Is Anyone In There?

Hello All! I'm still here!

I ran into my dear friend Amber Miles last night and was gently reprimanded for not posting in so long ;D (and rightly so Amber, don't feel bad). In very meager defense of myself, I was waiting to do a new post until I got the pictures back from the honeymoon. However, that is still in the works so I'll give you an update now and pictures will have to follow later.

Wow. Where do I start?

Well, since the honeymoon we have semi-settled into our lovely apartment which was very kindly made available to us by my grandparents. We have some fun little Christmas decorations out right now to make it a little more festive. I especially love our tiny little table top tree that sits on the floor surrounded by our own little treasure trove of presents. We have discovered that we are very ideally located in town. We're close to campus, our ward building and most of the places we shop at. Kevin just finished Fall semester which he enjoyed quite a bit. He is now eagerly searching for a job as he begins his semester off-track. We came across some promising prospects today so here's hoping. Everyone cross your fingers for us.

Speaking of school, I have finally completed all of the paperwork and everything else to petition to get back into school. It's all turned in and I am hoping to hear from them not long after the Christmas break. I'm really hoping I get back in because all of this waiting is driving me crazy. It took me forever to figure out what I wanted to do with my life and now that I am 99.9% sure I've figured it out I have to sit and wait. It took a lot longer than it should have to pull everything together for the petition and I've been feeling so... stuck. I want so badly to move on with my life. Don't get me wrong, marriage is moving along wonderfully, but academics are lagging sadly behind. I'm so tired of doing nothing but work at a dead-end job that is nowhere near where I want to be with a career. I've finally grown up and I want the chance to prove it to everyone else and especially to myself.

On that note! May I vent a bit? Of course I can, I'm typing to a computer screen with no one to stop me! Muahahahahaha!... *cough* I mean.... ummmm... Well you see, my job is, in a word, ridiculous. I have been through all three managements in that building and it seems like each one tops the one before it. And not in a good way. I do have to say that the current management/ownership is much more financially stable and corporate itself seems nice enough, but as far as drama it is just as bad (if not, possibly, worse than the others). I swear that building is a breading ground for stress and drama. You go in there a fairly mild-mannered person and if you're there too long you come out with almost a desire to see the negative in everything and dirty words nearly ready to fly out your mouth at the next person who dares to speak or act without first consulting their common sense. You think I'm exaggerating? You try working there for five-and-a-half years and tell me how you turn out. Thankfully I got out of town for half a week for Thanksgiving. I was getting so stressed about work and everything going on there that I would get physically ill if I let myself dwell on it. I'm not exactly sure what happened on that trip to Utah, but whatever it was, I'm eternally grateful. Something clicked inside of me and since then I have started to make my way back to the woman I was before the corruption of that building infected me. I am relearning how to let things that aren't a big deal slide off my shoulders and not dwell on them. I am learning how to detach myself from that place. When I am not in the building it is not my concern.

Anyway, that's not the half of it, but I'm not including details. It was just a general vent session for my own satisfaction. Moving on!

About Thanksgiving vacation! It was so fun. I wasn't excited to go at first because, as previously mentioned, I was just super stressed and bogged down. However, we went and had a great time. It was so nice to go and not be obligated to be anywhere at any particular time. It was so relaxed. I loved it, I could actually breathe! It was fun to see Kevin's family again, both immediate and extended. We played a fun game with everyone that took forever, but in an enjoyable way. I'm an observer so it was very nice for me to be able to sit and watch everyone. This year we stayed with his aunt Erin and her husband Bruce and their two lovely daughters Amy and Elizabeth. It was so fun! We got to sleep on a comfy king size bed (something we haven't done since the honeymoon). I had to laugh the first night we were there because Kevin scooted right up next to me and after a minute I said: "Babe, you do realize we're in a king-size bed, right?" After a pause he gave me a little space, but still held my hand. How cute :). The next morning Bruce introduced me to possibly the most amazing breakfast idea EVER! Erin made some delicious sour dough waffles and then Bruce brought out vanilla yogurt, chunky apple sauce and cinnamon sugar. OH MY GOSH! It was SO good. I have used that idea several times since coming back to Rexburg. Thank you so much, Erin and Bruce. You have changed waffles for me forever. In a very good way.

Also while in Utah I got to go on a "girls only" shopping trip ;). That was fun. While in the mall Kevin's mom bought us a "first Christmas" ornament for our tree. It's very pretty. Kevin and I went back to the same mall right before we left to head home and let me tell you, I had the worst saleswoman experience ever! She was ridiculous! I couldn't believe it! She would not let me leave. I swear I was essentially captive for about ten minutes. Awful. We ended the trip on a great note, though! We decided to see if anything sounded good in the food court so that we could just eat lunch and leave straight from there. Sure enough there was something fantastic there: sesame chicken at The Flaming Wok. Holy cow, good. If you have the opportunity, we recommend it.

