Anxiously Engaged

Sunday. January 30, 2011. 7:59am. For me, was the day that every girl thinks about her whole life; trying to imagine what it would be like to see him on one knee, to see that sparkly ring poking out of its box.

I cannot believe that it has been one year since that special day. I, personally, like it better when Chris tells the story so I talked him into writing up his experience. What a good sport! :)
"How I tell it :)
Hello all of Melissa’s blog readers I have been asked by my amazing wife to share with you all my side of the engagement story. I have no idea why anyone would want to read this but for the love of my dear wife I will write it.
So Melissa and I started dating after I saw her at my sister’s ward. I noticed this cute short curly hair girl and I asked my sister about her. Elizabeth (My sweet sister who lives now in Argentina) told me that Melissa was an amazing person. So after counseling with Elizabeth I decided to add Melissa on facebook. I tested the waters by commenting on one of Melissa’s photos by stating quote, “your way cute”. She then gave me a positive reply that started our pin pall time together. We then e-mailed each other many times a day for a few weeks before we “really” met for the first time. I asked Melissa out on a date over thanksgiving break but I couldn’t wait that long so we moved up the date to the weekend before. On the first date I wanted to find out quick if this girl was worth my time (douche bag alert) so I tested her. I picked her up and we drove down to Orem (a 30 min drive) to go to this restaurant. The restaurant was closed because it has way weird hours (Pizzeria 721). I have yet to go there. So then we went to In-n-Out. On the way down we listened to no music (Test) to see if we could hold a conversation. It was a success! Then after we ate we went to Liberty Park and ended up rolling down a grassy hill and then we got into a weird grass fight. Well needless to say we have a strong connection from the start and it was easy to tell that we had something special.
After a few more dates I finally met the family. I was very impressed with how amazing Melissa’s family was. I remember feeling very nervous when I first met her dad and I remember how welcoming her family was.
Christmas break soon came and I was off to NC. It sucked leaving Melissa but we had an amazing date a temple square right before I left. When I got to NC I had one thing on my mind and that was where I wanted to take my relationship with Melissa. I new that if I wanted marriage that there was no need to wait any longer. So when I was out with my Mom I told her of my desire to start ring shopping so she made a U turn and headed strait for Rudy’s (a ring shop in Fayetteville). When I first held Melissa’s ring I knew it was the one. The price tag didn’t matter because this ring was everything I wanted for my wife. After purchasing the ring the Christmas break soon ended.
After I got back to Utah I spent a few days with Melissa and then I headed back to Rexburg. Now all that was left to do was talk to the Dad. Finally one night when Melissa and I were staying at her parent’s house we told them we wanted to talk. So after Douglas and Jackson (Melissa’s brothers) had gone to bed we sat down to have the talk. This was nerve-racking but also calming. We told them of our plans for the summer and that we were serious about getting married. While we were talking Megan came home and was quickly excused from the room. After we had talked I asked to talk to Jim alone. We talked about many things and I made him promises that I will always keep.
That night I asked Melissa if the next day we could get up early before church and have some alone time. She agreed that it was needed, and then we went to bed. Needless to say I didn’t sleep that well because I knew the next day I was going to purpose. After we got up and dressed for church we headed up to this park that over looked the valley; we were sitting on the bench. Melissa didn’t want to get her butt cold so she was sitting on my lap we were talking about life and I ask her if she wanted to be an old fart with me she said yes and so I took that as she wanted to marry me haha. I then took the ring out of my pocket knelt down on one knee and the rest is history………… "

Us, after church on the big morning...happily exhausted.

And for those of you still reading....here's my side of the story. :)

"I knew Chris and I were going to get engaged. I just didn't know when. But, because decisions needed to be made and soon; we talked to my parents and ran our plans by them. I was going to transfer to BYU-Idaho and Chris and I were going to try to get an internship in South Carolina. We wanted to get married at the end of the summer when Chris' dad would be home for a few weeks from Iraq. The deadline for Fall '11 semester at BYU-I was Sunday (the next morning) so we were under a little pressure. I was anxious to know how my parents were going to react. I knew that they knew I was head-over-heels in love with Chris and that I was thinking about the transfer. I had also told my mom about the possible internship. It was just so much so soon...Chris and I had only been dating for about 2 months. But, I knew it was right. So, we talked to them. Told them everything. It went great! They were very supportive and seemed to be excited for us. I was so relieved! The hard part was over. Chris talked to my dad for a bit and then we spent about an hour after that talking about our future and how exciting everything was.
At this point, I was thinking that we would get engaged in March or April. I was positive Chris didn't have a ring, so when he asked to take a drive with me the following morning before church I wasn't suspicious at all. We got up early the next morning and drove to this beautiful park in Cedar Hills. We walked up the hill to sit on a bench swing. I was siting in Chris' lap and we looked over the valley and talked for awhile. I felt Chris fiddle behind my back with something, but figured it was just his phone or something. Then, he said; "Do you want to be with me forever?" I'm sure I said something cheesy and then he asked me what time it was. "7:59. Why?"
"You're going to want to remember that." He stood up and knelt down. I started bawling as he pulled out the most beautiful ring I had ever seen. I said "yes" before he could even finish his "will you marry me."
It was such a great moment, followed by a great day. We got lots of congratulations and our faces were tired from smiling so much. I stared down at my hand all day long, looking at my beautiful ring. It truly was a perfect day. "
 

