tim, who sat right there in that nail salon with me the entire time I was getting my nails done. And only laughed a few times - but mostly when my feet were being scrubbed with that, er, whatever-that-thing-is-that-gets-dead-skin-off-your-feet, and I couldn't stop giggling. [It's ok, everyone else was laughing at me, too.]

p.p.s. If you don't like kissing pictures, you probably shouldn't look at that picture.

p^3.s. Oops, too late.

a glimpse of heaven

2011-07-18T14:57:00.000-07:00

As you might have read from the last post, I had the privilege of going through the Mesa LDS Temple on Friday.

Courtesy of Holdsworth Photography

It was beautiful. Stunning. Inspiring. Incredible. Spiritual.

And most of all, it was humbling.

Humbling because I felt so grateful to be able to enter the House of the Lord, as imperfect as I am. And humbling because I have so much to learn. It was similar to my college experience: I learned how much I don't know. And that's absolutely fine with me.

The temple is so peaceful. So perfect. So serene.

Everyone there is so kind and helpful.

The Spirit I felt changed me for a lifetime.

I'd always heard the same strange things about the temple that everyone else has heard. But it honestly was the most perfect thing I have ever witnessed or been a part of. Nothing to be scared of or nervous about.

My brother, Jeff, was able to go through on the same day as me. Every time I think about that blessing, it makes me cry a little bit. My parents drove down for the special occasion. Two of my best friends were able to come. Tim's parents were able to attend. And having Tim there made me cry a little bit, too. [I may have cried a lot that day.] The love I felt emanating from all of them made me so grateful for our Heavenly Father's plan for all of us. That death is not the end. That life continues beyond the grave and that we can be with our families in heaven.

More than anywhere else I have ever been, the temple gave me a little glimpse of heaven.

Yes, I feel like a lucky, lucky girl.

i love to see the temple

2011-07-12T11:10:00.000-07:00

I feel like I have 1,024 things to update you on.

Like how Tim and I dressed up as cows on Friday. [More details to come. Be excited.]

Or how we got our marriage license this morning and how I tried really hard not to be gullible. [Sneaky sneaky, Clerk.]

Or how we got our engagement pictures back yesterday! [Ashtyn you da you da bessst.]

Or how we're gonna send out our announcements at the end of this week. [Keep your fingers crossed!]

Or how we talked to our stake president [religious leader] on Sunday.

Or 1,019 other things.

And I will tell you about those things, I promise. [Like you could even get out of it.]

But really, right now I just want to tell you the reason why we talked to our stake president last Sunday.

On Friday, I am going to this place:

Courtesy of Holdsworth Photography

I have been waiting to go there my whole life. And now that it's finally happening, it all feels so surreal.

More than anything, I feel grateful. Grateful that I am going to be able to enter the House of the Lord. Grateful that loved ones will be there with me.

And most of all, grateful that Heavenly Father has provided a way for all of us to return back to live with Him someday.

I love to see the temple.
I’m going there someday
To feel the Holy Spirit,
To listen and to pray.
For the temple is a house of God,
A place of love and beauty.
I’ll prepare myself while I am young;
This is my sacred duty.

I love to see the temple.

I’ll go inside someday.
I’ll cov’nant with my Father;
I’ll promise to obey.
For the temple is a holy place
Where we are sealed together.
As a child of God, I’ve learned this truth:
A fam’ly is forever.

guest posting

2011-07-09T08:49:00.000-07:00

So I was thinking about doing something similar to what my lovely friend Alexis did when she got married:

Have guest posters while I'm on my honeymoon. [cough*HAWAII*cough]

Now if you think that this is a little too hip for me...you're absolutely right.

I'm not a very hip blogger.

One step at a time, my friends.

Ok, some deets: I will have opportunities for guest posting August 5th through August 12th. [That's a pretty long time, I know. And I might not be able to fill all those spots, I realize. But. If I could, that would be pretty fantastic.]

Obviously, I would need your posts before then, but...we can come up with some sort of deadline later.

But first, are any of you interested in guest posting? We don't have to know each other very well. Or at all. [As long as you're not crazy. Or a rapist. Or a murder. Or a stalker. Or any combination of the aforementioned things. If you are, kindly get off my blog.] I would love to get to know all of you a whole lot better! And really, even if this is your first time to my blog, but you feel so inclined, please feel free to chime in.