And that is pretty much it for now. I will post again as soon as we get the pictures back and will give any further updates we may have. They will probably include Christmas things and, I hope, a new job for Kevin!

Love you all! Merry Christmas!

Pure, Untainted Joy...

Hello Everyone!

My goodness! I'm sorry it's been so long since I last posted, but I wanted to hold off until I could include some wedding pictures with it. We finally got our pictures so here we go!

First off, it was a perfect day. Everything was so wonderful. Even the weather cooperated. While I have heard that many brides still feel a little stress trying to make their day perfect, I felt absolutely no stress myself. I was blissfully happy the entire day. The sealing was... amazing. And the rest of the day was beautiful and perfect. The weather was gorgeous, the cake my mom made for us was beautiful and extremely tasty, the reception was lovely, Kevin was incredibly dashing and I fulfilled my goal to take my husband's breath away. It was a day I will forever cherish in my memories.

I love being married. The way I put it when talking to a friend the other day was this: It may not be the easiest thing in the world, but it is the best thing in the world. I hold to that. Being married is, indeed, an adjustment and it takes effort. You don't go get yourselves married and suddenly everything's sunshine and daisies. However, it is the greatest joy I have ever known. Kevin is so good to me, better than I deserve sometimes. He is patient and gentle; understanding and loving. In short, he is everything I ever sought after in an eternal companion and then some. Not just some, a lot. He is so much more than I ever would have given myself or believed myself worthy of and I am daily thankful to a loving Father in Heaven for seeing fit to bring him into my life and allowing me to bind myself to him for time and all eternity.

I love my husband with all my heart and I look forward to the adventure of our lives together.

Deep Cuts and Ghostly Fingernails

So, funny story I forgot to mention a while ago...

I believe it happened on June 19th. Kevin and I were going to some yard sales, seeing if we could pick up anything for our new apartment for fairly cheap. We decided to stop at a neighbor's sale just around the corner from my house after driving around town for a bit. As we got out of the car I looked for Sis. Dickey because I wanted to visit with her and ask how she and her newborn baby were doing. I had just spotted her when I felt A LOT of pain coming from my right index finger. I turned around and low and behold, I had completely shut my finger in the door! According to Kevin I said something to the effect of "Oh shnikeys, crap, suck!" I quickly opened my door and walked over to Kevin who gave me a hug and asked if I was alright. As I pulled back to say I was okay I looked down and there was blood literally gushing out of my finger. Fortunately blood itself does not make me nauseous. I walked up to the driveway and asked Bro. Dickey if I could borrow his bathroom so I cleaned my cut while he looked for a band-aid. While running water over the cut I started to feel light-headed so I sat down on the toilet seat and wrapped some toilet paper around my finger and put pressure on it. That's when the tears started. They were partially out of embarrassment. I got it under control long enough to talk to Sis. Dickey and find out how she was doing. However, the waterworks continued to rage behind my eyes and it was hard to fight them back so I ended the conversation and let it all out as Kevin and I walked to the car. I drove home (than goodness it was just around the corner, apparently Kevin was pretty nervous). When we pulled in Kevin ordered me to the couch and didn't leave my side. I had gone into shock, but even though I recognized it I couldn't talk my self out of it. So he talked to me and soothed me and eventually my breathing slowed down. A little bit later my dad drove Kevin and I down to Community Care and I was supremely relieve to find out that all I had to do was get a shot and have my finger wrapped up. No stitches! Yay!!! They offered to drill some little holes into my nail to release some pressure, but seeing as how it was already hurting and I hate needles I politely refused.

My cut has healed up quite nicely and my nail is more than half black. It's lovely, I must say.

So there you go! That was my big adventure for the month of June.

Stess and Mood Swings and Converse? Oh My

Hello All.

Where do I begin?

I have been so caught up in wedding plans and the multitude of emotions that accompany that occupation. While it is fun and exciting to anticipate your own marriage, I have to admit that I will be relieved when all of the planning and waiting is over. Over the last four to six weeks I have been working just about full-time, I have registered for two bridal registries, picked out desserts for the reception, decided on a cake flavor and design for the wedding cake, tried on my dress and brought it home for alterations, designed and ordered our announcements, stuffed envelopes, made labels for those receiving announcements as well as return address labels and stamped them all. I have learned of still more car repairs to be done on my car before we take our honeymoon to the Oregon coast and am still in the process of attending to those. I have found a place to live, many thanks to my grandparents for that, and have begun moving things in. And there is still a lot to do to prepare for the big day.

