He liked it so he put a ring on it ("it" being me)

I'm engaged! Still so weird to say.

Nathaniel and I have been dating almost ten months. And I'll be honest, I've known for a while that I wanted to marry him. He is probably the kindest man I have ever known and thoughtful and quiet and not to mention handsome (those blue eyes of his KILL me). I can guarantee he already hates this post (sorry Nathaniel), but I am pretty sure he knows what he is getting into by marrying me. He makes me laugh until I cry. He knows how to kiss me just the way I like. He loves my crazy family. He loves his crazy family (significantly less crazy than mine btw). He is such a loyal friend. He is such a hard worker. He listens to me and tries to make me happy. He is so talented and smart and capable. He's my best friend, like the kind that you make up songs with or goofy dances or tickles you until you almost pee or the kind that cries with you when you are sad and gets mad at things you're mad at or the kind that knows you love non fat iced chai and brings it to you just because. And I love him.

A couple months ago we went looking for rings, very casually. We weren't engaged, we were just talking about it. I found this amazing antique ring that I loved. And I made it very clear that I loved it. I would check the website everyday and just look at it. One day it was gone, I secretly hoped he had bought it, but couldn't be sure. He kept saying that we should look at rings and asking me to email pictures of rings that I liked, so I had my doubts.

On Friday we were in Provo for his family reunion. I met his sweet grandmother and got to see other family members that I had met before. I was totally exhausted, it had been a very rough work week. He started talking about BYU chocolate milk and how he really wanted some. So we went to the cougareat to get some. It was 9pm and just closing up. There were only a few people there. But we purchased our chocolate milk and sat down to enjoy. He was telling me about how he had worked there as a janitor many years ago. I was joking with him about people getting engaged at the cougareat and what that might look like when he pulled out a ring and set it on the table, got down on one knee and proposed! Just prior to asking me, he said something about it being really funny if two grown people who weren't BYU students anymore got engaged in the cougareat and I agreed. I was SO surprised. I cried like a baby. And to make it even more exciting, it was the antique ring I was in love with. He bought it a week after we saw it (of course he did).

Here is our first picture as an engaged couple (chocolate milk and all).



The ring is circa 1930 and I love love love it.



September 3rd can't come soon enough!

Sometimes I really miss Thailand

Sick Day

Stayed home from work due to a sickness. I pretty much looked at blogs all day. Why am I not more creative? Why can't I sew clothes, make bunting flags or pompon wreaths? Why do I not have fancy pictures to post or clever things to say? I spent a long day of comparing myself to others, which never makes you feel better. Especially when you weren't feeling well to begin with.

Besides, I think the internet LIES.

Not Getting Any Younger

So I am in my 30's. Like ACTUALLY in my 30's. I am going to be 33 this year, that seems so crazy. My friends and I were talking about our age and our skin and how we just don't look/feel as young as we used to. Then someone brought up skin care. I have to admit, I am not the best at taking care of my skin. I wash it with Dove soap most nights and that is about it. So I decided to make a change, to actually put forth an effort, which cost me a little more than my normal skin care regimen (when I say a little I mean A LOT). I bought a Mia. I had never heard of one, nor seen one, but apparently people swear by it. Tonight was the first time I used it and can I already say that I think I love it? My skin has never felt so clean.
I guess it better, since I could have bought 140 bars of Dove soap for the price of the Mia. I'll let you know how it goes.

Sharing the Light

I have a new camera and new pictures, but when I tried to put the memory card in the side compartment of my computer it was too small and became lost and I had to dig it out with some tweezers. SO I will have to wait to upload those pictures. They are of my sweet friend Alyssa and her family at her sons baptism and some of me and Nathaniel in Boise, except I forgot to really take pictures of anything Boise like so it's really just me and Nathaniel in coffee shops and restaurants, but IN Boise. Ok, so maybe I won't upload them until I have something exciting.