You can email me at: kaitlyn.sparks.1@asu.edu.

So...who's in?

giggle fests

2011-07-08T12:55:00.000-07:00

Today I was looking through the pictures on my phone and I realized that at least 90% of the pictures of Tim are of him being goofy. [Or he's smiling normally but his eyes are closed.] Which doesn't bother me a bit, because I love to giggle. And looking at those pictures definitely makes me giggle.

Here are some examples.

I don't know what he's doing in this picture, but I do know that it makes me giggle.

Piggy-back ride for the nieces? Check.

Cheesy smiles? Check.

This one makes me giggle profusely. Don't judge.

Sometimes he just gets a little hungry [but I am a good cook...really........].

And I would say this is his most common look. And I am totally ok with that. [It looks like a "sleepy" look or a "high" look, but really it's just a "normal" look.]

Thank you, Tim, for letting me put incriminating pictures on the internet, for putting up with my giggle fests, and for causing most of them.

the luckiest

2011-07-07T18:11:00.000-07:00

I know, I know...I have been a very bad blogger lately.

Please forgive me.

This whole month-and-a-half of wedding planning [now less than a month!] is keeping me quite busy, I must say.

Plus, Tim and I went to California for the Fourth of July with mi familia to visit my grandma and my aunt. Which was mucho fun-o. [Thanks for asking.] We ate food, watched fireworks, enjoyed episodes of The Twilight Zone [I'd never seen it, and hi, why had no one ever told me to watch it before?!], ate more food, went shopping, ate food again, and mostly just enjoyed each other's company. [Obviously food is a major theme in my family. No complaints here.]

My wedding dress is currently being altered, and can I just say...there are few things that I have ever loved as much as this dress. [Material things, not people, duh.] My ring is high up on that list, along with my stuffed animal, Blueberry. [Don't judge.] I wish I could adequately explain how beautiful it is, but I guess you'll see it soon enough. [#pictureoverload]

Between bridal showers, a bachelorette party, pre-wedding pictures [I didn't really want him to see me in my dress before the wedding, but really, it just made the most sense. #mesaisreallyhotinaugust], sending out announcements, receiving my endowment [#soexcited], booking our honeymoon [we're going to Hawaii! whaaat! and my roommate just informed me that that's where Cory and Topanga went on their honeymoon, and that makes it 1,000 times better], and just general wedding planning, my free time is extremely limited. But I am loving every second of it.

When I get stressed or overwhelmed, I need only to look at Tim to remember why this is worth it. He smiles at me and it is completely apparent that he loves me [and then I feel like the luckiest girl in the world]. He calms me down when I want to cry and takes over responsibilities that I don't want [and doesn't even complain like I sometimes do]. He gets excited and says he can't wait to spend the rest of forever with me [even if later in life we both gain some weight and a few wrinkles].

Yes, I am a very, very lucky girl.

machine model

2011-07-01T11:40:00.000-07:00

Today I just wanted to give a little shout out to Machine Model.

Oh...what? What's that? You mean you haven't heard of them?

...that's ok. But seriously, you should check them out. Go ahead, go listen.

Now lemme tell you a little secret...that lead singer? Who also plays the rhythm guitar?

Oh yeah, he's also my fiancé.

[A girl can brag sometimes, right?]

And if you're interested, they're probably, most likely, almost completely certainly going to have a show or two in the Phoenix area sometime this month. And they love fans, let me tell you. [And a couple of them are still single. But I didn't tell you that.]

p.s. "She's Letting Me Go" and "As She Moves" are two of my favorites on their site. But they have some stellar ones that aren't even up yet.

p.p.s. You can thank me later. [Or now. Whichever you prefer.]

[wannabe] morning person

2011-06-29T15:05:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-27T13:32:00.000-07:00

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]

2011-06-26T00:03:00.000-07:00

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]

2011-06-23T13:05:00.000-07:00

[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...

the engagement [part 1]

2011-06-22T17:17:00.000-07:00

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.

pinching myself

2011-06-17T15:42:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-16T12:46:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-15T14:14:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-14T14:34:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-13T17:32:00.000-07:00

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.

it's great except for...

