"Donations! For the poor beggar girl!" Round 2

Well, with bills adding up for many more trips to and tests at the eye doctor than I would like and a couple car repairs in the works, it is time for me to try and sell some more of my precious movie posters. The following is a list of all the posters I currently have set aside to sell. Some of them you will recognize from the last time I sold some, but there a quite a few new ones that I think some of you will be interested in. Take a look and let me know if you want one!

Family

Alvin and the Chipmunks     $5

Karate Kid       $5

Princess and the Frog (Portrait) (8)   $10

Tale of Despereaux      $5

Cars 2     $15

Voyage of the Dawn Treader     $15

Kung Fu Panda 2      $15

Toy Story 3 (with a 3 on it)     $15

Science Fiction

Golden Compass    $5

Premonition     $5

The Time Travelers Wife   $5

New Moon     $15

Comedy

Morning Glory     $5

When in Rome     $5

You Again     $5

Drama

Fame (Dancers) (2)       $5

Fame (Yellow/Silver)      $5

Secretariat        $5

The Greatest Game Ever Played    $5

The Last Song        $5

Water for Elephants       $10

The Work and the Glory III: A House Divided  $5

Pursuit of Happiness     $15

Dear John     $10

Action/Adventure

Ghost Rider        $10

Green Lantern        $15

The Last Airbender (Aang Body Shot)   $5

Transformers: Dark of the Moon    $10

Three Musketeers     $15

RED     $10

Suspense

The Lovely Bones   $5

Unstoppable    $5

"...A Witness At All Times, And In All Things, And In All Places." -Y.W. Theme

Last month I posted a status on facebook that basically said:


"Dear Self,


No, life isn't fair. Get over it.


Love,
Your Tough Self"


That's not exact, but it's pretty close. I had a couple friends ask what my "tough self" has taught me, and in the midst of a hectic semester I have tried to contemplate on this and formulate a response that I could be satisfied with. Unfortunately, when it's all in your mind the thoughts never fully form and develop. So I am sitting down now to get it all out and hopefully by the end some of it will make sense.


Over the last few months my tough self has opened my eyes to some things about myself, many of which were not pleasant to behold.


I am prideful. When Kevin and I get on each others' nerves (believe me, all of you who have yet to be married, it will happen. That's part of life) more often than not it has been Kevin who first seeks peace. In some situations I am quick to anger and slow to let go. When someone acts or speaks in a way that I see as having a total lack of courtesy or consideration, or that is unkind or thoughtless, I can feel the anger welling up inside of me and it is far too easy to proceed to judge everything they do or say following that based on the first experience--finding a similar fault in all of it. As if I have the right to make such assumptions or judgments, having so many flaws myself. It is also unfair to expect others to approach what they do and say with as much pre-emptive analyzing as I do in order to pose the least amount of offense or hurt.
I am lazy. I struggle to motivate myself in homework, in scripture study, in getting up and saying my prayers when I've already laid down at the end of a demanding day or making time on my whirlwind run out the door to seek the Lord's strength and guidance. Despite incredible experiences I have been quick to fall into a rhythm of complacency in my life that has left me foggy and unprotected.
I am not just overweight. I am obese. There, it's out now. I AM OBESE. And it hurts far more than I have ever let on to admit it. My tough self has also taught me that this final flaw is a major contributor to all the others. The reason is this: I battle self-loathing on a nearly daily basis and I realize now that in an effort to cope with this I have allowed that anger and disappointment to bleed out into my reception and perception of others. I hate my weight and the facial hair that grows because my ovaries are overproducing and causing a chemical imbalance resulting in high testosterone levels. I hate that I have never, in all my years on this earth, had control of my weight. I hate that I am an emotional eater, which only aggravates the problem. But there comes a time when I have to stop blaming this problem on the horrible names I was called when I was younger and take responsibility. Yes, those names, the teasing, the hurt--they were the catalist for my emotional eating, but it was my choice to let it go on. Yes, my body is not helping, but I can make changes that will greatly increase my body's ability for fitness and overall health. I know I will still battle it, but now that I have come to this harsh awareness of myself I am determined to change. I have to change. For myself, for my family (both present and future), and for my sweet husband who has been so patient and loving through it all. The bleed of emotions towards myself has not been easy on him, but he has continued to love, comfort, and strengthen me through it all.