H2O

I wish someone would have witnessed the water fight that just ensued in 1523. I began as the innocent victim and emerged as the champion.

Better luck next time, honey. :)

.Mine.

Is it weird that I LOVE to stare at pictures from my wedding for long periods of time?

Sometimes, it blows my mind how happy I am; how grateful I am to have this ridiculously attractive man in my life. He's all mine.
There's something unbelievably comforting about that.

nintey-four

First Lab Exam in Anat & Phys: 94%

Yeah...you're probably just as surprised as I am. 

I can do hard things! :)

Happy Friday!

Winner.

You know all of those blog giveaways you see? Well, I won one. I am super stoked. I never win anything.

Look at those odds....1 in 285. I am lucky. This is my lovely prize:

Isn't it cute! I love Posh Daisy stuff. Check out their shop on Etsy. If I had endless amounts of money to spend on jewelry, I would be getting lots of packages via Etsy.

Burgers & Nuggets

Yesterday was pretty great. I slept in (until like 10! it was heaven). Took my math test (88% woot!).
Then I came home and ate pizza and watched Warrior with Chris. It was a pretty good movie, which is saying a lot coming from a girl who doesn't enjoy violence or watching people get beat up. After the movie we were feeling pretty guilty about eating all of the pizza, so we went to the gym.

To be honest, it is kinda weirding me out that I am starting to like going to the gym and working out. But hey, I'm definitely not complaining. Neither is the scale (4 pounds baby!).
Then we were off on a double date with friends Jeremy and Kelly. We went to Big Judds (as seen on some TV show on the food network). We ate some really big burgers.

I was thinking I'd take my veg-head sister here. What do you think? Haha.

After dinner we went to the $3 Movie to see Footloose. I think I may have liked Warrior better...I don't know. It was 11pm (way past my bed time). Or, it may have been Julianne Hough, who I found slightly annoying. Beats me. Anywho, it was a great date night.

Also, yesterday, I was naughty and bought myself a bag of these babies:

Hershey's Nuggets. Much better than chicken nuggets- these things are the real deal. Not much can beat milk chocolate, toffee, and almonds....at least in my book.

Tomorrow is a big day- Job interview #2. Hopefully, I will not be a custodian much longer. Wish me luck!

Its been awhile....

...and not much has changed. School is stressful. Work is stressful.
Speaking of work....

I think getting up at 3:30am is taking its toll on my poor husband (well, on both of us). I'll hopefully have a new job soon. I interviewed this week and am DYING to get this job. I don't want to talk too much about it because it might jinx me. And we most definitely wouldn't want that.
Oh! I also became an aunt this morning (at 4:17am....isn't it wierd that I was awake to get the news?).
Isn't she beautiful?

This is Lillie Herlevi. She was 8 pounds, 15 ounces, and 22 inches long. I am so excited to have a niece and am so happy for my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. Congrats to them on making such a beautiful baby. I cannot wait to meet her!

Discipline

This morning was A&P lab. Chris and I were doing fairly well, due to our last-minute 4 hour cramming session. The professor came over to check on us and Chris mentioned that he was taking (along with A&P) Chemistry and Microbiology. The professor looked surprised. Then, we told him about our 4am escapades as custodians and Chris' possible second job as a maintenance worker for our apartment complex.
"Do you think you have a little too much on your plate?" said Professor.
We all laughed a little as he walked on to the next group, but he was back soon.
"Can I give you some advice?" We nodded. "Discipline will be your only saving grace."
Huh. Not going to lie, that caught me off guard. Yeah, Chris has a really hard schedule, but I didn't really realize how hard it really was or how much studying he will have to do to get the grades to achieve his goals. My schedule isn't as hard by any means, but it is still a stretch for me.
Discipline is something I've been thinking a lot about lately. It is ironic that discipline seems so hard to master, yet, it makes life so much easier. If we would have had discipline and studied one hour each day this week, we would have been able to just review last night and would have gotten to bed early and would have been less tired today....making today easier.

Food for thought.

A&P

Anatomy & Physiology is brutal.
Behold. My super cramped/ink-stained hand after 2 hours of studying/4 pages of written notes.