2011-06-08T13:44:00.000-07:00

Ok...at the risk of losing more than half of my readers [so all two of you...haha jk, I see my stats!]...I would just like to say:

Don't go see X-Men: First Class.

See what I mean? You're probably already getting ready to leave this page. But just hear me out.

The second half of the movie was EPIC. Amazing. Exciting. Had me on the edge of my seat.

But the first half?

Chalk-full of scantily-clad women in bad situations. [But let's face it, scantily-clad women usually cause - or at least hover around - bad situations.]

Does seeing immodestly dressed women affect me very much? Not really. Other than a general lack of the Spirit which seems to accompany them. But it does affect the men in our lives. A lot. A lot more than we'd like to think. And even if they're trying to have clean thoughts, scenes like the ones in X-Men: First Class will make it 1,267 times more difficult. Scenes that would have been R or even X rated not so many years ago.

Am I a prude? I hope not. But maybe. If being a prude means that I don't want to put good men in situations where they have to fight for their thoughts then maybe I am.

I could look up a thousand quotes from prophets and apostles about why movies like that aren't good for our spirits. You know I could. But I won't.

The sad part is that I really did like the second half. It was really epic and amazing and spectacular and exciting and all of those other positive adjectives. And I just love the comic book movies in general. It's the romantic part of me that secretly wants to believe that superheros actually exist. [In the old sense of the word romantic, naturally.]

But, prude or not, I simply cannot get past the first half. I wish I would have left at the very first hint of a bad scene. But I didn't. I sat through it all. And felt sick inside.

I know X-Men: First Class isn't the only movie out right now with scenes like that. And it certainly won't be the last. [Our poor children.] It's just the only one I've seen recently.

Feel free to disagree with me. I promise this isn't some sort of judgement passed on all of you that have seen it and liked it.

What are your thoughts?

oh roxy, you're still foxy

2011-06-07T13:26:00.000-07:00

So I still don't have the pictures and video from the last post, but I promise I will post them soon. I just need to get them off Tim's camera before I can do it. He's at work. [Rude.] I'm also at work. [Ruder.] Ok, technically, I'm on my lunch break.

But. I have a sad story to share. Today, I was parking my car in a parking lot near my work, and I hit another car as I pulled in. I've never done anything like that before. And I'm usually so careful. But today I slipped up. Thankfully, my car has minimal damage and theirs only has a small dent, but I felt so bad. I left a note on their car with my number and called my insurance. But seriously, it's a sickening feeling.

Here is the dent on their car.

And some of their paint on my car.

Lame that I have pictures of this but not of my oh-so-fun camping trip, eh?

Is it bad to say that other people's similar stories made me feel slightly better? [coughTIMcough.]

Oh well.

And now for a clichéd letter:

My dearest Roxy,

I am so sorry for ramming you into another gargantuan metal object. I wasn't thinking, and it was extremely insensitive of me. Thankfully, you are basically ok - minus some additional paint on your fender - and you are still, as Tim would say, my "Foxy Roxy." I will fix you ASAP. Oh, and give you another bath. Because you deserve it.

Please forgive me.

Your sheepish owner,
Katie

camping & general pansiness

2011-06-06T16:00:00.000-07:00

Ok kids...I'm back!

Wait, what? You didn't notice I was gone? I'll just pretend I didn't hear that...

Have you ever spent day after day at work, sitting at your desk, staring at your computer, taking deep breaths, and repeating to yourself that you can get through just one more day? And your eyes start to water and your head starts to hurt and you feel like you're going to suffocate if you stay in the city even one more day? I know, this is starting to sound like an infomercial...

Well, that's basically where I was at last week. I needed out. And camping was absolutely the perfect distraction.

Before I go any further, let me explain something: I am a pansy of epic proportions.

When it comes to the weather, at least. Cold weather, to be specific.

I tried talking my dad into going somewhere that would be in the eighties during the day and fifties at night. I felt this would be a plausible compromise since I still think fifties is way too cold. However, my dad thought this would be way too warm during the day (and he doesn't indulge my pansiness), so we ended up in Williams, Arizona. Seventies during the day (I'm telling you, burr) and forties at night (double burrrr).

Long story short, the first night I was freezing. I avoided complaining too much since the last time I went camping and I was super cold at night, I ended up crying in my sleeping bag in the middle of the night. And my dad still teases me about that. Don't judge. It actually is pretty funny, looking back.