So, for my friends who have been wondering: my tough self has taught me that life is hard. It will knock you down and beat you until you are ragged, but you DO NOT stay down. You get up! You fight! You do whatever it takes to see yourself as God sees you: His daughter, His son, His beautiful creation with perfect potential. And you will stumble. It's okay. Despite the flaws and the handicaps, whether they be physical, mental, or emotional, we have all been given exactly what we need to make it back. The most important of which is this: the atoning sacrifice of His son, Jesus Christ. I bear my testimony to all that the Atonement not only makes possible the repentance and forgiveness of sins, but it can heal all hurts, and comfort all who are in need. It can make you whole no matter what you face. It is not easy. Living the Gospel as we have been commanded to do is not easy, life is not easy. But that is how it is suppose to be. This life was intended to be a challenge because this is where we prove if we have what it takes to stand at the side of the Lord in that final battle. Brothers and sisters, there is no place for fence-sitters. Choose now who you represent and fight for and do all that it takes to get yourself in line with the expectations that have been given. Look in the mirror and take down all defenses. Make yourself naked before God. He already knows you better than you know yourself. Accept His trials and meet them with faith. He gives them to you because He knows you are strong enough and there is something you need to learn from it. Seek out the Lord in all you do, every hour of every day in your heart, and make use of the beautiful and unlimited power and gift of the Atonement that has been given to all men on the earth if they will but believe and have faith. Please have faith. Please pray. Please forgive--others and yourself.


I leave this testimony, as disorganized and difficult to understand as it may be, with you. In the name of my beloved Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

New Beginnings

Since I last posted...


I have started school again. I am pursuing a Bachelors degree in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing. I am pairing that with a cluster in Business Psychology and a cluster in HR Management. As with anything in life there are hard days, and after lots of trial and error I get a little uncertain of myself, but this time around something always happens that reaffirms that this is what I'm suppose to be doing. It's been a frustrating road getting here. It has been difficult to watch all my friends move forward, graduate, and start families while I felt like I was drowning--going nowhere. But at long last I have jumped through all the hoops and am back on track.


Kevin's brother, Matt, is getting married in August to his lovely bride-to-be: Esther. We are excited for them and are looking forward to making the trip out to Oregon for that wonderful day.


Kevin is working full-time at Malaleuca right now. They treat him well and it has been a huge blessing in so many ways.


My brother Jacob graduates from high school next week. It's crazy thinking I graduated six years ago. They had their final choir concert last night and I got to go up for the alumni piece: "How Can I Keep From Singing". Jacob came down and stood by me and we ended up being front and center. Jacob and I may have a lot of differences, and I may think he's a butthead a lot of the time, but he's my brother and differences aside, I was proud to stand there next to him on stage last night. It warmed my heart to hear him say "I'm going to stand by my sister" all the way down the risers, pushing through people to stand by me. I will cherish that moment for the rest of my life. Hearing those words meant more than he will ever know.


Kevin's sister, Diane, has made a wonderful CD. She has such a beautiful voice. She is doing a concert in Utah this weekend and we wish so much that we could make it down to support her. Hopefully she knows our hearts are with her.


That's really all I can think so say right now. Or at least that's all I'm willing to share right now. I do still have a lot of posters so if anyone wants one I would be more than happy to sell one to you... ;D But seriously, I'm just happy anyone reads my blog anymore. I hope you are all doing well in your own lives. I'll post again. Soon this time.

"Donations! For the poor beggar girl!"

Hey Everybody! (If anyone even checks this blog anymore)

I know it's been way too long and this really should be an update post, but it's not. I am trying to earn a little extra cash and, as such, have a list of movie posters I accumulated over my years at the theater to sell. Here I will just post the titles, but if you have any questions or want to see what the actual poster looks like email, text or call me. I will edit the list as I sell them.

Family

Alvin and the Chipmunks $5

Karate Kid $5

Princess and the Frog (Portrait) (8) $10

Tale of Despereaux $5

Science Fiction

Golden Compass $5

Premonition $5

The Time Travelers Wife $5

New Moon $10

Comedy

Morning Glory $5

When in Rome $5

You Again $5

Drama

Fame (Dancers) (2) $5

Fame (Yellow/Silver) $5

Secretariat $5

The Greatest Game Ever Played $5

The Last Song $5

Water for Elephants $10

The Work and the Glory III: A House Divided $5

Action/Adventure

Ghost Rider $10

Green Lantern $10

The Last Airbender (Aang Body Shot) $5

Transformers: Dark of the Moon $10

Suspense

The Lovely Bones $5

Unstoppable $5

Has It Really Been A Year Already?