Tonight Nathaniel and I went to target to buy Settlers of Catan. I have never played, so we thought it would be fun to buy and play. As we were at the check out, the nerdy high school checker said "Oh no, you can't be serious, this looks just like Settlers of Zarahemla," Nathaniel quickly assured him it definitely was not and that surely the Settlers of Catan was made first. I don't think the boy believed him, he was sure we were purchasing a knock off of his favorite Book of Mormon based board game. Adorable kid, I humored him and then he told me all about taking the ACTs the night before. Nathaniel asked me what I might diagnose him as and I said "nerdy Mormon kid." I feel I can use that diagnosis since I too was a nerdy Mormon kid in high school. Takes one to know one I guess (my vice was nerdy Mormon teenage novels and EFY soundtracks, not boardgames, but definitely the same affliction) and I turned out alright.

I still haven't played the Settlers of Catan and now I kinda wish it was the Zarahemla version. Or maybe something more racy like Setters of Babylon.

Layed Up

Here I am, on my couch, with a heating pad on my back, on a Friday night. Maybe I'm old, but my back has given up this week. It is done and I have no choice but to give in to it's incessant whining in the form of intense pain when I make any sort of movement. I have been "hobbling" around all day (as my friend Nicki said), more like waddling and I was caught more then once doing stretches and yoga poses in my office today.

But now I'm just here, lying prostrate, at first watching 30 Rock and now listening to the new Radiohead album, (it's good, REAL good). Give up the Ghost may be my new favorite song.

All in all, not a super terrible Friday night . . . as long as I don't move anything. Dancing is NOT an option, although I really want to follow Thom's example.

Connected

After living in my apartment for over 7 months I finally got internet. FINALLY. Not that I have been wanting it so badly or really need it for that matter, but it's nice to be connected. And my goal- to blog again.

I have blue ray that plays netflix and I have been watching 30 rock all day (I am still in my pjs). But I can't get the pandora to work (annoying) and my wireless keeps booting me off (SUPER annoying). I wish I knew anything about internet.

So here I sit, on my couch, with my laptop, watching 30 rock, while my cute boyfriend cooks in the kitchen (sweets for the super bowl), how did I get so lucky?

Confessions . . .

If I don't make my bed before work, I think about it all day and have to make it as soon as I get home.

Sometimes I do my "stand up" routine in front of the mirror and use a hairbrush as a microphone.

I am either a little superstitious or a little OCD (probably both).

When I'm out at a restaurant I sometimes pay more attention to other people's conversations than I do to the one I am having (rude, I know).

When I fantasize about winning the lottery I don't think about things I will buy or places I will go, my biggest fantasy is paying off my debt.

I think that if Zach Braff and I met we would end up being good friends.

November!

What a great month. I did it. I DID IT!!!! I ran my half marathon and finished without dying. All of the training really paid off. I smiled pretty much the whole run and I took my sweet time. I loved it. Here is a picture of me at the finish line. I promise there were other people in the race and that I wasn't the very last person (even though it REALLY looks like it). I was so excited to cross it off my bucket list. I plan to do another half marathon in 2011. I've caught the bug!


And here we are (Dainon and me) post race, all sweaty and with our nifty medals. It was a good feeling.




Other fun things this year- FRIENDSGIVING! This picture is a Tracy Keck original. I thought it was funny because Nathaniel looks drunk (he wasn't of course) and I look a little tipsy myself. Friendsgiving was fun- there were so many potatoes and so many friends. When we walked in it had been snowing a little and by the time we left there was snow everywhere. It felt like the holiday season had started. It was great.




I have a silly tradition I started about 5 years ago. On Thanksgiving eve, I build a fort, sleep in it and watch movies. This was the 2010 fort. Nathaniel helped (he's in construction after all) and we watched Scrooged. So fun. I can't wait to see how great December is. I love the holidays!!!

You've gone mental . . .

I must have, if I am going to post these pictures of myself on this blog and facebook. SO UGLY, but so funny and fun. Nathaniel and I decided to be Wayne and Garth. It was determined that I am not a good blonde, but it was so much fun dressing up. (OH and Nathaniel never dresses up, so this is a first and I am pretty sure he loved it)

Enjoy my hideousness.



SCHWING!