But the second night, I came prepared. Here is what I took to sleep:

long johns
a sleeping bag
two blankets
two Hot Hands...things (seriously, I think these things were made for me)
two hot water bottles
two wool socks
two jackets

Let me tell you...I slept like a baby. And no, I didn't cry this time. Or wake up multiple times throughout the night. Maybe "baby" is a bad simile. Let's try another one: I slept like a man-in-a-coma. Or woman, I suppose. The point? I slept really well.

And the whole camping trip was so fun. Including (but not limited to) that part where we hiked up Bill Williams Mountain, that part where we went to see the Grand Canyon, that part where we shopped in the Grand Canyon Village gift shops (fun for me and no one else), that part where we let my dog swim in the lake, that part where we took another shorter hike, and that part where we cooked all of our food outside [including the s'mores...duh]. Seriously, so fun.

After the hike up Bill Williams Mountain, I walked like an old lady. [Which actually is a good simile this time.] The hike had been so steep for so long that my knees pretty much killed me the next day. They hurt so bad that I could barely walk (which was bad since we had another two days camping). But on the plus side, I did look really funny. I couldn't help giggling as I walked. It went something like this: pain-hobble-wince-giggle-pain-hobble-wince-giggle. You can ask Tim. It was pretty ridiculous.

Let me explain something else. I am also a pansy of epic proportions when it comes to bugs. [Except for butterflies. I kind of like those.] So when I was about to get into my tent one evening and a bee flew right around my head for a minute, I was not a very happy camper. Quite literally. So I screamed very loudly. This caused Tim and my dad to think that I might be being attacked by a bear or a mountain lion, so they looked over at me, ready to spring into action if necessary. As soon as I saw the worried looks on their faces, I felt very foolish. I said, very sheepishly, "............bee." After which they made fun of me for the rest of the trip.

Perhaps I am always a pansy.

I have lots of pictures and even a really funny video of me being scared of a lantern [pansy], but I don't currently have them. So I'll post them tomorrow. Or sometime...other than tomorrow. But soon.

Who knows if any of you will actually want to see them (I do look pretty ragged and my hair looks sicknast), but I'll post them because I don't write in my journal or scrapbook very often. [Aka: never.]

Here's to posterity!

at least to me

2011-05-26T13:02:00.000-07:00

I love reading other people's blogs.

Like seriously....LOVE it.

It's not because I'm a creeper [at least...I don't think I am...but I guess most people who are creepers don't actually think they are...]. It's simply because I love reading about thoughts, ideas, feelings, and everyday life.

Yep, that's right. Everyday life.

People tell me constantly that their lives are boring. The same all the time. Uninteresting.

But what seems everyday to them is fascinating to me.

Even in real life, I love listening to people. Listening to their stories. Hearing about their days. Learning about their feelings and thoughts. Because it's just fascinating.

You are fascinating. You are interesting. You are worthwhile. Your life is worthwhile.

To me, at least. And to one other very important Being that comes immediately to mind.

I know sometimes in my own life I overlook the small things that [should, at least] bring a smile to my face. It could be something as simple as the sun shining a little brighter [or rain, if that's your thing], getting a Dr. Pepper [or other beverage if Dr. Pepper just isn't your thing...no wait, that can't be right], someone smiling at you, or getting up on time in the morning [this one's a struggle for me].

Because really, sometimes it is the simple things that make our lives worthwhile. And interesting. And fascinating. And often times, inspiring.

I am inspired by those who find the simple joys in life and recognize them.

And I am grateful for those who write about them for me to read and be inspired by.

I'm not saying you should start a blog if that's not your thing, but just know that no matter what I love hearing about your life. Because you are interesting. And fascinating. And inspiring.

At least to me.

quirky, cheesy, and perfectly romantic

2011-05-25T13:09:00.000-07:00

Truth: I have perhaps watched "While You Were Sleeping" 5,364 times.

Or at least something close to that.

[Another] truth? I never get tired of it. Ever.

I love it every.single.time.