Ok, maybe it doesn't look that bad. But it hurts. So does my brain.
Is it possible for me to do well in this class and not hate every waking second between now and April 6?
I miss my acting/choir classes.
On the plus side...my hubby is in the class with me and will already be there when I pass out whilst observing cadavers. Pray for me friends.
[3 posts in one day....anyone annoyed yet? :)]

A Wife's Tale: #1

1. When sorting laundry, don't sniff your husbands gym shorts to determine whether or not they are dirty.

New Hobby: Hairstyle Tutorials

So, I've been watching hairstyle tutorials like a mad woman. I really like it. I found this really great blog with a ton of them. Check it.
Anyway, I decided to be ambitious today and try this one:

Super cute & great with "second day hair"- a perk to having thick, curly hair is when you straighten/curl it you can skip a wash or two. My results weren't quite as good as hers...but I am happy.

Its hard to take a picture of the back of your head on your own.

Kicked to the Curb

We just kicked the Monday funk to the curb! I'd say a 4:10 showing at the $3 movie did the trick. Needless to say, I am feeling more optimistic about waking up tomorrow morning between 3:20 & 3:30 AM.
We went to see New Years Eve. It. Was. SO. Good. I had low expectations. But I loved every minute and found myself bawling about 3/4 of the way through (the good kind). I highly recommend it. Hilary Swank makes the whole movie, though, I am a little biased--being a die-hard P.S. I love you fan.

So, to share a valuable lesson learned: Monday funk doesn't go away if you whine about it or dread it. Do something you really enjoy and the Monday blues will be gone before you know it. Good times.
Does it bother you when people post multiple times in one day? Anyone out there feel that I am bipolar or hormonal? Just wondering. :)

Live Now

Sometimes I look at my little sheet of classes I have to take to get my BSW (Bachelors of Social Work). Its such a long list...and I haven't even finished my generals yet, and then figure in Grad School. That's approximately 4-5 more years of school. Why didn't I take advantage of AP classes and concurrent enrollment? 

Don't get me wrong...I really like being in school. You get money from the government to study something you like and then you don't have to be a custodian the rest of your life. Trust me, you don't ever want to be a custodian if you can help it, much less the rest of your life. Also, compared to having a house and some kids, this time of life is pretty chill. 

On the other hand, I would like to get up at a reasonable hour and go to my job that I love- or spend the day with the kids that I love (don't mistake this for baby hungry, cause I'm not). I would love to live closer to family and friends. 

However, I remember wishing away childhood, then high school, then single life, and now this? I think its time I learn to live in and enjoy the moment- the stage of life I am in now, because- lets be honest- its pretty good. 

-I have a wonderful husband.

-We live in a nice apartment, with fun things like a Wii, popcorn machine, and a comfy bed.

-We have enough money to go to school, have a car, have the nice apartment, eat, and have fun.

-We finally have jobs which is great considering how many people in this town are jobless and have been longer than we were. 

-We get to visit family fairly often.

Well, I don't know about you, but I feel a lot better. Maybe I just had a case of the Monday Blues.

"One problem with gazing too frequently into the past is that we may turn around to find the future has run out on us."  -Michael Cibenko

"Having spent the better part of my life trying either to relive the past or experience the future before it arrives, I have come to believe that in between these two extremes is peace."  -Author Unknown

Olive Garden Breadsticks

I don't know about you, but (usually) the only reason I go to Olive Garden is to stuff myself full of bread sticks. Their pasta is ok....their salads are also ok. Anyway, my mom refers to the breadsticks as "Fatty McButterpants," but that's probably why I like them. I was browsing on Pinterest and found a recipe. I ran to Super Savers and started my trial run right away.
[I'm pretty sure, since I started Pinterest-ing I've started cooking 99% more. Chris is grateful.]
Here are the results:

Pretty legit, eh? I'm not Julie or Julia....but they were pretty great!
(Recipe is under the "Recipe Favorites" Tab)

Productivity

Today has been a very productive day. Before 9:45 am I...
-Worked for 3 hours
-Cleaned the whole apartment
-Did a 35 minute yoga workout
-Showered and got ready for the day
Getting up at 3:30am has its perks.

Now to only continue this motivation/productive streak the rest of the day....