On the up side: I have a wonderful fiancee who helps as much as he can while still staying on top of school work and who is so patient with my ever-changing moods. Speaking of which, has any other bride-to-be ever gone through all of these mood swings? Did any of you ever just feel grumpy for no truly good reason? Anyway, Kevin continues to be very patient and understanding through all of this and helps to lighten my mood on a very regular basis. I also have an amazing mother who is helping me every step of the way and who is making my wedding cake. It's going to look, and even more importanly taste, fabulous! And, now that I can work full-time for a while I have the funds to be able to take care of some car repairs while still paying my monthly bills. So there you have it. There's always the silver lining; the good to counteract the bad.

Other than that, I have learned that Converse are very controversial. Who knew?

Announcement Anyone?

Alright Friends and Family!

The time has come for announcements to be printed, addressed and mailed! Family, I'm pretty sure my mom has your addresses, but just in case you might want to email them to her. Friends on the other hand... I will need addresses for all of you who would like to receive an announcement. You can email your addresses to me or you can call and give them to me via phone. Whatever way is easier. For those of you who would prefer an emailed copy, just let me know.

Thanks Everybody!

Happy Birthday Kevin!

As the title of this post indicates: today is Kevin's birthday! Happy 22nd, love!

It was a pretty good day considering I was able to get my shift covered by an awesome coworker (thank you Jorey!) and Kevin and I were able to go with some of my extended family on my mom's side to visit graves. It's always fun to hear the stories and run into family you didn't realize you had. After paying our respects we went to a park and had a fabulous picnic. It was a lot of fun. They all took to Kevin and he seems to like them, too ;).

One adventure we did have today happened just as we reached my aunt and uncle's house this morning... Kevin and I got out of the car and after he closed the door he turned to me and said "Your window just fell." What?! So I took a look and sure enough, the window on the passenger side had fallen into the door. Fortunately I have a very car savvy uncle who took my door apart and diagnosed my problem. Stupid cable. He fixed it temporarily by propping it up with some wood. Ridiculous. Uncle Randy, you're amazing! Thank you so much for your help!

But all of this pales in comparison to the fact that Kevin turned 22 today! Congrats, babe!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Picture Perfect

So Kevin and I had our engagement photos done on May 13th and our photographer/videographer got them done super fast (Stephanie Carstens everyone!) and we are now working on our announcements! If I have my way they'll be out by the end of the month. I'm really excited! The pictures turned out really nice. Here's a few! Including one of my ring, as promised.

Yours For Eternity

I have a post to give that is long overdue. For those of you who have been asking and hoping...

Kevin officially proposed on Saturday, April 24th.

We had some things planned for the day, but as the time approached for us to get together for lunch and head out he texted me saying he had to finish something he was working on. I, assuming he was working on homework, did some work of my own. Finally, after about an hour of waiting he texted to say he was almost done. After a few more minutes he asked me the most random question (or so I thought): "Did anything come in the mail for you today?" I responded by telling him that our mail doesn't come until about four o'clock and he then proceeded to tell me I should check anyway. That's when I realized what was going on. I went to our mailbox and sitting there, waiting for me, was a letter. It was the first of four. The first sent me from my house to the Ricks building, where I found the second letter. From there I went to my Church building where we will be having our reception. The third letter led me to the park where I found the final letter (with some texted hints from a loving fiancee who was hiding in the trees). As I was reading the final letter Kevin came out from behind the trees and wrapped his arms around my waist as he waited for me to finish. When I did I rested my hands on his arms and he pulled me close and said "I'm tired of waiting. I want to hold onto you forever." At this point he let me go and I turned around to see him get down on one knee, hold out the ring and say "Catherine Dresen, will you marry me?" I started crying, as I knew I would. But through the tears I smiled and said "yes" and we embraced.

Kevin asked me later if it was everything I'd hoped it would be and I assured him it was much more. I love that I have the letters and can read them over and over and remember exactly what he said instead of relying on faulty memory to recall that beautiful time. Another thing I love about those letters is that there are specific words in each one that are bolded and if you read only the bolded words they form the lyrics to a song Kevin has wanted to use in his proposal for many years. It's called "I Will Hold On".

And hold on we will. In this imperfect life there must be opposition in all things. There will be sorrow to contrast the joy. There will be times when we will be angry and hurt, but we will talk through them and come out the stronger and wiser for the experience. Satan and the world may try to beat us down, but, like the phoenix, we will rise from the ashes. Strong, valiant and true to ourselves, to each other and to God we will face the world hand in hand and we will press on to eternity, where time, distance and even death cannot separate us.