Perhaps it is Lucy and how I relate to her. Perhaps it's Jack and how real he is. Perhaps it's Jacks family and their quirkiness and off-beat dialogue and how I always feel like I'm a part of their family. Perhaps it's how even though I've watched it 5,364 times (give or take a hundred), I still laugh out loud at that part at the beginning where the ice skater falls and that part in the middle where the paper boy falls off his bike.

Or maybe it's how at the end my heart is always completely convinced that love like that really exists.

I guess I'm already convinced of that anyway. But this movie clenches it.

Really, I could go on forever about things that I love about this movie. But for your sake, I won't do that.

But just to make your mouth water at the thought of watching it [uhh...make your eyes water? make your brain ache? none of these are sounding promising.], I'll leave you with a quote:

Jack: Maybe if we angle it a little.
Lucy: I think it's wedged.
Jack: Why don't you step back, I'm gonna try an old trick.
Lucy: What's the trick?
Jack: Push it really hard.
Lucy: Ok, push.
Jack: I did.

And just one more for good measure:

Midge: These potatoes are so creamy. Mary mashed them.

p.s. I am also obsessed with The Princess Bride, most of the Jane Austen-based movies [Mormon Pride and Prejudice included - coughKATIEcough], and That Thing You Do. Yes, you've got it. All things quirky, cheesy, and/or perfectly romantic.

"good taste"

2011-05-23T12:50:00.000-07:00

There has been a recurring phrase in my life recently.

It's not a phrase that describes my life by any stretch of the imagination. It's just there. Hovering. Bothering. Eating away at me.

The phrase is this:

"Good taste in music."

I hate that phrase.

What does that phrase even mean?

If you say, "I have really good taste in music," what you're really saying is, "I have better taste in music than other people and the music I listen to is better than the kind of music they listen to." Well, for rude.

Everybody thinks they have good taste in music. Am I right? Otherwise you wouldn't like the kind of music that you like. Listen to the kind of music you listen to.

Or if they're using that phrase to describe someone else (e.g., "So-and-so has really good taste in music"), they could mean one of two things.

1. "They have exactly the same taste in music that I do!"

or

2. "The music that they like is really popular right now and everybody else likes it and I should like it, too!" Or similarly, "The music that they like is really popular right now and everybody else likes it and even though I really don't, I wish I liked it, too!"

Whatever.

It's all relative.

I think everybody should just listen to the music that they like and not worry about if they or someone else has really "good taste in music." Because if you've found music that you like and that makes you happy, it shouldn't really matter.

I think the same goes for "good taste in clothes" and "good taste in décor" and "good taste in blah-blah-blah-freakin-blah."

Moral of the story? Like what you like, and don't worry about "good taste."

Chances are, you'll probably be happier that way anyway.

p.s. In my Memory and Cognition psychology class, I learned that the more people hear something, the more they tend to like it. We went over all the studies in class that back this theory up. They're pretty legit. So really, how much you like something is probably at least partially based on how many times you've heard it or at least something like it. So if you're still heck-bent (*coughmormoncough*) on having "good taste" in music, then you should probably just listen to the popular-stuff-that-you-don't-really-like on repeat so you'll have a greater chance of having really great taste in music just like everybody else.

p.p.s. I love country music. [taylorswiftismyhero.] Just listen to it on repeat for a really long time and in a year, get back to me. We can attend Country Thunder together.

Editor's note: Now that I've written this, I feel like I'll never be able to use the phrase "good taste" in good faith ever again. But. I guess it wasn't the phrase so much as the attitude behind it. I've always struggled with the idea of elitism.

But.

I promise that if you ever do say it, I won't jump down your throat or judge you. Even a little bit. I was just ranting to cyberspace in general. And if I ever do say it [with my reputation on the line], I will probably, maybe, most likely, almost certainly mean, "So-and-so has exactly the same taste in [whatever] that I do!" Not, "My taste is better than yours!"

Just so you know :)

date night

2011-05-19T10:28:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Tim and I went on a double date with one of my old roommates and a guy from Tim's ward. Tanner and Taryn hadn't known each other previously, and Tanner didn't know either Tim nor I very well, but they were both super good sports.

Because, you see, Tim and I had planned a night of thrills and excitement.

Or something like that.

Here's what really happened.

We ate frozen yogurt.

The end.

Just kidding. Hahaha

We ate frozen yogurt and then we went to Michael's. Starting to get good already, eh?