Awefactor

My husband is truly the best. I am so lucky. Forgive me if I bore, but I have to share.
This morning I received a husband's blessing for the start of the new semester. It was such a beautiful, meaningful blessing. It was such a good reminder of how lucky I am to be married to a worthy priesthood holder.
So, then we were off to school. We went to class and then to lunch. When we came home, I was exhausted (still adjusting to the whole waking-up-at-3:30-am thing). I fell asleep on the couch while Chris was giving me a foot rub- how did he know that my feet were killing me from work this morning?
The next thing I knew, I was carefully lifted off the couch, carried, and tucked into bed. I mumbled something about not letting me sleep too long and was dead asleep.
About an hour and a half later, I awoke to a kiss on the cheek and a back rub. What a way to wake up!
Needless to say, I am so very blessed. I hope that all my friends experience what I have someday. My hopes in sharing this are that ya'all will not settle for less than the best. Every woman deserves to have the priesthood in her home- and a loving and supporting husband. I didn't have to wait long for my perfect man...but I would have waited as long as it took.
Ok, that's all. :) Happy Wednesday!

Domesticality

Today, I was ambitious. I busted out a few of my many cook books (we got quite a few for our wedding, sort of ironic considering how I am a terrible cook...but it also perfect because I can use all the help I can get). I decided on a crockpot clam chowder soup from the cook book my mom gave us for Christmas.

It seemed easy enough...(which I guess most crock pot cooking is) but I would be lying if I said everything was smooth sailing.
First road bump....I read evaporated milk in the recipe. We didn't have any, but I assumed that it was the same as sweetened condensed milk. Dumb, I know....but to be fair my frozen hot chocolate recipe can work with both so I assumed that they were similar enough to substitute. Luckily, Chris caught me before I dumped the cans in. I ran to the store and got the RIGHT kind of canned milk.
Second road bump....Onions; 2 of them. About 1/4 of the way through the first onion I ran out of the room to shield my burning eyes. Chris took over, but soon joined me in taking cover. We chopped in shifts, and didn't get much done. My pre-med hubby said, "Imma go Chem 105 on this junk." He went to his desk and came back with two pair of lab goggles.

Don't worry about the glare...Imma Pirate.

We were then able to successfully chop both onions with ease (although there is still a small bite of onion in the air).

The rest of the process went off without a hitch. But, the real test came when we sat down for dinner that evening....

Its a keeper! Chris and I both really enjoyed the soup and are planning to make it again. 

For those of you who are interested...here is our recipe from this evenings kitchen escapades:
New England Clam Chowder
Makes 6-8 Servings
6 slices bacon, diced
2 onions, chopped
5 cans (6.5 ounces each) clams, drained and liquid reserved
6 medium red potatoes, cubed
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 cans (12 ounces each) EVAPORATED milk :)
   salt, to taste
   snipped fresh chives (optional)
Cook and stir bacon and onions in medium skillet until onions are tender. Place in crock pot.
Add enough water to reserved clam liquid to make 3 cups. Pour into crock pot, add potatoes, garlic, and pepper. Cover; cook on Low (5-8 hours) or High (1-3 hours).
Turn crock pot to low and mix in reserved clams and evaporated milk. Cover; cook 30 to 45 minutes. Adjust seasoning, if necessary, and garnish with chives if desired.

12 [in] 2012

Firstly...I am going to save you all my spiel about how 88% of all New Year's Resolutions fail each year. Secondly....I am not going to rant about how the "New Year Resolution" method is pretty much a system of failure. Thirdly...I know that there are a lot of posts floating around out there about the New Year and goals and all that jazz- I'm sorry if you are sick of reading them. Personally, I think it's great. I am all for self improvement- it is crucial to growth. I certainly don't want to be the same person forever. Anyway, if the NYR method works for you---more power to ya.
For about two months now, I have been formulating my new brain child-  
12 [in] 2012. I first got the idea from my book, The Happiness Project. Smaller, "stepping stone" goals that are more attainable are proven to be more successful. I have been drafting, redrafting, finalizing, and refinalizing my goals. To be honest, they will probably change. The important thing is progress.
I welcome January with my first "spiritual" goal of the year:

 
I wish you all the best in your goals for this year! Happy 2012!

::ciao twenty-eleven::

New Year's Eve this year has definitely been my favorite. We started our NYE at Lava Hot Springs in the mineral pools.

My Cute Husband

 After spending some time soaking...or boiling...we hit up Subway and headed to our hotel room in Pocatello.

King Sized Bed

 We took a little nap and watched a little TV and then we were off to dinner. Chris chose Texas Roadhouse- I had never been, so it was an adventure. I really liked it and I had fun watching Chris inhale his Country Fried Sirloin. That boy can eat...especially when it has to do with country cooking or BBQ. We came back to the hotel, completely full and a little sleepy. I was determined we would ring in the new year the right way (at midnight, watching the ball drop, with a kiss). I hadn't done it "right" in a few years. So, we jumped on the bed to wake up and then watched The Count of Monte Cristo. Then we opened some sparkling grape juice, watched the ball drop, gave each other a kiss and then totally crashed.

Very tired...bad cell phone photo

Happy New Year! We had a blast and are looking forward to 2012- hopefully you are too!