It's really kind of embarrassing that it has taken me this long to do another post. Of course it doesn't help that we don't have internet in our apartment, but still. I apologize to any of you who are still occasionally checking this blog. I'll have to try and do a catch-up post soon, but for now I will start with a few posts about our trip we just took!

Kevin's parents decided almost a year ago that after their youngest, Matt, returned from his mission they wanted to go on a cruise to celebrate the entire family being together again for the first time in four years. They also decided to be incredibly generous and pay for everyone. They chose this last week to go on the cruise, which was very good of them since it fell right on our first anniversary!

We left a couple days early to spend some time in Kevin's home town before we headed up to Seattle to depart on the cruise, which was a lot of fun. I don't have any pictures of that, but I do have a couple

gorgeous pictures I took from the plane right before we had to turn off all electrical devices!

Is that not gorgeous? I thought so.

The next pictures I have are from the trip up to Seattle. Along the way we had a tire pretty much explode. At first we were afraid it was something more serious, but then Matt and Kevin looked under the car and saw a big strip ripped off of the tire. Crazy! Thankfully Kevin's parents had a full-size spare so we made it to the departure on time.

So our second night on the cruise was one of two formal nights for dinner. You know, sometimes it's really fun to dress up all fancy... And then let your hair down when it's all done! ;D

I think I'll leave it at that for now. Next up: Ketchican, Alaska!

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!

Painful Separation

Well, friends and family, Saturday was the official end of Kevin's Fall Semester here at BYU-I. I am not at all embarrassed to admit that I spent as much time as possible with him this last week. On Saturday we made breakfast for my brothers and ourselves and then we got to work going through his stuff and figuring out what I would be keeping here and what he would be taking back to Oregon. We got it all sorted out and put his stuff in my car, said a few last goodbyes (he did, anyway) and then we went on a search around town for his iPod. Never fear, the iPod was found and is unharmed ;).

After the recovery of the iPod we headed for Idaho Falls. It was a mostly quiet ride, but a good one nonetheless. When we reached the airport I helped pull some of his things out of the trunk and then we said our goodbyes. I'd be lying if I told you it was not one of the hardest things I've had to do. It gets harder every time I have to let him go. He won't be back until April, just before Summer Semester begins. It's going to be really hard, but so worth it. Kevin is more than worth the wait.

So there you go. I actually had to come back and go straight to work after dropping Kevin off, which was probably a blessing because instead of going home and shutting myself up in my room I went and worked hard and distracted myself from my loneliness. It was a good thing. And Kevin was a gem and let me know every time he landed and when he was home at last so I didn't have to start worrying at all. Thank you, love, it was much appreciated.

I think that's all I have to say right now. Ummm... car updates: it cost a pretty penny for the essential repairs in Logan. I was sent home with the car and a list of other things that need to be taken care of on the car as soon as possible. How happy for me. It's always so nice to see all of your hard-earned savings gone like that *snap*

On a happier note! Christmas is almost here! I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas with your families/friends and are able to feel the peace that the Spirit can bring at this sometimes (if not often) stressful time of the year. I love you all and appreciate all you have done and continue to do for me. Each one of you has left your own unique impression on my life. Thank you.

A "Real World" Smackdown

So this last weekend Kevin and I made a trip to Utah to spend Thanksgiving with his family. It was really fun. It was great seeing his parents and siblings again and a blast meeting his extended family. They're really fun people.

We decided to head back Saturday afternoon and stop off at my grandparents' house for one night so that he could meet some of my extended family that live around there. We made it there without incident, had a good dinner with my grandparents and my uncle and his family. After my uncle and his family left Kevin and I needed to go get some things from WalMart in preparation for Church the next day. We went out and got in my car... and it wouldn't start. At all. We finally had to borrow my grandpa's car, hoping it was just a dead battery (because that's what the picture on my dashboard showed). The next afternoon my grandpa tried to jump start my car to absolutely no avail. We towed it over to a Honda dealer and spent another night at their house hoping for early news on the car. Well, come to find out that my timing belt had broken. We were more than lucky to make it to my grandparents house, if you know what I mean. It took them all day to put in a new "timing belt package" and then the next day (yes, we spent yet another night) they found four bent valves; a result of the broken timing belt.

Needless to say the cost of repairs is not cheap and I am more than a little stressed. But I have faith that it'll all work out somehow. Kevin was a huge support, comfort and distraction during those three days and I am extremely grateful to and for him.

Well, because of the parts they had to order in it wouldn't have been done on Tuesday and we just couldn't miss anymore school so my grandparents were kind enough to drive us back. My car should hopefully be done on Friday and then we'll see what the damage really is. Yay for car ownership!