At Michael's, we split up into teams and limited each team to a $5 budget. I'll bet you could guess who the teams were, but for the sake of time [shoot, you could be a really bad guesser], I won't make you do that. Tim and I were on a team, and we put Taryn and Tanner on a team. The objective? To find supplies to make a boat to race against the other team (again, all for under $5). Then we went back to Tim's house to make the boats.

Tim felt very confident that our boat was going to win.

I was just having fun putting together the sail. I mean, uh, I knew we were going to WIN!

Yep, I made that sail. I'm pretty proud.

It was hard work. Obviously.

Tanner and Taryn's boat turned out pretty cool....

....but we knew we were going to win.

Here is a picture of their boat in the water:

Whatever.

Our boat got off to a triumphant start...

...and then it may or may not have tipped over and died.

Tim was so sad.

I was just happy ours had floated at all.

The moral of the story? Whoever plans the date wins the race. I'm pretty sure Abraham Lincoln said that or something.

Or maybe it was Tim.

I guess we'll never know.

the day i became a grown-up

2011-05-18T13:44:00.000-07:00

....Sort of. That may be a bit of an exaggeration. I still feel very much like a six-year-old. But it was the day of:

My Graduation Ceremony: [almost] the most boring thing I've ever been to in my life.

I say almost because my ten seconds of fame walking across the stage was a wee bit exciting. And by a wee bit, I mean very.

The other 1199 names that were read and the other 1199 students who walked across the stage made it less exciting for me. [I'm sure they felt the same way about me.] Add to that the fact that I couldn't pronounce even half of their names and you had one very bored girl. [No, no...I take that back. That part made it more interesting, not less.]

I sat over in that section on the left. If you can spot me I'll give you five dollars.

In addition to those 1199 students [sick of that number yet? It's ok, so was I], I have also attended and helped to plan approximately eight other convocation ceremonies because of my job, which also made it less exciting. They're all very similar. And by very, I mean extremely.

The best part of the ceremony was knowing that my family and friends were in the audience to support me. Seriously, they made the entire day for me. I was (and still am) in awe of the love I felt emanating from them. I am so, so blessed to have such people in my life.

Here are some pictures of a few of them:

Mis padres

p.s. I like the girl on her cell phone next to my dad.

My boss

Seriously, she's awesome.

Tim, me, my dad, my mom

Timothy and me

Jana Banana and me

Jana, it's the one time I look almost as tall as you :)

Right after the ceremony

We were excited to be out of the heat. And it was only 10:00am! Please excuse the shiny faced-ness.

P.S. Who knew my thumb could get so crazy!

Tim

He rode with my parents and me because he lost his car like an old person at Walmart :)

At Oregano's soon after the ceremony

Please excuse another case of my awkward arms.

And then I got to spend the rest of the day hanging out with my parents.

For all my complaning, it couldn't have been a better day.

sparky

acting out irrationally

the common cold shoulder

wedding day [part 1]

christmas catch-up

canyon lake day trip

matchmaking

new years

the perks of being married

lack of motivation

half birthdays

date night

christmas décor

'tis the season

christmas trees

pinterest

thanksgiving traditions - old and new

panic-induced laughter

the semester slump

wedgies

the pot that died

community

thankful

[lack of] trick-or-treaters

sleep-tickling

distracting

the important things

taylor swift

bumming around

moving

uncertainty

why i go to work

getting out of my own head

the secrets of panda express

buttons and blankets

our first camping trip [as a married couple]

items of business

[third]-day-of-school pictures?

what a girl's gotta do

i am regressing

brain fag

i need YOU, kids

a girl's best friend

four things

i wrote a guest post

the bee sting of life

fire of the covenant

sleepy Tim

the day before the dive

dang spoiled

tabby tab tabs

mushy-faced

i'm back!

guest post - Kara

guest post - Katie

guest post - Meghan

guest post - Chantal

wedding and guest posters

"just in case"

wedding teaser

you're gonna miss this

the marriage license

cow appreciation day

the nails that were fake

a glimpse of heaven

i love to see the temple

guest posting

giggle fests

the luckiest

machine model

[wannabe] morning person

a magical dinner

the engagement [part 3]

the engagement [part 2]

the engagement [part 1]

pinching myself

both feet

[im]mature

camping pics

kicks and giggles