True Love Waits

Kevin arrived in Rexburg just after noon on Saturday and I am the happiest woman alive. As I stood in the airport watching the door open and close, knowing he was on the other side, just out of view, my heart started pounding. And then he was there! I was about ready to explode with joy! We were apart one minute and the next we were colliding in a long-anticipated embrace. Kevin continues to amaze me and I have never been so relaxed in my entire life. He has a magic touch. In short, Kevin continues to amaze and astound me and I continue to fall more and more deeply in love with him. He is more than worth all of the time we've had to sacrifice.

Sentimental Value

Happy news! I paid off Kevin's ring yesterday! I'm so excited!

The picture I have isn't actually his ring, but it looks exactly like it. The really cool thing about it is that it looks exactly like the duck tape one he wears now, but metal! It's perfect. I love it. It feels good to have it in my possession and it feels great knowing that I got him exactly what he wanted.

Productivity And Devotion

So I figured it's high time I did another post for my blog. It's been quite a while. Let's see... what can I tell you...

Well, for starters: school is going very well. I am taking two English classes, a Sociology class and a Government class this semester and they're all going well. My Critical Reading and Writing teacher can be very picky/demanding and I have to admit that at first I was getting a little discouraged, but I decided to look at it as a learning experience and that's exactly what it has become. I still have a long way to go, but I am definitely a better writer now than I was when I started. I'm really enjoying it.

Also, for those of you who don't know (which is most of you), I teach one of two Sunbeam classes in my ward. It is so much fun. They're a handful a lot of the time, especially since I have all girls and they love to talk, but they're so cute. It's one of the most rewarding callings, I think. There have been so many times when I think "does anything get through?" and then one of their parents will come up to me and thank me for doing such a good job. What a relief! And it makes it all worth while. That, and they say and do the funniest things! They're so cute and actually much more observant than we give them credit for.

In other, very exciting news! Kevin comes back on April 17th! I'm so excited! He's been gone for 94 days including today and I can't wait to see him again! I have to admit, though, that as crazy as it drives me sometimes to be away from him for long stretches like this, there are some very good things that come out of it. Every time I gain a greater appreciation for him. Being apart from him like this shows me that I love him for much more than just the physical demonstrations of affection. And it teaches me to never take him for granted. Kevin is my best friend and I love him with all my heart. He helps me to relax when I'm tense, laugh when I'm upset, cry when I've trained myself to hold it in and love without fear. And in 24 days I never have to let him go again. THAT is a great feeling.

"The One"

Okay Everyone! I have really exciting news this time! Last Saturday I went to look at wedding dresses with my mom, sisters and grandma. The first place we looked didn't turn out so great. We found one dress that was okay, but it didn't feel like "the one". So we went to a second store that, number one: actually had my size. That's always a nice thing, not having to come out of the dressing room with half your back exposed. Sheesh. And! They had a much larger selection of dresses. On top of this! I found my dress! It is so beautiful, I love it! I went wedding dress shopping that day expecting to narrow down the options, but I did not expect to actually find the dress. But I did! I can't give details because my fiancee reads this blog and he doesn't get to see it until our wedding day and the only details he gets to know until then are that it is white and has a train.

I'm so excited, though! I actually had to come home and think about it first. I knew I really liked it, but it all happened a lot faster than I expected. But after coming home and talking to my parents, especially my mom, I knew it was the one. That, and my mom cried. It's the only dress she cried for so that was a pretty good sign, too ;). I found my dress! I'm so thrilled!

So there you go. I've found all three of the things people refer to as "the one." I found, first and foremost, "the one" man who is my perfect match, I found "the one" ring that we both felt drawn to, and I found "the one" dress that makes me feel unquestionably beautiful. I'd say that's a lot to be thankful for.

An Uneventful Start To An Eventful Year

Well, I started my new semester of classes this week. I really like my teachers and the classes themselves are pretty fun. I will have A TON of reading and writing to do this semester, but I think it'll be fun for the most part. I'm pretty excited, actually, so hopefully that excitement lasts at least most of the semseter if not all of it ;).

I think that's really all that's been going on for me. My life is pretty uneventful right now, sorry.

In other news that's not directly related to my life... Kevin got a job in Oregon! Yay! He actually was able to get the same temp job he had before he left on his mission! It's kind of hard because it's graveyard shifts, but the pay is nice! We'll have to see what we can find for him when he comes back for school.

And there you have it, folks. I'll write again when I have something at least semi-interesting to tell you ;). Have fun out there!